cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular cloning of an Onchocerca volvulus extracellular Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase.

Abstract Onchocerca volvulus, a human parasitic nematode, is the third leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. This study describes the molecular cloning of a novel superoxide dismutase (SOD) from the parasite. This putative O. volvulus extracellular SOD (OvEcSOD) is 628 nucleotides (nt) long, including a 22-nt 5' spliced leader (SL1) and a portion encoding an N-terminal hydrophobic 42-amino-acid signal peptide. The remainder of the cDNA shares 71% identity with an O. volvulus cytosolic SOD sequence and is 3 nt longer. All residues involved in metal ion binding, active site formation, folding, and dimer formation in SODs are conserved. Data indicate the OvEcSOD and O. volvulus cytosolic SOD are separate gene products and that the OvEcSOD appears to possess the characteristics of a membrane-bound or secreted enzyme which may be involved in the parasite defense against phagocyte-generated reactive oxygen species.
Obama's iPod: Popular Music and the Perils of Postpolitical Populism

This article examines how Barack Obama has used popular music over the last several years as part of a populist communication strategy. It argues that thinking about the aesthetics of popular music helps us understand how populist logic functions. Examining the music used during the campaign, the inaugural celebration, and the In Performance at the White House series, I show how the aesthetic problems of Obama's musical spectacles are symptomatic of a postpolitical populism that is potentially unstable. Using a number of theories of populism and popular music, in particular those of Ernesto Laclau, Slavoj Žižek, and Stuart Hall, I argue that while the Obama White House effectively utilized a heterogeneous populist aesthetic to structure identification with Obama as a leader to win the 2008 election, its postelection praxis has left it unable to articulate the agonistic pluralism necessary for sustaining an effective political movement, setting the stage for the recuperation of populist affect by the homog...
Enzymatic elimination of fluoride from α-fluoro-β-alanine

Rat liver homogenates catalyzed the elimination of fluoride from (R,S)-alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine. The substrate specificity and physical properties of the defluorinating enzyme were similar to those of mitochondrial L-alanine-glyoxylate aminotransferase II (EC 2.6.1.44, AlaAT-II). Furthermore, AlaAT-II activity, measured with L-alanine and glyoxylate as substrates, copurified with the alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine-defluorinating enzyme. The NH2-terminal sequence (18 residues) of the enzyme did not show significant sequence similarity with any of the proteins currently listed in GenBank. The purified enzyme catalyzed the transamination of L-alanine (Ala) and glyoxylate (glyx) at pH 8.5 by a ping-pong mechanism with kinetic parameters of kcat = 17 sec-1, KL-Ala = 3.2 mM, and Kglyx = 0.3 mM, respectively. The kinetic parameters for the defluorination of (R)-alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine and (S)-alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine were kcat = 6.2 and 2.6 min-1, respectively, and Km = 2.7 and 0.88 mM, respectively. L-Alanine potently inhibited the defluorination reaction with an apparent Ki of 0.024 mM. (R,S)-alpha-Fluoro-beta-alanine converted the optical spectrum of the enzyme-bound cofactor from the pyridoxal form to the pyridoxamino form, which indicated that this cofactor may participate in the defluorination reaction. The product of the enzymatic reaction, malonic semialdehyde, reacted nonenzymatically with (R,S)-alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine to form an adduct that was detected spectrally. AlaAT-II was not inactivated during dehalogenation of (R,S)-alpha-fluoro-beta-alanine but was inactivated completely during dehalogenation of beta-chloro-L-alanine.
Diversity and Mega-Targets of Selection from the Characterization of a Barley Collection

Germplasm exchange is essential for assuring genetic gain in a breeding program. Two aspects of breeding programs are relevant to making them compatible for germplasm exchange: the amount of genetic diversity within programs and the identifi cation of breeding programs with similar breeding objectives and environ- ments of selection (i.e., mega-targets of selec- tion). The objective of this study was to develop a data-driven method to group breeding pro- grams likely to be compatible for germplasm exchange and to use phenotypic characteriza- tion data of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) from breeding programs to illustrate this method. In two locations in Uruguay we evaluated 20 traits in 353 genotypes of barley from 23 private and public breeding programs distributed world- wide. We found signifi cant amounts of genetic diversity for all traits, but differences in diver- sity among programs for only seven traits. We
Abstract P5-20-02: Predictors of long-term survival in a large cohort of patients with HER2-positive (HER2+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

Background: Numerous studies have examined prognostic factors for survival in breast cancer patients (pts), but few have focused on long-term survival among pts with HER2+ MBC receiving HER2-targeted therapy. In this study we sought to evaluate the clinical characteristics and predictive factors of long-term survival in this group of pts. Methods: All pts with HER2+ MBC treated with HER2-directed therapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center were identified by retrospective review of the Institutional Breast Medical Oncology database. HER2 status was determined by IHC or FISH. Patient characteristics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Overall survival (OS) was measured from the date of diagnosis of the first distant metastasis to the date of death or last contact. Pts were grouped according to OS and categorized as long term-survivors (LTS, OS ≥5 years), or non-long term survivors (non-LTS, OS Results: We identified 1603 pts diagnosed with HER2+ MBC between 1994 and 2012 and treated with HER2-targeted therapy. A total of 154 (14.5%) pts were categorized as LTS (median follow-up 80 months, median OS 92.2 months); in this subgroup we identified 10 pts that survived ≥10 years. There were 909 (85.5%) not-LTS (median follow-up 20 months, median OS 27.6 months). Among LTS, 67.5% of the pts were younger than 50 years old; 63.4% had HR-positive tumors and initial stage at the time of diagnosis was I in 11.9%, II in 39.9%, III in 16.3% and stage IV de novo in 32% of the pts. 5-year survival estimates demonstrated differences according to age (31% in patients ≤50 years vs. 25% in patients >50, p = 0.005); stage at diagnosis (25% for stage I-III vs. 36% for stage IV de novo, p Conclusions: Some patients with HER2+positive MBC have an excellent outcome, particularly younger pts with HR-positive tumors, low burden of disease and non-visceral metastases in which multidisciplinary treatment is favored. In the era of HER2-targeted therapies, 14.5% of the patients are long-term survivors. To our knowledge this is the largest series identifying the characteristics of this group of patients. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-20-02.
Characterization of Monobody Scaffold Interactions with Ligand via Force Spectroscopy and Steered Molecular Dynamics

Monobodies are antibody alternatives derived from fibronectin that are thermodynamically stable, small in size, and can be produced in bacterial systems. Monobodies have been engineered to bind a wide variety of target proteins with high affinity and specificity. Using alanine-scanning mutagenesis simulations, we identified two scaffold residues that are critical to the binding interaction between the monobody YS1 and its ligand, maltose-binding protein (MBP). Steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations predicted that the E47A and R33A mutations in the YS1 scaffold substantially destabilize the YS1-MBP interface by reducing the bond rupture force and the lifetime of single hydrogen bonds. SMD simulations further indicated that the R33A mutation weakens the hydrogen binding between all scaffold residues and MBP and not just between R33 and MBP. We validated the simulation data and characterized the effects of mutations on YS1-MBP binding by using single-molecule force spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance. We propose that interfacial stability resulting from R33 of YS1 stacking with R344 of MBP synergistically stabilizes both its own bond and the interacting scaffold residues of YS1. Our integrated approach improves our understanding of the monobody scaffold interactions with a target, thus providing guidance for the improved engineering of monobodies.
Identification of bZIP Interaction Partners of Viral Proteins HBZ, MEQ, BZLF1, and K-bZIP Using Coiled-Coil Arrays

Basic-region leucine-zipper transcription factors (bZIPs) contain a segment rich in basic amino acids that can bind DNA, followed by a leucine zipper that can interact with other leucine zippers to form coiled-coil homo- or heterodimers. Several viruses encode proteins containing bZIP domains, including four that encode bZIPs lacking significant homology to any human protein. We investigated the interaction specificity of these four viral bZIPs by using coiled-coil arrays to assess self-associations as well as heterointeractions with 33 representative human bZIPs. The arrays recapitulated reported viral-human interactions and also uncovered new associations. MEQ and HBZ interacted with multiple human partners and had unique interaction profiles compared to any human bZIPs, whereas K-bZIP and BZLF1 displayed homospecificity. New interactions detected included HBZ with MAFB, MAFG, ATF2, CEBPG, and CREBZF and MEQ with NFIL3. These were confirmed in solution using circular dichroism. HBZ can heteroassociate with MAFB and MAFG in the presence of MARE-site DNA, and this interaction is dependent on the basic region of HBZ. NFIL3 and MEQ have different yet overlapping DNA-binding specificities and can form a heterocomplex with DNA. Computational design considering both affinity for MEQ and specificity with respect to other undesired bZIP-type interactions was used to generate a MEQ dimerization inhibitor. This peptide, anti-MEQ, bound MEQ both stably and specifically, as assayed using coiled-coil arrays and circular dichroism in solution. Anti-MEQ also inhibited MEQ binding to DNA. These studies can guide further investigation of the function of viral and human bZIP complexes.
Origin and frequency dependence of nonlinear optical susceptibilities of glasses

We have determined the frequency dependence of the nonlinear optical susceptibilities of fused quartz and four other glasses, and determined the relative contributions of "electronic" and "nuclear" mechanisms to their nonlinear optical indices. This is the first such determination in solids. Our method has been to analyze our own absolute measurement of ordinary differential Raman-scattering cross sections in conjunction with the coefficients for intensity-induced polarization changes measured by Owyoung in the same glasses.
The role of lymphovascular space invasion in renal cell carcinoma as a prognostic marker of survival after curative resection

Abstract Objectives Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) correlates with adverse outcomes in numerous malignancies. However, its role in predicting outcomes in RCC is unclear. Herein, we evaluated what effect LVI had on metastasis free survival (MFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS) in patients with RCC treated with surgical excision. Methods Eight hundred forty-one consecutive patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy from 1989 to 2004 were identified. Pathologic and gross features examined were LVI, subtype, Fuhrman grade, stage, and size. Age and gender were also analyzed. Slides were re-reviewed by a single pathologist (MS). Variables with P Results LVI was seen on H and E stained slides in 91 patients (11%); 120 (14%) developed metastatic disease, 91 (11%) died of RCC, and 306 (36%) died during a median follow-up of 61 months. While on univariate analysis, LVI was strongly associated with decreased MFS, DSS, and OS ( P P = 0.93), 0.96 (95% CI: 0.542–1.69; P = 0.88), and 1.24 (95% CI: 0.869–1.77; P = 0.24). Conclusions We found LVI to be associated with worse MFS, DSS, and OS on univariate analysis, but not on multivariate analysis for patients with nonmetastatic RCC. In contrast to previously reported studies, LVI may not be an independent prognostic variable in patients with localized RCC.
Numerical Modeling of Multimaterial Thermoelectric Devices Under Static and Cyclic Thermal Loading

Selection of materials for thermoelectric devices is generally based on a figure of merit that is a function of the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. While this figure of merit is a useful metric for comparing materials, the relative importance of the constituent properties depends on the particular application and conditions. In addition, multiple materials can be used together to improve the performance or extend the operating range, and determining the performance of such multimaterial combinations requires analysis beyond simply averaging the properties of the constituent materials. In this paper, finite-element numerical simulations under static and cyclic thermal loadings are used to investigate how device performance can be improved by judicious location of the different materials within the device. The results show that the performance of a device with two different materials can be better than that of either of the individual materials. The greatest improvement in performance occurs with cyclic heating, where the overall performance is strongly influenced by the behavior under transient conditions during heating and cooling.
Surface chemistry of TiCl4 on W(100)

Abstract The interactions of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4 ) with the W(100) surface are described. Reactions were studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). From TPD measurements, it is concluded that TiCl 4 is the sole desorption product below 700 K. Desorption occurs in three temperature regions, near 170 K, in a process assigned to multilayer sublimation, near 225 K, from two states designated α 1 - and α 2 -TiCl 4 , and near 455 K, from two states designated γ 1 - and γ 2 -TiCl 4 . The Ti(2p) and Cl(2p) photoelectron spectra imply that TiCl 4 is molecularly adsorbed below 190 K. Between 190 and 275 K, α-TiCl 4 desorption competes with dissociation to TiCl 3(a) and Cl (a) . Adsorbed TiCl 3 , which has been spectroscopically identified by XPS, self-disproportionates between 300 and 500 K, yielding γ-TiCl 4 , as well as adsorbed Ti and Cl. Adsorbed Cl eventually desorbs as a volatile tungsten chloride, and Ti probably evolves into the gas phase as Ti (g) .
Spin dependence of critical point behavior for first and second order phase transitions in nuclei

A study of first and second order nuclear shape phase transitional behavior in yrast states of even-even nuclei in the context of the Interacting Boson Model-1 is presented. Finite boson number effects are identified using calculations with up to 150 bosons, and the role of the rotational degree of freedom of observables in first and second order quantum phase transitional nuclei is discussed. We aim to provide a first investigation of the angular momentum dependence of experimentally accessible phase transitional signatures in finite-sized quantum nuclear systems.
Detection of diethylene glycol adulteration in propylene glycol--method validation through a multi-instrument collaborative study.

Abstract Four portable NIR instruments from the same manufacturer that were nominally identical were programmed with a PLS model for the detection of diethylene glycol (DEG) contamination in propylene glycol (PG)–water mixtures. The model was developed on one spectrometer and used on other units after a calibration transfer procedure that used piecewise direct standardization. Although quantitative results were produced, in practice the instrument interface was programmed to report in Pass/Fail mode. The Pass/Fail determinations were made within 10 s and were based on a threshold that passed a blank sample with 95% confidence. The detection limit was then established as the concentration at which a sample would fail with 95% confidence. For a 1% DEG threshold one false negative (Type II) and eight false positive (Type I) errors were found in over 500 samples measured. A representative test set produced standard errors of less than 2%. Since the range of diethylene glycol for economically motivated adulteration (EMA) is expected to be above 1%, the sensitivity of field calibrated portable NIR instruments is sufficient to rapidly screen out potentially problematic materials. Following method development, the instruments were shipped to different sites around the country for a collaborative study with a fixed protocol to be carried out by different analysts. NIR spectra of replicate sets of calibration transfer, system suitability and test samples were all processed with the same chemometric model on multiple instruments to determine the overall analytical precision of the method. The combined results collected for all participants were statistically analyzed to determine a limit of detection (2.0% DEG) and limit of quantitation (6.5%) that can be expected for a method distributed to multiple field laboratories.
Cell function-based flow cytometry.

Abstract Flow cytometry is increasingly used to assess the functional status of leukocytes, and practically all aspects of their life (and death) are accessible to flow cytometric study. Together with familiar features of flow cytometry, such as multiparameter immunophenotyping, cell function-based flow cytometry has provided many new insights into the relationships among lymphocyte cell surface features; intracellular processes, such as cytokine production and protein phosphorylation; and the functional status of lymphocytes in a variety of human diseases. Direct visualization and quantification of antigen-specific T cells using major histocom-patibility complex (MHC)-peptide tetramer technology, in combination with functional assays, has provided the means to study specific T-cell subsets of interest. Even early in its development, this technology already has offered a better understanding of basic and clinical immunology and has invited reassessment of several long-standing immunologic concepts.
Right Brain: The case library as a tool to enhance clinical observation

> For many years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information. > > —Watson describing Sherlock Holmes' index1 A case library is a collection of patients' details organized systematically and analyzed comparatively. Analogous to browsing titles on a library shelf, it inspires the user to scan within and across cases to elicit deeper insights than from reviewing any individual one. The analysis, whether qualitative or quantitative, is based fundamentally on the general method of comparative analysis—evaluation of similarities and differences to create embedded categories leading to hypotheses and generalizable theories.2 A case library is distinct from a case log in its emphasis on discovery and analysis often simultaneously with data collection; it is not a list of cases accumulated and then scrutinized, but rather an evolving catalog in which every new entry is related to prior entries and regrouped accordingly. Historically, collecting and analyzing cases comparatively have yielded unique clinical observations. Early hypotheses of mechanism and nosology were analyses of similar cases presented in case series format. …
Modal Platonism: an Easy Way to Avoid Ontological Commitment to Abstract Entities

Modal Platonism utilizes “weak” logical possibility, such that it is logically possible there are abstract entities, and logically possible there are none. Modal Platonism also utilizes a non-indexical actuality operator.
Nucleotides at the 5'-linked ends of bromegrass mosaic virus RNA and its fragments.

Abstract The RNA of bromegrass mosaic virus (BMV-RNA) was isolated as three components (L, M, and S, of about 1.0, 0.7 and 0.3·106 mol. wt.) and studied by terminal labeling. Periodate oxidation of the 5′-linked terminus followed by [14C]-dimedone treatment or by reduction with NaB3H4 showed Components L and M to each contain one free 5′-linked end per molecule. Chromatography of ribonuclease T1 hydrolysates of NaB3H4 labeled Components L or M indicated that the two RNA fractions contain the same terminal oligonucleotide; purification and analysis of each oligomer confirmed their identity and permitted tentative identification of the terminal sequence as ... GpCpCpCpA. Component S incorporated less than equimolar quantities of dimedone or NaBH4 after oxidation, and chromatography of 3H terminally labeled material showed some terminal heterogeneity but also much of the same terminal oligonucleotide identified above. Phosphomonoesterase treatment of Component S produced a variety of new periodate-sensitive ends. It was concluded that intact viral RNA (Component L) may be cleaved in a sensitive region (but not at a single internucleotide linkage) to form molecules of Component M which carries the 5′-linked terminus and Component S which usually bears a 3′-phosphate end. Component M may then be further cleaved to form two molecules of Component S, one carrying the original 5′-linked end and one usually terminating in a 3′-phosphate.
Laparoscopic common duct exploration in the management of choledocholithiasis.

Abstract Background: Optimal treatment strategies for addressing common duct stones at laparoscopic cholecystectomy remain controversial. The study presents the authors’ experience with laparoscopic common bile duct exploration (LCBDE) . Methods: A retrospective review was performed of 71 LCBDEs performed over 5 years using either transcystic duct flushing and mechanical techniques, transcystic duct basket retreival techniques, or laparoscopic choledochotomy . Results: Laparoscopic CBDE resulted in ductal clearance in 61 of 71 (85%) cases with only 1 case of unsuspected retained common duct stones and only 1 major complication. Review of the cases that did not result in common duct clearance suggests that the success rate of laparoscopic CBDE could be increased. Conclusions: Laparoscopic CBDE is an effective treatment for concurrent gallstones and common duct stones and avoids the potential morbidity of an endoscopic sphincterotomy. General surgeons with adequate training and experience can perform laparoscopic CBDE safely and effectively.
The structure of the toxin from helminthosporium carbonum

Using Fast Atom Bombardment Mass Spectrometry and Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry, the structure of HC-toxin a metabolite of Helminthosporium carbonum, is postulated to be structure 3.
Treatment options for prehypertension.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Prehypertension is a recognized stage of blood pressure but treatment standards have not yet been established. This review will focus on the treatment considerations in prehypertension. RECENT FINDINGS Previous approaches to prehypertensive blood pressure have focused on the role of nonpharmacologic modalities alone. The recently published Trial of Preventing Hypertension (TROPHY) is the first study of pharmacologic intervention in this category of blood pressure. SUMMARY TROPHY forged new territory in the area of pharmacologic treatment for prehypertension. The safety and tolerability of the angiotensin receptor blocker treatment in the trial offer a new option to clinicians attempting to avoid the ravages of hypertension in the patients they treat. Furthermore the stage is properly set for additional research in treatments for prehypertension.
The catalytic decarboxylation of oxaloacetic acid by thermally prepared poly-α-amino acids

Catalytic decarboxylation of oxaloacetic acid into pyruvic acid by thermally prepared poly-alpha- amino acids
Massive Transfusion During Major Surgery in a Child with Anti-Knopsa and One Kidney

Massive transfusion has been defined as the replacement of one-third to one-half of the blood volume of the patient. It usually implies the presence of shock and is associated with multiple traumatic injuries. Blood replacement is almost always banked blood given in large quantities. However, massive transfusion with autologous blood can also be applied to elective cases and is becoming a useful and clinically beneficial service both in the quality of the products transfused service both in the quality of the products transfused and avoidance of diseases transmitted by blood transfusion from heterologous blood donor sources. Operations which regularly require the transfusion of three or more units of blood include open heart surgery, orthopedic reconstructive procedures, vascular surgery and abdominal surgical procedures. The case presented here, an orthopedic procedure, describes an example of elective massive transfusion, successfully performed in the presence of a rare alloantibody to red blood cells.
Introduction to the Special Issue: Modeling as Application versus Modeling as a Way to Create Mathematics

This special issue of IJCML is dedicated to our good friend and colleague, Jim Kaput. In many ways, each article was inspired by collaborations that involved Jim; and, they also are examples of some of the most important directions that Kaput’s research was moving at the time of his untimely death. For example, the article by Lehrer, Kim, and Schauble emphasizes ways that expressive media (which may vary from technical languages, to paper-and-pencil notations and sketches, to computer-based tools for communication, collaboration, and conceptualization) shape and empower the ways that people think. The article by Konold, Harradine, and Kazak emphasizes Kaput’s longstanding mission to use technology to provide all children with democratic access to powerful ideas; and, the article by Lesh, Caylor, and Gupta emphasizes the infrastructural nature of the preceding kinds of conceptual tools. That is, the conceptual tools that humans develop to make sense of their experiences typically have both expanding and constraining influences on thinking; and, the same conceptual tools that have been developed to describe and explain existing situations also tend to be used to create new systems, artifacts, and tools. So, as soon as people develop better ways of thinking about things that currently exist, they tend to change these things in ways that make the development of conceptual systems a neverending enterprise. Furthermore, this is especially true in a technology-based age of information. It is well known that Kaput was a futurist who had a deep interest in history. Consequently, when we, like he, investigate how concepts develop in the thinking of students, our research is informed not only by information about how relevant concepts develop logically, psychologically, and pedagogically—but also historically. Yet, a fact that is not as well known about Kaput is that he was once a literature major who especially loved Don Quixote. So, it is not surprising to hear that many people considered him to be a ‘‘knight for the right.’’ For example, his mission was to use the best available technologies to go
Temporal relationships between spectral response and agronomic variables of a corn canopy

Attention is given to an experiment in which spectral radiance data collected in three spectral regions are related to corn canopy variables. The study extends the work of Tucker et al. (1979) in that more detailed measurements of corn canopy variables were made using quantitative techniques. Wet and dry green leaf biomass is considered along with the green leaf area index, chlorotic leaf biomass, chlorotic leaf area, and leaf water content. In addition, spectral data were collected with a hand-held radiometer having Landsat-D Thematic Mapper (TM) bands TM3 (0.63-0.69 micrometers), TM4 (0.76-0.90 micrometers), and TM5 (1.55-1.75 micrometers). TM3, TM4, and TM5 seem to be well situated spectrally for making remotely sensed measurements related to chlorophyll concentration, leaf density, and leaf water content.
Attack and Development of Scolytus multistriatus in Small-Diameter Elm Branches

Scolytus multistriatus attack density, gallery length, and brood production beneath the bark of Ulmus procera branches 2 to 6 cm in diameter increased as branch diameter increased. Beetles did not complete development in 2-cm-diameter branches, and an average of 70 beetles per dm2 emerged from 6-cm-diameter branches. Removal of small-diameter, moribund branches above 2 cm in diameter may be necessary if all potential breeding sites are to be eliminated in Dutch elm disease prevention programs.
IRRIGATOR INVOLVEMENT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION CONTROL PROGRAMS

ABSTRACT: Recently, Congress designated irrigated agriculture under the “nonpoint source” category, covered by Section 208 of P.L. 92-500 and involves the use of “best management practices.” Generally, the most appropriate solutions for pollution abatement from irrigated agriculture involve the delivery and use of water rather than the treatment of irrigation return flows. 1. Technological alternatives should be utilized that are sensitive to local conditions and acceptable to the farmers. 2. Informational and educational programs to assist farm operators individually and collectively must be instituted prior to the start of the project; imaginatively conceived, and continuously modified and upgraded if motivation for change is to be encouraged. 3. Technical assistance personnel should be given short courses in skills needed for working effectively with irrigators. 4. Communication techniques used for working with farmers as individuals and groups should be designed into the implementation program and evaluated. 5. Credibility and trustworthiness of Federal and state agencies in the eyes of the irrigators provide the important final ingredient in effectively implementing change and reducing nonpoint source pollution from irrigated agriculture.
Widespread distribution of mutant alleles (t-alleles) in populations of wild house mice.

FOLLOWING the proof that mutant changes at one locus (t) occur rather frequently in laboratory stocks of mice kept in the balanced lethal condition1 T/tn, we turned our attention to the problem whether such mutations are to be found also in wild populations. In the laboratory we had detected such mutations only in stocks which already contained a t-allele at this locus; stocks containing T (brachyury = short tail) had been under continuous observation in the laboratory since 1932, but no occurrence of mutation to a t-allele (revealed by the tailless condition T/tn) had been detected. Seven different t-alleles were detected and isolated1 by testing the rare normal-tailed exceptions which were found after inbreeding the balanced-lethal tailless stock T/t1. All such exceptions proved to be t/tx, tx being a new allele at this locus. This suggested that tx had arisen either by recombination or rearrangement at the complex locus t (Dunn, 1954) or that t1 had induced mutation to a new allele. The fact that the new mutants were different from t1 and from each other and that no recombination gametes containing the normal allele (+) were found was taken as evidence against the recombination hypothesis. The locus thus appeared to be unstable in the balanced lethal laboratory stocks. A question of interest was whether there was any evidence of this in wild populations remote from the few laboratories at which t-alleles were maintained.
Circulatory effects of prostaglandin endoperoxide analogues studied in the dog during left ventricular bypass.

Abstract 1. Intravenous administration of both the 9alpha,11alpha-(epoxymethano) and 11alpha,9alpha-(epoxymethano) analogues of prostaglandin H2 (0.25 microgram/kg) produced a prominent rise in pulmonary arterial pressure and a moderate increase in systemic arterial pressure. 2. Direct administration of the endoperoxide analogues (1.25 microgram/kg) into the bypass reservoir produced a greater rise in systemic arterial pressure and less prominent rise in pulmonary arterial pressure. 3. An intravenous dose of prostaglandin F2alpha that was 20 times larger was needed to produce a comparable rise in pulmonary arterial pressure. 4. The pulmonary and systemic pressor responses produced by the endoperoxide analogues were due to a direct increase in the vascular resistance.
Determinants of Brand Advertising Efficiency: Evidence from the German Car Market

How inefficient is brand advertising in the German car industry and what are the determinants of advertising inefficiency? In a first step, the brand advertising efficiency of 35 car brands in the German car industry is measured. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is applied to a multiple input-output model of advertising. The analysis reveals that, on average, 8% of a brand's advertising budget is wasted. In a second step, a model identifying the determinants of brand advertising inefficiency is developed and tested empirically. The results indicate that advertising efficiency is positively related to purchase event feedback and the size of the brand product portfolio. The implications and possible areas of future research are discussed.
Passive Sperm Loss and Patterns of Sperm Precedence in Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata)

ABSTRACT. We investigated the importance of passive sperm loss in the outcome of sperm competition in captive, wild-type Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata). In nature, Muscovy Ducks can be expected to experience more intense sperm competition than most other waterfowl because of their non-monogamous mating system. We estimated the instantaneous rate of sperm loss from the reproductive tracts of female Muscovy Ducks as 0.0235 ± 0.0018 h-1 [SE], a fairly typical rate in comparison to the few other species of birds in which passive sperm loss has been measured. We also measured sperm precedence in trials in which a captive female was allowed to mate with two males in succession, with either a 24-h or a 72-h lag between matings. Paternity was determined with microsatellite markers. The mean proportion of a female's eggs fertilized by the second male (P2) was 0.72 ± 0.14 in trials with the 24-h lag and 0.42 ± 0.13 in trials with the 72-h lag. The last-male precedence observed in the 24-h trials can be explained ...
The effect of spatial frequency adaptation on the latency of spatial contrast detection.

Abstract The effect of spatial frequency adaptation on detection response time was studied using 2-D Gabor functions as stimuli. On the basis of pilot studies, it was expected that reaction time to a given spatial frequency at a low contrast would increase following adaptation to that spatial frequency at a high contrast. Subjects were tested using 2-D Gabor functions that ranged in frequency from 25 to 24 cpd. Subjects’ reaction times to the Gabor functions were measured prior to adaptation and after adaptation to a particular spatial frequency. The adapting spatial frequency was either 1, 2, 4, 8, 10, or 16 cpd. The test stimuli were 0.3, 0.5, or 0.7 log units above the unadapted threshold contrast. The subjects adapted to the high contrast test grating for 3 min (80% contrast) and reaction times were again measured in an adapt-test-readapt paradigm. The results showed the greatest increase in reaction time after adaptation when adapting and test spatial frequencies were equal. Spatial frequencies within an octave of the adapting spatial frequency also showed an increase in reaction time but to a lesser extent. Reaction times to gratings with spatial frequencies more distant from the adapting spatial frequency were not significantly affected by the adaptation. The results obtained resemble the tuning curves found for threshold data. Reaction times for stimuli at 0.5 and 0.7 log units above the unadapted threshold were affected less by adaptation than those at 0.3 log units above the unadapted threshold. These results were evaluated in terms of a shifting contrast gain mechanism which may account for both the spatial frequency specific effects of adaptation and the differences found for the different contrast test levels.
Multitasking in the medulla

Medullary thymic epithelial cells maintain tolerance by expressing peripheral self antigens. New data show that they also present these antigens, which leads to the deletion of conventional CD4+ T cells and the induction of regulatory T cells.
Design and control of a two-wheeled robotic walker for balance enhancement

This paper presents the preliminary design results and control strategy of a two-wheeled inverted pendulum (TWIP) robotic walker for assisting mobility-impaired users with balance and stability. A conceptual model of the vehicle is developed and used to illustrate the purpose of this study. Motor dynamics is considered and the linearized equations of motion for the system are derived using Newtonian mechanics. In order to eliminate the effects of loop interaction and impose the desired dynamics on the system, a decoupling control scheme was implemented. Upright stabilization of the robotic walker is achieved using linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control. Improved disturbance rejection is achieved through the implementation of a pitch controller. Simulation results demonstrate that a robustly tuned pitch controller can mitigate effect of disturbance on the linear displacement of the vehicle by as much as 74%.
Older adults reporting social isolation or loneliness show poorer cognitive function 4 years later

Commentary on: Shankar A, Hamer M, McMunn A, et al. Social isolation and loneliness: relationships with cognitive function during 4 years of follow-up in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Psychosom Med 2013;75:161–70.[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] With the dramatic increase in life expectancy in developed countries, it has become important to identify factors that may mitigate the rising prevalence of cognitive dementia. The social environment in which older adults live has been linked to dementia, but the specific features of the social environment that are predictive … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPsychosom%2BMed%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1097%252FPSY.0b013e31827f09cd%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F23362501%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=psychmed&resid=75/2/161&atom=%2Febnurs%2F17%2F2%2F59.atom
Diurnal patterns of nitrate assimilation in Kentucky bluegrass

Abstract Kentucky bluegrass (Poapratensis L.) is a major C3‐type forage and turfgrass, but it is less efficient than many grasses in utilizing nitrogen(N). To determine how this grass can accommodate its greater N need, diurnal patterns of nitrate reductase activity (NRA) and nitrite reductase activity (NiRA) in its leaves and roots were examined and compared with those in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Plants were grown under greenhouse or growth room conditions and assayed for NRA and NiRA by optimized in vivo methods. The diurnal patterns of NRA and NiRA indicated that Kentucky bluegrass could assimilate nitrate during the night at rates greater than or similar to those during the day. Leaf NRA of Kentucky bluegrass was minimal approximately 4 and 10 h after illumination commenced and increased at night. The diurnal pattern of leaf NRA among Kentucky bluegrass cultivars did not differ significantly. In roots, NRA of Kentucky bluegrass was high in the morning and decreased sharply during the afternoon and...
Recent advances and future prospects in high-speed and high-saturation-current photodetectors

High power photodetectors have made remarkable progress in performance over the last few years with prospective application in high-bit-rate digital receivers with reduced complexity, CATV, analog-to-digital converter, high power RF distribution and optoelectronic generation of high power microwaves and millimeter-waves in RF photonic systems. An in depth understanding of the failure mechanism and novel techniques in thermal management have dramatically improved the power handling capability of the high power photodiodes. In order to increase the output RF power of the photodiodes, several groups have developed surface-illuminated, waveguide, traveling-wave, uni-travelling carrier, parallel fed traveling wave with MMI couples and distributed photodetector arrays. An impressive improvement in link gain, noise figure, and spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of externally modulated links has been achieved by several groups. The realization of high power balanced photodetectors has helped suppress the relative intensity noise (RIN) of the laser source and the amplified spontaneous emission noise (ASE) from erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) reaching the level of quantum noise floor. This paper will highlight various approaches that different research groups have undertaken and will discuss our recent advances in power handling capability and reliability analysis of velocity-matched distributed photodetectors and balanced photodetectors for RF photonic links.
Polyclonal B-cell activating capacities of gram-positive bacteria frequently isolated from periodontally diseased sites.

The objective of this study was to determine whether gram-positive organisms frequently isolated from the periodontium in health and disease contain polyclonal B-cell activators. Extracts from numerous bacterial strains including Actinomyces viscosus. Actinamyces israelii, Actinomyces NV, Eubacteriun nodatum, Eubacterium brachy, Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus anginosus, and Peptostreptococcus micros were tested. All of the organisms contained activity above background, but none of the activators were more potent than pokeweed mitogen, and most were less than half as potent. The aclinomyces appeared to be more active than the eubacteria. streptococci, or peptostreptococci. These PBAs could be significant virulence factors.
The Programmable Analog Circuitry of the CDF Trigger

A flexible trigger has been partially built to trigger the CDF, Colliding Detector at Fermilab. A programmable analog system can yield a large dynamic range of outputs. With suitable management it will control noise to achieve the high resolution and fast process necessary for such a trigger. The first level output will be delivered in three microseconds after a beam crossing. The system is designed to have a resolution of one part in one thousand. Analog processing, where just summing is involved, can handle many channels faster than an equivalent digital processor exhibiting the same resolution. As a result, this system will be much simpler with far less coinponents. Digital intervention controls channel gain and bias. It also sets a comparison level, and includes or excludes individual channels in the various output summing networks that will determine the trigger result. The results of the analog processing which are input to the digital control include the value of the channel magnitude comparison, the sign of the results of the various sums and finally the fast flash analog to digital converter output values. A set of DACS are used to control the pedestal of the respective various sum networks.
Teachers and content area reading: Attitudes, beliefs and change

Abstract “Sometimes the teacher will say, ‘Read to the bottom of the page,’ and I try but I fall behind. Then she asks questions and a whole bunch of kids can answer the questions but I can’t. I try to keep up with everything but it's really hard. Sarah; 6th grade social studies student”. This paper presents the results of a review of the research into content area teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about the teaching of reading within their subject area(s). As exemplified in the quote above, the ability to read and learn from text written to provide information can be difficult and frustrating for students who lack the skills. Content area teachers have been encouraged for decades to incorporate reading into their area of instruction, but have often chosen not to do this for a variety of reasons. In addition, teacher educators have attempted to work with content area teachers to help them consider how to incorporate reading instruction into their classroom. This paper takes a closer look at the reasons that motivate pre- and in-service content area teachers in grades 6–12 to either teach or not teach reading. It also examines the ways in which teacher educators have worked to help content area teachers learn how to teach reading and the degree to which these interventions have been successful. In doing so I argue that (a) our approaches to working with content area teachers on this topic have been limited and (b) simply creating positive attitudes towards teaching reading is not necessarily enough. This paper begins with a brief discussion of what it means to teach reading in the content areas. Next I present a general introduction to teacher beliefs and how they may influence the instructional decisions teachers make. Then I discuss the methodology for my review. This is followed by the results of my review with implications for how teacher educators might consider addressing this issue in the future.
The periodicity of collagen in the brain sheath of a polychaete.

Collagen fibrils in the brain sheath of a marine, polychaetous annelid, Armandia brevis , were measured to have a periodicity near that normally found in vertebrate collagen and markedly different from periodicities measured in collagen of an oligochaetous annelid and certain insects. Nine subbands per collagen fibril period were also found in sectioned and positively stained material. Comparison was made to subbanding reported elsewhere for collagen from rat and locust. A hypothesis that there is a simple difference in collagen band period length between the Articulata (annelids, arthropods, and onychophorans) and the Vertebrata, reflecting two phylogenetically distinct types of collagen macromolecules, is thus disproved.
Unified solutions of heat diffusion in a finite region involving a surface film of finite heat capacity

Abstract The finite integral transform technique is further developed and adopted to obtain an exact solution for transient heat diffusion in an arbitrary finite region having a surface film of finite heat capacity. A splitting-up procedure that accelerates the convergence of the series solutions developed here is described. Solutions for a vast number of specific situations of practical interest can readily be obtained as special cases from the general results presented in this work.
A symptom review: Nausea and vomiting in HIV

Nausea and vomiting are symptoms often experienced by individuals with HIV disease. The etiologies are multifactorial, yet the symptoms have not been well studied in HIV research. Interventions currently used are adapted from the oncology setting and remain to be tested on patients with HIV. The purpose of this article is to review and discuss the symptoms of nausea and vomiting and to emphasize the need for research in this area.
Processing and compressive creep of cast replicated IN792 Ni-base superalloy foams

Abstract Nickel-base superalloy foams were created by a casting replication technique where a lightly sintered preform of SrF2 was pressure infiltrated with molten IN792; after solidification of the composite, the salt phase was dissolved with HCl to create 65% open porosity. Room temperature yield strength and stiffness of the IN792 foam compared well with existing models. Monolithic and foam samples were tested under creep conditions at 750 and 850 °C at stresses ranging from 5 to 40 MPa for the foams and from 150 to 650 MPa for the monolithic alloy. Both exhibited power-law creep behavior at high stresses and a transition to viscous flow at lower stresses, which was modeled using equations for dislocation and diffusional creep.