cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bacterial Canker of Tomato and its Distribution With the Seed from Infected Fruit

Bacterial Canker of Tomato (The Grand Rapids disease) is partially controlled by seed treatment with dichloride of mercury at the rate of 1: 3000 parts of water for five minutes. Infected and contaminated seed, if untreated, may be responsible for percentages of canker varying from one to one hundred percent in the field grown plants. Seedling infection occurs usually in the plant bed. The severity of the primary infection of the plant is considered important in relation to subsequent infection of fruit and seed. Seed infection is not always coincident with the systemic infection of the plant. Preliminary work has shown bacterial infection in two percent or less of the seed from infected fruits. Contaminated seed was present in much higher percentages. Further knowledge of the external and internal symptoms of this disease is essential to the practical control of the sources from which diseased seed may originate.
Effects of early vibrissae damage on neurons in the ventrobasal (VB) thalamus of the mouse.

We have examined the effects of vibrissal damage on the structure of the VB of the murine thalamus. The findings are: (1) The barreloid (Van der Loos, '76) pattern can be recognized in the normal adult mouse thalamus. On the basis of size, the population of VB neurons in bimodal, the larger neurons–presumed to be thalamocortical relay cells (TCR's)–outnumbering the smaller neurons–presumed to be thalamic interneurons–by 3:1. (2) Damage to vibrissa Row-C on PND-1 (postnatal day-1) results in an altered cytoarchitectonic pattern in the barreloids in the contralateral VB, which is qualitatively similar to the altered pattern of barrels in the cortex. The middle row of large barreloids is affected, which is anatomical evidence for the pattern of somatotopic organization in mouse VB. (3) The time course of alterations in thalamic architecture is different than that for the barrels in the cortex. The barreloids show progressively less severe alteration with increasing age at the time the peripheral lesions are made, like the barrels in the cortex. However, the thalamus of animals lesioned on PND-4 or later appears normal, while the cortex of animals lesioned on PND-4 and PND-5 still can be altered. Thus, in the thalamus, as in the cortex, there is a “critical period” during which vibrissal damage alters cytoarchitectonic patterns, but the thalamic “critical period” ends about two days before that in the cortex. (4) Measurements of TCR's in the barreloids did not reveal any statistically significant size differences between neurons in different sectors of the experimental thalami. In particular, we could find no evidence for increases of TCR size in barreloids bordering affected Row-C barreloid zones or for reductions in TCR size in barreloids in the C-zones. (5) In Timm's stained normal material there is a parallel development of Timm's positive staining in the thalamus and in the cortex. Barreloid related Timm's positive staining appears by PND-4, while Timm's staining in the cortical barrel hollows appears later by PND-8. Of particular interest is the difference in the appearance of the barrels with the Timm's stain in the PND-8 animals and in adults. In the former, the barrel hollows are filled with granular precipitate, while in the latter they are practically devoid of Timm's precipitate, suggesting a major changeover in the staining pattern (and possibly the functional attributes) of the terminal fields of the thalamocortical afferents in postnatal development.
IMPACT OF ANNUAL OPERATOR VOLUME ON IN-HOSPITAL MORTALITY AFTER LEFT VENTRICULAR ASSIST DEVICE (LVAD) IMPLANTATION IN ADVANCED HEART FAILURE PATIENTS FROM 1998 TO 2009: AN ANALYSIS OF 5,093 PROCEDURES

Presently, an operator volume of >10 LVADs over 3 years is required for advanced certification in LVADs. We aim to see if any relation exists between operator volume & mortality using nationwide inpatient sample (NIS) database. We included patients >18 years in 1998-2009 NIS with ICD-9 procedure
Facial nerve monitoring during parotidectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ObjectivesTo determine the effectiveness of intraoperative facial nerve monitoring (FNM) in preventing immediate and permanent postoperative facial nerve weakness in patients undergoing primary parotidectomy.Data SourcesPubMed-NCBI database from 1970 to 2014.Review MethodsA systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature was conducted. Acceptable studies included controlled series that evaluated facial nerve function following primary parotidectomy with or without FNM (intraoperative nerve monitor vs control). Primary and secondary end points were defined as immediate postoperative and permanent facial nerve weakness (House-Brackmann score, ≥2), respectively.ResultsAfter a review of 1414 potential publications, 7 articles met inclusion criteria, with a total of 546 patients included in the final meta-analysis. The incidence of immediate postoperative weakness following parotidectomy was significantly lower in the FNM group compared to the unmonitored group (22.5% vs 34.9%; P = .001). The incidence o...
Improvement of bonding between cellulose and polypropylene by plasma treatment

Plasma treatments can be utilized to upgrade the value of lignocellulosic materials for applications such as biobased composites. Poor adhesion in biobased composites is caused by incompatibility between polar cellulosics and non-polar thermoplastics. Plasma modification of both cellulose and polypropylene was evaluated by a T-peel test for improved compatibility and adhesion between these materials. Oxygen and argon plasmas were used to modify the surface of polypropylene films, while a cyclohexane plasma was used to modify the cellulose surface through deposition of a hydrophobic polymer layer. For plasma treatment of polypropylene, changes in power input had a greater effect on adhesion than changes in pressure. Surface oxidation and increased acid/base characteristics were found on both argon- and oxygen-plasma-treated polypropylene based on ESCA and wetting measurements. With the non-reactive argon plasma the persistence of reactive species, such as free radicals, was very important for enhanced adhesion. The amount of polar carbonyl groups introduced onto the surface was also an important factor for adhesion improvement. Modification of the cellulose (filter paper) surface to a hydrophobic character with a cyclohexane plasma did not improve adhesion to polypropylene.
Beliefs About Democracy and Satisfaction with Democratic Government: The Canadian Case

This study uses 1990 Canadian national survey data to investigate public beliefs about democracy and how these affect satisfaction with the opera tion of an existing democratic political system. Confirmatory factor analyses reveal that conceptions of democracy are structured in terms of four factors- security, opportunities, elections-capitalism, and equality of group influence. All four factors affect levels of democracy satisfaction, controlling for several other influential variables. Consistent with the long-standing, but largely un tested, congruence hypothesis, Canadians whose beliefs about democracy tend to be consistent with the realities of political life in their country are more satisfied than are those whose beliefs accord less well with prevailing practices.
Size-Controlled Synthesis of Cu2-xE (E = S, Se) Nanocrystals with Strong Tunable Near-Infrared Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance and High Conductivity in Thin Films

A facile method for preparing highly self-doped Cu2-xE (E = S, Se) nanocrystals (NCs) with controlled size in the range of 2.8–13.5 nm and 7.2–16.5 nm, for Cu2-xS and Cu2-xSe, respectively, is demonstrated. Strong near-infrared localized surface plasmon resonance absorption is observed in the NCs, indicating that the as-prepared particles are heavily p-doped. The NIR plasmonic absorption is tuned by varying the amount of oleic acid used in synthesis. This effect is attributed to a reduction in the number of free carriers through surface interaction of the deprotonated carboxyl functional group of oleic acid with the NCs. This approach provides a new pathway to control both the size and the cationic deficiency of Cu2-xSe and Cu2-xS NCs. The high electrical conductivity exhibited by these NPs in metal-semiconductor-metal thin film devices shows promise for applications in printable field-effect transistors and microelectronic devices.
A window discriminator for sorting electrical signals

Abstract A window discriminator constructed with transistors and linear and digital integrated circuits is described. The discriminator will separate electrical signals on the basis of amplitude or duration or both and provide a variable output pulse for the desired signal. The useful input range is from 10 mV to 10 V, the time window range from 1 msec to 10 sec and output parameters 0 to ± 10 V, 0.1 to 100 msec.
The developmental consequences of low to moderate prenatal and postnatal lead exposure: Intellectual attainment in the cincinnati lead study cohort following school entry

In a further follow-up study of the Cincinnati Lead Study Cohort, 253 children were administered the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) at approximately 6.5 years of age. Postnatal blood lead concentrations were inversely associated with Full-Scale (FSIQ) and Performance IQ (PIQ). Following statistical adjustment for developmental co-factors such as maternal IQ and an assessment of the quality of caretaking in the home environment, a statistically significant relationship remained between postnatal blood lead concentrations and PIQ. Further statistical analyses suggested that averaged lifetime blood lead concentrations in excess of 20 micrograms/dL were associated with deficits in PIQ on the order of approximately 7 points when compared to children with mean concentrations less or equal to 10 micrograms/dL. These results are discussed in terms of their consistency with other similar studies as well as their internal consistency with earlier reports on this cohort. The findings of this investigation support recent initiatives in the United States to reduce the exposure of children to environmental lead.
Environmental factors influencing chlorophyll v. nutrient relationships in lakes

SUMMARY. 1. A model relating log chlorophyll a concentration to log epilimnetic total phosphorus (TP) concentration was re-examined based on: (a) comparative and temporal studies of four stratifying Wisconsin and other highly eutrophic temperate lakes; (b) comparative summer lake surveys from Iowa and Alberta. 2. Although P-limited, deeper lakes with long hydraulic residence times and low external and internal nutrient loading in summer had summer chlorophyll a yields below model predictions based on spring and summer epilimnetic TP concentrations. 3. For lakes with summer epilimnetic TP between 30 and 80 mg m−3, chlorophyll a concentrations exceeded model predictions based on summer TP. This relationship held even for Lake Delavan, Wisconsin, where the ratio of available N to P was unfavourably low during spring turnover, and where the trans-thermocline N:P flux ratio was sub-optimal for algal needs in early summer. 4. With increasing summer TP concentrations and/or increasing epilimnetic circulation depth (>5m), chlorophyll a concentrations fell below model predictions—independent of the potential for N-limitation. This plateauing in chlorophyll a response occurred at lower epilimnetic TP content (<c. 400 mg m−2) in lakes with elevated non-algal light extinction coefficients. Using Tailing's algorithm for the‘column compensation point’ (algal photosynthesis = algal respiration over diel cycle), light limitation best explains this fall-off in chlorophyll a yield. 5. The failure of the Dillon & Rigler (1974) spring TP v. summer chlorophyll a model for these Wisconsin lakes is unrelated to N-limitation. Instead, it reflects internal adjustment in take TP in response to stratification and seasonal external P loading.
MYC Protein Expression in Primary Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the Central Nervous System

Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (CNS DLBCL) is a rare, aggressive subtype of DLBCL, the biology of which is poorly understood. Recent studies have suggested a prognostic role of MYC protein expression in systemic DLBCL, but little is known about the frequency and significance of MYC protein expression in CNS DLBCL. Hence, we investigated MYC protein expression profiles of CNS DLBCL and assessed the relationship between MYC expression and a variety of histopathologic, immunophenotypic, genetic, and clinical features. Fifty-nine CNS DLBCL diagnosed at our institution over the past 13 years were evaluated. The majority of cases (80%) showed centroblastic morphology, and 12 (20%) displayed a perivascular pattern of infiltration. According to the Hans criteria, 41 (69%) cases had a non-germinal center B-cell and 18 (31%) had a germinal center B-cell cell-of-origin (COO) phenotype. Mean MYC protein expression was 50% (median: 50%, range: 10-80%). Forty-three cases (73%) showed MYC overexpression (≥40%), and 35 (60%) showed MYC/BCL2 coexpression. MYC overexpression was seen in the single case harboring MYC translocation and in the cases showing increased copies of MYC (27%); however, no significant difference in mean MYC expression was seen between groups harboring or lacking MYC aberrations. In our series, age was associated with a significantly increased risk of death, and the perivascular pattern of infiltration was associated with a significantly increased risk of disease progression. Neither MYC expression (with or without BCL2 coexpression) nor other variables, including COO subtype were predictive of clinical outcome. Our findings indicate that the proportion of CNS DLBCL overexpressing MYC is higher compared to systemic DLBCL, and MYC overexpression appears to be independent of genetic MYC abnormalities. Thus, MYC expression and other immunophenotypic markers used for prognostication of systemic DLBCL might not apply to CNS DLBCL due to differences in disease biology.
A case for 2-stage repair of perineoscrotal hypospadias with severe chordee.

ABSTRACTPurpose: In the majority of children hypospadias can be corrected in a single stage procedure. However, there is a subgroup of patients with perineoscrotal meatus and severe chordee who frequently exhibit some degree of penile scrotal transposition. It is this subgroup of patients in whom a critical review of the long-term results is examined.Materials and Methods: Between 1980 and 1995, 1,934 children underwent repair of hypospadias and chordee. Of these patients 51 had perineoscrotal hypospadias with severe chordee and 40 underwent single stage repair (23), which included either full thickness skin graft urethroplasty (6), a proximal Thiersch procedure with distal free preputial skin graft (7) or an island tubularized flap (10). The chordee were corrected by either Nesbit or tunica albuginea plication. A 2-stage repair was performed in the remaining 11 children. Stage 1 consisted of chordee repair by either dermal (5) or tunica vaginalis (6) grafting of the ventral tunica albuginea surface, whil...
Normal development and growth of mice carrying a targeted disruption of the alpha 1 retinoic acid receptor gene.

Abstract Three unlinked genes encode receptors for retinoic acid (RAR alpha, -beta, and -gamma). Each gene expresses two major protein isoforms differing in the amino terminal A domain by alternative promoter use, fused to common exons encoding most of the receptor protein. The two RAR alpha transcripts (RAR alpha 1 and -alpha 2) are differentially expressed and evolutionarily conserved, as are the RAR beta and -gamma transcripts, suggesting that each isoform may have specific functions in the development of animals. To address the biological function of the alpha 1 receptor, we have disrupted the portion of the RAR alpha gene encoding this isoform by homologous recombination in mouse embryonic stem cells. Surprisingly, offspring homozygous for this mutation were viable and showed no apparently altered phenotype. RNA analysis confirmed that the RAR alpha 1 transcript was absent in homozygous tissues, and no evidence for a compensatory increase of RAR alpha 2 or of another RAR gene was obtained to account for the vitality of the mutant animals. These results clearly demonstrate that loss of RAR alpha 1 function does not disrupt embryonic development and argue for combinatorial or overlapping functions among the RAR isoforms.
Single-molecule imaging can be achieved in live obligate anaerobic bacteria

Single-molecule fluorescence (SMF) permits imaging with nanometer-scale resolution. This technique is particularly useful for cellular imaging as it provides a non-invasive, minimally perturbative means to examine macromolecular localization and dynamics, even in live cells. Here, we demonstrate that nanometer-scale SMF imaging can be extended to a new category of experiments: intracellular imaging of live, obligate anaerobic cells on the benchtop. We investigate the starch-utilization system (Sus) proteins in the gut symbiont Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and discuss three different labels that we implemented to detect these proteins: fluorescent proteins, the tetracysteine-based FlAsH tag, and the enzymatic HaloTag.
Absolute differential cross sections for small-angle H+-He direct and charge-transfer scattering at keV energies.

This paper reports measurements and calculations of absolute differential cross sections for H{sup +}-He charge-transfer and direct scattering. Charge-transfer measurements have been obtained at 5.0 keV laboratory energy over the laboratory angular range 0.02{degree}--1.0{degree}, while direct scattering has been observed at 0.5, 1.5, and 5.0 keV laboratory energy over a closely corresponding angular range. Calculations are reported for 0.5, 1.5, and 5.0 keV charge-transfer and direct scattering. The measured cross sections are in good agreement with those derived from fully quantum-mechanical molecular-orbital close-coupling calculations. Direct scattering cross sections are also found to be in agreement with single-potential calculations using directly summed Jeffreys-Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin phase shifts derived from proposed H{sup +}-He ground-state interaction potentials. The cross sections exhibit significant structure over the range of angles and energies studied. The measured cross sections have been integrated over the experimental angular range providing absolute integral cross sections for comparison with theoretical results and previously measured total cross sections.
Heterogeneous Sensor Networks with convex constraints

A wireless sensor network design is always subject to constraints. There are constraints on bandwidth, cost, detection robustness, and even false alarm rates to name but a few. This paper studies the design of Heterogeneous Sensor Networks (HSN) performing distributed binary hypothesis testing subject to convex constraints on the total number and types of sensors available. The relationship between real world engineering constraints and a resultant convex set or solution space will be highlighted. Under these convex sets, a theorem will be presented that defines when a homogenous sensor network will have better performance than a HSN. This theorem depends on stationary statistics, which is not the case for most problems of interest. These challenges are explored in detail for a parallel distributed HSN using the Kullback-Leibler (K-L) information number (K-L Divergence) in conjunction with the Chernoff-Stein Lemma. This method allows sensor counts to be optimized across a finite set of hypothesis or events, enabling a robust hypothesis testing solution similar to problems in traditional multiple hypothesis testing or classification problem. This paper also compares and contrast the detection performance of the standard parallel distributed HSN topology and a modified binary relay tree topology that is similar to clustering methods, where the final fusion is done using a logical OR rule. Finally, the asymptotic performance between these two topologies is studied, including the performance relative to optimal bounds. Ultimately providing a methodology to broadly analyze and optimize HSN design.
Coronavirus Infection and Hospitalizations for Acute Respiratory Illness in Young Children

There is only limited knowledge on the burden of disease due to both new (HCoV-NL63 and HKU-1) and previously discovered coronaviruses (OC43 and 229E) in children. Respiratory specimens and clinical data were prospectively collected in an active, population-based surveillance study over a 2-year period from children aged <5 years hospitalized with acute respiratory symptoms or fever. These samples were retrospectively tested by real-time RT-PCR for HCoV-NL63, HKU1, OC43, and 229E. Human coronaviruses (HCoVs) were identified in 2.2% of study children <2 years of age. Rates of HCoV-associated hospitalization per 10,000 were 10.2 (95% CI 4.3, 17.6), 4.2 (95% CI 1.9, 6.9), and 0 (95% CI 0, 3.7) in children aged <6 months, 6-23 months, and 24-59 months, respectively. Coronaviruses were identified in a modest number of hospitalized children.
Oxygen tension modulates the expression of cytokine receptors, transcription factors, and lineage-specific markers in cultured human megakaryocytes.

Abstract Objective We have recently reported that 20% O 2 significantly enhances total megakaryocyte (Mk) number, polyploidy, and proplatelet formation compared to 5% O 2 in culture. In order to further elucidate the regulatory role of pO 2 on megakaryocytopoiesis, we conducted a kinetic study of the expression of surface markers CD41a and CD42a; receptors for thrombopoietin (TPO), interleukin-3 (IL-3), and Flt3-ligand; the glutamate receptor of the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype 1 (NMDAR1); and transcription factors GATA-1, NF-E2, and E2F-1. Materials and Methods Mks were generated from mobilized peripheral blood (PB) CD34 + cells from normal donors in serum-free medium with TPO, IL-3, and Flt3-ligand at 20% and 5% O 2 . Quantitative assessment of Mk surface receptors and nuclear transcription factors was performed using multiparameter flow cytometry. mRNA levels of the nuclear transcription factors GATA-1 and NF-E2 were evaluated using RT-PCR. Results The proportions of cells expressing the early Mk marker CD41a and the late Mk marker CD42a at day 15 were 4 and 5 times higher, respectively, at 20% O 2 . CD41a and CD42a protein levels per cell were also higher at 20% O 2 . After day 5, c-Mpl (TPO receptor) generally followed similar kinetics as CD41a. The proportion of IL-3 receptor (IL-3R) ++ Mks at day 5 was 1.5 times higher at 5% O 2 . The NMDAR1 protein previously known to be expressed by neuronal cells has recently been identified in Mks. NMDAR1 and the transcription factors were studied on days 6, 9, and 11. NMDAR1 was expressed at a 1.5- to 1.8-fold higher level at 5% O 2 . Twenty percent O 2 supported higher expression of the Mk-early and -late-maturation-specific transcription factors GATA-1 (1.2- to 2.2-fold higher) and NF-E2 (1.1- to 2.8-fold higher). This was consistent with RT-PCR data indicating the presence of higher levels of GATA-1 and NF-E2 mRNA at 20% O 2 . E2F-1, a ubiquitously expressed cell cycle transcription factor, was expressed at a 1.5-fold higher level at 20% O 2 on day 6, but this difference did not persist by day 9. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that cytokine receptors c-Mpl and IL-3R, and Mk differentiation-specific surface receptors CD41a, CD42a, and NMDAR1, are significantly modulated by pO 2 , and suggest that one of the mechanisms of enhanced maturation at 20% O 2 may involve regulation of transcription factors GATA-1 and NF-E2.
The handy-dandy kitchen device.

In gray tree frogs, the duration of males' mating calls is correlated with enhanced genetic fitness among offspring (A. M. Welch et al. , Reports, 19 June, p. [1928][1]). Perhaps the same genes that enable some frogs to sustain longer calls also confer a survival advantage to their young (E. Pennisi
The Pagan Dogma of the Absolute Unchangeableness of God

In his Edifying Discourses, Soren Kierkegaard published a sermon entitled ‘The Unchangeableness of God’ in which he reiterated the dogma which dominated Catholic, Protestant and even Jewish expressions of classical supernaturalist theology from the first century A.D. until the advent of process theology in the twentieth century. The dogma that as a perfect being, God must be totally unchanging in every conceivable respect was expressed by Kierkegaard in such ways as:He changes all, Himself unchanged. When everything seems stable (for it is only in appearance that the external world is for a time unchanged, in reality it is always in flux) and in the overturn of all things, He remains equally unchanged; no change touches Him, not even the shadow of a change; in unaltered clearness He, the father of lights, remained eternally unchanged.1
Liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis: results of aggressive corticosteroid withdrawal.

Abstract Introduction A subset of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) may require long-term corticosteroid (CS) therapy following liver transplantation (OLT) due to concern over the possibility of recurrence. Our center has attempted to minimize CS use in all of our OLT recipients. In this study, we review our experience in this cohort to determine (1) patient outcome including PBC recurrence following transplantation and (2) the long-term requirement for CS use in PBC patients. Methods From 1988 to 2006, 1102 OLTs were performed in 1032 adults at the University of Colorado, of which 70 patients (6.8%) with PBC received 74 allografts. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate predictors of CS withdrawal. Thirteen potential predictors of CS discontinuation were considered: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), race, type of graft (cadaveric or living donor [LD]), recurrence of PBC, warm ischemia time, and immunosuppressant. Results Overall survival at 5 years was 85%. The 1-, 5-, and 10-year recurrence-free survivals were 90%, 72%, and 54%, respectively. PBC recurred in 18 patients (25.7%). Of these, none received a second transplant due to disease recurrence. At the time of last follow-up, 73% of recipients were steroid free. Independent predictors of CS discontinuation are age (>54; P = .0059) and LD graft type ( P = .0008). Conversely, cyclosporine ( P = .0007), female gender ( P = .0216), and BMI > 31 ( P = .0306) were negatively associated with CS withdraw. Importantly, steroid discontinuation did not influence PBC recurrence. Conclusions While long-term outcomes in PBC patients are favorable, disease recurrence can generally be managed medically without the need for a second transplant. Using an aggressive CS minimization approach, nearly three-quarters of the patients were CS free at the time of last follow-up. Increasing age and LD grafts were associated with successful CS withdraw. Conversely, cyclosporine use, female gender, and increasing BMI were associated with unsuccessful steroid discontinuation.
Strontium Metabolism in Chicks

Abstract THIS study of the metabolic uptake of stable strontium in chicks had its origins in the need for more knowledge concerning the amounts of this element that can be absorbed by living animals. There were two reasons for the investigation. On the one hand it is of practical importance for a better understanding of the relation of strontium to dietary calcium levels in geographic areas where the uptake of strontium may be high. It is also important for its bearing on the interpretation that can be given to the high strontium contents of many fossil bones and teeth (Wyckoff and Doberenz, 1967). In this work we have sought, using chicks, (a) to evaluate the utilization of large amounts of strontium in relation to the dietary calcium level, (b) to determine the maximum amounts of strontium that can be incorporated into the growing chicks without seriously impairing their health and (c) . . .
Synergistic induction of mesoderm by FGF and TGF-β and the identification of an mRNA coding for FGF in the early xenopus embryo

The primary patterning event in early vertebrate development is the formation of the mesoderm and its subsequent induction of the neural tube. Classic experiments suggest that the vegetal region signals the animal hemisphere to diverge from the pathway of forming ectoderm to form mesoderm such as muscle. Here we show that bovine basic FGF has a limited capacity to induce muscle actin expression in animal hemisphere cells. This level of expression can be raised to levels normally induced in the embryo by another mammalian growth factor, TGF-beta, which by itself will not induce actin expression. We show that the Xenopus embryo contains an mRNA encoding a protein highly homologous to basic FGF. These results together with the identification of a maternal mRNA with strong homology to TGF-beta, suggest that molecules closely related to FGF and TGF-beta are the natural inducers of mesoderm in vertebrate development.
Administration of a complex chemotherapy regimen: Inpatient versus outpatient treatment

The ability to administer a complex chemotherapy regimen, adriamycin and cis-platinum, was evaluated in two different settings, inpatient and outpatient. On comparison, outpatient administration proved superior. This resulted from the interest and experience of the staff administering the medications. It is recommended that outpatient administration of chemotherapy, even with complex protocols, be employed whenever feasible.
Effects of chronic ethanol feeding on the protein composition of mitochondrial ribosomes

Chronic ethanol feeding has been shown to decrease the number of functionally active mitochondrial ribosomes by 55%. In this work, 55S mitochondrial ribosomes were isolated from rat liver and their constitutive proteins characterized by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and quantified by densitometry. A total of 86 proteins were found to be associated with the mitochondrial ribosome. This compares with 70 isolated from cytoplasmic ribosomes. In addition, mitochondrial ribosomal proteins were found to be significantly less basic than their cytoplasmic counterparts. Chronic ethanol feeding was found to significantly decrease the levels of a number of constitutive proteins of the mitochondrial ribosome when compared to those isolated from pair-fed controls. Sucrose density gradient analyses revealed a significant decrease in the number of intact 55S ribosomes. It is suggested that ethanol-elicited alterations in specific constitutive proteins of the mitochondrial ribosome may lead to impaired assembly of the monosome and that this may result in lower levels of those displaying functional activity.
Improved outcomes in cadaveric renal allografts with pulsatile preservation.

Background: Early immunologic and non-immunologic injury of renal allografts adversely affects long-term graft survival. Some degree of preservation injury is inevitable in cadaveric renal transplantation, and, with the reduction in early acute rejection, this non-immunologic injury has assumed a greater relative importance. Optimal graft preservation will maximize the chances of early graft function and long-term graft survival, but the best method of preservation - pulsatile perfusion (PP) versus cold storage (CS) - is debated. Methods: Primary cadaveric kidney recipients from January 1990 through December 1995 were evaluated. The effects of implantation warm ischemic time (WIT) ( 40 min) and total ischemic time (TIT) ( 20 h) on death-censored graft survival were compared between kidneys preserved by PP versus those preserved by CS. The effect of preservation method on delayed graft function (DGF) was also examined. Results: There were 568 PP kidneys and 268 CS kidneys. Overall death-censored graft survival was not significantly different between groups, despite worse donor and recipient characteristics in the PP group. CS kidneys with an implantation WIT > 40 min had worse graft survival than those with < 40 min (p = 0.0004). Survival of PP kidneys and those transplanted into 2 DR-matched recipients was not affected by longer implantation WIT. Longer TIT did not impact survival. DGF was more likely after CS preservation (20.2% versus 8.8%, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Preservation with PP improves early graft function and lessens the adverse effect of increased warm ischemia in cadaveric renal transplantation. This method is likely associated with less preservation injury and/or increases the threshold for injury from other sources and is superior to CS.
Evaluation of inflow performance of multiple horizontal wells in closed systems

This work presents a model to investigate the inflow performance relationships (IPR) of horizontal and vertical wells in a multi-well pattern. The model can be used to compute the overall and individual well performances. It is shown that stabilized IPRs may not be sufficient for the evaluation of horizontal well performances due to prolonged transient flow periods. The results presented in this paper clearly indicate that inflow performance of wells in a multi-well pattern is a dynamic concept; and, especially in the prediction of future performances, dynamic rather than static IPR models should be used. S0195-07380000801-3
Statistics of cumulative damage parameters based on hysteretic energy dissipated

Abstract The statistics of hysteretic energy dissipated by nonlinear-hysteretic oscillators under random dynamic loading are discussed. It is observed that the first two moments (mean and variance) of the hysteretic energy dissipated behave in the same manner as the corresponding statistics of cumulative damage parameters based on linear damage accumulation. The paper also discusses how the hysteretic energy dissipated per loading cycle or some appropriate functions of it may be used as a measure of cumulative damage for some non-deteriorating and deteriorating structural components. Then, statistics of cumulative damage parameters based on the hysteretic energy dissipated per loading cycle are computed using random vibration analysis.
Hairless is a cofactor for Runt-dependent transcriptional regulation

Runt is a vital transcriptional regulator in the developmental pathway responsible for segmentation in the Drosophila embryo. Runt activates or represses transcription in a manner that is dependent on both cellular context and the specific downstream target. Here we identify Hairless (H) as a Runt-interacting molecule that functions during segmentation. We find that H is important for maintenance of engrailed (en) repression as was previously demonstrated for Groucho (Gro), Rpd3, and CtBP. H also contributes to the Runt-dependent repression of sloppy-paired-1 (slp1), a role that is not shared with these other corepressors. We further find distinct roles for these different corepressors in the regulation of other Runt targets in the early Drosophila embryo. These findings, coupled with observations on the distinct functional requirements for Runt in regulating these several different targets, indicate that Runt-dependent regulation in the Drosophila blastoderm embryo relies on unique, target-gene-specific molecular interactions.
Role Playing: A Method to Forecast Decisions

Role playing can be used to forecast decisions, such as “how will our competitors respond if we lower our prices?” In role playing, an administrator asks people to play roles and uses their “decisions” as forecasts. Such an exercise can produce a realistic simulation of the interactions among conflicting groups. The role play should match the actual situation in key respects, such as that role players should be somewhat similar to those being represented in the actual situations, and roleplayers should read instructions for their roles before reading about the situation. Role playing is most effective for predictions when two conflicting parties respond to large changes. A review of the evidence showed that role playing was effective in matching results for seven of eight experiments. In five actual situations, role playing was correct for 56 percent of 143 predictions, while unaided expert opinions were correct for 16 percent of 172 predictions. Role playing has also been used successfully to forecast outcomes in three studies. Successful uses of role playing have been claimed in the military, law, and business.
Image reconstruction for discontinuous objects with half-data knowledge in SPECT with nonuniform attenuation

The potato peeler perspective provides a way to identify redundant information in the SPECT data function. Its mathematical formulation in terms of "variable" sinograms demonstrates mathematically data redundancy in the SPECT data function even when the attenuation map is nonuniform. In this work, we extend the mathematical result to include the case when the activity distribution has a finite number of jump discontinuities.
SESSION 3: PLENARY GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OVER THE LONG RUN: Why Did Human History Unfold Differently on Different Continents for the Last 13,000 Years?

History's broadest pattern, and its biggest unsolved problem, are its very different course on different continents. Why did Aboriginal Australians remain stone-age hunter-gatherers, while agriculture and empires were arising among Native Americans, and while widespread literacy and metal tools were arising in Eurasia? Why were Europeans the ones to conquer Africans, Aboriginal Australians, and Native Americans, instead of vice versa? For lack of an accepted explanation, many people fall back on racist explanations. I shall show instead how the different fates of different peoples were stamped by differences in continental environments.
Pharmacokinetics of gemcitabine and its primary metabolite in dogs after intravenous infusion

Gemcitabine is a relatively new chemotherapeutic compound used to treat a variety of cancers in dogs. Previous work presented in a companion paper explored the plasma kinetics of gemcitabine and its inactive metabolite, 2',2'-difluorodeoxyuridine (dFdU), in dogs after an intravenous bolus gemcitabine dose and demonstrated the saturation of intracellular dFdCTP (2',2'-difluorodeoxycytidine 5'-triphosphate) occurs in vitro with increasing extracellular gemcitabine exposure in canine melanoma cells. In this study, the plasma pharmacokinetics (PKs) of gemcitabine and dFdU are further explored after gemcitabine doses of 10, 30, and 60 mg/kg administered by intravenous infusion with a loading dose. Gemcitabine displayed linear PKs, while the kinetics of dFdU were not dose proportional. The overall clearance, volume of distribution at steady-state, and terminal elimination half-life (t 1 / 2 ) for gemcitabine were 0.421 L/h.kg, 0.822 L/kg, and 1.49 h, respectively. Plasma concentrations of dFdU peaked at approximately 2 h postdosing and had a t 1 / 2 of 14.9 h.
The Role of Osteocytes in Bone Turnover: A Mathematical Model

Many of the published mathematical models of bone remodeling that incorporate cellular activity focus on the behavior of mature osteoblasts and osteoclasts, and their respective precursor cells, with the role of osteocytes and bone lining cells left largely unexplored. However, there is increasing biological evidence that osteocytes play important roles in the cycle of targeted bone remodeling, in serving as a significant source of RANKL to support osteoclastogenesis, and in secreting the bone formation inhibitor sclerostin. Moreover, there is also increasing interest in sclerostin, an osteocyte-secreted bone formation inhibitor, and its role in regulating local response to changes in the bone microenvironment. Here we present a more recent cell population model of bone remodeling that includes the role of osteocytes, sclerostin, and allows for the possibility of RANKL expression by osteocyte cell populations. We have aimed to give a simple, yet still tractable, model that remains faithful to the underlying system based on the known literature. This model extends and complements many of the existing mathematical models for bone remodeling, but can be used to explore aspects of the process of bone remodeling that were previously beyond the scope of prior modeling work.
AdHeat: an influence-based diffusion model for propagating hints to match ads

In this paper, we present AdHeat, a social ad model considering user influence in addition to relevance for matching ads. Traditionally, ad placement employs the relevance model. Such a model matches ads with Web page content, user interests, or both. We have observed, however, on social networks that the relevance model suffers from two shortcomings. First, influential users (users who contribute opinions) seldom click ads that are highly relevant to their expertise. Second, because influential users' contents and activities are attractive to other users, hint words summarizing their expertise and activities may be widely preferred. Therefore, we propose AdHeat, which diffuses hint words of influential users to others and then matches ads for each user with aggregated hints. We performed experiments on a large online Q&A community with half a million users. The experimental results show that AdHeat outperforms the relevance model on CTR (click through rate) by significant margins.
Optimization of interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction solar cells by two-dimensional numerical simulation

In this paper, two-dimensional (2D) simulation of interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) solar cells is presented using Sentaurus Device, a software package of Synopsys TCAD. A model is established incorporating a distribution of trap states of amorphous-silicon material and thermionic emission across the amorphous-silicon / crystalline-silicon hetero-interface. The 2D nature of IBC-SHJ device is evaluated and current density-voltage (J-V) curves are generated. Optimization of IBC-SHJ solar cells is then discussed through simulation. It is shown that the open circuit voltage (V OC ) and short circuit current density (J SC ) of IBC-SHJ solar cells increase with decreasing front surface recombination velocity. The J SC improves further with the increase of relative coverage of p-type emitter contacts, which is explained by the simulated and measured position dependent laser beam induced current (LBIC) line scan. The S-shaped J-V curves with low fill factor (FF) observed in experiments are also simulated, and three methods to improve FF by modifying the intrinsic a-Si buffer layer are suggested: (i) decreased thickness, (ii) increased conductivity, and (iii) reduced band gap. With all these optimizations, an efficiency of 26% for IBC-SHJ solar cells is potentially achievable.
Low Power Arithmetic Units for Video Processing Systems

Design of a low power Multiply-and-Accumulator (MAC) unit for video processing systems exploiting the similarity of neighboring pixels in video streams is presented in this paper. The proposed technique minimizes dynamic power consumption by analyzing the bit patterns in the input data to reduce switching activities. Special values of the pixels in the video streams such as zero, one, repeated values or repeated bit combinations are detected and control signals are generated to bypass the data and to reuse the results in the MAC unit. It is observed that the proposed scheme helps to reduce operations and switching activities in the MAC unit up to 30% which results in lower power consumption with minimal hardware overhead.
Porous membrane-based diffusion scrubber for the sampling of atmospheric gases

A diffusion scrubber, employing a porous fluorocarbon membrane as the sampling tube and with a scrubber solution flowing into a narrow annular space exterior to the membrane, is described. The use of this diffusion scrubber with a dilute buffered formaldehyde solution as the scrubber solution has been exploited for collecting sulphur dioxide. Collection efficiencies are reported for sampling rates of up to 3 l min–1. The response time to a SO2 input pulse in the continuous analysis mode is demonstrated using dilute hydrogen peroxide as the scrubber solution and a conductivity detector. The advantages of a diffusion scrubber for collecting atmospheric gases are discussed. A simple inexpensive design of permeation tubes for standard gas sources is also reported.
Proteasome Modulator 9 SNPs are linked to hypertension in type 2 diabetes families

Background Chromosome 12q24 was recently associated with hypertension. Proteasome Modulator 9 (PSMD9) lies in the 12q24 locus and is in linkage with MODY3, type 2 diabetes (T2D), microvascular and macrovascular pathology, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hypercholesterolemia in Italian families.
Diversity of Research in Textiles, Clothing, and Human Behavior: The Relationship Between What We Know and How We Know:

In any field it is important to understand how knowledge is produced and how the production of knowledge affects what is known. Put another way, how have the conclusions drawn from research in text...
Development of a Heat Sink With Periodic Asymmetric Structures Using Grayscale Lithography and Deep Reactive Ion Etching

This letter describes the fabrication and development of a novel heat sink for two-phase liquid cooling of electronics. The surface of the heat sink is asymmetric in the form of sawtooth ratchets with the long slope at an angle of 24° and is enhanced with reentrant cavities, which act as vapor trapping sites. The sawtooth ratchets were fabricated using grayscale lithography and deep reactive ion etching and the reentrant cavities using anisotropic etching. In pool boiling experiments with deionized water, surface asymmetry results in a net force imbalance acting on the vapor bubbles departing from the reentrant cavities, thereby resulting in bubbles departing at an angle with instantaneous velocities in excess of 600 mm/s. This novel surface developed demonstrates the ability to effect lateral motion of bubbles and the liquid in vicinity.
Helpers and egg investment in the cooperatively breeding acorn woodpecker: testing the concealed helper effects hypothesis

In cooperatively breeding acorn woodpeckers (Melanerpes formicivorus), helper males have a large positive effect on fledging success in good acorn crop years but only a small positive effect in poor acorn crop years, while helper females exhibit the opposite pattern. Based on these findings, we tested the “concealed helper effects” hypothesis, which proposes that laying females reduce investment in eggs (with respect to their size, number, or quality) in a way that confounds helper effects and results in an absence of a relationship between helpers and breeding success. Results generally failed to support the hypothesis. Mean egg size was positively related to temperatures during the 10 days prior to egg-laying and negatively related to the food supply as indexed by the prior fall’s acorn crop, but there were no significant differences vis-a-vis helpers except for interactions with the acorn crop that only partly corresponded to those predicted. With respect to clutch size, females laid larger clutches when assisted by female helpers, opposite the pattern predicted. Although our results suggest that egg size is adjusted to particular ecological circumstances, we conclude that neither egg nor clutch size is adjusted in a way that confounds the apparent effects of helpers, as proposed by the concealed helper effects hypothesis.