cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Status and Evaluation in Online Communities: Deviation and Conformity Among Elite Evaluators

In the past decade, the evaluation process has become more diverse, fragmented, and democratized, with consumers themselves becoming the information intermediaries who pass critical judgment on a product on online sites such as Amazon, TripAdvisor, and IMDB. Given this broadening of information intermediaries, the manner in which the evaluator’s status – and change in status – affects evaluations has also changed. Drawing from a broad, longitudinal sample we investigate evaluations expressed in 55,673 reviews by over 4,000 individuals from 2011–2015 on the Yelp platform, where status is reevaluated yearly. While prior literature on status and evaluations has primarily studied status by investigating differences between high- and low-status groups, our paper investigates how changes in each evaluator’s status affects the evaluations of each individual by comparing evaluations of each individual prior to and subsequent to status gain. We find that change in status drives greater conformity and greater interest in promoting products and businesses that have been assigned lower ratings by prior reviewers. Our research contributes to the theory on status by exploring how status affects evaluations before and after attainment of status, an unexplored area in the literature.
Drought rewires an old field food web through shifts in plant nutrient content and herbivore feeding behaviors

Abstract Food web rewiring is becoming more likely as climate change continues, yet few experimental studies have focused on it and even fewer have examined the effects of two or more climate variables simultaneously. To help fill this gap the current study examined the effects of warming and drought, both alone and in combination, on herbivore feeding behaviors in a well-known old field food web consisting of two plants (grass and goldenrod), one grasshopper herbivore (Melanoplus femurrubrum), and one arachnid predator (Pisaurina mira). Drought had much stronger effects than warming on goldenrod mortality and flowering, goldenrod nutrient content, herbivore feeding preferences, and live goldenrod biomass remaining at the end of the experiment, while grass was largely unaffected. Drought combined with warming to almost completely suppress goldenrod because of increased goldenrod mortality rates and the drought-stressed grasshoppers’ clear preference for consuming goldenrod with high foliar carbon concentrations. When compared with previous studies that have focused on warming in this system, the current study suggests that food web rewiring is very likely in old fields but the type of rewiring that may occur will be dependent on which climate variables shift more strongly.
Determining a Taxonomy of Accessible Phrases During Exercise Instruction for People with Visual Impairments for Text Analysis

Physical activity is an important part of quality life, however people with visual impairments (PVIs) are less likely to participate in physical activity than their sighted peers. One barrier is that exercise instructors may not give accessible verbal instructions. There is a potential for text analysis to determine these phrases, and in response provide more accessible instructions. First, a taxonomy of accessible phrases needs to be developed. To address this problem, we conducted user studies with 10 PVIs exercising along with audio and video aerobic workouts. We analyzed video footage of their exercise along with interviews to determine a preliminary set of phrases that are helpful or confusing. We then conducted an iterative qualitative analysis of six other exercise videos and sought expert feedback to derive our taxonomy. We hope these findings inform systems that analyze instructional phrases for accessibility to PVIs.
Socioeconomic status and cancers of the female breast and reproductive organs: a comparison across racial/ethnic populations in Los Angeles County, California (United States).

Objectives: Despite the fact that socioeconomic status (SES) has been shown to have important implications in health related issues, population-based cancer registries in the United States do not routinely collect SES information. This study presents a model to estimate the SES of cancer patients in the registry database. Methods: At the Los Angeles Cancer Surveillance Program (CSP), we developed a model to estimate each cancer patient's SES from aggregate measurements of the census tract of residence (n = 1,640) at time of diagnosis. We then applied the SES estimates to observe the relationship between SES and risk of cancers of the female breast and reproductive organs including cancers of the ovary, cervix uteri, and corpus uteri. The analyses were performed on the cumulative records (n = 127,819) of cancer patients diagnosed between 1972 and 1992 in Los Angeles County, California, for the mutually exclusive racial/ethnic groups of non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic Whites, Blacks, Asians, and persons of other ethnic groups. Results: We found SES is positively associated with female breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and cancer of the corpus uteri, but inversely associated with cervical cancer. These SES trends were quite consistent across age groups among non-Hispanic White women. Variations by race/ethnicity in the SES patterns were also found, with Asians exhibiting little association. Conclusions: Our model of measuring SES is sufficiently sensitive to capture the trends. Adopting the aggregate approach to measure SES in population-based registry data appears to be useful.
Fast Checkers for Cryptography

Program correctness is a serious concern, and has consequently received considerable attention. This attention has taken three approaches: mathematical: prove programs correct; empirical: test programs for bugs; and engineering: design programs well. While considerable progress has been made, the question of whether a given computation was performed correctly still has no practical solution. However, a new approach, proposed by Manuel Blum, promises to be both practical and of theoretical significance, and is intrinsically closer to a computer scientist’s heart, since the approach is algorithmic: check every computation using a progmm checker. Program checkers are designed for specific computational problems; a checker is then an algorithm such that, given a program that is supposed to solve that problem, and an input value, if the program computes correctly at that input, the checker says “CORRECT” (with a small probability of error); alternately, if the program has a bug, it says “BUGGY” (again, with a small chance of error).
Christopher Beard: The Hunt for the Dawn Monkey. Unearthing the Origins of Monkeys, Apes and Humans

It is definitely time for a popular book on primate evolution that does not view everything through the myopic lens of human origins. Anthropoid origins is the ideal focus for such a book, necessitating as it does a discussion of everything from the omomyiforms of Asia to the anthropoids of North Africa. Beard does a nice job of reviewing the Eocene primate fossil record, and the book is a very readable but fairly detailed treatment of the issues surrounding the origins and relationships of primate higher taxa. The chapters begin with entertaining fieldwork vignettes or introductions of important historical figures in primate paleontology, before diving into readable, but in depth accounts of the fossil record of primate evolution. Accounts of adapiforms, omomyiforms, and the Fayum anthropoids precede Beard’s presentation of his case for tarsier affinities for Shoshonius and anthropoid affinities for Eosimias. His review of the competing hypotheses regarding anthropoid relationships is a tidy summary that will be useful for those wanting to familiarize themselves with the history of the literature. In contrast, Beard’s treatment of explanations for anthropoid origins is scant, limited to Cachel’s theory, which is supported by no one whom I can recall. More detailed explanations, such as Cartmill’s, or mine, are not presented, either because Beard does not agree with them, or he is less interested in explanations than with patterns. The book also includes entertaining and accurate descriptions of some of the major players and events in the anthropoid origins debate. Beard’s account of his first presentation of Eosimias at the Anthropoid Origins Conference and Duke University in 1992 replays my memory of events nicely, and description of Elwyn Simons is right on the button. These accounts add color to the story. Int J Primatol (2007) 28:1195–1196 DOI 10.1007/s10764-007-9212-y
"Crack kids": not broken.

Reports in the lay press based on anecdotal evidence have resulted in a rush to judgment about the impact of in utero exposure to illicit drugs, particularly cocaine, on the health, behavior, and development of America9s children.1 Children with a history of prenatal cocaine exposure, labeled "crack kids," are portrayed in the media as inevitably and permanently damaged. An article on Rolling Stone Magazine (October 18, 1990) stated that these babies are "like no others, brain damaged in ways yet unknown, oblivious to any affection." An article in the New York Times reported that "the parents and researchers say a vast majority of children exposed to significant amounts of drugs in the womb appeared to have suffered brain damage that cuts into their ability to make friends, know right from wrong, control their impulses, gain insight, concentrate on tasks, and feel and return love."
Calculations of Velocity-Scalar Joint pdf’s

A joint pdf transport equation has been solved to calculate the properties of the self-similar, plane, turbulent jet. The joint probability density function (pdf) is that of the three velocity components and of the nozzle-fluid concentration, which is a conserved, passive scalar. The advantage of basing a turbulence closure on the joint pdf equation is that convective transport appears in closed form. Consequently, the gradient-diffusion assumption is avoided. For self-similar shear flows, the joint pdf is a function of five variables. Its transport equation is solved by a Lagrangian method with stochastic modelling of the unclosed terms. The calculated Reynolds stresses and triple velocity correlations agree well with the experimental data. Calculated pdf s and joint pdf’s are also reported.
Accumulation as eternal recurrence: theology of the bad infinity

The paper re-evaluates Schmitt’s (Political theology: four chapters on the concept of sovereignty, trans. George Schwab. Chicago University Press, Chicago, 2005: 36, 48, 65) claim that although all “significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts”; the theological was replaced in the nineteenth century by “exclusively scientific thinking”; leading in the twentieth, to “the onslaught against the political,” in which it “vanishes into the economic or technical-organizational”. Some modern political concepts, especially sovereignty, have theological origins; and economics claims to be pure positive science. Nonetheless, the political is necessarily worldly, whereas economics is theological in its origins and remains so. The political is worldly in accepting the principle of plurality as “the law of the earth,” taking worldly freedom as its aim (Arendt 1968: 146–50, Arendt in The life of the mind. Harcourt Brace and Company, New York, 1978: 19). Economics is theological first, because, like the one god, it is essentially singular and postulates an order beyond human knowledge and agency. Three stages of economic theology are sketched: the primitive theology of Adam Smith; the pseudo-theology of neoclassical economics; and the true theology of Marx’s account of capitalist accumulation. The paper uses Eliade’s (The myth of the eternal return or, cosmos and history, trans. Willard R. Trask, Bollingen Series XLVI. Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1965) account of the “archaic ontology” of pre-modern societies in which order is beyond human knowledge and agency; realizes itself through the eternal recurrence of archetypal agents and acts; and abolishes history. It also uses Agamben’s (The kingdom and the glory: for a theological genealogy of economy and government, trans. Lorenzo Chiesa. Stanford University Press, Stanford, 2011) description of the development of the word oikonomia. It argues that the line of modern political thought based on sovereignty and regarded as central by Schmitt, is a politics that has been colonized by economics, and must be a form of domination. Liberation from economic theology can only come from a revival of a true politics that aims at freedom. It is true that such a politics has never yet succeeded in separating itself from domination (Clastres in Society against the state, trans. Robert Hurley. Urizen Books, New York, 1977); but that is the subject of another discussion.
Milk Sphingomyelin Is More Effective than Egg Sphingomyelin in Inhibiting Intestinal Absorption of Cholesterol and Fat in Rats

We reported previously that egg sphingomyelin (SM) inhibits the intestinal absorption of cholesterol and fat in rats. This study was conducted to compare the relative efficiencies of milk and egg SM in inhibiting intestinal absorption of cholesterol and other lipids. Adult male rats with lymph cannulae were infused at 3.0 mL/h for 8 h via a duodenal catheter with a lipid emulsion (451.7 micromol triolein, 20.7 micromol cholesterol, 33.3 kBq (14)C-cholesterol, 3.1 micromol alpha-tocopherol, and 396.0 micromol sodium taurocholate in 24 mL PBS, pH, 6.5), without SM (controls), or with 80.0 micromol egg SM or milk SM. The lymphatic absorptions of (14)C-cholesterol were significantly lower in rats infused with milk SM (19.5 +/- 1.4% dose) and egg SM (24.4 +/- 1.9% dose) than in those infused with no SM (37.6 +/- 1.8% dose). In addition, the lymphatic outputs of fatty acids and phospholipid were significantly lowered by milk and egg SM. Similarly, the absorption of alpha-tocopherol also was decreased by milk SM (13.6 +/- 1.7% dose) and egg SM (18.3 +/- 2.4% dose) compared with controls (27.0 +/- 1.8% dose). Total lymphatic SM output was not affected by egg SM, but markedly decreased by milk SM, relative to controls. The results indicate that both milk and egg SM markedly inhibit the absorption of cholesterol, fat, and other lipids. However, milk SM is a more potent inhibitor than egg SM. The strong inhibitory effect of milk SM may be associated with the higher degree of saturation and longer chain length of its fatty acyl groups, which may slow the rate of luminal lipolysis, micellar solubilization, and transfer of micellar lipids to the enterocyte.
The role of small heterodimer partner in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease improvement after sleeve gastrectomy in mice.

Objective: Bile acids (BA) are elevated after vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) and farnesoid-X-receptor (FXR) is critical to the success of murine VSG. BA downregulate hepatic lipogenesis by activating the FXR-small heterodimer partner (SHP) pathway. The role of SHP in fatty liver disease improvement after VSG was tested. Methods: Wild type (WT), SHP liver transgenic (SHP-Tg), and SHP knockout (SHP-KO) high-fat diet (HFD) fed mice underwent either VSG or Sham surgery. Body weight, BA level and composition, steatosis, and BA metabolism gene expression were evaluated. Results: Obese WT mice post-VSG lost weight, reduced steatosis, decreased plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), had more BA absorptive ileal area, and elevated serum BA. Obese SHP-Tg mice postVSG also lost weight and had decreased steatosis. SHP-KO mice were however resistant to steatosis despite weight gain on a HFD. Further SHP-KO mice that underwent VSG lost weight, but developed hepatic inflammation and had increased ALT. Conclusions: VSG produces weight loss independent of SHP status. SHP ablation creates a proinflammatory phenotype which is exacerbated after VSG despite weight loss. These inflammatory alterations are possibly related to factors extrinsic to a direct manifestation of NASH.
Laboratory Rearing and Biology of the Parasite Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) Using Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) as a Host

Biology of the parasite Cotesia flavipes Cameron and rearing procedures appropriate for small-scale laboratory production of the parasite are described. Unfed female parasites had a type I survivorship curve and lived an average of 23.8 h. Parasites accepted and used third- to sixth-instar Diatraea saccharalis (F.) as hosts. The sex ratios and number of parasite progeny were independent of host instar. Increasing parasite/host ratios increased the proportion of hosts parasitized; the increase in proportion parasitized was curvilinear, apparently reaching an upper limit at parasite/host ratios >2:1. Parasites had low attack rates, with a maximum of 1.6 attacks per parasite at a 1:4 parasite/host ratio. Some host larvae exposed to parasites died, whereas others failed to pupate. Exposed larvae that failed to pupate either contained encapsulated parasite larvae or molted to the immaculate, diapausing form. Results suggested that rearing is achieved best by exposing females to hosts as soon after mating as possible, and that the parasite/host ratios used for rearing depend on whether the objective is to maximize the total number of parasites produced or produce the most progeny per adult parasite. Parasite encapsulation and host death are likely caused by the noncoevolved association between the Old World parasite and the New World host.
Power programmed field-flow fractionation: a new program form for improved uniformity of fractionating power.

Presentation d'une nouvelle forme mathematique de champ decroissant, qui avec un ajustage correct des parametres, fournit des courbes uniformes de resolution en fonction du diametre des particules
Disruption of the aortic anastomosis after heart-lung transplantation

Abstract Disruption of the aorta at the anastomotic site occurred in 4 of 66 consecutive heart-lung transplant recipients and was associated with a 100% mortality. In 3 of these patients, Candida either was cultured from the suture line or was seen in the wall of the aorta at postmortem examination. In 2 of these 3 patients, cultures of material from the donor trachea taken at the time of explantation grew Candida species. Two patients were seen with sudden massive hemorrhage on postoperative day 26 and postoperative day 28. One patient experienced acute decompensation due to right ventricular outflow tract obstruction on postoperative day 30, and the remaining patient was seen 7 months postoperatively with obstruction of both the left main bronchus and the right pulmonary artery caused by extrinsic compression by an aortic pseudoaneurysm. A high index of suspicion should be maintained when transplanting lungs containing Candida species, as we believe there is substantial evidence of donor transmission of the fungal agents. We now include amphotericin B in our antibiotic prophylactic regimen in an attempt to prevent fungal infection because previous treatment has been uniformly unsuccessful. Furthermore, we wrap both the trachea and the aorta with omentum to lessen the likelihood of mediastinal spread of infection to the aortic suture line.
Distal substrate interactions enhance plasmepsin activity.

Plasmepsin II (PM II) is an aspartic protease active in hemoglobin (Hb) degradation in the protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum. A fluorescence-quenched octapeptide substrate based on the initial hemoglobin cleavage site is recognized well by PM II. C-terminal extension of this peptide has little effect, but N-terminal extension results in higher maximal velocity and dramatic concentration-dependent substrate inhibition. This inhibition, but not the rate stimulation, depends on the presence of a DABCYL group on the peptide N terminus. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we have identified PM II residues that interact with N-terminal amino acids of peptide substrates. The same residues influence degradation of Hb by PM II. Cathepsin E (CatE), a related mammalian aspartic protease, is also stimulated by N-terminally extended substrates. This suggests that distal substrate interactions as far out as P6 may be a general property of aspartic proteases and may be important in substrate and inhibitor recognition. Although PM II and CatE are similar in their ability to cleave Hb-based peptides and Hb α-chains, CatE is not able to degrade native Hb, which is a substrate for PM II. Based on these results, we propose that PM II may have the special feature of being a Hb denaturase.
Body Beautiful, Beautiful Body: The Curricular Encounters of Gay Men Living with HIV 1

Through this article the author extends the study of the curricular body and mothering curriculum initiated by Stephanie Springgay and Deborah Freedman with a study into the embodied experiences of gay men living with HIV. In the first section, the author focuses on difference as embodiment before and after HIV in order to craft analytic frames of reference for encounters with the self and others. This is unwritten with a focus on “touch” and “space” as two key lenses for embodied knowing. In the second section, understandings of encounters are extended to the m/othering curriculum and ethical relations concerning nurturing and alienation. Each section is supported through data from three participants who shared their views on embodiment, touch, and space as a way to ground these theoretical ideas in the lived experiences of gay men. The author closes with the idea that in the future of curriculum studies, the unknown needs to be thought about as ways of knowing and processes of becoming are always alread...
Partner of Numb Colocalizes with Numb during Mitosis and Directs Numb Asymmetric Localization in Drosophila Neural and Muscle Progenitors

During mitosis of multiple types of precursor cells in Drosophila, Numb is asymmetrically distributed between the two daughter cells and confers distinct daughter cell fates. Here we report the identification of a novel gene product, Partner of Numb (PON), based on its physical interaction with Numb. PON is asymmetrically localized during mitosis and colocalizes with Numb. Loss of pon function disrupts Numb localization in muscle progenitors and delays Numb crescent formation in neural precursors. Moreover, ectopically expressed PON responds to the apical-basal polarity of epithelial cells and is sufficient to localize Numb basally. We propose that PON is one component of a multimolecular machinery that localizes Numb by responding to polarity cues conserved in neural precursors and epithelial cells.
Ensuring an Exit Strategy: RTEL1 Restricts Rogue Recombination

Success of homologous recombination-based DNA repair depends not only on recombinases, which promote invasion of the homologous DNA duplex that serves as a template for repair, but also on antirecombinases, which dismantle recombination intermediates to allow completion of repair. In this issue, Barber et al. (2008) identify a previously elusive antirecombinase activity important for maintaining genome stability in animals.
Chemically sensitive surface plasmon devices employing a self-assembled monolayer composite film

AbstractIn this paper the results of detecting volatile organic compounds (VOC) employing surfaceplasmon-based sensors are presented. The initial step in preparing the sensing elements herein requires depositing Au° on a quartz slide. The sensing elements are based on either (1) freshly deposited Au° or (2)growth of a self assembled monolayer composite film (SAM) on to a freshly deposited Au° surface. Thedesired SAM is either (1) acid terminated using w-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA-COOH) or (2) Cu2metal ion terminated yielding w-mercaptoundecanoic acid-Cu (MUA- Cu ). The experimental apparatusshown here measures the reflectivity ofthe Au° surface as a function oftime at a given angle. The responseofthis surface plasmon device to various VOC's is correlated to the composition ofthe SAM film. I. Introduction The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon can be used to measure the refractiveindex ofeither bulk chemical samples or thin film chemical transducing layers. SPR has already been employed asthe transduction mechanism for many chemical sensors and such devices are also commercially available 1-3Such sensors include the following: immunoassay 4,16 liquid 5,6 gas , DNA hybridization 17,18 and thinfilm sensors 8 In these cases the SPR phenomenon is generated by either Kretschmann's configuration atthe interface between a thin metal film evaporated on the top of a prism and the medium to be sensed 91 I, or
Optical Engineering of the OMEGA EP Laser System

OMEGA EP (Extended Performance) is a petawatt-class addition to the existing 30-kJ, 60-beam OMEGA Laser Facility at the University of Rochester. The optical engineering involved in subsystems of the OMEGA EP Laser will be described.
Current trends in corporate communication

Explores trends in corporate communication based on the Corporate Communication Institute Benchmark Study and on the Council of Public Relations Firms Spending Study. Presents answers to five basic questions on how change has an impact on practitioners and the profession. The research register for this journal is available at http://www.mcbup.com/research_registers. The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www.emerald‐library.com/ft
Detecting internal insect infestation in tart cherry using transmittance spectroscopy

Abstract This paper introduces an application of using transmittance spectroscopy to identify the infestation in tart cherry resulting from past or present insect activities. The spectra were recorded within a wavelength region between 550 and 980 nm with a FieldSpec spectroradiometer. The fresh tart cherries were hand harvested from different orchards in Michigan in 2004–2007. The samples included intact as well as infested cherries with different damage levels. The spectral analysis indicates that the maturity of tart cherry has effects on the classification accuracy. The intact cherries harvested late in the season (over-ripened) have similar spectral characteristics as the infested tissues. The classification accuracy for the samples harvested at normal time is better than that for the late harvested samples. Depending on the arrangement of the samples into non-infested or infested classes, the total classification accuracy varies from 82% to 87%. These findings and results demonstrate that transmittance spectroscopy has strong potential to detect the internal insect infestation within a tart cherry fruit.
Position Statement -- Tools for Design Automation from a University Point of View

The purpose of this summary is to outline a selected set of responses to the questions posed for the panel discussion of Government Interest and Involvement in Design Automation Development.
Factors associated with condom use among sexually active female adolescents.

A health belief model of condom use was used to identify factors associated with condom use in 390 sexually active female adolescents, aged 12 through 19 years, recruited at the time of a visit for reproductive health care. Fifty-six percent were white and the remainder black. Nineteen percent had genitourinary infections with Chlamydia trachomatis . Forty-six percent reported having had more than one sexual partner in the preceding year. Reported condom use for at least one specific reason (prevention of pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) increased as behavioral, emotional, and sexually transmitted disease risk decreased, and as cognitive maturity and positive condom attitudes increased. Although uses of condoms to prevent pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and acquired immunode-ficiency syndrome were positively intercorrelated, each made a contribution to explaining condom use at most recent coitus (odds ratios 2.95, 3.96, and 2.81, respectively). After statistical adjustment for the reported reasons for previous condom use, behavioral risk was the only additional factor associated with condom use at the most recent sexual encounter; women who participated in more risk behaviors (substance and alcohol use and minor delinquency) were less likely to have used a condom (odds ratio 0.61). Knowledge about sexually transmitted disease and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and concurrent use of contraceptive pills, were not related to condom practices. The data suggest that adolescents' perceptions about condoms, including the individual functions of condoms for contraception and for prevention of sexually transmitted disease, may be important in determining their use. Engaging in unprotected intercourse may be part of a larger behavioral domain that includes other unhealthy behaviors.
In vivo, transcutaneous glucose sensing using surface-enhanced spatially offset Raman spectroscopy: multiple rats, improved hypoglycemic accuracy, low incident power, and continuous monitoring for greater than 17 days.

This paper presents the latest progress on quantitative, in vivo, transcutaneous glucose sensing using surface enhanced spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SESORS). Silver film over nanosphere (AgFON) surfaces were functionalized with a mixed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) and implanted subcutaneously in Sprague–Dawley rats. The glucose concentration was monitored in the interstitial fluid of six separate rats. The results demonstrated excellent accuracy and consistency. Remarkably, the root-mean-square error of calibration (RMSEC) (3.6 mg/dL) and the root-mean-square error of prediction (RMSEP) (13.7 mg/dL) for low glucose concentration (<80 mg/dL) is lower than the current International Organization Standard (ISO/DIS 15197) requirements. Additionally, our sensor demonstrated functionality up 17 days after implantation, including 12 days under the laser safety level for human skin exposure with only one time calibration. Therefore, our SERS based sensor shows promise for the challenge of reliable contin...
Effect of irrigation and Rhizobium japonicum strain 110 upon yield and nitrogen accumulation and distribution of determinate soybeans

Abstract In the southeastern Coastal Plains determinate soybean [Clycine max (L.) Merr.] is grown on soils with low water‐holding capacities and N contents. Therefore, N fixation and management of water are important in soybean production. Several studies were conducted to increase the understanding of the interaction of these two factors on soybean growth and yield. Experiments were conducted in 1976, 1978, and 1979 on a ‘ Norfolk loamy sand (Typic Paleudult) with soybean of maturity groups VI, VII, and VIII grown under irrigated and nonirrigated conditions each year with soil water monitored to 60‐cm depths. In 1979 the plots were split by inoculating with Rhizobium japonicum strain 110 at a rate of 108 organisms/cm of row. Serological analyses indicated that strain 110 infection of nodules was near 0% in the noninoculated plots and 7 to 21% in the inoculated plots. Irrigation water increased leaf‐N concentration and seed yield during the severe droughts of 1976 and 1978; yields were >3 and <1.5 t/ha fo...
Pamidronate Reduces PTH-mediated bone loss in a gene transfer model of hyperparathyroidism in rats

We evaluated spinal and femoral bone mass and density utilizing dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) in rats in which severe hyperparathyroidism was produced by the expression of the gene for human PTH-(1-84) (hPTH). This gene was incorporated into a retroviral vector that was transfected into fibroblasts which were subsequently injected into their peritoneal cavities. Further, we examined the effect of the administration of pamidronate on bone mass and density in the presence of extremely high concentrations of hPTH. Three groups of rats were studied. Groups 1 and 2 receive the hPTH-secreting fibroblasts; group 2 subsequently received pamidronate (2.5 mg/kg IV) 18 and 27 days after receiving the fibroblasts. These animals developed levels of hPTH greater than 1.0 microgram/liter and became hypercalcemia within 20 days. These animals became lethargic and were significantly lower in weight than age-matched controls (group 3, p less than 0.05). After accounting for the animal weight there was a further significant decrease in bone mineral content and density (BMC and BMD) on day 29 attributable to hPTH-mediated bone loss. Treatment with pamidronate resulted in a higher BMC of the lumbar spine than in the untreated animals, with elevated concentrations of hPTH. The BMD was significantly higher at both the lumbar spine and femur in the pamidronate-treated animals (p less than 0.05). The CV of paired measurements of BMD was 2.7% at the spine and 1.5% of a femur, respectively. The BMC of the lumbar spine and femur was closely correlated with the ashed weight of the same bones (r = 0.92 and 0.85, respectively).
Wetting of polymeric adsorbents and its effect on adsorption

Etude du mouillage d'amberlite XAD-4 par des solutions aqueuses de methanol, d'ethanol et d'acide acetique de concentrations variables
Oncologic rationale for bilateral tonsillectomy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary source.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate an oncologic basis for the recommendation to perform bilateral tonsillectomy as a routine measure in the search for a primary mucosal lesion in patients presenting with cervical nodal metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).STUDY DESIGN: A case series of individuals selected from a 3-year period is reported.SETTING: Academic medical center.RESULTS: Each individual presented with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in a cervical lymph node from an unknown primary source. In each case, the primary source was identified in a tonsillectomy specimen, either located contralateral to the node, or in both tonsils.CONCLUSIONS: The rate of contralateral spread of metastatic cancer from occult tonsil lesions appears to approach 10%. For this reason, bilateral tonsillectomy is recommended as a routine step in the search for the occult primary in patients presenting with cervical metastasis of SCC and palatine tonsils intact.
Focal volume characterization using multiphoton fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (MP-FCS)

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy(FCS) normally employs measured fluctuations in molecular fluorescence from within a defined observation volume created by a laser focus to extract information about dynamic processes associated with those molecules. In order to extract quantitative information about these processes, the laser focal volume must be well characterized. We show in this work, similar to others before, that a description of the focal volume in terms of vector diffraction theory allows quantitative analysis of FCS sufficient to resolve the diffusion coefficients of small molecules-Rhod 6G and Alexa 546, here-in the diffraction-limited volume of a high numerical aperture objective lens. We subsequently demonstrate the utility of a “reverse” FCS experimental paradigm in which the focal volume itself is characterized for a known molecular sample. Using a combination of wide-field and localized detection, we characterize the focal volume location and relative size as the beam collimation and correction collar are varied. We find that Gaussian beam theory can predict the focal volume location over a wide range of collimation conditions. It can also predict the relative focal volume size for converging and collimated beams, provided that spherical aberration is corrected for each collimation condition using the correction collar.
31P-NMR analysis of bio-oils obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass

Background: The use of 2-chloro-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaphospholane followed by 31P-NMR analysis has been frequently employed to quantitatively characterize the structure of hydroxyl groups in lignin and, more recently, biodiesel. This technique serves as a valuable tool to determine aliphatic hydroxyls, phenolics and carboxylic acid groups in lignin and aliphatic hydroxyl groups in partially substituted glycerols. Results: This study demonstrates the application of this analytical technique to pyrolysis oils to allow efficient analysis and identification of important functional groups present in bio-oils and the measurement of moisture content. Conclusion: Phosphitylation followed by 31P-NMR analysis was used to show that the moisture content of the loblolly pine bio-oil used in this study was 11.94%. The results also established that the bio-oils obtained from loblolly pine cellulose had higher levoglucosan content than the bio-oil obtained from the starting pine itself. In addition, the total ph...
Distribution of prognostically important vascular patterns across multiple levels in ciliary body and choroidal melanomas

Abstract PURPOSE: To investigate the validity of assigning patients whose eyes have been removed for ciliary body or choroidal melanoma to risk groups for metastasis based on the identification of microcirculatory patterns in one cross-section taken from the center of the tumor. METHODS: Multiple levels were cut through the blocks of 15 ciliary body or choroidal melanomas until the tumor was exhausted. Each level was examined for the presence of microvascular networks and parallel vessels with cross-linking histologic features strongly associated with death from metastatic melanoma. RESULTS: The central histologic section did not contain either microvascular networks or parallel vessels with cross-linking in eight tumors, nor were these patterns encountered in any of the more peripheral levels of the tumor. Seven tumors contained at least one focus of either microvascular networks or parallel vessels with cross-linking in the central histologic section. In two tumors, at least one of these patterns appeared in all histologic levels; in five tumors, at least one of these patterns appeared through multiple levels until just before the tumor was exhausted from the block (0.24 to 0.85 mm from the edge of the tumor). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the prognostic classification of uveal melanoma based on the histologic profile of the microcirculation may be consistent throughout the tumor depth.
ENZYME CHANGES IN AXON, MYELIN, AND SCHWANN CELLS IN INJURED SCIATIC NERVE

Four enzymes related to specific cell functions were assayed in rat sciatic nerve injury by crush (cr) or crush and ligation (cr-lig) after 2, 7, and 15 days in situ. Enzyme activities in segments of sciatic nerve proximal and distal to the injury were compared to those in corresponding segments of the contralateral nerve. Choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity in the distal portion decreased by 65% for cr and almost to zero for cr-lig by day 7, while in the proximal portions CAT decreased to 70% of control values by 7 days and to 50% at 15 days after cr-lig. The activity of the Schwann cell–myelin-associated enzyme 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide phosphohydrolase (CNP) decreased slowly distal to the injury. Distal to both types of injury the lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase (GLR) increased six- to eightfold by 15 days. Proximal to injury GLR also increased (P cr × 2.5, P cr-lig × 5) but the peak proximally was attained by day 7. Despite interruption of axonally transported enzymes, the activities of the metabolic enzyme creatine kinase (CK) increased distal to injury apparently reflecting changes in the functions of the Schwann cells. The loss of metabolic enzymes from the axonal compartment may be completely obscured by reciprocal changes in the nonneuronal compartments if the activity is present in both compartments.
How Digital Image Processing Became Really Easy

In the early and mid-1970s, digital image processing was the subject of intense university and corporate research. The research lay along two lines: (1) developing mathematical techniques for improving the appearance of or analyzing the contents of images represented in digital form, and (2) creating cost-effective hardware to carry out these techniques. The research has been very effective, as evidenced by the continued decline of image processing as a research topic, and the rapid increase of commercial companies to market digital image processing software and hardware.
Preserving the Initiative: State Legislative Response to Direct Democracy

Over the last quarter-century, direct democracy has come to play an increasingly important role in state politics and policy. Political scientists have examined various aspects of the ballot initiative process, including state legislators' responses to the threat or passage of initiatives. The most prominent piece of scholarship on this topic finds that California legislators attempt to “steal” the initiative by displacing initiative content and subverting the implementation of voter-ratified ballot measures at will. Drawing on elite interview data, I show that in the moderate-use initiative state of Maine, legislators display cautious and deferential attitudes about the initiative process. Case study evidence from four recent initiatives demonstrates that legislators are reluctant to meddle with successful ballot measures and, when they do so, their goal is to mend flawed bills while preserving voters' intent. By drawing on new data sources and analyzing legislators' behavior and attitudes in a moderate-...
Atomic structure of β-SiC( 100) surfaces: a study using the Tersoff potential

Abstract Atomic structure of the β-SiC(100) surface is examined in a theoretical study using the empirical Tersoff potential. The surface energy is evaluated using several models of the atomic structure for three different surface compositions. The previously proposed Si dimer row structure of the (2 × 1) surface is supported by our calculations. For the (3 × 2) surface with excess silicon, we propose a new model, an alternate dimer row model, which we find to be energetically favored over the added dimer row model of Hara et al. [Surf. Sci. 231 (1990) L196]. Our calculations on the C-terminated c(2 × 2) surface favor the staggered dimer model of Bermudez and Kaplan [Phys. Rev. B 44 (1991) 11149] over the model of Powers et al. [Phys. Rev. B 44 (1991) 11159] placing C-dimers at Si bridge sites. However, the large charge transfer observed in tight-binding calculations of the latter model makes the empirical Tersoff potential less reliable for this surface.
Selectivity of attack on a Si–C(sp3) sigma bond coordinated to NiII

Abstract (PNP)Ni+ (as its ( BAr F 4 - salt) adds PhCN to Ni, but HX cleaves the Si–CH2 bond to form Ni[η2−(tBu2PCH2SiMe2)N(H)(SiMe2X)][η2–CH2tBu2P]+, for X = OMe, piperidyl, N(H)CH2Ph, N(H)Ph, morpholinyl. The diprotic reagent H2O gives (η2–tBu2PCH2SiMe2OSiMe2NH2)(η2–tBu2CH2P)Ni+. RCCH (R = Ph, SiMe3, tBu) reacts, through three detected intermediates, to form (tBu2PCH2SiMe2)N(H)(SiMe2CH2tBu2PCCR)Ni+, a product where one P has been oxidized and Ni reduced, each by two electrons. This shows the dominant influence on reactivity of Si–C bond activation by its unconventional donation to nickel in the structure of (PNP)Ni+.
The effect of dynamic precipitation and recrystallization on the hot flow behavior of a Nb-V microalloyed steel

Abstract Detailed optical and electron microscopic studies have been conducted in order to examine the interaction between dynamic precipitation and recrystallization and the effect of this interaction on the hot flow behavior of a Nb-V microalloyed steel. Deformation was carried out at the temperatures of 1000 and 950°C and at a true strain rate of 0.006 s−1. Optical microscopy was used to study the progress of recrystallization. The precipitation processes were followed with electron microscopy. The coarsening kinetics of the precipitates were determined from particle size distributions in thin foil samples. The driving forces for recrystallization as well as the pinning forces of the precipitates were calculated. It was observed that the initiation and progress of dynamic recrystallization is controlled by the state of microalloy precipitates. The high rate of particle growth at 1000°C resulted in a rapid and complete dynamic recrystallization and a flow curve with a well-defined peak. The slow growth kinetics at 950°C led to a slow progress of dynamic recrystallization and a flow curve with a broad peak.
Pattern-shift visual evoked responses in cluster headache

SYNOPSIS Visual evoked responses (VERs) elicited with two different sizes of checkerboard patterns were obtained from 10 male cluster headache patients and their age-matched controls. Full-and half-field stimulus presentations produced no substantial differences between the subject groups for any of the major component latencies or amplitudes (N75, P100, N145). No differences were obtained for either checkerboard size between the groups or when the specific side of headache pain was assessed separately. The results are discussed in terms of previous VER headache studies.
Controlling the Biodegradation Rate of AZ31with Biomimetic Apatite Coating

Magnesium alloys have the potential as a biodegradable material for orthopedic applications. However, severely corrosion in a physiological environment limits the clinical application of Mg alloys. Hydroxyapatite is the main composition of natural bone, it has excellent bioactivity and osteoconductivity. In this paper, the samples of AZ31 were ultrasonically cleaned using distilled water, and then the coating was formed on the surfaces of the samples by biomimetic process. The samples were subsequently immersed in the simulated body fluid (SBF) for the degradation test. The coatings were characterized by XRD, EDS and SEM. The results showed that hydroxyapatite (HA) coating was formed on the surface of AZ31 after 24h by biomimetic process; the HA coating greatly decreased the corrosion rate of AZ31 substrate; the degradation rate of samples can be controlled by closely adjusting the hydroxyapatite coating.
Three dimensional, stratified gas flows past an obstacle

Abstract An “ N -body” computer code is developed to study supersonic gas flows in a rarefied, strongly stratified medium. Results of numerical simulations both with and without an obstacle obstructing the flow are presented, focusing upon three dimensional effects. In particular, the systematic gas motions and density perturbations induced by a flat plate whose normal vector is parallel to the direction of umperturbed flow and perpendicular to the stratification gradient are discussed. Such a plate can be regarded as a useful approximation to a scoop in a gas centrifuge.
The relationship between communication and health-related quality of life in survivorship care for Chinese-American and Korean-American breast cancer survivors

The purpose of this study was (1) to compare family communication, decision support (i.e., supporting the patient in making decisions), self-efficacy in patient–physician communication (i.e., patients’ confidence level in communicating with physicians), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) between Chinese-American and Korean-American breast cancer survivors (BCS) and (2) to investigate how family communication, decision support, and self-efficacy in patient–physician communication influence HRQOL for Chinese-American and Korean-American BCS. A cross-sectional design was used. A total of 157 Chinese-American (n = 86) and Korean-American (n = 71) BCS were recruited from the California Cancer Surveillance Program and area hospitals in Los Angeles County. The chronic care model was utilized. Chinese-Americans and Korean-Americans showed a significant difference in the decision support only. Self-efficacy in patient–physician communication was directly associated with HRQOL for Chinese-Americans, whereas for Korean-Americans, family communication was related to HRQOL. The mediating effects of decision support and self-efficacy in physician–patient communication in the relationship between family communication and HRQOL were observed for Chinese-Americans only. Multiple group analysis demonstrated that the structural paths varied between Chinese-American and Korean-American BCS. Our results provide insight into the survivorship care of Chinese-American and Korean-American BCS, allowing a better understanding of communication among survivors, family, and healthcare providers. Communication skills to manage conflict and attain consensus among them under the cultural contexts are essential to improve HRQOL for BCS.