cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sereno Bishop, Rollo Russell, Bishop's Ring and the Discovery of the “Krakatoa Easterlies”

The 1883 eruption of Krakatau was a seminal event in the study of several atmospheric phenomena. This paper reviews the work that led to the first determination of the wind in the tropical stratosphere and provides some biographical background on two quite remarkable amateur scientists whose observations and analyses in the aftermath of the eruption contributed greatly to our knowledge of the stratospheric circulation. This paper will trace the path from their work in the 1880s to the mid-twentieth century when it provided the background to the surprising discovery of the stratospheric Quasibiennial Oscillation. RESUME [Traduit par la redaction] L’eruption du Krakatoa, en 1883, a ete un evenement fecond pour l’etude de plusieurs phenomenes atmospheriques. Le present article examine le travail ayant mene a la premiere determination du vent dans la stratosphere tropicale et fournit des renseignements biographiques sur deux scientifiques amateurs fort remarquables dont les observations et les analyses suite ...
Host specificity ofTyta luctuosa [Lep.: Noctuidae], an insect associated withConvolvulus arvensis [Convolvulaceae]

As part of a program to find biological control agents forConvolvulus arvensis L.,Tyta luctuosa (Denis & Schiffermuller), a defoliator, has been tested for host specificity in the laboratory and in field cages. While several host plants from different families are recorded in the literature, there was feeding only on members of theConvolvulaceae. There was complete development only on species ofConvolvulus andCalystegia.
Conspecific calls evoke characteristic cardiac responses in mallard ducklings

Abstract The cardiac response of mallard ducklings, Anas platyrhynchos , has a characteristic pattern, which varies according to which of three conspecific calls, or an artificial sound, is presented. Ducklings were played one of four acoustic stimuli, each of which has well-documented behavioural efects: maternal alarm calls, maternal assembly calls, duckling distress calls and a synthetic control stimulus. The evoked changes in heart rate consisted of brief phasic responses to the playbacks of each call type, together with a cumulative (tonic) change with repeated stimulus presentations. The phasic response consisted of an acceleration during the stimulus in every case, but, while all three conspecific calls elicited a profound post-stimulus deceleration, characteristic of an orienting response, the control stimulus did not. Two of the stimuli also had significant tonic effects; the assembly call evoked a prolonged increase in heart rate, while the alarm call caused a prolonged decrease. These tonic changes may be related to the locomotor responses characteristically elicited by maternal calls. When both phasic and tonic changes in heart rate are considered, it is apparent that each of the stimuli elicited a unique response. The cardiac response thus provides an assay of sufficient sensitivity to examine both recognition of species-typical calls and discrimination between conspecific vocalizations.
A computer program for pore volume and pore area distribution calculations from mercury porosimeter data on particulate or porous materials

Abstract A computer program in Fortran IV is described for rapidly determining pore size and pore area distribution calculations from the high pressure mercury porosimeter data. The listing of the program is reproduced as well as the printout of the sample data. Illustrations of the graphic representation of the processed data are given for two samples of fine crystalline precipitated hydroxyapatite and one carbon black—Spheron 6.
Incontinentia Pigmenti Presenting as Seizures

Incontinentia pigmenti is a rare disorder that may affect many systems including the skin, central nervous system, bone, and eyes. We describe a 13-day-old girl who developed seizures on day 1 of life and was placed on antiseizure medication. On approximately day 4 of life, she developed a vesicular rash on her trunk and extremities. The pediatric team prescribed intravenous acyclovir and diphenhydramine cream. These were used without improvement. At dermatology consultation, linear and swirled vesicular lesions were seen. A skin biopsy specimen revealed eosinophils within intraepidermal vesicles consistent with a diagnoses of incontinentia pigmenti. This case of incontinentia pigmenti is of interest in that the initial symptom was a seizure disorder.
Photoimmunotherapy of human uveal melanoma cells

To examine whether tumor-reactive monoclonal antibodies can be used to enhance photodestruction of human uveal melanoma cells, we conjugated photosensitizer chlorin e6 monoethylenediamine monoamide (CMA) with a melanoma-reactive monoclonal antibody IG12 and evaluated the effectiveness of this immunoconjugate (IC) in the destruction of OCM431 human uveal melanoma cells in vitro. RPMI1846 melanoma cells do not react with IC and were used as non-target cells. For control, target and non-target cells were treated with IC or light alone. The effects of IC and free CMA in the destruction of melanoma cells were compared. Cell survival was assessed by a colorimetric assay using tetrazolium salt MTT. Target (OCM431) cells preincubated with IC and irradiated with 5-40 J cm-2 showed light dose-dependent decrease in cell survival. At 40 J cm-2, OCM431 cells preincubated with IC showed only 6 +/- 1.4% viability. Under same treatment, non-target (RPMI1846) cells showed much less phototoxicity; cell survival was 54 +/- 2.1%. Treatment with free CMA and light at 40 J cm-2 showed similar phototoxicity to both target and non-target cells, with cell survival being 24.3 +/- 3.5% and 23.7 +/- 1.5%, respectively. These results show that our IC is effective in causing photodestruction of human uveal melanoma cells in vitro. The phototoxicity is selective and more potent than free CMA.
A genetic algorithm for learning significant phrase patterns in radiology reports

Radiologists disagree with each other over the characteristics and features of what constitutes a normal mammogram and the terminology to use in the associated radiology report. Recently, the focus has been on classifying abnormal or suspicious reports, but even this process needs further layers of clustering and gradation, so that individual lesions can be more effectively classified. Using a genetic algorithm, the approach described here successfully learns phrase patterns for two distinct classes of radiology reports (normal and abnormal). These patterns can then be used as a basis for automatically analyzing, categorizing, clustering, or retrieving relevant radiology reports for the user.
Rare earth element concentrations and speciation in alkaline lakes from the western U.S.A.

The rare earth element (REE) concentrations of lake water from five alkaline lakes (i.e., Mono, Walker, Abert, Summer, and Goose Lakes) within the Great Basin of the western U.S.A. are reported. All of the lakes exhibit HREE-enriched shale-normalized patterns. The speciation of the REEs was determined and, in all cases, species greater than 99% of each of the REEs exist as Ln(CO3)2- complexes. The only exception to this is Summer Lake where minor amounts of phosphate species were also predicted. The large enrichments in the HREEs observed in these lakes are the result of the formation of stable carbonate complexes in solution where the HREEs preferentially form stronger carbonate complexes than the LREEs. Activity product calculations for REE phosphate coprecipitates in these lakes indicate the lakes are close to saturation with respect to these phases and suggest that these precipitates may limit the maximum dissolved REE concentrations in the lakes.
The “Silent” Disease: Diagnosing & Treating Depression in Women

Major depression is the most common illness in the U.S. It affects millions of people and crosses all socioeconomic and cultural lines. Sadly, most persons suffering with depression don't get diagnosed or treated. Depression is particularly pervasive among women of childbearing age—in fact, every one in five women can expect to experience clinical depression at some point during her lifetime. Here's what to do.
Operator aliasing in wavefield continuation migration

With the widespread adoption of wavefield continuation meth ods for prestack migration, the concept of operator aliasing warrants revisiting. Whil e zero-offset migration is unaffected, prestack migrations reintroduce the issue of ope rator aliasing. Some situations where this problem arises include subsampling the shot-axes to save shot-profile migration costs and limited cross-line shot locations due to acquisit ion strategies. These problems are overcome in this treatment with the use of an appropriate source function or bandlimiting the energy contributing to the image. We detail a synthetic experiment that shows the ramifications of subsampling the shot axis and the efficac y of addressing the problems introduced with our two approaches. Further, we explain how these methods can be tailored in some situations to include useful energy residing outside of the Nyquist limits.
Organizer induction determines left-right asymmetry in Xenopus.

Vertebrates appear bilaterally symmetrical but have considerable left‐right (LR) asymmetry in the anatomy and placement of internal organs such as the heart. Although a number of asymmetrically expressed genes are known to affect LR patterning, both the initial source of asymmetry and the mechanism that correctly orients the LR axis remain controversial. In this study, we show that the induction of dorsal organizing centers in the embryo can orient LR asymmetry. Ectopic organizing centers were induced by microinjection of mRNA encoding a variety of body axis duplicating proteins, including members of the Wnt signal transduction pathway. The ectopic and primary body axes form side-by-side conjoined twins, with the secondary axis developing as either the left or right sibling. In all cases, correct LR asymmetry was observed in the left twin, regardless of whether it was derived from the primary axis or induced de novo by injection of Xwnt-8, bcatenin, or Siamois mRNA. In contrast, the right twin was generally unbiased, regardless of the origin of the left body axis, as seen in many instances of experimentally induced and spontaneous conjoined twins. An unanticipated exception was that right twins induced byb-catenin and Siamois, two downstream effectors of Wnt signaling, exhibited predominately normal heart looping, even when they formed the right twin. Taken together, these results indicate that LR asymmetry is locally oriented as a consequence of Wnt signaling throughb-catenin and Siamois. We discuss the possibility that signals upstream of b-catenin and Siamois might be required in order for a right sibling to be randomized. q 1997 Academic Press
PHASE CHARACTERIZATION OF CHAOS

The phase of a chaotic trajectory in autonomous flows is often ignored because of the wide use of the extremely popular Poincar\'e surface-of-section technique in the study of chaotic systems. We present evidence that, in general, a chaotic flow is practically composed of a small number of intrinsic modes of proper rotations from which the phase can be computed via the Hilbert transform. The fluctuations of the phase about that of a uniform rotation can be described by fractional Brownian random processes. Implications to nonlinear digital communications are pointed out.
Blockade of Steroid-Induced Luteinizing Hormone Release by Selective Depletion of Anterior Hypothalamic Norepinephrine Activity

Female Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 200–225 g, were ovariectomized and, 10 days later, were given a single sc injection of 10 μg estradiol benzoate/100 g BW. Three days after estradiol benzoate treatment, animals received 50 μg progesterone (P)/100 g BW, resulting in a surge in LH release 7 and 9 h later. To determine the locus of the noradrenergic component of the P-induced LH surge, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OH-DA), a neurotoxin, was implanted into either the suprachiasmatic region or the median eminence (ME) 24 h before P administration. An implant of 6-OH-DA in the suprachiasmatic region decreased anterior hypothalamic norepinephrine concentration by 83%, anterior hypothalamic dopamine concentration by 24%, and eliminated the P-induced LH surge. ME implant of 6-OH-DA decreased norepinephrine concentration by 57% without affecting dopamine concentration, but was unable to alter the Pinduced LH surge. These results indicate that the anterior hypothalamic noradrenergic system is necessary for the P-induced L...
Remote sensing of wetland conditions in West Coast salt marshes

The objective of the PEEIR (Pacific Estuarine Ecosystem Indicator Research Consortium) program is to develop new indicators for assessing wetland health or condition. As part of PEEIR program we are investigating the use of imaging spectrometry to map and characterize marsh vegetation of several estuarine systems in California. We obtained airborne Advanced Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data, an instrument which measures a detailed reflectance spectrum (400-2500nm) for each pixel, over paired tidal marshes, having either a history of exposure to pollution or no known exposure. AVIRIS image data was analyzed based on comparison to field measurements and reflectance changes measured in hydroponic experiments. We report leaf and canopy reflectance measurements of several common plant species of Pacific coast salt marshes exposed to different concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, V) and crude oil contaminants. Species exhibited differential sensitivities to specific contaminants, however in general, Salicornia virginica , the most salt tolerant species and the dominant species in these wetlands (70-90% cover) was most sensitive to metal and petroleum contaminants. Field measurements of canopy reflectance, biomass and vegetation structure were acquired across GPS-located transects at each field site. The AVIRIS data were calibrated to surface reflectance using the FLAASH radiative transfer code and geometrically registered to coordinates using the 1m USGS digital orthophoto quads. AVIRIS results show spatial patterns of plant stress indicators (e.g., reduced chlorophyll and water contents) are consistent with known patterns of contamination in these tidal wetlands.
The interaction of caffeine with pentobarbital as a nighttime hypnotic.

The Interaction of caffeine with pentobarbital taken for its hypnotic effect was studied in 42 medical and surgical patients. Each patient received the following medications orally: a lactose placebo; 250 mg caffeine; 100 mg pentobarbital; and 250 mg caffeine plus 100 mg pentobarbital. Hypnotic effects were determined by patient evaluation of sleep. Caffeine had an adverse effect on sleep, whereas pentobarbital was an effective hypnotic. Together, their effects appeared additive, and the 250 mg caffeine plus 100 mg pentobarbital combination was not distinguishable from the placebo.
A mutase mimic with cobalamin linked to cyclodextrin

Abstract Cobalamin covalently tethered to β-cyclodextrin was synthesized as a methylmalonyl-CoA mutase mimic. The artificial enzyme is capable of discriminating between two substrates containing different binding groups.
Optimizing a Search Strategy for Multiple Mobile Agents

ABSTRACT In this paper, we propose a rule-based search method for multiple mobile distributed agents to cooperativelysearch an area for mobile target detection. The collective goals of the agents are (1) to maximize the coverage ofa search area without explicit coordination among the members of the group, (2) to achieve sucient minimumcoverage of a search area in as little time as possible, and (3) to decrease the predictability of the search pattern ofeach agent. We assume that the search space contains multiple mobile targets and each agent is equipped with anon-gimbaled visual sensor and a range-limited radio frequency sensor. We envision the proposed search methodto be applicable to cooperative mobile robots, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and Unmanned UnderwaterVehicles (UUVs). The search rules used by each agent characterize a decentralized search algorithm wherethe mobility decision of an agent at each time increment is independently made as a function of the directionof the previous motion of the agent, the known locations of other agents, the distance of the agent from theboundaries of the search area, and the agents knowledge of the area already covered by the group. Weights andparameters of the proposed decentralized search algorithm are tuned to particular scenarios and goals using agenetic algorithm. We demonstrate the eectiveness of the proposed search method in multiple scenarios withvarying numbers of agents. Furthermore, we use the results of the tuning processes for dierent scenarios todraw conclusions on the role each weight and parameter plays during the execution of a mission.Keywords: distributed control, cooperative search, unmanned aerial vehicles, search, genetic algorithms
Application of New Concepts to 500-Kv System Insulation Co-ordination

Continuous system growth compels the design of transmission links with ever-larger capacities and higher voltages. If increase in cost of facilities is kept linear with voltage while the transfer capacity increases as the square of the voltage, substantial economies can be made in the cost of transmitting electrical energy. Extrapolation of conventional practices at 230 kv and 345 kv and small economies in component equipment would not achieve an economical insulation system for 500-kv service. Different concepts in insulation co-ordination were developed for 500 kv in order to achieve the desired economies. These concepts included: control of switching surges on lines and in the stations, a recognition that some switching surge flashovers are acceptable, just as is lightning, and allowance for diversity among factors which degrade insulation. Application of these principles in the selection of system insulation levels to be used by the Bonneville Power Administration's proposed 500-kv system is herein described.
A Global EMC-FDTD Simulation Tool for High-Frequency Carrier Transport in Semiconductors

We present a computational tool for the characterization of conductive media at THz frequencies. By coupling the Ensemble Monte Carlo (EMC) simulator of carrier dynamics and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) solver of Maxwell's equations, we develop and characterize a robust and versatile global simulator that interactively tracks field-particle dynamics. In this report the EMC-FDTD simulator is used to model the interaction of bulk doped silicon with THz frequency electromagnetic plane waves. The performance of the simulation tool is investigated in terms of several simulation parameters, including grid cell size and carrier ensemble size. The complex conductivity of doped silicon at THz frequencies obtained from the combined EMC-FDTD solver is in good agreement with available experimental results.
Chemotherapy of Experimental Spotted Fever.

ConclusionsGermanin, metaphen, triphal, and tryparsamide had no effect on the course of spotted fever in guinea pigs, when administered therapeutically.
Titelbild: Angew. Chem. 9/2002

Das Titelbild zeigt Adamantan-2,6-dion in einer wasserstoffverbruckten Kapsel aus vier identischen Untereinheiten. Die Ketonfunktionen des Gastmolekuls (CPK-Modell, rot) sind an den strukturellen Nahtstellen an den jeweiligen Enden der Kapsel in Form von vergabelten Wasserstoffbrucken beteiligt. Mehr zu Verkapselungskomplexen erfahren Sie in dem Aufsatz von Rebek, Jr. et al. auf S. 1556 ff.
The Relationship between Cognitive Mode and Right Hemisphere Test Performance

This study investigated the relationship between cognitive mode and right hemisphere test performance. Seventy-six randomly selected elementary students were administered the Adapted Children's Form of Your Style of Learning and Thinking (SOLAT) to obtain their left, right, and integrated hemisphere cognitive mode scores. The same students were also administered the Judgment of Line Orientation test, Bender-Gestalt test, Torque Task, and the Word Production test. Subjects determined to have a predominant right hemisphere cognitive mode (N = 38) scored significantly higher on the Judgment of Line Orientation test, Torque Task, and Word Production test, and significantly lower on the Bender-Gestalt test than subjects with a predominantly left hemisphere cognitive mode (N = 25) and/or integrated hemisphere cognitive mode (N = 13). Right hemisphere cognitive mode scores correlated positively and significantly with Judgment of Line Orientation scores, and negatively and significantly with Bender-Gestalt scores.
The Evaluation of Certain Organic Nitrogen Compounds As Corrosion Inhibitors

Abstract The Static Water Drop Test adapted to research methods has been utilized to evaluate the corrosion inhibiting ability of a number of heterocyclic nitrogen compounds. Most of these heterocy...
Torsion of an anisotropic layer

Abstract A formal solution of the stresses and displacement occuring in an infinite anisotropic layer, when it is twisted by means of turning a rigid cylindrical shaft attached to it, is obtained. Results of the components of stress and displacement are expressed in terms of Gamma and Gauss' hypergeometric functions. Numerical examples of the fields of stress and displacement are illustrated with diagrams which compare the cases of anisotropic materials with those of an isotropic material.
SU‐GG‐T‐274: A Practical MLC Pattern for Comprehensive Routine MLC QA

Purpose:Quality assurance (QA) for Multi‐leaf Collimators(MLC) is becoming more important as IMRT is becoming popular. Its importance will further increase when tumor tracking using an MLC becomes clinically applicable. This study aims to develop a practical MLC routine QA pattern that can be used in clinics to perform various MLC QAs using an Electronic Portal Imaging Device(EPID).Method and Materials: An MLC pattern of 17 cm width, a modified Picket fence, has been developed. The pattern consists of seven regions, including 0, 10, and 20 MU, and two gradient regions (for increasing and decreasing dose). In each region, the MLCs move with various speeds, namely 0, 0.25, 0.3, 0.8, and 2.5 cm/sec, and with varying sliding window width. Offsets of 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 mm were introduced for some of the leaves to simulate defectiveness. The MLC sequence was delivered with a Varian‐Trilogy accelerator. Images were acquired both in integrated and cine modes using a aS1000 EPID. The EPIDimages were analyzed using home‐grown software. Results: Weekly constancy checks such as leaf alignment and transmissions are performed using the integrated image for both with and without inter‐digitations. Monthly measurements of leaf speeds and position accuracy for four cardinal gantry angles are performed using the cine mode images. A positional variation larger than 0.5 mm can be detected. The leaf positions were measured at four locations with an error of ±0.038 cm. Annual tests such as MLC transmission for all energies and leaf position repeatability are performed using the cine‐mode images.Conclusion: The new pattern is sensitive to potential errors and is convenient to use. Multiple tests can be performed using a single pattern, and the testing time is short, e.g., 5 and 10 min for the weekly and monthly checks, respectively.
ECONOMIC GROWTH AND VIOLENT INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT: 1875–1999

Are states with growing economies more likely to become involved in violent interstate conflicts? This project examines whether economic growth increases international conflict using a global sample of states from 1875–1999. The theory argues that multi‐year economic growth increases the resolve of state leaders to reciprocate and escalate militarized interstate conflicts, thus increasing the occurrence of fatalities or war. The results show that economic growth, but not growth of military expenditures, raises the risk of violent interstate conflicts. The results do not support the proposition that economic slowdowns result in violent interstate conflicts.
Young children's responses to neutral and specific contingent queries.

This study examined young children's responses to adult contingent queries. Each of 22 children in Language Stages II–V conversed alone with their mother and alone with an adult experimenter. The adults queried the child's multi-word utterances with either a neutral or a specific query. Children at all stages responded differently to the two types of query. In response to the neutral query children tended to repeat their entire utterance, whereas in response to the specific query they most often replied with only the asked-for information. Some children found it easier to differentiate the query types when their mother was the listener. These findings suggest that very young children can comprehend the linguistic structure of specific queries and that they can make pragmatically appropriate responses.
Scintigraphic identification of skeletal muscle damage in horses 24 hours after strenuous exercise

Summary The uptake of the bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical 99mTc-MDP by damaged skeletal muscle in horses is evaluated. Twenty-four hours following strenuous exercise, 109 racehorses with a history of inadequate athletic performance and subtle lameness were imaged using scintigraphic techniques. Ten horses (9.2 per cent) demonstrated abnormal uptake of the radioisotope within skeletal muscles. A muscle biopsy from one of theses horses confirmed that the muscles with increased scintigraphic activity had histologic evidence of rhabdomyolysis. This technique allows localisation and relative quantification of muscle damage and is a valuable aid in the evaluation of the athletic horse.
Numerical Investigation of Biodiesel Production in Capillary Microreactor

Synthesis of biodiesel through transesterification of vegetable oil with methanol has been experimentally studied in different types of microreactors though detailed numerical simulation has not yet been presented. The capillary microreactor has the potential to greatly intensify mass transfer between immiscible fluids that would result in higher chemical reaction rates. A segmented flow pattern of oil and methanol forms within the reactor. It has been shown experimentally that the two phase flow has dramatic benefits on the intensification of mass transfer and heat transfer. Such reactors have been proposed for the synthesis of biodiesel and detailed understanding of flow dynamics and chemical kinetics would be useful for process optimization. This paper presents a mathematical model and numerical solution for the synthesis of biodiesel in a capillary reactor. The model represents the unsteady incompressible viscous non-equilibrium chemically reacting flow. The equations are discretized with the finite element method (FEM) and solved to demonstrate the flow behavior and concentration distribution of each chemical species within two phases; different residence time will be obtained with different volume flow rate as well. Information about efficient computational treatment of the model will also be presented.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
McLeod myopathy revisited: more neurogenic and less benign.

The X-linked McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome (MLS) has originally been denoted as ‘benign’ McLeod myopathy. We assessed the clinical findings and the muscle pathology in the eponymous index patient, Hugh McLeod, and in nine additional MLS patients. Only one patient had manifested with neuromuscular symptoms. During a mean follow-up of 15 years, however, eight patients including the initial index patient showed elevated skeletal muscle creatine kinase levels ranging from 300 to 3000 U/L, and had developed muscle weakness and atrophy. Two patients had disabling leg weakness. Muscle histology was abnormal in all 10 patients. Clear but unspecific myopathic changes were found in only four patients. All patients, however, had neurogenic changes of variable degree. Post-mortem motor and sensory nerve examinations support the view that muscle atrophy and weakness are predominantly due to an axonal motor neuropathy rather than to a primary myopathy. Multisystem manifestations developed in eight patients at a mean age of 39 years. Three patients manifested with psychiatric features comprising schizophrenia-like psychosis and personality disorder, two presented with generalized seizures and one with chorea. During follow-up, seven patients developed chorea, six had psychiatric disorders, five had cognitive decline and three had generalized seizures. Five patients died because of MLS-related complications including sudden cardiac death, chronic heart failure and pneumonia between 55 and 69 years. In conclusion, our findings confirm that MLS is not a benign condition but rather a progressive multisystem disorder sharing many features with Huntington's disease.
DEMOGRAPHY OF THE YELLOWSTONE GRIZZLY BEARS

We undertook a demographic analysis of the Yellowstone grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) to identify critical environmental factors controlling grizzly bear vital rates, and thereby to help evaluate the effectiveness of past management and to identify future conservation issues. We concluded that, within the limits of uncertainty implied by the available data and our methods of data analysis, the size of the Yellowstone grizzly bear population changed little from 1975 to 1995. We found that grizzly bear mortality rates are about double in years when the whitebark pine crop fails than in mast years, and that the population probably declines when the crop fails and increases in mast years. Our model suggests that natural variation in whitebark pine crop size over the last two decades explains more of the perceived fluctuations in Yellowstone grizzly population size than do other variables. Our analysis used demographic data from 202 radio-telemetered bears followed between 1975 and 1992 and accounted for whiteba...
Detecting pregnancy use of non-hormonal category X medications in electronic medical records

Objectives To determine whether a rule-based algorithm applied to an outpatient electronic medical record (EMR) can identify patients who are pregnant and prescribed medications proved to cause birth defects. Design A descriptive study using the University of Pennsylvania Health System outpatient EMR to simulate a prospective algorithm to identify exposures during pregnancy to category X medications, soon enough to intervene and potentially prevent the exposure. A subsequent post-hoc algorithm was also tested, working backwards from pregnancy endpoints, to search for possible exposures that should have been detected. Measurements Category X medications prescribed to pregnant patients. Results The alert simulation identified 2201 pregnancies with 16969 pregnancy months (excluding abortions and ectopic pregnancies). Of these, 30 appeared to have an order for a non-hormone category X medication during pregnancy. However, none of the 30 ‘exposed pregnancies’ were confirmed as true exposures in medical records review. The post-hoc algorithm identified 5841 pregnancies with 64 exposed pregnancies in 52569 risk months, only one of which was a confirmed case. Conclusions Category X medications may indeed be used in pregnancy, although rarely. However, most patients identified by the algorithm as exposed in pregnancy were not truly exposed. Therefore, implementing an electronic warning without evaluation would have inconvenienced prescribers, possibly hurting some patients (leading to non-use of needed drugs), with no benefit. These data demonstrate that computerized physician order entry interventions should be selected and evaluated carefully even before their use, using alert simulations such as that performed here, rather than just taken off the shelf and accepted as credible without formal evaluation.
Responses of sugar maple and hemlock seedlings to elevated carbon dioxide under altered above- and belowground nitrogen sources

of these three factors on tree seedlings. We used open-top chambers to fumigate sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) with ambient or elevated CO2 and NO2 (elevated concentrations were 760 ppm and 40 ppb, respectively). In addition, we applied an artificial wet deposition of 30 kg ha −1 year −1 NO3 − to half of the open-top chambers. After two growing seasons, hemlocks showed a stimulation of growth under elevated CO2, but the addition of elevated NO2 or NO3 − eliminated this effect. In contrast, sugar maple seedlings showed no growth enhancement under elevated CO2 alone and decreased growth in the presence of NO2 or NO3 − , and the combined treatments of elevated CO2 with increased NO2 or NO3 − were similar to control plants. Elevated CO2 induced changes in the leaf characteristics of both species, including decreased specific leaf area, decreased %N and increased C:N. The effects of elevated CO 2, NO2 and NO3 − on growth were not additive and treatments that singly had no effect often modified the effects of other treatments. The growth of both maple and hemlock seedlings under the full combination of treatments (CO2 + NO2 + NO3 − ) was similar to that of seedlings grown under control conditions, suggesting that models predicting increased seedling growth under future atmospheric conditions may be overestimating the growth and carbon storage potential of young trees.
Male and female managers' ability to read emotions: Relationships with supervisor's performance ratings and subordinates' satisfaction ratings

The present study examines the direct and indirect effect of managers’ accuracy in ‘reading’ non-verbal emotional expressions and their supervisors’ performance ratings and subordinates’ satisfaction with the manager .D ata from working managers and their supervisors and subordinates wer eu sed to test the study’ sh ypotheses. Although managers’ accuracy was not directly related to others’ ratings, as ignificant interactiv e effect was found: Female but not male managers who more accurately perceived nonverbal emotiona le xpressions received higher performance ratings from their supervisor and higher satisfaction ratings from their subordinates, perhaps due to gender stereotypes prescribing emotional sensitivity to female managers. Furthermore, how managers used emotional information to enhance subordinates’ satisfaction varied for female and male managers. Results suggested that male managers who wer em ore accurate at emotion perception received higher satisfaction ratings if they used the information to be more persuasive, whereas more emotionally perceptiv ef emale managers receive dh ighe rs atisfactio nr atings when they demonstrated more supportiveness.
Culture of Terror—Space of Death. Roger Casement's Putumayo Report and the Explanation of Torture

This essay is about torture and the culture of terror, which for most of us, including myself, are known only through the words of others. Thus my concern is with the mediation of the culture of terror through narration—and with the problems of writing effectively against terror.
Real-time vision at Siemens Corporate Research

Computer vision has found applicability in a wide variety of industrial applications. These include surveillance and security, industrial inspection and automation, medical and automotive. This paper gives an overview of the work performed at Siemens Corporate Research in these areas. Some of the basic technologies that are needed for such applications are highlighted along with a brief overview of the particular constraints existing in such applications. Then, our view of the systems methodology required in order to build robust, scalable and reusable systems and modules is presented. Finally, we present our view of the future directions in this field.
Conjugative and steric effects on the ring-opening of substituted phenylcyclopropanes over palladium metal

Abstract The hydrogenolysis of various phenyl substituted cyclopropanes over palladium metal is considered. The mechanism for this reaction and the conjugative and steric effects associated with the manner of ring-opening are discussed. It is concluded that initial adsorption of phenylcyclopropanes occurs via “corner” attack to yield benzyl-adsorbed phenylpropanes and that addition and exchange reactions utilize different catalyst sites. Conjugative effects are concluded to outweigh steric effects in both orienting and facilitating the hydrogenolysis.
Herbicides, Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase Inhibitors

Protox inhibitors account for 11% of the 270 herbicides registered for use in the US. Most of the Protox inhibitors are being marketed for use with soybean. The most recent data from a survey of 11 US states showed that Protox inhibitors were applied to 14% of the 26 million ha. that were planted with soybean. In contrast, 62% of the cultivated area received applications of glyphosate, highlighting the rate of adoption of glyphosate-resistant soybean technology. A total of 0.6 million kg of Protox inhibitors were applied to soybean fields, accounting for 2% of the total amount of herbicides applied. In contrast, glyphosate accounted for 56% of all the herbicides applied by weight to soybean fields, demonstrating the impact that genetically engineered herbicide-resistant soybean has on traditional agricultural practices. Keywords: Protox inhibitors; soybean; glyphosate; herbicides; diphenyl ether; phenylpyrazoles; N-phenylphthalimides; oxadiazoles; triazolinones; oxazolidinediones
Exploration of the effect of workers' influence network on their absence behavior using agent-based modeling and simulation

Workers' absence behavior is not only determined by individuals' personal characteristics or situations, but also strongly affected by workgroup-level properties, such as social norms. This is because workers gather the how-to-behave information not only from formal rules, but also by interacting with their peers to obtain group and organizational approval. Despite the increasing attention being paid to the social control of workers' absence behavior in organizations, to date relatively little work has been done studying the impact of workers' influence networks, in which the social control takes place, on absence behavior. In this paper, we apply agent-based modeling and simulation (ABMS) to study the impact of workers' influence networks on absence behavior. Our simulation results suggest that small social networks of workers could be more effective than big networks in reducing absenteeism when the social control is active.
IgG4-associated ampullitis and cholangiopathy in Crohn's disease.

Abstract Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is reported to be associated with autoimmune pancreatitis and IgG4-related sclerosing disease. We report a case of a 28year old African American male with a long history of upper gastrointestinal tract Crohn's disease (CD) with multiple surgeries who developed medically refractory disease with small bowel obstruction. He had abnormal liver function tests with imaging evidence of chronic pancreatitis and ampullary inflammatory process. He underwent Whipple's procedure. Histopathological evaluation of surgical specimens of the ampulla and distal common bile duct showed accumulation of IgG4-positive plasma cells in the lamina propria. Preoperative endoscopic biopsies also showed chronic active enteritis involving the duodenum and jejunum with increased IgG4-expressing plasma cell infiltration. His serum IgG4 was 164mg/dL. The association of IgG4-expressing plasma cell accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract with IBD in patients with hepatobiliary manifestation may have pathogenetic, diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
Statistical data fusion of multi-sensor AOD over the Continental United States

This article illustrates two techniques for merging daily aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements from satellite and ground-based data sources to achieve optimal data quality and spatial coverage. The first technique is a traditional Universal Kriging (UK) approach employed to predict AOD from multi-sensor aerosol products that are aggregated on a reference grid with AERONET as ground truth. The second technique is spatial statistical data fusion (SSDF); a method designed for massive satellite data interpolation. Traditional kriging has computational complexity O(N3), making it impractical for large datasets. Our version of UK accommodates massive data inputs by performing kriging locally, while SSDF accommodates massive data inputs by modelling their covariance structure with a low-rank linear model. In this study, we use aerosol data products from two satellite instruments: the moderate resolution imaging spectrometer and the geostationary operational environmental satellite, covering the Continental U...
The host response to West Nile Virus infection limits viral spread through the activation of the interferon regulatory factor 3 pathway

Recent outbreaks of West Nile Virus (WNV) have been associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality in humans, birds, and many other species. We have initiated studies to define the molecular mechanisms by which a recent pathogenic isolate of WNV evades the host cell innate antiviral response. Biochemical and microarray analyses demonstrated that WNV induced the expression of beta interferon (IFN-β) and several IFN-stimulated genes late in infection of cultured human cells. The late expression of these antiviral genes was due to the delayed activation of the transcription factor IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3). Despite this host response, WNV was still able to replicate efficiently. The effect of the IRF-3 pathway on WNV replication was assessed by examining virus replication and spread in cultures of wild-type or IRF-3-null mouse embryo fibroblasts. The absence of IRF-3 was marked by a significant increase in plaque size and a sustained production of infectious particles. Although the activation of the IRF-3 pathway was not sufficient to block virus replication, our results suggest that IRF-3 target genes function to constrain WNV infection and limit cell-to-cell virus spread.
Some convergence properties of a distributed textured algorithm for constrained economic dispatch control problem of large power systems

A distributed textured algorithm has been extended from our parallel textured algorithm for constrained economic dispatch control problem of large power systems. We develop the distributed communication models, discuss their impacts on algorithm analysis and then provide some examples to illustrate the convergence properties of distributed textured algorithms. >
Hydrogen reduction mechanisms of ilmenite between 823 and 1353 K

In situ gravimetric measurements and microscopic examinations were used to determine the mechanisms of oxygen removal from synthetic ilmenite disks between 823 and 1353 K. Under a hydrogen atmosphere, iron was observed to form a layer of low porosity on the surface of samples early in the reduction. This created diffusion limitations for hydrogen to the reaction front and for the escape of water vapor. A shrinking core reduction model, modified to include the growth of this iron film, was capable of predicting the conversion-time relationships of ilmenite samples. An activation energy of 43.2 ± 2.6 kcal/gmole was determined to be representative of reaction control over the temperature range 823–1023 K.
Investigation of the role of the snowpack on atmospheric formaldehyde chemistry at Summit, Greenland

[1] Ambient gas-phase and snow-phase measurements of formaldehyde (HCHO) were conducted at Summit, Greenland, during several summers, in order to understand the role of air-snow exchange on remote tropospheric HCHO and factors that determine snowpack HCHO. To investigate the impact of the known snowpack emission of HCHO, a gas-phase model was developed that includes known chemistry relevant to Summit and that is constrained by data from the 1999 and 2000 field campaigns. This gas-phase-only model does not account for the high ambient levels of HCHO observed at Summit for several previous measurement campaigns, predicting approximately 150 ppt from predominantly CH4 chemistry, which is ∼25–50% of the observed concentrations for several years. Simulations were conducted that included a snowpack flux of HCHO based on HCHO flux measurements from 2000 and 1996. Using the fluxes obtained for 2000, the snowpack does not appear to be a substantial source of gas-phase HCHO in summer. The 1996 flux estimates predict much higher HCHO concentrations, but with a strong diel cycle that does not match the observations. Thus, we conclude that, although the flux of HCHO from the surface likely has a significant impact on atmospheric HCHO above the snowpack, the time–dependent fluxes need to be better understood and quantified. It is also necessary to identify the HCHO precursors so we can better understand the nature and importance of snowpack photochemistry.
Die Totalsynthese von Brevetoxin B – eine zwölf Jahre währende Odyssee in der organischen Synthese

Im Oktober 1994 konnten wir die Totalsynthese von Brevetoxin B abschliesen. Lange hatten wir nach einem geeigneten Syntheseweg fur diese Verbindung gesucht. Wahrend der zwolf Jahre dauernden Odyssee[1] in der organischen Synthese wurden viele Strategien und Taktiken ersonnen sowie zahlreiche neue Synthesemethoden entwickelt. In diesem Aufsatz wird ein Blick hinter die Kulissen der Brevetoxin-Totalsynthese gegeben, von ihren Anfangen an der University of Pennsylvania bis zu ihrem erfolgreichen Abschlus an der University of California, San Diego, und am Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Kalifornien.
Antibiotic Treatment Suppresses Rotavirus Infection and Enhances Specific Humoral Immunity

Background. Rotavirus causes 500 000 deaths and millions of physician visits and hospitalizations per year, with worse outcomes and reduced vaccine efficacy in developing countries. We hypothesized that the gut microbiota might modulate rotavirus infection and/or antibody response and thus potentially play a role in such regional differences. Methods. The microbiota was ablated via germ-free or antibiotic approaches. Enhanced exposure to microbiota was achieved via low-dose dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) treatment. Rotavirus infection and replication was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Diarrhea was scored visually. Humoral responses to rotavirus were measured by ELISA and enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. Results. Microbiota elimination delayed infection and reduced infectivity by 42%. Antibiotics did not alter ratios of positive-sense to negative-sense strands, suggesting that entry rather than replication was influenced. Antibiotics reduced the diarrhea incidence and duration, indicating that the reduction in the level of rotavirus antigen was biologically significant. Despite lowered antigen level, antibiotics resulted in a more durable rotavirus mucosal/systemic humoral response. Increased rotavirus antibody response durability correlated with increased small intestinal rotavirus-specific, immunoglobulin A–producing antibody-secreting cell concentration in antibiotic-treated mice. Conversely, DSS treatment impaired generation of rotavirus-specific antibodies. Conclusions. Microbiota ablation resulted in reduced rotavirus infection/diarrhea and a more durable rotavirus antibody response, suggesting that antibiotic administration before rotavirus vaccination could raise low seroconversion rates that correlate with the vaccine's inefficacy in developing regions.