cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Corrections and the Green Industry

The New Jersey Department of Corrections has awarded a $90,000.00 grant to Rutgers University-Cook College to develop specialized training for youth correctional programs. The objective is for participants to gain horticultural skills and ultimately be trained and employable. Potential employers include all facets of the green industry- florists, landscapers, garden centers, nurseries, sports turf managers, parks and shade tree departments, and interior plantscapers. Using a structured set of training modules, participants will have the opportunity to develop new levels of knowledge, responsibility and achievement. Participants will gain hands-on experience as they put to work the lessons learned in class. On a regular basis, students, instructors and counselors will be surveyed to gauge program effectiveness. Academic and socio-emotional progress will be monitored and documented at regular intervals. Career counseling, internships, and a job placement mechanism will serve as follow-up, helping to steer t...
Dielectric matrix for aluminum

The dielectric screening matrix ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{G{G}^{\ensuremath{'}}}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}})$ for aluminum is evaluated using realistic band energies and wave functions. The Bloch states are obtained from a self-consistent tight-binding calculation in which Gaussian orbitals are used as basis functions. Results are presented for three principal directions of $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}}$, [100], [110], and [111], with 15 values for the reciprocal-lattice vectors $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{G}}$ and ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{G}}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$. It is found that the off-diagonal elements are, in general, small compared to the diagonal terms and that the diagonal terms show some directional effect in their monotonic decrease as $|\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}}+\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{G}}|$ increases.
Nachtrag zu der im 199. Bd., H. 1/2 erschienenen Arbeit: “Über chirurgische Behandlung von gastro-intestinalen Krisen bei Tabes dorsalis”

Nach Durchtrennung der entsprechenden Communicansfasern der anderen Seite ist nicht nur eine erstaunliche Besserung im Befinden eingetreten, sondern ein fast volliges Verschwinden der gastrischen Krisen (nunmehr 7 mon, Beobachtungszeit nach der letzten Op.) erreicht worden.
In Vitro Modeling of Spinal AnesthesiaA Digital Video Image Processing Technique and Its Application to Catheter Characterization

BACKGROUND Maldistribution of intrathecal local anesthetic has recently been implicated as a contributor to neurotoxic injury. In vitro modeling can be used to understand the distribution of anesthetic agents within the subarachnoid space. We describe an in vitro modeling technique that uses digital video image processing and its application to catheter injection of local anesthetic. METHODS A clear plastic model of the subarachnoid space, including a simulated spinal cord and cauda equina, was filled with lactated Ringer's solution. Phthalocyanine blue dye of known concentration was injected into the model through small-bore (28-G) and large-bore (18-G) catheters. Injections were performed at a variety of controlled rates and sacral catheter positions, and the propagation of dye throughout the model was recorded on videotape, digitized by computer, and converted to a two-dimensional image of dye concentration. A subset of data was compared with results obtained from spectrophotometric analysis. RESULTS There was a strong correlation (r = 0.98) between data obtained with analysis by digital video image processing and those obtained spectrophotometrically. Catheter size, catheter angle, and injection rate significantly influenced the distribution and peak concentration of simulated anesthetic. No major differences in distribution or peak concentration were observed with the two types of 28-G catheters. CONCLUSIONS The digital video image processing technique can be used to quantify anesthetic distribution rapidly within a model of the subarachnoid space without disturbing the distribution. The current results demonstrate a strong dependence of anesthetic distribution on catheter angle, catheter size, and injection rate. Comparisons between 28-G catheters suggest that the difference in reported incidence of cauda equina syndrome associated with different 28-G catheters cannot be explained on the basis of differences in anesthetic distribution.
The Interaction between Caffeine and Calcium in the Desensitization of Muscle Postjunctional Membrane Receptors

The interaction between caffeine and calcium on the rate of desensitization of muscle postjunctional membrane (PJM) receptors during the sustained application of 0.27 mM carbamylcholine (CARB) has been studied in vitro on the sartorius muscle of the frog. The rate of PJM repolarization with CARB added to the solution bathing the muscle or the recovery of the effective transmembrane resistance (EMR) during the microperfusion of CARB directly onto the end-plate region of individual fibers was used as an index of the rate of desensitization. Caffeine (1.5 mM) increased the rate of PJM repolarization with bulk application of CARB in a 1.8 or 10 mM calcium Ringer solution but had no effect on PJM repolarization in a calcium-deficient, 4 mM magnesium Ringer solution. For EMR measurements the preparation was rendered mechanically quiescent by repeated challenges with isotonic KCl during an exposure of several hours to a calcium-free, 4 mM magnesium-1 mM EGTA Ringer solution. In these fibers, the microperfusion of 0.27 mM CARB together with 1.8 mM calcium plus 1.5 mM caffeine significantly increased the rate of EMR recovery above that observed in the absence of caffeine. Raising the calcium concentration to 10 mM had a similar effect; however, no additional increase was noted by the inclusion of 1.5 mM caffeine. It is suggested that the major role of caffeine in PJM desensitization is to increase the calcium permeability of the surface membrane. The transmembrane movement of calcium and the consequent intracellular accumulation of calcium is seen as a critical factor in controlling the rate of PJM desensitization.
Distorted-wave-Born-approximation study of angular distributions for state-to-state rearrangement collisions: Role of orbital angular momentum

The structures of product angular distributions for the state-to-state rearrangement collision of an atom --- diatomic-molecule system are examined as a function of the orbital (relative) angular momentum and incident kinetic energy. It is found that a coordinated study of the kernel- and radial-overlap distribution is useful for understanding the predicted structures of the angular distributions of the scattered product. The cause of both backward and sideways scattering are explainable from such study. Broadening of the angular distributions in the case of backward scattering is found to occur due to the increased number of partial waves which overlap with the kernel distribution. In addition, we find that the shift of the peak position or the change from the backward to sideways scattering at increased kinetic energies is due to the enhanced radial overlap between the kernel function and partial waves of larger orbital angular momentum.
Comparative theoretical performance for two types of regional hyperthermia systems

Regional hyperthermia systems have drawn attention because of their potential for depositing power noninvasively in deep-seated tumors. Two such systems that have received clinical attention because of their ability to deposit significant amounts of power in tissue are magnetic induction devices and annular phased array applicators. In this paper, theoretical calculations for the specific absorption rate (SAR) and the resulting temperature distributions for these systems are compared. The finite element method is used in the formulation of both the electromagnetic and thermal boundary value problems. Six detailed patient models based on CT-scan data from the pelvic, visceral, and thoracic regions are generated to simulate a variety of tumor locations. In general, the annular phased array deposited more power within the tumor and produced better temperature distributions than the magnetic induction device. However, the ratio of the maximum power absorbed by the tumor to the maximum power absorbed in normal tissue does not appear to be high enough for either device to heat significant portions of perfused tumors to therapeutic temperatures under a wide range of physiological conditions. The results contained herein should aid the physician in comparative treatment planning with existing regional hyperthermia systems.
Spontaneous Heterograft Aortic Valve Failure

Glutaraldehyde-treated porcine aortic valve prostheses have been in clinical use for ten years. The long-term durability of these valves remains unknown although they have functioned well in most large clinical series for more than five years. At the present time, several manufacturers produce bioprostheses mounted on flexible stents. This report concerns the failure of an Edwards porcine xenograft in the aortic position 15 months following implantation. At reoperation, the right and left coronary leaflets of the explanted valve were torn from the aortic wall. The loss of wall integrity suggests that during the process of mounting the xenograft on the flexible stent, the aortic walls of the bioprosthesis may have been thinned beyond a critical point of maintenance of wall strength. The pathological and clinical findings of similar cases are reviewed.
Towards an elementary theory of drainage basin evolution: II. a computational evaluation

Abstract Numerical solutions to a recently-introduced family of continuous models provide realistic representations of the evolution of fluvial landscapes. The simplest subfamily of the models offers a characterization of the evolution of “badlands” as a process involving (1) a first, transient stage in which branching valleys emerge from unchanneled surfaces; (2) a second, “equilibrium” stage in which a fully-developed surface with branching valleys and ridges declines in a stable, self-similar mode; and (3) a final, dissipative stage in which regularities in the landscape break down. In the transient stage of development, small perturbations to the surface induce local variations in water flow, differential erosion, and the rapid emergence of a coherent, fine-scale structure of channelized flow patterns. The small-scale features evolve into larger scale features by a process in which small flows intersect and grow. Standard linearized analyses of the equations are inadequate for characterizing this process, which appears to be initially dominated by random effects and non-linear saturation. In the second stage, the numerical solutions converge towards satisfaction of an optimality principle by which the patterns of ridges, valleys, and surface concavities minimize a function of the sediment flux over the surface, subject to two constraints. This stage is in accordance with a theoretical analysis of the model presented in a previous paper, and the numerical solutions are stable in accordance with this analysis. The optimality principle is associated with both the emergence of separable solutions to the conservation equations and a variety of regularities in landscape form and evolution, including self-similar decline of forms and a “law of height-proportional erosion”. The numerical solutions provide detailed insight into the co-evolution of landforms and flows of water and sediment. The family of models provides an elementary theory characterizing the evolution of drainage basin phenomena, and in particular (1) possesses interpretations in terms of various geomorphological concepts and observations; (2) appears capable of explaining variations in geomorphic forms over a wide variety of environments; and (3) unifies certain aspects of the continuous, discrete, and variational approaches to landscape modeling.
Sparsity-promoting optimal control of spatially-invariant systems

We study the optimal design of sparse and block sparse feedback gains for spatially-invariant systems on a circle. For this class of systems, the state-space matrices are jointly diagonalizable via the discrete Fourier transform. We exploit this structure to develop an ADMM-based algorithm that significantly reduces the computational complexity relative to standard approaches. Specifically, the complexity of the developed algorithm scales linearly with the number of subsystems. This is in contrast to a cubic scaling when circulant structure is not exploited. Two examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed approach.
Sexual activity and cardiac risk : Overview of epidemiologic research methods

Abstract The goal of clinical research is to differentiate among the different possible types of associations between the factors under study: no association, artifactual association, indirect association, and causal association. This article is intended as a brief overview of the research methods used in clinical research to differentiate these types of associations. It begins with an overview of the scientific method and the types of errors that can be made (i.e., random error, confounding, and bias). It then discusses the criteria supporting the causal nature of an association (i.e., how can one tell when an association is causal?). The criteria reviewed are (1) coherence with existing information; (2) time sequence; (3) specificity; (4) consistency; and (5) strength. Included within the last are quantitative strength, dose–response relation, and study design. Finally, the article provides a very brief outline of the available research designs, i.e., experimental studies, cohort studies, case–control studies, analyses of secular trends, case series, and case reports, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each.
A Microprocessor System to Recover Data from a Self-Scanning Photodiode Array

A microprocessor system developed at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory has expedited the recovery of data describing the low energy x-ray spectra radiated by laser-fusion targets. An Intel microprocessor controls the digitization and scanning of the data stream of an x-ray-sensitive self-scanning photodiode array incorporated in a crystal diffraction spectrometer. (auth)
Physical Education's Role in Public Health

The public health community is becoming increasingly interested in the potential contributions of school physical education to child health. School physical education is seen as an ideal site for the promotion of regular physical activity because up to 97% of elementary school children participate in some sort of physical education program. For maximal public health benefit, school physical education programs should prepare children for a lifetime of physical activity. This public health goal for physical education may require some changes in current approaches. Physical educators are challenged to collaborate with public health professionals in developing and evaluating school physical education programs that will improve the health of the nation's youth.
Flight forces and altitude regulation of 12 gram I-Bird

Ornithopter flight forces are typically measured with the body fixed to a force sensor. Here, we demonstrate the identification of free flight aerodynamic forces at a stable equilibrium point of an ornithopter and compare them with the tethered flight aerodynamic forces. For this demonstration, we have developed a closed-loop altitude regulation for the ornithopter using an external camera and custom made onboard electronics. The results show that the tethered aerodynamic force measurement of a 12 gram ornithopter with zero induced velocity underestimates the total flight force by 24.8 mN.
Individual propensity for thrombosis: comparison of venous and arterial circulations.

Abstract Introduction The pathogenesis of venous thrombosis has been attributed to complex interaction between environmental and inherited variables. A basal predisposition for venous thrombophilia independent of environmental variables has not been previously defined experimentally. Both to address the existence of an individual propensity to venous thrombosis and to establish an animal model in which variables governing this propensity could be tested, we provoked venous thrombi in a cohort of pigs of uniform size and age. We furthermore sought to determine whether the thrombotic propensity in the venous circulation is associated with similar propensity for arterial thrombosis. Materials and methods Bilateral iliac venous stents were deployed and 2 h later, thrombi were harvested and weighed. The thrombotic response was compared to carotid arterial thrombi generated by crush injury within the same pig. Venous and arterial thrombus platelet deposition were measured by scintillation detection of autologous 111In-platelet content. Results In a cohort of 27 pigs, venous thrombus weights and platelet content varied over greater trrhan 10-fold range from least to greatest responders. There was strong intra-individual correlation of thrombus platelet deposition (r = 0.86; p = 0.008) and thrombus weights (r = 0.68; p = 0.015) between stented iliac vein pairs. Venous thrombosis correlated with whole blood platelet counts but not carotid platelet-rich thrombus formation. Conclusions The wide variation in venous thrombotic response to a standardized injury appears to represent an intrinsic propensity of the individual. The poor correlation with arterial thrombosis implies unique mechanisms responsible for this propensity in arteries and veins.
Floristics and Physiognomy Determine Migrant Landbird Response to Tamarisk (Tamarix Ramosissima) Invasion in Riparian Areas

Abstract I investigated the relative importance of floristics and physiognomy in determining community organization of autumn-migrating landbirds in a riparian corridor in New Mexico invaded by Tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima). All six avian measures were associated with floristics, physiognomy, or both. However, usefulness in predicting migrant parameters differed between floristics and physiognomy, and depended on the vegetation measures used (direct measures vs. plant community-structure indices) and the scale investigated (micro- vs. macrohabitat). Using direct vegetation measures, migrant abundance, energy consumption, and evenness were more strongly associated with floristics than with physiognomy at all scales. Contrastingly, migrant species richness and diversity were more strongly associated with physiognomy than with floristics at the microhabitat scale, and appeared to be unrelated to vegetation measures at the macrohabitat scale. Migrant species composition was similar among floristically simila...
Angular dependence of the sputtering yield of water ice by 100 keV proton bombardment

We measured the total sputtering yield of amorphous water ice for 100 keV H + as a function of the projectile inci- dence angle, and the angular distribution of the ejected H2O and O2 molecules, using a quartz-crystal microbalance and mass spectrometry, respectively, at temperatures of 20 K and 100 K. The total sputtering yield follows a cosf h depen- dence, with f ffi 1.3, regardless of the irradiation temperature. This is explained by the action of fast binary d-electrons that relocate the electronic energy deposited by the ion near the surface into the bulk of the material. We found that the O2 emission follows a cosine dependence, as expected from isotropic collision cascades or if trans- port of the oxygen to the surface is by thermal diffusion. In contrast, H2O emission is more outward peaked than cosine, which could be attributed to the blocking of large angle emission by the transient crater formed during sputtering of multiple water molecules by a given projectile. � 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Bioclimatic distribution of vegetation for general circulation model studies

Four global bioclimatic schemes which qualify climates on the basis of the distribution of vegetation, including the Holdridge (1947), Thornthwaite (1948), Koeppen (1936), and Troll and Paffen (1964) schemes, were applied to two global climate data sets to produce maps of global vegetation distribution: the Rand set described by Schutz and Gates (1971, 1973, and 1974) and the Shea (1986) data set. The results show that only 38 to 40 percent of the observed land surface, mapped as 31 vegetation types, could be replicated by applying the four schemes to these data sets. The simulations were significantly improved by further subdividing and regrouping the climates defined by the schemes and by regrouping the observed vegetation types. With these alterations, 77 percent of the predicted vegetative landscape coresponded with the observed distribution of vegetation.
Osteosarcoma cytosol factor promotes parathyroid hormone stimulation of adenylate cyclase independent of GTP.

Abstract The adenylate cyclase (ATP pyrophosphate-lyase (cyclizing), EC 4.6.1.1)-stimulating factor from rat osteosarcoma cytosol was purified 600-fold by ion-exchange chromatography. The factor has an apparent M r of 20 000, is cold-labile, but retains activity at −20°C in 10% glycerol. The factor enhanced parathyroid hormone stimulation of adenylate cyclase and restored hormone responsiveness to membranes washed with 0.5 M NaCl. These ‘GTP-like’ effects were not inhibited by 100 μM GDP-β-S, which completely abolished the GTP enhancement of both basal and hormone-stimulated adenylate cyclase. Adenylate cyclase activity in the presence of the stimulating factor was linear with time, and showed hyperbolic dependence on factor concentration. The factor also linearized (in double reciprocal plots) the downward-concave Mg 2+ -dependence of adenylate cyclase, increasing the apparent affinity of the enzyme for Mg 2+ . The presence of the factor in two clonal osteosarcoma cell lines correlated with parathyroid hormone-stimulatable adenylate cyclase. Factor stimulation was absent while GTP stimulation was retained in the hormone-nonresponsive clone. Factor and hormone sensitivity were restored by in vivo passage. This factor thus may represent a guanyl nucleotide-independent path for cellular regulation of hormone response.
Is there a long-run relation between the trade balance and the real effective exchange rate of LDCs?

Abstract Using quarterly data over 1973–1988 period the cointegration analysis is used and it is shown that the trade balance and the real effective exchange rate of some LDCs are cointegrated in the long-run. This approach is argued to be a close substitute for testing the Marshall-Lerner condition.
A rapid procedure for analysing rice bran tocopherol, tocotrienol and γ-oryzanol contents

Tocopherols, tocotrienols and γ-oryzanol compounds are phytochemicals with antioxidant activities and potential health benefits. Their contents and isomer ratios in rice bran vary among southern US cultivars, suggesting that breeding for higher contents or a favorable ratio of these phytochemicals is feasible. Methods that can rapidly and reliably extract and quantify their contents in rice bran or whole rice kernel are necessary for breeding programs. A simple, one-step equilibrium extraction procedure coupled with reversed-phase (RP) HPLC is presented here. The one-min equilibrium extraction at a 1:60 (w/v) ratio of rice bran to methanol recovered 92 to 102% of the target phytochemicals relative to those of repeated, non-saponified, direct solvent extraction methods. At this 1:60 ratio of bran to solvent, isopropanol and methanol are superior extraction solvents relative to hexane. A modified, mobile-phase gradient with 10% of aqueous phase for the first 3-min eliminates all the methanol-soluble interfering compounds. This extraction method has the following advantages over the currently available methods: speed, no special extraction instrumentation is needed; and the extraction solvent, methanol, is compatible with subsequent quantification via RP-HPLC.
Endothelial Cell Co-culture Mediates Maturation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell to Pancreatic Insulin Producing Cells in a Directed Differentiation Approach

Embryonic stem cells (ESC) have two main characteristics: they can be indefinitely propagated in vitro in an undifferentiated state and they are pluripotent, thus having the potential to differentiate into multiple lineages. Such properties make ESCs extremely attractive for cell based therapy and regenerative treatment applications. However for its full potential to be realized the cells have to be differentiated into mature and functional phenotypes, which is a daunting task. A promising approach in inducing cellular differentiation is to closely mimic the path of organogenesis in the in vitro setting. Pancreatic development is known to occur in specific stages, starting with endoderm, which can develop into several organs, including liver and pancreas. Endoderm induction can be achieved by modulation of the nodal pathway through addition of Activin A in combination with several growth factors. Definitive endoderm cells then undergo pancreatic commitment by inhibition of sonic hedgehog inhibition, which can be achieved in vitro by addition of cyclopamine. Pancreatic maturation is mediated by several parallel events including inhibition of notch signaling; aggregation of pancreatic progenitors into 3-dimentional clusters; induction of vascularization; to name a few. By far the most successful in vitro maturation of ESC derived pancreatic progenitor cells have been achieved through inhibition of notch signaling by DAPT supplementation. Although successful, this results in low yield of the mature phenotype with reduced functionality. A less studied area is the effect of endothelial cell signaling in pancreatic maturation, which is increasingly being appreciated as an important contributing factor in in-vivo pancreatic islet maturation. The current study explores such effect of endothelial cell signaling in maturation of human ESC derived pancreatic progenitor cells into insulin producing islet-like cells. We report a multi-stage directed differentiation protocol where the human ESCs are first induced towards endoderm by Activin A along with inhibition of PI3K pathway. Pancreatic specification of endoderm cells is achieved by inhibition of sonic hedgehog signaling by Cyclopamine along with retinoid induction by addition of Retinoic Acid. The final stage of maturation is induced by endothelial cell signaling achieved by a co-culture configuration. While several endothelial cells have been tested in the co-culture, herein we present our data with rat heart microvascular endothelial Cells (RHMVEC), primarily for the ease of analysis.
Media Ownership and Story Tone in Campaign News

The focus of this article is to understand the determinants of negative, positive, or neutral tone in campaign news coverage. Much of the extant literature suggests, to some extent, the negativity ...
Soil Organic Matter Changes in Turfgrass Systems Affect Binding and Biodegradation of Simazine

Concern about pesticide losses from maintained turfgrass areas led us to examine the fate of the triazine herbicide simazine in turfgrass systems and, specifically, interactions between simazine binding to soil organic matter and biodegradation. Soil samples were removed from turfgrass systems of different ages, placed in microcosms, conditioned as sterile or nonsterile, and exposed to 14 C-simazine. At seven sampling intervals, the soil was extracted and 14 C was separated into three pools; bound, extractable, and CO 2 . With sterilized surface soil (0-5 cm), 52, 70, and 71% of applied 14 C-simazine was bound to soil from the 4-, 21-, and 99-yr-old turfgrass systems, respectively, after 16 wk. With nonsterile conditions, biodegradation became dominant, as 60 to 80% of the 14 C was recovered in the CO 2 fraction and binding was held at -20%. Among all soils evaluated, bound 14 C and 14 CO 2 production was lower in subsurface soil (5-15 cm) from the 4- and 21-yr-old turfgrass systems. 14 C-simazine disappearance time (DT 50 ) values under nonsterile conditions ranged from 0.9 to 5.8 wk. Results indicate that turfgrass systems have a relatively low amount of simazine available for leaching as the systems age due to a large capacity for biodegradation and binding to organic matter.
Real-time sonography of congenital cystic kidney disease

Abstract Congenital cystic kidney disease is usually classified according to Potter types I–IV. Using real-time renal sonography, neonates with suspected congenital cystic kidney disease may be identified. Correlating sonography results with the Potter classification aids in selection of additional diagnostic imaging modalities.
Finite Element Modeling of Contact of a Paper-Based Friction Material

The present paper focuses on a study of the contact of a paper-based friction material used in automatic transmissions using finite element analysis. Different geometrical shapes of asperities, such as spherical asperity, plateaued asperity with convex profile and plateaued asperity with concave profile, were simulated and compared. For the same interference, the real contact area of a plateaued asperity increases much faster than that of a spherical asperity at the beginning of contact. With the increase of the asperity deformation, the real contact area of a plateaued asperity increases slower than that of a spherical asperity. In addition, the real contact area of the plateaued asperity with a convex profile increases faster than that of the plateaued asperity with a concave profile with the increase of interference between two contacting surfaces. The subsurface deformation involving von Mises stress, elastic strain, and shear stress were also determined in this research. Presented as a Society of Tri...
Comparison of direct kinetic phosphorescence analysis and recovery corrected kinetic phosphorescence analysis for the determination of natural uranium in human tissues

In the analysis of biological samples with sub ng/g uranium concentrations, pre-concentration has been shown to improve the detection limit for the determination of uranium. Recovery corrected kinetic phosphorescence analysis (KPA) combines pre-concentration and separation of uranium by anion-exchange from human tissues dissolved in 6M HCl, with the radiochemical yield determined by alpha-spectrometry, using 232U as a tracer. Total uranium is determined by KPA after correction for chemical recovery. Twenty-one randomly selected dissolved tissue samples from the United States Transuranium and Uranium Registries (USTUR) Case 0242 were chosen for comparative analyses. The set of samples included dissolved bone and soft tissues. Uranium concentrations for seven of the samples had not been previously reported. Direct KPA could not be used to determine uranium concentrations of five unreported tissues. Three of these tissues had uranium concentrations at or below the KPA L Q value of 0.028 ng/ml and two tissues had known matrix interferences. All seven of the unreported tissues were successfully analyzed by recovery corrected KPA; concentrations ranged from 9 to 1380 ng per tissue, including those that could not be analyzed by direct KPA due to matrix problems. Recovery corrected KPA gives results similar to direct KPA where matrix interferences and low detection limits are not encountered. A comparison of the direct method of KPA versus recovery corrected KPA shows marked improvement for the determination of uranium in samples that heretofore either uranium was not detected or the sample had to be drastically diluted to minimize matrix effects in order to measure uranium.
Review of the biodistribution and toxicity of the insect repellent N,N‐diethyl‐m‐toluamide (DEET)

A review of the biodistribution and foxicity of the insect repellent N,N‐diethyl‐m‐to‐luamide (DEET) is presented. Workers using repellent containing this compound may be exposed to greater than 442 g in 6 mo. In human studies, variable penetration into the skin of from 9 to 56% of a topically applied dose and absorption into the circulatory system of approximately 77% have been reported. Excretion of DEET by humans was initially rapid but not as complete as in animal models. Only about one‐half of the absorbed DEET was excreted by humans over 5 d. Depot storage of DEET in the skin was also documented. Skin irritant effects, including scarring bullous dermatitis in humans, were reported. One animal study that reported embryotoxicity could not be confirmed by other investigators. The limited testing for mutagenicity and carcino‐genicity provided negative results. Neurotoxic effects were observed in workers exposed to 4 g or more per week. Six young girls developed encephalopathies after exposure to unspeci...
Factors Affecting the Activity and Heat Resistance of Swiss Cheese Starter Cultures. I. Influence of Time and Temperature of Incubation

Summary 1.When L. helveticus was carried for numerous transfers at different temperatures by methods similar to those commonly employed in handling starter cultures of this organism, those cultures carried at 37° and 40° were more active following heat treatment than were cultures carried at 30°, 35° and 42° C. 2.The 37° cultures of L. helveticus were more heat resistant than the 40° C. cultures after the first 12hour transfer at the respective temperatures, but after numerous, successive 12hour transfers at the respective temperatures, the 40° was more resistant than the 37° culture. This increased resistance of the 40° culture was not lost by one transfer at a lower temperature. 3.Cultures of Str. thermophilus carried for numerous successive transfers at different temperatures by the same methods used for L. helveticus showed greater heat resistance when grown at 30°, 35° and 37° than at 40° or 42° C. The 37° cultures were more active than were the 40° C. cultures of Str. thermophilus after both one and numerous successive 12hour transfers at the respective temperatures. 4.Heat treatment in the usual manner, followed by incubation of the respective cultures at temperatures near their maximum and comparison of their subsequent rates of growth and acid production, emphasized the differences in activity following heat shocking of cultures of L. helveticus and Str. thermophilus. 5.Cultures of L. helveticus incubated at 37° and 40° C. for 12 to 16 hours were far more heat resistant than cultures incubated at 37° and 40° C. for seven and eight hours. 6.There was no marked difference in activity following heat treatment of cultures of Str. thermophilus incubated at 37° C. for periods varying from six to 16 hours, the range of incubation periods usually employed in growing starter cultures of this organism.
Misconceptions About AIDS Among Children Who Can Identify the Major Routes of HIV Transmission

Described knowledge about HIV transmission among 1,048 third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders from a multiethnic urban school district. Participants answered questions about behaviors leading to HIV transmission and about mechanisms of transmission. Children at all grade levels demonstrated a high level of recognition of the three primary routes of HIV transmission (through sex, through drug needle sharing, and in utero). However, children who knew about these routes also had many misconceptions about the mechanisms involved in acquiring HIV through these routes and about the ways HIV is not transmitted. Misconceptions decreased with grade and socioeconomic status (SES). Although there were no race/ethnicity differences in knowledge of actual routes and mechanisms of HIV transmission, there were more misconceptions about routes and mechanisms of HIV transmission among African American and Asian American children than among white children.
Passive Acoustic Detection of Divers Under Strong Interference

A passive detector for underwater swimmer, i.e. diver, is proposed in this paper. First we extract two features of diver's signal from the experimental data recorded in tank. Then, a multiband matched filter (MF) technique is presented. Moreover, in order to increase the robustness of the MF detector in strong interference, an interference cancellation technique based on the second diver breathing feature using autoregressive (AR) method is applied. The experimental results verify its performance.
Warnings that signal serious illness in children.

INFECTION IS AN important source of mortality in children in developed countries. In children aged 1–4 years, infections account for 20% of childhood deaths (Confidential Enquiry intoMaternalandChildHealth,2008).Indevelopedcountries, every child will come to his or her health care provider, on average, more than once a year with the symptoms of an infection (Van den Bruel, Haj-Hassen,Thompson, Buntinx,& Mant,2010).Cliniciansinprimarycaresettingsareoftenfaced with the challenge of recognizing serious illness in children. Primary health care providers know that only about 1% of those children will have a serious disease, but what has not been determined is how to identify those children with a serious disease from those with self-limiting illnesses. In a recent article in the Lancet, researchers in U.K. report the results of a systematic review of 30 studies conducted in ambulatorysettingswithalowprevalenceofseriousdiseasein an attempt to identify an evidence-based approach that caregivers could use when caring for these children (Van den Bruel et al., 2010). The researchers identified 1,939 potentiallyrelevantstudiesusingelectronicdatabasesandthen selected studies based on six criteria: design (studies of diagnostic accuracy or prediction rules), participants (otherwise healthy children aged 1 month to 18 years), setting (ambulatory care), outcome (serious infection), features assessed(assessable in ambulatory care setting), and sufficient datareported.Ofthe1,939potentiallyrelevantstudies,only30 studies met the selection criteria and were included. Serious infections included sepsis and bacteremia, meningitis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, cellulitis, gastroenteritis with dehydration, complicated urinary tract infections, and viral respiratory disease causing hypoxia. Warning signs for serious infection were defined as clinical characteristics with a positive likelihood ratio of more than 5. Rule-out signs were defined as clinical characteristics with a negative likelihood ratio of less than 0.2. Quality assessment was based on the Quality
A gossip-based energy efficient protocol for robust in-network aggregation in wireless sensor networks

We consider the problem of energy efficient and fault tolerant in-network aggregation for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). We propose a new protocol for in-network aggregation in WSNs, which is energy efficient, achieves high lifetime, and is robust to the changes in the network topology. Our protocol, gossip-based protocol for in-network aggregation (GPIA) is based on the spreading of information via gossip. GPIA is not only adaptive to failures and changes in the network topology, but is also energy efficient, unlike the pure version of gossip. Energy efficiency of GPIA comes from all the nodes being capable of selective message reception and detecting convergence of the aggregation early which makes it significantly better than the pure version of gossip in energy consumption. We experimentally show that GPIA provides significant improvement over some other competitors like the Ridesharing, Synopsis Diffusion and the pure version of gossip. GPIA shows ten fold, five fold and two fold improvement over the pure gossip, synopsis diffusion and Ridesharing protocols in terms of network lifetime, respectively. Further, GPIA retains gossip's robustness to failures and improves upon the accuracy of synopsis diffusion and Ridesharing.
Differences in Job Motivation and Satisfaction Among Female and Male Managers

This study examines the influence of sex on satisfaction with job related factors, overall job satisfaction, attitudes toward various motivators, and overall job motivation among managers. Using a statistical analysis of survey data, the study identifies many significant differences between male and female managers'perceptions and attitudes. The article then compares the findings to previous research, presents some questions pertinent to policy formation, and suggests avenues for future research.
A Holographic formulation of quantum general relativity

We show that there is a sector of quantum general relativity, in the Lorentzian signature case, which may be expressed in a completely holographic formulation in terms of states and operators defined on a finite boundary. The space of boundary states is built out of the conformal blocks of SU(2)L ⊕ SU(2)R, W ZW field theory on the n-punctured sphere, where n is related to the area of the boundary. The Bekenstein bound is explicitly satisfied. These results are based on a new lagrangian and hamiltonian formulation of general relativity based on a constrained Sp(4) topological field theory. The hamiltonian formalism is polynomial, and also left-right symmetric. The quantization uses balanced SU(2)L ⊕SU(2)R spin networks and so justifies the state sum model of Barrett and Crane. By extending the formalism to Osp(4/N) a holographic formulation of extended supergravity is obtained, as will be described in detail in a subsequent paper.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Triggers Host Type I IFN Signaling To Regulate IL-1β Production in Human Macrophages

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a virulent intracellular pathogen that survives in macrophages even in the presence of an intact adaptive immune response. Type I IFNs have been shown to exacerbate tuberculosis in mice and to be associated with disease progression in infected humans. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which type I IFNs regulate the host response to M. tuberculosis infection are poorly understood. In this study, we show that M. tuberculosis induces an IFN-related gene expression signature in infected primary human macrophages, which is dependent on host type I IFN signaling as well as the mycobacterial virulence factor, region of difference-1. We further demonstrate that type I IFNs selectively limit the production of IL-1b, a critical mediator of immunity to M. tuberculosis. This regulation occurs at the level of IL1B mRNA expression, rather than caspase-1 activation or autocrine IL-1 amplification and appears to be preferentially used by virulent mycobacteria since avirulent M. bovis
Low-Density Lipoprotein Antioxidant Activity of Phenolic Compounds and Polyphenol Oxidase Activity in Selected Clingstone Peach Cultivars

The antioxidant potential of eight clingstone peach cultivars was investigated by determining phenolic compounds and inhibition of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation. Cultivars low in polyphenol oxidase (PPO) were also selected to minimize enzymatic browning. Inhibition of LDL oxidation varied from 17.0 to 37.1% in peach flesh extract, from 15.2 to 49.8% in whole peach extract, and from 18.2 to 48.1% in peel extract. Total phenols were 432.8-768.1 mg/kg in flesh extract, 483.3-803.0 mg/kg in whole extract, and 910.9-1922.9 mg/kg in peel extract. The correlation coefficient between relative LDL antioxidant activity and concentration of total phenols was 0.76. Peel PPO activity was higher than flesh activity in most cultivars. The lowest PPO and specific activities were found in the Walgant cultivar, followed by Kakamas and 18-8-23. These three cultivars combine the desirable characteristics of strong antioxidant activity, low PPO activity, and lower susceptibility to browning reactions.
Targeting mitochondrial reactive oxygen species as novel therapy for inflammatory diseases and cancers

There are multiple sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the cell. As a major site of ROS production, mitochondria have drawn considerable interest because it was recently discovered that mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) directly stimulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines and pathological conditions as diverse as malignancies, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular diseases all share common phenotype of increased mtROS production above basal levels. Several excellent reviews on this topic have been published, but ever-changing new discoveries mandated a more up-to-date and comprehensive review on this topic. Therefore, we update recent understanding of how mitochondria generate and regulate the production of mtROS and the function of mtROS both in physiological and pathological conditions. In addition, we describe newly developed methods to probe or scavenge mtROS and compare these methods in detail. Thorough understanding of this topic and the application of mtROS-targeting drugs in the research is significant towards development of better therapies to combat inflammatory diseases and inflammatory malignancies.
Five Ways to Prepare for Standardized Tests without Sacrificing Best Practice.

What can teachers do in their classrooms to help students prepare for a high-stakes, standardized, multiple-choice reading test without sacrificing what they know to be best practice? Decreasing class sizes or other solutions that require substantial changes in school finance are not usually realistic options. This article outlines five suggestions for practicing teachers to improve the reading test scores of their students without making drastic changes to how they already teach.
Nonendocytic Delivery of Functional Engineered Nanoparticles into the Cytoplasm of Live Cells Using a Novel, High-Throughput Microfluidic Device

The ability to straightforwardly deliver engineered nanoparticles into the cell cytosol with high viability will vastly expand the range of biological applications. Nanoparticles could potentially be used as delivery vehicles or as fluorescent sensors to probe the cell. In particular, quantum dots (QDs) may be used to illuminate cytosolic proteins for long-term microscopy studies. Whereas recent advances have been successful in specifically labeling proteins with QDs on the cell membrane, cytosolic delivery of QDs into live cells has remained challenging. In this report, we demonstrate high throughput delivery of QDs into live cell cytoplasm using an uncomplicated microfluidic device while maintaining cell viabilities of 80-90%. We verify that the nanoparticle surface interacts with the cytosolic environment and that the QDs remain nonaggregated so that single QDs can be observed.
Fine structure of two amyloid-forming medullary carcinomas of thyroid.

Two medullary carcinomas of the thyroid were studied by light and electron microscopy. Basement membranes were observed between tumor cells and stroma but were usually absent where neoplastic cells were contiguous with amyloid. Intercellular attachment plates were not seen. Membrane-limited cytoplasmic granules were present and were most numerous in the tumor with the greater amount of amyloid. The granules appeared to originate in the Golgi regions. Extracellular material consistent with extruded granules was observed and may contribute to the formation of amyloid. The amyloid consisted of fibrils approximately 100 A in diameter and could not be distinguished from amyloid observed in several forms of naturally occurring and experimental amyloidosis. Formation of amyloid was predominately or entirely extracellular and the neoplastic cells of one tumor also appeared to produce larger fibrils with vague periodicity. The cell of origin of medullary carcinoma appears to be the parafollicular cell.