cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prices and tree planting on hillside farms in Palawan

Abstract This paper investigates determinants of tree-planting decisions on low-income farms in the Philippines. The analysis quantifies the extent to which agricultural prices, price uncertainty, and farm-specific characteristics help to explain mango-planting decisions on hillside farms. Regression analysis is applied to data on tree planting for 1981–94. Results indicate tree planting is positively correlated with mango prices and negatively correlated with prices of competing crops. Relative price uncertainty and farm size also play important roles in explaining tree-planting patterns. Implications for policies to encourage tree planting are discussed.
Chemical class information in ion mobility spectra at low and elevated temperatures

Mobility spectra for organic compounds at temperatures of 50C and 175‐250C were categorized by chemical class using back-propagation neural networks with the successful classification even of chemicals not familiar to the networks. Network performance suggested that chemical class information in spectra at 50C differed from that in spectra at high temperatures, prompting a detailed analysis of regions where chemical class information was located. These regions, or drift times in the mobility spectra, were identified at each temperature using a method of incrementally removing portions of spectra so that the value or structural content of the subtracted region could be seen in comparisons of network performance. At high temperatures (175‐250C), chemical class information was contained in fragment ions located in a narrow region of the spectra with reduced mobilities of 3.06‐2.11 cm 2 V 1 s 1 corresponding to the drift times near and encompassing the reactant ions peaks. In contrast, spectra at low temperature (50C) were classified through fragment ions that resided in a broad region of drift time between protonated water clusters and product cluster peaks. This corresponded to reduced mobilities of 1.8‐1.2 cm 2 V 1 s 1 . These findings suggest that fragmentation in ion mobility spectrometry and other atmospheric pressure chemical ionization based methods, with moisture <1 ppm, may be more common than previously understood. Class specific fragmentation reactions for ions at low temperature have never been described in IMS and became evident only when mobility spectra were formatted with a logarithmic axis for ion intensity. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Orographic Influences on an Oahu Flood

AbstractOn 2 April 2006, Oahu’s Ko‘olau Mountain Range endured more than 6 h of heavy rain with accompanying flash flooding along its northeast-facing slopes. The storm responsible for the event left a pattern of precipitation characteristic of orographic anchoring of convection with extreme rainfall gradients along the slopes and maxima along the crest of the mountain range. In fact, this was the third flash-flood event to impact the Ko‘olau Mountains in just over 1 month, with each event occurring under conditions of moist southeasterly flow at low levels and moderate conditional instability. Under these conditions persistent convection and localized heavy rainfall often occur over the Ko‘olau Mountain Range. Mesoscale analyses of the thunderstorm complex responsible for the 2 April 2006 heavy rain event and the results of a high-resolution numerical simulation employing the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are described in this study.Key features of the convection that contributed to the lo...
Adding single-point acupuncture to physiotherapy for painful shoulder improved function and reduced pain.

Source Citation Vas J, Ortega C, Olmo V, et al. Single-point acupuncture and physiotherapy for the treatment of painful shoulder: a multicentre randomized controlled trial. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2...
Primary propulsion of electrothermal, ion and chemical systems for space-based radar orbit transfer

An orbit transfer mission concept has been studied for a Space-Based Radar (SBR) where 40 kW required for radar operation is assumed available for orbit transfer propulsion. Arcjet, pulsed electrothermal (PET), ion, and storable chemical systems are considered for the primary propulsion. Transferring two SBR per shuttle flight to 1112 km/60 deg using electrical propulsion systems offers an increased payload at the expense of increased trip time, up to 2000 kg each, which may be critical for survivability. Trade offs between payload mass, transfer time, launch site, inclination, and height of parking orbits are presented.
19-Nortestosterone decanoate induced erythropoiesis in the actinomycin-D-treated hyperoxic mouse.

Abstract The erythropoietic effect of an androgen, 19-nortestosterone decanoate (19-ND), on the actinomycin-D- (ACT) treated mouse has been investigated. The toxic effect of a daily administration of 60 μg/kg body weight of ACT on hematopoietic tissue was partially overcome by a daily 1.25 mg injection of the androgen. When an equivalent amount of ACT was administered in fractionalized doses (20 μg/kg body weight at 8-hour intervals), significant levels of erythropoiesis were maintained by identical androgen therapy. These data suggest that 19-ND increases the absolute number of erythroid precursor cells, thus increasing the absolute number of these elements which remain unaffected by the amount of ACT injected. Such unaffected cells will mature to normal erythrocytes, thereby maintaining significant erythropoiesis.
Use of a multibeam transmitter for significant improvement in signal-dynamic-range reduction and near-range coverage for incoherent lidar systems

It is very difficult for both detectors and data acquisition systems to cope with the enormous signal dynamic range of incoherent lidar systems. The high power of the near-range atmosphere-backscattered radiation may cause serious problems to detectors. If the detector can endure the high power, the dynamic range of the output electric signal still remains a problem. To solve the problems, this paper suggests using a multibeam transmitter instead of a single-beam transmitter. With a multibeam transmitter a significant reduction of the signal dynamic range can always be achieved simultaneously with good near-range coverage even under different atmospheric conditions. Numerical simulations for a differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system measuring ozone in the lower troposphere below 3 km show the advantage of using a three-beam transmitter rather than a single-beam transmitter.
Phosphatidylcholine synthesis in castor bean endosperm: the localization and control of CTP: choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase activity.

Abstract The reaction catalyzed by CTP:choline-phosphate cytidylyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.15) has been postulated to be a control reaction in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) in many animal tissues and some plants. In 3-day-old castor bean ( Ricinus communis L. var. Hale) endosperm the majority of cytidylyltransferase activity resided in a 12,000 g av 10-min pellet. Following density-gradient fractionation, 60 to 70% of the enzyme activity was associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) fraction, with the remainder in the particulate fraction being in an unidentified membrane band (band A), less than occurred in the soluble fractions. The properties and kinetics of the forward and reverse reactions are described. About 40% of the total ER activity could be solubilized by treatment of the fraction with 0.32 m KCl, which resulted in a threefold increase in the specific activity of the enzyme. The Michaelis constants of the solubilized enzyme were similar to those of the ER activity. The activity of the solubilized enzyme was stimulated 35% by addition of phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidylinositol to the assay. Addition of a number of other phospholipids to the incubation medium caused only a small change in activity (±10%) but the enzyme could be stimulated up to 60% by the addition of 0.01–1 m m sodium oleate. A combination of 0.25 m m PtdCho with oleate in the assay resulted in additional stimulation at all concentrations of oleate. Oleate had no effect on the ER activity. These results are discussed in relation to the regulation of cytidylyltransferase activity in plants.
The unbiased forward rate hypothesis re-examined

Abstract This paper examines the unbiased forward rate hypothesis using an Error Correction Model (ECM). Previous tests have utilized mainly two specifications—differences and levels. The advantage of the ECM is that the parameters of the level specification appear in the error correction term, and hence the ECM provides a direct link to the levels specification. In this paper we fully exploit this link and demonstrate that both specifications yield essentially the same results when the ECM is explicitly derived from a levels specification and the levels parameters are estimated simultaneously with other parameters of the ECM.
Developing civic leaders through an experiential learning programme for Holocaust education

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact that involvement in an experiential learning programme for Holocaust education had on college and university participants’ worldviews and civic leadership development. Results indicate that involvement in specific elements of the programme did have an impact. The student-focused, experiential learning programme addressed in this study was established in 2000. In 2001, the inaugural group of nearly 270 participants from 22 nations traveled to Poland to familiarize themselves with the Holocaust. Students were exposed to programming on the Holocaust as a means to raise their awareness and understanding of the events and to encourage their involvement in related programmes. The ultimate aim was to develop future civic leaders who would become involved in educating their peers and communities about the tragedy of genocide.
Effect of alumina strengthening particles on brazed joints of GlidCop Al-15 copper alloy

Abstract Brazed joints of the alumina dispersion-strengthened copper alloy were developed using resistance heating brazing with BCuP-3 braze alloy. Experimental results show that tensile strength and fatigue properties are a function of the brazing process temperature cycle. Maximum tensile and fatigue properties can be obtained by choice of an optimal braze time and temperature. However, in both tensile and fatigue tests the brazed joints exhibited low ductility. Metallography of the fractured tensile and fatigue samples showed that cracks always initiated in and propagated along the interface between the transition layer and the braze metal. EDS analysis across the joint showed that P diffused very quickly into base metal along grain boundaries. A strong Al peak (associated with the detection of Al2O3) was found that corresponded with the transition layer. Fractography showed an intergranular fracture pattern across this transition zone indicating that the observed segregation of alumina particles reduces the ductility of this region.
Mentoring Undergraduates with Professional and Liberal Arts Goals: The Mass Communication Experience.

Working in journalism and mass communication is an act of civic participation. Students, therefore, must be mentored to see the relationship between the liberal arts and the communication professions. Mentors should engage students in careful reflection and assist in the process of self-understanding.
Hydrophobic organic compound partitioning from bulk water to the water/air interface

Abstract Partitioning of hydrophobic organic compounds to the interface between water and air may significantly affect the distribution and transfer of many xenobiotic chemicals between vapor and aqueous phases. The fluorescent probe, 1-methylperylene, was used to investigate the affinity of hydrophobic compounds for the water–air interface by varying the ratio of interfacial surface area to water volume in a fused-quartz cuvette. We found that the water–air/water interface partitioning coefficient [ K w −awi =1.2 mol cm -2 awi /(mol ml -1 w )] for this polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) was quantitatively consistent with partitioning to the same interface but from the airside, recently reported in the literature for less hydrophobic PAHs. Our results demonstrate significant partitioning from bulk water to the water/air interface for a hydrophobicity range relevant to many xenobiotic compounds. Anticipated implications of this process for the environmental chemistry of hydrophobic compounds include retarded gas-phase transport in unsaturated soils, bubble-mediated transport in water, droplet-mediated transport in the atmosphere, and photochemical reactions.
Programming board-game strategies in the introductory CS sequence (abstract only)

Board games provide a natural context for the use of basic data structures and search algorithms taught in a typical introductory CS sequence. Unlike traditionally used programming assignments where students implement the actual game, we provide the game "engine" and ask the students to implement player strategies. The engine graphically displays the current state of the game and cyclically calls the individual player strategies to perform their moves. The students need to apply the same algorithms as if programming the rule checker for the game. And with the added strategy component, the project becomes open-ended, leaving space for continued improvements and experimentation. The poster describes the game we used last academic year, Quoridor by Mirko Marchesi and published by Gigamic Games. The goal of this game for two or four players is to move a piece from one side of a 9x9 grid board to another side, while placing walls that lengthen the opponents' paths to their destinations. The poster discusses Quoridor's relevance for basic data structures and algorithms, for example, breadth-first search. It then elaborates on the possibilities introduced by adding strategies into the picture, including an end-of-term tournament. Supported by the NSF, award ID 1044721.
System-managed storage

In early 1988, IBM announced the Data Facility Storage Management Subsystem (DFSMS™), comprising functions in MVS/DFP™, other products in the Data Facility family, and RACF. This announcement constituted a major step in the realization of system-managed storage. The need for system-managed storage was established in the late 1970s and early 1980s, through growing customer requirements in the management of external storage space, performance, availability, and device installability within and across systems in these customers' installations. The concept of system-managed storage is an evolutionary one, culminating in a resource manager for external storage that separates the logical view of data from physical device characteristics, simplifies interfaces for the use and administration of storage, integrates the functions of storage management products, and provides a synergy of hardware and software functions to effect complex-wide management of external storage resources, as discussed in this paper.
Perceptions of ethical work climate and person–organization fit among retail employees in Japan and the US: A cross-cultural scale validation

Abstract International retailers can only be successful if they understand similarities and differences between cultures. This study compares retail employees' perceptions of ethical work climate and person–organization fit in the U.S. with those of the same employee type in Japan. The results can help retailers understand employee perceptions of their relationship with the firm. An important aspect of this research involves testing the cross-cultural validity of the ethical work climate (EWC) and person–organization fit (POF) scales. Findings suggest that these scales are valid in both different national contexts and can also be used to compare differences between the cultures. Significant differences were noted in the EWC and POF between retail employees in Japan and the U.S. The relationship between EWC and POF varies significantly for employees in Japan and the U.S.
Hermann Bahr: Sprachskepsis und neue Erzählformen

Herman Bahrs erster Roman, Die gute Schule, erregte bei seinem Erscheinen im Jahre 1890 groses Aufsehen. Schon die ersten Rezensenten des Romans erkannten, das die Modernitat des Romans auf seiner experimentalen Form, insbesondere auf der in ihm weithin realisierten personalen Erzahlsituation basierte. Theoretisch begrundete Bahr seine Entscheidung fur diese damals revolutionare Erzahlmethode in seinem Aufsatz »Die neue Psychologie.« In diesem Aufsatz verwirft Bahr die tradierte auktoriale und Ich-Erzahlsituation als inadaquat fur die Aufgabe des modernen Romanschriftstellers, die Entstehung und Entwicklung psychischer Prozesse in ihren vorbewusten Stadien zu gestalten. Dieser Aufsatz erweist sich als eines der bedeutendsten Dokumente der Jahrhundertwende fur die Theorie des Erzahlens, da er im Keim das viel spater von Stanzel entworfene Modell des Typenkreises der Erzahlsituationen enthalt. Bahrs Absage an die tradierten Erzahlformen grundet in seiner Sprachskepsis, die in seinem Roman thematisiert und reflektiert wird. Diese sprachkritischen Reflexionen resultierten in Bahrs Fall jedoch nicht in einer Sprachkrise, wie bei anderen Schriftstellern der Jahrhundertwende, sondern in der Uberzeugung, das sich die Insuffizienz der verbrauchten Formeln durch sprachschopferische Tatigkeit und die Erschliesung neuer Formen des Erzahlens uberwinden liese.
Influence of Ochratoxin A and T-2 Toxin Singly and in Combination on Broiler Chickens

Abstract Effects of feeding diets containing ochratoxin A (OA) at 2.0 mg/kg and T-2 toxin at 4.0 mg/kg singly and in combination were characterized in male broiler chicks from 1 day to 3 wk of age. Body weights were depressed by feeding OA singly, T-2 singly, and the OA/T-2 combination. The efficiency of feed utilization was reduced in the OA and OA/T-2 combination-fed groups. The T-2 toxin caused oral lesions, anemia, and changes in some serum biochemical values. Feeding OA resulted in increases in relative liver, kidney, gizzard, and pancreas weights, a microcytic hypochromic anemia, and changed serum chemistries. The OA/T-2 combination caused increases in relative liver, kidney, proventriculus, and gizzard weights and variable serum biochemistries. The effects of OA and T-2 were additive for reduced body weight gains, mean corpuscular volume, and for reduced serum levels of total protein, and for reduced lactate dehydrogenase activity. A significant interaction occurred between OA and T-2 causing elevated serum triglyceride levels and decreased gamma glutamyl transferase activity and calcium levels. Degenerative renal tubular changes were observed in some OA and OA/T-2 combination-fed chicks. These data indicate that OA and T-2 in combination may be more toxic for some parameters than the individual mycotoxins, and may pose a greater problem for the poultry industry than either of the mycotoxins individually.
Recent developments for the AXAF CCD imaging spectrometer

The recent restructuring of the AXAF program has necessitated a review of the design of the ACIS instrument. In this paper we report on the current status of these design activities. We concentrate on changes to the baseline CCD and its impact on aspects such as the operating modes. Also we review changes to the mechanical design with respect to the passive cooling scheme facilitated by the change to a highly eccentric deep earth orbit.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effective interatomic interaction in a low-density Bose–Einstein condensate

Abstract The Gross–Pitaevskii representation for the atom–atom interaction in the nonlinear Schrodinger equation for a trapped dilute Bose–Einstein condensate is shown to not generally satisfy the Hartree self-consistent-field equation. An alternate representation is proposed to satisfy the Hartree equation that takes proper account of both the repulsive and attractive parts of the true atom–atom potential. This is explicitly demonstrated for the cases of dilute Rb and He condensates.
Effect of parathyroid hormone combined with gait training on bone density and bone architecture in people with chronic spinal cord injury.

Objective To evaluate the response of bone to 2 anabolic stimuli, teriparatide and mechanical loading, in subjects with spinal cord injury. Design A pilot study, 1 group, pretest-posttest. Setting A rehabilitation hospital. Participants A convenience sample of 12 nonambulatory chronic spinal cord injury subjects. Methods The subjects were administered open-label teriparatide 20 μg/d while undergoing robotic-assisted stepping 3 times a week for 6 months, followed by 6 months of teriparatide alone. Main Outcome Measurements Bone status was evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 months by using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to calculate bone mineral density (BMD) at the spine and hip, magnetic resonance imaging to assess bone microarchitecture of the distal tibia, and serum bone markers. Results Mean (SD) baseline BMD measurements at the spine and the left and right total hip were 1.05 ± 0.162 g/cm 2 , 0.638 ± 0.090 g/cm 2 and 0.626 ± 0.088 g/cm 2 , respectively. After 6 months of treatment, BMD changed 2.19% ± 3.61%, 0.02% ± 2.21%, and 0.74% ± 2.80% at the spine, and left and right total hip, respectively. These changes were not statistically significant ( P > .05 for all). Magnetic resonance imaging supported an anabolic effect after 3 months of treatment with significant ( P Conclusion In this limited pilot study, teriparatide and mechanical loading resulted in a numerical but not statistically significant increase in lumbar spine BMD and no significant BMD changes at the hip. Magnetic resonance imaging at the distal tibia suggested an anabolic effect, but the high sensitivity offered by this technique was challenged by the limited ability to obtain analyzable data from all the subjects. Further studies that involve longer treatment periods and greater mechanical loading are warranted.
Optical Adaptive Filter; Experimental Results

An interferometric optical system is configured with an active feedback loop as an optical adaptive filter. The closed loop characteristics of the system are found to be sensitive to alignment and aberrations. An open loop diagnostic procedure is applied to the system to develop stability to a level supporting 30 db adaptively formed frequency rejection notches. The time delay in the closed loop signal path is found to be the limiting factor in system performance.
Expression of the high mobility group A family member p8 is essential to maintaining tumorigenic potential by promoting cell cycle dysregulation in LβT2 cells

The mechanism by which the HMGA protein p8 facilitates tumorigenesis may be cell cycle dysregulation. Control- (C) LbetaT2 cells, which express p8, form tumors at a rate five-times faster than p8-knockdown (p8-KD)-LbetaT2 cells. In association with this heightened tumorigenic potential, p8-expressing C-LbetaT2 cells avoid G(0)/G(1) arrest and become genetically unstable while p8-KD-LbetaT2 cells arrest in G(0)/G(1), become senescent upon overgrowth, and maintain a diploid population. These phenotypic changes correspond to altered cell cycle regulation at the G(1)-to-S transition that may be due to p8-mediated changes in expression of the Cip/Kip family members of cell cycle inhibitors, p21, p27, and p57.
One-electron redox reactions of free radicals in solution. Rate of electron transfer processes to quinones

Abstract A large number of biologically-important organic and inorganic free radicals have been produced in aqueous solutions, using the fast-reaction technique of pulse radiolysis and kinetic absorption spectrophotometry. The reactions of these free radicals with menaquinone (vitamin K3, E0 = 0.42 V) were followed by observing the formation kinetics of the semiquinone radical anion of menaquinone, •MK−. The absorption spectrum of •MK− has maxima at 395 nm and 300 nm, with extinction coefficients of 1.1·104 and 1.25·104 M−1·cm−1, respectively. The pKa of the radical •MK−-H+ is 4.6±0.1. The free radicals were produced by a one-electron oxidation or reduction of various compounds by hydroxyl radicals and solvated electrons, eaq−. Alcohols, sugars, carboxylic acids, amino acids, peptides, aliphatic amines and amides, aromatic and heterocyclic molecules, pyridine derivatives (nicotinamide, NAD+), and transition metal ions have been examined. Significant differences have been observed in both the efficiency (expressed in percentage) and the rate constants of the electron transfer reactions from these free radicals to menaquinone. Absolute rates of electron transfer from approx. 5·108–5·109 M−1·s−1 have been observed for most of the free radicals studied. Information relating to the nature of the radicals and the acid-base properties of these radicals for effective one-electron redox reactions with quinones is indicated.
Nitric oxide down-regulates polo-like kinase 1 through a proximal promoter cell cycle gene homology region.

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase essential for cell mitosis. As a master cell cycle regulator, p21/Waf1 plays a critical role in cell cycle progression. Nitric oxide (NO·) has been shown to down-regulate PLK1 and up-regulate p21/Waf1 independent of cGMP. Here, the respective roles of p38 MAPK and p21/Waf1 in NO·-mediated PLK1 repression were investigated using differentiated U937 cells that lack soluble guanylate cyclase. NO· was shown to down-regulate both PLK1 mRNA and protein. Nuclear run-on assays and mRNA stability studies demonstrated that the effect of NO· on PLK1 expression was associated with decreased transcription without changes in transcript stability. SB202190, a p38 MAPK inhibitor, prevented transcriptional repression of PLK1 by NO·. Transfection with dominant-negative p38 MAPK mutant eliminated the NO· effect on both p21/Waf1 and PLK1 gene expression. Knockdown of p21/Waf1 with siRNA also substantially reduced the regulatory effect of NO· on PLK1. Reporter gene experiments showed that NO· decreased activity of the PLK1 proximal promoter, an effect that was blocked by p38 MAPK inhibitor. Deletion or mutation of the CDE/CHR promoter site, an element regulated by p21/Waf1, increased base-line promoter activity and abolished NO· repression of the PLK1 promoter. Likewise, electrophoretic mobility shift assays with CDE/CHR probe revealed a NO·-mediated change in protein-probe complex formation. Competition with various unlabeled CDE/CHR mutant sequences showed that NO· increased nuclear protein binding to intact CHR. These results demonstrate that a NO·-p38 MAPK-p21/Waf1 signal transduction pathway represses PLK1 through a canonical CDE/CHR promoter element.
W. Norman Aldridge

Norman Aldridge was fascinated by the interaction of chemicals with living systems. He firmly believed that understanding how and why chemicals exert their toxic effects was fundamental to safety evaluation for chemicals used in the workplace or environment. He loved research with “an insatiable urge to make sense of things,” but also loved to apply the results to real-life issues. He encouraged his students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scientists from around the world to do the same. From the age of 16, Norman worked as technician in a dye works. His interest in toxicology started during World War II at the U.K. Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton, where he worked as an assistant to the renowned physiologist Professor Sir Charles Lovatt-Evans on practical problems of protection against chemical warfare agents. He proved himself a careful investigator, and in part-time study, he obtained a B.Sc. in chemistry and physiology. Norman cited Lovatt-Evan’s dictum, “I don’t think it will work, but you try it,” as a formative influence on his attitude, and subsequently it rubbed off onto many of his own students and colleagues. In 1947 John Barnes, who was also at Porton at that time, was appointed director of the Medical Research Council’s new Toxicology Unit located at Carshalton, Surrey. Barnes’ remit was broad: “Do something” to help face health problems that might arise as the postwar chemical industry burgeoned. He recruited Norman as the unit’s first scientific staff member. Over the next 40 years, Norman worked on the mechanism of toxicity of chemicals, including beryllium, organophosphorous compounds, acrylamide, organotin and organolead compounds, and pyrethroid insecticides. He drew visitors from all over the world but never built an “empire” —preferring to train, encourage, and liberate his students. In his early work, Aldridge established much of the basic enzymology on the interaction of organophosphorus esters with esterases. He classified these into A, B, or C esterases according to whether organophosphorus esters were hydrolyzed by them, were inhibited, or did not interact either way. With Elsa Reiner, Aldridge worked on the interaction of carbamate esters with acetylcholinesterase. Together they wrote a textbook entitled Interaction of Esterases with Esters of Organophosphorous and Carbamic Acids(Elsevier, North Holland, 1972), which is still a standard text. Aldridge initiated the search for the esterase that was thought to be associated with peripheral neuropathy caused by certain organophosphorus esters. He supported and encouraged Martin Johnson in his studies, which led to the discovery of what is now called
Nonthermalized Electron Transport in Dye-Sensitized Nanocrystalline TiO2 Films: Transient Photocurrent and Random-Walk Modeling Studies

A random-walk approach is developed to model the electron-transport dynamics in dye-sensitized TiO2 solar cells within a multiple-trapping framework, and the predicted results are compared with those measured by transient photocurrent. The illumination geometry and the wavelength of the probe light are used to create certain initial spatial distributions of photoinjected electrons in the TiO2 films. Both have a dramatic effect on the shape of the measured photocurrent transient. Cells are probed with light incident from either the collecting (substrate) electrode side or the counter-electrode side. Excellent correspondence between simulated and measured current transients is observed. When electrons are injected far from the collecting electrode, their diffusion is found to be classical, corresponding to thermalized (nondispersive) transport. Nonthermalized (dispersive) electron transport is shown to be important when electrons are injected near the collecting electrode, which corresponds to the illuminat...
Digital Reconstruction of Optically Induced Potentials

The holographic reconstruction of optically-induced objects typically assumes that the object is axially thin. Here, we demonstrate a simple approach that works for axially thick objects which evolve dynamically. Results are verified by reconstructing linear scattering experiments in a self-defocusing photorefractive crystal.
Effect of dietary lipids on plasma activity and hepatic mRNA levels of cholesteryl ester transfer protein in high-and low-responding baboons (Papio species)

Abstract We compared the effects of dietary cholesterol, type of fat (coconut oil v corn oil), and phenotype (low low-density lipoprotein [LDL] response v high LDL response) on the plasma activity and hepatic mRNA levels of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP). In a crossover design, eight high- and eight low-LDL-responding baboons were fed a series of diets with increasing amounts of cholesterol (0.05, 0.15, 0.45, and 1.35 mg/kcal) with either coconut oil or corn oil. All diets were fed for 7 weeks each. Plasma and lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, plasma lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) and CETP activity, and hepatic mRNA levels for CETP and apolipoprotein (apo) A-I were measured after 6 weeks on each diet. Data were analyzed in two steps, ie, the effect of the initial change from chow to 0.05 mg cholesterol with each fat and the effect of the stepwise increase in cholesterol from 0.05 to 1.35 mg/kcal with each fat. High-responding baboons, as expected, showed a more pronounced increment in plasma LDL cholesterol at all dietary cholesterol levels, particularly with coconut oil as the dietary fat. Plasma high-density lipoprotein 2 (HDL2) and HDL3 cholesterol increased as dietary cholesterol increased on both the coconut and corn oil diets, with a greater increase in high-responding baboons than in low-responding baboons. The stepwise increase in dietary cholesterol increased plasma LCAT activity in both high- and low-responding baboons fed the coconut oil diet, but not in those fed the corn oil diet. Dietary cholesterol, regardless of type of fat, increased plasma CETP activity. The increase in LCAT and CETP activities was greater in high-responding baboons than in low-responding baboons. Dietary cholesterol increased hepatic CETP mRNA levels with both types of fat, but the increase was also greater in high responders than in low responders when cholesterol was fed with coconut oil. Thus, dietary cholesterol intake, saturated fatty acid intake, and high-responding phenotype are all associated with increased CETP activity. The increase in CETP activity is probably attributable at least in part and in the coconut oil-fed animals to an increase in the hepatic synthesis and secretion of this protein. This may help to promote a proatherogenic phenotype in these animals.
Retrospective and Prospective on Program Impact Assessment

Edward Suchman, sociologist, founded our field in 1967 with the book, Evaluation Research: Principles and Practices in Public Service and Social Action Programs. (In the background was Howard Freeman, sociologist, as a program developer for the Russell Sage Foundation.) Suchman cited Campbell and Stanley (1963/1966) as a part of recommended methodology. Thus by a sort of grandfather clause, I became a program evaluation methodologist. This explains in part why I, at age 77.9, am the oldest of the retrospectors and prospectors Midge Smith has assembled. Campbell and Stanley (1963/ 1966) and Campbell (1957) were originally designed to help social psychologists and educators retain the logic of causal inference of the laboratory experiment while moving out into the uncontrolled real world. They tried to specify what “controlled experiments” were controlling, and examine whether or not these threats to validity, these rival hypotheses, could be rendered implausible by other means than random assignment or experimental isolation. (While logical positivist in general orientation, we were post-positivist in recognizing that discretionary judgments of plausibility were the closest one could get to “control” or “proof.“) “Reforms as Experiments” (1969) was my first paper targeted to the program evaluation agenda. Cook and Campbell (1979) fused these foci.
Incidentalomas of the parathyroid gland: multiple presentations, variable function, and review of the literature.

Objective: To present a series of cases of parathyroid incidentalomas and review the related medical literature. Methods: The medical records of all patients of one surgeon who underwent unplanned ...
Clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in the management of rectal carcinoma.

PURPOSE: There is scant data about the clinical impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration in rectal carcinoma. This study was designed to determine the impact of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration on the staging and management of rectal carcinoma and to compare the staging accuracy of computed tomography scan, endoscopic ultrasound, and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration. METHODS: The records of 60 consecutive patients diagnosed with rectal carcinoma referred for endoscopic ultrasound staging were reviewed. Computed tomography scans, endoscopic ultrasound imaging, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration staging, surgical pathology, and subsequent treatment were compared. RESULTS: Of 48 patients who underwent computed tomography scan imaging, the additional information provided by endoscopic ultrasound changed management in 38 percent of patients. Sixteen patients identified as having nonjuxtatumoral lymph nodes underwent fine-needle aspiration and the additional information obtained changed therapy in three (19 percent) of these patients. All five cases of recurrent rectal carcinoma were correctly diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration. Tumor staging accuracy was 45 percent (computed tomography) and 89 percent (endoscopic ultrasound; P < 0.0001); nodal staging accuracy was 68 percent (computed tomography), 85 percent (endoscopic ultrasound), and 92 percent (endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration; P = not significant). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic ultrasound imaging was better than computed tomography scanning at overall tumor staging, whereas endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration demonstrated a trend toward more accurate nodal staging. Preoperative staging with endoscopic ultrasound resulted in a change of management in 38 percent of patients. The addition of fine-needle aspiration changed the management in 19 percent of those who underwent nonjuxtatumoral lymph node sampling. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration accurately diagnosed 100 percent of those with recurrent rectal carcinoma. Clearly, endoscopic ultrasound and endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration are important for the staging and management of rectal carcinoma and for detecting disease recurrence.
Intragastric cannulation as a method of ethanol administration for neuroendocrine studies

Abstract A technique for implanting an intragastric cannula in the rat is described along with the usefulness of this technique for the periodic administration of ethanol (ETOH). Our results indicate that rats receiving ETOH (3.0 g/kg) every eight hours for three days exhibit approximately a 37% ( p p
Morphological appearance of yolk sac tumors of the ovary in vitro

Abstract Ascitic fluid from three patients with Stage III yolk sac tumors of the ovary were cultured in vitro . In each case, the viable cell type which successfully replicated was a large clear epithelial cell. This observation may have taxonomic significance.
1415 AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CUMULATIVE HYPOXEMIA AND PROGRESSION OF INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE (ICH) IN INFANTS <1500 GRAMS

1415 AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CUMULATIVE HYPOXEMIA AND PROGRESSION OF INTRACRANIAL HEMORRHAGE (ICH) IN INFANTS <1500 GRAMS
An Anytime Local-to-Global Optimization Algorithm for Protein Threading in O(m2ñ2) Space

This paper describes a novel anytime branch-and-bound or best-first threading search algorithm for gapped block protein sequence-structure alignment with general sequence residue pair interactions. The new algorithm (1) returns a good approximate answer quickly, (2) iteratively improves that answer to the global optimum if allowed more time, (3) eventually produces a proof that the final answer found is indeed the global optimum, and (4) always terminates correctly within a bounded number of steps if allowed sufficient space and time. It runs in polynomial space, which is asymptotically dominated by the theta(m2n2) space required by the lower bound computation. Using previously published data sets and the Bryant-Lawrence (1993) objective function, the algorithm found the true (proven) global optimum in less than 5 min in all search spaces size 10(25) or smaller (sequences to 478 residues), and a putative (not guaranteed) optimum in less than 5 hr in all search spaces size 10(60) or smaller (sequences to 793 residues, cores to 42 secondary structure segments). The threading in the largest case studied was eventually proven to be globally optimal; the corresponding search speed in that case was the equivalent of 1.5 x 10(56) threadings/sec, a speed-up exceeding 10(25) over previously published batch branch-and-bound speeds, and exceeding 10(50) over previously published exhaustive search speeds, using the same objective function and threading paradigm. Implementation-independent measures of search efficiency are defined for equivalent branching factor, depth, and probability of success per draw; empirical data on these measures are given. The general approach should apply to other alignment methodologies and search methods that use a divide-and-conquer strategy.
Assume-guarantee testing for software components

Integration issues of component-based systems tend to be targeted at the later phases of the software development, mostly after components have been assembled to form an executable system. However, errors discovered at these phases are typically hard to localise and expensive to fix. To address this problem, the authors introduce assume-guarantee testing, a technique that establishes key properties of a component-based system before component assembly, when the cost of fixing errors is smaller. Assume-guarantee testing is based on the (automated) decomposition of system-level requirements into local component requirements at design time. The local requirements are in the form of assumptions and guarantees that each component makes on, or provides to the system, respectively. Checking requirements is performed during testing of individual components (i.e. unit testing) and it may uncover system-level violations prior to system testing. Furthermore, assume-guarantee testing may detect such violations with a higher probability than traditional testing. The authors also discuss an alternative technique, namely predictive testing, that uses the local component assumptions and guarantees to test assembled systems: given a non-violating system run, this technique can predict violations by alternative system runs without constructing those runs.The authors demonstrate the proposed approach and its benefits by means of two NASA case studies: a safety-critical protocol for autonomous rendez-vous and docking and the executive subsystem of the planetary rover controller K9.
Semianalytical Time Integration for Transient Groundwater Flow in Confined Aquifers

A semianalytical time integration method is proposed for the ordinary differential equations produced by the spatial discretization of the transient groundwater flow equation. Instead of approximating the time derivative by finite difference, the proposed method approximates the exact solution of the ordinary differential equations. The method is unconditionally stable; the accuracy depends only on the approximation accuracy of the stress; for piecewise constant or linear stress (e.g., pumping) in time, the solution can be exact; and the time step size can be as long as a stress period. The tradeoff is the computational cost, which can be reduced by using larger and less variable time step sizes. Two examples are given to show the performance of the semianalytical time integration method.
Effect of ischemia on noradrenergic and energy-related metabolites in the cerebral cortex of young and adult gerbils.

Relationships between ischemic changes in the cerebral cortical content of energy and noradrenergic metabolites were evaluated in young and adult gerbils. Groups of 3-week- and 3-month-old gerbils were subjected to 5 or 15 min of bilateral carotid artery occlusion alone or with 1 hr of release. Ischemia of 5 and 15 min depleted energy-related metabolites but did not affect the content of either norepinephrine or homovanillic acid in young and adult gerbils. At l h of reflow, after 5 and 15 min of ischemia, the levels of norepinephrine significantly decreased, while those of homovanillic acid increased in the adult but not in the young gerbils. At this time a complete recovery of energy reserves was seen in both the young and the adult gerbils. These results indicate that the ischemic change in homeostasis of energy metabolism is not directly associated with that of the noradrenergic system in young and adult cerebral cortex.
Stale Flavor Components in Dried Whole Milk. I. The Distribution of Stale Flavor Between Fractions of Reconstituted Stale Whole Milk Powder

Summary Dried whole milk was prepared without homogenization and at low spray pressure in order to facilitate fractionation of the reconstituted milk. The powder was stored under varied conditions to insure a continuous supply of stale dried whole milk for this study. Reconstituted stale dried whole milk was separated mechanically into cream and skim milk at various temperatures of separation and rates of flow. The cream was churned into butter and buttermilk or washed with distilled water until it oiled off. The butter was melted, centrifuged and filtered, all at 40° C, to yield butter oil and butter plasma. The relative concentration of the stale-flavor component in the various fractions was determined by establishing the threshold concentration of the stale fraction when blended with an appropriate non-stale product to the approximate composition of the original whole milk. In all determinations made on the whole milk, cream, washed cream, butter and butter oil, the stale-flavor component appears to be distributed between these fractions according to their milk-fat content and therefore is concentrated in the milk-fat phase.
Is Severe Rejection an Indication for Retransplantation

Seventy-seven ITx were performed during the study period. Of those, 16 patients developed 18 episodes of severe rejection. Their causes of intestinal failure included: necrotizing enterocolitis (n 5 3); gastroschisis (n 5 1); Hirschsprung disease (n 5 2); Gardner syndrome (n 5 3); mesenteric thrombosis (n 5 1); volvulus (n 5 3); and others (n 5 3). Transplant types were: isolated intestine (n 5 6); liver/intestine (n 5 8); and multivisceral (n 5 4) transplants. Four different induction immunosuppression regimens were used during the study period including: (A) Tacrolimus 1 methylprednisolone 1 OKT3; (B) tacrolimus 1 methylprednisolone 1 cyclophosphamide; (C) Tacrolimus 1 methylprednisolone 1 mycophenolate mofetil; and (D) tacrolimus 1 methylprednisolone 1 daclizumab. Incidence rates of severe rejection were 23% (18 of 77) overall, 32% (14 of 44) with induction regimens A 1 B 1 C, and 12% (4 of 33) with regimen D. The incidence of severe rejection with daclizumab induction (regimen D) was significantly lower than in the other induction regimens (P , .04). Median length of time before the development of severe rejection was 22 days (range 7 to 905 days) after the transplant. Fourteen patients (78%) developed severe rejection within 3 months from the transplants. OKT3 was used in all cases. In three patients, rejection was successfully reversed with the treatment. Of these, one is currently alive, and the other two developed PTLD (one died, the other currently under treatment). Eight patients died without the reversal of severe rejection. Five patients (three isolated intestine recipients, a liver 1 intestine recipient, and a multivisceral recipient) underwent retransplantation. Three isolated intestinal transplant recipients underwent graft enterectomy and subsequent retransplantation (two-stage procedure). The other two (a liver 1 intestine recipient and a multivisceral recipient) underwent simultaneous graft removal and retransplantation. Of the three patients who underwent two-stage procedures, one received a second isolated intestinal graft and survived, and the other two received multivisceral grafts as their second grafts; one is alive and the other died of severe rejection with the second graft. Of two patients who underwent simultaneous graft removal and retransplantation, one survived and the other died of recurrence of severe rejection with the second graft. The graft survival rate after the development of severe rejection was 11% (2 of 18). The patient survival rates with and without retransplantation were 60% (3 of 5) and 18% (2 of 11), respectively.