cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partitioning of phosphorus in different height isolines of winter wheat

Abstract Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain yields and composition are influenced greatly by P and its interactions with other nutrients. Because most P in grain, like N, is remobilized from vegetative parts, high harvest index of dwarf wheats may adversely influence partitioning of P to grain. Isogenic tall, single semidwarf, and double dwarf ‘Pawnee’ wheat lines were used to characterize P partitioning, P nutrition before and after anthesis, and relationship between P and N. Plants were grown in hydroponic cultures with three P levels; the first study determined P, N, and dry matter accumulation from anthesis to maturity, the second study determined the effect of withholding P after anthesis on P, N, and dry matter partitioning during grain development. Plants continued to absorb P when it was available after anthesis, but grain growth was influenced more by P nutrition before anthesis than after anthesis. Leaf blades, sheaths, and stems were major sources of P for grain growth when the nutrient was wit...
Comparing Understanding of Programming Design Concepts Using Visual Basic and Traditional Basic

This article addresses the question of whether an introductory programming course can be taught using a Visual Language (Visual Basic) without compromising students' understanding of programming design concepts. One group of students took an introductory programming course using a text-based programming language (Qbasic) and a second group took the same course using a visual programming language (Visual Basic). At the end of the semester the two groups were compared on their understanding of the programming design concepts of sequence, selection, iteration, variables, and arrays. Based on this study with eighty-nine students, Visual Basic students master the programming design concepts at least as well as traditional BASIC students and in some cases better. Visual Basic appears to be an excellent choice for a first programming course.
Representation of induction motor loads

IN MOST POWER SYSTEM transient stability studies, the system loads are represented by shunt impedances. Commonly, the shunt impedances are treated as static impedances. This method is especially well adapted for hand calculation and for a-c network analyzer studies. It is, of course, appreciated that all loads do not behave as static impedances and methods have been developed for taking into account, more correctly, the proper variation of real and reactive power with system voltage and frequency changes. These methods have been used, where justified, in some a-c network analyzer transient stability studies.
Limiting effects of RIP140 in estrogen signaling: potential mediation of anti-estrogenic effects of retinoic acid

The receptor interacting protein 140 (RIP140) belongs to a unique subclass of nuclear receptor coregulators with the ability to bind and repress the action of a number of agonist-bound hormone receptors. We have previously demonstrated that all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) induction of RIP140 constitutes a rate-limiting step in the regulation of retinoid receptor signaling. Here we demonstrate that RIP140 is also a limiting regulator of estrogen receptor signaling. Overexpression of RIP140 dose dependently inhibits estrogen-dependent reporter activity in human breast cancer cells. Furthermore, small interfering RNA to RIP140 enhances estrogen-dependent signaling. Our previous studies indicate that RIP140 is a direct target of RA. We report here that RA can abrogate estrogen-mediated cell cycle re-entry. In addition, RA treatment of estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells opposes estrogen receptor-dependent reporter activity, implying that a proportion of RA effects are anti-estrogenic. We provide evidence for a role for RIP140 in mediating anti-estrogenic effects of RA. RIP140 small interfering RNA blocks RA-mediated repression of estrogen receptor activity and provides a growth advantage to estrogen-dependent cells. Together these data implicate a regulatory role for RIP140 in mediating anti-estrogenic effects of RA in estrogen-dependent breast cancer cells and suggest that acute regulation of coregulator expression may be a general mechanism to integrate diverse hormone signals.
Facebook-based stress management resources for first-year medical students: A multi-method evaluation

Student anxiety and doubt about academic performance in the early years of medical school have been well documented. Stress management programs can be helpful but are challenged by shortages of time, personnel, and resources. Therefore, popular online social networks such as Facebook may offer an innovative strategy for addressing student stress and supporting coping. This pilot study explored whether first-year medical students could benefit from a stress management intervention based exclusively on Facebook. During orientation week at Penn State College of Medicine, participants were randomly assigned to a Facebook stress management group that addressed problematic issues during the first semester. The intervention took place during the first eleven weeks of medical school. A multi-method evaluation of the intervention was completed using descriptive statistics for demographics and frequencies and qualitative procedures for focus group data. The accessibility and ease of use of a Facebook-based stress management program proved valuable for medical students, particularly early in the semester when engagement was greatest. These preliminary results suggest that medical schools might consider adding an online social networking component to existing stress management programming. This online strategy may also be of benefit to other health professionals and students from other health disciplines.
In situ TEM observations of fracture in nanolaminated metallic thin films

Fracture of single crystal nanolaminated thin films has been investigated through in situ straining of cross-sectional samples of Cu/Ni nanolaminates grown on Cu (001) single crystal substrates. The earlest stages of deformation exhibits a confined layer slip mechanism. With continued straining, unstable fracture occurs creating a mixed-mode crack that propagates across the nanolaminate, roughly perpendicular to the interfaces. Eventually, stable crack growth with intense plastic deformation ahead of the crack tip occurs over many bilayers in the direction of crack growth. Simultaneously, plasticity was seen to spread only 1 or 2 bilayer distances normal to the crack, creating an extremely localized plastic zone. Transmission electron microscopic (TEM) examination after the test did not reveal the presence of dislocations in the crack wake, except where severe crack deflection was observed. By comparison, the plastic zone size in the substrate was greater by several of orders of magnitude.
Evaluation and management of pulmonary fibrosis in scleroderma.

Pulmonary fibrosis causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients with scleroderma. Lung inflammation identifies patients at greater risk for decline in forced vital capacity and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide. Factors that are increased in patients with scleroderma with lung fibrosis include connective tissue growth factor, KL-6, pulmonary surfactant-D, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, macrophage inhibitory protein-1α, soluble interleukin-6 receptors, antiendothelial cell antibodies, and anti-DNA topoisomerase I antibodies. Potential mechanisms of lung damage in scleroderma include increased production of profibrotic type 2 cytokines and abnormal signaling by thrombin of tenascin-C production by lung fibroblasts, with protein kinase Ce as an intermediate in the signaling pathway. Treatment of scleroderma lung disease with cyclophosphamide may have a beneficial effect on pulmonary function and survival. Lung transplantation provides a therapeutic option for patients with scleroderma with end-stage lung disease.
Hyposmotic stress induces cell growth arrest via proteasome activation and cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase degradation.

Ordered cell cycle progression requires the expression and activation of several cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks). Hyperosmotic stress causes growth arrest possibly via proteasome-mediated degradation of cyclin D1. We studied the effect of hyposmotic conditions on three colonic (Caco2, HRT18, HT29) and two pancreatic (AsPC-1 and PaCa-2) cell lines. Hyposmosis caused reversible cell growth arrest of the five cell lines in a cell cycle-independent fashion, although some cell lines accumulated at the G1/S interface. Growth arrest was followed by apoptosis or by formation of multinucleated giant cells, which is consistent with cell cycle catastrophe. Hyposmosis dramatically decreased Cdc2, Cdk2, Cdk4, cyclin B1, and cyclin D3 expression in a time-dependent fashion, in association with an overall decrease in cellular protein synthesis. However, some protein levels remained unaltered, including cyclin E and keratin 8. Selective proteasome inhibition prevented Cdk and cyclin degradation and reversed hyposmotic stress-induced growth arrest, whereas calpain and lysosome enzyme inhibitors had no measurable effect on cell cycle protein degradation. Therefore, hyposmotic stress inhibits cell growth and, depending on the cell type, causes cell cycle catastrophe with or without apoptosis. The growth arrest is due to decreased protein synthesis and proteasome activation, with subsequent degradation of several cyclins and Cdks.
Theory of some Quiet Magnetospheric [Phenomena related to the Geomagnetic Tail

THIS is an outline of a theory which correlates four quiet aeronomic phenomena—(1) the ionized plasma in the geomagnetic field, particularly the tail; (2) the maintenance of the polar F region in winter; (3) type A red polar cap aurora; and (4) some aspects of the scattering of solar Lyman alpha radiation (La) into the night sky.
Heliothis spp. Eggs: Spray Application to Establish Larval Infestations in Experimental Field Plots of Soybeans

Procedures and equipment were developed to produce infestations of larvae of the bollworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), or tobacco budworm, H. virescens (F.), in soybean field plots. A spray solution which consisted of laboratory-reared Heliothis spp. eggs suspended in distilled water thickened with xanthan gum was sprayed onto the soybean. A portable apparatus was designated that delivered the spray at a low pressure and so permitted control of the numbers of eggs applied. Differences in numbers of eggs applied resulted in corresponding differences in larval infestations.
Photosynthetic phosphorylation and Hill reaction activities of chloroplasts isolated from plants infected with tobacco mosaic virus.

Abstract The influence of tobacco mosaic virus infection upon the Hill reaction and photosynthetic phosphorylation activities of isolated chloroplasts from directly inoculated leaves has been investigated. These enzymatic activities are not affected until approximately the seventh day after infection. The rates in chloroplasts from infected leaves then begin to decline, falling to about 60% of those from uninfected at about the ninth day after inoculation. Evidence is presented to show that this loss of enzymatic activity is a secondary effect of virus infection. Under certain conditions of plant growth and with supplemental fertilizer nitrogen, Hill reaction activity is not affected by virus infection while virus multiplication is significantly stimulated. These results have been interpreted as suggesting that virus multiplication can affect some intercellular processes by inducing a state of nitrogen stress at the cellular level.
Reprogramming the purine nucleotide cofactor requirement of Drosophila P element transposase in vivo

Guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins are involved in controlling a wide range of fundamental cellular processes. In vitro studies have indicated a role for GTP during Drosophila P element transposition. Here we show that P element transposase contains a non-canonical GTP-binding domain that is critical for its ability to mediate transposition in Drosophila cells. Moreover, a single amino acid substitution could switch the nucleotide binding-specificity of transposase from GTP to xanthosine triphosphate (XTP). Importantly, this mutant protein could no longer function effectively in transposition in vivo but required addition of exogenous xanthine or xanthosine for reactivation. These results suggest that transposition may be controlled by physiological GTP levels and demonstrate that a single mutation can switch the nucleotide specificity for a complex cellular process in vivo.
Stalnaker on Mathematical Information

Robert Stalnaker has argued that mathematical information is information about the sentences and expressions of mathematics. I argue that this metalinguistic account is open to a variant of Alonzo Church's translation objection and that Stalnaker's attempt to get around this objection is not successful. If correct, this tells not only against Stalnaker's account of mathematical truths, but against any metalinguistic account of truths that are both necessary and informative.
Comparing two sports drinks effects on indices of aerobic performance

Methods Twenty-two males (n = 13) and females (n = 9) ages 20– 36 years (23.68 +/3.91), volunteered as subjects. Each subject performed two VO2max treadmill tests within two weeks of each other. Administration of the trials was double-blinded and randomized with half of the participants ingesting PRX1 during the first trial and PRX2 during their second trial with the product order being reversed for the other subjects performing both exercise trials. In this crossover design, each subject ingested the PRX1 or PRX2 exactly 20 minutes before each exercise bout. VO2max, maximal heart rate (HR), time to exhaustion (Time), respiratory exchange ratio (RER), and fat substrate utilization (%), during graded exercise testing were evaluated.
1154 PROTEIN-BOUND PLASMA CYST(E)INE: NUTRITIONAL AND METABOLIC SIGNIFICANCE

A simple method for the measurement of plasma free, bound and total cyst(e)ine has been developed. Using this method, we found that plasma total cyst(e)ine is distributed equally between that bound to plasma protein (10.5 ± 4.0 μmoles/dl, mean ± S.D.) and that free (9.9 ± 2.5); compare with amino acid analyzer free 1/2-cystine (10.7 ± 2.2). Radioactive studies show the cyst(e)ine is bound mainly to albumin in vivo and is not an artifact of isolation. Cyst(e)ine may be displaced from plasma protein by compounds that compete for the available sulfhydryl groups of plasma proteins, e.g. in 5 patients with homocystinuria, homocysteine was the predominant sulfhydryl compound bound to plasma protein. In addition, nutrition can affect both free and bound cyst(e)ine in the plasma, e.g. rats starved for 8 days had a significant decrease both in plasma free cyst(e)ine and bound cysteine. We conclude: (1) Previous methods for the measurement of plasma cyst(e)ine underestimate the quantity of cyst(e)ine in the plasma. (2) The distribution of plasma cyst(e)ine between the bound and the free form may be influenced by the nutritional or metabolic state.
On some practical aspects of orientation determination using electron channeling patterns

A brief survey was made of the methods currently used for indexing of electron channeling patterns. Special attention was given to orientation determination of individual grains in a polycrystalline sample, for trace analysis and for determination of the relative orientation of the grains. The accuracy of various procedures was tested on alpha brass samples containing annealing twins. It was found that the beam direction (z) can be routinely determined with an error of less than 0.1° and the “in-plane” directions (x, y) with an error of less than 1°. This accuracy is sufficient to determine the slip planes in a unique manner using their slip traces on the surface. It is also sufficient to determine relative orientations of the grains with average errors of less than 0.5° in rotation angle and in the position of the rotation axis. It was shown that this accuracy seems to be sufficient for distinguishing most special, nearcoincidence grain boundaries in polycrystalline samples. Procedures used for crystallographic description of a polycrystalline specimen are discussed. These include: indexing of the channeling patterns, orientation determination of the grains, trace analysis, and misorientation (relative orientation) determination. Accuracy of these procedures is estimated through the study of twin-oriented grains in alpha brass. Possibilities of improving the accuracy and speeding up the analytical procedures by using appropriate microcomputer programs are indicated.
P.C. disposal decisions: a banking industry case study

The service industry and the manufacturing industry are interlinked in a supply chain situation. Part of the effectiveness of some manufacturing industry environmental performance based on remanufacturing and recycling is dependent on service industry decisions. In the information technology arena, personal computers (PCs) are the hard equipment of the service industry. The end-of-life decisions made by the service industry, and in this case the banking industry will have implications for the amount of systems within the waste or reverse logistics stream for manufacturers. Looking at some of the issues (and presenting a model for evaluation) related to decision making concerning end-of-life disposition for PCs is something this paper investigates. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is applied in this circumstance. The development of the model, its application, and results, provide the basis for much of the discussion in this paper.
Modeling of Fillets in Thin-Walled Beams Using Shell/Plate and Beam Finite Elements

Fillets are commonly found in thin-walled beams. Ignoring the presence of a fillet in a finite element (FE) model of a thin-walled beam can significantly change the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the structure. A large number of solid elements are required to accurately represent the shape and the stiffness of a fillet in a FE model, which makes the size of the FE model unnecessarily large for global dynamic and static analyses. In this work the equivalent stiffness effects of a fillet in a thin-walled beam are decomposed into in-plane and out-of-plane effects. The in-plane effects of a fillet are analyzed using the wide-beam and curved-beam theories, and the out-of-plane effects of the fillet are analyzed by modeling the whole fillet section as a slender bar with an irregular cross section. A simple shell/plate and beam element model is developed to capture the in-plane and out-of-plane effects of a fillet on a thin-walled beam. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of a thin-walled L-shaped beam specimen calculated using the new methodology are compared with its experimental results for 28 modes. The maximum error between the calculated and measured natural frequencies for all the modes is less than 2%, and the associated modal assurance criterion values are all over 95%. The methodology is also applied to other thin-walled beams, and excellent agreement is achieved between the natural frequencies from the shell/plate and beam element models and those from the solid element models. While the shell/plate and beam element models provide the same level of accuracy as the intensive solid element models, the degrees of freedom of the shell/plate and beam element models of the thin-walled beams are only about 10% or less of those of the solid element models.
The Bishops' Pastoral Letter and the Poverty Problem: Early Vs. Contemporary Concerns and Doctrines

I. Introduction In their recent pastoral letter, the Catholic bishops of this country have reputedly taken a new approach in rooting their moral imperatives in the Bible. As opposed to the established, official convention of “proof‐texting”, the US bishops focus on certain biblical themes which presumably “speak to” contemporary issues and problems. Chief among these is the so‐called “preferential option for the poor”, which is attributed to both the Old and New Testaments and early Church (Christianity).
Plasmon spectrum of tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF-TCNQ)

The plasmon excitations in a quasi-one-dimensional organic material are analyzed in terms of a simple tight-binding energy-band model. Within the random-phase approximation, the calculated plasmon dispersion and anisotropy are in quite good agreement with the electron-loss data on tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane. The observed plasmon damping is simply correlated with the finite electron lifetime and the absence of Landau damping is shown to follow from the one-dimensional character of the electron dynamics. Exchange corrections to the plasmon dispersion are found to be of the form $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{q}=B{q}^{4}$, in contrast to the quadratic corrections in three-dimensional systems. Local-field and exchange corrections are estimated to be small. The acoustical plasmon modes are strongly damped by decay into the electron-hole continuum, in contrast to previous work.
Inter-observer variability in the classification of ovarian cancer cell type using microscopy: a pilot study

Studies have shown that different cell types of ovarian carcinoma have different molecular profiles, exhibit different behavior, and that patients could benefit from typespecific treatment. Different cell types display different histopathology features, and different criteria are used for each cell type classification. Inter-observer variability for the task of classifying ovarian cancer cell types is an under-examined area of research. This study served as a pilot study to quantify observer variability related to the classification of ovarian cancer cell types and to extract valuable data for designing a validation study of digital pathology (DP) for this task. Three observers with expertise in gynecologic pathology reviewed 114 cases of ovarian cancer with optical microscopy, with specific guidelines for classifications into distinct cell types. For 93 cases all 3 pathologists agreed on the same cell type, for 18 cases 2 out of 3 agreed, and for 3 cases there was no agreement. Across cell types with a minimum sample size of 10 cases, agreement between all three observers was {91.1%, 80.0%, 90.0%, 78.6%, 100.0%, 61.5%} for the high grade serous carcinoma, low grade serous carcinoma, endometrioid, mucinous, clear cell, and carcinosarcoma cell types respectively. These results indicate that unanimous agreement varied over a fairly wide range. However, additional research is needed to determine the importance of these differences in comparison studies. These results will be used to aid in the design and sizing of such a study comparing optical and digital pathology. In addition, the results will help in understanding the potential role computer-aided diagnosis has in helping to improve the agreement of pathologists for this task.
AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO AIR MASS CLASSIFICATION IN THE NORTH CENTRAL UNITED STATES

Both subjective and objective schemes for air mass classification offer advantages to climatological studies. An integrated approach is developed and applied to 850 mb level data in the north central United States. Each air mass type was initially delimited by a subjective analysis. Final limits were then determined with an objective technique that separates temperature curves into normal components based on interpretation from the subjective method. Continental air was most frequent in all seasons except summer. The methodology also allows estimation of classification error.
SEDIMENTS FORMING THE BED AND BANKS OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI RIVER AND THEIR EFFECT ON RIVER MIGRATION

Physiographic features and depositional history of the sediments forming the bed and banks of the lower 200 miles of the Mississippi River are summarized. From mile 200- 160 the river is scouring into coarse substratum sands, between miles 160 and 80 into Pleistocene clays, and between mile 80 and 0 chiefly into prodelta and interdistributary clays. Point-bar accretion averages 500 acres per river mile in the uppermost segment, 200 acres per river mile in the middle segment, and 30 acres per river mile in the lower- most segment. The occurrence of bends caused by faulting or formed during seaward growth of the delta, and the occasional existence of coarse materials in the path of the stream are significant factors in the initiation of meanders. The composition of the bed and banks, and the length of channel occupation are important in the rate and extent of migration. Migration of the river between miles 0 and.160 has been and should continue to be very slow.
In Opposition to Nursing Diagnosis: A Minority Opinion

Does nursing diagnosis further nursing practice? This article examines the premises underlying nurses diagnoses and their impact on clinicians and the health care delivery system. The authors argue that nursing diagnoses in their current form limit nursing practice, create obstacles to clear communication, and constrain inference and intuition. Once upon a hot summer day, a community health nursing student returned from a home visit to do her charting. Unbeknown to her instructor, this student was an aficionado of nursing diagnosis. She completed her note and gave it to the instructor to read: S: “My feet hurt.”‘7 waked three miles today.(in 97o weather.) O: Ankles edematous bilaterally; dorsum of feet warm to touch; 1 cm. vesicle on plantar aspect, right foot. A. Alternation in comfort as a result of restless legs. P. Bathe feet in tepid water; dry well; do not rupture vesicle; elevate legs.
Automatic insertion of indexing instructions in program synthesis

A algorithm is described for creating a computer program from a trace of an example calculation which may omit certain indexing operations. The technique is designed to be used in an interactive programming system that allows a user to work example computations at a display console in scratchpad fashion and that automatically synthesizes a program which can do the computations. A number of programs are given that the algorithm was used to synthesize. Finally, it is shown that this approach yields a technique for synthesizing certain computer programs from input-output information only.
Comparison of temporal properties of auditory single units in response to cochlear infrared laser stimulation recorded with multi-channel and single tungsten electrodes

Auditory prostheses may benefit from Infrared Neural Stimulation (INS) because optical stimulation allows for spatially selective activation of neuron populations. Selective activation of neurons in the cochlear spiral ganglion can be determined in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) because the tonotopic organization of frequencies in the cochlea is maintained throughout the auditory pathway. The activation profile of INS is well represented in the ICC by multichannel electrodes (MCEs). To characterize single unit properties in response to INS, however, single tungsten electrodes (STEs) should be used because of its better signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, we compared the temporal properties of ICC single units recorded with MCEs and STEs in order to characterize the response properties of single auditory neurons in response to INS in guinea pigs. The length along the cochlea stimulated with infrared radiation corresponded to a frequency range of about 0.6 octaves, similar to that recorded with STEs. The temporal properties of single units recorded with MCEs showed higher maximum rates, shorter latencies, and higher firing efficiencies compared to those recorded with STEs. When the preset amplitude threshold for triggering MCE recordings was raised to twice over the noise level, the temporal properties of the single units became similar to those obtained with STEs. Undistinguishable neural activities from multiple sources in MCE recordings could be responsible for the response property difference between MCEs and STEs. Thus, caution should be taken in single unit recordings with MCEs.
Biochemical mechanism of acetaminophen (APAP) induced toxicity in melanoma cell lines

In this work, we investigated the biochemical mechanism of acetaminophen (APAP) induced toxicity in SK-MEL-28 melanoma cells using tyrosinase enzyme as a molecular cancer therapeutic target. Our results showed that APAP was metabolized 87% by tyrosinase at 2 h incubation. AA and NADH, quinone reducing agents, were significantly depleted during APAP oxidation by tyrosinase. The IC(50) (48 h) of APAP towards SK-MEL-28, MeWo, SK-MEL-5, B16-F0, and B16-F10 melanoma cells was 100 microM whereas it showed no significant toxicity towards BJ, Saos-2, SW-620, and PC-3 nonmelanoma cells, demonstrating selective toxicity towards melanoma cells. Dicoumarol, a diaphorase inhibitor, and 1-bromoheptane, a GSH depleting agent, enhanced APAP toxicity towards SK-MEL-28 cells. AA and GSH were effective in preventing APAP induced melanoma cell toxicity. Trifluoperazine and cyclosporin A, inhibitors of permeability transition pore in mitochondria, significantly prevented APAP melanoma cell toxicity. APAP caused time and dose-dependent decline in intracellular GSH content in SK-MEL-28, which preceded cell toxicity. APAP led to ROS formation in SK-MEL-28 cells which was exacerbated by dicoumarol and 1-bromoheptane whereas cyslosporin A and trifluoperazine prevented it. Our investigation suggests that APAP is a tyrosinase substrate, and that intracellular GSH depletion, ROS formation and induced mitochondrial toxicity contributed towards APAP's selective toxicity in SK-MEL-28 cells.
The galU Gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Is Required for Corneal Infection and Efficient Systemic Spread following Pneumonia but Not for Infection Confined to the Lung

Acute pneumonias and corneal infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa are typically caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-smooth strains. In cystic fibrosis patients, however, LPS-rough strains of P. aeruginosa, which lack O antigen, can survive in the lung and cause chronic infection. It is not clear whether an LPS-rough phenotype affects cytotoxicity related to the type III secretion system (TTSS). We previously reported that interruption of the galU gene in P. aeruginosa results in production of a rough LPS and truncated LPS core. Here we evaluated the role of the galU gene in the pathogenesis of murine lung and eye infections and in cytotoxicity due to the TTSS effector ExoU. We studied galU mutants of strain PAO1, of its cytotoxic variant expressing ExoU from a plasmid, and of the inherently cytotoxic strain PA103. The galU mutants were more serum sensitive than the parental strains but remained cytotoxic in vitro. In a corneal infection model, the galU mutants were significantly attenuated. In an acute pneumonia model, the 50% lethal doses of the galU mutants were higher than those of the corresponding wild-type strains, yet these mutants could cause mortality and severe pneumonia, as judged by histology, even with minimal systemic spread. These findings suggest that the galU gene is required for corneal infection and for efficient systemic spread following lung infection but is not required for infection confined to the lung. Host defenses in the lung appear to be insufficient to control infection with LPS-rough P. aeruginosa when local bacterial levels are high.
Serum Cortisol Concentrations in Dogs with Pituitary-Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism and Atypical Hyperadrenocorticism

Results: Hourly (control, 1.4 0.6 lg/dL; AHAC, 2.9 1.3; PDH, 4.3 1.5) (mean, SD) and sum (control, 11.3 3.3; AHAC, 23.2 7.7; PDH, 34.7 9.9) cortisol concentrations differed significantly between the controls and AHAC (P < .01) and PDH (P < .01) groups. Hourly (P < .01) but not sum (P = .27) cortisol concentrations differed between AHAC and PDH dogs. Average transverse adrenal gland diameter of control dogs (5.3 1.2 mm) was significantly less than dogs with PDH (6.4 1.4; P = .02) and AHAC (7.2 1.5; P < .01); adrenal gland diameter did not differ (P = .18) between dogs with AHAC and PDH. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Serum cortisol concentrations in dogs with AHAC were increased compared to controls but less than dogs with PDH, while adrenal gland diameter was similar between dogs with AHAC and PDH. These findings suggest cortisol excess could contribute to the pathophysiology of AHAC.
Trading structure for randomness in wireless opportunistic routing

Opportunistic routing is a recent technique that achieves high throughput in the face of lossy wireless links. The current opportunistic routing protocol, ExOR, ties the MAC with routing, imposing a strict schedule on routers' access to the medium. Although the scheduler delivers opportunistic gains, it misses some of the inherent features of the 802.11 MAC. For example, it prevents spatial reuse and thus may underutilize the wireless medium. It also eliminates the layering abstraction, making the protocol less amenable to extensions to alternate traffic types such as multicast.This paper presents MORE, a MAC-independent opportunistic routing protocol. MORE randomly mixes packets before forwarding them. This randomness ensures that routers that hear the same transmission do not forward the same packets. Thus, MORE needs no special scheduler to coordinate routers and can run directly on top of 802.11. Experimental results from a 20-node wireless testbed show that MORE's median unicast throughput is 22% higher than ExOR, and the gains rise to 45% over ExOR when there is a chance of spatial reuse. For multicast, MORE's gains increase with the number of destinations, and are 35-200% greater than ExOR.
Evaluation of Operational Impacts of Installation of Centerline and Edge Line Rumble Strips

Research findings have shown that centerline rumble strips (CRSs) and shoulder rumble strips (SRSs) have significant safety benefits. SRSs have proved successful in reducing run-off-the-road crashes, and more recent research has shown that CRSs can potentially reduce head-on collisions. However, concerns about the operational effects of CRSs and SRSs remain. Specifically, how do the installations affect vehicle lateral position, passing operations, and shoulder usage? This paper documents the findings of research conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation on CRSs and edge line rumble strips (ERSs), a variation on SRSs that are placed directly on the marked edge line. Before-and-after analyses were conducted on Texas highways where CRSs or ERSs, or both, were installed. CRSs were evaluated with respect to passing operations and vehicle lateral position within the travel lanes; ERSs were evaluated for shoulder usage and vehicle lateral position during shoulder encroachments. The results of the stu...
Attitudes towards days worked where Sundays are scheduled

Over the last two decades in Europe and North America, many more employers have been requiring Sunday work. The current study examines attitudes towards days worked in a North American retail sample where most employees had to work on Sunday. We use Exchange Theory to develop hypotheses examining how factors related to working Sundays, such as organizational tenure, pay premiums, scheduling control, and scheduling flexibility, are associated with attitudes towards days worked. To test the hypotheses, employees were categorized into groups based on whether they worked Sundays and the premiums they received for working Sundays. Organizational tenure, higher premiums for Sunday work, and greater scheduling control were related to more positive attitudes towards days worked. In addition, employees more willing to work Sundays for scheduling control and flexibility had more negative attitudes towards their days worked. We discuss the practical implications in relation to work schedule management.
New Approaches for Modeling Radiopharmaceutical Pharmacokinetics Using Continuous Distributions of Rates

Radiopharmaceutical pharmacokinetics are usually approximated by sums of discrete first-order rates, using 3 or more parameters. We hypothesized that pharmacokinetic processes can be modeled even better by continuous probability distributions (CPD) of rates, using only 1–2 parameters. Methods: To test this hypothesis, we used biodistribution data for 188Re-labeled melanin-specific antibody in blood, kidneys, liver, bone marrow, and lungs of melanoma xenograft–bearing mice. We used 3 discrete-rate models (monoexponential, monoexponential with constant, and biexponential) and 4 CPD models (stretched-exponential, modified stretched-exponential, simplified versions of stretched-exponential, and modified stretched-exponential). They were compared by sample-size-corrected Akaike information criterion. Total time integrals of radioactivity were computed for each model and averaged across all models. Results: The ratio of weights of evidence for CPD versus discrete-rate models was high for blood (12.2) and lungs (2.7), almost unity (0.99) for bone marrow, and slightly lower for kidneys (0.81) and liver (0.73). In all organs or tissues except lungs, model-averaged time integrals were 12.7%–54.0% higher than biexponential model estimates. Conclusion: Simple CPD models often outperform more complex discrete-rate models on pharmacokinetic data. Radioactivity time integrals are more robustly estimated by multimodel inference than using any single model.
Without parental consent: conducting research with homeless adolescents.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE: To identify the ethical and legal implications of conducting research with homeless adolescents and to discuss guidelines for conducting research without parental consent. CONCLUSIONS: Ethical principles of capacity, risk, postponement, and truthful disclosure within the context of the rights of minors to consent to healthcare treatment form the basis of the argument for allowing adolescents to consent to participate in research without parental consent when there is minimal risk or when such consent could place them at increased risk for harm. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Adolescents who are the target population for clinical research or who are intended recipients of nursing care should be involved in setting priorities, purposes, and protocols. Parents and other adults from their communities should be included in developing strategies to protect their confidentiality and privacy while helping them achieve autonomy in making informed health-related decisions. Language: en
Classifying land development in high-resolution panchromatic satellite images using straight-line statistics

We introduce a set of measures based on straight lines to assess land development levels in high-resolution (1 m) panchromatic satellite images. Most urban areas locally (such as in a 400/spl times/400 m/sup 2/ area) exhibit a preponderance of straight-line features, generally appearing in fairly simple quasi-periodic organizations. Wilderness and rural areas produce line structures in more random spatial arrangements. We use this observation to perform an initial triage on the image to restrict the attention of subsequent more computationally intensive analyses. Statistical measures based on straight lines guide the analysis. We base these measures on length, contrast, orientation, periodicity, and location. On these, we trained and tested parametric and nonparametric classifiers. These tests were for a two-class problem (urban versus rural). However, because our ultimate goal is to extract residential regions, we then extended these ideas to address the detection of suburban regions. To do so, some use of spatial coherence is required; suburban regions are especially difficult to detect. Therefore, we introduce a decision system to perform suburban region classification via an overlapping voting method for consensus discovery. Our data were taken from regions all around the world, which underscores the robustness of our approach. Based on extensive testing, we can report very promising results in distinguishing developed areas.
Signet ring lymphoma: a potential diagnostic mishap

Signet ring lymphomas are proliferations of malignant lymphoid cells containing cytoplasmic inclusions or vacuoles that displace the nucleus to the side, imparting a "signet ring" appearance. These signet ring cells, particularly those with cytoplasmic vacuoles, may be mistaken for an adenocarcinoma rather than a lymphoma, if sufficient material is not available to differentiate the case by immunohistochemical stains or flow cytometry. The pathologist must also be aware of this entity so that appropriate studies may be untaken.
ADAPTIVE PLASTICITY IN AMPHIBIAN METAMORPHOSIS: RESPONSE OF SCAPHIOPUS HAMMONDIITADPOLES TO HABITAT DESICCATION

Amphibians exhibit extreme plasticity in the timing of metamorphosis, and several species have been shown to respond to water availability, accelerating metamorphosis when their ponds dry. In this study we analyzed the plasticity of the developmental response to water volume reduction in the western spadefoot toad, Scaphiopus hammondii. Also, we attempted to identify the environmental cue(s) that may signal a desiccating larval habitat. We spawned adults in the laboratory and raised tadpoles in aquaria in a controlled environmental chamber. Water levels of aquaria were gradually reduced by removing water at the rate of 0.5–1 L/d; water in control aquaria was similarly disturbed but not removed. Tadpoles subjected to water volume reduction showed significant acceleration of metamorphosis. The developmental acceleration depended on the rate of reduction of the water level; i.e., tadpoles exhibited a continuum of response. This developmental response did not result from thermal differences between treatments...
Epidemic profiles and defense of scale-free networks

In this paper, we study the defensibility of large scale-free networks against malicious rapidly self-propagating code such as worms and viruses. We develop a framework to investigate the profiles of such code as it infects a large network. Based on these profiles and large-scale network percolation studies, we investigate features of networks that render them more or less defensible against worms. However, we wish to preserve mission-relevant features of the network, such as basic connectivity and resilience to normal nonmalicious outages. We aim to develop methods to help design networks that preserve critical functionality and enable more effective defenses.
Sources of Error Inherent in Species-Tree Estimation: Impact of Mutational and Coalescent Effects on Accuracy and Implications for Choosing among Different Methods

Discord in the estimated gene trees among loci can be attributed to both the process of mutation and incomplete lineage sorting. Effectively modeling these two sources of variation—mutational and coalescent variance—provides two distinct challenges for phylogenetic studies. Despite extensive investigation on mutational models for gene-tree estimation over the past two decades and recent attention to modeling of the coalescent process for phylogenetic estimation, the effects of these two variances have yet to be evaluated simultaneously. Here, we partition the effects of mutational and coalescent processes on phylogenetic accuracy by comparing the accuracy of species trees estimated from gene trees (i.e., the actual coalescent genealogies) with that of species trees estimated from estimated gene trees (i.e., trees estimated from nucleotide sequences, which contain both coalescent and mutational variance). Not only is there a significant contribution of both mutational and coalescent variance to errors in species-tree estimates, but the relative magnitude of the effects on the accuracy of species-tree estimation also differs systematically depending on 1) the timing of divergence, 2) the sampling design, and 3) the method used for species-tree estimation. These findings explain why using more information contained in gene trees (e.g., topology and branch lengths as opposed to just topology) does not necessarily translate into pronounced gains in accuracy, highlighting the strengths and limits of different methods for species-tree estimation. Differences in accuracy scores between methods for different sampling regimes also emphasize that it would be a mistake to assume more computationally intensive species-tree estimation procedures that will always provide better estimates of species trees. To the contrary, the performance of a method depends not only on the method per se but also on the compatibilities between the input genetic data and the method as determined by the relative impact of mutational and coalescent variance. (Coalescence; gene tree; lineage sorting; mutation; phylogenetics; sample design; species tree.)
Acute Effects of Aerosolized S-Nitrosoglutathione in Cystic Fibrosis

S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), a naturally occurring constituent of airway lining fluid, enhances ciliary motility, relaxes airway smooth muscle, inhibits airway epithelial amiloride-sensitive sodium transport, and prevents pathogen replication. Remarkably, airway levels of GSNO are low in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). We hypothesized that replacement of airway GSNO would improve gas exchange in CF. In a double-blind, placebo controlled study, we administered 0.05 ml/kg of 10 mM GSNO or phosphate buffered saline by aerosol to patients with CF and followed oxygen saturation, spirometry, respiratory rate, blood pressure, heart rate, and expired nitric oxide (NO). Nine patients received GSNO and 11 placebo. GSNO inhalation was associated with a modest but sustained increase in oxygen saturation at all time points. Expired NO increased in the low ppb range with GSNO treatment, peaking at 5 minutes but remaining above baseline at 30 minutes. There were no adverse effects. We conclude that GSNO is well tole...
User Demographics and Language in an Implicit Social Network

We consider the task of predicting the gender of the YouTube users and contrast two information sources: the comments they leave and the social environment induced from the affiliation graph of users and videos. We propagate gender information through the videos and show that a user's gender can be predicted from her social environment with the accuracy above 90%. We also show that the gender can be predicted from language alone (89%). A surprising result of our study is that the latter predictions correlate more strongly with the gender predominant in the user's environment than with the sex of the person as reported in the profile. We also investigate how the two views (linguistic and social) can be combined and analyse how prediction accuracy changes over different age groups.