cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Re-engineering the process of medical imaging physics and technology education and training

The extensive availability of digital technology provides an opportunity for enhancing both the effectiveness and efficiency of virtually all functions in the process of medical imaging physics and technology education and training. This includes degree granting academic programs within institutions and a wide spectrum of continuing education lifelong learning activities. Full achievement of the advantages of technology-enhanced education (e-learning, etc.) requires an analysis of specific educational activities with respect to desired outcomes and learning objectives. This is followed by the development of strategies and resources that are based on established educational principles. The impact of contemporary technology comes from its ability to place learners into enriched learning environments. The full advantage of a re-engineered and implemented educational process involves changing attitudes and functions of learning facilitators (teachers) and resource allocation and sharing both within and among institutions.
Altered patterns of gene expression in Tribolium segmentation mutants

Embryos homozygous for the godzilla, jaws, or kraken mutations of Tribolium castaneum have characteristic defects in segmentation. Here, we examine the expression of Tribolium genes homologous to Drosophila segmentation genes in these mutants to define similarities and differences in the process of segmentation in the two insects. The godzilla mutation disrupts segmentation and alters the expression of Even-skipped (Eve) throughout the germ band. godzilla, therefore, acts at an early step in the segmentation gene hierarchy; the evidence suggests it could be the Tribolium homologue of the eve gene. The jaws mutation causes deletion of most of the abdomen; this defect appears to be correlated with the failure of Eve to resolve into a striped pattern of expression. jaws also causes homeotic transformations in the thorax and the first abdominal segment; this transformation is accompanied by ectopic expression of the homeotic gene maxillopedia in the transformed segments. The kraken mutant disrupts patterning within each segment and, like Drosophila segment polarity mutants, disrupts the maintenance of the normal expression domain of Engrailed. This analysis suggests that late stages of segmentation are similar in Tribolium and Drosophila, although there are clear differences in early steps of segmentation in the two insects. Dev. Genet. 23:56–64, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The molecular basis of self-association of antibodies to IgG (rheumatoid factors) in rheumatoid arthritis.

Abstract The serum and synovial fluid of many patients with rheumatoid arthritis contain immune complexes composed of immunoglobulin G (IgG). In this study such complexes from one patient are shown to be formed by self-association of IgG-antibodies to IgG (IgG-rheumatoid factors), so that each molecule serves as an antibody as well as an antigen. All F(ab′)2 and Fab′ fragments derived from these complexes have antibody binding sites for normal IgG. Due to a high association constant in the formation of a cyclic complex by these antibodies, normal IgG is excluded as an antigen. These studies serve as a model for further elucidation of presence of similar immune complexes in the serum and synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Exposure of children to heavy metals from smelters: Epidemiology and toxic consequences

Abstract To evaluate the epidemiologic and toxicologic consequences of environmental exposure to heavy metals, we examined populations of children living near 21 primary, nonferrous metal smelters in the United States. At lead smelters in El Paso, Texas, and in Kellogg, Idaho, 59 and 99%, respectively, of 1- through 9-year-old children living within 1.6 km of the smelting plants had blood lead levels ⩾40 μ/dl, indicating greater than normal lead absorption. Children living within 3.2 km of 10 of 11 copper smelters had increased urine arsenic levels, indicating increased systemic absorption of arsenic. Elevated blood cadmium levels were found for children in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, who lived within 3.2 km of a zinc smelter. Biological levels of heavy metals in these populations were related inversely to distance of residence from the smelting plants and were in direct proportion to levels of environmental contamination. Inhalation and ingestion of heavy metal particulates emitted by the smelters into air, soil, and dust were the principal causes of increased absorption. Elevated levels of erythrocyte protoporphyrin, as well as anemia and slowed motor nerve conduction velocity were the dose-related toxic consequences of lead absorption observed in the children studied. These data illustrate the importance of smelters as point sources of heavy metal contamination and as models for epidemiologic study.
Area studies libraries in the global studies milieu: Implications for non-Roman script print resource management and university library budgets and staffing

How should area studies librarians respond to the increasing emphasis on inter-area and cross-disciplinary scholarship? Adjustments can be made in such area-focused endeavors as the segregated shelving of a non-Roman script collection, in the book budget allocations that may be aligned to the geographic segmentation embedded in the Library of Congress classification scheme, and in area studies staff perspectives and service postures.
Community Agency Survey Formative Research Results From the TAAG Study

School and community agency collaboration can potentially increase physical activity opportunities for youth. Few studies have examined the role of community agencies in promoting physical activity, much less in collaboration with schools. This article describes formative research data collection from community agencies to inform the development of the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG) intervention to provide out-of-school physical activity programs for girls. The community agency survey is designed to assess agency capacity to provide physical activity programs for girls, including resources, programs, and partnerships. Most agency respondents (n = 138) report operations during after-school hours, adequate facilities, and program options for girls, although most are sport oriented. Agency resources and programming vary considerably across the six TAAG field sites. Many agencies report partnerships, some involving schools, although not necessarily related to physical activity. Implications for the TAAG intervention are presented.
Studies on biosynthesis of carotenoids in Neurospora crassa.

Abstract Effects of conidiation, light, and oxygen on the biosynthesis of carotenoids in Neurospora crassa were studied. On special media, conidiation could be enhanced or suppressed. Submerged cultures, grown on liquid medium with the addition of Tween 80 never produced conidia. These cultures remained colorless and pigmentation started only after exposure to light and oxygen. The time curve of carotenoid production was given. Illumination as short as 1s min. stimulated production of full color but was effective only in the presence of sufficient oxygen. Further synthesis sould occur in the dark, but not under anaerobic conditions. The study of the appearance of the different carotenoids after exposure to light and oxygen showed the independent formation of different pigments. The disappearance of phytoene was followed by the appearance of the acidic pigment which indicated that the latter was formed from the former. The conidia produced more carotenoids, and in different proportions, than the mycelium. No increase of pigmentation was noted when different possible precursors of carotenoids were fed to Neurospora .
Helper factor(s) augment in vitro induction of tumor-specific immunity

Abstract Helper factor supernatants derived from alloantigen-activated murine lymphocytes augment the generation of cytolytic effector cells to syngeneic tumor cells. The effects are dose dependent and vary with the syngeneic tumor cell system studied. The effector cells are specific for the tumor-associated antigen(s) utilized for their induction, and are sensitive to lysis with anti-T-cell serum (Thy 1.2), but are insensitive to lysis with an allogeneic anti-NK-cell serum. The helper factor supernatants also augment the production of a “tissue-culture-induced” cytolytic cell (cultured NK cell), which is resistant to treatment with both anti-Thy 1.2 and anti-NK serum.
Chemokine-receptor activation by env determines the mechanism of death in HIV-infected and uninfected T lymphocytes.

There is considerable confusion concerning the mechanism of lymphocyte death during HIV infection. During the course of HIV infection, M-tropic viruses (R5) that use CCR5 chemokine coreceptors frequently evolve to T-tropic viruses (X4) that use CXCR4 receptors. In this study we show that activation of the CD4 or CCR5 receptor by R5 HIVenv causes a caspase 8–dependent death of both uninfected and infected CD4 T cells. In contrast, CXCR4 activation by X4 HIVenv induces a caspase-independent death of both uninfected CD4 and CD8 T cells and infected CD4 cells. These results suggest that activation of the chemokine receptor by HIVenv determines the mechanism of death for both infected and uninfected T lymphocytes.
Redox conditions of calcite cementation interpreted from Mn and Fe contents of authigenic calcites

Mn and Fe contents of cathodoluminescent (CL) calcite cements that formed in shallow fresh-water aquifers can be used to infer the redox potential of the pore fluids from which they formed. A semiquantitative geochemical model relating these factors is based upon the assumption that the Mn 2+ and Fe 2+ concentrations of the ground waters were controlled by the Eh-dependent solubility of manganese and iron minerals and that the Mn and Fe concentrations of calcite cements precipitating from these solutions can be related to their concentrations in solution by distribution coefficients. Although the qualitative model of Oglesby (1976), Carpenter and Oglesby (1976), and Frank and others (1982) correctly relates calcite CL to the redox conditions of precipitation, numerous inconsistencies arise when it is compared to hydrogeochemical data for modern ground waters and to petrographic observations of CL calcite-cement sequences. First, the model defines redox conditions for calcite precipitation incompatible with those reported from modern ground waters. Second, the wide range of diagenetic conditions proposed by the model for precipitation of brightly luminescent calcite is incompatible with the observation that this is volumetrically the least important cement type. This model also fails to account for the Fe contents reported for many nonluminescent calcite cements. Finally, the Eh predicted from the Mn content of the calcite cements is considerably more oxidizing than that predicted from the Fe content. In part, these inconsistencies reflect the difficulty of estimating ancient redox conditions from calcite Mn and Fe contents because of the variable composition, crystallinity, and thermodynamic stability of Mn- and Fe-oxyhydroxide minerals. A geologically reasonable, internally consistent model of the redox conditions of calcite cementation can be derived by assuming that the ground-water a Mn 2+ and a Fe 2+ were controlled by equilibrium with a poorly crystalline ferric hydroxide [ΔG f 0 Fe(OH) 3 ≈ -696.5 kJ mol -1 ] and a fictive MnO 2 * with an apparent ΔG f 0 ≈ -549.3 kJ mol -1 . These modifications to the existing model make it internally consistent so that similar Eh conditions of calcite precipitation are defined on the basis of Mn and Fe. Furthermore, the revised geochemical model defines Mn 2+ and Fe 2+ concentrations and redox conditions that are compatible with those reported from ground waters. Modern carbonate aquifers can thus provide a useful analog to interpret the distribution of CL-zoned calcite cements in ancient carbonate rocks, allowing a more refined understanding of paleoaquifer systems and the prediction of diagenetic facies and cement distribution in ancient carbonate sequences.
Trends in solar radiation over Germany and an assessment of the role of aerosols and sunshine duration

¶Global, diffuse, and horizontal direct (beam) irradiances have been evaluated for 13 stations in Germany where the time series vary between 11 and 48 years. Global irradiance has decreased significantly at two stations and increased at four stations. The mean trend in global is an increase of 1.94 Wm−2 or 1.83% per decade. Diffuse irradiance has decreased at five stations, with a mean reduction of 2.44 Wm−2 or 3.46% per decade, while horizontal direct irradiance has increased an average of 4.86 Wm−2 or 10.40% per decade at five stations. Increases in global and direct are most common at stations in the southwest region of Germany, decreases in global were observed in the southeast, and there was an absence of spatial homogeneity in the diffuse trends. Spatial variability in irradiance over Germany is higher in the direct component compared to variability in global and diffuse.
Synthesis of monohydroxylated inositolphosphorylceramide (IPC‐C) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae requires Scs7p, a protein with both a cytochrome b5‐like domain and a hydroxylase/desaturase domain

Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants lacking Scs7p fail to accumulate the inositolphosphorylceramide (IPC) species. IPC-C, which is the predominant form found in wild-type cells. Instead scs7 mutants accumulate an IPC-B species believed to be unhydroxylated on the amide-linked C26-fatty acid. Elimination of the SCS7 gene suppresses the Ca(2+)-sensitive phenotype of csg1 and csg2 mutants. The CSG1 and CSG2 genes are required for mannosylation of IPC-C and accumulation of IPC-C by the csg mutants renders them Ca(2+)-sensitive. The SCS7 gene encodes a protein that contains both a cytochrome b5-like domain and a domain that resembles the family of cytochrome b5-dependent enzymes that use iron and oxygen to catalyse desaturation or hydroxylation of fatty acids and sterols. Scs7p is therefore likely to be the enzyme that hydroxylates the C26-fatty acid of IPC-C.
It Threw Me for a Loop! Preservice Teachers' Reactions to Issues-Centered Social Studies in the Primary Grades.

Abstract There is a strong theoretical base supporting the use of issues‐centered social studies. Even so, little information exists regarding its implementation at the elementary level. This reflective inquiry examines preservice teachers’ responses to my methods course, which was designed to promote issues‐centered social studies in the primary grades. The obstacles that we all encountered are discussed as well as a call for research focused on the design and implementation of issues‐centered social studies and its influence on teaching and learning in elementary classrooms. © 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
The combined Collis-Nissen operation: early assessment of reflux control.

Abstract This report summarizes the clinical experience with 155 patients who underwent the Collis-Nissen operation and have been followed by personal interview, esophageal manometry, barium swallow examination, and acid reflux testing for up to three years (average, 24 months). There has been 1 postoperative death. Major complications have included gastroplasty tube leak (2 patients), stricture perforation during dilation (1 patient), and splenic injury (3 patients). Subjectively, among 135 patients followed for a minimum of 6 months, reflux has been eliminated in 89% (120 patients), remains mild in 6% (8 patients), and is severe in 5% (7 patients). Early satiety ("bloats") of varying degree has occurred in 19% (26 patients), and dysphagia requiring dilation in 15% (20 patients). The overall objective recurrence rate, as documented with the intraesophageal pH probe and the standard acid reflux test, is 13% (18 patients). Among 32 patients with peptic strictures treated with dilation and the Collis-Nissen operation, reflux symptoms have recurred in 3%, and 6% have had abnormal reflux demonstrated with the pH probe. These results substantiate excellent early reflux control with the Collis-Nissen procedure and justify its continued use in appropriately selected patients with gastroesophageal reflux and its complications.
Social policy and women in accounting: A cross-cultural comparison

Unless "family-friendly" policies are developed, women will continue to leave public accounting in larger numbers than men. Affirmative action, family leave, and child care policies in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. are compared. The greater strength and duration of U.S. affirmative action policy may partially explain the superior progress of women in the labor force as compared to the other nations. In contrast, maternity leave and child care policies in Australia and Canada surpass those in the U.K. and the U.S. The weaker government provisions for family leave and child care in the latter two nations increase the importance of policies in the private sector for persons attempting to balance employment and family commitment.
A multi-agent model of yellowjacket wasp nest construction

Yellowjacket wasps produce among the most complex and fascinating non-human artifacts. As an animal model of a complex, decentralized system of construction, yellowjackets are without compare. A multi-agent model of nest construction is presented. A variety of nest features and nest types were generated and compared to naturally occurring nests of several species of wasps. The multi-agent control principles developed not only serve to illuminate possibly biological-based behavioral control for nest construction but could also be extended to physical robot agents building other real artifacts.
Effects of early postnatal guanethidine administration on adrenal medulla and brain of developing rats.

Abstract Starting at 2 days of postnatal age, rats were injected with guanethidine (50 mg/kg, s.c.) once daily for 5 days and the adrenals were analyzed for catecholamines (CA), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH); the brain was analyzed for TH and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Guanethidine treatment produced a 40–80 per cent increase in the adrenal CA, TH and DBH values, with return to normal by 3–4 weeks of age. Pretreatment of neonates with chlorisondamine (10 mg/kg, s.c.) prevented the stimulatory effects, indicating that guanethidine might act by direct nicotinic stimulation in neonates. In contrast, administration of guanethidine to adult rats had little or no effect on adrenal CA, TH or DBH, indicating that the stimulatory effect is unique to the developing animal. In the brain, administration of guanethidine resulted in an initial deficit and subsequent enhancement of ODC activity, suggesting a delay in cellular proliferation. TH activity was stimulated initially but was subnormal at later stages; the latter phenomenon may be related to incomplete function of the neonatal blood-brain barrier permitting a consequent central neurotoxic effect of guanethidine.
Occurrence of microbodies in chloromonadophycean algae.

Microbody-like organelles occur in the cytoplasm of two chloromonadophycean algae,Vacuolaria virescens Cienkowsky andGonyostomum semen Diesing. Microbodies ofVacuolaria andGonyostomum have a granular matrix which lacks a crystalloid core; they are often present in close association with elements of the endoplasmic reticulum. The occurrence of microbodies in other algae is briefly reviewed.
Quasi-experimental study of traffic calming measures in New York City

This paper provides a large-scale, rigorous evaluation of traffic calming projects in one U. S. city. The study area is New York City, which treated 391 streets with speed tables between 1996 and 2003. On the basis of crash frequencies for 5 years before treatment and 5 years after for treated streets and well-matched comparison streets, no evidence emerged that New York City's ambitious traffic calming program has led to a reduction in total crashes, pedestrian crashes, or injury crashes. This is in contrast to earlier, less carefully controlled evaluations that have reported significant reductions in crashes with traffic calming.
Ground‐based optical aeronomy

The direction of scientific research in ground-based optical aeronomy in the 1980's was the subject of an August 1–4, 1983, workshop under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation. Held at Utah State University with 60 scientists, the workshop reviewed the scientific problems and discussed the ground-based optical facilities required to attain the scientific objectives over the next solar cycle. The need for a coordinated research program for future progress was identified. The first 2 days of the workshop provided a review of ongoing individual research projects and gave the attendees a good idea of the overall scope of the North American optical aeronomy research program. These reviews demonstrated that the research efforts could be separated into three main scientific topics: airglow and auroral physics, atmospheric dynamics, and space plasma physics. Each of these research areas uses, as a primary research tool, a different observational technique, such as spectrometers, interferometers, and monochromatic images.
Primary alveolar soft part sarcoma of fibula demonstrating ASPL–TFE3 fusion: a case report and review of the literature

Alveolar soft part sarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor typically affecting young adults. These tumors are most often seen in the deep soft tissues of the extremities and patients generally present with advanced disease. Primary bone involvement is extremely rare and has only been reported in seven cases. This is the first case of alveolar soft part sarcoma in bone documenting the ASPL-TFE3 gene product. Herein, we report a rare presentation of alveolar soft part sarcoma presenting as a primary bone neoplasm involving the proximal fibula in a 41-year-old woman.
Phase I study and clinical pharmacology of 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON).

The toxicity of the glutamine antagonist 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON) administered as a 24 hour infusion has been evaluated. Studies of the clinical pharmacology of the drug have also been performed in 3 patients. The limiting toxicity of the drug was acute nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that was dose dependent in its severity and duration. The maximum tolerated dose was 600 mg/m2 over 24 hours. The other major toxicity was thrombocytopenia that was maximal 7–10 days after the completion of the infusion. The drug does not exhibit renal, hepatic or central nervous system toxicity. DON achieves steady state levels during these infusions and is eliminated by first order kinetics when the infusion is completed (t1/2α = 1.81 h). The principal route of excretion is renal. A starting dose of 400 mg/m2 would be acceptable for Phase II studies of this drug administered on this schedule.
Use of peltier thermoelectric devices to control column temperature in high-performance capillary electrophoresis

Abstract A temperature control system for high-performance capillary electrophoresis is described utilizing Peltier thermoelectric devices. The thermoelectric devices heat or cool an alumina block which has a high thermal conductivity for efficient heat removal from the external capillary column wall. The heat dissipation characteristics of this device are compared to natural convection and fan cooling by observing the stability of current with time and the dependence of current on applied field. A linear relationship of electroosmotic flow velocity with increasing field is found, indicative of a constant temperature at the inside wall of the capillary. Also, the change in peak shape of horse heart myoglobin as a function of increasing temperature is shown to demonstrate the importance of temperature control in obtaining optimum efficiency.
The Research on the Performance of Asphalt Mastics Modified by Mineral Fillers

For a long time, the mineral additive was regarded as inert filler which had no reaction with the asphalt, so does the concrete mix. But some research conducted in the recent year proved that was not the case. In this study, four types of mineral materials (diatomite, kaolin (China Clay), Na-bentonite and Ca-bentonite) were selected out to investigate their effect on the asphalt mastics. The high temperature performance, low temperature performance and the temperature susceptibility of the asphalt mastics were evaluated. The result showed the diatomite rank first of the four minerals. The porous structure, huge specific area, mineralogical surface characteristic and the irregularity might be the reason for its positive effect. The bentonite, especially Na-bentonite is unfavorable to the asphalt modification.
Model-based object recognition to measure crystal size and shape distributions from in situ video images

Abstract To achieve robust control of industrial crystallization processes, it is necessary to measure the sizes, shapes, and polymorphic forms (i.e., internal structures) of the developing crystal population. This paper describes a model-based object recognition algorithm designed to extract crystal size and shape information from noisy, in situ crystallization images. The effectiveness of the algorithm is demonstrated using in situ images obtained at low, medium, and high solids concentrations during an α -glycine cooling crystallization in water. With respect to measurements obtained through manual image analysis by human operators, the algorithm gives reasonably accurate size and shape measurements. The algorithm is sufficiently fast to enable real-time monitoring for typical cooling crystallization processes.
Orchestrating and optimizing multi-source ISR assets

The application of commercial Business Process Management (BPM) techniques alongside traditional systems management architectures for intelligence creation chains such as TCPED (Task, Collection, Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination) and TPPU (Task, Post, Process, Use) offers the potential for optimized and adaptive enterprise Netcentric Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR). Computing platforms, assets and their agents can and should cooperate via enterprise resource management infrastructure and middleware. Baseline BPM can further be augmented with non-invasive agent-based machine-learning techniques which can, overall, contribute to roll-up views of enterprise performance and will, therefore, be used to further refine the TCPED/TPPU execution strategy. This paper presents an overarching architecture framework which combines these features and operational drivers under a unifying system perspective.
Have Social Historians Lost the Civil War? Some Preliminary Demographic Speculations

As a first step toward an assessment of the Civil Wars influence this article explores its demographic impact. By looking at the number of Union and Confederate soldiers who died and comparing the results with mortality in other wars one can gauge the magnitude of the Civil War. Having established that a very high proportion of military-age white males fought and died in the Civil War the article considers how the peculiarities of that conflict may have affected the participants wartime experiences. Then preliminary results from an in-depth study of Newburyport Massachusetts during the Civil War are used to sketch the social and economic background of those who fought and died in that conflict. Finally the article examines the impact of the Civil War on the survivors. Given the paucity of research on the influence of the Civil War on the postwar lives of ordinary Americans I offer a preliminary demographic analysis of the federal pension program using aggregate statistics as one indication of the type of studies that might be done. (EXCERPT)
Titrimetric Determination of Ascorbic Acid with 2,6-Dichlorophenol Indophenol in Commercial Liquid Diets

The titrimetric determination of ascorbic acid in the presence of a variety of potentially physically and chemically interfering species in commercial liquid diets is presented. The titrant and indicator was a solution of 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol. Iron(II), copper(II), cysteine, glutathione, sulfite, and tin(II) do not interfere.
Posterior Cranial Fossa Volume in Patients with Rickets: Insights into the Increased Occurrence of Chiari I Malformation in Metabolic Bone Disease

OBJECTIVE: Some have proposed that the calvarial thickening seen in patients with rickets results in an increased rate of Chiari 1 malformation (CIM) in these patients. The present study measures the posterior fossa volume in children with rickets to verify previous case reports indicting a small posterior fossa as the cause for an increased rate of CIM in children with rickets. METHODS: Patients were chosen by use of a computer database to search for individuals diagnosed with rickets. Nineteen patients were identified with this diagnosis. Seven patients were found from this cohort to have imaging of the head. Axial computed tomographic and magnetic resonance images were analyzed by use of the Cavalieri method to define posterior fossa volumes. These data were then compared with those from age-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Mean volumes of the posterior fossa were significantly reduced in all patients compared with age-matched control subjects (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: We have found that the volume of the posterior fossa is significantly smaller in children with rickets versus age-matched control subjects. Furthermore, 29% of our study group had an associated CIM. We may hope that these data will aid in the further understanding of the pathophysiology of CIM in cases of metabolic bone disease.
Candida Species and Crop Mycosis in Broiler Chickens

A mycological survey of the crops of approximately 100 healthy birds from each of 6 grow-out operations revealed that the incidence of Candida in the crops ranged from 17.4 to 51.5% with a mean value of 32.3%. The population of Candida in the crops of birds found positive was of low magnitude in the majority of the chickens examined. Of the 573 birds examined in this study less than 1% exhibited visible lesions attributable to Candida. C. albicans comprised 95% of the isolates while C. ravautii, C. salmonicola, C. gulliermondi, C. papapsilosis, C. catenulata and C. brumptii comprised the remainder. The incidence and number of Candida in the crop was related apparently to management practices on the farm. The crops from four field outbreaks of crop mycosis were also studied. Three of the four cases of crop mycosis were characterized by multiple strains of C. albicans in the crop. In one case, C. parapsilosis also was isolated from the crop.
Velocity of basaltic flows indicated by lava‐trees

Many data on the velocity of lava-flows have been obtained from the Hawaiian Islands, Vesuvius, Etna, and other areas of present-day volcanic activity. Although velocities ranging from a fraction of a mile to a few miles per hour are usual, reports have been made of velocities as high as 40 miles per hour. To determine the velocities of prehistoric flows, two methods can be used. The first method involves the use of the Jeffreys formula. This formula is for laminar flow and in cgs units is Figure 1. where V is mean velocity with regard to depth, g is acceleration of gravity, A is angle of inclination, d is depth, u is the ordinary coefficient of viscosity, and p is specific gravity. If the depth, gradient, and specific gravity of a prehistoric lava-flow can be obtained, a reasonable viscosity can be assumed and its approximate velocity calculated.
Prognostic value of poorly differentiated prostatic adenocarcinoma

One hundred patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma surgically staged were evaluated. Their clinical stage and surgical findings were assessed especially with respect to their original histopathologic grading. It was found that patients with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the prostate presented with advanced clinical stage and were at high risk of distant metastases developing within a short time after their initial diagnosis and treatment.
Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī

Abū Jacfar Muḥammad b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī was born on Saturday (at dawn according to Riḍawī1), 11 Jumādā I, 597 H./17 February 1201 A.D. in Ṭūs or its environs2 and died in Baghdad (at sunset according to Baḥrānī3), 18 Dhū al-Ḥijja 672 H./25 June 1274 A.D. In a remarkable century that began with the death of Chu Hsi and further witnessed the birth, death or both of such luminaries as Roger Bacon, Ibn cArabī, Maimonides, Gregory Chioniades, Ibn Taymiyya, Thomas Aquinas and Levi ben Gerson, Ṭūsī’s breadth and depth of learning stand out. Even in his lifetime he was something of a legend and acquired the honorific title of khwāja (distinguished scholar and teacher);4 later he came to be referred to by the rather more impressive ustādh al-bashar (teacher of mankind) and al-mu c allim al-thālith (the third teacher, i.e. after Aristotle and Fārābī).5 After his death, Ṭūsī’s influence, which can only be described as monumental, continued in fields as diverse as ethics, natural philosophy, mathematics, Sufism, astronomy, kalām (dialectical theology), fiqh (law), and logic.
Molecular Cloning of XYL3 (d-Xylulokinase) from Pichia stipitis and Characterization of Its Physiological Function

XYL3, which encodes a D-xylulokinase (EC 2.7.1.17), was isolated from Pichia stipitis CBS 6054 genomic DNA by using primers designed against conserved motifs. Disruption of XYL3 eliminated D-xylulokinase activity, but D-ribulokinase activity was still present. Southern analysis of P. stipitis genomic DNA with XYL3 as a probe confirmed the disruption and did not reveal additional related genes. Disruption of XYL3 stopped ethanol production from xylose, but the resulting mutant still assimilated xylose slowly and formed xylitol and arabinitol. These results indicate that XYL3 is critical for ethanol production from xylose but that P. stipitis has another pathway for xylose assimilation. Expression of XYL3 using its P. stipitis promoter increased Saccharomyces cerevisiae D-xylulose consumption threefold and enabled the transformants to produce ethanol from a mixture of xylose and xylulose, whereas the parental strain only accumulated xylitol. In vitro, D-xylulokinase activity in recombinant S. cerevisiae was sixfold higher with a multicopy than with a single-copy XYL3 plasmid, but ethanol production decreased with increased copy number. These results confirmed the function of XYL3 in S. cerevisiae.
Design and performance of a reconfigurable liquid-crystal-based optical add/drop multiplexer

The authors describe a reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer designed for 50-GHz channel spacing over either the C- or L-bands. The system may also function as a variable optical attenuator. The design features a reflective liquid-crystal modulator, a compact free-space spectrometer, polarization diversity, and fine-scale attenuation control.
Forces of truth: A struggle of migrant workers in Delhi:

Under conditions of precarious work in factories of Delhi, how do workers contest terminations and dispersal? In this article, I explore a struggle of migrant workers of a metal polishing factory to retain legal work. I describe experiences of turbulence at the factory, union efforts to oppose management actions, and workers’ placard protests on roads of the city. I discuss workers’ motives, methods, and difficulties in the protests, interactions with other workers, managers, and the police, and empathetic linkages which arose during the struggle. The struggle’s conclusion might be seen to intimate, drawing on Weil and Gandhi, the workings of ‘forces of truth’ in the world.
Is Timing Everything? Retirement and Seat Maintenance in the U.S. House of Representatives

Literature on open-seat elections has focused on the individual attributes of a candidate and/or institutional arrangements. When a seat becomes an open contest could be a significant indicator as to how likely the incumbent party is able to maintain the seat. Examining data on open U.S. House seats from 1996 to 2008, we use OLS regression and logistic regression analysis, finding that time is a significant predictor for incumbent party fund-raising and seat maintenance. We conclude that political parties have an interest in encouraging members of Congress to announce their retirement early in the election cycle.
The Difference Between Selection and Drift: A Reply to Millstein

Millstein [Bio. Philos. 17 (2002) 33] correctly identies a serious problem with the view that natural selection and random drift are not conceptually distinct. She offers a solution to this problem purely in terms of differences between the processes of selection and drift. I show that this solution does not work, that it leaves the vast majority of real biological cases uncategorized. However, I do think there is a solution to the problem she raises, and I offer it here. My solution depends on solving the biological analogue of the reference class problem in probability theory and on the reality of individual fitnesses.
Evaluating (and Improving) Sentence Alignment under Noisy Conditions

Sentence alignment is an important step in the preparation of parallel data. Most aligners do not perform very well when the input is a noisy, rather than a highlyparallel, document pair. Evaluating aligners under noisy conditions would seem to require creating an evaluation dataset by manually annotating a noisy document for gold-standard alignments. Such a costly process hinders our ability to evaluate an aligner under various types and levels of noise. In this paper, we propose a new evaluation framework for sentence aligners, which is particularly suitable for noisy-data evaluation. Our approach is unique as it requires no manual labeling, instead relying on small parallel datasets (already at the disposal of MT researchers) to generate many evaluation datasets that mimic a variety of noisy conditions. We use our framework to perform a comprehensive comparison of three aligners under noisy conditions. Furthermore, our framework facilitates the fine-tuning of a state-of-the-art sentence aligner, allowing us to substantially increase its recall rates by anywhere from 5% to 14% (absolute) across several language pairs.
Service quality and business ethics

Businesses manage quality to attract customers, enhance their experience, satisfy and delight them, and generate repurchase. Unethical conduct of service providers penalises customers, tarnishes their experience, causes dissatisfaction, and results in customer defection. Customers, unfortunately, are increasingly being subjected to unethical conduct by service providers. This paper discusses ethical conduct of a service provider as a determinant of service quality and attempts to move ethics as a forefront consideration in service quality management. Propositions are developed on the propensity for unethical conduct by service providers with regard to service process and industry characteristics, managerial attributes, dispersion of service outlets, and firm size. Propositions are also developed on customer expectations and effects of unethical conduct on customer satisfaction. The paper helps shape an agenda for empirical research on ethics and service quality. It discusses the implications of unethical conduct and makes managerial recommendations to further the cause of ethical conduct and creation of true value by service providers.
Precision and recall estimates for two-hybrid screens

Motivation: Yeast two-hybrid screens are an important method to map pairwise protein interactions. This method can generate spurious interactions (false discoveries), and true interactions can be missed (false negatives). Previously, we reported a capture–recapture estimator for bait-specific precision and recall. Here, we present an improved method that better accounts for heterogeneity in bait-specific error rates. Result: For yeast, worm and fly screens, we estimate the overall false discovery rates (FDRs) to be 9.9%, 13.2% and 17.0% and the false negative rates (FNRs) to be 51%, 42% and 28%. Bait-specific FDRs and the estimated protein degrees are then used to identify protein categories that yield more (or fewer) false positive interactions and more (or fewer) interaction partners. While membrane proteins have been suggested to have elevated FDRs, the current analysis suggests that intrinsic membrane proteins may actually have reduced FDRs. Hydrophobicity is positively correlated with decreased error rates and fewer interaction partners. These methods will be useful for future two-hybrid screens, which could use ultra-high-throughput sequencing for deeper sampling of interacting bait–prey pairs. Availability: All software (C source) and datasets are available as supplemental files and at http://www.baderzone.org under the Lesser GPL v. 3 license. Contact: joel.bader@jhu.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Recql5 and Blm RecQ DNA Helicases Have Nonredundant Roles in Suppressing Crossovers

In eukaryotes, crossovers in mitotic cells can have deleterious consequences and therefore must be suppressed. Mutations in BLM give rise to Bloom syndrome, a disease that is characterized by an elevated rate of crossovers and increased cancer susceptibility. However, simple eukaryotes such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae have multiple pathways for suppressing crossovers, suggesting that mammals also have multiple pathways for controlling crossovers in their mitotic cells. We show here that in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, mutations in either the Bloom syndrome homologue (Blm) or the Recql5 genes result in a significant increase in the frequency of sister chromatid exchange (SCE), whereas deleting both Blm and Recql5 lead to an even higher frequency of SCE. These data indicate that Blm and Recql5 have nonredundant roles in suppressing crossovers in mouse ES cells. Furthermore, we show that mouse embryonic fibroblasts derived from Recql5 knockout mice also exhibit a significantly increased frequency of SCE compared with the corresponding wild-type control. Thus, this study identifies a previously unknown Recql5-dependent, Blm-independent pathway for suppressing crossovers during mitosis in mice.
Craniosacral Therapy and Myofascial Release in Entry-level Physical Therapy Curricula

The purposes of this study were 1) to discover the extent to which craniosacral therapy (CST) and myofascial release (MFR) instruction are included in entry-level physical therapy curricula; 2) to determine the amount of faculty and program director interest in such instruction; and 3) to determine what educational materials, if any, are desired. A one-page questionnaire was distributed to the program directors of 109 accredited entry-level physical therapy programs in the United States. Of the 95 respondents, 1 (1%) included a unit on CST only, 14 (15%) included a unit on MFR only, 14 (15%) included units on both CST and MFR, and 66 (69%) included neither. The highest percentages of programs with CST and MFR units were entry-level masters' degree programs and programs located in the Pacific Coast and Middle Atlantic regions. All of the units were presented within required courses, usually during the second year; most were taught by physical therapists. The greatest amount of instructional time was allotted for CST laboratory sessions (mean = 5.8 hours), and the least amount of time was allotted for MFR lectures (mean = 1.7 hours). The mos frequently cited reason for noninclusion of CST or MFR instruction was inadequate room in the current curricula. The most frequently requested materials were bibliographies and laboratory guides on CST and MFR. Implications of these findings are addressed, and suggestions for further research are given.
Stochastic Modeling of Human Learning Behavior

A stochastic model of human learning behavior in a manual control task is described. Regulation of the state of a double integral plant to minimize the integrated absolute error is the operator's task. Subjects given this task were instructed to drive the process from an initial state to the null state using a two-position relay controller and a visual display. A subject is conceptualized in the model as a sequential data-processing system. A sensor, a decision maker, and an effector are the three serially connected components making up the system. Each element requires a finite time to either process or transmit information, and thus a delay is incurred between the reception of the visual stimulus and the execution of a motor response. Response decisions are based on the a priori estimate of the probability that the control polarity should be switched, given the current state of the plant. Patterns in the resultant phase trajectory are used as evidence by the decision maker to revise the prior estimate with an algorithm according to Bayes' theorem. Behavior of this model is compared with subject behavior in the motor skill experiment, and the model's characterization of the time-varying random nature of human learning is brought out by this comparison. Also discussed are the applications of the concept of this model to other manual control tasks.
Predictors of Depressed Mood in Spouses of Women With Breast Cancer

Purpose Depressed mood in spouses of women with breast cancer deleteriously affects their own and their wife’s functioning and their marital communication. However, no study has examined why some spouses get depressed whereas others do not, particularly during the first months of diagnosis and treatment, a known difficult time for couples. The current study has two purposes: to test a predictive model of spouses’ depressed mood and to evaluate the model’s accuracy in distinguishing between normal and clinically depressed spouses. Methods Data were obtained from standardized questionnaires completed by 206 spouses and 206 wives recently diagnosed with nonmetastatic breast cancer. Spouses’ depressed mood was measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies–Depression Scale. A total of 19 variables were extracted from the literature for testing in the model, including psychological, social, demographic, and disease- and treatment-related variables. Results Spouses were more likely to be depressed if they were older, less well educated, more recently married, reported heightened fears over their wife’s well-being, worried about their job performance, were more uncertain about their future, or were in less well-adjusted marriages. The model correctly classified 89.2% of spouses’ mood ( 2 79.1; P .001). Conclusion Spouses of women with local or regional breast cancer need to be screened for depressed mood and triaged into supportive services to better assist them manage the threat of their wife’s breast cancer. J Clin Oncol 26:1289-1295. © 2008 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Selective permeability of PVA membranes. I. Radiation‐crosslinked membranes

The water and salt transport properties of ionizing radiation crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) membranes were investigated. The studied membranes showed high permeabilities and low selectivities for both water and salt. The results were found to be in accord with a modified solution-diffusion model for transport across the membranes, in which pressure-dependent permeability coefficients are employed.