cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Responses of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in the field to high night air temperature during flowering. II. Plant responses

Nielsen, C.L. and Hall, A.E., 1985. Responses of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in the field to high night air temperature during flowering. II. Plant responses. Field Crops Res., 10: 181--196. The agronomic responses of a heat-sensitive (CB5) and two heat-tolerant (TVu4552 and Prima) cowpea strains to different levels of night air temperature during flowering were evaluated. An experimental field system at Riverside, California, was used to subject large plots of the contrasting genotypes to different controlled levels of warmed air at night. Differential thermostats were used to raise air temperatures in nighttime enclosures to simulate differential tropical and subtropical locations where cowpea are commercially grown. In 1982, CB5 and TVu4552 were subjected to five treatments in which average daily minimum temperature (Train) was 15.0, 16.5, 20.0, 23.0, and 26.5°C for the 4-week period of flowering and pod-fill. In 1983, CB5 and Prima were subjected to four treatments in which Tmin was 16.5, 22.0, 24.0, and 25.5°C for the 2-week period when most flowering occurred. During the day, plots were not enclosed and average daily maximum temperature during the treatment period was 33.5°C in 1982 and 34.5°C in 1983. In both years, percent flower abscission of CB5 was significantly and substantially increased by all higher night air temperature treatments. Percent flower abscission of TVu4552 and Prima was only significantly increased when mean Tmi n was 24.0°C or higher. TVu4552 and Prima also exhibited lower absolute levels of flower abscission, more pods per plant, and smaller relative decreases in pods per plant than CB5 with higher night air temperatures during flowering. Increase in flower abscission was the primary factor responsible for reductions in the number of pods per plant in all three genotypes. Reduced pot setting ability was the major cause of reductions in grain yield under higher night air temperatures, while reductions in seed weight and the number of seeds per pod were small. It should be noted that during 1983, plants were only subjected to higher night temperatures during the 2 weeks of flowering and plants experienced the same environmental conditions during a major part of the period when seeds were growing. TVu4552 and Prima exhibited less reduction in seed yield from warm air at night in relation to ambient controls, than did CB5 which was strongly affected by high night air temperature during flowering.
Designing biosensors for Rho family proteins — deciphering the dynamics of Rho family GTPase activation in living cells

Rho family GTPases are molecular switches that couple changes in the extracellular environment to intracellular signal transduction pathways. Their ability to regulate behaviors such as cell motility suggests very tight kinetic and spatial control of their activity, which is missed in most biochemical assays. Fluorescent probes that non-invasively report the changing subcellular location of Rho GTPase activity in single living cells are now allowing us to examine spatio-temporal regulation of the activity of these proteins, and are providing new biological insights. Several strategies can be used to construct such probes, and there are advantages and disadvantages associated with the diverse probe designs.
Exstrophy Polyp is a Unique Pathology Entity

Classic bladder exstrophy is a rare congenital malformation occurring with an incidence of about 1 in 50 000 live births. Polypoid lesions frequently arise in the exstrophic bladder template; this has been well described in the pediatric urological literature. These lesions, however, are not as familiar to pathologists and oftentimes constitute diagnostic challenges. Careful observation revealed that these polyps are unique in their histopathologic appearance, with deep penetrating nests of urothelium or cysts and surrounding concentric fibrosis. Combining the unique clinical setting, a separate pathologic and diagnostic entity should be initiated for this type of polyp; we propose the term ‘bladder exstrophy polyp’ or simply an ‘exstrophy polyp.’
virtio: towards a de-facto standard for virtual I/O devices

The Linux Kernel currently supports at least 8 distinct virtualization systems: Xen, KVM, VMware's VMI, IBM's System p, IBM's System z, User Mode Linux, lguest and IBM's legacy iSeries. It seems likely that more such systems will appear, and until recently each of these had its own block, network, console and other drivers with varying features and optimizations.The attempt to address this is virtio: a series of efficient, well-maintained Linux drivers which can be adapted for various different hypervisor implementations using a shim layer. This includes a simple extensible feature mechanism for each driver. We also provide an obvious ring buffer transport implementation called vring, which is currently used by KVM and lguest. This has the subtle effect of providing a path of least resistance for any new hypervisors: supporting this efficient transport mechanism will immediately reduce the amount of work which needs to be done. Finally, we provide an implementation which presents the vring transport and device configuration as a PCI device: this means guest operating systems merely need a new PCI driver, and hypervisors need only add vring support to the virtual devices they implement (currently only KVM does this).This paper will describe the virtio API layer as implemented in Linux, then the vring implementation, and finally its embodiment in a PCI device for simple adoption on otherwise fully-virtualized guests. We'll wrap up with some of the preliminary work to integrate this I/O mechanism deeper into the Linux host kernel.
Long-term projection: Initializing sea level

Long-term climate change and sea-level rise in model projections have been primarily determined by external forcing of climate conditions. Now, research shows that centennial projections of the dynamic sea level are also sensitive to the ocean's initial conditions.
Flow-influenced stabilization of liquid columns in a dynamic plateau chamber

An apparatus designed to imbed a liquid column or bridge in an axial flow is described. The bridge liquid is density matched to the water in the external flow to simulate low gravity (about 0.001 earth G). The influence of flow on shape is the focus. Results show that flow modifies static shapes in a way that can be accounted for by static theory even for moderate deviations from cylindrical shape, at least for low flow rates.
Identification of Multiple Stuck-Type Faults in Combinational Networks

This paper deals with the problem of identifying multiple stuck-type hardware failures in combinational switching networks. Our work is an extension of that of Poage, and Bossen and Hong, and we employ the cause-effect equation for representing faulty circuit behavior. We introduce the concept of solving simultaneous equations over check point variables. These check point solutions are studied in detail. From the solutions one can calculate the function realized by a faulty circuit. We outline an on-line testing procedure for constructing a test set for identifying a specific fault in a circuit to within an equivalence class. This procedure eliminates the need for precalculating a fault dictionary, which, in many instances, can be quite advantageous. We also outline how to apply these techniques to the following problems: 1) identifying redundancy; 2) determining the set of faults not detected by an arbitrary test set; and 3) constructing a complete fault dictionary.
Volume conserving finite element simulations of deformable models

We propose a numerical method for modeling highly deformable nonlinear incompressible solids that conserves the volume locally near each node in a finite element mesh. Our method works with arbitrary constitutive models, is applicable to both passive and active materials (e.g. muscles), and works with simple tetrahedra without the need for multiple quadrature points or stabilization techniques. Although simple linear tetrahedra typically suffer from locking when modeling incompressible materials, our method enforces incompressibility per node (in a one-ring), and we demonstrate that it is free from locking. We correct errors in volume without introducing oscillations by treating position and velocity in separate implicit solves. Finally, we propose a novel method for treating both object contact and self-contact as linear constraints during the incompressible solve, alleviating issues in enforcing multiple possibly conflicting constraints.
Extending Standard Rotational Rheometry for Small, Irregular, Anisotropic Tissues and Gels

Quantification of the viscoelastic properties of soft tissues and protein gels is vital to the understanding of normal tissue development and disease progression and for evaluating the cell-mediated remodeling of fibrous protein-based engineered tissues (e.g., collagen, fibrin). Rotational (shear) rheometers are theoretically well suited for characterizing the storage and loss modulus of such soft gels; however, standard “geometries” used in such devices require relatively large, homogeneous samples to generate sufficient torque for accurate analysis of very soft materials, and the analysis generally assumes linear isotropic viscoelastic behavior. Newly formed tissues and biological protein gels such as blood clots are often small, soft (low stiffness), irregularly shaped, anisotropic, and difficult to handle. The aim of this work is to develop a method that will allow the accurate characterization of small, irregular protein gels utilizing an industry-standard rheometer.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Energy spectra, altitude profiles and charge ratios of atmospheric muons

We present a new measurement of air shower muons made during atmospheric ascent of the High Energy Antimatter Telescope balloon experiment. The muon charge ratio ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}/{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ is presented as a function of atmospheric depth in the momentum interval 0.3\char21{}0.9 $\mathrm{GeV}/c.$ The differential ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ momentum spectra are presented between 0.3 and $\ensuremath{\sim}50$ $\mathrm{GeV}/c$ at atmospheric depths between 13 and 960 ${\mathrm{g}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2}.$ We compare our measurements with other recent data and with Monte Carlo calculations of the same type as those used in predicting atmospheric neutrino fluxes. We find that our measured ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ fluxes are smaller than the predictions by as much as 70% at shallow atmospheric depths, by $\ensuremath{\sim}20%$ at the depth of shower maximum, and are in good agreement with the predictions at greater depths. We explore the consequences of this on the question of atmospheric neutrino production.
Bacterial chemotaxis differences in Escherichia coli isolated from different hosts.

The mechanisms mediating the association between Escherichia coli and specific hosts are unknown. This study investigates the hypothesis that the host-specific associations of E. coli strains are m...
A comparison of the cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases using chemical cleavage at tryptophan and cysteine.

Abstract cGMP-dependent protein kinase (G-kinase) and the regulatory subunit of type I (R i ) cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) both contain a phosphorylation site located near the NH 2 terminus of each enzyme. These sites can be utilized as convenient markers for the determination of the position of an amino acid residue susceptible to either chemical or enzymatic digestion. Using the tryptophan-specific reagent, N -chlorosuccinimide, the approximate location along the polypeptide chain of six reactive tryptophans in G-kinase and three reactive residues in R i were identified. Similarly, cleavage with cyanide was used to locate free and disulfide-bonded cysteines in both proteins. The approximate positions of nine cysteines in G-kinase were determined along with the location of the interchain disulfide bond and an intrachain disulfide bond. R i was found to contain three cyanide-reactive cysteines, two of which are involved in interchain disulfide bonding. A comparison of the positions of the cysteines and tryptophans determined by chemical cleavage in G-kinase and R i , with the positions of cysteine and tryptophan in the known sequence of the type II A-kinase, support the structural relationships between these enzymes. Comparison with subsequently reported primary sequences of all three enzymes indicates the limits of precision of this chemical cleavage procedure.
Prospective, case matched comparison of hand assisted laparoscopic and open surgical live donor nephrectomy

Purpose: The technical difficulty of standard laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy has limited its application. Hand assistance, which takes advantage of the incision necessary for organ removal, facilitates laparoscopy without significant impact on patient recovery. We prospectively compared open surgical and hand assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy.Materials and Methods: Our first 10 laparoscopic live donor nephrectomies were matched with 40 open donor nephrectomies by gender, age and body mass index. Data were obtained by pain scales, SF-12 survey instruments, questionnaires and chart abstraction.Results: Operative time was longer for the laparoscopic approach (mean 95 versus 215 minutes). However, laparoscopic group patients had a shorter hospital stay compared to those undergoing open surgery (mean 2.9 versus 1.8 days), returned sooner to nonstrenuous activity (mean 19.0 versus 9.9 days) and reported less pain 6 weeks postoperatively (mean 2.3 versus 0.6) (p ≤0.03 for all). There were no differenc...
Quantities and associations of lead, zinc, cadmium, manganese, chromium, nickel, vanadium, and copper in fresh Mississippi delta alluvium and New Orleans alluvial soils.

The topic of this study is the effect of anthropogenic metals on the geochemical quality of urban soils. This is accomplished by comparing the metal contents and associations between two alluvial soils of the lower Mississippi River Delta, freshly deposited alluvial parent materials and alluvial soils collected from a nearby urban environment. Fresh alluvium samples (n = 97) were collected from the Bonnet Carre Spillway. The urban alluvial soil samples (n = 4026) were collected from New Orleans and stratified by census tracts (n = 286). The Spillway samples tend to have less Pb and Zn than generally noted for the baseline of natural soils. Except for Mn and V, Spillway alluvium contains significantly less metal than urban soils. For Spillway samples, the median metal content (in microg g(-1)) is 4.7 Pb, 11.1 Zn, 0.7 Cd, 164 Mn, 0.8 Cr, 3.9 Ni, 3.2 V, and 3.9 Cu. For urban soils, the median metal content (in microg g(-1)) is 120 Pb, 130 Zn, 3.2 Cd, 138 Mn, 2.1 Cr, 9.8 Ni, 3.8 V, and 12.7 Cu. Metal associations also differ between Spillway alluvium and urban alluvial soils. Fresh alluvium correlation coefficients between individual metals vary from 0.87 to 0.99 (P < 10(-13)) except for Cr which ranges from 0.57 to 0.68 (P < 10(-7)). The urban soil correlation coefficients for metals and the index value are 0.40-0.98. In urban soils, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cu are dominant metals and highly associated, with a correlation coefficient ranging from 0.83 to 0.98 (P < 10(-25)). Their strong association justifies the use of GIS to map the integrated soil metal index (sum of the medians of metals by census tract) of New Orleans. Although also positively correlated (0.40-0.68, P < 10(-10)), Cd, Mn, Ni and V differ in their distribution in the city compared to Pb, Zn, Cr and Cu. Overall, significantly higher metal values occur in the inner city and lower values occur in outlying areas. The human health impact of the mixture of metals is not well understood. This study provides empirical data about the mixture and distribution of metals in New Orleans alluvial soils. Given common technical development, especially of traffic flows in cities, similar patterns of soil metals are expected for all US cities and probably international cities as well. Primary prevention of urban metal accumulations is necessary to enhance and sustain the development of urban culture.
Distinguished vertices in probabilistic rooted graphs

The expected number of vertices that remain joined to the root vertex s of a rooted graph Gs when edges are prone to fail is a polynomial EV(Gs; p) in the edge probability p that depends on the location of s. We show that optimal locations for the root can vary arbitrarily as p varies from 0 to 1 by constructing a graph in which every permutation of k-specified vertices is the “optimal” ordering for some p, 0 < p < 1. We also investigate zeroes of EV(Gs; p), proving that the number of vertices of G is bounded by the size of the largest rational zero. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, 2010
Hypoxic chondrogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells enhances cartilage protein synthesis and biomechanical functionality.

Summary Background Engineering musculoskeletal cartilages with stem cells remains a challenge because researchers must control many factors, including differentiation and cartilage matrix synthesis, particularly collagen II production. Hypoxia has effects on many cellular processes, though few investigations with hypoxia provide quantitative functional data on engineered cartilage. Objective This study investigated the effects of hypoxia on chondrogenesis with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Methods The experiment comprised two phases, embryoid body (EB) differentiation for 3wks followed by a scaffold-less tissue engineering strategy called self-assembly for 4wks. During each phase, hypoxic conditions (2% O 2 ) or normoxic conditions (20% O 2 ) were applied, and engineered constructs were analyzed for cellular, morphological, biochemical, and biomechanical properties. Results Hypoxic conditions significantly altered the chondrogenic differentiation process, whereby cells cultured in these conditions had an enhanced ability to produce collagen II (up to 3.4-times), collagen I (up to 2.9-times), and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) (up to 1.9-times), resulting in better biomechanical functionality (up to three times in tensile modulus and up to four times in compressive properties). Hypoxic cells had a different expression profile than normoxic cells for cluster of differentiation (CD)44, CD105, and platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)α, further emphasizing that hypoxia altered hESC differentiation and suggesting that these markers may be used to predict an hESC-derived cell population's chondrogenic potential. Also, normoxic self-assembly outperformed hypoxic self-assembly in tensile and compressive biomechanical characteristics. Conclusions These results show that oxygen availability has dramatic effects on the differentiation and synthetic potentials of hESCs and may have important implications for the development of strategies to engineer cartilage.
Rescue of lethal hepatic failure by hepatized lymph nodes in mice.

Background & Aims Hepatocyte transplantation is a potential therapeutic approach for liver disease. However, most patients with chronic hepatic damage have cirrhosis and fibrosis, which limit the potential for cell-based therapy of the liver. The development of an ectopic liver as an additional site of hepatic function represents a new approach for patients with end-stage liver disease. We investigated the development and function of liver tissue in lymph nodes in mice with liver failure. Methods Hepatocytes were isolated from 8- to 12-week-old mice and transplanted by intraperitoneal injection into 8- to 12-week-old fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase mice (Fah −/− ), a model of the human liver disease tyrosinemia type I. Survival was monitored and the locations and functions of the engrafted liver cells were determined. Results Lymph nodes of Fah −/− mice were colonized by transplanted hepatocytes; Fah + hepatocytes were detected adjacent to the CD45 + lymphoid cells of the lymphatic system. Ten weeks after transplantation, these mice had substantial improvements in serum levels of transaminases, bilirubin, and amino acids. Homeostatic expansion of donor hepatocytes in lymph nodes rescued the mice from lethal hepatic failure. Conclusions Functional ectopic liver tissue in lymph nodes rescues mice from lethal hepatic disease; lymph nodes therefore might be used as sites for hepatocyte transplantation.
Ceramic Whisker Reinforcement of Dental Resin Composites

Resin composites currently available are not suitable for use as large stress-bearing posterior restorations involving cusps due to their tendencies toward excessive fracture and wear. The glass fillers in composites provide only limited reinforcement because of the brittleness and low strength of glass. The aim of the present study was to reinforce dental resins with ceramic single-crystalline whiskers of elongated shapes that possess extremely high strength. A novel method was developed that consisted of fusing silicate glass particles onto the surfaces of individual whiskers for a two-fold benefit: (1) to facilitate silanization regardless of whisker composition; and (2) to enhance whisker retention in the matrix by providing rougher whisker surfaces. Silicon nitride whiskers, with an average diameter of 0.4 microm and length of 5 microm, were coated by the fusion of silica particles 0.04 microm in size to the whisker surface at temperatures ranging from 650 degrees C to 1000 degrees C. The coated whiskers were silanized and manually blended with resins by spatulation. Flexural, fracture toughness, and indentation tests were carried out for evaluation of the properties of the whisker-reinforced composites in comparison with conventional composites. A two-fold increase in strength and toughness was achieved in the whisker-reinforced composite, together with a substantially enhanced resistance to contact damage and microcracking. The highest flexural strength (195+/-8 MPa) and fracture toughness (2.1+/-0.3 MPa x m(1/2)) occurred in a composite reinforced with a whisker-silica mixture at whisker:silica mass ratio of 2:1 fused at 800 degrees C. To conclude, the strength, toughness, and contact damage resistance of dental resin composites can be substantially improved by reinforcement with fillers of ceramic whiskers fused with silica glass particles.
Tripartite differentiation in a carcinoma of the duodenum.

BACKGROUND Carcinomas containing three distinctly different cell lines have been encountered in the colon and rectum, but a tripartite malignancy in the small intestine has not been reported previously. METHODS A duodenal carcinoma was studied by light and electron microscopic examination and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The duodenal carcinoma was found to have tripartite glandular, squamous, and neuroendocrine differentiation. Histologically, an adenocarcinoma, which originated in a villous adenoma, was continuous with squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma components. Tumor cells of the squamous cell carcinoma component had conspicuous intercellular bridges but did not form keratin pearls. Immunohistochemical analysis showed strong expression of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) by the adenocarcinomatous component. The squamous cell carcinoma component demonstrated focal weak CEA and neuron specific enolase (NSE) reactivity. Ultrastructurally, tumor cells of this component had frequent desmosomes and free tonofilaments. The small cell carcinoma had clusters of dense core granules in tumor cell cytoplasmic processes, which are indicative of neuroendocrine differentiation. This neuroendocrine component was immunoreactive for somatostatin and NSE. CONCLUSIONS This case of tripartite duodenal carcinoma supports the theory of an origin from an intestinal pluripotential stem cell capable of differentiating into multiple cell types.
Hematological changes in mice following Freund's adjuvant administration.

Summary A single intraperitoneal injection of mice with complete Freund's adjuvant, with and without bovine serum albumin, resulted in transient involution of the thymus and spleen, a wasting syndrome, and an altered peripheral blood picture characterized by lymphopenia and neutrophil granulocytosis. Interestingly, an increased production of antibody was observed during a period of reduced lymphocyte numbers. An analogy has been drawn here to the wasting disease observed in neonatally thymectomized mice. Resume Lorsqu'on pratique chez les souris une seule injection intraperitoneale de l'adjuvant complet de Freund, avec ou sans albumine bovine, on provoque transitoirement une atropine du thymus et de la rate, un syndrome de cachexie thymoprive et une modification de l'image du sang peripherique caracterisee par une lymphopenie et une neutrophilic. Durant cette diminution des lymphocytes, il est intcressant de noter une augmentation de production des anticorps. Une analogie existe entre cette maladie cachectique et l'image que donnent les souris chez lesquelles une ablation du thymus fut pratiquee a la naissance. Zusammenfassung Eine einmalige intraperitoneale Einspritzung von komplettem Freundschen Adjuvans mit und ohne Rinder-Serumalbumin bewirkte bei Mausen eine vorubergehende Involution des Thymus und der Milz, ein »Wasting Syndrom« sowie ein verandertes peripheres Blutbild, gekennzeichnet durch Lymphopenie und neutrophile Granulozytose. Interessanterweise wurde zur Zeit der Lymphopenie eine erhohte Anti-korperproduktion beobachtet. Die Analogien dieser Befunde mit der »Wasting Disease« thymektomierter neugeborener Mause werden besprochen.
The Mechanochemistry of Endocytosis

Endocytic vesicle formation is a complex process that couples sequential protein recruitment and lipid modifications with dramatic shape transformations of the plasma membrane. Although individual molecular players have been studied intensively, how they all fit into a coherent picture of endocytosis remains unclear. That is, how the proper temporal and spatial coordination of endocytic events is achieved and what drives vesicle scission are not known. Drawing upon detailed knowledge from experiments in yeast, we develop the first integrated mechanochemical model that quantitatively recapitulates the temporal and spatial progression of endocytic events leading to vesicle scission. The central idea is that membrane curvature is coupled to the accompanying biochemical reactions. This coupling ensures that the process is robust and culminates in an interfacial force that pinches off the vesicle. Calculated phase diagrams reproduce endocytic mutant phenotypes observed in experiments and predict unique testable endocytic phenotypes in yeast and mammalian cells. The combination of experiments and theory in this work suggest a unified mechanism for endocytic vesicle formation across eukaryotes.
Theater of Revolution and the Law of Genre--Bertolt Brecht’s The Measures Taken (Die Maßnahme)

ABSTRACT It has been emphasized frequently that Bertolt Brecht's political theater, Die Masnahme in particular, has been influenced by Carl Schmitt's theory of the sovereign and the state of exception. Although it is indeed remarkable that his learning play seems to record some of the concepts that, in Schmitt, belong to the categories of political theory, this article will return to the role and discourse of the theater in Brecht. The drama of revolution is a political text through and through, but it cannot separate the political from the theater; the drama of revolution is in search of a form, a metatheater, in which the overcoming of an order is first and foremost the attempt to suspend the law of genre. Strikingly, Brecht's learning play brings to the stage all the characteristics that have, since Aristotle, marked tragedy: the pity, the error of a hero, the hero's comprehension of the error, the guilt of an innocent man, the hero's death, the sacrifice, and catharsis. Brecht reproduces the law of th...
Magnetic behavior of nanocrystalline nickel ferrite synthesized by the reverse micelle technique

Abstract Nanocrystalline nickel ferrite of crystallite size 5–8 nm, synthesized by the reverse micelle technique were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques, and the magnetic behavior studied by superconducting quantum interference device. Nanocrystalline nickel ferrite exhibit a blocking temperature of 16 K. They do not attain saturation magnetization even at a high field of 50 kOe. The lack of saturation in high field occurs in association with high field irreversibility and open loop at 50 kOe. The saturation magnetization at 300 K is 25.4 emu/g and at 2 K is 35.5 emu/g, which is significantly lower than that reported for the multidomain bulk nickel ferrite (55 emu/g). This is discussed in terms of a two-component nanoparticle system consisting of a spin glass-like surface layer of a few atomic layers thick and ferrimagnetically aligned core spins.
Can symptoms predict endoscopic findings in GERD

Abstract Background It is difficult to decide which patients with reflux symptoms require endoscopy. The aim of this study was to develop a scoring system to predict esophageal findings at endoscopy. Methods A consecutive sample of 1011 adult patients scheduled for upper endoscopy were asked to complete a validated symptom questionnaire. The endoscopy reports were abstracted. Individual logistic regression models were developed to predict esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus (long and short segment) and esophageal stricture, including Schatzki's ring. Results Reflux esophagitis was independently associated with heartburn frequency ( p p >0.05). Barrett's esophagus was associated with the duration of acid regurgitation ( p p >0.05). Strictures were associated with dysphagia severity ( p p p >0.05). At a sensitivity of 80%, the models had a specificity of 49% for esophagitis, 57% for Barrett's esophagus, and 68% for strictures. At a specificity of 80%, the sensitivities were 51% for esophagitis, 62% for Barrett's esophagus and 71% for strictures. Conclusions Endoscopic findings were associated with distinct attributes of reflux symptoms. Symptoms are only modestly predictive of findings at endoscopy.
PRODUCTION AND PROXIMATE COMPOSITION OF A HYDROPONIC SWEET POTATO FLOUR DURING EXTENDED STORAGE

In developing countries, where limited transport infrastructure exists, processing the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) into flour provides an alternative to the difficulties associated with storage and transport of the raw roots. The objectives of this study were: (1) to process hydroponic sweet potato roots into flour; and (2) to evaluate the nutritive composition and the color of the processed hydroponic sweet potato flour during storage. The TU-82-155 hydroponic sweet potatoes were processed into flour and stored for five months at room and refrigerated temperatures. The sweet potato flour contained 3.0%, 4.5%, 1.0%, 1.0%, 90.6% moisture, ash, fat, protein, and carbohydrate, respectively, with no significant changes during storage. The *L values for the sweet potato flour increased as storage time increased, but the *a and *b values decreased. Hydroponic sweet potato roots could be processed into flour and stored at 4C or 21C to 25C for five months without deterioration in quality.
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators and Phytoestrogens: New Therapies for the Postmenopausal Woman

Estrogen deficiency in the postmenopausal woman results in numerous symptomatic and asymptomatic manifestations, including vasomotor symptoms, osteoporosis, heart disease, bladder and vaginal symptoms, and cardiovascular disease. Estrogen replacement therapy is associated with amelioration of these problems but has attendant risks. A newer class of drugs, the selective estrogen receptor modulators, provides both estrogen agonist and antagonist properties, depending on the target tissue. This article discusses the mechanism by which selective estrogen receptor modulators may vary in their end-organ effects and reviews the clinical studies associated with these compounds. Phytoestrogens are widely used in the United States, but little information is available regarding their potential long-term effects.
The Uncapacitated Facility Location Problem With Primary and Secondary Facility Requirements

We consider the problem of locating uncapacitated facilities among a set of potential sites to minimize cost of serving a number of demand points each requiring service from two different facilities. This problem has many potential applications. One such application is location of emergency service facilities where it is desirable to have a primary and back-up service facility wthin a certain distance from every district An efficient solution procedure is developed. This procedure is tested on a number of problems and computational results are reported. It is compared to a state of the art commercial linear/integer programming package and found to be around two orders of magnitude faster than this package. It is also compared to a state of the art special purpose agorithm for the simple uncapacitated facility location problem to investigate the computational implications of introducing secondary service requirements. The model is used to illustrate the effect of considering secondary service on the spatia...
Deficiencies and toxicities of trace elements and micronutrients in tropical soils: Limitations of knowledge and future research needs

This article reviews present knowledge concerning deficiencies and toxicities of trace elements and micronutrients in tropical soils. The myth that all tropical soils are highly leached and nutrient-poor is challenged. Continuing use of the term “laterite” by ecologists and geologists is criticized and adoption of “plinthite” is urged. The trace element content of plinthite and its possible influence on micronutrient availability are described. Micronutrient limitations of tropical agriculture are related to soil type and formation, and the special problem of aluminum toxicity in acid soils is discussed in both agricultural and ecological contexts. Studies of micronutrient cycling in tropical forests or savannas are needed to supplement the emerging picture of the complexities of major element cycles in these ecosystems. Interest in gold mining has stimulated studies of the element in tropical soils, and mining of the metal is leading to mercury pollution in Amazonia.
Modeling Load Variations with Artificial Neural Networks to Improve On-Wafer OSLT Calibrations

We demonstrate that on-wafer open-short-load-thru (OSLT) calibrations of vector network analyzers can be improved by applying artificial neural networks (ANNs) to model the correlation between DC resistance and RF variations in load terminations. The ANNs are trained with measurement data obtained from a benchmark multiline thru-reflect-line (TRL) calibration. The open, short, and thru standards do not vary significantly from wafer to wafer, so we also model these standards using ANNs trained with calibrated measurement data chosen from an arbitrary wafer. We assess the accuracy of five OSLT calibrations with varying load terminations using the ANN-modeled standards, and find that they compare favorably (a difference of less than 0.04 in magnitude at most frequencies) to the benchmark multiline TRL calibration over a 66 GHz bandwidth. We demonstrate that ANN models offer a number of advantages over using calibrated measurement files or equivalent circuit models, including ease of use, reduced calibration times, and compactness.
Vaginal birth after cesarean and uterine rupture rates in California.

Abstract Objective: To describe attempted and successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) rates and uterine rupture rates for women with and without prior cesareans, and compare delivery outcomes in hospitals with different attempted VBAC rates. Methods: We used California hospital discharge summary data for 1995 to calculate attempted and successful VBAC rates and uterine rupture rates. We used multivariate logistic regression models to evaluate and adjust for age, ethnicity, and payment source. We report the relative risk (RR), attributable fraction, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for uterine rupture. Results: There were 536,785 delivery discharges during 1995. The cesarean rate was 20.8%, and 12.5% of women had histories of cesareans. Of women with histories of cesareans, 61.4% attempted VBAC and 34.8% were successful. There were 392 uterine ruptures (0.07%). Women with prior cesareans were 16.98 (95% CI 13.51, 21.43) times more likely to experience uterine rupture, attributable fraction 66% (95% CI 60%, 73%). Among women with prior cesareans, those who attempted VBAC were 1.88 (95% CI 1.45, 2.44) times as likely to have uterine rupture, attributable fraction 34% (95% CI 21%, 46%). Women who delivered in hospitals with high attempted VBAC rates were less likely to have cesarean deliveries, more likely to have successful VBACs, and more likely to experience uterine ruptures. Conclusion: Uterine rupture occurs at a low rate in women with and without prior cesarean delivery. Risk of rupture is increased among women with prior cesarean delivery and among those who attempt VBAC.
Comparing GIS-Based Methods of Measuring Spatial Accessibility to Health Services

The inequitable geographic distribution of health care resources has long been recognized as a problem in the United States. Traditional measures, such as a simple ratio of supply to demand in an area or distance to the closest provider, are easy measures for spatial accessibility. However the former one does not consider interactions between patients and providers across administrative borders and the latter does not account for the demand side, that is, the competition for the supply. With advancements in GIS, however, better measures of geographic accessibility, variants of a gravity model, have been applied. Among them are (1) a two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method and (2) a kernel density (KD) method. This microscopic study compared these two GIS-based measures of accessibility in our case study of dialysis service centers in Chicago. Our comparison study found a significant mismatch of the accessibility ratios between the two methods. Overall, the 2SFCA method produced better accessibility ratios. There is room for further improvement of the 2SFCA method--varying the radius of service area according to the type of provider or the type of neighborhood and determining the appropriate weight equation form--still warrant further study.
Reversible structural switching of a DNA-DDAB film.

We describe the novel structure and behavior of a DNA-DDAB complex film cast from an organic solvent which exhibits a structural switching transition as it is dried or wetted with water. The film can be easily prepared by forming a complex between the negatively charged phosphate groups of DNA and the positively charged headgroup of the surfactant DDAB. This complex is then purified, dried, dissolved in isopropanol and cast onto a glass slide to form a self-standing film by means of slow evaporation. While the structure of the dried film was found to be composed of single-stranded DNA and a monolayer of DDAB, upon hydration of the film the structure switched to double stranded DNA complexed to a bilayer of DDAB. We expect that this phenomenon would serve as a useful model for the design of new responsive materials and programmable self-assembly.
Conquered urge as a means of self-control.

Abstract Three adult subjects were placed on behavioral contracts to count certain behaviors as a means of indirectly decreasing smoking behavior. During baseline, each subject counted urges to smoke which were defined as the detection of a preliminary response in a chain of responses leading to the terminal behavior of smoking. During the treatment phase, conquered urges to smoke were counted. Conquered urge took the form of removing the tempting stimulus or making any other response incompatible to smoking when there was an urge to smoke. Also, when an urge to smoke occurred that was not followed by smoking, simply pressing a wrist counter labelled “conquered urges” was considered an incompatible response to smoking.
PixelView: a view-independent graphics rendering architecture

We present a new computer graphics rendering architecture that allows "all possible views" to be extracted from a single traversal of a scene description. It supports a wide range of rendering primitives, including polygonal meshes, higher-order surface primitives (e.g. spheres, cylinders, and parametric patches), point-based models, and image-based representations. To demonstrate our concept, we have implemented a hardware prototype that includes a 4D, z-buffered frame-buffer supporting dynamic view selection at the time of raster scan-out. As a result, our implementation supports extremely low display-update latency. The Pixel-View architecture also supports rendering of the same scene for multiple eyes, which provides immediate benefits for stereo viewing methods like those used in today's virtual environments, particularly when there are multiple participants. In the future, view-independent graphics rendering hardware will also be essential to support the multitude of viewpoints required for real-time autostereoscopic and holographic display devices.
Endoscopic Coblator™-assisted management of encephaloceles.

Objectives: Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of endoscopic management of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea, encephaloceles, and anterior skull base defects. Techniques have evolved as new instrumentation has developed, but typically involve meticulous bipolar cautery to decrease the potential for intracranial bleeding. The present study evaluated the Coblator™ as a novel tool in transnasal endoscopic management of encephaloceles. Study Design: Outcomes study. Methods: A prospective cohort involving 19 patients with 22 encephaloceles (19 spontaneous, 3 traumatic) reduced with the Coblator™ (radiofrequency coblation plus bipolar modality) was compared to a retrospective cohort of six encephaloceles (five spontaneous, one traumatic) removed with endoscopic bipolar cautery. Main outcome measures included duration of encephalocele removal and bleeding events. Bleeding encountered during removal was considered a minor event unless more than one attempt at cauterization was required. Other data collected included standard demographics, encephalocele size, and complications. Results: Average duration of coblation-assisted encephalocele removal was 15.8 minutes compared to 46 minutes with standard bipolar cautery (P = .0003). Average number of bleeding episodes did not significantly differ between groups (Coblator™, 1.0 ± 1.57 vs. bipolar, 1.17 ± 0.98; P = .80). One episode of major bleeding occurred in the coblation group when an anterior ethmoid artery was encountered during removal. Encephalocele size was similar between groups (Coblator™, 17.4 mm vs. bipolar, 16.6 mm; P = .65). Conclusions: Radiofrequency coblation significantly increased intraoperative speed during encephalocele removal with similar hemostatic properties when compared to bipolar cautery alone and represents a useful instrument in the management of encephaloceles. Laryngoscope, 2010
Closure of conchal defects : the hinged retroconchal island flap with overlying cutaneous transposition flap

BACKGROUND. Conchal defects secondary to surgical procedures or trauma often cannot be closed primarily. OBJECTIVE. Tissue transfer for closure of defects must be tension free and not create a postauricular sulcus too shallow. METHODS. A retroconchal island flap provides such a closure. A rhomboid transposition flap used to provide closure of the donor site retains the depth of the posterior sulcus. RESULTS. The closure of the defect heals well within 4-6 weeks even in presence of scar tissue from multiple prior surgeries. CONCLUSION. The retroncfinchal island flap is a simple, reliable technique to close the defect of the concha without sacrificing the natural depth of the posterior sulcus. Dermatol Surg 1995 ;21 : 560-562. fashioned immediately posterior to the conchal defect. A rhomboid transposition flap was then drawn to facilitate closure of the donor site (Figure 2). After infiltration of 1% lidocaine with 1 :1,000,000 epinephrine, a size #15 Bard-Parker blade was used to incise the island flap (Figure 3A). The island flap was hinged into the surgical defect (Figure 3B). The rhomboid flap was harvested and the flap was transposed to cover the posterior portion of the island flap (Figure 4). The wound was closed with a combination of 4-0 chromic for deep closure and interrupted 6-0 nylon for skin closure. The island flap is well healed 6 weeks following surgery (Figure 5).
Broadcast competition and advertising with free entry: Subscription vs. free-to-air

Abstract This paper develops a model of broadcast competition in the presence of free entry. In particular, it considers two alternative schemes in which broadcast stations are financed: the pay media regime under which broadcast stations are financed through subscription and advertising revenues, and the free-to-air regime under which broadcast stations are financed through advertising revenues only. It addresses the nature of market failure in the industry with respect to the provision of variety of programming and the level of advertising. Policy implications and the optimal regulation are also explored.
Regional differences in the ontogeny of 5-hydroxytryptamine-1C binding sites in rat brain and spinal cord

Abstract Developmental profiles of [ 3 H]mesulergine-labelled central 5-HT 1c binding sites differed regionally in the rat during the first 5 weeks postnatal. At birth, cortical 5-HT 1c sites were 24–32% of adult levels and increased significantly by 14–21 days. In brainstem, the majority of 5-HT 1c sites were already present at birth and increased further by 10 days, which was earlier than in other regions. A pattern of increasing binding site density was also found in hippocampus, diencephalon, and spinal cord. Cerebellar 5-HT 1c sites remained at low levels throughout. A mature pattern of regional differences was apparent by 21–28 days with a new rank order: cortex, diencephalon > spinal cord, brainstem, hippocampus > cerebellum. These trends were seen whether B max was expressed according to brain weight or protein concentration. The regional contrast in the ontogeny of 5-HT 1c binding sites may be relevant to the proposed role of 5-HT as a growth facter in brain development.
Synthesis and characterization of oligomeric molybdenum complexes of N -alkylphenothiazines

Polynuclear molybdenum(IV/V) oxide - phenothiazine complexes which are oligomeric in nature have been prepared. The complexes were characterized by elemental analyses and spectroscopic data. The molecular formulae of the new complexes are [Mo4O9(OH2)2(PTZ)2], PTZ = chlorpromazine or promethazine, [Mo4 8(OH2)2(TR)2], TR = thioridazine, [Mo5O10(OHO2)2(EP)2], EP = ethopropazine, and [Mo6O12(OH2)2(TF)2], TF = trifluoperazine. Tentative structures are proposed.
Insurance for low-probability hazards: A bimodal response to unlikely events

Two insurance experiments using real-money consequences and multiple rounds to provide experience are described. In the first experiment, subjects bid for insurance to prevent a fixed loss of $4 at probabilities ranging from .01 to .9. Mean bids were near expected value except at the lowest probability of .01, for which a very bimodal distribution was observed (some subjects bid zero and others bid much more than expected value). A second experiment explored this bimodality at a probability of .01 with loss increased to $40. A similar bimodal distribution was obtained that persisted over 50 rounds of experience. These laboratory results are consistent with field evidence for low-probability hazards, for which people appear either to dismiss the risks or to worry too much about them.