cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congenital Cytomegalovirus Reference Material: A Content Analysis of Coverage and Accuracy

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental delays in the United States. However, only 13–22 % of women in the United States have heard of CMV. This research assessed (1) the quantity and accuracy of CMV information included on pregnancy-related websites and reference books, and (2) whether CMV information was included less often than information about other birth defects or infections. A content analysis of 37 pregnancy reference books and seven websites was conducted. The data collection instrument represented categories describing CMV, transmission, and prevention. CMV subject matter experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed the instrument. Each book and website was coded independently by two different coders. Twenty-one reference books and seven websites included CMV content. CMV was less likely to be included as a topic than other infections or birth defects. There were fewer sentences about CMV than toxoplasmosis, Down syndrome, or HIV. Book length was associated with increased likelihood of including CMV. How to prevent CMV transmission was discussed only half the time. Though limited, nearly all the CMV information was accurate. Pregnancy-related reference books and websites contain limited CMV information. Books are less likely to include CMV as compared to other infections and birth defects. Most of the CMV information is accurate. There is inadequate coverage given to prevention of CMV transmission, which may contribute to CMV remaining a continued leading cause of birth defects in the United States.
Effect of epinephrine on the efficacy of the internal cardioverter-defibrillator.

Abstract To evaluate the effect of sympathetic activation on the efficacy of the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) in converting ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), 32 patients who received an ICD because of life-threatening VT/VF underwent 1 week postimplant ICD testing both before and after infusion of 25 (16 patients) or 50 (16 patients) ng/kg/min of epinephrine for ≥12 minutes. These infusion rates are known to result in plasma epinephrine concentrations comparable to mild-moderate stress. The patients' mean age was 63 ± 10 years; 26 had coronary artery disease, 2 had dilated cardiomyopathy and 4 had no evidence of structural heart disease. VT and VF were induced in 16 patients each by programmed stimulation or alternating current. Among the 16 patients with VT, the first ICD discharge (26 to 30 J) was effective in 15 patients in the baseline state and in all 16 patients during epinephrine infusion. Among patients with VF, the first ICD discharge (26 to 30 J) terminated VF in all patients in the baseline state, compared with 12 of 16 patients during epinephrine infusion (p
Distribution of VA mycorrhiza on halophytes on inland salt playas

The value of mycorrhizal association for higher plants has been well established. However, the impact of high salinity on the mycorrhizal relationship has not been investigated to any great extent. Inland salt playas represent an opportunity to test the impact of salinity because it is possible to obtain a gradient by following a transect from the centre of the salt playa to the higher outer zones. In a salt playa near Goshen, Utah, the sodium concentration ranged from 27,150 ppm in the centre to 25 ppm in the outer zone. In the playas with sodium concentrations of 20,000 ppm, no mycorrhiza were detected on the halophytes and no spores of mycorrhizal fungi were found in the soil. One percent of the roots of salt grass in soils containing 8,450 ppm of sodium were mycorrhizal. In soils containing 622 ppm of 45 percent of the roots of a salt-tolerant grass (hybrid ofAgropyron repens × Agropyron spicatum) were mycorrhizal. Halophytes such asSalicornia pacifica var.utahensis which are among the most salt tolerant halophytes of the inland salt playas rarely had mycorrhizal roots. The mycorrhizal associations appear to be very limited in inland salt playas with sodium content.
Self-administration of the dopamine D3 agonist 7-OH-DPAT in rhesus monkeys is modified by prior cocaine exposure.

Cocaine self-administration was compared with responding maintained by the dopamine D3 agonist 7-hydroxy-N,N-di-n-propyl-2-aminotetralin (7-OH-DPAT) in rhesus monkeys. In the first experiment, monkeys (n=3) with an extensive cocaine history responded under a fixed-interval (FI) 5-min schedule of IV cocaine (0.03 mg/kg per injection) presentation, during daily 4-h sessions. When responding was stable, dose-response curves were determined for cocaine (0.01-0.3 mg/kg per injection) and 7-OH-DPAT (0,001–0.1 mg/kg per injection); each dose was available for at least five consecutive sessions. When substituted for the baseline dose of cocaine, other doses of cocaine and 7-OH-DPAT maintained rates higher than responding maintained by saline injections, in all monkeys. 7-OH-DPAT maintained response rates equal to or higher than rates of cocainemaintained responding in all monkeys. In a second experiment, acquisition of 7-OH-DPAT self-administration was evaluated in a group of cocaine-navie monkeys (n=3). Various doses of 7-OH-DPAT (0.003–0.03 mg/kg during daily 4-h sessions. After 10–13 sessions, 7-OH-DPAT self-administration could not be trained in any cocaine-naive monkey. When cocaine was made available to these monkeys, responding was reliably maintained within one to four sessions and the schedule was gradually increased to FI 5-min. After stable responding under an FI 5-min schedule of 0.03 mg/kg per injection cocaine presentation, 7-OH-DPAT (0.01 mg/kg per injection) was again made available to two of the monkeys, and maintained responding at rates higher than saline. To determine better whether a history of responding maintained by another reinforcer would result in high rates of 7-OH-DPAT self-administration, two cocaine-naive monkeys were trained to respond under an FI 5-min schedule of food presentation. Substituting 7-OH-DOAT (0.003–0.03 mg/kg per injection) for food resulted in very low rates of responding. Taken together, these results suggest that despite comparable reinforcing effects in cocaine-substitution studies, 7-OH-DPAT and cocaine differ in their rate of acquisition, perhaps indicating a lower abuse liability for 7-OH-DPAT.
Artificial environments and an aging population: designing for age-related functional losses.

Over the past century there has been a large and continuing increase in the frequency of persons aged over 65 years; particularly those aged over 100 years. During the 21st century the number of persons over 100 years will continue to increase. This will occur at such a rapid rate that the 21st century may one day be called the century of centenarians. Frailty and disability secondary to senescence, disease, and trauma have accompanied old age (often defined as age 65 and over) as far back as recorded history. However, during the 20th century, age, frailty, disability, and chronic degenerative diseases have been decoupled to some extant in the most long-lived human populations. Until recently, there was little need to design artificial environments for the unique needs of the elderly due to their low representation in most national populations. Today that need is increasing in concert with the number of persons aged 65 and older.The purpose of this review is to suggest areas wherein physiological anthropologists may have an opportunity to contribute to design trends for this rapidly increasing aging population. Major considerations for design of environments for the elderly are based upon altering the environment to accommodate their declining visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses, thereby enhancing their declining faculties and improving their autonomy, independence, and self perceptions of well-being. To date most design considerations have been directed toward improving environments for those suffering from Alzheimer's disease or residing within assisted living facilities. Many such design improvements also may be effective in improving life satisfaction and functional abilities of the non-institutionalized elderly.
Calmodulin-binding proteins in human Y-79 retinoblastoma and HTB-14 glioma cell lines.

: The Y-79 human retinoblastoma cell line has been used as a model system for studying differentiation of primitive neuroectodermal cells into either glial-like (glial fibrillary acidic protein positive) or neuron-like (neuron-specific enolase-positive) cells. To determine whether Y-79 retinoblastoma cells express neuronotypic calmodulin-binding proteins, Y-79 cells were either treated with butyrate or dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) in serum-containing medium or were maintained in serum-free media. Using a biotinylated calmodulin blot overlay technique, we found that Y-79 cells treated with dbcAMP or butyrate expressed low levels of membrane-bound calmodulin-binding proteins of 150, 147, 127, and 126 kilodaltons (kDa); butyrate-treated cells also expressed a calmodulin-binding peptide of 135 kDa. Since butyrate treatment of Y-79 cells induces the expression and the secretion of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP, 140 kDa), we tested the hypothesis that the calmodulin-binding protein of 135 kDa induced by butyrate treatment was IRBP. Purified bovine IRBP did not bind calmodulin; further, the 135-kDa calmodulin binding protein was not immunoreactive with antisera directed against IRBP. Since dbcAMP and butyrate induce some glial-like characteristics in Y-79 cells, we compared the calmodulin-binding protein pattern in these cells with that seen in human HTB-14 glioma cells. The HTB-14 line did not express calmodulin-binding proteins, even after treatments with agents that induce morphologic change in these cells. Thus, we conclude that Y-79 cells express membrane-bound calmodulin-binding proteins, but in a pattern different from that seen with adult, differentiated neurons or from human HTB-14 glioma cells.
Transperineal palladium 103 prostate brachytherapy: Analysis of morbidity and seed migration

Objectives. To evaluate the early morbidity of palladium 103 (103Pd) prostate brachytherapy.
Echo imaging using physical and synthesized arrays

This paper addresses the problem of imaging from (inverting) the data collected by a physical or synthesized array. A scattering model describing the source/object interaction is presented. The inversion based on this model is a computationally manageable method that incorporates the radiation pattern of each element on the array at the transmit and receive modes. This study indicates that a physical array and its synthesized counterpart possess the same resolution despite the fact that the synthesized array's signal subspace is a subset of the much larger signal subspace for the physical array.
LiCB11(CH3)12-Catalyzed Radical Polymerization of Isobutylene: Highly Branched Polyisobutylene and an Isobutylene−Ethyl Acrylate Copolymer

In the presence of LiCB(11)Me(12) catalyst and a nonoxidizing radical initiator, isobutylene undergoes radical chain polymerization in an inert solvent at ambient temperature and pressure to give a new highly branched form of polyisobutylene. Copolymerization with ethyl acrylate is also possible.
Assessing Functional Ability In Children With Juvenile Chronic Arthritis: An Arthritis-Specific Measure Versus A General Measure Of Children's Health Status 1981

Objective: In order to determine the utility of functional outcome measures in children with chronic arthritis, we compared the results of two well-validated measures, the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire(CHAQ) and the Functional Status II (FSII[R]). Methods: Sixty-eight mothers of children with chronic arthritis, ages 1 to 16 years, completed the CHAQ, an arthritis-specific measure that includes two visual analog scales to assess pain and global well-being and the FSII(R), a general instrument used in children with chronic physical conditions, that assesses general health, locomotion and interpersonal functioning. At the same visit, a pediatric rheumatologist examined each child for number of active joints and number of joints with limited range of motion, and completed a visual analog scale of global disease activity. Results: Both measures had significant associations with the physician's assessment (r=0.60 for the CHAQ and 0.50 for the FSII[R]), and with each other (r=0.67). CHAQ scores were most strongly associated with the number of limited joints (r=0.62), followed by the parent's assessment of global well-being (r=0.49), the number of active joints(r=0.48), and the parent's assessment of overall pain (r=0.48). In contrast, the FSII(R) scores were most strongly associated with the parent's assessment of pain (r=0.63), followed by the parents assessment of global well-being(r=0.59), and less strongly with the number of active and limited joints(r=0.42 for each). All had p<0.02. Conclusion: We conclude that both an arthritis-specific measure (CHAQ) and a general measure of functional status (FSII[R]) are good measures of function in children with chronic arthritis. The CHAQ is more strongly associated with physician's global assessment, and the number of active and limited joints, while the FSII(R) is most strongly associated with parent's assessment of pain and global well-being. Because these measures provide complementary information, they are both useful tools in assessing children's functioning.
Severe traumatic brain injury: is there a gender difference in mortality?

Abstract Background Emerging evidence suggests that male and female nervous systems respond differently to traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objective of this study was to examine outcomes between the sexes after TBI. Patients and methods A retrospective review of all severe TBI patients admitted between January and December 2005 was performed. Isolated severe TBI was defined as a head abbreviated injury score greater than 3 with an abbreviated injury score of 3 or less for other anatomic regions. The population was stratified into age subgroups ( Results A total of 1,807 TBI patients were admitted. The mortality was significantly higher for women (43.2% vs 36.2%, P P P = .02). Conclusions Female sex (particularly those age ≥55 y) is associated independently with higher mortality in isolated severe TBI. This increased mortality of postmenopausal women after isolated TBI may suggest a hormonal influence and warrants further investigation.
Effects of extractive fermentation on butyric acid production by Clostridium acetobutylicum

The addition of an oleyl alcohol extractant to a batch fermentation of glucose byClostridium acetobutylicum resulted in a concentration profile that was distinctly different from the non-extractive control fermentation. The concentration of butyric acid increased and subsequently decreased in the control fermentation. The concentration of butyric acid increased but did not subsequently decrease in the oleyl alcohol extractive fermentation. The production of butyric acid was found to have been prolonged into the solventogenic phase in the oleyl alcohol extractive fermentation. Butyric acid was continually replenished from glucose while it was being converted to butanol. Supplementation of exogenous acetic and butyric acids, the metabolic uncoupler carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone, or decanol to the oleyl alcohol extractive fermentation helped to reinstate the normal butyric acid concentration profile. These findings are discussed with respect to the effects of these additives on the ΔpH ofC. acetobutylicum and its importance with regard to the production of butyric acid.
Direction-selective adaptation with very slow motion

A vertical, sinusoidal adapting grating of 0.4 cycle/degree that moved laterally at 3 Hz produced a considerably greater threshold rise for a subsequently viewed test grating that moved in the same direction as the adapting grating than in the opposite direction. The test grating moved at 0.25 or 0.12 Hz. The result shows that very slowly moving test patterns that move in the direction opposite to the adapting pattern are detected in part by direction-selective mechanisms.
Etch characteristics of giant magnetoresistive materials

The continued growth in communications has increased the need for non-volatile memories. One particular approach is magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM). Because there is no wear-out mechanism, read/write endurance is virtually unlimited, making the technology attractive for a variety of different memory applications. Historically, reactive etching of magnetic thin films has proven to be difficult and ion milling is typically used to pattern the GMR layer. In this work, a high density Cl"2/Ar plasma is used to etch the GMR film stack. Redeposition effects were eliminated, with no serious effect on the underlying oxide layer. Acceptable GMR ratios were obtained for larger bit features, however the ratio drops significantly as bit size decreases. The decrease appears to be a result of corrosion in the copper interlayer of the GMR film stack.
Practical iterative image reconstruction in digital breast tomosynthesis by non-convex TpV optimization

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a rapidly developing imaging modality that gives some tomographic information for breast cancer screening. The effectiveness of standard mammography can be limited by the presence of overlapping structures in the breast. A DBT scan, consisting of a limited number of views covering a limited arc projecting the breast onto a fixed flat-panel detector, involves only a small modification of digital mammography, yet DBT yields breast image slices with reduced interference from overlapping breast tissues. We have recently developed an iterative image reconstruction algorithm for DBT based on image total variation (TV) minimization that improves on EM in that the resulting images have fewer artifacts and there is no need for additional regularization. In this abstract, we present the total p-norm variation (TpV) image reconstruction algorithm. TpV has the advantages of our previous TV algorithm, while improving substantially on the efficiency. Results for the TpV on clinical data are shown and compared with EM.
Isospin-Nonconserving Decays in Mirror Nuclei

We have measured branching ratios for the isospin-nonconserving particle decays of the 15.1-MeV $T=\frac{3}{2}$ states in $^{13}\mathrm{N}$ and $^{13}\mathrm{C}$ to the (0.0, ${0}^{+}$) and (4.44, ${2}^{+}$) states of $^{12}\mathrm{C}$. By comparing ratios of reduced widths with the ${0}^{+}$ and ${2}^{+}$ states of $^{12}\mathrm{C}$ for the mirror decays, we show that the form of the isospin impurity in the 15.1-MeV states depends on ${T}_{z}$.
Adaptive Polynomial Interpolation on Evenly Spaced Meshes

The problem of oscillatory polynomial interpolants arising from equally spaced mesh points is considered. It is shown that by making use of adaptive approaches the oscillations may be contained and the resulting polynomials are data-bounded and monotone on each interval. This is achieved at the cost of using a different polynomial on each subinterval. Computational results for a number of challenging functions including a number of problems similar to Runge's function with as many as 511 points per interval are shown.
Land use impacts on physical properties of 28 years old reclaimed mine soils in Ohio

Reclamation enhances soil quality by improving physical and chemical properties, which helps in restoration of mine soils. Evaluation of the effects of post-reclamation land uses on physical and chemical properties of mine soils helps to identify suitable land uses for mining companies. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of post-reclamation land uses (e.g., forest, hay and pasture) on selected physical properties of soil in relation to undisturbed forest and agricultural land use. Soil samples were collected from the 0- to 5-, 5- to 15- and 15- to 30-cm depths in order to determine particle size distribution, bulk density, water-stable aggregates, mean-weight diameter and soil moisture retention. Cone index and infiltration rate were determined at soil surface. After 28 years of reclamation, bulk density in the surface layer of all land uses in the reclaimed mine soil (RMS) was similar to that of undisturbed forest (1.1 Mg m−3) but lower than that of agricultural soils (1.3 Mg m−3). However, soil bulk density at lower depths was not affected. The cone index was higher in the RMS-pasture (2.6 MPa) than the RMS-forest (1.4 MPa) and RMS-hay (1.5 MPa) due to the trampling effect of grazing animals. The water-stable aggregates (>2 mm), of 5–8 mm aggregates, were higher in RMS-forest by 24%, 90%, 66%, and under RMS-hay by 13%, 74%, 43% for the 0- to 5-, 5- to 15-, and 15- to 30-cm depths, respectively, than that under undisturbed forest. The mean-weight diameter (0- to 30-cm) of aggregates under RMS-forest and RMS-hay were higher than that under undisturbed forest by 41% and 27%, respectively. The initial infiltration rates at 5 min in RMS under forest, hay and pasture were less by 20%, 53% and 85%, respectively, than that under undisturbed forest (19.3 cm min−1). The reclamation of mine soils with forest and hay improved surface soil bulk density and cone index, and enhanced water infiltration capacity and water-stable aggregates at the lower depths. Therefore, establishment of forest and hay should be encouraged in the RMS.
Purification and Characterization of UDP-glucose:Ceramide Glucosyltransferase from Rat Liver Golgi Membranes

We present a method for solubilizing and purifying UDP-Glc:ceramide glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.80; glucosylceramide synthase (GCS)) from rat liver and present data on its substrate specificity. A Golgi membrane fraction was isolated, washed with N-lauroylsarcosine, and subsequently treated with 3[(3-cholamidopropyl)-dimethylammonio]-2-hydroxy-1-propanesulfonate to solubilize the enzyme. GCS activity was monitored throughout purification using UDP-Glc and a fluorescent ceramide analog as substrates. Purification of GCS was achieved via a two-step dye-agarose chromatography procedure using UDP-Glc to elute the enzyme. This resulted in an enrichment >10,000-fold relative to the starting homogenate. The enzyme was further characterized by sedimentation on a glycerol gradient, 125I labeling, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which demonstrated that two polypeptides (60-70 kDa) corresponded closely with GCS activity. Purified GCS was found to require exogenous phospholipids for activity, and optimal results were obtained using dioleoyl phosphatidylcholine. Studies of the substrate specificity of the purified enzyme demonstrated that it was stereospecific and dependent on the nature and chain length of the N-acyl-sphingosine or -sphinganine substrate. UDP-Glc was the preferred hexose donor, but TDP-glucose and CDP-glucose were also efficiently used. This study provides a basis for molecular characterization of this key enzyme in glycosphingolipid biosynthesis.
The Impact of Crime on Trust in Institutions in Mexico

Abstract Using survey data from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) and Encuesta Nacional Sobre la Inseguridad (ENSI) from Mexico during the period of 2004–2010, this paper analyses the impact of insecurity and crime victimization on support and satisfaction with democracy and trust in institutions. The analysis shows that perceptions of higher insecurity decrease support and satisfaction with democracy. We also find that perceptions of insecurity and crime victimization reduce trust in institutions, particularly in those that directly deal with crime (police and judicial system). There is regional variation in relation to trust in institutions that are associated with drug-trafficking activity.
Trial and error in the evolution of cognition

This essay samples evolutionary epistemology, ideas about formative influences of behavior in evolution, and recent work in animal learning. It does so to illustrate how contrasting conceptions of science - as beginning in presuppositionless observation, and as conjecture and refutation - can be compared to views about how trial and error processes have entered into the evolution of animal cognitive capacities. Campbell's argument that visual perception arose as a means of vicarious locomotory trial and error, due to coincidence between the visual spectrum and penetrability, is contrasted with Wachtershauser's case for a prior coincidence between visual sensitivity and the wavelengths capable of driving photosynthesis. The Darwinian picture of organisms as passive products of chance variation and natural selection is contrasted with the views of Popper, Waddington and Gottlieb, according to which animals may take the evolutionary initiative by generating behavioral novelty. In the study of learning operant and respondent conditioning contrast with regard to the active/passive comparison, but recent work has shown that associative learning can involve active computational processing, and that both types of learning are bound by historically imposed constraints. One such constraint may be modularity, which Fodor takes to imply that scientific observation can be theory-neutral. This view is opposed by Churchland, who argues that, even at the level of observational description, science is a process of trial and error, in which the trials always involve theoretical assumptions.
The effect of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on the risk of knee reinjury.

BackgroundAlthough there is evidence that very active, young patients are better served with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, there is a lack of objective data demonstrating that future knee injury is prevented by these procedures.HypothesisAnterior cruciate ligament reconstruction protects against reinjury of the knee that would require reoperation.Study DesignRetrospective cohort study.MethodsA cohort of 6576 active-duty army personnel who had been hospitalized for anterior cruciate ligament injury from 1990 to 1996 were identified. Using the Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database, the authors followed these individuals for up to 9 years and collected clinical, demographic, and occupational data. These data were evaluated with bivariate and multivariable analyses to determine the effect of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on the rate of knee reinjury that required operation.ResultsOf the 6576 study subjects, 3795 subjects (58%) underwent anterior cruciate ligament reconstructi...
An assessment of vapor compression distillation

Abstract The two parts of this paper deal with the saving of energy which may be accomplished through staging of two or more vapor compression plants and with an evaluation of the forced-circulation arrangement for the process. Experiments using a small vapor compressor are presented to exemplify these two modes of operation. Algebraic expressions for compressor work are also presented and the results of calculations are compared with experimental information.
Hormonal Stimulation of Calcium Mobilization in the Isolated Perfused Rat Pancreas

Abstract Hormone-stimulated cellular Ca 2+ mobilization in the isolated perfused rat pancreas was investigated by analyzing the efflux profiles of 45 Ca 2+ from 45 Ca 2+ -loaded pancreata following agonist stimulation. The increased 45 Ca 2+ efflux reflects the enhanced exchange of Ca 2+ across the plasma membrane as a result of increased [Ca 2+ ] i . Both high and low concentrations of the cholecystokinin analog, cerulein, applied to the isolated perfused pancreas gave rise to an increased release of 45 Ca 2+ . The patterns of the increase in 45 Ca 2+ release were consistently different for high and low concentrations of the agonist. Cerulein infused at a concentration of 10 −11 M induced a release of a small but significant amount of 45 Ca 2+ which could be abolished by 8-( N,N- diethylamine)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate (TMB-8), but was not affected by ethyleneglycol-bis (β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid (EGTA). Cerulein stimulation at 10 −9 M elicited a marked increase in 45 Ca 2+ release which was minimized by EGTA, but not by TMB-8. Also, infusion of cerulein stimulated a concentration-dependent amylase secretion response which displayed the same TMB-8- and EGTA-sensitivity pattern as the 45 Ca 2+ release response. The present study suggests (i) that cellular Ca 2+ influx is a prominent feature of the increased 45 Ca 2+ efflux (i.e., increased [Ca 2+ ] i ) induced by pharmacological concentrations of cerulein while physiological concentrations of cerulein cause an increase in [Ca 2+ ] i which is due predominantly to a release of internal Ca 2+ ; and (ii) [Ca 2+ ] i changes are essential for pancreatic enzyme secretion. Although isolated pancreatic acini or cells may lose their sensitivity and physiological responses to various agonists during isolation and preparation, the isolated perfused pancreas is a suitable and very sensitive model in which to study the physiology of Ca 2+ mobilization and enzyme secretion.
Intersecting Curves in the Plane

We prove that for every family of n pairwise intersecting simple closed planar curves in general position, at least (4/5)n2−O(n) points lie on more than one curve. This improves the previous lower bound of (3/4)n2−O(n) due to Richter and Thomassen.
Sensory mapping and preferences for urban nature.

(1982). Sensory mapping and preferences for urban nature. Landscape Research: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 2-8.
Toward a common language for discussing the features of effective professional development: the case of a US mathematics program

The focus of this paper is on detailing the decisions made when we created, implemented and studied a mathematics professional development (PD) program in low‐performing, urban schools. Our program held many characteristics espoused by researchers as critical for effectiveness. We begin by reviewing the characteristics of quality PD programs that guided our work. For each, we detail our interpretation and how that interpretation played out in the design and implementation of the PD. We also evaluate our level of success with respect to using that characteristic to positively impact teachers’ learning experiences and, where possible, the subsequent learning experiences of their students. We close with suggestions for the development of PD programs.
The Bacterial Flora of Milk Held at Low Temperatures.

The value of milk and cream for human food, either alone or as constituents of more elaborate dishes, has led to efforts for their preservation for considerable periods of time. Such preservation is necessary in order to furnish a supply for places where the fresh product cannot be obtained, as on ocean steamships, or for a time of abnormal demand, such as that occasioned by the Fourth of July. The bacterial changes undergone by milk during its preservation at low temperatures have been made the subject of considerable study by Conn and Esten,1 and by Pennington,2 these investigators being preceded by Havemann,3 Schmidt-Nielson,4 Schmelk,5 Conradi and Vogt,6 Fischer,7 and Muller,8 who showed that certain bacteria can grow at a temperature as low as 00 C. The investigations of these earlier scientists consisted mainly in keeping various inoculated menstra at about 00 C. and making quantitative bacterial determinations at stated times. Their conclusions were that, altho growth does take place, it is comparatively slow. Conn and Esten showed that at 10 C. there is a period of from six to eight days during which there is no increase in the total number of bacteria in milk, and that when growth does start at this temperature the lactic bacteria fail to predominate over the other species, so that all types develop. They concluded that milk is not necessarily wholesome because it is sweet and that the species developing at this low temperature are more apt to be injurious than species developing at 200 C. Pennington concluded that at the low temperature (29-320 F.) employed in her experiments there were constantly present bacteria which formed acid and bacteria which acted on protein, the former
Size- and Composition-Dependent Response of the DAWN-A Multiangle Single-Particle Optical Detector

The performance of the DAWN-A differential light-scattering detector (Wyatt et al., 1988. Appl. Opt. 27:217–221) was characterized in laboratory experiments. Objectives of this work included measurement of size-dependent counting efficiencies and of angular scattering patterns for spherical particles of known size and composition. Counting efficiencies for polystyrene latex (PSL) spheres of nine sizes in the 0.14–0.97-μm diameter range were obtained as a function of the trigger threshold level. Counting efficiencies were found to increase with increasing particle size and decreasing trigger threshold level. Maximum observed counting efficiencies were in the range of 50% to 60%, indicating that the half-width of the laser beam was about a factor of 2 narrower than the width of the particle beam in the scattering volume. A distribution of pulse heights was observed for particles of a given size, reflecting the variability of the illumination intensity. Angular scattering patterns of PSL, dioctyl sebacate (D...
A Comparison of Modeled Flood Characteristics to Measurements of the 2002 Flood on the Guadalupe River, Texas

There are a number of equations and models for calculating flood probabilities and associated peak discharges, and this paper compares a model and an empirical calculation. We calculated flood characteristics for the upper Guadalupe watershed in central Texas using the Weibull formula and data available from a local gauging station, to the result given by the National Flood Frequency (NFF) program, developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). During the summer of 2002, the upper Guadalupe watershed received a total of 89 cm (35 in.) of precipitation over a one-week period, producing record flooding. The results from both the NFF program and the calculation of return intervals using gauging station data are compared to the measured peak flows for the summer of 2002. The peak discharges predicted by both the NFF model and from the USGS gauging station data are much higher than the recorded discharge. There may be an increase of flow inputs to the Guadalupe River between the locations of the gauging stati...
Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rates in the Louisiana Acadian Parishes Demonstrated to be Among the Highest in the United States.

Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rates in the Louisiana Acadian Parishes Demonstrated to be Among the Highest in the United States
A potential role for ribosomal protein S2 in the gene network regulating reproductive diapause in the mosquito Culex pipiens.

We propose that a shut-down in expression of ribosomal protein S2 (rpS2) contributes to regulation of diapause in adult females of Culex pipiens. While this gene is expressed continuously in nondiapausing females reared under long-day conditions, it is strongly down-regulated 5–18 days after adult eclosion in females reared under the short-day conditions that induce diapause. The possibility that this shut-down in expression of rpS2 contributes to the arrest in ovarian development characteristic of diapause is bolstered by the diapause-like arrest in follicle growth observed when nondiapausing females are injected with dsrpS2. A control gene encoding another ribosomal protein, L19, is expressed equally in nondiapausing and diapausing females, and RNA interference directed against rpL19 did not arrest follicle growth, thus indicating that the response we observed in knocking down expression of rpS2 is not common to all ribosomal proteins. Diapause in C. pipiens is readily terminated with juvenile hormone (JH), and in this study we demonstrated that an exogenous application of JHIII can rescue the arrest in follicle growth caused by dsrpS2. Together, these results suggest that rpS2 plays a critical role in arresting the ovarian development associated with diapause in this mosquito.
Specific chemical interactions between metal ions and biological solids exemplified by sludge particulates.

The adsorption of metals onto biological surfaces was studied exemplified by municipal sludge particulates of the primary, the secondary, and the tertiary sludge types from four regional wastewater treatment plants. Major factors affecting the extent of metal adsorption including pH, DOM, total biomass, and total metal loading were studied. The acidity–basicity characteristics of the DOM, the metal ions (Lewis acids), and the surface of the sludge particulates make pH the most important parameter in metal adsorption. Change in pH can modify the speciation of the metal ions, the DOM, and the surface acidity of the sludge particulates and subsequently determines the degree of metal distribution between the aqueous phase and the sludge solids. Information on the acidity–basicity characteristics of the DOM and the sludge particulates are used to calculate the stability constant of metal ion–sludge complexes.
Scaling Approach to Tricritical Phase Transitions

Scaling laws for multicomponent systems near the tricritical point are derived by relating the "scales" of the competing second-order and tricritical phase transitions. The approach leads to a consistent description of the thermodynamics of the superfluid and phase-separation transitions in ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ mixtures.
Impact of prophylactic ganciclovir on bronchoalveolar lavage lymphocyte numbers and phenotypes in murine cytomegalovirus-induced reactivation of Toxoplasma pneumonia

In a mouse model of cytomegalovirus (CMV)-induced immunosuppression, murine CMV (MCMV) infection results in reactivation of Toxoplasma pneumonia, and prophylactic but not delayed administration of ganciclovir attenuates the severity of this pneumonia. We now report that the protection observed with ganciclovir is associated with blunting of the alterations in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) lymphocyte numbers and phenotypes observed in untreated mice. Specifically, prophylactic ganciclovir prevents the usual drop in BAL CD4+ lymphocytes observed in the first week after MCMV injection—that is, the period of MCMV-associated immunosuppression. Furthermore, prophylactic ganciclovir markedly blunts the usual rise in BAL T lymphocytes (CD8+ > CD4+) seen later during the peak of reactivated Toxoplasma pneumonia. These findings suggest that prophylactic ganciclovir can protect animals from virus-associated opportunistic pneumonia by attenuating virus-induced changes in BAL lymphocytes and the attendant suppression of lung immunity.
Cardiac enlargement mechanisms with exercise training and pressure overload.

Abstract The effects of exercise training were examined in the adult male rat heart using biochemical and fiber size measurements. These effects have been compared with those observed following simulated pathological cardiac enlargement associated with both moderate and severe pressure overloads. The combination of desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) injections and salt loading for 21 to 25 days produced a moderate pressure overload (146 ± 5 mm Hg systolic pressure) when compared to control animals (132 ± 3 mm Hg). A 10% increase in left ventricular mass and increased fiber size accompanied the moderate pressure overload. There was no evidence for cellular proliferation in the left ventricle of DOCA injected animals. Abdominal aortic constriction for 21 to 25 days produced a severe pressure overload (210 ± 5 mm Hg) and increased left ventricular mass by 35%. There was evidence that fiber growth and cell proliferation had been stimulated. In contrast to pressure overload stimuli, 80 to 90 days of treadmill exercise did not increase left ventricular mass above control levels. There was no evidence for either increased fiber size or cellular proliferation; however, exercise established a relative left ventricular enlargement by allowing left ventricular mass to increase at approximately normal rate while simultaneously reducing the overall growth rate of the animal. The data indicate that the mechanism for achieving relative cardiac enlargement during exercise training is in direct contrast with the cardiac enlargement mechanism employed during either DOCA injection or aortic constriction.
Defect in Pulmonary Ciliogenesis in Mice with a Targeted Mutation in the Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor/Forkhead Homologue 4 Gene

Defect in Pulmonary Ciliogenesis in Mice with a Targeted Mutation in the Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor/Forkhead Homologue 4 Gene
THEORY AND EVIDENCE BEARING ON A SCALE OF TRAIT AROUSABILITY

Trait Arousability is defined, in part, by strength of arousal response to sudden increases in complexity, variation, novelty, and/or unexpectedness of stimuli. The Trait Arousability Scale related positively to increases in diastolic pressure when angered, to heart disease, incidence of illnesses, conditioned aversions, avoidance of social contacts in high-density dormitories, dissatisfaction and lowered performance in high density workplaces, recall of emotional events, enjoyment of violence, and to scales of affiliation, dependency, empathy, sensitivity, impulsivity, affect intensity, low endurance, anxiety, neuroticism, procrastination, paranoia, eating disorders, and suicidal tendencies (but not to depression).
Estimation of adult carabid absolute densities in a no-till corn field by removal sampling

Abstract A removal sampling technique was used and evaluated according to its assumptions for estimating the absolute densities of adult ground beetles (Carabidae). Removal sampling is a method of absolute density estimation based on the decline in successive catch numbers as individuals are removed from a population. Field arenas were used to isolate sampling areas in a no-till corn field, and pitfall traps were installed within the arenas to remove the carabids. A linear regression method was used to calculate the density estimate using the removal sampling data. Although the technique provided estimates which are relatively similar to those of mark-release-recapture studies, violations of the assumptions were observed, and suggestions are made which may improve the accuracy of the estimates and the applicability of the technique.
Fibroinflammatory pseudotumor of the submandibular gland.

Background Fibroinflammatory pseudotumors infrequently involve the major salivary glands. Much more is known regarding the clinical behavior of orbital pseudotumors, especially their steroid responsiveness. Methods A case of fibroinflammatory pseudotumor involving the submandibular gland is presented with its preoperative cytologic and computed tomographic scan features. The lesion had a dramatic response to steroids for residual disease. Conclusions If preoperative cytologic features of benign spindle cells with an inflammatory component seen on line-needle aspiration raise the possibility of fibroinflammatory pseudotumor, then responsiveness to high-dose steroids may preclude the need for more-extensive surgery. HEAD & NECK 1996;18:465–468 © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
JIT mixed-model sequencing with batching and setup considerations via search heuristics

This research addresses the problem of sequencing items for production when it is desired that the production sequences result in minimal usage rates–surrogate measures for flexibility in a JIT environment. While seeking sequences with minimal usage rates, the number of required setups for the sequences is also considered, along with feasible batch-sizing combinations. The general intent is to find minimum usage-rate sequences for each associated number of setups and total batches. This multiple objective problem is addressed via a three-dimensional efficient frontier. Because the combinatorial nature of sequencing problems typically provides an intractable search space for problems of ‘real world’ size, the search heuristics of simulated annealing and genetic algorithms are presented and used to find solutions for several problem sets from the literature. Experimentation shows that the simulated annealing approach outperforms the genetic algorithm approach in both objective function and CPU performance.
Being Aware of the World: Toward Using Social Media to Support the Blind With Navigation

This paper lays the ground work for assistive navigation using wearable sensors and social sensors to foster situational awareness for the blind. Our system acquires social media messages to gauge the relevant aspects of an event and to create alerts. We propose social semantics that captures the parameters required for querying and reasoning an event-of-interest, such as what, where, who, when, severity, and action from the Internet of things, using an event summarization algorithm. Our approach integrates wearable sensors in the physical world to estimate user location based on metric and landmark localization. Streaming data from the cyber world are employed to provide awareness by summarizing the events around the user based on the situation awareness factor. It is illustrated using disaster and socialization event scenarios. Discovered local events are fed back using sound localization so that the user can actively participate in a social event or get early warning of any hazardous events. A feasibility evaluation of our proposed algorithm included comparing the output of the algorithm to ground truth, a survey with sighted participants about the algorithm output, and a sound localization user interface study with blind-folded sighted participants. Thus, our framework supports the navigation problem for the blind by combining the advantages of our real-time localization technologies so that the user is being made aware of the world, a necessity for independent travel.
“TASS Mark IV Photometric Survey of the Northern Sky” (PASP, 118, 1666 [2006])

The Amateur Sky Survey (TASS) has built and operated a set of wide-field CCD cameras (the “Mark IV” units) to monitor stars in the northern celestial hemisphere. In an earlier paper in this journal (Droege et al. 2006, PASP, 118, 1666), we presented a catalog based on repeated measurements of stars during the period 2001–2005. In that paper, we warned that our photometry might suffer from systematic errors on scales of a few degrees due to gradients across our images. S. Roser compared our photometry to the All-Sky Compiled Catalogue (ASCC; Kharchenko 2001, KNFT, 17, 409) and found a pattern of residuals in the declination direction with a period of about 4.2 , exactly the size of the Mark IV images. Following his kind suggestions, we calculated differences between the Mark IV magnitudes and measurements from the ASCC and Tycho-2 (Hog et al. 2000, AA in the first region (low declination), stars in the southern portion of scan are fainter than their values in the reference catalogs, but in the third region (high declinations), stars in the southern portion of a scan are brighter than their reference values. We can explain these patterns as follows. The skies at our suburban observing site are very bright near the horizon and less bright at the zenith. We used night-sky images to create flat-field frames, which thus inherited a gradient, large values near the horizon and small values near the zenith. When we divided our images by the flat-field frames, we improperly decreased pixel values near the horizon and increased pixel values near the zenith. Stars near the horizon edge of each scan thus appear improperly faint in our data, while those near the zenith edge of each scan appear improperly bright. The amplitude of the effect is largest where the sky gradients are largest, at the southern and northern extremes of our survey area. Since the errors are so regular, it is not difficult to characterize and remove them. We describe the process briefly here and refer interested readers to a detailed report. We divided the sky up into bins by declination, computed the median difference between the Mark IV and Tycho-2 magnitudes within each bin, and assigned that median as the correction value at the middle of the bin. We normalized these corrections for each camera, so that we would retain the Landolt zero-points on average, then applied them to the mean V-band and mean Iband magnitudes of each star. The result, version 2 of the Mark IV Patches Catalog, will replace the original in our own archive and at the CDS.