cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spectral and spatial differences in response of vegetation indices to nitrogen treatments on apple

Handheld chlorophyll sensors and remote sensing are two nondestructive approaches for estimating plant nitrogen (N) status, which are now commercially available. In this paper we address three questions on the application of these technologies in perennial fruit trees: (1) can individual leaf meter measurements be used to predict N status for surrounding trees?, (2) are narrow band indices more sensitive than the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to differences in plant N?, and (3) is NDVI from satellite remote sensing correlated to leaf level vegetation indices? We evaluated data from a N rate trial conducted in a commercial Fuji apple orchard (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. 'Fuji'). SPAD and CM1000 handheld chlorophyll meters and reflectance measurements using a portable spectrometer were made on individual leaves three or four times during each growing season. The reflectance measurements were used to determine NDVI and three narrow band vegetation indices. Satellite imagery from the Quickbird sensor was acquired two or three times during each growing season and used to generate NDVI for individual trees. The leaf meter measurements and vegetation indices were compared with the N application rate and plant N status measured as total leaf tissue N. We evaluated how well single leaf meter measurements predict N status for surrounding trees by calculating the differences between actual and estimated N applications from individual measurements. On average, a sample of 12 leaves (from the same treatment and same measurement date) resulted in an estimation error of 30kgha^-^1 for either the SPAD or the CM1000 sensor, representing almost half of the range in N treatment rates. To evaluate any improvement in prediction of applied N using narrow band indices, we used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare three narrow band indices with the leaf meters and NDVI measured at leaf and canopy levels. Two narrow band indices, red edge vegetation stress index (RVSI) and modified chlorophyll absorption in reflectance index (MCARI) had higher F-values (31 and 41, respectively) than did NDVI from leaf level measurements (26), from satellite NDVI (6), or the CM1000 chlorophyll meter (12). The ANOVA results support improvements in leaf sensors using index values other than NDVI. We found that NDVI from satellite imagery acquired close to the leaf level measurement dates were positively correlated to the chlorophyll sensors and vegetation indices. When the data was averaged to the experiment plot level (twelve leaves total), the correlation coefficients between the satellite NDVI and the other sensors ranged from 0.68 for NDVI from leaf level reflectance to 0.84 with the CM1000 chlorophyll meter. Given the level of correlations, remote sensing might be a useful tool to extrapolate handheld measurements spatially throughout an orchard.
Tree-ring analysis of the fungal disease Swiss needle cast in western Oregon coastal forests

Swiss needle cast (SNC), an important fungal disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco), has increased in severity throughout its natural and introduced range over the last half ...
Short-Time Relaxational Dynamics of the "Strong" Glass-Former Methanol

According to the coupling model of relaxation, structural relaxation in glass-forming liquids is comprised of an intermolecularly uncorrelated step (“fast α-relaxation process”) in the picosecond time range followed by a slowed, intermolecularly cooperative, “slow α” process. Molecular dynamics simulation data [Sindzingre, P.; Klein, M. J. Chem. Phys. 1992, 96, 4681] have shown that for the “strong” liquid methanol, the fast relaxation step is absent. This finding is in contrast to the prominent fast relaxation appearing in fragile liquids about the glass transition temperature. The differing behavior of methanol can be accounted for from an analysis of the self part of the intermediate scattering function, FS(k,t) according to the coupling model. The latter relates the magnitude of the fast α-relaxation to the relaxation time, τ*, and to the exponent β of the slow α-process described by the stretched exponential function exp[−(t/τ*)β]. This function fits the experimental FS(k,t) for t longer than 2 ps. T...
Study protocol for a group randomized controlled trial of a classroom-based intervention aimed at preventing early risk factors for drug abuse: integrating effectiveness and implementation research

Background While a number of preventive interventions delivered within schools have shown both short-term and long-term impact in epidemiologically based randomized field trials, programs are not often sustained with high-quality implementation over time. This study was designed to support two purposes. The first purpose was to test the effectiveness of a universal classroom-based intervention, the Whole Day First Grade Program (WD), aimed at two early antecedents to drug abuse and other problem behaviors, namely, aggressive, disruptive behavior and poor academic achievement. The second purpose--the focus of this paper--was to examine the utility of a multilevel structure to support high levels of implementation during the effectiveness trial, to sustain WD practices across additional years, and to train additional teachers in WD practices.
Relative Motion Splint: Active Motion After Extensor Tendon Injury and Repair

The relative motion splint was initially developed to facilitate postoperative rehabilitation after repair of extensor tendon injuries at the dorsum of the hand and forearm. It has subsequently been used for rehabilitation of sagittal band injuries and after repair of closed attrition extensor tendon ruptures in rheumatoid arthritis. This is much less awkward than other braces and can readily be worn during normal past-time and work activities. This so-called immediate controlled active motion splinting protocol has also more recently been applied to both operative and nonsurgical rehabilitation for boutonniere deformity.
Low Temperature Chemical Vapor Deposition of Titanium Nitride Thin Films With Hydrazine and Tetrakis-(dimethylamide)Titanium

Hydrazine and tetrakis-(dimethylamido)titanium have been used as precursors for the low temperature chemical vapor deposition of TiN thin films between 50°C and 200°C at growth rates between 5 to 35 nm/min. At hydrazine to TDMAT ratios of 50:1 and 100:1 the resulting films show an increase in the Ti:N ratio with increasing deposition temperature. They contain 2% carbon, and varying amounts of oxygen up to 36% as a result of diffusion after air exposure. The low temperature growth is improved when hydrazine-ammonia mixtures containing as little as 1.9% hydrazine are used. Their Ti:N ratio is almost 1:1 and they contain no carbon or oxygen according to RBS. The TiN films grown from pure hydrazine or the hydrazine-ammonia mixture have some crystallinity according to x-ray diffraction and their resistivity is on the order of 104µω cm. The low temperature growth is attributed to the weak N–N bond in hydrazine and its strong reducing ability. In these films, the Ti:N ratio is approximately 1:1.
Falsche Annahmen über die Zusammenhänge zwischen der Umweltverschmutzung und der Entstehung von Krebs

In der Offentlichkeit gibt es zahlreiche falsche Vorstellungen uber die Zusammenhange zwischen Umweltverschmutzung und Krebs beim Menschen. Grundlage dafur ist die irrige Auffassung, das von der Natur nur Gutes ausgehe. In diesem Beitrag werden acht Fehleinschatzungen herausgegriffen und wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen gegenubergestellt.
Vergleichende Taxonomie der Gattung Saccharomyces (MEYEN) REESS

For the estimation of the GC-content, we have elected representatives of single groups which have been formed by numerical evaluation of the relationships among the strains of the genus Saccharomyces. The estimated GC-values for 48 strains of the genus Saccharomyces gave an average of 36.75 Mol%, standard deviation being 1.96. The variation range within the limit 35.0–39.0 corresponds to the normal distribution. Between the strains of the genera Zygosaccharomyces and Saccharomyces was shown a low phenetic similarity. A low similarity in DNS base composition was found between the groups “delbrueckii” and “fermentati”. This shows that they are not related phylogenetically to each other but form a polyphyletic group. Although strains of the group “bailii” and “rouxii” are phenetically not much similar to the genus Saccharomyces, the DNA base composition falls into the range of Saccharomyces. On the contrary, the genus Saccharomyces appears to be homogeneous not only phenetically, but also on the basis of similarity of DNA base composition.
Electrophoretically mediated microanalysis of ethanol

Capillary electrophoresis was used to determine ethanol by the methodology of electrophoretically mediated microanalysis (EMMA). In EMMA, spatially distinct analyte and analytical reagent zones of differing electrophoretic mobility are merged under the influence of an electric field, and the resulting product is transported to the detector. The enzymatic oxidation of ethanol to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase was utilized, and the concurrent reduction of NAD+ to NADH was monitored at 340 nm as a measure of the quantity of ethanol injected. Quantitation using an internal standard and normalization for peak migration time yielded a R.S.D. of 2.7%, and the linear range extended to that quantity of ethanol which could be reacted prior to passing by the detection window. Comparison of the EMMA technique to the Sigma spectrophotometric procedure revealed that the two methods do not yield significantly different values for the determination of ethanol. The EMMA method offered the advantages of electrophoretic mixing and miniaturization.
Psychophysiological reactivity and heartbeat awareness in anxiety sensitivity

Anxiety sensitivity refers to the degree to which an individual fears symptoms of anxiety because of beliefs about anxiety's aversive consequences. Heart-rate reactivity and sensitivity to physiology were investigated in 59 female undergraduate participants. It was predicted that compared to women with low anxiety sensitivity, women with high anxiety sensitivity would exhibit higher heart rates and greater cardiac awareness during a mental arithmetic and caffeine manipulation. Women high on anxiety sensitivity were significantly more accurate at counting heartbeats during arithmetic than women low on anxiety sensitivity, although absolute heart rate did not differ across groups. Self-report data for caffeine-induced physical sensations support the use of caffeine challenge tasks in future research on anxiety sensitivity.
FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS AS PREDICTORS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN CHICANO CHILDREN'S EMERGENT SCHOOL READINESS

This study of normal young children in 100 two-parent Chicano households of widely varied socioeconomic levels assessed the ability of selected family sociodemographic and intellectual characteristics to predict individual differences in the children's performance on a measure of emergent school readiness. Data were collected longitudinally in the home at ages 30, 42, and 48 months. Emergent school readiness was measured using the Preschool Inventory, administered at each of the last two longitudinal points. The family characteristics examined were (a) specific sociodemographic variables (household financial income, mother's and father's schooling attainment levels, occupational status, and the family size, sibling constellation, and home language) and (b) the mother's and father's performance on the Culture Fair Intelligence Test. Contemporaneous and time-lagged zero-order and partial correlations and multiple regressions assessed the unique, shared, and shifting strengths of these hypothesized family predictors of child performance. Together these predictors accounted for 50% of the variance in child performance.
Evaluation of MRI issues at 3-Tesla for a transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) bioprosthesis

Abstract Objective Replacement of the aortic heart valve typically requires open-heart surgery. A new transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) bioprosthesis made from metallic material was recently developed that is an advantageous alternative insofar as it is implanted using a minimally invasive procedure. Because of the presence of metal, there are safety issues related to MRI. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to use standardized testing techniques to evaluate MRI issues for this TAVR bioprosthesis in association with a 3-Tesla MR system. Methods The TAVR bioprosthesis (Hydra Aortic Valve, Percutaneous Heart Valve Prosthesis, Vascular Innovations Company, Ltd, Thailand) was evaluated for magnetic field interactions (translational attraction and torque), MRI-related heating at a relative high specific absorption rate level (whole body average SAR, 2.9-W/kg), and artifacts (T1-weighted, spin echo, and gradient echo pulse sequences) at 3-Tesla. Results The TAVR bioprosthesis demonstrated negligible magnetic field interactions (deflection angle, 3-degrees; torque, 0) and minimal heating (maximum temperature rise, 2.5 °C; background temperature rise, 1.7 °C). Artifacts were relatively small in relation to the size and shape of the implant. Conclusions The TAVR bioprosthesis that was evaluated in this investigation is acceptable, or using current MRI terminology “MR Conditional”, for a patient undergoing MRI at 3-Tesla or less.
Net mineralization of N at deeper soil depths as a potential mechanism for sustained forest production under elevated [CO2]

Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations [CO2] is projected to increase forest production, which could increase ecosystem carbon (C) storage. This study contributes to our broad goal of understanding the causes and consequences of increased fine-root production and mortality under elevated [CO2] by examining potential gross nitrogen (N) cycling rates throughout the soil profile. Our study was conducted in a CO2-enriched sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) plantation in Oak Ridge, TN, USA. We used 15 N isotope pool dilution methodology to measure potential gross N cycling rates in laboratory incubations of soil from four depth increments to 60cm. Our objectives were twofold: (1) to determine whether N is available for root acquisition in deeper soil and (2) to determine whether elevated [CO2], which has increased inputs of labile C resulting from greater fine-root mortality at depth, has altered N cycling rates. Although gross N fluxes declined with soil depth, we found that N is potentially available for roots to access, especially below 15cm depth where rates of microbial consumption of mineral N were reduced relative to production. Overall, up to 60% of potential gross N mineralization and 100% of potential net N mineralization occurred below 15cm depth at this site. This finding was supported by in situ measurements from ion-exchange resins, where total inorganic N availability at 55cm depth was equal to or greater than N availability at 15cm depth. While it is likely that trees grown under elevated [CO2] are accessing a larger pool of inorganic N by mining deeper soil, we found no effect of elevated [CO2] on potential gross or net N cycling rates. Thus, increased root exploration of the soil volume under elevated [CO2] may be more important than changes in potential gross N cycling rates in sustaining forest responses to rising atmospheric CO2.
Electrical properties of thin-film semiconductors

The theory of the electrical properties of metal films as given by Fuchs and Sondheimer is extended to nondegenerate semiconductors with ellipsoidal energy surfaces. A change of variables reduces the problem to a simpler one with spherical energy surfaces but with electric and magnetic fields which are tilted with respect to the film. This is solved to first order in the applied fields. The effective mobility and Hall coefficient vary with film thickness much as for a metal but show an anisotropy with film orientation, even for cubic crystals. Anisotropy is observed for both diffuse and specular surface scattering and for surface channels as well as films, and it provides a means of measuring the effective mass ratio of the carriers.
Lidar measurements of water vapor concentrations in the troposphere

A multi-wavelength Raman lidar has been used to measure water vapor profiles in the troposphere under a wide range of geophysical conditions. The transportable LAMP lidar instrument has been used to make measurements at several locations, at the author's central Pennsylvania campus location, on shipboard between Arctic and Antarctic, and in a coastal environment at Point Mugu, CA. The Raman technique provides an accurate way to measure the concentration profile of water vapor by measuring the ratio of Raman vibrational (1st Stokes) signal of water vapor to that of nitrogen. The measurements have been made using the vibrational Raman backscatter intensity of the 660/607 ratio from 532 nm, the 407/387 ratio from 355 nm, and the 294/283 ratio from 266 nm. The Nd:YAG laser double (532 nm) and triple (355 nm) Raman backscatter signals have been found to be about equally useful in measuring the water vapor concentrations during night conditions. Having both sets of measurements allows additional examination of the results, particularly the small correction for aerosol differential extinction. The quadruple (266 nm) Raman scatter signals have been examined for daytime measurements where the troposphere is shielded from wavelengths below 300 nm (solar blind region) by the stratospheric ozone absorption. These measurements are complicated by the need to make corrections for the absorption of tropospheric ozone and other minor species. The Raman signals from molecular oxygen and nitrogen provide a suitable way to correct for the tropospheric species influences on the measurements. Measurements of the water vapor concentrations have been made over a wide range of atmospheric conditions and comparisons have been made with the current techniques used on meteorological balloons. From the studies which have been carried out, a convincing case can be made for the ability of lidar to accurately measure the water vapor concentrations from the surface to 8 km at night and from the surface to 2-3 km during daylight. >
What are quality of life measurements measuring

Abstract It is now widely acknowledged that the personal burden of illness cannot be described fully by measures of disease status such as size of infarction, tumour load, and forced expiratory volume. Psychosocial factors such as pain, apprehension, restricted mobility and other functional impairments, difficulty fulfilling personal and family responsibilities, financial burden, and diminished cognition must also be encompassed. The area of research that has resulted from this recognition is termed “health related quality of life.” It moves beyond direct manifestations of illness to study the patient9s personal morbidity—that is, the various effects that illnesses and treatments have on daily life and life satisfaction. Although quality of life assessment was almost unknown 15 years ago, it has rapidly become an integral variable of outcome in clinical research; over 1000 new articles each year are indexed under “quality of life.” Although the importance of quality of life is broadly acknowledged, scepticism and confusion remain about how quality of life should be measured and its usefulness in medical research. These responses may reflect important conceptual and methodological limitations of the current concept of quality of life. We offer a simple framework that describes the core elements of quality of life related to health and use this to evaluate quality of life measurement as it is currently conducted. Summary points Measures of disease status alone are insufficient to describe the burden of illness; quality of life factors such as pain, apprehension, depressed mood, and functional impairment must also be considered Two operational definitions of quality of life are identified—objective functioning and subjective wellbeing Assessments of objective functioning and subjective wellbeing convey different information, they also present different problems in relation to validation Assessment of functioning derived from questionnaires must be validated against measures of directly observed behavioural performance Subjective appraisal of wellbeing may be influenced substantially by psychological factors unrelated to health or to changes over time in patients9 criteria for appraising wellbeing Whether and how quality of life researchers respond to these obstacles and deficiencies will probably determine the quality of their work in the future
Cooperative Activation of Tissue-Specific Genes by pRB and E2F1

The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein pRB is conventionally regarded as an inhibitor of the E2F family of transcription factors. Conversely, pRB is also recognized as an activator of tissue-specific gene expression along various lineages including osteoblastogenesis. During osteoblast differentiation, pRB directly targets Alpl and Bglap, which encode the major markers of osteogenesis alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Surprisingly, p130 and repressor E2Fs were recently found to cooccupy and repress Alpl and Bglap in proliferating osteoblast precursors before differentiation. This raises the further question of whether these genes convert to E2F activation targets when differentiation begins, which would constitute a remarkable situation wherein pRB and E2F would be cotargeting genes for activation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis in an osteoblast differentiation model shows that Alpl and Bglap are indeed targeted by an activator E2F, i.e., is E2F1. Promoter occupation of Alpl and Bglap by E2F1 occurs specifically during activation, and depletion of E2F1 severely impairs their induction. Mechanistically, promoter occupation by E2F1 and pRB is mutually dependent, and without this cooperative effect, activation steps previously shown to be dependent on pRB, including recruitment of RNA polymerase II, are impaired. Myocyte- and adipocyte-specific genes are also cotargeted by E2F1 and pRB during differentiation along their respective lineages. The finding that pRB and E2F1 cooperate to activate expression of tissue-specific genes is a paradigm distinct from the classical concept of pRB as an inhibitor of E2F1, but is consistent with the observed roles of these proteins in physiological models.
Conversion of Polymers of Methyl- And Vinylsilane To Sic Ceramics

Poly(methylsilane) and poly(vinylsilane) were synthesized using a titanocene catalyst, and their pyrolytic conversion to ceramics was followed using a combination of thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The two polymers have distinctly different backbone structures, as determined by Si NMR; methylsilane polymerizes to a polysilane, while vinylsilane polymers have predominately polycarbosilane backbone, with some polysilane structure as well. The pyrolysis path and char yield were dependent primarily on backbone structure, with little influence of polymer molecular weight. The majority of the weight loss on conversion occurs below 650 degrees C, although bond rearrangement continues to 1400 degrees C. Poly(vinylsilane) produced a C-rich Si-C ceramic in which the carbon was dispersed on a sufficiently fine level to show resistance to oxidation on heating in air to 1400 degrees C.
The sticking and dissociation of NH3 on W(110): a three-state model

Abstract The kinetics of the adsorption of NH 3 on W(110) and its subsequent dissociation have been investigated using molecular beam techniques and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) for surface temperatures ranging from 140 to 700 K. NH 3 shows a wide desorption peak around 270 K and a smaller peak at 170 K while H 2 and N 2 , produced by dissociation, desorbed at 550 and 1350 K, respectively, with kinetic parameters similar to those reported for H and N generated by adsorption of H 2 and N 2 . At normal incidence and for a surface temperature of 140 K, the NH 3 sticking coefficient was found to decrease from unity at a beam energy of 0.8 kcal/mol to 0.5 for a beam energy of 5.4 kcal/mol. The sticking coefficient generally decreases with surface temperature to a value of 0.05 at 700 K, but, for a 5.4 kcal/mol beam, it exhibits a relative minimum near 300 K. The reflection coefficient of NH 3 , for an angle of incidence of 49°, increases with temperature and incident beam energy in agreement with the sticking measurements. The TPD peak positions, sticking and reflection data are all well reproduced by a three-state model based on simple kinetics. The model assumes that NH 3 initially traps in a molecular state and that dissociation occurs by thermal activation into an intermediate state. At no temperature is the sticking probability enhanced by increasing the kinetic energy of the incident molecules and there is no evidence for a direct dissociation channel which has a translational energy barrier less than 5.4 kcal/mol.
Distributed Consensus With Quantized Data via Sequence Averaging

The problem of distributed average consensus with quantized data is considered in this correspondence. Conventional consensus algorithms suffer from divergence when quantization errors are present. To address this issue, we introduce a modified quantization-based consensus protocol and exploit the temporal information collected from the iterative process, based on which we develop an efficient consensus algorithm. The proposed consensus algorithm is proved to converge to the true mean, i.e., the average of the initial state, in a mean square sense. It also presents an advantage of speeding up the convergence over the algorithm [P. Frasca, R. Carli, F. Fagnani, and S. Zampieri, ?Average Consensus on Networks With Quantized Communication,? Int. J. Robust Non-Linear Control, 2008, to be published] without exploitation of temporal information. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Nutritionally Directed Compensatory Growth and Effects on Lactation Potential of Developing Heifers

Our objective was to determine the extent to which a stair-step compensatory nutrition regimen regulated the growth and subsequent lactation performance of developing beef heifers. Forty crossbred beef (Angus x Gelbvieh) heifer calves were assigned to either a control or stair-step compensatory nutrition regimen. Heifers fed the stair-step compensatory nutrition regimen were fed according to an alternating schedule beginning with a high energy diet (130% of the metabolizable energy recommended by the National Research Council) for 2 mo, followed by an energy restricted diet (70% of the recommended metabolizable energy) for 3 mo, and concluding with the high energy diet again for 2 mo. Thereafter, all heifers received the control diet. The average daily gain of heifers fed the stair-step compensatory nutrition regimen was 2-fold higher than that of control heifers during the final high energy phase. The RNA and protein contents in the mammary tissues of heifers fed the experimental regimen in early lactation were greater than those of control heifers. Lipid content was significantly reduced in the mammary tissues of heifers fed the experimental regimen. The expression of beta-casein in the mammary tissues of heifers fed the experimental regimen was higher than that of the control heifers. Heifers fed the stair-step regimen yielded 6% more milk than did those fed the control regimen. Total protein and casein in milk of heifers fed the experimental regimen were higher than those in milk of control heifers. These results indicate that the stair-step compensatory nutrition regimen enhanced mammary development and subsequent lactation performance.
Aerobic metabolism underlies complexity and capacity

The evolution of biological complexity beyond single-celled organisms was linked temporally with the development of an oxygen atmosphere. Functionally, this linkage can be attributed to oxygen ranking high in both abundance and electronegativity amongst the stable elements of the universe. That is, reduction of oxygen provides for close to the largest possible transfer of energy for each electron transfer reaction. This suggests the general hypothesis that the steep thermodynamic gradient of an oxygen environment was permissive for the development of multicellular complexity. A corollary of this hypothesis is that aerobic metabolism underwrites complex biological function mechanistically at all levels of organization. The strong contemporary functional association of aerobic metabolism with both physical capacity and health is presumably a product of the integral role of oxygen in our evolutionary history. Here we provide arguments from thermodynamics, evolution, metabolic network analysis, clinical observations and animal models that are in accord with the centrality of oxygen in biology.
Mammary stimulation and maternal aggression in rodents: thelectomy fails to reduce pre- or postpartum aggression in rats

Abstract In mice, tactile stimulation of the nipples appears to be critical for the onset of postpartum maternal aggression. Surgical removal of the nipples (thelectomy) blocks aggression if performed prior to parturition. In rats, indirect evidence suggests a similar role for nipple stimulation in maternal aggression. Two experiments were undertaken to determine whether thelectomy prior to mating reduces pregnancy-induced and/or postpartum aggression in this species. In the first, thelectomized and sham-thelectomized females were subjected to homecage tests (pups, if any, present) with unfamiliar male intruders on Gestation Days 18 and 21 and Lactation Days 3 and 5. Additional groups of thelectomized females were tested one time only on either Lactation Day 5 or 12. Thelectomized and control females were equally aggressive; postpartum, nearly all females in both groups attacked. Experiment 2 used females that were hysterectomized-ovariectomized (HO) on Gestation Day 16. Such females are not aggressive prior to initiating maternal behavior, but become highly aggressive (over 80% attacking) after commencing maternal care. Females again were thelectomized or shamthelectomized prior to mating. On Day 16 HO was performed, and 48 hr later continuous exposure to pups was begun. After the females had displayed maternal behavior for 1.5–2 days, intruder tests were conducted. All females attacked at least once, with no differences between treatment groups. Thus thelectomy does not reduce maternal aggression in the rat. This finding, however, does not preclude a role for tactile ventral stimulation in mediating maternal aggression.
Hospitalization of Children

Over the past three decades there have been major changes in the types of childhood illnesses leading to hospitalization. While pediatric infections dominated in-patient child units at an earlier time, these are now controlled at the ambulatory level by immunizations and antibiotics. In their place, current hospitalizations of children involve disorders of genetic, congenital, and metabolic origin. In addition, children with psychosocial problems and recurrent disease, particularly diseases involving the respiratory, neurologic, and gastrointestinal systems occupy many hospital beds. At the same time, intensive care for newborns, accidents, poisonings, and other acute illness has become more elaborate and effective. Acute illness, with its intense requirements of staff and resources, now represents a significant segment of in-patient units. The effect of such intensive care has resulted in some children being left with chronic complex residua as consequences of their acute illness (e.g., bronchopulmonary dysplasia). Children with these problems may also be subject to repeated hospitalizations and are not only confronted with the distress of frightening or painful medical procedures but also with all the phenomena involved with hospital care and absence from the normal life experiences of children.
Hyponatremia in Hospitalized Children

To determine the frequency, causes, and clinical significance of hyponatremia in hospitalized children, we reviewed the clinical and laboratory data of all hyponatremic children in Texas Children's Hospital over a 12-month period. One hundred sixty-one patients from among 11,702 hospital admissions were found to have hyponatremia, defined as serum sodium value of less than 130 mEq/L, an overall frequency of 1.38%. Sixty-nine patients (43%) had hyponatremia on admission, and 92 patients (57%) had hospital-acquired hyponatremia. Thirty-seven (23%) were previously healthy children, and 124 (77%) had chronic illnesses. Acute gastroenteritis was the leading cause of hyponatremia present on admission, and diuretic therapy was the leading cause of hospital-acquired hyponatremia. Only four patients (2.5%) had a serum sodium concentration of less than 120 mEq/L. Six patients (3.7%) had neurologic impairment on discharge, and 19 patients (12%) ultimately died long after their hyponatremia was corrected. Each patient who had neurologic sequelae and each patient who died had underlying medical conditions which could explain their morbidity and/or mortality. The prognosis appears to be more clearly related to the underlying medical disorder rather than to the hyponatremic state or its correction.
The Pleomorphism and Complications of Posterior Hyperplastic Primary Vitreous

Among 30 patients examined, posterior hyperplastic primary vitreous was monocular in 25 and binocular in five. Poor vision and strabismus were the most common presenting complaints. All patients had vitreous membranes usually extending from the disk toward the equatorial zone. In 70% of the affected eyes, the vitreous membranes were associated with a radial retinal fold. Macular function was disturbed in 70% and retinal detachment was observed in 45% of the eyes. One extensive retinal detachment was successfully treated by scleral buckling; another detachment, limited to the posterior pole, responded to sectioning of a vitreous band with scissors.
Correcting remote references to a server in distributed operating systems

Protocol mechanisms are described to locate and correct stale references to a server. In a first round of correction, the protocols do not strive to correct the references atomically, i.e., clients can use the references before correction is completed. This is because locating all references may be difficult and cause unbounded delay since they may be deeply buried in the distributed computations (e.g., a client may have passed a reference to another client). A stale reference which misses the correction is detected upon use and then corrected or handled in an application dependent manner. Such an approach to correction protocols makes them simple, efficient and suitable for different environments. For example, in a large network, the server may notify a correction to the clients by datagram multicast with no guarantee of message delivery. Performance models and supporting data are provided from an implementation. Potential uses of this research are in X500 based implementation of servers. >
Osteoarthritis accelerates and exacerbates Alzheimer's disease pathology in mice

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether localized peripheral inflammation, such as osteoarthritis, contributes to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease in vivo. Methods: We employed the inducible Col1-IL1b XAT mouse model of osteoarthritis, in which induction of osteoarthritis in the knees and temporomandibular joints resulted in astrocyte and microglial activation in the brain, accompanied by upregulation of inflammation-related gene expression. The biological significance of the link between peripheral and brain inflammation was explored in the APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) whereby osteoarthritis resulted in neuroinflammation as well as exacerbation and acceleration of AD pathology. Results: Induction of osteoarthritis exacerbated and accelerated the development of neuroinflammation, as assessed by glial cell activation and quantification of inflammation-related mRNAs, as well as Ab pathology, assessed by the number and size of amyloid plaques, in the APP/PS1; Col1-IL1b XAT compound transgenic mouse. Conclusion: This work supports a model by which peripheral inflammation triggers the development of neuroinflammation and subsequently the induction of AD pathology. Better understanding of the link between peripheral localized inflammation, whether in the form of osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis or other conditions, and brain inflammation, may prove critical to our understanding of the pathophysiology of disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Background Systemic (peripheral) inflammation may be associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathology. In particular, a number of investigators have reported associations between serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines and other markers, including interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)a, C-reactive protein and a1-antichymotrypsin, with increased risk for dementia and AD [1-6]. Increased risk for AD was also observed in people homozygous for allele 2 of IL-1b (+3953), a variant previously associated
Children with disabilities in the child protective services system: an analog study of investigation and case management.

Abstract Objective The study used a series of vignettes to investigate how the presence of three disabilities (cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, emotional/behavioral disabilities) affects the processes and outcomes of child abuse investigations at two levels of child injury severity (moderate, severe). Method Seventy-five CPS case workers completed study surveys and answered questions in response to a series of eight vignettes. Results This study revealed differences in the responses of CPS case workers when the alleged victim of physical abuse had a disability. Children with disabilities were more likely than children without disabilities to be seen as having characteristics that contributed to their abuse. Most CPS workers felt at least some empathy with abusive parents; empathy was highest when the children had emotional/behavioral disabilities. Services recommended for families of children with disabilities were more likely to be child-focused. Parent-focused services, such as individual counseling and adult anger management, were more likely to be recommended for families of children without disabilities. In general, differences among disability groups and between cases involving children with and without disabilities were more pronounced when the children's injuries were less severe. Even with more severe injuries, such as a concussion or broken bones, the CPS workers still responded differently depending on the disability status of the child victims. Conclusions Recommendations are made concerning the utilization of investigation teams that include disability specialists and the need for further disability-related training for CPS case workers. Practice implications There is a strong need for training related to disability, with an emphasis on attitudes as well as knowledge and skills. The training should include examples of healthy family functioning and positive aspects of parenting a child with a disability to counteract the prevailing perception of disability as a cause of chronic stress and dysfunction; identification of broader ecological contexts in which these families live, including social response to disability and the disability-related service system and; strategies for disentangling the signs of abuse from characteristics of the disability. Interdisciplinary teams should include members from disability-related fields to share expertise and increase communication between systems.
Error surfaces of the constant modulus algorithm

The authors derive closed-form expressions for the performance function of the constant modulus algorithm (CMA) that are based on two different Gaussian assumptions, and they present examples of the corresponding error surfaces for a binary transmitted signal. In one case, they assume that the received signal of the equalizer is unconditionally Gaussian with zero mean. This approach leads to an infinity of stationary points, each of which corresponds to a minimum of the error surface and which depend only on the correlation properties of the received signal. In the second case, the authors assume that the received signal conditioned on one of the transmitted symbols is Gaussian with nonzero mean. The resulting stationary points are not so easily characterized, and they depend on the channel impulse response as well as the correlation of the received signal. >
Using visualization techniques for SNMP traffic analyses

The network management area is currently dealing with huge amounts of information, which are produced, for example, by large scale and high-speed networks, heterogeneous devices, and monitoring and notification systems. Researchers and network administrators are frequently supported by information visualization techniques in the task of analyzing these large data sets. The simple network management protocol (SNMP) is the de facto standard for TCP/IP networks management. Despite its importance, there are no specific visualizations defined for SNMP traffic traces. In this paper we present a study on techniques for visualizing SNMP trace files, motivated by the fact that general purpose network traffic visualizations available today are not suitable for SNMP observation. Our proposed techniques have been prototyped in a software tool called management traffic analyzer, which has been used to analyze and visualize SNMP traces.
A Conceptual Paradigm For Internet And Search Engine Marketing

The Internet continues to affect the relationships between business and their customers, and companies must adjust their online marketing strategy, if they want to increase revenues and market share, respectively. The emergence of the Internet over the last decade has had a major impact on the communication industry. The Internet is constantly evolving and is continually undergoing a rapid evolutionary process in both capabilities and uses. Marketing managers have begun to direct their focus and resources towards the Internet in an attempt to capture and garner new consumers. The Internet has forever changed the customer purchasing experience, and companies must alter their online marketing strategy, if they want to increase revenues and market share, respectively.
Invited Review: Grazing management options in meeting objectives of grazing experiments12

ABSTRACT Decisions on which grazing-management option to use in grazing experiments can be critical in meeting research objectives and generating information for the scientific community or technologies that meets the needs of forage-based enterprises. It is necessary to have an understanding of animal-performance relationships with stocking rate (SR), forage mass, and forage allowance to make informed decisions on how to best manage forages and grazing in an experiment. Stocking rates can be varied using the put-and-take procedure to maintain the optimum grazing pressure as forage growth varies during the grazing season. The alternative to put-and-take stocking is to use a range of fixed SR that generate light to heavy grazing-pressure responses. Put-and-take controls grazing pressure in evaluating animal-performance and stocking-rate responses to treatments, whereas fixed SR controls SR to evaluate animal-performance and grazing-pressure responses on treatments and treatment-by-SR interactions. Decisions to use either continuous or rotational stocking methods will be based on a need to complement existing grazing practices of the forage-based livestock industry or to determine best management practices. Relationships of animal performance with SR, forage mass, and forage allowance will be presented and used to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of put-and-take and fixed stocking procedures, and the considerations for using either continuous or rotational stocking methods.
Lipohydroxy acid containing shampoo in the treatment of scalp seborrheic dermatitis

Dandruff is a common scalp disorder affecting almost half of the post-pubertal population of any ethnicity and both genders. It is one of the major reasons for patients to consult a dermatologist. Itching and scaling (dandruff) are symptoms of a common scalp dermatitis: seborrheic dermatitis. In many patients, this dermatosis cause significant psychological and social distress, largely due to the impact of its symptoms. Lipohydroxy acid or 2-hydroxy-5-octanoyl benzoic acid is a salicylic acid derivative. The lipohydroxy acid antifungal and exfoliating properties are likely to prove useful in combating dandruff. This chapter summarizes clinical studies evaluating both the efficacy, the tolerance, the cosmetic properties and the benefit in patient’s quality of life of a 4-week treatment with a shampoo containing 0.1% lipohydroxy acid and 1.3% salicylic acid. The comparison with a ketoconazole or cyclopiroxolamine containing shampoo was also described.
Refractive Index of BaTi O 3 Above the Curie Point

The temperature dependence of the optical thickness of a pure barium titanate crystal is measured inter-ferometrically to an accuracy of 1 part in ${10}^{5}$, and found to change by 5 parts in ${10}^{4}$ over the 129-220\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C temperature range. The resulting change in refractive index with temperature is calculated by applying a correction for thermal expansion of the crystal.
A Recent Example of the “Regression” Fallacy

Further analysis of drug-store operating ratios casts considerable doubt on the alleged tendency toward mediocrity.
Issues in the Combustion of Aluminized Heterogeneous Propellants

We report the first 3-dimensional simulations of aluminized propellant combustion, accounting for heat conduction in the solid, combustion in the gas-phase, and coupling of these via the irregularly moving propellant surface, one that can not be defined by a single-valued height function. The simulations are used to examine the dynamics of aluminum particles in the near-neighborhood of the surface after detachment, and to provide an estimate of the time to ignition of the particles, and their speed and height above the surface at ignition. In addition we examine the temperature history of the particles during their rise to the surface, determine whether they melt or not, and in this way test Cohen’s well-known melting criterion. And we discuss a simple model which provides insights into how aluminum particles floating on a binder melt layer would migrate because of surface tension effects, and calculate an average migration distance that is consistent with previous agglomeration studies.