cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Winter climate change promotes an altered spring growing season in piñon pine-juniper woodlands

Abstract Pinon pine-juniper (Pinus edulis-Juniperus monosperma) woodlands constitute a large proportion of land area in the southwestern United States and have experienced widespread vegetation mortality during regional drought events over the past century. Pinon pines have been especially affected by these events, and drought severity is predicted to increase in this region in the future. Based on research that suggests winter climate may influence growing season productivity in semiarid ecosystems, we evaluated the potential for small changes in average winter climate to affect spring growing season conditions in pinon-juniper woodlands, New Mexico, USA. We developed a low-dimensional ecohydrological model of pinon-juniper woodland ecosystems on moderate slopes (5%) and on steep slopes (25%) and simulated the responses of ecosystem water availability, surface conditions, and water and carbon flux dynamics to a climate change scenario of increased temperature and decreased winter precipitation. The climate change scenario reduced average winter snowcover, decreased surface albedo, increased net radiation, and altered the timing of spring evaporation (E) towards earlier dates. Moderate slope pinon and juniper trees experienced small reductions in transpiration (Tr) and carbon assimilation (A), and those on steep slopes experienced small but relatively larger reductions in Tr and A, as well as higher increases in soil moisture (θ) variance and E variance. As a result of climate change, the peak of spring Tr occurred on average 6 days earlier on moderate slopes and 10 days earlier on steep slopes, the timing of A shifted towards earlier March dates, and A was reduced during April and May. Steep slope pinon pines experienced greater proportional reductions in Tr and A than junipers. Our results suggests that winter climate change will promote an earlier growing season in pinon-juniper woodlands, will increase daily variance in θ and E during spring, and will produce slight reductions in A in woodlands with steep slopes and a large proportion of pinon pines. In a more arid future climate, a shift towards lower soil moisture availability and carbon assimilation in April and May may intensify the effects of early summer drought events for pinon-juniper woodlands, thus exacerbating the impacts of larger changes in climate dynamics.
Optical imaging for the detection of cervical cancers in vivo

The objective of our research is the development of fast, noninvasive automated optical technologies for the detection of the molecular-specific signatures of cervical precancers. Potential technologies are evaluated using a five-part paradigm including biological plausibility, technical feasibility, intermediate outcomes, patient acceptance, and societal outcomes. Results of ongoing clinical trials of fluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy will be discussed. In addition, the biological basis of each technology is discussed. Because the biologic basis of the technologies differ, a combination of more than one optical approach may provide more accurate assessment of tissue physiological state than would be possible using any one technique alone.
Learning curve for new technology?: a nationwide register-based study of 46,363 total knee arthroplasties.

Background The risk of early revision is increased for the first patients operatively treated with a newly introduced knee prosthesis. In this study, we explored the learning curves associated with ten knee implant models to determine their effect on early revision risk. Methods We studied register data from all seventy-five surgical units that performed knee arthroplasty in Finland from 1998 to 2007. Of 54,925 patients (66,098 knees), 39,528 patients (46,363 knees) underwent arthroplasty for osteoarthritis of the knee with the ten most common total knee implants and were followed with complete data until December 31, 2010, or the time of death. We used a Cox proportional-hazards regression model for calculating the hazard ratios for early revision for the first fifteen arthroplasties and subsequent increments of numbers of arthroplasties. Results We found large differences among knee implants at the introduction with regard to the risk of early revision, as well as for the overall risk of early revision. A learning curve was found for four implant models, while six models did not show a learning effect on the risk of early revision. The survivorship of the studied prostheses showed substantial differences. Conclusions Knee implants have model-specific learning curves and early revision risks. Some models are more difficult to implement than others. The manufacturers should consider the learning effect when designing implants and instrumentation. The surgeons should thoroughly familiarize themselves with the new knee implants before use.
Outdoor measurements of spherical acoustic shock decay

Prior anechoic measurements of a small acetylene-oxygen balloon explosion were used to study spherical weak-shock decay over short ranges [Muhlestein et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 131, 2422–2430 (2012)]. Here, longer-range measurements conducted at the Bonneville Salt Flats with a larger balloon are described. Waveform and spectral characteristics and comparisons of the peak pressure decay with an analytical weak-shock model are presented. Weak shocks persist to at least 305 m, with an amplitude decay that is predicted reasonably well using the model. Deviations are discussed in the context of atmospheric effects and nonlinear ground reflections.
Serine protease inhibition by a silanediol peptidomimetic.

Silanediol peptidomimetics are demonstrated to inhibit a serine protease. Asymmetric synthesis of the inhibitor was accomplished using Brown hydroboration and CBS reduction of an acylsilane intermediate. The silanediol product was found to inhibit the serine protease chymotrypsin with a Ki of 107 nM. Inhibition of the enzyme may involve exchange of a silane hydroxyl with the active site serine nucleophile, contrasting with previous silanediol protease inhibitors.
A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PERSONAL CARE HOME AIDES

This paper describes and analyzes a model demonstration project developed to train family care home operators and personal care home aides. Both populations are the frontline care providers for minimally impaired adults, approximately two‐thirds of whom are elderly. The focus is on skills in using a social‐adaptive approach on a multiplicity of levels. Conceptual material, examination of attitudes and values, and introduction of specific skills to be used in practical work settings are major emphases. Five content areas are: process of aging, specific interpersonal skills needed in working with the impaired elderly, personal care, medical nursing, and community and/or institutional resources. By emphasizing a social‐adaptive approach, the working hypothesis is that improving interpersonal skills will enhance the quality of care provided the impaired elderly. Overall findings strongly support this hypothesis. Discussion focuses on interpersonal skill development programs for paraprofessionals to upgrade th...
Selective reinnervation of the posterior cricoarytenoid and interarytenoid muscles: An anatomical study†

Objectives/Hypothesis: Selective reinnervation for bilateral vocal fold paralysis has been successful in animal models and shows promise in humans, but detailed, surgically relevant measurements for performing this in the human larynx are not readily available. Study Design: Anatomical study describing the anatomy and gender differences of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, with specific attention to the distance between the posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) branch and the interarytenoid (IA) branch. Methods: Dissection of 20 human cadaveric larynges. Results: The mean distance between PCA and IA branches on the left side in male specimens was 4.9 ± 2.7 mm; on the right side 5.4 ± 2.5 mm. The mean distance between PCA and IA branches on the left side in female specimens was 4.9 ± 2.0 mm; on the right side 5.5 ± 2.6 mm. A thyroid cartilage notch was required to be able to achieve sufficient access for neurorrhaphy in 57.1% of male specimens on either side and in 69.2% of female specimens on either side. The mean size of the thyroid cartilage notch required in male specimens was 39.55 ± 19.67 mm 2 , and in female specimens 47.61 ± 12.98 mm 2 . Conclusions: This study provides new insight into laryngeal anatomy and further data for developing a reliable surgical approach.
New Colorless Eugleninae

SYNOPSIS. Ten new species of colorless Eugleninae are described. One of them is the type of a new genus (Calycimonas physaloides nov. gen. nov. sp.). Especially remarkable forms are: Astasia acus, a species related to the green Euglena acus but without chromatophores and stigma and considerably smaller; Astasia edax, a species with animal-like nutrition and peculiar ecological adaptations; Petalomonas striata, a form which is not spirally but transversely striated; and finally Hyalophacus caecus, which was observed already by Klebs and Pochmann but was not sufficiently described. The new genus Calycimonas (ex fam. Peranemacearum) is related to Tropidoscyphus on the one hand (nearly the same shape as e.g. Tr. octocostatus, but possessing only a single flagellum) and to Petalomonas on the other hand (mode of nutrition and of swimming, formation of the reservoir, rigidity: however in transverse section not flattened). The Astasiae with zootrophic nutrition are collected in a new subgenus Astasiae devorantes or Phytophaga which comprises besides A. edax three species already described by Skuja.
ENZYMATIC EVIDENCE FOR THE CONFIGURATION OF D-ISOCITRIC ACID.

THE configuration of the α-carbon atom of the d-isocitric acid of the Krebs tricarboxylic acid cycle was designated LS on the basis of an application of the Lovene displacement rule1, but subsequent chemical2–4 and X-ray5 studies indicated the DS configuration. Other investigations have shown that the α- and β-asymmetric centres of d-isocitric acid possess opposite configurations6,7. Although d-isocitric acid may be distinguished by the action of isocitric dehydrogenase from the three isomeric isocitric acids, none of the isomers of α-aminotricarballylic acid, the α-amino analogue of isocitric acid, has thus far been found to be attacked by enzymes. Greenstein and Winitz1, who prepared both DL-α-aminotricarballylic and DL-allo-α-aminotricarballylic acids, were unable to find an enzyme capable of resolving these and therefore resorted to the use of brucine. They thus obtained the corresponding four optical isomers, which they converted to the respective isocitric acids by treatment with HNO2.
Managed care and economic dynamics.

Over the past several decades, health care delivery in the United States evolved in an environment lacking marketplace constraints. The unforeseen result was the current health care crisis—uncontrolled costs, shrinking access, and redundant technological capabilities. Managed care is a strategy to impose fiscal constraints on health care delivery. A diagrammatic analysis of the economic dynamics between consumers and producers in an open marketplace is compared with that of patients, providers, and payers under the health care scheme that produced the health care crisis and under managed care. Patient demands, expectations, and needs for health care are not subject to fiscal constraint under managed care since the dislinkage between consumer and payer still exists. Managed care does not impose true open marketplace fiscal constraints on health care delivery. Furthermore, any solution to the US health care crisis that used true marketplace fiscal constraints would necessitate fundamental changes in societal values concerning individual rights to health care.
Women in Communication Studies: A Typology for Revision.

Five conceptualizations of women dominate contemporary research practices in communication studies: Womanless Communication; Great Women Communicators; Woman as Other; The Politics of Woman as Other; Women as Communicators. Each conceptualization is examined to show the implicit assumptions that perpetuate the exclusion of women's communication from research practices and findings. The inclusion of female experience in communication studies demands collaborative and critical attention to the politics of conducting research.
Prochelator BHAPI protects cells against paraquat-induced damage by ROS-triggered iron chelation.

A prochelator named BHAPI (N′-(1-(2-(4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)benzyloxy)phenyl)ethylidene)isonicotinohydrazide) based on the structure of experimental metal chelator HAPI (N′-[1-(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethyliden]isonicotinoylhydrazide) has been synthesized. The prochelator, which shows limited affinity for metal ions, is converted efficiently upon reaction with hydrogen peroxide into its chelator form, which binds di- and trivalent metal ions, including Zn2+, Cu2+ and Fe3+. This work shows that the prochelator has a protective effect on cells under oxidative stress induced by either hydrogen peroxide or the cytotoxic herbicide paraquat. The effect of BHAPI and HAPI on cellular iron status was assessed by monitoring the mRNA level of the transferrin receptor. Whereas the chelator HAPI induces iron deficiency in cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells, the prochelator does not, providing evidence that the differential metal-binding capacity of these compounds observed in vitro is replicated in the cellular context.
Estimating hydraulic properties of volcanic aquifers using constant-rate and variable-rate aquifer tests

: In recent years the ground-water demand of the population of the island of Maui, Hawaii, has significantly increased. To ensure prudent management of the ground-water resources, an improved understanding of ground-water flow systems is needed. At present, large-scale estimations of aquifer properties are lacking for Maui. Seven analytical methods using constant-rate and variable-rate withdrawals for single wells provide an estimate of hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity for 103 wells in central Maui. Methods based on constant-rate tests, although not widely used on Maui, offer reasonable estimates. Step-drawdown tests, which are more abundantly used than other tests, provide similar estimates as constant-rate tests. A numerical model validates the suitability of analytical solutions for step-drawdown tests and additionally provides an estimate of storage parameters. The results show that hydraulic conductivity is log-normally distributed and that for dike-free volcanic rocks it ranges over several orders of magnitude from 1 to 2,500 m/d. The arithmetic mean, geometric mean, and median values of hydraulic conductivity are respectively 520, 280, and 370 m/d for basalt and 80, 50, and 30 m/d for sediment. A geostatistical approach using ordinary kriging yields a prediction of hydraulic conductivity on a larger scale. Overall, the results are in agreement with values published for other Hawaiian islands.
Seed dispersal in a patchy environment with global age dependence

A model of seed population dynamics proposed by S. A. Levin, A. Hastings, and D. Cohen is presented and analyzed. With the environment considered as a mosaic of patches, patch age is used along with time as an independent variable. Local dynamics depend not only on the local state, but also on the global environment via dispersal modelled by an integral over all patch ages. Basic technical properties of the time varying solutions are examined; necessary and sufficient conditions for nontrivial steady states are given; and general sufficient conditions for global asymptotic stability of these steady states are established. Primary tools of analysis include a hybrid Picard iteration, fixed point methods, monotonicity of solution structure, and upper and lower solutions for differential equations.
Changes in glycosaminoglycan composition associated with maturation of regenerating rabbit tendon.

Abstract Rabbit Achilles tendons were excised and regeneration allowed to proceed for various periods of time ranging from 4 days to 4 months. Regeneration tissue was then collected and analyzed for collagen solubility, hexosamine/hydroxyproline ratios, glycosaminoglycan composition and solubility profile of the CPC complexes of the glycosaminoglycans. The most extensive changes in the glycosaminoglycan composition of the regeneration tissue took place during the first 3 weeks of regeneration, and after 4 months the composition of regeneration tissue approximated that of mature tendon. Chromatographie fractions corresponding to hyaluronate, chondroitin-4-sulfate, chondroitin-6-sulfate and dermatan sulfate accounted for 56, 11, 8 and 12% of the total CPC precipitable glycosaminoglycans in 4-day regeneration tissue, while they accounted for 20, 9, 8, and 54% in 4-month regeneration tissue and for 16, 7, 9, and 60% in mature tendon. Hexosamine/hydroxyproline ratios decreased from 0.13 in 4-day tissue to 0.02 in 4-month tissue (mature tendon, 0.02).
Effects of Repeated Small Doses of Roentgen Rays on Canine Blood and Bone Marrow

SummaryRepeated mall doses of roentgen rays caused depression of the total leucocyte count, shift to the left in the neutrophile granulocyte line, occasional eosinophilia, and moderate anemia in the peripheral blood; hypoplasia and decrease in the myeloiderythroid ratio in the bone marrow; and no evidence of interference with the general activity of the experimental animals.Drs. J. W. McMullen, R. R. Anderson, and E. J. Meister of the Department of Radiology kindly administered the irradiation in these experiments.
The regularization method for an obstacle problem

We give a relatively complete analysis for the regularization method, which is usually used in solving non-differentiable minimization problems. The model problem considered in the paper is an obstacle problem. In addition to the usual convergence result and a-priori error estimates, we provide a-posteriori error estimates which are highly desired for practical implementation of the regularization method.
Characterization of BaZrO3 Nanoparticles Prepared by Reverse Micelle Synthesis

Nanoparticles of BaZrO 3 have been prepared through a reverse micelle synthesis. The as-processed particles consisted of amorphous Ba-Zr-O and crystalline Zr 0 . 9 5 O 2 particles with an average diameter of approximately 7.5 nm. Conversion of the powders to crystalline BaZrO 3 nanoparticles occurred upon heat treatment at 700 °C in air for 0.5 h. The heat-treated powder consisted primarily of BaZrO 3 and a small quantity of ZrO 2 , with an average particle size increase to 17.3 nm. The as-processed and heat treated nanoparticles were analyzed by both X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The nanocrystalline BaZrO 3 particles were characterized as having a faceted octahedral shape with {100} and {111} surfaces. A brief evaluation of the stability of these surfaces is also discussed.
Polygon subdivision for pocket machining process planning

This paper presents a new approach to improve tool selection for arbitrary shaped pockets based on an approximate polygon subdivision technique. The pocket is subdivided into smaller sub-polygons and tools are selected separately for each sub-polygon. A set of tools for the entire pocket is obtained based on both machining time and the number of tools used. In addition, the sub-polygons are sequenced to eliminate the requirement of multiple plunging operations. In process planning for pocket machining, selection of tool sizes and minimizing the number of plunging operations can be very important factors. The approach presented in this paper is an improvement over previous work in its use of a polygon subdivision strategy to improve the machining time as well as reducing the number of plunges. The implementation of this technique suggests that using a subdivision approach can reduce machining time when compared to solving for the entire polygonal region.
A simple assay for the study of solubilized acetylcholine receptors.

Abstract Detergent-solubilized acetylcholine receptors from the electric organs of Electrophorus electricus and Torpedo californica are rapidly, quantitatively and specifically assayed by exposure to 125I-α-bungarotoxin and subsequent adsorption onto DEAE-cellulose paper disks.
Vitamin D receptor agonists induce prostatic acid phosphatase to reduce cell growth and HER-2 signaling in LNCaP-derived human prostate cancer cells.

Abstract We have previously shown that concentrations of 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25D) that induce G0/G1 cell cycle arrest in androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cells also decrease expression of c-Myc, a proto-oncogene that stimulates progression from G1 to S phase of the cell cycle. Since both c-Myc expression and cell cycle progression are regulated by tyrosine kinase activation, we examined the ability of 1,25D to alter tyrosine kinase signaling in LNCaP cells and the androgen-independent LNCaP C81 (C81 LN) cell line. 1,25D selectively reduced protein tyrosine phosphorylation within both the LNCaP and C81 LN cells. This reduction in tyrosine kinase signaling appears to result from elevated levels of cellular prostatic acid phosphatase (PAcP). Western blots and biochemical assays revealed 1,25D increases the level of active PAcP in both cell lines. In addition, 1,25D decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of HER-2, an EGFR family member inactivated by PAcP, and the HER-2 downstream adaptor protein p52 Shc in C81 LN cells. Inhibition of HER-2 signaling by AG825 reduces growth of C81 LN cells and the parental LNCaP cells. These data therefore suggest that 1,25D-mediated decreases in LNCaP and C81 LN cell growth are in part due to decreases in tyrosine kinase signaling that result from up-regulation of PAcP.
The Meaning is in the Making: A Linguistic Perspective on Human Occupation

Several decades after the founding of occupational science, uncertainty continues to plague the discipline's research agenda about the precise meaning and scope of doing. This paper proposes to address the problem by approaching it from the perspective of linguistics. Using the notion of process types as they are described in Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), the paper localizes the doing of occupational science in the creative and transformative material processes of SFG. In a material process, an actor applies force and/or energy to the environment, altering its arrangement or composition and rearranging its parts, thereby creating something new or transforming something in such a way that it can play a new role. This conception of doing reflects a primitive but insightful physics in which action is understood as the application of force to the environment by human beings in such a way as to rearrange the composition and the parts of the environment so as to form new wholes that are serviceable to huma...
Evaluation of model predictions of the persistence and ecological effects of diflubenzuron in a littoral ecosystem

Abstract The accuracy of the Littoral Ecosystem Risk Assessment Model ( leram ) was evaluated using results from a littoral enclosure study of the distribution, persistence, and ecological effects of the insecticide diflubenzuron. leram simulates the community and ecosystem level effects of a chemical stressor by linking single-species toxicity data to a bioenergetic model of a littoral ecosystem. This study evaluated (1) the accuracy of a simple fate and persistence model used in conjunction with leram , (2) leram 's ability to predict, a priori, the effects of diflubenzuron on aquatic life, and (3) leram 's usefulness for selecting treatment concentrations for an actual littoral enclosure study. The ecological effects of nine initial diflubenzuron concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 35.0 μg/l were simulated. The field study used to evaluate these predictions was performed in 12 littoral enclosures constructed in a 2-ha pond in northeastern Minnesota. There were four untreated controls and two replicates of each of four diflubenzuron concentrations (0.7, 2.5, 7.0, and 30.0 μg/l). The half-life of diflubenzuron predicted by the fate and persistence model was 4 to 5 times lower than the half-life observed in the littoral enclosure water column. This discrepancy was related to the simplistic nature of the two-compartment (water, sediment) model which represented the water column as a single, fully mixed compartment. The smallest model-predicted LOEC (lowest observed effect concentration), where the effect was a decrease in biomass, was 3.2 μg/l. At this concentration, reductions were predicted to occur in biomass of insects, herbivorous copepods, and amphipods. Field-observed LOECs for the same taxa were 2.5, 0.7, and 0.7 μg/l, respectively. Cladocera was the most sensitive taxon in the field study (LOEC = 0.7 μg/l), but leram did not predict direct toxic effects on this taxon until the diflubenzuron concentration was ≥ 6.4 μg/l. This discrepancy, and leram 's general ability to predict effects observed in the field, was directly related to the size and quality of the available laboratory single-species toxicity data base used as input for the model. Indirect effects of diflubenzuron on growth of larval bluegill sunfish was predicted by leram , but at a concentration five times higher than observed. Overall, leram correctly predicted that changes in the littoral community would begin at 0.8 μg/l, with concentrations > 35.0 μg/l yielding negligible new information on effects of diflubenzuron on aquatic biota. Predictions at intermediate concentrations varied in accuracy, with some indirect responses being exaggerated by cascading effects through the trophic levels of the ecosystem.
Nucleation and coexistence of nanometer-scale facet domains on O/Ir(2 1 0)

Abstract A study of faceting phenomena exhibited by the O/Ir(2 1 0) system has been conducted using low energy electron microscopy (LEEM). The initial nucleation and growth of three-sided pyramidal facets with {3 1 1} and (1 1 0) faces, as well as the conversion of planar Ir(2 1 0) into a completely faceted surface, are found to occur uniformly over the entire sample area. Facet relaxation on the clean faceted surface to form a planar surface is also found to proceed uniformly. Individual coexisting domains of planar and faceted surface, although present, cannot be resolved in LEEM at any stage of these transformations.
Effect of a western boundary eddy field on mid-ocean circulation

Abstract A model of steady, inviscid, quasigeostrophic, eddy-driven circulation in a small ocean basin is developed. The field of eddies exists only along the semicircular northern boundary arc of the basin; however, the mean flow fills the basin. The dynamical reason for the relationship of the mid-ocean circulation to the boundary eddies is found in the Bernoulli equation along the boundary. The eddies can set up a pressure gradient along the ocean boundary which cannot be balanced entirely by the quasigeostrophic mean flow along the curved boundary.
Cellular and subcellular localization of syntaxin-like immunoreactivity in the rat striatum and cortex

Abstract Syntaxin is a synapse-specific protein previously localized to the plasma membrane of axon terminals. Biochemical and molecular biological studies indicate a prominent role for syntaxin 1A and 1B in synaptic vesicle docking and/or fusion, suggesting that these proteins are localized to active zone regions of most terminal varicosities in the central nervous system. We sought to test this hypothesis by examining the cellular and subcellular immunocytochemical localization of syntaxin 1 proteins in the striatum and frontal cortex of rats. Using either a polyclonal anti-syntaxin antibody, or a monoclonal antibody directed against the identical protein, HPC-1, immunoperoxidase reaction product was localized to preterminal axons and terminal varicosities that made almost exclusively Type I (asymmetric) synapses on dendritic spines or distal shafts. Immunoreactive terminals forming Type II (symmetric) synapses were observed rarely and only in tissue that was pretreated by rapid freeze-thaw to enhance antibody penetration. From a semi-quantitative analysis, it was estimated that at least 48–62% of all vesicle-filled varicosities and 67–69% of all terminals forming Type I synapses were immunoreactive for syntaxin or HPC-1, respectively. Using a pre-embedding immunogold-silver technique to provide a non-diffusible marker for subcellular localization, gold-silver particles for syntaxin or HPC-1 were localized to the cytoplasmic surface of non-synaptic portions of the plasma membrane of preterminal axons and terminal varicosities. Enrichment of presynaptic active zone regions was not observed with immunogold-silver staining. These findings suggest that syntaxin is primarily contained in a subpopulation of terminals that are associated with excitatory amino acid transmitters, but appears not to be ubiquitously expressed in all terminal classes. The results further indicate that syntaxin is localized to non-synaptic regions of axon and terminal membranes, but may not be enriched in presynaptic active zones. The apparent inconsistency between the subcellular localization of syntaxin and its proposed role in vesicle exocytosis is discussed in terms of possible technical limitations and alternative functions for syntaxin.
Streptozotocin diabetes in pregnant and nonpregnant rats.

Abstract The antibiotic streptozotocin has been found to be an efficacious agent for producing experimental diabetes in the pregnant rat and is markedly less lethal than methods used heretofore. The nonfasting blood sugars are the best indication of the presence of the resultant diabetes in the pregnant rat; the fasting blood sugar often remaining normal. The survival of the streptozotocin-treated pregnant rats was 74.4 per cent. Of all treated adult females previously mated, 38.8 per cent were found to have living fetuses at the time of sacrifice as opposed to 70.3 per cent in the normal controls. The average litter size of living fetuses for the non-treated group was 9.7 and for the streptozotocin-treated group was 8.0. Of the fetuses of streptozotocin-treated rats, 16.9 per cent were blighted as compared to 3.2 per cent in the normal rats. At every period of gestation, the fetuses and newborn of the streptozotocin-treated rats were lighter in weight than those of the normal controls.
RESEARCH NOTE PHOTOTOXICITY OF CITRAL TO Trichoplusia ni (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE) AND ITS AMELIORATION BY VITAMIN A

Abstract Citral, a monoterpene aldehyde synthesized by several plant families, was recently shown to exhibit ultraviolet A light (320–400 nm) (UVA)-enhanced oxygen-dependent toxicity against bacteria and fungi (Escherichia coli and Fusarium species). In this study, we report for the first time that citral is phototoxic to insects; at concentrations of 300 ppm in artificial diet, mortality of first instar Trichoplusia ni (cabbage loopers) approached 30% after 120 h of UVA exposure, approximately double the mortality level in the absence of UVA. At 300 ppm, the antioxidant vitamin A reduces citral phototoxicity by about 50% in this species, suggesting that citral phototoxicity against insects is oxygen dependent.
Arabic interdialectal encounters: Investigating the influence of attitudes on language accommodation

Abstract This paper investigates patterns of interdialectal language accommodation among Arabic speakers in the U.S. It contributes to Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) by demonstrating that speakers' motivation to accommodate is predicated on their attitudes toward the different Arabic varieties. Using data from natural conversations, personal interviews, and ethnographic observations, this study shows that language attitudes affect the degree of a speaker's convergence or divergence toward their interlocutors. The theoretical undertaking of this study is to examine the relationship between micro-level accommodative strategies and macro-societal relationships that arrange the asymmetries between these varieties and their speakers.
Interference based marking method for toric contact eye lens inserts

Toric contact eye lenses are designed to address general blurring that occurs due to uneven cornea which is known as astigmatism. For proper functioning of toric lenses their orientation with respect to the eye is critical. So toric lenses are manufactured with some form of marking which helps in deciding the orientation with respect to the eye. In this research paper a novel marking method based on the interference principle is proposed for toric lenses. Mathematical modeling followed by experiments was done to prove the concept of interference based marking. The proposed marking method is a mask-less, single step clean process.
Stage I palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome: The importance of neoaorta construction

Abstract After Norwood's initial report of successful first-stage palliation of hypoplastic left heart syndrome in neonates, the occurrence of distal aortic obstructions, shunt problems, and late deaths have led to modifications in the surgical technique. Between January 1986 and December 1987, 12 neonates from three to 16 days old underwent stage I palliation with the same objectives. An open atrial septectomy was always performed. The pulmonary artery bifurcation was transected from the main pulmonary artery and closed with an aortic homograft patch. The aortotomy was begun 2 cm below the patent ductus arteriosus insertion and extended across the transverse arch and down the ascending aorta. The neoaorta was constructed using the hypoplastic ascending aorta-transverse aortic arch, the main pulmonary artery, and an aortic homograft augmentation patch. The homograft is hemostatic and pliable, and molds well in forming the neoaorta. A 4-mm shunt was inserted between the right innominate artery and the right pulmonary artery in 5 patients and the neoaorta and the pulmonary artery bifurcation patch in 7 patients. The early systemic oxygen saturation was optimized at 75% to 80% with hyperventilation, high concentration of inspired oxygen, sodium bicarbonate, and the frequent use of vasopressors to maintain an arterial blood pressure of 65 to 75 mm Hg. Two patients (17%) died early after operation; 1 had severe right ventricular dysfunction and both had severe tricuspid regurgitation. There were 2 late deaths at 7 and 13 months, of sepsis and hypoxia. The 8 survivors (67%) continue to do well over follow-up. The preoperative tricuspid regurgitation has remained stable in 3 survivors and disappeared in 2 survivors. Critical attention to construction of the neoaorta and careful ventilatory and pharmacological management of the ratio of pulmonary to systemic vascular resistance has led to unproved survival after stage I palliation.
Phenylpropanolamine pharmacokinetics in dogs after intravenous, oral, and oral controlled-release doses.

An adaption of a published high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) assay for phenylpropanolamine (PPA) in plasma was used to examine PPA pharmacokinetics in dogs. Plasma was extracted into ethyl acetate after the addition of 3.5 per cent sodium carbonate, and was then back-extracted into aqueous acetic acid. The acetic acid was injected onto a cyano column using a mobile phase of acetonitrile, dilute hydrochloric acid, and sodium heptane sulfonate. Detection was by UV absorbance at 210 nm. The relative standard deviation of replicate assays averaged 5.2 per cent over a concentration range of 50-1750 ng ml-1 plasma. PPA extraction recovery exceeded 90 per cent. The limit of detection was 30 ng ml-1 using 0.5 ml plasma and injecting 10 microliter. PPA disposition was characterized in three dogs administered PPA i.v. and orally in immediate-release and controlled-release formulations. The terminal elimination half-life averaged 3.5 +/- 0.5 h after the i.v. dose. Oral absorption from the immediate-release capsule was rapid and bioavailability was 98.2 +/- 6.9 per initial rapid cent. PPA absorption from the controlled-release dosage form was biphasic; an rapid phase was followed by a second, slower absorption phase which continued over 16 h. Plasma PPA concentrations then declined with a half-life roughly parallel to the i.v. and oral immediate-release half-lives. Oral bioavailability from the controlled release tablet was 93.7 +/- 5.9 per cent.
THE SIX FACETS MODEL OF TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT UNDER CONDITIONS OF RAPID CHANGE: A STUDY IN THE PRE-MEDIA SEGMENT OF THE PRINTING INDUSTRY

Under conditions of rapid or continual technological change, understanding how the transition from old technology to new works is critical to organizational success. We apply the Six Facets Model of technology management to the process innovation challenges faced by the printing industry. This new application of the model yields insights not only into the printing industry but into how the process innovation process can be managed in any industry facing high levels of technological change. Thus, the Six Facets Model is validated in a new, broader setting, suggesting it be widely applied in industries facing significant changes in technology.
Evaluation of stress intensity factor and fatigue growth of surface cracks in tension plates

Abstract A closed form solution for the stress intensity factor ( K ) of semielliptical surface cracks in tension plates, obtained by Newman and Raju using 3D finite elements, is critically evaluated. This solution is compared to a recommended solution by the Society of Experimental Stress Analysis (SESA). It is also compared to photoelastic K- measurements . In addition, the aspect ratio variability of surface cracks under fatigue loading is predicted and compared with experimental data and also with the predictions of other empirical equations proposed by Portch, Kawahara et al. and Iida. Finally, the usefulness of this equation for the prediction of fatigue life of surface cracks is evaluated by a comparison with experimental results.
Digital‐Inverter Amine Sensing via Synergistic Responses by n and p Organic Semiconductors

Chemiresistors and sensitive OFETs have been substantially developed as cheap, scalable, and versatile sensing platforms. While new materials are expanding OFET sensing capabilities, the device architectures have changed little. Here we report higher order logic circuits utilizing OFETs sensitive to amine vapors. The circuits depend on the synergistic responses of paired p- and n-channel organic semiconductors, including an unprecedented analyte-induced current increase by the n-channel semiconductor. This represents the first step towards 'intelligent sensors' that utilize analog signal changes in sensitive OFETs to produce direct digital readouts suitable for further logic operations.
Infection of pregnant mice with Listeria monocytogenes induces fetal bradycardia

Listeriosis is one of the most lethal bacterial diseases for fetuses and infants. However, pregnant women who get infected with Listeria may experience only mild symptoms, making the diagnosis difficult, even when the fetus is fatally infected. To reveal features of this infection, we conducted a multimodality imaging study of Listeria-induced miscarriage, using a pregnant mouse model. In this model, fetal morbidity and mortality can be observed in utero, noninvasively, and the timing and extent of infection can be carefully controlled. By employing in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI), perinatal infections were localized over time such that a correlation of infection to outcome could be determined without the need to kill the animal subject. The morbidity and viability of fetuses were assessed with ultrasound, and fetal morphology was imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The ultrasound revealed sustained fetal bradycardia, the slowing of the fetal heartbeat, in infected fetuses, with an association between slowed fetal heart rate and strong bioluminescent signal. Uninfected fetuses showing no bioluminescent signal in the same uterine horn exhibited normal heartbeats. Thus, fetal bradycardia during infection was localized to the infected fetus and was not systemic or disseminated.
Large deviations for random walks in a random environment

We prove two large deviation principles for random walks in a random environment: one for quenched walks in general ergodic environments and the other for averaged walks in a product environment. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optimization procedure for pulse separation in cross-correlation PIV

In PIV, the optimal time separation (Δt) between successive laser pulses is influenced by a number of parameters. In the present paper, only two kinds of error affecting the choice of Δt are studied: (i) random error arising from noise during recording of the flow seeded with tracer particles and subsequent interrogation of the particle images, and (ii) acceleration error arising from approximation of the local Eulerian velocity based on small (but non-zero) particle displacements. These two kinds of error place conflicting requirements on Δt. A model to optimize Δt with respect to these errors is described, and the model is confirmed by the results of a Monte Carlo simulation. This model for optimal Δt is extended to various acceleration distributions. An estimate for the spatial resolution of the velocity field resulting from cross-correlation PIV is proposed.
Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting: Initial experience at one community hospital

Abstract Background . This study reports one cardiac surgical center's experience with off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) and compares clinical risk factors and outcomes with a group of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with cardiopulmonary bypass at the same institution. Methods . Data on preoperative risk factors, intraoperative clinical markers, and postoperative outcomes were collected prospectively on all patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures at our institution. From January 1, 1999, through October 7, 1999, 332 patients underwent OPCAB procedures at our institution. This group was compared with 445 consecutive patients undergoing CABG at the same institution during the period of January 1, 1998, through November 30, 1998. Results . The two groups were similar with respect to preoperative clinical risk factors. Intraoperative data showed OPCAB patients tended to have fewer grafts performed and had a lower frequency of multiple grafts to obtuse marginal vessels. Outcomes showed no differences in the incidence of perioperative stroke, mediastinitis, reexploration for bleeding, pulmonary complications, new renal failure, postoperative atrial fibrillation, or transfusion of blood products. Patients in the OPCAB group had fewer perioperative myocardial infarctions and lower incidence of postoperative low cardiac output syndrome. A higher percentage of OPCAB patients had surgical lengths of stay of 5 days or less. The OPCAB group tended to have a lower in-hospital mortality rate but this difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions . Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting with revascularization of all coronary artery segments is a safe and effective procedure that can be performed with equal or improved outcomes and shorter surgical lengths of stay compared with CABG with cardiopulmonary bypass.
Matrix metalloproteinase-14 is a mechanically regulated activator of secreted MMPs and invasion

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are extracellular matrix (ECM) degrading enzymes and have complex and specific regulation networks. This includes activation interactions, where one MMP family member activates another. ECM degradation and MMP activation can be initiated by several different stimuli including changes in ECM mechanical properties or intracellular contractility. These mechanical stimuli are known enhancers of metastatic potential. MMP-14 facilitates local ECM degradation and is well known as a major mediator of cell migration, angiogenesis and invasion. Recently, function blocking antibodies have been developed to specifically block MMP-14, providing a useful tool for research as well as therapeutic applications. Here we utilize a selective MMP-14 function blocking antibody to delineate the role of MMP-14 as an activator of other MMPs in response to changes in cellular contractility and ECM stiffness. Inhibition using function blocking antibodies reveals that MMP-14 activates soluble MMPs like MMP-2 and -9 under various mechanical stimuli in the pancreatic cancer cell line, Panc-1. In addition, inhibition of MMP-14 abates Panc-1 cell extension into 3D gels to levels seen with non-specific pan-MMP inhibitors at higher concentrations. This strengthens the case for MMP function blocking antibodies as more potent and specific MMP inhibition therapeutics.
The effects of inflation on the predictability of price changes in Latin America: Some estimates and policy implications

Abstract This paper argues that the relationship between price variability and inflation in high-inflation countries should be estimated on a frequent basis and that rational expectations are the appropriate formulation for predicting inflation. Analysis of seven Latin American countries, taking these factors into account, suggests that higher inflation contributes to the difficulty of predicting price changes. The impact is more moderate than that found in previous studies, however, indicating that less concern may be warranted about the possible stagflationary effects of expansionary policies.
Piezoelectric Transducers for Ultrasonic Delay Lines

The over-all frequency response and loss of the transducers of a delay line are derived from Roth's equivalent circuit. The transient response of a delay line is computed from an equivalent transmission-line circuit. The bandwidths and transient responses measured on practical delay lines are given for comparison with theoretical values.
Endobronchial photodynamic therapy for lung cancer.

Background and Objective Endobronchial photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive technique for the palliation of major airway obstruction from lung cancer, and for the treatment of endobronchial microinvasive lung cancer. Study Design Results of reported clinical trials were compared, and the author's preliminary results with second generation photosensitizers were also reviewed. Results A review of the clinical experience with endobronchial PDT is provided. Potential advantages of PDT include the duration of palliation achieved through the delayed cellular effects of PDT within tumor. Side-effects from FDA-approved photosensitizer (Photofrin, Porfimer sodium, Axcan Scandipharm, Montreal, Quebec) include skin photosensitivity. HPPH (2-[1-hexyloxyethyl]-2 devinyl pyropheophorbide) is an example of a second-generation photosensitize that shows promise in the treatment of lung cancer, and appears to be free from significant skin photosensitivity. Conclusion PDT is an effective tool for the palliation of endobronchial lung cancers which obstruct the central airways and is also effective for the treatment of central microinvasive carcinoma and carcinoma in situ of the central airways. Lasers Surg. Med. 38:364–370, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.