cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
All-carbon graphene bioelectronics

We report nano field-effect transistor (nanoFET) biosensors built from the monolithic integration of graphene and graphite. The monolithic integration enables nanoscopic field-effect detection of chemical and biological signals with mechanically flexible and robust interface with biological systems in several respects. Our nanoFET biosensors exhibit superior detection sensitivity, mechanical flexibility and nanoscopic detection resolution. First, we demonstrate that electrical detection can be achieved from nanoscale electric field modulation of the graphene channel while the signal integrity is not perturbed by mechanical deflection of graphene nanoFET sensors. Such capability is introduced by the advanced design of monolithic graphene-graphite without any need for metal-graphene heterointerfaces. Second, we explore the chemical detection capability of graphene nanoFET sensors, and show that our sensors are responsive to localized chemical environmental changes/perturbations. Our nanoFET sensors not only show clear response to nanoscopic charge perturbation but also demonstrate potential 3-D sensing capability due to the advanced monolithic graphene-graphite mechanical design. These unique capabilities of our monolithic graphene-graphite bioelectronics could be exploited in chemical and biological detection and conformal interface with biological systems in the future.
Peptidase modulation of airway effects of neuropeptides.

SummarySP and NKA are potent endogenous bronchoconstrictors, whereas VIP is a potent endogenous bronchodilator. There is abundant evidence that these neuropeptides are released in the lung in a variety of conditions and that they have the capacity to modulate the bronchoactivity of the same stimuli that release them. On many occasions, their bronchoactive effects are masked by their degradation at or near the site of their release. However, when the microenvironment is modified to decrease their cleavage, they can express enhanced physiologic effects. Although it appears that the human asthmatic lung may be an environment in which the effects of neuropeptides can be amplified, the role of neuropeptides in the pathogenesis of airway obstruction remains speculative.This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants HL19170and HL39827.
Controls on Soil Carbon Dioxide and Methane Fluxes in a Variety of Taiga Forest Stands in Interior Alaska

CO2 and CH4 fluxes were monitored over 4 years in a range of taiga forests along the Tanana River in interior Alaska. Floodplain alder and white spruce sites and upland birch/aspen and white spruce sites were examined. Each site had control, fertilized, and sawdust amended plots; flux measurements began during the second treatment year. CO2 emissions decreased with successional age across the sites (alder, birch/aspen, and white spruce, in order of succession) regardless of landscape position. Although CO2 fluxes showed an exponential relationship with soil temperature, the response of CO2 production to moisture fit an asymptotic model. Of the manipulations, only N fertilization had an effect on CO2 flux, decreasing flux in the floodplain sites but increasing it in the birch/aspen site. Landscape position was the best predictor of CH4 flux. The two upland sites consumed CH4 at similar rates (approximately 0.5 mg C m−2 d−1), whereas the floodplain sites had lower consumption rates (0–0.3 mg C m−2 d−1). N fertilization and sawdust both inhibited CH4 consumption in the upland birch/aspen and floodplain spruce sites but not in the upland spruce site. The biological processes driving CO2 fluxes were sensitive to temperature, moisture, and vegetation, whereas CH4 fluxes were sensitive primarily to landscape position and biogeochemical disturbances. Hence, climate change effects on C-gas flux in taiga forest soils will depend on the relationship between soil temperature and moisture and the concomitant changes in soil nutrient pools and cycles.
A theoretical model for stress-generated fluid flow in the canaliculi-lacunae network in bone tissue.

Abstract A mathematical model was developed to study stress-induced fluid flow in the canaliculi-lacunae system in an osteon. The effect of canaliculi diameters on the magnitude and depth of penetration of squeeze flow through the canaliculi system was investigated. An optimal canaliculus diameter (which would maximize the fluid velocity through the canaliculi) was determined. For canaliculi diameters of 0.2 μm, squeeze flow can nourish four to five concentric layers of osteocytes in an osteon. It is possible that such stress-induced flow may be important in bone remodeling, and that lack of such flow may be one cause for producing osteoporosis due to immobilization.
Depression and Anxiety Among Transitioning Adolescents and College Students With ADHD, Dyslexia, or Comorbid ADHD/Dyslexia:

Objective: To investigate depressive and anxious symptomatology among transitioning adolescents and college students with ADHD, dyslexia, or comorbid ADHD/dyslexia. Method: Transitioning adolescent...
Multipliers on certain function spaces

Si generalizza un teorema di deLeeuw per moltiplicatiri su spazi di Lorentz e spazi con norme miste.
The Marginal Peasant in Rural Brazil

IN DESCRIBING the structure of their agricultural economy, Brazilian writers customarily distinguish four major types of crop and livestock establishments. First, there is the plantation which is the large estate devoted to the production of a single crop, a large part of which finds its way to foreign markets. In many cases, considerable amounts of capital are invested in processing equipment and to some extent in agricultural machinery, and, here, wage-earning agricultural labor is widely employed. Good examples of plantation agriculture are the large sugar cane, coffee, cacao, and rice fazendas. Second, there is the cattle ranch producing beef cattle for sale to meat packing and meat drying plants. Small numbers of workers are employed, the principal investment being in land and livestock. In this class, we would also find the sheep ranches. Third, there is the Minas-type ranch-farm, where cattle are not only raised for beef but the cows are milked to produce cheese and creamthe whey and skim milk being used for feeding hogs. Corn is produced for hog feed, along with rice and beans as subsistence crops. Fourth, there is the small operator who may be an owner or a renter who produces food crops and often a cash crop, using the labor of himself, his family, and sometimes laborers. The family-type farms of the German, Italian, Polish, Ukranian, and Japanese immigrants belong to this type, but it can be found in other parts of Brazil as well. The type of land use varies from modern farming methods, found to some extent in the south, to the most primitive fire agriculture which exists in all parts of the country. Although not meriting the title of establishment, there is also a fifth type of operation, namely, that of the individual who lives on and cultivates small patches of land on the property of others under a bewildering array of tenure regulations. He is the small subsistence producer, rogeiro, who cultivates such primary food crops as corn, rice, beans, and manioc, and raises a few hogs and chickens, and sometimes owns a riding mule or horse. He is the shifting slash-and-burn cultivator, the historic prototype of the Brazilian food producer. Originally he was the agregado, or retainer or near-serf. Today, he can be a squatter, a sharecropper, or an agricultural laborer, depending upon the wishes of the owner. Thus, strictly speaking, he is not a renter, sharecropper, or permanent agricultural laborer, although he might exercise these functions on, occasion. It it this fifth type which I would like to call the marginal peasant; although he is nothing like the peasant of Europe or Asia. If you took away his hogs and chickens he would be like the wild Indian; for he practices the most primitive kind of agriculture in the world. But his livestock and his dependence upon the market, although limited, bring him into the outer
Academic-community partnerships improve outcomes in pediatric trauma care.

BACKGROUND: To address the specialized needs of injured children, pediatric trauma centers (PTCs) were established at many large, academic hospitals. This study explores clinical outcomes observed for injured children treated at an academic-sponsored community facility. METHODS: In partnership with an academic medical center in a major metropolitan area, a not-for-profit community hospital became a designated Level II PTC in October 2010. Data for injured children RESULTS: Overall, 681 injured children were treated at the community hospital from January 2011 to December 2013. Children treated after PTC designation were less likely to undergo computed tomography (CT) (50.9% vs. 81.3%, pCONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that academic-community partnerships in pediatric trauma care are a feasible alternative and may lead to improved outcomes for injured children. Language: en
Preparations for the Safe Management of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Research Protocol Patients

Abstract ISSUE: The Warren G Magnuson Clinical Center (CC) strives to achieve a balance between its mission and worker and patient safety. PROJECT: As part of its mission as one of the government's primary research facilities, the CC must be able to address epidemiologically significant public health concerns as they arise. After its initial description in the fall of 2002, the global threat of SARS became readily apparent. To address its mission, investigators working at the CC designed two protocols to study this new disease. To protect our patients and our staff, we quickly developed infection control guidelines based on what was known about the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this new disease. RESULTS: We created a multidisciplinary team to identify risk points during the admission and treatment phases of these protocols. This group met once or twice weekly for 6 months. New policies and procedures were created which were patterned after the CDC guidelines but which met the unique needs of our existing infrastructure and patient populations. We created a new position (isolation monitor) to ensure compliance with infection control precautions. We also conducted a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to identify additional areas of risk. Policies and procedures were reviewed by: 1) a multi-institute physician committee, 2) an external expert in hospital epidemiology, and 3) the CC Medical Executive Committee. Detailed practice sessions have been held to ensure compliance with these new and detailed precautions. LESSONS LEARNED: Readiness for complex infectious diseases is multifaceted and requires advance planning and detailed assessments. Preparing for SARS has placed our organization in a much better position to deal with emerging airborne infectious diseases.
High-resolution Functional Source and Impedance Imaging

Functional imaging has played a significant role in bettering our understanding of mechanisms of brain function and dysfunctions. We review recent research on electrophysiological neuroimaging, multimodal neuroimaging integrating functional MRI with EEG, and our development of magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction for high resolution impedance imaging. Examples from research of our group will be shown to illustrate the concepts. The extensive work being pursued by a number of investigators suggests the promise of functional neuroimaging in imaging neural activity from noninvasive measurements
The Latino Students' Attitudes, Perceptions, and Views on Bilingual Education.

Abstract In light of the continuing debate surrounding bilingual education, there has been a renewed interest to examine the perceptions and views on the subject from various constituents. The purpose of this study was to examine the group who is the target of and most affected by this controversy—English language learners. The study surveyed 280 Latino students, all of whom were enrolled in bilingual classes, including Spanish maintenance and sheltered classes, in seven urban middle schools in Southern California, in regard to their attitudes, perceptions, and views on bilingual education. The study found that an overwhelming majority (90%) of the students surveyed believed that bilingual education was helpful to their educational experience and 86% supported the offering of bilingual education programs in public schools. Interestingly, however, if given a choice, 53% of the students responded that they would prefer to be in non-bilingual classes. Nevertheless, almost three-quarters (71%) of the subjects...
Gas-phase and solution-phase polymerization of epoxides by Cr(salen) complexes: evidence for a dinuclear cationic mechanism.

The gas-phase reactions of a series of mass-selected mononuclear and dinuclear Cr(salen) complexes with propylene oxide suggest that the enhanced reactivity of the dinuclear complexes in gas-phase and in solution may derive from a dicationic mechanism in which the alkoxide chain is μ2-coordinated to two Lewis acidic metal centers. The double coordination is proposed to suppress backbiting, and hence chain-transfer in the gas-phase homopolymerization of epoxides.
Oligomerization–transmetalation reactions of Cp*CrMe2(PMe3)/methylaluminoxane catalysts

Chain growth in the reaction of ethylene with Cp*CrMe2(PMe3) activated with methylaluminoxane is restricted by a fast Cr/Al transmetalation process.
Spectrophotometric determination of palladium(II) with 2-diethylaminoethanethiol hydrochloride and the simultaneous determination of rhodium and palladium

Abstract 2-Diethylaminoethanethiol hydrochloride is proposed for spectrophotometric determination of palladium(II). The sensitivity of the reaction is 0.0085 smg/cm2 and the yellow colored complex shows absorption maxima at 258 mμ and 303 mμ. Color development is slow in the cold but complete after heating for 10–15 min. The optimum pH range is 3.5 to 5.5 and the system adheres to Beer's law between 0.2 and 16.8 p.p.m. of palladium. The average and maximum relative standard deviations were 0.60% and 1.40% respectively. Interferences due to other platinum metals were studied and a procedure is suggested for the simultaneous determination of rhodium and palladium.
Modeling and Validation of Building Thermal Performance of the 2007 Santa Clara University Solar Decathlon House

Sustainability is an issue of great importance in the building and energy sectors. In the United States, about 40% of total energy use is in buildings, 30% of raw materials are used in buildings, 30% of waste outputs come from buildings, 30% of greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to buildings, and 12% of potable water consumption occurs in buildings. Thus, there is a great necessity for the rapid deployment of highly sustainable buildings that are aesthetic and reliable. Solar houses are highly sustainable and can be designed to be reliable by using streamlined technologies, providing as much power as needed, and by minimizing the energy usage within the building. The US DOE Solar Decathlon offered a great opportunity to test these criteria which were at the same time the fundamental elements taken into consideration when designing the Santa Clara University (SCU) solar house in 2007 [1]. In this research the SCU solar decathlon solar house energy and thermal performances were analyzed. The energy and thermal loads were modeled using EnergyPlus™ software which helps to perform detailed modeling of the energy and thermal performances of buildings. The conditioned space of the building consists of two rectangular shaped zones, the living room and the bedroom, which together are approximately 45ft along the east-west direction and 11ft wide. Wood framing with R-19 insulation, made from recycled jeans, was used for the walls. The roof and the floor are constructed of a bamboo wood frame with foam insulation. Daylighting was maximized through active windows (i.e. electro-chromic), energy efficient appliances were incorporated along with solar thermal air conditioning, heating and hot water. Performance parameters for the mechanical systems were developed from conventionally available technologies and the control set-points were based on DOE Solar Decathlon 2007 (SD07) guidelines [1]. The thermal energy design decisions for the house were based largely on a combination of the solar decathlon contest requirements and that technologies were sustainable and commercially available. The house was tested in Washington DC in October 2007 during the competition and performed excellently well ranking at the top in the following categories: energy balance, thermal comfort, and hot water. Data collected during the event provide the unique opportunity of validating the simulated energy and thermal performances of the house with weather file created from the real-time weather data. The created weather file is used to run new simulations of the SCU SD07 house, from these results we can assess the accuracy of the simulation program used. If accuracy is high enough, annual simulations are executed to demonstrate how the house would perform under extreme climatic conditions in different regions.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
A 500 MHz 1H NMR spectroscopic study of Met5-enkephalinamide in aqueous solution: ethanol induced conformational changes.

An analysis of spin coupling constants, less than 3J greater than C alpha H-NH, from a high resolution 500 MHz 1H NMR study of [Met5]-enkephalinamide in aqueous solution, suggested that beta-sheet structure is the likely conformer. The effect of ethanol on the conformation of [Met5]-enkephalinamide in aqueous solution was investigated. From the upfield drift of observed chemical shifts and changes in coupling constants, especially of the amide NH resonances, it is concluded that ethanol disrupts the conformation possibly by influencing the hydrogen bonding. The above observation is consistent with a recent study of the ethanol induced conformational changes occurring in [Met5]enkephalinamide [Rapaka, R.S. et al. (1986) Life Sciences 39, 837-842].
How Railroads Changed American Government

Review of: Wolmar, Christian (2013). The Great Railroad Revolution: The History of Trains in America. New York, PublicAffairs. Anyone reading the scholarly literature on the "e-government revolution" might be tempted to think that technological change has never affected American government so profoundly as it does today. Christian Wolmar's The Great Railroad Revolution provides an invaluable corrective to this sort of thinking. The advent of the railroad was probably a more important technological shock, and Wolmar's book provides an unusual opportunity to examine how it affected the role and structure of American government. The current fashion is to emphasize the ways in which ideology and institutional inertia constrain the governmental response to such shocks. But Wolmar tells a different story. In the long run, The Great Railroad Revolution suggests, the governmental response to this innovation was pragmatic, hard-headed, and flexible.
The cDNA encoding canine dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase contains multiple termination signals.

SUMMARY A 2288-bp cDNA sequence encoding dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH; dihydrolipoamide: NAD+ oxidoreductase; EC 1.8.1.4) was obtained by isolating a 1762-bp cDNA clone from a canine skeletal muscle library in the vector, AUNIZAP, combined with PCR amplification of the 5’ end of the mRNA. The DLDH cDNA sequence contains a 49-bp G + C-rich S-untranslated region (UTR), followed by 1527 bp of coding region, and 695 bp of 3'-UTR preceding a 17-bp poly(A) tail. The single open reading frame encodes a precursor DLDH of 509 amino acids (aa) that begins with a 35-aa leader sequence. The 3'-UTR includes six possible polyadenylation signals (three AATAAA, one TATAAA and two AATGAA) and one potential stem-loop region extending from bp 1969-1991. Alignment studies of the canine and human DLDH demonstrate homology within the coding region of 98% at the aa level and 94% at the nt level. Northern blot analysis using the cDNA clone as probe showed wide tissue distribution of the mRNA, with differences in the level of expression among tissues and possible utilization of different polyadenylation sites.
Modified Pfannenstiel incision for intact specimen extraction after retroperitoneoscopic renal surgery.

Abstract Objectives To describe a simple modification of the Pfannenstiel incision for performing intact specimen extraction during retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy. Technical considerations After retroperitoneal laparoscopic radical nephrectomy is completed, and the specimen is entrapped in a specimen retrieval bag, a 5 to 7-cm Pfannenstiel (transverse) skin incision is made over the symphysis pubis, lateralized slightly toward the side of surgery. A vertical incision is then made in the anterior rectus fascia near the lateral aspect of the ipsilateral rectus muscle, from the level of the pubic bone extending cephalad for approximately 5 to 7 cm. The transversalis fascia is then perforated near the level of the pubis to enter the pelvic extraperitoneal space, which is developed to the upper retroperitoneum. The drawstring of the closed bag is grasped, allowing delivery of the entrapped intact specimen through the modified Pfannenstiel incision. Conclusions More than 50 specimen extractions have been performed in this manner, with specimen weights ranging up to 1.7 kg, after retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy. No complications specific to this incision and no postoperative hernias have developed, although follow-up was short. Our modification combines the advantage of a potentially less painful, non-muscle-cutting Pfannenstiel skin incision with the advantages of retroperitoneal access afforded by a Gibson fascial incision. Although it has been our initial subjective impression that the degree of comfort and cosmesis from this modified Pfannenstiel incision may be better than that after enlargement of the primary port site, a detailed comparison of these two approaches is required.
Comparative in vitro effects of nitrous oxide, halothane, and cyclopropane on rat bone marrow oxygen consumption and anaerobic glycolysis

Abstract Bone marrow hemopoiesis is depressed in vivo after chronic exposure to anesthetic agents. The degree of inhibition of bone marrow metabolism produced by the anesthetic agents was evaluated in vitro in the Warburg apparatus. Clinical concentrations of the anesthetic agents produced no demonstrable inhibition. At higher concentrations, a difference between anesthetic agents was observed. Halothane depressed oxygen consumption, whereas cyclopropane did not. This difference suggests that cyclopropane is unable to produce the Krebs cycle mitochondrial inhibition produced by halothane.
Cause of variable therapeutic efficiency of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor on glomerular lesions

We tested the effect of angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) on established glomerular sclerosis. Starting eight weeks after subtotal nephrectomy (sNPX), rats were given enalapril for four weeks in a dose of 50 (Group II, N = 5) or 200 mg/liter drinking water (Group III, N = 5). A third group of sNPX rats not given ACEI served as control (Group I, N = 10). Glomerular sclerosis index (S1, 0 to 4 scale) was assessed three-dimensionally on serial thin sections for individual glomeruli at biopsy (Bx, 8 weeks), and divided into four different ranks of severity and compared to autopsy (Ax, 12 weeks). In Group I control rats, 48% of the glomeruli at Bx had SI between 0 and 1 (rank 1, average: 0.49 +/- 0.06), 36% between 1 and 2 (rank 2, average: 1.53 +/- 0.06), 9% between 2 and 3 (rank 3, average: 2.45 +/- 0.12) and 7% between 3 and 4 (rank 4, average: 3.54 +/- 0.10). Glomeruli of the same rats at Ax were ranked according to severity of sclerosis, and then divided into percentile groups, corresponding to the percent of distribution at Bx. The 48% least sclerotic glomeruli at Ax had average SI of 0.69 +/- 0.08, the next 36% 2.58 +/- 0.11, and next 9% 3.97 +/- 0.02 and the most sclerotic 7% 4.00 +/- 0.00. Thus, sclerosis advanced during the last four weeks after biopsy in all glomeruli, with more accelerated progression occurring toward later stages of sclerosis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Physicochemical properties affecting lipofection potency of a new series of 1,2-dialkoylamidopropane-based cationic lipids.

The in vitro transfection activity of a novel series of N,N ′ -diacyl-1,2-diaminopropyl-3-carbamoyl(aminoethane) derivatives was evaluated against a mouse melanoma cell line at different +/- charge ratios, in the presence and absence of helper lipids. Only the unsaturated derivative N,N ′ -dioleoyl-1,2diaminopropyl-3-carbamoyl-(aminoethane), (1,2lmp[5]) mediated significant increase in the reporter gene level which was significantly boosted in the presence of DOPE peaking at +/- charge ratio of 2. The electrostatic interactions between the cationic liposomes and plasmid DNA were investigated by gel electrophoresis, fluorescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering and electrophoretic mobility techniques. In agreement with the transfection results, 1,2lmp[5]/DOPE formulation was most efficient in associating with and retarding DNA migration. The improved association between the dioleoyl derivative and DNA was further confirmed by ethidium bromide displacement assay and particle size distribution analysis of the lipoplexes. Differential scanning calorimetry studies showed that 1,2lmp[5] was the only lipid that exhibited a main phase transition below 37 °C. Likewise, 1,2lmp[5] was the only lipid found to form all liquid expanded monolayers at 23 °C. In conclusion, the current findings suggest that high in vitro transfection activity is mediated by cationic lipids characterized by increased acyl chain fluidity and high interfacial elasticity.
Adenosine deaminase inhibition is not cardioprotective in the rat

Adenosine receptor activation has been assumed to play a role in the cardioprotective effect of ischemic preconditioning. The actions of adenosine are terminated by the naturally occurring substance adenosine deaminase. We determined whether 2'-deoxycoformycin (DCF), a potent inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, could mimic the effect of preconditioning in nonpreconditioned rats and potentiate the salutary effect of preconditioning in preconditioned rats. We assessed the effect of DCF on myocardial infarct size and the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in four groups of anesthetized rats: control (nonpreconditioned) + vehicle, control + DCF, preconditioned + vehicle, and preconditioned + DCF. All rats underwent 90 minutes of coronary artery occlusion followed by 4 hours of reperfusion, while preconditioned rats received three cycles of 3-minute episodes of ischemia and 5 minutes of reperfusion before the 90-minute occlusion. Following 4 hours of reperfusion, area at risk was determined by intravenous injection of blue dye during a brief coronary occlusion, and area of necrosis was determined by incubation of heart slices in triphenyltetrazolium chloride. In the nonpreconditioned control rats receiving vehicle, myocardial infarct size expressed as a percentage of the area at risk averaged 44.8 +/- 7.6%. Pretreatment with DCF had no effect on infarct size (49.4 +/- 4.9%) in the nonpreconditioned control rats. Both the preconditioned+vehicle (19.2 +/- 7.8%) and the preconditioned + DCF (17.9 +/- 5.1%) groups had a significant reduction in infarct size (p < 0.05 versus control + vehicle and control + DCF), with no significant difference in infarct size between the two preconditioned groups. The incidence of ventricular tachycardia (VT) during the 90 minutes of ischemia was significantly attenuated in both preconditioned groups (p < 0.05 versus controls).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The size of k -pseudotrees

Abstract Let X be a finite set. A k-pseudotree on X is a family F of subsets of X such that: (i) X ϵ F and for every xϵ X, {x} ϵ F ; (ii) for every U ϵ F there exists an xϵU such that if V ϵ F and x ϵ V, then V is comparable to U; (iii) the intersection of k + 1 pairwise incomparable members of F is empty. The covering graphs of the 1-pseudotrees on an n-set (considered as posets under inclusion) are the directed rooted trees with n leaves and no vertex of outdegree one. It is shown that if k
A novel feed system for soil moisture spaceborne radar: dual-frequency dual-polarized stacked patch microstrip array

This paper describes the development and performance of a dual-frequency and dual-linear polarization microstrip antenna to be used in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for remote-sensing applications. The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) UHF/VHF design is used to deliver data for estimation of soil moisture. Two operating frequencies of 137.5 MHz and 435 MHz have been chosen to separate the effects of vegetation and soil and polarimetry at each frequency is needed to sufficiently characterize vegetation and soil. The planned parabolic reflector antenna has two different antenna widths of 30 m by 2.8 m at UHF and 30 m by 11 m at VHF by subilluminating a 30 m parabolic reflector antenna with a dual-frequency stacked microstrip array feed.
Large interannual CO2 and energy exchange variability in a freshwater marsh under consistent environmental conditions

We analyzed a 5-year record of the CO2 and energy exchange, Aboveground Net Primary Production (ANPP), maximum Leaf Area Index (LAImax), and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) for a Typha marsh in Southern California. The marsh was a net source of carbon over the study, despite high rates of ANPP. Interannual Net Ecosystem Production (NEP) variability was the largest that has been reported for any terrestrial ecosystem and was attributed to changes in maximum photosynthetic rates (GEEmax). The variation in energy and mass exchange was coupled between years; years with higher than average rates of carbon uptake were associated with lower than average sensible heat fluxes. Remotely sensed measures of surface greenness (EVI) were closely related to GEEmax variation, providing further evidence of interannual variability. We were unable to attribute the fluctuations in GEEmax to the direct effects of weather on ecosystem physiology, or to interannual variation in LAImax. GEE did not vary systematically with air temperature or the presence of standing water in the marsh; GEEmax did not vary with LAImax between years. Rather, interannual variation in carbon exchange at the SJFM resulted from shifts in the marsh's production efficiency (the rates of gross or net CO2 exchange per LAI) that were not caused by changes in the weather. Our findings challenge the assumptions that interannual variation of land-atmosphere exchange is universally caused by the direct effect of weather on ecosystem physiology, and that an ecosystem's physiological response to the physical environment is consistent from year-to-year.
Effects of Enzyme Inhibitors on the Contractility and Membrane Potentials of the Rat Atrium

Enzyme inhibitors alter the rate of ion movement across the membrane of the rat atrial cell during the repolarization phase. There is simultaneously no constant change in the resting potential while the action potential amplitude is usually depressed to a moderate degree. The relationship between these membrane changes and the altered contractility is investigated. It is concluded that metabolic depression reduces the contractility by two mechanisms: one is a membrane effect, the result of the shortening of the action potential duration, and the other is an effect more directly on the contractile processes.
Integrating haptics into an immersive environment for the segmentation and visualization of volumetric data

We present a haptically enabled immersive environment for the segmentation and visualization of volumetric data. The environment uses a client/server design and allows multiple, remotely separated users to work in a shared visual space. The environment incorporates several distinct segmentation methods that are based on the local application of computationally expensive algorithms and provides the user with continuous fine-grained control. The environment uses haptic feedback to both provides a sense of touch for segmented structures and to provide additional user control over the segmentation algorithms.
An Iterative Evaluation of NRS: Ripples in a Pond

This article documents the evaluations of the New Primary Grades Reading System (NRS). NRS was implemented in a variety of settings, and the evaluations track the implementation from the early stages of pilot testing through large-scale adoption of the program. Accompanying contrasts were made within a single school, within a school district, and across districts. This approach to evaluation followed the naturally occurring process of implementation of the innovation and provides convergent evidence as to its effects. The accumulation of evidence regarding the success of an innovation across settings allows for greater confidence in the conclusions drawn.
Ultrafast optical response of confined Fermi seas

Summary form only given. Ultrafast spectroscopy offers a unique perspective into the role of many-body effects by providing time resolution shorter than the scattering times among the elementary excitations of the system. In modulation-doped quantum wells (QWs), the optical properties are dominated by the Fermi edge singularity (FES). Unlike in the undoped case, the FES is a continuum resonance whose line shape is governed by the Coulomb interactions of the photoexcited carriers with the low-lying Fermi sea (FS) excitations. In doped systems, the interactions are screened and the many-body correlations enter into the nonlinear response not via long-ranged exciton-exciton interactions, but through the unadiabatic dynamical response of the FS to the sudden appearance of a valence hole. For resonant pump excitation, the electron-electron scattering leads to dephasing and relaxation times that vary from a few ps close to the FES to a few fs away from the Fermi level. However, such incoherent effects are suppressed for off-resonant excitation. Furthermore, for negative time delays, the pump/probe signal is due to the coherent interaction of the pump and the probe polarization and, again, the effects of incoherent processes are strongly attenuated. Therefore, the difference in the coherent dynamics between the FES and the exciton, due to e-h Coulomb correlations with the FS, can be best observed under off-resonant excitation conditions and when the probe precedes the pump. We investigate the ultrafast pump/probe dynamics of the FES-exciton hybrid.
Size reduction and bandwidth enhancement of shorted annular ring (SAR) antenna

Size reduction of the antennas in personal wireless communications has become an important task for the antenna engineer due to the increasing popularity of compact handsets. In this paper, a new technique to reduce the size of a shorted annular ring (SAR) antenna is presented. This technique uses a capacitive loading structure that is analogous to a parallel plate capacitor. Increasing the antenna bandwidth and producing circular polarization are also presented.
Early weaning of piglets fails to exclude porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus.

: Background: Xenotransplantation using pigs as source species carries a risk for the activation of latent herpesviruses from the porcine donor and potential transmission to the recipient. In pig-to-baboon xenotransplantation, activation of porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) has been associated with xenograft injury and an increased incidence of consumptive coagulopathy and graft loss. Activation of porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus (PLHV)-1 was not observed in pig-to-baboon solid organ xenotransplantation, but was associated with a syndrome of post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation in pigs. Material and Methods: Early weaning of piglets was used to try to reduce the viral burden of xenograft donors. This consisted of separating the piglets of a litter from the sow within the first 2 weeks after birth and raising them in isolation from the remaining herd. Results: We have previously demonstrated that PCMV could be excluded from source animals by early weaning of piglets. However, early weaning failed to exclude PLHV-1 from source pigs. Conclusions: This disparity between PCMV and PLHV-1 reflects differing pathogenesis of infection of these herpesviruses. New approaches will be needed to exclude PLHV-1 from pig colonies.
Contributions of NIST/NBS Researchers to the Crystallography of Construction Materials

For more than 100 years, the primary theme underlying the NBS/NIST staff contribution to the crystallography of building materials has been the development of an improved understanding of concrete materials performance. Over that time period, portland cement concrete has become one of the most important of our construction materials for roads, buildings, and other large municipal structures. At the beginning of the 20th century our understanding of portland cement composition, performance, use in concrete, and how the concrete performs in harsh environments was lacking. The efforts of NIST have served to advance construction materials science and technology through the combined efforts of experimental, field study, and theoretical computational materials science. One major achievement in the late 1920s, derived from studies on phase equilibria in cement clinker, allows calculation of potential cement clinker composition. Known as the Bogue calculation, this continues to be an essential tool in cement plant process control to this day. Additionally, contributions of NIST scientists to our knowledge of the chemistry and nature of cement hydration products have been crucial in our understanding of cement hydration and concrete durability. Today, computational materials science is a rapidly developing discipline, and NIST is developing tools incorporating predictive models aided by empirical studies. Examples include a computer-integrated knowledge system for prediction and optimization of performance and life-cycle cost of high performance concrete and the Virtual Cement and Concrete Testing Laboratory. Understanding the relationships between material and performance properties has not been confined only to portland cements. One of the longest running experiments at NIST, the stone test wall, has stood for over 50 years as one of the world's largest single collections of building stone, and is invaluable for studying weathering effects associated with stone mineralogy and texture. Standards development has also been promoted through participation on ASTM subcommittees on stone, cement, and concrete. The Cement and Concrete Reference Laboratory, established in 1929, continues to provide testing and training for outside laboratories and maintains a historical record of test data on construction materials.
Autopsy findings in patients with uterine sarcoma

Autopsy findings were reviewed in 22 patients treated for uterine sarcoma at the University of Michigan Hospitals. Included are 11 mixed mesodermal tumors, 6 endometrial stromal sarcomas, and 5 leiomyosarcomas. Only one patient died with disease limited to the pelvis. Forty-five percent of the patients died with disease limited to the pelvis and abdomen. The most common site of the disease above the diaphragm was the lung. Lymph nodes were involved in 59% of our patients. There were no obvious differences in the patterns of spread between the tumor types.
Racial/Ethnic, Socioeconomic, and Behavioral Determinants of Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in the United States: Analyzing Independent and Joint Associations

PURPOSE: This study examines independent and joint associations between several socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral characteristics and obesity prevalence among 46,707 children aged 10-17 years in the United States. METHODS: The 2003 National Survey of Children's Health was used to calculate obesity prevalence. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds of obesity and adjusted prevalence. RESULTS: Ethnic minority status, non-metropolitan residence, lower socioeconomic status (SES) and social capital, higher television viewing, and higher physical inactivity levels were all independently associated with higher obesity prevalence. Adjusted obesity prevalence varied by age, gender, race/ethnicity, and SES. Compared with affluent white children, the odds of obesity were 2.7, 1.9 and 3.2 times higher for the poor Hispanic, white, and black children, respectively. Hispanic, white, and black children watching television 3 hours or more per day had 1.8, 1.9, and 2.5 times higher odds of obesity than white children who watched television less than 1 hour/day, respectively. Poor children with a sedentary lifestyle had 3.7 times higher odds of obesity than their active, affluent counterparts (adjusted prevalence, 19.8% vs. 6.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Race/ethnicity, SES, and behavioral factors are independently related to childhood and adolescent obesity. Joint effects by gender, race/ethnicity, and SES indicate the potential for considerable reduction in the existing disparities in childhood obesity in the United States.
Elevated Cell Wall Serine in Pleiotropic Staphylococcal Mutants

Korman, Ruth Z. (Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.). Elevated cell wall serine in pleiotropic staphylococcal mutants. J. Bacteriol. 92:762-768. 1966.-Physically purified cell walls were prepared from two staphylococcal strains and from pleiotropic variants derived from them. The quantitative amino acid and amino sugar content of these walls is reported. The pleiotypes, which are identified culturally by their failure to elaborate coagulase, their resistance to bacteriophage, and their sensitivity to mannitol, have altered molar ratios of amino acids and amino sugars in their cell walls. In comparison with lysine content, the serine content of the mutant wall is elevated and the glycine content is reduced. The glucosamine content is reduced also. It is postulated that the pleiotropic mutants possess an altered cell wall biosynthetic pathway.
Numerical Simulation of a Weakly Nonlinear Model for Water Waves with Viscosity

The potential flow equations which govern the free-surface motion of an ideal fluid (the water wave problem) are notoriously difficult to solve for a number of reasons. First, they are a classical free-boundary problem where the domain shape is one of the unknowns to be found. Additionally, they are strongly nonlinear (with derivatives appearing in the nonlinearity) without a natural dissipation mechanism so that spurious high-frequency modes are not damped. In this contribution we address the latter of these difficulties using a surface formulation (which addresses the former complication) supplemented with physically-motivated viscous effects recently derived by Dias et al. (Phys. Lett. A 372:1297---1302, 2008). The novelty of our approach is to derive a weakly nonlinear model from the surface formulation of Zakharov (J. Appl. Mech. Tech. Phys. 9:190---194, 1968) and Craig and Sulem (J. Comput. Phys. 108:73---83, 1993), complemented with the viscous effects mentioned above. Our new model is simple to implement while being both faithful to the physics of the problem and extremely stable numerically.
Water consumption by broilers in high cyclic temperatures: bell versus nipple waterers

Abstract Broilers were maintained on litter in environmental chambers to study water consumption from bell and nipple waterers. The chambers were set at high cyclic temperatures of either 24-35-24 C or 24-32-24 C daily cycles in three trials. Water consumption was recorded by computer each 30 min and calculated as a percentage of body weight. Daily water consumption from nipples was always less than from bell waterers. Water consumption by quarter-day revealed that consumption from nipples was often similar to that from bell waterers during the lowest temperatures but was less during the periods of highest temperatures. Further study revealed that water consumption from nipple waterers was related to the height of the nipples such that consumption was greater for lower nipples. The results suggest that panting broilers have difficulty drinking from high nipple waterers.
Seasonal Stability in Late Holocene Shellfish Harvesting on the Central California Coast

Abstract Oxygen isotope determinations from 92 California mussel (Mytilus californianus) shells from ten archaeological sites in central coastal California show relatively stable seasonal harvesting patterns between 3600 CAL BP and historic contact (AD 1769). Coastal occupants harvested mussels nearly year-round and seem to have occupied individual residential bases throughout the seasonal cycle. Interior groups returned with mussels from the coast mostly in the spring and early summer, but almost never in the late summer/early fall when nut crops were harvested. These findings suggest two inter-dependent groups with distinct seasonal settlement strategies: inland people, reliant on acorns and other nut crops harvested in the fall, and coastal inhabitants who were less involved with acorns. This pattern is supported by accounts recorded by the first Spanish explorers in AD 1769. While some interior groups may have been seasonally migrating “collectors,” coastal populations were less mobile, inhabiting individual residential sites throughout the year, albeit not necessarily on a permanent basis. These findings highlight the strong influence of coastal environments and resources on hunter-gatherer mobility.
Can a One-day Workshop Alter Surgeons’ Teaching Practices?

Abstract Background: A 1-day workshop, consisting of five sections with small group discussions and opportunities for practical application of participants' knowledge, was developed to enhance the teaching skills of practicing surgeons. Immediate and long-term follow-up surveys were completed by the participants. Methods: Post-workshop evaluations were obtained from all participants who took the workshop; follow-up surveys were mailed 4 to 6 months later. Results: Workshop quality was rated as good (25%) or excellent (75%) by all participants. Follow-up survey results indicated that many participants had rarely/never utilized cited references, looked for additional resources on specific topics, or referred to the section syllabus/handout materials provided during the workshop. However, 100% of the participant respondents reported that they had changed the way they teach as a result of their workshop attendance. Conclusion: An abbreviated course on surgical education can result in long-term changes in the participants' perceptions of their teaching practices. Further study is required to determine if these perceived changes in teaching practices, which the participants have directly attributed to their workshop attendance, have resulted in measurable improvement in their effectiveness and efficiency as teachers.
Emergent Collectives

Emergent collectives are networks of information or function nodes with minimal central control. People can easily add nodes to the network and often have a social incentive to do so. The author argues that such collectives are an important feature of today's economy and that enterprises could benefit from simulating such collectives to problem solve and predict potential disruptions.