cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heritable Differences in the Response of the Braconid Wasp Microplitis croceipes to Volatile Allelochemicals

The heritable nature of differential responses by Microplitis croceipes(Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) to airborne allelochemicals was investigated. Four isofemale lines were tested for three generations in a flight tunnel. Flight response was found to be strongly dependent on the familial origin, with two highly responsive lines being clearly differentiated from two less responsive ones. Each isofemale line could also be recognized by typical behaviors that suggested that M. croceipesfemales may inherit independent characters of sensory acuity to plant and to host chemicals and of learning ability.
Developing policies to support valuing in the public interest

The author offers a framework for supporting valuing in the public interest, informed by a pragmatic approach that acknowledges and defends the value of multiple approaches to valuing. With our multiple approaches understood as tools for assisted sense making, the task for evaluators is to understand the factors that lead some tools to be more effective for valuing in particular contexts. Factors addressed include the decisions confronting stakeholders and the needed complexity and precision of valuation. The result is a more systematic and yet responsive framing that balances (a) individual and social valuation, (b) algorithmic and holistic approaches to summative conclusions, and (c) the often-conflicting paradigms that structure other debates in evaluation. Tentative implications of this framework are suggested for the evaluation community, for government and foundation methodology policies, and for education and training. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc., and the American Evaluation Association.
Early Effect of American Academy of Pediatrics Urinary Tract Infection Guidelines on Radiographic Imaging and Diagnosis of Vesicoureteral Reflux in the Emergency Room Setting

Purpose: In 2011 the AAP revised practice parameters on febrile urinary tract infection in infants and children 2 to 24 months old. New imaging recommendations invigorated the ongoing debate regarding the diagnosis and management of vesicoureteral reflux. We compared evaluations in these patients with febrile urinary tract infection before and after guideline publication.Materials and Methods: During 2 separate 6-month periods 350 patients 2 to 24 months old were evaluated in the emergency room setting. Demographics, urine culture, renal-bladder ultrasound, voiding cystourethrogram and admission status were assessed.Results: A total of 172 patients presented with initial febrile urinary tract infection in 2011, of whom 47 (27.3%) required hospitalization, while 42 of 178 (23.6%) were admitted in 2012. Admission by year did not significantly differ (p = 0.423). After guideline revision 41.2% fewer voiding cystourethrograms were done (72.1% of cases in 2011 vs 30.9% in 2012, p <0.001). A 17.2% decrease in r...
SU‐E‐T‐01: Tumor Control Probability Models Derived Using Machine Learning for Head and Neck and Lung Tumors including a New Metric, Total Clonogen Survival (TCS)

Purpose: Empirically validated and highly predictive models of tumorcontrol probability could help guide daily clinical practice, but are currently unavailable. Using a newly‐identified dosimetric predictor (Total Clonogen Survival (described elsewhere at this meeting)), and a newly acquired dataset on head and neck tumors, we explore the predictive power available in a TCP model using machine learning methods.Methods: We modeled two different datasets collected at Washington University School of Medicine: (A) lungcancer data consisting of 56 non‐small cell carcinoma patients (a local failure group (22) and a control group (34)) who received 3D conformal radiation therapy with a median prescription dose of 70 Gy (60–84 Gy) and had a median follow‐up of 32 months; (B) head and neck cancer data consisting of 80 squamous cell carcinoma patients (a local failure group (23) and a control group (57)) who received IMRT as definitive treatment with a median prescription dose of 70 Gy (66–72 Gy) and had a median follow‐up of 19 months. Using dose‐volume parameters extracted from these datasets, we found significant parameters for predicting local failure and evaluated the performance using support vector machines (SVM) with leave‐one‐out cross‐validation (LOO‐CV) in conjunction with several feature selection strategies. Results: For lungcancer data, V75 and TCS were chosen as significant parameters with a Matthew's correlation coefficient (rCV) of 0.462 and a Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (RsCV) of 0.642. For head and neck cancer data, with Min dose, V70, and TCS, we achieved the best performance: rCV=0.367 and RsCV =0.554. Conclusions: Combining the newly identified metric TCS with other relevant metrics within a machine learning framework allowed us to produce a predictive TCP model that should be further tested for potential clinical use.
The most critical unresolved issue associated with: psychoanalytic theories of addiction: can the talking cure tell us anything about substance use and misuse?

The most critical unresolved issue associated with psychoanalysis is whether its core precepts belong in today's substance use armamentarium. Psychoanalytic theories have resisted the criterion of falsifiability, putting them at odds with the current paradigm for treating addiction. However, Freud's earliest pronouncement on the subject, “making the patient a collaborator in his own treatment” (i.e., therapeutic alliance) not only holds up to scientific scrutiny, but is a robust determinant in improving treatment outcomes. Psychoanalytic constructs today appear as conjectures, but recognition of the primacy of the collaborative therapeutic relationship is one example of how psychoanalytic observations have influenced current research.
Experimental and theoretical evaluation of friction at contacting magnetic storage slider–disk interfaces

To understand better the friction force and wear processes at contacting slider–disk interfaces, we have developed an experimental method for measuring and a theoretical method for calculating the friction force. For this study, a slider with a 1500 μm2 contact pad located at the recording head is burnished against a relatively rough disk (∼12 A rms), which ensures smooth sliding. In the experimental method, the friction force is measured as the disk is spun-down to bring the slider–disk interface into an increasing degree of contact. A modified air bearing code is used to determine the experimental normal contact force for each friction measurement. In the theoretical method, the friction force and other relevant interfacial forces are calculated using an improved sub-boundary lubrication (ISBL) rough surface model. The friction force calculation in this model is based on the force needed to induce yielding of the individual disk asperities contacting the flat surface of the contact pad without any assumption of the coefficient of friction. Good agreement is found between the measured and theoretical friction vs. normal contact force curves, indicating that the model is capturing the essential origins of friction at this interface. The model also provides valuable insights into how wear particles may be generated at this contacting slider–disk interface.
Projected range shifting by montane mammals under climate change: implications for Cascadia's National Parks

We examined potential impacts of climate change over the next century on eight mammal species of conservation concern in western Washington State, under four warming scenarios. Using two species distribution models, including a logistic regression-based model and the “maximum entropy” (MaxEnt) model, we predicted the location and extent of the potential current and future range of each species based on a suite of environmental and geographical variables. Both models projected significant losses in range size within the focal area over the next century across all warming scenarios. Projections suggest that future ranges of high elevation species are likely to shrink inward and upward rather than shifting into new areas, and the average range elevation of most species is projected to increase significantly over time. Future projections for higher elevation species largely agreed across species distribution models, global climate model data, and carbon emission scenarios, although projections for lower eleva...
Potential for biotic interference of a classical biological control agent of the soybean aphid

The degree to which resident biota can inhibit the ability of an introduced biological control agent to establish and be effective is termed biotic interference. Studying biotic interference prior to a release using the actual agent is logistically difficult, however, due to quarantine restrictions. An alternative solution is to study biotic interference against a surrogate species in the intended range of introduction, with the expectation that biotic interference against the actual agent will be similar. This study assessed how biotic interference, mostly by generalist predators, may affect establishment of classical biological control agents of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, in North America. The parasitoid Aphidius colemani Viereck was used as a surrogate for Asian aphidiine braconids such as Binodoxys communis (Gahan). We conducted a factorial field experiment that measured the effect of releasing A. colemani and of excluding resident natural enemies using field cages on soybean aphid populations. We also conducted molecular gut-contents analyses on predators collected in release plots to determine which species fed upon A. colemani. Releasing A. colemani in open field plots increased soybean aphid control beyond that observed in open field plots alone, despite indications that intraguild predation of A. colemani occurred. Thus, biotic interference was not sufficient to eliminate the contribution of A. colemani on soybean aphid suppression during the course of our experiment. Molecular gut-contents analysis revealed that at least two predators, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) and Chrysoperla carnea Stephens, engaged in intraguild predation against A. colemani. The prolonged effect of intraguild predation on parasitoid establishment remains to be determined.
Optimisation of the locations of multiple-dipole heart generators in a simple torso model.

Electrocardiographic inverse solutions frequently assume multiple-dipole equivalent generators with locations fixed throught the QRS complex. This paper describes investigations which extend the solution to optimise the dipole locations at any instant of time. The combined results lead to a moving multiple-dipole inverse solution which is more accurate than the conventional solutions at each instant and also contains information related to the dynamic movement of the physiological generators. Tests so far have been limited to a 3-dipole solution in a highly simplified torso model. The generators in this study were dipoles displaced varying amounts from a standard central location; the inverse solution starts by using the standard location and then is led to an improved solution by a guided search. Moderate displacements, as compared to the size of the heart model, were shown to yield root mean square errors in the inverse-solution source strengths as high as 40% when the latter were found via a least-mean-square procedure. The method of steepest descent was utilised in the second step to improve the locations and strengths of the initially assumed equivalent-dipole generators and thus improve the accuracy of the inverse solution. The percentage root-mean-square source-strength errors were reduced from as high as 40% to under 10% in most cases. The initial position error of up to 10% for the source dipoles typically was reduced to less than 5% throught the use of the search routine. The ability of the solution dipoles to track the original locations was demonstrated.
Metastatic renal cell carcinoma of the spine: surgical treatment and results.

Object. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is an aggressive malignancy that frequently metastasizes. When RCC metastasizes to the spine, significant pain and neurological dysfunction often follow. Because systemic therapy and radiotherapy have a limited effect in controlling spinal disease, surgery is frequently required; however, there are very few published series specifically addressing the role and benefits of the surgical treatment for this disease. The authors conducted a retrospective study to review their experience with the surgical treatment of metastatic RCC of the spine, paying particular attention to methodology and patient neurological status, pain relief, and survival. Methods. Between January 1993 and April 1999, 79 patients (63 men and 16 women patients; average age 55 years, range 16–82 years) underwent 107 spinal operations for metastatic RCC. Indications for surgery included disabling pain (94 [88%] of 107 procedures) and/or neurological dysfunction (55 [51%] of 107 procedures). The anatomical...
Arc Colorings of Digraphs

A pair of arcs of a digraph D are consecutive if the terminal point of one is the initial point of the other. An arc-coloring of D is an assignment of colors to the arcs so that no pair of consecutive arcs have the same color and the arc-chromatic number, c(D), is the minimum number of colors in an arc-coloring of D. It is shown that if Tn is the transitive tournament on n points then c(Tn) = {log2n} but [((n + 1)2] colors suffice if the color classes are required to be oriented trees. It is further shown that if D is the complete digraph (an arc from any point to any other point) on n points then c(D) ∼ log2n. Finally it is shown that if a digraph D is n-arc-colorable it is 2n(point) colorable and this bound is best.
Dietary Phosphorus Requirement of Juvenile Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus

Eight isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets containing graded levels of inorganic phosphorus were fed to juvenile red drum Sciaenops ocellatus for an 11 week period. Red drum were maintained in a brackish water (5–6 ppt) recirculating system. There were no significant differences in weight gain or feed conversion. However, survival was generally lower for fish fed deficient diets. Phosphorus supplements up to 0.86% increased bone calcium and scale ash, calcium, and phosphorus values. Bone ash and phosphorus were not significantly affected above 0.71% dietary phosphorus. It appears that approximately 0.86% dietary phosphorus is needed for maximum tissue mineralization of juvenile red drum.
Smart grid information Clearinghouse: Overview of projects and deployment experience

This paper presents the architecture and the content available in the Smart Grid Information Clearinghouse (SGIC) web portal. Emphasis is placed on providing an overview of the on-going smart grid projects and the deployment experience derived from project implementation. Information about smart grid projects worldwide is presented by their geographic locations and project categories. Examples of deployment experience information on the SGIC web portal are discussed. Available deployment experience information is related to use cases, lessons learned, cost-benefit analyses and business cases. Then, this paper presents opportunities for contributing smart grid related content via the SGIC online content submission platform.
Science and an African logic

Does two and two equal four? Ask almost anyone and they will unequivocally answer yes. A basic equation such as this seems the very definition of certainty, but is it? In this text, Helen Verran addresses precisely that question by looking at science, mathematics, and logic come to life in Yoruba primary school. Drawing on her experience as a teacher in Nigeria, Verran describes how she went from the radical conclusion that logic and maths are culturally relative, to determining what Westerners find so disconcerting about Yoruba logic, to a new understanding of all generalizing logic. She reveals that in contrast to the one-to-many model found in Western number systems, Yoruba thinking operates by figuring things as wholes and their parts. Certainty is derived not from abstract logic, but from cultural practices and associations. This is the story of how one woman's investigation in this everyday situation led to extraordinary conclusions about the nature of numbers, generalization, and certainty.
Sixteen referenda on fluoridation in Massachusetts; an analysis.

These two investigators report an intriguing analysis of public activities prior to sixteen referenda on fluoridation in the State of Massachusetts.
Classical thermodynamics of particles in harmonic traps

I develop simple thermodynamic relations for a system of noninteracting classical particles confined in an isotropic harmonic trap. The volume occupied by the particles in such a trap is not well defined, and the pressure varies with position, indicating that the thermodynamic relations should be expressed in terms of more appropriate variables. I use the effective spring constant of the trap as a state variable and show that the conjugate state variable is proportional to the ensemble average of the mean squared displacement of the particles from the center of the trap. Thermodynamic relations are derived in terms of these variables, including the pressure and thermal equations of state, the entropy, and the heat capacities. I also consider cyclic thermodynamic processes in a harmonically confined gas.
Coronary artery bypass surgery morbidity

A retrospective analysis was undertaken of 365 consecutive patients, 75 women and 290 men with a mean age of 59.9 ± 9.7 years, who had coronary artery bypass surgery during 1981. Complications classified as major were: mediastinal hemorrhage, pericardial tamponade, wound dehiscence, sternal osteomyelitis, myocardial infarction, bacterial endocarditis, dissecting aneurysm and diabetes insipidus. Complications classified as minor were: atrial fibrillation, postpericardiotomy syndrome, cellulitis, thrombophlebitis and phrenic nerve palsy. There were 48 patients (13%) with 52 major complications. Age more than 60 years, cardiopulmonary bypass time longer than 150 minutes, aortic cross-clamp time longer than 100 minutes, number of grafts greater than five and presence of diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with major complications. Complications tended to occur more frequently in women, obese patients and those with emergency operation or ejection fraction less than 30%, but the associations were not statistically significant. Physicians referring patients for coronary artery surgery should be cognizant of the incidence of morbidity along with the other risks and benefits when considering coronary artery bypass surgery.
Glass transition temperatures for simple molecular liquids and their binary solutions

Glass transition temperatures have been measured at 20 mol % intervals in 55 binary molecular liquid systems and the results used as a basis for (a) estimating by extrapolations the glass transition temperatures of many common organic liquids which do not vitrify in the pure state and thereby (b) identifying the various structural features of a molecule which collectively determine the magnitude of its T/sub g/. In most cases, simple linear composition dependences are observed for T/sub g/. The thermodynamic significance of dT/sub g//dx is discussed. In the case of cyclohexanol T/sub g/ estimated for the liquid exceeds the known value of ''T/sub g/'' for the plastic crystal phase by some 10/sup 0/C. The T/sub g/ estimated for CCl/sub 4/ and CHCl/sub 4/ exceed by large intervals the T/sub g/ values reported for vapor-deposited amorphous phases of these substances. 3 figures, 1 table.
Portfolio Assessment in an American Engineering College.

Abstract Estimates indicate that as much as 80% of an engineer's work time is spent on communicating. Studies done by the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Arizona show that engineering firms, as well as ECE graduates, rank writing ability as the most important skill in determining engineers’ success, even above the much more obvious technical skills that are the focus of much engineering education. Arizona's ECE Department began teaching its senior-level capstone design courses as “writing emphasis” courses to assist students in developing their writing skills prior to graduation, as well as to link communication skills and coursework to create graduates proficient in both written and oral communication. This paper describes a portfolio assessment that has been developed specifically for this context and population, and argues that this portfolio assessment demonstrates several advantages frequently called for in theory but rarely made operational. This program has provided an unusually rich practical application, showing how portfolio assessment changes assessment from a mere rating of limited and often costly tests to a continuous, integrated, and appropriate activity directly related to learning itself, while at the same time, developing the data about student.
Opioid peptides modulate production of interferon γ by human mononuclear cells

Abstract The opioid neuropeptides have previously been shown to bind to and affect leukocyte function including lymphocyte proliferation, NK-cell activity, mononuclear cell chemotaxis, immunoglobulin synthesis, and lymphokine production. The effect of the opioid peptides β-endorphin and Met-enkephalin on interferon γ (IFN) production by concanavalin A-stimulated human mononuclear cells was examined. Both β-endorphin and Met-enkephalin enhanced IFN production by the majority of donor mononuclear cells tested and did so at concentrations between 10 −14 and 10 −10 M . When 10 −12 M β-endorphin or Met-enkephalin were included in concanavalin A-stimulated mononuclear cell cultures, IFN concentrations were significantly enhanced to 205 ± 45 and 252 ± 67% of control, respectively. Although the majority of cell preparations tested exhibited an enhanced production of IFN in response to these opioid peptides, some did not. When β-endorphin or Met-enkephalin were utilized at 10 −11 M , 10 of 15 and 7 of 11 responded with IFN production greater than 20% above the control (untreated) level. There was not an absolute correlation between an enhanced response to β-endorphin and Met-enkephalin, suggesting the presence of multiple receptor types on these cells for opioids. The opioid receptor antagonist, naloxone, did not significantly prevent the opiate effect. When 10 −8 M naloxone was included in cultures containing 10 −12 M β-endorphin or Met-enkephalin no significant inhibition of the effect of either opioid on IFN production was observed.
Emergence of Algal Blooms: The Effects of Short-Term Variability in Water Quality on Phytoplankton Abundance, Diversity, and Community Composition in a Tidal Estuary.

Algal blooms are dynamic phenomena, often attributed to environmental parameters that vary on short timescales (e.g., hours to days). Phytoplankton monitoring programs are largely designed to examine long-term trends and interannual variability. In order to better understand and evaluate the relationships between water quality variables and the genesis of algal blooms, daily samples were collected over a 34 day period in the eutrophic Lafayette River, a tidal tributary within Chesapeake Bay’s estuarine complex, during spring 2006. During this period two distinct algal blooms occurred; the first was a cryptomonad bloom and this was followed by a bloom of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate, Gymnodinium instriatum. Chlorophyll a, nutrient concentrations, and physical and chemical parameters were measured daily along with phytoplankton abundance and community composition. While 65 phytoplankton species from eight major taxonomic groups were identified in samples and total micro- and nano-phytoplankton cell densities ranged from 5.8 × 106 to 7.8 × 107 cells L−1, during blooms, cryptomonads and G. instriatum were 91.6% and 99.0%, respectively, of the total phytoplankton biomass during blooms. The cryptomonad bloom developed following a period of rainfall and concomitant increases in inorganic nitrogen concentrations. Nitrate, nitrite and ammonium concentrations 0 to 5 days prior were positively lag-correlated with cryptomonad abundance. In contrast, the G. insriatum bloom developed during periods of low dissolved nitrogen concentrations and their abundance was negatively correlated with inorganic nitrogen concentrations.
Imaging of Visceral Adipose Tissue: An Emerging Diagnostic Tool and Therapeutic Target

Several lines of evidence support the contention that excess visceral fat plays a significant role in the development of an unfavourable metabolic and cardiovascular risk profile. Hence, estimation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), that is, the fat surrounding the internal organs, might be important for cardiovascular risk stratification. Classically, anthropometric measures have been employed to assess body fat distribution for risk assessment. But more recently, imaging methods for visceral fat quantitation have become a focus of attention particularly in a clinical research setting. Several imaging methods have evolved for estimation of VAT mass. Among these, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is fairly well established, but ultrasound and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) are also emerging as useful methods for quantitation of VAT and fat tissue content in vivo. Ultrasound is the most cost-effective and a convenient imaging tool whereas MRS is still in its infancy but it is highly promising because of its high sensitivity and specificity. There is a compelling need to quantify VAT not only for diagnostic purposes, but also for therapeutic interventions with weight reduction drugs or pharmaceuticals targeted to with adipose tissue. For example, changes in regional fat distribution can be used to estimate drugs effectiveness and their mechanism of action. Therefore, in this review I shall present briefly latest and main imaging techniques to detect the visceral adiposity, including the new ultrasound measurements of different visceral adipose tissue compartments. Some visceral adipose tissues which are not traditionally assessed, such as intraperitoneal, mediastinal and the relatively small depots, such as epicardial adipose tissue have also been recently studied and are now proposed as new markers of visceral adiposity.
Signet-ring cell melanoma of the gastroesophageal junction: A case report and literature review

We report the first case, to our knowledge, of a possible primary, signet-ring cell melanoma of the gastroesophageal junction. The mass was initially diagnosed as an invasive, poorly differentiated carcinoma; however, on further review and immunohistochemical workup, the diagnosis of signet-ring cell melanoma was made. The lesion consisted of oval to round epithelioid cells undermining the gastric mucosa and infiltrating the muscularis mucosae. Tumor cells demonstrated abundant cytoplasm and eccentrically located nuclei, many with signet-ring cell morphology. The tumor cells were negative for mucin and pancytokeratin, strongly positive for S100 protein and Melan-A, and focally but strongly positive for human melanoma black-45. Diagnostic imaging failed to prove another site of melanoma, and no history of melanoma or cutaneous lesion was reported by the patient. Therefore, it was determined this was likely a primary lesion. We review the literature and previously reported cases of this rare histologic variant of melanoma.
Functional support of glutamate as a vestibular hair cell transmitter in an amniote

Although hair cells in the cochlea and in the vestibular endorgans of anamniotes are thought to release glutamate or a similar compound as their transmitter, there is little evidence in amniotes (which, unlike anamniotes, possess both type I and II hair cells) as to the nature of the hair cell transmitters in the vestibular labyrinth. We have recorded extracellularly from single semicircular canal afferents in the turtle labyrinth maintained in vitro and have bath-applied a number of transmitter agonists and antagonists to relate the effects of these substances to the actions of the endogenous transmitter substances. Both glutamate and aspartate strongly excite the afferents while GABA and carbachol have negligible or weak effects. In contrast to its lack of effect on afferent activity in some anamniotes, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) was also found to excite these afferents. Kynurenic acid reversibly reduced the resting firing rates of the afferents and the increases in firing due to the application of glutamate and aspartate. These findings provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that glutamate (or a related compound) is also a vestibular hair cell transmitter in amniotes.
Use of Group Counseling to Address Ethnic Identity Development: Application with Adolescents of Mexican Descent:

This article provides qualitative outcomes from a group counseling intervention whose goal was to facilitate the ethnic identity development of Mexican-origin youth. Outcomes revealed that participants perceived group participation as meaningful. Themes that emerged from the data included the importance of the relationship to engender change, growth in several aspects of ethnic identity (knowledge of culture, traits, and ethnic pride), and increased relational skills.
Sustained in vivo activity of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rHG-CSF) incorporated into hyaluronan

Abstract Recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rHG-CSF), was incorporated into viscous solutions of hyaluronan (HA) for subcutaneous injection into hamsters. Incorporation of rHG-CSF into HA caused no apparent aggregation or degradation of the protein after storage for up to 6 weeks at either 4°C or 37°C. Subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of rHG-CSF alone caused an elevation of white blood cells (WBC) which peaked at 24 h and returned to baseline 48 h after injection. By contrast, s.c. injection of rHG-CSF formulated in 2% (w/v) HA (rHG-CSF/2% HA) yielded elevated WBC at 4–5 days after injection. rHG-CSF/2% HA exhibited prolonged elevation of plasma rHG-CSF levels for up to 4 days after s.c. injection as compared to rHG-CSF alone. Both the molecular weight and concentration of HA affected the viscosity and release of rHG-CSF after injection. At equal viscosity, incorporation of rHG-CSF into higher M r HA exhibited a more prolonged WBC elevation than rHG-CSF incorporated into lower M r HA; at equal M r , 2% (w/v) and 4% (w/v) solutions of HA exhibited more prolonged elevation of WBC than did 1% (w/v) HA. However, no significant difference in release was noted between the 2% (w/v) and 4% HA (w/v) formulations. These results are discussed in relation to the non-ideal colloid osmotic properties of HA.
Endothelin-1 receptor antagonist: Effects on endothelin- and cyclosporine-treated mesangial cells

Endothelin-1 receptor antagonist: Effects on endothelin- and cyclosporine-treated mesangial cells. Endothelin-1 (Et) has profound effects on glomerular microcirculation and mesangial cell contraction. A parameter of mesangial cell contraction was examined by measuring myosin light chain phosphorylation (MLCP) in glomerular mesangial cells in the presence and absence of a newly developed endothelin-1 receptor antagonist (Et A ). Addition of Et alone (10 nM) caused a marked increase in MLCP, which, on average, rose by 53 ± 6% above the level in cells exposed to vehicle (P A virtually abolished this Et-induced increase in MLCP, which rose by only 2 ± 3% and -1 ± 4% for doses of Et A of 44 nM and 66 nM, respectively. Examination of the intracellular calcium concentration, [Ca 2+ ] i , revealed that Et A almost completely abolished the transient increase in [Ca 2+ ] i evoked by Et and also suppressed the early portions of the sustained increase in [Ca 2+ ] i . Et A was ineffective in abolishing [Ca 2+ ] i increase in response to arginine vasopressin. Finally, to evaluate Et A 's efficacy in a pathophysiologic setting, we also studied mesangial cells exposed to cyclosporine (Cs). Exposure of mesangial cells to Cs (10 -5 M) for 60 minutes caused a significant increase in MLCP, on average, by 38 ± 6% above control (P A increased MLCP significantly less, by only 15 ± 9%. These data provide further evidence for Et's long-lasting cellular actions, and demonstrate inhibitory effects of an Et receptor antagonist after direct cellular exposure to Et and also after Cs exposure, a pathophysiologic setting which likely involves Et.
Evaluation of daily home spirometry for school children with asthma: New insights

Home spirometers are useful for monitoring asthma therapy and for research, but the validity of maneuvers in children is in question. We evaluated the quality of PEF, FEV(1), and FVC data obtained from 67 children with persistent asthma who self-administered spirometry at home using the hand-held ndd EasyOne Frontline Spirometer with full expiratory curve data, electronic measurements of maneuver quality, and on-screen incentives. Half were studied in 2003 in one region, and half in 2004 in another region of Southern California. Subjects were followed at home weekly over 2 months and daily over 10 consecutive days. We retained completed spirometry sessions (9,916) consisting of three of six best maneuvers in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Percent compliance, software assessed repeatability and acceptability modified from American Thoracic Society criteria, and visually assessed quality of maneuvers, were compared across daily and weekly follow-up, study regions, and subject characteristics. Compliance was higher for daily (>90%) than for weekly follow-up (>84%), but not significantly different, and was consistent across subject characteristics. The number with two reproducible and acceptable maneuvers was significantly lower in the first than second region for daily (70 vs. 90%) and weekly follow-up (66 vs. 87%). Of 22,926 software accepted maneuvers, 1,944 (8.5%) were visually rejected (variable effort, cough, glottic closure). Maneuver quality was significantly lower for subjects age 9-12 versus 13-18 years, for subjects not taking anti-inflammatory medications, and for subjects with <80% predicted FEV(1). Longitudinal data collection is possible in children with asthma by employing repeated home training and follow-up, and using spirometers with built in quality assurance and incentive software. Region, age, and multiple indicators of persistent asthma, predict ability to perform reliable and accurate lung function maneuvers.
Parity violation in low-energy np→dγ and the deuteron anapole moment

Abstract Parity violation in low-energy nuclear observables is included in the pionless effective field theory. The model-independent relation between the parity-violating asymmetry in n → p → d γ and the non-nucleon part of the deuteron anapole moment is discussed. The asymmetry in n → p → d γ computed with KSW power-counting, and recently criticized by Desplanques, is discussed.
A Design and Verification Framework for Service Composition in the Cloud

The service cloud model allows hosted services to be dynamically provisioned and composed as part of larger, more complex cloud applications. Compatibility of interaction and quality of service are important to provisioning similar services available in the cloud to a client request. Auditing individual services, the composition and its outcome, and the overall cloud resources, used for monetary assessment or to ensure critical operations, also provide properties for reasoning over service and composition capabilities. Security policies and potential violations pose a threat to the composition since sensitive data may be leaked if information flow control guarantees cannot be proven. Service engineering lacks design principles and an expression infrastructure for formal representation and reasoning within a service cloud model. Reasoning over service compositions requires a formal language that can express multiple service and cloud properties. In this paper, we use coordination language techniques to express services, their interaction capabilities and information sharing constraints, and the infrastructure of a service cloud model in which services can be accurately provisioned, composed and reasoned over to provide necessary guarantees. We discuss lessons learned from the process of formulating the service representation and cloud model infrastructure.
Relationship between Number of Sperm Inseminated and Fertility of Turkey Hens at Various Stages of Production

Abstract Hens were inseminated weekly for 20 weeks with diluted (1:4) semen containing either 200, 100, 50 or 20 million sperm. A relationship of the number of sperm inseminated to stages of production and fertility existed only with a weekly insemination dose of 50 million sperm in which fertility was significantly lower at both the early and late stages of egg production. The physiological significance of the decline in fertility late in the season is discussed.
KINETICS OF AN INTRACELLULAR SYSTEM FOR RESPIRATION AND BIOELECTRIC POTENTIAL AT FLUX EQUILIBRIUM.

The E.M.F. measured across a tissue will be the algebraic sum of the polarity potentials of all the cells included in the measuring circuit, or i The convention of sign is that of Lewis and Randall (12, pp. 389, 402), which is the simple negative of the more commonly used European convention (20, p. 465). An FA1 increase in the ratio _± 1_AH2J tion, however, has been followed in expressing the measured E.M.F. of cells and tissues. In consequence, the locus of high negative potential according to the equation is measured as the point of high positive potential. This has led to Lund 's formal error of statement that the value of the ratio is smaller at that locus which is positive in the measuring circuit.
The Development of a Turbulent Junction Vortex System (Data Bank Contribution)

The growth and development of a horseshoe vortex system in an incompressible, three-dimensional turbulent junction flow were investigated experimentally. A streamlined cylinder mounted with its axis normal to a flat surface was used to generate the junction vortex flow. The flow environment was characterized by a body Reynolds number of 183,000, based on the leading edge diameter of the streamlined cylinder. The study included surface flow visualizations, surface pressure measurements, and mean flow measurements of total pressure, static pressure, and velocity distributions in three planes around the base of the streamlined cylinder, and in two planes in the wake flow. Some characterizations of vortex properties based on the measured mean cross-flow velocity components are presented. The results show the presence of a single large, dominant vortex, with strong evidence of a very small corner vortex in the junction between the cylinder and the flat surface. The center of the dominant vortex drifts away from both the body and the flat surface as the flow develops along and downstream of the body. The growth and development of the core of the large, dominant vortex are documented.
Theoretical Identity, Reference Fixing, and Boyd’s Defense of Type Materialism

In his “Materialism without Reductionism: What Materialism Does not Entail,” Richard Boyd answers Kripke’s challenge to materialists to come up with a way to explain away the apparent contingency of mind-brain identities (such as ‘Pain=C-fiber firings’). Boyd accuses Kripke of an imaginative myopia manifesting itself as a failure to realize that the more theoretical term in the identity (‘C-fiber firings’) is fixed by contingent descriptions – descriptions that might pick out otherworldly kinds of neural events where C-fibres are absent. If this is something we can confuse in the imagination with actual C-fibre firings, then we have an explanation of the apparent contingency of the necessary identity ‘Pain=C-fiber firings.’ However, for this to succeed it must be the case that the reference of ‘C-fiber firings’ is fixed by some contingent description, which is false. Boyd, I submit, has failed to answer Kripke’s challenge after all.
Regulation of cellular responsiveness to inductive signals in the developing C. elegans nervous system

In Caenorhabditis elegans, cell-cell communication is required to form a simple pattern of sensory ray neurons and cuticular structures (alae). The C. elegans pal-1 gene initiates one developmental pathway (ray lineages) simply by blocking a cell-cell interaction that induces an alternative pathway. Here we show by mosaic analysis that pal-1+ acts by preventing specific cells from responding to inductive signals. The results indicate that although cell signals play a critical role in generating this pattern, they do not provide spatial information. Instead, signals are sent to many, if not all, of the precursor cells, and the ability to respond is spatially restricted. This patterning strategy thus differs from many well known models for pattern formation in which localized inductive signals influence a subset of cells within a field. We find that pal-1 encodes a homeodomain protein and so is likely to regulate transcription. The pal-1+ protein could block the response to cell signals either by repressing genes involved in signal transduction or by acting directly on downstream genes in a way that neutralizes the effects of the intercellular signals. Genetic experiments indicate that one candidate for such a downstream gene is the Antennapedia-like homeotic selector gene mab-5.
Flexible packaging and interconnect scheme for microfluidic systems

A slide-together compression package and microfluidic interconnects for microfabricated devices requiring fluidic and electrical connections is presented. The package assembles without tools, is reusable, and requires no epoxy, wirebonds, or solder, making chip replacement fast and easy. The microfluidic interconnects use standard HPLC PEEK tubing, with the tip machined to accept either an o-ring or custom molded ring which serves the dual function of forming the seal and providing mechanical retention strength. One design uses a screw to compress the o-ring, while others are simply plugged into a cartridge retained in the package. The connectors are helium leak-tight, can withstand hundreds of psi, are easy to connect and disconnect, are low dead volume, have a small footprint, and are adaptable to a broad range of microfabricated devices.
Alternative splice form of type II procollagen mRNA (IIA) is predominant in skeletal precursors and non-cartilaginous tissues during early mouse development

Type II collagen, generally considered to be characteristic of cartilage, has been localized in specific non-cartilaginous structures during embryogenesis and development of the skeleton. Type II procollagen is synthesized in two different forms generated by alternative splicing of exon 2 in the precursor mRNA transcript. One form (type IIA procollagen) contains a large cysteine-rich domain in the NH2-terminal propeptide, while the second form (type IIB procollagen) does not. These two forms are spatially expressed during development and chondrogenesis with the type IIB procollagen mRNA primarily expressed by chondrocytes while the IIA form is expressed in chondroprogenitor cells (Sandell et al. [1991] J. Cell Biol. 114:1307-1319). The present study demonstrates that the early non-cartilage expression, by somites, mesenchymal and epithelial cells, is predominantly the alternate splice form, type IIA procollagen mRNA. Later in development, the type IIB mRNA splice form is expressed by chondrocytes. During the development of intramembranous bones, such as the mandible, type IIA procollagen mRNA is also expressed. In this tissue, the splice form does not switch to type IIB mRNA and no cartilage is formed. These results show that expression of type IIA mRNA, whether by epithelial or mesenchymal cells, precedes formation of overt skeletal structures.
Technical Note---Delegating Pricing Responsibility to the Salesforce

In this paper, we use an agency theory framework to address the issue of delegating pricing responsibility to the salesperson. In this analysis, it is shown that delegating the pricing responsibility to the salesperson is as profitable as centralization when the salesperson and the sales manager have identical information about the selling environment; but delegation may be more profitable when the saleperson's information is superior to that of the sales manager's. It is also argued that this characteristic is typical of market conditions where we observe delegation of such responsibility in cases identified by Weinberg Weinberg, C. B. 1975. An optimal commission plan for salesman's control over price. Management Sci.21 8, April 937--943. and Stephenson, Cron and Frazier Stephenson, P. R., W. L. Cron, G. Frazier. 1979. Delegating pricing authority to the salesforce: The effects on sales and profit performance. J. Marketing43 April 21--28..
Biological Sciences: Virus in Cell Culture derived from Human Tumour Patients

RNA VIRUSES related to those causing tumours in chickens and mice have now been found in many other species1. In some, such as the cat, there is strong evidence that the viruses are causative agents of cancer in the natural hosts2–4. The same studies have raised the possibility that man may also carry such viruses, perhaps in a more covert form1. There have been reports of “virus-like” particles in human plasma5 and, in one case, in a liposarcoma in tissue culture6.
EPR and ENDOR study of radiation-induced radical formation in purines: hypoxanthine hydrochloride monohydrate crystals X-irradiated at 10 K.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) study of hypoxanthine·HCl·H2O crystals irradiated at low temperatures (10 K) identified three radical species. In...
Relation between blood pressure at rest and perception of angina pectoris during exercise testing

Abstract In conclusion, patients with positive findings on exercise testing who have high BP at rest have a higher prevalence of silent ischemia than those with normal BP at rest. These findings emphasize the role of hypertension in the development of silent ischemia.
7.6.2 Computing the Impact of Cyber Attacks on Complex Missions

—This paper describes how to evaluate the impact of a cyber attack on a mission. We accomplish this by computing impact as the changes to mission measures of effectiveness, based on the reported effects of a known or suspected attack on one or more parts of the information technology (IT) supporting the mission. Our previous papers have described our goals for computing mission impact and the choices of the techniques we use for modeling missions, IT, and cyber attacks. This paper focuses on how we compute the impact of cyber attacks on IT processes and information. These computations will improve decision-making when under cyber attack by providing accurate and detailed assessments of the impact of those attacks. Although the focus of our work has been on the calculation of cyber mission impacts during mission execution, we have also demonstrated how our representations and computations can be used for performing cyber risk analysis and crown jewels analysis.
Pointwise displacement errors in linear shell theory resulting from errors in the stress-strain relations

It is rigorously proved that relative errors of order e in the stress-strain relations of linear shell theory result in relative pointwise errors in the solution displacement field of order e.
Barcoding allows immediate downloading of PowerPoint presentations by smart phones.

The PowerPoint presentation is the primary medium for medical education. Everyone involved in medical education has experienced the sinking feeling of watching a presentation and thinking ‘This is important information! I really could use a copy.’ We describe a novel mobile device strategy which allows the dissemination of PowerPoint presentations at the time of delivery. (Published: 21 December 2011) Citation: Medical Education Online 2011, 16 : 11743 - DOI: 10.3402/meo.v16i0.11743