cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting the biological condition of streams: use of geospatial indicators of natural and anthropogenic characteristics of watersheds

We developed and evaluated empirical models to predict biological condition of wadeable streams in a large portion of the eastern USA, with the ultimate goal of prediction for unsampled basins. Previous work had classified (i.e., altered vs. unaltered) the biological condition of 920 streams based on a biological assessment of macroinvertebrate assemblages. Predictor variables were limited to widely available geospatial data, which included land cover, topography, climate, soils, societal infrastructure, and potential hydrologic modification. We compared the accuracy of predictions of biological condition class based on models with continuous and binary responses. We also evaluated the relative importance of specific groups and individual predictor variables, as well as the relationships between the most important predictors and biological condition. Prediction accuracy and the relative importance of predictor variables were different for two subregions for which models were created. Predictive accuracy in the highlands region improved by including predictors that represented both natural and human activities. Riparian land cover and road-stream intersections were the most important predictors. In contrast, predictive accuracy in the lowlands region was best for models limited to predictors representing natural factors, including basin topography and soil properties. Partial dependence plots revealed complex and nonlinear relationships between specific predictors and the probability of biological alteration. We demonstrate a potential application of the model by predicting biological condition in 552 unsampled basins across an ecoregion in southeastern Wisconsin (USA). Estimates of the likelihood of biological condition of unsampled streams could be a valuable tool for screening large numbers of basins to focus targeted monitoring of potentially unaltered or altered stream segments.
Infinite Goldie dimensions

Let R be a ring with identity and M a unital right R-module. By the finite Goldie dimension of M is meant the largest integer m (provided it exists) such that M contains the direct sum of m nonzero submodules. If no such m exists, then M is said to have infinite Goldie dimension. Until recently, not much attention has been given to the case of infinite Goldie dimensions, though the definition is immediate. The Goldie dimension of M-denoted Gd M-is the supremum 1, of all cardinals K such that M contains the direct sum of K nonzero submodules. We believe that one of the main reasons why infinite Goldie dimensions have been ignored is that suprema are difficult to handle, and there is no guarantee that a module M of Goldie dimension 1. contains the direct sum of exactly 2 nonzero submodules. Given a cardinal number K, we say K is attained in M if M contains a direct sum of K nonzero submodules. If K is not a limit cardinal, i.e., if it is of the form tc=H,+, for some ordinal CL, then K 2 Gd M is attained in M. Recall that an infinite cardinal K is called regular if ~~ < K for iE Z with IZl < K implies c K~ < K. Otherwise it is called singular. An uncountable, regular, limit cardinal is said to be inaccessible ([HJ, p. 1631 or [L, p. 1373). The reader is reminded that the existence of inaccessible cardinals cannot be proved in ZFC (Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with Axiom of Choice added), and that in the constructible universe, there are no such cardinals. All proofs here are within the framework of ZFC. Our purpose here is to show that if Gd M is not an inaccessible cardinal, then Gd M is attained in M. Our result is best possible; for inaccessible cardinals see the remark at the end.
Magnetic beads-based bioelectrochemical immunoassay of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract A simple, rapid, and sensitive bioelectrochemical immunoassay method based on magnetic beads (MBs) has been developed to detect polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The principle of this bioassay is based on a direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using PAH-antibody-coated MBs and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled PAH (HRP-PAH). A magnetic process platform was used to mix and shake the samples during the immunoreactions and to separate free and unbound reagents after the liquid-phase competitive immunoreaction among PAH-antibody-coated MBs, PAH analyte, and HRP-PAH. After a complete immunoassay, the HRP tracers attached to MBs were transferred to a substrate solution containing 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for electrochemical detection. The voltammetric characteristics of the substrate were investigated, and the reduction peak current of TMB was used to quantify the concentration of PAH. The different parameters, including the amount of HRP-PAH conjugates, the enzyme catalytic reaction time, and the pH of the supporting electrolyte that governs the analytical performance of the immunoassay have been studied in detail and optimized. The detection limit of 50 pg mL−1 was obtained under optimum experimental conditions. The performance of this bioelectrochemical magnetic immunoassay was successfully evaluated with tap water spiked with PAHs, indicating that this convenient and sensitive technique offers great promise for decentralized environmental applications.
Conceptual models and user interaction with computers

Abstract Conceptual models bridge the gap between a microcomputer system and the user's mental representation of that system. Too often, users of interactive devices, such as computers, acquire mental representations derived from poorly organized and misunderstood interaction with the microcomputer. Novices typically lack domain-specific schema. Providing instruction with a conceptual model can help the individual form mental structures to subsume information. A conceptual model is an instructional representation of a target system that will enable a learner to produce a mental representation. A consideration of conceptual models should play an important role in the design of instructional materials for interactive devices such as computers. The conceptual model must accurately reflect the target system as completely as possible. It must consider the characteristics of the learners and the target system. The instructional representations must be consistent within an effective conceptual model. Conceptual models can be provided to the learner as direct instruction, as part of training manuals, within introductory software, or as adjunct strategy training. The mental representations learners form as a result of conceptual model instruction provide stable structures that persist over time. The confidence that results from understanding the functions of a microcomputer enables users to successfully interact with computers.
Soft modes and superconductivity in the layered hexagonal carbides V 2 CAs , Nb 2 CAs , and Nb 2 CS

The electronic structure, selected phonon frequencies, and electron phonon coupling of the hexagonal layered compounds Nb 2 CS, Nb 2 CAs, and V 2 CAs are elucidated using density functional calculations. All materials are good three-dimensional metals with moderate values of the density of states, N(E F ). The electronic structure of Nb 2 CS, the only superconductor within this family of materials, consists of well-hybridized Nb d-S p-C p derived bands characteristic around the Fermi energy. The S is more ionic in this compound than the As in the related arsenides Nb 2 CAs or V 2 CAs. This results in a relative softness for phonon modes involving S. Rigid muffin tin approximation calculations show moderate electron phonon couplings consistent with low-temperature superconductivity. The key difference from the carbo-arsenides is the presence of soft moderately coupled S modes.
A note on the calculation of the current distribution in lossy microstrip structures

The equations that govern the current distribution in the finite thickness conductor of a microstrip structure are developed in a rigorous manner. It is shown that the cross-sectional variation of the current density is independent of the field variation along the axis of the microstrip line only for the case when the displacement current in the conductor is negligible compared to the conduction current (a condition easily fulfilled for most practical applications) and the line is operated in the quasi-TEM mode. The validity of various methods proposed for conductor loss calculations is discussed on the basis of this analysis. >
X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein as a Therapeutic Target in Metastatic Melanoma

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer, with notorious resistance to current chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In this issue, Hiscutt et al. report on the prognostic significance of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) in melanoma. The finding that XIAP inhibition significantly increases endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis in melanoma cells suggests that XIAP is a potential therapeutic target for melanoma therapy.
Estrus Suppression in Performance Horses

E xpression of behavioral estrus, or heat, in mares can have a profound negative effect on training and performance. Mares begin to exhibit sporadic periods of estrus in February or March, with the onset of follicular development during the spring transition period. Estrus is normally expressed for 5 to 7 days out of the 21-day estrous cycle during the physiologic breeding period. Owners and trainers often report variations in performance and temperament of mares attributed to the estrous cycle.1 Clinical signs attributed to performance problems included attitude changes, tail swishing, difficulty in training, squealing, horsing, excessive urination, kicking, decrease in performance, and colic-like discomfort associated with ovulation.2,3 It is important to confirm that the behavioral problem is truly associated with estrus or the reproductive cycle of the mare before initiating potentially unnecessary therapy. Accurate records should be collected to determine if the behavior occurs during a specific phase of the estrous cycle. In addition, a thorough physical examination should be performed to rule out other potential medical problems. Numerous techniques to suppress or modify the estrous cycle or estrous behavior of the mare have been tried. Attempts have been made to alter the time of estrus to avoid an event or performance, reduce the duration of estrus by inducing an early ovulation, or completely block the expression of estrus. It has been suggested that treatments for altering an undesirable behavior or performance problem may not require complete suppression of estrus.2 Therapy has included hormone administration, herbal supplements, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, acupuncture, intrauterine devices, and surgery. The ideal treatment for estrus suppression in mares would be safe, effective, easy to administer, reversible, and cost-effective. The goal of this article is to review existing treat-
Effect of fluoxetine on carvedilol pharmacokinetics, CYP2D6 activity, and autonomic balance in heart failure patients.

The objective of this study was to examine the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic consequences of concomitant administration of fluoxetine and carvedilol in heart failure patients. Fluoxetine (20 mg) or matching placebo was administered in a randomized, double-blind, two-period crossover study to 10 patients previously identified as extensive metabolizers of CYP2D6 substrates. Patients were maintained on a carvedilol dose of 25 or 50 mg bid and given fluoxetine/placebo for a minimum of 28 days. Plasma was collected over the 12-hour carvedilol dosing interval, and the concentrations of the R(+) and S(-) enantiomers of carvedilol were measured. CYP2D6 phenotype was assessed during each study period using dextromethorphan (30 mg). Changes in autonomic modulation between study periods were measured by heart rate variability in the time and frequency domains using ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring. Compared to placebo, fluoxetine coadministration resulted in a 77% increase in mean (+/- SD) R(+) enantiomer AUC0-12 (522 +/- 413 vs. 927 +/- 506 ng.h/mL, p = 0.01) and a nonsignificant increase in S(-) enantiomer AUC (244 +/- 185 vs. 330 +/- 179 ng.h/mL, p = 0.17). Mean apparent oral clearance for both enantiomers decreased significantly with fluoxetine administration (R(+): 10.3 +/- 7.2 vs. 4.5 +/- 2.2 mL/min/kg; S(-): 22.5 +/- 12.3 vs. 12.6 +/- 7.4 mL/min/kg; p = 0.004 and 0.03, respectively). No differences in adverse effects, blood pressure, or heart rate were noted between treatment groups, and there were no consistent changes in heart rate variability parameters. In conclusion, fluoxetine administration resulted in a stereospecific inhibition of carvedilol metabolism, with the R(+) enantiomer increasing to a greater extent than the S(-) enantiomer. However, this interaction was of little clinical significance in our sample population.
Pattern Identification in Complex Systems: A Statistical Thermodynamic Approach

This paper presents a novel method of pattern identification in complex systems using the tools derived from statistical thermodynamics. Complexity issues arise in natural or human-engineered systems due to behavioral uncertainties and nonlinearities involved in the process dynamics. The paper introduces a novel concept of behavioral pattern identification and anomaly detection in mechanical systems from macroscopically observed time series of the available sensor data. The theme is built upon the principles of Statistical Thermodynamics and Information Theory . The efficacy of this method is experimentally validated on a laboratory apparatus where the behavioral changes accrue from the evolving fatigue damage in polycrystalline alloy structures.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Teamwork: assessing cross-disciplinary learning

Multidisciplinary teamwork in an information age learning environment poses new assessment challenges. This paper presents a study that focuses on the assessment of a learning environment in which students collaborate in multidisciplinary, geographically distributed teams. The study presents a new metric, cross-disciplinary learning, as a journey from the state of island of knowledge (discipline-centric) to a state of understanding of the goals, language, and representations of the other disciplines. The metric proposes a four-tiered classification, designed to measure the students' evolution of cross-disciplinary learning, that is based on the perspectives of cognitive and situative learning theories. The four tiers are islands of knowledge, awareness, appreciation, and understanding. An additional metric is based on a longitudinal assessment that tracks the programmatic changes such a cross-disciplinary education program can lead to. The paper describes the multidisciplinary, collaborative, geographically distributed teamwork learning environment, the assessment methodology, data collection and analysis, and discusses the preliminary results.
Errors in Inspection: Integer Parameter Maximum Likelihood in a Finite Population

Abstract In a probability model for possible errors in the inspection of a finite lot containing defective items, it is shown how maximum likelihood estimation is affected by whether the sampling is carried out with or without replacement. These changes are examined by developing a method for simultaneous maximization over an integer and a scalar parameter. A new method for the bounding of the integer solution is introduced. The results show that the parameter estimates in the inspection model are generally stable under wide changes in the sampling framework. Conditions for instability of the solution are identified. Some apparently new relations for discrete distributions are derived in the process of the investigation.
Perceived effects of action research on teachers' professional efficacy, inquiry mindsets and the support they received while conducting projects to intervene into student learning

Abstract Based on information gleaned from questionnaires and interviews with teachers who engaged in action research as a capstone to their Master's program during the years 1992 through 2001, and on data from these teachers' administrators and colleagues, six assertions are reported. (1) Teachers sustained the ‘inquiry mindset’ gained while learning the processes associated with conducting action research and continued using aspects of the process; however, conducting new projects was less likely. (2) Teachers' sense of professional efficacy was enhanced, even after many years had intervened. (3) Action research had immediate benefits for students but long-range benefits were not determined. (4) Though challenging, teachers perceived conducting action research was professionally valuable. (5) Teachers reported that administrators, although supportive, played passive roles, whereas colleagues were more collaborative during planning and implementing their projects. (6) Teachers described school environmen...
Relevance feedback techniques in the MARS image retrieval system

Content-based image retrieval (CBIR) has become one of the most active research areas in the past few years. Many visual feature representations have been explored and many systems built. In this paper, we focus on an important component of these systems - relevance feedback - and how we incorporated it into the MARS retrieval system. Relevance feedback techniques are based on an interactive retrieval approach to effectively take into account user preferences to provide an improved search experience. We present a series of coherent strategies, from single-point to multipoint and multifeature approaches that we have seamlessly integrated into our system and present experimental results to show their retrieval performance characteristics. Keywords: Image retrieval - Query refinement - Relevance feedback
Selective overexpression of excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) in astrocytes enhances neuroprotection from moderate but not severe hypoxia–ischemia

Abstract Attempts have been made to elevate excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) expression in an effort to compensate for loss of function and expression associated with disease or pathology. Increased EAAT2 expression has been noted following treatment with β-lactam antibiotics, and during ischemic preconditioning (IPC). However, both of these conditions induce multiple changes in addition to alterations in EAAT2 expression that could potentially contribute to neuroprotection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to selectively overexpress EAAT2 in astrocytes and characterize the cell type specific contribution of this transporter to neuroprotection. To accomplish this we used a recombinant adeno-associated virus vector, AAV1–glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)–EAAT2, designed to selectively drive the overexpression of EAAT2 within astrocytes. Both viral-mediated gene delivery and β-lactam antibiotic (penicillin-G) treatment of rat hippocampal slice cultures resulted in a significant increase in both the expression of EAAT2, and dihydrokainate (DHK) sensitive glutamate uptake. Penicillin-G provided significant neuroprotection in rat hippocampal slice cultures under conditions of both moderate and severe oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). In contrast, viral-mediated overexpression of EAAT2 in astrocytes provided enhanced neuroprotection only following a moderate OGD insult. These results indicate that functional EAAT2 can be selectively overexpressed in astrocytes, leading to enhanced neuroprotection. However, this cell type specific increase in EAAT2 expression offers only limited protection compared to treatment with penicillin-G.
The fine structure of vascular-astroglial relations in transplanted fetal neocortex.

Abstract The vascular development within allografts of rat fetal neocortex was examined ultrastructurally with particular attention to astroglial-endothelial relationships. Grafts placed in the fourth ventricle exhibited a progressive astrogliosis around the host pial or choroidal vessels incorporated within the transplant which was evident by 1 month postoperative. Immunostaining with antisera to laminin showed intense reactivity around such neovessels at the light microscopic level. Transplants located intraparenchymally within the host parietal cortex also developed reactive astroglial “cuffs” around their marginal vessels by 1 week post-operative, although the degree and location of this reaction varied considerably with time. The origin of the reactive astroglia could not be directly determined from this study, but it is possible that they were stimulated by the collagen and fibroblasts present around vascularizing host pial and choroidal vessels in intraventricular grafts and by meningeal elements that entered the wound created for the intraparenchymal grafts. The marked astroglial reactivity within the grafts raises issues concerning their metabolic activity and their intimate relationship with brain endothelium. The close proximity of reactive astroglia to the graft vasculature would not appear to enhance the blood-brain barrier capabilities of transplant neovasculature, especially in intraventricular transplants, as might be suggested by many in vitro studies.
An Efficient and Stable Algorithm for Learning Rotations

This paper analyses the computational complexity and stability of an online algorithm recently proposed for learning rotations. The proposed algorithm involves multiplicative updates that are matrix exponentials of skew-symmetric matrices comprising the Lie algebra of the rotation group. The rank-deficiency of the skew-symmetric matrices involved in the updates is exploited to reduce the updates to a simple quadratic form. The Lyapunov stability of the algorithm is established and the application of the algorithm to registration of point-clouds in n-dimensional Euclidean space is discussed.
Diel vertical migration and timing of metamorphosis of larvae of the Dungeness crab Cancer magister

Joint USA/USSR ichthyoplankton surveys off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and northern California during the years 1981 to 1985 sampled more than 120 stations each year, from 5 to 360 km offshore and between Latitude 40° and 48° N, providing information on ontogeny and diel migration of larvae of the Dungeness crab Cancer magister on a scale not studied previously. We developed a maximum likelihood method for estimating abundance and fraction in the neuston at each station from a neuston tow and an oblique bongo tow. Latestage megalopae migrate vertically on a diel basis, with the fraction in the neuston being (on average) 62% at night (19.00 to 08.00 hrs Pacific Standard Time, PST) and 8% during the day (08.00 to 19.00 hrs PST). The hourly pattern of this migration includes a peak in the early evening, possibly another in the early morning, and an intermediate level in the late afternoon. We detected no dependence of vertical migration on cloud cover or sea state. Early-stage megalopae were present in much lower fractions in the neuston, but weakly displayed the same diel pattern of migration. Zoeae appeared to be below the neuston at all times, except for 2 or 3 h in the evening. From an abrupt change in larval stage in samples from a north-south cruise, we concluded that the majority of the larvae metamorphose from zoeae to megalopae over a fairly short time span (2 to 4 wk) at a given latitude. In later cruises, 95% of the larvae were megalopae, indicating that metamorphosis over the study area either occurs at the same time or proceeds from south to north over a time span of less than a month in early spring.
Horizontal Variation of infrared Cooling and the Generation of Eddy Available Potential Energy

Observations of the net vertical flux divergence of ir radiation is correlated with the outward flux at the top of the atmosphere
Reconstitution of testosterone oxidation by purified rat cytochrome P450p (IIIA1).

Abstract Cytochrome P450p (IIIA1) has been purified from rat liver microsomes by several investigators, but in all cases the purified protein, in contrast to other P450 enzymes, has not been catalytically active when reconstituted with NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase and dilauroylphosphatidylcholine. We now report the successful reconstitution of testosterone oxidation by cytochrome P450p, which was purified from liver microsomes from troleandomycin-treated rats. The rate of testosterone oxidation was greatest when purified cytochrome P450p (50 pmol/ml) was reconstituted with a fivefold molar excess of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, an equimolar amount of cytochrome b 5 , 200 μg/ml of a chloroform/methanol extract of microsomal lipid (which could not be substituted with dilauroylphosphatidylcholine), and the nonionic detergent, Emulgen 911 (50 μg/ml). Testosterone oxidation by cytochrome P450p was optimal at 200 m m potassium phosphate, pH 7.25. In addition to their final concentration, the order of addition of these components was found to influence the catalytic activity of cytochrome P450p. Under these experimental conditions, purified cytochrome P450p converted testosterone to four major and four minor metabolites at an overall rate of 18 nmol/nmol P450p/min (which is comparable to the rate of testosterone oxidation catalyzed by other purified forms of rat liver cytochrome P450). The four major metabolites were 6β-hydroxytestosterone (51%), 2β-hydroxytestosterone (18%), 15β-hydroxytestosterone (11%) and 6-dehydrotestosterone (10%). The four minor metabolites were 18-hydroxytestosterone (3%), 1βhydroxytestosterone (3%), 16β-hydroxytestosterone (2%), and androstenedione (2%). With the exception of 16β-hydroxytestosterone and androstenedione, the conversion of testosterone to each of these metabolites was inhibited > 85% when liver microsomes from various sources were incubated with rabbit polyclonal antibody against cytochrome P450p. This antibody, which recognized two electrophoretically distinct proteins in liver microsomes from troleandomycin-treated rats, did not inhibit testosterone oxidation by cytochromes P450a, P450b, P450h, or P450m. The catalytic turnover of microsomal cytochrome P450p was estimated from the increase in testosterone oxidation and the apparent increase in cytochrome P450 concentration following treatment of liver microsomes from troleandomycin or erythromycin-induced rats with potassium ferricyanide (which dissociates the cytochrome P450p-inducer complex). Based on this estimate, the catalytic turnover values for purified, reconstituted cytochrome P450p were 4.2 to 4.6 times greater than the rate catalyzed by microsomal cytochrome P450p.
A Multivariate Assessment of the Effects of Residence on Infant Mortality

: This research examines the relationship between residence and infant mortality. The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of maternal residence on infant mortality, using a multivariate model which included both individual and county-level variables known to be associated with suboptimal birth outcome. Data on all births in Florida during 1987 were drawn from birth and infant death certificates. In addition, information concerning county sociodemographic structure and medical resources were gathered and linked to the individual records. After examining the distributions of selected risk variables across a five-category measure of residence (from most urban to most rural), a logit model was estimated to predict the odds of an infant death associated with maternal residence. At the bivariate level, rural residents were found to have increased odds of an infant death compared to residents of all other residence categories. Second, a logit model was estimated that controlled for the influence of important maternal, infant, and county risk characteristics. The results of this second, more fully specified model indicate that residence did not have an independent direct effect on infant mortality when the influence of the other risk factors was controlled. We conclude that although residence does not influence infant mortality directly, it does influence mortality indirectly through its association with key risk factors. In particular, because population characteristics and medical resources are differentially distributed across rural and urban areas, residence remains an important factor to be considered when predicting health outcomes. The implications of these findings for polcy-makers and health planners, as well as for health services researchers, are also discussed.
Revenue risk management, risk aversion and the use of Livestock Gross Margin for Dairy Cattle insurance

Abstract The Livestock Gross Margin Insurance for Dairy Cattle is a federally reinsured insurance program that enables US dairy producers to establish minimum levels of milk income net of feed cost. Given the structure of this program there are an infinite number of possible contract designs based on the choice of deductible level and proportion of production insured. Adding to this complexity, producers vary in their risk preferences, which affect the incentive to insure their margin. It is unclear as to how producers may adopt this program for revenue risk management. This paper investigates the interplay between producer risk preferences, contract design and the subsidization of premium in determining program coverage. We undertook this analysis within an expected utility framework. Optimal contracts under different rates of constant relative rate of risk aversion and subsidies were analyzed using a nonlinear optimization model. We found that total optimal coverage increased significantly with the level of risk of aversion at lower deductibles but as deductible level increased, the level of risk aversion had a lesser impact on total optimal coverages. As expected, at the same deductible and risk aversion levels, inclusion of a premium subsidy increased the total optimal coverage.
Unrelated living kidney donors. An update of attitudes and use among U.S. transplant centers.

A severe shortage of organs is perhaps the most important obstacle facing transplantation today. In an attempt to address this serious problem, several transplant centers have suggested a reconsideration of genetically unrelated living kidney donors. Recently, there have been reports of excellent re
Communicatively Restricted Organizational Stress (CROS) I: Conceptualization and Overview

In this article, we conceptualized a new organizational variable, Communicatively Restricted Organizational Stress (CROS). CROS is a perceived inability to communicate about a particular stressor a...
Nitrate Leaching to Subsurface Drains as Affected by Drain Spacing and Changes in Crop Production System

Subsurface drainage is a beneficial water management practice in poorly drained soils but may also contribute substantial nitrate N loads to surface waters. This paper summarizes results from a 15-yr drainage study in Indiana that includes three drain spacings (5, 10, and 20 m) managed for 10 yr with chisel tillage in monoculture corn (Zea mays L.) and currently managed under a no-till corn-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation. In general, drainflow and nitrate N losses per unit area were greater for narrower drain spacings. Drainflow removed between 8 and 26% of annual rainfall, depending on year and drain spacing. Nitrate N concentrations in drainflow did not vary with spacing, but concentrations have significantly decreased from the beginning to the end of the experiment. Flow-weighted mean concentrations decreased from 28 mg L(-1) in the 1986-1988 period to 8 mg L(-1) in the 1997-1999 period. The reduction in concentration was due to both a reduction in fertilizer N rates over the study period and to the addition of a winter cover crop as a "trap crop" after corn in the corn-soybean rotation. Annual nitrate N loads decreased from 38 kg ha(-1) in the 1986-1988 period to 15 kg ha(-1) in the 1997-1999 period. Most of the nitrate N losses occurred during the fallow season, when most of the drainage occurred. Results of this study underscore the necessity of long-term research on different soil types and in different climatic zones, to develop appropriate management strategies for both economic crop production and protection of environmental quality.
Feature selection for characterizing HLA class I peptide motif anchors

Current software tools and algorithms for prediction of HLA class I peptide binding prediction are based on the frequency of 2 anchoring residues from peptides of 8 to 9 residues long with less account for variable peptide length or amino acid residues internal to anchor positions. We herein propose an algorithm based on data obtained by mass spectrometric sequencing of eluted peptides using amino acid properties of key peptide anchor position residues and internal residues between anchor positions.
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and cancer rehabilitation. 3. Cancer rehabilitation.

Abstract Stubblefield MD, Custodio CM, Franklin DJ. Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and cancer rehabilitation. 3. Cancer rehabilitation. This self-directed learning module highlights the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with cancer. It is part of the study guide on cardiac, pulmonary, and cancer rehabilitation in the Self-Directed Physiatric Education Program for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This article reviews medical and rehabilitation issues in patients with various types of cancer. Cases were selected to allow discussion of problems seen in both younger and older patient populations. Identification of common sequelae of cancer and cancer treatments, associated rehabilitation challenges, and appropriate interventions are included. Overall Article Objective To summarize the medical and rehabilitation issues in patients with various types of cancer.
Structure, of transfer RNA molecules containing the long variable loop

A structure is proposed for the type II tRNA molecules containing the long variable loop and the tertiary base interactions here are compared with type I tRNAs having the short variable loop. The type II tRNAs are similar to the type I tRNAs in their tertiary base pairing interactions but differ from them generally by not having the tertiary base triples. The long variable loop, which is comprised of a helical stem and a loop at the end of it, emerges from the deep groove side of the dihydrouridine helix, and is tilted roughly 30° to the plane formed by the amino acid-pseudouridine and anticodon-dihydrouridine helices found in yeast tRNAPhe. The fact that many of the type I tRNAs also lack the full compliment of base triples suggests that the tertiary base pairs may alone suffice to sustain the tRNA fold required for its biological function. The base triples and the variable loop appear to have little functional significance. The base type at position 9 is correlated with the number of base triples and G-C base pairs in the dihydrouridine stem.
Accounting for sustainability: challenges to landscape professionals in an increasingly unsustainable world

Abstract Global human population growth presents compelling challenges to today's landscape professionals. In the final analysis, it is the world's landscapes from which must be coaxed, at feasible cost and indefinitely into the future, the productivity to provide an acceptable quality of life for a large, rapidly growing, and increasingly demanding human population. Landscape professionals ought, thereby, to be on the front line in addressing this challenge. They are uniquely qualified to play a critically decisive role in achieving a timely and stably productive compromise between humans and their landscapes. They must provide urgently needed substance to the currently ill-defined concepts of sustainability, carrying capacity, human ecosystem productivity, and quality of life. Such definition is essential to effective management. They must, as well, develop an understanding of the principles of human ecosystem productivity in preparation for a much-needed leadership role in catalyzing the increased landscape productivity necessary to provide a very large population an acceptable quality of life on a sustained basis. Most critically, they must apply the tools of landscape planning to develop systems for monitoring human ecosystem productivity to determine progress toward sustainability as well as its costs. To be useful, this monitoring must occur at local jurisdictional levels where effective management is possible, yet standardized sufficiently that synoptic analyses are possible involving the many remote areas that may affect local sustainability.
Abstract A29: Discovery and preclinical to clinical evaluation of biomarkers for Anti-DLL4, a monoclonal antibody targeting cancer stem cells

Blockade of DLL4 signaling reduces tumor growth in preclinical human xenograft models by disrupting productive angiogenesis and reducing proliferation of tumor cells. Importantly in these models, blocking DLL4 also reduces cancer stem cell (CSC) frequency in multiple solid tumor types. Currently, there exists an important need to identify and evaluate pharmacodynamic biomarkers that indicate the biological activity of agents, such as anti-DLL4, that are in clinical studies. Towards this aim, we used numerous human xenograft models derived from primary human tumors to identify and characterize biomarkers for anti-DLL4. Here, we present data from these studies and describe anti-DLL4 biomarkers in tumors, in hair follicles, and in blood. We show that several vascular-related genes are significantly upregulated by anti-DLL4 in tumors including, Egfl7, Apln, Cldn5, and Notch4. We also demonstrate significant downregulation of CSC gene signatures and modulation of differentiation genesets. A subset of the identified markers were validated at the protein level and also tested in a human skin graft model, where the human tumor is engrafted in a human microenvironment/vasculature. Finally, a DLL4-Notch gene signature was identified that showed a significant association with breast cancer survival using publicly available cancer gene sets. In surrogate tissues, we identified anti-DLL4 biomarkers in blood and in hair follicles. These markers from surrogate tissues were translated into a phase I trial of Anti-DLL4 antibody (OMP-21M18), and an interim analysis of this data demonstrates that OMP-21M18 affects the Notch pathway in patient samples. Citation Information: Clin Cancer Res 2010;16(14 Suppl):A29.
Necessity of boron for Nostoc muscorum.

THERE are very few reports on the necessity of boron for the growth of lower plants. Koffler et al.1 found that borax increased the penicillin yields of submerged corn-steep cultures of Penicillium as well as cultures of Penicillium in synthetic medium. No definite requirement by algae for boron has yet been shown2.
Precision of rock-varnish chemical analyses and cation-ratio ages

New data and statistical analyses indicate that the precision of the mean rock-varnish cation ratio determined for a geomorphic surface and the uncertainty of the age calculated from that ratio are controlled by the area of varnish included in each chemical analysis, the precision with which each cation ratio is determined, and the number of independent chemical analyses. This study has implications for the interpretation of published cation-ratio ages and the future use of cation-ratio dating.
Dynamic characteristics of heat exchanger tubes vibrating in a tube support plate inactive mode

Tubes in shell-and-tube heat exchangers, including nuclear plant steam generators, derive their support from longitudinally positioned tube support plates (TSPs). Typically there is a clearance between the tube and TSP hole. Depending on design and fabrication tolerances, the tube may or may not contract all of the TSPs. Noncontact results in an inactive TSP which can lead to detrimental flow induced tube vibrations under certain conditions dependent on the resulting tube-TSP interaction dynamics and the fluid excitation forces. The purpose of this study is to investigate the tube-TSP interaction dynamics. Results of an experimental study of damping and natural frequency as functions of tube-TSP diametral clearance and TSP thickness are reported. Calculated values of damping ratio and frequency of a tube vibrating within an inactive TSP are also presented together with a comparison of calculated and experimental quantities.
Associations of calcium and aluminum with the growth and health of sugar maple trees in Vermont

We compared tree growth and crown condition with soil and foliar elemental composition in 14 sugar maple (Acer saccharumMarsh.) stands in VT, USA, to evaluate if deficiencies or imbalances in cation nutrition were associated with growth and health reductions in native stands. The Till Source Model (TSM) was used to select study sites potentially high or low in calcium (Ca) by predicting the relativeCa concentration of soil parent material derivedfromglacial till. TheTSM successfully identified high or low levelsof soil Ca (P = 0.031) and foliarCa (P = 0.011)among stands. Although soil Ca, potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and iron (Fe) concentrations were all associated with stand growth and health, the influence of K, P, and Fe on health appeared indirect and potentially a result of autocorrelations between Ca and these nutrients. The only cases where improved health coincided with increased soil element content involved Ca and molar ratios of Ca and aluminum (Al). Among foliar nutrients, significant relationships with elevated branch dieback were only found for low foliar Ca (P = 0.021) and high foliar Al (P = 0.035). Average annual basal area growth during the decade prior to sampling was lower for trees in stands with low foliar Ca (P = 0.050) and high foliar Al (P = 0.017). These data emphasize the importance of Ca and Al to sugar maple health and highlight the vulnerability of sugar maple stands to declines in growth and vigor following continued anthropogenic Ca depletion. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Identifying single bases in a DNA oligomer with electron tunnelling

It has been proposed that single molecules of DNA could be sequenced by measuring the physical properties of the bases as they pass through a nanopore1,2. Theoretical calculations suggest that electron tunnelling can identify bases in single-stranded DNA without enzymatic processing3,4,5, and it was recently experimentally shown that tunnelling can sense individual nucleotides6 and nucleosides7. Here, we report that tunnelling electrodes functionalized with recognition reagents can identify a single base flanked by other bases in short DNA oligomers. The residence time of a single base in a recognition junction is on the order of a second, but pulling the DNA through the junction with a force of tens of piconewtons would yield reading speeds of tens of bases per second. Electrodes functionalized with recognition reagents can resolve and identify a single DNA base embedded in an oligomer.
Short-term testosterone supplementation does not activate GH and IGF-I production in postmenopausal women.

Summary Background Testosterone (Te), oestradiol, GH and IGF-I concentrations fall in postmenopausal women. Objective To test the effect of increased Te availability on impoverished GH/IGF-I secretion in this context. Design/patients Placebo (Pl) and a low vs. high dose of Te were administered transdermally for 7 days to each of 15 healthy older women (ages 48–81 years) in a randomized, double-blind crossover design. Measurements Frequent blood sampling, GHRP-2 (Growth hormone releasing peptide-2) infusion, and deconvolution analysis were used to assess GH secretion. Results Graded Te supplementation increased serum Te concentrations (nmol/l) from 0·87 ± 0·06 [Pl] to 5 ± 1 [low] and 7·3 ± 1·6 [high] (P < 0·001), but did not affect: (i) pulsatile GH secretion (µg/l/12 h; conversion factor: 1 µg/l = 0·33 mU/l), 29 ± 7·2, 32 ± 5·6 and 27 ± 4·9; (ii) GH regularity (approximate entropy), 0·52 ± 0·05, 0·57 ± 0·05 and 0·56 ± 0·05; (iii) IGF-I concentrations (µg/l; conversion factor: 1 µg/l = 0·131 nmol/l), 126 ± 13, 135 ± 15 and 141 ± 13; (iv) IGFBP-3 (mg/l), 3·7 ± 0·2, 3·6 ± 0·1 and 3·7 ± 0·2; (v) IGFBP-1 (µg/l), 41 ± 2·3, 44 ± 3·8 and 44 ± 3·2; and (vi) the mass of GH secreted (µg/l/3 h) after GHRP-2 injection, 123 ± 27, 146 ± 32 and 147 ± 38. Conclusion Up to 8-fold elevation of Te concentrations for 1 week in postmenopausal women does not detectably amplify GH secretion or action, thus indicating that low androgen availability is not a proximate acute mediator of hyposomatotropism in postmenopausal individuals.
Some aerodynamic features of a cotton canopy

SUMMARY Analysis of profiles measured over irrigated cotton in the Sudan Gezira showed that the crop boundary layer remained stable throughout most of the day. The shape of wind profiles measured within the canopy suggested that momentum was absorbed mostly in the upper layers of the canopy, with the lower regions remaining isolated from the microclimate above. A similarity analysis based on dynamic scaling factors yielded a generalized wind profile from which momentum diffusivities and mixing lengths were calculated. The analysis showed that aerodynamic features of the upper layers of the canopy were characterized by the friction velocity and the height of the zero-plane displacement. A better understanding of the turbulent transfer processes within and above crop canopies depends on providing an accurate description of canopy aerodynamics. This is not a simple task since aerodynamic features, linked with canopy structure and temperature gradients, reflect many aspects of crop physiology and crop environment. For adiabatic flow much useful progress has been made toward rationalizing crop aerodynamics in studies by Inoue (1963), Cionco (1965), Isobe (1964), Cowan (1968) and Thom (1971). In a recent review of cotton and its environment, Stanhill (1976) noted that much less was known about wind flow within the canopy than about other aspects of its microclimate, e.g. Davenport and Hudson (1967), Rijks (1968), Stanhill and Fuchs (1968). The present studies, related to crop spraying (Bache 1975), were conducted in the Gezira region of Sudan and concerned the Barakat variety, Gossypium barbadense, of cotton. The broad features of canopy aerodynamics are emphasized rather than the characteristics of individual elements.
A New Method for the Construction of Maximal Steady-State Security Regions of Power Systems

This paper presents a method to compute maximal steady-state security regions based on the DC load flow model. The proposed method consists of three steps. First, an initial region (hyperbox) is obtained explicitly using an analytic method. A developed algorithem is then utilized to expand the upper and lower bounds of the initial region in as many dimensions as possible. The algorithm is based on a necessary and sufficient condition for a region to be secure. Due to the proposed condition, the algorithm is computationally very efficient. Finally, the expanded security region is used to initiate a set of optimization problems, which can be solved to yield maximal regions. Applications of security regions to power system planning and operation are discussed. Numerical testing indicates that the algorithms proposed to expand the initial region produces nearly maximal security regions. The results of the paper provide a systematic way to deal with practical issues such as the size of security regions and computational efficiency.