cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vascular Alpine Flora of Mount Washburn, Yellowstone National Park, USA

Abstract Mount Washburn, the principal peak in the volcanic Washburn Range, is an important site for both tourism and research in Yellowstone National Park. This paper provides: 1) descriptions of plant community types on Mt. Washburn, 2) biogeographic comparisons of species diversity for several ranges in the North-Central Rockies, and 3) an annotated species list of the alpine vascular flora, including summaries of constancy, local abundance, and preferred habitats. The alpine flora consists of one hundred and twenty-six vascular plant species from seventy-five genera and twenty-eight families. Biogeographic analyses suggest that the flora is depauperate for the region, with relatively low rates of colonization. These results agree with the predictions of the theory of island biogeography for small isolated ecosystems, and emphasize the vulnerability of Washburn to sub-alpine encroachment as the result of climate change.
Trimodality Therapy for Stage II-III Carcinoma of the Esophagus: A Dose-Ranging Study of Concurrent Capecitabine, Docetaxel, and Thoracic Radiotherapy

Purpose This dose-escalation study was performed to determine the recommended phase II dose of oral capecitabine to be delivered concurrently with thoracic radiation therapy and weekly docetaxel in patients with locally advanced esophageal carcinoma. Methods Patients with operable stage II or III esophageal carcinoma were staged by endoscopic ultrasonography and computed tomography. Two cycles of docetaxel (80 mg/m 2 ) and carboplatin (target area under the concentration-time curve: 6 mg/ml × min) were delivered over 6 weeks. This was followed by concurrent weekly docetaxel (15 mg/m 2 ), thoracic radiotherapy (50.4 Gy in 28 fractions), and increasing doses of capecitabine (500–3500 mg) given before each fraction of radiotherapy. After restaging, responding patients continued to esophagectomy within 4 to 8 weeks of completing chemoradiotherapy. Results Forty-four patients were enrolled, and 40 were assessable for the dose-ranging component of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Endoscopic ultrasonography stages at enrollment were T3N1 (29 patients), T3N0 (4 patients), T2N1 (6 patients), and T4N0 (one patient). The maximum tolerated dose of capecitabine was 3500 mg. Thirty-six patients had surgery; 83% had R0 resection, and 17% had pathological complete response. Median overall survival was 23.5 months, with 34 and 27% alive at 3 and 5 years. Conclusion The recommended phase II dose of capecitabine is 3500 mg when given concurrently with 50.4 Gy of thoracic radiotherapy in 28 fractions and weekly docetaxel. This trimodality therapy for operable locally advanced esophageal carcinoma was very well tolerated and remarkably active. This regimen holds promise for the treatment of esophageal carcinoma and warrants further investigation.
Goal Attainment, Goal Striving, and Well-Being During the Transition to Adulthood: A Ten-Year U.S. National Longitudinal Study

This study examines the relation between young adults’ goal achievement, continued goal striving over time, and subsequent well-being. Analysis of a longitudinal subsample of a nationally representative U.S. study of 5,693 adolescents as they transition to adulthood revealed that individuals who met their goals had higher well-being, but that the relation between goal completion and well-being varied by goal content. Continued goal striving was related to well-being and maintained domain-specifi c self-effi cacies, whereas goal disengagement was accompanied by declines in domain-specifiself-effi cacies. Overall, the results suggest that long-term goal striving is benefi cial for wellbeing during the transition to adulthood. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Improved Wavenumber Selection Scheme for Line-by-Line Photon Monte Carlo Simulations in Combustion Systems

Recently, it has become possible to conduct line-by-line (LBL) accurate radiative heat transfer calculations in spectrally highly nongray combustion systems using the Monte Carlo method. LBL accuracy, in principle, adds little to the computational load as compared to gray calculations. However, when employing the Monte Carlo method, choosing appropriate emission wave numbers for statistical photon bundles can be numerically expensive. In this paper, a new scheme for wave number selection is proposed, significantly decreasing CPU requirements compared to previous work. The accuracy of the new method is established and its time requirements are compared against the previous method.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Efficient Data Mapping and Buffering Techniques for Multilevel Cell Phase-Change Memories

New phase-change memory (PCM) devices have low-access latencies (like DRAM) and high capacities (i.e., low cost per bit, like Flash). In addition to being able to scale to smaller cell sizes than DRAM, a PCM cell can also store multiple bits per cell (referred to as multilevel cell, or MLC), enabling even greater capacity per bit. However, reading and writing the different bits of data from and to an MLC PCM cell requires different amounts of time: one bit is read or written first, followed by another. Due to this asymmetric access process, the bits in an MLC PCM cell have different access latency and energy depending on which bit in the cell is being read or written.We leverage this observation to design a new way to store and buffer data in MLC PCM devices. While traditional devices couple the bits in each cell next to one another in the address space, our key idea is to logically decouple the bits in each cell into two separate regions depending on their read/write characteristics: fast-read/slow-write bits and slow-read/fast-write bits. We propose a low-overhead hardware/software technique to predict and map data that would benefit from being in each region at runtime. In addition, we show how MLC bit decoupling provides more flexibility in the way data is buffered in the device, enabling more efficient use of existing device buffer space.Our evaluations for a multicore system show that MLC bit decoupling improves system performance by 19.2p, memory energy efficiency by 14.4p, and thread fairness by 19.3p over a state-of-the-art MLC PCM system that couples the bits in its cells. We show that our results are consistent across a variety of workloads and system configurations.
Intrauterine exposure to cocaine: Effect on neurobehavior of neonates☆

Neurobehavior of 50 infants, 25 exposed to cocaine and 25 unexposed, was evaluated by the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) in this prospective study. The groups were matched for sociodemographic, maternal, and neonatal characteristics. Twenty-eight neurobehavioral items and 18 elicited responses were analyzed individually as well as in 7 clusters after adjusting for confounding variables (gender, maternal age, cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use). Among the individual items, the cocaine-exposed group performed poorly in smile, irritability, p < .05, consolability, lability of state, and self-quiet activity, p < .01. The elicited responses revealed abnormal performance in sucking intensity, rooting intensity, and standing, p < .05. Among the 7 clusters, regulation of state and range of state were abnormal, p < .025. We conclude that cocaine exposure adversely affects neonatal neurobehavior. These behavioral deficits may have an impact on maternal-infant bonding and overall infant development. Long-term developmental follow-up may be necessary.
Site specific phosphorylation of cytochrome c oxidase subunits I, IVi1 and Vb in rabbit hearts subjected to ischemia/reperfusion

We have mapped the sites of ischemia/reperfusion-induced phosphorylation of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) subunits in rabbit hearts by using a combination of Blue Native gel/Tricine gel electrophoresis and nano-LC-MS/MS approaches. We used precursor ion scanning combined with neutral loss scanning and found that mature CcO subunit I was phosphorylated at tandem Ser115/Ser116 positions, subunit IVi1 at Thr52 and subunit Vb at Ser40. These sites are highly conserved in mammalian species. Molecular modeling suggests that phosphorylation sites of subunit I face the inter membrane space while those of subunits IVi1 and Vb face the matrix side.
Habituation of the Crayfish Escape Response during Release from Inhibition induced by Picrotoxin

IF the more posterior segments of the crayfish body are disturbed, it will often escape by darting backwards. This escape manoeuvre, in which the appendages are thrust forward and the tail is flexed, is mediated by two lateral giant axons which lie dorsolaterally in the nerve cord1. A most intriguing aspect of the reflex is its extreme lability; it invariably fails if an attempt is made to elicit it repeatedly (unpublished results of Krasne and Wood-small). It is this phenomenon, so reminiscent of habituation in higher forms, which concerns us here.
Inverting sensor networks and actuating the environment for spatio-temporal access control

Wireless sensor networks are typically deployed to measure the information field, rather than create an information field. However, by utilizing the radio on sensor nodes, it is possible to invert the role of sensor networks, and allow sensor nodes to actuate the environment. Such actuation can facilitate new forms of access control that are based on whether a user is located at the right place at the right time. In this paper, we explore the challenges of supporting spatio-temporal access control, where access to an object or service is based on the user's spatio-temporal context. Specifically, we focus on supporting spatio-temporal access control through the specification of access control policies, and show how complex spatio-temporal policies can be specified using automata. We outline a challenge-response mechanism for verifying user location in a centralized spatio-temporal access control mechanism. We utilize sensor networks in an inverted fashion to support spatio-temporal access control. Sensor nodes announce keys according to a time-varying schedule, and users may access restricted files/resources only if they are in the neighborhood of the correct sensor node and witness the appropriate cryptographic key.
Impact of terrestrial carbon input on methane emissions from an Alaskan Arctic lake

[1] Arctic warming is expected to increase thermokarst erosion in thaw lakes, thus inducing large emissions of CH4 to the atmosphere. To reduce uncertainties about the mechanisms, magnitude and timing of methane emissions, we conducted an in-situ experiment to simulate lake expansion following thermokarst erosion. Three tundra horizons were excavated, incubated at the bottom of a thaw lake and subsequently monitored for CH4 ebullition from mid-season until lake freeze-up. Although the permafrost and seasonally frozen active layer emitted little CH4 throughout the experiment, ebullition from the thawed active layer began the first week, quickly reaching rates (39 mg CH4 m−2 day−1) comparable to background ebullition in Siberian thaw lakes. While the long-term fate of permafrost carbon from thermokarst lake expansion remains uncertain, the short-term methane release is dominated by upper active layer carbon. Thus, deepening of the upper active layer in a thaw lake dominated landscape should increase CH4 ebullition rates.
Simkit: component based simulation modeling with Simkit

This paper demonstrates how to use Simkit to create Discrete Event Simulation models using a component framework. The component framework is based on a listener design pattern especially useful for simulation models. The objects created are called Listener Event Graph Objects, so the component framework is called LEGO. Simkit is an Open Source package written in Java.
Cunninghamella Infections: Review and Report of Two Cases of Cunninghamella Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Children

Infections caused by Cunninghamella bertholletiae are being identified with increasing frequency in immunocompromised patients. We have treated two children with cancer for pulmonary infections caused by this rare fungus. Cunninghamella infection is found in a variety of populations of patients, including both children and adults undergoing chemotherapy. Clinical signs and symptoms are indistinguishable from those of other forms of zygomycosis. Outcome is poor: only three of 17 patients with such infection (including one of the two children described herein) have survived. Treatment involves aggressive surgical excision and administration of amphotericin B.
Conservation of element concentration in xylem sap of red spruce

We investigated the chemistry of xylem sap as a marker of red spruce metabolism and soil chemistry at three locations in northern New England. A Scholander pressure chamber was used to extract xylem sap from roots and branches cut from mature trees in early June and September. Root sap contained significantly greater concentrations of K, Ca, Mg, Mn, and Al than branch sap. Sap collected in June contained a signficantly greater concentration of Mn than sap collected in September. Sap concentration was related to forest location for N and Mn. Variations in concentrations of N and K were significantly related to the interaction of tree organ and month of collection. Variations in concentrations of P, Cu, Zn, and Fe were not attributable to tree organ, month of collection, or forest location. Patterns of element concentration in xylem sap compared to previously published data on soil solution chemistry indicated a high degree of homeostatic control of xylem sap chemistry. This control likely represents a significant allocation of resources within the tree energy budget.
Stability of Nodal Quasiparticles in Superconductors with Coexisting Orders

We establish a condition for the perturbative stability of zero energy nodal points in the quasiparticle spectrum of superconductors in the presence of coexisting commensurate orders. The nodes are found to be stable if the Hamiltonian is invariant under time reversal followed by a lattice translation. The principle is demonstrated with a few examples. Some experimental implications of various types of assumed order are discussed in the context of the cuprate superconductors.
Prognosis after acute myocardial infarction.

Numerous studies have identified the extent of myocardial damage as an important prognostic factor in both early and late mortality after an episode of acute infarction. Thus, indexes relating to t...
Subacromial corticosteroid injections

The use of subacromial injections to treat shoulder pain has remained one of the most common procedures for the practicing orthopedist, rheumatologist, and general practitioner. Despite this, many prospective studies have questioned the efficacy of corticosteroid injections compared with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or injections of local anesthetics alone, or both, when used for the treatment of symptomatic rotator cuff disease. Accurate diagnosis of the etiology of a patient's shoulder pain and proper injection technique are important in achieving satisfactory clinical outcomes. Both extrinsic as well as intrinsic etiologies for rotator cuff disease should be considered and must be elucidated with appropriate physical examination techniques. Although subacromial injections appear straightforward, more recent cadaveric, radiographic, and clinical studies have demonstrated variable accuracy rates using the two common techniques. In addition, absolute sterile technique must be used because infections of the subacromial space after injections, although uncommon, have generally led to debilitating conditions. This article reviews the etiology and pathophysiology of rotator cuff disease and the indications and techniques for subacromial corticosteroid injections.
THE CRYSTAL CHEMISTRY AND THERMAL STABILITY OF SOL-GEL PREPARED FLUORIDE-SUBSTITUTED TALC

Stable, colloidal sols were prepared from the addition of methanolic (Mg(OCH3)2) to one equivalent of H2O2 in methanol. Fluoride was quantitatively incorporated by treatment of these sols with HF. Stable sols were obtained when sols, prepared from the acid catalyzed hydrolysis of tetramethylorthosilicate (TMOS), were combined with these fluoridated magnesium sols. Solvent removal gave xerogels, which were calcined, and treated with stoichiometric quantities of water at 750 °C and 1.6 kbar. The resulting products were high-purity, single-phase talcs with fluoride substitution as high as 75 mole percent; the fluoride substitution is higher than any previously reported. Powder XRD analysis showed a non-linear decrease in d(060) spacing with increasing fluoride substitution, which is attributed to a decrease in the b-dimension of talc when fluoride replaced hydroxide. FTIR spectroscopy showed a non-linear decrease in vO-H in talc with increasing fluoride substitution, which was attributed to an increase in hydrogen bonding of the OH groups and an increase in the electronegativity of the octahedral layer in talc with increasing fluoride substitution. The thermal stability of the talcs was studied using DT and TG, powder XRD, FTIR, and fluoride ion-selective electrode analyses. Synthetic talc without fluoride decomposed at 860 °C, whereas talc with 68% fluoride substitution showed essentially no decomposition when heated to 1060 °C. When heated to 1200 °C, 68% fluoride substituted talc formed amorphous material, enstatite, protoenstatite, norbergite, and chondrodite. The upper stability temperature of talc, taken as the maximum rate of the first endothermic event in its DTA profile, was dependent on the extent of fluoride substitution. Talc with 100% fluoride substitution is predicted to be stable up to ∼1100°C.
Wave action: the environmental trigger for hatching in the California grunion Leuresthes tenuis (Teleostei: Atherinopsidae)

California grunion Leuresthes tenuis (Teleostei: Atherinopsidae) emerge from the ocean to spawn on beaches of southern California. Grunion eggs do not hatch at a set developmental age, but remain in the sand until turbulent surf at high tide washes them out to sea. In previously studied fishes and amphibians that lay eggs terrestrially, low oxygen is the trigger for hatching in water, and high oxygen tensions inhibit hatching. For the grunion, however, eggs placed in air, seawater and oil did not hatch at any at oxygen tension until they were agitated in fluid. Following agitation in seawater, all eggs hatched within several minutes. Grunion eggs in normoxic or hyperoxic water hatched significantly faster than eggs agitated at the lowest oxygen tensions. Mechanical agitation, not hypoxia, is the environmental trigger for hatching in California grunion eggs.
Alpha‐synuclein in Lewy Body Disease and Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Lewy body disease (LBD) are the most common causes of dementia in the elderly population. Previous studies have shown that cognitive alterations in these disorders are associated with synaptic loss. Injury and loss of synapses might be associated with altered function of synaptic proteins. Among them, recent studies have shown that abnormal aggregation and accumulation of synaptic proteins, such as alpha-synuclein, might be associated with plaque formation in AD and Lewy body formation in LBD. Further reinforcing the hypothesis that alpha-synuclein plays a major role in the pathogenesis of these disorders, recent work has shown that mutations that alter the conformation of this molecule are associated with familial forms of Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms by which altered function or aggregation of alpha-synuclein might lead to neurodegeneration are not completely clear; however, new evidence points to a potential role for this molecule in synaptic damage and neurotoxicity via amyloid-like fibril formation and mitochondrial dysfunction. In this manuscript we review the data linking alpha-synuclein to the pathogenesis of AD and LBD.
Extracellular DNA from Serpulina hyodysenteriae consists of 6.5 kbp random fragments of chromosomal DNA

Preparations of chromosomal DNA from a number of Serpulina hyodysenteriae strains have shown, using agarose gel electrophoresis, the presence of an additional band with a mobility similar to that of a 6.5 kbp linear DNA fragment. Analysis showed that this is not a plasmid but rather a form of extracellular DNA like that observed for Gram-negative bacteria. However, unlike the extracellular DNA from Gram-negative bacteria, which showed a similar band profile to that of the DNA from whole cells, that from S. hyodysenteriae consisted primarily of fragments of a fixed 6.5 kbp.
The contributions of disease activity, sleep patterns, and depression to fatigue in systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective. This study describes lupus fatigue multidimensionally and introduces a multivariate model: Sleep problems and depression, through reciprocal effects on each other, act as mediators through which lupus disease activity increases fatigue. Methods. Self-reported sleep patterns, depression, and fatigue were assessed in 48 women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 27 women from the general population. Rheumatologists rated current lupus disease activity. Results. The SLE group reported greater overall fatigue than did the controls. Temporal and affective dimensions of fatigue were more differentiating than sensory or severity dimensions. The SLE group also reported longer sleep latency and total sleep time, but not higher depression. Using 2-stage regression, a form of structural equation modeling, the proposed lupus fatigue model was supported. Conclusion. These preliminary results describe fatigue as a multidimensional phenomenon arising out of several contributing factors. They suggest that fatigue treatment strategies should address mediating processes such as sleep and depression, in addition to disease activity.
The effects of experience and a decision aid on the slope, scatter, and bias of earnings forecasts

Abstract This study examines the joint effects of experience and a statistical decision aid on several dimensions of forecasting accuracy. Undergraduate business students, graduate business students, and experienced financial analysts made probabilistic earnings forecasts for 16 firms, either with or without access to a decision aid. Covariance decomposition was used to partition the overall accuracy score into the following components: bias, scatter, and slope. Consistent with prior research, the absolute accuracy of subjects was quite poor, even worse than a uniform forecaster. In contrast to previous results which documented an inverted experience–accuracy effect, experience had a positive impact on accuracy in the current study. This difference in results may be due, at least in part, to the different conditions under which subjects performed the earnings forecasting task. The covariance analysis showed that experienced financial analysts and MBA students had significantly better slope and lower scatter than undergraduate students. The financial analysts were also more biased than either of the student groups, yet still achieved the highest overall accuracy. The decision aid improved forecasting accuracy by increasing the slope of the analysts’ forecasts, while decreasing the scatter in the graduate and undergraduate students’ forecasts.
Contribution of an internal heat exchanger to the performance of a liquid desiccant dehumidifier operating near freezing conditions

Abstract The aim of the present study is to analyze numerically the effect of an internal heat exchanger (IHX) in a liquid-desiccant based dehumidification system operating near freezing conditions that are typical of a refrigerated warehouse. The study is based on previous work done by the authors that showed reduced ice formation on the surface of a cooling coil by dehumidifying the air using liquid desiccants. The results of the present study show that IHX effectiveness has a direct impact on the inlet temperature of the liquid desiccant leaving the absorber. High IHX effectiveness results in high absorber effectiveness. However, IHX effectiveness less than 60% leads to a desorption process where the liquid desiccant concentration increases, augmenting the humidity ratio of the air going through the mass exchanger.
Prediction of Dynamic Contact Loads in Granular Assemblies

An experimental-numerical hybrid technique has been developed to predict the intergranular contact load trasfer in granular media subjected to explosive loading. The granular media were simulated by assemblies of circular disks in contact
Gas-Solid Chromatography: Longitudinal and Intraparticle Diffusion of Acetylene in Activated Carbon

Abstract The time-dependent transmission of 100 ppm acetylene in helium at 1 atm through columns of Columbia 4LXC 12/28 activated carbon at 25°C was measured at several flow rates in the range from about 1 to 7 cm3/s. Transmission is the gas-phase concentration at the column outlet divided by the input concentration. The gas-and adsorbed-phase diffusion coefficients were calculated from a homogeneous-solid diffusion model by means of the method of moments. The gas-phase diffusion coefficient was constant in this range of flow rates. Fitting the experimental transmission curves to a theoretical transmission expression for a model with only gas-phase diffusion indicated that solid-phase diffusion in this carbon cannot be neglected at high flow rates.
Nuclear Data Sheets Update for A = 204

Abstract Experimental data pertaining to nuclear structure of nuclei with mass number A=204 have been compiled and evaluated.
Vascular regeneration: engineering the stem cell microenvironment

Vascular diseases are a major threat to human health nowadays. While current treatments can cure some vascular diseases, their beneficial effects are only temporary; vascular regeneration holds the promise of permanent, effective treatments for many vascular diseases. Stem cells and endothelial progenitor cells can differentiate into vascular lineages and therefore have the potential to repair vascular systems. However, engineering appropriate microenvironments that will allow cell maturation and delivery remains the major challenge to the successful implementation of this treatment. This review introduces the cells that are being studied for vascular differentiation and regeneration; we then consider recent approaches to engineering microenvironments, including proper signaling cues and biodegradable scaffolds that will guide the development of these cells into vessels suitable for cell-based vascular therapy.
Bisulfite Binding Substances (B.B.S.) in the Blood and Cerebrospinal Fluid.

ConclusionThe amount of N/200 I2 corresponding to the liberated bisulfite is equivalent to the total I2 minus the thiosulfate. The value of the blank is then deducted from this figure. This difference is then multiplied by 3.67 for the blood sample and 2.75 for the spinal fluid sample. The result obtained equals the total B.B.S. expressed as mg of pyruvic acid per 100 cc.
Evaluation of selected static methods used to estimate element mobility, acid-generating and acid-neutralizing potentials associated with geologically diverse mining wastes

Abstract A comparison study of selected static leaching and acid–base accounting (ABA) methods using a mineralogically diverse set of 12 modern-style, metal mine waste samples was undertaken to understand the relative performance of the various tests. To complement this study, in-depth mineralogical studies were conducted in order to elucidate the relationships between sample mineralogy, weathering features, and leachate and ABA characteristics. In part one of the study, splits of the samples were leached using six commonly used leaching tests including paste pH, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Field Leach Test (FLT) (both 5-min and 18-h agitation), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Method 1312 SPLP (both leachate pH 4.2 and leachate pH 5.0), and the USEPA Method 1311 TCLP (leachate pH 4.9). Leachate geochemical trends were compared in order to assess differences, if any, produced by the various leaching procedures. Results showed that the FLT (5-min agitation) was just as effective as the 18-h leaching tests in revealing the leachate geochemical characteristics of the samples. Leaching results also showed that the TCLP leaching test produces inconsistent results when compared to results produced from the other leaching tests. In part two of the study, the ABA was determined on splits of the samples using both well-established traditional static testing methods and a relatively quick, simplified net acid–base accounting (NABA) procedure. Results showed that the traditional methods, while time consuming, provide the most in-depth data on both the acid generating, and acid neutralizing tendencies of the samples. However, the simplified NABA method provided a relatively fast, effective estimation of the net acid–base account of the samples. Overall, this study showed that while most of the well-established methods are useful and effective, the use of a simplified leaching test and the NABA acid–base accounting method provide investigators fast, quantitative tools that can be used to provide rapid, reliable information about the leachability of metals and other constituents of concern, and the acid-generating potential of metal mining waste.
ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL PATTERNS IN LAKE WATER QUALITY: USING ECOREGIONS FOR LAKE MANAGEMENT IN MINNESOTA

ABSTRACT Developing lake management strategies that have utility across diverse geographic areas is difficult. For example, with over 12,000 lakes in Minnesota, determining carrying capacities, restoration goals, and lake protective standards cannot be practically made on a lake-by-lake basis. In light of this, the aquatic ecoregion approach was employed to assess regional patterns in watershed characteristics and inlake parameters such as phosphorus concentration, Secchi transparency, and lake mixing pattern. This approach defined seven distinct ecoregions, of which, the following four contain the majority of lakes in Minnesota: Northern Lakes and Forest (NLF), North Central Hardwood Forests (CHF), Western Corn Belt Plains (WCP) and the Northern Glaciated Plains (NGP). Analysis of total phosphorus data from approximately 1,100 lakes by ecoregion resulted in the following median epilimnetic concentrations: NLF – 23 μg P/L, CHF – 50 μg P/L, WCP – 121 μg P/L, and NGP – 176 μg P/L. Lake mixing patterns may b...
Comparison of Holstein and Jersey Innate Immune Responses to Escherichia coli Intramammary Infection

Mastitisisoneofthemostprevalentdiseasesincattle andremainsamongthemostcostlydiseasestothedairy industry. Various surveys have indicated a greater prevalence of and risk for mastitis in Holstein cows than in Jersey cows. The innate immune system comprises the immediate host defense mechanisms that respond to infection, and differences in the magnitude and rapidity of this response are known to influence susceptibility to and clearance of infectious pathogens. The reported differences in the prevalence of mastitis between Holstein and Jersey cows may suggest the occurrence of breed-dependent differences in the innate immune response to intramammary infection. The objective of the current study was to compare the acute phase and cytokine responses of Holstein and Jersey cowsfollowingintramammaryinfectionbythebacterial pathogen Escherichia coli, a leading cause of clinical mastitis. All cows in the study were in similar stages of lactation, of the same parity, subjected to the same housing and management conditions, and experimentally infected on the same day with the same inoculum preparation. Before and after infection, the following innate immune parameters were monitored: bacterial clearance;febrile response;inductionofthe acutephase proteins serum amyloid A and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein; alterations in total and differential white blood cell counts; changes in milk somatic cell counts and mammary vascular permeability; and induction of the cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-8, IL-12, and tumor necrosis factor-α. Overall innate immune responses were similar between the 2 breeds; however, temporal differences in the onset, cessation, and duration of several responses were detected. Despite these differences, intramammary clearance of E. coli was comparable be
How frequently should asymptomatic patients be dilated

Purpose: To determine if routine dilated fundus examination (DFE) should be performed sooner than at 10-year intervals in asymptomatic patients. Methods: Records for all patients consecutively evaluated in a one-year time frame were systematically reviewed. Of those patients who received initial DFE and were living 10 years later, records for sequential DFE were again evaluated to determine presence of clinically-significant, peripheral retinal findings. Databases were also searched in order to determine the number of patients during the same 10-year time period who developed vision or life-threatening peripheral retinal findings. The two groups were cross-matched to determine effectiveness of routine DFE.
Attenuated cardiac contractile responsiveness to insulin-like growth factor I in ventricular myocytes from biobreeding spontaneous diabetic rats.

Objective: Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1) stimulates cardiac growth and contraction, but resistance to its action has been reported in diabetes. This study was to determine if IGF-1-induced cardiac contractile action is altered in rats genetically predisposed to diabetes. Method: Ventricular myocytes were isolated from spontaneously biobreeding diabetes-prone (BB/DP) rats and their diabetes-resistant littermates (BB/DR). Mechanical properties were evaluated in cardiomyocytes using a video-based edge-detection system. Myocytes were electrically stimulated at 0.5 Hz. Contractile properties analyzed included peak shortening (PS), time-to-PS (TPS) and time-to-90% relengthening (TR90). Intracellular Ca2+ transients were measured as changes in fura-2 fluorescence intensity (ΔFFI). Results: Myocytes from BB/DP rats displayed increased PS, prolonged TPS and TR90, as well as reduced resting FFI compared to the BB/DR group. IGF-1 (10−10–10−6 M) caused a dose-dependent increase in PS in myocytes from BB/DR but not BB/DP rats. The increase of PS was blunted by IGF-1 antagonist H-1356, phosphatidylinositol-3 (PI-3) kinase inhibitor wortmannin, but not tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. None of these agents affected responses to IGF-1 in BB/DP myocytes. Interestingly, IGF-1 elicited a comparable dose-dependent increase in Ca2+ transients in myocytes from both BB/DR and BB/DP rats. Conclusion: These results suggest that the attenuation of IGF-1-induced cardiac contractile response in chemically-induced diabetes also exists in diabetes of genetic origin, possibly due to mechanisms involving PI-3 kinase and intracellular Ca2+ sensitivity.
Anion-sealed single-molecule capsules

A new approach to anion recognition utilizing electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions has been demonstrated by placement of the whole ion-pair in a molecular capsule.
Understanding patient perspectives on communication about the cost of cancer care: a review of the literature.

More research is needed to better understand patient perspectives on cost of cancer care discussions, as such communication may have significant impact on outcome, cost, and overall patient satisfaction.
A tribute to Italian physiologists of Jewish descent evicted during the persecution ordered by the Fascist Regime in 1938

The present report commemorates the persecution of five renown Italian physiologists of Jewish descent that lost their chairs in medical schools because of the anti-semitic policies of the fascist ...
A study of LPC analysis of speech in additive noise

A study of the autocorrelation LPC analysis of speech in additive noise is presented. In the noise-free case it is shown that finite word length implementation of the analysis may produce stable but poor spectral estimates. The beneficial effects of proper preemphasis are reaffirmed in terms of decreased numerical error as well as decreased LPC order needed for a good spectral fit. For the ease of noisy input speech the conditions for severe distortion of the spectral estimate are presented. A proper LPC spectral analysis of speech in additive noise is shown to require a higher order fit than currently used, a more precise implementation, and a more accurate parameter quantization for transmission.
Characterization of the Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato AvrRpt2 protein: demonstration of secretion and processing during bacterial pathogenesis

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 (Pst DC3000) expressing avrRpt2 is specifically recognized by plant cells expressing RPS2 activity, resulting in localized cell death and plant resistance. Furthermore, transient expression of this bacterial avrRpt2 gene in plant cells results in RPS2-dependent cell death. This indicates that the AvrRpt2 protein is recognized inside RPS2 plant cells and is sufficient for the activation of disease resistance-mediated cell death in planta. We explored the possibility that Pst DC3000 delivers AvrRpt2 protein to plant cells via the hrp (type III) secretion pathway. We now provide direct evidence that mature AvrRpt2 protein is secreted from Pst DC3000 and that secretion is hrp dependent. We also show that AvrRpt2 is N-terminally processed when Arabidopsis thaliana plants are infected with Pst DC3000 expressing avrRpt2. Similar N-terminal processing of AvrRpt2 occurred when avrRpt2 was stably expressed in A. thaliana. No cleavage of AvrRpt2 was detected in bacteria expressing avrRpt2 in culture or in the plant extracellular fluids. The N-terminus of AvrRpt2 was not required for RPS2 recognition in planta. However, this region of AvrRpt2 was essential for Pst DC3000-mediated elicitation of RPS2-dependent cell death in A. thaliana leaves.
Antimicrobial Prescription Errors in Hospitalized Children: Role of Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Detection and Intervention

Background. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) are an effective strategy to ensure that antibiotics are used in accordance with scientific evidence to improve patient outcome, minimize antimicrobial (AM) resistance, and reduce hospital costs. The article describes the impact of the implementation of an ASP on AM prescription errors. Methods. Prospective, single-center study performed at a tertiary pediatric teaching hospital that actively monitored 13 targeted AMs (amikacin, amphotericin B, cefepime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, fluconazole, levofloxacin, linezolid, meropenem, piperacillin-tazobactam, tobramycin, vancomycin, and voriconazole) and microbiology data. The ASP was implemented using CareNet and PharmNet. An infectious disease physician and pharmacist determined the need for intervention. Results. The authors screened 5564 dispensed prescriptions of the 13 targeted AMs. The rate of AM errors associated with these was 0.09/1000 doses administered and 5 errors/1000 patient days. Conclusions....
Inhibition of arylamidase activity in soils by toluene

Abstract Toluene is used in assays of many soil enzymes, especially the hydrolases group (EC 3), because it inhibits microbial proliferation and it renders the microbial cell membrane permeable to substrate and/or reaction products. Studies showed that toluene inhibits arylamidase (EC 3.4.11.2) activity, the enzyme that catalyzes the release of an N-terminal amino acid from peptides, amides or arylamides. This enzyme plays a key role in the initial reaction of N mineralization as it is involved in the release of amino acids from soil organic matter. The assay involves colorimetric determination of the β-naphthylamine released when 1 g of soil is incubated at 37°C for 1 h with l -leucine β-naphthylamide and 0.1 M THAM buffer pH 8.0. Results showed that the inhibition of this enzyme by toluene is of mixed type; i.e. both the K m and V max values are affected by toluene, indicating that both the enzyme and the enzyme–substrate (ES) complex are inhibited. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies showed that the K m values of arylamidase activity in four surface soils in the presence and absence of toluene ranged from 0.28 to 0.77 and 0.19 to 0.35 mM, respectively. The corresponding V max values ranged from 16 to 81 and 22 to 100 mg β-naphthylamine kg −1 soil h −1 . The E a values in the presence and absence of toluene ranged from 19.3 to 27.2 and 26.2 to 32.4 kJ mol −1 , respectively. The Δ H a values of the reaction catalyzed by arylamidase in soils were equally affected by toluene.
Observation of a transverse voltage in the mixed state of YBCO thin films

The occurrence of a transverse voltage peak has been observed in YBCO thin films. This phenomenon occurs under conditions of temperature and current in the earth's magnetic field such that the films are in the mixed state. The magnitude of the peak was found to scale with both temperature and current, and exhibited a Sin(/spl theta/) orientational dependence measured between the film-substrate and the position of the measurement electrodes on the film surface. These observations are similar to observations made in conventional superconducting thin films such as Nb, NbN, NbCN, and PbBi. >
Hotly debated topics in obstetric anesthesiology 2008: A theory of relativity

This paper reviews and discusses three controversial subjects regarding treatment of intraoperative nausea and other complications experienced by patients undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia: (1) the administration of supplemental oxygen, (2) prophylactic vasopressors and (3) the use of low-dose combined spinal epidural anesthesia (CSE). While not universally acknowledged, recent data suggest that the routine administration of supplemental oxygen to normal-weight, healthy patients undergoing elective cesarean delivery is unnecessary, especially when spinal hypotension is minimized. Supplemental oxygen administration does not prevent intraoperative or postoperative nausea and vomiting. Additionally, although higher inspired oxygen fractions modestly increase fetal oxygenation, they also cause a concomitant increase in oxygen free radical activity in both mother and fetus, which may weaken the infant's ability to withstand subsequent neonatal insult. The use of prophylactic vasopressor infusions may benefit some patients, but parenteral preanesthetic ephedrine administration is not warranted. Heart rate variability guided therapy could help identify patients at risk for developing severe hypotension after spinal anesthesia. High-dose phenylephrine infusion in conjunction with rapid co-hydration is efficient, but is unfortunately associated with a relatively high incidence of maternal bradycardia. Oxygen, fluid administration and prophylactic vasopressors may not be the solution to hypotension, nausea and vomiting associated with spinal anesthesia during cesarean delivery. Lower dose spinal anesthesia as part of a CSE technique reduces the incidence of maternal hypotension, and in our opinion is the best option currently available.
Pharmacokinetics and immunological effects of exogenously administered recombinant human B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) in mice.

B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS; also known as TNFSF20, BAFF, TALL-1, zTNF4, and THANK), a tumor necrosis factor ligand family member, has recently been identified as a factor that promotes expansion and differentiation of the B cell population, leading to increases in serum immunoglobulin levels. Here, pharmacokinetic parameters for BLyS administered i.v. and s.c. to mice are described, and the effects of different dosing regimens on serum and salivary immunoglobulin levels as well as splenic cell populations are reported. The pharmacokinetics of BLyS following i.v. injection are monophasic with a half-life of 160 min, a clearance of 0.22 ml/min-kg, and a volume of distribution of 53 ml/kg. Systemic administration of BLyS to mice resulted in increased serum IgG, IgA, IgM, and IgE and salivary IgA as well as splenic B cell population expansion and differentiation. The i.v. and s.c. routes of administration were pharmacologically equivalent, even though s.c. bioavailability of BLyS is only 25%. BLyS (s.c.) dramatically elevated serum IgG and IgA levels, and the duration of the responses after cessation of treatment (t(1/2) = 4.4 and 1.3 days, respectively) are similar to the half-lives of endogenous IgG and IgA in mice. The IgM response is more modest than that of IgG and IgA but lasts longer (t(1/2) = 7.0 days) than the half-life of endogenous IgM. A linear pharmacodynamic response was identified between days of dosing x log(dose), and increases in serum IgG, IgA, and IgM indicating that the response is more sensitive to the duration of dosing than to the cumulative dose. The implications of these findings for therapeutic administration of BLyS are discussed.
57.1: Near‐to‐Eye Display using Scanning Fiber Display Engine

: A novel near-to-eye display has been demonstrated, using a scanning fiber as the image source. Light is relayed from remote sources to the scanner via singlemode optical fiber. As a replacement for conventional LCD image sources, the fiber scanner reduces weight and power consumption, and enables a water-immersible display.
Lost in memories: interacting with photo collections on PDAs

We developed two browsers to support large personal photo collections on PDAs. Our first browser is based on a traditional, folder-based layout that utilizes either the user's manually created organization structure, or a system-generated structure. Our second browser uses a novel interface that is based on a vertical, zoomable timeline. This timeline browser does not require users to organize their photos, but instead, relies solely on system-generated structure. Our system creates a hierarchical structure of the user's photos by applying time-based clustering to identify subsets of photos that are likely to be related. In a user experiment, we compared users' searching and browsing performance across these browsers, using each user's own photo collection. Photo collection sizes varied between 500 and 3000 photographs. Our results show that our timeline browser is at least as effective for searching and browsing tasks as a traditional browser that requires users to manually organize their photos.
Competition between wild oat (Avena fatua) and yellow mustard (Sinapis alba) or canola (Brassica napus)

Wild oat, a troublesome weed in small grain cereals, infests about 11 million ha of cropland in the United States. Diversifying cereal production with alternative crops, such as yellow mustard and canola, provides flexible cropping systems, decreases production risks, and may allow more effective weed suppression. A greenhouse study was conducted to assess the competitive ability of yellow mustard and canola with wild oat in 1999 and 2000, using replacement series interference experiments to relate the results to plant development stages. Yellow mustard, regardless of its proportion in mixture, reduced aboveground biomass of wild oat 33 to 66%, leaf and tiller number 34 to 36%, and panicle production 58% compared with wild oat in monoculture. Canola did not affect wild oat biomass in mixtures. Yellow mustard per plant biomass in 2000 and inflorescence production in 1999 decreased 30 and 20% with increased density of yellow mustard in mixtures. Yellow mustard biomass was not affected by the addition of wild oat to the mixture, indicating the greater importance of intraspecific competition between yellow mustard relative to interspecific competition with wild oat. Canola per plant biomass was affected more by interspecific competition with wild oat than by intraspecific competition. A second greenhouse experiment was conducted to compare plant height and biomass accumulation by the three species over 7 wk. Yellow mustard had the greatest biomass accumulation and plant elongation rate, followed by canola and wild oat. The greater competitive ability of yellow mustard with wild oat, compared with canola, is likely associated with the rapid growth and canopy elevation of yellow mustard.
Comments on “A Convective Transport Theory for Surface Fluxes”

The purpose of this note is to comment on a simple parametrization scheme for evaluation of surface fluxes in convective conditions, proposed by Stull (1994), and referred to by the author as the convective transport theory (CTT).