cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term inference and memory following retrieval practice

One exceptional characteristic of the testing effect is its generalizability over time and circumstance. The benefits of testing over rote restudy appear to grow with time, as forgetting occurs, and also have been documented to extend to tasks of inference on previously unstudied stimuli. In the two experiments reported here, we evaluated inference and memory for members of natural categories over time. Rote memory and generalization were tested shortly after the study phase and again after varying delays. Results from both experiments indicate that retrieval practice does indeed enhance inference for novel members of previously learned categories, and that the benefits are maintained over the duration of our experiments—up to 25 days. An analysis of forgetting rates indicates that retrieval practice does not, however, decelerate forgetting when compared with restudy. Rates of forgetting were not discernibly different, for either rote memory or conceptual knowledge, between the two conditions. These results indicate that although testing does not appear to reduce forgetting, it is a potent means of enhancing inference, and the benefits to memory and inference are long lasting.
Two-Phase Flow Velocity Measurements Using Automated-Based Imaging Pulsed Laser Velocimetry

Pulsed Laser Velocimetry (PLV) is a full-field, two dimensional, noninvasive, quantitative flow visualization technique. The technique described here includes the use of direct digitization of the flow images using a high resolution imaging system. The image data is stored for further analysis by a series of new image processing and flow analysis software. The PLV technique is applied to a two-phase bubbly flow.
Recognizing perspective accuracy: an intelligent user interface for assisting novices

Sketching in perspective is a valuable skill for art, and for professional disciplines like industrial design, architecture, and engineering. However, it tends to be a difficult skill to grasp for novices. We have developed an algorithm that can classify rectilinear perspective strokes, as well as classify which of those strokes are accurate on a stroke-by-stroke basis. We also developed an intelligent user interface which can provide real-time accuracy feedback on a user's free-hand digital perspective sketch. To evaluate the system, we conducted a between-subjects user study with 40 novice participants which involved sketching city street corners in 2-point perspective. We discovered that the participants who received real-time intelligent feedback improved their perspective accuracy significantly (p
Can Autorefractors Be Trusted to Test for Myopia in Children

Autorefractors have not been adequately tested in children. We investigated the reliability of correctly refracting the eyes in children before and after cycloplegia.
Voxelotor: A Novel Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease.

Objective:To review the pharmacological characteristics, clinical evidence, and place in therapy of voxelotor for the treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD).Data Sources:A comprehensive literature ...
Planning for End of Life

Background:Oncology provider discussions of treatment options, outcomes of treatment, and end of life planning are essential to care for patients with advanced malignancies. Studies have shown that...
Long-term effects of organic matter removal, compaction, and vegetation control on tree survival and growth in coarse-textured, low-productivity soils

Abstract The Long-Term Soil Productivity Network is providing a systematic examination of the effects of organic matter removal and compaction on a variety of different soils and forest types across North America. Here we report on the 22nd-year survival and height growth of white oak (Quercus alba), northern red oak (Q. rubra), and shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) on rocky, nutrient-poor soils that have a low to moderate water holding capacity in the Missouri Ozark Highlands. Treatments included three levels of organic matter removal (sawlog, whole tree, and whole-tree plus forest floor) and three levels of soil compaction (none: bulk density = 1.34 g cm−3; moderate: bulk density = 1.65 g cm−3; and severe: bulk density = 1.78 g cm−3) each with and without vegetation control. Following treatments, bareroot, 1–0 white oak, northern red oak, and shortleaf pine seedlings were planted at a 3:3:1 ratio, approximating the distribution of these species in this region. Within half of each plot, a vegetation control treatment was applied for the first 10 years by treating competing vegetation with herbicide. After 22 years, vegetation control significantly increased biomass and height of all planted species. The average height for northern red oak with vegetation control treatments was 884 cm with vs. 606 cm without; white oak was 837 cm with vs. 424 cm without; shortleaf pine was 1339 cm with vs. 1220 cm without. Moderate compaction increased average white oak height by 15% and severe compaction increased average height by 18% compared to no-compaction treatments. Compaction was not a significant treatment for red oaks or for shortleaf pines. However, the coarse fragments in the study soils appear to have muted much of the compaction to the soil’s fine-earth fraction and may have had the unintended effect of providing partial vegetation control. Whole-tree removal reduced average shortleaf pine heights by 6% vs. sawlog-only removal, while whole-tree + forest floor removal increased heights 3% compared to sawlog harvests. Organic matter removal was not a significant treatment for either oak species. Red oak survival probability was 0.79 with vegetation control vs. 0.34 without; white oak was 0.81 with vs. 0.65 without; shortleaf pine was 0.49 with vs. 0.45 without. Overall, vegetation control was the dominant factor driving survival and growth of oaks, and to a lesser degree, growth of shortleaf pine. Organic matter removal and compaction treatments had relatively little negative effect on height, indicating the resilience of these species to harvest-related disturbances in Ozark Highlands soils.
Investigation and optimization of HfO2 gate dielectric on N-polar GaN: Impact of surface treatments, deposition, and annealing conditions

UV-assisted capacitance–voltage (C–V) and current–voltage (I–V) measurements were performed on ∼20 nm HfO2/GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor capacitors. The effects of surface preparation, predeposition treatment, HfO2 deposition process, and post-deposition annealing environment on interface characteristics were studied. Surface preparation by etching in diluted BHF and piranha etch prior to atomic layer deposition (ALD) suppressed the interface states compared to the baseline sample possibly due to the removal of the native oxide and impurities. UV/ozone treatment prior to HfO2 deposition reduced the interface states by one order of magnitude compared to the baseline sample possibly due to the formation of a thin Ga2O3 interlayer. In situ ALD pretreatment with tri-methyl-aluminum/N2 plasma was also found to reduce the surface states significantly compared to the baseline sample. In addition, thermal ALD improved the dielectric constant and breakdown voltage of the dielectric as compared to plasma ALD due to less surface damage. The lowest average interface trap density achieved was 1.64 × 1012 cm−2/eV with an HfO2 dielectric constant of 16 on the sample with UV/ozone and piranha treatment with in situ ALD treatment and thermal ALD deposition.
Predicate order and coherence in copredication

This article proposes that predicate order and coherence relations are the two major determining factors in copredication licensing, resolving a long-standing puzzle over the criteria for construct...
Abundance and Stability as Common Properties of Allergens

There have been many attempts to identify common biophysical properties which differentiate allergens from their non-immunogenic counterparts. This review will focus on recent studies which examine two such factors: abundance and stability. Anecdotal accounts have speculated that the elevated abundance of potential allergens would increase the likelihood of human exposure and thus the probability of sensitization. Similarly, the stability of potential allergens dictates its ability to remain a viable immunogen during the transfer from the source to humans. This stability could also increase the resilience of potential allergens to both gastric and endosomal degradation, further skewing the immune system toward allergy. Statistical analyses confirm both abundance and stability as common properties of allergens, while epidemiological surveys show a correlation between exposure levels (abundance) and allergic disease. Additional studies show that changes in protein stability can predictably alter gastric/endosomal processing and immunogenicity, providing a mechanistic link between stability and allergenicity. However, notable exceptions exist to both hypotheses which highlight the multifaceted nature of immunological sensitization, and further inform our understanding of some of these other factors and their contribution to allergic disease.
Radiological Hazards and Lasers

Abstract Radioactive materials and radiation-producing devices are important tools in modern scientific research and in the medical diagnosis and treatment of disease. However, exposure to the various types of radiation emitted from these different sources and devices can cause certain harmful health effects. Concerns to protect workers, patients, and the public from the potential harmful effects have led to extensive federal and state regulations controlling the use of such radiation sources. An institution possessing a license or registration to use sources of radiation is required by regulation to establish a formal radiation protection program (RPP). The radiation safety officer is delegated the responsibility to oversee the RPP and ensure that all sources of licensed radioactive material and radiation-producing equipment that fall under its responsibility are used optimally and safely. The RPP must also ensure that these sources of radiation are used in compliance with the applicable federal and state regulations and institutional licenses. The radiation safety committee is responsible for reviewing and approving both uses and users of radiation sources. Special committees may be established for the review and approval of research involving human subjects.
Evaluation of organic fertilizer sources for south-eastern (USA) turfgrass maintenance

Although organic fertilizer sources are widely marketed for application to turfgrasses, there is limited research that examines their effect on turfgrass performance in the humid south-eastern Unit...
Formation of ketone bodies from [14C]palmitate and [14C]glycerol by tissues from ketotic sheep

Labelled ketone bodies were produced readily from [U-(14)C]palmitate, [2-(14)C]palmitate and [1-(14)C]glycerol by sheep rumen-epithelial and liver tissues in vitro. On a tissue-nitrogen basis, both tissues had similar capacities for ketogenesis. Palmitate was a ketogenic substrate in both rumen-epithelial tissue and liver, and more of its (14)C appeared in ketone bodies than in the (14)CO(2) liberated. Glycerol was actively metabolized to ketone bodies, but more readily underwent complete oxidation to carbon dioxide; this complete oxidation was most pronounced in rumen-epithelial tissue from ketotic ewes. These experiments with labelled compounds confirm earlier observations that rumen-epithelial tissue, like liver, actively forms ketone bodies from long-chain fatty acids and show further that normal rumen-epithelial tissue can convert palmitate into ketone bodies as readily as into carbon dioxide. Free glycerol, which is metabolized only by liver tissue in non-ruminants, is also metabolized by rumen epithelium. The rumen epithelium thus has unique metabolic capacity among extrahepatic tissues.
Qualification of Ambient Methods as Reference Methods

A description is given of a measurement methods qualifications program used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its reference methods activities. The first step of the two-step program is an in-depth evaluation of a method for the purpose of critically examining, in a single laboratory, a method to determine its strengths and weaknesses. The second step is an interlaboratory collaborative test of the method whereby the method is placed in the hands of typical users for the purpose of determining important statistics on precision and accuracy. The program for evaluating methodology for ambient nitrogen dioxide in support of EPA's replacement reference method is presented as an example of this process.
Analysis of self-cooled binary current leads containing high temperature superconductors

Abstract The steady-state thermal performance of a cryostat current lead composed of a normal conductor upper part and a superconductor lower part is analysed. The upper end of the lead is at ambient temperature, the lower end is immersed in liquid helium, and the cooling for the lead is totally provided by the vapour generated by the heat flux from the lead into the helium. In the limit of high heat transfer rate between the lead and the helium vapour, there is a universal relationship between mass flow rate and superconductor transition temperature that is indpendent of the thermophysical properties or geometric details of either the superconductor or the normal conductor. This relationship shows that the reduction in heat flux to the helium with self-cooled binary leads, compared to that of the best copper leads, is limited to about 20% with critical temperatures (
Twinning in alpha-neptunium

Abstract Twinning in α-neptunium has been analyzed experimentally and theoretically. The geometric theory based on minimum shear and shuffles is shown to predict twinning elements K1K2η1η2; g as {110} 10〈110〉〈110〉; 0.068. Habit plane analysis on single crystals and relative twin orientations in polycrystalline material, studied by color metallography, confirm this prediction.
String Music Educators' Perceptions of the Impact of New String Programs on Student Outcomes, School Music Programs, and Communities.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of newly initiated string programs on teachers, schools, districts, communities, and existing music program administration and students. Research...
Synergistic effect between EGF and TGF-β1 in inducing oncogenic properties of intestinal epithelial cells

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 has a biphasic effect on rat intestinal epithelial (RIE) cells. By itself, TGF-beta1 functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting the growth, migration and invasion of RIE cells. We show in this study that in conjunction with epidermal growth factor (EGF), TGF-beta1 helped to augment migration, invasion and anchorage-independent growth (AIG) compared to that by EGF alone. EGF plus TGF-beta1 induced a dramatic morphological change characteristic of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The mechanism for this enhanced effect of TGF-beta1 and EGF on oncogenic properties was explored by analysis of EGF- and TGF-beta1-mediated signaling pathways and complementary DNA arrays. TGF-beta1 augmented EGF-mediated signaling of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and AKT by enhancing and prolonging the activation of the former and prolonging the activation of the latter. Inhibition of MAPK, but not phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K), abolished TGF-beta1 plus EGF-induced EMT and downregulation of E-cadherin at mRNA and protein levels. By contrast, cell migration and invasion were sensitive to inhibition of either MAPK or PI3 kinase. TGF-beta1 plus EGF-induced AIG was significantly more resistant to inhibition of PI3K and MAPK compared to that induced by EGF alone. EGF and TGF-beta1 synergistically induced the expression of a series of proteases including matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 1 (collagenase), MMP3, MMP9, MMP10, MMP14 and cathepsin. Among them, the expression of MMP1, MMP3, MMP9 and MMP10 was MAPK dependent. Inhibition of the MMPs or cathepsin significantly blocked EGF plus TGF-beta1-induced invasion, but had no effect on colony formation. Phospholipase C (PLC) and Cox2 induced by EGF plus TGF-beta1 also played a significant role in invasion, whereas PLC was also important for colony formation. Our study reveals specific signaling functions and induction of genes differentially required for enhanced effect of EGF- and TGF-beta1-induced oncogenic properties, and helps to explain the tumor-promoting effect of TGF-beta1 in human cancer with elevated expression or activation of TGF-beta1 and receptor protein tyrosine kinases.
Flutter and divergence instability of nonconservative beams and plates

For a conservative system, the only possible instability is of divergence type. For a nonconservative system, however, instability can be of divergence, flutter or both, depending on the amount of nonconservativeness. In this paper, we study the instability of a cantilevered beam and a simply supported plate, subjected to a combination of fixed and follower forces. A nonconservative parameter is introduced to provide all possible combinations of these forces. For the beam, instability changes from divergence to flutter at a critical value of this parameter. For values of the parameter above the critical value, the flutter instability remains as the only instability pattern, in contrast to implications in the literature. For the plate, the instability is governed by flutter for a certain range of the nonconservative parameter, even though divergence instability still exists. The range depends on the geometry (aspect ratio) and material property (Poisson's ratio) of the plate.
Optimal management of a confined groundwater system

Abstract Dynamic programming is applied to a relatively simple economic and hydrologic model of a confined aquifer system in Southwest Montana to determine an optimal interseasonal allocation schedule. The derived decision rule demonstrates the economic advantage of maintaining a confined groundwater system. While localized intraseasonal loss of the artesian pressure may occur, it is important to maintain this pressure from year to year because of its role in reducing extraction costs. The welfare gap, as measured by differences in the net present value of economic returns to the basin under an optimal use policy versus an uncontrolled, “common pool” situation, is not trivial. Sensitivity analysis indicates that assumptions about uniformity of land productivity, vis-a-vis their impact on the shape of the returns function, the discount rate, and the level of electric power rates are particularly critical with respect to the magnitude of the commonality problem.
Legal Representation and Education for Minority Youth Intervention

Literature has revealed that ethnic/racial minority youth are over-represented in the juvenile justice system. The present study investigated whether providing legal representation to ethnic/racial minority youth in juvenile court would lead to fewer convictions and less severe sanctions. The sample consisted of 10,938 youth (2003–2007), with 32% ethnic/racial minority youth. The state's juvenile sentencing guidelines were used to evaluate the legal representation practice. Multinomial regressions were conducted to examine the effect of legal representation and ethnicity on convictions and sanctions, controlling for criminal history and severity of offense. Results were that legal representation for both ethnic/racial minority and non-minority youth decreased the likelihood of convictions. However, legal representation was also associated with less and more severe sanctions than recommended sentencing guidelines. Taken together, legal representation for youth in juvenile court may lead to dismissal of cri...
Vegetation responses to 35 and 55 years of native ungulate grazing in shrubsteppe communities

Ungulate populations are managed in shrubsteppe ecosystems around the world, but relatively few long-term datasets are available that test the impacts of these grazers on shrubsteppe structure and function. This study evaluated 8 exclosures in 4 shrubsteppe communities to determine the effects of deer and elk over 35 or 55 years on (1) plant biomass and species composition, (2) soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and net nitrification rates, Olsen extractable phosphorus (P), and C:N ratios, and (3) arthropod diversity and abundance. The site with deer, the highest ungulate densities, and coldest climate (Sinlahekin Wildlife Area, WA) had greater vegetative biomass and cover inside the exclosures than outside. The sites with elk, moderate ungulate densities, and intermediate climatic conditions (Oak Creek and Wenas Wildlife Areas, WA) had no effects of exclosures on vegetative biomass or cover. The site with elk, the lowest ungulate densities, and driest climatic conditions (L.T. Murray Wildlife Area, WA) had greater shrub cover outside of the exclosures. Ungulates significantly increased net N mineralization and nitrification rates, providing a potential explanation for compensatory growth by grazed plants. Our data suggest that arthropod herbivory does not substitute for ungulate herbivory. To the contrary, arthropod diversity reflected ungulate-induced changes in plant biomass. In addition to effects on standing biomass, ungulates were associated with increased exotic plant species richness at all 4 sites. Our results suggest that there may be a balance between indirect positive and direct negative effects of herbivory on plants that varies with ungulate densities and site characteristics, and that arthropod herbivory does not functionally replace ungulate herbivory.
The survey of post‐war semi‐detached houses

This type of house was usually erected by developers or builders for sale when completed. They often infilled areas of bomb damage in suburban locations, or were situated on the new estates that sprang up after the last war (one hopes it was the last war). They are very rarely models of immaculate design, but usually provide a functional arrangement of 2½ bedrooms, bathroom, 2 reception rooms and a kitchen with a garage or garage space and some form of drive. The layout of the pre‐war 1930s type property is very similar but the methods of construction and the failures that one will find vary considerably.
The response of shelf waters to the passage of tropical cyclones—observations from the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Current meter data obtained from sites on the Alabama, west Florida, and Texas-Louisiana shelves during 1979 coincided with the passage of five tropical cyclones; hurricane Bob, tropical storm Claudette, tropical storm Elena, hurricane Frederic and hurricane Henri, and a sixth storm (hurricane David) which skirted the west Florida coast, although the eye remained east of the Florida penninsula. The observations suggest that along the Alabama shelf (25 m water depth), where the isobaths were essentially perpendicular to the path of the storms, hurricanes Bob and Frederic and tropical storm Claudette caused coastal set-up/set-down, resulting in a complex response. The observations from the west Florida shelf (31 m water depth), where storm paths generally paralleled the isobaths, suggest that the flows associated with hurricanes Frederic, David and possibly tropical storm Claudette were a combination of the storms setting water in motion as they moved through the Gulf of Mexico and local wind forcing. These observations are supported, in part, by the results of an empirical model developed by Holland (1980, Monthly Weather Review , 108 , 1212–1218) to estimate the winds associated with tropical cyclones. At the Texas mooring (100 m water depth), one storm, Claudette, passed nearly over the mooring, forcing the flow to a depth of 50 m below the surface. With the exception of hurricane Frederic at the Alabama shelf mooring, and tropical storm Claudette at the Texas mooring, a response to some of the tropical cyclones occurred even when the center of the storms passed over 200 km from the moorings.
Providing Psychotherapy within a Prepaid Health Plan: The Influence of Organizational Context on Task Performance

Abstract The mental health (MH) service of a prepaid health plan (PHP) often provides the only realistic psychotherapy resource available to plan members. Yet the high number of members seeking services may compromise the ability of a mental health staff to deliver continuous long-term psychotherapy to more than a small proportion of patients seeking treatment. A careful analysis of the context of a PHP suggests that some of the problems for the psychotherapist are created by the responsibility of the MH service for future as well as current and past therapy cases. The setting also presents opportunities for periodic psychotherapy treatment and follow-up with plan members. The various components of the PHP and the setting and benefits help determine the services required of the MH staff. The need for highly accessible services may result in brief or intermittent psychotherapy services for most plan members. At the same time, highly accessible services may allow many patients to enter and leave therapy fre...
Pleomorphic liposarcoma of the pterygomandibular space involving the maxilla

Liposarcoma of the head and neck is rare. Because of its rarity, we report this case of pleomorphic liposarcoma of the left pterygomandibular space, involving the maxilla, maxillary sinus, left lateral maxillary wall, left maxillary gingiva with extension into the buccal space, retro-orbital region, left mandibular ramus, and left zygomatic process. To our knowledge, there are only two other reported cases of liposarcoma involving the maxilla, one of which was a pleomorphic liposarcoma. The pertinent literature is reviewed with an emphasis on the importance of histopathologic classification.
Contribution of UV transitions to the strong third-order nonlinearity of doped fibers

To explain the high third-order nonlinearity observed in rare earth doped fibers, we examine the role of the various transitions of the dopants. We present experimental evidence that in fibers doped with Er3+, Nd3+, or Yb3+, most of the nonlinearity is caused by the dopant's UV transitions, i.e., it is non-resonant in nature. The magnitude of the nonlinearity is shown to be in excellent quantitatively agreement with a model. Fiber modulators and switches based on this widespread mechanisms are predicted to operate over a large range of signal wavelengths and with negligible signal loss.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Shape Correction of Inflatable Membranes by Rigidization and Actuation

The desire to see farther into space with increased accuracy is driving the development of large diameter (10-100 m in diameter) inflatable telescope reflectors that can be launched in a compact form and inflated in space. The surface shape of these membrane reflectors must be precise down to the micrometer level. However, it is unlikely that a membrane reflector could reach this ideal shape without the assistance of active and passive shape correction. Two methods of shape correction considered in this study were 1) passive actuation through epoxy-coating shrinkage strains during rigidization and 2) active actuation through a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric film. Laser interferometry shearography and shadow moire interferometry techniques were used to observe how cure stress and PVDF actuation affect the surface shape of sample membranes. The effect of in-plane strains on the reflector shape was analyzed using a finite element model. Results show that a limited amount of shape correction is possible with both techniques. However, the magnitude of shape correction diminishes dramatically with inflation pressure and is not sufficient to overcome the surface errors caused by geometric nonlinearities at high inflation pressures.
Ensuring authorization privileges for cascading user obligations

User obligations are actions that the human users are required to perform in some future time. These are common in many practical access control and privacy and can depend on and affect the authorization state. Consequently, a user can incur an obligation that she is not authorized to perform which may hamper the usability of a system. To mitigate this problem, previous work introduced a property of the authorization state, accountability, which requires that all the obligatory actions to be authorized when they are attempted. Although, existing work provides a specific and tractable decision procedure for a variation of the accountability property, it makes a simplified assumption that no cascading obligations may happen, i.e., obligatory actions cannot further incur obligations. This is a strong assumption which reduces the expressive power of past models, and thus cannot support many obligation scenarios in practical security and privacy policies. In this work, we precisely specify the strong accountability property in the presence of cascading obligations and prove that deciding it is NP-hard. We provide for several special yet practical cases of cascading obligations (i.e., repetitive, finite cascading, etc.) a tractable decision procedure for accountability. Our experimental results illustrate that supporting such special cases is feasible in practice.
Selected Microbes Light the Flame

As shown time and time again, Mom was right: A balanced diet is key to reaping healthy biological effects from what’s on your plate. Although past research has shed light on the various effects of food on health, many aspects of this complex relationship remain unclear. Now, Hashimoto and colleagues add a new dimension to our understanding of how a poor diet disturbs the gastrointestinal balance that is required to respond to inflammatory stimuli. The authors used a mouse model in which the gene that encodes angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) was knocked out (ACE2 knockout mice); ACE2, associated with a beneficial role in the cardiovascular system, digests angiotensin differently from its homolog ACE, the target in the renin-angiotensin system of ACE-inhibitor drugs used to lower blood pressure. The intestinal architecture did not unveil differences between the ACE2 knockout and wild-type animals. However, a chemical challenge induced a more pronounced inflammatory response in the colon of ACE2 knockout mice than in the wild-type controls. When wild-type mice were put on a protein-free diet, the chemically induced inflammatory lesions were as severe as those in the mutant mice, suggesting a role for nutrients in modulating the inflammatory response. In the ACE2 knockout mice, biodisposition of dietary amino acids was diminished, probably because the intestine and kidney of the mice do not express the transporter BAT1, which mediates the uptake of neutral amino acids such as tryptophan. Lack of this essential amino acid in the diet markedly promoted inflammation after chemical irritation. Conversely, supplementing tryptophan as a dipeptide—a form of this amino acid that does not rely on BAT1 for uptake by gut cells—ameliorated chemically induced inflammation. The authors concluded that gut depletion of tryptophan in the ACE2 knockout mice enhanced susceptibility to inflammation. The depletion of tryptophan also correlated with depression of antimicrobial peptide synthesis by intestinal epithelial cells and alteration of the bacterial composition of the ileocaecal gut, which was restored to the wild-type composition after tryptophan repletion. The relevance of the microbes to confer disease was underscored when the authors showed that transplantation of the altered microbiome from ACE2 knockout mice into germ-free wild-type animals produced the inflammatory phenotype after exposure to the chemical irritant. This intriguing new work integrates nutrients, antimicrobials, and microbes as key regulators of intestinal inflammation in the context of a low-protein diet. As it becomes evident that the microbiota in and on us are in deep symbiosis with us, definition of their functions in mechanisms of health and disease may yield transformative therapeutic approaches. T. Hashimoto et al ., ACE2 links amino acid malnutrition to microbial ecology and intestinal inflammation. Nature 487 , 477–481 (2012). [[Full Text]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v487/n7408/full/nature11228.html?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20120726
Scale Errors Offer Evidence for a Perception-Action Dissociation Early in Life

We report a perception-action dissociation in the behavior of normally developing young children. In adults and older children, the perception of an object and the organization of actions on it are seamlessly integrated. However, as documented here, 18- to 30-month-old children sometimes fail to use information about object size and make serious attempts to perform impossible actions on miniature objects. They try, for example, to sit in a dollhouse chair or to get into a small toy car. We interpret scale errors as reflecting problems with inhibitory control and with the integration of visual information for perception and action.
Powerful single-frequency ring dye laser spanning the visible spectrum.

With an improved water-base dye solvent and 24-W all-lines pumping from an argon laser, we have generated 5.6 W of stabilized single-frequency output from a ring laser in rhodamine 6G dye. With this solvent, a mixture of ammonyx-LO and ethylene glycol chilled to 10°C, thermal distortion of the jet no longer limits the dye laser output power, and the tuning curves reported here are all limited by available pump input levels. This single-frequency system has been optimized over the entire visible spectrum (407–887 nm), and results for the eleven best dyes are presented.
Ecological consequences of hybridization between a wild species (Echinacea purpurea) and related cultivar (E. purpurea 'White Swan')

Abstract In the first such study of its kind, we examined gene flow potential between a valued native plant and a popular cultivar. We studied outcomes of controlled hybridization between Echinacea purpurea and a conspecific cultivar, E. purpurea `White Swan', by comparing levels of competitive ability and reproductive potential. Differences in plant performance of wild-types and F1′s were studied at three densities (20.3, 45.7, and 182.9 plants/m2) using a field competition experiment. Wild-types were slightly larger but F1s had higher reproductive output. These differences can be attributed to floricultural breeding of the cultivar parent. Based on the results of this research, if the initial hybridization between the wild-type and cultivar were to occur, it is anticipated that the resulting F1 generation would survive and reproduce, creating the potential for continued gene flow. This methodology has potential for use in risk assessment of plant introductions, including transgenic crops.
Capsule Commentary on Prouty et al. Providers’ Perceptions of Communication Breakdowns in Cancer Care

Prouty and colleagues1 aptly describe the complexities faced by healthcare professionals when communicating with patients and colleagues about cancer care. The providers identified communication barriers at three levels: patient, provider and healthcare system. They recommended specific strategies to individualize and facilitate team-focused communication within healthcare systems. Healthcare professionals ideally pace the delivery of information so patients can absorb information and ask questions that are relevant to them. Patients and families value timely information that is clear, accurate and sufficiently detailed2. A recent Institute of Medicine (IOM) report3 presented an adapted cancer care continuum that could be useful to frame communication germane to the patient’s immediate clinical situation. Information and its delivery should be tailored to the clinical context of a patient’s cancer experience along the continuum of receiving a new diagnosis, news of a recurrence, managing symptoms, being a survivor or facing issues of end-of-life care. Providers’ identified challenges of balancing hope and reality1 without referring to the effect clinical context has on such communication. Additional research would help depict both common and changing informational needs of patients as they progress along the cancer care continuum. Such knowledge would facilitate professionals taking a proactive approach by engaging patients in open conversations to screen for typical phase-specific concerns and then tailor information to meet the patient’s specific needs and clinical situation. The IOM report3 described an aging population and its effect on future cancer care. This trend means older patients are likely to experience cancer as one of multiple diagnoses requiring greater coordination of care4. One study reported cancer survivors being followed by primary care physicians were more likely to have multiple comorbidities than those followed by subspecialists5. Interestingly, providers in this study did not identify the patient’s age or comorbidities per se as factors affecting cancer communication1. And yet, their examples of information gaps between primary care physicians and oncologists highlight problems in coordinating care for this population. In summary, ideal and effective cancer care communication capitalizes on healthcare providers’ expertise and interpersonal skills to tailor proactive, compassionate conversations with patients within the context of a cancer care continuum.
The Vibrio cholerae vieSAB Locus Encodes a Pathway Contributing to Cholera Toxin Production

The genes encoding cholera toxin (CT), ctxAB, are coregulated with those for other Vibrio cholerae virulence factors by a cascade of transcriptional activators, including ToxR, TcpP, and ToxT. Additional regulators that modulate expression of ctxAB during infection were recently identified in a genetic selection. A transposon insertion in vieS, the sensor kinase of the VieSAB three-component signal transduction system, resulted in failure to induce expression of a ctxA-recombinase fusion during murine infection. To determine which components of the VieSAB system are essential for CT regulation, ctxAB transcript levels were assessed by RNase protection assay in various vieSAB in-frame deletion mutants after growth in vitro under virulence gene inducing conditions. A threefold reduction in ctxAB transcript levels was observed for the ΔvieSAB strain; consistent with this, the ΔvieSAB strain produced twofold less CT protein than the wild type, and this defect was complementable in trans. These results suggest that the VieSAB three-component system is required for full activation of the ctxAB operon during in vitro growth as well as during infection. The VieSAB system may regulate ctxAB expression indirectly by affecting production of ToxT, because decreased toxT transcript levels were observed in the ΔvieSAB strain.
Photogrammetric portrayal of Mars topography

Special photogrammetric techniques have been developed to portray Mars topography, using Mariner and Viking imaging and nonimaging topographic information and earth-based radar data. Topography is represented by the compilation of maps at three scales: global, intermediate, and very large scale. The global map is a synthesis of topographic information obtained from Mariner 9 and earth-based radar, compiled at a scale of 1:25,000,000 with a contour interval of 1 km; it gives a broad quantitative view of the planet. At intermediate scales, Viking Orbiter photographs of various resolutions are used to compile detailed contour maps of a broad spectrum of prominent geologic features; a contour interval as small as 20 m has been obtained from very high resolution orbital photography. Imagery from the Viking lander facsimile cameras permits construction of detailed, very large scale (1:10) topographic maps of the terrain surrounding the two landers; these maps have a contour interval of 1 cm. This paper presents several new detailed topographic maps of Mars.
Wavelet Filtering for Filtered Backprojection in Computed Tomography

Abstract In this paper, we present a characterization of MRA biorthogonal wavelet filters with full frequency supports. Based on this characterization, it is established that wavelet ramp filters are biorthogonal wavelets if the original wavelets are sufficiently regular. An efficient subband coding algorithm is developed for wavelet filtering in filtered backprojection, which is the most popular method in computed tomography (CT). Computer simulation suggests that this wavelet filtering process is a useful tool for improving image quality and reducing computational time in local CT reconstruction.
High-performance liquid chromatographic detection of myocardial prostaglandins and thromboxanes

Abstract Reperfusion of ischemic myocardium is associated with the breakdown of membrane phospholipids and a corresponding increase in arachidonic acid, ultimately resulting in the production of prostaglandins (PGs) and thromboxanes (TXs). However, quantification of these arachidonic acid metabolites has been limited to radioimmunoassay because of their presence in extremely low amounts. In this report, we describe a method suitable to detect sub-picogram levels of 6-keto-PGF1α, PGF1α, PGE2 and TXB2 in myocardial perfusates by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a high-gain photomultiplier and a xenon—mercury are lamp. Strong Raleigh scatter of the lamp was eliminated by both interference and long-pass cut-off filters. Improved sample clean-up and HPLC separation were achieved by an HPLC system with an Ultrasphere 3-μm C18 column.
Euler-type approximation for systems of stochastic differential equations

By developing a stochastic version of the Taylor formula, the mean-square convergence of the Euler-type approximation for the solution of systems of Ito-type stochastic differential equations is investigated. Sufficient conditions are given to obtain time-varying and time-invariant error estimates.
978-63 The Value of Exercise Testing for Predicting the Outcome in Patients with Congenital Third Degree A-V Block

Ambulatory monitoring (AM) has been reported to have important prognostic value in patients with third degree congenital heart block (CHB). The purpose of this study was to compare clinical, electrocardiographic, exercise (Ex), and ambulatory monitoring variables in predicting outcome in patients with CHB. Multiple clinical (age, gender, race, associated congenital defects, symptoms), and electrocardiographic variables (rest heart rate [HR], QRS duration, atrial rate, resting arrhythmias) were analyzed for 40 patients with CHB but without a pacemaker. Exercise treadmill testing was performed in 17 patients and ambulatory monitoring in 21 patients. Events were defined as cardiac death (n = 2) and/or pacemaker insertion (n = 27). The median follow-up interval was 8 years. No clinical or rest electrocardiographic variables were associated with subsequent events, although there was a trend for the presence of symptoms and low resting HR (p = 0.07 for both). In contrast to ambulatory monitoring, exercise testing was significantly associated with events: Events No Events P Ex Variables Peak HR 99 ± 24 135 ± 32 0.03 (Peak-rest) HR 47 ± 21 67 ± 17 0.18 Rate-pressure product 16,100 ± 5670 23,450 ± 1640 0.03 AM variables Average HR 51 ± 12 58 ± 17 NS Minimum HR 38 ± 5 45 ± 12 0.09 Maximum HR 83 ± 24 77 ± 17 NS Conclusions Clinical and rest electrocardiographic variables, by themselves, are not helpful in predicting outcome in pts with CHB. The addition of exercise testing is more closely associated with outcome than ambulatory monitoring in patients with CHB.
Application of a modified Arakawa ‘a’ grid ocean model having reduced numerical dispersion to the Gulf of Mexico circulation

Abstract We describe a simple, flux conserving robust advection scheme that reduces numerical dispersion in application to passive scalar advection. Our hydrostatic semi-collocated (modified Arakawa ‘a’ grid) ocean model performance is enhanced by this modification in combination with a modified strategy for incompressibility. The modified advection scheme also reduces overshooting errors resulting from numerical dispersion in the evolution of a sloshing front using a non-hydrostatic model. In Gulf of Mexico simulations, many of the realistic detailed features from our original model using 1/12° (about 9 km) resolution occur using the modified numerics with 20-km resolution. These are not seen with the original numerics and 20-km resolution. These detailed features include: strong fronts and frontal eddies; many cyclonic eddies, which spin off major warm core Loop Current eddies; and sharp eastward deflection of the Loop Current directly into the Florida Strait after major warm core eddy shedding.
Colorectal cancer: Detection, treatment, and rehabilitation

In the United States, colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer mortality after lung cancer. However, incidence and mortality rates have been falling, reflecting improvements in primary prevention, early detection, and treatment. This article reviews the major advances in the understanding and management of colorectal cancer.
Chelating agents for metal buffering and analysis in solution

Abstract The design of chelating ligands that are effective as metal buffers in aqueous solution and are useful in analysis of metal ions requires both high stability and selectivity in their reactions with the metal ions of interest. In addition, highly stable and selective metal buffer systems have important applications in metal cleaning, control of metal-catalyzed degradation and oxidation of foods and other organic compounds, trace metal plant nutrition, and the removal of toxic metals from physiological systems. High stability in a metal chelate may be achieved by designing the multidentate ligand so that it will have a sufficient number of donor groups to fully satisfy the coordination requirements of the metal ion, by employing a favorable steric orientation of these donor groups to fit the geometric requirements of the metal ion, and by selection of the types of donor groups that have high intrinsic affinities for the metal ion under consideration. The chelate effect, and the a- or b- character requirements of donor and acceptor atoms provide useful guidelines for the design of chelating ligands. Important factors in the formation of highly stable metal chelates in solution are described. Selectivity in a chelating agent is measured quantitatively by the use of the appropriate stability constants of the metal ions under consideration, together with the equilibrium constants for metal ion hydrolysis and ligand donor group protonation. Examples are also given of the use of qualitative observations on the effectiveness of certain donor groups in cases where stability constant data are not available. Consideration is given to a “treshold” reaction in which a metal ion induces a specific proton dissociation reaction in the ligand, thus increasing selectivity of metal-ligand interaction by many orders of magnitude. Examples are given of synthetic and natural chelating agents that are effective for the buffering or sequestering of troublesome metal ions, such as Fe(III), the lanthanides, and tetrapositive metal ions. Among the functional groups employed to achieve high affinity and selectivity for higher valent metal ions are phenolate, hydroxamate, amide, catecholate, and phosphonate groups. Suggestions for the development of new and more effective ligands are given.