cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Results of multiple pollination in blueberry (Vaccinium elliottii Chapm.)

Blueberry (Vaccinium section Cyanococcus, family Ericaceae) is a shrub that produces multiple-seeded berries in which only a fraction of the ovules develop into viable seeds. A recessive yellowleaf marker gene was used to evaluate the efectiveness of a single pollination versus multiple pollinations in producing seeds in Vaccinium elliottii Chapm. A multiple-pollination experiment was conducted to see if the first pollen applied or the second produced more progeny, and to see if multiple pollinations increased the number of seedlings produced. Flowers of diploid yellowleaf Vaccinium elliottii were pollinated from one to four times at daily intervals. Pollen from redleaf and yellowleaf plants was used to produce two types of seedlings that could be distinguished visually. Generally, percent berry set, seeds per berry, and seed germination were not increased by multiple pollination. After multiple pollination, the pollen applied first always produced the most seedlings. Prior pollination greatly reduced seed set from subsequent pollination, but subsequent pollination caused little or no decrease in the number of seeds set by the first pollination.
A Statistical Method for Emulation of Computer Models With Invariance-Preserving Properties, With Application to Structural Energy Prediction

Statistical design and analysis of computer experiments is a growing area in statistics. Computer models with structural invariance properties now appear frequently in materials science, physics, b...
The Competitive Effects of School Choice on Student Achievement: A Systematic Review:

School-choice policies are expected to generate healthy competition between schools, leading to improvements in school quality and better outcomes for students. However, the empirical literature te...
Detection of Emerald Ash Borer Infestations in Living Green Ash by Noninvasive Electronic-Nose Analysis of Wood Volatiles

The emerald ash borer (EAB) has been the most destructive and costly nonnative insect to threaten the health of ash (Fraxinus) species in North America for at least the past 25 years. The development of methods for detecting visually-hidden EAB galleries at early stages of infestation would provide a useful tool to more effectively facilitate the planning and implementation of targeted EAB pest-suppression and management activities. We tested the efficacy of using a dual-technology electronic-nose (e-nose)/gas chromatograph device as a means for detection of EAB infestations in green ash trees in different EAB-decline classes by analysis of VOC emissions in sapwood. We found significant differences in VOC profiles for trees from the four decline classes. The VOC composition, quantities, and types of volatile metabolites present in headspace volatiles varied considerably across sample types, and resulted in distinct e-nose smellprint patterns that were characteristic of each unique chemical composition. In addition, specific VOC metabolites were identified as potential healthy and EAB-infestation biomarkers, indicative of the health states of individual trees. Few significant differences in major bark phenolic compounds were found between ash decline classes using LC-MS. The e-nose was effective in discriminating between uninfested and EAB-infested trees based on sapwood VOC emissions.
Emergency Medicine for Periodontists

Emergency preparedness is the key to preventing and managing emergent situations during moderate sedation. The doctor and staff must be adequately trained and adept at monitoring, airway management, and emergency treatment protocols. An office emergency manual should be developed and maintained, practice emergency drills should be scheduled regularly, and current continuing education in emergency management must be kept current. As patients age, medical complexity increases and the potential for perioperative emergencies is enhanced. Moderate sedation provides a means to mitigate untoward cardiovascular stress and is indicated as medical complexity increases. This chapter reviews potential situations that require intraoperative intervention and management, including airway and respiratory compromise, and changes in cardiovascular parameters.
Experiments on Mach wave interactions in a compressible mixing layer

A potential technique for improving the growth rate of compressible shear layers is studied, in which a wavy-wall geometry is configured in a confined supersonic shear-layer facility that generates Mach waves in the flowfield. The major objective of this work is to evaluate a numerical model that predicts the growth properties of a three-way resonant interaction of these spatial Mach waves with duct acoustic waves and Kelvin-Helmholtz waves excited artificially or naturally within the shear layer. Measurements show that a tuned pure tone excitation of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves couples with the wavy-wall-induced disturbances and duct acoustic waves to produce local shear-layer growth rates that are approximately 50% higher than the natural, smooth-walled baseline case. The conditions for optimum growth rates are in general concurrence with numerical predictions. In this study the flow physics of a compressible shear layer in a wavy-wall environment was investigated with mean and fluctuating flowfield measurements, as well as schlieren visualizations
What failure to predict life outcomes can teach us

Social scientists are increasingly turning to supervised machine learning (SML), a set of methods optimized for using inputs from data to forecast an unobserved outcome, to offer predictions to aid policy (1). Recent work scrutinizes this approach for its suitability to social science questions (2, 3) as well as its potential for perpetuating social inequalities (4). In PNAS, Salganik et al. (5) take a step back and ask a more fundamental question: are individual behaviors and outcomes even predictable? Prediction is not a typical goal in the social sciences despite recent arguments that it should be (6). Social scientists focus on inference: that is, understanding how an outcome is related to some input. The researcher selects a few inputs, specifies a parametric (often linear) model to connect inputs to the outcome, and estimates the parameters from data. The result is a simple and interpretable model that performs well in the sample at hand. In SML, by contrast, the researcher includes many inputs, considers flexible (often nonparametric) models linking inputs to the outcome, and picks the model that best predicts the outcome in new data. The result is a complex model that might perform well out of sample but often offers little insight into the mechanism linking inputs to the outcome. Recent work connects these two cultures in different ways (7). First, researchers identify prediction tasks within the classical statistical framework and use SML to improve inference (8, 9). Second, scholars use predictions as a starting point to develop new theory (10). As SML becomes more mainstream in the social sciences and … [↵][1]1Email: fgarip{at}cornell.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Drawing Graphs on the Sphere

Graphs are most often visualized in the two dimensional Euclidean plane, but spherical space offers several advantages when visualizing graphs. First, some graphs such as skeletons of three dimensional polytopes (tetrahedron, cube, icosahedron) have spherical realizations that capture their 3D structure, which cannot be visualized as well in the Euclidean plane. Second, the sphere makes possible a natural "focus + context visualization with more detail in the center of the view and less details away from the center. Finally, whereas layouts in the Euclidean plane implicitly define notions of "central and "peripheral nodes, this issue is reduced on the sphere, where the layout can be centered at any node of interest. We first consider a projection-reprojection method that relies on transformations often seen in cartography and describe the implementation of this method in the GMap visualization system. This approach allows many different types of 2D graph visualizations, such as node-link diagrams, LineSets, BubbleSets and MapSets, to be converted into spherical web browser visualizations. Next we consider an approach based on spherical multidimensional scaling, which performs graph layout directly on the sphere. This approach supports node-link diagrams and GMap-style visualizations, rendered in the web browser using WebGL.
Deep 10 and 18 micron Imaging of the HR 4796A Circumstellar Disk: Transient Dust Particles & Tentative Evidence for a Brightness Asymmetry

We present new 10.8 and 18.2 micron images of HR 4796A, a young A0V star that was recently discovered to have a spectacular, nearly edge-on, circumstellar disk prominent at ~20 microns (Jayawardhana et al. 1998; Koerner et al. 1998). These new images, obtained with OSCIR at Keck II, show that the disk's size at 10 microns is comparable to its size at 18 microns. Therefore, the 18 micron-emitting dust may also emit some, or all, of the 10 micron radiation. Using these multi-wavelength images, we determine a "characteristic" diameter of 2-3 microns for the mid-infrared-emitting dust particles if they are spherical and composed of astronomical silicates. Particles this small are expected to be blown out of the system by radiation pressure in a few hundred years, and therefore these particles are unlikely to be primordial. Dynamical modeling of the disk (Wyatt et al. 2000) indicates that the disk surface density is relatively sharply peaked near 70 AU, which agrees with the mean annular radius deduced by Schneider et al. (1999) from their NICMOS images. We present evidence (~1.8 sigma significance) for a brightness asymmetry that may result from the presence of the hole and the gravitational perturbation of the disk particle orbits by the low-mass stellar companion or a planet. This "pericenter glow," which must still be confirmed, results from a very small (a few AU) shift of the disk's center of symmetry relative to the central star HR 4796A; one side of the inner boundary of the annulus is shifted towards HR 4796A, thereby becoming warmer and more infrared-emitting. The possible detection of pericenter glow implies that the detection of even complex dynamical effects of planets on disks is within reach.
Toward an individual-difference perspective on phonologization

Phonologization is often understood to be a process along the pathway of sound change where low-level physiological or perceptual variation that gives rise to sound patterns is explicitly encoded in the grammar. The nature of this transition and how it comes about remain largely unclear. The broad theoretical goal of this paper is to argue that phonologization should be defined at the level of the individual; it takes place whenever an individual acquires a so-called “phonetic precursor” as an intended, and controlled, pattern in the language, even if the pattern exhibits gradient properties. To illustrate this perspective, a case study on the nature of individual variation in vowel duration as a function of vowel height in Cantonese is presented, offering evidence that some Cantonese speakers have phonologized the height-dependent vowel duration effect and discussing the implications of this result for understanding intrinsic vowel duration as a phonetic precursor to sound change. The article closes with a discussion regarding the current proposal in relation to past models of phonologization and offers suggestions for future directions in phonologization research.
Blameworthiness, willings, and practical decisions

What kinds of things can we be morally responsible for? Andrew Khoury offers an answer that includes (i) an argument for the impossibility of blameworthiness for overt action, and (ii) the assertion that “willings are the proper object of responsibility in the context of action”. After presenting an argument for the inconsistency of Khoury’s answer to our focal question, I defend the following partial answer that resembles, but differs importantly from, Khoury’s answer: one can be blameworthy for a practical decision—that is, an essentially intentional momentary mental action of forming an intention to do something that resolves prior felt unsettledness about what to do.
Carvedilol and exercise combination therapy improves systolic but not diastolic function and reduces plasma osteopontin in Col4a3 -/- Alport mice

In an Alport mouse model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), exercise and carvedilol synergistically improved systolic function without affecting diastole. Carvedilol alone o...
Hypertension in the elderly

Progressive elevation of blood pressure (BP) is a fact of life in acculturated societies, so that beyond age 65 about one in two individuals reaches hypertensive levels, i.e., systolic BP over 160 mmHg, with or without diastolic elevation over 95 mmHg. Systolic BP tends to rise slowly during childhood, adolescence and the early adult years, with a steeper rise after age 40, continuing through the eighth decade of life. Diastolic BP rises steadily until age 60, but tends to decline in later years. This accounts for the high prevalence in older people of isolated systolic BP elevation.
Abstract 61: A Novel Catalytic Antioxidant Carbon Nanoparticle Improves Outcome in Hyperglycemic Stroke in Rats at Clinically Relevant Recanalization Times

Introduction: While oxidative stress mediates many of the pathologies in stroke, antioxidant therapies have been unsuccessful. Current antioxidants are limited either by a narrow range of radicals ...
Efferocytosis in the Tumor Microenvironment

Cell death in response to physiological cues is a feature of many normal tissues, and often occurs due to tissue damage or disease. Regardless of the reason, dying cells require their rapid removal from the tissue in order to maintain homeostasis in the tissue, prevent potential cytotoxic immunity against self-antigens, and to promote wound healing. Phagocytic removal of dying cells is referred to as efferocytosis, a process necessary for sterile wound healing. Interestingly, malignant tumor progression has long been compared to wound healing, and recent evidence demonstrates a molecular link between efferocytosis and tumor a ‘wound healing’ phenotype. We discuss the impact of efferocytosis in the normal breast and in breast cancers.
Object Perception, Development of

Infants are born with the ability to detect visible surfaces as separate from one another, but not to perceive them as linked behind an occluder. This latter ability develops rapidly across the first several months after birth. Keywords: visual perception; object perception; infant development; cognitive development
Essays on individuals and organizations

This dissertation focuses on the dynamics of innovative industries; specifically how individual choices and actions impact the performance, founding, and death of firms. While most research examining these outcomes focuses on the role of organizational factors—such as strategy, capabilities, or resources—firms ultimately consist of individuals with different preferences, abilities, and approaches to entrepreneurship and organizing. This work attempts to expand our understanding of firm and industry dynamics by looking to the role of the individuals who make up firms. As the performance of a growing number of firms and entrepreneurial ventures comes to depend on human capital, knowledge and creative work, there is increasing need to understand how these differences between individuals influences firms and industries. This dissertation consists of three essays exploring these relationships. The first essay, “People and Process, Suits and Innovators: Individuals and Firm Performance,” empirically untangles the contributions of organizations and individuals to firm performance. The results indicate that variation among individuals matters far more in organizational performance than is generally assumed. Surprisingly, the analysis also demonstrates that middle managers, rather than innovators, have a particularly large impact on firm performance. The second essay, “The Firm as a Potemkin Village,” uses qualitative research on firm founders in the computer game industry, as well as the theoretical implications of the previous papers, to examine the role of firms in industries where individuals are primarily responsible for firm performance. I suggest that firms are often created for reasons of legitimacy, rather than for performance alone. My third paper, “Not in Our Stars, But in Ourselves” examines the tension between socially-embedded and individual factors in the performance of new ventures. Through an examination of over 8,100 career spells and 167 new firms, I find significant effects from both genealogical and individual explanations of new venture performance. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
After the Party: Legacies and Left-Right Distinctions in Post-Communist Countries

The left-right political spectrum sits at the heart of political analysis. Yet questions remain as to the appropriateness of the left-right spectrum for the comparative analysis of party systems: does the left-right spectrum mean the same thing in different political contexts, and in particular is it appropriate to compare left-right self-placement in post-communist countries with left-right self-placement elsewhere? In this paper, we advance our understanding of this topic in three important directions. First, we demonstrate that (a) post-communist citizens have a leftist bias relative to the rest of the world but (b) they are more likely to rely primarily on economic attitudes in making that self placements than citizens elsewhere, who bring a combination of economic and social attitudes to bear on their left-right self placement. Second, we explore the socio-demographic and attitudinal profile of the post-communist left and the right in comparative perspective. Finally, we do not merely identify these distinctions, but rather seek to explain them in a systematic fashion by applying a theoretical framework we have previously developed (Pop-Eleches and Tucker 2010) for analyzing the effects of communist era legacies on political values, attitudes, and behavior in post-communist countries. We find that while neither the demographic legacies of communism nor macro-economic conditions associated with the transition can account for much of the leftist-bias of post-communist citizens, theories based on political socialization under Communism and Bayesian updating that takes account of experiences in the pre-communist, communist, and post-communist eras do help us to understand the sources of this left-wing bias. Taken together, we conclude that living through communism may indeed have conditioned the way in which citizens thought about their left-right ideological orientation, but it did not permanently fix these attitudes, and nor did it do so independent of prior, pre-communist, developments.
On the effectiveness of switched beam antennas in indoor environments

Switched beam antennas are an attractive extension to indoor wireless LANs due to their increased signal gain in a chosen direction; the gain can be exploited for improving wireless link quality, node localization and increasing spatial reuse. However, indoor environments are susceptible to multipath reflections that may reduce the degree of directionality of the antennas. To this end, in this paper, we address the following questions that have not been explored well in the open literature: how directional in reality is a beam with a switched beam antenna in a reflection-rich environment, and what are the implications of the observed directionality on spatial reuse and node localization? And how does the directionality get affected with the characteristics of a beam such as main and side lobe width, and front to side lobe ratio? We present results of measurements in a real office setting with a switched beam antenna built out of an 8-element phase array.
Analysis of sensor suites for a guided projectile

Two candidate sensor suites for a guided projectile are discussed. The projectile uses a millimeter-wave seeker for terminal guidance to a target. Various complements of gyroscopes, accelerometers, and seeker gimbal potentiometers are used to perform the target tracking, autopilot and guidance functions. The sensor suites are conventional, with three body-rate gyros, two gimbal-rate gyros, and two accelerometers (normal and lateral); and advanced, with three body-rate gyros, two gimbal-angle potentiometers, and two accelerometers (normal and lateral). The analysis addresses performance in terms of the target tracking error and impact miss distance. Covariance response to sensor biases and noises, as well as target motion and wind gusts, are presented. Robust performance, i.e., how much the nominal performance deteriorates in the presence of modeling uncertainty, is analyzed using the structured singular value. Model uncertainty due to inaccurately known aerodynamic characteristics and sensor transfer function errors is addressed. >
Association of DLA-DQB1 alleles with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in Pembroke Welsh Corgis

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is a digestive disorder resulting from the insufficient secretion of enzymes from the pancreas. In dogs, this condition is often attributed to pancreatic acinar atrophy, wherein the enzyme-producing acinar cells are believed to be destroyed through an autoimmune process. Although EPI affects many diverse breeds, to date, molecular studies have been limited to the German Shepherd dog. A recent study of major histocompatibility genes in diseased and healthy German Shepherd dogs identified both risk and protective haplotypes. Herein, we genotyped DLA-DQB1 in Pembroke Welsh Corgis to determine whether dog leukocyte antigen alleles contribute to the pathogenesis of EPI across dog breeds. We evaluated 14 affected and 43 control Pembroke Welsh Corgis, which were selected based on an age of onset similar to German Shepherd dogs. We identified one protective allele (odds ratio = 0.13, P-value = 0.044) and one risk allele (odds ratio = 3.8, P-value = 0.047). As in German Shepherd dogs, the risk allele is a duplication of DLA-DQB1 (alleles DQB1*013:03 and 017:01); however, Pembroke Welsh Corgis have acquired a single polymorphism on DQB1*017:01. Thus, the DLA-DQB1 duplication is a risk allele for EPI in at least two breeds.
Platelet-derived growth factor induces phosphorylation of a 64-kDa nuclear protein.

Abstract The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) stimulated the phosphorylation of a nuclear protein of 64 kDa (pp64) in nuclei of nontransformed normal rat kidney (NRK) cells. Low levels of phosphorylation of pp64 were observed in nuclei of serum-starved NRK cells. Fetal calf serum (FCS), PDGF, and homodimeric v-sis and PDGF A-chain protein enhanced the incorporation of 32P into pp64 over 4-fold within 30 min and over 8-fold within 2 h of exposure of NRK cells to the growth factors. In contrast, constitutive phosphorylation of 32P-labeled pp64 in nuclei of NRK cells transformed by the simian sarcoma virus (SSV) was high and only minimally stimulated by PDGF and FCS. 32P-Labeled pp64 was isolated from nuclei of PDGF-stimulated nontransformed NRK cells; the 32P of pp64 was labile in 1 M KOH, and pp64 was not significantly recognized by anti-phosphotyrosine antisera, suggesting that the PDGF-induced phosphorylation of pp64 occurred on serine or on threonine residues. However, pp64 from SSV-transformed NRK cell nuclei was significantly stable to base hydrolysis and was immunoprecipitated with anti-phosphotyrosine antisera, suggesting that pp64 from SSV-transformed cell nuclei is phosphorylated also on tyrosine. FCS, PDGF, and PDGF A- and B-chain homodimers thus stimulate the rapid time-dependent phosphorylation of a 64-kDa nuclear protein shortly after stimulation of responsive cells. The growth factor-stimulated phosphorylation of pp64 and the constitutive high levels of pp64 phosphorylation in cells transformed by SSV suggest important roles for pp64 and perhaps regulated nuclear protein kinases and phosphatases in cell division and proliferation.
The Culture of Stigma Surrounding Depression in the African American Family and Community

This article explores the crisis of depression in post-modern America through the contextualized lens of the African American experience. In view of the pervasive societal realities of race, class, and gender oppression, the article begins by identifying the American trans-Atlantic slave trade as an historical trauma and cultural factor for depression among (enslaved and freed) Africans and persons of African descent. It highlights the cultural stigmatization of depression as a prevailing challenge facing African Americans today. The author concludes the article by drawing from a communal–contextual model of Black pastoral theology to offer both the Black pastor and the ‘extended family’ network of the African American congregation as vital resources in countering the effects of the cultural stigmatization of depression.
Square-Wave Voltammetry of ClO4 − -Doped Poly(phenylenesulfidephenyleneamine)

The ClO 4 -doped poly(phenylenesulfidephenyleneamine) (PPSA) was electrochemically prepared and investigated with cyclic and square-wave voltammetry (SWV). The unusual electrochemical behavior of PPSA indicates that the dopant ClO 4 anions are bound in two energetically different sites. In the so-called binding site, the ClO 4 anion is coulombically attracted to the positively charged S or N sites on one chain and simultancously hydrogen bonded with the N-H group on a neighboring polymer chain. This strong interaction causes a reorganization of the polymer chains upon cycling in 0.2 M LiClO 4 /acetonitrile, resulting in the formation of a networked structure linked together by these ClO 4 coulombic/hydrogen bonding bridges. However, in the nonbinding site, the ClO 4 anion is very weakly bound, involves only the electrostatic interaction, and can be reversibly exchanged when the doped polymer is reduced, The use of SWV also allows us to differentiate between these two types of sites in the bulk and at the surface.
Eves in Motion: A Comparative Study of Milton's 'Paradise Lost' and Abdilatif Abdalla's 'Utenzi Wa Maisha Ya Adamu Na Hawaa'

With attention to the mobility of texts and the iteration and renewal of stories, my paper brings into conversation John Miltons Paradise Lost and the 20th century Swahili poet Abdilatif Abdallas Utenzi wa Maisha ya Adamu na Hawaa (Epic of the Life of Adam and Eve). Despite the extreme temporal and cultural distance between these two poetic representations of the oft-retold Judeo-Christian-Islamic origin story, each provoke a spectrum of interpretations of Eve/Hawaas role in The Fall and its implications for theologies of marriage and gender relations. This similarity in the range of possible interpretations is made more striking by the marked discrepancies in the two texts portrayal of Eve in her relations with both Adam and Satan - differences of creative imagination that cannot be wholly attributed to divergence in the poets respective scriptural sources. This paper will focus on a textual comparison of the creative development of Eve in the two poems, highlighting the places where both Milton and Abdalla deliberately extend the ambiguity of Eves character beyond what is found in either the Christian or the Islamic narratives and complicate theological readings in surprisingly similar ways.
Rumination and Perceived Impairment Associated With Depressive Symptoms in a Verbal Adolescent–Adult ASD Sample

The aim of this study was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and several psychosocial constructs (insight into autism symptoms, rumination, desire for social interaction, and satisfaction with social support) that may play a role in the development or maintenance of depression in verbally fluent adolescents and adults with ASD. Participants included 50 individuals with ASD and verbal IQ ≥ 70, aged 16–35 (sample size varied by measure). Elevated depressive symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II), were associated with greater self-perceived, autism-related impairments (n = 48), greater rumination (n = 21), and lower perceived social support (n = 37). Rumination tended to moderate the association between self-perceived autism symptoms and BDI-II scores (n = 21), and was significantly associated with ASD-related insistence on sameness behaviors (n = 18). An unexpected relationship between depressive features and social participation and motivation will need to be clarified by longitudinal research. These and similar findings contribute to our understanding of the phenomenology of depression in ASD, which is critical to the development of practical prevention and treatment. Autism Res 2014, 7: 381–391. © 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rates of hydrolysis of N‐chlorinated molecules

Formation and hydrolysis rate constants were calculated for N-chlorosuccinimide, N-chloroquinuclidinium ion, and N-chloro-N-methylbenzenesulfonamide in water. The rates of hydrolysis of these compounds were much slower than the rates at which they are known to transfer their active chlorine to nitrogenous bases in water. Hence, the present results confurm an earlier suggestion that chlorine transfer between nitrogenous bases in water is not mediated by hydrolysis of the N-chloro compounds to hypochlorous acid but involves a direct reaction between the nitrogenous chlorine donor and acceptor molecules. The kinetic results are also consistent with a postulate that the rate-determining step in the reaction between nitrogenous compounds and hypochlorous acid involves reaction between the amide and imide anions and amine neutral molecules and neutral molecules of hypochlorous acid. The rate-determining step in the hydrolysis reactions appears to involve attack of hydroxide ion on the N-chloro compounds.
Mesangial cell abnormalities in spontaneously hypertensive rats before the onset of hypertension

Mesangial cell abnormalities in spontaneously hypertensive rats before the onset of hypertension. To identify kidney biosynthetic abnormalities that may precede the onset of hypertension, we studied the expression of flbronectin (FN) and collagen IV (Coll IV) in young SHR (4 weeks of age) whose systolic blood pressure was normal and similar to that of age-matched control WKY rats. In isolated glomeruli the level of FN protein assessed by immunoblotting tended to be lower in the SHR than in the WKY rats. By Northern analysis the FN/actin mRNA ratio was significantly lower in glomeruli from SHR (0.56 ± 0.47) than in glomeruli from WKY rats (2.0 ± 0.8). These abnormalities were maintained in vitro since the expression of FN was significantly lower in SHR than in WKY cultured mesangial cells (FN/actin mRNA ratio=0.84 ± 0.46 vs. 1.9 ± 0.7, P = 0.029). No differences in Coll IV mRNA or protein levels were observed in SHR glomeruli and mesangial cells when compared with WKY rats. The levels of aortic FN and Coll IV mRNAs were not different in SHR and WKY rats. In addition, mesangial cells from SHR showed a significantly higher growth rate than those from WKY. The biosynthetic and proliferative abnormalities observed in the SHR mesangial cells appear to reflect genetic characteristics, and could provide novel insights into cellular mechanisms linking the genetics of hypertension with predisposition to glomerular pathology.
Subclinical onychomycosis is associated with tinea pedis.

Summary Background Onychomycosis is a common cause of nail dystrophy and may be associated with tinea pedis. The presence of dermatophyte fungi in clinically normal nails is unknown. Objectives To assess the presence of dermatophyte fungi in normal-appearing toenails and to compare the risk of subclinical dermatophytosis in patients without and with concurrent tinea pedis. Methods This is a prospective, University-based study of adults without and with microscopically confirmed tinea pedis. Subjects with dystrophy of any toenail were excluded, as were those ever previously diagnosed as having onychomycosis and those who had used topical antifungals in the past year. A great toenail clipping obtained from each subject was submitted for periodic acid–Schiff histology. Results One hundred and one subjects (63 men and 38 women, mean ± SD age 45·4 ± 15·7 years) were included. Overall, septate hyphae (ostensibly dermatophyte) were identified in seven specimens. Of the 66 control subjects, one case (1·5%) of nail dermatophyte was identified. Of the 35 subjects with tinea pedis, six cases (17%) of nail dermatophyte were identified (P = 0·0066; odds ratio 13·4, 95% confidence interval 1·6–117). There were no significant differences in age or gender between the experimental and control groups or between the nail dermatophyte-positive and negative cohorts. Conclusions Dermatophyte fungi may be isolated from normal-appearing toenails. The presence of dermatophytes in this situation is strongly associated with the presence of tinea pedis. Subclinical dermatophyte in the nail plate may serve as a reservoir for ongoing local infection.
The three dimensions of headache impact: pain, disability and affective distress

It is increasingly recognized that pain measures alone provide incomplete information about the impact of pain on functioning or quality-of-life. A wide range of measures that promise to provide additional information about the impact of pain on people's lives are thus coming into use. In order to clarify the construct of headache impact, we attempted to identify the dimensions assessed by a set of 22 headache-impact measures and to identify the specific measures that best assessed each of these headache-impact dimensions. Adults (n=329) with frequent benign headache disorders completed a comprehensive assessment battery that included 22 headache-impact measures. Factor analysis was then used to identify dimensions underlying the headache-impact measures. Three factors labeled Affective Distress, Pain Density and Disability best accounted for correlations among headache-impact measures. Interfactor correlations ranged between 0.37 and 0.20, suggesting three correlated but separable impact dimensions. These results suggest the construct of headache impact needs to be broadened beyond pain and disability to include affective distress. An adequate assessment of the impact of recurrent headache disorders in clinical trials and other research may require measures from all three of the headache-impact dimensions identified here.
Follicle-stimulating hormone induced changes in gene expression of murine testis.

Even though FSH is not required for qualitatively normal spermatogenesis, it plays an important role in the spermatogenic capacity of the testis. Although the actions of FSH are well documented, most of these studies were done in vitro, and the molecular targets of FSH in vivo remain largely unverified. To understand the complete mechanism of FSH actions in spermatogenesis, it is important to identify the genes that are involved in its signaling, and know how these genes are affected by FSH. We have used hypogonadal (hpg) mouse that lacks circulating FSH as an in vivo model in conjunction with the Affymetrix murine GeneChip U74A (12,488 genes) to monitor changes in testicular gene expression as a result of FSH signaling. Hpg mice were injected with 10 IU ovine FSH, killed 4, 8, 12, or 24 h post treatment, and their testicular gene expression was compared with that of untreated control hpg mice. The abundance of a large number of mRNAs was affected by the FSH treatment. The primary effect of FSH resulted i...
Duplication (5p13→pter): Prenatal diagnosis and review of the literature

We describe a patient with a reciprocal translocation t(5,13) and her three offspring. The chromosome anomaly was ascertained after the birth of her first child, who had the cri-du-chat syndrome. Amniocentesis demonstrated the presence of a dup(5p). The anomalies affecting that fetus are described and compared with the reported phenotypes of dup(5p). The extent of clinical findings in the reported cases depends on the length of the duplicated portion. The larger the duplication (p11 leads to pter), the more pronounced are the clinical signs. Physical signs are nearly absent when 5p14 leads to ter is involved. Also, translocations affecting chromosome 5 have an increased abnormal outcome when compared to D/D Robertsonian translocations. This is the first instance of antenatal diagnosis of trisomy 5p.
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis Presenting as a Solitary Functioning Thyroid Nodule

A case of hypothyroidism is described in a young woman who on thyroid scan had a discrete functioning ‘nodule’ with homogeneous radioactive iodine uptake, and surrounded by atrophic non-functioning thyroid tissue. Antithyroglobulin antibodies were not demonstrable, but anti-microsomal antibodies were positive at a titer of 1:25,600. Histologically, the ‘nodule’ represented Hashimoto's thyroiditis with more extensive destruction of the remaining gland. Although it is unusual, Hashimoto's disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of functioning thyroid nodules, and both anti-thyroglobulin and antimicrosomal antibodies should be obtained in such circumstances.
The Philadelphia Bench and Bar, 1800–1861

Americans have traditionally recognized social mobility as a valuable and characteristic feature of their society. Constant movement up and down the ladder of wealth and status, it is generally assumed, stems naturally from our healthy insistence on equality of opportunity, on careers “open to talent”. A corollary belief, embodied in a faith in such a system, is that an egalitarian society will necessarily produce the strongest and most stable institutions.
Patterns of ribosomal gene variation in elite commercial chicken pure line populations.

The nucleolus organizer region (NOR) encodes the tandemly repeated 18S, 5 ·8S and 28S ribosomal (r) RNA genes. The NORs of broiler and layer commercial chicken pure lines were studied to establish the type and extent of genetic variation at this important locus. The parameters studied were gene copy number, repeat size, and diversity of NOR-types. The populations were organized into three groups for analysis including brown-egg broiler (13 lines), brown-egg layer (six lines), and white-egg layer (eight lines). The ribosomal gene copy number average of the white-egg layer populations was significantly lower (329 genes) than that of the brown-egg layers (372 genes); the brown-egg broiler ribosomal gene average was intermediate (350 genes). The white-egg layer populations exhibited a ribosomal repeat unit average size of 36 kb, significantly different from the brown-egg layer and brown-egg broiler average repeat unit size of 32 ·5 and 33 ·9 kb, respectively. NOR array size was similar among the three groups (6 mb). The brown-egg broiler populations exhibited polymorphic NOR patterns, intra-and interline, whereas the white-egg layer populations were essentially monomorphic for NOR-type; brown-egg layers exhibited an intermediate level of NOR diversity. Some NOR array characteristics may be a function of breed origin as brown-egg commercial populations, both broilers and layers, have similar breed origins and exhibited similarities for predominant repeat unit size as compared with white-egg layer populations. However, the finding that brown-egg broiler lines typically exhibit a greater number of segregating NOR-types than brown-egg layer lines suggests that the selection schemes of broiler vs. layer pure line populations may also have influenced the degree of variation at this gene complex.
A new approach to the synthesis of thioether phospholipids. Preparation of 1-thiohexadecyl-2-N-acylaminodeoxyglycerophosphocholines

Abstract A novel stereospecific route to biologically active thioether phospholipids is reported.
Stemming Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Rising Tide of Obesity.

At the national level, obesity and obesity-related illnesses are increasing dramatically. As with many other public health problems, some racial and ethnic populations are disproportionately affected. This article presents current information on the prevalence and consequences of obesity for racial and ethnic groups in the United States and evaluates race/culture-specific causes of obesity for these populations. After analysis of various interventions that attempt to address this problem, a full-spectrum, three-pronged model for eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in obesity is presented and discussed. It is argued that a comprehensive population model, with a balance between downstream, midstream, and upstream interventions is necessary. Examples of culturally appropriate interventions that address the behavioral, social, and environmental determinants of obesity at each of these levels are presented. Using the tools of sound theory, appropriate methods, and cultural sensitivity, health educators are in a unique position to provide leadership to this effort.
Effects of cyclooxygenase inhibition on cardiovascular function in a hypercholesterolemic swine model of chronic ischemia

The cardiovascular effects of cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition remain controversial, especially in the setting of cardiovascular comorbidities. We examined the effects of nonselective and selective ...
Assessment of efficacy of activated charcoal for treatment of acute T-2 toxin poisoning.

Abstract“Superactive“ charcoal was assessed for efficacy in decreasing the lethality of both oral and parenteral exposure to T-2 toxin, a fungal metabolite which can cause death or illness upon ingestion. In vitro binding studies, analyzed using the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, showed that activated charcoal had a maximal binding capacity of 0.48 mg toxin/mg charcoal and a dissociation constant of 0.078 mg charcoal/l. In vivo, orally administered, activated charcoal was assessed for treatment of acute oral or parenteral exposure to T-2 toxin in mice. Following oral toxin administration (5 mg/kg), untreated mice showed only 6% survival after 72 hr. Charcoal treatment (7 g/kg, po) either immediately or 1 hr after toxin exposure resulted in significant The views of the author do not purport to reflect the positiosns of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense. improvement in survival with values of 100% and 75%, respectively, Following parenteral toxin exposure (2.8 mg/kg, sc), untreated and ...
Using Pattern Matching and Modified Analytic Induction in Examining Justice Principles in Child Support Guidelines

This paper reports on the design of a study using pro- cedures of modified analytic induction to investigate how courtroom procedures followed or did not follow child support guidelines. Using concepts from principles of procedural fairness and distribu- tive justice, the research team coded transcripts of public hearings on child support guidelines. This paper reports on work in progress and does not report results or conclusions. The coded examples of justiceprinciples demonstrate how procedures of modified analytic induc- tion lead to the refinement of conceptual definitions when tested against lived experiences.
MAXIM science and technology

ABSTRACT The Micro Arcsecond X-ray Imaging Mission (MAXIM) has been proposed to NASA in response to the Black Hole Imager line in the newly created "Beyond Einstein" program. Meeting the scientific goals of event horizon imaging has created a new set of technical challenges for the Maxim team. Certainly the most difficult of these is the need for 0.1 micro-arcsecond resolution imaging in the x-ray. We will review the key scientific challenges and show how they flow down into instrument requirements. We will then review our baseline design, discuss the array of technical challenges facing Maxim, and present the current status of our technology. Keywords: X-rays, Interferometry, X-ray Astronomy, X-ray Optics, Grazing Incidence Optics 1. INTERFEROMETRY, ASTRONOMY, AND X-RAYS Upon the launch of the Chandra Observatory, X-ray Astronomy matured. In under four decades the capabilities of x-ray observatories had developed to the level enjoyed by visible light observatories. Detection levels have improved by a factor of 10
Malignant eccrine spiradenoma : a clinicopathologic study

UNLABELLED Malignant eccrine spiradenomas (MES) are exceedingly rare and their immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features have not been fully characterized. We studied two cases, one of them immunohistochemically and electron microscopically. Patient 1 had a 25-year history of multiple exophytic tumors involving the scalp, the skin of the face, and the torso. Of the lesions removed, ten were spiradenomas, two with malignant changes, and three were cylindromas. The malignant areas showed loss of tubular and nesting patterns, lack of two cell populations, and contained anaplastic cells with high mitotic rate. The immunohistochemical findings were consistent with eccrine differentiation. Patient 2 had a cystlike mass of long duration in the right groin. Histologically, the mass consisted of nodules of benign eccrine spiradenomas adjacent to a ductal-cystic mass lined by anaplastic cells, but areas of squamous and glandular differentiation were also present. CONCLUSIONS (a) Case 1 is probably the first reported MES associated with multiple spiradenomas and cylindromas. (b) Cytodifferentiation in MES is variable, sometimes with almost complete loss of eccrine differentiation. (c) Identification of adjacent spiradenomas may be required for definite diagnosis of MES. (d) Clinical history of longstanding lesions with recent fast growth warrants tissue diagnosis.
Pivotal Response Intervention II: Preliminary Long-Term Outcome Data.

The literature and our observations suggest that self-initiations may be an especially important part of intervention for children with autism. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct p...
Isotopic composition of xenon in the solar system

Xenon in the solar system can be divided into two groups: (a) primordial xenon, whose isotopic composition can be approximated by that of the atmospheric xenon and (b) xenon, whose isotopic composition was severely altered by high energy proton and neutron reactions which took place during the T-Tauri phase of our Sun. The isotopic compositions of the SUCOR (surface correlated) xenon found in lunar fines and the CCFX xenon, corrected for mass fractionation and spallation effects, belong to the group (a) and the AVCC xenon and the so-called s-type xenon found in the Murchison meteorite belong to the group (b). Some of the xenon fractions recently isolated from the Allende and Belgica meteorites appear to be more ‘primordial’ than the atmospheric xenon.
Can Performance Appraisal Systems Inspire Intrinsically Motivated Employees

Can a performance appraisal system (PAS) elicit better performance from an intrinsically motivated workforce? By explicitly linking extrinsic rewards to performance, a PAS might actually discourage the work effort of the primarily intrinsically motivated federal workforce. Data from the 2000 Merit Principles Survey show that few federal employees believe that the PAS increases their productivity. Logit analysis confirms that intrinsically motivated employees are more skeptical of the effectiveness of PAS than are extrinsically motivated employees who are demographically similar, work in similar positions, and have similar beliefs about the fairness of the system and the probability of being rewarded for superior performance.
A method for estimating the location of energy minima near the Brillouin zone boundary and its application to Gallium arsenide

Abstract A method is proposed for estimating the location in K -space of energy minima near the boundary of the Brillouin zone. The estimated position of the 〈100〉 minima in GaAs is 7.1% of the center-to-edge distance inside the zone boundary.