cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ammonia, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Wean-to-Finish Swine Barns Fed Diets with or without DDGS

In recent years the corn grain ethanol industry has expanded and led to increased availability of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). As a result, feeding DDGS to swine is becoming more common in pork production. With feed being the primary cost in pork production and increasing interest in air emissions from animal feeding operations, it is important to understand the impacts of non-traditional dietary formulations on aerial emissions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impacts of feeding DDGS on ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from deep-pit swine wean-to-finish (5.5 – 118 kg) facilities in Iowa, the leading swine producing state in the USA. To attain the study objectives, two commercial, co-located wean-to-finish barns were monitored: one barn received a traditional corn-soybean meal diet (designated as Non-DDGS regimen), while the other received a diet that included 22% DDGS (designated as DDGS regimen). Gaseous concentrations and barn ventilation rate (VR) were monitored or determined semi-continuously, and the corresponding emission rates (ER) were derived from the concentration and VR data. Two turns of production were monitored for this study, covering the period of December 2009 to January 2011. The daily and cumulative emissions are expressed on the basis of per barn, per pig, and per animal unit (AU, 500 kg live body weight). Results from this project indicate that feeding 22% DDGS does not significantly affect aerial emissions of NH3, H2S, CO2, N2O or CH4 when compared to the Non-DDGS regimen in a deep-pit wean-to-finish swine facility (p-value = 0.10 for NH3, 0.13 for H2S, 0.55 for CO2, 0.58 for N2O, and 0.18 for CH4). ER for the Non-DDGS regimen, in g/d-pig, averaged 7.5 NH3, 0.37 H2S, 2127 CO2 and 72 CH4. In comparison, ER for the DDGS regimen, in g/d-pig, averaged 8.1 NH3, 0.4 H2S, 1849 CO2, and 48 CH4. On the basis of kg gas emission per AU marketed, the values were 8.7 NH3, 0.724 H2S, 2350 CO2 and 84 CH4 for the Non-DDGS regimen; and 12 NH3, 0.777 H2S, 2095 CO2, and 60 CH4 for the DDGS regimen. Results of this extended field-scale study help filling the knowledge gap of GHG emissions and impact of DDGS on gaseous emissions from modern swine production systems.
Early organizations of biomedical engineering in the US

The author provides some facts about the early history of the Institute for Radio Engineers Professional Group on Medical Electronics, which later became today's IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, to supplement the information given in a 1959 article by L.H. Montgomery, which is reprinted in ibid., vol.12, no.3, p.30-3 (1993). >
Puromycin and Cycloheximide: Different Effects on Hippocampal Electrical Activity

Abstract. Mice were injected in the temporal region of the brain with cycloheximide or puromycin; both agents markedly inhibit protein synthesis in the brain. Recordings of electrical activity were made in the hippocampal region 5 hours after injection of these drugs. The amplitude and frequency observed in records from mice injected with cycloheximide were indistinguishable from those injected with saline alone. Records from puromycin-injected mice were strikingly abnormal. This finding may contribute to the differences in behavioral effects of intracerebral injections of the two inhibitors of protein synthesis studied.
The epidemiology of placenta previa in the United States, 1979 through 1987.

OBJECTIVE: Placenta previa can cause serious, occasionally fatal complications for fetuses and mothers; however, data on its national incidence and sociodemographic risk factors have not been available. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey for the years 1979 through 1987 and from the Retrospective Maternal Mortality Study (1979 through 1986). RESULTS: We found that placenta previa complicated 4.8 per 1000 deliveries annually and was fatal in 0.03% of cases. Incidence rates remained stable among white women but increased among black and other minority women ( p CONCLUSION: Our findings support the need for improved prenatal and intrapartum care to reduce the serious complications and deaths associated with placenta previa.
Suppression of Undesired Radiation of Directional HF Antennas and Associated Feed Lines

An analysis of the situation in point-to-point radio communication circuits at frequencies below MUF with respect to radiation in undesired directions brings to the fore some aspects which are useful as guide lines in antenna research, design, and application engineering. In many cases, the interference experienced in operating receivers in the high-frequency range can be attributed primarily to the relatively high side lobes of the radiation pattern of rhombic antennas. Progress has been made in suppressing these side lobes through the development of antenna arrays employing nonuniform amplitude distributions and, more recently, through the advent of modified horn-type antennas. Other sources of interference which are usually overlooked are associated with balanced open-wire lines which are not operated properly. Recently, it has become feasible to replace these lines by coaxial cable using broad-band balun transformers.
The ras-related protein rad associates with the cytoskeleton in a non-lipid-dependent manner.

Rad is the prototypic member of a new family of Ras-related proteins (Rad, Gem, and Kir) which lack typical C-terminal amino acid motifs for isoprenylation. In mouse C2C12 muscle cell lines about 50% of Rad protein resides in the cytosol and behaves as a hydrophilic protein partitioning away from TX-114. The remainder of Rad is associated with plasma and internal membranes. The association of Rad with the membrane does not occur through the lipid bilayer, but instead depends on the interaction of Rad with the cytoskeleton or membrane skeleton. In contrast to Ras, biosynthetic labeling of cellular proteins in C2Cl2 cells with [3H]palmitic acid demonstrates that Rad is not modified with this fatty acid, and inhibition of isoprenylation with lovastatin treatment has no effect on Rad subcellular distribution. Furthermore, removal of the C-terminal 11 amino acids that are precisely conserved in all three Rad family members has no effect on Rad subcellular distribution. Addition of the 9 amino acids from the C-terminus of H-Ras to the truncated Rad protein results in a redistribution of Rad from the cytosol to the membrane skeleton without the presence of any detectable lipid modification of the chimeric protein. These data suggest that Rad possesses unique cellular localization signals which, in contrast to other Ras-related family members, do not depend on the lipid modification of the C-terminus.
E-Democracy, E-Commerce, and E-Research: Examining the Electronic Ties Between Citizens and Governments

Few doubt that the Internet is changing citizen interactions with government. To assess those changes, the authors analyze data from a telephone survey on how Georgia residents connect with government via the Internet. They find that citizens visit government Web sites for many reasons, which can be divided into three categories: e-democracy, e-commerce, and e-research. E-democracy is the least common activity, and it alone resembles traditional political behavior by being more prevalent among respondents interested in politics and government. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for future citizen engagement with e-governance and for the role of government in facilitating that engagement.
Enhanced degradation of a mixture of three herbicides in the rhizosphere of a herbicide-tolerant plant

Abstract The rhizosphere of herbicide-tolerant plants may be an important component in biologically remediating pesticide-contaminated soils. A pesticide-contaminated site at an agrochemical dealership in Iowa was characterized, and soil from the site was brought to the laboratory for degradation experiments. Three major herbicides were identified in the soils by gas chromatography-atrazine, metolachlor, and trifluralin. Although concentrations of these chemicals were as high as 2 to 3 times field application rates, herbicide-tolerant plants were found growing in the contaminated soil. Initial numbers of microorganisms were determined in rhizosphere soil from Kochia sp. and in edaphosphere (nonvegetated) soil. The rhizosphere soil had an order of magnitude higher microbial numbers (4.2 × 10 5 ) compared with the edaphosphere soil (3.5 × 10 4 .) A degradation experiment that did not incorporate vegetation was carried out by using sterile control soil, Kochia sp. rhizosphere soil, and edaphosphere soil spiked with a mixture of atrazine, metolachlor, and trifluralin at levels typical of point-source spills. Significantly (p ≤ 0.10) enchanced degradation was observed in the rhizosphere soil after 14-d incubations. Microorganisms in nonvegetated soil also showed the ability to degrade the three compounds, but not to the extent of the rhizosphere soil. Some abiotic degradation occurred for all three herbicides. The results of these preliminary experiments suggest that the rhizosphere of certain plant species may be important for facilitating microbial degradation of pesticide wastes in soils and beneficial for remediating pesticide-contaminated sites.
Black-White Unions: West Indians and African Americans compared

In this research we use 1990 PUMS data to compare the propensity for unions between African Americans and native whites with the propensity for unions between British West Indians and native whites. In addition, we distinguish women and men. Descriptive statistics indicate that West Indians, with the exception of men who arrived as adults, are more likely than African Americans to have white partners. After the introduction of controls for several correlates of intermarriage, however, West Indian men of any generation have lower exogamy rates than African American men, while exogamy rates are higher among West Indian women who arrived as children or who were born in the United States than among African American women. Thus we find no consistent evidence of greater exogamy for British West Indians than for African Americans.
Induction of Fos immunoreactivity in the rat brain after cold-restraint induced gastric lesions and fecal excretion.

Abstract Cold-restraint alters gastrointestinal function through vagal pathways. Immunohistochemical detection of the nuclear phosphoprotein Fos (Fos-IR) was used to map brain neuronal pathways activated by cold exposure for 3 h in fasted rats maintained individually in semi-cylindrical restraining cages. Gastric lesions and fecal pellet output were also monitored. In rats exposed to cold (4°C) restraint for 3 h, numerous Fos-positive nuclei were observed in the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, raphe pallidus, locus coeruleus, and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, and, to a lesser extent, in the raphe obscurus, parapyramidal region, and medullary noradrenergc region, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and septum. Fecal pellet output was increased by 8 fold and gastric lesions covered 19.5±1.1% of the corpus mucosa. Rats restrained at room temperature under otherwise same conditions had little or no Fos-positive cells in these brain nuclei, no gastric erosion and a low pellet output (1.3±0.5nb/3h). These data, in addition to previous functional studies, provide anatomic support for the involvement of neurons in the caudal raphe nuclei, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus and paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in the autonomic and endocrine responses to cold-restraint.
Weight maintenance 2 years after participation in a weight loss program promoting low-energy density foods.

Objective: Observational study designed to determine weight outcomes and associated dietary intake patterns for a sample of participants ≥1 year after completing the University of Alabama at Birmingham EatRight Weight Management Program. Research Methods and Procedures: Seventy-four former participants (64% women) completed follow-up visits ≥1 year after participating in EatRight, which promotes low-energy density, high-complex carbohydrate foods. Weight maintenance was defined as gaining <5% of body weight since completion of the EatRight program and staying below their program entry weight. Those who gained ≥5% of their body weight since completion were classified as gainers. Results: During EatRight, participants of the follow-up study lost an average of 4.0 kg. After a mean follow-up time of 2.2 years, the average weight change was +0.59 kg (mean BMI, 32.5 kg/m2). Seventy-eight percent of participants gained <5% of their body weight; 46% had no weight regain or continued weight loss. Unadjusted mean intake for maintainers was 1608 kcal, whereas calorie intake for gainers was 1989 kcal. Despite eating slightly fewer calories (adjusted difference, 244; p = 0.058), maintainers ate a similar amount of food, resulting in a lower energy-density pattern (p = 0.016) compared with those who regained ≥5% of body weight. Gainers also reported consuming larger portions of several food groups. Discussion: Our results indicate that low-energy-density eating habits are associated with long-term weight maintenance. Those who maintain weight after the EatRight program consume a low-energy-density dietary pattern and smaller portions of food groups potentially high in energy density than those who regain weight.
Technical Excellence: A Requirement for Good Engineering

Technical excellence is a requirement for good engineering. Technical excellence has many different ways of expressing itself within engineering. NASA has initiatives that address the enhancement of the Agency's technical excellence and thrust to maintain the associated high level of performance by the Agency on current programs/projects and as it moves into the Constellation Program and the return to the Moon with plans to visit Mars. This paper addresses some of the key initiatives associated with NASA's technical excellence thrust. Examples are provided to illustrate some results being achieved and plans to enhance these initiatives.
The Alpha Substitution Effect on Phthalocyanine Aggregation

The dimerization and tendency to form higher aggregates of two isomeric metal-free phthalocyanine compounds with tetracumylphenoxy peripheral substitution at the alpha (1 or 4, 5 or 8, 9 or 12, 13 or 16) and beta (2 or 3, 6 or 7, 10 or 11, 14 or 15) positions has been analysed by spectroscopic measurements. The dimerization constants in chloroform solution are 1.3 × 101M−1 and 7.0 × 103M−1 respectively. At concentrations greater than 10−3M, the beta phthalocyanine isomer forms a spectroscopically resolvable higher aggregate. Q-band spectra of the dimer of each isomer and of the aggregate of the beta isomer in chloroform solution were generated. Comparison of these spectra with the corresponding thin film spectra of each isomer indicates that the stronger tendency toward aggregation of the beta isomer extends into the solid state. The difference in aggregating tendency of the two isomers was attributed to a steric constraint of the alpha isomer that restricts conformational freedom and, consequently, hinde...
Shallow silicide contacts formed by using codeposited Pt2Si and Pt1.2Si films

We have succeeded in making shallow silicide contacts on Si by using codeposited Pt2Si and Pt1.2Si alloyed films. Cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy showed that a uniform contact 10 nm deep was achieved by both films. Current‐voltage measurements showed that the Schottky barrier height of these shallow contacts was as good as that of PtSi made by reacting pure Pt with n‐Si.
Hydroxymethylation of pyrimidine mononucleotides with formaldehyde.

Abstract The 5-hydroxymethyl derivatives of the 5′-mononucleotides corresponding to uracil and cytosine, both in the ribose and deoxyribose series, have been obtained by the direct coupling of formaldehyde to the pyrimidine ring, catalyzed by base. Although the final yield is low (about 10 % of the starting material), the method is simple, can be scaled up conveniently, and allows the preparation of the 5-hydroxymethylcytosine mononucleotides in pure form. The 5-hydroxymethyluracil derivatives, not easily separable from the starting unsubstituted compounds, can be obtained pure by nitrous acid deamination of the corresponding 5-hydroxymethylcytosine mononucleotides.
Nursing shortage: a crisis for the next decade.

Another nursing shortage exists with the shortage likely to last into the 2020s due to its multifaceted and multidisciplinary causes. Rapid and ever changing healthcare delivery, reimbursement issues and management controls have created a complex, stressful environment from which health professionals are exiting. Nursing education programs and student recruitment and attrition rates have also been affected. (non- author abstract)
Rethinking the Great Depression: A New View of its Causes and Consequences . By Gene Smiley. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2002. Pp. xii, 179. $24.95.

Gene Smiley provides here a narrative overview of the causes and consequences of the Great Depression. The book is intended for a general audience, and evidences a solid command of the range of literature devoted to this remarkable period. The text lacks footnotes or references, but concludes with a comprehensive annotated bibliography covering the major sources from which he has drawn. Although Smiley's approach is relatively nontechnical, readers may nevertheless not be able fully to appreciate its nuances without at least an elementary course in microeconomics and an intermediate level course in macroeconomics. Thus it may be most suitable as supplementary reading in economic history courses.
Fitting bivariate multilevel models to assess long-term changes in body mass index and cigarette smoking

Using data from the National Health interview Survey from 1997 to 2006, we present a multilevel analysis of change in body mass index (BMI) and number of cigarettes smoked per day in the USA. Smoking and obesity are the leading causes of preventable mortality and morbidity in the USA and most parts of the developed world. A two-stage bivariate model of changes in obesity and number of cigarette smoked per day is proposed. At the within subject stage, an individual's BMI status and the number of cigarette smoked per day are jointly modeled as a function of an individual growth trajectory plus a random error. At the between-subject stage, the parameters of the individual growth trajectories are allowed to vary as a function of differences between subjects with respect to demographic and behavioral characteristics and with respect to the four regions of the USA (Northeast, West, South and North central). Our two-stage modeling techniques are more informative than standard regression because they characterize...
Conspiracy and sabotage in the acquisition of phonology : dense data undermine existing theories, provide scaffolding for a new one

Abstract Since the before publication of The Sound Pattern of English [Chomsky, N., Halle, M., 1968. The Sound Pattern of English. Harper & Row, New York], phonological theory has been struggling with finding ways to express both the surface and the deep phonological generalizations that are inherent in language structure. In the 1970’s, Kisseberth and Kenstowicz, recognizing that rules often “conspired” to maintain phonotactic constraints, pointed out the descriptive value of representing both rules and constraints explicitly, at the cost of redundancy in the formalism. However, phonological theory has continued to choose to make either rules or constraints easy to apprehend, at the cost of obscuring the other. This paper presents a major extension of the exemplar-based approach of radical templatic theory [Vihman, M.M., Croft, W., 2007. Phonological development: toward a ‘radical’ templatic phonology. Linguistics 45, 683–725] and new data from early phonological acquisition, and supports the psycholinguistic appropriateness of frequency-sensitive representations. In order to account insightfully for the striking regularities as well as the irreducible irregularities of early phonology, our Linked Attractor model maintains both underlying and output representations for each lexical entry, and additionally posits both input-to-output rules and feedback (output-to-input) rules to account for patterns of fossilization and developmental progress. Our long-term goal is to make the Linked Attractor model explicit enough for statistical modeling and testing, and to offer it to phonological theory as the basis for a psycholinguistically viable model for adult phonology as well.
Acid adaptation of Vibrio vulnificus and subsequent impact on stress tolerance

Abstract Three strains of Vibrio vulnificus were evaluated for their potential to become acid adapted in tryptic soy broth with 2% NaCl acidified using hydrochloric (pH 5.0), citric or acetic acids (pH 5.5). Control and adapted cells were subsequently evaluated for acid tolerance (pH 3.5) in broths acidified with each acid, respectively. Other cross-protective effects: heat tolerance, cold storage survival, and freeze–thaw resistance were evaluated with cells exposed to broths acidified with hydrochloric acid. Acid adaptation was observed with hydrochloric and citric acids ( P 0.05 ) and was dependent on strain, duration of adaptation time, and acid type. The most pronounced acid adaptation response was with hydrochloric acid, regardless of strain ( P 0.05 ). Treatment with chloramphenicol eliminated the acid tolerance response. The three strains were inactivated within 12 min at 47 °C with or without acid adaptation. Acid adaptation increased freeze–thaw resistance and cold storage survival for one strain following 10 h acid adaptation ( P 0.05 ).
Time change of rabbit aqueous flow under influence of adrenergic drugs

The changes in the aqueous flow rate with time under action of acetazolamide, a selective α 1 agonist, phenylephrine, selective β 2 agonist, salbutamol, and β antagonist, timolol, were studied by the pre-invasive method of Johnson and Maurice in the normal rabbit. After intravenous injection of 50 mg kg −1 of acetazolamide, the experimental to control ratio of the apparent flow rate significantly decreased to 71±2% at 2 hr and 53±2% at 4 hr (mean ± s.e.(m.) , n = 7). After a single instillation of 5% l -phenylephrine, it showed two phase changes; it significantly increased to 121±5% at 1 hr and 110±3% at 2 hr, while it significantly decreased to 93±2% at 4 and 5 hr and 95±2% at 6 hr ( n = 8). Pretreatment with prostaglandin biosynthesis inhibitor, flubiprofen, did not cause significant effect on the phenylephrine action, while pretreatment with α antagonist, phenoxybenzamine abolished it. After a single instillation of 2·5% salbutamol, it significantly decreased to 78±4% at 1 hr, 84±3% at 2 hr and 91±3% at 3 and 4 hr ( n = 8), while a single instillation of 0·5% l -timolol did not show significant effect on it. Pretreatment with timolol abolished the salbutamol action. The mean aqueous flow rate in the normal rabbit as determined by this method was 3·64±0·15 μl min −1 ( n = 20).
Clay mineral and zeolite diagenesis in the Toa Baja Well, Puerto Rico

Several diagenetic reactions typical of volcaniclastic sediments have been identified in the Toa Baja well. The zeolites heulandite and (less commonly) analcite, present in the upper half of the drilled section, give way to laumontite at depth. A decrease with depth in the expandability of mixed layer chlorite/smectite was observed. Corrensite was detected over the depth range 1,676-2,286 m. Temperatures implied by the depth ranges of diagenetic and indicator minerals are consistent with a paleothermal gradient of about 30-50C/km, assuming little or no erosion of section.
Genome-wide SNP typing reveals signatures of population history

Abstract Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have become a popular technology for disease-association studies, but they also have potential for studying the genetic differentiation of human populations. Application of the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Mapping 500K Array Set to a population of 102 individuals representing the major ethnic groups in the United States (African, Asian, European, and Hispanic) revealed patterns of gene diversity and genetic distance that reflected population history. We analyzed allelic frequencies at 388,654 autosomal SNP sites that showed some variation in our study population and 10% or fewer missing values. Despite the small size (23–31 individuals) of each subpopulation, there were no fixed differences at any site between any two subpopulations. As expected from the African origin of modern humans, greater gene diversity was seen in Africans than in either Asians or Europeans, and the genetic distance between the Asian and the European populations was significantly lower than that between either of these two populations and Africans. Principal components analysis applied to a correlation matrix among individuals was able to separate completely the major continental groups of humans (Africans, Asians, and Europeans), while Hispanics overlapped all three of these groups. Genes containing two or more markers with extraordinarily high genetic distance between subpopulations were identified as candidate genes for health differences between subpopulations. The results show that, even with modest sample sizes, genome-wide SNP genotyping technologies have great promise for capturing signatures of gene frequency difference between human subpopulations, with applications in areas as diverse as forensics and the study of ethnic health disparities.
Online and On My Mind: Temporary and Chronic Accessibility Moderate the Influence of Media Figures

To investigate the influence of media figures on self-perception, online gamers reported how central their main videogame character (avatar) is to their own identity and answered questions about their avatar's body size either before or after questions about their own body size. When the avatar was not central to the gamer's identity, the avatar's body size influenced gamer's own body judgments only when the avatar was brought to mind by preceding questions. When the avatar was central to the gamer's identity, it influenced gamers' own body judgments independent of question order. In both cases, accessible avatars elicited assimilation effects on self-judgment. We conclude that media figures exert a chronic influence on self-judgment when they are central to the self.
A screening method for dimensionality reduction in biochemical reaction system calibration

Estimating the rate constants of a biochemical reaction model of cellular function is an important, albeit computationally intensive, problem in systems biology. In this paper, a variance-based sensitivity analysis approach is proposed, which can be used, as a pre-screening step, to identify parameters in a biochemical reaction system that do not appreciably influence the cost of estimation and, therefore, whose values cannot be precisely determined by parameter estimation. By only estimating the remaining parameters, appreciable qualitative and quantitative improvements can be achieved. A subset of a well-known biochemical reaction model of the EGF/ERK signaling pathway is used to illustrate the benefits achieved by the proposed method.
How Do Real Indians Fish? Neoliberal Multiculturalism and Contested Indigeneities in the Colorado Delta

ABSTRACT There has been a growing interest in anthropology regarding how certain political conditions set the stage for “articulations” between indigenous movements and environmental actors and discourses. However, relatively little attention has been paid to how these same conditions can suppress demands for indigenous rights. In this article, I argue that the pairing of neoliberalism and multiculturalism in contemporary Mexico has created political fields in which ethnic difference has been foregrounded as a way of denying certain rights to marginalized groups. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in northern Mexico, I analyze how the arguments of a group of Cucapa for fishing rights in the Colorado Delta have been constrained within these political circumstances. I argue that cultural difference has been leveraged by the Mexican federal government and local NGOs to prevent the redistribution of environmental resources among vulnerable groups such as the Cucapa.
The Top 10 Most Valuable Online Learning Activities for Graduate MIS Students

Human activities are at the core of the numerous advancements in technology and learning. The objective of this study was to gather and report the most frequently observed activities learners express to be valuable when attending online courses. Knowing such top valuable activities can provide a guide for online learning systems vendors on the key platform attributes that are most valuable, and subsequently, enable them to design more effective platforms. A review of activity theory and its implication for e-learning environments is provided as the theoretical background for this study. A list of the top ten most frequently observed valuable activities is presented based on a qualitative exploratory study conducted with five focus groups totaling 47 graduate MIS students who attended online learning courses. Results suggest that nearly all of the most frequently observed valuable activities revolved around the flexibility of the online learning environments. Additionally, activities related to performing research online as well as communication either with the professor or with other students (be it via e-mail, discussion forums or chat) appear to be very valuable for graduate MIS students. The paper concludes with a summary, remarks and implications of the study findings for research, as well as suggestions for future studies.
Intrinsic and extrinsic intentional learning: The difference made by self-determination

Intentional learning occurs in formal and informal settings throughout an individual’s life time. Intentional learning can be deemed as an ideal learning process where all the necessary elements for achieving a goal of effective learning are in place and in order. Intentional learners take an active role in and responsibility for their own learning, and they self-plan, execute, monitor and regulate their learning processes as well as learning strategies. Most importantly, intentional learners are willing and committed to reaching the learning goal. At its occurrence, intentional learning could be triggered by an external suggestion or guidance (e.g. teacher’s explanation of the importance of the subject), or internal factors (e.g. intrinsic interests or personal needs through self-evaluation and self-determination). Thus, intentional learning could be further differentiated into intrinsic or extrinsic. While both intrinsic and extrinsic intentional learning are likely to result in similar learning outcomes, cultivating students’ disposition of intrinsic intentional learning may have more beneficial long term effects than extrinsic intentional learning as it is one of the keys that sustain an individual’s lifelong learning. Also, the technology that could facilitate intrinsic intentional learning will be discussed.
Thunderstorm and stratocumulus: how does their contrasting morphology affect their interactions with aerosols?

Abstract. It is well-known that aerosols affect clouds and that the effect of aerosols on clouds is critical for understanding human-induced climate change. Most climate model studies have focused on the effect of aerosols on warm stratiform clouds (e.g., stratocumulus clouds) for the prediction of climate change. However, systems like the Asian and Indian Monsoon, storm tracks, and the intertropical convergence zone, play important roles in the global hydrological cycle and in the circulation of energy and are driven by thunderstorm-type convective clouds. Here, we show that the different morphologies of these two cloud types lead to different aerosol-cloud interactions. Increasing aerosols are known to suppress the conversion of droplets to rain (i.e., so-called autoconversion). This increases droplets as a source of evaporative cooling, leading to an increased intensity of downdrafts. The acceleration of the intensity of downdrafts is larger in convective clouds due to their larger cloud depths (providing longer paths for downdrafts to follow to the surface) than in stratiform clouds. More accelerated downdrafts intensify the gust front, leading to significantly increased updrafts, condensation and thus the collection of cloud liquid by precipitation, which offsets the suppressed autoconversion. This leads to an enhancement of precipitation with increased aerosols in convective clouds. However, the downdrafts are less accelerated in stratiform clouds due to their smaller cloud depths, and they are not able to induce changes in updrafts as large as those in convective clouds. Thus, the offset is not as effective, and this allows the suppression of precipitation with increased aerosols. Thus aerosols affect these cloud systems differently. The dependence of the effect of aerosols on clouds on the morphology of clouds should be taken into account for a more complete assessment of climate change.
Primary Retinal Detachment

A 57-year old man noted flashing lights in his right eye, followed two days later by a cluster of dark floaters that mildly interfered with his vision. He initially ignored these symptoms, but over the course of the next week, he noted a progressive loss of the nasal visual field in that eye, beginning inferiorly and spreading superiorly, with an eventual striking loss of central acuity that prompted him to seek ophthalmologic evaluation. Examination of the fundus with the pupil dilated showed a retinal detachment involving the temporal retina, including the macula, with peripheral retinal tears at the 10:30 and 11:30 positions. How should his case be managed?
Pros and cons of group living in the forest tent caterpillar : separating the roles of silk and of grouping

Group living can incur both benefits and costs, mediated by different mechanisms. In many gregarious caterpillars, collective use of a network of silk trails is thought to improve foraging. Grouping, i.e., close contact with conspecifics, has been postulated to have both positive (thermoregulation and predator defense) and negative (competition and pathogen transmission) effects. The present experiment distinguishes between silk produced by group members and grouping per se in their effects on growth and development of both early and late larval stadia of the forest tent caterpillar [Malacosoma disstria Hubner (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)] in a laboratory context. For both developmental stadia tested, pre-established silk trails decreased latency to food finding and hence increased food consumption and growth rate. For younger larvae, pre-established silk also decreased investment in silk production. Grouping young caterpillars accelerated development at the expense of growth, possibly as a mechanism to avoid intraspecific competition in later larval stadia. In older caterpillars, grouping decreased meal duration, suggesting that competition can indeed occur towards the end of larval development, even in the presence of surplus food. This led to a decrease in growth without any effect on instar duration. The benefits of exogenous silk thus decreased during larval development, whereas the costs associated with crowding increased. Ontogenetic shifts in grouping are common in many taxa: the present study is among the first to provide empirical evidence for an adaptive explanation of observed ontogenetic changes in aggregative behavior.
Multiple complex object tracking using a combined technique

We present a multiple object tracking framework that employs two common methods for tracking and image matching, namely Multiple Hypothesis Tracking (MHT) and Hausdorff image matching. We use the MHT algorithm to track image edges simultaneously. This algorithm is capable of tracking multiple edges with limited occlusions and is suitable for resolving any data association uncertainty caused by background clutter and closely-spaced edges. We use the Hausdorff matching algorithm to organize individual edges into objects given their two-dimensional models. The combined technique provides a robust probabilistic tracking framework which is capable of tracking complex objects in cluttered background in video sequences.
Chimeric analysis of the site of Lurcher gene action with respect to glial enzyme expression.

Immunocytochemical analysis of aggregation chimeras made using either of the mutants, Lurcher or Purkinje cell degeneration, previously showed that only Bergmann glia close to surviving Purkinje cells expressed an apparently normal level of the enzyme, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH) (Fisher and Mullen, 1988). In the present study, aggregation chimeras were made using embryos from a B6D2 hybrid mouse strain carrying the Lurcher (Lc/+) mutation and homozygous for an allele specifying a high level of beta-glucuronidase activity and embryos from a wild-type C3H strain with low beta-glucuronidase activity. Chimeric cerebella were analyzed immunocytochemically and histochemically to determine whether Lurcher mutant Bergmann glia could express a normal, high level of GPDH. Comparisons between pairs of alternately stained, 2 microns thick serial sections showed that Bergmann glia with high level of beta-glucuronidase (i.e., Lurcher) expressed normal GPDH immunoreactivity only when close to surviving, wild-type Purkinje cells. Interestingly, in Purkinje cell-free areas of cerebellar cortex that were sufficiently large that GPDH expression was diminished, Bergmann glia also showed a reduced level of histochemically detectable beta-glucuronidase activity, as do Bergmann glia in adult Lc/+ mice. The results indicate that Lc/+ mutant Bergmann glia are not intrinsically defective with regard to expression of the enzymes, GPDH and beta-glucuronidase, but rather, expression of these enzymes depends on glial interaction with wild-type Purkinje cells.
Noise Reduction Methods for Weighing Lysimeters

Mechanical vibration of the grass and crop weighing lysimeters, located at the University of California West Side Field Research and Extension Station at Five Points, Calif. generated noise in lysimeter mass measurements and reduced the quality of evapotranspiration (ET) data. The estimated power spectral density (PSD) for grass lysimeter mass data acquired at 1.3 ms intervals contained a large peak at 11 Hz . Crop lysimeter data produced similar peaks at frequencies greater than 1 Hz . An effective method for eliminating this noise source is arithmetic averaging of the data, which should be acquired sufficiently rapidly to avoid aliasing. The PSD also increased with decreasing frequency in the range 1.0–0.1 Hz . This noise was addressed by Savitsky–Golay (SG) filtering using 7-, 11-, and 15-point filters. Each filter was applied to the same data set consisting of 2,560 measurements taken during a 1-min interval every 10 min over a 26.3-h period. Noise reduction factors, defined as the ratio of standard d...
The career of the technical professional: a look at the career path and reward system in technical polish companies

Managing a career in the information technology (IT) industry presents varying opportunities for IT workers. A major question for technical workers is whether or not to move to a managerial career in order to advance. This research study addresses the perception of IT career paths among IT personnel Poland. Poland was used because of its historical leadership in the struggle to gain freedom from the former Soviet Union and its accelerated march to a free-enterprise system since 1989. The findings of this research should have implications for managers of information technology (IT) workers in other countries liberated from the former Soviet Union. The study surveyed 112 IT personnel and managers in Poland. An ANOVA procedure was performed to evaluate differences in perceptions among IT managers, IT personnel, and individuals whose job spanned both areas. Areas considered in the study included career ladder issues, technical career path, and the technical knowledge needs of IT managers.
Glycine cytoprotection during lethal hepatocellular injury from adenosine triphosphate depletion.

Abstract Glycine protects renal tubule cells from cell death during adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depletion. Although the liver plays a key role in glycine metabolism, information is lacking regarding the effects of glycine on lethal hepatocellular injury. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the potential cytoprotective role of glycine during ATP depletion of rat hepatocytes. Metabolic inhibition with 2.5 mmol/L potassium cyanide (KCN) was used to produce ATP depletion. Hepatocyte suspensions treated with KCN had a 2-hour viability of 5.9% ± 2.0%, whereas cells treated with KCN in the presence of 2.0 mmol/L glycine had a viability of 80.2% ± 1.5%, which was virtually identical to controls (81.5% ± 1.9%). Glycine cytoprotection was dose dependent and amino acid specific. The cytoprotective effect of glycine was not mediated by protein synthesis, glycine mitochondrial metabolism, cytosolic acidosis, or preservation of either intracellular cellular glutathione or ATP. However, glycine did decrease total cellular proteolysis by 18% ± 2%, 25% ± 3%, and 33% ± 1% after 1, 2, and 3 hours of KCN treatment, respectively ( P
The Impact of the EU Emissions Trading System on Air Passenger Arrivals in the Caribbean

We estimate the impact of additional costs imposed on airlines by the European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) on tourist arrivals in 26 Caribbean states. At an EU emission allowance price of €10, we find that the policy will, on average, increase return airfares from Europe to the Caribbean by $17 for indirect flights and $21 for direct flights. These price changes reduce region-wide arrivals to the Caribbean from the EU by between 1.4% and 2%, and decrease total arrivals (from all regions) by less than 0.4%. The decrease in total arrivals is the largest for Martinique (1.7%), and relatively large decreases are also predicted for Antigua and Barbuda, Bonaire, Barbados, Curacao, and Suriname. We conclude that the EU ETS will have a moderate impact on visitor arrivals relative to the United Kingdom’s Air Passenger Duty (APD) and the European financial crisis.
The effects of oxidation on the optical properties of amorphous SiC films

Abstract Amorphous silicon carbide films were deposited by the r.f. sputtering technique using a SiC target. The deposited films were annealed in dry oxygen ambient in the temperature range of 400–700 °C. Optical absorption studies indicated blue shifting effects as the annealing temperature was increased.
What Motivates Voluntary Engagement in Cooperative Information Systems

Firms invest heavily to develop online cooperative systems in the hope of creating unique value in the minds of their customers. However, when system use begins to decline, firms are faced with a major challenge: where should they invest to increase their customer's motivation to engage in the use of their system? This research applies empowerment theory to explore the factors that motivate persistent voluntary engagement with cooperative information systems
Tumor cell-derived TGF-β and IL-10 dysregulate paclitaxel-induced macrophage activation

Paclitaxel (TAXOL™) activates in vitro macrophage (Mo) expression of proinflammatory and cytotoxic mediators, including IL-12, tumor ne- crosis factor a (TNF-a), and nitric oxide (NO). How- ever, tumors dysregulate Mo through soluble sup- pressor molecules, and it is possible that tumors evade paclitaxel-mediated immune effector function through the production of immunomodulatory mol- ecules and inhibition of Mo function in situ. Because Mo activation in the tumor microenvironment is a desirable goal of anti-tumor immunotherapy, we evaluated whether tumor-derived immunomodula- tory factors dysregulate paclitaxel-mediated Mo acti- vation. Tumor cell-derived supernatant suppressed paclitaxel's capacity to induce IL-12, TNF-a, and NO production by RAW264.7 Mo. Tumor factors also dysregulated paclitaxel-induced expression of a HIV-LTR, promoter-driven luciferase construct in RAW264.7 Mo, suggesting that tumors may inhibit a broad range of Mo functionality. Depletion studies revealed that IL-10 and transforming growth fac- tor-b 1 (TGF-b1), but not prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), impaired paclitaxel-mediated activation, suggesting that abrogation of these factors in situ might restore paclitaxel's activating capacity and enhance anti-tu- mor efficacy. J. Leukoc. Biol. 69: 129-137; 2001.
Optimal design of spiral-wound membrane networks for gas separations

An optimal design strategy for spiral-wound membrane networks based on an approximate permeator model and a mixedinteger nonlinear programming (MINLP) solution strategy is proposed. A general permeator system superstructure is used to embed a very large number of possible network configurations. The superstructure allows the development of a MINLP design strategy which simultaneously optimizes the permeator configuration and operating conditions to minimize an objective function which approximates the total annual process cost. Case studies for the separation of CO2/CH4 mixtures in natural gas treatment and enhanced oil recovery are presented. Permeator configurations are derived for different number of separation stages for both continuous and discrete membrane areas. The proposed approach provides an efficient methodology for the preliminary design of multi-stage membrane separation systems for binary gas mixtures. # 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
CUP – Internistische Therapie bei ungünstigem Risikoprofil

Seit Ende der 1990er Jahre besteht eine Ubereinkunft in der Onkologie, bestimmte Tumorsituationen nicht als CUP einzuordnen, sondern spezifisch zu behandeln, selbst wenn der Primarius mit moderner Diagnostik bildgebend und histologisch nicht zu sichern ist. Ferner sehen es viele Experten als sinnvoll an, CUP-Studien zum Zweck der Vergleichbarkeit auf Patienten mit Adenokarzinom und undifferenziertem Karzinom zu beschranken. Eine aktuelle bevolkerungsbasierte Analyse aus Schweden bestatigt, dass ein solches Vorgehen sinnvoll ist. Der folgende Beitrag definiert Patienten mit ungunstigem Risikoprofil bei CUP als Patienten, fur die keine Behandlungsmoglichkeit in Analogie einer metastasierten Erkrankung bei bekanntem Primarius gegeben ist. Methoden des molekularen Profiling von Tumoren werden diese Patientengruppe kunftig moglicherweise immer weiter einengen. Hinsichtlich Kombinationschemotherapie gilt heute eine platinhaltige Behandlung bei CUP als Standard. Als Kombinationspartner kommen ein Taxan oder Gemcitabin infrage. Fur geeignete Patienten gibt es eine Indikation zur Zweilinientherapie. Zwei von 4 Studien wahlten eine Kombination aus Oxaliplatin und Capecitabin, 2 weitere setzten platinfreie Kombinationen auf der Basis von Gemcitabin ein. Zielgerichtete Substanzen gegen molekulare Targets erscheinen gerade beim CUP erfolgversprechend. Therapien basieren z. B. auf Kombinationen aus dem VEGF-Inhibitor Bevacizumab und dem EGF-Rezeptor-Inhibitor Erlotinib sowie dem EGF-Rezeptor-Antikorper Cetuximab.