cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sustainable biomass supply chain network design with biomass switching incentives for first-generation bioethanol producers.

Abstract Sustainable energy requires renewable energy sources to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. As a renewable energy source, first-generation bioethanol has been produced from corn. However, the production of such a biofuel increases corn-based food prices resulting in serious food versus fuel debates. Financial incentives would motivate first-generation bioethanol producers switching to second-generation bioethanol production. This study investigates the effects of two financial incentives (incentive payments and emissions penalties) motivating first-generation bioethanol producers to use second-generation biomass. These financial incentives are integrated into linear programming models to maximize the profit of the bioethanol supply chains in the state of North Dakota. Numerical results indicate that first-generation bioethanol production is more efficient than the second-generation bioethanol. Hence, the social value of using corn as a source for food instead of fuel must be at least $2.38/bushel. Furthermore, to switch from the first to the second-generation biofuel production, bioethanol producers must either receive at least an incentive payment of $0.8495 per gallon of second-generation bioethanol or pay at least a penalty of $3.2573 per Kg CO2e emitted due to first-generation bioethanol production. The results of this study support policymaker decisions in developing incentive programs to promote sustainable second-generation bioethanol in the US.
An Exploratory Study of Correlates of Allostatic Load in Older People Living With HIV.

BACKGROUND Older people living with HIV (PLWH) experience poorer outcomes than seronegative counterparts. Allostatic load (AL) markers have shown utility as indicators of cumulative wear-and-tear of stress on biological systems. However, little is known about correlates of AL in PLWH. METHODS Ninety-six PLWH aged 50+ completed a comprehensive neurobehavioral assessment and blood draw. Select AL markers (ie, 10 blood markers) were available for a subset (n = 75) of seronegative controls. AL was operationalized as a sum of markers in the highest risk quartile for: cortisol, DHEA, IL-6, TNF-alpha, C-reactive protein, glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, albumin, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and body mass index. RESULTS PLWH had higher risk levels than seronegatives with small-medium effect sizes for several biomarkers. Among HIV+ African Americans (84% of PLWH), higher AL was associated with lower psychological resilience (rho = -0.27, P = 0.02), less physical activity (rho = -0.29, P < 0.01), poorer neurocognitive functioning (rho = -0.26, P = 0.02), greater basic activity of daily living complaints (P < 0.01), and diabetes (P < 0.01). Multivariable regressions within African American PLWH for significant AL-outcome associations (ie, neurocognitive function, basic activity of daily living complaints, diabetes) showed that associations with AL remained significant when adjusting for relevant covariates. Mediation analysis suggested that the association between socioeconomic status and neurocognitive function was mediated by AL. CONCLUSIONS These exploratory findings are consistent with the larger aging literature, suggesting that lower AL may serve as a pathway to better health and functional outcomes, particularly in African American PLWH. Furthermore, resilience and physical activity may reduce AL in this population.
Off-Label studies on anakinra in dermatology: a review.

Purpose: Anakinra (Kineret®) is an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) FDA approved for use in rheumatoid arthritis and in neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID). It has been used off-label for a variety of dermatologic conditions. A review of the available studies and cases of these off-label uses would be valuable to the dermatologist considering alternative treatments for these oftentimes poorly studied conditions.Materials and methods: The PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched with the term 'anakinra.' Results were manually screened to identify published data on off-label uses of anakinra in dermatologic conditions and systemic conditions with prominent dermatologic manifestations.Results: Anakinra appears to show efficacy for numerous dermatologic conditions, with the strongest evidence for hidradenitis suppurativa, Bechet's disease, Muckle-Wells syndrome, and SAPHO syndrome. Case reports and case series data are available for numerous other dermatologic conditions.Conclusion: Anakinra is a potential option for patients with certain difficult-to-treat dermatologic diseases, given its relatively benign adverse effect profile and its effectiveness in a wide array of conditions. Overall, anakinra appears to be a promising option in the treatment of numerous dermatologic inflammatory conditions refractory to first line therapies, but further and higher-quality data is needed to clarify its therapeutic role.
Information Transmission in Randomly Generated Social Networks

A bee swarm is comprised of two kinds of bees; there are a small number of scout bees and the rest are uninformed bees. The scouts have information that needs to be communicated to the rest of the swarm. This paper explores how the information moves through several random network models as the number of scouts and the number of links between the uninformed bees varies. Under some circumstances, it appears that complicated models might be replaced by smaller, simpler ones.
Evaluation of breast surgical oncology complications after single agent versus dual agent HER2 targeted neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to determine whether differing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) regimens for HER2 positive breast cancer (HER2+ BC) are associated with differing surgical complications. Our goal was to evaluate postoperative complications in HER2+ BC patients receiving NAC with Herceptin (trastuzumab, H) alone versus in combination with pertuzumab (HP). Methods Retrospective chart review was performed of patients with Stage I-III HER2+ BC receiving NAC from 2007 to 2016. Demographics, tumor characteristics, surgical procedure, and 60-day postoperative complications were analyzed. Results H (n = 101) and HP (n = 132) were similar with respect to tumor characteristics and surgical procedure. Overall operative complications were similar between groups (p = 0.63), as were major versus minor complications (p = 1.0). Subgroup analysis identified a higher rate of complications for lumpectomy patients receiving HP versus H (p = 0.003). Conclusions Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with HP is associated with increased complications after lumpectomy. Additional studies are warranted to assess causative factors for this observation.
Clinical pearl: Expanding knowledge of emergency contraception among dermatologists

Dermatologists prescribe teratogenic or potentially teratogenic medications to treat a variety of skin diseases, including spironolactone for hormonal dysregulation in hidradenitis suppurativa or isotretinoin for severe acne. Although contraceptive options are regularly discussed, dermatologists must also be familiar with emergency contraceptive methods in the case that patients receiving teratogenic medications engage in unprotected sexual intercourse and do not desire pregnancy. A lack of knowledge regarding emergency contraceptive options may represent a practice gap for dermatologists.
Impact of truck contamination and information sharing on foot-and-mouth disease spreading in beef cattle production systems

As cattle movement data in the United States are scarce due to the absence of mandatory traceability programs, previous epidemic models for U.S. cattle production systems heavily rely on contact rates estimated based on expert opinions and survey data. These models are often based on static networks and ignore the sequence of movement, possibly overestimating the epidemic sizes. In this research, we adapt and employ an agent-based model that simulates beef cattle production and transportation in southwest Kansas to analyze the between-premises transmission of a highly contagious disease, foot-and-mouth disease. First, we assess the impact of truck contamination on the disease transmission with the truck agent following an independent clean-infected-clean cycle. Second, we add an information-sharing functionality such that producers/packers can trace back and forward their trade records to inform their trade partners during outbreaks. Scenario analysis results show that including indirect contact routes between premises via truck movements can significantly increase the amplitude of disease spread, compared with equivalent scenarios that only consider animal movement. Mitigation strategies informed by information sharing can effectively mitigate epidemics, highlighting the benefit of promoting information sharing in the cattle industry. In addition, we identify salient characteristics that must be considered when designing an information-sharing strategy, including the number of days to trace back and forward in the trade records and the role of different cattle supply chain stakeholders. Sensitivity analysis results show that epidemic sizes are sensitive to variations in parameters of the contamination period for a truck or a loading/unloading area of premises, and indirect contact transmission probability and future studies can focus on a more accurate estimation of these parameters.
FcRγ Gene Editing Reprograms Conventional NK Cells to Display Key Features of Adaptive Human NK Cells

Adaptive human natural killer (NK) cells display significantly enhanced responsiveness to a broad-range of antibody-bound targets through the engagement of CD16 compared to conventional NK cells, yet direct reactivity against tumor targets is generally reduced. Adaptive NK cells also display a distinct phenotype and differential expression of numerous genes, including reduced expression of signaling adapter FcRγ and transcription factor PLZF. However, it is unclear whether differential expression of specific genes is responsible for the characteristics of adaptive NK cells. Using CRISPR-Cas9, we show deletion of FcRγ in conventional NK cells led to enhanced CD16 responsiveness, abolished cell surface expression of natural cytotoxicity receptors, NKp46 and NKp30, and dramatically reduced responsiveness to K562 and Raji tumor cells. However, deletion of PLZF had no notable effects. These results suggest multiple roles for FcRγ and identify its deficiency as an important factor responsible for the functional and phenotypic characteristics exhibited by adaptive NK cells.
Amending survey design to improve statistical inferences: Monitoring recruitment of juvenile reef fish in the eastern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Many species of interest to management and conservation remain data-limited, and the data that are available are often unable to produce statistically reliable population trends. We examined 10 years of juvenile reef fish catch data from two gear-specific, fishery-independent surveys in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to assess our ability 1) to characterize population trends for various reef species sampled using haul seines or otter trawls and 2) to amend our survey, as logistics would allow, to improve those characterizations. Species richness, catch-per-unit-effort, and length-frequency distributions were generally similar between gear types, suggesting a single survey (i.e., one gear type) may be sufficient. Simulation-based power analyses for the reef fish species indicated that overall, otter trawl data provided greater power for detecting trends over a 10-year period (41–75 % probability to detect a 50 % change in abundance) than haul seine data (27–52 %). Likewise, otter trawl data provided greater power for detecting trends from one year to the next (22–53 % probability to detect a 50 % change in abundance in one year) than haul seine data (15–33 %). Simplifying data collection from two surveys to a single, trawl-only survey (and approximately doubling the number of trawl tows) was more efficient, more effective, and more powerful (64–91 % for the amended design with more tows) in detecting abundance trends. Furthermore, by increasing sample size but retaining all other design elements, the data collected during the trawl survey before and after the change remain comparable; the time series was not interrupted. These changes increase our confidence in estimating population trends, predicting productivity, and informing management and conservation decisions.
Cortisontherapie heute

5 Jahrzehnte Forschung und klinische Erfahrung haben die Therapie mit Corticoiden verandert.
Imaging and dosimetry for alpha-particle emitter radiopharmaceutical therapy: improving radiopharmaceutical therapy by looking into the black box

Radiopharmaceutical therapy using α-particle emitting radionuclides (αRPT) is a novel treatment modality that delivers highly potent alpha-particles to cancer cells or their environment. We review the advantages and challenges of imaging and dosimetry in implementing αRPT for cancer patients.
How Writing Helps R&D Work

This chapter shows how we can avoid a lot of last‐minute revision if we begin writing up a R&D project report in the early stages of the project and develop our report as an integral part of the project. It explains how creativity in writing can actually help the work. The interactions between writer and machine tend to stimulate creativity in writing in several different ways. The chapter cites an illustrative example of how a frustrated attempt to describe completed development work produced instead a new engineering concept. Writing a report concurrently with on‐going research and development will create both a better report and a better project. If we start the writing process early, much of our document will be completed as the project is, and we will have more time for editing and perfecting a final report we can be proud of.
The ontogeny of antipredator behavior: age differences in California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) at multiple stages of rattlesnake encounters

Newborn offspring of animals often exhibit fully functional innate antipredator behaviors, but they may also require learning or further development to acquire appropriate responses. Experience allows offspring to modify responses to specific threats and also leaves them vulnerable during the learning period. However, antipredator behaviors used at one stage of a predator encounter may compensate for deficiencies at another stage, a phenomenon that may reduce the overall risk of young that are vulnerable at one or more stages. Few studies have examined age differences in the effectiveness of antipredator behaviors across multiple stages of a predator encounter. In this study, we examined age differences in the antipredator behaviors of California ground squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) during the detection, interaction, and attack stages of Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) encounters. Using free-ranging squirrels, we examined the ability to detect free-ranging rattlesnakes, snake-directed behaviors after discovery of a snake, and responses to simulated rattlesnake strikes. We found that age was the most important factor in snake detection, with adults being more likely to detect snakes than pups. We also found that adults performed more tail flagging (a predator-deterrent signal) toward snakes and were more likely to investigate a snake’s refuge when interacting with a hidden snake. In field experiments simulating snake strikes, adults exhibited faster reaction times than pups. Our results show that snake detection improves with age and that pups probably avoid rattlesnakes and minimize time spent in close proximity to them to compensate for their reduced reaction times to strikes.
Polyamines differentially modulate the transcription of growth-associated genes in human colon carcinoma cells.

Abstract Increases in the transcription of genes important to cell growth frequently occur in concert with increases in intracellular polyamines after a mitogenic stimulus. Previously, we have shown that depletion of intracellular polyamines by 2-difluoromethylornithine in COLO 320 cells resulted in a significant decrease in c-myc mRNA steady state levels. We demonstrate here that polyamines have a predominant role in the regulation of transcription of c-myc, c-fos, and histone 2A, while they appear to have both a transcriptional and post-transcriptional role in expression of c-myb, ornithine decarboxylase, and beta-actin mRNA levels. We further analyzed the effect of spermidine in overall and specific RNA transcription in isolated nuclei from COLO 320 cells. In nuclei from control cells, the addition of spermidine resulted in a 3-4 increase in overall [alpha-32P]UTP incorporation and a 4-8-fold increase in c-myc, c-fos, and histone 2A transcription. In contrast, ornithine decarboxylase and c-myb gene transcription were unaffected. Furthermore, in nuclei from 2-difluoromethylornithine-treated COLO 320 cells, spermidine addition resulted in less than a 2-fold increase in RNA transcription and had no effect on any specific gene analyzed. These results indicate that polyamines may have an important role in the transcription of specific growth related genes, especially c-myc and c-fos, and this role may be one mechanism by which polyamines modulate cell growth.
Hydrothermal Pretreatment of Coal before Molten Caustic Leaching

Abstract A hydrothermal pretreatment of coal samples before caustic leaching results in efficient sulfur removal using reduced amounts of caustic and to recovery of a higher fraction of the energy content of the feed coal than caustic leaching without the pretreatment. Pretreating an Illinois No. 6 coal with boiling water followed by a float-sink separation using 50% aqueous NaOH as the heavy medium, and then leaching the floated coal with only the caustic adhering to the float portion (less than 1 part caustic to 1 part water to 1 part coal) at 390°C for 15 minutes led to the same residual levels of sulfur in the cleaned coal (0.5%) as was obtained performing the float-sink procedure and leaching procedures on a non-prewashed coal using 2.4 parts caustic to 1 part coal. When prewashed Illinois No. 6 coal was leached with lesser amounts of caustic, the energy recoveries in the cleaned coal were about 5-10% higher than when non-prewashed coal was leached with the larger amounts of caustic.
Double-layer effects on simple electrode reactions

Abstract The kinetics of the oxidation of Eu2+ at mercury electrodes are reported for halide and perchlorate supporting electrolytes of varying ionic strengths. Comparisons are made between tha values of the diffuse-layer potential, 2, resulting from the application of the Frumkin model with those calculated from equilibrium double-layer compositional data using the Gouy-Chapman-Stern (GCS) model. Marked discrepancies between these two sets of data were found. In concentrated alkali halide electrolytes, the discrepancies were attributable solely to the inadequacies of the GCS model, but in alkali perchlorate and dilute halide electrolytes, further large, quantitative and even qualitative discrepancies between the kinetic and equilibrium double-layer data were observed. Possible origins of the discrepancies are discussed.
Chronic catchment nitrogen enrichment and stoichiometric constraints on the bioavailability of dissolved organic matter from leaf leachate

SUMMARY 1. Chronic nitrogen (N) deposition may alter the bioavailability of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in streams by multiple pathways. Elevated N deposition may alter the nutrient stoichiometry of DOM as well as nutrient availability in stream water. 2. We evaluated the influence of a decadal-scale experimental N enrichment on the relative importance of DOM nutrient content and inorganic nutrient availability on the bioavailability of DOM. We measured the consumption of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and changes in nutrient concentration, DOM components and enzyme activity in a bottle incubation assay with different DOM and nutrient treatments. To evaluate the effect of DOM stoichiometry, we used leaf leachates of different carbon ⁄ N ⁄ phosphorus (C : N :P) ratio, made from leaf litter sourced in the reference and N-enriched catchments at the Bear Brook Watershed in Maine (BBWM). We also manipulated the concentration of inorganic N and P to compare the effect of nutrient enrichment with DOM stoichiometry. 3. DOC from the N-enriched catchment was consumed 14% faster than that from the reference catchment. However, mean DOC consumption for both leachates was more than doubled by the simultaneous addition of N and P, compared to controls, while the addition of N or P alone increased consumption by 42 and 23%, respectively. The effect of N and ⁄ or P enrichment consistently had a greater effect than DOM source for all response variables considered. 4. We subsequently conducted DOC uptake measurements using leaf leachate addition under ambient and elevated N and P in the streams draining the reference and N-enriched catchments at BBWM. In both streams, DOC uptake lengths were shorter when N and P were elevated. 5. Although both DOM stoichiometry and inorganic nutrient availability affect DOM bioavailability, N and P co-limitation appears to be the dominant driver of reach-scale processing of DOM.
Spotlight on the Dance

(1952). Spotlight on the Dance. Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 40-55.
Fate of Labeled Hydroxamates During Iron Transport from Hydroxamate-Iron Chelates

The fate of the hydroxamic acid-iron transport cofactors during iron uptake from the 59Fe3+ chelates of the 3H-labeled hydroxamates schizokinen and aerobactin was studied by assay of simultaneous incorporation of both 59Fe3+ and 3H. In the schizokinen-producing organism Bacillus megaterium ATCC 19213 transport of 59Fe3+ from the 3H-schizokinen-59Fe3+ chelate at 37 C was accompanied by rapid uptake and release (within 2 min) of 3H-schizokinen, although 3H-schizokinen discharge was temperature-dependent and did not occur at 0 C. In the schizokinen-requiring strain B. megaterium SK11 similar release of 3H-schizokinen occurred only at elevated concentrations of the double-labeled chelate; at lower chelate concentrations, 3H-schizokinen remained cell-associated. Temperature-dependent uptake of deferri (iron-free) 3H-schizokinen to levels equivalent to those incorporated from the chelate form was noted in strain SK11, but strain ATCC 19213 showed only temperature-independent binding of low concentrations of deferri 3H-schizokinen. These results indicate an initial temperature-independent binding of the ferric hydroxamate which is followed rapidly by temperature-dependent transport of the chelate into the cell and an enzyme catalyzed separation of iron from the chelate. The resulting deferri hydroxamate is discharged from the cell only when a characteristic intracellular concentration of the hydroxamate is exceeded, which happens in the schizokinen-requiring strain only at elevated concentrations of the chelate. This strain also appears to draw the deferri hydroxamate into the cell by a temperature-dependent mechanism. The aerobactin-producing organism Aerobacter aerogenes 62-1 also demonstrated rapid initial uptake and temperature-dependent discharge of 3H-aerobactin during iron transport from 3H-aerobactin-59Fe3+, suggesting a similar ferric hydroxamate transport system in this organism.
Effects of Finasteride on the Rat Ventral Prostate

: The objectives of this study were to compare changes in the ventral prostate (VP) of young adult Sprague Dawley rats after 28 days of treatment with finasteride (F), a potent 5α-reductase inhibitor, with those caused by castration (Cx). VP concentrations of DHT were reduced to 20.2% and 6.6% of controls (1,947 ± 207 pg/VP, mean ± SE) by F (5 or 20 mg/kg/day) and to 2.6% of controls by Cx. VP weights were reduced 49% and 54% by F and 88% by Cx. DNA/VP fell 25% and 15% with F treatment and 72% after Cx, whereas RNA and protein/VP were reduced 37–51% by F and 91–93% by Cx. The RNA/DNA and the protein/DNA ratios fell to 30–36% of controls after F treatment and to 70% of controls after Cx. The mRNA concentrations of the C3subunit of prostatein 28S ribosomal RNA fell after treatment with F (5 mg/kg/day) and after Cx, whereas the mRNA for TRPM-2, an androgen-suppressed protein associated with apoptosis, was increased only after castration. To examine further the effects of F on the rate of DNA synthesis, 7-day regressed adult rats were treated for 3 days with testosterone propionate ± F, and incorporation of 3H-thymidine in minced ventral prostates was determined. F inhibited 3H-thymidine incorporation. We conclude that Cx causes a greater reduction in cell number/VP and a greater reduction in RNA and protein/cell than F and that the differences between F treatment and castration probably result from differences in prostatic concentrations of T. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that small differences in DHT contribute to these differences.
Extracting Phrase Patterns with Minimum Redundancy for Unsupervised Speaker Role Classification

This paper addresses the problem of learning phrase patterns for unsupervised speaker role classification. Phrase patterns are automatically extracted from large corpora, and redundant patterns are removed via a graph pruning algorithm. In experiments on English and Mandarin talk shows, the use of phrase patterns results in an increase of role classification accuracy over n-gram lexical features, and more compact phrase pattern lists are obtained due to the redundancy removal.
Finite element analysis of multicomponent two‐phase flows with interphase mass and momentum transport

The application of the finite element method to multiphase flow problems with interphase mass and heat transfer is described. A general forinulation is used that determines the position of the interfacial boundary and allows for multiple solvents, differential volatilities and concentration- and temperature-dependent thermophysical properties. Species phase change and the dramatic volume change that acompanies interphase mass transfer make implementation of the theory challening, since these events lead to discontinuous velocities and concentrations at phase boundaries. These discontinuities are especially large in processes involving rapid evaporation or condensation. As examples we examine the effects of rapid drying on film and fibre formation of sol--gel materials, which are often laden with volatile species.
Effect of magnetic fields on the metal-insulator transition in BaVS 3

We report measurements of the high field magnetoresistance of single crystals, and of the low field Hall effect and high field magnetization of polycrystalline samples of BaVS{sub 3}. Below the temperature T{sub MI}{approx_equal}70 K of the metal-insulator (MI) transition, the magnetization is linear for 0 T{sub MI} indicative of fluctuations in the gap above the MI transition. We use these results to discuss several models for the MI transition. (c) 1999 The American Physical Society.
Will studies in individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus be the key to future HIV vaccine design

The induction of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) remains the primary goal of a preventive HIV-1 vaccine but no HIV-1 vaccine candidate has succeeded in inducing bnAbs. All the bnAbs isolated from chronically HIV-1 infected subjects display one or more traits associated with control by host tolerance and immunoregulatory mechanisms, including reactivity against self antigens. Recent studies on a HIV-1 patient with concurrent systemic lupus erythematosus have informed on how similar bnAbs are to typical autoantibodies controlled by immune tolerance mechanisms. Future studies aimed at elucidating the intersection between autoantibodies generated in the context of systemic lupus erythematosus and the development of HIV-1 bnAbs will further our knowledge of specific roadblocks that hamper the production of bnAbs and, ultimately, inform us on how to implement vaccine strategies to circumvent them.
Squared-Change Parsimony Reconstructions of Ancestral States for Continuous-Valued Characters on a Phylogenetic Tree

A direct algorithm is described to reconstruct on a phylogenetic tree the ancestral states of a continuous-valued character, using a parsimony criterion that minimizes the sum of squared changes along the branches. It is shown that when the squared changes are inversely weighted by the lengths of the branches, the squared-change parsimony reconstruction is that which has maximum posterior probability under a Brownian motion model of evolution
Gonadal expression of Sf1 and aromatase during sex determination in the red‐eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta), a reptile with temperature‐dependent sex determination

Many egg-laying reptiles have temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), where the offspring sex is determined by incubation temperature during a temperature-sensitive period (TSP) in the middle third of development. The underlying mechanism transducing a temperature cue into an ovary or testis is unknown, but it is known that steroid hormones play an important role. During the TSP, exogenous application of estrogen can override a temperature cue and produce females, while blocking the activity of aromatase (Cyp19a1), the enzyme that converts testosterone to estradiol, produces males from a female-biased temperature. The production of estrogen is a key step in ovarian differentiation for many vertebrates, including TSD reptiles, and temperature-based differences in aromatase expression during the TSP may be a critical step in ovarian determination. Steroidogenic factor-1 (Sf1) is a key gene in vertebrate sex determination and regulates many steroidogenic enzymes, including aromatase. We find that Sf1 and aromatase are differentially expressed during sex determination in the red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans. Sf1 is expressed at higher levels during testis development while aromatase expression increases during ovary determination. We also assayed Sf1 and aromatase response to sex-reversing treatments via temperature or the modulation of estrogen availability. Sf1 expression was redirected to low-level female-specific patterns with feminizing temperature shift or exogenous estradiol application and redirected to more intense male-specific patterns with male-producing temperature shift or inhibition of aromatase activity. Conversely, aromatase expression was redirected to more intense female-specific patterns with female-producing treatment and redirected toward diffuse low-level male-specific patterns with masculinizing sex reversal. Our data do not lend support to a role for Sf1 in the regulation of aromatase expression during slider turtle sex determination, but do support a critical role for estrogen in ovarian development.
Consortium for promoting the use of media processors in multimedia applications

Mediaprocessors, such as Philips Trimedia and Hitachi/Equator Technologies MAP, combine the computational power of high-end DSPs with various I/O capabilities in a single programmable chip. due to their programmability, mediaprocessors have greater flexibility than ASICs and other special-purpose hardware. Early mediaprocessors, such as Texas Instruments TMS320C80 since its introduction in 1994, have had limited success due to their difficulty in programming, insufficient computational power, and high cost. Fortunately, several newer mediaprocessors, which are available or under development, are easier to program, are less expensive, and/or have more computational power. However, due to the earlier difficulties and inherent uncertainties in the programmable solutions, mediaprocessor user companies (set makers) are often hesitant in adopting the mediaprocessors in their products. Furthermore, set makers still need to expend a lot of time and manpower in making a successful transition from hardwired to mediaprocessor-based products. Therefore, we introduce the Mediaprocessor (MP) Consortium, which aims to remove the barrier to the widespread use of programmable mediaprocessors. Through publications, web site, training courses, software libraries, and objective evaluations of mediaprocessors, the MP Consortium can increase the awareness of the benefits of mediaprocessors over ASICs, make the transition to mediaprocessor-based products easier for set makers, and help them attain full advantage of using mediaprocessors.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Evaluation of Influence Factors on Crack Initiation of LTPP Resurfaced-Asphalt Pavements Using Parametric Survival Analysis

AbstractSurvival model with Weibull hazard function was used to evaluate the influence of different factors on the crack initiation of resurfaced asphalt pavement. Data from Specific Pavement Study 5 experiments of the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program were used to conduct the analysis. The initiation time of four types of cracks including alligator (fatigue) crack, longitudinal crack on wheel path, non–wheel path longitudinal crack, and transverse crack was evaluated. Analyzed factors include overlay thickness, total pavement thickness, pretreatment pavement serviceability, traffic volume, freeze index, mixture [whether reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is used], and whether milling is performed before overlay. It was found that traffic level was a significant factor for all four types of cracks. High traffic level accelerated the initiation of cracking. Thick overlay delayed the initiation of cracking except for the non–wheel path longitudinal crack, which is mainly caused by poor constructio...
Spatial Econometrics Approach to Integration of Behavioral Biases in Travel Demand Analysis

Random utility models customarily assume strict independence of individual decision makers. Evidence of crowding, peer pressure, herd behavior, and other instances of spontaneous discrete choice coordination indicates that decision makers interact and thus affect choices made by others. Socially influenced individual choices become biased toward either agreeing with or contradicting the choices made by peers. Because many social interdependencies are spatial, a basic spatial discrete choice model was obtained by extending random utility theory to discrete choices made by heterogeneous spatially dependent individuals. Although interdependencies are unobserved, the model permits the study of behavioral biases arising from spatial interdependencies. The spatial discrete choice model is shown to address the effects of behavioral biases on conditional choice probabilities, the marginal effects of exogenous variables on revealed preferences, and the spatial patterns of discrete choices. A pseudo maximum likelihood (PML) estimator for the model is developed, and closed-form expressions for conditional choice probability estimates are derived. The PML estimator is shown to be consistent and computationally feasible for large spatial data sets. Simulated data were used to illustrate the performance of the PML estimator for the spatial discrete choice model.
Development and implementation of a semester program in Mexico for senior nursing students.

Abstract The College of Nursing (CON), Michigan State University (MSU), in collaboration with the School of Nursing and Obstetrics, University of Guanajuato, Celaya, Mexico, developed a semester-long study-abroad program for senior MSU nursing students offered for the first time in the fall of 1998. The program provides intensive Spanish language classes and allows students to take required nursing courses in Mexico with a substantial amount of course content provided by Mexican faculty without an MSU CON faculty member on site at all times. Students receive a broad perspective of nursing and health care in Mexico, and develop an appreciation for its language and culture as well. This program represents an innovative approach to the development and implementation of a study-abroad program in nursing. J Prof Nurs 16:293-299, 2000.
Entrainment and detrainment in a simple cumulus cloud model

A cumulus cloud model, analogous to the mixed-layer models of the planetary boundary layer and the upper ocean, is developed using a single, unitary entrainment process in which the motion of the cloud boundary relative to the mean flow is permitted, produced, and controlled by turbulent processes. An alternate theory to the mixing-length theory of Asai and Kasahara (1967) is proposed which completely removes the strong scale-dependence of the Asai-Kasahara model. The model reintroduces scale-dependence by introducing including the pe5turbation pressure term of the equation of vertical motion. It is shown that the model predicts deeper clouds than the Asai-Kasahara model for a given sounding, due to the entrainment assumption and the effects of the perturbation pressure. Lateral entrainment dominates cloud-top entrainment, although finite-difference errors increase the cloud-top entrainment rate from zero to a positive value in actual situations. The fractional entrainment rate for updrafts is determined to vary only slightly with height and to decrease only slowly as the cloud radius increases, while the fractional detrainment rate for updrafts increases with height.
Flow in a limestone aquifer as determined from water tracing and water levels in wells

Abstract The Inner Bluegrass Karst Region of central Kentucky, U.S.A., is a fluviokarst underlain by flat-lying slightly argillaceous limestones (Ordovician). Water tracing and field observations have shown the aquifer to be divisible into groundwater basins and intervening interbasin areas. Flow in groundwater basins is in a dendritic system of solution conduits at depths as great as 35 m beneath the surface which often passes beneath surface divides to emerge at low-level springs, in contrast to interbasin areas in which the flow is shallow and generally parallels surface slopes. The availability of relatively dense water-level data in an area in which a number of water traces had been conducted allowed a comparison between the configuration of the potentiometric surface and water tracing data. The potentiometric surface map was generally consistent with the location of groundwater basins and interbasin areas. In addition, water levels near streams were found to be controlled by the stream and a few wells indicated perched aquifers. The potentiometric surface, however, failed to show narrow groundwater basins and did not adequately indicate groundwater flow directions previously established by water tracing. Although well data may furnish valuable supplemental information, it is concluded that water tracing is necessary to determine adequately subsurface flow directions in the region and in similar karst aquifers elsewhere.
Increased release of arachidonic acid and eicosanoids in iron-overloaded cardiomyocytes.

Background—Patients with transfusional iron overload may develop a life-limiting cardiomyopathy. The sensitivity of lipid-metabolizing enzymes to peroxidative injury, as well as the reported effects of arachidonic acid (AA) and metabolites on cardiac rhythm, led us to hypothesize that iron-overloaded cardiomyocytes display alterations in the release of AA and prostaglandins. Methods and Results—Neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) cultured for 72 hours in the presence of 80 μg/mL ferric ammonium citrate displayed an increased rate of AA release, both under resting conditions and after stimulation with agonists such as [Sar1]Ang II. Although iron treatment did not affect overall incorporation of [3H]AA into NRVM phospholipids, it caused a 2-fold increase in the distribution of precursor in phosphatidylcholine species, with a proportional decrease in phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine, and phosphatidylethanolamine. Increased release of AA in iron-overloaded NRVMs was reduced by the diacylglycerol...
Impact of the Merrifield solid phase method on the design and synthesis of selective agonists and antagonists of oxytocin and vasopressin: A historical perspective

This tribute to Bruce Merrifield traces the author's fortuitous path in 1964 from Vincent du Vigneaud's laboratory to the laboratory of D. W. Woolley to learn the solid phase method and then to his first faculty position in the Department of Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal in 1965. It recalls the key roles played from early 1966 to July 1967 by Bruce Merrifield, John Stewart, Arnold Marglin, Herb Takashima, and Vincent du Vigneaud in providing key advice to the author's efforts to use the solid phase method to synthesize oxytocin; while simultaneously the du Vigneaud and Merrifield laboratories were collaborating on the solid phase synthesis of deamino-oxytocin. Both syntheses were published in the same issue of the Journal of American Chemical Society in 1968. Also described is how this breakthrough impacted the author's scientific career: by leading to highly productive collaborative studies, initially with Wilbur H. Sawyer and subsequently with others, on the design and synthesis of selective agonists, antagonists, and radioiodinated ligands for oxytocin and vasopressin receptors. These syntheses were greatly facilitated by the contributions of highly talented graduate students, research technicians, and visiting peptide chemists from Hungary, England, Poland, Bulgaria, and China. Many of these peptides have become very valuable pharmacological tools in studies on the peripheral and central effects of oxytocin and vasopressin: further attesting to the profound impact of the solid phase method as the cornerstone for all the discoveries, which he and his collaborators and coworkers have made over the past 40 years. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 90: 203–212, 2008. This article was originally published online as an accepted preprint. The “Published Online” date corresponds to the preprint version. You can request a copy of the preprint by emailing the Biopolymers editorial office at biopolymers@wiley.com
Management of Lecture Time: Using the Web to Manipulate Extrinsic Cognitive Load

The variety of new technologies available for classroom use requires a choice not just between the technological options, but among them as well, since an educator may choose a single option or include a mix of media. In this study we investigate a particular mix of advanced technology and its effect on student learning outcomes. Our experimental design compares outcomes from a traditional teaching format with those of a more advanced web-based format. Our model is based on cognitive load theory, is developed from perceptions of the students, and is analyzed using factor analysis. The results based on this qualitative model show promise for delving further into the assessment of learning. This would provide researchers with additional tools to help evaluate their results and educators with a basis on which to make decisions regarding which advanced technologies to use.
Arid Region Carbonate Platforms: Middle East Reservoirs

Calcitic grainstones and some dolomitic packstones are amongst the most common Middle East reservoir lithologies and they host some of the best hydrocarbon reservoirs in the world. They are well-sorted, winnowed carbonate deposits with little or no carbonate mud, normally formed in moderate to warm shallow-water, high-energy settings. Substantial accumulations of this facies may form in relatively shallow, subsiding basins so that deposition and subsidence remain in balance thus permitting continuous deposition. Where these sediments remain only partially cemented, fairly open porosity is maintained and upon burial there is only moderate compaction and such sediments can act as excellent hydrocarbon reservoirs. The packstones accumulated both downslope from the grainshoals and updip to their lea. Their porosity is in part depositional and in part diagenetic.
Games parents play with normal and high-risk infants.

Game playing during early infant-parent interactions provides a context for learning conversational turntaking and contingent responsivity. The types and frequency of “universally” recognized infant games were observed during face-to-face interactions of normal and high risk infant-parent dyads when the infants were four months old. Approximately six different games were played for approximately one-third of the interaction time. Except during interactions with normal male infants mothers and fathers played games equally as often. The high-risk infant-parent dyads engaged in game playing less frequently than the normal infant-parent dyads. These differences are discussed in the context of the high-risk infants being “difficult” babies and relatively less responsive.
Regulation of the SHP-2 Tyrosine Phosphatase by a Novel Cholesterol- and Cell Confluence-dependent Mechanism

Endothelial cells approaching confluence exhibit marked decreases in tyrosine phosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases and adherens junctions proteins, required for cell cycle arrest and adherens junctions stability. Recently, we demonstrated a close correlation in endothelial cells between membrane cholesterol and tyrosine phosphorylation of adherens junctions proteins. Here, we probe the mechanistic basis for this correlation. We find that as endothelial cells reach confluence, the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 is recruited to a low-density membrane fraction in a cholesterol-dependent manner. Binding of SHP-2 to this fraction was not abolished by phenyl phosphate, strongly suggesting that this binding was mediated by other regions of SHP-2 beside its SH2 domains. Annexin II, previously implicated in cholesterol trafficking, was associated in a complex with SHP-2, and both proteins localized to adhesion bands in confluent endothelial monolayers. These studies reveal a novel, cholesterol-dependent mechanism for the recruitment of signaling proteins to specific plasma membrane domains via their interactions with annexin II.
Temporal resolution of the Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus , auditory system

Toothed whales and dolphins (Odontocetes) are known to echolocate, producing short, broadband clicks and receiving the corresponding echoes, at extremely rapid rates. Auditory evoked potentials (AEP) and broadband click stimuli were used to determine the modulation rate transfer function (MRTF) of a neonate Risso's dolphin, Grampus griseus, thus estimating the dolphin's temporal resolution, and quantifying its physiological delay to sound stimuli. The Risso's dolphin followed sound stimuli up to 1,000 Hz with a second peak response at 500 Hz. A weighted MRTF reflected that the animal followed a broad range of rates from 100 to 1,000 Hz, but beyond 1,250 Hz the animal's hearing response was simply an onset/offset response. Similar to other mammals, the dolphin's AEP response to a single stimulus was a series of waves. The delay of the first wave, PI, was 2.76 ms and the duration of the multi-peaked response was 4.13 ms. The MRTF was similar in shape to other marine mammals except that the response delay was among the fastest measured. Results predicted that the Risso's dolphin should have the ability to follow clicks and echoes while foraging at close range.
Generating class schedules within a complex modular environment with application to secondary schools

Westside High School (WHS) of Omaha, Nebraska utilizes a sophisticated scheduling environment called "modular scheduling." Modular scheduling empowers teachers with the ability to design the structure of their classes by adjusting the frequency, duration, and location of each of their lessons. This paper presents a novel heuristic methodology, implemented as a computer program called the sequential modular algorithmic routines for timetabling (SMART) Scheduler, which creates cohesive modular class schedules using effective techniques such as ejection trees and student sectioning. In experimentation, the SMART Scheduler is able to schedule over 2,800 distinct lessons in less than 4 s using data provided by WHS. This paper describes algorithms within the SMART Scheduler as well as computational results of its implementation.