cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen application to soybean at early reproductive development

Nitrogen application during soybean [Glycine mar (L.) Merrill] reproductive stages has the potential to increase soybean productivity. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of N fertilizer applied to thesoil at the beginning pod growth stage on soybean yield and grain quality. Additional objectives were to study alternative N fertilizer and application practices that might enhance soybean use of applied N. A field study was conducted at five locations in Iowa during 1999 and 2000. Nitrogen treatments were urea and polymer-coated urea broadcast and subsurface band placed between the rows at 45 and 90 kg N ha - 1 and a no-N control. The study showed few, small, and inconsistent effects of N material, placement, and rate on grain yield and quality components at individual sites or when combined across individual sites. There were no significant effects on grain yield, with only a 39 kg ha - 1 increase from applied N. Grain protein, oil, and fiber concentrations were the same with or without N application. Aboveground plant dry matter (DM) at the R6 growth stage was greater with the higher N rate, but plant DM with N application was lower than the no-N control. Nitrogen concentration in plant DM was significantly increased with applied N. In conclusion, N application increased N concentration in R6 soybean plants, but N rate and alternative application practices had no positive effect on plant DM, grain N concentration and removal, grain yield, or grain quality components. It was concluded that growers should not consider fertilizer N applied to soil during early reproductive stages as a method to increase soybean yield or grain quality.
Global warming, population growth, and natural resources for food production

Abstract About one‐quarter million people daily are added to the 5.3 billion that already exist on earth. This rapidly growing population is increasing the pressures on the global environment, threatening its ability to supply itself with adequate amounts of food, water, and fuel and with a quality environment. The growing use of fossil fuels, deforestation, and other human activities is increasing CO2 and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The projected global warming is expected to increase temperatures generally and reduce rainfall and water availability to crops, especially in the temperate regions. The negative effects of global warming on agriculture can be offset to some degree by soil and water conservation, altering crop varieties, improving pest control technologies, implementing crop rotations, and employing other sound ecological technologies for resource use in agriculture.
Distribution and Transport of Mercury into Jordan Lake, North Carolina

ABSTRACT Jordan Lake, located in central North Carolina, is currently under consideration as a source of drinking water for communities in the surrounding area. A number of streams that discharge into the lake receive considerable industrial and municipal wastewater effluent, of which the toxic metal mercury is of particular concern. Stream samples, coinciding with low and high flow events, were collected and analyzed for dissolved and particulate total mercury. Mercury loading was estimated from flow-weighted mean concentrations and mean stream flow data. Results indicated that total dissolved mercury concentrations decreased with increasing flow, dilution effects, and that total particulate mercury concentrations decreased sharply with increasing suspended loads. This decrease was attributed to changes in particle size distribution. In addition, variability in particulate mercury concentration decreased dramatically with increased flow. Total mercury concentrations ranged from 54 ng/L to 195 ng/L (mean ...
Ammonia emission from soybean-amended calcareous soil with various soil temperature and moisture levels

High soil temperature, moisture, and crop residue levels were found to combine for maximum volatilization of ammonia from calcareous soil amended with soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] tissue in this study. An unusually large amount of ammonia was liberated to the atmosphere and provided the opportunity to measure accurately isotope separation of 15 N and 14 N atoms resulting from the diffusion process. Soybean tissues (early reproductive stage) was mixed with a calcareous soil (Aridic Paleustoll) at two different levels (25 and 50 g kg #751 ) (...)
Cyclic pursuit in a plane

The motion of an arbitrary set of points (or bugs) in a plane chasing one another in cyclic pursuit is studied. It is shown that for regular center‐symmetric configurations, analytic solutions are easily obtained by going to an appropriate rotating frame of reference. A few cases of nonsymmetric configurations are discussed. In particular, it is shown that for three bugs in a triangular configuration, the center of the rotating coordinate system relative to which the bugs have no tangential velocity is the point of collapse and coincides with one of the two Brocard points of the triangle. For the case when all the bugs have the same speed, a theorem is proved that whenever a premature (i.e., nonmutual) capture occurs, the collision must be head on. This theorem is then applied to the case of three and four‐bug configurations to show that these systems collapse to a point, i.e., the capture is mutual. Some aspects of these results are generalized to the case of the n‐bug systems.
Characterization of adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm for dose reduction in CT: A pediatric oncology perspective

Purpose: This study demonstrates a means of implementing an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR™) technique for dose reduction in computed tomography(CT) while maintaining similar noise levels in the reconstructed image. The effects of image quality and noise texture were assessed at all implementation levels of ASiR™. Empirically derived dose reduction limits were established for ASiR™ for imaging of the trunk for a pediatric oncology population ranging from 1 yr old through adolescence/adulthood. Methods: Image quality was assessed using metrics established by the American College of Radiology (ACR) CT accreditation program. Each image quality metric was tested using the ACR CT phantom with 0%–100% ASiR™ blended with filtered back projection (FBP) reconstructed images. Additionally, the noise power spectrum (NPS) was calculated for three common reconstruction filters of the trunk. The empirically derived limitations on ASiR™ implementation for dose reduction were assessed using (1, 5, 10) yr old and adolescent/adult anthropomorphic phantoms. To assess dose reduction limits, the phantoms were scanned in increments of increased noise index (decrementing mA using automatic tube current modulation) balanced with ASiR™ reconstruction to maintain noise equivalence of the 0% ASiR™ image. Results: The ASiR™ algorithm did not produce any unfavorable effects on image quality as assessed by ACR criteria. Conversely, low-contrast resolution was found to improve due to the reduction of noise in the reconstructed images. NPS calculations demonstrated that images with lower frequency noise had lower noise variance and coarser graininess at progressively higher percentages of ASiR™ reconstruction; and in spite of the similar magnitudes of noise, the imagereconstructed with 50% or more ASiR™ presented a more smoothed appearance than the pre-ASiR™ 100% FBP image. Finally, relative to non-ASiR™ images with 100% of standard dose across the pediatric phantom age spectrum, similar noise levels were obtained in the images at a dose reduction of 48% with 40% ASIR™ and a dose reduction of 82% with 100% ASIR™. Conclusions: The authors’ work was conducted to identify the dose reduction limits of ASiR™ for a pediatric oncology population using automatic tube current modulation. Improvements in noise levels from ASiR™ reconstruction were adapted to provide lower radiation exposure (i.e., lower mA) instead of improved image quality. We have demonstrated for the image quality standards required at our institution, a maximum dose reduction of 82% can be achieved using 100% ASiR™; however, to negate changes in the appearance of reconstructed images using ASiR™ with a medium to low frequency noise preserving reconstruction filter (i.e., standard), 40% ASiR™ was implemented in our clinic for 42%–48% dose reduction at all pediatric ages without a visually perceptible change in image quality or imagenoise.
Alpha2-adrenoceptor blockade attenuates feeding behavior induced by neuropeptide Y and epinephrine

Neuropeptide Y (NPY, 0.47 nmol) and epinephrine (28.9 nmol) evoked robust, and quantitatively similar, increments in food intake and local eating rate following administration into the third cerebral ventricle (IIIV). Whereas IIIV pretreatment with phentolamine (71 nmol), a nonselective alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, or prazosin (9.5 nmol), a selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, was without effect on NPY-induced feeding behavior, pretreatment with the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist yohimbine (15 nmol) dramatically attenuated the stimulatory effects of NPY or epinephrine on both food intake (by over 50%) and local eating rate. Additionally, yohimbine administered alone was associated with a stimulatory effect on food intake for the periods of 80-110, and 110-140 minutes posttreatment. These data demonstrate that feeding behavior induced by IIIV administration of NPY or epinephrine is attenuated by prior blockade of alpha 2-adrenoceptors and suggest that, as in other systems innervated by neurons displaying NPY and adrenergic transmitter colocalization, the effects of NPY on feeding behavior may, at least in part, be mediated via alpha 2-adrenoceptors.
Multiconformational Analysis of Solution NOE Data for the Ac-(L)Proline-(D)Alanine-NHMe Dipeptide in a Nonprotic Solvent

Solution NOE data for the dipeptide, Ac-(L)proline-(D)alanine-NHMe (1), have been obtained in the viscous solvent, 75:25 polychlorotrifluoroethylene:chloroform-d1. In this solvent at a 500 MHz 1H NMR spectrometer frequency, 1 exhibits large, negative NOE enhancements. The quantified 2D-NOESY time courses for 1 are analyzed with the multiconformational analysis technique, conformer population analysis (CPA). Thus, experimental NOE data for a molecule that is known to adopt at least three conformational motifs are used to explore the factors influencing the structural characterization of conformationally supple molecules by NOE. Both the quantitative and qualitative interpretations of solution NOE data for the simple molecule, 1, are demonstrated to critically depend on the extent to which one relies on empirical force-field energetics to determine which structures are energetically viable and on the methods by which trial structures are generated. Other influences include the relative weighting of contributions to the fitting-error function by large vs small NOE cross peaks and inclusion vs exclusion of null data, i.e., whether the absence of NOE cross peaks is included in the fitting procedure. Factors that do not appear to exert significant influence on the interpretation of these NOE data include (1) whether conformational interconversion is assumed to be slow or fast with respect to T1, (2) the inclusion of diagonal cross-peak data in the fitting procedure, and (3) what structures are assumed in the calibration of rotational correlation times from the observed data.
Theoretical and experimental spectral phase error analysis for pulsed laser fields

Distortions in pulsed laser fields are analyzed by means of the root mean square of intensity-weighted spectral phase deviations. This method quantifies pulse errors independently of pulse duration and can be applied to both simple, transform-limited and complex, shaped pulses. A good linear relationship exists (fit correlation=0.95) between the analyzed phase deviations and temporal pulse distortion measures. In contrast, a common Taylor series analysis showed a fit correlation of only 0.5 with temporal measures. Alternative methods examined, such as the pulse FWHM, were determined to be less general measures of pulse distortion and, in modeling of spectral phase errors, were shown to have the potential of being misleading.
An investigation of the effect of valuation alternatives for fixed assets on the decisions of statement users in the United States and Germany

Abstract This study examines the effect of differing methods of fixed asset valuation on lending decisions made by bankers in the U.S. and Germany. Bankers from both countries were asked to make a lending decision for a hypothetical company which used either historical cost or fair value for reporting fixed assets. The results reveal a significant interaction effect between the home country of the respondent and the valuation method used.
Implementing high‐powered contracts to motivate intertemporal effort supply

We characterize the optimal contract between a principal and a risk-neutral, wealth-constrained agent when an adverse selection problem follows a moral hazard problem. The optimal contract in this setting often is more steeply sloped for the largest output levels than is the optimal contract in either the standard moral hazard setting or the standard adverse selection setting. The large incremental rewards for exceptional performance motivate the agent to deliver substantial effort both before and after he acquires privileged information about the production environment.
Azacrown ether pillared layered zirconium phosphonates and the crystal structure of N, N'-bis(phosphonomethyl)-1,10-diaza-18-crown-6

The synthesis of N,N‘-bis(phosphonomethyl)-1,10-diaza-18-crown-6 tetrahydrate (6) from the corresponding diazacrown ether is described and the crystal structure of this diphosphonic acid determined. The crystals are triclinic, P1 with a = 8.1829(8), b = 8.3092(10), c = 9.1429(10) A, α = 85.286(9)°, β = 84.736(9)°, γ = 73.158(7)°, and Z = 1. The center of the azacrown ether ring coincides with the center of symmetry, requiring that the CH2PO3H groups lie trans to each other. One of the acid protons of each phosphonic acid group resides on the aza nitrogens, resulting in a zwitterion arrangement. There are four water molecules per unit cell that participate in an extensive system of hydrogen bonding. An important feature of the H-bonding is that between adjacent phosphonic acid groups to form linear chains along the unit cell diagonal. Reaction of 6 with Zr(IV) in the presence of H3PO4 yields zirconium phosphate-type layers cross-linked by the crown ether groups. The types of layers formed were deduced by ...
Elevated GM2 ganglioside is associated with dendritic proliferation in normal developing neocortex

Mature pyramidal neurons of cerebral cortex in several neuronal storage diseases elaborate ectopic dendrites. These dendrites appear specifically on pyramidal neurons containing elevated GM2 ganglioside and a variety of studies support the hypothesis that this ganglioside is responsible for inducing the new dendrite growth. To determine whether a similar association between GM2 ganglioside and dendrite growth occurs in normal neurons, we used an antibody to localize GM2 in developing cat neocortex. Our results show that GM2 ganglioside is elevated in normal cortical neurons during the period when dendritogenesis is occurring, but is greatly diminished in these cells after dendritic differentiation is complete. Elevations of GM2 occur in deep neurons earlier than in superficial ones, a sequence that corresponds closely to the inside-first, outside-last progression of cortical neuron differentiation. Ultrastructurally, GM2 immunoreactivity is found sequestered in vesicles with a distribution that coincides with sites of ganglioside synthesis and transport. The close association between elevated GM2 ganglioside and dendrite growth in cortical pyramidal neurons during normal development, coupled with a similar correlation between GM2 and ectopic dendritogenesis in neuronal storage diseases, support the view that this specific ganglioside plays a pivotal role in regulating dendritogenesis.
The External Environment

Amateur software developers might lack precise technical skills, but they bring detailed knowledge of their environments to the table. The first Web extra at http://youtu.be/r-kIJQu4iDQ is an audio recording of author David Alan Grier reading his Errant Hashtag column in which he discusses how amateur software developers might lack precise technical skills but bring detailed knowledge of their environments to the table. The second Web extra at http://youtu.be/EDKeN9mVfwk is an audio recording of author David Alan Grier discussing a recent report on electronic voting by the Atlantic Council, a Washington DC think tank, that shows that e-voting is still a risk that citizens of democracies and engineers should take into account.
The Top-down and Bottom-up Systems of Musical Implication: Building on Meyer's Theory of Emotional Syntax

The implication-realization model hypothesizes that emotional syntax in music is a product of two expectation systems—one top down, the other bottom up. Syntactic mismatch or conflict in realizations can occur either within each system or between them. The theory argues that interruption or suppression of parametric expectations generated separately by the two systems explains certain types of recurrent aesthetic strategies in melodic composition and accounts for the most common kinds of musical forms (AAA, AAB, ABB, ABC, and ABA).
Distribution, quantification, and morphological characteristics of serotonin‐immunoreactive cells of the supralemniscal nucleus (B9) and pontomesencephalic reticular formation in the rat

In their initial report on the rat, Dahlstrom and Fuxe ([1964] Acta Physiol. Scand. 62:1-55) identified nine brainstem serotonin-containing cell groups, which they termed B1-B9. B9 has received considerably less attention than other serotonergic nuclei (B1-B8) due in part to the fact that its precise location and extent have not been well documented in subprimates. B9 (supralemniscal nucleus; SLN) has been viewed as a minor serotonergic cell group. In addition, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-containing cells have been shown to be only sparsely distributed throughout the pontomesencephalic reticular formation (PMRF). By using 5-HT immunohistochemical techniques, we examined the distribution and morphological characteristics of SLN and PMRF 5-HT neurons of the pontomesencephalic tegmentum. We showed that 5-HT cells of both SLN and the PMRF extend rostrocaudally from the rostral midbrain to the midpons. 5-HT SLN cells are located within or dorsal to the medial lemniscus (ML); those of the PMRF are widely distributed throughout the PMRF. The mean numbers of 5-HT containing cells in the SLN, PMRF, dorsal raphe, and median raphe nuclei were 4,571, 1,948, 15,191, and 4,114, respectively. The SLN (B9) contains more 5-HT neurons than any serotonergic group other than the dorsal raphe nucleus. The dendrites of both SLN and PMRF 5-HT cells are primarily oriented mediolaterally and generally extend for long distances (75-300 microns), running perpendicular to the fibers of the ML (SLN) or, to those coursing through the brainstem (PMRF). The present anatomical delineation of SLN and PMRF shows that they are major 5-HT-containing cell groups in the rat and provides the foundation for the further examination of their properties and functions.
Kaposi's sarcoma presenting as scrotal ulcerations.

Abstract The second case of Kaposi's sarcoma presenting primarily as scrotal ulcerations is reported. Partial scrotectomy was performed with institution of low-dose chemotherapy to control other systemic manifestations.
Chemically modified solid-state nanopores.

Nanopores are extremely sensitive single-molecule sensors. Recently, electron beams have been used to fabricate synthetic nanopores in thin solid-state membranes with subnanometer resolution. Here we report a new class of chemically modified nanopore sensors. We describe two approaches for monolayer coating of nanopores: (1) self-assembly from solution, in which nanopores ∼10 nm diameter can be reproducibly coated, and (2) self-assembly under voltage-driven electrolyte flow, in which we are able to coat 5 nm nanopores. We present an extensive characterization of coated nanopores, their stability, reactivity, and pH response.
Is relationship and marriage education relevant and appropriate to child welfare

Abstract Child welfare professionals (CWPs) have historically been ignored as a potential delivery system of relationship and marriage education (RME). Based on a sample of 1015 CWPs from two states, the current study shows that CWPs believe promoting healthy couple and marital relationships is relevant to the families they serve and their work, and that they are open to receiving RME training. Results from structural equation modeling indicate that CWPs' beliefs about the relevancy and appropriateness of RME may be influenced by their current RME ability and comfort level, their beliefs about the state of marriage and the prevalence of couples in their current caseload of families they serve. Implications related to promoting RME within child welfare and engaging CWPs in RME training are discussed.
Vertical Crustal Movements in the Charleston, South Carolina–Savannah, Georgia Area

(Accepted for publication April 4, 1978) ABSTRACT: Lyttle, P.T., Gohn, G.S., Higgins, B.B. and Wright, D.S., 1979. Vertical crustal movements in the Charleston, South Carolina—Savannah, Georgia area. In: C.A. Whitten, R. Green and B.K. Meade (Editors), Recent Crustal Movements, 1977. Tectonophysics, 52: 183-189. First-order vertical level surveys (National Geodetic Survey) repeated between 1955 and 1975 suggest that modern vertical crustal movements have taken place in the Atlantic Coastal Plain between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. The relative sense of these movements correlates with the sense of displacement of Tertiary strata on known geologic structures. Whereas regional dip of strata in most of the Atlantic Coastal Plain is southeasterly, the regional dip of Tertiary strata in this part of the Coastal Plain averages 2 m/km to the south or southwest. Positive structural features disturb this regional dip along a poorly defined zone, about 25 km wide, parallel to the coast between Savannah and Charleston. Structural relief on these features is as much as 20 m. Repeated level lines that cross the Atlantic Coastal Plain elsewhere generally show an increase in modern relative subsidence from west to east. However, in the Charleston—Savannah area, the amount of relative subsidence remains fairly constant or decreases from west to east across the structural highs. At two localities near Charleston, where Tertiary beds are offset by faults roughly on strike with one another, an abrupt break in a repeated level line occurs where the level line crosses the probable extensions of these faults. The average modern rates of relative uplift and subsidence (assuming they are constant) are compatible with rates noted throughout the Coastal Plain. Long-term extrapolation of modern rates appears unreasonable; episodic or oscillatory movements are much more likely.
The genetic consequences of social group fission in a wild population of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Micro-and macroevolutionary effects of social group fission will be enhanced if genetic differentiation between fission products is greater than expected by randomly dividing a parent group. There is evidence that division along lines of maternal relatedness produces such an enhanced effect in the provisioned colony of rhesus monkeys on Cayo Santiago Island. In contrast, the genetic analysis presented here of group fission in a wild population of rheusus monkeys in the Himalyan foothills of northern Pakistan shows no ‘matrilineal effect’. There is a greater than 70% chance of obtaining the observed differences between fission products by random fissioning alone (Fig. 1). The differing consequences of fission between these two populations are most likely the results of differences in their demographic structure and patterns of paternity. Under conditions of rapid population growth, diffuse paternity and clear genetic differences between matrilines, the division of social groups along lines of maternal relatedness should have the greatest genetic effects. When populations are growing slowly and groups are composed of many small matrilines or when restricted paternity prevails the genetic consequences of matrilineal fission should be no different from those resulting from random group division. Fission with and without a matrilineal effect probably occurs at different points in the evolutionary history of a primate population. In either case the fission process usually accelerates subpopulational differentiation beyond the rate expected by drift alone and may yet prove most important in understanding the genetic structure of many mammalian populations.
Using innovation to drive Moore’s Law

MOSFET scaling has served our industry well for several decades by providing significant improvements in performance, density and power, but traditional MOSFET scaling has run into hard roadblocks. Interconnect and patterning technologies have also run into significant limitations when trying to follow traditional scaling methods. The past few years have seen the introduction of new materials and device structures in integrated circuits that have kept us on the path of Moore's Law. These types of innovations will be increasingly important as we continue to scale.
Surfactant-templated mesoporous silicate materials as sorbents for organic pollutants in water

Hexagonal (MCM-41) mesoporous materials were synthesized at 23 °C using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDTMA) and tetramethyl-orthosilicate (TMOS) or Na-silicate. Products with (as-synthesized and dried at 23 or 70 °C) HDTMA removed significant amounts of trichlorethylene and tetrachloroethylene from water, similar to the behavior of organic-cation-exchanged smectites. Products without HDTMA (calcined) were weaker sorbents. Structural Al increased the sorption capacity of as-synthesized products but decreased that of calcined products. Structural Al and synthesis using TMOS both increased the stability of as-synthesized materials in 0.005 M CaCl2. All as-synthesized materials have apparent Si solubilities between those of quartz and amorphous silica. Si dissolution rates for as-synthesized (using Na-silicate) products at pH ∼7−8 are 2−3 orders of magnitude higher than those of quartz and 1 order of magnitude higher than that of glass. Rates show little ionic strength dependence in up to 0.1 M CaCl2 a...
COD compliance of edge-cracked three-point bend round bars calculated with slice synthesis method

the slice synthesis method has been proved to be a simple and efficient analytical approach for calculating compliance of various fracture toughness specimens which have relatively complex crack configurations.The specimen to be studied is an edge-cracked three-point-bend round bar
Visible through near-IR solar loading influences on characterization

The ability of sensors to discriminate objects in scenes depends on the scene composition and interactions with the available incident radiation. As sensors and camouflage techniques become more complex the nature of the energy interactions become more important to model accurately. Specific areas of interest are the influences of fluctuations in incident total solar loading radiation on terrain surfaces. The means used to produce 3D radiative calculations over the solar spectrum involves coupling the Air Force's Moderate- resolution Transmission (MODTRAN) code to the Army's 3D Atmospheric Illumination Module (AIM). The solar loading outputs calculated by these coupled codes are then used as input to the Army Smart Weapons Operability Enhancement (SWOE) thermal models. Variations in incident radiation produce surface temperature variations of up to 8 degrees Celsius. In the paper we describe the means of evaluating solar loading effects using a correlated-k-distribution-like algorithm to compress spectral processing, and show comparisons between measured and modeled results.
Type III Nrg1 back signaling enhances functional TRPV1 along sensory axons contributing to basal and inflammatory thermal pain sensation.

Type III Nrg1, a member of the Nrg1 family of signaling proteins, is expressed in sensory neurons, where it can signal in a bi-directional manner via interactions with the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (ErbB RTKs) [1]. Type III Nrg1 signaling as a receptor (Type III Nrg1 back signaling) can acutely activate phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PtdIns3K) signaling, as well as regulate levels of α7* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, along sensory axons [2]. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is a cation-permeable ion channel found in primary sensory neurons that is necessary for the detection of thermal pain and for the development of thermal hypersensitivity to pain under inflammatory conditions [3]. Cell surface expression of TRPV1 can be enhanced by activation of PtdIns3K [4], [5], [6], making it a potential target for regulation by Type III Nrg1. We now show that Type III Nrg1 signaling in sensory neurons affects functional axonal TRPV1 in a PtdIns3K-dependent manner. Furthermore, mice heterozygous for Type III Nrg1 have specific deficits in their ability to respond to noxious thermal stimuli and to develop capsaicin-induced thermal hypersensitivity to pain. Cumulatively, these results implicate Type III Nrg1 as a novel regulator of TRPV1 and a molecular mediator of nociceptive function.
Accuracy of Wax, Autopolymerized, and Light‐Polymerized Resin Pattern Materials

Purpose The marginal fit of MOD inlay and full-crown patterns fabricated from wax, autopolymerized acrylic resin, and two light-polymerized, diacrylate resin pattern materials was compared on standardized dies. Materials and Methods Four pattern materials were studied—two light-polymerized, diacrylate resin materials (Palavit G LC and Triad VLC Burnout Paste), an inlay wax, and an autopolymerized resin (Duralay). Patterns were fabricated using incremental and bulk techniques on stone dies made from addition silicone impressions of American Dental Association MOD and full-crown master dies. Gaps were measured with a measuring microscope in four marginal areas on the master dies at 1 and 24 hours after fabrication. Results For the MOD inlay patterns, marginal gaps ranged from 7 to 23 μm, and the light-polymerized, diacrylate resins and autopolymerized acrylic resin material had statistically smaller gaps than the inlay wax. For the full-crown patterns, marginal gaps ranged from 10 to 23 μm, with the exception of the autopolymerized acrylic resin prepared by the bulk technique (40 to 46 μm). With the incremental technique, the light-polymerized, diacrylate resins and inlay wax had statistically smaller gaps than the autopolymerized acrylic resin material. Overall, the incremental technique produced equal or smaller marginal gaps than the bulk technique for full-crown patterns. Generally, the patterns measured at 1 hour had smaller marginal gaps than at 24 hours. Conclusions When measured on intra- and extracoronal master dies, the light-polymerized, diacrylate resins had equal or better marginal fit, compared with wax or autopolymerized acrylic resin, and were less affected by placement technique and storage. The marginal gaps of all four pattern materials ranged from 7 to 46 μ and are within the range of clinical acceptability.
Communicating Uncertainty: Framing Effects on Responses to Vague Probabilities☆

Most real-world risky decisions are based on imprecise probabilities. Although people generally demonstrate vagueness aversion, behaving as if vaguely specified probabilities are worse than comparable precisely specified probabilities, vagueness seeking also occurs. Previous explanations of vagueness preferences have been based on individual differences and regressive beliefs about extreme probabilities, and little research has examined the effect of changes in the way vagueness is communicated to the decision maker. The present study demonstrates that gain/loss framing, moderated by the operationalization of vagueness, influences how people respond to vagueness about a probability estimate. Subjects read scenarios describing consumer purchases, organizational marketing decisions, and medical treatments, and expressed preference between options having either precisely or vaguely described probabilities. Vagueness was operationalized either as a range of possible values or as verbal qualification of a single point estimate. Negative framing was associated with greater preference for vague prospects, unless vagueness was described by a numerical range with the higher value presented first, indicating a substantial primacy order effect. A second experiment demonstrates that negative framing led people to make more favorable inferences about the likelihoods of vague probabilities.
The Slow Axonal Transport of alpha-synuclein — mechanistic commonalities amongst diverse cytosolic cargoes

Slow axonal transport conveys perikaryally-synthesized cytosolic proteins in a rate-class called Slow Component-b (SCb). One such protein—α-synuclein—is largely conveyed in SCb, and is also a key player in a group of neurodegenerative diseases called synucleinopathies. Axonal transport defects of α-synuclein have been hypothesized to play a role in synucleinopathies, but mechanisms moving α-synuclein in slow axonal transport are unclear. Here we use a recently developed model-system in our laboratory to visualize the slow transport of α-synuclein, comparing it to another SCb protein synapsin. Despite differences inbiological properties and overallsolubility in axons, the anterograde transport of both SCb proteins was strikingly similar, suggesting commonalities in slow axonal transport mechanisms of seemingly diverse cytosolic cargoes. The data support a model where SCb proteins dynamically organize into ‘transport-competent’ complexes that are conveyed via transient associations with other persistently-moving cargoes (“mobile-units”). The identity of the latter is yet unknown. Visualizing normal α-synuclein transport may also open the door to studies of α-synuclein transport in pathologic states. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Single-experiment input uncertainty

‘Input uncertainty’ refers to the simulation model risk caused by estimating input distributions from real-world data, and specifically the (usually unmeasured) variance in performance estimates that this introduces. We provide the first single-run method for quantifying input uncertainty, meaning that we derive our measure of input-uncertainty variance—both overall variance and the contribution to it of each input model—from the nominal experiment that the analyst would typically run using the estimated input models; other methods in the literature require additional diagnostic experiments. Application of our method is illustrated with two examples.
Wire-guided intraductal US: An adjunct to ERCP in the management of bile duct stones

Abstract Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) may misdiagnose bile duct stones if air bubbles are introduced during contrast injection, and it may also fail to diagnose stones in the presence of bile duct dilation. Methods: Our aim was to determine whether intraductal US (IDUS) improves the accuracy of cholangiography and whether it is a useful adjunct in the management of bile duct stones. IDUS with a wire-guided US probe was performed after initial ERC in patients in whom bile duct stones were suspected. The diagnostic accuracy of ERC alone was compared with that of ERC plus IDUS. Results: ERC with IDUS was performed in 62 patients who were suspected to have bile duct stones. Both IDUS and ERC were performed by the same endoscopist, and ERC was performed with a C-arm fluoroscope. The presence of bile duct stones and/or sludge were confirmed after sphincterotomy and extraction in 34 patients. Overall, the accuracy of ERC combined with IDUS in the diagnosis of bile duct stone and/or sludge was higher than that of ERC alone (97% vs. 87%, p p Conclusions: IDUS improves diagnostic accuracy of ERC and is a useful adjunct to ERC when bile duct stones are suspected. (Gastrointest Endosc 2001;54:31-6.)
Monex high energy monitor on P78-1: Intercalibration with ISEE-3 X-ray spectrometer

Abstract Simultaneous observations of seven medium and large solar X-ray bursts made with the MONEX High Energy Monitor (HEM) on the P78-1 satellite and the X-ray Spectrometer aboard the ISEE-3 (International Sun Earth Explorer-3) spacecraft have been used to examine the detector gain and response characteristics of the P78-1 instrument. It has been found that the P78-1 detector gain decreased by ∼25% after launch and subsequently decreased slowly with time. The gain was ∼72% and ∼56% of its pre-launch value about 5 weeks and 15 months after the launch respectively. At total counting rates higher than 10 4 counts/sec there was a large decrease in the detector gain resulting in an apparent counting rate saturation. The overall instrument performance was satisfactory. In the 10–50 keV range, the spectral resolution of the P78-1 proportional counter was substantially better than a NaI or CsI scintillator often used in a hard X-ray spectrometer. It is therefore expected that the P78-1 observations will be very valuable in the study of many small and medium intensity solar X-ray bursts.
Health practices, risk factors, and chronic disease in Tecumseh.

Seven health practices previously found to be associated with a self-report index of good health and with lower mortality in the Alameda County studies were related to several measures of health in a cohort of 880 men and 973 women, ages 35-69, who were participants in the Tecumseh Community Health Study. The health measures were prevalence of three diagnoses-coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, and chronic bronchitisand levels of five risk factors-systolic and diastolic blood pressures, serum total cholesterol, blood glucose, and FEV,. Four of the practices--desirable relative weight, physical activity, never having smoked, and moderate or no alcohol drinking-were associated significantly with one or more of the health measures. Eating breakfast, limited between-meal eating, and sleeping 7 or 8 hr were not related to the health measures. Combining all seven health practices into an index produced a measure that was more strongly associated negatively with CHD prevalence than was any one of the component practices. However, the index was no more strongly associated with any of the other health measures than were the relevant separate practices. Desirable weight was more highly associated (negatively) with hypertension and blood pressure than the index was, as was never having smoked with chronic bronchitis (negatively) and FEV, (positively).
Drug Testing in Community Corrections: Results from a Four-Year Program

Drug testing has become a significant part of community supervision. This article summarizes the results from a Jefferson County (Kentucky) program. During the program, the level of positive tests has continuously declined to a rate of 35%. Marijuana and cocaine were consistently the drug of choice for this population. Lower recidivism rates were recorded for offenders who completed the treatment offered by the Kentucky Substance Abuse Program, Inc. (KSAP).
Controlled delivery of vascular endothelial growth factor promotes neovascularization and maintains limb function in a rabbit model of ischemia

Abstract Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) modulates new blood vessel development and growth and has been suggested as a potential therapeutic agent that could alleviate debilitating claudication in patients. The objective of this study was to determine whether controlled, local delivery of a low dose of VEGF from an osmotic pump could promote neovascularization, limb perfusion, and functional improvements in the hind limbs of rabbits rendered partially ischemic by surgery. The effects of VEGF were compared with those of the vasodilator nitroglycerin (NTG) and to saline administered similarly. Methods: Thirty rabbits were randomly assigned to either VEGF (n = 10), NTG (n = 10), or saline (n = 10) treatment groups. Partial ischemia was induced in each left hind limb by surgical ligation of the common and superficial femoral arteries, leaving the internal iliac artery intact. The right limb of each animal served as a nonischemic control. Immediately after vessel ligations, a 28-day osmotic pump was implanted to deliver VEGF (0.22 μg/kg/day), NTG (17.8 μg/kg/day), or saline solution into the common iliac artery just proximal to the ligation site. Comparative vascularity between ischemic and nonischemic limbs within treatment groups and between groups was evaluated by (1) capillary counts from representative fields of hematoxylin and eosin stained muscle tissue taken from hind limbs at day 40; (2) digitized arteriograms of ischemic legs at day 40, which were used to quantify the complexity of vascular branching (fractal dimension index) and the total extent of vascularization (vascular density index); (3) measuring capillary refill times in ischemic limbs; and (4) observations of functional and trophic changes in ischemic limbs. Statistical differences between treatment groups were evaluated by one-way ANOVA. Results: Complexity of vascular branching and vascular density were significantly greater ( p p p p Conclusions: Controlled release of microgram quantities of VEGF significantly enhanced neovascularization and vascular perfusion in ischemic limbs compared with controls in this rabbit model of partial ischemia. In addition, VEGF-treated ischemic limbs demonstrated near-normal function and appearance, whereas NTG- and saline-treated ischemic controls remained noticeably impaired. This novel approach of VEGF delivery may prove clinically useful either alone or combined with revascularization procedures. (J Vasc Surg 1998;27:886-95.)
Complex Fluids: Probing Mechanical Properties of Biological Systems with Optical Tweezers

The mechanical properties of cells are crucial for cell sensing and reaction to mechanical environments. This review describes the basic principles of optical tweezers and their use as force sensors for studying the mechanical properties of biological systems. It covers experiments of four groups of biological systems arranged by increasing complexity: (a) packaging DNA into viral capsids by bacteriophage portal motors and the dynamical stiffness of DNA upon protein binding, (b) actin-coated giant vesicles and the myosin-II embedded actin polymer network, (c) suspension cells, and (d) adhesion cells. These examples demonstrate how optical tweezers have been used to improve the understanding of the mechanical properties of biological systems at subcellular and molecular levels.
Language: Life without Numbers

If your language did not have words for numbers, would you be able to think about numeric quantities? An Amazonian culture where number words are limited to one, two and many has provided new insights to the interaction between thought and language.
Olfactory ability and object memory in three mouse models of varying body weight, metabolic hormones, and adiposity.

Abstract Physiological and nutritional state can modify sensory ability and perception through hormone signaling. Obesity and related metabolic disorders present a chronic imbalance in hormonal signaling that could impact sensory systems. In the olfactory system, external chemical cues are transduced into electrical signals to encode information. It is becoming evident that this system can also detect internal chemical cues in the form of molecules of energy homeostasis and endocrine hormones, whereby neurons of the olfactory system are modulated to change animal behavior towards olfactory cues. We hypothesized that chronic imbalance in hormonal signaling and energy homeostasis due to obesity would thereby disrupt olfactory behaviors in mice. To test this idea, we utilized three mouse models of varying body weight, metabolic hormones, and visceral adiposity — 1) C57BL6/J mice maintained on a condensed-milk based, moderately high-fat diet (MHF) of 32% fat for 6 months as the diet-induced obesity model, 2) an obesity-resistant, lean line of mice due to a gene-targeted deletion of a voltage-dependent potassium channel (Kv1.3-null), and 3) a genetic model of obesity as a result of a gene-targeted deletion of the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R-null). Diet-induced obese (DIO) mice failed to find a fatty-scented hidden peanut butter cracker, based solely on olfactory cues, any faster than an unscented hidden marble, initially suggesting general anosmia. However, when these DIO mice were challenged to find a sweet-scented hidden chocolate candy, they had no difficulty. Furthermore, DIO mice were able to discriminate between fatty acids that differ by a single double bond and are components of the MHF diet (linoleic and oleic acid) in a habituation–dishabituation paradigm. Obesity-resistant, Kv1.3-null mice exhibited no change in scented object retrieval when placed on the MHF-diet, nor did they perform differently than wild-type mice in parallel habituation–dishabituation paradigms of fatty food-related odor components. Genetically obese, MC4R-null mice successfully found hidden scented objects, but did so more slowly than lean, wild-type mice, in an object-dependent fashion. In habituation–dishabituation trials of general odorants, MC4R-null mice failed to discriminate a novel odor, but were able to distinguish two fatty acids. Object memory recognition tests for short- and long-term memory retention demonstrated that maintenance on the MHF diet did not modify the ability to perform these tasks independent of whether mice became obese or were resistant to weight gain (Kv1.3-null), however, the genetically predisposed obese mice (MC4R-null) failed the long-term object memory recognition performed at 24 h. These results demonstrate that even though both the DIO mice and genetically predisposed obese mice are obese, they vary in the degree to which they exhibit behavioral deficits in odor detection, odor discrimination, and long-term memory.