cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apple grower pollination practices and perceptions of alternative pollinators in New York and Pennsylvania

Pollinator declines coupled with increasing demand for insect pollinated crops have the potential to cause future pollinator shortages for our most nutritious and valuable crops. Ensuring adequate crop pollination may necessitate a shift in pollination management, from one that primarily relies on the managed European honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) to one that integrates alternative pollinators. While a growing body of scientific evidence supports significant contributions made by naturally occurring, native bees for crop pollination, translating research to practice requires buy-in from growers. The intention of agricultural extension is to address grower needs and concerns; however, few studies have assessed grower knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about native pollinators. Here we present findings from questionnaire-based surveys of over 600 apple growers in New York State and Pennsylvania, coupled with ecological data from bee surveys. This hybrid sociological and biological survey allows us to compare grower knowledge and perceptions to an actual pollinator census. While up to 93% of respondents highly valued importance of native bees, 20% growers did not know how much native bees actually contribute to their orchard pollination. Despite the uncertainty, a majority of growers were open to relying on native bees (up to 60% in NY and 67% in PA) and to making low-cost changes to their farm's management that would benefit native pollinators (up to 68 in NY and 85% in PA). Growers consistently underestimated bee diversity, but their estimates corresponded to major bee groups identifiable by lay persons, indicating accurate local knowledge about native bees. Grower reliance on honeybees increased with farm size; because native bee abundance did not measurably decrease with farm size, renting honeybees may be motivated by risk avoidance rather than grower perception of lower native bee activity. Demonstrated effectiveness of native pollinators and clear guidelines for their management were the most important factors influencing grower decision to actively manage orchards for native bees. Our results highlight a pressing need for an active and research-based extension program to support diversification of pollination strategies in the region.
Coccidioidomycosis in Animals

A broad diversity of animals is susceptible to infection by Coccidioides species. However severe or disseminated disease in animals other than pet dogs is not commonly reported in the literature. It is unclear if these cases are indeed rare or if they are not diagnosed and reported. The awareness of coccidioidomycosis is increasing in the Central Valley of California and southern Arizona, but outside of these areas the disease is not often diagnosed. Cases outside the endemic region frequently have delayed diagnosis, and as summarized here for many animals, the diagnosis was not made until after euthanasia. Frequently, a fungal infection is not considered as a primary cause of death or disease, in spite of the fact that hundreds of thousands of these infections occur every year. In the USA, coccidioidomycosis cases reported rival the number of cases of tuberculosis and Lyme disease. Considering that it is likely that only 10% of infections nationwide are reported, this disease has significant burden in the USA. Disease burden in the rest of the Americas remains unknown. Clearly, better diagnostics, effective treatments, and development of vaccines would greatly improve public health and reduce economic costs associated with coccidioidomycosis. Additionally, a great deal of work remains to fully understand the ecology and basic biology of the causative agent.
Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of Low Carbon Steel in Simulated Yucca Mountain Vadose Waters

Waters concentrated in the solutes present in the J-13 well were used to simulate the effects of boiling and evaporation in the vadose water surrounding waste packages in the proposed Yucca Mountain geologic nuclear waste storage site. The corrosion performance of AISI 1016 low carbon steel (LCS) in these solutions was evaluated by DC polarization techniques. LCS showed low general corrosion rates with no localized corrosion in deaerated 10X, 100X and 1000X J-13 waters at 25 C. Higher water temperature up to 90 C and 100X and 1000X concentrations favored protective silicate precipitate layers which further decreased corrosion rates and significantly increased apparent pitting potentials. Corrosion rate increased significantly in aerated 10X J-13 water at 25 C but had lesser effects in 100X and 1000X. Aeration and chloride additions also significantly degraded the protectiveness of the inhibitive precipitate surface films. Addition of soluble Fe{sup 3+} in aerated 10X and 100X J-13 waters, increased general corrosion at 25 C and 10X concentration and initiated pitting at higher concentrations and temperatures.
Uveal compartmentalization in the hamster eye revealed by fine structural and tracer studies: Implications for uveoscleral outflow

The uveal tracts of hamster eyes have been examined using electron microscopy and electron opaque tracer infusion. A heretofore undescribed intrauveal "compact zone" was detected at the level of the ora serrata. Together with extensive, sheet-like fibroblastic layers within the lamina fusca and the wellknown junctional barriers of the pigment epithelium, the compact zone appears to separate anterior and posterior uveal regions into defineable compartments. To test this possibility and study potential pathways of uveoscleral outflow with special reference to these morphologic features, horseradish peroxidase or anionic ferritin was infused into the anterior chamber at physiologic pressures, in some experiments coincident with vascular rinsing and/or fixation to prevent tracer redistribution. Tracer rapidly permeated outflow and connective tissue spaces of the anterior uvea and spread into the sclera and adventitia. However, it did not appear in the inner choroid unless vascular recirculation and redistribution of tracer was allowed. Potential structural boundaries that might prevent direct choroidal penetration include the compact zone, which never contained tracer, and tight-junctioned, sheet-like fibroblastic lamellae of the lamina fusca. The choriocapillaris and internal choroidal interstitium may thus be isolated to an appreciable degree as a "posterior uveal compartment." The position of this compartment is comparable developmentally to the subarachnoid space of the brain and optic nerve. The anterior margin of the compartment (the compact zone) limits the space available for uveoscleral outflow of aqueous humor in the hamster and may provide a focus for control of that process. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 24:1288-1304, 1983
Patient-Derived Xenografts Can Be Reliably Generated from Patient Clinical Biopsy Specimens

Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) are clinically relevant human cancer models that can be used to guide individualized medicine. We aimed to generate PDX models from clinically obtained biopsy specimens (surgical or image-guided) hypothesizing that low volume biopsy specimens could provide sufficient viable tissue to successfully engraft PDX models from patients with unresectable or metastatic disease. We maintain a prospective high volume gastrointestinal malignancy PDX program. With informed consent and institutional approval, biopsy specimens (surgical or image-guided) were obtained from patients with unresectable or metastatic tumors: pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), cholangiocarcinoma, gastric and gallbladder carcinoma. Biopsies were implanted into immunodeficient mice. Tumor growth was monitored, viable tumor was passed into subsequent generations, and histopathology was confirmed. In this study, biopsy specimens from 29 patients were used for PDX engraftment. Successful PDX engraftment was variable with highest engraftment rates in gastric and gallbladder carcinoma specimens (100%) compared to engraftment rates of 33% and 29% in PDAC and cholangiocarcinoma respectively. PDX models created from metastasis biopsies compared to unresectable primary tumor tissue demonstrated higher engraftment rates (69% versus 15.4%, p = 0.001). PDX models demonstrated higher engraftment rates when biopsies were obtained during surgical operations (n = 15) compared to image-guided (n = 14) (73% versus 14%, p = 0.003). Patient age, pretreatment status, or ischemic time was not different between biopsy methods. PDX models can be successfully created from clinical biopsy specimens in patients with metastatic or unresectable GI cancers. The use of clinical biopsy specimens for PDX engraftment can expand the repertoire of stage-specific PDX models for downstream basic/translational research.
Time Flexibility, Women’s Wages, and the Gender Wage Gap

Paid jobs providing more time flexibility may appeal to workers who have primary responsibility as a caregiver for young children or for sick, handicapped, or elderly adults. However, in some jobs, workers who are given this flexibility may be less productive per hour than workers who commit to a fixed work schedule chosen by the employer. These two realities may lead employers to offer, and caregivers to accept, lower paying jobs that come with more time flexibility. Since caregivers in the United States are disproportionally women, this may help to explain the lingering gender wage gap in the U.S. Data sets were combined from the 2015 revision of the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) and the 2003 through 2015 March Current Population Surveys to analyze this issue. The combined data set includes extensive information on workers’ average hourly earnings and personal characteristics along with 407 characteristics of their occupations. Log wage regressions were used to show that the data are not consistent with the Time Flexibility Hypothesis when applied to occupation categories.
CMIP5 Models’ Ability to Capture Observed Trends under the Influence of Shifts and Persistence: An In-Depth Study on the Colorado River Basin

AbstractThis study evaluated the ability of phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) to capture observed trends under the influence of shifts and persistence in their data distr...
Exponential growth, energetic Hubbert cycles and the advancement of technology

In the recovery of geologic fossil fuel deposits, the overall production rate first goes up and then it must come down. Tens of thousands of oil and gas fields in the world produce hydrocarbons at rates that have long-time tails, making them highly asymmetric functions of time. Yet the sums of annual production volumes from these fields follow symmetric Gaussian distributions in time, also known as “Hubbert cycles.” This paper provides mathematical arguments for the existence of energetic Hubbert cycles and their practical equivalence to the logistic growth curves. It is shown that the rates of oil production in the world and in the United States doubled 10 times, each increasing by a factor of ca. 1000, before reaching their respective peaks. The famous peak of US oil production occurred in 1970, and global oil production probably peaked in 2005-2006, with little fanfare. The rate of natural gas production in the US has also increased by a factor of 1000 and is at its second peak as of writing this paper in April 2008. The multi- Hubbert cycle analysis of oil and gas production in America highlights the existence of new populations of reservoirs, rather small in the case of oil production, but very large in the case of gas production. It turns out that improved technology and new science have allowed the oil producers in America to increase ultimate recovery by 2 years of total energy consumption in the United States. The American gas producers, mostly small independents, are on a path of achieving an increase of ultimate gas production larger than 10 years of total energy consumption in the United States. Thus, the discounted cumulative value of good science and engineering in the American oil and gas industry is worth well over 1 trillion USD in 2008, and it will continue to grow exponentially in the near future, given the declining oil and gas production rates and the high prices of both commodities. Producing the undiscovered technically producible petroleum from the ANWR 1002 Area, as well as the known gas caps in Prudhoe Bay and Point Thompson, all in Alaska, will have a small impact on the energy supply of the Unites States.
Cabozantinib unlocks efficient in vivo targeted delivery of neutrophil-loaded nanoparticles into murine prostate tumors

A major barrier to the successful application of nanotechnology for cancer treatment is the efficient delivery of therapeutic payloads to metastatic tumor deposits. We have previously discovered that cabozantinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, triggers neutrophil-mediated anti-cancer innate immunity, resulting in tumor regression in an aggressive PTEN/p53-deficient genetically engineered murine model of advanced prostate cancer. Here, we specifically investigated the potential of cabozantinib-induced neutrophil activation and recruitment to enhance delivery of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) into murine PTEN/p53-deficient prostate tumors. Based on the observation that BSA-coating of NPs enhanced association and internalization by activated neutrophils in vitro, relative to uncoated NPs, we systemically injected BSA-coated, dye-loaded NPs into prostate-specific PTEN/p53-deficient mice that were pre-treated with cabozantinib. Flow cytometric analysis revealed a 4-fold increase of neutrophil-associated NPs within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of mice pre-treated with cabozantinib relative to untreated controls. At steady-state, following 3 days of cabozantinib/NP administration, 1% of systemically injected dye-loaded NPs selectively accumulated within the TME of mice that were pre-treated with cabozantinib, compared to 0.11% uptake for mice that did not receive cabozantinib pre-treatment. Strikingly, neutrophil depletion with Ly6G antibody dramatically reduced NP accumulation in tumors to baseline levels, demonstrating targeted neutrophil-mediated NP delivery to the prostate TME. In summary, we have discovered a novel nano-immunotherapeutic strategy for enhanced intratumoral delivery of injected NPs, which results in significantly higher NP accumulation than reported strategies in the nanotechnology literature to-date.
Do You Really Lose When You Snooze? Sleep Correlates of Externalizing and Attention Problems among Pediatric Patients with ADHD, ASD, and Comorbid Diagnosis.

The primary aim of this retrospective study was to assess differential associations between sleep disturbances with externalizing/internalizing problems, ADHD profiles (inattention, hyperactivity/i...
Doxorubicin Conjugation to Reovirus Improves Oncolytic Efficacy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women in the United States. The triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype associates with higher rates of relapse, shorter overall survival, and aggressive metastatic disease. Hormone therapy is ineffective against TNBC, leaving patients with limited therapeutic options. Mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus) preferentially infects and kills transformed cells, and a genetically engineered reassortant reovirus infects and kills TNBC cells more efficiently than prototypical strains. Reovirus oncolytic efficacy is further augmented by combination with topoisomerase inhibitors, including the frontline chemotherapeutic doxorubicin. However, long-term doxorubicin use correlates with toxicity to healthy tissues. Here, we conjugated doxorubicin to reovirus (reo-dox) to control drug delivery and enhance reovirus-mediated oncolysis. Our data indicate that conjugation does not impair viral biology and enhances reovirus oncolytic capacity in TNBC cells. Reo-dox infection promotes innate immune activation, and crosslinked doxorubicin retains DNA-damaging properties within infected cells. Importantly, reovirus and reo-dox significantly reduce primary TNBC tumor burden in vivo, with greater reduction in metastatic burden after reo-dox inoculation. Together, these data demonstrate that crosslinking chemotherapeutic agents to oncolytic viruses facilitates functional drug delivery to cells targeted by the virus, making it a viable approach for combination therapy against TNBC.
Flawed research and its enduring repercussions

In The Doctor Who Fooled the World, investigative reporter Brian Deer recounts in vivid detail how he came to learn that Andrew Wakefield and his study linking vaccines with developmental disorders were not what they appeared to be.
Evaluation of Bilgewater Emulsion Stability Using Nondestructive Analytical Methods

This study presents a systematic investigation of bilgewater emulsion characteristics using various in situ analytical methods, while assessing the effect of environmental parameters [e.g., ionic s...
What Behaviors Define a Good Physician? Assessing and Communicating About Noncognitive Skills.

Once medical students attain a certain level of medical knowledge, success in residency often depends on noncognitive attributes, such as conscientiousness, empathy, and grit. These traits are significantly more difficult to assess than cognitive performance, creating a potential gap in measurement. Despite its promise, competency-based medical education (CBME) has yet to bridge this gap, partly due to a lack of well-defined noncognitive observable behaviors that assessors and educators can use in formative and summative assessment. As a result, typical undergraduate to graduate medical education handovers stress standardized test scores, and program directors trust little of the remaining information they receive, sometimes turning to third-party companies to better describe potential residency candidates. The authors have created a list of noncognitive attributes, with associated definitions and noncognitive skills-called observable practice activities (OPAs)-written for learners across the continuum to help educators collect assessment data that can be turned into valuable information. OPAs are discrete work-based assessment elements collected over time and mapped to larger structures, such as milestones, entrustable professional activities, or competencies to create learning trajectories for formative and summative decisions. Medical schools and graduate medical education programs could adapt these OPAs or determine ways to create new ones specific to their own contexts. Once OPAs are created, programs will have to find effective ways to assess them, interpret the data, determine consequence validity, and communicate information to learners and institutions. The authors discuss the need for culture change surrounding assessment-even for the adoption of behavior-based tools such as OPAs-including grounding the work in a growth mindset and the broad underpinnings of CBME. Ultimately, improving assessment of noncognitive capacity should benefit learners, schools, programs, and most importantly, patients.
Preface to International Trade Law

Preface to the the textbook International Trade Law by Giovanni Di Lieto and David Treisman. The preface introduces the reader to the text's interest in the relationship of justice to trade and investment law.
Human carboxypeptidase M. Purification and characterization of a membrane-bound carboxypeptidase that cleaves peptide hormones.

A membrane-bound neutral carboxypeptidase B-like enzyme was solubilized from human placental microvilli with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) and purified to homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography and affinity chromatography on arginine-Sepharose. It gave a single band on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with an apparent Mr of 62,000 with or without reduction. The enzyme is a glycoprotein as shown by its high affinity for concanavalin A-Sepharose and reduction in mass to 47,600 daltons after chemical deglycosylation. It has a neutral pH optimum, is activated by CoCl2, and inhibited by o-phenanthroline, 2-mercaptomethyl-3-guanidinoethylthiopropanoic acid, or cadmium acetate, indicating it is a metallopeptidase. The enzyme cleaves arginine or lysine from the COOH terminus of synthetic peptides (e.g. Bz-Gly-Arg, Bz-Gly-Lys, Bz-Ala-Lys, dansyl-Ala-Arg, where Bz is benzoyl and dansyl is 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl) as well as from several biologically active substrates: dynorphin A(1-13), Met5-Arg6-enkephalin (Km = 46 microM, kcat = 934 min-1), bradykinin (Km = 16 microM, kcat = 147 min-1), Met5-Lys6-enkephalin (Km = 375 microM, kcat = 663 min-1), and Leu5-Arg6-enkephalin (Km = 63 microM, kcat = 106 min-1). Although the enzyme shares some properties with other carboxypeptidase B-like enzymes, it is structurally, catalytically, and immunologically distinct from pancreatic carboxypeptidase A or B, human plasma carboxypeptidase N, and carboxypeptidase H ("enkephalin convertase"). To denote that the enzyme is membrane-bound, and to distinguish it from other known carboxypeptidases, we propose the name "carboxypeptidase M." Because of its localization on the plasma membrane and optimal activity at neutral pH, carboxypeptidase M could inactivate or modulate the activity of peptide hormones either before or after their interaction with plasma membrane receptors.
Folate in Health and Disease

Folate Chemistry and Metabolism, Barry Shane Folate Bioavailability, Helene McNulty and Kristina Pentieva Folate Biochemical Pathways and Their Regulation, Patrick J. Stover Genetic Variation: Effect on Folate Metabolism and Health, Karen E. Christensen and Rima Rozen Folate in Pregnancy and Lactation, Tsunenobu Tamura, Mary Frances Picciano, and Michelle Kay McGuire Folate Status and Birth Defect Risk: Epidemiological Perspective, Charlotte A. Hobbs, Gary M. Shaw, Martha M. Werler, and Bridget Mosley Folate-Related Birth Defects: Embryonic Consequences of Abnormal Folate Transport and Metabolism, Deeann Wallis, Johnathan L. Ballard, Gary M. Shaw, Edward J. Lammer, and Richard H. Finnell Folic Acid Fortification: Neural Tube Defect Risk Reduction-A Global Perspective, Robert J. Berry, Joseph Mulinare, and Heather C. Hamner Folate and Cancer: Epidemiological Perspective, Jia Chen, Xinran Xu, Amy Liu, and Cornelia M. Ulrich Folate and Carcinogenesis: Basic Mechanisms, Eric Ciappio and Joel B. Mason Folate and Vascular Disease: Epidemiological Perspective, Sari R. Kalin and Eric B. Rimm Folate and Vascular Disease: Basic Mechanisms, Luciana Hannibal, Alla V. Glushchenko, and Donald W. Jacobsen Folate and Neurological Function: Epidemiological Perspective, Martha Savaria Morris and Paul F. Jacques Folate and Neurological Disease: Basic Mechanisms, Teodoro Bottiglieri and Edward Reynolds Folate-Vitamin B12 Interrelationships: Links to Disease Risk, Anne M. Molloy Clinical Folate Deficiency, Sally P. Stabler Influence of Alcohol on Folate Status and Methionine Metabolism in Relation to Alcoholic Liver Disease, Charles H. Halsted, Valentina Medici, and Farah Esfandiari Folate and Choline Inter-relationships: Metabolic and Potential Health Implications, Marie A. Caudill Folate: Recommended Intakes, Consumption, and Status, Gail P. A. Kauwell, Megan L. Diaz, Quanhe Yang, and Lynn B. Bailey Kinetics of Folate and One-Carbon Metabolism, Jesse F. Gregory III, Vanessa R. da Silva, and Yvonne Lamers Folate Analytical Methodology, Christine M. Pfeiffer, Zia Fazili, and Mindy Zhang Index
Stoichiometry of the oxidation of arylhydrazines with ferricyanide : Quantitative measurements of absorption spectra of aryldiazenes

Abstract A novel method for generating aryldiazenes quantitatively by the oxidation of arylhydrazines with exactly two equivalents of ferricyanide has been confirmed with o -, m -, and p - tolylhydrazine and with o - and p -hydrazinobenzoic acid. The rapidity and stoichiometry of the reaction permit accurate measurements of UV and visible absorption spectra in aqueous solution. Although oxidation of acetylphenylhydrazine by ferricyanide was slower, the product was shown to be acetylphenyldiazene. Acetylphenyldiazene is partially hydrogenated during mass spectrometric analysis. The source of hydrogen was shown to be H 2 O in the spectrometer. This phenomenon, previously reported only in quinones, was also observed in the mass spectrum of methyl phenyldiazenecarboxylate.
Relationships between user performance and spatial ability in using map-based software on pen-based devices

This thesis explored the association between individual differences and software user performance. The primary goal was to investigate the relationship between spatial ability and user performance in the context of map software. Two studies were conducted to investigate this goal. There were two hypotheses that applied to both user studies. First, we expected that performance measures such as time to complete a task or accuracy would be positively correlated with spatial ability, as measured by scores on cognitive assessments for sub-factors of spatial ability. Second, we hypothesized that differences between subjects with low spatial ability and subjects with high spatial ability would be more pronounced with complex tasks and interfaces, such as a map interface or a task to compare ground settings with a map, relative to simpler tasks, such as finding a button that matched a target color or using map software with guidance on how to use the software to execute the task protocol. Each user study also incorporated additional questions unique to the study. Our first user study investigated how the relationship between spatial ability and performance might be affected by the relevance of the button label and alternative button layouts. This research indicated that good button labeling helps to mitigate performance differences among subjects with varying spatial ability. Additionally, we found support that performance differences related to spatial ability were most apparent in complex conditions. The second study investigated whether the association between spatial ability and user performance was affected by offering guidance on performing a task and whether orientation and visualization were dissociable factors for a task involving ground to map comparisons. While there were no benefits found from the guidance, visualization and orientation skills were found to be dissociable from one another for accuracy and tool use. Findings from both studies underscore the importance of interface design in potentially reducing costs and burden for users of map-based software in a small screen computing environment.
Wideband and wide angle thermal emitters for use as lightbulb filaments

ABSTRACT We present optimized aperiodic structures for use as broadband, broad-angle thermal emitters which are capableof drastically increasing the eciency of tungsten lightbulbs. These aperiodic multilayer structures designedwith alternating layers of tungsten and air or tungsten and silicon carbide on top of a tungsten substrate exhibitbroadband emittance peaked around the center of the visible wavelength range. We investigate the properties ofthese structures for use as lightbulb laments, and compare their performance with conventional lightbulbs. We nd that these structures greatly enhance the emittance over the visible wavelength range, while also increasingthe overall eciency of the bulb.Keywords: Optimization, Photonic Nanostructures, Thermal Emission 1. INTRODUCTION Conventional incandescent lightbulbs (ILB) are composed of a tungsten lament inside a bulb which is lledwith inert gas. These devices are less than 10 percent ecient 1,2 due to the fact that most of the applied poweris radiated as heat and not as visible light. There has been much recent work in an attempt to improve theeciency of household and commercial lighting. Compact uorescent lamps (CFLs), the curled bulbs, improveeciency slightly, but have issues with slow turn on time, higher cost, degradation of performance over CFLlifetime, and most signi cantly, these bulbs contain mercury and pose an environmental hazard if broken ordisposed in a land ll. The most ecient lighting commercially available is the light-emitting diode (LED) whichpossesses eciencies between 25 and 35 percent. LEDs, however, are extremely expensive (due to fabricationcosts) which puts them out of reach of users in emergent countries. Hence, incandescent bulbs still account forthe vast majority of home lighting in developing countries; while, in the United States, the ILB has been phasedout to be replaced with CFL or LED lighting.In this paper, we propose one-dimensional multilayer aperiodic structures for use as incandescent lightbulb laments. It has been shown that multilayer structures can tailor the emittance spectra of bulk materialsand may provide properties similar to that of more complex and harder-to-fabricate two- or three-dimensionalstructures.
Relationships between motor unit size and recruitment threshold in older adults: implications for size principle

As a part of the aging process, motor unit reorganization occurs in which small motoneurons reinnervate predominantly fast-twitch muscle fibers that have lost their innervation. We examined the relationship between motor unit size and the threshold force for recruitment in two muscles to determine whether older individuals might develop an alternative pattern of motor unit activation. Young and older adults performed isometric contractions ranging from 0 to 50% of maximal voluntary contraction in both the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. Muscle fiber action potentials were recorded with an intramuscular needle electrode and motor unit size was computed using spike-triggered averaging of the global EMG signal (macro EMG), which was also obtained from the intramuscular needle electrode. As expected, older individuals exhibited larger motor units than young subjects in both the FDI and the TA. However, moderately strong correlations were obtained for the macro EMG amplitude versus recruitment threshold relationship in both the young and older adults within both muscles, suggesting that the size principle of motor unit recruitment seems to be preserved in older adults.
Limitations of a laboratory robot for extracting available nutrients from soil

The use of a laboratory robot has been investigated for the extraction of soil samples prior to their analysis for available nutrients. Of critical importance is the effciency with which the soil is mixed with the extracting solution. If the soil is not thoroughly mixed with the extractant, nutrients will be poorly leached. In using 2.5×15 cm glass tubes and a vortex mixer, the effect is generally minimal for small volumes of soil/solution (e.g. 2 mL: 10 mL), but worsens as the volumes increase. The situation is exacerbated in our soil testing laboratory since excellent vortex mixing of one type of soil in a high volume with extractant does not guarantee that all soils react in the same way.
TEM Samples of Semiconductors Prepared by a Small-Angle Cleavage Technique

A small-angle cleavage technique has been developed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of semiconductors and related materials. In this technique, samples are prepared by back-thinning the material to a prescribed thickness, back-scribing the material at a specific angle to a standard cleavage plane, and cleaving along these scribe lines. A second cleave is made along the standard cleavage plane to intersect the first cleave, forming a thin wedge. This wedge is mounted on a grid, providing an electron transparent tip free of ion milling artifacts.
Socioeconomic status and the evaluation of health care choices

Abstract This research examines the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and health care choice in the current turbulent, competitive health care environment. A linear relationship between SES and attention paid to plan characteristics is found. Low SES individuals pay the most attention to alternative plan characteristics. These findings refute an earlier study and suggest health care choices are made recognizing self-interest and reflecting vulnerability.
Fashion Adoption: Theory and Pragmatics:

The Sproles'model of fashion adoption was selected to examine the adoption of the short skirt among employed women. Sproles'concepts of adopter identity and motivations were operationalized using m...
Improving Floating-Point Performance in Less Area: Fractured Floating Point Units (FFPUs)

Embedded systems designers often use fixed-point instead of floating-point due to the performance and area overhead of floating-point units. If the range of floating-point representation is required, the system may use a software-based floating-point library on an integer-only processor to save area--at the cost of much lower performance. Instead, we propose a Fractured Floating Point Unit (FFPU)--a hybrid solution that uses a set of custom hardware instructions to accelerate software-based floating-point emulation. An FFPU is intended as a compromise between software libraries and full FPUs in terms of both area and performance. We present four potential 32-bit FFPU designs for a Nios II soft processor. We compare their performance and area to the baseline Nios II, as well as a Nios II with a complete FPU. We show that an FFPU can improve various floating-point operations, including improving addition and subtraction performance by 24 to 52 percent over the baseline. This performance comes at a resource cost of only an 11 to 29 percent ALM increase, and no increase in DSP blocks.
Motion detection on flashed, stationary pedestal gratings: evidence for an opponent-motion mechanism.

Contrast thresholds were measured for discriminating left vs right motion of a vertical, 1 c/deg luminance grating lasting for one cycle of motion. This test was presented on a 1 c/deg stationary grating (pedestal) of twice-threshold, flashed for the duration of the test motion. Lu and Sperling [(1995). Vision Research, 35, 2697-2722] argue that the visual system detects the underlying, first-order motion of the test and is immune to the presence of the stationary pedestal (and the 'feature wobble' which it induces). On the contrary, we observe that the stationary pedestal has large effects on motion detection at 7 and 15 Hz, and smaller effects at 0.9-3.7 Hz, evidenced by a spatial phase dependency between the stationary pedestal and moving test. At 15 Hz the motion threshold drops as much as five-fold, with the stationary pedestal in the optimal spatial phase (i.e., pedestal and test spatially in phase at middle of motion), and the perceived direction of the test motion reverses with the pedestal in the opposite phase. Phase dependency was also explored using a very brief (approximately 1 msec) static pedestal presented with the moving test. The pedestal of Lu and Sperling (flashed for the duration of the test) has a broad spectrum of left and right moving components which interact with the moving test. The pedestal effects can be explained by the visual system's much higher sensitivity to the difference of the contrast of right vs left moving components than to either component alone.
Determining kinetic parameters from temperature-programmed SIMS data

Abstract We demonstrate in this paper a simple graphical method of determining kinetic parameters for both first-order and second-order surface reactions from a single temperature programmed SIMS (TPSIMS) spectrum. As an example, hydrogen desorption from Ni(100) is treated. Detailed comparisons between our method and Chan et al.'s TPD method are made. The limitations of the method are also discussed.
Asymmetric strand segregation: epigenetic costs of genetic fidelity?

Asymmetric strand segregation has been proposed as a mechanism to minimize effective mutation rates in epithelial tissues. Under asymmetric strand segregation, the double-stranded molecule that contains the oldest DNA strand is preferentially targeted to the somatic stem cell after each round of DNA replication. This oldest DNA strand is expected to have fewer errors than younger strands because some of the errors that arise on daughter strands during their synthesis fail to be repaired. Empirical findings suggest the possibility of asymmetric strand segregation in a subset of mammalian cell lineages, indicating that it may indeed function to increase genetic fidelity. However, the implications of asymmetric strand segregation for the fidelity of epigenetic information remain unexplored. Here, I explore the impact of strand-segregation dynamics on epigenetic fidelity using a mathematical-modelling approach that draws on the known molecular mechanisms of DNA methylation and existing rate estimates from empirical methylation data. I find that, for a wide range of starting methylation densities, asymmetric—but not symmetric—strand segregation leads to systematic increases in methylation levels if parent strands are subject to de novo methylation events. I found that epigenetic fidelity can be compromised when enhanced genetic fidelity is achieved through asymmetric strand segregation. Strand segregation dynamics could thus explain the increased DNA methylation densities that are observed in structured cellular populations during aging and in disease.
In Search of Greatness: Russia's Communications with Africa and the World. By Festus Eribo. Westport, CT: Ablex, 2001. 256p. $79.95 cloth, $29.95 paper.

In this book, Festus Eribo gives a broad historical view of Russian–African relations and the role of newspapers in communicating Russian and Soviet perceptions of Africa and its people. Not surprisingly, Eribo argues that ideology drove the content of coverage as the Soviet Union attempted to shape opinion according to Marxist–Leninist principles. In taking on the very broad topic of communication, Eribo notes the presence of multiple audiences but describes the content of Russian domestic newspapers in much greater detail than the story of how Russia communicated with African people. While the topic is important, because this book is descriptive and not theoretical, it leaves the reader with more questions than answers about the role of the media in communicating images of Africa.
Euthanasia: A Buddhist Perspective

This paper introduces basic Buddhist cosmology and ethical teachings, emphasizing the concepts of rebirth and Karma. There follows a discussion of the Buddhist view of illness and its causes. Using these introductory concepts, the Buddhist view on euthanasia is explored and contrasted with the views of Marvin Kohl, a leading proponent of euthanasia. It is shown that Buddhism prohibits euthanasia as an option for the terminally ill but instead advocates hospice care. The paper is offered to expand the current dialogue on bioethical issues beyond the Judeo-Christian perspective.
Neutral red stains ganglia in the vagal motor pathway to ferret trachea without affecting ganglionic transmission.

Abstract To determine the effect of Neutral red (0.01%) on neural transmission through ganglia, we used an in vitro nerve-muscle preparation of ferret trachea. Before, during, and after incubating the trachea in Neutral red, we induced isometric muscle contractions first by activating preganglionic fibers with electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve, and then by activating postganglionic nerve fibers with electrical field stimulation. Incubation in Neutral red (0.01%) for 45 min at 38°C or 20°C reduced the responses to both pre- and postganglionic activation. When the control responses to pre- and postganglionic activation were matched, Neutral red depressed the 2 responses to the same degree, implying that the depression was confined to postganglionic structures. Washout of Neutral red from the medium restored the responses to both pre- and postganglionic activation. Histologic examination of all tissues proved that the ganglia were still stained after the washout procedure. We conclude that Neutral red (0.01%) depresses smooth muscle contractions evoked through neural pathways, and that this depression is reversible and confined to postganglionic structures, leaving ganglionic transmission intact.
Controlled many-body interactions in a frozen Rydberg gas

Previous resonant dipole-dipole energy-transfer experiments of cold Rydberg gases [Anderson et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 249 (1998); Mourachko et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 253 (1998)] have been interpreted as providing evidence of many-body, as opposed to purely binary, effects. Here we separate two-body and many-body interactions by introducing an additional Rydberg state, which does not participate directly in the energy-transfer process, but is strongly coupled to one of the final states. We observe broadening of the energy-transfer resonances due to this added Rydberg state, which clearly demonstrates the many-body nature of the dipole-dipole interactions in such a system.
The Monologue of Browning

Hardly another poet in the whole course of English literature has met with such violent and continuous partisanship as Robert Browning. When Wordsworth put forth his epoch-making little volume of Lyrical Ballads , he too met derision, but it lasted only twenty years. By the time he reached middle age his position as a master was assured, and his limitations were well understood. Over Browning disputation has continued longer. Throughout his life and during the quarter-century since his death he has had ardent assailants and just as ardent defenders. Persons of standing declare the man a barbarian, who broke into the fair fields of verse with poetry cacophonous in sound, obscure in expression, and shocking in subject. On the other hand, there are those who regard Browning as half divine. He is a prophet, they say, and has so disclosed to them the significance of their personal lives that they cannot hear any criticism of him without a shiver. Sometimes Browning is set up in laudatory antagonism to Tennyson, or Tennyson in antagonism to Browning; and certainly these poets do differ fundamentally. But are their differences disparaging or supplemental? I believe I shall find the safest approach to my heated subject if, without praise or blame, I coolly note some of the points of contrast between the two.
DSM-5, ICD-10, ICD-11, the Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, and Person-Centered Integrative Diagnosis: An Overview for College Mental Health Therapists

Therapists in the field of college mental health counseling commonly voice an ambivalent orientation towards the utilization of formal psychological diagnostic systems yet often use diagnostic terms. Knowledge of the current and emerging diagnostic systems may contribute to greater syntheses of these differing approaches. This article will first present and contrast the newly published Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) with the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10, the system that that rest of the world has used for more than two decades and the United States will have to use in 2015) and the ICD-11 (which the rest of the world will use in 2015 and the United States will adopt a few years thereafter). This will be briefly followed by a comparison to the psychosocially-based Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual, one of the currently available alternatives, and a presentation about an alternative diagnostic system being developed international...
The plasma kallikrein-kinin system counterbalances the renin-angiotensin system

The plasma kallikrein-kinin system (KKS), first recognized over 40 years ago, was originally believed to contribute to physiologic hemostasis. At the time, factor XII (Hageman factor, FXII) and the related proteins prekallikrein (PK) and high molecular–weight kininogen (HK) were known to be essential for efficient surface-activated blood coagulation, as measured in the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) test. Indeed, in this test, autoactivation of FXII in glass tubes promotes thrombin formation. According to the then-current “contact activation” hypothesis, FXII activation on a negatively charged surface was thought to initiate hemostasis in a similar manner by a cascade of proteolytic reactions that culminate in thrombin formation. This model was undermined by the failure to identify such a physiologically relevant surface, coupled with evidence that individuals deficient in FXII, PK, or HK are free of bleeding disorders. In addition, the recognition that factor XI, whose deficiency is associated with bleeding, can be activated by thrombin provided a bypass mechanism that obviated a need for FXII to activate factor XI. Only over the last 6 years have alternative explanations for the physiologic role of the KKS and its assembly and activation begun to emerge. Rather than assembling on a negatively charged surface such as that used in the APTT test, the proteins of the plasma KKS are now known to bind a multiprotein receptor complex in the intravascular compartment. As shown in Figure ​Figure1,1, HK, the critical regulator of plasma KKS assembly and activation, binds an endothelial cell surface receptor complex containing cytokeratin 1 (CK1), urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR), and gC1qR (1–6). Recent studies with cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells indicate that FXII can also bind to this receptor (7), but that this interaction is highly regulated. Plasma concentrations of HK completely block FXII binding to the multiprotein receptor complex. Further, FXII binding requires a 30-fold higher free Zn2+ concentration than does HK, which can only be achieved in a milieu of activating platelets or other cells (7). Thus, under physiologic conditions, HK binds to this endothelial cell complex but FXII is prevented from doing so. Figure 1 Assembly and activation of the plasma KKS on endothelial cells. Plasma PK circulates in complex with HK. The HK•PK complex binds to a multiprotein receptor complex that consists of cytokeratin 1 (CK1), urokinase plasminogen activator receptor ...
Computer-aided design and fabrication of an electron bolus for treatment of the paraspinal muscles

Purpose : demonstrate the technology for the design, fabrication, and verification of an electron bolus used in the preoperative irradiation of a mesenchymal chondrosarcoma in the paraspinal muscle region (T8-T12), in which the target volume overlay a portion of the spinal cord, both lungs, and the right kidney. Methods and Materials : An electron-bolus design algorithm implemented on a three dimensional (3D) radiotherapy treatment planning system designed the bolus to yield a dose distribution that met physician-specified clinical criteria. Electron doses were calculated using a 3D electron pencil-beam dose algorithm. A computer-driven milling machine fabricated the bolus from modeling wax, machining both the patient surface and the beam surface of the bolus. Verification of the bolus fabrication was achieved by repeating the patient's computed tomography (CT) scan with the fabricated bolus in place (directly on the posterior surface of the prone patient) and then recalculating the patient's dose distribution using the 3D radiotherapy treatment planning system. bolus delivered a superior dose Results : A treatment plan using a 17-MeV posterior electron field with a bolus delivered a superior dose distribution to the patient than did the same plan without a bolus. The bolus plan delivered a slightly increased dose to the target volume as a result of a slightly broader range of doses. There were significant reductions in dose to critical structures (cord, lungs, and kidney) in the bolus plan, as evidenced by dose-volume histograms (DVHs). The patient dose distribution, calculated using CT scan data with the fabricated bolus, showed no significant differences from the planned dose distribution. Conclusions : A bolus can provide considerable sparing of normal tissues when using a posterior electron beam to irradiate the paraspinal muscles. Bolus design and fabrication using the tools described in this paper are adequate for patient treatment. CT imaging of the patient with the bolus in place followed by calculation of the patient's dose distribution demonstrated a useful method for verification of the bolus design and fabrication process.