cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitrogen mineralization in O horizon soils during 27 years of nitrogen enrichment at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, USA

Chronic elevated nitrogen (N) deposition has altered the N status of temperate forests, with significant implications for ecosystem function. The Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM) is a whole paired watershed manipulation experiment established to study the effects of N and sulfur (S) deposition on ecosystem function. N was added bimonthly as (NH4)2SO4 to one watershed from 1989 to 2016, and research at the site has studied the evolution of ecosystem response to the treatment through time. Here, we synthesize results from 27 years of research at the site and describe the temporal trend of N availability and N mineralization at BBWM in response to chronic N deposition. Our findings suggest that there was a delayed response in soil N dynamics, since labile soil N concentrations did not show increases in the treated watershed (West Bear, WB) compared to the reference watershed (East Bear, EB) until after the first 4 years of treatment. Labile N became increasingly available in WB through time, and after 25 years of manipulations, treated soils had 10× more extractable ammonium than EB soils. The WB soils had 200× more extractable nitrate than EB soils, driven by both, high nitrate concentrations in WB and low nitrate concentrations in EB. Nitrification rates increased in WB soils and accounted for ~ 50% of net N mineralization, compared to ~ 5% in EB soils. The study provides evidence of the decadal evolution in soil function at BBWM and illustrates the importance of long-term data to capture ecosystem response to chronic disturbance.
Adequacy and Accuracy of Core Biopsy in Children: A Radiologic/Pathologic Correlation Study.

Core biopsy (CB) is increasingly popular for assessing solid lesions in children. To date, pediatric literature is limited regarding factors contributing to diagnostically inadequate or inaccurate ...
Precise Wettability Characterization of CarbonateRocks To Evaluate Oil Recovery Using Surfactant-Based Nanofluids

Free energy of nanoparticles can increase the surface activity at the solid/oil/liquid contact line and remove oil through the disjoining pressure gradient mechanism. Surfactants can also remove oi...
On the frontier: Exploring rural psychologist practice in integrated behavioral health care.

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. August 2018. Major: Educational Psychology. Advisors: Thomas Skovholt, Tabitha Grier-Reed. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 68 pages.
Development of an Immunotherapeutic Monoclonal Antibody Recognizing DKK1-HLA-A2 Complex to Treat Human Hematologic Malignancies

Immunotherapy is a promising option for cancer treatment. Our previous studies demonstrated that DKK1 is widely expressed by various tumor cells including multiple myeloma (MM) and other hematological malignancies but not normal tissues, and DKK1 peptide (such as P20 and P66v, which bind with HLA-A2 molecule) specific cytotoxic T cells specifically kill myeloma and other cancer cells that express DKK1 and HLA-A2, but not HLA-A2+ normal cells, indicating that DKK1+ tumor cells naturally express these peptides, in the context of HLA-A2 molecules, on their surface. To develop cancer therapeutic antibodies, DKK1 peptide P20-HLA-A2 monomer was synthesized and used to immunize mice. Hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) recognizing soluble and cell surface-expressed DKKl P20-HLA-A2 complex were obtained and analyzed. The mAbs bind specifically with DKK1-expressing, HLAA2+ cancer cells but not DKK1-expressing, HLA-A2- cancer cells or DKK1- HLA-A2+ normal blood cells. The mAbs exhibited potent in vitro tumoricidal activity on HLA-A2+DKK1+ U266 multiple myeloma cells, HLA-A2+DKK1+ PC-3 prostate cancer cells and T2 cells loaded with DKK1-P20 peptides. Our results also showed that the anti-DKK1-HLA-A2 mAbs effectively lysed cancer cells via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), which were correlated with and dependent on the surface expression of DKK1-HLA-A2 complex on cancer cells. Furthermore, anti-DKK1/HLA-A2 mAbs were also active and therapeutic in vivo. In MM xenografted SCID mouse model, the mAbs were able to eradicate U266 MM cells and more than 60% of mAb-treated mice survived for 3 months, while control mice all died within 2 months. Toxicity and safety assay in MM xenografted A2-SCID mouse model showed that the mAbs had no significant negative effects on different normal tissues. Therefore, these results support clinical development of anti- DKK1-HLA-A2 mAbs as therapeutic agents to treat hematological malignancies and possibly solid tumors that express surface DKK1-HLA-A2. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Normal Anatomy and Histology of the Kidney: Importance for Kidney Tumors

The knowledge of the normal anatomy and histology of the kidney is essential for the pathologist evaluating kidney tumors. Perturbations of normal kidney embryologic development can give rise to pediatric tumors, such as Wilms tumor, in addition to other renal anomalies. An understanding of gross and microscopic anatomy of normal kidney is requisite for accurate diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of malignant kidney tumors. Renal tumors can arise from the proximal tubules (e.g., clear cell and papillary carcinomas), distal nephron and collecting ducts (e.g., chromophobe, renal oncocytoma, and collecting duct carcinoma), or other normal microscopic components of the kidney (e.g., renal interstitial cell tumor, juxtaglomerular cell tumor). Guidelines for the gross examination of kidney tumor specimens have been laid out by the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) and the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and are summarized in this chapter.
Microscopic optical potential from chiral effective field theory

We formulate a microscopic optical potential from chiral two- and three-body forces. The real and imaginary central terms of the optical potential are obtained from the nucleon self-energy in infinite matter, while the real spin–orbit term is extracted from a nuclear energy density functional constructed from the density matrix expansion using the same chiral potential. The density-dependent optical potential is then folded with the nuclear density distributions for selected Calcium isotopes resulting in energy-dependent nucleon–nucleus optical potentials from which we study proton–nucleus elastic scattering cross sections calculated using the TALYS reaction code. We compare the results of the microscopic calculations to phenomenological models and experimental data.
The Challenges, Joys, and Career Satisfaction of Women Graduates of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program 1973-2011.

To ensure a next generation of female leaders in academia, we need to understand challenges they face and factors that enable fellowship-prepared women to thrive. We surveyed woman graduates of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program (CSP) from 1976 to 2011 regarding their experiences, insights, and advice to women entering the field. We surveyed every CSP woman graduate through 2012 (n = 360) by email and post. The survey, 12 prompts requiring open text responses, explored current work situation, personal definitions of success, job negotiations, career regrets, feelings about work, and advice for others. Four independent reviewers read overlapping subsets of the de-identified data, iteratively created coding categories, and defined and refined emergent themes. Of the 360 cohort, 108 (30%) responded. The mean age of respondents was 45 (range 32 to 65), 85% are partnered, and 87% have children (average number of children 2.15, range 1 to 5). We identified 11 major code categories and conducted a thematic analysis. Factors common to very satisfied respondents include personally meaningful work, schedule flexibility, spousal support, and collaborative team research. Managing professional-personal balance depended on career stage, clinical specialty, and children’s age. Unique to women who completed the CSP prior to 1995 were descriptions of “atypical” paths with career transitions motivated by discord between work and personal ambitions and the emphasis on the importance of maintaining relevance and remaining open to opportunities in later life. Women CSP graduates who stayed in academic medicine are proud to have pursued meaningful work despite challenges and uncertain futures. They thrived by remaining flexible and managing change while remaining true to their values. We likely captured the voices of long-term survivors in academic medicine. Although transferability of these findings is uncertain, these voices add to the national discussion about retaining clinical researchers and keeping women academics productive and engaged.
Paronychia Associated with Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir for Hepatitis C Treatment

We present a case of medication-associated paronychia involving multiple toenails in a patient undergoing hepatitis C (HCV) therapy with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir. The patient was treated conservatively with topical mupirocin, clobetasol ointment, and acetic acid soaks, resulting in symptom improvement and control. This topical regimen was maintainined throughout the remaining weeks of the patient’s antiviral course, with complete symptom resolution occurring only after completion of his ledipasvir/sofosbuvir treatment.
Enhanced Mixture Population Monte Carlo Via Stochastic Optimization and Markov Chain Monte Carlo Sampling

The population Monte Carlo (PMC) algorithm is a popular adaptive importance sampling (AIS) method used for approximate computation of intractable integrals. Over the years, many advances have been made in the theory and implementation of PMC schemes. The mixture PMC (M-PMC) algorithm, for instance, optimizes the parameters of a mixture proposal distribution in a way that minimizes that Kullback-Leibler divergence to the target distribution. The parameters in M-PMC are updated using a single step of expectation maximization (EM), which limits its accuracy. In this work, we introduce a novel M-PMC algorithm that optimizes the parameters of a mixture proposal distribution, where parameter updates are resolved via stochastic optimization instead of EM. The stochastic gradients w.r.t. each of the mixture parameters are approximated using a population of Markov chain Monte Carlo samplers. We validate the proposed scheme via numerical simulations on an example where the considered target distribution is multimodal.
Effects of couple conflict on alcohol craving: Does intimate partner violence play a role?

Abstract Objective Social stress in the form of maladaptive relationship conflict is a common precipitant to alcohol misuse and problems. Research has also established a clear causal association between alcohol misuse and relationship conflict in the form of intimate partner violence (IPV). Despite the robust literature linking relationship conflict and problematic drinking using survey methodology, no laboratory studies have examined the proximal association between relationship conflict and alcohol craving among couples, or the influence of IPV perpetration and victimization on this association. Method As part of a larger randomized controlled trial, 30 different-sex community couples with substance misuse completed a laboratory conflict resolution task. Participants reported subjective alcohol craving on a Likert-type scale immediately, before, and after the task. Conflict behaviors were coded by trained observers. Analyses were conducted using a multilevel modeling framework to account for the dyadic nature of the data. Results Findings indicate that psychological and physical IPV perpetration and victimization strengthened the associations between negative and positive conflict behaviors and alcohol craving among men only. Contrary to our hypotheses, no main or moderating effects of conflict behaviors, IPV perpetration, or IPV victimization were found for women. Conclusions Findings from this exploratory study suggest that in this sample, relationship conflict and IPV in one’s current relationship played a more impactful role on acute alcohol craving among men compared to women. Future studies should examine the role of specific conflict behaviors on alcohol craving and relapse risk, and patterns of communication that might increase or reduce risk for exacerbated alcohol craving.
QT interval duration and QT/heart rate relationship

Abstract The chapter presents the methodology of QT interval measurement and of the heart rate correction of the QT interval. It stresses the importance of incorporating the QT/RR hysteresis correction into the analysis of heart rate underlying individual QT values. Based on the analysis of ECG data obtained in 335 healthy females and 416 healthy males, the chapter shows that compared to males, females have longer QT interval duration especially at slow heart rates while with increasing heart rates, the sex difference in QT duration diminishes. Females also adapt the QT interval to changing heart rate marginally faster than males and have the QT/RR profiles more curved and steeper than males.
Never Just a Shot in the Dark: Pediatric Firearm Advocacy.

Abstract Firearms remain a common cause of injury in children. Advocacy is a tool that can be useful in effecting systemic change. Yet for firearm injury prevention, traditional methods of effecting change face unique barriers not experienced in other areas of pediatric injury prevention. As pediatric emergency medicine physicians, we are on the front lines, and as part of the receiving end of the trauma inflicted on our communities by firearms, ours is a powerful voice well suited to overcome these barriers. Current firearm advocacy efforts include raising awareness via social media or editorials, organizing larger advocacy groups for support, challenging legislation, and implementing hospital-based violence intervention programs. Future advocacy directions should include collaborating with unique partners, teleadvocacy, direct action, and finding common ground with gun regulation opposition. Physician advocacy is essential to firearm injury prevention. Continuing to innovate around our advocacy efforts will be vital to the health and safety of our patients.
Lorlatinib induced proteinuria: A case report.

IntroductionLorlatinib is an oral anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and C-ros oncogene (ROS1) tyrosine kinase inhibitor with excellent central nervous system (CNS) penetrability. It is currently app...
Photocrosslinked, Tunable Protein Vesicles for Drug Delivery Applications

Recombinant proteins have emerged as promising building blocks for vesicle self-assembly because of their versatility through genetic manipulation and biocompatibility. Vesicles composed of thermally responsive elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) fusion proteins encapsulate cargo during assembly. However, vesicle stability in physiological environments remains a significant challenge for biofunctional applications. Here, incorporation of an unnatural amino acid, para-azido phenylalanine, into the ELP domain is reported to enable photocrosslinking of protein vesicles and tuning of vesicle size and swelling. The size of the vesicles can be tuned by changing ELP hydrophobicity and ionic strength. Protein vesicles are assessed for their ability to encapsulate doxorubicin and dually deliver doxorubicin and fluorescent protein in vitro as a proof of concept. The resulting photocrosslinkable vesicles made from full-sized, functional proteins show high potential in drug delivery applications, especially for small molecule/protein combination therapies or targeted therapies.
Amyloid Goiter With Parathyroid Involvement

Abstract Although involvement of the thyroid gland by amyloid is a relatively common phenomenon, diffuse enlargement of the gland secondary to infiltration by amyloid is infrequent. We report the pathologic findings in a case of primary amyloid goiter with involvement of a parathyroid gland in an euthyroid patient who presented to his physician with an enlarged thyroid, upper airway obstructive symptoms, and dysphagia. The clinical features of amyloid goiter, including difficulties in preoperative diagnosis and management, are discussed.
Sources of Tech Platform Power

A handful of tech platforms mediate a large and growing share of our commerce and communications. Over the last year, the public has come to realize that the power these firms wield may pose significant hazards. Despite growing recognition of platform power, public conversation about why this power exists and what to do about it is still in its early stages. This essay seeks to advance that discussion. Part I identifies forms of platform power, identifying gatekeeper power, vertical integration, and information asymmetries, and explores how this power is being or could be exploited. Part II examines historical analogies for these forms of power and identifies legal hooks that could help us tackle it.
High performance correctly rounded math libraries for 32-bit floating point representations

This paper proposes a set of techniques to develop correctly rounded math libraries for 32-bit float and posit types. It enhances our RLIBM approach that frames the problem of generating correctly rounded libraries as a linear programming problem in the context of 16-bit types to scale to 32-bit types. Specifically, this paper proposes new algorithms to (1) generate polynomials that produce correctly rounded outputs for all inputs using counterexample guided polynomial generation, (2) generate efficient piecewise polynomials with bit-pattern based domain splitting, and (3) deduce the amount of freedom available to produce correct results when range reduction involves multiple elementary functions. The resultant math library for the 32-bit float type is faster than state-of-the-art math libraries while producing the correct output for all inputs. We have also developed a set of correctly rounded elementary functions for 32-bit posits.
Ledgewlse vaporization

Ledge formation and migration during evaporation were investigated for cleaved single crystals of alkali halides. The dependence of ledge velocity on ledge separation was determined, providing direct confirmation for the Burton, Cabrera, and Frank6 (BCF) theory for the case of evaporation. The effect of an externally applied electric field on the velocity of ledges is discussed, and the influence of impurities on the surface topography of evaporated crystals is shown.
Slurry electrodes for iron plating in an all-iron flow battery

Abstract Slurry electrodes are investigated in order to decouple the energy storage capacity from the power delivery capability in an all-iron flow battery. For the slurry electrode to perform effectively, the battery negative reaction must occur on the slurry particles at reasonably high current densities. Mathematical modeling is used to investigate the current distribution in a slurry electrode as a function of the slurry specific area and electrical conductivity in order to achieve >95% plating in the slurry electrode (not on the flat plate) at > 200 mA cm −2 . From the mathematical modeling, MWCNTs are selected to demonstrate slurry electrode performance. The experimental performance of all-iron batteries charged using the MWCNT slurry electrodes is found to improve while increasing the battery state-of-charge. Two possible mechanisms contributing to this effect are an increase in electronic conductivity of the slurry and an increase in plating kinetics. After cycling the battery,
Understanding the role of strain in Si-Ge devices

The effect of strain on the structural morphology of thin films of Si-Ge alloys and SiO2 is investigated through the use of empirical potential models.
Adaptive Control of A First Order Plant with a Time-varying Parameter

Recent results in the adaptive control of linear systems with time-varying parameters mostly deal with situations in which such parameters vary slowly with time. In this paper, the adaptive control of a first-order plant with a single parameter is treated when the parameter varies arbitrarily in a compact set. It is shown that all the signals in the adaptive system are bounded for any bounded reference input. This result requires neither any modification of the standard adaptive law, nor the persistent excitation of the reference input. The extension of the result to more general cases is briefly discussed.
Estimating Time Since Death from Postmortem Human Gut Microbial Communities

Postmortem succession of human-associated microbial communities ("human microbiome") has been suggested as a possible method for estimating postmortem interval (PMI) for forensic analyses. Here we evaluate human gut bacterial populations to determine quantifiable, time-dependent changes postmortem. Gut microflora were repeatedly sampled from the proximal large intestine of 12 deceased human individuals as they decayed under environmental conditions. Three intestinal bacterial genera were quantified by quantitative PCR (qPCR) using group-specific primers targeting 16S rRNA genes. Bacteroides and Lactobacillus relative abundances declined exponentially with increasing PMI at rates of Nt=0.977e(-0.0144t) (r2=0.537, p<0.001) and Nt=0.019e(-0.0087t) (r2=0.396, p<0.001), respectively, where Nt is relative abundance at time (t) in cumulative degree hours. Bifidobacterium relative abundances did not change significantly: Nt=0.003e(-0.002t) (r2=0.033, p=0.284). Therefore, Bacteroides and Lactobacillus abundances could be used as quantitative indicators of PMI.
Generating Specialized Rules and Programs for Demand-Driven Analysis

Many complex analysis problems can be most clearly and easily specified as logic rules and queries, where rules specify how given facts can be combined to infer new facts, and queries select facts of interest to the analysis problem at hand. However, it has been extremely challenging to obtain efficient implementations from logic rules and to understand their time and space complexities, especially for on-demand analysis driven by queries. This paper describes a powerful method for generating specialized rules and programs for demand-driven analysis from Datalog rules and queries, and further for providing time and space complexity guarantees. The method combines recursion conversion with specialization of rules and then uses a method for program generation and complexity calculation from rules. We compare carefully with the best prior methods by examining many variants of rules and queries for the same graph reachability problems, and show the application of our method in implementing graph query languages in general.
The etiology of acute respiratory infections. 3. The role of viruses and bacteria.

The data presented are from a continuing study to identify causative viral and bacterial agents in acute respiratory infections of children.
Collaborative Inquiry Groups: Empowering Teachers to Work with English Language Learners

As grade-level teachers in the United States become increasingly responsible for educating English language learning (ELL) students, it is imperative that they re-evaluate their perspectives on instruction. This paper describes a program designed to prepare in-service teachers for enhancing their instructional effectiveness with ELL students in their traditional classrooms. The program emphasizes the use of collaborative inquiry groups in which teachers serve as critical colleagues, challenging one another to implement research and theory-driven practices and, most importantly, reflect upon their existing assumptions with regard to the instruction of ELL students. Teachers participating in the program completed a survey to describe their experience in an inquiry group. The findings of this study demonstrate noteworthy changes in teacher perspectives on language differences among, and appropriate literacy paradigms for, ELL students. Key among these changes were participants’ demonstrated transformations in perspective regarding the role of native language support in ELL students’ development of literacy and content-area skills and understandings.
Motion vector optimization of control grid interpolation and overlapped block motion compensation using iterative dynamic programming

Interdependence between motion vectors (MVs), introduced by control grid interpolation (CGI) and overlapped block motion compensation (OBMC) algorithms, is the key to improving temporal prediction performance of conventional block-matching motion compensation schemes. Unfortunately, this dependency makes the problem of finding optimal MVs intractable. While standard schemes that successively optimize each MV are susceptible to severe local minimum problems, we propose a dynamic programming (DP) paradigm, where each horizontal or vertical slice of MVs is jointly determined during an iterative optimization process. To retain reasonably low complexity, our algorithm effectively identifies an initial search region and then chooses a proper search scheme for each MV. In addition, a computationally-efficient multiscale search strategy is employed. The performance of the proposed method is compared with that of the standard optimization techniques, and our experimental results show that the proposed scheme always gives a better rate-distortion performance. Especially for CGI, the PSNR improvements and the percentage of bit-rate savings provided by our algorithm, in some cases, are in excess of 1.0 dB and 20%, respectively.
Electrostatics of Proteins: Principles, Models and Applications

Originally published in: Protein Folding Handbook. Part I. Edited by Johannes Buchner and Thomas Kiefhaber. Copyright © 2005 Wiley-VCH Verlag Gmbh & Co. KGaA Weinheim. Print ISBN: 3-527-30784-2 The sections in this article are Introduction Historical Perspectives Electrostatic Models: From Microscopic to Macroscopic Models All-Atom Models Dipolar Lattice Models and the PDLD Approach The PDLD/S-LRA Model Continuum (Poisson-Boltzmann) and Related Approaches Effective Dielectric Constant for Charge–charge Interactions and the GB Model The Meaning and Use of the Protein Dielectric Constant Validation Studies Systems Studied Solvation Energies of Small Molecules Calculation of pKa Values of Ionizable Residues Redox and Electron Transport Processes Ligand Binding Enzyme Catalysis Ion Pairs Protein-Protein Interactions Ion Channels Helix Macrodipoles versus Localized Molecular Dipoles Folding and Stability Conclusions Acknowledgments Keywords: protein electrostatics; dipolar models; ionizable groups; pKa value; charge-charge interactions; protein dielectric constant
AN ANALYSIS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE UNITED STATES USING RECORD HIGH AND RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE DATA

To test climate change or global warming theories in the United States I analyzed record high and record low data for locations in all 50 of the United States for both January and July over the entire available record. While there was a general trend of increasing numbers of record highs and decreasing numbers of record lows, most of the regional results were not statistically significant and there were many counter trend examples. Of particular interest were the record highs during the extremely hot summers of the Great Depression in 1930s.
Effects of electrical stimulation and gonadal steroids on rat facial nerve regenerative properties.

Purpose The neurotherapeutic effects of nerve electrical stimulation and gonadal steroids have independently been demonstrated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic potential of a combinatorial treatment strategy of electrical stimulation and gonadal steroids on peripheral nerve regeneration. Methods Following a facial nerve crush axotomy in gonadectomized adult male rats, testosterone propionate (TP), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), or estradiol (E(2)) was systemically administered with/without daily electrical stimulation of the proximal nerve stump. Facial nerve outgrowth was assessed at 4 and 7 days post-axotomy using radioactive labeling. Results Administration of electrical stimulation alone reduced the estimated delay in sprout formation but failed to accelerate the overall regeneration rate. Conversely, TP treatment alone accelerated the regeneration rate by approximately 10% but had no effect on the sprouting delay. Combining TP with electrical stimulation, however, maintained the enhanced rate and reduced the sprouting delay. DHT treatment alone failed to alter the regeneration rate but combining it with electrical stimulation increased the rate by 10%. E(2) treatment alone increased the regeneration rate by approximately 5% but with electrical stimulation, there was no additional effect. Conclusions Electrical stimulation and gonadal steroids differentially enhanced regenerative properties. TP, an aromatizable androgen, augmented regeneration most, suggesting a synergism between androgenic and estrogenic effects. Therapeutically, combining electrical stimulation with gonadal steroids may boost regenerative properties more than the use of either treatment alone.
Metabolic Shifts in Immunity and Inflammation

Sites of ongoing inflammation and triggered immune responses are characterized by significant changes in metabolic activity. Recent studies have indicated that such shifts in tissue metabolism result from a combination of profound recruitment of inflammatory cells (neutrophils and monocytes) and high proliferation rates among lymphocyte populations. The resultant shifts in energy supply and demand can result in metabolic acidosis and diminished delivery and/or availability of oxygen, leading to hypoxia extensive enough to trigger transcriptional and translation changes in tissue phenotype. Such phenotypic shifts can imprint fundamental changes to tissue metabolism. In this study, we review recent work addressing metabolic changes and metabolic control of inflammation and immunity.
Comparison of bioassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for quantification of Spodoptera frugiperda nuclear polyhedrosis virus in soil☆

Standard curves with known amounts of Spodoptera frugiperda nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) in soil were established with a bioassay and with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The bioassay detected as few as 4 × 104 polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIB)/g sandy soil and <10 PIB/g soils with large amounts of silt or clay. The ELISA detected as few as 360 PIB/g in all three soil types, and absorbance values were inversely related to the amount of clay. Results of the bioassay and ELISA were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated for natural NPV from field samples of silt (R = 0.961) and sandy soil (R = 0.723). Soil samples from Louisiana pastures and corn fields contain up to 7.6 × 104 PIB/g, and 2× 104 PIB/g are commonly present.
An experimental heat-transfer investigation of an advanced winged entry vehicle at Mach 10

Heat-transfer measurements have been made at Mach 10 in air on an instrumented 0.006-scale model of an advanced winged entry vehicle. Data were obtained at 83 thermocouple stations which include locations on the lower and upper surface centerlines, spanwise positions along the lower and upper surfaces of the wing, the lower surface of the body flap, and radial locations on the fuselage. Data were obtained for angles of attack ranging from 0 to 45 deg, sideslip angles of + or - 2 deg, Reynolds numbers of 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 million per foot, and body-flap deflections of 0, 10, and 20 deg. The data generally indicate increased windward heating and decreased leeside heating with increased angle of attack, significantly increased body-flap heating with deflection angle, and minor variations in heating with sideslip, increasing in magnitude with angle of attack. Windward centerline data are shown to be in fair agreement with results of predictions based on an approximate engineering method.
Photoreceptor responses of patients with congenital stationary night blindness.

The present study examines the hypothesis that the electroretinogram (ERG) a-wave of patients with congenital stationary night blindness with myopia (CSNB) is solely cone mediated. The subjects include four patients with x-linked recessive inheritance, two patients with no family history, and thirteen age-matched normal subjects. Because normal subjects have relatively large b-waves (which can influence the measurement of the PIII component of the a-wave), the main response parameter studied was the slope of the a-wave. The results for the CSNB patients show that in the light adapted condition, the ratio of the responses to photopically balanced blue and red flashes wasnearly unity; whereas, in the dark-adapted condition, the ratio was ~3 times greater. The ratios for the normal subjects were similar to those of the CSNB patients. These results lead to the conclusion that, in patients with CSNB, the ERG a-wave is not solely mediated by cones.
DNA homologies shared among E. corrodens isolates and other corroding bacilli from the oral cavity.

In a previous microbiological study of Eikenella corrodens, we noted the presence of E. corrodens strains with variability in colony morphology, as well as other corroding bacilli phenotypically similar to E. corrodens but which were unidentifiable on the basis of biochemical reactions. This raised questions as to whether E. corrodens constitutes a genetically heterogeneous group of organisms, and whether the unidentified corroding bacilli represent atypical E. corrodens or genetically unrelated organisms. In the present study, the genetic relationship among 14 E. corrodens isolates and 6 unidentified corroding bacilli was examined. DNA base compositions were determined from the melting temperatures of DNA samples. DNA homologies among E. corrodens and corroding bacilli were determined by DNA hybridization in solution using S1 nuclease. The % G + C content of E. corrodens strains varied from 56 to 58%, and from 56 to 60% for unidentified corroding bacilli. The DNA homologies among 12 E. corrodens isolates and 2 reference strains varied from 57 to 97%. Although these E. corrodens isolates exhibited variabilities in colony morphology and biochemical profile, no subspecies was identified. The unidentified corroding bacilli shared less than 33% homology with either of the E. corrodens reference strains. These corroding bacilli were further divided into 3 species on the basis of DNA hybridization studies using radiolabeled DNA from 2 representative corroding bacilli. One of the unidentified corroding bacilli appears to be a component of the normal flora in the human oral cavity. Our results indicate that E. corrodens is a genetically homogeneous species containing no recognizable subspecies. However, the oral microflora of periodontally healthy and diseased subjects contains other corroding bacilli which are recovered on media considered selective for E. corrodens. These organisms are morphologically and biochemically similar to E. corrodens but are genetically distinct. Such organisms are found frequently in the human oral cavity and may be easily confused with E. corrodens.
Single scattering parameters of randomly oriented snow particles at microwave frequencies

[1] To develop a generally applicable fast and accurate parameterization method for computations of single scattering parameters at microwave frequencies requires a thorough knowledge of how the ice particle shape affects the scattering parameters. This study computes single scattering parameters (scattering cross sections (Csca), absorption cross sections (Cabs), and asymmetry factors) of various nonspherical snow particles using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) method and the T-matrix method to examine the sensitivity of scattering parameters to snow particles at frequencies between 95 GHz and 340 GHz. Results show that Csca/πreff2, Cabs/πreff2, and asymmetry factors of complex particles at a fixed size parameter x = 2πreff/λ do not depend on the specific particle shapes when x is less than about 2.5. Here λ is the wavelength and reff is the radius of equal-volume ice spheres. The Mie theory may be used to compute the single scattering parameters of randomly oriented snow particles if radius of equal-volume ice spheres reff is known over this range. On the other hand, when x > 2.5, scattering parameters of nonspherical particles are sensitive to the particle shapes because they are in an anomalous diffraction regime. In this regime, particles have a smaller projected area for a given volume so that the “unfavorable” interference effect grows, resulting in smaller minimum values of scattering cross sections and asymmetry factors. Single scattering parameters averaged over a Gamma size distribution show that scattering coefficients are sensitive to shapes and that differences are larger than 10% when πDm/λ; the size parameter of the median mass diameter (Dm) is greater than 1. Single scattering albedo values do not show significant differences over most size parameter ranges considered in this study. Asymmetry factors are sensitive to particle shapes when πDm/λ is greater than 2.
Luminescent lanthanide coordination polymers synthesized via in-situ hydrolysis of dimethyl-3,4-furandicarboxylate

Abstract Dimethyl-3,4-furandicarboxylate undergoes hydrolysis under hydrothermal conditions with lanthanide (Ln) ions to form two-dimensional coordination polymers, [Ln(C6H2O5)(C6H3O5)(H2O)]n (Ln=Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu). The resulting materials exhibit luminescent properties with quantum yields and lifetimes for the Eu(III) and Tb(III) compounds of 1.1±0.3% and 0.387±0.0001 ms, and 3.3±0.8% and 0.769±0.006 ms, respectively. Energy values for the singlet and triplet states were determined for dimethyl-3,4-furandicarboxylate and 3,4-furandicarboxylic acid. Excited state dynamics and structural features are examined to explicate the reported quantum yields. A series of other FDC structures is briefly presented.
Detector resolution effects on hadronic mass moments in B → X l ν

We show how to relate moments of the reconstructed hadronic invariant mass distribution to the moments of the physical spectrum in a model independent way. The only information needed on detector resolution functions are their first few moments. Theoretical predictions for the first three moments as functions of non-perturbative parameters are given for various lepton energy cuts.
The combination of stricture dilation, endoscopic needle aspiration, and biliary brushings significantly improves diagnostic yield from malignant bile duct strictures

Abstract Background: Brush cytology, routinely performed at ERCP to assess malignant-appearing biliary strictures, is limited by relatively low sensitivity and negative predictive value. This study assessed whether the combination of stricture dilation, endoscopic needle aspiration, and biliary brushing improves diagnostic yield. Methods: In a prospective nonrandomized study, 46 consecutive patients were evaluated with malignant-appearing biliary strictures at ERCP. Twenty-four patients (Group A) underwent standard brush cytology alone and 22 patients (Group B) underwent stricture dilatation to 10F, endoscopic needle aspiration, and subsequent biliary brushing by using the Howell biliary system. The diagnostic yields for both techniques were compared. Results: Of the 46 patients, 34 had proven malignant strictures (14 Group A, 20 Group B). Compared with brushing alone, the combination of stricture dilatation, endoscopic needle aspiration, and subsequent biliary brushing significantly increased both the sensitivity (57% vs. 85%, p p Conclusions: The combination of stricture dilation, endoscopic needle aspiration, and biliary brushing significantly improves diagnostic yield for malignant bile duct strictures and may particularly be of benefit for extrinsic strictures caused by pancreatic or gallbladder carcinoma. (Gastrointest Endosc 2001;54:587-94.)
Characterization of Isolated Acidocalcisomes of Trypanosoma cruzi

The acidocalcisome is an acidic calcium store in trypanosomatids with a vacuolar-type proton-pumping pyrophosphatase (V-H(+)-PPase) located in its membrane. In this paper, we describe a new method using iodixanol density gradients for purification of the acidocalcisome from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes. Pyrophosphatase assays indicated that the isolated organelle was at least 60-fold purified compared with the large organelle (10,000 x g) fraction. Assays for other organelles generally indicated no enrichment in the acidocalcisome fraction; glycosomes were concentrated 5-fold. Vanadate-sensitive ATP-driven Ca(2+) uptake (Ca(2+)-ATPase) activity was detectable in the isolated acidocalcisome, but ionophore experiments indicated that it was not acidic. However, when pyrophosphate was added, the organelle acidified, and the rate of Ca(2+) uptake increased. Use of the indicator Oxonol VI showed that V-H(+)-PPase activity generated a membrane potential. Use of sulfate or nitrate in place of chloride in the assay buffer did not affect V-H(+)-PPase activity, but there was less activity with gluconate. Organelle acidification was countered by the chloride/proton symport cycloprogidiosin. No vacuolar H(+)-ATPase activity was detectable in isolated acidocalcisomes. However, immunoblots showed the presence of at least a membrane-bound V-H(+)-ATPase subunit, while experiments employing permeabilized epimastigotes suggested that vacuolar H(+)-ATPase and V-H(+)-PPase activities are present in the same Ca(2+)-containing compartment.
Low tissue oxygen saturation at emergency center triage is predictive of intensive care unit admission.

Abstract Purpose Timely recognition of critical patients by emergency center triage is an ongoing challenge. Peripheral tissue oxygen saturation (Sto 2 ) measurement has been used to monitor shock patients' responses to resuscitation. Interest has developed in evaluating Sto 2 as a triage tool, but limited studies have addressed critically ill patients. Material and methods This is a single-center, retrospective study of 158 emergent cancer patients with hypotension and/or modified systemic inflammatory response syndrome who underwent Sto 2 spot measurement at triage. Results Of the 57 patients with Sto 2 less than 70%, 17 went to the intensive care unit (ICU), whereas only 14 of the 101 patients with Sto 2 of 70% to 89% ( P = .01) went to the ICU. There was no significant difference in non-ICU hospital admission or mortality between the 2 groups. The odds ratio of ICU admission for patients with Sto 2 less than 70% relative to those with Sto 2 of 70% to 89% was 2.64 (95% confidence interval, 1.18-5.87) and 2.87 (95% confidence interval, 1.23-6.66) when adjusted for mean arterial pressure, pulse, and temperature. Conclusions In this patient population, an Sto 2 less than 70% significantly increased the risk of ICU admission. Tissue oxygen saturation at triage identifies critical patients who may not be recognized by vital signs alone. Tissue oxygen saturation measurement could help providers make earlier decisions regarding hospital resource allocation.
Dose-dependent nonlinear response of the main phase-transition temperature of phospholipid membranes to alcohols

The effect of 1-alkanols upon the main phase-transition temperature of phospholipid vesicle membranes between gel and liquid-crystalline phases was not a simple monotonic function of alkanol concentration. For instance, 1-decanol decreased the transition temperature at low concentrations, but increased it at high concentrations, displaying a minimal temperature. This concentration-induced biphasic effect cannot be explained by the van't Hoff model on the effect of impurities upon the freezing point. To explain this nonlinear response, a theory is presented which treats the effect of 1-alkanols (or any additives) on the transition temperature of phospholipid membranes in a three-component mixture. By fitting the experimental data to the theory, the enthalpy of the phase transition ΔH* and the interaction energy, ɛAB* between the additive and phospholipid molecules may be estimated. The theory predicts that when ɛAB* >2 (where ɛAB* = ɛAB,/RTo,To being the transition temperature of phospholipid), both maximum and maximum transition temperatures should exist. When ɛAB* = 2, only one inflection point exists. When ɛAB* < 2, neither maximum nor minimum exists. The alkanol concentration at which the transition temperature is minimum (Xmin) depends on the ɛAB* value: the larger the ɛAB* values, the smaller theXmin. When ɛAB* is large enough,Xmin values become so small that the plot ΔT vs.X shows positive ΔT in almost all alkanol concentrations. The interaction energy between 1-alkanols and phospholipid molecules increased with the increase in the carbon chain-length of 1-alkanols. In the case of the dipalmitcylphosphatidylcholine vesicle membrane, the carbon chain-length of 1-alkanols that caused predominantly positive ΔT was about 12.
Structural thinking: Organizing complexity through disciplined activity

In today's world, large-scale systems are frequently involved in levels of complexity that have a serious and global impact on productivity. A context model is set forth that facilitates a new definition of complexity, providing a background against which a science of complexity can be developed, and describing an empirical process from which the complexity of any particular situation can be quantified through a situation complexity index. In moving toward a science of complexity, the desirability of incorporating semiotics as a component of the science is indicated, because of the contributions semiotics makes to understanding the foundations and ubiquity of modelling. In the development of models, as semiotics indicates, the connection between what is being modelled and the language of description in the model is critical. Structural analysis clarifies the inappropriateness of models comprised only of prose to convey a description of a complex situation. Illustrative examples from the practice of interactive management (a system of management that supports the development and interpretation of structural models of complex situations, and design of improved systems) show the significance of structural thinking as the primary intellectual mode required to manage or cope with complexity. Group activity that would otherwise be invalidated by spreadthink is converted into a powerful approach to in-depth learning about a complex situation, which then provides a well-supported foundation for an organized attack to bring a complex situation under control.
Epithelial Barriers, Compartmentation, and Cancer

Epithelial cells, and the tight junctions between them, form a polarized barrier between luminal and serosal fluid compartments and segregate luminal growth factors from their basal-lateral receptors. Breakdown of this barrier should allow access of growth factors in the luminal fluid to their receptors on the basal-lateral cell membranes, as recently demonstrated for heregulin and erbB receptors in airway epithelia. It should also allow luminal growth factors to access the stroma. This property may have adaptive value for epithelial tissues in general, as an elegant response to injury, but may also promote cancer formation in premalignant epithelial tissues in which the tight junctions have become chronically leaky to growth factors.
DEVELOPMENT OF LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR PROPERTIES OF HEART RATE DURING QUIET AND ACTIVE SLEEP IN INFANTS. 371

It was investigated how postnatal development of cardiac control can be described by linear methods and by new application of non-linear methods of time series analysis.
Structural analogues of schweinfurthin F: probing the steric, electronic, and hydrophobic properties of the D-ring substructure.

Abstract The natural tetracyclic schweinfurthins are potent and selective inhibitors of cell growth in the National Cancer Institute’s 60-cell line screen. An interest in determination of their cellular or molecular target has inspired our efforts to prepare both the natural products and analogues. In this paper, chemical synthesis of analogues modified in different olefinic positions, and preliminary results from studies of their biological activity, are reported.