cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship between the WAIS-R and Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised:

This study is a concurrent validation of Level II of the WRAT-R using the WAIS-R Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ scores as criterion measures. Forty-five subjects were administered the WAIS-...
Gut content weight and clearance rate for three species of freshwater invertebrates

There is concern for potential error in the accurate estimation of chemical bioaccumulation in benthic organisms due to chemicals associated with gut contents (sediments). In this study the benthic macroinvertebrates Hexagenia limbata, Chironomus tentans, and Lumbriculus variegatus were exposed to five sediments from the Lower Fox River/Green Bay area of Wisconsin to determine the percentage of their weight due to gut contents and the rate at which guts were emptied when the animals were held in clean water. Upon removal from the test sediments, inorganic gut contents in H. limbata, C. tentans, and L. variegatus represented approximately 9, 10, and 10% of their whole body dry weights, respectively. Depuration rates were relatively rapid, with mayflies, midges, and oligochaetes losing approximately 75, 90, and 100% of their gut contents during the first 12 h of depuration. This suggests that a 12–24-h holding period in clean water at the conclusion of sediment bioaccumulation tests with the three species should be sufficient to eliminate potential bias in tissue residue concentrations due to gut contents.
AMINOACYLATION OF TRANSFER RNAS WITH 2-THIOURIDINE DERIVATIVES IN THE WOBBLE POSITION OF THE ANTICODON

The first position or 'wobble base' in the anticodon of tRNAs is frequently the site of post-transcriptional modification. In Escherichia coli, glutamine, glutamate, and lysine tRNAs contain 2-thiouridine derivatives in this position, and the significance of these modifications has been under investigation since their discovery. Here we describe the investigations to link 2-thiouridine derivatives to aminoacylation of these tRNAs. The implications of these findings on the evolution of specificity of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and on translational regulation are also discussed.
Home- and Community-Based Services Utilization and Aging in Place

This study examines the relationship between home- and community-based service (HCBS) utilization and perceived service needs for aging in place versus relocation, using the data from the Community Partnership for Older Adults Survey. Among the vulnerable, community-dwelling older adult sample (N = 2,001), users of adult day programs, housekeeping, senior lunch, helpline, or personal assistance services were more likely to indicate they would need regular help to remain living on their own. By contrast, users of senior centers, personal assistance, or visiting nurse services were more likely to indicate they would move out due to health problems. Home repair service users were less likely to perceive the need for relocation. Findings have implications for improving long-term care and supportive service systems to meet the current and future needs of community-dwelling older adults.
Drug abuse strategies

In speaking of issues related to strategies concerning the management of substance abuse problems, I will restrict my remarks, by and large, to experiences in the United States. In many regards the substance abuse problems that have emerged in the United States have also emerged in other countries and these countries have also formulated national strategies and perspectives. In listening to the extensive current public dialogues and the professional pronouncements, it is far from clear that a knowledge base exists which will allow any policy recommendations to be made that hold the hope of diminishing to an acceptable degree the magnitude of drug abuse problems. I have a hard time reconciling my feelings about substances use and abuse. I am reasonably certain that a number of people have a low level of suffering and discomforting feelings that makes their life marginally acceptable or unacceptable and when they discover that certain drugs can decrease these feelings, they use them. Suffering is one of the great evils of human existence and should be abolished when it can. However we, as a species, pay too much
Hold the Salt: Vasopressor Role for BDNF

In a recent publication in Neuron, Choe et al. (2015) demonstrate that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling mediates salt-induced blood pressure elevation by increasing the excitability of hypothalamic vasopressin-secreting neurons. These findings suggest complex roles for BDNF in adaptive cardiovascular responses to physiological challenges and in the pathogenesis of hypertension.
Removal of neutral chloroacetamide herbicide degradates during simulated unit processes for drinking water treatment.

Abstract Four chloroacetamide herbicides and 20 neutral chloroacetamide derivatives (known to occur as their environmental degradates) were subjected to simulated drinking water treatment (coagulation, oxidation and adsorption). Coagulation with alum and ferric chloride, at doses for optimum turbidity removal, provided little to no ( K constants) correlated with K ow values.
Potassium dependence of sodium transport in frog skin.

Abstract 22Na+ and 42K+ fluxes across the basolateral membrane of the isolated epithelium of frog skin were investigated with regard to dependence on K+ in the basolateral solution. When K+ was removed from the basolateral solution (K+-free Ringer), there was a transient rise in short circuit current (Lsc) that could be eliminated by pretreatment with ouabain. Concurrently, the apparent sodium efflux across the basolateral membrane ( J Na ∗ 13 ) showed either no change or an immediate (1–2 min) small decrease (∼ 10%) that was followed by a small transient increase. K+ fluxed showed either no change or a small decrease under these conditions. J Na ∗ 13 was partially ouabain sensitive during all of the above treatments. Furosemide partially inhibited both sodium and potassium flux after K+-free treatment. The pump, as defined by oubain sensitivity of Na+ flux, continued to work even after 20 minutes of K+-free treatment. Pump activity may be maintained by potassium leaking from the cells that is recycled by the pump. However, the ouabain-sensitive transient rise in Isc after K+-free treatment cannot readily be explained by changes in either Na+ or K+ flux. A change in pump coupling ratio provides one explanation for these data.
Accuracy of the general peaceman and Rachford alternating direction implicit method

Abstract In this paper, the truncation error of the general Peaceman and Rachford alternating direction implicit (ADI) method in a N-dimensional space was derived by using the Taylor-series-expansion approach. The formulation of this truncation error is TE= 2−N 2N 2 ∑ i =l N ∑ j=l N ∂ 4 θ ∂η 2 i η 2 j δτ+O(δτ 2 )+ ∑ i =l N O(δη 2 i which indicates that the method is second order accurate in both time and space for two dimensions but reduces to first order accuracy in time for higher dimensions. However the second order time accuracy is recovered when N → ∞. The worst case corresponding to the maximum value of (2-N) 2N 2 occurs at N = 4.
The Effect of Ovariectomy and Long-term Estrogen Replacement on Bladder Structure and Function in the Rat

ABSTRACTPurpose: The use of estrogen replacement therapy for treating postmenopausal urinary incontinence is a controversial topic. We examined the behavioral, cystometric and histological changes that occur with long-term estrogen depletion and supplementation in rat bladders to determine the role of menopause in lower urinary tract dysfunction.Materials and Methods: A total of 40 female Sprague-Dawley rats were placed into 1 of 3 groups, including bilateral ovariectomy, bilateral ovariectomy plus estrogen replacement and control. The estrogen replaced group received a 0.25 mg. 16-week sustained release pellet (Innovative Research of America, Sanasota, Florida) placed subcutaneously. After surgery voiding frequency and volume were measured in 24-hour periods by placing animals in metabolic cages. After 16 weeks the rats underwent catheterization and continuous cystometry. The bladder was then removed and stained with Gomori trichrome. The collagen-to-smooth muscle density ratio was calculated for each sp...
New health systems using network information technologies

A new health system is coming based on network information technologies. It consists of health measurement across the full spectrum of health determinants, using mobile devices such as smartphones. This measurement generates personal health records for each individual within a population, which can then be analyzed to identify cohorts, using statistical clustering on supercomputers. These cohorts determine "which persons have which outcomes", so health management can be supported for higher quality at lower cost. This tutorial concisely summarizes the arguments in the recent book Healthcare Infrastructure: Health Systems for Individuals and Populations.
Alzheimer disease pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. In some ALS patients, dementia or aphasia may be present (ALS-D). The dementia is most commonly a frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and many of these cases have ubiquitin-positive, tau-negative inclusions in neurons of the dentate gyrus and superficial layers of the frontal and temporal lobes. Identical inclusions have been found in cases presenting with FTD and have been designated motor neuron disease (MND)-inclusions. Cases of ALS-D without MND-inclusions have been reported to show neocortical gliosis, neuronal loss, and superficial spongiosis, but there have also been scattered case reports of ALS with Alzheimer's disease (AD). To determine whether AD pathology may play a role in the dementia or aphasia syndromes in ALS, we reviewed 30 cases of sporadic ALS diagnosed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. A clinical history of ALS-D was found in 24.1% of the cases, of which 57% had MND-inclusions. Although the ALS-D cases with MND-inclusions typically had amyloid-beta (Abeta) plaques, there were no neuritic plaques. Three cases of ALS-D had no MND-inclusions, and two of these fulfilled pathological criteria for AD. One ALS-D case showed severe amyloid angiopathy but no neuritic plaques or MND-inclusions. MND-inclusions were not found in any ALS case without dementia; however, four patients without dementia or aphasia showed moderate or frequent numbers of neuritic plaques. In conclusion, we found that approximately 30% of ALS cases with dementia have AD and that some ALS cases without frank dementia have significant AD pathology.
Petrofabric test of viscous folding theory

Abstract Compression and extension axes are deduced from quartz deformation lamellae in a quartzite and a graywacke folded into an asymetrical syncline. Deformation lamellae fabrics in the two sandstones are distinctly different. In the graywacke, regardless of bedding orientation or position on the fold, compression axes are normal or nearly normal to the axial planar rough cleavage. Extension axes generally lie in the cleavage plane, parallel to dip. In most quartzite samples, compression axes are parallel or subparallel to bedding, at high angles to the fold axis and extension axes are normal to bedding. Two samples from the very base of the formation indicate compression parallel to the fold axis with extension parallel to bedding, at high angles to the fold axis. One of these two shows both patterns. The lamellae fabric geometry in these two samples suggests the presence of a neutral surface in the quartzite. The lamellae-derived compression and extension axes are in good agreement with the buckling behavior of a viscous layer (quartzite) embedded in a less viscous medium (graywacke and shale below and shale and carbonate above).
Organ-specific splice variants of aquaporin water channel AgAQP1 in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae.

Background Aquaporin (AQP) water channels are important for water homeostasis in all organisms. Malaria transmission is dependent on Anopheles mosquitoes. Water balance is a major factor influencing mosquito survival, which may indirectly affect pathogen transmission.
Sex-by-generation and ethnic group-by-generation interactions in the Hawaii family study of cognition.

Principal component scores for members of the three largest ethnic groups tested in the Hawaii Family Study of Cognition were subjected to a 3×2×2 (ethnic group x sex x generation) analysis of variance with unequal subclass numbers. Large and highly significant sex-by-generation and ethnic group-by-generation interactions were found for measures of general and specific cognitive abilities. These results suggest the influence of cultural factors on these group differences in Hawaii.
Smooth muscle cell adhesion to tissue engineering scaffolds

Abstract Synthetic polyesters of lactic and glycolic acid, and the extracellular matrix molecule collagen are among the most widely-utilized scaffolding materials in tissue engineering. However, the mechanism of cell adhesion to these tissue engineering scaffolds has not been extensively studied. In this paper, the mechanism of adhesion of smooth muscle cells to these materials was investigated. Vitronectin was found to be the predominant matrix protein adsorbed from serum-containing medium onto polyglycolic acid, poly(lactic co-glycolic) acid, and collagen two-dimensional films and three-dimensional scaffolds. Fibronectin adsorbed to both materials as well, although to a much lower density. Smooth muscle cell adhesion was mediated through specific integrin receptors interacting with these adsorbed proteins, as evidenced by both immunostaining and blocking studies. The receptors involved in adhesion included the αvβ5 to vitronectin, the α5β1 to fibronectin and the α2β1 to collagen I. Identification of the specific receptors used to adhere to these polymers clarifies why smooth muscle tissue development differs on these scaffolds, and may allow one to design tissue formation by controlling the surface chemistry of tissue engineering scaffolds.
Cost-effectiveness of duloxetine versus routine treatment for U.S. patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of duloxetine versus routine treatment in management of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP). Two hundred thirty-three patients with DPNP who completed a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter duloxetine trial were re-randomized into a 52-week, open-label trial of duloxetine 60 mg twice daily versus routine treatment. Routine treatment included pain management therapies. Effectiveness was measured by using the bodily pain domain (BP) of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36). Costs were analyzed from 3 perspectives: third party payer (direct medical costs), employer (direct and indirect medical costs), and societal (patient's out-of-pocket costs and total medical costs). Costs of study medications were not included because of limited data. Bootstrap method was applied to calculate statistical inference of the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Routine treatment most frequently used included gabapentin (56%), venlafaxine (36%), and amitripytline (15%). From employer and societal perspectives, duloxetine was cost-effective (ICER= –$342 and –$429, respectively, per unit of SF-36 BP; both P ≤ .03) and the dominant therapy compared with routine DPNP treatment (both P P ≤ .06). These results, however, reflect the controlled environment of a clinical trial. An analysis of real-world data would be beneficial. Perspective Evaluation of the cost and benefit of new pharmacologic treatments is highly desired by decision makers. From both employer perspective and societal perspective (including patient's out-of-pocket costs), this study demonstrated that duloxetine was more cost-effective than routine treatment in management of DPNP.
Pulmonary artery versus central venous catheter monitoring in the outcome of patients undergoing bilateral total knee replacement.

Bilateral total knee replacement (BTKR) has been associated with a higher incidence of fat embolism (FES) compared to single knee replacement. Consequently, intraoperative monitoring with a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) has been recommended. This study compares clinical outcome in BTKR patients monitored with central venous pressure versus PAC. A retrospective chart review of 249 consecutive patients undergoing BTKR, 132 of whom had PAC insertion versus 117 who had central line insertion, over a 1-year period were included in the study. Their medical records were reviewed for co-morbidities, baseline characteristics, and type of intraoperative monitoring. Need and duration for postoperative monitoring in the postoperative care, length of hospital stay (LOHS), signs of fat embolism, development of arrhythmias, and respiratory failure were all outcome measures. A total of four patients (1.6%) had FES as per Schonfeld criteria. One of these patients died within 48 h of surgery. They all had PAC monitoring intraoperatively. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) remained unchanged during surgery which raises doubt as to the clinical utility and advisability of the use of PAC’s in this setting. There was no statistically significant difference in cardiac or pulmonary complications, or LOHS between the two groups. Central venous pressure monitoring appears to be sufficient in patients undergoing BTKR.
Endocrine events during pre-diapause and non-diapause larval-pupal development of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta

Abstract The haemolymph ecdysteroid titre and in vitro capacities of prothoracic glands and corpora allata to synthesize ecdysone and juvenile hormone, respectively, during the last-larval instar of diapause-destined (short-day) and non-diapause-destined (long-day) Manduca sexta were investigated. In general, the ecdysteroid titres for both populations of larvae were the same and exhibited the two peaks characteristic of the haemolymph titre during this developmental stage in Manduca. The only difference in the titre occurred between day 7 plus 12 h and day 7 plus 20 h, when the short-day larval titre did not decrease as quickly as the long-day titre. The in vitro synthesis of ecdysone by prothoracic glands of short- and long-day larvae during the pharate pupal phase of the instar were also essentially the same. Activity fluctuated at times which would support the idea that ecdysone synthesis by the glands is a major contributing factor to the changes in the haemolymph ecdysteroid titre. There was one subtle difference in prothoracic gland activity between the two populations, occurring on day 7 plus 2 h. By day 7 plus 10 h, however, rates of ecdysone synthesis by the short- and long-day glands were comparable. This elevated activity of the short-day glands occurred just prior to the period the haemolymph ecdysteroid titre remained elevated in these larvae. The capacities of corpora allata to synthesize juvenile hormone I and III in vitro were not markedly different in long- and short-day last-instar larvae. At the time of prothoracicotropic hormone release in the early pupa, activity of corpora allata from short- and long-day reared animals was low and also essentially the same. There were a few differences in the levels of synthesis at isolated times, but they were not consistent for both homologues. Overall, there are no compelling differences in the fluctuations of ecdysteroids and juvenile hormones between diapause-destined and non-diapause-destined Manduca larvae. Since these hormones do not appear to play any obviously significant role in the induction of pupal diapause in this insect, the photoperiodic induction of diapause in Manduca appears to be a predominantly brain-centred phenomenon not involving endocrine effectors.
Impact of Diet and Age on Element Excretion from Dogs

Abstract Dog (Canis familiaris L.) excreta may pollute the environment. However, little is known about the nature of canine feces and urine. A study was conducted to determine effects of age (young adult and geriatric) and diet (160, 240, or 320 g crude protein (CP) kg−1 feed) on element concentrations in female beagle excreta. Age had no significant effect on element concentrations in feces or urine. Increasing dietary CP significantly increased fecal carbon (C; P > F = 0.0001) and nitrogen (N; P > F = 0.0001) concentrations, but decreased C:N (P > F = 0.0001). Canine fecal phosphorus (P) concentration was higher than typical values reported for feedlot cattle, broiler chickens, and swine produced in concentrated animal feeding operations. Fecal P concentration decreased when CP was increased from 160 (45.6 g P kg−1) to 240 g kg−1 (39.2 g P kg−1), suggesting that dietary manipulation has potential to decrease P discharge to the environment.
THE IDEMPOTENTS IN A PERIODIC SEMIGROUP

Let be the semigroup variety determined by the identity xm=xm+k. For we define operations on the set E(S) of idempotents of S and thus obtain the idempotent algebra of S. For any subvariety of the idempotent algebras of the members of form a variety and yields a complete homomorphism of the lattice of subvarieties of onto the lattice of subvarieties of . The lattice contains a ∩-semilattice isomorphic to the ∩-semilattice of group varieties of exponent dividing k for every m≥1. In particular, for appropriate k, the lattice of subvarieties of the variety of all idempotent algebras of the completely regular semigroups over groups that belong to is of the power of the continuum. For any , ρ→ρ|E(S) yields a complete homomorphism of the congruence lattice of S into the lattice of equivalence relations on E(S).
Measurement Invariance Across Groups in Latent Growth Modeling

This Monte Carlo study investigated the impacts of measurement noninvariance across groups on major parameter estimates in latent growth modeling when researchers test group differences in initial status and latent growth. The average initial status and latent growth and the group effects on initial status and latent growth were investigated in terms of Type I error and bias. The location and magnitude of noninvariance across groups was related to the location and magnitude of bias and Type I error in the parameter estimates. That is, noninvariance in factor loadings and intercepts was associated with the Type I error inflation and bias in the parameter estimates of the slope factor (or latent growth) and the intercept factor (or initial status), respectively. As noninvariance became large, the degree of Type I error and bias also increased. On the other hand, a correctly specified second-order latent growth model yielded unbiased parameter estimates and correct statistical inferences. Other findings and ...
An ascending hypothalamopetal pathway

Abstract The brain stems of cats with stereotaxically placed electrolytic lesions of the right medial lemniscus were stained for degenerating axons and terminals in an attempt to establish an anatomical basis for previously reported obesity following similar lesions. In addition to the well known fibers passing rostrally to terminate in the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus, a small number of fibers pealed off from the lemniscus and ran dorsally and medially to the periaqueductal gray. Within the gray, this group of fibers traveled rostrally and, near the level of the posterior commissure, divided into three small fasciculi. The ventralmost fibers curved ventrally to terminate in the fields of Forel and those placed more dorsal reached the hypothalamus either by way of the stria medullaris thalami or by a more direct route through the brain stem. These pathways are discussed in terms of possible feeding mechanisms.
On finite type 3-manifold invariants I

Recently Ohtsuki [Oh2], motivated by the notion of finite type knot invariants, introduced the notion of finite type invariants for oriented, integral homology 3-spheres. In the present paper we propose another definition of finite type invariants of integral homology 3-spheres and give equivalent reformulations of our notion. We show that our invariants form a filtered commutative algebra. We compare the two induced filtrations on the vector space on the set of integral homology 3-spheres. As an observation, we discover a new set of restrictions that finite type invariants in the sense of Ohtsuki satisfy and give a set of axioms that characterize the Casson invariant. Finally, we pose a set of questions relating the finite type 3-manifold invariants with the (Vassiliev) knot invariants.
Some Factors Affecting Age at Puberty and the First 90 Days of Lactation in Holstein Heifers

Summary Data from 184 Holstein heifers representing six sire lines and four systems of mating were analyzed to determine the genetic effects of sire-line and system of mating, and the environmental effect of season of birth on age at puberty. The mean age at puberty for this group of heifers was 345 days. Sire line and system of mating were found to affect significantly the age at which a heifer attained puberty. Age at puberty was correlated significantly with 6-mo. weight (−0.56, P Age at puberty was correlated significantly with weight at first calving (−0.31, P
Hydrazine degradation in aquatic systems.

As hydrazine, which is a strong reducing or anti-oxidant agent and quite toxic, becomes more and more widely used in industry and (as a propellant) in aerospace operations 87 interest continues to mount concerning its potential pollution of the environment and hazards to living organisms. One of the many potential problem areas receiving attention in the Air Force is hydrazine interaction with water and effects on aquatic organisms~ Two approaches were undertaken almost simultaneously in the early stage of this program. One was to determine the effect of hydrazine on various properties of water (pH, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, hardness, etc.) prior to studying its toxicity to fish; the behavior of hydrazine compounds in water was investigated (SLONIM 1975), and the results on acute toxicity will be reported elsewhere. The other approach was to first develop a rapid and sensitive method for analyzing hydrazine in solution and second to apply it in studies to determine if hydrazine is stable or degrades in various types of aquatic systems. To meet the first requirement, a polarographic technique was developed recently that is highly specific for hydrazine, impervious to interfering substances, and relatively simple to perform (GISCLARD 1975). Second, this method was applied in this study to analyzing various water samples in which hydrazine was added and its concentration followed for four days. The results of five experiments are reported in this paper. Three experiments consisted of analyzing hydrazine in water taken from various outdoor sources and on-base facilities, the same samples equalized in terms of temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO), and water of varying hardness. The last two experiments involved the effect of fish excretions on hydrazine and some preliminary data on hydrazine uptake by fish.
Influence of training on myocardial responses of rats subjected to conditions of ischaemia and hypoxia

Physical training has been advocated to minimize the problems associated with coronary heart disease; however, the responsible mechanisms are obscure. Rats trained to run on a treadmill were subjected to acute conditions of hypoxia and myocardial ischaemia. Trained rats were better able to maintain a higher level of cardiac performance (dP/dtmax) after hypoxia than non-trained rats, but no advantages were apparent after ischaemia. Biochemical data showed no myocardial differences between the groups in oxygen utilization or energy availability.
T4 DNA replication and viral gene expression.

Abstract The normal dependence of “late” T4 gene expression on concurrent viral DNA replication is circumvented in cells infected with a triple mutant in which viral DNA polymerase, DNA ligase, and the exonuclease functions of genes 46 or 47 are defective. Acrylamide gel electrophoresis of labeled proteins from infected cells has made possible an extension of the analysis of replication-uncoupled T4 protein synthesis. We find a number of late T4 proteins synthesized: the products of genes 34, 37, 18, 23 and 24. Processing of the gene 23 product, normally headassembly dependent, occurs, but with considerably diminished efficiency compared to wild-type infection. Late T4 protein synthesis in replication-uncoupled infection retains a requirement for T4 gene 33 and gene 55 function. Finally, a number of “early” T4 gene products, normally shut off late in wildtype infection, continue to be synthesized late in replication-uncoupled infection, concurrently with the late proteins.
Estimating fugitive dust emission rates using an environmental boundary layer wind tunnel

Abstract Emissions from fugitive dust due to erosion of “natural” wind-blown surfaces are an increasingly important part of PM10 (particulate matter with sizes of 10 μm aerodynamic diameter) emission inventories. These inventories are particularly important to State Implementation Plans (SIP), the plan required for each state to file with the Federal government indicating how they will comply with the Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA). However, techniques for determining the fugitive dust contribution to over all PM10 emissions are still in their developmental stages. In the past, the methods have included field monitoring stations, specialized field studies and field wind-tunnel studies. The measurements made in this paper allow for systematic determination of PM10 emission rates through the use of an environmental boundary layer wind tunnel in the laboratory. Near surface steady-state concentration profiles and velocity profiles are obtained in order to use a control volume approach to estimate emission rates. This methodology is applied to soils retrieved from the nation's single largest PM10 source, Owens (dry) Lake in California, to estimate emission rates during active storm periods. The estimated emission rates are comparable to those obtained from field studies and lend to the validity of this method for determining fugitive dust emission rates.
Fundamental studies of Rhodococcus opacus as a biocollector of calcite and magnesite

Rhodococcus opacus, a micro-organism was evaluated as a biocollector for flotation of calcite and magnesite. The electrophoretic behavior of the minerals, before and after R. opacus interaction, was evaluated and showed that the cells adhesion shifted both the minerals zeta-potential curves and the reversal charges in comparison to their original isoelectric points. Adhesion tests suggested a higher affinity of the bacteria for magnesite than calcite. The experiments of the adsorption rate of the R. opacus on calcite and magnesite showed fast kinetics, achieving a maximum of cell adsorption after 5 min. Adsorption isotherm curves for magnesite and calcite could be categorized as Langmurian (L) type II. The best bioflotability results for magnesite and calcite achieved, respectively, values around 93% for a R. opacus concentration of 100 ppm in the pH around 5.0 and 55% for a R. opacus concentration of 220 ppm in the pH around 7.0. The bioflotation experiments were discussed considering the obtained adhesion tests. The fundamental flotation studies showed the paramount potential that R. opacus presents as a biocollector and its possible application in the mineral flotation industry.
The effects of carbon nanotubes on lung and dermal cellular behaviors

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) hold great promise to create new and better products, but their adverse health effect is a major concern. Human exposure to CNTs is primarily through inhalation and dermal contact, especially during the manufacturing and handling processes. Numerous animal studies have demonstrated the potential pulmonary and dermal hazards associated with CNT exposure, while in vitro studies have assessed the effects of CNT exposure on various cellular behaviors and have been used to perform mechanistic studies. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathological effects of CNTs and examine the acute and chronic effects of CNT exposure on lung and dermal cellular behaviors, beyond the generally discussed cytotoxicity. We then examine the linkage of cellular behaviors and disease pathogenesis, and discuss the pertinent mechanisms.
What to do about bad language on the internet

The rise of social media has brought computational linguistics in ever-closer contact with bad language: text that defies our expectations about vocabulary, spelling, and syntax. This paper surveys the landscape of bad language, and offers a critical review of the NLP community’s response, which has largely followed two paths: normalization and domain adaptation. Each approach is evaluated in the context of theoretical and empirical work on computer-mediated communication. In addition, the paper presents a quantitative analysis of the lexical diversity of social media text, and its relationship to other corpora.
Significant reduction of BiFC non-specific assembly facilitates in planta assessment of heterotrimeric G-protein interactors

Protein networks and signaling cascades are key mechanisms for intra- and intercellular signal transduction. Identifying the interacting partners of a protein can provide vital clues regarding its physiological role. The bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay has become a routine tool for in vivo analysis of protein-protein interactions and their subcellular location. Although the BiFC system has improved since its inception, the available options for in planta analysis are still subject to very low signal-to-noise ratios, and a systematic comparison of BiFC confounding background signals has been lacking. Background signals can obscure weak interactions, provide false positives, and decrease confidence in true positives. To overcome these problems, we performed an extensive in planta analysis of published BiFC fragments used in metazoa and plants, and then developed an optimized single vector BiFC system which utilizes monomeric Venus (mVenus) split at residue 210, and contains an integrated mTurquoise2 marker to precisely identify transformed cells in order to distinguish true negatives. Here we provide our streamlined double ORF expression (pDOE) BiFC system, and show that our advance in BiFC methodology functions even with an internally fused mVenus210 fragment. We illustrate the efficacy of the system by providing direct visualization of Arabidopsis MLO1 interacting with a calmodulin-like (CML) protein, and by showing that heterotrimeric G-protein subunits Gα (GPA1) and Gβ (AGB1) interact in plant cells. We further demonstrate that GPA1 and AGB1 each physically interact with PLDα1 in planta, and that mutation of the so-called PLDα1 'DRY' motif abolishes both of these interactions.
Determining benefits and costs of improved water heater efficiencies

Economic impacts on individual consumers from possible revisions to US residential water heater energy-efficiency standards are examined using a life-cycle cost (LCC) analysis. LCC is the consumer's cost of purchasing and installing a water heater and operating it over its lifetime. This approach makes it possible to evaluate the economic impacts on individual consumers from the revised standards. The methodology allows an examination of groups of the population which benefit or lose from suggested efficiency standards. The results show that the economic benefits to consumers are significant. At the efficiency level examined in this paper, 35% of households with electric water heaters experience LCC savings, with an average savings of $106, while 4% show LCC losses, with an average loss of $40 compared to a pre-standard LCC average of $2565. The remainder of the population (61%) are largely unaffected.
The Accuracy of the National Preelection Polls in the 2004 Presidential Election

The 2004 presidential election campaign provided a venue for a wide variety of polling, and it was not without its controver- sies. In the end, the final estimates of the preelection polls, the bread and butter of the polling industry, were very good at suggesting it would be a close race, with Bush the likely winner. In historical perspective, the overall performance was above average for the period since 1956. Issues raised in the media leading up to the end of the campaign and the final estimates, however, created some controversy, especially about the likely voter methodology used by different organizations. There were also some anomalies at the end of the campaign as some firms and col- laborators ended up producing different estimates of the outcome depending on likely voter definitions or the mode of data collection. The 2004 presidential election in the United States produced a relatively easy popular vote victory for incumbent president George W. Bush, as he con- verted a 500,000 vote loss in 2000 to a 3.5 million margin over Senator John Kerry. In the final count of the popular vote division, Bush received 50.7 per- cent of the popular vote, while Kerry received 48.3 percent (McDonald 2004). His 2.4 percentage point victory was the closest for an incumbent president, just ahead of Woodrow Wilson's 3.1 percentage point victory in 1916. While the overall electoral map looked very similar to the one in 2000, with two states converting from Democratic to Republican (Iowa and New Mexico) and one from Republican to Democratic (New Hampshire), the electoral vote outcome produced a more substantial Bush victory. He won by 286 to 252, as redistricting after the 2000 U.S. Census produced a shift of seven net electoral votes in his direction from the states that he won in 2000 simply as a result of faster-than-average population growth there due to migration and immigration.
Likelihood function-based modulation classification in bandwidth-constrained sensor networks

Automatic modulation classification with a single receiver has been intensively studied for two decades. Enhancing the successful classification probability is a bottleneck in this research field especially with weak signals in a non-cooperative communication environment. A sensor network with distributed classification techniques is expected to achieve technology breakthrough in providing spatial diversity and increasing the classification reliability. In this paper, we developed a distributed likelihood function-based classification method and extend the automatic modulation classification to sensor or radio networks. The classification methods performed in the sensors and primary node associated with theoretical discussion and numerical results are presented.
Adoption of electronic health records in primary care pediatric practices.

BACKGROUND. Electronic health records may improve care delivery. Although professional organizations and federal agencies encourage widespread adoption, no national data are available regarding the penetration of electronic health records into primary care pediatric practices. METHODS. We used a national mail survey of 1000 randomly selected primary care pediatricians conducted from August to November 2005. RESULTS. The response rate was 58%. Overall, 21.3% of respondents had an electronic health record in their practice. The likelihood of having an electronic health record increased with practice size. Those in a practice network were more likely to have an electronic health record than those in other settings. Smaller and independent practices were less likely to be considering implementing an electronic health record. Although most electronic health records include some pediatric-specific functionality such as the ability to record immunizations, many do not offer decision support; only approximately one third included immunization prompts or alerts for abnormal laboratory results. Cost was a barrier for nearly all of those without an electronic health record; half of the respondents questioned whether electronic health records lead to improvement in quality of care, and many could not identify an electronic health record that would meet their practice requirements. CONCLUSIONS. Electronic health records are concentrated in larger and networked pediatric practices. Smaller and independent pediatric practices, the most common types of practice, are unlikely to adopt electronic health records until the cost of implementing and maintaining the systems decreases, developing standards for interoperability are adopted, and electronic health records are widely perceived to improve quality of care by practicing general pediatricians. The lack of decision support in current electronic health records may limit the ability of these tools to improve care delivery.
Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Pathogenic Bacteria in Chicken and Guinea Fowl

This study was conducted to compare the presence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter, Salmonella spp., and other enteric bacteria between chickens and guinea fowls. Birds were reared on enclosed concrete floor housing covered with pine wood shavings litter material. Chicken (n = 40) and guinea fowl (n = 40) carcasses, drinking water (10 mL; n = 40), and litter (10 g; n = 40) were aseptically collected randomly from a poultry farm and analyzed within 1 h of collection. Individual pens served as experimental units and were replicated twice. Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and other enterobactericeae were isolated and identified using standard selective media and biochemical tests. Isolates were tested for sensitivity to tetracycline, ampicillin, streptomycin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, gentamicin, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, cefoxitin, and colistin using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion test. Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. were isolated from 28 and 35% of whole carcass rinses of chickens and from 18 and 23% of whole carcass rinses of guinea fowl, respectively. Although only Salmonella spp. were recovered from drinking water, both Salmonella and Campylobacter spp. were recovered from litter material. Campylobacter upsaliensis was recovered only in the guinea fowl, whereas Klebsiella oxytoca and Enterobacter sakazakii were recovered only in chickens. Although no antibiotic resistance was determined in Campylobacter upsaliensis, most Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli isolates from both chickens and guinea fowl were resistant to antibiotics such as ampicillin, kanamycin, erythromycin, and nalidixic acid.
Shattering of a Liquid Drop due to Impact

Based on energy and entropy principles, a statistical model describing the shattered state of a single spherical liquid drop after being subjected to a relatively sudden but uniform (over the whole surface area of the drop) impact is developed. The problem is addressed from a fundamental standpoint, with the intention of providing a predictive framework for the various modes of breakup and the size and number of droplets produced. Upon neglecting viscous effects, several results in terms of the energy of impact, non-dimensionalized with respect to the surface energy of the drop before impact, are derived. The model is quite simple and straightforward, yet it appears to predict in a fairly consistent manner certain experimental observations that have been made repeatedly in relation to drop breakup in stirred dispersions, by collision, and exposure to shocks.
Macrophages Promote Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-Driven Tumor Cell Migration and Invasion in a Cxcr2-Dependent Manner

Infiltration of immune cells, specifically macrophages, into the tumor microenvironment has been linked to increased mammary tumor formation and progression. Activation of growth factor receptor signaling pathways within mammary epithelial cells, such as the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) pathway, induces recruitment of macrophages to the mammary epithelium. These macrophages promote increased epithelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. However, the specific mechanisms by which these macrophages are regulated by the preneoplastic epithelial cells and the mechanisms of action of the macrophages within the developing FGFR1-driven tumor microenvironment remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that activation of inducible FGFR1 in mammary glands leads to decreased activity of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ)/Smad3 pathway in macrophages associated with early stage lesions. Further studies demonstrate that macrophages have increased expression of inflammatory chemokines that bind Cxcr2 following exposure to conditioned media from mammary epithelial and tumor cells in which the FGF pathway had been activated. The increase in these ligands is inhibited following activation of the TGFβ pathway, suggesting that decreased TGFβ signaling contributes to the upregulation of these chemokines. Using co-culture studies, we further demonstrate that macrophages are capable of promoting epithelial and tumor cell migration and invasion through activation of Cxcr2. These results indicate that macrophage-derived Cxcr2 ligands may be important for promoting mammary tumor formation regulated by FGFR signaling. Furthermore, these results suggest that targeting Cxcr2 may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for breast cancers that are associated with high levels of infiltrating macrophages.
ESTIMATION OF CORONARY ARTERIAL WALL STRAIN IN CLINICAL IVUS IMAGES

In this study, we propose a practical method to estimate cross-sectional wall strain distribution of coronary arteries from clinically acquired intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images in continuous pullback mode. First, cardiac phase information is retrieved retrospectively from an IVUS image sequence using an image-based gating method, and image sub-sequences at systole and diastole are extracted. Images at branch sites are used as benchmarks to align the two image sub-sequences. Finally, the paired images at each site are registered to estimate the cross-sectional strain of the coronary artery.
Category Boundaries Can Be Accentuated Without Increasing Intergroup Bias

Two studies tested whether the boundaries separating groups could be strengthened without increasing intergroup bias. Using a modified minimal group paradigm, the salience of the group distinction was manipulated through instructions that either called attention to the division between the two groups (high salience), or to dimensions orthogonal to group boundaries (low salience). High salience increased both perceived differences between the groups and perceived similarities within the groups. Moreover, participants demonstrated classic intergroup bias, expressing a preference for the ingroup over the outgroup. Critically, however, the magnitude of intergroup bias was not greater in the high salience condition. Study 2 replicated these effects using real groups with a preexisting stereotype. The results suggest that models of prejudice reduction need not rely on minimization of perceived group boundaries in order to be effective.