cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Context-Aware collaborative filtering system: predicting the user's preference in the ubiquitous computing environment

In this paper we present a context-aware collaborative filtering system that predicts a user's preference in different context situations based on past experiences. We extend collaborative filtering techniques so that what other like-minded users have done in similar context can be used to predict a user's preference towards an activity in the current context. Such a system can help predict the user's behavior in different situations without the user actively defining it. For example, it could recommend activities customized for Bob for the given weather, location, and traveling companion(s), based on what other people like Bob have done in similar context.
RNA sequence analysis of a perinatal lethal osteogenesis imperfecta mutation.

Abstract The perinatal lethal form of osteogenesis imperfecta often results from mutations which disrupt stable assembly, delay secretion, and cause excessive posttranslational modification of type I procollagen molecules. One such mutation was efficiently characterized by an indirect method of RNA sequence analysis. The mutation initially was localized in procollagen by mapping the distribution of abnormal posttranslational modification within the triple helical domain of mutant molecules. Total RNA was isolated from osteogenesis imperfecta cells in culture, cDNA was synthesized using alpha 1(I) and alpha 2(I) specific primers, and fragments of cDNA suspected to harbor the mutation were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction technique and then cloned in M13 vectors. Sequence analysis of the amplified cDNA revealed a new, heterozygous Gly----Val substitution at residue 256 of the triple helical domain of alpha 1(I) chains produced by the perinatal lethal osteogenesis imperfecta cells. The nature and location of the mutation were confirmed by sequence analysis of amplified genomic DNA. A Gly----Val substitution has not previously been associated with the lethal form of osteogenesis imperfecta, and this mutation has the most amino-terminal location within the alpha 1(I) chain triple helical domain reported to date.
Administration of ATP–MgCl2 following hemorrhage and resuscitation increases hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and decreases pyruvate kinase activities

Since administration of ATP–MgCl2 following trauma and hemorrhagic shock improves tissue perfusion as well as cell and organ function, the aim of this study was to determine whether this agent has any salutary effects on the hepatic rate-controlling enzymes specific for gluconeogenesis, such as phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), and for glycolysis, such as pyruvate kinase (PK), under such conditions. To study this, rats underwent a 5-cm midline laparotomy (i.e., trauma-induced) and were bled to and maintained at a mean arterial pressure of 40 mm Hg until 40% of maximum bleed out volume was returned in the form of Ringer's lactate (RL). The animals were then resuscitated with 3 times the volume of shed blood with RL over 45 min, followed by 2 times RL with ATP–MgCl2 (50 μmol/kg body wt.) or an equivalent volume of normal saline over 95 min. Hepatic PEPCK, PK and glucokinase activities were determined 4 h after the completion of resuscitation. The mRNA levels of PEPCK and PK in the isolated hepatocytes were determined by Northern blot analysis. The results indicate that glucokinase activity was not significantly altered after hemorrhage, irrespective of ATP–MgCl2 treatment. Although the mRNA levels of PEPCK were similar in all groups, PEPCK activity decreased significantly after hemorrhage. ATP–MgCl2 treatment, however, restored PEPCK activity. Hemorrhage resulted in an increase in PK activity and its mRNA. ATP–MgCl2 treatment significantly decreased PK activity and the mRNA. Thus, up-regulation of the gluconeogenic enzyme, PEPCK, and down-regulation of the glycolytic enzyme, PK, by ATP–MgCl2 may be responsible, in part, for the beneficial effects of this agent following trauma–hemorrhage and resuscitation.
Factors Influencing Service Provider Motivation to Help Adolescent Victims of Partner Violence

In this study, the authors (a) examined the influence of three situational factors—level of provocation by the victim, frequency of the violence, and visibility of injuries sustained by the victim—on service providers' motivation to help adolescent victims of partner violence and (b) proposed that perceptions of seriousness and attribution of blame mediate the relationship between situational factors and motivation to help. Three hundred and thirty-one service providers from a rural county completed questionnaires. Providers indicated their perception of seriousness, attribution of blame, and motivation to help a victim of partner violence based on scenarios that manipulated situational factors. Findings indicate that provocation influenced motivation to help female victims, whereas frequency of the violence influenced motivation to help males. Perception of seriousness and attribution of blame did not mediate the relationships between situational variables and motivation to help. Theoretical explanations...
In-core/ex-core neutron noise measurements to examine core internal vibrations in an operating PWR

Abstract Simultaneous in-core/ex-core neutron noise measurements are investigated. A signal decomposition scheme is proposed for the ex-core signals. Partial spectral estimates are constructed from the in-core signals. Frequency bands that differentiate modified/baffle jet excited assemblies from ‘normal’ are predicted using a clustering algorithm. A simple phenomenological description of the in-core APSD shape is proposed.
The Robustness of Honesty Effects on Budget Proposals when the Superior has Rejection Authority

ABSTRACT: Rankin, Schwartz, and Young (2008) find experimental evidence that manipulating whether the budget request of the subordinate requires a factual assertion has no effect on budgetary slack when the superior can reject the budget. This calls into question the role of honesty in participative budgeting settings. Using Rankin et al.'s (2008) manipulation to capture honesty effects, we examine the robustness of honesty effects on budget proposals when the superior has rejection authority in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we document that honesty has a strong effect on budgetary slack when the salience of distributional fairness is reduced by withholding the relative pay of the superior from the subordinate. In Experiment 2, we document that honesty continues to have a strong effect on budgetary slack when the salience of reciprocity is increased by giving the superior the ability to set the subordinate's salary. Thus, our evidence suggests that honesty effects on budget proposals are generally rob...
MTV, Technology, the Secular Trend, and HIV/AIDS: Why Kenyan Parents Need to Learn About Adolescent Development

As technological innovation increases the pace of communication and trade traditional patterns of family interaction education for adult social and vocational roles belief systems health and dietary practices also change. This is so because it is generally the young who are most heavily exposed to imported ideas and practices. They become the early adopters not only of technology but also of trivial fashion fads and of profound life-changing behavior values and ideology. At no stage in life is this more apparent and of greater concern to their elders than when it occurs concurrent with the physical changes marking puberty. Traditionally the biological changes of puberty were both themselves predictable and predictably associated with changes in social role often marked by rites of passage and always marked by change of status within the community. In recent times however the timing of puberty itself has changed. It is now earlier most markedly so among urban dwellers and catches children and families unaware. This more than the annoyingly rapidly turnover in fads related to popular culture that are readily accessible even in remote areas through communications technology is likely to be a source of family conflict. (excerpt)
Development of models for predicting carbon mineralization and associated phytotoxicity in compost-amended soil.

Phytotoxicity of compost-amended soil is related to carbon mineralization associated with compost decomposition. The objective of this research was to determine if compost carbon mineralization potential, estimated using compost respiration rate measurements, could be combined with carbon mineralization kinetic models to predict phytotoxicity of compost-amended soil. First-order, second-order, and Monod kinetic models that include compost carbon mineralization potential, compost amendment rate, incubation time, and temperature were developed and compared for their ability to predict carbon mineralization kinetics. Experiments utilized two soil types amended with 0%, 5%, and 50% (v/v) food waste and green waste composts, incubated at 20 °C, 25 °C, 30 °C, 35 °C, and 45 °C for model development and under a diurnal temperature cycle from 20 °C to 30 °C for model validation. For most cases, a first-order model had an equivalent or better fit to the data than the other models. Mineralizable carbon estimated using the first-order model was significantly correlated to the probability of phytotoxicity in compost-amended soil.
Availability of urea to autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria as related to the fate of 14C- and 15N-labeled urea added to soil

Nitrate has been found to accumulate more rapidly in soils fertilized with urea than with inorganic sources of NH4 +, despite the fact that nitrification must be preceded by hydrolytic decomposition. For acidic conditions, this finding has been attributed to limited uptake of NH4 + by ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (also reported herein), suggesting an advantage for direct utilization of a nonionizable N substrate such as urea. If the same advantage applies to urea-C, nitrification of urea-N would also be promoted in neutral or alkaline soils, as reported in numerous studies. To ascertain whether urea-C can be utilized directly by nitrifying organisms, NO2 − production was measured for Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosospira sp. NPAV in minimal media with urea as the sole source of either C or C and N. Nitrite accumulated only with the latter organism, in which case nearly quantitative recovery was observed for N added as NH4 + and/or urea. In a subsequent study, recovery of 14C and 15N in gaseous, extractable, and hydrolyzable forms was determined after incubation with labeled urea for up to 29 days, by using two soils that differed markedly in physiochemical properties affecting nutrient availability. Results obtained in correlating 14C incorporation in the amino acid fraction with 15N accumulation as NO3 − were consistent with the stoichiometry that would be expected if C fixation were driven by autotrophic nitrification. Our findings demonstrate unequivocally that urea is utilized as a source of C and N by nitrifying microorganisms, which may account for rapid nitrification of urea-N in soils.
A Moderate Defence of the Use of Thought Experiments in Applied Ethics

Thought experiments have played a pivotal role in many debates within ethics—and in particular within applied ethics—over the past 30 years. Nonetheless, despite their having become a commonly used philosophical tool, there is something odd about the extensive reliance upon thought experiments in areas of philosophy, such as applied ethics, that are so obviously oriented towards practical life. Herein I provide a moderate defence of their use in applied philosophy against those three objections. I do not defend all possible uses of thought experiments but suggest that we should distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate uses. Their legitimate uses are determined not so much by the modal content of any actual thought experiment itself, but by the extent to which the argument in which it is nested follows basic tenets of informal logic and respects the fundamental contingency of applied ethical problems. In pursuing these ideas, I do not so much provide a set of criteria for their legitimate use, but more modestly present two significant ways in which their use can go awry.
Library 2.0 at a Small Campus Library

In April 2006, the library faculty at a small public liberal arts university created a blog to help generate more interest in their library and to promote resources and programs. With a minimal amount of time spent in development and promotion, they were able to produce a blog that is growing in popularity among the students and faculty. For over a year, they have used the blog to inform patrons about LibQual, new resources, power outages, computer and database problems, changes in hours, and to discuss library events and media issues in the news. After the blog's success, they have made further 2.0 leaps by employing RSS feeds, photo sharing, and Google Analytics to quickly and easily produce new content that is useful to students, faculty, and library staff.
An exact relation for conditional probabilities of an Ising model

Abstract It is shown that the probability of a specified occupation of a group of sites I is unaffected by a specified occupation of another group of sites E, if every path proceeding through the exchange constants from E to I passes through at least one site of a group of sites (not included in I or E) whose occupants are also specified.
Magnetic Recording Storage

This review article attempts to give a perspective on the evolution of magnetic recording storage devices, highlight the frontiers of current activity, and address the future of this storage technology. Tape, disk (both rigid and flexible), and mass storage systems are covered. It is of interest to note that digital magnetic recording spans not only the twenty-five year history of the IEEE Computer Society which this issue is recognizing but has during this whole period undergone continual technical advances and widespread growth in usage. It is fair to say that magnetic recording is among the most important technologies in the history of the computer age to date.
Hypnosis and Memory Illusions: An Investigation Using the Deese/Roediger and McDermott Paradigm

Our research used the Deese/Roediger and McDermott paradigm [1] to examine the effects of hypnosis on memory. The paradigm yielded a high rate of false recognition (>.70), regardless of whether par...
Quantum Cognition: Key Issues and Discussion

Quantum cognition is an emerging field that uses mathematical principles of quantum theory to help formalize and understand cognitive systems and processes. The topic on the potential of using quantum theory to build models of cognition (Volume 5, issue 4) introduces and synthesizes its new development through an introduction and six core articles. The current issue presents 14 commentaries on the core articles. Five key issues surface, some of which are interestingly controversial and debatable as expected for a new emerging field.
Multispectral Hadamard Transform Raman Microscopy

The Hadamard transform Raman microscope equipped with a two-dimensional video detector is inherently capable of obtaining images at several different Raman frequencies simultaneously. In this communication, we describe the necessary software to exploit this multispectral capability. We apply multispectral imaging to polymer laminates and to removal of artifacts from Raman images.
Modeling of switching noise and coupling in multiple chips of 3D TSV-based systems

This paper reports on modeling of simultaneous switching noise (SSN) in power distribution network (PDN) for 3D systems, where multiple IC chips are stacked and connected by through-silicon vias (TSVs). The noises generated by current switching during the transition from idle state to active state are analyzed with both on-chip and off-chip PDNs. SSN is decomposed into different frequency components and their characteristics are discussed. The switching noises in active and silent chips are extracted to evaluate the noise interference in a 3D chip stack. Decoupling capacitors and stagger intervals are used to suppress the noise. Modeling the PDN to minimize the switching noise effects based on our hybrid approach is demonstrated to be effective to analyze the 3D PDN and understand the design tradeoffs in 3D architectures.
An Engineering Approach to the Traveling Salesman Problem

An engineering approach to the traveling salesman problem is a method which is intuitively “reasonable” to the non-mathematician. It consists of a sequence of operations which 1 develops good starting circuits, 2 improves these circuits, 3 extracts sufficient information from the improved circuits to determine pairs or chains of cities likely to appear in the conjectured global minimum cost circuit, 4 with certain cities paired off, develops the graph of the network. The graph program generates all the circuits from the smallest to the largest cost. The method has been applied successfully to the 20, 48, and 57 city traveling salesman problems.
Ants and Plants with Extrafloral Nectaries in Fire Successional Habitats on Andros (Bahamas)

ABSTRACT Honey baits were used to assess the activity and abundance of nectar-drinking ants in fire successional habitats of rocklands on Andros Island, Bahamas. Vegetation was sampled in pineyard and coppice habitats (the same communities as Florida's pine rocklands and hammocks), revealing a larger proportion of taxa with extrafloral nectaries in coppice samples, but roughly equivalent cover of plants with extrafloral nectaries in pineyard and coppice vegetation. Ant activity was greater in pineyard than in coppice habitats, with time to discovery of baits the shortest in open and recently burned pineyards, and most of the baits experiencing recruitment of ants. Overgrown pineyards and coppices both had longer time-to-discovery and much less recruitment to baits; coppice edges, more variable, were not significantly different from either of the 2 other habitat groups. Our preliminary study revealed some new records of plant genera and species with extrafloral nectaries, but all ants we observed at nectar...
Satisfactory and unsatisfactory definitions of the activity function and satisfactory and unsatisfactory derivations of its partial derivatives with respect to temperature and pressure

Abstract The activity of a solute has been defined by several authors by means of the two equations: RT ln a 2 = μ 2 − μ 2 0 (1) and lim x 2 →0 ( a 2 x 1 ) = 1 (2) where a 2 denotes the activity of a solute in a given state; μ 2 the partial molar Gibbs function of the solute in the same state; μ 0 2 the partial molar Gibbs function of the solute in the state in which the activity is unity; and x 2 the mole fraction of the solute. In 1936 L.H. Adams showed that the definition of the activity of a non-dissociating solute by the single equation: a 2 ≡ e μ 2 RT B(T,p) (3) where a 2 denotes the activity of the solute in a given state; μ 2 the partial molar Gibbs function of the solute in the same state; R the gas constant; T the absolute thermodynamic temperature; and B ( T , p ) denotes the limit: lim x 2 →0 ( e μ 2 RT x 2 ) in which x 2 denotes the mole fraction of the solute, has important advantages over the definition of the activity of a solute by means of eqs. 1 and 2. Eqs. 1 and 2 actually suffice to define the activity of a solute, but this requires to be proved, because two equations do not necessarily define a function; they might define a point, or they might be mutually inconsistent. The function e μ 2 RT B(T,p) is a continuous single-valued function of the temperature, pressure and mole fraction of the solute (of a binary solution), and eq. 3 is a necessary and sufficient condition for eqs. 1 and 2, thereby providing the needed justification for the definition of the activity of a solute by means of eqs. 1 and 2.
Satisfying the customer

A fifty variable zero/one integer programming problem is presented. The fifty variable space in mapped to a non‐uniform five dimensional subspace of the real numbers. The problem is then solved with multi‐stage Monte Carlo optimization applied to the subscripts of the five arrays storing the sub‐space values. The implications of this approach to integer programming in general and zero/one programming in particular are explored.
Suppression of deprivation-induced food and water intake in rats and mice by naloxone.

Abstract Naloxone, an opiate antagonist, was administered to male and female rats and male mice after periods of food or water deprivation ranging from 12 to 48 hr. Naloxone (0.01–10 mg/kg) reduced postdeprivational water intake in most groups of rats and mice in a dose-related manner. Naloxone suppression of water consumption appeared to be independent of sexual differences in rats, and phase of the diurnal cycle, and length of the deprivation interval in both rats and mice. Postdeprivational food intake in male rats and mice was also reduced by naloxone in a dose-dependent fashion. This naloxone effect was less pronounced than actions observed with water intake, and tended to diminish with lengthening food deprivation periods. In general, mice appeared to be less sensitive than rats to naloxone suppression of food and water intake. Naloxone appears to markedly reduce appetitive behavior, particularly water intake, following deprivation in both rats and mice. The fact that low doses of naloxone can elicit these effects suggests that the drug is acting at specific tissue sites, possibly endorphin receptors.
Comparison of algorithms for the trapping of single molecules in an electrostatic corral

The corral trap is a novel tool for the solution-based trapping of single fluorescent molecules and other nanoparticles with great potential for applications in ultrasensitive biomedical analysis at the single molecule level. This article describes a general approach for automated trapping based on particle detection in two regions of interest close to the corral trap: the doormat region, which triggers the "opening" of the corral trap, and the trigger region, which triggers the "closing" of the trap. Three different algorithms for rapid particle detection in these two regions are presented, and their execution time is evaluated for different experimental scenarios.
Knowledge of diagnosis and reproductive history among survivors of childhood plumbism.

As part of a study of the long-term consequences of childhood plumbism, 35 survivors of lead poisoning in the period 1930 through 1944 were interviewed along with 22 controls matched for age, sex, and town of residence. Subjects were asked to recall all pregnancies they engendered (men) or carried (women), outcome, and intellectual development of resulting children. Matched female plumbism subjects reported a higher proportion of spontaneous abortion or stillbirths among pregnancies (relative risk = 1.60, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.6-4.0) and a higher proportion of learning disabilities among school-age children (relative risk = 3.0, 95% CI = 0.9-10.2) in comparison with their controls. There was no evidence of clustering of learning disabilities within families or confounding by parental educational level. These results suggest that women with a history of childhood lead poisoning may be at risk for having spontaneous abortions or stillbirths and having children who manifest significant learning di...
On the Lighthill relationship and sound generation from isotropic turbulence

In 1952 Lighthill (1952) developed a theory for determining the sound generated by a turbulent motion of a fluid. With some statistical assumptions, Proudman (1952) applied this theory to estimate the acoustic power of isotropic turbulence. Recently, Lighthill established a simple relationship that relates the fourth-order retarded-time and space covariance of his stress tensor to the corresponding second-order covariance and the turbulent flatness factor, without making statistical assumptions for a homogeneous turbulence. Lilley (1994) revisited Proudman's work and applied the Lighthill relationship to evaluate the radiated acoustic power directly from isotropic turbulence. After choosing the time separation dependence in the two-point velocity time and space covariance based on the insights gained from direct numerical simulations, Lilley concluded that the Proudman constant is determined by the turbulent flatness factor and the second-order spatial velocity covariance. In order to estimate the Proudman constant at high Reynolds numbers, we analyzed a unique data set of measurements in a large wind tunnel and atmospheric surface layer that covers a range of the Taylor microscale-based Reynolds number 2.0×103≤Rλ≤12.7×103. Our measurements demonstrate that the Lighthill relationship is a good approximation, providing additional support to Lilley's approach. The flatness factor is found between 2.7 and 3.3 and the second-order spatial velocity covariance is obtained. Based on these experimental data, the Proudman constant is estimated to be 0.68–3.68.
Negative assortative matching of risk-averse agents with transferable expected utility

Abstract I give necessary and sufficient conditions for expected utility to be transferable among agents with different state-independent risk preferences who share a risk they cannot influence. In an assignment game where participants choose partners based on risk aversion, the conditions permit a simple proof that matching is negative assortative.
A perturbation analysis of modes in diffused optical waveguides with Gaussian index profile

Abstract Inclusion of a quartic term with adjustable coefficient in the Taylor expansion approximation to gaussian index profiles of diffused optical waveguides is shown to provide an improved approximation to the true gaussian curve to beyond the e-folding depth. A first-order perturbation to the square-law “harmonic oscillator” solutions is applied to improve the calculations of mode indexes and to illustrate the manner in which the corrected wave functions are extended deeper into the substrate.
Ground testing on the nonvented fill method of orbital propellant transfer: Results of initial test series

The results are presented of a series of no-vent fill experiments conducted on a 175 cu ft flightweight hydrogen tank. The experiments consisted of the nonvented fill of the tankage with liquid hydrogen using two different inlet systems (top spray, and bottom spray) at different tank initial conditions and inflow rates. Nine tests were completed of which six filled in excess of 94 percent. The experiments demonstrated a consistent and repeatable ability to fill the tank in excess of 94 percent using the nonvented fill technique. Ninety-four percent was established as the high level cutoff due to requirements for some tank ullage to prevent rapid tank pressure rise which occurs in a tank filled entirely with liquid. The best fill was terminated at 94 percent full with a tank internal pressure less than 26 psia. Although the baseline initial tank wall temperature criteria was that all portions of the tank wall be less than 40 R, fills were achieved with initial wall temperatures as high as 227 R.
Properties of Pseudomonads Causing Spoilage of Vegetables Stored at Low Temperature

Twenty-four strains of pectolytic, fluorescent pseudomonads were isolated from soft rots of celery stored at 0.4-1°C and five strains were isolated from soft rots in cabbage stored at 1°C. When inoculated into the vegetable from which they were isolated these bacteria caused soft rot of wounded, but not of unwounded tissue. According to their biochemical reactions, the organisms were divided into three groups; Group 1 (15 strains) were identified with Pseudomonas fluorescens Biotype II (Doudoroff & Palleroni 1974) (Ps. marginalis); Group 2 (12 strains) and Group 3 (two strains) would be included in the ‘Miscellaneous strains’of Ps. fluorescens described by the above authors. One strain biochemically representative of Group 1 showed a maximum growth rate at 27°C (doubling time, 0.88 h) and a doubling time at 0.2°C of 14.9 h. A strain representative of Group 2 showed a maximum growth rate at 29°C (doubling time 0.96 h) and a doubling time at 0.2°C of 16.6 h. Neither strain grew at 36°C. The temperature characteristics (calculated for the range 0.2-20.8°C) were 83 011 and 79 534 J/mol, respectively. The mean doubling time for the remaining Group 1 strains at 0.2°C was 17.6 h and for remaining Group 2 strains was 17.1 h.
Intersystem Crossing versus Electron Transfer in Porphyrin-Based Donor−Bridge−Acceptor Systems: Influence of a Paramagnetic Species

We have investigated how the spin state of an acceptor influences the photophysical processes in a donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A) system. The system of choice has zinc porphyrin as the electron donor and high-or low-spin iron(III) porphyrin as the acceptor. The spin state of the acceptor porphyrin is switched simply by coordinating imidazole ligands to the metal center. The D-A center-center distance is 26 Angstrom, and the bridging chromophore varies from g-conjugated to a sigma-bonded system. The presence of a high-spin iron(III) porphyrin in such systems has previously been shown to significantly enhance intersystem crossing in the remote zinc porphyrin donor, whereas no significant electron transfer to the iron porphyrin acceptor was observed, even though the thermodynamics would allow for photoincluced electron transfer. Here, we demonstrate that by switching the acceptor to a low-spin state, the dominating photophysical process is drastically changed; the low-spin system shows long-range electron transfer on the picosecond time-scale, and intersystem crossing occurs at its "normal" rate.
Attitudinal effects of character-based versus competence-based negative political communications

Many political communications are negative in nature, but not much is known of the situations in which such communications are more damaging to the targeted political candidate. We hypothesized and experimentally demonstrated that (a) negative political communications are more successful in damaging overall voter attitudes toward the targeted candidate than positive communications are in raising such attitudes, (b) such negative communications are more effective in changing those beliefs about the targeted candidate that concern character (likability and trustworthiness) than in modifying competence (expertise-related) beliefs, and (c) these attitude-changing effects are greater when voters form their overall attitudes toward the targeted candidate more on the basis of character beliefs than competence ones. Implications of these results are discussed for public policy and for attitude theory.
Impact of neighborhood racial composition and metropolitan residential segregation on disparities in breast cancer stage at diagnosis and survival between black and white women in California.

We examined the impact of metropolitan racial residential segregation on stage at diagnosis and all-cause and breast cancer-specific survival between and within black and white women diagnosed with breast cancer in California between 1996 and 2004. We merged data from the California Cancer Registry with Census indices of five dimensions of racial residential segregation, quantifying segregation among Blacks relative to Whites; block group (“neighborhood”) measures of the percentage of Blacks and a composite measure of socioeconomic status. We also examined simultaneous segregation on at least two measures (“hypersegregation”). Using logistic regression we examined effects of these measures on stage at diagnosis and Cox proportional hazards regression for survival. For all-cause and breast-cancer specific mortality, living in neighborhoods with more Blacks was associated with lower mortality among black women, but higher mortality among Whites. However, neighborhood racial composition and metropolitan segregation did not explain differences in stage or survival between Black and White women. Future research should identify mechanisms by which these measures impact breast cancer diagnosis and outcomes among Black women.
On the Holocene History of Some Northern Great Basin Lagomorphs

Analysis of vertebrate faunas from archaeological sites in south-central Oregon's Fort Rock Basin supports the hypothesis that the common early Holocene jackrabbit in the northern Great Basin was Lepus townsendii , and that L. californicus did not become abundant in this area until middle Holocene times. The current range expansion of L. californicus at the expense of L. townsendii in the northern Great Basin and adjacent Plateau may, in part, represent the continuation of a process that began several thousand years ago. These faunas also document the presence of pikas ( Ochotona princeps ) in the Fort Rock Basin prior to, but not after, 7,000 years B.P. Pikas are absent from the area today; their disappearance here may have been due to the eruption of Mt. Mazama at, or just before, an episode of climatic change. These data support the argument that the distribution of boreal mammals on mountainous islands within the Great Basin can be accounted for by initial colonization followed by extinctions of geographically intermediate populations.
Safety and Efficacy of Long-Term Outpatient Ertapenem Therapy

ABSTRACT Ertapenem is increasingly utilized in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT), but data regarding the efficacy and safety of long-term ertapenem therapy have been limited. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who received outpatient ertapenem therapy at our center between 2010 and 2013. Among 306 unique patients who were discharged on ertapenem therapy, the most common indications were intra-abdominal infections (38%), followed by pneumonia (12%), bone and joint infections (11%), bloodstream infections (10%), urinary tract infections (10%), surgical site infections (5%), and skin and soft-tissue infections (4%). Of these 306 patients, 68 received regular outpatient follow-up visits at our infectious disease clinic, where the majority of patients (91%) were successfully treated with ertapenem by the end of therapy. Of the 6 patients who experienced clinical failure, 2 had adverse events leading to discontinuation of therapy and 4 required additional source control for clinical success. In addition, 2 patients had recurrent infection at 6 months.
Coastal flooding by tropical cyclones and sea-level rise

The future impacts of climate change on landfalling tropical cyclones are unclear. Regardless of this uncertainty, flooding by tropical cyclones will increase as a result of accelerated sea-level rise. Under similar rates of rapid sea-level rise during the early Holocene epoch most low-lying sedimentary coastlines were generally much less resilient to storm impacts. Society must learn to live with a rapidly evolving shoreline that is increasingly prone to flooding from tropical cyclones. These impacts can be mitigated partly with adaptive strategies, which include careful stewardship of sediments and reductions in human-induced land subsidence.
Variations in Care Planning Practice in the Social/HMO: An Exploratory Study

In this exploratory study, we examined the influence of provider settings, organizational structures, and community climates on long-term care resource allocation. We analyzed care plan decisions at each of the four Social/HMO sites for the same seven clients. Differences by site were found in eligibility determination and allocation of care plans, as well as types and mix of services prescribed. Issues are raised about the influence of provider settings on legitimation of types of needs and clients that are served.
Research Note: Energy Supplementation of Laying Hen Feed and Drinking Water

Abstract Duplicate experiments were conducted with White Leghorn pullets (29 and 31 wk old) to determine the influence of sucrose additions to feed or drinking water upon performance and average daily energy intake. Treatments consisted either of 3.06 or 4.58% sucrose in drinking water or of 4.76% sucrose in the feed compared with a control diet containing 2,657 kcal ME/kg. In each experiment, six replicate pens of 5 individually caged hens received feed or water treatments ad libitum for 42 days. Egg production and body weight change were not affected in either experiment by sucrose addition. Feed intake was significantly reduced in association with either level of sucrose in the water. In Experiment 1, egg weights from hens receiving sucrose water were significantly below those of controls, probably because of lowered feed intake. Total energy consumed per gram of body weight was significantly higher in both studies for birds receiving the sucrose water.
Tropical cyclones: Structure, computer simulation models, and operational prediction

Abstract Over the past two decades, observational studies using aircraft and satellite data to supplement conventional surface and upper air data have revealed much about the structure of tropical cyclones. During this same period, numerical weather prediction models have been developed to study the dynamics and energetics of these intense, destructive storms. This article reviews the structure of mature tropical cyclones and discusses the physical processes that are important in their genesis and maintenance. Some examples of computer simulation models are presented. Finally, the operational prediction of actual tropical storms by statistical and dynamical methods is summarized.
Forskolin activation of adenylate cyclase in vivo stimulates nerve regeneration

The previous demonstration of an increase and redistribution of adenylate cyclase activity in injured peripheral nerve1 suggests that an increase in neuronal cyclic AMP concentration could play a role in peripheral nerve regeneration. We report our finding that accumulating adenylate cyclase activity was translated into a twofold increase in cyclic AMP concentration in the regenerating nerve stump, coincident with the initiation and elongation of regenerative nerve sprouts. We sought to magnify the role of cyclic AMP in regeneration by using forskolin, a robust activator of adenylate cyclase2, to produce an additional increase in neuronal cyclic AMP in situ. Forskolin in vitro produced an approximately 40-fold greater elevation in neuronal cyclic AMP than an equimolar (10−5) concentration of isoprenaline. Moreover, the elevated cyclic AMP concentration persisted for at least 60 min in the continued presence of forskolin. Daily injection of forskolin into the dorsal lymph sac of Rana pipiens, or delivery of forskolin through an implanted osmotic pump produced a sustained 40% increase in the rate of sensory nerve regeneration in freeze-lesioned sciatic nerves. We conclude that an increase in cyclic AMP concentration and, presumably, the activation of appropriate protein kinases stimulates regenerative nerve growth following trauma.
Association of tumor necrosis factor α polymorphism, but not the shared epitope, with increased radiographic progression in a seropositive rheumatoid arthritis inception cohort

Objective To determine whether the tumor necrosis factor α (TNFA) –308 guanine-to-adenosine polymorphism and/or the shared epitope (SE) is associated with radiographic damage in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The cohort consisted of 189 patients with early seropositive RA (median 5.6 months since symptom onset) who had active disease, no previous disease-modifying antirheumatic drug treatment, and ≥2 sets of scored radiographs of the hands/wrists and forefeet. TNFA –308 polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction pyrosequencing. The SE was defined as presence of any 1 of the following HLA–DRB1 alleles: *0101, *0102, *0401, *0404, *0405, *0408, *0410, *1001, *1402, or *1406. Radiographic progression was assessed by the total Sharp score. Results Using a weighted least-squares regression analysis, patients with the –308 TNFA AA plus AG genotypes (n = 49) had significantly higher rates of progression in erosion scores (median 0.84 versus 0.48 units/year), joint space narrowing (JSN) scores (0.42 versus 0.04), and total Sharp scores (1.70 versus 0.61) compared with patients with the TNFA GG genotype (n = 140). Presence of the SE (n = 137) was associated with significantly lower progression rates (per year) for total Sharp scores (median 0.9 versus 1.25 units/year) and JSN scores (0.04 versus 0.41), but not for erosion scores (0.50 versus 0.61) compared with patients without the SE (n = 52). In a least-squares multiple linear regression model, the presence of the AA plus AG genotypes was associated with a significantly higher progression rate after adjusting for the presence of the SE, interaction between the SE and the AA plus AG genotypes, baseline log C-reactive protein level, Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index, total Sharp score, swollen joint count, and presence of osteophytes (osteoarthritis). There was a strong linkage disequilibrium between DRB1*0301 and TNFA polymorphism (D′ = 0.84, r2 = 0.45, P < 0.001). Conclusion This study showed an association between the TNFA –308 polymorphism and progression of radiographic damage in patients with early seropositive RA. This association appeared to be independent of the SE, but might be dependent on other genetic variants in linkage disequilibrium with the –308 TNFA A allele and DRB1*0301. Further studies should be conducted to validate these results in both longitudinal observational cohorts and randomized clinical trials.
The effect of quick-freezing in ethylene glycol on morphological survival and in vitro development of mouse embryos frozen at different preimplantation stages

Abstract This study was conducted to examine the effect of a quick-freezing protocol on morphological survival and in vitro development of mouse embryos cryopreserved in ethylene glycol (EG) at different preimplantation stages. One-cell embryos were harvested from 6-to 8-wk-old CB6F1 superovulated mice, 20 to 23 h after pairing with males of the same strain and hCG injection. The embryos were cultured in human tubal fluid (HTF) containing 4 mg/ml BSA under mineral oil at 37 °C in 5% CO 2 plus 95% room air at maximal humidity. Twenty-four to 96 h after collection, the embryos were removed from culture and frozen at the 2 cell, 4 to 8-cell, compact morula, early blastocyst, expanding blastocyst and expanded blastocyst stages. To perform the quick-freeze procedure, embryos were equilibrated in Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (DPBS) + 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS) + 0.25 M sucrose + 3 M ethylene glycol (freeze medium) for 20 min at room temperature (22 to 26 °C) and loaded in a single column of freeze medium into 0.25-ml straws (4 to 5 embryos per straw). The straws were held in liquid nitrogen vapor for 2 min and immersed in liquid nitrogen. Embryos were thawed by gentle agitation in a 37°C water bath for 20 sec and transferred to DPBS + 10 % FBS + 0.5 M sucrose (re-hydration medium) for 10 min at room temperature, rinsed 2 times in HTF plus 4 mg/ml BSA and then cultured for 24 to 96 h. Survival of embryos was based on their general morphological appearance after thawing and their ability to continue development upon subsequent culture in vitro. Survival of blastocysts after thawing also required expansion or reexpansion of the blastocoel after several hours in culture. Significant differences were found in the survival and development of mouse embryos at different developmental stages quick-frozen in ethylene glycol and sucrose: 2-cell embryos 43/84 (51%), 4 to 8-cell embryos 44/94 (47%), morulae and early blastocysts 56/70 (80%; P≤0.05), expanding and expanded blastocysts 10/59 (17%; P≤0.05). Our data indicate that the developmental stage in which mouse embryos are subjected to this quick-freeze protocol affects survival and development in vitro and that most (80%) morula and early blastocyst stage embryos survive the procedure.
Elevation of ventricular defibrillation threshold in dogs by antiarrhythmic drugs.

Abstract Effects of antiarrhythmic drugs upon the threshold delivered energy (TDE) and threshold peak current (TPC) for electrical ventricular defibrillation by damped sinusoidal shocks were investigated in 25 pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. TDE and TPC were increased by the three antiarrhythmic drugs tested. Bolus injections produced a transient rise and continuous infusions produced a steady rise in defibrillation threshold. The maximal percent elevations in mean defibrillation threshold during the 60 minutes after intravenous drug treatment in groups of n=5 dogs were: Table ITreatment% ↑ in TDE% ↑ in TPCLidocaine bolus (3 mg./Kg.)4826Lidocaine (0.5 mg./Kg./min.)9945Quinidine bolus (50 mg./Kg.)17270Diphenylhydantoin (1 mg./Kg./min.)8335Controls14 Accordingly, individuals receiving antiarrhythmic drugs who nonetheless fibrillate may require greater electric shock strength for defibrillation.
High-performance liquid chromatographic postcolumn reaction detection based on a competitive binding system

Postcolumn reactions are typically employed to improve detection in high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation techniques. This study proposes the use of competitive binding principles in designing novel postcolumn reaction schemes. The feasibility of this approach was tested by using the HPLC determination of biotin and biocytin as a model system. The effluent from the HPLC column was merged with a reagent stream containing avidin, whose bindings sites were occupied by the dye HABA (2-(4{prime}-hydroxyphenylazo)benzoic acid). HABA was displaced by the analytes from the avidin-HABA complex and the free dye was determined with a UV-vis detector at 345 nm. The procedure was optimized with respect to reactor design, reagent concentrations, and the flow rate of reagent solution. Analytical characteristics of the developed procedure were determined and compared with the direct detection of biotin and biocytin at 220 nm. The postcolumn reaction scheme improved the selectivity and sensitivity of the detection of biotin and biocytin while maintaining similar detection limits.
Production of chlamydospores and conidia by Trichoderma spp in liquid and solid growth media

Abstract Isolates of Trichoderma spp grew and produced chlamydospores as well as conidia in molasses-corn steep liquor (M-CSL), sucrose nitrate (SN), and glucose tartrate (GT) media. In M-SCL, isolates of T. hamatum, T. viride, and T. harzianum formed 10.4, 5.9 and 1.1 × 108 chlamydospores g−1 dry weight of mycelium. Fewer chlamydospores formed in SN and GT. Although T. harzianum formed the least number of chlamydospores, it produced the highest number of conidia in all three media. Molasses-corn steep liquor was superior to SN or GT in supporting development of both spore types. Spore production was not influenced by initial pH of the media or by continuous maintenance of the media at pH 4 or 7. Equal numbers of chlamydospores were formed in liquid media incubated in shake or static culture. Conidia formation, however, was stimulated in static culture. Chlamydospores and conidia of several naturally occurring isolates and induced biotypes of Trichoderma spp were abundantly produced on a variety of solid substrates moistened with liquid nutrients or water, preferably at pH 4. Bran, cornmeal, and peanut hull meal were better than eight other solid substrates for production of chlamydospores and conidia. A u.v.-induced, benomyl-resistant biotype of T. viride (T-1-R9) formed 22 × 107 and 18 × 108 chlamydospores and conidia, respectively, g−1 of bran-SN. The ratio of conidia to chlamydospores was always greater in solid than liquid media. In solid media, 10 times more conidia than chlamydospores were formed, whereas in liquid only two or three times more were formed. Chlamydospores from liquid and solid fermentations were viable (ca 80%) and fresh chlamydospores germinated well (ca 75%) on nutrient agar. Although dried chlamydospores were viable, as determined with tetrazolium bromide, their germination on agar was poor (ca 8%).