cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Remote sensing used to detect moisture status of pecan orchards grown in a desert environment

Remote-sensing techniques can detect and up-scale leaf-level physiological responses to large areas, and provide significant and reliable information on water use and irrigation management. The objectives of this study were to screen leaf-level physiological changes that occur during the cyclic irrigation of pecan orchards to determine which responses best represent changes in moisture status of plants and link plant physiological changes to remotely sensed surface reflectance data derived from the Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus ETM+. The study was conducted simultaneously on two southern New Mexico mature pecan orchards. For both orchards, plant physiological responses and remotely sensed surface reflectance data were collected from trees that were either well watered or in water deficit. Remotely sensed variables included reflectance in band 1, the ratio between shortwave infrared SWIR bands B5:B7, the normalized difference vegetation index, and SWIR moisture indices. Midday stem water potential Ψsmd was the best performing leaf-level physiological response variable for detecting moisture status in pecans. The B5:B7 ratio positively and significantly correlated with Ψsmd in five of six irrigation cycles while multiple linear regression weighted with six remotely sensed surface reflectance variables revealed a significant relationship with moisture status in all cycles in both orchards R2 > 0.73. Because changes in the B5:B7 band ratio and multiple regression of spectral variables correlate with the moisture status of pecan orchards, we conclude that remotely sensed data hold promise for detecting the moisture status of pecans.
Heterogeneity of fatty acids from royal jelly.

THE presence of hydroxy fatty acids as the major component of the lipid portion of royal jelly was indicated many years ago by Townsend and Lucas1 and was confirmed recently by Butenandt and Rembold2. The latter authors characterized the major component as 10-hydroxy-2-decenoic acid. A trans configuration has been assigned to the double bond3,4. This unusual fatty acid has been found also in the food of worker bee larvae2 and in the mandibular glands of worker bees3,5, but appears to be absent from pollen and other bee food. Unusual biological activity has been ascribed to the substance by Blum et al. 6 and by Townsend et al. 7.
DEMONSTRATION OF 1,25-DIHYDROXYVITAMIN D3 RECEPTORS IN HUMAN SKIN BIOPSIES

In this study we report the demonstration of receptors for 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 in fresh and cultured human skin. Cultured fibroblasts grown from infant foreskin exhibit a binding site which by Scatchard analysis had a Kd for [3H]1,25-(OH)2D3 of 0.2 nM and an Nmax of approximately 40 fmol/mg cytosol protein. On sucrose density gradients the receptor sediments at 3.2S. Receptors could also be identified in skin biopsies from adult patients when assayed either in fresh epidermis or cultured keratinocytes and dermal fibroblasts. The human receptors are similar to rodent receptors assessed in classical target organs such as intestine, bone and kidney. The findings that receptors can be measured in cultured human skin after several arterial passages indicates that skin biopsy may provide a means of assessing the 1,25-(OH)2D3 receptor status of patients.
Location of multiple retail facilities with limited budget constraints — in continuous space

Abstract The location of multiple competing facilities in an area where other facilities already exist is investigated. The objective is to maximize the total market share captured by the entire franchise chain, both new franchise facilities and existing franchise facilities. The budget for constructing new facilities is given and it is up to the planner's discretion to allocate that budget among them. Market share is calculated using gravity type models in a continuous space. Both the optimal allocation of the budget among the new facilities and the best locations for them are found. We conclude that new franchises should invest the total budget in one new facility, while established franchises should consider equally dividing the budget among several new facilities. The model is analyzed and computational experiments are reported.
Nylon 11/silica nanocomposite coatings applied by the HVOF process. I. Microstructure and morphology

Nylon 11 coatings filled with nanosized silica and carbon black have been produced using the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) combustion spray process. The physical properties and microstructure of coatings produced from nylon 11 powders with starting particle sizes of 30 and 60 μm have been evaluated as a function of the filler content, filler chemistry, and processing conditions. The nominal filler content was varied from 5 to 20 vol %. Co-milling of the nano-sized fillers with the polymer powders produced an embedded 4–8 μm thick filler layer on the surfaces of the polymer particles. Optimization of the HVOF processing parameters based on an assessment of the degree of splatting of polymer particles was accomplished by varying the jet temperature (via hydrogen/oxygen ratio). Gas mixtures with low hydrogen contents minimized polymer particle degradation. The filler was found to be agglomerated at the splat boundaries in the final coating microstructures. Aggregates of silanated silica and carbon black were of the order of 50 nm in size, whereas the aggregates of untreated silica and hydrophilic silica were of the order of 100 nm. The morphology of the polymer and the microstructure of the coatings depended on the filler surface chemistry and the volume fraction of the filler, as well as the initial nylon 11 particle size. Although all filled coatings had higher crystallinities than pure nylon 11 coatings, coatings produced from a smaller starting polymer particle size exhibited improved spatial distribution of the silica in the matrix and lower crystallinity. In addition, coatings prepared from smaller polymer particles had a higher density and lower porosity. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 1684–1699, 2000
Schr\"odinger Operators Defined by Interval Exchange Transformations

We discuss discrete one-dimensional Schr\"odinger operators whose potentials are generated by an invertible ergodic transformation of a compact metric space and a continuous real-valued sampling function. We pay particular attention to the case where the transformation is a minimal interval exchange transformation. Results about the spectrum and the spectral type of these operators are established. In particular, we provide the first examples of transformations for which the associated Schr\"odinger operators have purely singular spectrum for every non-constant continuous sampling function.
Dynamics of Ly49 expressing cytotoxic lymphocyte subsets in response to virus infection.

Abstract Viral infections induce first a loss and then an increase in natural killer (NK) and CD8 + T cells. NK cells expressing Ly49G2 were selectively expanded by several viruses and poly I:C. CD8 + T cells expressing Ly49G2 were selectively expanded by poly I:C and participated in the antigen-specific response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.
Nurse residents' first-hand accounts on transition to practice

Abstract Background The first year of nursing practice is critical to developing new graduate nurses into safe practitioners. Many new graduate nurses leave the profession because of job stress, lack of organizational support, poor nurse-physician relations, unreasonable workloads, uncivil work environments, and difficulty transitioning into practice. In response, Nurse Residency programs reflect an organizational commitment to support new nurses, allowing them time and support to become competent professional nurses. Purpose and method Thirty-seven new graduate nurses employed in a hospital in a northwestern state participated in a descriptive qualitative study to examine the “lived experience” as new nurses and to assess the level of job satisfaction during the first year of their nursing practice. Results New graduate nurses described themes related to their first year of nursing practice including rhythm in the chaos, feeling valued, stress from ‘not knowing’, life-long learning, and preserving the profession. Conclusions Having supportive preceptors and nursing staff, feeling valued by the health care team, and being perceived as a vital member of the organization contributed to job satisfaction and overall commitment to the profession.
Using factor analysis to explore nurses' fear of AIDS in the United States of America

The purpose of this study was to create a reliable research instrument to test the fear of AIDS (FOA) and to explore the dimension of FOA among nurses. We hypothesized that certain factors, such as physical closeness to AIDS patients or HIV-positive blood and nontolerance of homosexuals, increase fear of AIDS among nurses. A sample of 365 nurses in a mid-Atlantic state of the United States was surveyed with an 82-item Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice (KAP) questionnaire to examine the fear of AIDS among nurses in the United States. Using correlation, item and factorial analysis, a 23-item FOA Scale II (alpha = 0.826) was created and seven FOA factors were identified. Factor analysis was used to help understand the dimensions of FOA as measured by FOA Scale II. Principal components analysis was used to analyse the correlation matrix because some items were on a five-point scale and some were on a three-point scale. The varimax rotation was used, because if one were to define dimensions then these dimensions should be as independent of each other as possible. The coefficient alpha of 0.826 obtained from using FOA Scale II indicated that FOA could be considered to be a general factor; but the general factor could be exhibited through several avenues. It was determined that FOA could be represented by four or by seven dimensions, and if one uses the eigenvalue of 1 for a cut-off point then one would argue that there were seven factors. If one used the screen test, then one could assume that there were four factors of interest. Our decision for the analysis of this paper was to attempt the interpretation of the seven factors. We used both the factor loadings-the correlation of the item score with the linear combination-and the factor score coefficients (the weights of the items to form the linear combinations) to interpret the factor. The factor analysis thus seems to give insight into the dimensions of FOA as measured by FOA Scale II. Fear of AIDS seems to be exhibited in the following seven ways: (a) support for policies which would protect me from AIDS, (b) fear of contact with blood and bodily fluids of AIDS patient, (c) turning against those who have AIDS, (d) only care for those who deserve to be helped, (e)concern that I would have no help if I had AIDS, (f) concern about the financial burden of AIDS, and (g) loss of self-worth for one who has AIDS.
NMR and NQR studies of glass structure

Abstract 6Li, 7Li, and 29Si high-field static NMR studies of lithium-potassium mixed alkali glasses are reported. The fractional contribution to the spectral intensity of the various Qn units and the values of the chemical shift tensors for each of the sites are determined as a function of alkali composition. The dependence of the linewidths of the lithium spectra as a function of lithium-to-potassium ratio is evidence of like-alkali cation pairing in these glasses. The structure of borate glasses, pure vitreous B2O3,Li2O·B2O3, and 2Na2O·B2O3 was investigated with 10B and 11B NQR. Some structural sites that have not been resolved by NMR alone are not found.
External shocks and fiscal deficits in a monetary model of international reserve determination: Honduras, 1960-83

Results from single-equation estimation of a standard monetary model suggest that central bank credit growth in excess of growth of money demand was the main source of international reserve losses in Honduras during the 1960-83 period. Further 3-SLS estimates suggest that increases in central bank credit growth were largely in response to rising external interest rates and decreases in the income terms of trade. In addition, income growth - hence growth of money demand - shows a strong positive response to the income terms of trade. The fiscal deficit is found to have an insignificant impact on central bank credit growth.
A comparison of the magnetic properties of polysaccharide iron complex (PIC) and ferritin

Abstract The synthetic polysaccharide iron complex (PIC) molecule has been suggested as a ‘biomimic’, i.e. a counterpart, to the naturally occurring biological molecule ferritin with respect to its magnetic properties based on the identification of ferrihydrite as the major mineral in both. Magnetization measurements were used to investigate the magnetic properties of PIC in relation to those of ferritin, as well as to identify differences in such properties between naturally occurring ferritin, which we designate here as Ferritin I, and ferritin with an artificially high content of Fe2+ ions bound to its core, which is designated here as Ferritin II. The anisotropy constants K, blocking temperatures TB, magnetic moments m per particle, and number ofmagnetic moments ‘spins’ per particle Nsp were found to fit the following relations for PIC and ferritin: K(Ferritin I) K(PIC)≤ K(Ferritin II), TB(Ferritin I) TB(Ferritin II) TB(PIC), m(Ferritin II) ≈ m(Ferritin I) m(PIC), Nsp(Ferritin II) = Nsp(Ferritin I) Nsp(PIC). The magnetic moment per Fe ion was found to be smaller in PIC than Ferritin II due to a stronger antiferromagnetic interaction between the Fe ions of PIC. Susceptibility measurements indicated the existence of superantiferromagnetism in PIC and Ferritin I and also showed that most Fe2+ ions in Ferritin II are bound to its core surface. The enhanced values of K and TB as well as the reduced effect of superantiferromagnetism and the antiferromagnetic interaction between the molecules at low temperatures for the Ferritin II indicates the importance of the surface magnetic moments in dominating the magnetic behavior of both PIC and ferritin (Ferritin I).
The reaction K−n → K−π+π−n at 12 GeV/c

Abstract The reaction K−n → K−π+π−n has been studied in the SLAC 82″ liquid deuterium bubble chamber with a beam momentum of 12 GeV/c. Although the kinematic fit for this final state has only one constraint, nonetheless a reasonably pure sample has been obtained. The cross section for the reaction is 1.02 ± 0.10 mb. The process K − n → K ∗0 890 Δ − is observed with cross section 36 ± 9 μb and t-slope of 10 ± 2 (GeV/c)−2. A kaon diffraction dissociation sample has been obtained, although the Q-signal is not so strong as in experiments with proton targets. Neutron dissociation into nπ+π− is also observed with similar properties to those of proton dissociation into pπ+π−, but with a broader t-distribution.
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy-guided transperineal prostate biopsy and brachytherapy for recurrent prostate cancer

Brachytherapy targeted to the peripheral zone with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guidance is a prostate cancer treatment option with potentially fewer complications than other treatments. Follow-up MRI when failure is suspected is, however, difficult because of radiation-induced changes. Furthermore, MR spectroscopy (MRS) is compromised by susceptibility artifacts from radioactive seeds in the peripheral zone. We report a case in which combined MRI/MRS was useful for the detection of prostate cancer in the transitional zone in patients previously treated with MR-guided brachytherapy. We propose that MRI/MRS can help detect recurrent prostate cancer, guide prostate biopsy, and help manage salvage treatment decisions.
Tissue factor gene localized to human chromosome 1 (1pter----1p21)

Tissue factor (tissue thromboplastin, coagulation factor III), a protein component of cell membranes, is an essential cofactor for factor VII-dependent initiation of blood coagulation. Since no tissue factor-deficient condition has been described, it is one of only a few proteins of the coagulation system for which the pattern of inheritance has not been ascertained. Because of the species-specificity of tissue factor activity and the availability of a very sensitive chromogenic assay, it was possible in the present study to use somatic cell hybrids to assign the chromosomal location of the tissue factor structural gene (F3) to human chromosome 1 (1pter----1p21).
Reference Reviewed and Re-Envisioned: Revamping Librarian and Desk-Centric Services with LibStARs and LibAnswers.

Abstract The first section of this article reviews the literature on the changing face of reference, beginning with a discussion of the national decline in reference transactions, its causes, and the likelihood that online reference services might one day halt or reverse the decline. It then analyzes definitions of the term “reference,” pointing to a disconnect between those definitions and much of the work that actually takes place at reference desks. Next, critiques of desk-centric models of reference are examined, followed by a discussion of the persistence of the desk in so many academic libraries today. The analysis of the literature in section one informs the re-envisioning of reference services at CPP discussed in section two. Specifically, section two describes and assesses CPP's reference desk staffing shift from librarians to LibStARs (Library Student Assistant Researchers) and our implementation of LibAnswers in an effort to automate some reference transactions. The paper ends with an overview of the benefits of these new initiatives.
A Review Comparing Deoxyribonucleoside Triphosphate (dNTP) Concentrations in the Mitochondrial and Cytoplasmic Compartments of Normal and Transformed Cells

The deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pools that support the replication of mitochondrial DNA are physically separated from the rest of the cell by the double membrane of the mitochondria. Perturbed homeostasis of mitochondrial dNTP pools is associated with a set of severe diseases collectively termed mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes. The degree of interaction of the mitochondrial dNTP pools with the corresponding dNTP pools in the cytoplasm is currently not clear. We reviewed the literature on previously reported simultaneous measurements of mitochondrial and cytoplasmic deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate pools to investigate and quantify the extent of the influence of the cytoplasmic nucleotide metabolism on mitochondrial dNTP pools. We converted the reported measurements to concentrations creating a catalog of paired mitochondrial and cytoplasmic dNTP concentration measurements. Over experiments from multiple laboratories, dNTP concentrations in the mitochondria are highly correlated with dNTP concentrations in the cytoplasm in normal cells in culture (Pearson R = 0.79, p = 3 × 10(-7)) but not in transformed cells. For dTTP and dATP there was a strong linear relationship between the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial concentrations in normal cells. From this linear model we hypothesize that the salvage pathway within the mitochondrion is only capable of forming a concentration of approximately 2 μM of dTTP and dATP, and that higher concentrations require transport of deoxyribonucleotides from the cytoplasm.
Making probability judgments of future product failures: The role of mental unpacking☆

The results of two experiments showed that participants had higher probability judgments of future product failures when they went through a priming task of generating the possible causes of product failure, than in the absence of any such priming task. However, this effect got attenuated when participants had to generate an extremely high number of possible causes of product failure. The effects were further moderated by participants’ need for cognitive closure, and by their regulatory focus.
Rural health care ethics: what assumptions and attitudes should drive the research?

According to the American Hospital Association (AHA) (AHA Hospital Statistics 2005), there are 5,764 hospitals in the United States, 2,166 of which are located in rural areas. This means that appro...
Conversational Optimization and Facility-Layout Planning:

Facility-layout problems are well-known members of the class of wicked problems. Not only are these problems computationally intractable, they defy precise formulation which underscores their ‘wickedness’. A conversational optimization methodology is developed for solving the facility-layout planning problem, which utilizes a Lagrangean relaxation process to transform the original problem into a simpler combinatorial optimization problem. The original problem is a set-packing problem, whereas the transformed problem is a relaxed assignment problem. Along with the conversational optimization methodology an APL (a programming language) implementation of the process, a detailed example, and additional examples demonstrating the range and flexibility of the conversational models are presented.
Kindergarten Teachers Making "Street-Level" Education Policy in the Wake of No Child Left Behind

Research Findings: New demands emerging from U.S. education policies—such as accountability and student mastery of predetermined learning outcomes—have had a dramatic impact on the professional experiences of public school kindergarten teachers. For many, freedom and flexibility in matters involving curriculum and instruction have been replaced by regulation and standardization. This article presents findings from a recent qualitative study documenting 4 kindergarten teachers' experiences responding to these new demands. The teachers made their own curricular and instructional policies: They actively interpreted the requirements of their state and school district through the lens of their professional beliefs, preferences, and strategic knowledge base and created classroom policy responsive to their particular professional contexts. Practice or Policy: These findings provide a very different view of teachers' relationship to policy mandates and point to the central role played by autonomy in teachers' res...
Two-state problems involving arbitrary amplitude and frequency modulations.

Analytic solutions for a class of pulses that includes an infinite variety of amplitude and frequency modulations which we previously obtained are applied specifically to the square, Gaussian, Lorentzian, hyperbolic-secant, and the exponential pulses, among others. For all the different types of amplitude- and its corresponding frequency-modulated functions, the outcome of the atomic excitation is given by the same simple analytic formulas. Our analytic solutions apply equally to two-state collision problems.
Strategies for the Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder of unknown etiology that is managed by therapy directed at relieving its symptoms. Treatment of patients with milder symptoms that occur intermittently may be treated with nonpharmacological therapy but when not successful, drug therapy should be chosen based on the timing of the symptoms and the needs of the patient. Patients with moderate to severe RLS typically require daily medication to control their symptoms. Although the dopamine agonists, ropinirole and pramipexole have been the drugs of choice for patients with moderate to severe RLS, drug emergent problems like augmentation may limit their use for long term therapy. Keeping the dopamine agonist dose as low as possible, using longer acting dopamine agonists such as the rotigotine patch and maintaining a high serum ferritin level may help prevent the development of augmentation. The α2δ anticonvulsants may now also be considered as drugs of choice for moderate to severe RLS patients. Opioids should be considered for RLS patients, especially for those who have failed other therapies since they are very effective for severe cases. When monitored appropriately, they can be very safe and durable for long term therapy. They should also be strongly considered for treating patients with augmentation as they are very effective for relieving the worsening symptoms that occur when decreasing or eliminating dopamine agonists.
Cell cultivation in syringe chambers.

Summary An expandable sealed chamber for cell culture is provided by the unmodified injection syringe. Cells can be cultured sterilly as monolayers on the syringe wall or on the plunger top permitting investigation of a number of parameters. The cell growth can be observed and the number of cells present in the syringe chamber can be counted. The volume of the chamber can be altered over a 100-fold range. This chamber allows, in a simple manner, variations in the volumes of gas and liquid, with constant or variable areas available for cell attachment to a glass surface.
Multicast support in mobile commerce applications

Mobile commerce is an emerging discipline that involves mobile devices, applications, middleware, and wireless networks. Although most e-commerce applications can be modified to run in a wireless environment, m-commerce includes a wide range of new services ranging from locational advertising to mobile offices that are only possible with a wireless infrastructure. Among the many challenges m-commerce presents to network designers, service providers, vendors, and applications developers is providing support for multicast communications. Unlike broadcasting, in which everyone is sent a message, or replicated unicasting, in which messages are sent one by one to individual clients, multicasting involves sending messages to only a select group of mobile users. It thus avoids sending messages to too many users or using too many resources to send messages. The article presents five classes of m-commerce applications that require or can benefit from multicast support in wireless networks. Even among those requiring such support, specific requirements vary considerably. Reliability is an important requirement for many m-commerce applications, while real-time applications need low latency or a certain quality of service. Security is also a major concern in some instances.
Ovulation Blocking Actions of Urethane in the Rat

An anesthetic dose of urethane was found to be very effective in blocking spontaneous ovulation in the rat when administered just prior to or during the proestrous critical period. Its principal action appears to be blockade of LH—RH release from the brain. The drug does not act at the pituitary to alter significantly the gland's responsiveness to exogenous LH—RH. If administered ip urethane also appears to block spontaneous ovulation by a peripheral action: approximately 5 times as much exogenous LH is needed to ovulate urethane—blocked rats as pentobarbital— bioeked rats. Even when LH levels in the blood are elevated well above values necessary for full ovulation under pentobarbital, ip urethane can block ovulation. An iv injection of urethane does not block ovulation under these conditions, and it appears to lack the peripheral blocking effect. Both modes of injection cause characteristic changes in autonomic control. However, the ip injection of urethane causes a large accumulation of ascites fluid an...
Ash decline assessment in emerald ash borer-infested regions: A test of tree-level, hyperspectral technologies

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is an exotic insect pest currently threatening ash species in the Great Lakes region. Because of the potential impact on forests in this area, multiple government agencies are currently focusing their efforts on developing new technologies to detect, monitor and control this insect pest. Previous work has shown that hyperspectral remote sensing technologies can produce detailed maps of forest health and species abundance on a landscape scale. This study examines the capability of a commercially available sensor (SpecTIR VNIR) to map ash decline due to exotic EAB infestations in Michigan and Ohio. A 6-term linear regression equation based on known stress- and chlorophyll-sensitive indices was able to predict decline on a continuous 0- to 10 scale with an r-squared of 0.71 and an average jackknifed residual of 0.61. Treated as an integer, decline was predicted to within one class with 97% accuracy. The ability of this instrument to assess decline below class 4 (when dieback and transparency reach levels first noticeable in the field) is based upon pre-visual reductions in chlorophyll content and function that are characteristic of early stress. The identification of early stress is critical in containing newly introduced exotics such as EAB. While this decline prediction technique is not stress- or species-specific, it will enable land managers to assess and monitor detailed forest health across the landscape.
The effect of thermal history on the deformation mechanism of 2,6-dimethylpoly(phenylene oxide)

Stress-strain relationship of 2,6 dimethyl poly(phenylene oxide)(2,6 MPPO) was established simultaneously with optical micrographic examination as a function of thermal history. Films (5–7 μm) were solvent cast and annealed below their glass transition and melting point. As-cast film showed ductile behavior associated with shearband formation, whereas thermally treated material exhibited marked embrittlement; the slower it cooled the more brittle it became. Thermally treated material showed mixed mode deformation: crazing and shearbanding. The correlation between the deformation mechanism and its solid state structure was studied using differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle x-ray diffraction, and density measurement.
The Indiana Clinical Translational Sciences Institute HUB

The Indiana CTSI HUB is a medical virtual organization online portal for the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CTSI) that will support the full medical research and healthcare delivery cycle as part of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) to Indiana University and Purdue University. The HUB is built on the Purdue HUBzero platform, using Joomla and other standards based Web 2.0 tools. Although the program is only 7 months old, the HUB already delivers internal grant proposal management, integrated search of research resources, online education and training, clinical trials information, user contributed and tagged content, content ranking, and a platform for creating and sharing simulations, and access to data repositories and high performance computing resources.
Chronic rhinosinusitis in the setting of other chronic inflammatory diseases

Abstract Objectives The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) overall and its 2 phenotypic variants, CRS with and without polyposis (NP), in patients with chronic inflammatory comorbidities including autoimmune disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, and atopic dermatitis. These findings were compared with data in patients with asthma. Patients with hypertension were also used as a reference group to estimate the incidence of CRS in a group with regular medical follow-up. Study design A retrospective, cross-sectional query of a large tertiary care electronic medical record database was performed. Results Electronic medical record database prevalence of CRS in patients with hypertension was 4.4%. The prevalence of CRS was 18% in asthma (P Conclusions These findings suggest similar prevalence of overall CRS in patients with autoimmune disease and inflammatory bowel disease, and background rates as estimated by observations in hypertension patients. Inflammatory bowel disease and atopic dermatitis patients with CRS exhibit some skewing toward the NP phenotype, as do asthmatics, where this association is well known.
Predicting patch occupancy in fragmented landscapes at the rangewide scale for an endangered species: an example of an American warbler

Aim Our objective was to identify the distribution of the endangered goldencheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) in fragmented oak‐juniper woodlands by applying a geoadditive semiparametric occupancy model to better assist decisionmakers in identifying suitable habitat across the species breeding range on which conservation or mitigation activities can be focused and thus prioritize management and conservation planning.
Software distribution using Xnetlib

Xnetlib is a new tool for software distribution. Whereas its predecessor netlib uses email as the user interface to its large collection of public-domain mathematical software, Xnetlib uses an X Window interface and socket-based communication. Xnetlib makes it easy to search through a large distributed collection of software and to retrieve requested software in seconds.
A new determination of radii and limb parameters for Pluto and Charon from mutual event lightcurves

Over the past several years Pluto-Charon mutual events have yielded progressively more accurate estimates of Charon's orbital elements and the radii of Pluto and Charon (e.g., Buie, Tholen, and Horne, 1992). Analysis of the 1988 stellar occultation by Pluto indicates a radius for Pluto that is about 4%, or 50 km, larger than the mutual event radius of 1151 km. One possible explanation for the discrepancy is that the mutual event modeling treats Pluto and Charon as uniformly bright disks. If they are limb-darkened, the mutual event fits could underestimate their radii. In this paper we use an independent mutual event data set (Young and Binzel, 1992) to fit for Pluto and Charon's radii in a manner independent of either object's limb profile or albedo distribution. Our least-squares solution indicates that Pluto's radius is 1164 +/- 22.9 km and Charon's radius is 621 +/- 20.6 km.
On Saint-Venant's principle in finite anti-plane shear: An energy approach

Some time ago a version of Saint-Venant’s principle was formulated and established for finite elastostatics [1]. As was discussed in [1], the issues of concern in connection with Saint-Venant’s principle in the nonlinear theory of elasticity are considerably more involved then those arising in the linear theory. (For a survey of results on Saint-Venant’s principle, primarily for linear theories, see e.g. [2–5].) One difficulty is that the appropriate Saint-Venant solutions need to be carefully characterized (see e.g. [6–13] and the references cited therein). Secondly, in the absence of superposition, consideration of self-equilibrated end loads is no longer sufficient. Furthermore, instabilities may have to be taken into account. Also the decay rate for end effects, even if exponential, might depend on the overall loading as well as on geometry and material characteristics. Several of these issues have been considered in recent studies in the nonlinear elasticity context [1, 14–23] as well as in investigations of spatial decay of solutions of nonlinear elliptic partial differential equations [24–32].
Interactive requirements validation for reactive systems through virtual requirements prototype

Adequate requirements validation can prevent errors from propagating into later development phases, and eventually improve the quality of software systems. However, validating natural language requirements is often difficult and error-prone. An effective means of requirements validation for embedded software systems has been to build a working model of the requirements in the form of a physical prototype that stakeholders can interact with. However, physical prototyping can be costly, and time consuming, extending the time it takes to obtain and implement stakeholder feedback. We have developed a requirements validation technique, called Virtual Requirements Prototype (VRP), that reduces cost and stakeholder feedback time by allowing stakeholders to validate embedded software requirements through the interaction with a virtual prototype.
Bioactive lysophosphatidylcholine 16:0 and 18:0 are elevated in lungs of asthmatic subjects.

Purpose: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, and is associated with upregulation of phospholipase A 2 (PLA2), the enzyme that hydrolyzes phosphatidylcholine, producing lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and free fatty acids. LPC is a lipid mediator with known pro-inflammatory and pro-atherogenic properties, and is believed to be a critical factor in cardiovascular diseases. We postulate that asthmatic subjects have an elevated content of LPC in the lung lining fluids. Methods: Eight non-asthmatic controls and seven asthmatic subjects were recruited for broncho-alveolar lavage fluids (BALF) collection for analysis of LPC by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Results: LPC16:0 and LPC18:0 were significantly elevated in the BALF of asthmatics with impaired lung function characteristic of moderate asthma, but not mild asth ma. The increased LPC content in BALF was accompanied by increased PLA2 activity. Furthermore, qRT-PCR analysis of the BALF cell fraction indicated increased secretory PLA2-X (sPLA2-X). Conclusions: The increased LPC content in the lung lining fluids is a potential critical lipid mediator in the initiation and/or progression of airway epithelial injury in asthma.
The Table 2 Fallacy: Presenting and Interpreting Confounder and Modifier Coefficients

It is common to present multiple adjusted effect estimates from a single model in a single table. For example, a table might show odds ratios for one or more exposures and also for several confounders from a single logistic regression. This can lead to mistaken interpretations of these estimates. We use causal diagrams to display the sources of the problems. Presentation of exposure and confounder effect estimates from a single model may lead to several interpretative difficulties, inviting confusion of direct-effect estimates with total-effect estimates for covariates in the model. These effect estimates may also be confounded even though the effect estimate for the main exposure is not confounded. Interpretation of these effect estimates is further complicated by heterogeneity (variation, modification) of the exposure effect measure across covariate levels. We offer suggestions to limit potential misunderstandings when multiple effect estimates are presented, including precise distinction between total and direct effect measures from a single model, and use of multiple models tailored to yield total-effect estimates for covariates.
Nanometer to Micron Scale Atomistic Mechanics of Silicon Using Atomistic Simulations at Accelerated Time Steps

Atomistic simulations have a unique capability to reveal the material deformation mechanisms and the corresponding deformation-based constitutive behavior. However, atomistic simulations are limited by the accessible length and time scales. In the present work, an equivalent crystal lattice method is used to analyze atomistic mechanical deformation of nanometer- to micrometer-sized polycrystalline silicon (Si) samples at accelerated time steps. The equivalent crystal lattice method’s validity is verified by the results of classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at MD strain rates. The method is then used to predict material behavior at subcontinuum length scales. An extrapolation of the thin film polycrystalline silicon stress-strain relationships to lower strain-rate values indicates that the thin film peak stress values at the experimental strain rates are in agreement with experimental values. Analyses reveal that the peak stress values in the case of polycrystalline Si follow inverse Hall-Petch ...
Design and synthesis of monotonic circuits

We developed a methodology and tools for synthesizing monotonic networks, which consist of alternating low-skew and high-skew logic gates. By taking advantage of their reduced input capacitance, lower switching thresholds, and efficient implementation for wide complex gates, monotonic circuits can obtain greater performance compared to static CMOS. Our results show standard domino, dynamic-static domino, monotonic static CMOS, and zipper CMOS to have average speed improvements of 1.57, 1.66, 1.67, and 1.47 times over static CMOS, respectively.
Treating fibromyalgia with a brief interdisciplinary program: initial outcomes and predictors of response.

• Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a brief, intense treatment program for fibromyalgia and to determine which patient characteristics are associated with a better treatment response. • Patients and Methods: Two self-report measures, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and the Multidimensional Pain Inventory (MPI), were administered before patients completed treatment and 1 month after participating in the program. The main outcome measure was the difference in FIQ score and MPI scale before and after program participation. • Results: Of 139 patients who met the American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia, 100 chose to participate in the 1 1 /2-day Fibromyalgia Treatment Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Of these 100 patients, 74 completed the follow-up surveys. Patients were less affected by fibromyalgia after participation in the treatment program. This was demonstrated by a posttreatment improvement in the total FIQ score (P<.001), the MPI pain severity score (P<.001), and the MPI interference score (P=.01). The 1 patient characteristic found to be significantly associated (P<.001) with a better response to treatment was a high pretreatment level of impairment from fibromyalgia, as measured by the pretreatment FIQ score. • Conclusions: A brief interdisciplinary program for treating fibromyalgia reduced some associated symptoms. Patients more severely affected by fibromyalgia may benefit most from this approach. Clinicians may apply these findings to develop beneficial and convenient treatment programs for patients with fibromyalgia. Mayo Clin Proc. 2001;76:384-390
Plague: A Review of its History and Potential as a Biological Weapon

The increased threat of terrorism has revealed the importance of various diseases as potential weapons of destruction. Among the diseases that have been identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being caused by category A organisms is plague. An ancient disease, it has played a role in both natural disasters and war and has been used as a weapon since at least medieval times. This article provides a brief historical overview of the disease in its natural occurrence and in its use as a biological weapon, as well as its potential for future use.
Applications of Control Theory to Design of Line-of-Sight Stabilization Systems

Line-of-sight stabilization systems control the inertial orientation of critical payloads. Requirements for these systems have steadily increased due to improved resolution of payloads, higher maneuverability of host vehicles, and increased overal precision necessary to accomplish mission objectives. The conventional design approach is to develop a stabilization subsystem to minimize inertial jitter and then design a track subsystem to control the overall orientation. Achieving these goals is dependent upon the capability to reject environmental and application induced disturbances.
DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE REASONS FOR AN ABNORMALLY LARGE GROUP SIZE OF ADULT EASTERN COYOTES OBSERVED DURING SUMMER

During summer 2001 I consistently observed a group of 6 adult coyotes (the breeding female was radiocollared) raising 1 pup in a suburban area on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In this note I describe the activities of this group and possible reasons for the large pack size.
A smart phone peripheral with bi-manual skin stretch haptic feedback and user input

We have developed and calibrated a bi-manual smartphone peripheral for rendering skin stretch feedback to a user's thumbs. The device's compact skin stretch displays are capable of providing repeatable haptic cues to a variety of users. Results from single- and dual-handed direction identification tests for judging 16 equally distributed direction cues show significantly better performance when the user is simultaneously provided with a direction cue on both thumbs.
Beaver herbivory on aquatic plants

Herbivores have strong impacts on marine and terrestrial plant communities, but their impact is less well studied in benthic freshwater systems. For example, North American beavers (Castor canadensis) eat both woody and non-woody plants and focus almost exclusively on the latter in summer months, yet their impacts on non-woody plants are generally attributed to ecosystem engineering rather than herbivory. Here, we excluded beavers from areas of two beaver wetlands for over 2 years and demonstrated that beaver herbivory reduced aquatic plant biomass by 60%, plant litter by 75%, and dramatically shifted plant species composition. The perennial forb lizard’s tail (Saururus cernuus) comprised less than 5% of plant biomass in areas open to beaver grazing but greater than 50% of plant biomass in beaver exclusions. This shift was likely due to direct herbivory, as beavers preferentially consumed lizard’s tail over other plants in a field feeding assay. Beaver herbivory also reduced the abundance of the invasive aquatic plant Myriophyllum aquaticum by nearly 90%, consistent with recent evidence that native generalist herbivores provide biotic resistance against exotic plant invasions. Beaver herbivory also had indirect effects on plant interactions in this community. The palatable plant lizard’s tail was 3 times more frequent and 10 times more abundant inside woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus) tussocks than in spatially paired locations lacking tussocks. When the protective foliage of the woolgrass was removed without exclusion cages, beavers consumed nearly half of the lizard’s tail leaves within 2 weeks. In contrast, leaf abundance increased by 73–93% in the treatments retaining woolgrass or protected by a cage. Thus, woolgrass tussocks were as effective as cages at excluding beaver foraging and provided lizard’s tail plants an associational refuge from beaver herbivory. These results suggest that beaver herbivory has strong direct and indirect impacts on populations and communities of herbaceous aquatic plants and extends the consequences of beaver activities beyond ecosystem engineering.
The role of biomedical engineering in disaster management in resource-limited settings

The costs of natural disasters, such as earthquakes and floods, and of wars and other man-made catastrophes go beyond the immediate loss of life, property, infrastructure and livelihood. The public health crisis that unfolds over ensuing weeks and months leaves much deeper, permanent scars in the form of reduced quality of life and disrupted national economies.1 These effects are compounded in resource-limited settings, where catastrophes result in population displacement and undermine health facilities’ capacity to provide care, since fully-established disaster management programmes are often lacking.2 Large-scale disasters that displace populations and strain the existing health-care infrastructure, such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, have two well-defined stages: the crisis during the event, and the slower, more devastating catastrophe that puts the lives of millions of people at risk. Local government response is often focused on the former, with little attention to the latter. Crisis management in remote settings is particularly complicated. In this perspective piece we argue in favour of improved management of large-scale disasters through investment in biomedical engineering.