cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Growth and yield of cotton in response to a free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) environment

To quantify the growth and yield responses to CO2 enrichment in an open field setting, freeair CO2 enrichment (FACE) technology was used to expose a cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) crop to 550 γmol mol−2 CO2 throughout the growing seasons of 1989, 1990 and 1991 in fields near Maricopa, Arizona. In 1990 and 1991 a water stress treatment was also imposed. Response data for all years were consistent, and the data for 1991 were the least compromised by unusual weather or equipment failures. In that season the biomass was increased 37% by the 48% increase in CO2 concentration. Harvestable yield was increased 43%. The increase in biomass and yield was attributed to increased early leaf area, more profuse flowering and a longer period of fruit retention. The FACE treatment increased water-use efficiency (WUE) to the same amount in the well-irrigated plots as in the water-stressed plots. The increase in WUE was due to the increase in biomass production rather than a reduction of consumptive use.
Controlling mobile sensors for monitoring events with coverage constraints

Sensor networks are systems of many small units that work together to monitor a given environment. Endowing such sensor units with mobility can allow them to reactively converge on more interesting portions of their environment. This enables the concentration of sensing resources where they are most useful and provides robustness by delivering redundancy at the point of interest. However, when converging, in general the sensors should not leave any portion of the environment unsensed. In this paper, we review distributed methods for controlling the sensors and describe a family of distributed methods for retaining coverage while allowing the convergence to proceed where possible. The coverage methods are based on the Voronoi diagram of the sensors' positions, and can use different amounts of communication and computation to produce complete coverage of the environment. We also describe extensions that serve to make coverage more uniform or allow specific areas to be left uncovered. We present implementations of these algorithms in simulation and describe results and avenues of future work.
Right-to-Die Legislation: A Note on Factors Associated with Its Adoption

Legislation allowing for some form of death prior to it naturally occurring presently exists in very few industrial democracies. This article explores what large-scale economic and social factors may be associated with the legality of right-do-die measures, namely, a nation's health care expenditures, the old-age dependency ratio, religious pluralism, and homicide and suicide rates. Using data from several sources, we find an association among these factors and right-to-die legislation. Four of the six countries with recent experience of legalized physician-aided death ranked in the top 50% of countries on our combined measure of the five factors under examination. Implications of this study and suggestions for future research of this timely issue are discussed.
Assessment of rheumatoid arthritis using a modified scoring method on digitized and original radiographs.

Objective The results of different readers' interpretations of laser-digitized hand radiographs versus original radiographs were compared to determine the reproducibility of scoring of erosions (ERO), joint space narrowing (JSN), and their combination (ERO + JSN) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Standardized radiographs of both hands were obtained at 2 visits (baseline and 6-24-month followup) from 30 patients with established RA. Conventional and laser-digitized (pixel sizes 50 µm and 100 µm) radiographs were scored independently by 3 experienced and trained radiologists who were blinded to the order of the visits. Scoring of radiographs was based on the validated Genant grading system. Results Intertechnique (intrareader) correlation coefficients at baseline were 0.90-0.93 for scoring of ERO, 0.90-0.94 for scoring of JSN, and 0.92-0.95 for ERO + JSN; for scoring of progression between baseline and followup, these values were 0.93-0.97, 0.87-0.95, and 0.93-0.97, respectively. Interreader (intratechnique) correlation coefficients at baseline were 0.82-0.96 for scoring of ERO, 0.69-0.91 for scoring of JSN, and 0.80-0.95 for ERO + JSN; for scoring of progression between baseline and followup, these values were 0.90-0.97, 0.80-0.92, and 0.90-0.95, respectively. Intrareader (intratechnique) correlation coefficients were 0.90-0.97 for scoring of the original radiographs and 0.90-0.98 for scoring of the digitized images at 100 µm. Conclusion Using this modified grading system, scoring of RA progression directly from paired, high-resolution monitors of laser-digitized images of the hands provided highly reproducible results, comparable to those obtained from the original radiographs. Thus, this method may have useful applications in clinical trials involving RA.
Discovery of novel transcription factor binding sites by statistical overrepresentation

Understanding the complex and varied mechanisms that regulate gene expression is an important and challenging problem. A fundamental sub-problem is to identify DNA binding sites for unknown regulatory factors, given a collection of genes believed to be co-regulated. We discuss a computational method that identifies good candidates for such binding sites. Unlike local search techniques such as expectation maximization and Gibbs samplers that may not reach a global optimum, the method discussed enumerates all motifs in the search space, and is guaranteed to produce the motifs with greatest z-scores. We discuss the results of validation experiments in which this algorithm was used to identify candidate binding sites in several well studied regulons of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where the most prominent transcription factor binding sites are largely known. We then discuss the results on gene families in the functional and mutant phenotype catalogs of S.cerevisiae, where the algorithm suggests many promising novel transcription factor binding sites. The program is available at http://bio.cs.washington.edu/software.html.
Soil physical responses to novel rice cultural practices in the rice–wheat system: Comparative evidence from a swelling soil in Nepal

Abstract Soil puddling in advance of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) transplanting disperses surface aggregates and generates compaction at depth. As a management scheme for rice, puddling is typically considered advantageous for maximizing resource availability and yield. However, some experimental findings suggest a conflict between edaphic conditions created by this establishment technique and the performance of subsequent non-rice crops like wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). At a site in the mid-hills region of Nepal on a silt loam soil with vertic characteristics, we compared the impact of six rice tillage (surface tillage—T 1 , shank subsoiler—T 2 , shank subsoiler + moldboard plough—T 3 ) and establishment (soil puddling + transplanting—TPR, direct seeding—DSR) combinations on soil physical properties over two cycles of the rice–wheat rotation. For the rice season, 0–20 cm saturated hydraulic conductivity ( K sat ) in the DSR plots was 2.6 and 4.3 times higher than their TPR counterparts in the first (Y 1 ) and second (Y 2 ) years, respectively (TPR-Y 1 = 93 mm day −1 , DSR-Y 1 = 241 mm day −1 , TPR-Y 2 = 133 mm day −1 , DSR-Y 2 = 582 mm day −1 ), whereas tillage method did not significantly influence K sat in this soil layer. The impact of rice establishment method was reflected in higher TPR bulk densities in the 5–10 (DSR = 1.19 g cm −3 , TPR = 1.24 g cm −3 ) and 10–15 cm (DSR = 1.24 g cm −3 , TPR = 1.29 g cm −3 ) depth increments in the wet season. Although none of the treatments significantly influenced the position or thickness of the plough sole, penetration resistance profiles suggest that vertical fractures with reduced soil strength were created within the pan region by deep tillage (T 2 and T 3 ), although these features were not associated with higher hydraulic conductivities from 20 to 50 cm. As the soils dried at the end of the rice season, crack propagation in the deep tilled plots (T 2 and T 3 ) was more pervasive. During the wheat season, comparable bulk density profiles and soil moisture retention characteristics across the treatments suggest that many of the edaphic changes induced by contrasting rice tillage and establishment practices did not persist in the self-mulching, vertic soils at our site. Conversely, significant increases in K sat among the DSR plots from Y 1 to Y 2 (Y 1 = 241 mm day −1 , Y 2 = 582 mm day −1 ) imply a temporal element to soil structural regeneration with adoption of direct seeding.
Profile before optimizing: a cognitive metrics approach to workload analysis

The Intelligence Analyst (IA) community will soon be the designated users of many new software tools. In the multitasking world of the IA, any one tool cannot be permitted to greedily consume cognitive resources. This situation requires a new approach to usability assessment; one that profiles the moment-by-moment demands placed on embodied cognition by a given software tool during task performance. The approach we have taken relies on families of cognitive models that interleave cognition, perception, and action at the 1/3 to 3 sec timescale. This is the level of analysis where embodied cognition forms interactive routines that adapt to the cost-benefit structure of the software tool. Our proof-of-concept is a model that performs a task that the IAs find challenging. From the trace of the model, we derive a cognitive metrics profile that pinpoints dynamic changes in workload demands on human cognitive, perceptual, or action systems.
High potassium conductance in astrocyte endfeet

The distribution of potassium conductance over the surface of freshly dissociated salamander astrocytes was determined by monitoring cell depolarizations evoked by focal increases in the extracellular potassium concentration. The specific potassium conductance of the endfoot processes of these cells was approximately tenfold higher than the conductance of other cell regions. This dramatically nonuniform conductance distribution may play an important role in the regulation of extracellular potassium levels by glia in the brain.
Thermal decomposition of formic acid at high temperatures in shock waves

Thermal decomposition of HCOOH has been studied from 1280 to 2030 K over a broad range of initial concentrations (0.07 to 1.6% in Ar) in a shock tube using a stabilized cw CO laser to monitor CO formation. The observed CO concentration profiles over the whole range of temperature and pressureemployed could be satisfactorily accounted for by the following two-channel molecular decomposition mechanism: HCOOH + M → 1 CO + H 2 O + M HCOOH + M → 2 CO 2 + H 2 O + M 89-1 with the following apparent second order rate constants in the pressure range 0.75–2.8 atm. k 1 = 2.3 x 10 15 exp ( − 50 , 000 ± 1700 / RT ) c c mole − 1 sec − 1 k 2 = 1.5 x 10 16 exp ( − 57 , 000 ± 2800 / RT ) c c mole − 1 sec − 1 The values of these two rate constants were evaluated by the non-linear least squares fitting of the observed CO concentration profiles. The possibility of an alternative decomposition route involving the initial production of H atoms, instead of H2, has also been considered. However, the rate constant evaluated from the kintic modeling of the CO formed at high temperatures cannot satisfactorily account for that observed at lower temperatures.
Karl Jaspers and the Role of "Conversion" in the Nuclear Age

Analyzes and critiques Karl Jaspers' philosophy on the atom bomb and its relation to the future of humanity. This work studies the human transformations called for by Jaspers in science, politics, and religion, and develops the limits and possibilities of Jaspers' ideas from the perspective of present nuclear capabilities, contemporary moral discourse, and Christian faith.
Causes and Consequences of Migration in the 13th Century Tonto Basin

Abstract Archaeological evidence for migration into the Tonto Basin during the early Classic period (ca. A.D, 1150-1350) is examined in this study. The Tonto Basin, located in central Arizona, provides an ideal setting for investigating prehistoric migration for several reasons: (1) it is located in an interstitial zone in both environmental and cultural terms; (2) an enormous amount of archaeological information is now available for the Classic period; and (3) migrant groups can be differentiated from the local population based on material remains. In this study, concepts from the anthropology of technology are applied to architectural and ceramic data to examine migration patterns in the 13th-century Tonto Basin. The effects of migration on the sociopolitical organization of the local population are also discussed.
13C(2)-Labeled methyl tert-butyl ether: toxicokinetics and characterization of urinary metabolites in humans.

After exposure to methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a gasoline additive, only one metabolite [tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), <1% of dose] has been identified in human urine [Nihlen, A., et al. (1998) Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 148, 274-280]. In the study presented here, metabolites of MTBE were characterized by (1)H-decoupled (13)C NMR spectroscopy in urine obtained from four volunteers experimentally exposed to 50 ppm (13)C-labeled MTBE ([1,2-(13)C(2)]MTBE) vapor (facemask) for 2 h during a light physical work load (50 W). Chemical shifts for the two adjacent (13)C-labeled carbons in [1, 2-(13)C(2)]MTBE-derived metabolites were consistent with the shifts obtained for spiked standards of alpha-hydroxyisobutyric acid (HBA) and 2-methyl-1,2-propanediol (MPD). NMR signals were not detected for labeled MTBE, TBA, or possible MTBE-derived conjugates. Quantification of HBA and MPD was performed by NMR for two urine samples (collected 20 h after exposure). One subject had 11% HBA and 1% MPD, and the other individual had 3% HBA and 1% MPD in the urine, expressed as a percentage of MTBE uptake. This indicates that HBA and MPD occur at significantly higher levels in the urine (detected by NMR) than MTBE and TBA (detected by GC). To our knowledge, this is the first characterization of MTBE metabolites, other than TBA, in humans. Further urine, blood, and expired air were collected up to 22 h after exposure, and the toxicokinetics of MTBE, TBA, and acetone were determined by GC. Low relative uptake (39%), a low level of postexposure exhalation of MTBE (17%), and low recovery of TBA in the urine (<1%) were observed. The same subjects had previously been exposed to unlabeled MTBE in a whole-body exposure study [Nihlen, A., et al. (1998) Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 148, 274-280], and the toxicokinetics of MTBE and TBA in this facemask exposure did not differ from the previous whole-body chamber exposure.
Small-Sample DIF Estimation Using SIBTEST, Cochran’s Z, and Log-Linear Smoothing

Minimum sample sizes of about 200 to 250 per group are often recommended for differential item functioning (DIF) analyses. However, there are times when sample sizes for one or both groups of interest are smaller than 200 due to practical constraints. This study attempts to examine the performance of Simultaneous Item Bias Test (SIBTEST), Cochran’s Z test, and log-linear smoothing with these methods in DIF detection accuracy at a number of small-sample and ability distribution combinations. Effects of item parameters and DIF magnitudes are also investigated. Results show that when ability distributions between groups are identical, Type I error for these DIF methods can be adequately controlled at all sample sizes, and their power to detect a large amount of unidirectional DIF can be tolerably high (power > .6) when sample size is not too small (at least 100 per group). When ability distributions are different, Type I inflation is higher for easier items and larger sample sizes, and power depends on DIF d...
NPHI Creation: Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Recent papers about National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) (1,2), including those published in this Journal (3-5), have highlighted the importance of having strong, coordinated entities to serve as a national focus for public health. The International Association of NPHIs (IANPHI) was formally chartered in 2006 as an association of NPHI directors. Funded initially by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, IANPHI helps link the NPHIs of the world and assists countries without NPHIs develop them. To help guide IANPHFs assistance programs and contribute to knowledge and understanding of NPHIs, IANPHI has conducted several assessments. We provided results of a survey of IANPHI members in an earlier issue of this Journal. Our data showed that NPHIs conduct many functions that may be considered public goods functions critical for the health and well being of their populations. Our data also described the range of NPHI resources, capacities, and activities.
Trace metals and dissolved organic carbon in estuaries and offshore waters of New Jersey, USA

Abstract The behavior and distribution of dissolved ( 0.4 μm). These results imply that there is a need to further examine the influence of coastal water on the form of dissolved (
Enhancing Classification by Combining Discriminant Analysis with a Modified AID Procedure.

AbstractA modified automatic interaction detector (MAID) was combined with discriminant analysis (DA) to form MAIDDA to determine if it might improve classification results over classical DA models. MAIDDA was applied to the graduating classes of 1983 and 1984 at the United States Air Force Academy, with the dependent variable being a persister/dropout criterion. Predictive efficiency classification increases of 16.71% and 12.01%, respectively, were found for the years in question. Cross-validation analysis indicates that the unique contribution of MAID can be estimated to be a 14.53% increase in the hit rate after four splits with a very acceptable shrinkage of just 5.74%. Results seem to indicate that MAIDDA is a promising clustering technique in classification.
Pitting Corrosion of AISI 304 and 316 Austenitic Stainless Steels Covered with Anodic Oxide Films

Abstract The breakdown of the films potentiostatically formed on AISI 304 and 319 stainless steels (SSs) in 1 kmol/m3 H2SO4 solution was investigated in 0.5 kmol/m3 NaCl solution at a constant pote...
Breast Cancer Screening Prior to Cosmetic Breast Surgery: ASPS Members' Adherence to American Cancer Society Guidelines

Background: The goal of this study was to determine the self-reported breast cancer screening practices of American plastic surgeons and the degree to which those practices adhere to the American Cancer Society guidelines. An independent analysis of subgroups divided by gender, years in practice, and practice setting was performed and the implications of the results are discussed. Methods: The authors conducted an online survey of the members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Questions assessed practice composition, American Cancer Society guideline familiarity, and preoperative breast cancer screening in patients seeking aesthetic breast surgery. Responses were summarized, subgroup comparisons were made, and logistic regression was used to determine predictors of physician practices. Results: The 1066 respondents were predominantly male (82 percent) and consisted largely of private practitioners (73 percent). In total, 47 percent appeared to follow the American Cancer Society guidelines, while 64 percent claimed familiarity. Being male predicted more accurate guideline knowledge, but being female resulted in more aggressive screening and possibly more diagnoses. Number of years in practice and familiarity with the American Cancer Society guidelines also resulted in more perioperative diagnoses. Conclusions: Knowledge of the American Cancer Society guidelines is an essential component of effective cancer screening, but only two-thirds of plastic surgeons claim familiarity with them, and fewer than half report concordant practices. As plastic surgeons who often perform surgical procedures on the breast in women with no history of breast disease, we have an obligation to understand and apply consistent, reliable breast cancer screening practices to ensure the well-being of our patients.
Biological Sciences: Specific Action of α-Amanitin on Mammalian RNA Polymerase Protein

MOST inhibitors of RNA synthesis act on the DNA template rather than directly on the polymerizing enzyme. Antibiotics that inhibit RNA synthesis by binding to DNA include actinomycin D1, miracil D2, nogalomycin3, chromomycin A34, aflatoxin5, echinomycin, daunomycin, mithramycin and olivomycin6, ethidium bromide7, pro-flavine8, nitrogen mustard9 and acetylaminofluorene10. In each case tested, there is evidence that the antibiotic can inhibit RNA synthesis in both animal and bacterial cells, a finding to be expected because the site of the inhibitory action is the DNA template and not the enzyme. On the other hand, a few antibiotics are known to react with the enzyme molecule itself and these are more species selective. The bacterial polymerase but not the animal polymerase is inhibited by the rifamycins11, streptovaricin12 and probably streptolydigin13. Rifamycin has been shown to bind stoichiometrically to the bacterial enzyme molecule and to prevent initiation14, whereas streptolydigin appears to inhibit chain elongation13.
Thermodynamic self-consistency for hard spheres at low density

We consider the conditions on the triplet‐distribution function g(3), and the pair‐distribution g(2), sufficient that thermodynamic quantities calculated from g(2) be state functions. We show that g(3) cannot be, even to first order in density, equivalent to the Kirkwood superposition approximation. We obtain a g(3) that does yield a thermodynamically self‐consistent g(2), to second order in density. We show that this g(2) differs little from the exact g(2), at that order. We also examine the low‐density behavior of a partially self‐consistent closure in which angular correlations appear explicitly. The latter closure is found to describe three‐particle correlations well when two of the particles are in contact. A principal conclusion which follows from these studies is that the criterion of thermodynamic self‐consistency is useful as a constraint in constructing closures, although it does not in itself determine a closure.
Identification of the Vehicle Noise Source by Sound Intensity Method

In this paper, we analysed the level of radiation noise and distribution of noise sources of car’s engine and front panels by using sound intensity method. To get the nephogram of sound intensity and sound power spectrum, we used the sound intensity probe and Multi-channel Data Acquisition Regulation System B&K 3560-D and Pulse Data Processing Analysis Software. By analysing experimental results, we can conclude the location of noise sources of these parts. The measurement results will serve as a reference for the car noise reduction.
Characterization of normal human cells by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Differentiation of normal human cells has been accomplished by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Normal cells from human kidney, spleen, liver and brain tissues have been pyrolyzed and the products chromatographically separated and characterized by mass spectrometry. Molecular pyrolysis products giving rise to the characteristic pyro-mass chromatograms include, but are not limited to, alkenes, alkanes, nitriles and various ring compounds. Single ion mass chromatograms as well as multiple ion mass chromatograms have been used to explore the characteristic differences between various tissue materials. A dynamic computer methodology for comparing pyro-mass chromatograms has been developed for use in automatic identification and classification of the human cellular material.
Effect of Water Deprivation on Aspirin Disposition Kinetics

Abstract □ Temporary water deprivation results in serious stress causing significant physiological, hormonal, and enzymatic changes in the body which can affect the disposition kinetics, toxicity, and activity of drugs. This study attempts to recognize the effect of water deprivation on drug disposition kinetics using aspirin. No significant effects were noted following 36-hr water deprivation in rats on the metabolism of aspirin; there was also no effect of heparinization on aspirin disposition kinetics. The disposition of salicylic acid, however, was altered significantly, with the half-life increased by ~ 72% concomitant with decreased total body clearance. The effect of two dose levels, 5 and 10 mg/kg, was also studied to elucidate nonlinearity in the disposition kinetic model. Almost complete urinary recovery of aspirin was obtained in the intact form or as metabolites. At the 10-mg/kg dose, the fraction of salicyluric acid excreted decreased significantly compared with the 5-mg/kg dose. However, the effect of water deprivation was uniform at the two dose levels without any effect on the excretion of salicyluric acid. It is suggested that, in view of the significant changes in the disposition characteristics of salicylates with water deprivation, due care must be exercised in adjusting doses giving proper consideration to body hydration levels.
A mathematical model for volume replacement in bleeding patients.

Patients with massive hemorrhage of diverse etiology are still associated with a high mortality rate despite reaching hospital alive. A multitude of factors contribute to this disappointing outcome and include delayed diagnosis, difficult technical surgery, surgical inexpertise, a lack of dedicated operating rooms, and inadequate or inappropriate resuscitatory measures. Other problems may be encountered which are specifically related to massive transfusion. Anemia from inadequate red-cell replacement, bleeding diatheses, and serious hypothermia may occur. If these hurdles are surmounted the patient may still develop organ failure syndromes and sepsis with a grave prognosis. Daily encounters with exsanguinating injuries from blunt trauma have resulted in rigid resuscitation protocols based on predetermined proportions of blood components to form a composite infusate compatible with life. This permits essential surgical attention to be directed elsewhere in the early critical management. Previous mathematic approaches to transfusion have concentrated on exchange transfusions and have assumed constant blood volumes [lo]. For therapeutic value in a
Anatomy of the Constant Radial Thrust Problem

N this paper, we intend to investigate the solution manifold for a fairly well knowlow-thrust problem,the constant outward radial acceleration.The trajectories are always planarbecause the acceleration is permanently in the plane of the orbit. Therefore, we treat it asatwo-degree-of-freedomproblem.Theproblemisknown tohave a closed-form analytical solution, and, therefore, a good number of its properties are already evident. 1i4 The analytical solution can be expressed in terms of the standard elliptic integrals that actually do not give too much insight into their basic properties. To gain more insight into these properties, our present investigation will have recourse to some methods that are usually employed in classical mechanics and celestial mechanics, such as the boundaries imposed by the potential function, as well as the two integrals of the problem, the energy and the angular momentum. These conceptsalready allowusto distinguish between the escape trajectories and the bounded trajectories. The use of the effective potential, as well as the value of the energy constant, allows us to dee ne forbidden, as well as allowable, regions of motion. Note that the concept of an effective potential energy has been well employed earlier by Prussing and Coverstone-Carroll 3 in a similar context, but their initial conditions are restricted to that of a circular orbit.
Chicken transferrin receptor gene: conservation 3′ noncoding sequences and expression in erythroid cells

Recombinant clones of the chicken transferrin receptor gene and cDNA have been isolated and sequenced. Two highly conserved regions have been identified in the 3' noncoding sequence of the human and chicken TR gene. The conserved regions include sequences that have been shown to be involved in the iron-dependent regulation of human TR mRNA stability. These sequences can be modeled as two different types of RNA secondary structures, one containing stem-loop structures that are similar to the iron-responsive elements found in ferritin mRNA and the other being a stable, duplex/stem-loop structure. Both forms show considerable similarity between chicken and human mRNA. The expression of TR is developmentally regulated during erythroid maturation, and immature erythroid cells express exceptionally high levels of TR mRNA.
The physical and chemical action of fire suppressants

This work measures the suppression action of inert gas phase agents in extinguishing an air/liquid organic fuel pool fire. It then gives a predictive model for determining the physical contribution involved in non-inert agent fire suppression. Chemical suppression effectiveness can then be calculated. Further, studying the CF3Y and SF5Y (Y = F, Cl, Br, I) series allows quantitation of chemical suppression action of the individual radical moieties. CF3 is shown to be a strong chemical suppressant while SF5 is a flame promoter. CF3Br (Halon 1301) suppression action is 20% physical, 25% chemical due to CF3, and 55% chemical due to Br. Such quantitation provides guidance in selecting alternative fire suppressants to replace ozone layer depleting halons.
Studies with a Cold-Recombinant A/Victoria/3/7S (H3N2) Virus. I. Biologic, Genetic, and Biochemical Characterization

A cold-recombinant virus CR 22, was derived from an attenuated cold-adapted parent strain. A/Ann Arbor/6/60 (H2N2), and a wild-type parent strain, A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2). Antigenic analysis showed that CR 22 possesses the hemagglutinin and neruaminidase surface antigens derived from the A/Victoria/3/75 (H3N2) parent. From studies of virus-induced polypeptides using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, it was deduced that a polymerase protein, P1, is coded and by an RNA segment derived from the wild-type parent; all other genetic elements are derived from the attenuated parent. The attenuated parent and the recombinant CR 22 both possess temperature-sensitive (ts) lesions, evident by restriction of multiplication in fertile chicken eggs or in Madin-Darby canine kidney cell cultures at greater than or equal to 38 C. Genetic analysis of CR 22 by complementation tests using Hong Kong and Wilson Smith neurotropic ts mutants gave evidence for a ts lesion in the genetic elements coding for complementary RNA.
Current Approaches to Primary Therapy for Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, together referred to as differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), is usually curable when discovered at an early stage. Its management, however, is often a challenge because there have been no prospective randomized trials of treatment and none are likely to be done, given its typically prolonged course and relative infrequency. Instead, clinicians rely on large patient cohort studies in which therapy has not been randomized, leading to some disagreement about management. Nonetheless, thyroid cancer mortality rates have fallen significantly (20%, P , 0.05) in the United States between 1973 and 1996 (1), almost certainly due to early diagnosis and effective treatment of DTC, which comprises 90% of thyroid cancers and 70% of the thyroid cancer deaths (2). The decline in mortality, however, occurred only in women (1), perhaps because they undergo routine medical examinations more than men, in whom thyroid cancer is typically discovered at an older age (1). DTC is more likely to be completely resected and ablated with iodine-131 (I), an approach that has become more popular in the past several decades, when discovered at an early stage (3, 4). Much of the following discussion refers to treatment of DTC because the approach to treatment of papillary and follicular cancer is usually very similar.
Methods for pyranoannulation: an approach to a new class of polyethers

Synthese de perhydro pyranno [3,2-b] pyrannes et de perhydro pyranno [3,2-b:5,6-b'] dipyrannes a partir de diacetate de perhydro pyrannediol-2,3, d'hydroxy-3 perhydro pyrannepropanol-2, d'ethyleneacetal d'hydroxy-3 perhydro pyrannepropanal-2 ou d'O-acetyl-1 O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-4 O-cyclohexylidene-2,3 1-lyxopyranose
Valium use and abuse by methadone maintenance clients

Twenty-one Valium-using/abusing methadone maintenance clients were compared with 42 non-Valium-using clients as to demographic characteristics and two psychological indices, the Symptom Check List-90-R and the Addiction Severity Index. The Valium users scored much like adult psychiatric outpatients and had more drug and psychiatric problems than the Valium nonusers, who resembled most nearly “adolescent nonpatients” in profiles. Possible reasons for Valium use/abuse by methadone maintenance clients are discussed.
Tilt Boundaries In BCC Metals:Comparison of Results Using Different Interatomic Interactions

Two classes of interatomic interactions, the embedded atom method and the model generalized pseudopotential theory are used to calculate the structure of tilt boundaries in bcc metals.These interactions differ in the inclusion of explicitlyangular dependent interactions. The results show that these different models of the interactions can lead to qualitatively different predictions for the atomic structure of the boundary. The applicability of the embedded atom method to bcc transition metals is also discussed.
T cell profiles in vitiligo.

The purpose of our investigation was to quantitatively assess T cell profiles in vitiligo and to correlate any aberrations in these findings with the spectrum of clinical disease. Twenty randomly selected vitiligo patients and sixteen healthy matched control subjects were studied. The immunofluorescence and complement-mediated cytotoxicity assays were used to determine the percentages of total T (OKT3), helper (OKT4), and suppressor (OKT8) cells in the peripheral blood of patients and controls. Both assays gave comparable results. Patients with vitiligo had a statistically significant decrease in helper cells and helper/suppressor ratios in comparison with control subjects(p
Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 on fine root production and activity in an intact temperate forest ecosystem.

Summary We investigated the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (ambient + 200 ppm) on fine root production and soil carbon dynamics in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) forest subject to free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) near Durham, NC (USA). Live fine root mass (LFR) showed less seasonal variation than dead fine root mass (DFR), which was correlated with seasonal changes in soil moisture and soil temperature. LFR mass increased significantly (by 86%) in the elevated CO2 treatment, with an increment of 37 g(dry weight) m−2 above the control plots after two years of CO2 fumigation. There was no long-term increment in DFR associated with elevated CO2, but significant seasonal accumulations of DFR mass occurred during the summer of the second year of fumigation. Overall, root net primary production (RNPP) was not significantly different, but annual carbon inputs were 21.7 gC m−2 y−1 (68%) higher in the elevated CO2 treatment compared to controls. Specific root respiration was not altered by the CO2 treatment during most of the year; however, it was significantly higher by 21% and 13% in September 1997 and May 1998, respectively, in elevated CO2. We did not find statistically significant differences in the C/N ratio of the root tissue, root decomposition or phosphatase activity in soil and roots associated with the treatment. Our data show that the early response of a loblolly pine forest ecosystem subject to CO2 enrichment is an increase in its fine root population and a trend towards higher total RNPP after two years of CO2 fumigation.
Changes in a first-year technical writing class to support student success and retention in engineering and applied sciences

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering (IME) 1020, Technical Communication, is a first-year technical communication course designed for first-year College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS) students at Western Michigan University (WMU). The course meets the university's General Education Writing Proficiency One requirement and is part of the core pre-engineering/pre-engineering technology program. Beginning with discussions amongst STEM faculty on how best to aid student retention while meeting course outcomes, the course coordinator has instituted a series of changes to the course syllabus and requirements including an emphasis on career exploration and development, research writing, and lifelong learning awareness. IME 1020 has also become an anchor course for the STEP (STEM Talent Enhancement Program) Learning Communities where interaction with faculty, and programs emphasizing early intervention and academic etiquette are contributing positively to an increase in first-year student retention rates.
STUDIES ON THE ENZYMES OF PNEUMOCOCCUS : I. PROTEOLYTIC ENZYMES.

1. Pneumococci contain an intracellular enzyme or enzymes which (a) hydrolyze to some extent intact protein and (b) hydrolyze with striking avidity peptones. The optimum reaction for hydrolysis is pH 7 to 7.8, which also represents the optimum for the growth of pneumococcus. For convenience the terms "protease" and "peptonase" have been used, but no assumption is made as to whether the two actions, proteolysis and peptolysis, are due to two separate enzymes or are two activities of the same enzyme. 2. Solutions of intracellular substance of comparable enzymic activity may be prepared by dissolving the bacteria in bile, in sodium choleate, or by mechanical and autolytic disintegration of the cell. 3. The rapidity with which peptone is hydrolyzed is proportional to the concentration of the enzyme. 4. Heating the enzyme for 10 minutes at 100°C. destroys its activity. 5. Increasing the acidity to pH 5, the acid death-point of pneumococcus, suspends activity but does not destroy the enzyme, for activity is restored by readjustment to pH 7.8. 6. Attenuation of virulence to 1/1,000,000 of the original virulence had no measurable quantitative effect on the enzyme activity.
A Memory Efficient Partially Parallel Decoder Architecture for QC-LDPC Codes

In this paper, a memory efficient partially parallel decoder architecture suited for high rate quasi-cyclic low-density parity-check codes using (modified) min-sum decoding algorithm is proposed. In general, more than thirty percent of memory can be saved over conventional partially parallel decoder architectures. To reduce the computation delay of check-node processing unit, an efficient architecture based on variants of rank order filter is presented. The optimized partially parallel decoder architecture can linearly increase the decoding throughput with small hardware overhead. Consequently, the proposed approach facilitates the applications of LDPC codes in area/power sensitive high speed communication systems
An empirical study of packet voice distribution over a campus-wide network

Support for digital audio and video streams (continuous media) in desktop computers is increasingly widespread and hence the demand for high-quality network distribution of continuous media streams is growing. While current local area and campus-wide networks have high-bandwidth links and powerful routers, the delay sensitivities of continuous media streams pose a challenge. Our paper provides an empirical investigation of the feasibility of transmitting real-time packet streams across a large extant campus network, the University of Virginia campus network. This network is representative of contemporary large enterprise networks consisting of Ethernet segments connected by high-performance routers to high-speed back-bones, e.g., FDDI rings. We focus on interactive packet voice. Delay and loss measurements are obtained for packet voice streams transmitted over three paths through the network. These measurements are used to examine the voice protocol parameters for this environment, including a novel retransmission-based error control proposed by Dempsey (1994). >
Nationwide Analysis of Outcomes of Bowel Preparation in Colon Surgery

Background There are limited data comparing the outcomes of preoperative oral antibiotic bowel preparation (OBP) and mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) in colorectal surgery. We sought to identify the relationship between preoperative bowel preparations (BP) and postoperative complications in colon cancer surgery. Study Design The NSQIP database was used to examine the clinical data of colon cancer patients undergoing scheduled colon resection during 2012 to 2013. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify correlations between BP and postoperative complications. Results We evaluated a total of 5,021 patients who underwent elective colon resection. Of these, 44.8% had only MBP, 2.3% had only OBP, 27.6% had both MBP and OBP, and 25.3% of patients did not have any type of BP. In multivariate analysis of data, MBP and OBP were not associated with decreased risk of postoperative complications in right side (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.80, 0.30, p = 0.08, 0.10, respectively) or left side colon resections (AOR 1.02, 0.68, p = 0.81, 0.24, respectively). However, the combination of MBP and OBP before left side colon resections resulted in a significantly decreased risk of overall morbidity (AOR 0.63, p Conclusions Our analysis revealed that solitary mechanical bowel preparation and solitary oral bowel preparation had no significant effects on major postoperative complications after colon cancer resection. However, a combination of mechanical and oral antibiotic preparations showed a significant decrease in postoperative morbidity.
Changing Attitudes Toward Capital Punishment

NORC surveys (1972-76) and data on official violent crime rates reveal a strong, positive, nonlinear relation between public support for capital punishment and crime rates across regions of the U.S. This investigation places the increase in support for the death penalty within the context of a more general law-and-order syndrome which intensified approximately three years after relatively large increases in the violent crime rate. Because crime in the streets was an issue in the 1968 elections, concern about crime intensified, with a resultant hardening of attitudes toward criminals and a greater demand for harsh penalties. Personality characteristics and personal victimizations, however, are not significant antecedents of change in death penalty attitudes. Language: en
Revised curriculum on cardiothoracic radiology for diagnostic radiology residency with goals and objectives related to general competencies.

This document is a revision of a previously published cardiothoracic curriculum for diagnostic radiology residency ( 1 ), and reflects interval changes in the clinical practice of cardiothoracic radiology and changes in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements for diagnostic radiology training programs. The revised ACGME Program Requirements for Residency Education in Diagnostic Radiology ( 2 ) went into effect December 2003.
Milk Ultracentrifugal Opalescent Layer. I. Composition as Influenced by Heat, Temperature, and pH

Abstract The effect of heating skimmilk to 90C and adjusting it to temperatures of 0 to 5 and 35 to 40C and to pH 5.0 and 7.5 upon amount and composition of the three major skimmilk ultracentrifugal fractions, i.e., pellet, supernatant, and opalescent liquid layer located above tne pellet, was determined. Recentrifugation of the crude opalescent layer produced an opalescent layer supernatant and pellet. The composition of opalescent layer supernatant and pellet fractions was generally intermediate between that of skimmilk supernatant and pellet fractions but contained higher concentrations of certain constituents than either of these two skimmilk fractions. Opalescent layer pellet was more highly solvated (3.65 to 4.03g H 2 O/g dry pellet) than skimmilk pellet (2.85g H 2 O/g dry pellet) at 0 to 5C. Heating skimmilk caused a marked increase in the calcium/phosphorus ratio and in the disulfide group and sialic acid content of opalescent layer pellet and altered the opalescent layer supernatant composition but, otherwise, had little effect on composition of other ultracentrifugal fractions. Sialic acid and disulfide data indicated that heat induced β -lactoglobulin- κ -casein complex is concentrated in the opalescent layer fraction. The translucent portion of skimmilk pellet was more highly solvated and contained lower mineral and protein content than the opaque portion of the pellet. Temperature adjustments of milk to 0 to 5 and 35 to 40C altered skimmilk pellet solvation and casein and mineral dissociation from casein micelles. Adjusting skimmilk pH to 5.0 dissociated substantial amounts of casein from the micelles, thus increasing the casein content of opalescent layer and skimmilk supernatant fractions. Skimmilk pellet fractions 0 to 5C from pH 6.6 skimmilk had the lowest solvation, i.e., 2.85g H 2 O/g dry pellet compared to 3.5 and 3.8g H 2 O/g dry pellet for pH 7.5 and 5.0. The effect of pH adjustment to 5.0 upon calcium and inorganic phosphorus dissociation from casein micelles at 0 to 5C also was determined.
Targeting neurodegenerative diseases: Drug discovery in a challenging arena

Neurodegenerative diseases represent one of the health care community's truly unmet medical needs. They can be loosely classified into two categories, acute and chronic. One of the best known chronic neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease, represents a serious health care problem that may well exceed the limits of current fiscal and care giver resources. No disease-modifying therapeutic agents have been identified, and the few avail- able symptomatic treatments possess limitations in their duration of action and side effects. Despite decades of drug discovery research and numerous clinical trials, no truly effective treatment for stroke, the most prevalent acute neurodegenerative disease, has been identified. This article summarizes two recent drug discovery projects, one targeting Alzheimer's dis- ease and the other targeting ischemic stroke. Both projects involved design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a novel series of heterocyclic derivatives.
A Vocabulary of Ethnic Perception: Content Analysis of the American Stage Irishman, 1820–1860

"The Americans," observed a European expatriate in 1837, "do not laugh at honest bluntness, or good-natured simplicity.... If Jonathan is to laugh, he must have a point given him, or, in other words, he must laugh to some purpose." To Vienna-born Francis Grund, contemporary comic melodrama and its first cousin minstrelsy demonstrated beyond all doubt that his adoptive countrymen were decidedly "fond of laughing at the expense of their neigh bors." "English, French, Dutch, and German," he noted, "are in turn made to suffer the stings of American wit.. . . The Irish, of late, has [sic] become very popular."1 Grund's commentary reflected both the frequency with which ethnic characters of all sorts were portrayed upon the mid nineteenth century American stage and, in particular, the emerging public taste for the stage Irishman. A tourists' guidebook to New York City pub lished in 1850 pointed out that six of its seven principal theaters had been turned over to the "burlesque and broad fun" of melodrama and minstrelsy and to Irish character pieces especially.2 Twice during the 1830s, the British actor Tyrone Power conducted triumphal tours of the United States by relying upon a repertoire of Irish parts. A decade later, the Irish character actor Barney Williams, unable to keep up with popular demand, retained his