cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Creativity in midlife: The novels of Anita Brookner

Abstract Anita Brookner, an art historian and critic, became a novelist in her late forties. Like the women David Gutmann has studied, who take on new managerial roles in late middle-age, Brookner wrote in order to assert some control over her emotional life. Her plots have strong autobiographical elements; she writes about powerless middle-aged women, whose aging forces them to realize that they will never find the fulfillment of their youthful romantic ideals. Although Brookner draws on her own experience, she judges the behavior of her characters against a stern morality. It is apparent that aging frightens her. Although her fear has stimulated her creative impulses, she clearly has ambivalent reactions to the whole process. Yet the energy she expends suggests that she has some confidence that writing will provide her a useful defense against some of the problems of aging experienced by single women in modern society.
Acoustic Eavesdropping through Wireless Vibrometry

Loudspeakers are widely used in conferencing and infotainment systems. Private information leakage from loudspeaker sound is often assumed to be preventable using sound-proof isolators like walls. In this paper, we explore a new acoustic eavesdropping attack that can subvert such protectors using radio devices. Our basic idea lies in an acoustic-radio transformation (ART) algorithm, which recovers loudspeaker sound by inspecting the subtle disturbance it causes to the radio signals generated by an adversary or by its co-located WiFi transmitter. ART builds on a modeling framework that distills key factors to determine the recovered audio quality. It incorporates diversity mechanisms and noise suppression algorithms that can boost the eavesdropping quality. We implement the ART eavesdropper on a software-radio platform and conduct experiments to verify its feasibility and threat level. When targeted at vanilla PC or smartphone loudspeakers, the attacker can successfully recover high-quality audio even when blocked by sound-proof walls. On the other hand, we propose several pragmatic countermeasures that can effectively reduce the attacker's audio recovery quality by orders of magnitude.
Interference of the detergent Tween 80 in protein assays

The nonionic detergent Tween 80, which has been widely used to stimulate protein secretion in bacterial and fungal systems, caused interferences in three protein determination methods. The OD595 developed in the Coomassie blue dye-binding assay with a variety of purified proteins in the presence of Tween 80 was 1.6 to 3.4 times greater than that observed without detergent. These differences could not be attributed totally to the rapid color development in the assay with Tween 80 alone. Crude concentrated extracellular bacterial proteins shaken overnight with Tween 80 yielded an altered fractionation pattern on size exclusion chromatography and 10-fold increased color with an absorption spectrum in the dye-binding assay different from that of bacterial proteins shaken without detergent. In the bicinchoninic acid method, the detergent caused a 2- to 3-fold increase in OD562 due largely to contaminating peroxides which could be removed by treatment with catalase. In the Folin phenol method, the detergent caused a slight precipitate, but residual interference was not detectable in filtered assay mixtures.
TGF-β1 modifications in nuclear matrix proteins of osteoblasts during differentiation

Nuclear matrix protein (NMP) composition of osteoblasts shows distinct two-dimensional gel electrophoretic profiles of labeled proteins as a function of stages of cellular differentiation. Because NMPs are involved in the control of gene expression, we examined modifications in the representation of NMPs induced by TGF-beta1 treatment of osteoblasts to gain insight into the effects of TGF-beta on development of the osteoblast phenotype. Exposure of proliferating fetal rat calvarial derived primary cells in culture to TGF-beta1 for 48 h (day 4-6) modifies osteoblast cell morphology and proliferation and blocks subsequent formation of mineralized nodules. Nuclear matrix protein profiles were very similar between control and TGF-beta-treated cultures until day 14, but subsequently differences in nuclear matrix proteins were apparent in TGF-beta-treated cultures. These findings support the concept that TGF-beta1 modifies the final stage of osteoblast mineralization and alters the composition of the osteoblast nuclear matrix as reflected by selective and TGF-beta-dependent modifications in the levels of specific nuclear matrix proteins. The specific changes induced by TGF-beta in nuclear matrix associated proteins may reflect specialized mechanisms by which TGF-beta signalling mediates the alterations in cell organization and nodule formation and/or the consequential block in extracellular mineralization.
Images of Freedom and Equality: A Values Analysis of Hungarian Political Commercials

Abstract In Central Europe's first free election, Hungarian campaign architects created a genre of television advertising designed to communicate political party values by linking them with values of national importance. Using Rokeach's two-value typology, this culture-based study analyzes the political commercials produced by the nation's predominant parties in 1990 for their values-related content. Hungarian scholars, media experts and party officials contributed to this interpretive analysis of the campaign's visual images for their reflection of national and political values. Results suggest that political commercials are useful for identifying prevailing values and can contribute to an understanding of a nation's culture. The study has particular importance for advertisers in countries which are undergoing the transition to a free-market economy.
Tuning stability of coiled-coil heterotrimers by selection of steric matching partners.

Coiled-coil trimers of differing stability have been designed by judicious choice of hydrophobic core side chain identity. Steric matching of two alanines with one large side chain at three core po...
Phagocytosis of injured hepatocytes following inoculation with encephalomyocarditis virus.

Abstract The livers of newborn and eight-day-old mice infected with EMC virus were studied electron microscopically. In the livers of the newborn mice, neutrophils were observed to be infiltrated into degenerative hepatocytes and to be involved in active phagocytosis of cytoplasmic components. The degenerative cells generally possessed an intact plasma membrane, suggesting that they were still viable before invasion by phagocytic neutrophils. The phenomenon of emperipolesis as related to invasion of hepatocytes by neutrophils is discussed. We conclude that viral hepatitis of newborn mice is an inflammatory response to viral infection, and that phagocytosis by neutrophils is a part of that inflammatory response.
US feedlots and slaughterhouses: bounding industrial ecology with the extreme case

The potential contribution of Industrial Ecology (IE) to sustainable development, though immense, remains elusive. This is due to the field boundaries whose demarcation lacks specificity. To address the challenge of boundary definition, an agro-industrial complex, the US Cattle Feedlot-Slaughterhouse System (CFSS), has been chosen to illustrate and provoke a discussion about where those boundaries should be set. The selection of the CFSS, a system opposed to the practices usually associated with IE, is justified in the light of the extreme events research methodology. On this basis, the author highlights the many agro-industrial flows among the main CFSS components and then analyses them in terms of their appropriateness for specifying the boundaries of IE.
An equivalent square field formula for determining head scatter factors of rectangular fields

A simple formula is derived for the calculation of an equivalent square field that gives the same head scatter factor as a given rectangular field. This formula is based strictly on the configuration of a medicallinear accelerator treatment head. The geometric parameters used are the distances between the target and the top of each field-defining aperture. The formula accounts for both the effect of field elongation and the collimator exchange effect. This method predicts the output to within 1% accuracy for both open and wedged fields and does not require any new measured data other than the field size dependence of head scatter for a range of square field sizes. Interestingly, the formula we derived has the same format as the formula that was empirically obtained by Vadash and Bjarngard [Med. Phys. 20, 733–734 (1993)].
Perinatal catatonia: a case report and literature review.

Catatonia is a potentially devastating psychomotor disorder characterized by either immobility and stupor or agitated excitement and is caused by psychiatric, medical, and neurologic conditions. Standard treatment for this disorder is high-dose benzodiazepines or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), with efficacy rates of up to 85%. Very little research has explored the prevalence or treatment of catatonia in pregnant women, a population in whom benzodiazepines are generally contraindicated owing to possible teratogenesis and other potential complications to the fetus. We describe here a case of perinatal catatonia due to major depressive disorder, which was treated with ECT, and review the literature on catatonia in pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Design of a Functionally Binary Pinned-Pinned Segment for Use as a Tension-Compression Spring in Compliant Micro Mechanisms

As mechanisms approach the micro scale, manufacture and assembly of linear coil springs becomes nearly impossible. For this reason, compliant functionally binary pinned-pinned segments are frequently used in place of them. A new pseudo-rigid-body model (PRBM) is presented for circular functionally binary pinned-pinned (FBPP) segments that undergo large, nonlinear deflections for both tension and compression. A new method of evaluating the maximum moment in the beam is presented, called the focal moment method, which significantly increases the accuracy of the force for a given displacement. This paper also shows how some FBPP segments can be modeled as simple linear tension/compression springs. The deflection limits for a given maximum error can be determined analytically, thereby making it possible to use optimization algorithms in the design of these springs. The effect of the size of the rigid pin joints is also discussed.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Noninvasive MR characterization of structural and functional components of reperfused infarct

Background: Left ventricular (LV) remodeling is a highly complex phenomenon that starts soon after infarction and progresses to extensive regional and global architectural changes over time.Purpose: To noninvasively comprehensively characterize transient (edema, hemorrhage, microvascular obstruction (MO)) and persistent structural (infarct size) components of reperfused infarct up to 10 weeks and to determine their relation to LV function.Material and Methods: Farm pigs were used for the study. Under fluoroscopy the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery was occluded for 90 min. MR imaging was performed at 3 days (n=14 pigs), 5 weeks (n=10), and 10 weeks (n=6) after reperfusion. The following MR imaging sequences were used: (i) cine; (ii) T2-weighted turbo spin echo; (iii) T2*-weighted turbo spin echo; (iv) tagged; (v) phase-contrast velocity-encoded; (vi) first-pass perfusion; and (vii) delayed contrast-enhanced (DE-MR imaging). After imaging, animals were euthanized at 3 days (n=4), 5 weeks (n=4...
Relative abundance and diversity of ammonia‐oxidizing archaea and bacteria in the San Francisco Bay estuary

Ammonia oxidation in marine and estuarine sediments plays a pivotal role in the cycling and removal of nitrogen. Recent reports have shown that the newly discovered ammonia-oxidizing archaea can be both abundant and diverse in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In this study, we examined the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and betaproteobacteria (beta-AOB) across physicochemical gradients in San Francisco Bay--the largest estuary on the west coast of the USA. In contrast to reports that AOA are far more abundant than beta-AOB in both terrestrial and marine systems, our quantitative PCR estimates indicated that beta-AOB amoA (encoding ammonia monooxygenase subunit A) copy numbers were greater than AOA amoA in most of the estuary. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea were only more pervasive than beta-AOB in the low-salinity region of the estuary. Both AOA and beta-AOB communities exhibited distinct spatial structure within the estuary. AOA amoA sequences from the north part of the estuary formed a large and distinct low-salinity phylogenetic group. The majority of the beta-AOB sequences were closely related to other marine/estuarine Nitrosomonas-like and Nitrosospira-like sequences. Both ammonia-oxidizer community composition and abundance were strongly correlated with salinity. Ammonia-oxidizing enrichment cultures contained AOA and beta-AOB amoA sequences with high similarity to environmental sequences. Overall, this study significantly enhances our understanding of estuarine ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities and highlights the environmental conditions and niches under which different AOA and beta-AOB phylotypes may thrive.
Wave‐like perturbations observed at low altitudes by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Neutral Mass Spectrometer during orbiter entry

Wave-like perturbations have been observed in the nightside neutral density data acquired for He, N, O, N2 and CO2 by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter Neutral Mass Spectrometer (ONMS) during entry in late 1992. The data cover an altitude range of 133-200 km from 0.5-4.5 hours local solar time and occur at medium solar activity (F(sub 10.7) = 120) The perturbations, with an effective wavelength along the orbit of about 100 to 600 km, have similar amplitudes for the various species and helium is out of phase with respect to the heavier mass species. The measurements are comparable to those observed in 1978-80 at solar maximum activity (F(sub 10.7) = 200) above 145 km. Between 133 and 160 km the rms amplitudes grow with altitude at a rate of about (1.6, 2.1, 2.7, 4.4) x 10(exp -3)/ km for N, O, N2, and CO2 respectively. The average rms amplitudes above 145 km of 0.08 for N and O and 0.1 for N2 are comparable in magnitude to those observed in the earlier 1978-80 data of 0.06, 0.08 and 0.095 respectively. CO2 is an exception for which the entry value is 0.17 compared to 0.09 earlier. By combining the two overlapping data sets there is a suggestion that the CO2 amplitudes grow in value with altitude up to about 140-170 km and then decrease in amplitude. Like the earlier data, the entry data are consistent with the interpretation that the neutral density perturbations are due to gravity waves propagating upward from the lower thermosphere. Earlier data sampled a higher altitude region where dissipation is important in limiting and ultimately reversing the growth of gravity waves while the lower altitude entry data probed the region where growth of these waves can be observed.
Precision Densitometers for Photographic Photometry

After discussion of the advantages of physical densitometers and microphotometers over the older types using the eye method, the merits and disadvantages of the more important recent designs are summarized. The conclusion is reached that the thermoelectric densitometer is most accurate for direct-reading work, while the photoelectric cell is best adapted for the null method. The disadvantages of the thalofide cell and the selenium cell seem to outweigh their only advantage of large currents.A simplified standard type of direct-reading densitometer is described, with vertical optical system, in which accuracy equal to the best claimed for the photoelectric null method, one-tenth of one per cent, was attained. The sensitivity was such that 1000 mm deflections on an easily read scale were obtained through a clear plate with a slit.05 mm wide, using only 20 watts in a lamp rated at over 70 watts. A single easily constructed thermocouple was used with a low resistance d’Arsonval galvanometer. Curves are given showing the gradual improvement of deflection steadiness, from variations of two per cent to almost complete steadiness, as various sources of disturbance were eliminated.
Sexual Violence as a Predictor of Unintended Pregnancy, Contraceptive Use, and Unmet Need Among Female Youth in Colombia

Aims: Violence against women is an important risk factor for unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use, although less is known about this relationship among youth. This study aims to investigate linkages between sexual violence and unintended pregnancy among Colombian female youth (aged 13-24). Methods: Using the nationally representative Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (2005), the association of sexual violence with unintended pregnancy, current modern contraceptive use, and unmet need for contraception is examined using Pearson's chi-square tests and logistic regression models. Results: Of female youth who have been pregnant in the past 5 years, 13% report experiencing sexual violence during their lifetimes, with 6% reporting sexual violence perpetrated by a spouse or partner and 8% by someone else. Among female youth at risk of unintended pregnancy, sexual violence is reported by 11%. About 5% of these female youth report sexual violence from a spouse or partner, and 7% report being forced to have sex with someone else. In cross-tabulations, female youth who have experienced sexual violence report significantly higher levels of unintended pregnancy and unmet need for contraception and lower levels of current modern contraceptive use compared to those who have not experienced sexual violence. In multivariate logistic regression models, sexual violence is associated with increased risk for unintended pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-1.8), unmet need for contraception (AOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.0), and decreased likelihood of current contraceptive use (AOR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.0). Conclusions: This analysis indicates that sexual violence is pervasive in Colombia and is consistently linked to increased risk of unintended pregnancy among female youth. Because youth are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and may have difficulty accessing services, preventive efforts and clinical responses should be specifically crafted to curb violence against young women as well as reduce the longitudinal impact of experiencing sexual violence. Language: en
Structure and receptor complexes of the hemagglutinin from a highly pathogenic H7N7 influenza virus.

ABSTRACT Recurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus subtype H7 in poultry continues to be a public health concern. In 2003, an HPAI H7N7 outbreak in the Netherlands infected 89 people in close contact with affected poultry and resulted in one fatal case. In previous studies, the virus isolated from this fatal case, A/Netherlands/219/2003 (NL219) caused a lethal infection in mouse models and had increased replication efficiency and a broader tissue distribution than nonlethal isolates from the same outbreak. A mutation which introduces a potential glycosylation site at Asn123 in the NL219 hemagglutinin was postulated to contribute to the pathogenic properties of this virus. To study this further, we have expressed the NL219 hemagglutinin in a baculovirus expression system and performed a structural analysis of the hemagglutinin in complex with avian and human receptor analogs. Glycan microarray and kinetic analysis were performed to compare the receptor binding profile of the wild-type recombinant NL219 HA to a variant with a threonine-to-alanine mutation at position 125, resulting in loss of the glycosylation site at Asn123. The results suggest that the additional glycosylation sequon increases binding affinity to avian-type α2-3-linked sialosides rather than switching to a human-like receptor specificity and highlight the mechanistic diversity of these pathogens, which calls attention to the need for further studies to fully understand the unique properties of these viruses.
A study of the effect of the loss function on Bayes estimates of failure intensity, MTBF, and reliability

The number of failures in a fixed time T is assumed to follow the Poisson distribution, and the failure intensity (reciprocal MTBF) is assumed to have a gamma prior distribution. This model has recently been employed on actual USAF failure data, and the parameters in the various comparisons of this study typify these data. Bayes estimates of failure intensity, MTBF, and reliability are compared for five classes of loss functions. Included in the study are two new classes of loss functions which appear to have useful applications and a third, well-known loss function whose usefulness seems not to have been exploited. Mathematical properties on the new loss function are given in addition to comparing them to the other loss functions. The ''popular'' squared error loss function is shown to be a poor approximation to other loss functions for the most part, even when it is used to approximate other symmetric loss functions. Numerical comparisons are made to show the widely different decisions that may be reached if different loss functions are used and to aid researchers in selecting a loss function to meet experimental objectives.
Cetoacidose diabética em crianças: revisão da fisiopatologia e tratamento com o uso do método de duas soluções salinas

Objetivo: Rever varios aspectos da cetoacidose diabetica, incluindo o “sistema de duas solucoes”, um metodo de administrar liquidos que proporciona correcao mais suave do estado de hiperglicemia e de cetose. Metodos: Revisao de publicacoes recentes (dos ultimos 7 anos) referidas na base de dados da Medline e capitulos de livros de pediatria que abordam a etiologia, o tratamento e as complicacoes da cetoacidose diabetica. O tratamento aqui apresentado utiliza a informacao encontrada nestes artigos e a experiencia clinica adquirida no Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia e no Duke University Medical Center. Resultados: A patologia do diabetes mellitus tipo 1 envolve a destruicao das celulas s do pâncreas, causando uma deficiencia de insulina. A insulina e essencial para o metabolismo de carboidratos, proteinas e gorduras. A deficiencia de insulina pode levar a um quadro de cetoacidose diabetica que apresenta tres componentes: 1) a hiperglicemia, que causa glicosuria e consequentemente desidratacao; 2) a lipolise em excesso, que causa aumento nos niveis sericos e urinarios de corpos cetonicos; e 3) a acidose metabolica, que e causada pela desidratacao e pela presenca de corpos cetonicos no sangue. A cetoacidose diabetica e uma condicao grave que, se nao tratada adequadamente, pode levar ao coma e a morte. Em criancas, uma das mais temidas complicacoes e o edema cerebral. Conclusoes: Na literatura publicada existem diversas maneiras de se tratar a cetoacidose diabetica em pediatria, sem um consenso sobre a causa da principal complicacao, edema cerebral, e consequentemente, sem um consenso quanto ao melhor metodo de intervencao. O uso do sistema de duas solucoes em pacientes em cetoacidose diabetica permite o rapido ajuste na concentracao da glicose infundida, simplificando e barateando o tratamento da cetoacidose diabetica.
Evaluation of Surface Flux Parameterizations with Long-Term ARM Observations

AbstractSurface momentum, sensible heat, and latent heat fluxes are critical for atmospheric processes such as clouds and precipitation, and are parameterized in a variety of models ranging from cloud-resolving models to large-scale weather and climate models. However, direct evaluation of the parameterization schemes for these surface fluxes is rare due to limited observations. This study takes advantage of the long-term observations of surface fluxes collected at the Southern Great Plains site by the Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program to evaluate the six surface flux parameterization schemes commonly used in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and three U.S. general circulation models (GCMs). The unprecedented 7-yr-long measurements by the eddy correlation (EC) and energy balance Bowen ratio (EBBR) methods permit statistical evaluation of all six parameterizations under a variety of stability conditions, diurnal cycles, and seasonal variations. The statistical an...
Patient-Physician Disagreement Regarding Performance Status Is Associated With Worse Survivorship in Patients With Advanced Cancer

regression. RESULTS. In all, 1636 patients with advanced lung and colorectal cancer had a median survival of 9.8 months (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 9.4-10.4 months). Percent disagreement between patients and physicians regarding KPS, ECOG PS, and nutrition score were 67.1%, 56.6%, and 58.0%, respectively. Physicians were more likely to rate patients better than individual patients were to rate themselves: ECOG (mean 0.91 vs 1.30; P < .0001), KPS (mean 83.3 vs 81.7; P < .0001), and nutrition score (mean 1.6 vs 2.1; P < .0001). Disagreement between patients and their physicians was associated with increased risk of death: KPS (hazards ratio [HR] of 1.16; 95% CI, 1.04-1.30 [P 5 .008]) and nutrition scores (HR of 1.44; 95% CI, 1.29-1.61 [P < .0001]) after adjustment for covariates. Patient sociodemographic factors that predict disagreement were identified. CONCLUSIONS. Physicians and patients frequently disagree regarding PS and nutritional status. Disagreement is associated with an increased risk of death in patients with advanced malignancies. These findings illustrate the limitations of physician-only assessed PS. Cancer 2008;113:2205–14. � 2008 American Cancer Society.
Sensing and identifying the improvised explosive device suicide bombers: people carrying wires on their body

We examined the use of radar to detect humans wearing detonation wires as part of a suicide vest in suicide bombings in an effort to stop the bombing. Dogaru et al. (Computer models of the human body signature for sensing through the wall radar applications. Tech. Rpt. ARL-TR-4290, Army Research Laboratory, 2007) used numerical electromagnetic simulations to show ways to use radar backscatter to detect humans carrying weapons behind walls. We developed Numerical Electromagnetic Code (NEC) simulations for the radar cross-section of wire configurations appropriate to the human body and compared them to the radar cross-section simulations for the human body done by Dogaru et al. We also used GunnPlexer Doppler radar at 12.5 GHz to collect laboratory experimental data from standoff distances of 2—8 meters from the following: human subjects, human subjects wearing a wire loop, and human subjects wearing a simulated vest with wire loops. We performed numerous experiments with both horizontal and vertical polarization (HH and VV), analyzing the data after each experimental run. We developed metrics from examining our experimental data of the radar cross-sections that could be used in building models to more accurately find subjects wearing wires. We wanted a metric to provide us with better statistical detection rates. We found several metrics that improved our ability to detect persons wearing wires. We discovered our best metric was the VV/HH ratio of radar cross-section. From our empirical modeling, we found that the ratio for people wearing wires was statistically different from people without wires at a level of significance of α = 0.05. Using this metric, we built a Monte Carlo simulation model that generated a crowd of people and randomly picked those with wires on their person. We used our metric and a threshold value, which we determined experimentally, to distinguish the persons with wires from those without wires. We found from our simulation that our metric provided a success rate of detecting persons wearing wires of approximately 83.4%, based on running 36,000 trial runs in Excel. The rate of false alarms, where the metric in the simulation model picked a subject who was not wearing wires as a suspect wearing wires, was reduced to 28%. Using the work of Dogaru et al. and our NEC simulations of wire harnesses in the 0.85—1 GHz range, we found that the radar cross-section ratio (body with wires/body without wires) varied from 11 dB for 1—1.15 GHz VV polarization to —5.5 dB for 0.85—1 GHz HH polarization. This frequency range was the best in the range 0.5—9 GHz. From our research we showed that we can be successful in finding viable metrics for detecting wires on people using radar observations. This preliminary research and the exciting results it produced encourages one to think that suicide bombers can be found prior to their detonation of their bombs and at ranges that are relatively safe.
A note on time of maximum response of single degree of freedom oscillator to earthquake excitation

Abstract The dependence of the relative time of maximum response of single degree of freedom system, subjected to recorded strong earthquake ground motion, on magnitude, epicentral distance and the Modified Mercalli Intensity at the site has been studied. Two empirical regression models are presented that enable estimation of the relative time of maximum response in terms of (1) earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance, or (2) Modified Mercalli Intensity at the site. The empirical distribution functions of the observed times of maximum response are presented. Both models also consider whether motion is horizontal or vertical, and the effects of the geologic conditions surrounding the site. The results are useful for the response spectrum approach in earthquake resistant design, as they provide guidelines for superposition of different loads in time.
First Report of the NA2 Lineage of Phytophthora ramorum from an Ornamental Rhododendron in the Interior of California.

In July 2012, we collected a rhododendron var. Trilby with twig dieback symptoms in the lower canopy, consistent with the disease "ramorum blight" caused by Phytophthora ramorum. The symptomatic plant had been planted a year earlier to replace a dead rhododendron in a landscape setting in Placer County, California (Lat: 39.036216°; Long: -120.999274°), Sierra Nevada foothills at ~600 m elevation. Isolations yielded a culture with a fast growth rate and overall morphology resembling the P. ramorum NA2 lineage described by Ivors et al. (4). DNA was extracted from the culture as described previously (4) and six SSR loci: MS18, MS39, MS43, MS45, MS64, MS145, were amplified (2,4). Allelic patterns were compared with those of three testers from each of the three lineages NA1, NA2, and EU1 known to be present in ornamental plants in North America, and they unambiguously confirmed the isolate belongs to the NA2 lineage of the pathogen. Although the symptomatic plant was confined to a landscape setting, it had been planted in that location for a year, providing a possible source of inoculum for the surrounding area. This is the first report of P. ramorum from the Sierra Nevada eco-region in the interior of California. It is also the first report of a NA2 isolate from a plant outside of commercial nurseries in California. The mating type of the isolate was not determined, but NA2 isolates are normally A2, the same mating type of NA1 isolates. The only other report of a NA2 isolate found outside of a nursery is from Washington State (1). Although there is no evidence the pathogen may have infected other plants, the infected rhododendron was found at a location situated over 100 km east of the closest known infestation (www.sodmap.org). Additionally, this is the first report of the pathogen outside the coast mountain range of California. Because the three lineages are genetically and phenotypically distinct (3), the escape of NA2 or EU1 isolates, both still absent from plants in natural settings, could have significant implications for California ecosystems. This finding highlights that introductions of P. ramorum via ornamental plants are still possible, in spite of current regulations. References: (1) G. Chastagner et al. Phytopathology 101:S32, 2011. (2) P. P. Croucher et al. Biol. Invasions 15:2281, 2013. (3) N. J. Grunwald et al. Trends Microbiol. 20:131, 2012. (4) K. Ivors et al. Mol. Ecol. 15:1493, 2006.
Effects of atomoxetine on subjective and neurocognitive symptoms of nicotine abstinence

Nicotine dependence has been linked to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in both clinical and general populations. This behavioural pharmacology study used a within-subject, double-blind, crossover design to test the effects of atomoxetine, a medication for ADHD, on nicotine abstinence symptoms. Fifty non treatment-seeking smokers (>/=15 cigarettes/day) completed a baseline session when they were smoking as usual and then two laboratory testing sessions after overnight abstinence and treatment with 7 days of either atomoxetine (1.2 mg/kg) or placebo. During each laboratory session, participants completed subjective measures of abstinence symptoms and performed neurocognitive tasks. In mixed effects models, atomoxetine, compared with placebo, was found to be associated with a reduction in abstinence-induced subjective withdrawal symptoms. Atomoxetine was also associated with significant reductions in self-reported smoking urges amongst smokers who scored high on a baseline measure of smoking for stimulation. However, atomoxetine had no effect on any of the cognitive tasks employed in the study. Thus, atomoxetine may reduce cravings to smoke among smokers who use nicotine to increase arousal.
Chemical Hydrolysis of Some Organic Phosphorus and Carbamate Pesticides in Aquatic Environments

(1972). Chemical Hydrolysis of Some Organic Phosphorus and Carbamate Pesticides in Aquatic Environments. Environmental Letters: Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 171-201.
A visual-search model observer for multislice-multiview SPECT images.

Purpose: Mathematical model observers are intended for efficient assessment of diagnostic image quality, but model-observer studies often are not representative of clinical realities. Model observers based on a visual-search (VS) paradigm may allow for greater clinical relevance. The author has compared the performances of several VS model observers with those of human observers and an existing scanning model observer for a study involving nodule detection and localization in simulated Tc-99m single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) lung volumes. Methods: A localization receiver operating characteristic (LROC) study compared two iterative SPECT reconstruction strategies: an all-corrections (AllC) strategy with compensations for attenuation, scatter, and distance-dependent camera resolution and an “RC” strategy with resolution compensation only. Nodules in the simulation phantom were of three different relative contrasts. Observers in the study had access to the coronal, sagittal, and transverse displays of the reconstructed volumes. Three human observers each read 50 training volumes and 100 test volumes per reconstruction strategy. The same images were analyzed by a channelized nonprewhitening (CNPW) scanning observer and two VS observers. The VS observers implemented holistic search processes that identified focal points of Tc-99m uptake for subsequent analysis by the CNPW scanning model. The level of prior knowledge about the background structure in the images was a study variable for the model observers. Performance was scored by area under the LROC curve. Results: The average human-observer performances were respectively 0.67 ± 0.04 and 0.61 ± 0.03 for the RC and AllC strategies. Given approximate knowledge about the background structure, both VS models scored 0.69 ± 0.08 (RC) and 0.66 ± 0.08 (AllC). The scanning observer reversed the strategy ranking in scoring 0.73 ± 0.08 with the AllC strategy and 0.64 ± 0.08 with the RC strategy. The VS observers exhibited less sensitivity to variations in background knowledge compared to the scanning observer. Conclusions: The VS framework has the potential to increase the clinical similitude of model-observer studies and to enhance the ability of existing model observers to quantitatively predict human-observer performance.
Behavior Change Techniques Implemented in Electronic Lifestyle Activity Monitors: A Systematic Content Analysis

Background: Electronic activity monitors (such as those manufactured by Fitbit, Jawbone, and Nike) improve on standard pedometers by providing automated feedback and interactive behavior change tools via mobile device or personal computer. These monitors are commercially popular and show promise for use in public health interventions. However, little is known about the content of their feedback applications and how individual monitors may differ from one another. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the behavior change techniques implemented in commercially available electronic activity monitors. Methods: Electronic activity monitors (N=13) were systematically identified and tested by 3 trained coders for at least 1 week each. All monitors measured lifestyle physical activity and provided feedback via an app (computer or mobile). Coding was based on a hierarchical list of 93 behavior change techniques. Further coding of potentially effective techniques and adherence to theory-based recommendations were based on findings from meta-analyses and meta-regressions in the research literature. Results: All monitors provided tools for self-monitoring, feedback, and environmental change by definition. The next most prevalent techniques (13 out of 13 monitors) were goal-setting and emphasizing discrepancy between current and goal behavior. Review of behavioral goals, social support, social comparison, prompts/cues, rewards, and a focus on past success were found in more than half of the systems. The monitors included a range of 5-10 of 14 total techniques identified from the research literature as potentially effective. Most of the monitors included goal-setting, self-monitoring, and feedback content that closely matched recommendations from social cognitive theory. Conclusions: Electronic activity monitors contain a wide range of behavior change techniques typically used in clinical behavioral interventions. Thus, the monitors may represent a medium by which these interventions could be translated for widespread use. This technology has broad applications for use in clinical, public health, and rehabilitation settings. [J Med Internet Res 2014;16(8):e192]
Thermal Performance of a Monolithic Thin-Shell Concrete Dome

A 3,000 sq.ft., two-story monolithic thin-shell concrete dome custom home was constructed in 2005 in Mesa, AZ, by the author. This architectural construction style represents a small, but growing, commercial and residential market, one of whose selling points is energy efficiency. During the preliminary architectural design phase, the only anecdotal and case studies available to the author were mainly related to cold-weather climates. No technically adequate thermal performance studies were found for the opposite, high temperature extreme of climate conditions. To address this need, two models are developed and explored. First, a preliminary lumped-parameter model (initially created to lend technical credence to the exuberant claims of dome aficionados and provide rationalization for the custom home construction project), is compared with actual data collected at the dome during construction. Because the correlation is not very good, a second model based on thermal two-port transmission line theory, is developed. This model provides additional insight, and in particular, comparison with the actual data suggests that model verification will require a somewhat different approach to data collection itself (and to the manner in which the model is utilized). This is confirmed using a small set of subsequent trial data. Thermal models aside, actual utility consumption data for the dome is compared with two conventional block-construction homes in the same geographic locale, showing that the dome thermal performance, at least during the hot months of the year, provides a measurable advantage. Finally, it is shown how the transmission line model makes it very easy to explore the thermal effects of reversing the order of the primary material layers (insulation and concrete).Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Citywide emergence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains with reduced susceptibility to polymyxin B

Objectives To determine the prevalence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates with reduced susceptibility to polymyxin B, and to assess the in vitro activity of antibiotic combinations. Methods All unique patient isolates of P. aeruginosa were collected from 11 Brooklyn, NY hospitals during a three month period in 2003. Isolates with reduced susceptibility to polymyxin B (MIC > 2 mg/L) underwent ribotyping. The activity of polymyxin B combined with rifampicin, azithromycin and/or imipenem was tested by the chequerboard and time-kill methods against a subset of isolates. Results Of 527 isolates, only 61% were susceptible to imipenem. Twenty-five isolates (5%), from 8/11 hospitals, had reduced susceptibility to polymyxin B (MICs 4-8 mg/L), compared with 0/691 isolates collected in 2001. Ten of 25 were resistant to multiple other antibiotic classes. Ribotyping of the isolates revealed 19 unique types. Chequerboard testing of the 10 multiresistant isolates demonstrated synergy for the combinations of polymyxin B with azithromycin, imipenem and rifampicin in 6, 2, and 1 isolates, respectively. Time-kill studies revealed bactericidal activity for the following antibiotics when combined with polymyxin B: imipenem plus rifampicin against all 10 isolates, rifampicin in 9/10 isolates, imipenem in 8/10 isolates and azithromycin in 4/10 isolates. MICs of bacteria surviving incubation in polymyxin B alone rose for 4/9 isolates (MIC range 12-48 mg/L). Conclusions P. aeruginosa with reduced susceptibility to polymyxin B have emerged in multiple strains in Brooklyn, NY. Combinations of polymyxin B with rifampicin and/or imipenem are bactericidal. The clinical utility of these combinations remains to be determined.
Nonlinear Response of Atmospheric Vortices to Heating by Organized Cumulus Convection

Abstract Using an axisymmetric primitive tropical cyclone model, we first illustrate the way in which nonlinear processes contribute to the development of an atmospheric vortex. These numerical experiment show that nonlinearities allow a given diabatic beat source to induce larger tangential wind (and kinetic energy) changes as the vortex develops and the inertial stability becomes large. In an attempt to gain a deeper theoretical understanding of this process, we consider the energy cycle in the balanced vortex equations of Eliassen. The temporal behavior of the total potential energy P is governed by dP/dt=H−C where H is the rate of generation of total potential energy by diabatic heating, and C is the rate of conversion to kinetic energy. We define a time-dependent system efficiency parameter as η¯(t)=C/H. Then, using the dynamical simplifications of balanced vortex theory, we express η¯(t) as a weighted average of a dynamic efficiency factor η(r, z, t). The dynamic efficiency factor is a measure of th...
Drug abuse in athletes

Drug abuse occurs in all sports and at most levels of competition. Athletic life may lead to drug abuse for a number of reasons, including for performance enhancement, to self-treat otherwise untreated mental illness, and to deal with stressors, such as pressure to perform, injuries, physical pain, and retirement from sport. This review examines the history of doping in athletes, the effects of different classes of substances used for doping, side effects of doping, the role of anti-doping organizations, and treatment of affected athletes. Doping goes back to ancient times, prior to the development of organized sports. Performance-enhancing drugs have continued to evolve, with "advances" in doping strategies driven by improved drug testing detection methods and advances in scientific research that can lead to the discovery and use of substances that may later be banned. Many sports organizations have come to ban the use of performance-enhancing drugs and have very strict consequences for people caught using them. There is variable evidence for the performance-enhancing effects and side effects of the various substances that are used for doping. Drug abuse in athletes should be addressed with preventive measures, education, motivational interviewing, and, when indicated, pharmacologic interventions.
Low-frequency relative intensity noise in self-pulsating ridge-waveguide quantum-well lasers

Self-pulsating diode lasers are used in optical systems in which optical coherence is undesirable. The relative intensity noise behavior of self-pulsating lasers at frequencies below the self-pulsating frequency is investigated both theoretically and experimentally, and is compared to the relative intensity noise behavior of conventional non-self-pulsating lasers. It is shown that the predictions of the relative intensity noise of self-pulsating lasers can be made based on a simple conjecture for a dynamically unstable system and yield good empirical agreement with experimental results. >
Blood-Flow Relation between Hepatic Artery and Portal Vein

Blood flows in the hepatic artery and portal vein have been measured with a square-wave, electromagnetic flow meter. Hepatic arterial flow increased when portal venous flow was decreased, but, when hepatic arterial flow was decreased, portal venous flow also decreased. The relation between the two blood systems can be explained as the simple mechanical effect of interposing a slower-flowing stream in the path of a faster-flowing stream.
The Latest Evidence, in vitro and in vivo, on Controlling Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Arterial Wall Cholesterol Ester Accumulation by Controlling LDL Concentration

Clinical evidence in patients with cardiovascular disease has long supported the concept of a direct positive correlation between serum cholesterol levels and the rate of development as well as the severity of this disease process (1). Moreover numerous prospective and retrospective epidemiological studies, both comparing atherosclerosis severity as well as heart attack rates between and within several populations are indicative of a positive relationship between serum cholesterol concentration and clinically manifest events of cardiovascular disease (2–7). An elevated serum cholesterol is usually due to an increase in cholesterol rich low density lipoproteins (LDL) and with the exception of genetically conditioned hyperlipemias is commonly caused by high cholesterol and high saturated fat and/or caloric dietary intake and as such is theoretically amenable to corrective dietary measures (7, 8). While elevated levels of serum cholesterol are predictive of risk for a population as a whole this is not necessarily true on an individual basis since the specific role of serum cholesterol is difficult to assess in individuals, due to the lack of adequate controls and the influences of other known risk factors (Figure 1). It is, however, well established in human lesions that Apo-B of LDL accumulates in the most probable progressive parts of the human lesion and that evidence of cell proliferation in these lesions involves mostly the arterial medial smooth muscle cells (SMC) in relation to these same areas of probable increase in lesion size.
Mid life music: Mid life message?

(1991). Mid life music: Mid life message? Popular Music and Society: Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 69-80.
Phased array alignment by the iterative sampling method

An adaptive alignment technique for a phased array is described. This technique derives a suitable array excitation function directly from dynamic antenna pattern measurements using a fixed external source. The array requires no built-in test capability. The iterative sampling method is used to determine the excitation coefficients, but without matrix inversion. The alignment effort is further simplified by using dynamic rather than static pattern measurements. The technique can be used not only to implement standard array tapers but also to implement antenna patterns with deep nulls in specified directions. >