cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of a 5‐HT4 receptor agonist on oesophageal function and gastro‐oesophageal reflux: studies using combined impedance‐manometry and combined impedance‐pH

Summary Background 5-HT4 receptor agonists are used as promotility agents of the stomach, small and large intestine. There is limited information on the influence of 5-HT4 receptor agonists on oesophageal function and gastro-oesophageal reflux. Aim To evaluate the effects of tegaserod, a 5-HT4 agonist on oesophageal function using impedance-manometry and postprandial reflux using impedance-pH monitoring. Methods Twenty healthy volunteers were enrolled in a double-blind randomized three-period crossover placebo-controlled study. Impedance-manometry and impedance-pH monitoring after a refluxogenic meal were performed at baseline and after 2 days of dosing with tegaserod 6 mg b.d. or placebo. Multichannel intraluminal impedance-EM recorded pressure and bolus transit data during standardized swallows. Multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring recorded the number of 2-h postprandial acid and non-acid reflux episodes. Results We found no significant difference in distal oesophageal amplitude when subjects received placebo (median 94.5; range: 53–243 mmHg) or tegaserod (93.6; 43–216 mmHg). Bolus transit time was similar during dosing with placebo (7.1; 5.3–9.4 s) and tegaserod (7.2; 5.9–11.1 s). We observed similar numbers of acid and non-acid reflux episodes during dosing with placebo (5; 0–15 and 3; 0–18, respectively) and tegaserod (2; 0–11 and 4; 0–19, respectively). Conclusion Tegaserod, a 5-HT4 receptor agonist does not change oesophageal motility and gastro-oesophageal reflux parameters in healthy volunteers.
The psychological integration of culture: a cross-cultural study of Hopi type initiation rites.

Summary A basic premise of psychological-anthropology is that elements of culture can be integrated by underlying psychological phenomena. Whiting applied this premise to initiation rites by hypothesizing that certain initiation and child-rearing patterns are integrated by virtue of the fact that the child rearing creates a specific kind of problem personality that the initiation counteracts. Data from Hopi society suggest that the Hopi's child-rearing pattern of early indulgence followed by strict compliance training leads to disruptive aggression and independence in children which is reduced by an initiation rite employing masks and whipping to help promote compliance and impulse control. The significant cross-cultural association of indulgence-compliance child training and initiation rites with masks and whipping supports this hypo thesis and establishes Hopi type initiation and child rearing as another frequently occurring initiation and child-rearing combination that supports the basic premise of psy...
Ca2+ permeability of KA-AMPA--gated glutamate receptor channels depends on subunit composition

NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors and non-NMDA receptors represent the two major classes of ion channel-linked glutamate receptors. Unlike the NMDA receptor channels, non-NMDA receptor channels have usually been thought to conduct monovalent cations only. Non-NMDA receptor ion channels that can be gated by kainic acid (KA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) are formed by the glutamate receptor subunits GluR1, GluR2, and GluR3. These subunits were expressed in various combinations in Xenopus oocytes so that their permeability to divalent cations could be studied. At physiological resting potentials, KA and AMPA elicited inward calcium currents in oocytes expressing GluR1, GluR3, and GluR1 plus GluR3. In contrast, oocytes expressing GluR1 plus GluR2 or GluR3 plus GluR2 showed no such permeability. Thus, in neurons expressing certain KA-AMPA receptor subunits, glutamate may trigger calcium-dependent intracellular events by activating non-NMDA receptors.
Nonlinear dynamic response of cracked reinforced concrete nuclear containment vessels

Abstract In the design of reinforced concrete nuclear vessels horizontal cracks are assumed to exist as a result of pressurization. Seismic shear forces must be transmitted across these cracks. The nonlinear dynamic response of cracked vessels is studied. The force-displacement relationship across the cracks are taken from the experimental investigation that included the shear transferred by the concrete but not by dowel action of the vertical steel. The stiffness is highly nonlinear, hysteretic, and degrading. A modal analysis technique, based on an eigenvalue reanalysis procedure, is developed and it is compared with a direct numerical integration solution. Only typical response values are given for particular values of the variables and for one particular earthquake input.
Influence of percentage-reinforcement on runway running of rats

Abstract Rats ran for continuous reinforcement (CR) in a runway for 160 trials prior to being trained for 176 trials with CR, or with one of three percentage reinforcement (PR) schedules: 75%, 50%, or 25%. All rats then were retrained with CR for 80 trials. Individual rat data showed a variety of relationships between asymptotic PR and CR speed in both the initial and final portions of the runway, and this variety was masked in the averaging of data across rats. The individual rat data were seen as consistent with suggestions that (1) a PR schedule allows for differential reinforcement of running speeds, so that final performance is determined by the specific speeds reinforced during training; and (2) a shift from CR to PR leads to an increase in running speed, if an increase is physically possible and the percentage of reinforcements is not too low. The data were not consistent with the account of asymptotic performance on PR and CR schedules that has evolved from frustration theory.
Effects of Furrow Irrigation on Corn in the Humid Sub-tropical Mississippi Delta

Corn (Zea mays L.) production in the Mississippi Delta has nearly doubled since 1990 but is more susceptible to aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination when grown under drought. Four corn hybrids -- two Bt and two non-Bt -- were grown at Stoneville, MS under irrigated and non-irrigated treatments in 1999, 2000, and 2001. Furrow irrigation was applied at a rate of 1 inch per application during growth stages R1, R3, and R5 in 1999, R1 in 2000, and R1 and R3 in 2001. Irrigation increased grain yields in 2 out of 3 years. More irrigation treatments in 2000 and 2001 would have likely benefited yields. Yields in 2000 were lower than comparable treatments in 1999 and 2001 due to less weight per kernel indicating drought stress occurred during later reproductive growth (R4 to black-layer). Kernel weights were generally higher in both irrigated and non-irrigated treatments in 2001 than they were in 1999 or 2000. This compensated for having fewer kernels per ear, which likely resulted from drought stress at growth stage V12 in 2001. Differences in test weights were observed among years but not irrigation treatments. The Bt hybrids did not differ from the non-Bt hybrids in yield or mycotoxin levels. Aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination did not differ among years or irrigation treatments. Levels were below maximum acceptable concentrations for both mycotoxins. The hybrid N79-L3 had significantly lower fumonisin levels than the other hybrids.
Urinary Continence and Quality of Life in the First Year After Radical Perineal Prostatectomy

ABSTRACTPurpose: We attempt to characterize the return of urinary continence and urinary domain related quality of life objectively after radical perineal prostatectomy (RPP).Materials and Methods: A total of 92 RPP candidates were prospectively enrolled in a quality of life (QOL) survey using a validated assessment tool and evaluated before surgery, and then after surgery at 1 month and subsequent 3-month intervals. The time to regain continence based on 3 different definitions and the time to recover baseline urinary domain related QOL was calculated.Results: Median time to regain continence after RPP ranged from 3.0 to 3.3 months depending on the definition of continence. Median time for patients to regain continence depending on age (younger than 55, 55 to 64 and older than 64) and medical comorbidities (none, 1 and 2 or more) varied between 1.4 ± 0.3, 3.0 ± 0.9 and 3.3 ± 0.4 months, respectively (p = 0.028), and 1.4 ± 0.2, 3.3 ± 0.2 and 3.5 ± 2.6 months, respectively (p = 0.009). Twelve months after ...
Crystallization of polypropylene, nylon‐66 and poly(ethylene terephthalate) at pressures to 200 MPa: Kinetics and characterization of products

The crystallization kinetics of polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA66), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were studied, using a pressure dilatometer (to 200 MPa) to follow the volume changes associated with the crystallization process. The commonly used Avrami equation fitted the isothermal/isobaric crystallization data of PP and PA66 well. The Avrami exponent n was between 1.3 and 1.7, independent of crystallization pressure and temperature. Lines of constant Avrami rate parameter Z in the P-T plane were essentially parallel to the pressure dependence of the melting points and crystallization temperatures. However, the Avrami equation was not suitable for PET. The Malkin, Dietz, and Kim equations provided better fits. The crystallization half-time of PET increased with pressure at constant supercooling, in contrast to PP and PA66, for which it remained essentially unchanged. X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and pressure dilatometry were used to study the effect of formation pressure on the crystal structure, the melting point, and the density of products which were crystallized for short times (minutes) at various temperatures and pressures. No new crystal structures were found for PA66 and PET, but a mixture of monoclinic and triclinic crystals existed in PP above a formation pressure of 50 MPa. The melting points increased with formation pressure for PET, but remained unchanged for PP and PA66. Density at ambient conditions decreased with formation pressure for PP, but increased for PET and PA66. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Catheter detection and classification on chest radiographs: an automated prototype computer-aided detection (CAD) system for radiologists

Chest radiographs are the quickest and safest method to check placement of man-made medical devices placed in the body like catheters, stents and pacemakers etc out of which catheters are the most commonly used devices. The two most often used catheters especially in the ICU are the Endotracheal (ET) tube used to maintain patient's airway and the Nasogastric (NG) tube used to feed and administer drugs. Tertiary ICU's typically generate over 250 chest radiographs per day to confirm tube placement. Incorrect tube placements can cause serious complications and can even be fatal. The task of identifying these tubes on chest radiographs is difficult for radiologists and ICU personnel given the high volume of cases. This motivates the need for an automatic detection system to aid radiologists in processing these critical cases in a timely fashion while maintaining patient safety. To-date there has been very little research in this area. This paper develops a new fully automatic prototype computer-aided detection (CAD) system for detection and classification of catheters on chest radiographs using a combination of template matching, morphological processing and region growing. The preliminary evaluation was carried out on 25 cases. The prototype CAD system was able to detect ET and NG tubes with sensitivities of 73.7% and 76.5% respectively and with specificities of 91.3% and 84.0% respectively. The results from the prototype system show that it is feasible to automatically detect both catheters on chest radiographs, with the potential to significantly speed the delivery of imaging services while maintaining high accuracy.
Ecological connectivity in alluvial river ecosystems and its disruption by flow regulation

The dynamic nature of alluvial floodplain rivers is a function of flow and sediment regimes interacting with the physiographic features and vegetation cover of the landscape. During seasonal inundation, the flood pulse forms a ‘moving littoral’ that traverses the plain, increasing productivity and enhancing connectivity. The range of spatio-temporal connectivity between different biotopes, coupled with variable levels of natural disturbance, determine successional patterns and habitat heterogeneity that are responsible for maintaining the ecological integrity of floodplain river systems. Flow regulation by dams, often compounded by other modifications such as levee construction, normally results in reduced connectivity and altered successional trajectories in downstream reaches. Flood peaks are typically reduced by river regulation, which reduces the frequency and extent of floodplain inundation. A reduction in channel-forming flows reduces channel migration, an important phenomenon in maintaining high levels of habitat diversity across floodplains. The seasonal timing of floods may be shifted by flow regulation, with major ramifications for aquatic and terrestrial biota. Truncation of sediment transport may result in channel degradation for many kilometres downstream from a dam. Deepening of the channel lowers the water-table, which affects riparian vegetation dynamics and reduces the effective base level of tributaries, which results in rejuvenation and erosion. Ecological integrity in floodplain rivers is based in part on a diversity of water bodies with differing degrees of connectivity with the main river channel. Collectively, these water bodies occupy a wide range of successional stages, thereby forming a mosaic of habitat patches across the floodplain, This diversity is maintained by a balance between the trend toward terrestrialization and flow disturbances that renew connectivity and reset successional sequences. To counter the influence of river regulation, restoration efforts should focus on reestablishing dynamic connectivity between the channel and floodplain water bodies.
Paleolimnology of mid-elevation lakes in the Kenya Rift Valley

Three small lakes of the Kenya Highlands have been subject to intermittent paleoenvironmental investigation for more than 50 years. In this report, the stratigraphic, core-based history of Lake Naivasha (elev. 1890 m) is extended backward to 20000 B.P. and is related to less complete 30000-year core stratigraphies from nearby lakes Nakuru and Elmenteita. The paleolimnological reconstructions, primarily diatom-based, include geochemical parameters and the first ostracode stratigraphies from tropical Africa. The analyses from all three lakes converge on a history of low and fluctuating water levels over approximately the past 4500 years, preceded by a major Holocene high stand (ca. 10000–6000 B.P.) and a brief earlier rise centered on 12500 B.P. The lakes were mostly very low during the late Pleistocene (13 000–30000 B.P.), though modestly elevated levels may have occurred early in this time period. The ostracode record, comprising at least 15 species, was relatively continuous in the Nakuru core but was restricted to sharply demarcated regions in cores from the other lakes.
A multigrid method for multiprocessors

A multigrid method is adapted for multiprocessor architectures by using separate processors to solve on different grids simultaneously. Convergence properties of the new method are discussed and compared with those of a standard multigrid method. Numerical results are presented on the Cray XMP-48.
Effect of α-tocopherol and free radicals on anoxic damage in the rat hippocampal slice

Abstract The effect of α-tocopherol on irreversible transmission loss subsequent to anoxia was examined using the hippocampal slice preparation. A population spike was recorded from the dentate granule cell layer after stimulation of the perforant path. The amplitude of the population spike was compared before and after anoxia. Control slices recovered to 22 ± 7% of their preanoxic amplitude after 7 min of anoxia. Slices treated with α-tocopherol showed significantly greater recovery after anoxia (P
The premise of copyright, assaults on fair use, and royalty use fees

Abstract Publishers intent on maximizing revenues have shifted the delicate balance inherent in copyright toward economic incentive and against the promotion of fundamental public needs. Unrestricted exploitation of use fees could make access more costly than ownership. Librarians must aggressively fight for reasonable fair use of both owned and accessed information.
Is severe renal osteodystrophy a contraindication for recombinant human growth hormone treatment

Recent extension of the use of recombinant growth hormone (rhGH) to non-growth hormone-deficient patients necessitates close attention to possible complications in these patients, including effects on bone. Recent studies on the use of rhGH in children with chronic renal failure (CRF) provide some early data. No significant differences in radiographic osteodystrophy scores, serum calcium, phosphorus, or parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were found between treated and untreated groups. Alkaline phosphatase increased transiently. The effect of renal osteodystrophy on growth response has not yet been reported. Animal models demonstrate that GH stimulates chondrocyte proliferation. Experimental data further suggest that GH can weaken the epiphyseal plate. Slipped capital femoral epiphysis has been reported in GH-deficient patients, before, during, and after GH therapy. In CRF patients treated with GH, slipped capital femoral epiphysis has also been reported. As renal osteodystrophy and hypocalcemia are risk factors for this condition, the relationship to GH therapy is unclear in these patients. Avascular necrosis, known to be associated with slipped capital femoral epiphysis and CRF, has also been reported in patients receiving GH, although the relationship to the therapy is unknown. Children with CRF treated with rhGH should be serially monitored for renal osteodystrophy, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, and avascular necrosis with serial radiographs and serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and PTH levels.
Behavior of CD34+ cells isolated from patients with polycythemia vera in NOD/SCID mice

Objective We investigated if polycythemia vera (PV) peripheral blood (PB) CD34 + cells contain cells capable of engrafting nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice and if the JAK2V617F mutational burden of these cells alters their behavior in NOD/SCID mice. Materials and Methods CD34 + cells isolated from patients with PV, idiopathic myelofibrosis (IM), or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor–mobilized normal donors were transplanted into sublethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice. Cells engrafted into the NOD/SCID mice were analyzed flow cytometrically using lineage-specific antibodies. Genomic DNA was extracted from granulocytes, CD34 + cells, and sorted human CD45 + cells purified from the bone marrow cells of these mice to examine their JAK2V617F mutational burdens. Results Multilineage human cell engraftment was observed in mice transplanted with CD34 + cells from mobilized normal volunteers, IM patients and PV patients with high JAK2V617F burden, but not in mice receiving grafts from PV patients with low JAK2V617F burden. The differentiation program of engrafting PV CD34 + cells with high JAK2V617F burden was remarkably different than that of IM CD34 + cells. The JAK2V617F allele frequency in the human CD45 + cells isolated from the mice receiving CD34 + cells was lower than that observed in the CD34 + cell grafts, indicating the persistence of a JAK2V617F negative compartment of stem cells. Conclusion We conclude that PB CD34 + cells from PV patients with high JAK2V617F burden and patients with IM contain NOD/SCID repopulating cells, and that differentiation program of IM and PV CD34 + cells are dramatically different.
Dorsal dislocation of the trapezoid at the scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal joint.

Dislocation of the trapezoid at the scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal (STT) joint is a rare injury typically resulting from high-energy trauma.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Previously reported mechanisms of injury include industrial trauma, motorcycle accidents, and falls from height.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Recently, an axial loading mechanism from the steering wheel during a head-on collision has been described to result in these injuries.11 Dorsal dislocation is most common, although volar dislocations have been described.12 13 Reports of trapezoidal dislocations have been isolated to case reports or small (<5 patient) case series, and isolated injuries represent the most uncommon variant of these cases. Delayed diagnoses have been reported in trapezoidal dislocations as a result of the occurrence of distracting injuries, failure to image the injured extremity, and difficulty recognizing the dislocation on plain radiographs.6 7 Concomitant injuries to the hand, including multiple carpometacarpal (CMC) joint fractures/dislocations and associated carpal bone fractures, are commonly associated with trapezoidal dislocations, and isolated injury has been extremely rare in the literature.1 3 6 7 8 9 10 11 These injuries are easier to recognize on plain radiographs and may distract attention away from the more subtle findings of trapezoidal injury at the STT joint. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of dorsal dislocation of the trapezoid at the STT joint due to a steering wheel injury that was not appropriately recognized at time of presentation. Given that these are very rare injuries, a high index of suspicion for further imaging is necessary to avoid delayed diagnosis and unnecessary patient morbidity.
Customer-Side Electricity Load Management for Sustainable Manufacturing Systems Utilizing Combined Heat and Power Generation System

Abstract Customer-side electricity load management can effectively improve the reliability of electricity grid and reduce the cost of electricity for customers. Combined heat and power (CHP) generation systems have been considered a promising method to implement electricity load management and have been widely applied in commercial and residential building sectors. Recently, the benefit of CHP application in electricity load management in industrial sector has also been gradually recognized. On-site generated electricity by a CHP system can be utilized to support the operation of industrial equipment and thus the cost of electricity purchased from the grid can be reduced. In this paper, we focus on the utilization of CHP in electricity load management for industrial manufacturing systems to examine the benefits regarding cost savings for the manufacturers. The optimal schedule for both the manufacturing and the CHP systems under a Time-of-Use (TOU) electricity tariff can be identified by minimizing the electricity billing cost and CHP operation cost under the constraint of production throughput. Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) formulation is developed to model this scheduling problem mathematically. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is used to find a near optimal solution for the problem with a reasonable computational cost. A numerical case study is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Forced indistinguishability in "induced coherence without stimulated emission"

The nonclassical phenomenon of ``induced coherence without simulated emission'' is analyzed under the condition where two nonlinear ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\chi}}}^{(2)}$ crystals are aligned in such a way that their idler emissions are collinear and inside a ringlike cavity with loss. This forced indistinguishability of the idler photons produces an interference between the free traveling conjugated signal beams when they are superposed. This interference is independent of the cavity loss, within the limits of a single-mode theory, and highly dependent on the position of the crystals inside the cavity. The maximum obtainable visibility of 100% reflects an induced coherence in the two crystals by the cavity field.
Surface enhanced Raman scattering and microwave absorption in silver nanoparticle inks

Metallic nanoparticle inks - colloidal suspensions of silver or gold nanoparticles in water or other organic solvents - can be sintered at relatively low temperatures (70 - 200°C). With appropriate thermal treatment the sintering can be controlled to fabricate nanoparticle substrates with a distribution of clusters sizes and interparticle distances. Such substrates exhibit relatively high (108 - 109) surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) amplification factors (AFs). The high AFs in such substrates arise from several mechanisms. The 'dimers' - two nanoparticles separated by a nanometersize gap - are known to produce amplification of the local electric field orders of magnitude larger than at the surface of an isolated single nanoparticle due to surface plasmon resonance. Furthermore, the lack of translational symmetry in the clusters leads to localizations of electromagnetic excitations to very small regions that can create SERS hot spots. Here we report that microwave absorption (~ 10 GHz) as a function of thermal annealing in dry-drop substrates can be used to monitor the sintering process in metallic nanoparticle inks. The predominant contribution to microwave absorption comes from electrically resistive weak links that are formed between nanoparticles as a result of the thermal treatment. Just before the creation of these weak links, such nanoparticle pairs are also the ones that make a major contribution to the SERS AFs. This leads to a correlation between the observed microwave absorption and the SERS signal intensities. We also present a simple model that describes the microwave absorption as a function of the isothermal annealing treatment.
Neutron scattering as a probe of superconducting correlations in the new high Tc superconductors

Abstract We suggest that a direct experimental estimation of the superconducting gap and the coherence length may be possible by neutron scattering experiments in the new high Tc superconductors. We show that both orbital and spin currents associated with the Cooper pairs make equally important contributions to the inelastic neutron scattering, the former dominating the latter in the region of small wave vector transfer.
Identifying Novel Regulators of Shoot Meristem Development

New organs are initiated throughout the life span of higher plants. This process occurs at the shoot meristem, which is initiated during embryogenesis and is later responsible for generating the above-ground portion of the plant. The shoot meristem can be thought of as having two zones, a central zone containing meristematic cells in an undifferentiated state, and a surrounding peripheral zone where cells enter a specific developmental pathway toward a differentiated state. Recent advances have revealed several genes that specifically regulate meristem development inArabidopsis. However, extensive mutagenesis by several labs have identified only a handful, of loci that appear to specifically regulate shoot meristem development. We have undertaken an enhancer/suppressor mutagenesis of an existing meristem mutant (clv1) and have identified novel regulators of meristem development.
Factors leading to older drivers' intersection crashes.

Objectives. Older drivers are overinvolved in intersection crashes compared with younger drivers, but the reasons are not clearly understood. The purpose of the present study was to identify the factors that lead to older drivers' intersection crashes. Method. Study participants were composed of two groups of older drivers—ages 70–79 (n = 78) and 80 and older (n = 76)—and a comparison group of drivers ages 35–54 (n = 73); all were at fault in intersection crashes involving nonfatal injuries. Police crash reports, telephone interviews with at-fault drivers, and photographs of intersections were used to determine the kinds of driver actions and errors that led to the intersection crashes. Results. Drivers 80 and older had fewer rear-end crashes than drivers ages 35–54 and 70–79, and both groups of older drivers had fewer ran-off-road crashes than drivers ages 35–54. Crashes where drivers failed to yield the right-of-way increased with age and occurred mostly at stop sign–controlled intersections, generally ...
Positive Autoregulation of cI Is a Dispensable Feature of the Phage λ Gene Regulatory Circuitry

Complex gene regulatory circuits contain many features that are likely to contribute to their operation. It is unclear, however, whether all these features are necessary for proper circuit behavior or whether certain ones are refinements that make the circuit work better but are dispensable for qualitatively normal behavior. We have addressed this question using the phage λ regulatory circuit, which can persist in two stable states, the lytic state and the lysogenic state. In the lysogenic state, the CI repressor positively regulates its own expression by stimulating transcription from the PRM promoter. We tested whether this feature is an essential part of the regulatory circuitry. Several phages with a cI mutation preventing positive autoregulation and an up mutation in the PRM promoter showed near-normal behavior. We conclude that positive autoregulation is not necessary for proper operation of the λ circuitry and speculate that it serves a partially redundant function of stabilizing a bistable circuit, a form of redundancy we term “circuit-level redundancy.” We discuss our findings in the context of a two-stage model for evolution and elaboration of regulatory circuits from simpler to more complex forms.
Results Of Reservoir Engineering Tests, 1977, East Mesa, California

The East Mesa KGRA (Known Geothermal Resource Area) is located in the Imperial Valley of Southern California. Geothermal fluids at temperatures of 160/sup 0/C to 177/sup 0/C have been successfully tapped by fourteen geothermal wells, ranging in depth from 1800 to 2800m. During 1977 several production and interference well tests were performed on the East Mesa wells in order to assess the reservoir potential. The results of these tests are summarized.
Origin of the human canine: A new solution to an old enigma

Comparative dental data derived from 60 anthropoid species and observations of naturalistic behavior can be used to construct a selection model which accounts for the size and morphology of the three classes of canines (adult male, adult female, and deciduous) in these taxa. According to the model, in virtually all living anthropoids, two forms of selection impinge on canine size and form. One is related to the tooth's use as a weapon; the other is related to its use as an incisor. Selection related to the use of canines as weapons is heterogeneous among the three classes while incisal selection is homogeneous. The extent to which canines are designed for weapon or incisal usage depends on the evolutionary value of weapon use relative to incisal use. In most anthropoids, there is incisal selection operating on male canines but they exhibit few incisor-like traits because their evolutionary value as weapons is greater. The same incisal selection operates on female and deciduous canines but they exhibit many incisor-like traits because their evolutionary value as weapons is lower. The size and morphology of adult male and female and deciduous human canines since the Pliocene reflect a relatively high evolutionary value for incisal usage in all three classes of individuals. The evolution of proximate causes which led to the origin of the human canine is likely to have involved minor genetic and developmental changes. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Overview of Structural Health Monitoring for Steel Bridges

Because of the unpredictable nature of mechanical and environmental loads, steel bridges do not necessarily behave as anticipated in design. Moreover, such loads cause the deterioration of the bridge with respect to time. In the United States, there are many highway bridges classified as structurally deficient because of aging and/or insufficient design. Also, considering the catastrophe of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge, it is critical to implement a system to monitor the health of bridges and report when and where maintenance operations are needed. Through successful health monitoring, the life of a deteriorating bridge can be extended, and catastrophic failure events can be prevented. Therefore, it is important to have a systematic approach to monitor the health of a bridge. Despite its promising benefits, structural health monitoring (SHM) is infrequently used in bridge applications. This paper will present the basic concepts of SHM and the conventional and new sensors applied for monitoring various structural parameters in steel bridges, which is beneficial to practitioners on bridge inspection and retrofitting.
Intermediary Metabolism of Ergot I: Amino Acid Metabolism

A comparative analysis of the amino acid metabolism of parasitic and saprophytic ergot is reported. Identification was effected by two-dimensional paper partition chromatography.
Anastomotic leaks and cancer recurrence: Associations versus causality.

Kofoed and colleagues continue their outstanding work in this edition of the Journal, studying outcomes after resection of esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers. This Danish study population includes 4 certified programs in Denmark that combined their data from 2003 through 2011. During the 9-year study period, 1296 resections were performed with curative intent. These authors have previously reported that anastomotic leaks have a negative association with long-term survival. In the current article, Kofoed and colleagues concluded that intrathoracic anastomotic leakage increased the risk of cancer recurrence. Resection of these cancers has been regionalized in Denmark, and the 4 centers have outstanding results, comparable with those reported from specialized general thoracic surgeons in the United States. Importantly, however, these Danish centers also have long-term data to study disease recurrence and survival. To arrive at their conclusion that anastomotic leaks increased the risk of cancer recurrence and death, Kofoed and colleagues used 7 variables in Cox proportional hazards models but did not include medical comorbidities. This is an important issue, because comorbidity and cancer stage are 2 of the strongest predictors of survival. Furthermore, a comorbidity such as diabetes, along with the medications used to treat the condition, may also be associated with cancer recurrence. This article raises an interesting question and explores the association between anastomotic leak and cancer recurrence. Factors that may contribute to this result include that patients in the anastomotic group were more likely to have a higher T stage and that they received less adjuvant therapy. Although these factors were included in the regression, the proportion of patients completing chemotherapy was significantly lower in the leak cohort. Another potential factor contributing to this association may be a higher association
RDHWT/MARIAH II MHD Modeling and Experiments Review

Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) acceleration can potentially be used to augment the flow enthalpy in an electron beam heated hypersonic wind tunnel. Preliminary modeling shows that an MHD accelerator placed downstream of the electron beam heated region and a subsequent expansion can increase the test section Mach number. Due to the low static temperature, an efficient artificial ionization in the MHD channel is necessary, for which purpose arrays of electron beams would be used. Similar cold-air hypersonic MHD devices with artificial ionization are attractive for power extraction and hypersonic flow control application. A Mach 3 experimental facility has been developed at Princeton University to demonstrate MHD effects with nonequilibrium ionization. Short duration, high repetition rate, high voltage (2 ns, 100 kHz, 30 kV) pulses have been used to successfully generate a volume-filling cold nonequilibrium plasma in the test section of the tunnel placed in a strong (up to 6.5 Tesla) magnetic field. To characterize the plasma in the MHD channel, information on electron number density and electron collision frequencies is needed. Microwave diagnostics has been applied to short pulsed sustained plasmas in a static cell at the conditions similar to those in MHD experiments. It has been shown that for the conditions existing in the cell, the electron collision frequencies lie between 2 to 10 GHz at 10-20 Torr. The low values of collision frequencies were found consistent with electron temperature of the order of 0.1 eV or lower between the pulses. Experimental data also revealed that electron number densities in the static cell plasma were in the range between 2×10 11 to 7×10 11 cm -3 . Emission spectroscopy was used to estimate the averaged rotational and vibrational temperatures. Peak electron densities between 5×10 11 and 10 12 per cm 3 were reached in the supersonic flow experiments with 5 Tesla magnetic field. The electrical properties of the resultant MHD channel were investigated. Faraday MHD effect was demonstrated for the first time in the cold, supersonic, unseeded air flow. The Hall parameter was estimated from the electrical properties of the MHD channel. Modeling predictions were found to be in very good agreement with experimentally measured Faraday current between the pulses. Modeling showed that between pulses the electrons have low energy, electron and ion currents are comparable, and the cathode fall is very small.
Crime control in the twenty-first century: Science-Based Supervision (SBS)

Criminal justice policy is being revolutionized with the transformation of the era of mass incarceration into a new, yet to be defined focus in this newest era of crime control and prevention polic...
Water use and yields of no-till managed dryland grasspea and yellow pea under different planting configurations

a b s t r a c t Grasspea (GP) (Lathyrus sativus) is a drought-tolerant legume that can be grown for forage and grain. It has potential value to be used as a nitrogen-fixing crop in dryland rotations with non-legume grain crops. However, the agronomy of GP for the Central Great Plains region have not been investigated. The objective of this research was to compare the grain and biomass yield, as well as N accumulation of GP relative to field pea (FP) in two planting configurations. We carried out a 3-year field experiment to compare dryland GP with Admiral yellow field pea (Pisum sativum) in two configurations: (1) a wide row spacing with lower population (WL) with 76-cm rows with 75 kg seeds planted per ha, and (2) a narrower row spacing with a higher population (NH) with 19-cm rows with 136 kg seeds planted per ha. We measured the biomass, grain yield, N content, and soil water use. Our results show that the NH treatment out-yielded the WL treatment in both pea species. The GP had higher yield than FP on the lowest yielding year, while FP yielded better when overall yields were higher. Biomass production was also higher for the NH configuration, and GP was a higher biomass producer than FP over the 3-year study. The GP had higher N concentration in shoots and seed compared to FP, indicating higher N-fixing capacity. The FP matured faster than GP, and had marginally higher grain water use efficiency than GP. Our results show that GP is a viable alternative legume for the Central Great Plains, with comparable yields in low precipitation years. However, the longer growing season required by GP to mature has water use implications in years with reduced water availability in mid to late summer. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Third and fourth graders' conceptions of repeated trials and best representatives in science experiments

This study involved 24 third- and fourth-grade students in a suburban school in the Chica- go area. These children had been learning science through a reform-based, integrated science and mathe- matics curriculum for about 2 years. In this study I explore how these children made sense of a scientific procedure that had been introduced to them and they had used before in their own experimental inquiries: performing repeated trials and determining the best representative of the measurements of a continuous dependent variable. Specifically, I explore how children made sense of the variability in the results of re- peated trials, how their ideas of repeated trials and best representatives are related to their understandings of the sources of the variability, and how they thought about what would be the best representative of their measurements. The data and analysis reveal the complexity of the understandings involved in this appar- ently simple procedure, as children attempted to appropriate for themselves the procedure that had been introduced to them. The results support the idea that many of the children had not conceptualized the pro- cedure of repeating trials and finding the best representative of the results in the way adult practitioners do. They also point to the value of introducing children to such experimental procedures. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34: 853-872, 1997.
How genomics has informed our understanding of the pathogenesis of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength that predisposes a person to an increased risk of fracture. Osteoporosis is a complex trait that involves multiple genes, environmental factors, and gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Twin and family studies have indicated that between 25% and 85% of the variation in bone mass and other skeletal phenotypes is heritable, but our knowledge of the underlying genes is limited. Bone mineral density is the most common assessment for diagnosing osteoporosis and is the most often used quantitative value in the design of genetic studies. In recent years, our understanding of the pathophysiology of osteoporosis has been greatly facilitated by advances brought about by the Human Genome Project. Genetic approaches ranging from family studies of monogenic traits to association studies with candidate genes, to whole-genome scans in both humans and animals have identified a small number of genes that contribute to the heritability of bone mass. Studies with transgenic and knockout mouse models have revealed major new insights into the biology of many of these identified genes, but much more needs to be learned. Ultimately, we hope that by revealing the underlying genetics and biology driving the pathophysiology of osteoporosis, new and effective treatment can be developed to combat and possibly cure this devastating disease. Here we review the rapidly evolving field of the genomics of osteoporosis with a focus on important gene discoveries, new biological/physiological paradigms that are emerging, and many of the unanswered questions and hurdles yet to be overcome in the field.
Behaviors Related to Physical Activity and Nutrition Among U.S. High School Students

Purpose National data related to physical activity (PA) and nutrition among adolescents are needed to help develop effective obesity prevention programs. The 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS) was conducted to provide nationally representative data on behaviors and behavioral correlates related to healthy eating and PA.
Technical advances in the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography program

The challenge of the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command is to assess and predict the world's most diverse operating environment and translate its impact on military defense areas - aviation, maritime operations, expeditionary/special operations and undersea/surface/mine operations. The command seeks continual improvement in its core competencies to provide meteorology and oceanography geospatial information -in order to provide safety of navigation and turn environmental information into combat power. In recent years, the Navy has reinvigorated its METOC program through advanced training programs, numeric modeling, state of the art survey ships, airborne lidar surveys, autonomous underwater vehicles and rapidly deployable fleet survey teams. This presentation describes the role of new technologies in Navy Oceanography.
Using Prior Shapes in Geometric Active Contours in a Variational Framework

In this paper, we report an active contour algorithm that is capable of using prior shapes. The energy functional of the contour is modified so that the energy depends on the image gradient as well as the prior shape. The model provides the segmentation and the transformation that maps the segmented contour to the prior shape. The active contour is able to find boundaries that are similar in shape to the prior, even when the entire boundary is not visible in the image (i.e., when the boundary has gaps). A level set formulation of the active contour is presented. The existence of the solution to the energy minimization is also established. We also report experimental results of the use of this contour on 2d synthetic images, ultrasound images and fMRI images. Classical active contours cannot be used in many of these images.
A Survey of Preschool Staff Concerning Problem Behavior and Its Prevention in Head Start Classrooms.

We examined the self-reported practices of Head Start personnel toward children’s problem behavior in order to design an intervention for preschool personnel that was compatible with their needs. This study involved 78 Head Start staff from five programs in the Mid-Atlantic region. Participants were asked to respond to four questions concerning their practices for addressing their students’ problem behaviors. We found that survey respondents (a) listed externalizing behaviors as the predominant challenging behavior, (b) identified prevention and replacement methods for addressing problem behavior, (c) indicated that families of children with challenging behavior were involved in intervention planning and implementation, and (d) reported a need for additional training on classroom management and positive behavior support. Participants also were asked to respond to four conflict scenarios that were designed to measure how teachers would handle problem behavior situations. The majority of participants’ respo...
Synaptic Plasticity Deficits and Mild Memory Impairments in Mouse Models of Chronic Granulomatous Disease

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are required in a number of critical cellular signaling events, including those underlying hippocampal synaptic plasticity and hippocampus-dependent memory; however, the source of ROS is unknown. We previously have shown that NADPH oxidase is required for N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent signal transduction in the hippocampus, suggesting that NADPH oxidase may be required for NMDA receptor-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP) and hippocampus-dependent memory. Herein we present the first evidence that NADPH oxidase is involved in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory. We have found that pharmacological inhibitors of NADPH oxidase block LTP. Moreover, mice that lack the NADPH oxidase proteins gp91 phox and p47 phox , both of which are mouse models of human chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), also lack LTP. We also found that the gp91 phox and p47 phox mutant mice have mild impairments in hippocampus-dependent memory. The gp91 phox mutant mice exhibited a spatial memory deficit in the Morris water maze, and the p47 phox mutant mice exhibited impaired context-dependent fear memory. Taken together, our results are consistent with NADPH oxidase being required for hippocampal synaptic plasticity and memory and are consistent with reports of cognitive dysfunction in patients with CGD.
Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction after sinus of valsalva aneurysm repair.

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm (SVA) is a rare cardiac lesion especially in the western countries and older population. We report an unusual case of a 60-year-old Caucasian male with SVA, acute decompensation, and a pressurized prolapsed aortic leaflet cystic remnant via a small supracristal VSD causing recurrent right ventricular outflow tract obstruction following a Bentall procedure. doi: 10.1111/jocs.12219 (J Card Surg 2014;29:317–319)