cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Temporal features in thunder days in the United States

1901–80 data for the contiguous U.S. show that secular variability of thunder days was very much less than that of precipitation or of frequency of extra tropical cyclones. Overall, there may have been a slight decline, but more evident was an increase to the thirties followed by a falling off, broken only by a peak in the seventies. These up-and-down movements were evident in most months of the year and regions of the U.S. The general decrease, however, was clear only in the South East and replaced by an increase in the Upper Great Lakes region. Secular variation in thunder day frequency was slightly correlated positively with that of extra tropical cyclone frequency and negatively with sea level pressure. The analysis also confirmed well known seasonal and regional patterns of thunder activity.
Lean and weight stable: behavioral predictors and psychological correlates.

Objective: To examine behavioral characteristics associated with being lean and weight stable during adulthood. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants included 165 white married couples who were part of a larger longitudinal study. Participants’ height and weight were measured on three occasions at 2-year intervals. Men and women were classified as being lean and weight stable (the target group) if they had a BMI < 25 at baseline and maintained their weight within 5% of baseline at 2nd and 4th year follow-up. Individuals not fulfilling these criteria were included in the comparison group. Group differences in background characteristics including childhood weight status, BMI at each occasion, dieting history, and mental and physical health history were examined. In addition, multiple measures of dietary intake and physical activity were obtained and used to predict the likelihood of being in the target group. Results: Men (N = 22) and women (N = 36) in the target group had lower mean BMI scores at each occasion, were less overweight during childhood, were less likely to have dieted in the past year, and rated themselves as being more healthy than men and women in the comparison group. No differences were identified in mental health. Relative to the comparison group, women in the target group reported higher levels of physical activity and higher levels of physical activity among their spouses, and men in the target group reported healthier dietary patterns. Discussion: Results from this study suggest that being lean and weight stable in adulthood is linked to childhood weight status in combination with dietary and activity patterns during adulthood.
A KCNJ8 mutation associated with early repolarization and atrial fibrillation.

Aim The Kir 6.1 Katp channel is believed to play an important role in ventricular repolarization as determined from both functional and genetic studies of the potassium inwardly-rectifying channel, subfamily J, member 8 ( KCNJ8 )- S422L missense mutation in patients with J-wave syndromes. Although Kir6.1 is also present in atrial tissue, it is unknown whether this channel modulates atrial repolarization and hence whether the S422L mutation portends a greater risk of atrial arrhythmias. This study sought to examine whether there was an increased frequency of the KCNJ8 - S422L mutation among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and early repolarization (ER) as a possible novel susceptibility gene for AF. Methods and results A total of 325 lone AF probands were identified from the Vanderbilt AF Registry, a collection of clinical data and DNA from consented, consecutively enrolled participants. The coding regions of KCNJ8 were sequenced, and the patient's presenting electrocardiogram (ECG) was reviewed by two independent physicians for ER abnormalities. The KCNJ8-S422L mutation was identified in two AF probands while no other candidate gene variants were identified in these cases. Twenty-two (7%) patients were found to have ER on the ECG, including the two probands carrying the S422L variant. In one small AF kindred, the S422L variant co-segregated with AF and ER. Conclusions The KCNJ8 - S422L variant is associated with both increased AF susceptibility and ER indicating a role for Kir 6.1 Katp channel in both ventricular and atrial repolarization.
The Lamellar Phase of Nonionic Surfactants: The Interplay Between Headgroup Hydration and Mobility

Abstract Variable temperature measurements (288-303°K) of the inter-lamellar spacing in conjunction with order parameters derived for the α-carbon segment of the alkyl chain of C12(EO)4 in the lamellar phase show an inter-dependence of headgroup hydration and the dynamic structure of the bilayers. Different behaviors observed for samples containing less than 30% (w/w) of water compared to those at higher hydrations and are a result of either absence or presence of “bulk” water respectively for the two situations.
Ct-guided automated needle biopsy of the chest

The purpose of this study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy and frequency of complications of CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy done with an automated biopsy system.Thirty-three consecutive biopsies were performed on 32 patients between February 1992 and July 1994 (mean age, 55 +/- 15 years; 18 men and 14 women). An 18-gauge (n = 28) or 20-gauge (n = 5) needle was used. Core specimens were submitted for pathologic examination in 10% formalin. No cytopathologist or frozen section analysis was available at the time of biopsy. All biopsies but one were performed by one chest radiologist.Thirty-one lung biopsies and two mediastinal biopsies yielded a mean lesion size of 4.0 cm (range, 1.2-13.0 cm). Postbiopsy pneumothorax occurred in three (9%) of 33 biopsies; none of the pneumothoraces required placement of a chest tube. The mean number of needle passes was 1.3 (+/- 0.6). Thirty biopsies (91%) yielded sufficient tissue for pathologic evaluation. The diagnoses included carcinoma in 14 cases, acute ...
Dream Home: a multiview stereoscopic interior design system

In this paper, a novel multi-view stereoscopic interior design system, "Dream Home", has been developed to bring users new interior design experience. Different than other interior design system before, we put emphasis on its intuitive manipulation and multi-view stereoscopic visualization in real time. Users can do their own interior design just using their hands and eyes without any difficulty. They manipulate furniture cards directly as they wish to setup their living room in the model house task space, get the multi-view 3D visual feedback instantly, and re-adjust cards until they are satisfied. No special skills are required, and you can explore your design talent arbitrarily. We hope that "Dream Home" will make interior design more user-friendly, more intuitive, and more vivid.
Incipient magma chamber formation as a result of repetitive intrusions

An analytical solution for periodic magma intrusions in conduits was developed to study the onset of shallow magma chamber formation. The solution is based on determining when a repetitive series of intrusions can cause the wall rock of a conduit to reach its melt temperature. The results show that magma chamber formation in conduits is a strong function of the volume rate of intrusion and that magma chamber formation is likely when the intrusion rate exceeds 10−3 km3/ yr. which agrees with observations by other investigators. Once this critical value of intrusion rate is reached, magma chambers are likely to begin forming after only a few intrusive pulses (less than ten). Results for both cylindrical conduits and dikes show cylindrical conduits are more favourable for the formation of shallow magma chambers.
Maximal R.E. Equivalence Relations

The lattice of r.e. equivalence relations has not been carefully examined even though r.e. equivalence relations have proved useful in logic. A maximal r.e. equivalence relation has the expected lattice theoretic definition. It is proved that, in every pair of r.e. nonrecursive Turing degrees, there exist maximal r.e. equivalence relations which intersect trivially. This is, so far, unique among r.e. submodel lattices.
Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Into the Cardiac Phenotype Requires Intercellular Communication With Myocytes

Background— Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have the potential to differentiate into various cells and can transdifferentiate into myocytes if an appropriate cellular environment is provided. However, the molecular signals that underlie this process are not fully understood. In this study, we show that BMSC differentiation is dependent on communication with cells in their microenvironment. Methods and Results— BMSCs were isolated from green fluorescent protein (GFP)–transgenic mice and cocultured with myocytes in a ratio of 1:40. Myocytes were obtained from neonatal rat ventricles. The differentiation of BMSCs in coculture was confirmed by immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction. Before coculturing, the BMSCs were negative for α-actinin and exhibited a nucleus with many nucleoli. After 7-day coculture with myocytes, some BMSCs became α-actinin–positive and formed gap junctions with native myocytes. However, BMSCs separated from myocytes by a semiper...
Constraints on a Reform Movement: Relationships Between SSSP and ASA, 1951-1970

The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) was originally a social movement that challenged the post World War II leadership of the American Sociological Society (ASS) and took an adversary position in a controversy over the uses of sociology and the merits of different styles of research. Yet it later lost its critical ardor and became a “mainstream” organization, primarily of sociologists specializing in the study of social problems. The founding and evolution of SSSP are analyzed in terms of a dilemma faced by many movements. In order to influence nonparticipants, a movement must establish its credibility, but in seeking to do so, it is often constrained by their outlooks and may have to compromise its initial goals. In the case of SSSP, this problem was related to its efforts to legitimate itself within the broader discipline. Such efforts are shown to have blunted the opposition of some early SSSP leaders to the leaders of the American Sociological Society. The discipline's standards, traditions, and rewards are then shown to have influenced SSSP's evolution, with the decline of interdisciplinary ties and changes in Social Problems receiving the most attention.
A Marine Aerosol Reference Tank system as a breaking wave analogue for the production of foam and sea-spray aerosols

Abstract. In order to better understand the processes governing the production of marine aerosols a repeatable, controlled method for their generation is required. The Marine Aerosol Reference Tank (MART) has been designed to closely approximate oceanic conditions by producing an evolving bubble plume and surface foam patch. The tank utilizes an intermittently plunging sheet of water and large volume tank reservoir to simulate turbulence, plume and foam formation, and the water flow is monitored volumetrically and acoustically to ensure the repeatability of conditions.
Proteolytic release of membrane bound intercellular regulators

The article by Peschon et al provides new insights into the biological importance of enzymes which cleave off membrane bound peptide intercellular regulators. Many functionally diverse proteins, including cytokines, growth factors and their receptors, are initially synthesised as membrane anchored molecules that are subsequently released from the cell by proteolysis. The enzymes responsible for this cleavage are largely unknown except that for one protein, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α, which was studied by the investigators in detail. They showed that this enzyme, TNF-α converting enzyme (TACE), is responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of TNF-α and also of other intercellular regulators such as the TNF receptor, the L-selectin adhesion molecule and transforming growth factor (TGF) α. …
Molecular epidemiology of the human glutathione S-transferase genotypes GSTM1 and GSTT1 in cancer susceptibility.

The mu (GSTM1 and theta (GSTT1) members of the glutathione S-transferase multigene family are candidate cancer susceptibility genes because of their ability to regulate the conjugation of carcinogenic compounds to excretable hydrophilic metabolites. Deletion variants that are associated with a lack of enzyme function exist at both these loci. Individuals who are carriers of homozygous deletions in the GSTM1 of GSTT1 genes may have an impaired ability to metabolically eliminate carcinogenic compounds and may therefore be at increased cancer risk. Molecular epidemiological studies have provided three pieces of information about the relationship of GSTM1 and GSTT1 with cancer susceptibility. First, the frequencies of homozygous GSTM1 and GSTT1 deletion carriers is very high (i.e., 20-50%) in most populations studied to date. Second, GSTM1 and, possibly, GSTT1 may be involved in the etiology of cancer at more than one site. Third, the risk conferred to individuals who carry homozygous deletions in GSTM1 and GSTT1 appears to be small in magnitude. (e.g., odds ration of < 2). However, the magnitude of risk is larger (e.g., odds ratio of 3-5) when interactions of GSTM1 of GSTT1 with other factors (e.g., cigarette smoking) are considered. These findings have implications for studies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 in cancer susceptibility and for future applications of these biomarkers in cancer prevention of control strategies. First, molecular epidemiological studies should consider both the common frequency of deletion genotypes and the relatively low cancer risk these deletion genotypes may impart. For example, the common frequency of deletion variants may improve statistical power in some molecular epidemiological studies, but large samples may still be required to detect relatively small effect sizes or important interaction effects. Second, the fact that deletion genotypes are common implies that the proportion of cancer attributable to these variants may be large in the general population. However, these genotypes may be less suited for individual cancer risk assessment because of their relatively small contribution to the absolute risk of cancer.
Molekulare Hüllen im Portrait: Rastertunnelmikroskop bildet Molekülorbitale ab

Einzelne Molekule, die auf ultradunnen Isolatorfilmen adsorbiert sind, bieten eine Spielwiese fur Experimente mit dem Rastertunnelmikroskop (RTM).Das Beispiel des Pentazen zeigt, dass diese Experimente die Grenzorbitale der Molekule ganz direkt abbilden konnen. Besonders interessant ist dies bei der Synthese neuer Molekule. Mit dem Tunnelstrom lasst sich ein Gold-Atom chemisch an das Pentazen binden und bildet so einen Gold-Pentazen-Komplex. Dabei verandern sich die Struktur, Energie und Besetzung der Orbitale. Das RTM kann diese Anderungen direkt messen und abbilden. Solche Experimente eroffnen besonders der molekularen Elektronik neue Moglichkeiten.
A History of Geology and Geological Education in China (to 1949)

References to geology are in the earliest Chinese writings. However, the literature was little disseminated-and mostly unknown to the rest of the world until recently.The purpose of the imperial examination system, which began in the Sui Dynasty (581-618), was to select government officials- and thus greatly influenced topics studied by ambitious Chinese, The natural sciences were not included, and even mathematics was eventually excluded. Therefore, education in the sciences was neglected and the study of geology was virtually ignored.It was not until late in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that the government formulated a policy to introduce foreign science and technology into China. Modern geologic ideas were introduced with the establishment of technical schools and the translation into Chinese of works by James D. Dana and Charles Lyell during the 1870s. Early in the twentieth century, foreign geology teachers were brought to China and Chinese students were sent to foreign countries to study geology. Th...
A magnetic resonance imaging method for evaluating atrial septal defects.

Excellent definition of anatomic structure, ability to provide detailed flow information, and a global field of view make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) well suited as a tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of congenital heart disease. One of the most frequently encountered lesions is the atrial septal defect (ASD), which may be associated with important morbidity in the long term if unrecognized. The need for correction of the defect is most often defined by the magnitude of the trans-septal shunt flow. Increasingly, the evaluation also includes an assessment of the suitability of the lesion for percutaneous closure by new catheter-based techniques. This requires detailed knowledge of the size and location of the defect and of its proximity to other structures, such as the atrioventricular valves, the venae cavae, and the pulmonary veins.
Physiological and behavioral responses to hypoxia and hydrogen sulfide in the infaunal asteroid Ctenodiscus crispatus

Survival of Ctenodiscus crispatus during exposure to hypoxia (P O 2<3 mm Hg) at 5°C is greater than that of any echinoderm reported in the literature, the LT50 being 248 h; this is reduced to 236 h in the presence of hydrogen sulfide. Unlike Asterias vulgaris and A. forbesi, both of which lose the tube foot response to tactile stimulation long before death from hypoxia occurs, C. crispatus remains responsive until death. The extension of the highly protrusible epiproctal cone, which occurs in 75% of the mud stars simultaneously exposed to hypoxia and H2S, serves to maintain burrow contact with the overlying water. The rate of oxygen consumption remains constant down to an ambient oxygen partial pressure of 10 to 25 mm Hg, becoming more oxygen-dependent after prior exposure of the asteroids to hypoxia. C. crispatus exhibits a clear oxygen-debt phenomenon as well as a compensatory reduction in the residual P O 2 (oxygen partial pressure at which oxygen consumption ceases) from 2.4 to 0.2 mm Hg after hypoxic exposure.
Etching zircon age standards for fission-track analysis

Abstract Nineteen laboratories that routinely measure fission-track ages in zircon were surveyed as to their principal methodology used for track revelation using chemical attack and counting procedures. The survey results show the following: (a) researchers in most labs count fission tracks with a optical microscope using at a total magnification between 1250× and 1600× (∼80%) with about an equal number using either a dry or oil objective; (b) the majority of laboratories etch zircon with a KOH:NaOH eutectic heated in an oven between temperatures of 210°C and 230°C; (c) age standards in zircon analysis do not have uniformly accepted etch times. Etching times for the widely used 28 Ma Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) (4– 60 h ) and the lesser-used 16 Ma Buluk Tuff (13– 55 h ) vary significantly from lab to lab. Between ∼220°C and 230°C, the principal range for etching times for the FCT is between 20 and 30 h , and the mode for the Buluk Tuff is between 30 and 55 h . Three or fewer labs report etching times for the Tardee Rhyolite (22– 40 h ), the Bishop Tuff (10– 46 h ), and the Mt. Dromedary Banite (5– 24 h ). Variation in etching times may result in a bias in U-content which affects counting statistics. If etching is successful, strict criteria must be followed to ensure that the analyst only counts well-etched grains and that all tracks are successfully identified.
Lessons from history: predicting successes and risks of intentional introductions for arthropod biological control

The introduction of nonnative biological control agents into a new region is one of the several approaches to managing the deleterious effects of nonnative invasive species. Predicting outcomes of such introductions has proven difficult. The US National Invasive Species Management Plan (2001) calls for better screening methods for intentional introductions, including nonnative biological control agents for animal pests. To address this challenge, I searched current and historical literature to develop a database of 13 life history traits and 8 descriptive variables for 87 nonnative insect biological control species in the continental United States. Models for predicting success in controlling a target species and likelihood of nontarget effects (documented cases of attacks on native hosts, prey, or natural enemies) were developed using logistic regression. The most important life history traits for predicting success included host specificity, whether the agent was a predator or parasitoid, and number of generations per year. There was no information about nontarget effects in 50 of 87 cases. Traits important for predicting nontarget effects included sex ratio of progeny and the documented presence of native natural enemies. This quantitative approach, derived from a meta-analysis of historical data, can be useful in developing guidelines for intentional introductions and predicting ecological outcomes of a broader range of nonnative species in new environments.
Reasons for drinking in the college student context: the differential role and risk of the social motivator.

Objective: The present study examines the relationships among reasons for drinking, alcohol consumption, and alcohol-related consequences in two college-aged samples. Personal motivators such as mood enhancement and coping (tension reduction) have consistently been shown to predict problematic alcohol use, but because of the salient nature of social drinking in college, we hypothesized that social reasons for drinking would be most frequently endorsed and, in turn, predict negative consequences. Method: T w o distinct samples—119 coed adjudicated students sanctioned by the university for violating campus alcohol policy and 106 coed volunteer students—completed measures assessing alcohol consumption, reasons for drinking, and consequences. Differential effects between genders were examined. Results: Social camaraderie (SC) was the most frequently endorsed reason for drinking. Regression analyses controlling for previous drinking revealed that social reasons for drinking predicted alcohol-related problems a...
Role of stochasticity in self-organization of robotic swarms

This paper investigates the effectiveness of designed random behavior in self-organization of swarm of robotic agents. Inspired by the self-organization observed in biological cells and the role played by random forces in providing robustness in cell self-organization, we investigate the possibility of designing a decentralized controller for a swarm of agents in which the stochastic process is included. This paper considers flocking as a self-organizing behavior example to validate our findings. The controller is designed in the framework of Lyapunov function, and it is based on the artificial potential due to interactions among agents. Our analysis shows that the flocking behavior of the swarm is improved and is more robust when the stochastic process is included in the agent controller.
Efficient Dynamic Policy Monitoring in Service Oriented Architectures

We focus on dynamic monitoring of security and privacy policies in service oriented architectures (SOAs) based systems. In a service oriented system both the internal and the external services may easily interact with each other, which makes the establishment and the enforcement of the privacy policies and the rules across the systems increasingly challenging. We introduce efficient and flexible methods for auditing such systems by leveraging the middleware platform capabilities. The auditing methods allow for two different types of audits, the static audits and the dynamic audits. The static audits find out whether a process pattern that is defined by the audit has been executed in the system. The dynamic audits, however, find out on-the-fly whether any of the system policies are being violated as the service process flows are still in execution in the system. We also present the effectiveness of the dynamic monitoring that we have developed to support demanding requirements of the dynamic audits.
High fidelity cyber physical micro-grid systems

In order to attain appropriate coordination between utilities and end users while avoiding single points of failure which is typical of centralized controller architectures and dedicated communication links, advanced smart grids should incorporate distributed and autonomous controllers both at the utility side and at the user side in the form of a local micro grid. More distributed and autonomous controllers also reduce the risk for cyber security-related intentional and unintentional outages. However, there is an underlying paradox in the objective of achieving higher reliability through increased use of distributed and autonomous controllers: the more distributed and autonomous the control structure is, the more complex it also tends to be. Since more complex system may be more prone to operational failures, without a proper and careful planning and design, distributed and autonomous control architectures may yield worse reliability performance than expected. The present paper is focused on development of distributed and automated control within a hybrid local micro grid to improve its fault resilience and self-healing.
Jonathan Scott's “Brief View”

“To enter upon a Controversy in Things of Religion, without due Consideration and weighty Cause for it, is doubtless sinful. … How much Cause there is at this Time to attempt a Vindication of the Doctrines and Practices of our holy Religion, and oppose Error and Disorder, may be manifest by duly attending to the following Treatise: and as to my entering upon this Attempt, I think I may say, it was not hasty and without Consideration. I had early Knowledge of the rising of the Cloud which has covered our Heavens and darkened our Air.” So, in the year 1784, the Reverend Jonathan Scott of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, stated the motives which led him to write, A Brief View of the Religious Tenets and Sentiments Lately Published and Spread in the Province of Nova Scotia, which are contained in a Book, entitled, “Two Mites on Some of the most important and much disputed Points of Divinity, etc.,” and in a “Sermon Preached at Liverpool, Nov. 19, 1782,” and in a Pamphlet, entitled, “The Antitraditionist,” All being Publications of Mr. Henry Alline, with some Brief Reflections and Observations, also a View of the Ordination of the Author of these Books, together with a Discourse on External Order. Such a formidable title in itself offers an outline of an almost forgotten chapter in the history of Canadian thought and literature.
Cloud Computing Economics: Democratization And Monetization Of Services

Cloud computing is a modality for providing computer services via the Internet, by incorporating ubiquitous access through a web browser for the execution of single-function applications, such as those available as office suites, and comprehensive enterprise line-of-business applications pieced together from components residing in varying Internet locations. This paper covers the democratization and monetization of software services and uses cloud computing as the primary delivery vehicle. Cloud computing represents a contextual shift in how computers are provisioned and accessed. There is opportunity and value in cloud computing for providers, ISVs, and customers. The subject is covered from an economic perspective for each of the groups.
Cultivar Preferences of Ovipositing Wheat Stem Sawflies as Influenced by the Amount of Volatile Attractant

The wheat stem sawfly, Cephus cinctus Norton, causes severe losses in wheat grown in the northern Great Plains. Much of the affected area is planted in monoculture with wheat, Triticum aestivum L., grown in large fields alternating yearly between crop and no-till fallow. The crop and fallow fields are adjacent. This cropping landscape creates pronounced edge effects of sawfly infestations and may be amenable to trap cropping using existing agricultural practices. The behavioral preference for two wheat varieties was assessed in the context of developing trap crops for this insect. In field nurseries, stem lodging assessments indicated that the cultivar 'Conan' was infrequently damaged, whereas 'Reeder' was often heavily damaged. In laboratory choice and no-choice tests, 'Reeder' was significantly preferred by ovipositing wheat stem sawfly females. These two cultivars did not differ significantly in height or developmental stage, factors known to impact sawfly preference. Although Conan received fewer eggs than Reeder in no-choice tests, oviposition was further reduced in choice tests, indicating that females clearly preferred Reeder. In field trials where the overall dimensions of the spatial structure in choice tests was varied, females always selected Reeder over Conan in alternating block, row, and interseeded planting scenarios. Reeder releases greater amounts of the attractive compound, (Z)-3-hexenyl acetate than Conan but is similar to Conan for three other known, behaviorally active volatile compounds. The results are discussed in terms of cultivar selection for large scale trap crop experiments for the wheat stem sawfly.
Coefficient of Variation

If the absolute dispersion is defined as the standard deviation, and the average is the mean, the relative dispersion is called the coefficient of variation (CV) or coefficient of dispersion. The relationship between mean and dispersion is very important in the geosciences and is expressed by the coefficient of variation according to: $$CV\% = 100\sigma /mean$$ (13.1) where a = standard deviation. The coefficient of variation is attractive as a statistical tool because it apparently permits the comparison of variates free from scale effects; i.e., it is dimensionless. However, it has appropriate meaning only if the data achieve ratio scale. The coefficient of variation can be plotted as a graph to compare data. A CV exceeding say about 30 percent is often indicative of problems in the data or that the experiment is out of control. Variates with a mean less than unity also provide spurious results and the coefficient of variation will be very large and often meaningless.
Methods to evaluate the pulmonary toxicity of biological aerosols

Evaluation of airborne chemicals for their potential to elicit immediate hypersensitivity reaction is of importance this is because airborne natural products can contain full antigens due to their foreign protein content or can contain low molecular weight chemicals which can act as haptens. Some approaches are described to evaluate this aspect, using guinea pigs as an animal model.
THE NUMBER OF NUCLEI IN SPORANGIOSPORES OF MUCOR MUCEDO

Sporangiospores from eight strains of Mucor mucedo were examined for nuclear number. Strains examined included NRRL 3634 (-), NRRL 3635 (+), ATCC 38693 (+), ATCC 38694 (-), CBS 144.24 (+), CBS 145.24 (-), CBS 640.67 (-), and Hammill 218-72. All strains produced multinucleate sporangiospores, with the average number estimated to be perhaps as high as 15-20 nuclei per spore. Literature reports of the nuclear number in sporangiospores of other Mucor spp. are reviewed briefly. A distributional pattern for cultures of M. mucedo held by several major depositories is presented; it shows the correlations of culture numbers assigned to cultures of M. mucedo in those depositories. CBS 109.16 (-) and CBS 144.24 (+) are the original sources of many cultures of M. mucedo on deposit in several countries. They also may be the source of the cultures, Z43 (-) and Z46 (+), maintained by Dr. G. Gooday (University of Aberdeen, Scotland), and used in many of his studies.
Anaphylactic Reaction after an Intracervical Injection of Isosulfan Blue Dye -A case report-

Isosulfan blue dye can be used to mark the sentinel lymph node during various surgeries. The dye was known to have minimal side effects, but recently a few cases of an anaphylactic reaction were reported in melanoma and breast surgery. We experienced an anaphylactic reaction during peritumoral injection of this dye in a patient with cervical cancer. Immediately after dye injection, the patient showed an anaphylactic reaction with cardiovascular collapse and oxygen desaturation. We resuscitated the patient and she recovered without complications.
Antimicrobial finishes for improving the durability and longevity of fabric structures

Abstract This chapter discusses the latest progress in antimicrobial agents and technologies for prevention of biodegradation and biodeterioration of certain textiles, such as textile arts and geotextiles, as well as improvement of durability and longevity of the materials. The most concerning microorganisms here are fungi, and the most affected textile fibers include proteins, cellulose, and synthetics. Natural fibers, because of their excellent hydrophilicity and biocompatibility, are more vulnerable to biodegradation caused by microorganisms. Synthetic fibers such as polyesters and polyamides are hydrolyzable, which can increase their biodegradability. The chemically inert fibers, such as olefin fibers, can still be deteriorated by microorganisms. Thus, antimicrobial treatments for these textiles are necessary.
Compact liquid enhanced air cooling thermal solution for high power processors in existing air-cooled platforms

Demand for compute capability continues to drive increased power consumption at both the system and processor level. On the processor side, the power for the CPU die continues to increase due to greater core counts and higher frequency and the capability for applications to use these enhanced resources. Integration of hardware features on the processor package such as separate memory and fabric dies is also driving power increases while enabling increased throughput of the processors. In addition, reducing junction temperature enables some of that frequency increase. All these factors pose challenges for the cooling solution. In this paper, a unique compact form factor thermal solution using pumped-liquid-multiphase cooling (PLMC) is presented to cool higher power processors with the same air-cooled data center server chassis boundary conditions. The experimental study illustrates the comparison between pumped single- and two-phase liquid cooled solutions as well in a 1U chassis.
Análisis cuali-cuantitativo de menús infantiles ofrecidos en restoranes familiares y de comida rápida en Santiago de Chile

Resumen es: En Chile, la obesidad infantil esta en su nivel mas alto, el consumo de alimentos fuera del hogar es cada vez mas frecuente, siendo la oferta alimentaria...
Imaginary Locales in Pynchon's Vineland

Many reviewers expressed disappointment when Pynchon broke his long silence with the publication of Vineland (1990), possibly because they expected a novel with the intellectual conundrums of V. or Gravity's Rainbow. This disappointment may even have stemmed from Pynchon's own creation of a canon by his tendency to use characters from one novel in another. But this very tendency–which earlier seemed to exclude The Crying of Lot 49 from the canon – helps to establish the centrality of Vineland. In pointing out that Pynchon seems to have been "less concerned with [Frenesi's] motives or feelings than … treating her as an allegory," Edward Mendelson indicates that Pynchon may have violated his own rules for writing by starting, not with character, but with an abstraction. On the contrary, the locales of Vineland, whether the settings for past events or present action, provide keys to character development and thematic content. When Pynchon uses actual places in Vineland, he tends to leave them vague, usually mere names, as in the cases of San Francisco, Oklahoma City and Columbus, Ohio; but when he creates completely imaginary locales, he includes symbolic descriptions that give them thematic, satiric or political depth.
How to Prevent, Identify, and Resolve Miscommunication in Virtual Teams

This chapter presents an in-depth look at miscommunication in virtual teams as well as how to best prevent, identify, and resolve it. Engineering professionals acknowledge serious time and financial losses due to miscommunication in virtual teams. The most basic strategy for creating effective virtual workplaces is thorough planning that takes into account the characteristics of global virtual workplaces. The purpose of a virtual team should be stated explicitly and communicated to all team members. Social communication is common among virtual team members with such communication being more common for some individuals than others. It can take much longer to identify miscommunication and related complications in virtual teams than in face-to-face teams. Research in developing effective virtual workplace communication indicates the importance of planning (including discussing differences), face-to-face meetings, social communication, mixed media, and metacommunication.
A Golgi rhomboid protease Rbd2 recruits Cdc48 to cleave yeast SREBP.

Hypoxic growth of fungi requires sterol regulatory element‐binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors, and human opportunistic fungal pathogens require SREBP activation for virulence. Proteolytic release of fission yeast SREBPs from the membrane in response to low oxygen requires the Golgi membrane‐anchored Dsc E3 ligase complex. Using genetic interaction arrays, we identified Rbd2 as a rhomboid family protease required for SREBP proteolytic processing. Rbd2 is an active, Golgi‐localized protease that cleaves the transmembrane segment of the TatA rhomboid model substrate. Epistasis analysis revealed that the Dsc E3 ligase acts on SREBP prior to cleavage by Rbd2. Using APEX2 proximity biotinylation, we demonstrated that Rbd2 binds the AAA‐ATPase Cdc48 through a C‐terminal SHP box. Interestingly, SREBP cleavage required Rbd2 binding of Cdc48, consistent with Cdc48 acting to recruit ubiquitinylated substrates. In support of this claim, overexpressing a Cdc48‐binding mutant of Rbd2 bypassed the Cdc48 requirement for SREBP cleavage, demonstrating that Cdc48 likely plays a role in SREBP recognition. In the absence of functional Rbd2, SREBP precursor is degraded by the proteasome, indicating that Rbd2 activity controls the balance between SREBP activation and degradation. ![][1] The sterol‐responsive transcriptional regulator SREBP is proteolytically activated by sequential action of the Dsc ubiquitin ligase and Rbd2 rhomboid protease in the Golgi, representing a novel control point in the fission yeast SREBP pathway. [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Regularities, laws, and an exceedingly modest premise for a cosmological argument

In reply to certain cosmological arguments for theism, critics regularly argue that the causal principle ex nihilo nihil fit may be false. Various theistic counter-replies to this challenge have emerged. One type of strategy is to double down on ex nihilo nihil fit. Another, very different strategy of counter-reply is to grant for the sake of argument that the principle is false, while maintaining that sound cosmological arguments can be formulated even with this concession in place. Notably, one can employ a weaker opening premise formulated in modal terms, proceeding for instance from the proposition that for any contingent object coming into existence it is at least possible that it (or a duplicate) have a cause. My aim here is to try out a related strategy for weakening the relevant opening premise. Granting that it is possible for a contingent object to come into existence out of nothing without a cause, I proceed from the extremely modest claim that the obtaining of exceptionless (or nearly exceptionless) longstanding contingent regularities demands an explanation. As such, the contingent regularity that empirically accessible macro-level contingent objects do not pop into existence causelessly demands explanation. And as it turns out, that explanation will have to be in terms of an object or objects possessed of at least some of the traditional divine attributes.
Toxin-positive Clostridium difficile latently infect mouse colonies and protect against highly pathogenic C. difficile.

Objective Clostridium difficile is a toxin-producing bacterium and a leading cause of antibiotic-associated disease. The ability of C. difficile to form spores and infect antibiotic-treated persons at low multiplicity of infection (MOI) underlies its large disease burden. However, C. difficile -induced disease might also result from long-harboured C. difficile that blooms in individuals administered antibiotics. Design Mice purchased from multiple vendors and repeatedly testing negative for this pathogen by quantitative PCR bloomed C. difficile following antibiotic treatment. This endogenous C. difficile strain, herein termed LEM1, which formed spores and produced toxin, was compared with highly pathogenic C. difficile strain VPI10463. Results Whole-genome sequencing revealed that LEM1 and VPI10463 shared 95% of their genes, including all known virulence genes. In contrast to VPI10463, LEM1 did not induce overt disease when administered to antibiotic-treated or germ-free mice, even at high doses. Rather, blooms of LEM1 correlated with survival following VPI10463 inoculation, and exogenous administration of LEM1 before or shortly following VPI10463 inoculation prevented C. difficile -induced death. Accordingly, despite similar growth properties in vitro, LEM1 strongly outcompeted VPI10463 in mice even at 100-fold lower inocula. Conclusions These results highlight the difficulty of determining whether individual cases of C. difficile infection resulted from a bloom of endogenous C. difficile or a new exposure to this pathogen. In addition to impacting the design of studies using mouse models of C. difficile -induced disease, this study identified, isolated and characterised an endogenous murine spore-forming C. difficile strain able to decrease colonisation, associated disease and death induced by a pathogenic C. difficile strain.
A height-for-age growth reference for children with achondroplasia: Expanded applications and comparison with original reference data

The height-for-age (HA) reference currently used for children with achondroplasia is not adaptable for electronic records or calculation of HA Z-scores. We report new HA curves and tables of mean and standard deviation (SD) HA, for calculating Z-scores, from birth-16 years in achondroplasia. Mixed longitudinal data were abstracted from medical records of achondroplasia patients from a single clinical practice (CIS, 1967-2004). Gender-specific height percentiles (5, 25, 50, 75, 95th) were estimated across the age continuum, using a 2 month window per time point smoothed by a quadratic smoothing algorithm. HA curves were constructed for 0-36 months and 2-16 years to optimize resolution for younger children. Mean monthly height (SD) was tabulated. These novel HA curves were compared to reference data currently in use for children with achondroplasia. 293 subjects (162 male/131 female) contributed 1,005 and 932 height measures, with greater data paucity with age. Mean HA tracked with original achondroplasia norms, particularly through mid-childhood (2-9 years), but with no evidence of a pubertal growth spurt. Standard deviation of height at each month interval increased from birth through 16 years. Birth length was lower in achondroplasia than average stature and, as expected, height deficits increased with age. A new HA reference is available for longitudinal growth assessment in achondroplasia, taking advantage of statistical modeling techniques and allowing for Z-score calculations. This is an important contribution to clinical care and research endeavors for the achondroplasia population.
Premixed insulin resulted in fewer self-reported preparation errors in elderly patients with type II diabetes

Source Citation Coscelli C, Calabrese G, Fedele D, et al. Use of premixed insulin among the elderly: reduction of errors in patient preparation of mixtures. Diabetes Care. 1992 Nov;15:1628-30.
Race and Ethnicity: A Part of the Equation for Personalized Clinical Decision Making?

Two 48-year-old men, Jake and Earl, walk into a physician’s office. They both have a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL, a high-density lipoprotein level of 40 mg/dL, systolic blood pressure of 130 mm (despite antihypertension treatment), and no history of diabetes mellitus. Their physician applies the same primary prevention guidelines, and—despite their identical cardiac risk factors—recommends an aspirin and a statin for Earl but not Jake. These patients might be surprised to find their discrepant treatment derives from the fact that Jake is white and Earl is African American. Thus, according to the pooled cohort equations, the calculated 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is 4.3% for Jake (below the 7.5% American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guideline threshold1) and 8.7% for Earl. The inclusion of race in the pooled cohort equations as a predictor of 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk has generated this race-based treatment difference. In this commentary, we consider the use of race/ethnicity in clinical prediction models and discuss the similarities (and differences) between racial profiling in healthcare and in other settings, such as law enforcement and the insurance market. Since the 1993 National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act mandated the inclusion of minorities in federally-funded clinical research, and specified that all research proposals describe study populations’ racial and ethnic composition, race/ethnicity is a widely available variable for study. Disparities in treatments and differences in outcome risk and treatment effects are routinely examined. Risk differences by race/ethnicity have been documented in most major cardiovascular conditions, often of a magnitude comparable with that of clinical cardiovascular risk factors. These studies have generated controversy about potential underlying causal mechanisms, and how to approach race as an etiologic variable.2–4 Generally, variables encoding race and ethnicity are assumed to summarize a complex combination of factors related to …
Effect of deficit irrigation timing on sugarbeet

Increased water demands and drought have resulted in a need to determine the impact of deficit water management in irrigated sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris L.) production. This study was conducted over 3 yr at USDA-ARS in Kimberly, ID, on a Portneuf silt loam soil. Eight irrigation treatments consisted of crop evapotranspiration (ETc) rates combined with application timing. Treatments were: W1 Even: approximately (?) 100% ETc evenly throughout the growing season; W2 Even: ?65% crop evapotranspiration; W2 Early: ?100% ETc early in season, ?55% ETc the remainder of the season; W2 Late: rain-fed from emergence to end of July, ?100% ETc the remainder of the season; W3 Even: ?40% ETc; W3 Early: ?100% ETc early in season, ?25% the remainder of the season; W3 Late: rain-fed through mid-August, ?100% ETc the remainder of the season, and rain-fed: no post emergence irrigation. Results showed that within deficit irrigation treatments, higher yields were obtained when water was applied evenly throughout the season (Even) or ?100% of ETc was applied early with deficit irrigation later in the season (Early). Thus, the W2 Even and W2 Early treatments had 31.6, 32.9, and 28.2% greater estimated recoverable sucrose (ERS) yields compared to the W2 Late treatment in 2011, 2012, and 2016, respectively. Across all years, ERS yields increased at rates ranging from 17.3 to 22.0 kg ha–1 mm–1 actual crop water evapotranspiration (ETa). Generally, sugarbeet with greater water stress early in the season followed by ?100% ETc later had lower yields and sucrose content (late treatments).