cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Accelerated Immunotherapy: Why Are We Going So Slow?

Accelerated schedules for administering subcutaneous aeroallergen immunotherapy have the potential to provide convenience, reduce the cost, and improve compliance over conventional (weekly) schedules. In this review, we describe studies of cluster and rush immunotherapy (RIT), the risk of systemic allergic reactions (SARs) for various schedules, and methods to reduce that risk. Cluster schedules are associated with a slightly increased risk of a SAR that can be reduced by taking an H1 antihistamine on the day of injections. The risk of a SAR can also be reduced with depo extracts, fewer injections per cluster, and administration of fewer than 3 clusters per week. RIT is associated with a 27 to 38% risk of a SAR that can be reduced with administration of corticosteroids, an H1 and H2 antihistamine and possibly a leukotriene blocker for 3 days prior to the procedure and by stopping at a lower dose. Reactions tend to occur 1–2 h after the last injection on the day of RIT, and there is an increased risk of a reaction if subsequent weekly doses are missed. Accelerated immunotherapy schedules can offer benefits over weekly schedules; however, the increased risk of a SAR needs to be considered when deciding to recommend such a schedule.
Generating labels for regression of subjective constructs using triplet embeddings

Abstract Human annotations serve an important role in computational models where the target constructs under study are hidden, such as dimensions of affect. This is especially relevant in machine learning, where subjective labels derived from related observable signals (e.g., audio, video, text) are needed to support model training and testing. Current research trends focus on correcting artifacts and biases introduced by annotators during the annotation process while fusing them into a single annotation. In this work, we propose a novel annotation approach using triplet embeddings. By replacing the absolute annotation process to relative annotations where the annotator compares individual target constructs in triplets, we leverage the accuracy of comparisons over absolute ratings by human annotators. We then build a 1-dimensional embedding in Euclidean space that is indexed in time and serves as a label for regression. In this setting, the annotation fusion occurs naturally as a union of sets of sampled triplet comparisons among different annotators. We show that by using our proposed sampling method to find an embedding, we are able to accurately represent synthetic hidden constructs in time under noisy sampling conditions. We further validate this approach using human annotations collected from Mechanical Turk and show that we can recover the underlying structure of the hidden construct up to bias and scaling factors.
The Prescription Opioids and Depression Pathways Cohort Study

Background: Results from studies using medical record data indicate chronic (>90 days) opioid analgesic use (OAU) is associated with new depressive episodes (NDE), worsening depression and risk for depression recurrence. This body of evidence is based on retrospective cohort studies and medical record data. Limitations of existing research are overcome in a new prospective cohort study of the opioid-depression relationship. Methods: Prospective cohort of 1500 adult patients recruited from two health care systems. Eligible subjects started a new period of OAU and have 30 to 90 days of OAU at baseline. Diagnostic assessments for psychiatric disorders, structured measures of pain, pain functioning, opioid use, social support, sleep and impulsivity will be obtained at baseline, 6-month and 12-month follow-up. Baseline participants will be invited to 12 monthly brief assessments of pain-related functioning, depression symptoms and opioid use. Innovation: Robust control for confounding by indication and detailed phenotyping of depression and opioid use disorder. Anticipated results: Chronic OAU will be associated with new onset of a depression phenotype characterized by anhedonia and somatic symptoms. This relationship will be partly, but not completely explained by impaired functioning and low social support. Conclusions: Although the annual number of opioid prescriptions in the United States has decreased, over 190 million patients have OAU each year. If chronic OAU leads to a clinically meaningful affective disorder, independent of pain, then we need to consider depression an important adverse effect of chronic OAU and adjust care for chronic pain accordingly.
Solutions for Unexpected Challenges Encountered when Integrating Research Genomics Results into the EHR

Background While there have been published reports detailing technical challenges of incorporating genetic test results into the electronic health record (EHR) with proposed solutions, less has been published about unanticipated sociotechnological or practical communication challenges involved in this process. Objectives This study was aimed to describe unanticipated issues that arose returning genetic research results through the EHR as part of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)-funded electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) 3 consortium, and provide lessons learned for future implementations Methods We sequenced 3,000 participants on a 109-gene panel and returned genetic results initially in person and/or by letter, with a later release directly into the EHR and patient portal. Results When results were returned through the EHR, multiple participants expressed confusion and contacted the health system, resulting in our institution temporarily freezing our return of research results. Discussion We determined the likely causes of this issue to be (1) the delay between enrollment and results return, (2) inability to personalize mass e-mail messages announcing new research test results in the EHR, (3) limited space for description of test results in the EHR, and (4) the requirement to list an ordering physician for research results in the EHR. For future return of results, we propose sending preparatory e-mails to participants, including screenshots of how they can expect to see their results presented in the EHR portal. Conclusion We hope our lessons learned can provide helpful guidance to other sites implementing research genetic results into the EHR and can encourage EHR developers to incorporate greater flexibility in the future.
Extremes, intermittency, and time directionality of atmospheric turbulence at the crossover from production to inertial scales

A study of how the interplay between mechanical and buoyant production of turbulent kinetic energy affects fully developed atmospheric turbulent flows finds impacts both on the frequency of extreme scalar fluctuations and on the time-directional properties of scalar Eulerian measurements.
Exploring the Enumeration Accuracy of Cross-Validation Indices in Latent Class Analysis

A crucial issue when estimating mixture models is selecting the model with the correct number of latent classes underlying the data, which is commonly referred to as class enumeration. Although cro...
Le 13 novembre 2015 en bande dessinée : Traumatisme et reconnaissance sociale

This article explores the way the autobiographical graphic novels Mon Bataclan and La Morsure by Fred Dewilde, and Les Chroniques d’une survivante by Catherine Bertrand express trauma and portray p...
Hypopharyngeal carcinoma

For more than 20 years, the policy at the University of Florida has been to treat patients with favorable stage T1-T2 pyriform sinus carcinoma by using radiation therapy alone, or with a planned neck dissection if advanced nodal disease is present. This approach usually leaves the patient with nearly normal swallowing and speech, and provides bilateral coverage of the regional neck and retropharyngeal lymphatics. More advanced lesions often are not controlled with radiation alone and are usually considered for partial or total laryngopharyngectomy if the patient is medically operable [1]. Radiation is usually administered postoperatively in this setting, unless the neck disease is thought to be unresectable, in which case preoperative radiation is given. Recent data have shown that adjuvant chemotherapy administered concomitantly with radiotherapy results in improved cure rates for patients with advanced disease compared with irradiation alone. Time-honored established guidelines are still used, although the edges have become blurred. Therefore, patients with larger primary tumors now may be considered for organ preservation treatment with irradiation and chemotherapy, reserving surgery for salvage situations. The subset of patients with advanced T4 pyriform sinus cancers (in whom cure with chemoradiation would likely result in tracheostomy and/or gastrostomy dependence) may be better served with elective surgery and postoperative irradiation. The definition of this subset of patients is unclear but probably includes patients with significant cartilage destruction and those who require pretreatment tracheostomy. The policy at the University of Florida is to treat essentially all pharyngeal wall cancers with external-beam irradiation alone.
Learning with human and virtual instructors who display happy or bored emotions in video lectures

Abstract In this study, we investigate whether the affective state (happy or bored) of a human or virtual instructor in an instructional video on statistics yields different learning processes and outcomes. The positivity principle states that the emotional state of the instructor is recognized by students (hypothesis 1) and affects their emotional state (hypothesis 2), motivational state (hypothesis 3), and learning outcomes (hypothesis 4). The equivalence principle states that people respond to the emotional tone of computerized onscreen agents in the same way as for human instructors (hypothesis 5). In a 2 × 2 between subjects design, participants were assigned to watch a statistics video in one of four groups: Happy Human (HH), Happy Agent (HA), Bored Human (BH), and Bored Agent (BA). Then, they rated the emotional state of the instructor, rated their own emotional state, rated their motivational state, and took a posttest. The findings support predictions 1, 2, and 3 of the positivity principle but not prediction 4, perhaps because an immediate test was not sensitive enough. The equivalence principle (hypothesis 5) was partially supported as the human and agent groups showed similar rating patterns although the effects were stronger for human instructors for recognizing the instructor's emotion. As education transitions online, it is important to note that students are happier and more motivated when they learn from happy instructors than from bored instructors.
T4 DNA polymerase. Rates and processivity on single-stranded DNA templates.

Abstract Three different methods have been used to determine the rate at which an individual bacteriophage T4 DNA polymerase molecule moves when synthesizing DNA on a single-stranded DNA template chain. These methods agree in suggesting an in vitro rate for this enzyme of about 250 nucleotides per second at 37 °C. This rate is close to the rate at which bacteriophage T4 replication forks move in vivo (about 500 nucleotides per second). Comparison with the overall amount of DNA synthesis seen in in vitro reactions reveals that only a small fraction of the T4 DNA polymerase molecules present are synthesizing DNA at any one time. This is explicable in terms of the limited processivity of the enzyme in these reactions, along with its capacity for non-productive DNA binding to the DNA template molecules.
Double-blind controlled trial of prednisolone therapy in patients with severe acute alcoholic hepatitis and spontaneous encephalopathy

Abstract Twenty-eight patients entered a double-blind controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of prednisolone treatment in severe acute alcoholic hepatitis accompanied by encephalopathy. Fifty-three percent (8 of 15) given prednisolone and 54% (7 of 13) given placebo died during the study. The mean duration of hospitalization was 66 days for the prednisolone-treated group and 56 days for those treated with placebo. Prednisolone treatment produced no important beneficial effect on any of the hepatic biochemical tests. The outcome in any particular case was directly related to the development of specific lethal complications (renal failure, infection, and gastrointestinal bleeding) rather than to the treatment employed. We were unable to show any beneficial effect of prednisolone treatment on morbidity or mortality in patients with severe acute alcoholic hepatitis and encephalopathy.
The Role of DNA in RNA Synthesis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses that the role of DNA in RNA synthesis is implicit in the widely accepted hypothesis that DNA is the genetic carrier of information and that RNA is an essential component in the expression of this information in polypeptide synthesis. Cellular phenotypic modification following bacteriophage infection, transformation with free DNA, mutation, or conjugation and genetic recombination would thus result from a mechanism of a DNA-directed change in RNA metabolism. Excluded from this generalization are the varieties of plant, animal, and bacterial viruses that infect suitable hosts with RNA alone. The chapter elaborates the over-all mechanism of gene action. It deals with specific demonstrations of DNA control of RNA synthesis and, most particularly, with the enzyme, RNA polymerase. Finally, it concludes that the product of the RNA polymerase reaction is involved in protein synthesis; the details of this relationship are still vague. These, and other problems, will be clarified by future studies.
Degradation of Cellular Deoxyribonucleic Acid After Gamma Irradiation of Spheroplasted Escherichia coli CR thy− Cells

Abstract Gamma-ray-irradiated Escherichia coli CR thy− cells and spheroplasts, prelabeled with 14C-thymine, were assayed for acid-insoluble activity as a function of incubation time after irradiation. Under similar irradiation and incubation conditions, degradation profiles of cells and spheroplasts were virtually identical. Similar results were found for cells and protoplasts irradiated in the presence of rifampin (20 μg/ml). These results suggest that postirradiation deoxyribonucleic acid degradation enzymes are probably not loosely localized in the periplasm, unlike endonuclease I.
Alternating Dual Updates Algorithm for X-ray CT Reconstruction on the GPU

Model-based image reconstruction (MBIR) for X-ray computed tomography (CT) offers improved image quality and potential low-dose operation, but has yet to reach ubiquity in the clinic. MBIR methods form an image by solving a large statistically motivated optimization problem, and the long time it takes to numerically solve this problem has hampered MBIR’s adoption. We present a new optimization algorithm for X-ray CT MBIR based on duality and group coordinate ascent that may converge even with approximate updates and can handle a wide range of regularizers, including total variation (TV). The algorithm iteratively updates groups of dual variables corresponding to terms in the cost function; these updates are highly parallel and map well onto the GPU. Although the algorithm stores a large number of variables, the “working size” for each of the algorithm’s steps is small and can be efficiently streamed to the GPU while other calculations are being performed. The proposed algorithm converges rapidly on both real and simulated data and shows promising parallelization over multiple devices.
Application of Pressure-Sensitive Paint to Ice-Accreted Wind Tunnel Models

Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) has been successfully used to measure global surface pressures on an ice-accreted model in an icing wind tunnel at NASA Glenn Research Center. Until now, the PSP technique has been limited to use in normal wind tunnels and clear flight environments. This is the first known application of PSP directly to ice in subfreezing conditions. Several major objectives were achieved in these tests. The procedure for applying the coating in the subfreezing tunnel environment was verified. Inspection of the painted ice surface revealed that the paint did not alter the original ice shape and adhered well over the entire coated area. Several procedures were used to show that the paint responded to changes in air pressure and that a repeatable pressure-dependent calibration could be achieved on the PSP-coated surfaces. Differences in pressure measurements made simultaneously on the ice and the metal test model are not yet fully understood, and techniques to minimize or correct them are being investigated.
Geochemical Modeling of Carbon Sequestration, MMV, and EOR in the Illinois Basin

Abstract The Illinois State Geologic Survey is conducting several ongoing CO 2 sequestration projects that require geochemical models to gain an understanding of the processes occurring in the subsurface. The ISGS has collected brine and freshwater samples associated with an enhanced oil recovery project in the Loudon oil field. Geochemical modeling allows us to understand reactions with carbonate and silicate minerals in the reservoir, and the effects they have had on brine composition. For the Illinois Basin Decatur project, geochemical models should allow predictions of the reactions that will take place before CO 2 injection begins.
Neurons in Rhesus Monkey Visual Cortex: Systematic Relation between Time of Origin and Eventual Disposition

Autoradiographic evidence after injection of tritiated thymidine indicates that cell position in the laminae of the monkey visual cortex is systematically related to time of cell orgin. The earliest-formed neurons, destined for the deepest stratum, arise at about embryonic day 45, and the last ones, destined for the outermost cell stratum, form at about day 102; cells of intervening layers are generated at intervening times. No neocortical neurons are produced in the last two prenatal months or after birth. Compared to cortical neurons in rodents, those in the monkey arise earlier, and the "inside-out" relation of cell position to time of origin is more rigid.
ROLE OF ALUMINUM AND GROWTH RATE ON CHANGES IN CELL SIZE AND SILICA CONTENT OF SILICA‐LIMITED POPULATIONS OF ASTERIONELLA RALFSII VAR. AMERICANA(BACILLARIOPHYCEAE)1

Changes in cell size and silica content were examined in response to aluminum additions in cultures of the acidophilic diatom Asterionella ralfsii var. americana Korn at pH 6.0. The effect of Al were examined over a range of steady-state growth rates using silica-limited semicontinuous cultures (Si:P=8.0). Addittions of ≥2.8 μmol.L -1 total Al decreased mean cell length, total surface area, and biovolume up to 40-50%. The effets of Al were dependent on growth rate with the magnitude of size reduction increasing at higher growth rates. The effects of Al were dependent on growth rate with the magnitude of size reduction increasing at higher growth rates. The proportion of small (approximately 15-20 μm) cell length classes increased relative to large (approximately 50 μm length) cell length classes when total Al exceeded 2.8 μmol.L -1 , particularly at higher growth rates (...)
Promoting turn-taking skills in preschool children with disabilities: The effects of a peer-based social communication intervention

The current study evaluated the turn-taking skills of preschoolers with disabilities who participated in a social communication intervention that targeted initiations, responses, and turn-taking skills, and taught children to repair and revise and to avoid interruptions and overlaps. Ten children who enrolled in an inclusive at-risk classroom met the inclusion criteria. A multiple baseline design across two dyads replicated across three additional dyads was used to determine the effects of the intervention. The social communication intervention was highly effective for five children, moderately effective for three children, and mildly effective for two children in increasing the rate of initiations with an immediate peer response from baseline to intervention. The social communication intervention was highly effective for one child, moderately effective for three children, mildly effective for two children, and ineffective for four children in improving turn-taking skills. Generalization results showed that nine out of ten participants demonstrated increased peer play following the intervention, increased levels of child-initiated interactions with a positive peer response, and decreased levels of solitary play. Several implications for practice were derived from the findings. By teaching children turn-taking strategies, the quality of social interactions that children have with their peers is likely to improve. The intervention offers a more systematic technique for teaching social communication and play skills than do informal strategies commonly used by teachers. Social validity assessments indicated that teachers found the intervention acceptable and produced important changes in behavior.
Treatment of bulimia nervosa: The next decade

Currently, the most effective treatment for bulimia nervosa (BN) is manual-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Wilson and Fairburn, 1988a). The problem is that, while it is a good treatment, it is not good enough. Many patients show only partial improvement, and some none at all. The challenge confronting clinical researchers is to develop a treatment that improves upon this outcome. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
Reprivatizing the public household? Medical care in the context of American public values.

As it unfolds, The Social Transformation of American Medicine (1982) becomes progressively less about medicine and more about America. Of course the two stories are intertwined throughout the book. As Paul Starr explains to his readers early on, “It is not possible, as I see it, to understand the origins of the power of the medical profession, in the face of all the other political and economic forces at work in health care, without reference to its cultural authority” (9). To understand cultural authority, one needs to understand the culture from which authority derives (Krause 1996). Professional identity had to be constructed differently in the United States than in Europe, influenced early on by the Jacksonian era distrust of elites, bolstered by widespread suspicion of corporate motives in the Progressive Era, and protected from encroaching federal intervention by the fears of the Cold War. The echoes of each of these historic episodes
A prescription for human immunology

Inbred mice have been an extremely successful tool for basic immunology, but much less so as models of disease. Thus, to maximize the use of immunologic approaches to improve human health, we need more strategically directed efforts in human immunology. This would also open up new opportunities for basic research.
Distributed construction of low-interference spanners

We propose a new low-interference topology for wireless ad hoc networks modeled by Quasi Unit Disk Graphs. Our topology combines two existing structures, the relaxed Greedy structure developed by Damian, Pandit and Pemmaraju, and the low-interference structure developed by Burkhart, von Rickenbach, Wattenhofer and Zollinger. Our main contribution is showing that, when applied on a QUDG G = (V, E), this new structure inherits most properties of the two underlying structures: (i) it is a t(1 + e) spanner of G, for any t > 1 and e > 0, (ii) it has optimal interference among all t-spanners for G, (iii) it has O(1) maximum degree, (iv) its total weight is within a factor of O(log Δ) of the weight of a minimum spanning tree for V, where Δ is the aspect ratio of G, and (v) it can be implemented efficiently in O(log Δ + log*n) rounds of communication.
Cysteine and Disulfide Scanning Reveals Two Amphiphilic Helices in the Linker Region of the Aspartate Chemoreceptor

The transmembrane aspartate receptor of E. coli and S. typhimurium mediates cellular chemotaxis toward aspartate by regulating the activity of the cytoplasmic histidine kinase, CheA. Ligand binding results in transduction of a conformational signal through the membrane to the cytoplasmic domain where both kinase regulation and adaptation occur. Of particular interest is the linker region, E213 to Q258, which connects and transduces the conformational signal between the cytoplasmic end of the transmembrane signaling helix (alpha 4/TM2) and the major methylation helix of the cytoplasmic domain (alpha 6). This linker is crucial for stable folding and function of the homodimeric receptor. The present study uses cysteine and disulfide scanning mutagenesis to investigate the secondary structure and packing surfaces within the linker region. Chemical reactivity assays reveal that the linker consists of three distinct subdomains: two alpha-helices termed alpha 4 and alpha 5 and, between them, an ordered region of undetermined secondary structure. When cysteine is scanned through the helices, characteristic repeating patterns of solvent exposure and burial are observed. Activity assays, both in vivo and in vitro, indicate that each helix possesses a buried packing face that is crucial for proper receptor function. The interhelical subdomain is at least partially buried and is also crucial for proper receptor function. Disulfide scanning places helix alpha 4 distal to the central axis of the homodimer, while helix alpha 5 is found to lie at the subunit interface. Finally, sequence alignments suggest that all three linker subdomains are highly conserved among the large subfamily of histidine kinase-coupled sensory receptors that possess methylation sites for use in covalent adaptation.
Effects of dilution on the properties of nC60

C60 forms colloidally stable nanoparticles (nC60) via extended mixing or solvent exchange. Many studies on the environmental impacts of nC60 use aliquots from a large batch of nC60 suspension and either dilute them or subject them to other modifications under the assumption that the properties of the parent suspension remain stable over time and are unaltered by these manipulations. In the present study, nC60 produced via stirring in the presence of sodium citrate (cit/nC60) was characterized with respect to particle size, surface charge, and morphology following dilution. Counter-intuitively, the results show that the colloidal properties of diluted cit/nC60 are not fixed despite constant solution chemistry and are dependent upon the ratios of [C60] to [Na(+)] and [citrate]. In some cases, diluted nC60 had significantly different morphology. This study suggests that any experiment involving modifications of stock nC60 suspensions must take the altered colloidal properties of the diluted nC60 into consideration.
Specificity of planning and the maintenance of self-control: 1 Year follow-up of a study improvement program

The results of an intensive 11-week study improvement program for 48 freshmen volunteers were examined in a 1-year follow-up. The participants, all of whom received training in basic study and self-control skills, were randomly assigned to groups that engaged in highly specific planning of their study behaviors (Daily Plans), moderately specific planning (Monthly Plans), or no explicit planning (No Plans). The distribution of participants' first semester grades was dichotomized to form High Grades (“B” average) and Low Grades (“D+” average) cohorts. In comparison to no-treatment controls, participants in both Grades cohorts significantly improved their GPAs during the follow-up and were less likely to withdraw from the university. In accord with predictions, moderately specific (monthly) planning led to the most substantial improvements over the follow-up period compared to all other High Grades groups. Analyses of process measures revealed that reported effective study behavior during the program were significantly related to long term outcomes, but only for the High Grades participants. Discussion focuses on the potential interaction between facilitory effects of moderately specific planning, inhibitory effects of highly specific planning, and contextuals factors in determining the observed outcomes.
FUROSEMIDE (FS) IN HYALINE MEMBRANE DISEASE (HMD)

We conducted a random blind study to assess the effect of IV FS 2 mg/kg or 5% DW in 0.25 NaCl (control) on interstitial fluid mobilization and cardiorespiratory function in 7 infants with HMD. Criteria for entry into the trial were: peripheral edema and FiO2>.4 to maintain PaO2>50 torr. Echocardiogram and multiple gas analyses were performed in the 2 hours preceding and following the treatment. Results (mean ± SD): In spite of the diuresis, measurements of dynamic skinfold thickness did not confirm mobilization of subcutaneous interstitial water. We conclude that FS has a potent diuretic effect in infants with HMD but it does not improve cardiorespiratory function acutely. This may be due to failure to mobilize pulmonary interstitial fluid in the time period tested.
The ejection of drops from the sea and their enrichment with bacteria and other materials: A review

This paper is a review of work done on the production of an aerosol by the sea, and on the mechanisms by which bacteria might be enriched on the aerosol. Air bubbles produced in the sea, primarily by breaking waves, burst at the surface to eject both film and jet drops into the atmosphere. These drops are mixed upward by turbulence to produce the well-known marine sea-salt aerosol. In rising through the water, the bubbles may scavenge bacteria which, when the bubble burst, are skimmed off the bubble and ejected upward with the jet drops. Depending on drop size, the distance the bubble moves through the water, and other factors, the concentration of bacteria in jet drops can be several hundred times that in the bulk water film drops can also be enriched with bacteria. The enrichment of jet and film drops with bacteria, viruses, or toxins may at times produce a health hazard for those living along the shore.
A calibration equation for oxygen optodes based on physical properties of the sensing foil

We present a new physically based calibration equation for Aanderaa Inc. oxygen sensing optodes. We use the two site fluorescence quenching model of Demas et al. (1995) to describe the nonlinear Stern-Volmer response of the optode foil to oxygen partial pressure. Seven (minimally six) coefficients quantify foil response to oxygen and temperature; another quantifies response to hydrostatic pressure. These eight coefficients are related, theoretically, to basic physical properties of the foil. The equation provides a framework to study causes of variability and drift in optodes and to develop better quality control and handling procedures. We tested the equation using factory calibrations of 24 optode foils. When accurate multi-point calibration data are unavailable, two additional coefficients empirically correct the usually large differences observed between factory foil calibrations and post-factory laboratory/field calibrations; we cannot eliminate this major cause of uncertainty in optode calibrations. Excluding two potentially anomalous foils, the calibration equation fits 13 similarly calibrated foils, totaling 455 calibration points over 3 − 40°C to −0.57 ± 1.48 mbar. Analysis of the resulting best fit coefficients reveals an underlying variability in optodes associated with variability in site 2 and site 1 Stern-Volmer coefficients of 32% and 20%, respectively. The fraction of unquenched fluorophores responding with the more accessible site 1 quenching characteristics varies by only 3%. The equation fits multi-point data for two optodes within manufacturer's specifications, the greater of ± 2.5 µmol.kg−1 and ± 1.5%. Detailed measurements of calibration changes over time will be required to understand the causes of optode drift.
Inhibition of fungal pathogens of woody plants by the plant growth regulator paclobutrazol

Mycelial growth in vitro of eight plant pathogenic fungi was inhibited 25-100% by the gibberellin inhibitor paclobutrazol. This chemical is currently registered for use on landscape trees and shrubs to minimize shoot growth and extend pruning intervals. Fungicidal activity was evident at dosages 200 times more dilute than the typical rate recommended for field use to retard shoot growth, and the effect persisted indefinitely. Spore germination was reduced by a factor of at least two, and as much as 66 x compared to the control in four of six fungi tested. Rhizomorph production in Armillaria gallica Marxmuller & Romagnesi was almost completely eliminated.
Optimal Control Theory

(1976). Optimal Control Theory. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 225-239.
Effect of Fiber Geometry on Deposition in Small Airways of the Lung

ABSTRACT The movement of a fiber in air is influenced by its orientation with respect to the direction of motion. Fiber orientation, in turn, depends on its geometry as well as the flow field. Due to the complexity involved in drag and torque calculations, straight fibers are represented in the earlier studies by an ellipsoid or a cylinder (for which there exist analytical expressions for fluid dynamic force and torque). However, real, natural, and industrial fibers are curly and irregular-shaped. A more realistic analysis of fiber deposition in lung airways should include the fiber geometry effects. A curved fiber may be modeled by the connection of many straight fiber segments. In this study, a curved fiber that is made of two ellipsoidal links attached at angle γ is considered. Using the expressions for drag force and torque for an ellipsoid, the total fluid dynamic forces and torques acting on a curved fiber were obtained. The equations governing the translation and rotation of a two-link fiber were s...
Associations between Plasma Growth Hormone, Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I, and Cortisol with Stress Responsiveness and Growth Performance in a Selective Breeding Program for Rainbow Trout

Abstract The National Center for Cool and Cold Water Aquaculture is conducting a selective breeding program to improve the germplasm of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss for aquaculture. Two lines are being selected for improved growth. We previously found a positive correlation between stress responsiveness, indicated by plasma cortisol concentration after a 3-h confinement stressor, and growth performance, indicated by body weight at selection (approximately 300 d posthatching [dph]), in families from the first line. This correlation is confirmed for the second line in the present study. In addition to stressor-induced cortisol levels, resting plasma growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), and cortisol concentrations were measured in the second line as a first step in determining the physiological and genetic bases for growth performance variation and the association between stress responsiveness and growth performance in our germplasm. Hormone levels were compared against two measure...
Modeling boost performance using a two dimensional implementation of the Targeting Task Performance metric

Using post-processing filters to enhance image detail, a process commonly referred to as boost, can significantly affect the performance of an EO/IR system. The US Army's target acquisition models currently use the Targeting Task Performance (TTP) metric to quantify sensor performance. The TTP metric accounts for each element in the system including: blur and noise introduced by the imager, any additional post-processing steps, and the effects of the Human Visual System (HVS). The current implementation of the TTP metric assumes spatial separability, which can introduce significant errors when the TTP is applied to systems using non-separable filters. To accurately apply the TTP metric to systems incorporating boost, we have implement a two-dimensional (2D) version of the TTP metric. The accuracy of the 2D TTP metric was verified through a series of perception experiments involving various levels of boost. The 2D TTP metric has been incorporated into the Night Vision Integrated Performance Model (NV-IPM) allowing accurate system modeling of non-separable image filters.
Motoring ahead with rodents

How neural circuits underlie the acquisition and control of learned motor behaviors has traditionally been explored in monkeys and, more recently, songbirds. The development of genetic tools for functional circuit analysis in rodents, the availability of transgenic animals with well characterized phenotypes, and the relative ease with which rats and mice can be trained to perform various motor tasks, make rodents attractive models for exploring the neural circuit mechanisms underlying the acquisition and production of learned motor skills. Here we discuss the advantages and drawbacks of this approach, review recent trends and results, and outline possible strategies for wider adoption of rodents as a model system for complex motor learning.
Enprostil, in contrast to cimetidine, does not inhibit propranolol metabolism.

Enprostil, an orally active prostaglandin E2 analog, is undergoing clinical trials in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease. Because results of animal studies suggested that prostaglandins might affect both hepatic drug metabolizing ability and hepatic blood flow, the effects of enprostil on drug elimination were studied and compared with those of the standard antiulcer drug Cimetidine in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study of nine normal subjects. Cimetidine reduced the oral clearance of propranolol by 50%, consistent with the inhibition of drug metabolism reported in previous studies. On the other hand, enprostil had no effect on propranolol elimination. Neither drug altered liver blood flow as assessed either by the clearance of indocyanine green or by the technique of dual route of administration of propranolol. Thus in contrast to cimetidine, enprostil had no effect on hepatic drug metabolism. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1986) 40, 37–41; doi:10.1038/clpt.1986.136
On a path toward structures with reconfigurable circulatory systems

In order to provide structures with new and better characteristics, researchers often look to biological systems for inspiration. One trait that many biological system have that conventional structures do not is a circulatory system, which can be used for many purposes, one of which is the transport of structural material. This paper explores the benefits of transporting structural material for the purpose of changing the structure's static and dynamic characteristics. Several scenarios are explored, including the transport of non-load-bearing mass (mass transport) to load-bearing mass (termed stiffness transport). It is argued that stiffness transport, while more complex than simply moving mass within a structure, affords the same features as mass transport, along with several unconventional and particularly useful abilities.
The Chromosomes of Pseudolarix amabilis

The chromosome complement in vegetative and female gametophyte tissue of Pseudolarix amabilis was determined to be n=22, and 2n=44. The 22 chromosomes are made up of 20 I-shaped and 4 V-shaped chromosomes. It is postulated that this condition arose from the breakage of 10 V-shaped chromosomes at the centromere from an original complement of n=12.
Is focusing on unknown items while studying a beneficial long-term strategy?

The amount students learn is influenced by the decisions they make while they study. Prior research shows that when people decide what to study (and what not to), they almost universally prioritise information they do not know over information they do know. We found that focusing on unknown items was beneficial when memory was tested immediately after studying, but not when memory was tested after a delay of one or two weeks. These findings support a model in which studying unknown items causes many items to rise above a recall threshold, which results in a short-term advantage, but also leaves the items vulnerable to forgetting. Studying known items, by contrast, moves items farther above threshold, such that they remain above threshold for longer. These findings have implications for students and teachers who want to maximise long-term learning.
One Region, One Money: Implications of Regional Currency Consolidation for Financial Services

The lecture explores causes and consequences of the declining usefulness of the separate currency denominations maintained by that large number of small open economies whose currencies play little or no role in international finance. So far, official multinational entities capable of taking up new threats to international financial stability, like the Group of Seven (G7), the G10 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) comprising 24 IMF Governors, and the Financial Stability Forum (FSF), have given little visible attention to these market-driven tendencies toward currency consolidation. As a result, there is scant official guidance on what to do about these tendencies so as to contribute to greater international financial stability in a multilateral framework. More such attention is overdue because the intermediate stages of currency competition in an emerging-market country in which there is more than one monetary standard in domestic use carry high risks to the stability of that country and its financial sector.
X-ray induction of chromatid exchanges in mitotic and G1 Chinese hamster cells pretreated with Colcemid

Abstract Chinese hamster cells were synchronized by selecting mitotic cells from an asynchronous population, either with or without a 2-h pretreatment with Colcemid. In both cases, X-irradiation of mitotic cells induced 2 times as many chromosomal aberrations as irradiation of G1 cells. Without Colcemid pretreatment, 90 % of the exchanges induced in mitotic and G1 cells were of the chromosome type. Colcemid pretreatment did not affect the frequency of the chromosome type exchanges, but the treatment increased the total aberration frequency by a factor of 2–3 due to an increase in the frequency of deletions and the appearance of chromatid type exchanges (50 % of the total). The Colcemid effect is discussed in relation to a reduction in protoplasmic viscosity reported as a result of Colcemid binding to macromolecules.
Equilibrium point defects in TiAl studied by PAC

Site fractions of dilute111In/111Cd probe atoms in different lattice locations in quenched, equi-atomic TiAl are measured using perturbed angular correlations of gamma rays (PAC). The vacancy-free substitutional site fraction, observed via its nuclear quadrupole interaction, is observed to decrease with increasing quenching temperature, reflecting an increase in the thermal defect concentration. Assuming that the thermal defect is the Schottky defect, the law of mass action, and a binding energy of 0.2 eV between vacancies and the In probe, the experimental temperature dependence is analysed to yield a formation enthalpy of 4.7(4) eV and entropy of 25(4)kB for the Schottky defect. The vacancy concentration on one sublattice is given in terms of these parameters by the expression [v]=exp(SF/2kB) exp(−EF/2kBT), and is found, for example, to have the value 1.4% at 1350°C, a large value.
Identification by nuclear magnetic resonance of iodinated lipids in the dog thyroid.

Abstract Thyroid glands were obtained from dogs on high, normal or low iodine intake. The lipids of the cells and of purified plasma membranes of these thyroids were examined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The presence of an iodinated methine proton peak at δ = 4.5 ppm, has been recently reported as a means for detection of iodination of 1,2-disubstituted ethylenes by Zanger and Rabinowitz (J. Org. Chem. 40 , 248, 1975). The presence of iodinated lipids in the plasma membrane, and in the cell total lipids could easily be shown in the thyroids from animals that were fed a high iodine diet. The thyroids of animals with normal iodine diets showed only trace amounts of these lipids. In the thyroids of dogs on a low iodine diet, these iodinated lipids could not be detected. Na131I fed dogs showed by thin layer chromatography the presence of iodinated phospholipids.
Lipomatous hamartoma of the tricuspid valve: Echocardiographic–pathologic correlations

We report the eighth example of a cardiac valvular hamartoma (five mitral, three tricuspid). An intracavitary right atrial mass was present in a 76-year-old man and was characterized echocardiographically by a mobile cystic structure involving the septal tricuspid leaflet. Microscopically, the affected leaflet was comprised predominantly of mature adipose tissue. Formation of a valvular windsock in this case was attributed to the chronic effect of right ventricular pressure on tissue that was weaker than a normal leaflet. Valvular hamartomas should be included in the differential diagnosis of lesions that produce prolapsing, cystic, or windsock malformations of atrioventricular valves.
Differential equations without uniqueness and classical topological dynamics

Abstract In this paper we present a point of view which allows one to interpret the solutions of a non-autonomous differential equation as a classical dynamical system, without assuming uniqueness of solutions of the initial value problem. In addition we are able to construct a global flow without assuming the global existence of solutions of the given differential equations. This point of view seems appropriate in the sense that many applications of the results of classical topological dynamics to the study of the solutions of differential equations can now be performed, in a straight-forward manner, without the uniqueness assumption. We shall illustrate this claim with one important application concerning the existence of periodic or almost periodic solutions.
Overexpression of Two Different GTPases Rescues a Null Mutation in a Heat-Induced rRNA Methyltransferase.

The Escherichia coli RrmJ (FtsJ) heat shock protein functions as an rRNA methyltransferase that modifies position U2552 of 23S rRNA in intact 50S ribosomal subunits. An in-frame deletion of the rrmJ (ftsJ) gene leads to severe growth disadvantages under all temperatures tested and causes significant accumulation of ribosomal subunits at the expense of functional 70S ribosomes. To investigate whether overexpression of other E. coli genes can restore the severe growth defect observed in rrmJ null mutants, we constructed an overexpression library from the rrmJ deletion strain and cloned and identified the E. coli genes that were capable of rescuing the rrmJ mutant phenotype. Our intention was to identify other methylases whose specificities overlapped enough with that of RrmJ to allow complementation when overexpressed. To our great surprise, no methylases were found by this method; rather, two small GTPases, Obg (YhbZ) and EngA, when overexpressed in the rrmJ deletion strains, were found to restore the otherwise severely impaired ribosome assembly process and/or stability of 70S ribosomes. 50S ribosomal subunits prepared from these overexpressing strains were shown to still serve as in vitro substrates for purified RrmJ, indicating that the 23S rRNA likely was still lacking the highly conserved Um2552 modification. The apparent lack of this modification, however, no longer caused ribosome defects or a growth disadvantage. Massive overexpression of another related small GTPase, Era, failed to rescue the growth defects of an rrmJ strain. These findings suggest a hitherto unexpected connection between rRNA methylation and GTPase function, specifically that of the two small GTPases Obg and EngA.
Kinematical constraints of helicity amplitudes

The kinematical constraints of helicity amplitudes are studied using the general ideas of Jackson and Hite. The helicity amplitudes are expressed in terms of a Taylor series expansion from which all constraints at threshold and pseudothreshold can be trivially found. The simplicity of this approach is illustrated by deriving all of the constraints for πϱ → NN and πϱ → ΔN.