cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
USE OF OXIDIZED PROTEINS IN THE EXAMINATION OF IMMUNOCHEMICAL SPECIFICITY IN DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY TO HAPTEN-PROTEIN CONJUGATES.

RECENT investigations of delayed hypersensitivity to hapten–protein conjugates have established clearly the importance of the carrier protein as one of the determinants of specificity1–3. Efforts to define further such determinants are hampered to some extent by the heterogeneity of the response to immunization with a hapten–protein conjugate in which many possible antigenic determinants may play a part. In previous work4, it was shown that oxidation or reduction and alkylation of all disulphide bonds in several proteins (resulting in complete loss of tertiary structure with retention of primary structure) produced the most drastic reduction in the ability of these proteins to precipitate rabbit antibody and to sensitize guinea pigs to delayed hypersensitivity to the native proteins. It was thoughtthat the use of such open chains to serve as hapten carrier might provide valuable information about the relative contributions of folded structure and amino-acid sequence to the specificity involved in delayed hypersensitivity.
Behavior of full-scale RC T-beams strengthened in shear with externally bonded FRP sheets

Abstract Recently many research studies have investigated the shear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. However, most were conducted on small-scale specimens. Thus, analytical models and design equations developed from those studies may not predict the actual behavior of large-scale RC beams strengthened with FRPs. In this study, an experimental study was performed on this topic using full-scale RC T-beams in order to understand the behavior of full-scale bridge beams strengthened in shear with FRP. The main parameters investigated in this study were the transverse steel reinforcement ratio and the effect of mechanical anchorage systems.
Aspergillus terreus and fescue toxicosis

The incidence ofAspergillus terreus recovered fromAcremonium coenophialum-infected and non-infected tall fescue grass and from the rumens of heifers grazing on the grasses was determined. The recovery ofA. terreus fromA. coenophialum-infected grass was similar to that from non-infected grass. The same was true of the recovery from the rumens of heifers on infected and non-infected grass. All heifers grazing onA. coenophialum-infected grass showed symptoms of the summer syndrome manifestation of fescue toxicosis while those grazing on non-infected grass did not;A. terreus is not a factor in fescue toxicosis in cattle.
Investigation of Impact of Moisture Variation on Response of Pavements through Small-Scale Models

The detrimental impact of the intrusion of moisture into base and subgrade layers of pavements is well quantified based on laboratory tests, and is documented in a number of field studies. Due to construction variability and limitations of the instrumentation and test devices, the field trends contain some scatter. A series of well-controlled tests was carried out on small-scale specimens (1 m in diameter) to determine the feasibility of quantifying the impact of moisture on one base and two types of subgrade. To achieve this goal, a test setup was designed and used. To determine how realistic the outcome from these experiments was, the results were compared with those from two full-scale test sections made from the same materials. The results from the small-scale and full-scale tests were also compared with the outcomes of numerical models. The experimental results from the small-scale and full-scale tests were quite similar. The trends from the numerical models were also similar to the experimental results; however, a transfer function was needed to match the two. Based on this study, the small-scale tests can lead to similar outcomes much faster and with enormously less cost in comparison to full-scale field tests.
Exploring Emergency Physician–Hospitalist Handoff Interactions: Development of the Handoff Communication Assessment

Study objective We develop and evaluate the Handoff Communication Assessment, using actual handoffs of patient transfers from emergency department to inpatient care. Methods This was an observational qualitative study. We derived a Handoff Communication Assessment tool, using categories from discourse coding described in physician-patient communication, previous handoff research in medicine, health communication, and health systems engineering and pilot data from 3 physician-hospitalist handoffs. The resulting tool consists of 2 typologies, content and language form. We applied the tool to a convenience sample of 15 emergency physician-to-hospitalist handoffs occurring at a community teaching hospital. Using discourse analysis, we assigned utterances into categories and determined the frequency of utterances in each category and by physician role. Results The tool contains 11 content categories reflecting topics of patient presentation, assessment, and professional environment and 11 language form categories representing information-seeking, information-giving, and information-verifying behaviors. The Handoff Communication Assessment showed good interrater reliability for content (κ=0.71) and language form (κ=0.84). We analyzed 742 utterances, which provided the following preliminary findings: emergency physicians talked more during handoffs (67.7% of all utterances) compared with hospitalists (32.3% of all utterances). Content focused on patient presentation (43.6%), professional environment (36%), and assessment (20.3%). Form was mostly information-giving (90.7%) with periodic information-seeking utterances (8.8%) and rarely information-verifying utterances (0.4%). Questions accounted for less than 10% of all utterances. Conclusion We were able to develop and use the Handoff Communication Assessment to analyze content and structure of handoff communication between emergency physicians and hospitalists at a single center. In this preliminary application of the tool, we found that emergency physician–to-hospitalist handoffs primarily consist of information giving and are not geared toward question-and-answer events. This critical exchange may benefit from ongoing analysis and reformulation.
Influence of population density and temporal variations in emissions on the air quality benefits of NOx emission trading

Ozone formation is a complex function of local hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions. Therefore, trading of NOx emissions among geographically distributed facilities can lead to more or less ozone formation than across-the-board reductions. Monte Carlo simulations of trading scenarios involving 51 large NOx point sources in eastern Texas were used in a previous study by the authors to assess the effects of trading on air quality benefits, as measured by changes in ozone concentrations. The results indicated that 12% of trading scenarios would lead to greater than a 25% variation from conventional across-the-board reductions when air quality benefits are based only on changes in ozone concentration. The current study found that when benefits are based on a metric related to population exposure to ozone, two-thirds of the trading scenarios lead to changes in air quality benefits of approximately 25%. Variability in air quality benefits is not as strongly dependent on the temporal distribution of NOx emis...
Poster abstract: spatial average of a continuous physical process in sensor networks

Wireless ad-hoc sensor networks have caught the fancy of many researchers through the world in a very small span of time. Although notable progress has been made in several key areas, several researchers falter in the way they look at sensor networks i.e. just another kind of wireless ad hoc networks, albeit one composed of energy constrained nodes. A key aspect that makes sensor networks different from traditional networks is their strong link to the physical world. We develop this perspective by studying an interesting class of sensor network applications called aggregation applications.We argue that when a user queries for aggregates like maximum, average etc., he is interested in knowing the statistics of the underlying physical process. In general, this is not equivalent to the statistics gathered from a bunch of nodes. We introduce a distinction between aggregates calculated over a region and aggregates calculated over a discrete set of nodes. We classify them as spatial and nodal aggregates respectively. Till now, researchers have followed the approach of doing nodal aggregation in response to every user query in sensor networks. For a continuous physical process and a random deployment of sensor nodes, which are a norm for sensor networks, the conventional approach of doing nodal aggregation produces inaccurate results.We verify our claim by studying a specific aggregation function namely the average over a region (spatial average) in detail. We use a voronoi-based approach to propose an algorithm for calculating spatial average in sensor networks. The algorithm can work in two modes -- centralized and distributed. The energy and accuracy tradeoff associated with each of the two modes is analyzed in detail. The efficacy of the proposed algorithm is tested over a wide variety of physical processes including real precipitation data of South America acquired over a span of past 50 years. We will show that our algorithm gives a 2-8 times performance gain as compared to the conventional approach of doing nodal aggregation. We further explore the robustness of our algorithm to link failures and channel impairments.Although not 100% accurate, our approach is a simple, efficient and a practical solution for calculating the spatial average. We have implemented our algorithm on Berkeley motes. Our first prototype implementation occupies less than 12K flash ROM and consumes less than 1.6K run-time memory. Our algorithm can be easily integrated with available frameworks for doing aggregation in sensor networks. For a minimal cost, our algorithm can be used to provide a spatial aggregation service on a network of motes.
Simultaneous Resolution and Detection of a Drug Substance, Impurities, and Counter Ion Using A Mixed-Mode HPLC Column with Evaporative Light Scattering Detection

Abstract An alternative approach to developing individual potency, impurity, and counter ion methods is the simultaneous resolution and detection of the drug substance, impurities, and the counter ion in a single chromatogram. LY326315 hydrochloride was used as a model compound to demonstrate this concept. The separation was achieved using a conventional HPLC system with an Alltech mixed-mode column, a reversed phase eluant, and evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD). The mixed-mode column, which has both reversed phase and ion chromatography functionalities (e.g. phenyl/cation, C8/anion), coupled with ELSD offers a novel approach to simultaneously resolving and detecting pharmaceutical compounds and counter ions in a single chromatogram.
Analysis of wet deposition in the eastern United States

Abstract Acid deposition in the eastern U.S. during a spring frontal storm from 1 to 5 May 1985 is analysed using the STEM-II acid deposition model. Nitrate formation is dominated by gas-phase production processes, with wet and dry deposition contributing equally to the total domain nitrate deposition. In-cloud sulfate production accounts for 60% of the total sulfate production, while wet deposition dominates the total sulfate deposition. Oxidation of S(IV) by hydrogen peroxide is the most important sulfate formation pathway. Hydrogen peroxide is found to exist in excess of S(IV) in cloud and rainwater in the storm front and at altitudes above 2 km. Production rates of sulfate in the high sulfur source regions are significantly lower (up to an order of magnitude) than in the moderate or low source regions. Model predictions are shown to capture the major features of the observed deposition.
Galaxy Formation associated with Active Galaxies and the Binding of Rich Clusters

A mechanism is proposed for recent formation of dwarf galaxies in the vicinity of active radio galaxies. In the cores of rich clusters these dwarf galaxies are stripped of gas and eventually suffer tidal disruption. This leads us to suggest that the Coma cluster of galaxies may be bound by intergalactic halo-type stars.
The new attack on sexuality research: Morality and the politics of knowledge production

This article describes and analyzes recent attempts to construct moral panic about publicly funded sexuality research in the United States, including pressure to eliminate funding for research on sexual topics with public health relevance. At the same time, the article relates the events to other recent cases in which conservative politicians, policy makers, and advocacy groups have sought to shape the production and dissemination of knowledge about sexuality. I argue that these controversies should be approached simultaneously as moral struggles around sexual norms and as credibility struggles around knowledge production. I examine the difficulties involved in articulating strong defenses of sexual knowledge production in response to such attacks, and I emphasize the limits inherent in the strategy of rallying around the autonomy of science and protesting the intrusion of politics into science. These problems point to important strategic dilemmas for activism and policy work related to sexuality and demand a rethinking of the grounds for public participation in scientific debate.
G2 and hypergeometric sheaves

We determine, in every finite characteristic p, those hypergeometric sheaves of type (7,m) with 7>=m whose geometric monodromy group G"g"e"o"m lies in G"2, cf. Theorems 3.1 and 6.1. For each of these we determine G"g"e"o"m exactly, cf. Theorem 9.1. Each of the five primitive irreducible finite subgroups of G"2, namely L"2(8), U"3(3), U"3(3).2=G"2(2), L"2(7).2=PGL"2(7), L"2(13) turns out to occur as G"g"e"o"m in a single characteristic p, namely p=2,3,7,7,13 for the groups as listed, and for essentially just one hypergeometric sheaf in that characteristic. It would be interesting to find conceptual, rather than classificational/computational, proofs of these results.
Peer Control in the Industrial Workplace

Abstract This case study of Kleer Windows, a firm which manufactures doors and windows for the recreational vehicles industry argues that the influence of the work group can under certain conditions be harnessed by management in their attempts to control workers. Peer control exists when co-workers seek to monitor and influence each other's level of productivity. Data were collected during three summers of ethnographic research. A comparison of the control systems utilized in the production, shipping, and receiving departments at Kleer Windows reveals that peer control is likely to stimulate, rather than inhibit, productivity when two conditions exist First, when workers are motivated to monitor one another through an interdependence of reward—making the rewards of each worker dependent upon the effort and productivity of all co-workers as well as the effort of the individual worker (i.e., through the use of a group bonus system) —peer control that stimulates productivity is increasingly likely to develop...
Solution-deposited sodium beta-alumina gate dielectrics for low-voltage and transparent field-effect transistors

Sodium beta-alumina (SBA) has high two-dimensional conductivity, owing to mobile sodium ions in lattice planes, between which are insulating AlO(x) layers. SBA can provide high capacitance perpendicular to the planes, while causing negligible leakage current owing to the lack of electron carriers and limited mobility of sodium ions through the aluminium oxide layers. Here, we describe sol-gel-beta-alumina films as transistor gate dielectrics with solution-deposited zinc-oxide-based semiconductors and indium tin oxide (ITO) gate electrodes. The transistors operate in air with a few volts input. The highest electron mobility, 28.0 cm2 V(-1) s(-1), was from zinc tin oxide (ZTO), with an on/off ratio of 2 x 10(4). ZTO over a lower-temperature, amorphous dielectric, had a mobility of 10 cm2 V(-1) s(-1). We also used silicon wafer and flexible polyimide-aluminium foil substrates for solution-processed n-type oxide and organic transistors. Using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulphonate) conducting polymer electrodes, we prepared an all-solution-processed, low-voltage transparent oxide transistor on an ITO glass substrate.
Treatment of patients with intermediate cardiovascular risk: Are clinical measures enough?

Clinical measures of cardiovascular disease risk (CVD) are important tools for establishing therapy to lower CVD risk. Risk assessment has come under criticism because clinical measures can underestimate or overestimate CVD risk. We assessed CVD risk in 252 subjects without evidence of CVD to establish therapy of one or more risk factors from clinical indications. The subjects all had intermediate CVD risk using the Framingham score. Average age was 59.1 years. 23.8% were smokers, 59.1% were hypertensive, 65.1% had hyperlipidemia. BMI was greater than 30 kg/M2 in 56% and diabetes was present in 43.7%. In this cohort, 86.9% required therapy for hypertension or hyperlipidemia, and this proportion increased to 95.6% when subjects with diabetes were included. Of the remaining 4.4% (11 subjects), 7 reached intermediate risk based on cigarette smoking and 4 based on age >65 years old. Among diabetics, 94/110 had another risk factor and would require statin and ACE or ARB therapy. Of subjects at intermediate risk for CVD, 98.4% would not require further testing to decide on therapy to lower CVD risk. Although 16 diabetic subjects had no other risk factors, current guidelines suggest that these subjects should be treated to reduce CVD risk.
Second Price Auctions without Expected Utility

Abstract Expected utility maximizers bid according to dominant strategies in second price auctions for risky prizes, bids are independent of the number of other bidders or the reserve price, the optimal reserve price is independent of the number of bidders, and ascending bid and second price auctions generate the same expected revenue. If expected utility fails, none of these results remain true, and symmetric equilibria may not be unique. If fanning in and betweenness hold, uniquenes is restored, bids fall when the number of bidders or the reserve price increases and second price auctions generate higher bids than ascending bid auctions. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D81, D44.
Physiologic actions of zinc related to inhibition of acid and alkali production by oral streptococci in suspensions and biofilms

Zinc is a known inhibitor of acid production by mutans streptococci. Our primary objective was to extend current knowledge of the physiologic bases for this inhibition and also for zinc inhibition of alkali production by Streptococcus rattus FA-1 and Streptococcus salivarius ATCC 13419. Zinc at concentrations as low as 0.01-0.1 mm not only inhibited acid production by cells of Streptococcus mutans GS-5 in suspensions or in biofilms but also sensitized glycolysis by intact cells to acidification. Zinc reversibly inhibited the F-ATPase of permeabilized cells of S. mutans with a 50% inhibitory concentration of about 1 mm for cells in suspensions. Zinc reversibly inhibited the phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar phosphotransferase system with 50% inhibition at about 0.3 mm ZnSO4, or about half that concentration when the zinc-citrate chelate was used. The reversibility of these inhibitory actions of zinc correlates with findings that it is mainly bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal. Zinc inhibited alkali production from arginine or urea and was a potent enzyme inhibitor for arginine deiminase of S. rattus FA-1 and for urease of S. salivarius. In addition, zinc citrate at high levels of 10-20 mm was weakly bactericidal.
Radiolabeling small RNA with technetium-99m for visualizing cellular delivery and mouse biodistribution

To develop a noninvasive direct method for the in vivo tracking of small interfering RNA (siRNA) used in RNA interference, two 18-nucleotide oligoribonucleotides were radiolabeled with technetium-99m ((99m)Tc-RNA). The ability of (99m)Tc-RNA to track delivery was tested in cultured cells and living mice. The cellular delivery of (99m)Tc-RNAs could be quantified by gamma counting and could be visualized by microautoradiography. Radiolabeled RNAs can be efficiently delivered into cells by reaching up to 3x10(5) molecules of small RNAs per cell. Moreover, RNAs were internalized with homogeneous distribution throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus. In tumor-bearing mice, whole-body images and biodistribution studies showed that (99m)Tc-RNAs were delivered to almost all tissues after intravenous injection. The imaging of living animals allowed noninvasive and longitudinal monitoring of the in vivo delivery of these small RNAs. In conclusion, using (99m)Tc radiolabeling, the delivery of small RNAs could be measured quantitatively in cultured cells and could be noninvasively visualized in living animals using a gamma camera. The results of this study could open up a new approach for measuring the in vivo delivery of small RNAs that might further facilitate the development of siRNAs as targeted therapies.
Mapping missense and nonsense mutation in gene cI of bacteriophage lambda: marker effects.

Amber and missense mutations in genecI of bacteriophage lambda were mapped by reciprocal four-factor crosses, selecting recombinants between the outside markers (N amber andO amber). Distances betweencI missense mutations were additive. SeveralcIamber mutants recombined with othercI mutations with a higher-frequency than expected from the map location. Multiple exchanges in theN-O region occurred at a frequency greater than expected by chance. This “high negative interference” was especially marked in crosses with thecIamber mutations that were strong recombiners. A newind mutation,ind2, was found neartsU51, to the left of the previously-knownindl mutation, which is located almost in the center of genecI. The mutationc50 maps to the right oftsU50 andc71. Mutationsc60, andts71, which differ in phenotype, are apparently at the same site.
SHELL-MODEL COMBINATORIAL CALCULATIONS OF NUCLEAR LEVEL DENSITIES.

Spin-dependent nuclear level densities were calculated for selected nuclides. In each case the numbers and spins of the levels were determined from a computer-generated list of all contributing shell-model configurations. To calculate the energies of the configurations, we assumed the model nucleus to be an infinitely deep spherical well containing fermions that are noninteracting except for pairing forces, for which the BCS theory was used. Comparisons of the calculated results with experimental level densities for odd, even, and odd-mass nuclides show reasonable agreement for nuclides with $Ag50$. The results of calculative investigations of the effects of shell closings, pairing, etc., and the persistence of these effects to high excitation energies and angular momenta are reported and discussed. Comparisons of these results with those obtained from the most commonly used algebraic formula show significant disagreements in the curvature of the logarithmic energy dependence and in the spin distributions.
A Minimal Model for the Helix−Coil Transition of Wormlike Polymers. Insights from Monte Carlo Simulations and Theoretical Implications

We present a geometric approach to the simulation of the helix−coil transition in wormlike polymers. Our approach has its foundations on a novel real-space realization of the concepts proposed by Zimm, Bragg, and other researchers. In our model, the polymer is treated as a freely rotating chain with hard-core repulsion between beads. The conformational state (helix or coil) of each bead is determined by the value of its torsion. If the difference between the torsion of a bead and the one of the perfect helix is less than a cutoff value, then the bead is part of a helical domain and carries a negative energy; otherwise, it is part of a random coil. In addition, interfaces between helical and random coil domains carry an energy penalty. We have simulated these concepts using the Wang−Landau algorithm where the density of states depends on two parameters: the number of beads in the helical state and the number of interfaces. In this article we show that these simple ideas can account for the cooperativity o...
Ultratrace Determination of Metals with Dithizone by Thermal Lens Spectrophotometry

A pump-probe thermal lens instrument was constructed, evaluated, and applied to the determination of metals after extraction with dithizone in carbon tetrachloride. An argon-ion laser operated at 514.5 nm, with a power of just 22 mW at the cuvette position and chopped at 2 Hz, and a He-Ne laser were used as a pump and probe, respectively. The thermal lens effect was measured by a pinhole-photodiode and a lock-in amplifier. Evaluation of the setup with an iodine solution in carbon tetrachloride gave a minimum detectable absorbance of 5 × 10−6(S/N = 3), the upper limit of the dynamic range being 5.7 × 10−3. Relative standard deviation was about 3%. Calibration curves and limits of detection for several metal dithizonates were obtained. From extractions of cadmium dithizonate at concentrations lower than 2 ng mL−1, a LOD of 8 pg mL−1, corresponding to an absolute LOD of 4 fg of cadmium in the probe volume, was achieved.
Lethal effect of methyl and propyl parabens as related to Staphylococcus aureus lipid composition

Abstract The relationship between staphylococcal lipid composition and resistance to parabens was investigated. Chloroform-methanol extractable lipids were determined gravimetrically. Phospholipid and fatty acid fractions were studied using thin layer chromatography, gas liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Consistent quantitative differences were found among the total lipid, phospholipid and fatty acid compositions of relatively sensitive or resistant strains and it is suggested that the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to parabens was related to membrane lipid composition. Most notable was the fact that, in a paraben-resistant strain, the percentage of total lipid and the phosphatidyl glycerol fraction of phospholipids were greater than in paraben sensitive strains. Furthermore, a paraben-resistant strain showed decreases in cyclopropane-ring containing fatty acids as compared with sensitive strains.
REV1 and polymerase ζ facilitate homologous recombination repair

REV1 and DNA Polymerase ζ (REV3 and REV7) play important roles in translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) in which DNA replication bypasses blocking lesions. REV1 and Polζ have also been implicated in promoting repair of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs). However, the mechanism by which these two TLS polymerases increase tolerance to DSBs is poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that full-length human REV1, REV3 and REV7 interact in vivo (as determined by co-immunoprecipitation studies) and together, promote homologous recombination repair. Cells lacking REV3 were hypersensitive to agents that cause DSBs including the PARP inhibitor, olaparib. REV1, REV3 or REV7-depleted cells displayed increased chromosomal aberrations, residual DSBs and sites of HR repair following exposure to ionizing radiation. Notably, cells depleted of DNA polymerase η (Polη) or the E3 ubiquitin ligase RAD18 were proficient in DSB repair following exposure to IR indicating that Polη-dependent lesion bypass or RAD18-dependent monoubiquitination of PCNA are not necessary to promote REV1 and Polζ-dependent DNA repair. Thus, the REV1/Polζ complex maintains genomic stability by directly participating in DSB repair in addition to the canonical TLS pathway.
His bundle recordings in double tachycardias not due to digitalis intoxication.

Electrophysiological studies were performed in a patient with chronic chagasic cardiomyapathy, recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia, and a history (without electrocordiographic documentation) of paroxysmal atrial flutter. Ventriculoauricular conduction occurred during short bursts of ventricular pacing. Moreover, the retrograde P of ectopic ven-tricular heats which appeared after pacing was stopped precipitated an atrial tachyarrhythmia with an irregular atrial rate. In addition, burst ventricular pacing, performed while this atrial tachyar-rhythmia was present, initiated and subsequently terminated a ventricular tachycardia with similar characteristics to the one occurring spontaneously. The double (alrial and ventricular) tachycardias described in this communication were different from those previously reported in that the arrhythmias were not due to digitalis toxicity, but resulted from the modality of ventricular stimulation performed in a patient who had the specific type of cardiomyopathy seen in the chronic stage of Chagas' disease, (PACE, Vol. 5, September-October, 1982)
Assessing strategic information systems planning

Abstract Strategic Information Systems (IS) planning has become a key management issue for both practitioners and academic researchers because of the increasingly significant impact of IS on organizations' operations and the need for many to develop a long-term vision that will enable IS to play a more strategic role. This study addresses a variety of issues related to IS planning including analysing the planning practices of organizations, their impacts on organizations, and the effects of some organizational / environmental factors on IS planning practices. A large-scale field survey of IS planning practices of 245 U.S. firms provided the data for the study. The results indicate that most organizations have some form of IS planning, but there is wide variation in the planning practices among organizations. The information input from business plans and planning resources is found to significantly influence the quality of the planning process. The quality of the planning process, in turn, significantly influences the contributions of IS to an organization's performance. The role of IS in the organization is also found to significantly influence the planning practices in organizations.
Field and Laboratory Evaluation of a Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis Formulation for Control of Fly Pests of Mushrooms

A formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Gold berg), ABG-6193, was tested for toxicity to larvae of fly pests of commercial mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus (Lange) Imbach). Concentration-mortality tests with ABG-6193 and Lycoriella mali (Fitch) larvae indicate that the LD50 in compost is about four times higher than the LD50 in agar. In six of seven field tests, ABG-6193 controlled both L. mali and Megaselia halterata (Wood) as well as or better than registered larvicides and adulticides. Mushroom yields in ABG-6193 treated houses averaged 3.5 kg/m2 higher than in grower-treated houses for all tests with yield data. Causes of the single field test control failure were investigated in laboratory experiments. Heat treatments lowered protein content and toxicity of the formulation; however, this occurred at temperatures not encountered in mushroom culture. Incubation with concentrations of sodium hypochlorite solubilized the protein toxins and reduced toxicity in bioassays. Excessive chlorine use by the grower probably resulted in degradation of ABG-6193 toxins. ABG-6193 or similar formulations have potential for pest management in commercial mushrooms.
The scintillation counter in clinical studies of human thyroid physiology using I131.

DIRECTIONAL and wide-angle scintillation counters have been employed in various clinical studies of human thyroid physiology using eight-day radioiodine. These studies have evolved the precise delineation of the area covered by the thyroid and measurements of the rate of uptake and the total uptake of I131 by the thyroid gland, using doses of 10 microcuries. These studies have been possible because the scintillation counters employed are more efficient detectors of the gamma radiation from eight-day radioiodine than the Geiger-Muller tubes now in general use. Even specially designed Geiger tubes respond to about 2 per cent of the total gamma ray emission from a radioactive source (1). Thus, up until this time the intrinsic insensitivity of the Geiger-Muller tube has limited progress in the in vivo studies of thyroid physiology and therapy in human beings.
Psychodynamic aspects of oral contraception. A review.

Emotional response to use of oral contraceptives results from numerous factors, basic among them are the attitudes of patient and husband towards (1) contraception, (2) pregnancy, and (3) sexuality. Concerns over potential side effects, subsequent fertility, and use of any medication are significant, as well as information received from the patient's physician, peers, and news media. The estrogenic and progestogenic components of oral contraceptives have been implicated in emotional alterations. Varied cyclic changes occurring throughout the menstrual cycle depend greatly upon metabolic effects and fluctuating levels of estrogens and progesterone. Therapeutic value has been attributed to oral contraceptives in management of psychiatric conditions, although depression has also been described in association with their use. Libido does not appear to be affected by these drugs.
Environmental and socioeconomic indicators for bioenergy sustainability as applied to Eucalyptus.

Eucalyptus is a fast-growing tree native to Australia and could be used to supply biomass for bioenergy and other purposes along the coastal regions of the southeastern United States (USA). At a farmgate price of $66 dry Mg−1, a potential supply of 27 to 41.3 million dry Mg year−1 of Eucalyptus could be produced on about 1.75 million ha in the southeastern USA. A proposed suite of indicators provides a practical and consistent way to measure the sustainability of a particular situation where Eucalyptus might be grown as a feedstock for conversion to bioenergy. Applying this indicator suite to Eucalyptus culture in the southeastern USA provides a basis for the practical evaluation of socioeconomic and environmental sustainability in those systems. Sustainability issues associated with using Eucalyptus for bioenergy do not differ greatly from those of other feedstocks, for prior land-use practices are a dominant influence. Particular concerns focus on the potential for invasiveness, water use, and social acceptance. This paper discusses opportunities and constraints of sustainable production of Eucalyptus in the southeastern USA. For example, potential effects on sustainability that can occur in all five stages of the biofuel life cycle are depicted.
Shielding effectiveness of carbon-filled nylon 6,6

Electrically conductive resins can be made by adding electrically conductive fillers to typically insulating polymers. Resins with an electrical resistivity of approximately 100 ohm-cm or less can be used for electromagnetic and radio frequency interference shielding applications. This research focused on performing compounding runs followed by injection molding and shielding effectiveness testing of carbon filled nylon 6,6 based resins. The three carbon fillers investigated included an electrically conductive carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and a surface-treated polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber. Conductive resins were produced and tested that contained varying amounts of these single carbon fillers. In addition, combinations of fillers were investigated by conducting a full 23 factorial design and a complete replicate. The objective of this paper was to determine the effects and interactions of each filler on the shielding effectiveness properties of the conductive resins. Carbon fiber caused the largest increase in shielding effectiveness. Also, all the single fillers and combinations of fillers were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level, except the composite containing carbon black and synthetic graphite particles tested at 800 MHz. Polym. Compos. 25:407–416, 2004. © 2004 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Explaining the under-performance of the anti-human-trafficking campaign: experience from the United States and Europe

The American and the global campaigns against the trafficking of humans for labor and for sexual exploitation have had more than a decade of time and millions of dollars of support in an effort to suppress trafficking and protect its victims. Four of the six articles in this issue explore the reasons why the campaign in the United States has not had more instrumental success with respect to its prosecution goals. The number of cases brought and convictions obtained are fewer than what might be expected. Most of the cases brought involve sex trafficking. The less than impressive record of enforcement against human trafficking appears to be another example of how even very popular law reforms and crusades can be cooled out by the social realities of the criminal justice system. Sex trafficking cases are difficult to make because the victims are difficult to work with, juries are unsympathetic, and the police, prosecutors, judges have their own priorities. The article on the attempt to eliminate sex trafficking by switching to a policy of regulating prostitution rather than treating it as a crime indicates that policy change did not succeed. An attempt to create an index for assessing the implementation of anti-trafficking programs was successful.
Load Profiling Based Routing for Guaranteed Bandwidth Flows

To support the stringent Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of real-time (e.g. audio/video) applications in integrated services networks, several routing algorithms that allow for the reservation of the needed bandwidth over a Virtual Circuit (VC), established on one of several candidate routes, have been proposed. Traditionally, such routing is done using the least-loaded concept, and thus results in balancing the load across the set of candidate routes. In this paper, we propose the use of load profiling as an attractive alternative to load balancing for routing guaranteed bandwidth VCs (flows). Load profiling techniques allow the distribution of “available” bandwidth across a set of candidate routes to match the characteristics of incoming VC QoS requests. We thoroughly characterize the performance of VC routing using load profiling and contrast it to routing using load balancing and load packing. We do so both analytically and via extensive simulations of multi-class traffic routing in Virtual Path (VP) based networks. Our findings show that for routing guaranteed bandwidth flows in VP networks, load profiling is desirable as it reduces VP bandwidth fragmentation, which increases the likelihood of accepting new VC requests. This fragmentation could be particularly harmful when the granularity of VC requests is large. Typically, this occurs when a common VC is established to carry the aggregate traffic flow of many high-bandwidth real-time sources. For VP-based networks, our simulation results show that our load-profiling VC routing scheme performs better or as well as the traditional load-balancing VC routing in terms of revenue under both skewed and uniform workloads. Furthermore, load-profiling routing improves routing fairness by proactively increasing the chances of admitting high-bandwidth Hows.
Two types of fundamentalist

The Creation Controversy: Science or Scripture in the Schools. By Dorothy Nelkin. W.W. Norton: 1983. Pp.242. $16.95, £12.50.
Friendship Quality and Health-Related Outcomes Among Adolescents With Cystic Fibrosis

OBJECTIVE During adolescence, the significance of peer relationships peaks, and the presence and quality of dyadic friendships impact psychosocial outcomes. Yet, friendships have been studied infrequently among youth with chronic illness, particularly youth with cystic fibrosis (CF). The current aims were to (1) describe friendships among adolescents with CF, including number, duration, frequency of interactions, and positive/negative friendship qualities, and (2) explore associations between friendship quality, treatment adherence, and health-related quality of life. METHODS Participants (N = 42) reported on friendships with peers with and without CF; caregivers reported on adolescents' adherence and quality of life. RESULTS Friendships with CF-peers were less common and lower quality than friendships with non-CF peers. Both positive and negative friendship qualities were associated with adherence; positive friendship qualities were uniquely associated with quality of life. CONCLUSIONS CF-related health promotion efforts may benefit from addressing the impact of friendships on adherence and quality of life.
A HEMISPHERIC ASSESSMENT OF SCALE DEPENDENCE IN LATITUDINAL GRADIENTS OF SPECIES RICHNESS

Considerable controversy surrounds the importance of historical, evolution- ary, and ecological factors affecting continental patterns in species richness. Although the importance of area and latitude are both well documented, few attempts have been made to integrate their effects in a single model. Most studies have been conducted by super- imposing grids on equal-area projection maps and counting the number of species occurring within grid cells (i.e., quadrats). Unfortunately, different grid-based studies use different quadrat sizes, making comparisons tenuous. We developed a hierarchical model to evaluate the degree to which area (based on a nested series of quadrats of five sizes, 1000-25 000 km 2 ) affects the latitudinal gradient in species richness. The model allows the relationship between latitude and area to be nonlinear and, in its simple form, evaluates how well species richness can be predicted by the additive influences of latitude and area. The complex model evaluates whether an area 3 latitude interaction accounts for significant additional variation in species richness above that in the simple model (i.e., assesses the scale dependence of the latitudinal gradient). For bats and marsupials, the simple model included only latitudinal effects and accounted for over half of the variation in species richness of each of the two taxa. The interactive effect was nonsignificant for each taxon, accounting for ,0.1% of additional variation in species richness in each case. If other taxa or land masses produce similar relationships, then the form of the latitudinal gradient is relatively invariant with respect to area at 1000-25 000 km 2 scales, and comparisons among studies at this spatial
Renal artery stenosis in kidney transplants

Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is an increasingly recognized complication of renal transplantation, with a reported incidence of between 1% and 23%. The clinical features include refractory hypertension, new-onset hypertension, allograft dysfunction, and the presence of a bruit over the graft. In this report, we describe the investigation and treatment of one such patient and review the current diagnostic approaches and therapy in this setting.
An Analysis of Glyphosate Data from the California Environmental Protection Agency Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program

Glyphosate is among the pesticides most frequently reported to the California EPA Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program. We analyzed glyphosate-related calls to the Pesticide Illness Surveillance Program in order to assess the number of reports involving systemic symptoms and to better understand the nature and severity of reported cases. Data on glyphosate and other pesticides are available for the years 1982-1997 including: type of exposure (agricultural/other); target organ(s) affected (skin/eye/respiratory/systemic); exposure(s); an assessment of causal relationship (possible, probable, or definite); and limited medical text. Of 815 total glyphosate calls, most involved topical irritation of the eye (n = 399), skin (n = 250), upper airway (n = 7), or combinations of these sites (n = 32) without systemic symptoms. Of the 187 systemic cases, only 22 had symptoms recorded as probably or definitely related to glyphosate exposure alone. The reported symptoms were not severe, expected to be limited in duration, and frequently inconsistent with the route of exposure and/or previous experience with glyphosate. We conclude that call volume is not a reliable indicator of the actual incidence or severity of glyphosate-related incidents in California.
Knee height and arm span: a reflection of early life environment and risk of dementia.

Objectives: To determine if anthropometric measures, as markers of early life environment, are associated with risk of dementia, Alzheimer disease (AD), and vascular dementia (VaD). Methods: A total of 2,798 subjects were followed as part of the Cardiovascular Health Cognition Study for an average of 5.4 years; 480 developed dementia. Knee height was measured 3 years prior to and arm span 4 years after the study’s baseline. Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine their association with subsequent risk of dementia, AD, and VaD. Results: Among women, greater knee height and arm span were associated with lower risks of dementia (knee height: HR per 1-inch increase 0.84; 95% CI 0.74–0.96; arm span: HR per 1-inch increase 0.93; 95% CI 0.88–0.98) and AD (knee height: HR per 1-inch increase 0.78; 95% CI 0.65–0.93; arm span: HR per 1-inch increase 0.90; 95% CI 0.85–0.96). Women in the lowest quartile of arm span had ∼1.5 times greater risk of dementia (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.03–2.05) and AD (HR 1.70; 95% CI 1.10–2.62) than other women. Among men, only arm span was associated with lower risks of dementia (HR per 1-inch increase 0.94; 95% CI 0.89–1.00) and AD (HR per 1-inch increase 0.92; 95% CI 0.84–1.00). For each gender, knee height was not associated with VaD, while arm span was associated with a nonsignificant lower risk of VaD. Conclusions: Our findings with knee height and arm span are consistent with previous reports and suggest early life environment may play an important role in the determination of future dementia risk.
Anaerobic diagenesis of silica and carbon in continental margin sediments : Discrete zones of TCO2 production

Pore water profiles of dissolved Si, Ca2+, SO42-, CH4, and TCO2 (Dissolved Inorganic Carbon; DIC) were determined from multicores and gravity cores collected at nine sites off Southern California, the west coast of Mexico, and within the Gulf of California. These sites were located within the eastern North Pacific oxygen minimum zone at depths of 400 to 900 m and in settings where bottom water oxygen concentrations were <3 μM and sediments were laminated. Pore water profiles were defined at a resolution of millimeters (whole core squeezing), centimeters (sectioning and squeezing) and meters (gravity core sectioning and squeezing), and diffusive fluxes were calculated for different zones within the sediment column. The flux of dissolved silica across the sediment-water interface (SWI) ranged from 0.3 to 3.4 mmol Si m-2d-1, and TCO2 fluxes ranged from 0.8 to 4.6 mmol C m-2d-1. A positive correlation (r = 0.74) existed between these fluxes, yet these two constituents exhibited significantly different diagenetic behavior downcore; dissolved Si generally reached a constant concentration (between 450 and 900 μM) in the upper few cm, whereas TCO2 concentrations increased monotonically with depth. Methane was detected at micromolar levels in sediment intervals between 0 and 60 cm and at five sites, increased to millimolar levels at depths of 80 to 170 cm. At the horizon marking the appearance of millimolar levels of methane, there was a distinct change in slope of the sulfate and TCO2 gradients. A flux budget for this horizon was determined by using linear fits to pore water profiles; these budgets indicate that the upward TCO2 flux away from this horizon is 40 to 50% greater than the downward sulfate flux to this horizon. Given that the TCO2 flux to this horizon from below was quite small, this imbalance suggests that anaerobic oxidation of methane by sulfate is not the only process producing TCO2 within this horizon. A budget for TCO2 at this horizon is balanced when 40 to 80% of the sulfate flux is attributed to organic carbon remineralization. Of the DIC that diffuses across the SWI, 20 to 40% is generated by reactions occurring within or below this deep reaction horizon.