cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Importance of water source in controlling leaf leaching losses in a dwarf red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle L.) wetland

The southern Everglades mangrove ecotone is characterized by extensive dwarf Rhizophora mangle L. shrub forests with a seasonally variable water source (Everglades e NE Florida Bay) and residence times ranging from short to long. We conducted a leaf leaching experiment to understand the influence that water source and its corresponding water quality have on (1) the early decay of R. mangle leaves and (2) the early exchange of total organic carbon (TOC) and total phosphorus (TP) between leaves and the water column. Newly senesced leaves collected from lower Taylor River (FL) were incubated in bottles containing water from one of three sources (Everglades, ambient mangrove, and Florida Bay) that spanned a range of salinity from 0 to 32&, [TOC] from 710 to 1400 mM, and [TP] from 0.17 to 0.33 mM. We poisoned half the bottles in order to quantify abiotic processes (i.e., leaching) and assumed that non-poisoned bottles represented both biotic (i.e., microbial) and abiotic processes. We sacrificed bottles after 1,2, 5, 10, and 21 days of incubation and quantified changes in leaf mass and changes in water column [TOC] and [TP]. We saw 10e20% loss of leaf mass after 24 hdindependent of water treatmentdthat leveled off by Day 21. After 3 weeks, non-poisoned leaves lost more mass than poisoned leaves, and there was only an effect of salinity on mass loss in poisoned incubationsdwith greatest leaching-associated losses in Everglades freshwater. Normalized concentrations of TOC in the water column increased by more than two orders of magnitude after 21 days with no effect of salinity and no difference between poisoned and non-poisoned treatments. However, normalized [TP] was lower in non-poisoned incubations as a result of immobilization by epiphytic microbes. This immobilization was greatest in Everglades freshwater and reflects the high P demand in this ecosystem. Immobilization of leached P in mangrove water and Florida Bay water was delayed by several days and may indicate an initial microbial limitation by labile C during the dry season. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
The extent of the market in the liquor industry: An empirical test of localized brand rivalry, 1970–1988

The objectives of this study are to determine the extent of the market in a differentiated- product industry and to evaluate a technique developed by Schmalensee (1985) that tests for generalized rivalry. A market is defined as a product spectrum along which generalized rivalry exists. The industry chosen for study is the liquor industry. Results of this study indicate that the liquor industry consists of three markets and that Schmalensee's technique has several limitations that must be acknowledged when interpreting results.
The fear associated with blood and organ donation: an explication of fright and anxiety.

ContextFear inhibits potential donors' willingness to engage in behaviors. Theoretically, fright and anxiety are differentially associated with blood and organ donation, respectively. Fright is the experience of an immediate harm, whereas anxiety is a fear of the unknown.ObjectiveTo compare the fear-related concepts of fright and anxiety in relation to blood donation and signing an organ donor card.DesignScales were created to separate the 2 fear types that were consistent in theme and addressed the same dependent variables fright and anxiety.Setting and ParticipantsParticipants were 509 college students at a large mid-western university.ResultsSurvey responses from 509 participants supported the theoretical explication of the 2 fear types. Multisample analyses and multimeasurement models using confirmatory factor analysis supported that fright and anxiety were differentially associated with the contexts of blood and organ donation.ConclusionsThe results supported the theoretical proposal that fright and ...
FROM A PUBLIC RE‐CREATION TO PRIVATE RECREATION: The Transformation of Public Space in South Street Seaport

This article documents the development process involved in transformating South Street Seaport, on the east side of Lower Manhattan, from an open-air museum and public space to a privately controll...
Precision tests of technicolor

Abstract Corrections to the standard electroweak model are computed within the framework of technicolor theories. Special attention is paid to new variants of these theories involving high momentum enhancement, developed during the past few years. It is argued that for a reasonable range of the parameters entering the theories, deviations from the standard model may fall within current experimental bounds.
On parametric instabilities in HF heating of the ionosphere

The initial processes excited directly by high-frequency (HF) heating waves include parametric decay instabilities, which decay the HF heating wave to a frequency-downshifted Langmuir/upper hybrid sideband together with an ion acoustic/lower hybrid wave as the decay mode, and oscillating two stream instabilities, which decay the HF heating wave to two oppositely propagating Langmuir/upper hybrid sidebands and purely growing mode/field-aligned density irregularities. These instabilities provide effective channels to convert heating waves to electrostatic plasma waves in the F region of the ionosphere. The following-up parametric instabilities include the cascades of Langmuir pump waves into Langmuir sidebands and ion acoustic waves/lower hybrid waves, and the decay of upper hybrid waves to Langmuir sidebands and ion decay modes, as well as the filamentation of those HF electrostatic waves to generate field-aligned density irregularities. The instability thresholds, growth rates, angular distribution and regions of excitation are determined.
Color superconductivity: Continuity of quark and hadron matter, the role of the strange quark mass, and perturbative results

Abstract We summarize some recent results on the structure of QCD at very high baryon density.
Macaque sperm coating protein DEFB126 facilitates sperm penetration of cervical mucus.

BACKGROUND: Sperm coating protein beta-defensin 126 (DEFB126) is adsorbed onto the entire surface of macaque sperm in the caudal epididymis and is retained on viable sperm collected from the cervix and the uterine lumen of mated female macaques. We investigated the role of sperm coating protein DEFB126 in cervical mucus penetration (CMP). METHODS: Cervical mucus (CM) was collected from peri-ovulatory female macaques and loaded into CMP chambers. Sperm were introduced to CMP chambers following treatment with either polyclonal antibodies raised to DEFB126 or seminal plasma proteins (SPPs), 1 mM caffeine+1 mM dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (dbcAMP) (induces release of DEFB126 from sperm surface), neuraminidase (NMase) or poly-L-lysine (PLP). Following removal of DEFB126 or SPPs from the sperm surface, sperm were treated with concentrated DEFB126 or concentrated SPPs prior to being introduced to CMP chambers. The numbers of sperm that penetrated and traversed CM were scored over 6 min. RESULTS: Treatment of sperm with anti-DEFB126 antibodies, 1 mM caffeine+ 1 mM dbcAMP, NMase, and PLP resulted in similar and significant levels of inhibition of sperm CMP, whereas addition of anti-SPPs antibodies had no effect. In experiments where DEFB126 and SPPs were removed, CMP capability of sperm was restored by addition of DEFB126 back to the sperm surface, whereas treatment of sperm with concentrated SPPs slightly inhibited sperm penetration. CONCLUSIONS: DEFB126 and its high negative charge appears to be critical for the movement of sperm through CM in the macaque, while SPPs adhered to the sperm surface offer no advantage in CMP.
Numerical Analysis of Hydrophysical Fields on the Northwestern Shelf of the Black Sea

A numerical experiment with assimilation of hydrological observational data from a survey in October 2007 on the northwestern shelf of the Black Sea was carried out using the hydrodynamic model with nonlinear equations of motion, equations of heat and salt advection, and data assimilation. The results of this calculation are compared with thermohydrodynamic fields obtained without taking into account temperature and salinity measurements. It is shown that allowance for the observation data leads to qualitative and quantitative differences in the structure of the hydrophysical fields. Mesoscale eddies and intense jet streams that agree with satellite observations were found in the field of currents and were investigated. These eddies are not resolved in low-resolution field experiments.
Response of soil CO2 efflux to water manipulation in a tallgrass prairie ecosystem

Although CO2 efflux plays a critical role in carbon exchange between the biosphere and atmosphere, our understanding of its regulation by soil moisture is rather limited. This study was designed to examine the relationship between soil CO2 efflux and soil moisture in a natural ecosystem by taking advantage of the historically long drought period from 29 July to 21 September 2000 in the southern Central Great Plain, USA. At the end of August when soil moisture content at the top 50 mm was reduced to less than 50 g kg −1 gravimetrically, we applied 8 levels of water treatments (simulated to rainfall of 0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 150, 200, and 300 mm) with three replicates to 24 plots in a Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem in Central Oklahoma, USA. In order to quantify root-free soil CO2 efflux, we applied the same 8 levels of water treatments to 24 500-mm soil columns using soil from field adjacent to the experimental plots. We characterized dynamic patterns of soil moisture and soil CO2 efflux over the experimental period of 21 days. Both soil moisture content and CO2 efflux showed dramatic increases immediately after the water addition, followed by a gradual decline. The time courses in response to water treatments are well described by Y = Y0 + ate −bt ,w hereY is either soil moisture or CO2 efflux, t is time, Y0, a ,a ndb are coefficients. Among the 8 water treatments, the maximal soil CO2 efflux rate occurred at the 50 mm water level in the field and 100 mm in the root-free soil 1 day after the treatment. The maximal soil CO2 efflux gradually shifted to higher water levels as the experiment continued. We found the relationship between soil CO2 efflux and soil moisture using the data from the 21-day experiment was highly scattered, suggesting complex mechanisms determining soil CO2 efflux by soil moisture.
New Light on an Old Issue

Michael Creswell and Marc Trachtenberg reply to the three commentaries, emphasizing the conflicting points raised therein. Addressing each of the respondents in turn, Creswell and Trachtenberg contend that their article accurately depicts French concerns in the late 1940s and 1950s, that it goes beyond existing “revisionist” works on the topic, that it debunks the traditionalist view of French policy, and that it makes use of the best evidence to judge French leaders' real (rather than publicly proclaimed) concerns.
Stimulation of estrogen synthesis in rabbit follicles by luteinizing hormone.

The response of isolated ovarian follicles to gonadotropic stimulation in vitro has been investigated. Large follicles (1–2 mm diameter) dissected from estrous rabbit ovaries were cleared of interstitium and then incubated in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer containing 100 μCi sodium acetate-l-14C plus gonadotropin or an equivalent concentration of bovine serum albumin as control. Incorporation of radioactivity into estrone and 17β-estradiol was assessed by reverse isotope dilution analysis with recrystallization of radioactive products to constant specific activity. Luteinizing hormone (LH) at concentrations of 2.5, 0.25, 0.025 or 0.0025 μg/ml caused 5-to 13-fold increases in incorporation of radioactivity into estrogens; LH at 0.001 μg/ml caused a doubling of incorporation. Prolactin (100 μg/ml) was without stimulatory activity in the follicular system. The following FSH preparations caused increases in incorporation which could be related to the LH content: i) follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) at conce...
PCR detection of Pseudoperonospora humuli in air samples from hop yards

Downy mildew of hop, caused by Pseudoperonospora humuli, is an important disease in most regions of hop production and is managed largely with regular fungicide applications. A PCR assay specific to P. humuli and the related organism P. cubensis was developed and used to monitor airborne inoculum in hop yards to initiate fungicide applications. The PCR amplified as little as 1 fg of genomic DNA of P. humuli, and yielded an amplicon in 70% of reactions when DNA was extracted from single sporangia. In the presence of 25 mg of soil, an amplicon was amplified in 90% of reactions when DNA was extracted from 10 or more sporangia. During nine location-years of validation, PCR detection of the pathogen in air samples occurred no later than 8 days after the appearance of trace levels of disease signs and/or detection of airborne spores in a volumetric spore sampler. Inoculum was detected on average 4·5 days before (range −8 to 14 days) the first appearance of basal spikes in six commercial yards, or 1·3 days after (range −5 to 1 days) sporangia were detected in a volumetric spore sampler in experimental plots. In commercial yards, use of PCR to initiate the first fungicide application led to enhanced disease control or a reduction in fungicide use in four of six yards compared to growers’ standard practices. These results indicate that the efficiency and efficacy of hop downy mildew management can be improved when control measures are timed according to first detection of inoculum.
Single walled nanotube fiber cathode emission property modification and evaluation

High direct currents of 2.0 mAmps for a 15 micron diameter single walled nanotube (SWNT) fiber were achieved. Highly aligned, dense SWNT morphology in the fiber was demonstrated to reduce threshold emission and improve resilience to Joule heating. SWNT fibers were exposed to ion bombardment and the effects on emission were evaluated.
Higher plant mitochondria

Over the past 20 years, researchers investigating the mitochondria of plants have been astonished by the phenomenal variation these organelles display relative to their mammalian and fungal counterparts. Plant mitochondria have evolved distinct strategies for genome maintenance, genetic decoding,
Development of a THz seed source for FEL microbunching experiment at the neptune laboratory

Seeded FEL/IFEL techniques can be used for modulation of a relativistic electron beam longitudinally on the radiation wavelength. However, in the 1-10 THz range, which is of particular importance for the matched injection of prebunched electrons into a laser-driven plasma accelerating structure, a suitable radiation source is not available. At the UCLA Neptune Laboratory we have built and fully characterized a radiation source tunable in the range of 1-3 THz. The THz pulse is produced by mixing two CO2 laser lines in a noncollinear phase-matched GaAs crystal at room temperature. The crystal is pumped by 200 ns pulses of a dual beam TEA CO2 laser running at 1 Hz. A grating placed in each lasing section allowed to cover the spectral range for the difference frequency from 0.5-4.5 THz with a step of 30-40 GHz. The achieved narrow bandwidth (Deltav/v ~10-5) and the output power of 2 kW are sufficient for seeding a single-pass waveguide FEL amplifier-prebuncher. These pulses were used to measure the coupling efficiency and the attenuation for the different types of THz waveguides and the results will be reported.
Clinical and molecular epidemiology of veterinary blastomycosis in Wisconsin

Background Several studies have shown that Blastomyces dermatitidis, the etiologic agent of blastomycosis, is a genetically diverse pathogen. Blastomycosis is a significant health issue in humans and other mammals. Veterinary and human isolates matched with epidemiological case data from the same geographic area and time period were used to determine: (i) if differences in genetic diversity and structure exist between clinical veterinary and human isolates of B. dermatitidis and (ii) if comparable epidemiologic features differ among veterinary and human blastomycosis cases.
Food selection capabilities of the estuarine copepod Acartia clausi

Existing viewpoints and theories of selective grazing by copepods are briefly reviewed in order to formulate explicit hypotheses to be tested experimentally. Based on these hypotheses, a series of grazing experiments was run to determine (1) the extent of the selective ingestion capabilities of Acartia clausi and (2) how these capabilities were affected by previous feeding histories. Groups of copepods were separately preconditioned on a small diatom (Thalassiosira pseudonana), a large diatom (T. fluviatilis), or a plastic sphere. The ingestive behavior was then examined on various combinations of spheres and food particles. Spheres offered alone were not ingested. In mixtures of diatoms and spheres, the copepods avoided ingesting spheres intermediate in size between the sizes of the diatoms. The copepods either ingested particles on either side of the spheres, or ignored all particles less than the size of the largest spheres. The pattern observed depended upon the size of the preconditioning food. However, if the spheres were larger than the largest food particles, the copepods still selectively ingested the food particles. The above results demonstrate that A. clausi has a complex grazing behavior consisting of (1) more efficient grazing on larger particles within its particle-size ingestion range; (2) the ability to alter “effective” setal spacing to optimize feeding behavior (i.e., the ability to increase efficiency of capture of food particles, and to avoid non-food particles); and (3) the ability for post-capture rejection of non-food particles when they interfere with the ingestion of food particles on which the copepod has been preconditioned. The behavioral patterns observed depend heavily on the food preconditioning and the presence or absence of non-food particles. These results clearly indicate that a simple “mechanistic” explanation of selective grazing is insufficient.
Determining profile and alignment using an optical technique with extrapolations

In the field of railway inspection, track alignment and profile are measured as the mid-chord offset (MCO) of a specified chord length at a known contact point on the rail. Generally, a 31-foot chord length is used. Due to developments of high speed rail standards, measuring longer wavelength MCOs, such as 62 and 124 feet are required. This is currently done using inertial means, however verification under static conditions using mechanical means is difficult. Currently the MCO is measured by stretching a string of the desired chord length between two points and manually measuring the offset from the center of the string to the rail. This is labor intensive, and the accuracy is limited, as external effects such as wind can make the string sway back and forth. While measuring a short chord length, and then extrapolating to the longer wavelengths can eliminate the sway problem, the extrapolation process magnifies any error in measurement. This paper presents the application of an optical technique, consisting of cameras and targets to measure a 31-foot mid-chord offset with very high precision, and the extrapolation technique used to obtain long chord measurements with a high degree of accuracy.
A Stability Study of Continuous Systems under Parametric Excitation via Liapunov’s Direct Method

Continuous systems under parametric excitation are governed by partial differential equations with time dependent coefficients, [1]. In this paper the stability of certain systems of this type is investigated. Here the direct method of Liapunov, [2], is used. The analysis follows in spirit the work of Kozin [3], Caughey and Gray [4], and Infante [5] on dynamical systems with finite degrees of freedom subjected to random excitation, and that of Wang [6] on continuous systems. Our interest is, however, on deterministic systems. A key innovation here is believed to be the use of time dependent Liapunov functionals to obtain frequency dependent criteria.
Growth Kinetics of Copper Sulfide Thin Films by Chemical Bath Deposition

Metal chalcogenide thin films, like metal sulfide, metal selenides, and metal tellurides, possess useful electrical and optical properties and can be found in many technical applications. Copper sulfide (CuxS) thin films are one of the potentially useful metal chalcogenides with signification variation in properties depending on the stoichiometry, 1 ≤ x ≤ 2. At room temperature, five stable phases of CuxS are known to exist in the bulk form: CuS (covellite), Cu1.75S (anilite),Cu1.8S(digenite),Cu1.96S(djurleite),Cu2S(chalcocite). 1 The different phases of CuxS exhibit considerable variations of optical and electrical properties, therefore they can be used in different potential applications, such as solar control coatings, solar cells, photothermal conversion of solar energy, electroconductive coatings, microwave shielding coatings, etc. 2
Histone-catalyzed cleavage of nucleosomal DNA containing 2-deoxyribonolactone.

Oxidized abasic sites such as 2-deoxyribonolactone (L) are produced in DNA by a variety of oxidizing agents, including potent cytotoxic antitumor natural products. 2-Deoxyribonolactone is labile to alkaline conditions but its half-life in free DNA at pH 7.5 is approximately one week. Independent generation of L at defined positions within nucleosomes reveals that the histone proteins catalyze strand scission and increase the rate between 11 and ∼43-fold. Mechanistic studies indicate that DNA-protein cross-links are not intermediates en route to strand scission and that C2-deprotonation is the rate determining step. The use of mutant histone H4 proteins demonstrates that the lysine rich tail that is often post-translationally modified in cells contributes to the cleavage of L but is not the sole source of the enhanced cleavage rates. Consideration of DNA repair in cells suggests that L formation in nucleosomal DNA as part of bistranded lesions by antitumor antibiotics results in de facto double strand breaks, the most deleterious form of DNA damage.
Effects of Roasting, Extrusion, and Particle Size on the Feeding Value of Soybeans for Dairy Cows

Abstract Ten multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to a replicated 5 × 5 Latin square (21-d periods) approximately 116 d postpartum. Squares one and two averaged 36.4 and 24.4kg of 4% FCM/d, respectively. Diets contained 45.1% alfalfa silage, 9.2% corn silage, and 45.7% concentrate (DM basis) fed for ad libitum intake as a TMR. Treatments were 1) rolled raw soybeans, 2) finely ground raw soybeans, 3) diet 2 with distillers dried grains, 4) roasted soybeans, and 5) extruded soybeans. Treatments 1, 2, 4, and 5 contained 15.7% of the ration DM as soybeans, averaging 4.1 kg/d of soybean DMI. Treatment 3 contained 12.6% of the ration DM as soybeans, with an average intake of 3.2 kg/d of soybeans. Yields of FCM, milk fat and protein, fat percentage, DMI, and rates of DM and NDF disappearance were not significantly affected by treatment. Milk protein percentage was highest for diet 1 and lowest for diets 4 and 5. Apparent digestibilities of nutrients in the whole tract usually were highest for cows receiving treatment 1. Fatty acid digestibility was depressed on diet 4. Rumen VFA and pH were not different, except that propionate concentrations and acetate:propionate ratios were highest for diets 4 and 5. However, acetate:propionate ratios never fell below 3.4 for any diet. Although roasting depressed apparent digestibility of fatty acids, processing of soybeans had little effect on lactation performance of dairy cattle.
Personality and Cognitive Ability as Predictors of Effective Performance at Work

Conclusions about the validity of cognitive ability and personality measures based on meta-analyses published mostly in the past decade are reviewed at the beginning of this article. Research on major issues in selection that affect the use and interpretation of validation data are then discussed. These major issues include the dimensionality of personality, the nature and magnitude of g in cognitive ability measures, conceptualizations of validity, the nature of the job performance domain, trade-offs between diversity and validity, reactions to selection procedures, faking on personality measures, mediator and moderator research on test–performance relationships, multilevel issues, Web-based testing, the situational framing of test stimuli, and the context in which selection occurs.
Ray-Optical Calculation of Edge Diffraction in Unstable Resonators

A previously developed ray-optical theory for calculation of modal reflection and coupling coefficients due to edge discontinuities in homogeneously or inhomogeneously filled parallel-plane waveguides is generalized to waveguides with nonplanar boundaries. Treated in particular are the reflections from the open ends of a bilaterally truncated waveguide whose convex walls are confocal hyperbolas. This open configuration serves as a model for unstable optical resonators with cylindrical mirrors. The ray optically determined modal reflection and coupling coefficients for mirrors with large Fresnel number are shown to reduce to those in a previously employed local parallel-plane approximation when the Fresnel numbers are moderate. The analysis quantifies proposed ray-optical models for explaining the influence of edge diffraction on the behavior of the resonant modes.
A Modern Concept of Electronic Packaging

This paper points out the relationship between human engineering, design approach, and engineering management. Application of electronic packaging with printed circuit design is discussed and several slides illustrating finished units are shown. A modern design approach is explained, both from management's standpoint and the design engineer's point of view. Design procedure is discussed and the various functions and responsibilities of a design group are out- lined.
Stochastic Ensemble Simulation motion planning in stochastic dynamic environments

Motion planning in stochastic dynamic environments is difficult due to the need for constant plan adjustment caused by the uncertainty of the environment. There are many motion planning problems, including flight coordination and autonomous vehicles, that require an algorithm to predict obstacle motion and plan safely. In this paper, we propose Stochastic Ensemble Simulation (SES)-based planning, a novel framework to efficiently predict and produce safe trajectories in the presence of stochastic obstacles. The stochastic obstacles can be introduced in several ways including stochastic motion or position/speed uncertainty. SES-based planning works by first predicting an obstacle's future position offline through an ensemble of Monte Carlo simulations. These runs simulate the stochastic obstacle dynamics and store the simulation results in temporal snapshots of predicted positions. An online planner then uses this output to identify a predicted collision-free direct path to the goal. If the direct path is not expected to be collision-free, a more expensive tree-based planner is used. Our experiments show SES-based planning outperforms other methods that have high planning success in environments with 900 stochastically moving obstacles. Furthermore, our method plans trajectories with an 80% success rate for a 7 DOF robot in an environment with 250 stochastic moving obstacles and 50 obstacles with speed/position uncertainty. This complex problem is currently beyond the capability of several comparison methods.
SOD-1 expression in pig coronary arterioles is increased by exercise training

Coronary arterioles of exercise-trained (EX) pigs have enhanced nitric oxide (NO·)-dependent dilation. Evidence suggests that the biological half-life of NO· depends in part on the management of th...
Modeling 3D Environments through Hidden Human Context

The idea of modeling object-object relations has been widely leveraged in many scene understanding applications. However, as the objects are designed by humans and for human usage, when we reason about a human environment, we reason about it through an interplay between the environment, objects and humans. In this paper, we model environments not only through objects, but also through latent human poses and human-object interactions. In order to handle the large number of latent human poses and a large variety of their interactions with objects, we present Infinite Latent Conditional Random Field (ILCRF) that models a scene as a mixture of CRFs generated from Dirichlet processes. In each CRF, we model objects and object-object relations as existing nodes and edges, and hidden human poses and human-object relations as latent nodes and edges. ILCRF generatively models the distribution of different CRF structures over these latent nodes and edges. We apply the model to the challenging applications of 3D scene labeling and robotic scene arrangement. In extensive experiments, we show that our model significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art results in both applications. We further use our algorithm on a robot for arranging objects in a new scene using the two applications aforementioned.
Rapid tracer lactate influx into canine skeletal muscle

This study evaluated the effects of various lactate transport inhibitors and competitors on rapid tracer lactate influx into the canine gastrocnemius-plantaris muscle (GP). GPs of 25 anesthetized dogs were perfused with red blood cell-free media in situ. At 0.9 mM lactate concentration ([La]), GP oxygen uptake (2.6 +/- 0.1 ml.kg-1.min-1) and net lactate output (-0.039 +/- 0.007 mmol.kg-1.min-1) were similar to values during blood perfusion. Rapid tracer lactate influx was inferred by a paired-tracer dilution method at nominal perfusate [La] values of 1, 5, 10, 25, and 50 mM. The maximal tracer influx rate (Umax) decreased significantly with each increase in unlabeled [La]. A saturation effect was suggested by the fact that percent inhibition of Umax began to reach a plateau at the higher unlabeled [La] values. The inhibition of Umax was 20.5 +/- 2.9% at 5 mM, 34.1 +/- 3.3% at 10 mM, 47.3 +/- 2.7% at 25 mM, and 56.1 +/- 2.8% at 50 mM [La]. Umax was also inhibited by various inhibitors/competitors of lactat...
In-Person Versus Online Focus Group Discussions: A Comparative Analysis of Data Quality

Online focus group discussions (FGDs) are becoming popular as a qualitative research method. Methodological examinations regarding the data quality of online versus more traditional in-person FGDs are limited. We compared two online FGDs with two in-person FGDs conducted with gay and bisexual men using a sensitive topic (the experience of intimate partner violence) to examine differences in data quality between the two methods. The online FGDs resulted in larger word count but were shorter in time than the in-person FGDs. There was high overlap in the themes generated across groups; however, the online discussions yielded one additional theme regarding a sensitive topic. In-person FGDs involved less sharing of in-depth stories, whereas sensitive topics were discussed more candidly in the online FGDs. The results illustrate that although theformatof the data generated from each type of FGD may differ, thecontentof the data generated is remarkably similar.
A Mechanism for TiO2 Formation on Stepped TiN(001) from First-Principles Calculations

The adsorption of O2 on the TiN(001) stepped surface and the consequent formation of surface oxide have been characterized using first-principles calculations. The adsorption and dissociation of O2 on both the flat and the stepped surface are predicted to be spontaneous. Compared with the flat surface, however, the dissociation of O2 on the stepped surface is predicted to be more exothermic. A formation mechanism for TiO2 at the step is proposed that includes a nitrogen exit channel that enables further oxidation.
Identification of a Specific Epitope of Haemophilus influenzae on a 16,600-Dalton Outer Membrane Protein

A mouse monoclonal antibody that recognizes an epitope on a 16,600-dalton outer membrane protein was developed to nontypable Haemophilus influenzae. This epitope was present on all 115 isolates of H. influenzae tested, including typable and nontypable strains. Screening of 89 strains of other bacteria demonstrated that this epitope is a highly specific marker for H. influenzae because the epitope was absent in virtually all other bacterial species tested. Western blot assays were performed with two normal human serum samples and convalescent-phase serum from an adult with bacteremia due to nontypable H. influenzae. Antibody to the 16,600-dalton outer membrane protein was present in all three human serum samples.
Inclination Parameter Estimation for Manipulator and Humanoid Robot Links

A novel approach of dynamic, non-contact measurement of inclination parameters for robotics applications using the Vestibular Dynamic Inclinometer (VDI) is proposed in the paper. The gravity-invariant Vestibular Dynamic Inclinometer (VDI) is a sensor that consists of symmetrically placed two dual-axis linear accelerometers and one single-axis gyroscope. The deployment of the non-contact sensor is strategic and need not be exactly at the joints. The sensor is also able to estimate the inclination parameters of the base link and the acceleration of the surface of contact. The inclination parameters — base angle, joint angles, angular velocity and angular acceleration, are independent of integration errors/drift.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Gaussian moving average and delayed option pricing model

Based on Black-Scholes formula,a delayed European option pricing model was constructed.Standard Brownian motion was replaced by Gaussian moving average process and certain conditions were satisfied to ensure the completeness of the market.It is believed that the proposed model is realistic enough to fit the real market data.Finally,we put forth the no-arbitrage property and an explicit hedging strategy under the equivalent martingale measure.
Analysis on sanitary condition of foot massage places in Pudong District of Shanghai from 2010-2012

[Objective]To investigate the sanitary condition of foot massage places in Pudong District of Shanghai,provide scientific basis for developing the related health interventions.[Methods]By using the descriptive research method,43 foot massage places were randomly collected from Pudong District during 2010-2012. The sanitary conditions of indoors air,public supplies,the practitioners' hands and water for foot massage were detected,and the qualified rates were statistically analyzed by Chi-square test. [Results]The total qualified rate of public supplies in massage places during 2010-2012 was 76. 6%,and there was a significant difference in the qualified rate of public supplies among different scales of foot massage places( χ2= 11. 683,P 0. 01),which the qualified rate of public supplies in small-scale foot massage places was significant lower than that in medium scale and largescale foot massage places. The qualified rate of practitioners' hands was 68. 8%,and the difference among different scales of foot massage places was significant( χ2= 11. 519,P 0. 05). The total qualified rate of water for foot massage was 57. 1%,and there was a significant difference among three years( χ2= 9. 691,P 0. 01).[Conclusion]The sanitary condition of foot massage places in Pudong District is not optimistic. It is necessary to pay attention to the monitoring of the public supplies,the practitioners' hands and water for foot massage. Meanwhile,the related department should improve the health surveillance and supervision.
Unit-cell-based derivation of the material models for armor-grade composites with different architectures of ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene fibers

Purpose – Traditionally, an armor-grade composite is based on a two-dimensional (2D) architecture of its fiber reinforcements. However, various experimental investigations have shown that armor-grade composites based on 2D-reinforcement architectures tend to display inferior through-the-thickness mechanical properties, compromising their ballistic performance. To overcome this problem, armor-grade composites based on three-dimensional (3D) fiber-reinforcement architectures have recently been investigated experimentally. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In the present work, continuum-level material models are derived, parameterized and validated for armor-grade composite materials, having four (two 2D and two 3D) prototypical reinforcement architectures based on oriented ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene fibers. To properly and accurately account for the effect of the reinforcement architecture, the appropriate unit cells (within which the constituent materials a...
A Compact Electronically-Tuned Vector Measurement System For Submillimeter-Wave Imaging

An electronically tunable compact submillimeter wave transmission/reflection measurement system has been demonstrated at 560-635 GHz. The measured dynamic range is as high as 90 dB (60 dB across the entire frequency range), with less than 2deg of peak phase noise. The frequency agility of the system can be exploited to provide near real-time imaging capability using only a single pixel. This is accomplished by scanning the transmit and receive beams through the use of a frequency steerable lens placed at the transmitter and receiver.
Does It Pay to Be Unethical? The Case of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Mlb:

The question of “does it pay to be unethical?” is investigated within the framework of Major League Baseball (MLB). The issue of gaining a competitive advantage by operating outside of the rules is...
Feasibility study of a novel robotic system BALLU: Buoyancy assisted lightweight legged unit

Robots are often associated with being heavy, mechanized metal objects. In fact, most current legged robots are unsafe, unstable, complex, expensive, and slow. The risks, inefficiencies, and danger involved prevents their widespread use and interaction with humans. This video presents the initial feasibility study and testing done on BALLU (Buoyancy Assisted Lightweight Legged Unit). BALLU is a robotic system that uses buoyancy to aid its stability and increase safety. This unique approach makes it intrinsically stable at all times and prevents it from falling. As a matter of fact, it cannot fall. Helium filled balloons make up the upper body. Although the entire robot is not lighter than air and will not float, the buoyancy force from the body assists lightweight legs to stay upright keeping the robot in a stable, standing posture. All actuation, communication, and power components are built into the feet which make up the majority of the robots mass. The prototype shown in the video is a biped with two degrees of freedom. Only the knees are actuated (cable driven from the feet). Yet, with only one degree of freedom per leg, the robot can walk forwards, walk backwards, step sideways, turn, hop, and perform other types of motion. This is achieved with correct timing of the actuation of each knee along with careful consideration for momentum, drag, joint velocity, joint friction, and joint elasticity. For this early prototype, the actuation of the knees are triggered manually via wireless remote control (straight walking via software control). In addition to these locomotion capabilities, BALLUs stability and safety can potentially further advance various aspects of the human-robot interaction experience.
A Continuum Poisson–Boltzmann Model for Membrane Channel Proteins

Membrane proteins constitute a large portion of the human proteome and perform a variety of important functions as membrane receptors, transport proteins, enzymes, signaling proteins, and more. Computational studies of membrane proteins are usually much more complicated than those of globular proteins. Here, we propose a new continuum model for Poisson–Boltzmann calculations of membrane channel proteins. Major improvements over the existing continuum slab model are as follows: (1) The location and thickness of the slab model are fine-tuned based on explicit-solvent MD simulations. (2) The highly different accessibilities in the membrane and water regions are addressed with a two-step, two-probe grid-labeling procedure. (3) The water pores/channels are automatically identified. The new continuum membrane model is optimized (by adjusting the membrane probe, as well as the slab thickness and center) to best reproduce the distributions of buried water molecules in the membrane region as sampled in explicit wa...
Formation of pH-Resistant Monodispersed Polymer-Lipid Nanodiscs

Polymer lipid nanodiscs are an invaluable system for structural and functional studies of membrane proteins in their near-native environment. Despite the recent advances in the development and usage of polymer lipid nanodisc systems, lack of control over size and poor tolerance to pH and divalent metal ions are major limitations for further applications. A facile modification of a low-molecular-weight styrene maleic acid copolymer is demonstrated to form monodispersed lipid bilayer nanodiscs that show ultra-stability towards divalent metal ion concentration over a pH range of 2.5 to 10. The macro-nanodiscs (>20 nm diameter) show magnetic alignment properties that can be exploited for high-resolution structural studies of membrane proteins and amyloid proteins using solid-state NMR techniques. The new polymer, SMA-QA, nanodisc is a robust membrane mimetic tool that offers significant advantages over currently reported nanodisc systems.
Examining the relationships between participative organisational communication practices and burnout among IT professionals

This study examines the relationships two important participative organisational communication practices, namely employee work participation (EWP) and internal communication adequacy (ICA), and inf...
DIFFERENCES IN REFRACTIVE OUTCOMES BETWEEN PHACOEMULSIFICATION FOR CATARACT ALONE AND COMBINED PHACOEMULSIFICATION AND VITRECTOMY FOR EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE.

Purpose To determine whether preoperative adjustments are required for intraocular lens calculations in combined phacovitrectomy surgery. Methods A single-center, retrospective study of 50 eyes that underwent combined phacovitrectomy and a control group of 50 eyes after cataract surgery over a 3-year period by a single anterior segment surgeon and a single posterior segment surgeon. Main outcome measures were predicted refractive error (RE), as determined by SRK/T and Holladay 1 formulas, change compared with actual RE, surgically induced astigmatism, and the relationships between preoperative central foveal thickness or change in central foveal thickness and final RE. Results The differences in predicted and final RE between groups were not statistically significant between groups when both SRK/T and Holladay 1 formulas were used (P > 0.05). Regardless of the formula used, final RE was neither significantly hyperopic nor myopic as compared to the target. There was no difference in surgically induced astigmatism between the two groups. Increased preoperative central foveal thickness was correlated with greater difference between predicted and actual RE. No relationship was noted between change in central foveal thickness and RE. Conclusion Combined phacovitrectomy for concurrent cataract epiretinal membrane by experienced cataract and vitreoretinal surgeons seems to deliver as predictable refractive results as cataract surgery alone.
Tales from Kentucky Nurses. Reprint edition. By William Lynwood Montell

In Tales from Kentucky Nurses, author William Lynwood Montell, emeritus professor of folk studies at Western Kentucky University, has presented a wide array of short narrative remembrances from wom...
Impact of practice patterns in shunt use during carotid endarterectomy with contralateral carotid occlusion

Purpose This study investigated the association between surgeon practice pattern in shunt placement and 30-day stroke/death in patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA) with contralateral carotid occlusion (CCO). Methods Among 6379 CEAs performed in the Vascular Study Group of New England (VSGNE) between 2002 and 2009, we identified 353 patients who underwent CEA with CCO and compared the 30-day stroke/death rate with 5279 patients who underwent primary, isolated CEA with a patent contralateral carotid artery. Within patients with CCO, we examined the 30-day stroke/death rate across the reason for shunt placement and two distinct surgeon practice patterns in shunt placement: surgeons who selectively used a shunt (≤95% of CEAs) or routinely used a shunt (>95% of CEAs). We used observed/expected (O/E) ratios to provide risk-adjusted comparisons across groups. Results Of 353 patients with CCO, 118 (33%) underwent CEA without a shunt, 173 (49%) underwent CEA using a shunt placed routinely, and 62 (18%) had a shunt placed for a neurologic indication. Rates of 30-day stroke/death across categories of reason for shunt use were no shunt, 3.4%; routine shunt, 4.0%; and shunt for indication, 4.8% (P = .891). The risk of 30-day stroke/death was higher for surgeons who selectively placed shunts (5.6%) in all their CEAs and lower for surgeons who routinely placed shunts (1.5%, P = .05). The risk of 30-day stroke/death was >1 in patients undergoing selective shunting (O/E ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1-1.7) and Conclusions The risk of 30-day stroke/death is higher in CEA in patients with CCO than with a patent contralateral carotid artery. Surgeons who place shunts selectively during CEA have higher rates of stroke/death in patients with CCO. This suggests that shunt use for CCO during CEA is associated with fewer complications, but only if the surgeon uses a shunt as part of his or her routine practice in CEA. Surgeons should preoperatively consider their own practice pattern in shunt use when faced with a patient who may require shunt placement.
Arrhythmias in the Athlete

While athletes are symbols of the healthiest segments of our society, they are occasionally affected by cardiovascular conditions and arrhythmias that come to the attention of the clinician. Evaluation and management of the athlete with cardiovascular disease and arrhythmias represent a unique challenge. Despite the best available evaluation and testing diagnostic uncertainty occurs with considerable frequency. The cardiovascular conditions predisposing to arrhythmias and the arrhythmias that can occur in the absence of any structural heart disease in the athlete are reviewed in this chapter from multiple perspectives. These include clinical evaluation of the athlete with arrhythmias, screening strategies for cardiovascular conditions that predispose to arrhythmias and guidelines for athletic participation.
Financial Stress, Social Supports, Gender, and Anxiety During College: A Stress-Buffering Perspective ψ:

In this study, we examined financial stress and general anxiety in college students (N = 304) with attention to the moderating roles of different types of social support (i.e., family support, soci...