cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prediction of coronary artery disease in patients undergoing operations for mitral valve degeneration.

Abstract Objectives: We sought to develop and validate a model that estimates the risk of obstructive coronary artery disease in patients undergoing operations for mitral valve degeneration and to demonstrate its potential clinical utility. Methods: A total of 722 patients (67% men; age, 61 ± 12 years) without a history of myocardial infarction, ischemic electrocardiographic changes, or angina who underwent routine coronary angiography before mitral valve prolapse operations between 1989 and 1996 were analyzed. A bootstrap-validated logistic regression model on the basis of clinical risk factors was developed to identify low-risk (≤5%) patients. Obstructive coronary atherosclerosis was defined as 50% or more luminal narrowing in one or more major epicardial vessels, as determined by means of coronary angiography. Results: One hundred thirty-nine (19%) patients had obstructive coronary atherosclerosis. Independent predictors of coronary artery disease include age, male sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus,and hyperlipidemia. Two hundred twenty patients were designated as low risk according to the logistic model. Of these patients, only 3 (1.3%) had single-vessel disease, and none had multivessel disease. The model showed good discrimination, with an area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of 0.84. Cost analysis indicated that application of this model could safely eliminate 30% of coronary angiograms, corresponding to cost savings of $430,000 per 1000 patients without missing any case of high-risk coronary artery disease. Conclusion: A model with standard clinical predictors can reliably estimate the prevalence of obstructive coronary atherosclerosis in patients undergoing mitral valve prolapse operations. This model can identify low-risk patients in whom routine preoperative angiography may be safely avoided. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;121:894-901)
The Home Range: A New Nonparametric Estimation Technique

A new technique for estimating home range size from a sequence of independent observations of animal positions is introduced. This method describes home range in a probabilistic sense, makes no assumption about the underlying distribution, and therefore is nonparametric. The procedure is based upon an existing nonparametric technique for density estimation which uses the Fourier transform (Tarter and Kronmal 1970). A comparison is made with two commonly used methods; the minimum convex polygon method (Southwood 1966) and bivariate normal method (Jennrich and Turner 1969), as well as another recent nonparametric method developed by Ford and Krumme (1979). All these methods have certain problems, making none of them suitable for every situation. The trade—offs among these methods and some fundamental limitations of home range estimation are discussed. Evidence is given which indicates that in some situations the proposed method is preferable to earlier methods.
Sticky Gecko Feet: the Role of Temperature and Humidity

Gecko adhesion is expected to be temperature insensitive over the range of temperatures typically experienced by geckos. Previous work is limited and equivocal on whether this expectation holds. We tested the temperature dependence of adhesion in Tokay and Day geckos and found that clinging ability at 12 degrees C was nearly double the clinging ability at 32 degrees C. However, rather than confirming a simple temperature effect, our data reveal a complex interaction between temperature and humidity that can drive differences in adhesion by as much as two-fold. Our findings have important implications for inferences about the mechanisms underlying the exceptional clinging capabilities of geckos, including whether performance of free-ranging animals is based solely on a dry adhesive model. An understanding of the relative contributions of van der Waals interactions and how humidity and temperature variation affects clinging capacities will be required to test hypotheses about the evolution of gecko toepads and is relevant to the design and manufacture of synthetic mimics.
Understanding college student spring break drinking: Demographic considerations, perceived norms and travel characteristics

AbstractResearch has documented normative perceptions of others' alcohol use and how these related to increased rates of drinking and related problems among college students. Recently, research has expanded this concept to specific events (21st birthday drinking and tailgating). No studies to date examine the construct of normative perceptions of alcohol use for spring break (SB). SB is a known time of risk for increased alcohol use, and understanding whether students overestimate SB drinking norms, variables that influence norms perceptions (gender, ethnicity and travel) and whether SB norms relate to one's own drinking can inform future prevention and intervention efforts. We extend the literature by examining SB normative perceptions: (1) whether or not these perceptions are accurate and (2) the relationship to students' own drinking and related consequences. A random sample (N = 1583) of students were asked about their SB drinking, consequences and norm perceptions. Students' SB drinking in this study...
Vico, rhetorical humanism, and the study methods of our time

Through his philosophical concern for the development of an appropriately humane scientific mode of investigating the verbal, intellectual, and affective development of man, as well as through his anti‐Cartesian criticism of mathematical scien‐tism, Giambattista Vico provides various historical, philological, and rhetorical means of inquiry which lend insight into similar epistemological questions and methodological tensions apparent in humanistic and scientific approaches to the theoretical study of rhetoric today.
Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of chlorambucil in man: a preliminary report***

Summary A sensitive and specific gas-chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) assay for chlorambucil and its major metabolite in biological fluids, phenylacetic acid mustard, has been developed. It has been applied to the study of oral chlorambucil pharmaco-kinetics in 6 patients. The assay has a sensitivity limit of 50 ng/ml and a precision of 94.3±1.3% at a plasma chlorambucil concentration of 200 ng/ml. In vitro chlorambucil recovery is temperature dependent with recovery rate constants at 37°C of k = 0.43 hr−1 for water and k = 0.12 hr−1 for plasma. After an oral bolus dose of 0.6–1.2 mg/kg in 4 patients the mean terminal phase half-life of chlorambucil was 91.7±19.3 min, its mean peak plasma concentration, 1.1±0.6 μg/ml (adjusted to a dose of 0.6 mg/kg) and its mean plasma concentration-time product, 143±102 μg min/ml (adjusted to a dose of 0.6 mg/kg). The urinary excretion of chlorambucil over the first 24 h was 0.54±0.16% and its mean renal clearance was 0.029±0.014 ml/min/kg. The hepatic extraction of chlorambucil in these 4 patients averaged 0.24±0.13. The mean phenylacetic acid mustard plasma terminal phase half-life was approximately 1.6 times greater than that of its parent compound. The mean 24 h metabolite urinary excretion was 0.29±0.16%. This preliminary pharmacokinetic data suggests that oral chlorambucil undergoes rapid gastrointestinal absorption and plasma clearance, and that it is almost completely metabolized, having extremely low urinary excretion.
Sealed silica pressure ampoules for crystal growth

The properties of vitreous silica and the mechanics of thick walled pressure vessels are reviewed with regard to the construction of sealed silica crucibles such as are used in the growth of mercury-cadmium telluride crystals. Data from destructive rupture tests are reported, failure modes discussed, and recommendations for design given. Ordinary commercial clear vitreous silica from flame fused quartz can withstand a surface stress of 20 MPa or more in this application.
What about the Rest of Us? Small Colleges in Financial Crisis.

Economic hardship and uncertainty dominates the discussion of American higher education these days. Since about 80 percent of American students attend public institutions, much of the conversation ...
GLUBs: games for learning and understanding biology

This paper introduces GLUBs, which are games based on molecular mechanisms that take place in biological systems. Such games make use of interactive 3D graphics, and allow the player to interact with molecular components using simple 2D mouse gestures. They are similar to puzzle games, since the goal is to discover the correct interactions between molecular components. When the correct interactions are found, the player observes a molecular mechanism taking place. GLUBs thus have the potential to communicate much of the growing structural and biochemical knowledge in a fun and interesting way. In the game presented in this paper, the molecular mechanism involves the assisted folding of a protein by a chaperone.
Design Of The CIT Gyrotron ECRH Transmission System

Plans for Electron Cyclotron Resonant Heating in the Compact Ignition Tokamak call for at least 10 MW at fields from 7T to 10T with extension to 40 MW possible. 1 MW CW Gyrotron sources for fundamental heating are currently in the design phase. The transmission system must accomodate these high powers in addition to the constraints of small space and access in a tritium environment. Quasi-optical and corrugated guide systems are under consideration, as well as hybrid designs. A preliminary design is presented, and options for alternatives are discussed.
Congenital mesoblastic nephroma metastatic to the brain.

Background. Congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) is generally considered to be a benign neoplasm requiring only total excision. Rare local recurrences have usually been related to incomplete removal, and distant metastases to the lung have been reported three times. Methods. The authors reported the first case of CMN metastatic to the brain, illustrating a comparison of the histopathology of the primary and secondary lesions. Results. The gross appearance of the renal tumor was that of a benign CMN. On histopathologic examination, there was a single nodule of more cellular tissue with focal necrosis. This area was diagnosed as within the designation “cellular” mesoblastic nephroma. The appearance of the brain metastasis corresponded to that of the cellular nodule. Conclusions. This report expands the spectrum of metastatic potential of CMN. Though a rare event, this case underscores the need for close follow-up of infants with CMN.
Quality of life in food allergy

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to provide a review of studies examining health-related quality of life (HRQL) in food-allergic individuals, with an emphasis on publications since 2007.Recent findingsOver the past few years, an increasing number of studies have addressed the impact th
Notch Signaling in Diabetic Nephropathy

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved cell-cell signaling system that controls the fate of cells during development. In this review, we will summarize the literature that notch signaling during development controls nephron number and segmentation and therefore could influence kidney disease susceptibility. We will also review the evidence that Notch is reactivated in adult-onset diabetic kidney disease where it promotes the development of nephropathy including glomerulopathy, tubulointerstitial fibrosis and possibly arteriopathy and inflammation. Finally, we will review the evidence that blockade of pathogenic Notch signaling alters the natural history of diabetic nephropathy and thus could represent a novel therapeutic approach to the management of diabetic kidney disease.
Decreased IRS-2 and Increased SREBP-1c Lead to Mixed Insulin Resistance and Sensitivity in Livers of Lipodystrophic and ob/ob Mice

In mice with too little fat (lipodystrophy) or too much fat (ob/ob), leptin deficiency leads to hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin resistance. In both disorders, the liver overproduces glucose as a result of resistance to the normal action of insulin in repressing mRNAs for gluconeogenic enzymes. Here we show that chronic hyperinsulinemia downregulates the mRNA for IRS-2, an essential component of the insulin-signaling pathway in liver, thereby producing insulin resistance. Despite IRS-2 deficiency, insulin continues to stimulate production of SREBP-1c, a transcription factor that activates fatty acid synthesis. The combination of insulin resistance (inappropriate gluconeogenesis) and insulin sensitivity (elevated lipogenesis) establishes a vicious cycle that aggravates hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in lipodystrophic and ob/ob mice.
Internet Technology in Service of Personal Health Care Management: Patient Perspective

Internet technology has become an informational resource for most health care consumers. Online information, discussion, and support groups, in the form of message boards, listservs, and chat rooms are emerging as parts of virtual self-health-care network. This paper examines the extent to which participation in online health discussion groups was reported to be helpful in increasing medical knowledge and in enhancing the participatory patient role of health care consumers in interaction with health care service professionals. Data for this study was collected from 350 patients who participated in Internet discussion groups for cancer patients. The findings of the study indicated the important impact of Internet health discussion groups on health care management practices as perceived by health care consumers, including empowerment through knowledge and proactive participation in cancer care management. This research contributes to understanding the patient perspective and assesses the perceived importanc...
Possible Antecedents of the Middle Mississippian Ceramic Complex in Northeastern Arkansas

The ceramic complex of the Middle Mississippian phase in northeast Arkansas is comparatively well known, though its origin and relationships are still obscure. Holmes and Moore described and classified this ware, but were unable to place it chronologically. Vaillant later pointed out certain striking analogies between the vessel forms from this area and those from Mexico, Central and South America, but his study was made from the standpoint of horizontal distribution. Although the examples which he illustrates are quite suggestive of a Latin American origin, Vaillant's hypothesis is most strongly supported by specific types which have a composite silhouette. It is true that these forms are characteristic of the Arkansas Middle Mississippian complex; but they are complemented by a great number of simple vessels which are either plain or have elementary intaglio and relief designs.
Large-scale superclusters surrounding the giant galaxy void in Bootes ?

The overdensity of galaxies observed by Kirshner et al. (1981) on both redshift sides of the galaxy void in Bootes is found to coincide in redshift space with similar overdensities of clusters and superclusters of galaxies in the northern hemisphere. The main contributors to these overdensities are the rich Hercules and Corona Borealis superclusters. It is suggested that large-scale density enhancements of galaxies associated with the Hercules and Corona Borealis superclusters may extend to more than about 100-150/h Mpc in projection and surround the giant volume of galaxy depletion in Bootes. Previous observational evidence, together with the results presented here, suggests that galaxy voids may generally be associated with surrounding galaxy excesses.
Habitat Use and Overlap Between Adult Largemouth Bass and Walleye in a West Texas Reservoir

Abstract Many reservoirs in the southwestern United States develop an oxygen-deficient hypolimnion below a well-defined thermocline due to their deep nature and warm ambient temperatures. Such conditions may force the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum), a species recently introduced in the Southwest, into habitat more commonly occupied by the major resident predator, the largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Seasonal changes and overlap in habitat use by these two species were investigated in Lake Mackenzie, Texas using ultrasonic telemetry. Habitat use by each species varied seasonally. Largemouth bass were found primarily in brushy coves during fall, winter, and spring, but increased their use of rocky shoreline areas during the summer. Walleye primarily used rocky shoreline areas and open-water habitats throughout the year, but this use changed on a seasonal basis. Most walleyes were located in open water during times that deepwater oxygen content was suitable for the species. Walleye use of roc...
Board Level Drop Test Simulation for an Advanced MLP

Handheld electronic products are more prone to being dropped during their lifetime of use. Therefore, the reliability performance of these products during a drop impact has become a concern. Although a new board level test method has been standardized through JEDEC (JESD22-B111). characterization tests are usually expensive and time consuming to complete. In order to reduce costs and the design cycle, many efforts have been made to study the reliability performance under drop impact loading by numerical modeling. In tins paper, the implicit Input-G method is adopted to simulate the board level drop test of an advanced molded leaded package (MLP) by using a commercial FEA code. Parametric study on package location at the test board, solder joints height and MLP package thickness is conducted in the board level drop test simulations. The peeling stress and first principle stress of the solder joints are checked and compared. Simulation results show that when the thickness of the package increases the solder joint becomes weaker. Similar trends are obtained for the solder joints height, i.e.. lower solder joints are more reliable during the board level drop test.
An empirically-validated methodology to simulate electricity demand for electric vehicle charging

Abstract With recent changes in the availability and diversity of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in the United States, there is increasing research interest in the interaction between PEVs and the electric grid. Extensive work in the literature examines these interactions with the assumption that the timing of PEV charging will be scheduled, and that charging loads can be adjusted dynamically at the behest of the utility and the system operator. While it might be technically feasible to aggregate the data on driver schedules and historical PEV use and charging decisions, it is unclear whether PEV owners will readily share these data and accept partial third-party control of their vehicle’s charging. Given the uncertainty in the future relationships between electric utilities and PEV owners, this study examines the region-level effects of PEV charging in the absence of the additional data utilities would need to realize these idealized charging scenarios. In particular, this study focuses on temporally-resolved prediction of electricity demand needed to serve PEV charging loads if charge scheduling or control is not widespread. Vehicle trip data from the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) were converted into individual vehicle charging profiles. Monte Carlo methods were then used with these profiles to simulate electricity demand for PEV charging. These simulations include accounting for the potential demographic characteristics of PEV drivers and the estimated charging behavior of those drivers. The simulation results were validated using empirical vehicle charging data collected by the Pecan Street Research Consortium from households in Austin, Texas. The simulation results compared favorably with the empirical data, estimating charging behavior to within 7% throughout most of the day. Two different simulation approaches were considered to show that a reduced-order simulation approach yields similar results. Finally, having demonstrated the stability of the simulation to assumptions about PEV owner demographics and PEV type-dependent charging patterns, the simulation results were used to determine the effect of unscheduled PEV charging on peak load in three different regions, Texas, New York, and New England, with three PEV fleet growth projections. These results indicate that for the moderate growth scenario considered, unscheduled charging will increase peak load by less than 1% by 2025 in each of the three regions.
Improving Web access for visually impaired users

Technology advances and the continuing convergence of computing and telecommunications have made an unprecedented amount of information available to the public. For many people with disabilities, however, accessibility issues limit the impact of such widespread availability. Of the many types of disabilities-mobility, hearing, and learning impairments, for example-vision impairments are most pervasive in the general population, especially among seniors. The world's rapidly aging population is redefining visually impaired, which refers to individuals with low vision (that is, people for whom ordinary eyeglasses, contact lenses, or intraocular lens implants don't provide clear vision), color blindness, and blindness. In 1998, the US Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act, strengthening provisions covering access to government-posted information for people with disabilities. As amended, Section 508 requires federal agencies to ensure that all assets and technologies are accessible and usable by employees and the public, regardless of physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Most current assistive technologies for visually impaired users are expensive, difficult to use, and platform dependent. A new approach by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH), addresses these weaknesses by locating the assistive capability at the server, thus freeing visually impaired individuals from the software expense, technical complexity, and substantial learning curve of other assistive technologies. NLM's Senior Health Web site (http://nihseniorhealth.gov), a talking Web (a Web application that presents Web content as speech to users), demonstrates the approach's effectiveness.
PS2-14: Organizing and Tracking Multi-site Data Network Project Activities

Background/Aims Multi-site, multi-purpose networks such as the HMO Research Network consortia projects and the FDA Mini-Sentinel need an efficient mechanism to track project activities and specific queries, organize local resources, and create a searchable index to enable communication of lessons learned and re-use of resources. To this end, the Mini-Sentinel Operations Center (MSOC) has created the Mini-Sentinel Data Catalog (MSDC) to track all Mini-Sentinel projects.
Magnetic Anisotropy Constant of Yttrium Iron Garnet at 0°K

The anisotropy energy of yttrium iron garnet is separated into two parts, the normal part predominant at high temperatures, and the anomalous part important below 50\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. By comparison with ferrite data, the cause of the normal anisotropy is expected to be the coupling of the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{3+}$ ions to the crystalline field. The following expression for ${K}_{1}$, the first-order anisotropy constant, as a function of the fine structure coupling constants ${a}_{24}$ (tetrahedral sites) and ${a}_{16}$ (octahedral sites) is obtained: $\frac{{K}_{1}}{\mathrm{unit}\mathrm{cell}}=\ensuremath{-}46.6{a}_{24}\ensuremath{-}13.6{a}_{16}$.
An Integrated Simulation of Pandemic Influenza Evolution, Mitigation and Infrastructure Response

Decision makers, faced with highly complex alternatives for protecting our nation's critical infrastructures must understand the consequences of policy options before they enact solutions to prevent and mitigate disasters. An effective way to examine these tradeoffs is to use a computer simulation that integrates high level representations of each infrastructure, their interdependencies and reactions to a variety of potential disruptions. To address this need, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Decision Support System (CIPDSS) project, funded by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T), has developed a decision support tool that provides insights to help decision makers make risk-informed decisions. With the addition of a disease progression simulation, the CIPDSS tool has a unique ability to provide a high-level, integrated analysis of a pandemic influenza outbreak while representing the impact on critical infrastructures. This simulation models the time-dependent evolution of the disease and can be calibrated to prior data or to other higher fidelity models as appropriate. Mitigation options such as the use of antivirals and vaccines as prophylaxis, treatment or some combination as well as quarantine options can be assessed. Special attention is given to impacts to the population through sickness, targeted quarantine, or fear-based self-isolation and the resulting impacts on critical infrastructure operations.
Automatic addition of reset in asynchronous sequential control circuits

Asynchronous finite state machines (AFSMs) usually require initialization to place them in a desired starting state. This normally occurs by toggling a reset signal upon power-up. This paper presents an algorithm to automatically generate power-up reset circuitry thus adding reset to an AFSM after technology mapping. This approach is independent of design methodology since it is applied to a gate netlist. The algorithm ensures all combinational cycles and primary outputs in the circuit are initialized. Options exist in reset generation to minimize the power or performance impact on the AFSM. Results are reported for applying this algorithm to designs of varying size and complexity.
Effect of tobacco withdrawal on the dexamethasone suppression test.

One could hypothesize that tobacco withdrawal might cause a positive Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) for at least three reasons. First, withdrawal from other drugs produces positive DSTs (Kahn et al. 1984). Second, smoking induces liver microsomaf enzymes (Dawson et al. 1984) and thus may increase the metabolism of dexamethasone. Third, smoking cessation is stressful (Hughes and Hatsukami 1986, Hughes 1987) and stress may cause a positive DST (Kalin et al. 1983). On the other hand, smoking increases cortisol, and tolerance to this effect appears to occur (e.g., Benowitz et al. 1984); thus, one would expect a rebound decrease in cortisol during widows. Consis~nt with this hypothesis, three prior studies found that adrenaline or noradrenaline excretion decreased during withdrawal (Myrsten et al. 1977; Elgerot 1978; West et al. 1984). Another study found no decrease in excretion (Tu~bull and Kelvin 1971).
Affective states influence spatial cue utilization during navigation

Humans navigate complex environments effectively by identifying and monitoring environmental spatial cues (i.e., landmarks). Previous research has shown that affective states modulate cue utilization, attentional focus, and memory. Like other human behaviors, navigation is performed within an affective context and thus may fall under its influence. The present study examines the influence of affective state on cue utilization in novel virtual environments. Employing a within-participants factorial design, we manipulated participants' affect, crossing valence (happy, sad) and arousal (high, low), with available cue type (global cues: present, absent; and local cues: present, absent) within a desktop virtual environment. Results indicated that low relative to high arousal states promote global cue utilization during navigation through novel environments; there were no effects of affective valence. Arousal effects decreased with environmental familiarity, indicating its influence on cue utilization during the initial learning of novel environments. The results are discussed with regard to theories of affect, spatial cognition, and navigation.
Event structure influences language production: Evidence from structural priming in motion event description

This priming study investigates the role of conceptual structure during language production, probing whether English speakers are sensitive to the structure of the event encoded by a prime sentence. In two experiments, participants read prime sentences aloud before describing motion events. Primes differed in (1) syntactic frame, (2) degree of lexical and conceptual overlap with target events, and (3) distribution of event components within frames. Results demonstrate that conceptual overlap between primes and targets led to priming of (a) the information that speakers chose to include in their descriptions of target events, (b) the way that information was mapped to linguistic elements, and (c) the syntactic structures that were built to communicate that information. When there was no conceptual overlap between primes and targets, priming was not successful. We conclude that conceptual structure is a level of representation activated during priming, and that it has implications for both Message Planning and Linguistic Formulation.
Effects of low-dose, low-penetration electron beam irradiation of chilled beef carcass surface cuts on Escherichia coli O157:H7 and meat quality.

Low-dose, low-penetration electron beam (E-beam) irradiation was evaluated for potential use as an antimicrobial intervention on beef carcasses during processing. The objectives of this study were (i) to assess the efficacy of E-beam irradiation to reduce concentrations of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on a large beef surface and (ii) to evaluate the effect of the treatment on the sensory properties of the product. A 1-kGy dose of E-beam radiation reduced E. coli O157:H7 inoculated onto sections of cutaneous trunci at least 4 log CFU/cm2 . In assessing organoleptic impact, flank steak was used as the model muscle. Flank steaks with various levels of penetration by radiation (5, 10, 25, 50, and 75%) were evaluated. None of the flank steak sensory attributes were affected (P . 0.05) by any penetration treatment. Ground beef formulations consisting of 100, 50, 25, 10, 5, and 0% surface-irradiated beef were tested. A trained sensory panel did not detect any difference between the control (0%) and either the 5 or 10% treatments. These results suggest that if chilled carcasses were subjected to low-dose E-beam irradiation, aroma and flavor of ground beef would not be impacted. The data presented here indicate that low-dose, low-penetration Ebeam irradiation has potential use as an antimicrobial intervention on beef carcasses during processing and minimally impacts the organoleptic qualities of the treated beef products.
The Influence of Harvest Time on Sensory Properties and Consumer Acceptance of Sweet Cherries

ADDITIONAL INDEX WORDS. fruit maturity, quality, Prunus avium SUMMARY. The objective of this study was to identify the influence of harvest time on sensory attributes of sweet cherries (Prunus avium) as evaluated by a trained and consumer panel. Over three separate panel days, trained and consumer panelists evaluated ‘Sweetheart’ cherries that were harvested 3 days before commercial maturity (early harvest), at commercial maturity (midharvest), and 3 days postcommercial maturity (late harvest). Fruit attributes from each harvest time were characterized empirically by quantifying soluble solids concentration, exocarp color, and firmness. A sensory panel (n = 12), trained to recognize and evaluate the attributes of cherry appearance (color intensity), texture (flesh firmness and juiciness), and flavor/taste (sweetness, sourness, and cherry flavor intensity), evaluated the fruit. Fruit were then evaluated by a consumer panel for purchase intent, overall acceptance, appearance, flavor, and texture. From the trained panel results, late-harvest cherries were higher in color and flavor intensity. Midharvest cherries were highest in firmness, while early-harvest cherries were lowest in color intensity and sweetness. Consumer panel results indicated midharvest and late-harvest cherries had the highest overall acceptance, and midharvest cherries had the highest acceptance for appearance. Overall acceptance was strongly correlated to flavor acceptance (r = 0.94). These results indicated that cherries harvested at midharvest were the most preferred of the harvest times despite not having the highest intensities of color, sweetness, or flavor. This indicated the importance of color, sweetness, and flavor of cherries on the overall acceptance and the possible interaction of these attributes in consumer acceptance. Furthermore, the results suggest that standard harvest maturity indicator (i.e., red coloration of exocarp) was appropriate for optimum consumer acceptance of ‘Sweetheart’. More broadly, these results suggest that there is some flexibility for the grower with regards to ‘Sweetheart’ cherry harvest and acceptable sensory properties.
Nosologic Comparisons of DSM-IV and DSM-5 Alcohol and Drug Use Disorders: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to examine prevalences and concordances between Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), and Fifth Edition (DSM-5) substance use disorders (SUDs) in a newly completed U.S. epidemiologic survey.Method:The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III surveyed 36,309 civilian, noninstitutionalized adults. SUDs were assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule–5. Concordances between DSM-IV and DSM-5 disorders were assessed using kappa statistics.Results:Prevalences of past-year substance-specific DSM-5 disorders (2+ criteria) were modestly higher than those of DSM-IV dependence and abuse combined for alcohol, sedatives/tranquilizers, opioids, and heroin, but lower for cannabis, cocaine, and stimulants. Lifetime prevalences were lower under DSM-5. Prevalences were similar between moderate to severe (4+ criteria) DSM-5 disorders and dependence, whereas prevalences of D...
Antifreeze proteins in the primary urine of larvae of the beetle Dendroides canadensis

To avoid freezing while overwintering beneath the bark of fallen trees, Dendroides canadensis (Coleoptera: Pyrochroidae) larvae produce a family of antifreeze proteins (DAFPs) that are transcribed in specific tissues and have specific compartmental fates. DAFPs and associated thermal hysteresis activity (THA) have been shown previously in hemolymph and midgut fluid, but the presence of DAFPs has not been explored in primary urine, a potentially important site that can contain endogenous ice-nucleating compounds that could induce freezing. A maximum mean THA of 2.65±0.33°C was observed in primary urine of winter-collected D. canadensis larvae. THA in primary urine increased significantly through autumn, peaked in the winter and decreased through spring to levels of 0.2-0.3°C in summer, in a pattern similar to that of hemolymph and midgut fluid. THA was also found in hindgut fluid and excreted rectal fluid, suggesting that these larvae not only concentrate AFPs in the hindgut, but also excrete AFPs from the rectal cavity. Based on dafp transcripts isolated from Malpighian tubule epithelia, cDNAs were cloned and sequenced, identifying the presence of transcripts encoding 24 DAFP isoforms. Six of these Malpighian tubule DAFPs were known previously, but 18 are new. We also provide functional evidence that DAFPs can inhibit ice nucleators present in insect primary urine. This is potentially critical because D. canadensis larvae die if frozen, and therefore ice formation in any body fluid, including the urine, would be lethal.
Locating Protein Coding Regions in Human DNA Using a Decision Tree Algorithm

Genes in eukaryotic DNA cover hundreds or thousands of base pairs, while the regions of those genes that code for proteins may occupy only a small percentage of the sequence. Identifying the coding regions is of vital importance in understanding these genes. Many recent research efforts have studied computational methods for distinguishing between coding and noncoding regions, and several promising results have been reported. We describe here a new approach, using a machine learning system that builds decision trees from the data. This approach combines several coding measures to produce classifiers with consistently higher accuracies than previous methods, on DNA sequences ranging from 54 to 162 base pairs in length. The algorithm is very efficient, and it can easily be adapted to different sequence lengths. Our conclusion is that decision trees are a highly effective tool for identifying protein coding regions.
Late Cretaceous and early Paleocene turtles of the Denver Basin, Colorado

The record of turtles in the Denver Basin spans four formations (Fox Hills, Laramie, Arapahoe, and Denver) that range from Late Cretaceous (Lancian) to early Paleocene (Puercan) in age. We recognize at least fifteen distinct, although fragmentary, species-level taxa, including Pleurosternidae ( Compsemys ), Baenidae ( Neurankylus, Plesiobaena, Stygiochelys , and Palatobaena ), Kinosternia ( Hoplochelys ), Adocidae ( Adocus ), Nanhsiungchelyidae ( Basilemys ), Trionychidae ( Axestemys, Aspideretoides, Helopanoplia , and another plastomenine), Macrobaenidae, and Chelydridae. Notable among these are the best-preserved skull of Compsemys , a new chelydrid genus, the most northerly confirmed record of Hoplochelys , and the most southerly records of Helopanoplia , Stygiochelys , and Macrobaenidae in the Rocky Mountain region. We also present evidence for synonymy of Paleotrionyx and Conchochelys with Axestemys , and the first cranial material assignable to Axestemys . The early Paleocene (Puercan) part of the Denver Formation yielded the most diverse assemblage, followed by the Cretaceous (Lancian) part of the Denver Formation and Laramie Formation. The Cretaceous samples are not demonstrably different from more northerly comparable faunas, but the more diverse Paleocene part of the Denver Formation exhibits a unique combination of taxa compared to contemporaneous faunas to the north and south.
Beyond the New Economic History

The new economic history has been with us now for almost a score of years. Its practitioners have advanced from young revolutionaries to become a part of the middle-aged establishment; and by all the criteria of publication and training of graduate students, it has indeed transformed the discipline in the United States. From my quite subjective perspective, the new economic history has made a significant contribution to revitalizing the field and advancing the frontiers of knowledge. Yet I think it stops short—far short —of what we should be accomplishing in the field. Our objective surely remains that of shedding light on man's economic past, conceived in the broadest sense of those words; and I submit to you that the new economic history as it has developed has imposed strictures on enquiry that narrowly limit its horizons—and that some of my former revolutionary compatriots show distressing signs of complacency with the new orthodoxy.
Implicit Theories of Masculinity and Femininity: Dualistic or Bipolar?

The present study addressed the question of whether persons' implicit personality theories include the notion that the possession of masculine and feminine characteristics tend to preclude each other so that the two clusters of attributes are perceived to be negatively correlated. Subjects (college students) were given one of four basic descriptions of a group of men or women. These descriptions specified the presence or absence of “masculine” or “feminine” attributes as defined by the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ). Subjects given descriptions specifying the presence or absence of “masculine” characteristics were asked the extent to which they could make inferences about the presence or absence of “feminine” characteristics. An analogous procedure was implemented for the descriptions specifying the presence or absence of “feminine” characteristics. The results confirm the hypothesis that individuals tend to perceive a negative relationship between masculinity and femininity in others.
The Vertical Profile of Liquid and Ice Water Content in Midlatitude Mixed-Phase Altocumulus Clouds

Abstract The microphysical properties of mixed-phase altocumulus clouds are investigated using in situ airborne measurements acquired during the ninth Cloud Layer Experiment (CLEX-9) over a midlatitude location. Approximately ⅔ of the sampled profiles are supercooled liquid–topped altocumulus clouds characterized by mixed-phase conditions. The coexistence of measurable liquid water droplets and ice crystals begins at or within tens of meters of cloud top and extends down to cloud base. Ice virga is found below cloud base. Peak liquid water contents occur at or near cloud top while peak ice water contents occur in the lower half of the cloud or in virga. The estimation of ice water content from particle size data requires that an assumption be made regarding the particle mass–dimensional relation, resulting in potential error on the order of tens of percent. The highest proportion of liquid is typically found in the coldest (top) part of the cloud profile. This feature of the microphysical structure for th...
Mechanisms underlying dependencies of performance on stimulus history in a two-alternative forced-choice task

In choice reaction time tasks, response times and error rates demonstrate differential dependencies on the identities of up to four stimuli preceding the current one. Although the general profile of reaction times and error rates, when plotted against the stimulus histories, may seem idiosyncratic, we show that it can result from simple underlying mechanisms that take account of the occurrence of stimulus repetitions and alternations. Employing a simple connectionist model of a two-alternative forcedchoice task, we explored various combinations of repetition and alternation detection schemes in an attempt to account for empirical results from the literature and from our own studies. We found that certain combinations of the repetition and the alternation schemes provided good fits to the data, suggesting that simple mechanisms may serve to explain the complicated but highly reproducible higher order dependencies of task performance on stimulus history.
POSTSYNAPTIC CALCINEURIN ACTIVITY DOWNREGULATES SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION BY WEAKENING INTRACELLULAR CA2+ SIGNALING MECHANISMS IN HIPPOCAMPAL CA1 NEURONS

Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are believed to functionally couple neuronal activity and synaptic plasticity. Our previous results indicated that postsynaptic Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM) signaling pathways play an important role in setting synaptic strength, and calcineurin (CaN) activity limits synaptic responses during basal synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation expression. The inhibition of postsynaptic CaN activity by FK-506 or an autoinhibitory peptide induced synaptic potentiation in hippocampal slices, which occludes tetanus-induced LTP. FK-506-induced synaptic potentiation was expressed in adult but not young rats. To elucidate mechanisms underlying CaN-inhibited synaptic potentiation, we co-injected certain agents affecting Ca2+ signaling pathways with CaN inhibitors into CA1 neurons. Synaptic potentiation induced by FK-506 was significantly attenuated by co-injecting BAPTA, heparin/dantrolene (inhibitors of intracellular Ca2+ release), a CaM-binding peptide, or CaM-KII/PKC pseudosubstrate peptides. These results indicate that postsynaptic CaN activity can downregulate evoked synaptic transmission by weakening intracellular Ca2+ signals and downstream protein kinase activities.
Developing alternative forest cutting patterns: A simulation approach

This study examines effects of different forest cutting patterns on habitat fragmentation in managed forest landscapes. We use computer simulation to conduct experiments in which we examine effects of different cutting patterns, cutting-unit size, and special constraints (e.g., a forest reserve, a stream system, or a road system) on landscape patterns. Fragmentation indices are used to quantify structural changes over the cutting cycle and among different treatments of the experiments. Degree of fragmentation varies greatly among the five cutting patterns used; aggregation of cutting units results in low degree and gradual change of fragmentation. Cutting patterns with larger cutting units and additional landscape constraints also lead to lower degree of fragmentation. Moreover, differences in fragmentation among the treatments are not observed until 30% or 50% of the landscape is cut.
Scattering of electromagnetic waves from random media with strong permittivity fluctuations

By taking into account the singularity of the dyadic Green's function in the renormalization method, a theory is derived for vector electromagnetic wave propagation in a random medium with large permittivity fluctuations and with anisotropic correlation function. The strong fluctuation theory is then applied to a discrete scatterer problem in which the permittivity can assume only two values. The results are found to be consistent with those derived from discrete scatterer theory for all values of dielectric constants of the scatterers.
Optimization of Inner Heliospheric Sentinels Spacecraft Conceptual Design

The Sentinels mission is a key component of NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) program. The Sentinels Science and Technology Definition Team (STDT) has completed a study to define the science objectives, measurement requirements and observational strategies, and mission design for the Sentinels mission. The Inner Heliospheric Sentinels (IHS) are one of the three flight elements (the others are the Near Earth Sentinel and Far Side Sentinel) that make up the Sentinels mission. The four spin-stabilized IHS spacecraft are in elliptical heliocentric orbit with perihelia at ~0.25 AU and aphelia at ~0.75 AU. This orbit presents unique spacecraft thermal control and power challenges. This study has demonstrated mission feasibility by developing a spacecraft design concept using conventional technologies that satisfy the science and mission requirements defined by the Sentinels STDT. Numerous trade studies were performed to optimize the spacecraft design. The trade studies and their results are discussed.
The impact of HIV-related neuropsychological dysfunction on driving behavior

HIV infection often results in neuropsychological (NP) impairment. In order to assess the impact that HIV-related NP deficits may have on automobile driving, we evaluated 68 HIV-seropositive drivers using an NP battery and two PC-based driving simulations. Thirty-two participants were classified as NP impaired; most (72%) evidenced only mild impairment, and none met criteria for HIV-associated dementia. After controlling for degree of immunosuppression and disease stage, NP-impaired participants failed a previously validated driving simulation at a much higher rate than cognitively intact participants [OR = 5.3, 95% CI (1.7, 17.0), p = .006]. Similarly, on a simulation of city driving, NP impaired participants were more likely to fail based upon the number of accidents [OR = 6.1, 95% CI (1.5, 24.6), p = .01]. Simulator performance was predicted by functioning in a number of NP domains, with NP tests accounting for 13-30% of the variance on the simulations. Although it would be premature to extrapolate these findings to impairment in on-the-road driving, they do argue for greater attention to the impact that even mild HIV-related NP deficits may have on driving skills. Language: en