cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Suppressing mosquito populations with precision guided sterile males

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector for arboviruses including dengue/yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus, infecting hundreds of millions of people annually. Unfortunately, traditional control methodologies are insufficient, so innovative control methods are needed. To complement existing measures, here we develop a molecular genetic control system termed precision-guided sterile insect technique (pgSIT) in Aedes aegypti. PgSIT uses a simple CRISPR-based approach to generate flightless females and sterile males that are deployable at any life stage. Supported by mathematical models, we empirically demonstrate that released pgSIT males can compete, suppress, and even eliminate mosquito populations. This platform technology could be used in the field, and adapted to many vectors, for controlling wild populations to curtail disease in a safe, confinable, and reversible manner.
Nonviral Genetic Vaccines for Cancer

Genetic vaccination has tremendous potential for the treatment and prevention of cancer. This chapter briefly discusses the advances in research aimed at increasing the effectiveness of genetic vaccine formulations. Particular emphasis is placed on in vivo nonviral delivery technologies and modifications to safely achieve optimal antigen expression. We will also discuss implications for the future of genetic vaccines.
Extension of sugar chains through acetylenic intermediates : Part II. derivatives of I-heptyne-L-gluco- and L-manno-3,4,5,6,7-pentol☆

Abstract Ethynylation of 2,3:4,5-di- O -isopropylidene- aldehydo - L -arabinose (1) gave a high yield of the 3-epimeric heptyne derivatives 2 and 7 , separable by preparative g.l.c. or by fractional recrystallization of the derived 3,5-dinitrobenzoates 4 and 9 . Proof of configuration of 2 and 7 was effected by ozonolysis of the derived alkenes 6 and 11 to give derivatives of L -glucose and L -mannose, respectively. A second proof was afforded by conversion of 2 and 7 into the corresponding pentaacetoxyheptynes 18 and 13 , followed by ozonolysis to give derivatives of L -gluconic and L -mannonic acids, respectively. Differences in the n.m.r. spectra of the two series of heptyne derivatives were correlated with the difference in configuration at C-3.
The PLISSIT Model: A Proposed Conceptual Scheme for the Behavioral Treatment of Sexual Problems

(1976). The PLISSIT Model: A Proposed Conceptual Scheme for the Behavioral Treatment of Sexual Problems. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 1-15.
The Case for the Regulation of Bitcoin Mining as a Security

Bitcoin is rapidly increasing in use throughout the world. Instrumental to the Bitcoin system, the process for introducing new bitcoin into the system is known as “mining.” Mining involves the use of powerful computer systems and complex, computational algorithms to verify or validate prior bitcoin transactions. The reward for successfully undertaking this process is the creation and award of new bitcoin to the miner. Bitcoin mining has become a tedious and difficult process. The race to verify transactions, and thereby earn bitcoin, necessitates more sophisticated processes for verification and greater computational power. Many bitcoin miners band together in groups called “pools” to create a powerful mining platform. Some miners invest time and effort to build or maintain a suitable computer system, while others passively provide money or other resources toward the creation of the mining system. Many such mining pools have grown to allow individuals to collectively contribute effort to the transaction verification process in exchange for an interest in the proceeds from the mining activity. The bitcoin mining pool has largely escaped regulation. This paper argues that the mining pool should be regulated under the existing federal securities regulation regime.
Corn leaf phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylases. Inhibition of 14CO2 fixation by SO3(2-) and activation by glucose 6-phosphate.

Abstract Sulfite ion, the hydrated form of SO 2 which is an air pollutant, was found to be an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase(s) isolated from corn leaves. The inhibition was partial even in the presence of excess SO 3 2− . It inhibited the enzyme competitively with respect to HCO 3 − , noncompetitively with respect to phosphoenolpyruvate, and uncompetitively with respect to Mg 2+ . The kinetics of inhibition suggest that an alternate pathway is operative in the presence of SO 3 2− . The enzyme(s) were activated by glucose 6-phosphate which affected primarily the affinity of the enzyme for phosphoenolpyruvate. The binding site of glucose 6-phosphate was apparently distinct from the catalytic site of the enzyme since partial destruction of the catalytic site by heat had no effect on the inhibition by SO 3 2− , but glucose 6-phosphate lost its activating effect. The inhibition due to SO 3 2− was relieved by glucose 6-phosphate.
Approximation Algorithms for Edge-Dilation k-Center Problems

In an ideal point-to-point network, any node would simply choose a path of minimum latency to send packets to any other node; however, the distributed nature and the increasing size of modern communication networks may render such a solution infeasible, as it requires each node to store global information concerning the network. Thus it may be desirable to endow only a small subset of the nodes with global routing capabilites, which gives rise to the following graph-theoretic problem.Given an undirected graph G = (V,E), a metric l on the edges, and an integer k, a k-center is a set ? ? V of size k and an assignment ?v that maps each node to a unique element in ?. We let d?(u, v) denote the length of the shortest path from u to v passing through ?u and ?v and let dl(u, v) be the length of the shortest u, v-path in G. We then refer to d?(u, v)/dl(u, v) as the stretch of the pair (u, v). We let the stretch of a k-center solution ? be the maximum stretch of any pair of nodes u, v ? V. The minimum edge-dilation k-center problem is that of finding a k-center of minimum stretch.We obtain combinatorial approximation algorithms with constant factor performance guarantees for this problem and variants in which the centers are capacitated or nodes may be assigned to more than one center. We also show that there can be no 5/4 - ? approximation for any ? > 0 unless P = NP.
Society for Consumer Psychology

The Society for Consumer Psychology (Division 23, American Psychological Association [APA]) represents the interests of social scientists in the fields of psychology, marketing, advertising, communication, consumer behavior, and other related areas. Each year the Society sponsors a national conference program (February), an Advertising and Consumer Psychology conference (May), and a national conference program in conjunction with the annual meeting of the APA (August). The Society publishes the Journal of Consumer Psychology, the Advertising and Consumer Psychology Book Series, conference proceedings, and The Communicator (a newsletter published online).
Utilization and Impact of Pre-Hospital Electrocardiograms for Patients With Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Data From the NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) ACTION (Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network) Registry

Objectives This study sought to determine the association of pre-hospital electrocardiograms (ECGs) and the timing of reperfusion therapy for patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Background Pre-hospital ECGs have been recommended in the management of patients with chest pain transported by emergency medical services (EMS). Methods We evaluated patients with STEMI from the NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) ACTION (Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network) registry who were transported by EMS from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2007. Patients were stratified by the use of pre-hospital ECGs, and timing of reperfusion therapy was compared between the 2 groups. Results A total of 7,098 of 12,097 patients (58.7%) utilized EMS, and 1,941 of these 7,098 EMS transport patients (27.4%) received a pre-hospital ECG. Among the EMS transport population, primary percutaneous coronary intervention was performed in 92.1% of patients with a pre-hospital ECG versus 86.3% with an in-hospital ECG, whereas fibrinolytic therapy was used in 4.6% versus 4.2% of patients. Median door-to-needle times for patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy (19 min vs. 29 min, p = 0.003) and median door-to-balloon times for patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (61 min vs. 75 min, p Conclusions Only one-quarter of these patients transported by EMS receive a pre-hospital ECG. The use of a pre-hospital ECG was associated with a greater use of reperfusion therapy, faster reperfusion times, and a suggested trend for a lower risk of mortality.
Tropical Implicitization and Mixed Fiber Polytopes

The software TrIm offers implementations of tropical implicitization and tropical elimination, as developed by Tevelev and the authors. Given a polynomial map with generic coefficients, TrIm computes the tropical variety of the image. When the image is a hypersurface, the output is the Newton polytope of the defining polynomial. TrIm can thus be used to compute mixed fiber polytopes, including secondary polytopes.
Radionuclidic contamination in nuclear medicine: Evaluation of various decontamination products

2103 Objectives Radionuclidic contamination in a nuclear medicine department can occur. In order to determine an optimal decontamination procedure, our department evaluated specific decontamination products on I-131 and Tc-99m spills. Methods Our laboratory evaluated I-131 and Tc-99m decontamination procedures on linoleum using four products: Dr. K Iodowash; Radiacwash (Biodex); Super Sani Cloth; Comet Cleanser/Brillo pad. For each procedure, a linoleum sample was spotted with the specific radionuclide. After 30 minutes, the spill was wiped, the specific product applied for 10 seconds and removed. This was followed by a soaking procedure with the same product (5 minutes) followed by wiping. A control decontamination procedure using water was also performed. Prior to and after each decontamination procedure radiation levels were measured using a GM survey meter/pancake probe and percent contamination calculated. Decay correction was utilized whenever appropriate. After determining an optimal method, a decontamination procedure was performed. Results For I-131 linoleum contamination, a 36.6%, 52.1%, 90.8%, 98.4%, and 36.0% reduction was noted for Dr. K Iodowash, Radiacwash, Super Sani Cloth, Comet Cleanser/Brillo pad and control, respectively. For Tc-99m linoleum contamination, a 75.9%, 80.4%, 91.7%, 96.6% and 5.8% reduction was noted for Dr. K ‘Iodowash, Radiacwash, Super Sani Cloth, Comet Cleanser/Brillo pad and control, respectively. The optimal Tc-99m decontamination procedure consisted of two steps, Super Sani Cloth wipe followed by a Comet Cleanser/Brillo decontamination procedure. With this procedure, contamination removal from Super Sani Cloth wipe and Comet Cleanser/Brillo pad was 74.4% and 98.1%, respectively. Conclusions Various decontamination products suitable for I-131 and Tc-99m spills were evaluated. As a result, an optimal decontamination procedure was formulated consisting of two steps: Super Sani Cloth wipe decontamination followed by a more intense Comet Cleanser/Brillo pad decontamination
Stress-Strain Relationships in Yarns Subjected to Rapid Impact Loading

If a textile yarn, marked at intervals along its length, is struck transversely by a rifle bullet, a flash photograph taken shortly after impact will reveal a shifting of the marks caused by passage of a strain wave. Analysis of these shifts provides data on the dis tribution of strain and strain velocity in the wave. Tests were performed on specimens of a high-tenacity nylon and a high-tenacity polyester yarn, to determine strain-velocity distributions at various times after impact and at various impact velocities. The observed distributions were then compared with the predictions of a theory which assumed that stress-strain behavior was independent of strain rate. From discrepancies between theo retical and observed results, it was concluded that at strain levels up to 9%, significant creep and stress relaxation occurred within 30 μ sec after impact, but in the time interval 30 μ sec to 300 μ sec, creep and stress relaxation were negligible. For strains of the order of 1%, the 30 μ sec creep and stress ...
Lithography factors that determine the aspect ratio of electron cyclotron resonance plasma etched HgCdTe trenches

Factors that affect width and aspect ratio in electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) etched HgCdTe trenches are investigated. The ECR etch bias and anisotropy are determined by photoresist feature erosion rate. The physical characteristics of the trenches are attributed to a combination of photoresist feature geometry and ECR plasma etch chemistry. This knowledge has led to production of trenches suitable for two-color, 20 µm pitch detectors.
Meiotic chromosomal aberrations in wild populations of Podophyllum peltatum

Meiotic chromosomal aberrations observed in wild populations of the plant Podophyllum peltatum include incomplete homologous pairing, non-homologous pairing, and inversion heterozygosity in pachytene; univalents, asymmetrical bivalents, and translocation heterozygosity in metaphase-I; bridge and fragments in anaphase-I; and non-disjunction as detected in anaphase-II. Incomplete homologous pachytene pairing is believed to result in non-homologous pairing and in the formation of metaphase-I univalents. The unequal distribution and precocious division of univalents in anaphase-I leads to non-disjunction. Non-disjunction chromosomes (varying in frequency from 0.0 to 24.6%) appear to be distributed among the genome on the basis of chromosome length. Asymmetrical bivalents and anaphase-I side-arm bridges are believed to be caused by chromatid breakage and fusion rather than inversion heterozygosity. Of the 135 clones examined, 20 were found to be heterozygous for translocations. The possibility of widespread distribution of some translocations is suggested.
Predictors of outcome of forefoot surgery for ulceration and gangrene

background Surprisingly little is known about the long-term outcome of forefoot surgery for limb salvage. methods From January 1, 1992 through December 31, 1996, patients requiring toe amputation or forefoot surgery were prospectively entered into a computerized database and followed up for healing, need for repeat foot surgery, or major amputation (below or above knee). results A total of 162 patients (mean age 65 years), 72% diabetic, 10% with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and 73% without palpable pulses, were entered into the study. Mean follow-up was 25 months. Of patiente without palpable pulses (n = 98), 83% underwent concomitant or subsequent limb revascularization. Eleven of 98 revascularization procedures (11 %) were hemodynamically unsuccessful. Monhealing of the initial forefoot procedure occurred in 14%, and late repeat foot surgery (following initial healing) was required in an additional 14%. Major amputation was eventually required in 30 (18.5%) patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that unsuccessful revascularization, but not diabetes or ESRD, predicted nonhealing and major amputation ( P P = 0.0015). conclusions In patients requiring toe or partial forefoot amputation, success of revascularization is the primary predictor of initial healing and freedom from major amputation. Neuropathic ulceration predicts need for repeat foot surgery following healing.
Filterbank-based universal demosaicking

Recent advances in spatio-spectral sampling and panchromatic pixels have contributed to increased spatial resolution and enhanced noise performance. As such, it is necessary to consider the universality of demosaicking design principles—instead of CFA-specific optimization for signal recovery. In this article, we introduce a new universal demosaicking method that draws from the lessons learned in Bayer demosaicking designs, but can be applied to arbitrary array patterns. We recast the data-dependence of Bayer demosaicking as a parsimonious reconstruction of the underlying image signal that is inherently sparse in some representation. Using properties of filterbanks, we generalize this principle to yield a nonlinear recovery method that is consistent with the state-of-the-art Bayer demosaicking methods.
The RF/microwave research and development activities of Taiwan companies using Agilent EEsof EDA solutions

In modern wireless communication and microwave design, the complexity of whole system is increasing. It's difficult to develop a complex system without suitable tools. In order to shorten time to market and turn-around time, the role of electrical design automation (EDA) software is becoming more and more important. In this paper, some recent activities of Taiwan companies using Agilent EEsof EDA solutions are presented. TSMC developed 60GHz Reference Design Kit on CMOS 65nm process using Agilent Momentum & GoldenGate. Quanta Computer developed and verified WiMAX SiP module using ADS and EMPro. Cyntec also developed component libraries for ADS and verified how significant the process variation affects components' performances.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interferon-γ Modulation of Nitric Oxide and Allograft Survival

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) and interferon-γ (IFN) modulate immune responses, as TNF is postulated as a first messenger for priming immune cells and IFN as the second messenger for activation. Nitric oxide (NO) is also an important mediator of immune function, as NO produced by immune cells in response to cytokines such as TNF and IFN may be a cytotoxic end-product effector of immune activation. To examine TNF and IFN modulation of NO production and effects upon allograft survival, we studied the in vitro effect of TNF, IFN, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, as a nonspecific immune stimulator and TNF promoter) singly or together on NO production in unstimulated rat splenocytes or in response to allogeneic stimulation in MHC mismatch (Brown-Norway, BN, vs Lewis, LEW) mixed lymphocyte reactions. Nitrite as a stable reaction product of NO was determined by a colorimetric method based on the Griess reaction. Interestingly, unstimulated cells had little NO production in response to TNF or IFN; however, following nonspecific (LPS) or allogeneic stimulation there was a significant upregulation of NO production that was synergistically enhanced by the presence of both TNF and IFN. Significantly, anti-TNF antibody inhibited NO production up to 60% in all groups. In vivo studies used a cardiac heterotopic allotransplant model, again BN to LEW. Control recipients received no immunotherapy. Experimental recipients received IFN alone, anti-IFN antibody, anti-TNF antibody, or anti-TNF and anti-IFN antibody. Results from these allograft experiments showed no influence on survival by IFN alone or anti-FN antibody alone. However, anti-TNF antibody extended allograft survival, which was synergistically and significantly enhanced with the addition of anti-IFN antibody. These results demonstrate that cytokines synergistically modulate immune response via NO synthesis, as NO is markedly increased by IFN in the presence of allogeneic stimulation or TNF/LPS. Furthermore, as anti-IFN was only beneficial to allograft survival in the presence of anti-TNF, the priming and activating roles of these cytokines in modulating the alloimmune response via NO production suggest that transplant rejection may be mediated through a distinct cascade. Modulation of cytokine-NO cascades may lead to new therapies.
Hydrogenation of Phenol by the Pd/Mg and Pd/Fe Bimetallic Systems under Mild Reaction Conditions

Three palladium-catalyzed zerovalent metal systems were found to be able to hydrogenate phenol to cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone under room temperature and pressure conditions. Exposure of 5.0 mM aqueous phenol solutions to Pd (2.6 ppt m/m)/Mg (1.00 g 20 mesh) and to 0.53 g of 1/8 in. Pd (0.5%)/alumina in contact with 1.00 g 20 mesh Mg results in 74% and 24% destruction of the reactant after 6 h of reaction time. The latter system was found to be greatly enhanced in the presence of 2% (v/v) glacial acetic acid, resulting in an 84% reduction of phenol with a carbon balance of 93%. Palladized iron and unmodified metals systems were much less effective at hydrogenating phenol. The advantage of the 1/8 in. Pd/alumina/20 mesh Mg system is that it gives a readily recoverable form of the catalysts when compared to the bimetallic systems.
Slow right perfrontal transcranial magnetic stimulation as a reatment for medication‐resistant depression: A double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study

Over the past decade, efforts have been made to assess the positive therapeutic effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) by altering the excitability of the brain. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy of right prefrontal slow repetitive TMS in patients with treatment refractory major depression. This pilot study supports the therapeutic potential of rTMS in the low-frequency range of 1 Hz on right prefrontal cortex for the treatment of refractory major depression. Additional studies will be necessary to assess the efficacy of rTMS with different indices (frequency, intensity, and stimulation site) for major depression and other psychiatric diseases.
Structure and Function of DNA Photolyase

Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (Pyr Pyr) are the major DNA photoproducts induced by the UV component of solar radiation. Photoreactivating enzyme (DNA photolyase) repairs DNA by utilizing the energy of visible light to break the cyclobutane ring of the dimer. Photolyases are monomeric proteins of 50-60 kDa with stoichiometric amounts of two noncovalent chromophore/cofactors. One of these cofactors is FADH-, and the second chromophore is either methenyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) or 8-hydroxy-5-deazariboflavin (8-HDF). The enzyme binds the DNA substrate in a light-independent reaction, the second chromophore of the bound enzyme absorbs a visible photon and, by dipole-dipole interaction, transfers energy to FADH- which, in turn, transfers an electron to Pyr Pyr in DNA; the Pyr Pyr- splits and back electron transfer restores the dipyrimidine and the functional form of flavin ready for a new cycle of catalysis.
Therapists' attitudes towards psychotherapeutic strategies in community-based psychotherapy with children with disruptive behavior problems.

Little is known about what individual treatment strategies therapists providing usual care psychotherapy consider the most valuable to their practice. The Therapeutic Strategies Survey (TSS) assesses therapists’ attitudes about the value of 27 individual treatment strategies in their practice with children with disruptive behavior problems in community-based outpatient psychotherapy. Findings indicate that therapists from multiple professional disciplines highly value many individual psychotherapeutic strategies, and consider strategies common to a majority of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for this population at least as important as strategies not emphasized in EBPs. Implications for developing therapist training and implementation of EBPs are discussed.
Stress relaxation of a copper-1.87 wt. % beryllium alloy

Abstract Stress relaxation experiments were used to study the deformation behavior of a precipitation hardening copper−1.87 wt% beryllium alloy. The precipitate was found to strengthen the material mainly by increasing the long range internal stress. However, the parameters describing thermally activated deformation were found to differ from parameters previously determined in copper and copper solid solution alloys. Cold working prior to aging did not change the parameters of thermal activation but increased the strength of the alloy by further raising the long range internal stress.
Perstimulatory Tracking in Pitch Perception by Subjects with Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

The pitch of continuous fatiguing tones was tracked over time by six subjects who demonstrated sensorineural hearing loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and possible sig...
Experimental Investigation of the Steady-State Rectified Alternator Model

Equations are derived to describe the steady-state behavior of a salient-pole alternator connected to a full-wave diode bridge. This model is then compared to one developed earlier for rectified superconducting machines. Experimental measurements are included for a 400-Hz aircraft-type alternator, and these are compared with the calculated results. Due to the similarity between the conventional and superconducting models, it is suggested that these results may be indicative of the accuracy for both types.
Millimeter-wave planar InP Schottky diodes and their small-signal equivalent circuit

Two planar indium phosphide Schottky diode designs have been fabricated and analyzed for millimeter-wave detector applications up to 150 GHz. Device structure and fabrication are discussed, and small-signal equivalent circuit models are presented. The following topics are included: the planar InP diode structure fabricated by megaelectron volt ion implantation. DC and RF measurements, circuit model values, and 94-GHz small-signal detector performance. The zero-bias detector sensitivity at 94 GHz was measured to be as high as 400 mV/mW, and the calculated tangential signal sensitivity was -56 dBm. >
Mechanism of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Growth: Charge Overcompensation and Distribution

A mechanism for distributing excess polymer surface charge is used to model the growth of multilayers of strongly charged polyelectrolytes. Two parameters are required for the semiempirical analysis: the surface, or unrestricted, charge overcompensation level, φ, which is assumed to decrease exponentially from the film surface to bulk, and the characteristic length for this decay, lcp, which is termed the charge penetration length. Modeling of the data reveals that only modest levels of polymer charge overcompensation are required to account for large increments in polymer thickness, realized at high salt concentration, since the excess charge is distributed over several “layers”. Experimentally, φ appears to be roughly independent of salt concentration. The thickness increment is primarily controlled by lcp, which is about 2.5 nominal layers for the system studied. Whereas the growth conditions and polyelectrolyte type lead to the formation of intrinsically compensated multilayers in this work, conditio...
Decisions Made in the Practice Room: A Qualitative Study of Middle School Students’ Thought Processes While Practicing

The purpose of this study is to describe the decision-making processes of novice band students while engaged in individual practice. Five seventh- through ninth-grade students were videotaped while practicing and subsequently interviewed using retrospective verbal protocol. Students were asked to discuss the goals they had while practicing, their choice of practice strategies, their self-assessment process, and their feelings of efficacy. Analysis of data and prior literature resulted in the construction of a model for effective practice and suggested three implications for teachers. First, student choices about what and how to practice seem more focused when motivations are goal oriented instead of time oriented. Second, practice goals tend to be vague, which leads to difficulty in defining criteria for success and strategies for improvement. Finally, though students have knowledge of various practice strategies, their understanding of the appropriate use of the strategies is lacking.
A study of the effects of trend, variability, frequency, and form of data on teachers' judgements about progress and their decisions about program change

Past research has demonstrated the influence of various factors on teachers' judgments about their students' progress. When graphed data are viewed, teachers tend to make different decisions depending upon the amount of data viewed and its trend. Current surveys of teachers' practices in data collection and decision-making indicate that teachers primarily collect training data which are examined in both graphed and ungraphed (response by response) forms to make weekly decisions about progress. In this study, 56 teachers of students with moderate to profound disabilities viewed task analytic data in one of three forms: graphed, ungraphed, or both forms. Teachers were asked to describe the progress and make a program recommendation for each student whose data they examined. Three repeated factors (trend, variability, and frequency of data collection) also were examined for their effect on the dependent variables and their interactions with data form and with each other. Results were in agreement with earlier research and further indicated that the form of the data did not produce different judgments or decisions. However, the three factors, trend, variability, and the frequency of data collection, all had significant main effects with teachers' descriptions about student progress and their program recommendations; several significant interactions among the factors also were found.
A rapid column chromatographic procedure for the routine measurement of taurine in plasma of normals and depressed patients.

Abstract A rapid method has been developed for the routine measurement of taurine in plasma. A preliminary clean-up step has made it possible to assay multiple samples in a relatively short period of time using the excellent sensitivity and specificity of the analytical column of the automatic amino acid analyzer. The speed and specificity of the method permits its use for the routine measurement of taurine in blood samples. Employing this method, a value of 45 ± 4 nmol taurine per ml platelet free plasma (mean ± S.E.M.) was obtained for normal healthy adults. Analysis of plasma from depressed patients who are free of drugs as well as from depressed patients under treatment with drugs gave values of 29 ± 2 and 25 ± 3 nmol taurine per ml platelet free plasma (mean ± S.E.M.), respectively.
Remote sensing applications to hydrology: airborne laser altimeters

Shortly after the development of the first laser instrument in 1960, studies began on using laser distancing technology from airborne platforms to measure surface features on the landscape. Airborne laser altimeter studies in the 1960s and 1970s were used to measure terrain features and sea ice roughness. Research in the 1980s and 1990s has shown that airborne laser measurements can be used to measure directly topography, stream channel cross sections, gully cross sections, soil surface roughness, and vegetation canopy height, cover and distribution. These laser measurements can be used to estimate forest biomass and volume, aerodynamic roughness and leaf area indices. Airborne laser altimeters provide quick and accurate measurements for evaluating changes in land surface features and can be an additional tool in the arsenal of remote sensing equipment used to understand watershed properties and to develop plans to manage water resources.
Sequence Changes Associated with Respiratory Transmission of H7N1 Influenza Virus in Mammals

In this issue of the Journal of Virology (JVI), we publish a [paper by Troy C. Sutton and colleagues][1] from the University of Maryland, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, and Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie in Padua, Italy, reporting sequence changes in highly
Hilbert functions of colored quotient rings and a generalization of the Clements---Lindström theorem

Given a polynomial ring $$S = \Bbbk [x_1, \dots , x_n]$$S=k[x1,?,xn] over a field $$\Bbbk $$k , and a monomial ideal $$M$$M of $$S$$S, we say the quotient ring $$R = S/M$$R=S/M is Macaulay-Lex if for every graded ideal of $$R$$R, there exists a lexicographic ideal of $$R$$R with the same Hilbert function. In this paper, we introduce a class of quotient rings with combinatorial significance, which we call colored quotient rings. This class of rings include Clements---Lindstrom rings and colored squarefree rings as special cases that are known to be Macaulay-Lex. We construct two new classes of Macaulay-Lex rings, characterize all colored quotient rings that are Macaulay-Lex, and give a simultaneous generalization of both the Clements---Lindstrom theorem and the Frankl---Furedi---Kalai theorem. We also show that the $$f$$f-vectors of $$(a_1, \dots , a_n)$$(a1,?,an)-colored simplicial complexes or multicomplexes are never characterized by "reverse-lexicographic" complexes or multicomplexes when $$n>1$$n>1 and $$(a_1, \ldots , a_n) \ne (1, \ldots , 1)$$(a1,?,an)?(1,?,1).
Changes in anthropometric indices of body composition with age in a healthy elderly population.

Changes in body composition are known to occur with old age, but there is limited knowledge of the normal values rates of change in anthropometric indices of body composition or the distribution of these changes in the elderly. In the present study, 98 elderly white men and 122 elderly white women were followed prospectively for 6 years. These participants were divided into 5-years cohorts on the basis of age at the start of the study in 1980. Separate linear regressions of triceps skinfold thickness, midarm circumference, midarm muscle area, and weight divided by stature squared on age were computed for each participant. The mean annual changes or slopes for these indices were small for each sex. A loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue was indicated with age, but the effects of compression or measurement error may hamper the detection of changes in indices of body composition in the elderly.
The relations between scores on analogous scales from four personality questionnaires in 50 normal men

Abstract This study analyses the relationships between scales from different personality questionnaires. Fifty normal young men answered a short form of The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MiniMult), the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP), the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI), and the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ). Relationships between these questionnaires were analyzed by Pearson bivariate correlations. These correlations pointed out several common aspects of basic personality dimensions as measured by the EPI or TPQ and confirmed that reliable relationships between similar scales from different personality questionnaires are found even in 50 normal subjects. Canonical correlations with anxiety and aggression factors extracted from the KSP and dimensions from the EPI and the TPQ showed that two basic dimensions, anxiety-neuroticism and aggression-extraversion, were found in all three questionnaires and that they remained independent. These results are in line with the theories considering personality as a paucidimensional process. With few exceptions, the dimensional approaches to personality (EPI, TPQ, KSP) and the clinically oriented categorical one (MiniMult) did not measure common aspects of the normal subjects' personality.
Influence of sugars with glycerol on post-thaw motility of bovine spermatozoa in straws.

Abstract Semen from each of seven bulls was diluted in egg yolk-citrate extender containing 0, 60, 120, or 180 mM fructose (Experiment 1), lactose (Experiment 2), or raffinose (Experiment 3) in every possible combination with 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12% (vol/vol) glycerol, to establish if these sugars were cryoprotective for spermatozoa in straws. Fructose was not beneficial to post-thaw motility in the absence of glycerol and became increasingly detrimental as glycerol concentration was increased. Although lactose was beneficial when glycerol was absent or present at low concentration, no combination of glycerol and lactose was superior to glycerol alone. The response to raffinose and to lactose was similar. In all three experiments, post-thaw motility was as good or better with 6% glycerol than with any of the other glycerol percents. Also, motility was generally greater for spermatozoa frozen in French straws than for those in Continental straws frozen by the same procedure. Cryoprotective effects of lactose and raffinose, used singly and in combinations with each other, were examined further in a fourth experiment. All extenders contained a final 7% glycerol. Motility of spermatozoa frozen in the absence of lactose and raffinose did not differ from that with any combination of these sugars. Motility averaged 22% and 18% for spermatozoa in French or Continental straws and declined more rapidly during post-thaw incubation for spermatozoa in Continental straws.
Bernard Vonnegut (1914–1997)

Bernard Vonnegut, a Fellow of AGU, the American Meteorological Society, and the Royal Meteorological Society, died of cancer in Albany, N.Y. on April 25, 1997. At 82, he was still an active and innovative scientist serving as both Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at the State University of New York, at Albany and Honorary President of the International Commission of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics. Vonnegut became fascinated with science when he was young, and his curiosity continued throughout his life. Although he was initially educated as a chemist, his interests ranged far beyond, into meteorology, cloud physics, atmospheric electricity, aerosols, and many other fields in which he made significant contributions. In 1941, he devised a novel method for measuring surface tension that is now employed to characterize surfactants used in petroleum recovery.
Delayed alternation impairments following selective prefrontal cortical ablations in monkeys

Abstract Several investigators have considered cortex in the principal sulcus of the prefrontal lobes as the “neural focus” for tasks such as delayed alternation. This concept was examined experimentally by training monkeys on several variations of locomotor delayed alternation tasks in a maze and subjecting them to bilateral ablations of either the traditional dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (TOTAL), cortex in the banks and floor of the principal sulcus (PRINC), or the surrounding dorsolateral cortical strips (DAL). The postoperative results indicate the most severe deficits by the TOTAL and the least by the DAL group. The TOTAL monkeys were appreciably more severely impaired than the PRINC, especially with regard to their high rates of perseverative responses. The ablated monkeys were then trained to either crawl beneath or jump over a barrier before making the choice response. All groups responded better on this than on the standard DA task. However, on intervening tests on the standard DA task only the PRINC, but not the TOTAL, group was able to attain criterion performance. Consideration was given to a possible functional dissociation between the PRINC and DAL cortical segments, but the present results did not clearly support such a distinction. We concluded that a full expression of the DA deficits requires ablation of TOTAL prefrontal cortex, i.e., all dorsolateral cortex within the traditional boundaries.
Document digitization lifecycle for complex magazine collection

The conversion of large collections of documents from paper to digital formats that are suitable for electronic archival is a complex multi-phase process. The creation of good quality images from paper documents is just one phase. To extract relevant information that they contain, with an accuracy that fits the purpose of target applications, an automated document analysis system and a manual verification/review process are needed. The automated system needs to perform a variety of analysis and recognition tasks in order to reach an accuracy level that minimizes the manual correction effort downstream.This paper describes the complete process and the associated technologies, tools, and systems needed for the conversion of a large collection of complex documents and deployment for online web access to its information rich content. We used this process to recapture 80 years of Time magazines. The historical collection is scanned, automatically processed by advanced document analysis components to extract articles, manually verified for accuracy, and converted in a form suitable for web access. We discuss the major phases of the conversion lifecycle and the technology developed and tools used for each phase. We also discuss results in terms of recognition accuracy.
A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down: the Relationship Between Food Prices and Medical Expenditures on Diabetes

We investigate the impact of changes in the relative price of low- and high-carbohydrate foods on medical expenditures for diabetes care using Nielsen Homescan price data merged to the 2000–2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. We find that an increase in low-(high-)carbohydrate food price increases (decreases) both the likelihood of a diabetes diagnosis and the level of medical expenditures among those with diabetes. We also find small impacts of food prices on body mass index that differ by gender. Policy simulations suggest that subsidizing the low-carbohydrate food purchases of people with diabetes could result in significant reductions in health care costs.
Construction of seafloor thematic maps from multibeam acoustic backscatter angular response data

An automatic approach for delineation of areas representing different acoustic facies is presented. A backscatter mosaic (a gray-scale image) is oversegmented, honoring all possible boundaries, both real and false (acquisition and construction artifacts), in order to separate relatively homogeneous and contiguous groups of pixels of the mosaic, which are called segments. The size of the segments is chosen such that each one is considered to represent a single acoustic facies. These segments are then joined together to end up with a predefined number of ''acoustic themes,'' in a process called coalescence. The difference between ''facies'' and ''theme'' is that the former represents an abstract type of seafloor, and the latter, an area (or areas) selected manually or automatically with common seafloor properties. Ideally, one theme would correspond to a single facies. Themes that are used for assignment to segments are chosen prior to coalescence, either manually or by one of the three automatic methods proposed in the paper. The process of coalescence of segments is based on all acoustic data associated with each segment (not just data used for mosaic construction), their proximity and shape. Results of segmentation are unbiased but depend on a specific goal that the user is trying to achieve.
The immune response in rabbits to bacterial somatic antigen administered via the oral mucosa.

Abstract The immune response in rabbits stimulated by injecting different quantities of E. coli somatic antigen, either through the oral mucosa or intravenously, was studied by enumerating the number of antibody-forming cells effected in local and systemic lymphoid organs. In addition, antibody activity was detected in granulomas at the local injection site with a sensitive technique previously described by this laboratory. Results suggest that low doses of antigen administered intramucosally stimulated an immune response limited to the local lymph nodes. Larger doses stimulated an immune response not only in the local nodes but in the systemic antibody-forming organs as well. Conversely, intravenously administered antigen provoked an immune response only in the systemic antibody-forming organs. Serum antibody titres were consistent with the above findings and also suggested that relatively large amounts of antigen injected locally recruited more cells into the immune response than did intravenous injection. However, smaller doses appeared to be more effective in such recruitment if administered intravenously.
CORRELATION BETWEEN POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY STRESS MYOCARDIAL BLOOD FLOW AND VENTRICULAR TACHYARRHYTHMIA OR DEATH IN PATIENTS WITH CARDIOMYOPATHY

In patients with cardiomyopathy (CM) and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD), the relationship between positron emission tomography (PET) stress myocardial blood flow (sMBF) and adverse cardiac events including ventricular arrhythmia (VT/VF) is unknown. Patients with CM with an ICD in
Effects of Corrosion of Steel Reinforcement on RC Columns Wrapped with FRP Sheets

This study investigated the effectiveness of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets in protecting reinforced concrete (RC) columns from corrosion of steel reinforcement. Thirty small-scale RC columns and four midscale RC columns were used in this study. The small-scale columns were used for a comprehensive parametric study, whereas the midscale columns were used to evaluate design guidelines proposed based on the results of the small-scale column tests. The test columns were conditioned under an accelerated corrosion process and then tested under uniaxial compression up to failure. The test results showed that although CFRP sheet wrapping decreased the corrosion rate, the corrosion of steel reinforcement could continue to occur, eventually showing a decrease in ultimate axial compression capacity. Design guidelines were proposed based on the small-scale RC column tests and evaluated through a comparison with the test results of midscale RC columns. The proposed design guidelines introduced a concept of effective area to account for the corrosion damage, such as internal cracking and cross-sectional loss of steel reinforcement.