cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact zone: genomics and breeding for durable disease resistance

Durable disease resistance is a major but elusive goal of many crop improvement programs. Genomic approaches will have a significant impact on efforts to ameliorate plant diseases by increasing the definition of and access to genepools available for crop improvement. This approach will involve the detailed characterization of the many genes that confer resistance, as well as technologies for the precise manipulation and deployment of resistance genes. Genomic studies on pathogens are providing an understanding of the molecular basis of specificity and the opportunity to select targets for more durable resistance. There are, however, several biological and societal issues that will have to be resolved before the full impact of genomics on breeding for disease resistance is realized.
Proximal bedded deposits related to pyroclastic flows of May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens, Washington

Thin-bedded, dacitic, pumiceous pyroclastic-flow deposits partly cover the steep northern flank of Mount St. Helens volcano, Washington. They are termed proximal bedded pyroclastic-flow (PBPF) deposits and were formed during the eruption of May 18, 1980. These unconsolidated deposits, as much as 20 m thick, are characterized by well-defined, chiefly plane-parallel bedding sets separated by erosion surfaces. Most beds dip generally parallel to the slope of the underlying volcano flank, which averages 15° to the north but locally is as much as 30°. Individual beds range in thickness from 2 mm to >1 m. Cross-bedding, in which bedding sets dip gently to the north or locally to the south, is abundant. Cross-bedding is generally associated with large longitudinal dunes, apparently antidunes. Some cross-bedding sets, however, constitute small longitudinal anti-dunes (chute-and-pool structures) containing stoss-side beds that migrated south and dip steeply south toward the crater source. We suggest that PBPF deposits, base-surge deposits, and ignimbrite-veneer deposits are products of a broad spectrum of high-flow–regime pyroclastic processes. PBPF deposits at Mount St. Helens formed during deposition of high-velocity, partly turbulent, dry, fluidized pyroclastic flows that poured profusely down the volcano flank on May 18. Some beds of the PBPF deposits probably were deposited from typical high-concentration laminar pyroclastic flows. Other beds, especially those that display evidence of high-angle stoss-side accumulation, were probably deposited from low-concentration turbulent flow under high velocity as pyroclastic surges. Most beds in the PBPF deposits, however, may have formed during transitional flow conditions. Pyroclastic-surge and transitional flow-surge conditions may have resulted when the flows exceeded the threshold velocity or threshold minimum particle concentration for pyroclastic flows while lofting over obstacles or depressions or after collapse from Plinian ash columns.
Contemporary treatment of heart failure: is there adequate evidence to support a unique strategy for African-Americans? Pro position.

Clinical trials provide average effects of interventions but are not powered to identify differences in subgroup responses. African-Americans have been under-represented in most previous trials in patients with heart failure. Furthermore, physiologic differences have been demonstrated between African-Americans and whites in the mechanisms and response to therapy in hypertension. Review of previous heart failure trials reveals that African-Americans exhibit less benefit than whites from ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and at least one β-blocker. In contrast, black patients experienced a greater benefit than white patients from the combination of nitrate and hydralazine. These data emphasize the need for trials in black patients to identify effective therapy. The first such trial, African-American Heart Failure Trial, is currently underway.
Gas-Phase Assembling of Dirhodium Units into a Novel Organometallic Ladder: Structural and DFT Study

A hydrocarbon that has three separate aromatic rings, namely 1,4-bis(p-tolylethyl)benzene (C24H26), has been structurally characterized for the first time and tested as an elongated aromatic ﷿-donor in assembling reactions under solvent-free conditions. Its gas-phase interaction with the electrophilic dimetal complex, (Rh 2(O2CCF3)4), affords single crystals of a novel organometallic complex, (Rh2(O2CCF3)4)2‚(C24H26). The product has a ladder type structure built on weak but directional rhodium(II) -﷿-arene interactions. In the above framework, each C24H26 exhibits a tetradentate-bridging coordination having four rhodium(II) centers attached to the opposite sides of the two peripheral benzene rings. The underlying reasons for such coordination defining the formation of the title product have been discussed based on the results of density functional theory, namely the orbital interaction analysis of the reacting partners.
Reduced sympathetic nervous system responsivity associated with the relaxation response

Sympathetic nervous system activity was assessed in experimental and control subjects who were exposed to graded orthostatic and isometric stress during monthly hospital visits. After the first session, the experimental subjects practiced a technique that elicited the relaxation response. Their concentrations of plasma norepinephrine during subsequent graded stresses were significantly higher. No such changes were noted in the control group. These results were than replicated in the control group in a crossover experiment. The groups did not differ in their heart rate and blood pressure responses. These observations are consistent with reduced norepinephrine end-organ responsivity after regular elicitation of the relaxation response.
Induction of meiotic maturation in vivo in the mouse by IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors: Effects on the developmental capacity of ova

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of priming duration and inosine monophosphate (IMP) dehydrogenase inhibitors on the fertilization and pre- and postimplantation development of ova from immature mice. Mice were primed with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) and 1 d later were treated with mycophenolic acid (MA) or mizoribine (Mz; also known as bredinin) or an equal volume of the vehicle. Two days after priming, mice received human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and were mated with fertile males. Some mice received hormone but were not mated. Ova were isolated from the oviducts 23-24 hr post-hCG and cultured in Whitten's medium. Some mice were not killed until 7 or 19 d postvaginal plug to determine the extent of implantation or development to term, respectively. In superovulated control mice, 94% of ova developed to two-cells and 82% of these progressed to the blastocyst stage. Nineteen of 23 mice (83%) had implantations (24/mouse) and 20 of 24 mice (83%) had term embryos (11/mouse). Induction of meiotic maturation with Mz or MA after 1 d of priming, followed 1 d later by hCG injection and mating, resulted in a significant loss of preimplantation developmental capacity (20-22% two-cells; 29-50% blastocysts). These numbers were similar whether or not the mice were mated, indicating that the development was parthenogenetic. In addition, Mz treatment reduced the number of mice with implantation sites (13 of 19, 68%), the number of implantations per mouse (10), the viability of the implantations, and development to term (four of 24, mice, 17%; one embryo/mouse). Thus, most of the implanted embryos were resorbed after implantation. This effect could be attributed, in part, to each of the following: (1) parthenogenetic activation; (2) aging of the metaphase II oocyte before insemination; and (3) resumption of meiotic maturation before the oocyte had reached its full developmental potential. Coincident gonadotropin injection reversed the loss of development brought about by IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors. These data show that induction of premature meiotic maturation by IMP dehydrogenase inhibitors results in a significant loss of developmental capacity and indicates that active purine metabolic pathways in situ maintain meiotic arrest and prevent premature meiotic maturation that would result in compromised development.
Benz[a]anthracene-induced alterations in the metabolic activation of benzo[a]pyrene by hamster embryo cell cultures

Co-administration of benz[a]anthracene (BA) with benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) to hamster embryo cell cultures for 24 h resulted in a decrease in the metabolism of benzo[a]pyrene by 40%, a decrease in the level of binding of B[a]P to DNA by 70% and a 10-fold reduction in mutation induction in a hamster embryo cell-mediated V79 cell mutation assay. This data indicates that the biological effects of co-administration of BA with B[a]P result from inhibition of the metabolic activation of B[a]P rather than induction of enzymes that detoxify the B[a]P.
History of the Women's Health Movement in the 20th Century

The Women's Health Movement (WHM) emerged during the 1960s and the 1970s with the primary goal to improve health care for all women. Despite setbacks in the area of reproductive rights during the 1980s, the WHM made significant gains in women's health at the federal policy level during the 1980s and 1990s. The WHM became a powerful political force. The achievements of the movement in improving women's health during the 20th century were numerous and significant.
The Nutritional Requirements of Screwworm Larvae.

The screwworm, Cochliomyia americana C. & P., is one of the most destructive pests of livestock in this country. In nature the larvae live as obligatory parasites on warm-blooded animals, having never been found to complete their growth normally on cold-blooded animals or on carcasses or other non-living media. The earlier work on the biology and methods of control was considerably handicapped by the time-consuming and expensive procedure of rearing the larvae on living animals. By a careful study of their nutritional and temperature requirements it has been possible to develop a method of rearing the larvae on artificial media (Melvin & Bushland 1936) and this has been of distinct importance in furthering research work on larvicides and on many other aspects of the screwworm problem. Since the discovery that these larvae could be reared on artificial media, further studies have been made on their nutritional requirements. The results of these studies, together with notes on incidental observations, are presented herein.
Aminoferrocene Derivatives in Chloride Recognition and Electrochemical Sensing.

New ferrocenylamine derivatives 1,3-C6H4(CONHFc)2 (3), 1,3-C6H4(SO2NHFc)2 (4), and 1,3-C6H4(CONHFc)(COOEt) (5) (Fc = ferrocenyl), readily synthesized from FcNH2 and the appropriate acid dichlorides, bind chloride 1:1 as shown by 1H NMR, FT-IR, and cyclic voltammetry. NMR titrations gave association constants as high as 9.5 × 103 (for 4·Cl-). Cyclic voltammetry of 4·Cl- vs 4 shows a 20 mV negative shift for the ferrocene wave, indicating Cl- binding. An improved synthesis of FcNH2 is reported.
Effects of plant community and phosphorus loading rate on constructed wetland performance in Florida, USA

We evaluated the effectiveness of constructed wetlands with varying plant communities for phosphorus (P) reduction from the Everglades Agricultural Area runoff in south Florida. Weekly or biweekly water samples from the inflow and outflow regions of 11 test cells (2,000 m 2 ) were analyzed for various forms of P and other selected water quality variables between January 2002 and August 2004. Test cells located at the north site received water with a high average total P (TP) concentration (72 mg L 21 ), while test cells located at the south site received water with a lower average TP concentration (43 mg L 21 ). These test cells were dominated by an emergent vascular plant-cattail (Typha latifolia), submerged aquatic vegetation or SAV (Najas guadalupensis, Chara sp., Ceratophyllum demersum ,a ndHydrilla verticillata), or algal periphyton (mixed with Eleocharis cellulosa and Utricularia spp. in the south site only). Under a constant hydraulic loading rate (9.27 m yr 21 ), these test cells removed P effectively, with removal efficiencies of 56%-65% at the north site and 35%-62% at the south site. The mass removal rate and rate constant at the north site were also higher than at the south site. Soluble reactive P (SRP) and particulate P were the major forms at inflow and were removed effectively by all of the test cells. The removal of dissolved organic P was significant (,60%) in the cattail and periphyton test cells, but no removal was detected in the SAV test cells. At the north site, P removal efficiency of the cattail test cells was slightly higher than that of the SAV test cells. At the south site, periphyton test cells were the best performers. The removal of SRP was positively correlated with the removal of calcium in the majority of the test cells, pointing to the potential importance of co-precipitation of calcium carbonate and SRP. Direct plant uptake, wetland filtering, microbial degradation, and co-precipitation with calcium carbonate were mechanisms thought to be responsible for P removal in these wetlands. Outflow TP concentration, an important measure for restoration performance, increased continuously with the increases in the TP mass loading rate at the north site, but peaked at approximately 30 m gL 21 when the TP mass loading rate reached 0.5 g m 22 yr 21 at the south site.
Semiconductor substrates in phased arrays: integration issues, challenges and laboratory results

This paper discusses the ongoing research being conducted in the RF Technology Division of the Applied Sensors, Guidance, and Electronics Directorate, US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) on the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. The overall purpose of the research is to determine and overcome the technological barriers impinging upon enhancements to current phased array technology which is expected to include MEMS in addition to chip-level integration of multiple phased array components. An overview of phased array systems and components will be presented along with applications and insertion into potential military systems and the benefits thereof. The paper will discuss the current research effort and future research areas for this project and its benefits in creating an air defense system to support the Future Combat System (FCS) of the US Army.
One hundred minus five and other reflections: presidential address, American Pediatric Society, 1984.

One Hundred Minus Five and Other Reflections: Presidential Address, American Pediatric Society, 1984
Surface measurements of disk antennas

Measurements of waves of normal electric field and tangential magnetic field over the surfaces of disk antennas agree with calculations consisting of addition of Young-Huygens wavelets from elements of edge arriving at any point on the surface of the disk.
Failure of intracerebral BCG cell wall preparation to prevent glioma induction by avian sarcoma virus in rats

Five-day-old Fischer 344 rats were inoculated intracerebrally with BCG cell walls attached to oil (BCG-CW) or with oil emulsion alone. Doses of BCG-CW of 40 μg in 0.01 ml, 200 μg in 0.05 ml, and 400 μg in 0.1 ml were used, with similar volumes of oil emulsion for comparison. Twentyfive days later hydrocephalus, intracerebral granulomas, and arachnoid granulomas were found at autopsy. The frequency and severity of these abnormalities were related to the presence of BCG-CW in the inoculum and the dose administered. There were minimal abnormalities with 40 μg BCG-CW.
Signal transducer and activator of transcription-6 (STAT6) null lymphocytes exhibit increased apoptosis

Abstract Introduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with altered apoptosis and increased levels of Th1 cytokines (IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-γ). Defects in Stat6, a signal transduction molecule, may lead to increased Th1 effects. We have cell lines derived from IBD patients that express dysfunctional Stat6 (Stat6 null ) and wild-type (functional Stat6). The goal of the present study was to measure apoptosis, levels of relevant cytokines, and the effects of cytokine manipulation on apoptosis in these cell lines. Methods: EBV-immortalized B-lymphocytes from IBD patients with Stat6 null (n = 5) or wild-type (n = 5) status were cultured with and without exogenous cytokines or blocking antibodies(IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-γ). Apoptosis was determined on day 4 by flow cytometry using Annexin V - PE dual staining. Baseline supernatant cytokine levels were determined by ELISA. Pro- and anti-apoptotic protein levels from cell lysates, including NF-κB were analyzed by Western blot. Results: Stat6 null cells exhibited increased apoptosis vs. wild-type cell lines (13.3% ± 2.9 vs. 4.5% ± 0.4, p null cell lines showed 10 to 15 fold elevations in both IL-12 and IFN-γ. TNF-α levels were inconsistently elevated. Addition of exogenous cytokines or blocking antibodies had no effect on apoptosis. NF-κB p50 was decreased in Stat6 null cell lines. Conclusions: Apoptotic cell death is elevated in Stat6 null cell lines suggesting a role for Stat6 in apoptosis regulation, a previously unrecognized observation. Apoptosis is not the consequence of increased IL-12, IFN-γ or TNF-α. Stat6 null cell lines exhibit variably increased levels of these Th1 cytokines, consistent with their human IBD source. The decrease in NF-κB suggests an interaction between the Stat6 and NF-κB signaling pathways, which may be responsible for the apoptotic phenomena seen in these Stat6 null cell lines.
Classification of human carotid atherosclerotic lesions with in vivo multicontrast magnetic resonance imaging.

Background— Recent studies demonstrated that in vivo and ex vivo MRI can characterize the components of the carotid atherosclerotic plaque, such as fibrous tissue, lipid/necrotic core, calcium, hemorrhage, and thrombus. The purpose of this study was to determine whether in vivo high-resolution multicontrast MRI could accurately classify human carotid atherosclerotic plaque according to the American Heart Association classification. Methods and Results— Sixty consecutive patients (mean age 70 years; 54 males) scheduled for carotid endarterectomy were imaged with a 1.5-T scanner after informed consent was obtained. A standardized protocol was used to obtain 4 different contrast-weighted images (time of flight and T1-, PD-, and T2-weighted) of the carotid arteries. Best voxel size was 0.25×0.25×1 mm3. Carotid plaques were removed intact and processed for histological examination. Both MR images and histological sections were independently reviewed, categorized, and compared. Overall, the classification obtai...
Scattering of Long-Wavelength Phonons by Point Imperfections in Crystals

At very low temperatures the thermal conductivity of insulating crystals containing point defects is limited by boundary relaxation processes and by Rayleigh scattering of long-wavelength phonons: at higher temperatures resonant modifications of Rayleigh scattering and phonon-phonon scattering dominate. Experiments by Baumann and Pohl on the thermal conductivity of alkali-halide crystals containing monovalent impurities indicate that the inverse relaxation time computed from experiment for Rayleigh scattering is in some situations very much less than that calculated on the assumption that the defects are isotopic impurities, a result contrary to an analysis by Klemens. Since the scattering of phonons in a one-dimensional chain may be discussed without approximation, we have solved that problem and find that mass and spring changes round the imperfection may give compensating contributions to the scattering amplitude; the scattering power of the center may thereby be reduced to below the value calculated on the basis of pure isotope scattering. A generalization of these ideas not dependent on Born approximation is presented using formal scattering theory adapted to handle this case.
Diabetes Mellitus is Independently Associated with an Increased Risk of Mortality in Patients with Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: Conflicting data exist on the interaction of diabetes mellitus with outcomes in patients with renal cell carcinoma. We evaluated the association of diabetes mellitus with survival in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma treated with nephrectomy.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 1,964 patients treated surgically for sporadic, unilateral, M0 clear cell renal cell carcinoma between 1990 and 2008. One pathologist re-reviewed all specimens to confirm clear cell renal cell carcinoma. We matched 257 patients with diabetes 1:2 to referent patients without diabetes according to clinicopathological and surgical features. Cancer specific and overall survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox models were used to evaluate associations with outcomes.Results: A total of 257 patients (13%) had diabetes mellitus. They were significantly older and more likely to be obese, and had higher Charlson scores, renal impairment and smoking rates, and worse performance status at surg...
Comparison of Alkaline Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells With and Without Anion Exchange Membrane

The performance of three alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (ADEFCs) is investigated. All three use identical anode and cathode electrodes, but one uses an anion exchange membrane (AEM) and the other two use non-permselective porous separators. Ethanol was chosen as the fuel because of its low toxicity, low carbon footage and market readiness. A direct comparison between ADEFCs with and without AEM is reported. The performance of each cell is studied under different operation conditions of temperature, reactants flow rate, ethanol and KOH concentrations. The results show that with low cost porous separator, the ADEFC can reach similar power output as those using expensive AEMs. With 1 M ethanol and 1 M KOH aqueous solution, the maximum power densities of 26.04 mW/cm2 and 24.0 mW/cm2 are achieved for the ADEFC employing AEM and non-woven fabric separator, respectively. This proves the feasibility of replacing AEM with non-permselective separators. The results suggest that improving the cathode structure in order to provide a better oxygen supply is a key factor to enhance the performance of an anion exchange membrane free ADEFC.© 2014 ASME
Anger Among Allies: Audre Lorde's 1981 Keynote Admonishing the National Women's Studies Association

This essay argues that Audre Lorde's 1981 keynote speech, “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism,” has much to contribute to communication scholars’ understanding of human biases and rhetorical artistry. The significance of Lorde's subject is one reason for devoting critical attention to her speech, because, in contemporary public life in the United States, anger has abiding relevance in an extraordinary range of rhetoric and public address. Another reason for contemplating Lorde's speech is the fact that anger was a major theme throughout the internationally acclaimed poet-activist's advocacy. The essay suggests that Lorde's speech illustrates a communication technique, shifting subjectivities, which recurs in her rhetorical artistry.
The value of pathologic factors in predicting cancer‐specific survival among patients treated with radical cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and prostate

Background. A recent consensus conference on bladder carcinoma highlighted the need for pathologic predictors of outcome for patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. This review was undertaken to determine the pathologic features predictive of cancer-specific survival after a radical cystectomy and urinary diversion for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and prostate. Methods. Between 1969 and 1990, 531 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and prostate were treated with radical cystectomy at the Duke University Medical Center. Records and pathologic specimens were analyzed and correlated with outcome. Both univariate and multivariate analyses of the pathologic staging were performed to identify variables predictive of cancer-specific survival. Results. Univariate analysis indicated that pathologic tumor (pT) stage, positive nodes, positive surgical margins, prostatic stromal involvement, grade, age, ureteral involvement, squamous cell carcinoma, and squamous cell differentiation in the specimen all were predictive of poor cancer-specific survival. Carcinoma in situ (CIS) in the specimen was not an adverse prognostic indicator. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the pT stage, nodal involvement, positive surgical margins, patient's age at surgery, and loss of histologic differentiation were predictive of poor cancer-specific survival. CIS was found again not to have a negative influence on cancer-specific survival. Conclusions. If any of these features are noted in the final pathologic specimen, patients should be considered for some form of additional postoperative treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy in an attempt to improve their chances for cancer-free survival. These factors will become more important in selecting which patients should be placed in developing adjuvant clinical trials.
Prediction of post-buckling strength of stiffened laminated composite panels based on the criterion of mixed-mode stress intensity factors

An analytical investigation is conducted to predict the post-buckling strength of laminated composite stiffened panels under compressive loads. When a stiffened composite panel buckles, the skin would deform into a sinusoidal mode shape, and hence induces additional moments and forces near the skin-stiffener interface region. These induced loads would cause the existing small edge delamination cracks to propagate along the skin-stiffener interface, and this in turn would lead to the global failure of the stiffened panel. To reduce the cost of the analytical investigation, the failure of the stiffened panel under post-buckling loads is modeled in two stages: a global analysis to model the post-buckling behavior of the stiffened panel; and a local analysis to model the onset of propagation of the edge delamination crack at the skin-stiffener interface. The results from this study are compared with an experimental investigation conducted by Starnes, Knight, and Rouse (1987). It is found that for the eight different specimens that are considered in this study, the calculated critical energy release rate for the propagation of the edge delamination crack in each specimen differs substantially from those for the others; hence it may be concluded that the total energy release rate would not be a suitable fracture parameter for predicting the post-buckling strength of the stiffened panels. On the other hand, using the fracture criterion based on the critical mixed-mode stress intensity factors, the predicted post-buckling strength of the stiffened panels compares quite favorably with the experimental results and the standard deviation of the error of prediction is less than 10%. Furthermore, by applying the criterion of critical mixed-mode stress intensity factors on a simple damage model, the present analysis is able to predict the significant reduction in the post-buckling strenght of stiffened panels with a damage due to a low-speed impact at the skin-stiffener interface region.
On optimal design of prestressed elastic structures

Abstract A problem of optimal design of a prestressed elastic structure is formulated and its relations to the problems of optimal limit design and optimal shake-down design of elastic, perfectly plastic structures are investigated. For the sake of brevity, the discussion is restricted to trusses, but the results apply also to sandwich beams, plates and shells.
Quantitative isolation of native chitin from resistant structures of Sordaria and Ascaris species

Abstract A procedure for the quantitative isolation of native chitin from resistant biological structures is developed utilizing ozone and neutralized hydrogen peroxide ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. These reagents permit extraction of the chitinous component at a neutral pH without any preliminary cell disruption or extensive fractionation, thereby conserving the cell wall integrity and structure. The resulting product is essentially free of protein and is greatly enriched in chitin content, the exact purity of which depends upon the nature of the particular chitin source. The chitin polymer is recovered in a highly N -acetylated form and is readily identified with a standard chitin reference by physical characterization, infrared spectroscopy, enzymatic hydrolysis, and glucosamine assay.
Moving architectural description from under the technology lamppost

In 2000, we published an extensive study of existing software architecture description languages (ADLs), which has served as a useful reference to software architecture researchers and practitioners. Since then, circumstances have changed. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) has gained popularity and wide adoption, and many of the ADLs we studied have been pushed into obscurity. We argue that this progression can be attributed to early ADLs' nearly exclusive focus on technological aspects of architecture, ignoring application domain and business contexts within which software systems and development organizations exist. These three concerns - technology, domain, and business - constitute three ''lampposts'' needed to appropriately ''illuminate'' software architecture and architectural description.
Naloxone potentiates cardiopulmonary baroreflex sympathetic control in normal humans.

Naloxone, an opioid antagonist, augments baroreflex mechanisms in animals; this occurrence suggests that endogenous opioids blunt baroreflex responses. Limited human studies suggest an inhibitory action of endogenous opioids on baroreflex-mediated vagal responses during arterial baroreceptor deactivation. To evaluate the potential effect of endogenous opioids on cardiopulmonary baroreflex mechanisms in humans, we measured arterial and central venous pressures, heart rate, and efferent muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA, by peroneal microneurography) during unloading of cardiopulmonary baroreceptors with incremental lower body negative pressure (LBNP, from 0 to -15 mm Hg) and during the cold pressor test in 21 normal subjects (aged 24 +/- 1 [mean +/- SEM] years). In 14 subjects, we performed LBNP before and after naloxone (0.15 mg/kg i.v.) and placebo (n = 11) on separate days. In six of these 14 subjects and an additional seven subjects (n = 13), studies were also performed before and after administration of a lower dose of naloxone (0.075 mg/kg i.v.) on separate days. Neither dose of naloxone significantly altered control arterial or central venous pressures or heart rate. Control MSNA was reduced after the higher but not after the lower dose of naloxone. Comparable reductions in central venous pressure were produced by LBNP in all groups before and after naloxone or placebo, whereas LBNP did not alter arterial pressure. Cardiopulmonary baroreflex sympathetic sensitivity, which was derived as the slope of the linear regression relation between percent change in total MSNA (units) per absolute change in central venous pressure (mm Hg) during incremental LBNP, was significantly augmented after both the high dose (from 18.6 +/- 4.7%/mm Hg to 39.3 +/- 8.1%/mm Hg, p = 0.001) and low dose of naloxone, whereas placebo had no effect. MSNA responses to the cold pressor test were not altered by either dose of naloxone. Thus, naloxone selectively potentiates cardiopulmonary baroreflex regulation of sympathetic neural activity in normal humans. These findings suggest that endogenous opioids exert a tonic inhibitory effect on sympathetic responses to orthostatic stress in normal humans.
Influence of initiators on supply chain value creation

Value creation in the supply chain has attracted considerable attention in the literature. It has typically been characterized as being the result of either external or organization spanning, or internal efforts to improve supply chain performance. Few studies have examined the simultaneous effects of internally and externally focused efforts to improve supply chain performance. Moreover, there is no discussion in the literature of the precursors or initial conditions that lead to successful supply chains. Drawing from different theoretical perspectives, two key motivators or initiators of value creation in supply chains are identified: structural mechanisms and relationship building. It is proposed that these initiators have a positive influence on value creation efforts, operationalized by the improvement of supply processes and responsiveness to customer needs (external focus), and internal production processes (internal focus). A structural equation model linking initiators and value creation mechanis...
To See and Not to See: The Consequences of a Strengths-Based Perspective A Commentary on Victoria Fitton's Case Study

I am pleased to respond to the paper “A case study: A discussion of depression, ambivalence, attachment, and culture portrayed in the therapeutic environment” for two reasons. As we are drawn into ...
Reform Leadership in the United States and Japan: A Comparison of John McCain and Ozawa Ichirō

This article explores the puzzle of whether similar legislation in varying institutional contexts requires similar leaders. Specifically, it asks if it is possible to identify key characteristics o...
Computed tomography in the evaluation of patients with bilateral retinoblastomas.

Abstract Six patients with histologically proven retinoblastomas were examined by computed tomography, two at the time of initial diagnosis and four from 2 to 30 years following treatment, which consisted of radiation therapy alone or with surgery. The spectrum of computed tomographic findings includes: calcified retinal tumor, intracranial subarachnoid spread of tumor, radiation-induced tumors (papillary adenocarcinoma and undifferentiated sarcoma) in the field of prior radiation, and second, primary central nervous system tumor, a pineoplastoma.
Patterns of Surgical Care of Lung Cancer Patients

Background This survey was performed to determine the patterns of surgical care provided patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods In 2001, the American College of Surgeons carried out a patient care survey of 729 hospitals to retrieve information of NSCLC patients' history, evaluation, pathology, and surgical treatment. Results Inclusion criteria were met by 40,090 patients: of whom 11,668 (29.1%) were treated surgically; 74.2% alone and 25.8% as part of multimodality therapy. Of these patients, 59.5% were in stage I, 17.5% in stage II, 17.0% in stage III, and 6.0% in stage IV. Surgery patient demographics were the following: 55% male and 45% female; 46.8% 70 years or older; and 76.3% had significant comorbidities. Tumor characteristics: squamous 28%, adenocarcinoma 37.6%, other 34.4%. Staging: in addition to radiologic examinations, preoperative mediastinoscopy was performed in 27.1% of operated patients with node biopsy in only 46.6% of these procedures. Operations: wedge resection 15.6%, lobectomy 70.8%, pneumonectomy 13.6%. Surgical margins were positive in 7.8%, but only 65.2% had frozen section analysis. Perioperative mortality was 5.2%, but was 4.0% in nontransfused patients and 12.7% in transfused patients and was 3.2% in high-volume (more than 90 operations per year) versus 4.8% in low-volume hospitals ( p Conclusions (1) Patients being operated for NSCLC are elderly with significant comorbid conditions. (2) More patients than previously are female and have adenocarcinoma. (3) Mediastinoscopy is infrequently performed and lymph nodes are biopsied in less than 50% of them. (4) Lobectomy is the most common operation, and positive surgical margins are too frequent. (5) Operative mortality is reasonable but transfusion is a marker for increased risk and outcomes are superior in high-volume hospitals. (6) Hospitals with higher volume had fewer perioperative deaths.
EPIGENETIC TRANSGENERATIONAL ACTIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN DISEASE ETIOLOGY

The ability of environmental factors to promote a phenotype or disease state not only in the individual exposed but also in subsequent progeny for successive generations is termed transgenerational inheritance. The majority of environmental factors such as nutrition or toxicants such as endocrine disruptors do not promote genetic mutations or alterations in DNA sequence. However, these factors do have the capacity to alter the epigenome. Epimutations in the germline that become permanently programmed can allow transmission of epigenetic transgenerational phenotypes. This review provides an overview of the epigenetics and biology of how environmental factors can promote transgenerational phenotypes and disease.
Developmental Changes in Clustering Criteria.

Abstract Two different stimulus lists were presented to both first graders and college students for free recall. One list was composed of pairs of words which share complementary relationships (e.g., pipe and tobacco), and the other list was composed of pairs which share similarity relationships (e.g., king and ruler). An analysis of variance performed on the clustering scores indicated that age and the interaction between age and list were significant sources of variance. Children clustered more than adults when given the complementary list, and adults clustered more than children when given the similarity list. Thus, the finding of earlier studies that clustering generally increases with age appears to be limited. The present study suggests that, rather than being less able to organize information, young children simply organize according to different criteria than adults.
A class of log-optimal utility functions

One of the classic observations in investment theory is that maximizing the expected-log-return of a portfolio results in the greatest long-term growth of wealth. The log-optimal portfolio is both competitively optimal and pathwise dominant. Nevertheless, investment researchers and practitioners don't all latch on to the log-optimal doctrine, even for theoretical guidance. A common alternative is to use a utility function to evaluate an investment strategy. At first glance it seems that any (non-decreasing) utility function would point to the log-optimal portfolio, at least in the limit. This is known not to be the case. In this work we identify sufficient conditions on a utility function that will produce a happy marriage between utility theory and optimal growth-rate of wealth.1
A Functional Serine 118 Phosphorylation Site in Estrogen Receptor-α Is Required for Down-Regulation of Gene Expression by 17β-Estradiol and 4-Hydroxytamoxifen

To evaluate the contribution of ERK1/2 phosphorylation of estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha to activation and repression of endogenous genes, we produced stably transfected lines of HeLa cells with functional ERK1/2 pathways that express similar levels of wild-type human ERalpha and ERalpha mutated to inactivate the well-known MAPK site at serine 118 (ERalphaS118A). We compared effects of the S118A mutation on 17beta-estradiol (E(2))-mediated transactivation, which is heavily dependent on activation function (AF) 2 of ERalpha and on 4-hydroxytamoxifen (OHT)-mediated transactivation, which is heavily dependent on AF1, which includes S118. To examine whether S118 was the key ERK/MAPK phosphorylation site in ERalpha action, we compared the effects of the S118A mutant and the ERK inhibitor U0126 on expression of endogenous genes. In several estrogen response element-containing genes, the S118A mutation strongly reduced induction by E(2), and U0126 did not further reduce expression. Expression of another group of estrogen response element-containing genes was largely unaffected by the S118A mutation. The S118A mutation had variable effects on genes induced by ER tethering or binding near specificity protein-1 and activator protein-1 sites. For five mRNAs whose expression is strongly down-regulated by E(2) and partially or completely down-regulated by OHT, the S118A mutation reduced or abolished down-regulation by E(2) and nearly abolished down-regulation by OHT. In contrast, for Sma and mothers against decapentaplegic-3-related, which is down-regulated by E(2) and not OHT, the S118A mutation had little effect. These data suggest that there may be distinct groups of genes down-regulated by ERalpha and suggest a novel role for ERK phosphorylation at serine 118 in AF1 in regulating expression of the set of genes down-regulated by OHT.
Reconsidering the Relationship among Voluntary Acts, Strict Liability, and Negligence in Criminal Law

This essay, as will become obvious, owes a huge debt to Mark Kelman, particularly to his article “Interpretative Construction in the Substantive Criminal Law.” That debt is one of both concept and content. There is rich irony in my aping Kelman's deconstructionist enterprise, for I do not share his enthusiasm for either the “insights” or the political agenda of the Critical Legal Studies movement. I do not believe that either the law in general or the criminal law in particular is radically indeterminate, rife with internal contradictions, or an expression of the interests of a dominant economic class. And although, like Kelman, I believe that the freedom/determinism, act/character, and rule/principle dichotomies must ultimately be dealt with in order to have a completely satisfactory account of criminal law, I also believe that these dichotomies loom just as large in other areas of law and in normative theory generally. They are problems for Crits as well as for liberal-legalists.In any event, my intentions in undertaking this deconstructionist enterprise are modestly reformist, not revolutionary. I do not intend to shift any paradigms, but to work with well-established ones. I will assume that criminal law seeks to accomplish some blend of retributive response to and deterrence of culpable choices, choices to defy moral norms that are also legal norms. (I omit consideration of criminal laws premised on immoral norms.) I will also assume that a culpable choice is one that reflects negatively on the values held by the chooser. Beyond these quite modest assumptions, I need not and will not venture in this paper, realizing, of course, that much has and can be written about the proper aims of punishment and the proper account of culpability.
Nitrogen deficiency effects on plant growth, leaf photosynthesis, and hyperspectral reflectance properties of sorghum

Abstract An experiment was conducted under outdoor pot-culture conditions to determine effects of nitrogen (N) deficiency on sorghum growth, physiology, and leaf hyperspectral reflectance properties. Sorghum (cv. DK 44C) was seeded in 360 twelve-litre pots filled with fine sand. All pots were irrigated with half-strength Hoagland's nutrient solution from emergence to 25 days after sowing (DAS). Thereafter, pots were separated into three identical groups and the following treatments were initiated: (1) the control (100% N) continued receiving the half-strength nutrient solution; (2) reduced N to 20% of the control (20% N); and (3) withheld N from the solution (0% N). Photosynthetic rate (Pn), chlorophyll (Chl) and N concentrations, and hyperspectral reflectance of the uppermost, fully expanded leaves were determined at 3- to 4-day-interval from 21 to 58 DAS during the N treatments. Plants were harvested 58 DAS to determine effects of N deficiency on leaf area (LA), biomass accumulation, and partitioning. Nitrogen deficiency significantly reduced LA, leaf Chl content and Pn, resulting in lower biomass production. Decreased leaf Pn due to N deficiency was mainly associated with lower stomatal conductance rather than carboxylation capacity of leaf chemistry. Among plant components of dry weights, leaf dry weight had the greatest and root dry weight had the smallest decrease under N deficiency. Nitrogen-deficit stress mainly increased leaf reflectance at 555 ( R 555 ) and 715 nm ( R 715 ) and caused a red-edge shift to shorter wavelength. Leaf N and Chl concentrations were linearly correlated with not only the reflectance ratios of R 405 / R 715 ( r 2 = 0.68 *** ) and R 1075 / R 735 ( r 2 = 0.64 *** ), respectively, but also the first derivatives of the reflectance (d R /d λ ) in red edge centered 730 or 740 nm ( r 2 = 0.73–0.82 *** ). These specific reflectance ratios or d R /d λ may be used for rapid and non-destructive estimation of sorghum leaf Chl and plant N status.
Binding Serial Order to Representations in Working Memory: a Spatial/Verbal Dissociation

Verbal information is coded naturally as ordered representations in working memory (WM). However, this may not be true for spatial information. Accordingly, we used memory span tasks to test the hypothesis that serial order is more readily bound to verbal than to spatial representations. Removing serial-order requirements improved performance more for spatial locations than for digits. Furthermore, serial order was freely reproduced twice as frequently for digits as for locations. When participants reordered spatial sequences, they minimized the mean distance between items. Participants also failed to detect changes in serial order more frequently for spatial than for verbal sequences. These results provide converging evidence for a dissociation in the binding of serial order to spatial versus verbal representations. There may be separable domain-specific control processes responsible for this binding. Alternatively, there may be fundamental differences in how effectively temporal information can be bound to different types of stimulus features in WM.
Thermally driven diffusion of SO2 within the surface of Io

The presence of sulfur dioxide (SO2) on Io, together with the fact that the surface layer of Io has extremely high porosity, suggests the possibility of diffusion of this volatile within the surface, as well as exchange between the surface and an atmosphere. The former possibility is investigated through the development of a surface layer thermal model and subsequent calculations of the thermally driven diffusion flux of SO2 within the layer. The major factors affecting the diffusion process are the temperature and temperature gradient in the surface layer throughout the day, and the porosity and grain size in the surface layer. The results indicate that the net transport of SO2 in the near-surface region is downward into the subsurface, causing near-surface depletion of SO2. Near-surface depletion would result in a layer of reduced thermal inertia overlying the bulk of the surface, consistent with thermal eclipse observations of Io. For the present nominal model with 10-micron grains and a porosity of 85 percent, the peak net diurnal downward flux reaches nearly 0.008 g/sq cm per period.