cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metabolic changes in iron‐deficient apple seedlings

Abstract Metabolic changes in Fe‐deficient apple seedlings were investigated. Apple seedlings released reducing compounds into the root environment and reduced Fe3+ when set into an agar FE‐EDTA plus BPDS (batho‐phenanthroline disulfonate) mixture. Reduction of Fe was clearly visible as a red color around the root‐zone. Leakage from the root was also demonstrated by pH changes and increased electrical conductivity. Iron‐deficient plants had chlorotic leaves, photosynthesis (Pn) was decreased, sugar content was lower but acid content was higher throughout the entire plant. Succinic, malic and citric acids were all increased in the leaves that developed under Fe‐stress conditions, compared to pre‐stressed levels.. The reason for the increase in acid content was not apparent but it helps to explain the leakage of reducing compounds from the roots of Fe‐deficient plants.
Computer Technology: Implications for Nurse Educators

The purpose of this paper is to discuss implications of computer technology for nursing education. Effects of computer anxiety and strategies to minimize them are presented. Computer assisted instruction (CAI) and interactive videodisc (IVD) are alternative instructional strategies for content dissemination and learning enhancement. Faculty must be cognizant of design factors facilitating usage when selecting programs. Issues of privacy, confidentiality, information security, and impact on nursing practice have risen with increased computer usage.
Flame stabilization on fuel-wetted cylinders

Abstract In a study of the stabilization of flames formed behind cylinders wetted by liquid fuels in high velocity gas streams, the fuel was introduced through the permeable wall of the tubular flameholder. JP-4 jet fuel and kerosene were used as the liquid fuels. In some tests, natural gas or propane was introduced into the main air stream. The samples of the burned gas in the eddy region behind the rod were withdrawn through a small sampling tube that extended beyond the aft portion of the flame-holder and passed through the fuel supply channel. The stability of these liquid-fueled flames could be characterized in terms of the mixture ratio in the manner used for correlation of data for totally gaseous flames similarly stabilized.
Improving the reliability of obtaining tumor hemodynamic parameters in the presence of contrast agent extravasation.

A new approach to improve the reliability of dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI for the evaluation of brain tumor hemodynamics in the presence of contrast agent extravasation is described. This model-based technique simultaneously estimates the voxel-wise tumor residue function and the temporal extravascular T1 changes following contrast agent leakage. With these estimates the model corrects the measured MRI signal, which is then used to calculate tumor hemodynamic parameters. The feasibility of this technique is demonstrated with computer simulations that cover a wide range of hemodynamic conditions and by application to eight tumor-bearing rats. The simulations demonstrate that the corrected hemodynamic parameters precisely matched the actual values with a maximum percentage error of 4.2% compared to 68.6% for the uncorrected parameters. The corrected parameters are also essentially independent of the tumor hemodynamic state and degree of contrast extravasation. Consistent with these improvements, significant differences between corrected and uncorrected parameters, calculated from a gradient-echo sequence, are shown in a rat 9L gliosarcoma model. This method combined with the hemodynamic parameters derived from GE and SE sequences shows promise as a new tool to evaluate tumor angiogenesis and its therapy. Magn Reson Med 53:1307–1316, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Summary of the First International Workshop on Human Caliciviruses

with the ingestion of contaminated food or water, are caused by human caliciviruses related to the Norwalk-like viruses. Furthermore, these viruses may cause gastroenteritis episodes that number in the millions per year in individual countries. This considerable disease burden is undoubtedly expensive to society in terms of the cost of outbreak management and loss of productivity. However, of even greater importance, were several reports in this workshop showing an association of human caliciviruses with severe gastroenteritis that required medical intervention; this suggested that the impact of this disease may extend well beyond the economic burden. These new data are important because they contrast with the usual observation that human calicivirus illness is mild and self-limiting. Continued assessment of the precise overall burden of the morbidity and mortality associated with human calicivirus disease in all age groups, including infants and young children, will be essential in the decision-making process for the development of future prevention and control strategies. The striking genetic diversity among the human caliciviruses was recognized as a major research challenge. The development of effective diagnostic tests, such as a broadly reactive reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay or an immunoassay that recognizes all circulating strains, has been problematic. However, analysis of the rapidly growing sequence database for the human caliciviruses may explain this difficulty. There are now 2 distinct genera containing human caliciviruses in the family Caliciviridae that are provisionally named “Nor
Recent application of the ICF. Guest editor's introduction and overview.

Since its publication in 2001 the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) has begun to be used in a variety of settings for a wide range...
The relationship of somatization and depression to experimental pain response in women with temporomandibular disorders.

OBJECTIVE Patients with temporomandibular pain disorders (TMD) have greater experimental pain perception when compared with pain-free controls. Common psychological features of TMD include somatization and depression. The impact of depression on experimental pain perception has received considerable attention. However, the role of somatization on experimental pain in a chronic pain population has not been explored. METHODS Fifty-six women with TMD and 59 pain-free controls underwent three experimental pain procedures, including palpation at fixed amounts of pressure, pressure pain thresholds, and an ischemic pain task. Levels of depression and somatization were assessed using the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD. Multiple regression analyses were performed to determine the extent to which depression and somatization were associated with experimental pain response. RESULTS After controlling for characteristic pain intensity and depression, somatization explained a significant proportion of variance in numbers of masticatory sites rated as painful (R2 change = 6.7%, p = .046) with the full model explaining 16.4% of the variance (p = .024). This did not meet an adjusted level of statistical significance (p = .008). After controlling for characteristic pain, only depression added significantly to the model predicting ischemic pain threshold and tolerance. The full models including characteristic pain and depression explained 49% and 20% of the variance in ischemic pain threshold and tolerance, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that depression and somatization are associated with different measures of experimental pain. Somatization may be related to more attentional and perceptual measures of clinically relevant pain while depression may be related to more behavioral measures of pain.
GPR H-plane antenna patterns for a horizontal dipole on a half-space interface

GPR dipole antenna patterns can be described by the interference of space and lateral waves. Because this is an interference phenomenon, antenna patterns are a function of frequency, distance, and electrical properties. Traditional far-field criteria based on dipoles in a whole-space are insufficient to describe dipole antennas on a half-space boundary. Whole-space criteria fail because they do not take into account the interference of space and lateral waves. The travel time difference between space and lateral waves increases as the angle of observation from vertical increases, or with increasing distance from the source. The result is increased interference and more abundant lobes with increasing distance and observation angle. Since GPR investigations are limited by attenuation and many environmental and engineering targets of interest are located within a few wavelengths of the antenna, asymptotic solutions do not accurately describe antenna patterns for most GPR applications. The exclusion of lateral waves in geometric optics solutions is another source of error for many GPR applications. Data were measured over a water filled tank to verify FDTD antenna pattern models. Asymptotic solutions predict H-plane peaks at an angular distance equal to the critical angle. Measured and modeled antenna patterns are broader and have peaks located at a larger angular distance, than predicted from asymptotic solutions. The peaks approach and decrease the rate of convergence toward the asymptotic solution with increasing distance from the source, and data modeled over water demonstrate that the peaks still do not converge to the asymptotic solution at a distance of 24 wavelengths. The low directivity of dipole antennas explains why out of the plane reflections are commonly observed in GPR data.
Neurology of volition

Neurological disorders of volition may be characterized by deficits in willing and/or agency. When we move our bodies through space, it is the sense that we intended to move (willing) and that our actions were a consequence of this intention (self-agency) that gives us the sense of voluntariness and a general feeling of being “in control.” While it is possible to have movements that share executive machinery ordinarily used for voluntary movement but lack a sense of voluntariness, such as psychogenic movement disorders, it is also possible to claim volition for presumed involuntary movements (early chorea) or even when no movement is produced (anosognosia). The study of such patients should enlighten traditional models of how the percepts of volition are generated in the brain with regard to movement. We discuss volition and its components as multi-leveled processes with feedforward and feedback information flow, and dependence on prior expectations as well as external and internal cues.
Screening Selected Rice Lines for Resistance to the Rice Water Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Preliminary field screening of 50 rice lines of various origin in 1990 for resistance to rice water weevil, Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel, yielded several lines with potential for resistance. These lines were divided into two groups and evaluated in the field in 1991 and 1992. One group was evaluated specifically for tolerance and the other was tested for antibiosis or antixenosis or both. Significant differences were found among the lines tested for tolerance using rice water weevil larval population levels, root damage ratings, plant height, and grain yield as indicators. The comparison of untreated and treated plots indicated that lines AL6029, LA2218, TX22041, URN199 and URN200 showed tolerance to the rice water weevil. Tolerance was expressed in part as the ability of the lines to recover from root damage and produce high grain yield while supporting a high rice water weevil larval population. Lines TX12685 and TX13079 in the antixenosis test showed moderate levels of resistance to the rice water weevil, with significantly lower larval populations than the susceptible standard ‘Mars’.
The lesson of temporary brittle bone disease: all bones are not created equal

Temporary brittle bone disease (TBBD) is a recently described phenotype of multiple, unexplained fractures in the first year of life and predominantly in the first 6 months of life. There is usually no other injury such as bruising, subdural hematomas, retinal hemorrhages, or other internal organ injury. The susceptibility to fracture is transient, and there are no other radiographic or biochemical abnormalities noted in the standard evaluation that might suggest an underlying cause. The child abuse and pediatric radiology communities have, for the most part, been unwilling to accept this as a real condition, for they believe it is a ruse for child abuse. This review describes the experience of the author in evaluating infants with multiple unexplained fractures and the hypothesis that has emerged for explaining TBBD. The hypothesis is a prenatal application of the mechanostat/bone loading theory of bone formation and states that TBBD is caused by fetal immobilization which leads to fetal bone unloading and transient, relative osteopenia. Such susceptible infants can fracture with routine handling and present with a pattern of fractures that is similar to that which has been thought to be highly specific for child abuse. The review presents: (a) the evidence that indicates that normal fetal movement is important for normal fetal bone strength, (b) a critique of the radiologic approach in the diagnosis of child abuse in infants with multiple unexplained fractures, (c) observations that would indicate that child abuse is unlikely in infants with TBBD, and (d) new approaches to the infant with multiple unexplained fractures that would assist in accurate diagnosis.
Humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy presenting after oncologic surgery.

CASE PRESENTATION A 59-year-old Caucasian woman presented to our hospital for biopsy of a rectal mass and diverting colostomy. Four months earlier, she had developed rectal pain and bleeding. Colonoscopy had revealed a large rectal mass; pathology was consistent with a neuroendocrine carcinoma. A labeled octreotide scan was positive in the area of the tumor and the para-aortic lymph nodes, but did not show hepatic or bony involvement. Laboratory values, obtained 3 days before surgery, are shown (Table 1). The patient had a history of mild asthma. She denied any prior personal or family history of malignancy, nephrolithiasis, parathyroid or other endocrine disease. Her listed medications included sustained release oxycodone 20 mg b.i.d., ibuprofen 400 mg t.i.d. p.r.n., montelukast 10 mg p.r.n., and zolpidem 10 mg p.r.n. Exploration of the abdomen revealed a large mass and enlarged lymph nodes along the iliac vessels. Diverting sigmoid colostomy and repeat biopsy were performed without complications. Pathology was consistent with a large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with ulceration and focal infiltration. The patient did well in the perioperative period, requiring no blood products and remaining
Bright artificial light subsensitizes a central muscarinic mechanism.

Summary Supersensitivity of a muscarinic mechanism is implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. Bright artificial light is efficacious in the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). We studied the effect of constant bright light (11,500 lux) on the sensitivity of adult, male rats to oxotremorine, 1.5 mg/kg ip, using a repeated measures design. Oxotremorine challenges were proceeded by the injection of methylscopolamine, 1 mg/kg ip, by 70 minutes. Temperature was telemetrically measured every 10 minutes for 120 minutes starting 10 minutes after the injection of oxotremorine. Prior to and after 7 continuous days of exposure to bright light, the sample exhibited a hypothermic response of 2.50 + 0.4R"C (mean + SEM) and 0.29 + 0.31"C (mean + SEM), respectively (p < 0.0014)._ All 7 animals exhibited blunting to the thermic response to oxotremorine. Bright light also blocked the capacity of amitriptyline to supersensitize a central muscarinic mechanism. Exposure to light at an intensity of 300 lux for 7 days had no effect on the thermic response to oxotremorine. These data are consistent with the hypotheses that the biology of depression involves supersensitivity of central muscarinic mechanisms and that the effects of bright artificial light are not the consequence of shifting circadian rhythms.
MicroRNA expression profile in bovine cumulus–oocyte complexes: Possible role of let-7 and miR-106a in the development of bovine oocytes

The objectives of this study included: (1) identify the expression of miRNAs specific to bovine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) during late oogenesis, (2) characterize the expression of candidate miRNAs as well as some miRNA processing genes, and (3) computationally identify and characterize the expression of target mRNAs for candidate miRNAs. Small RNAs in the 16-27 bp range were isolated from pooled COCs aspirated from 1- to 10-mm follicles of beef cattle ovaries and used to construct a cDNA library. A total 1798 putative miRNA sequences from the cDNA library of small RNA were compared to known miRNAs. Sixty-four miRNA clusters matched previously reported sequences in the miRBase database and 5 miRNA clusters had not been reported. TaqMan miRNA assays were used to confirm the expression of let-7b, let-7i, and miR-106a from independent collections of COCs. Real-time PCR assays were used to characterize expression of miRNA processing genes and target mRNAs (MYC and WEE1A) for the candidate miRNAs from independent collections of COCs. Expression data were analyzed using general linear model procedures for analysis of variance. The expression of let-7b and let-7i were not different between the cellular populations from various sized follicles. However, miR-106a expression was greater (P<0.01) in oocytes compared with COCs and granulosa cells. Furthermore, all the miRNA processing genes have greater expression (P<0.001) in oocytes compared with COCs and granulosa cells. The expression of potential target mRNAs for let-7 and let-7i (i.e., MYC), and miR-106a (i.e., WEE1A) were decreased (P<0.05) in oocytes compared with COCs and granulosa cells. These results demonstrate specific miRNAs within bovine COCs during late oogenesis and provide some evidence that miRNAs may play a role regulating maternal mRNAs in bovine oocytes.
Separation of Human proα1(I) and proα2(I) Procollagen Chains by Reverse Phase High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Abstract Human pro α1(I) and pro α2(I) procollagen chains have been separated on a large por (33 nm) reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography C18 column using an acetonitrile aqueous gradient containing 9 mM trifluoroacetic acid. The separation of the chains was evaluated by gel electrophoresis. The yield of the chromatography, based on radiolabel recovery, is equal to or better than 80%. Absorbance monitoring at 210 nm permits detection of less than 5 µg procollagen.
Panniculectomy as an adjuvant to bariatric surgery

A large hanging panniculus can cause problems such as intertrigo, chronic infection, and immobility. Many patients undergoing weight reduction surgery can benefit from panniculectomy either done concomitantly with bariatric surgery or later after significant weight reduction. Over the last 5 years we performed 123 panniculectomies on patients (34 males, 89 females; mean age 44.5 +/- 10.3 years) undergoing bariatric surgery. The panniculectomy was either done at the same time as the bariatric surgery in 21 patients or after a time period of 17 +/- 11 months in 102 patients. The prebariatric surgery weight ranged from 107 to 341 kg (mean: 168.6 +/- 47.2 kg) with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 59 +/- 14 kg/m. After the bariatric surgery the patients had an average weight loss of 57.6 +/- 27 kg. The prepanniculectomy weight was 121.9 +/- 39.3 kg (BMI = 43.1 +/- 12.4 kg/m) for the patients who had the panniculectomy after the bariatric surgery. Ninety-two percent of the patients had multiple comorbidities. The weight of the panniculectomy specimen ranged from 4 to 54 kg. Any abdominal wall hernias (35.4% incisional and 8.9% umbilical) were fixed during the panniculectomy. Overall, patients who had panniculectomy simultaneously with the bariatric surgery had more complications than patients who had panniculectomy after their bariatric surgery. The wound infections were 48% versus 16% and respiratory distress was 24% versus 0%, respectively. The skin necrosis was 10% versus 6%, dehiscence was 33% versus 13%, and hematoma formation was 10% versus 2%, respectively. Overall, the patients had good outcomes, with 3 postoperative deaths in the group with panniculectomy at the same time of bariatric surgery. An interval of weight loss prior to the procedure makes this procedure safer and more effective.
Immunohistological Characterization of Newly Formed Tissues after Regenerative Procedure in Immature Dog Teeth

Introduction: In a previous report, we showed that 2 types of mineralized tissues were formed in the canal spaces of dogs after tissue engineering treatments of immature teeth with apical periodontitis: (1) dentinassociated mineralized tissue (DAMT) and (2) bony islands (BIs). The objective of this study was to characterize these mineralized tissues. Methods: The maturation and organization of collagen matrices in DAMT, BIs, and the interface between DAMT and the dentin wall were characterized using a histochemical method with picrosirius red staining under polarized light microscopy. In addition, the distribution of 2 noncollagenous proteins (ie, dentin sialoprotein and bone sialoprotein) in these tissues was investigated by immunohistochemical methods with specific antibodies. Results: The results showed that DAMT is distinct from dentin, bone, or BIs. Although it resembled cementum to an extent showing similar immunoreactivity to the noncollagenous proteins, the organization and maturation of collagen matrix was significantly different from cementum. BIs resembled a bone matrix in terms of morphology, collagen organization, and immunoreactivity. Conclusions: The results indicate that DAMT and BIs formed in the canal space are distinct from each other, one exhibiting a unique mineralized tissue and the other a bone-like tissue. (J Endod 2011;37:1636‐1641)
Involvement of dendritic cells in autoimmune diseases in children

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that are specialized in the uptake of antigens and their transport from peripheral tissues to the lymphoid organs. Over the last decades, the properties of DCs have been intensely studied and much knowledge has been gained about the role of DCs in various diseases and health conditions where the immune system is involved, particularly in cancer and autoimmune disorders. Emerging clues in autoimmune diseases, suggest that dendritic cell dysregulation might be involved in the development of various autoimmune disorders in both adults and children. However, studies investigating a possible contribution of DCs in autoimmune diseases in the pediatric population alone are scanty. The purpose of this review is to give a general overview of the current literature on the relevance of dendritic cells in the most common autoimmune conditions of childhood.
A Theory of African American Offending: A Test of Core Propositions

Analyzing the National Survey of American Life, which includes 3,570 Blacks, this research is the first to test core hypotheses of Unnever and Gabbidon’s Theory of African American Offending. A core assertion of Unnever and Gabbidon’s theory, which specifically and only focuses on Blacks, is that their offending is associated with the degree to which they encounter racial injustices. This article focuses on two forms of racial injustice that are prominently highlighted by Unnever and Gabbidon—racial discrimination and racist stereotypes. The results reveal that Blacks who experience racial discrimination and “buy into” the pejorative stereotype that they are violent are more likely to offend, as they experience heightened states of low self-control, anger, and depression. The data also show that experiences with racial injustices increase the likelihood that Blacks will become dependent on substances/alcohol. These findings were generated while including other correlates of arrests, including demographic ...
New heuristic algorithms for efficient hierarchical path planning

The authors consider one of the most popular approaches to path planning: hierarchical approximate cell decomposition. This approach consists of constructing successive decompositions of the robot's configuration space into rectangloid cells and searching the connectivity graph built at each level of decomposition for a path. Despite its conceptual simplicity, an efficient implementation of this approach raises many delicate questions that have not yet been addressed. The major contributions this work are (1) a novel approach to cell decomposition based on constraint reformulation and (2) a new algorithm for hierarchical search with a mechanism for recording failure conditions. These algorithms have been implemented in a path planner, and experiments with this planner have been carried out on various examples. These experiments show that the proposed planner is significantly (approximately 10 times) faster than previous planners based on the same general approach. >
Efficient background modeling through incremental Support Vector Data Description

Background modeling is an essential and important part of many high-level video processing applications. Recently, the Support Vector Data Description (SVDD) has been introduced for novelty detection when only one class of data is available, i.e. background pixels. This paper proposes a method to efficiently train an SVDD and compares the performance of this training algorithm with the traditional SVDD training techniques. We compare the performance of our method with traditional SVDD and other classification algorithms on various data sets including real video sequences.
Comparability of Multiple Rank Order and Paired Comparison Methods

Two studies were conducted to compare multiple rank order and paired comparison methods in terms of psychometric characteristics and user reac tions. For both studies, stimuli from the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ) were cast in mul tiple rank order and paired comparison forms and were administered to subjects on two occasions (test-retest) in a counterbalanced design. For the multiple rank order form, item blocks of three stimuli were used in the first study (N = 158, retest after one week), and item blocks of five stimuli in the second study (N = 280, retest after two days). Individual and group item responses, preference counts, and Thurstone normal transform scale values obtained by the multiple rank order method were found to be very similar to those obtained by paired comparisons. Administration time decreased as number of stimuli in the item block increased. Two-thirds of the subjects preferred the multiple rank order method. The equivalence of the two methods is discussed, along with sug...
A case study of expert judgment: Economists' probabilities versus base-rate model forecasts

In this case study of economists' forecasts concerning economic downturn, we examine key issues concerning the psychology of prediction and the controversy surrounding the value of expertise in forecasting. We examine when experts' knowledge promotes forecast accuracy and whether biases found in psychological studies (including underutilization of relevant base rates and tendencies to extreme prediction) occur in these economic forecasts. Experts' forecasts were compared to forecasts derived from base-rate models that relied on the historical frequencies of economic downturns. The performance patterns of the experts and models crossed over the forecast horizon. Experts outperformed models in shorter-term forecasting, whereas models outperformed experts in longer-term forecasting. These results highlight the abilities and limits of experts and models in prediction and the sources of their inaccuracy.
Considerations on the mechanisms of alternating skew deviation in patients with cerebellar lesions

Alternating skew deviation, in which the side of the higher eye changes depending upon whether gaze is directed to the left or the right, is a frequent sign in patients with posterior fossa lesions, including those restricted to the cerebellum. Here we propose a mechanism for alternating skews related to the otolith-ocular responses to fore and aft pitch of the head in lateral-eyed animals. In lateral-eyed animals the expected response to a static head pitch is cyclorotation of the eyes. But if the eyes are rotated horizontally in the orbit, away from the primary position, a compensatory skew deviation should also appear. The direction of the skew would depend upon whether the eyes were directed to the right (left eye forward, right eye backward) or to the left (left eye backward, right eye forward). In contrast, for frontal-eyed animals, skew deviations are counterproductive because they create diplopia and interfere with binocular vision. We attribute the emergence of skew deviations in frontal-eyed animals in pathological conditions to 1) an imbalance in otolithocular pathways and 2) a loss of the component of ocular motor innervation that normally corrects for the differences in pulling directions and strengths of the various ocular muscles as the eyes change position in the orbit. Such a compensatory mechanism is necessary to ensure optimal binocular visual function during and after head motion. This compensatory mechanism may depend upon the cerebellum.
Styrene exposure and risk of cancer.

Styrene is widely used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, resins, polyesters and plastics. Styrene and the primary metabolite styrene-7,8-oxide are genotoxic and carcinogenic. Long-term chemical carcinogenesis bioassays showed that styrene caused lung cancers in several strains of mice and mammary cancers in rats and styrene-7,8oxide caused tumours of the forestomach in rats and mice and of the liver in mice. Subsequent epidemiologic studies found styrene workers had increased mortality or incidences of lymphohematopoietic cancers (leukaemia or lymphoma or all), with suggestive evidence for pancreatic and esophageal tumours. No adequate human studies are available for styrene-7,8-oxide although this is the primary and active epoxide metabolite of styrene. Both are genotoxic and form DNA adducts in humans. Commentary Styrene (vinyl benzene) is an economically important industrial chemical used in the synthesis and manufacture of polystyrene and hundreds of different copolymers, as well as numerous other industrial resins. Roughly 99% of the industrial resins produced from styrene can be grouped into six major categories: polystyrene (50%), styrene-butadiene rubber (15%), unsaturated polyester resins (glass reinforced) (12%), styrene-butadiene latexes (11%), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (10%) and styrene-acrylonitrile (1%) (1). The 2006 US production of styrene was 11.4 million pounds (1), produced principally by catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene.
Developing a deferred maintenance initiative for fault-tolerant flight control systems

A control actuation system that incorporates many of the salient features of both flight and propulsion control systems is used to illustrate the analytic techniques of a deferred maintenance initiative. This example system incorporates redundance management via fault detection, isolation, and reconfiguration schemes as reflected in the associated coverage parameters. Analysis shows how each component of the system can be classified according to its impact on the system's ability to maintain controlled operation. Time limits for deferred maintenance are determined. In order to realize such an initiative as a viable mode of operation, one must have a systematic method for establishing the system's vulnerability. A tractable methodology for doing so is described and illustrated. >
Overwinter Growth and Survival of Largemouth Bass: Interactions among Size, Food, Origin, and Winter Severity

Abstract Winter severity (temperature, duration, and photocycle), geographic origin, food availability, and initial body size likely influence growth, survival, and, therefore, recruitment of age-0 largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. We collected age-0 largemouth bass (70–160 mm total length) from low (33°N), intermediate (40°N), and high (45°N) latitudes throughout their natural range (origin), and we subjected all three groups of fish to three experimental winters that mimicked these latitudes (N = 9 largemouth bass per treatment). Within each winter and origin, one-half of the largemouth bass were fed fish prey, whereas the remaining one-half were starved. Winter strongly influenced survival; overall survival rates in the high-, intermediate-, and low-latitude winters were 34.9, 59.4, and 61.1%, respectively (χ2 test, P < 0.05). Largemouth bass from 33°N suffered high mortality in the high-latitude winter. Across all winters, more fed fish (64.5%) survived than did starved fish (38.1%) (χ2 test, P <...
On the instability of viscous flow in a rapidly rotating pipe

The stability of almost fully developed viscous flow in a rotating pipe is considered. In cylindrical polar co-ordinates (r, o, z) this flow has the velocity components \[ \{W_0o(1),\quad\Omega r[1+o(\epsilon)],\quad W_0[1-r^2/r^2_0+o(1)]\},_{+}^{+} \] where e = Wo/2Ωr0 and is bounded externally by the rigid cylinder r = r0, which rotates about its axis with angular velocity Ω. In the limit of small e, the disturbance equations can be solved in terms of Bessel functions and it is shown that, in that limit, the flow is unstable for Reynolds numbers R = Wor0/v greater than Rc [asymp ] 82[sdot ]9. The unstable disturbances take the form of growing spiral waves, which are stationary relative to the rotating cylinder and the critical disturbance at R = Rc has azimuthal wave-number 1 and axial wavelength 2πr0/e. Furthermore, it is shown that the most rapidly growing disturbance for R > Rc has an azimuthal wave-number which increases with R. Some of the problems involved in testing the results by experiment are discussed and a possible application to the theory of vortex breakdown is mentioned. In an appendix this instability is shown to be an example of inertial instability.
Selected Papers from the Fourth International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels, and Minichannels

The Fourth International Conference on Nanochannels, Microchannels and Minichannels (ICNMM) was held at the University of Limerick in Ireland during June 19–21, 2006, under the sponsorship of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. A total of 189 papers were presented and over 250 participants attended the conference. The participants came from 25 countries and presented papers in 22 different areas, including microfluidics, biomedical, heat transfer, single- and two-phase flows, electronics cooling, boiling and condensation, mixing, heat exchangers, and a number of related areas. The participants cited the intense interactions among researchers from various discipline as a major benefit of attending this conference.
Germination of Wild Rice, Zizania aquatica, Seeds and the Activity of Alcohol Dehydrogenase in Young Seedlings

Seeds of wild rice (Zizania aquatka L.) which were stored at 3°C for c. 3 months after harvest did not germinate until portions of seed coat above the embryo region were removed. During the iirst few days following germination there was no apparent difference between seedlings germinated under normal, aerated and anaerobic conditions. After 14 days, plants maintained under well aerated conditions were the most fully developed. Unlike shoot growth, roots did not develop under reduced aeration. The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in extracts obtained from young Zizania seedlings was highly specific for ethanol as a substrate, for NAD as the coenzyme, and the optimum pH was c. 9.1. Enzyme activity changed with stage of growth and development, reaching maximum activity 8 days after germination. Aeration strongly inhibited ADH activity. Under anaerobic conditions the activity of ADH increased several fold over the activity of ADH extracted from shoots of seedlings maintained under normal conditions.
Corruption, Quasi-Rents, and the Regulation of Electric Utilities

Was the adoption of state utility regulation the result of a negative-sum competition among special interest groups vying for the monopoly rents created by regulation or a positive-sum elimination of corruption arising from appropriable quasi-rents? Previous empirical studies of the adoption of regulation have assumed the former. Using discrete hazard analysis, this study considers the latter and finds the data more consistent with the positive-sum protection of quasi-rents than the negative-sum creation and appropriation of monopoly rents. institutional structure within which, until recently, most utilities have operated is one in which a regulatory commission simultaneously protects the firm's monopoly and exerts control over the prices it may charge.1 Although there were a few (largely ineffective) precursors for railroads, this type of regulatory commission was originally adopted on a state-by-state basis during the brief period between 1907 and 1914, replacing diverse regulation by municipal governments. This type of regulation (hereafter called "rate regulation") also came to be adopted by the federal government and was used for a variety of industries. Critical research by economists, beginning in the 1960s and continuing for decades, influenced a shift in public policy away from rate regulation.2 George Priest has referred to the research's impact as "the greatest intellectual triumph in U.S. public policy of modern times."3 The success of this line of research has caused its insights often to be incorrectly assumed to provide an understanding of why rate regulation was originally adopted. That adoption did not impose regulation on
The Interchange of Insect Parasites and Predators between Crops

(1972). The Interchange of Insect Parasites and Predators between Crops. PANS Pest Articles & News Summaries: Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 143-146.
A Comparison of Techniques for Particle Rebound Measurement in Gas Turbine Applications

The rebound characteristics of 100–500μm quartz particles from an aluminum surface were imaged using the particle shadow velocimetry (PSV) technique. Particle trajectory data were acquired over a range of impact velocity (30–90 m/s) and impact angle (20°–90°) typical for gas turbine applications. The data were then analyzed to obtain coefficients of restitution (CoR) using four different techniques: (1) individual particle rebound velocity divided by the same particle’s inbound velocity (2) individual particle rebound velocity divided by inbound velocity taken from the mean of the inbound distribution of velocities from all particles (3) rebound velocity distribution divided by inbound velocity distribution related using distribution statistics and (4) the same process as (3) with additional precision provided by the correlation coefficient between the two distributions. It was found that the mean and standard deviation of the CoR prediction showed strong dependence on the standard deviation of the inbound velocity distribution. The two methods that employed statistical algorithms to account for the distribution shape [methods (3) and (4)] actually overpredicted mean CoR by up to 6% and CoR standard deviation by up to 100% relative to method (1). The error between the methods is shown to be a strong (and linear) function of correlation coefficient, which is typically 0.2–0.6 for experimental CoR data. Non-Gaussianity of the distributions only accounts for up to 1% of the error in mean CoR, and this largely from the non-zero skewness of the inbound velocity distribution. Particle rebound data acquired using field average techniques that do not provide an estimate of correlation coefficient are most accurately evaluated using method (2). Method (3) can be used with confidence if the standard deviation of the inbound velocity distribution is less than 10% of the mean velocity, or if a linear correction based on an assumed correlation coefficient is applied.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Health IT and Ambulatory Care Quality

This paper studies the effects of healthcare information technology on ambulatory care quality, which is measured using the rate of hospital admissions for conditions identified as sensitive to ambulatory care quality.
Sperner's colorings, hypergraph labeling problems and fair division

We prove three results about colorings of the simplex reminiscent of Sperner's Lemma, with applications in hardness of approximation and fair division.First, we prove a coloring lemma conjectured by [5]: Let [EQUATION] and [EQUATION]. Then for every Sperner-admissible labeling (l: Vk,q → [k] such that vl(v) > 0 for each v ∈ Vk,q), there are at least (q+k-3k-2) non-monochromatic hyperedges in Ek,q. This implies an optimal Unique-Games hardness of (k − 1 − e)-approximation for the Hypergraph Labeling with Color Lists problem [2]: Given a k-uniform hypergraph H = (V, E) with color lists L(v) ⊆ [k] ∀v ∈ V, find a labeling l(v) ∈ L(v) that minimizes the number of non-monochromatic hyperedges. We also show that a (k − 1)-approximation can be achieved. Second, we show that in contrast to Sperner's Lemma, there is a Sperner-admissible labeling of Vk,q such that every hyperedge in Ek,q contains at most 4 colors. We present an interpretation of this statement in the context of fair division: There is a preference function on Δk,q = [EQUATION] such that for any division of q units of a resource, (x1, x2, . . ., xk) ∈ Δk,q such that [EQUATION] = q − 1, at most 4 players out of k are satisfied.Third, we prove that there are subdivisions of the simplex with a fractional labeling (analogous to a fractional solution for Min-CSP problems) such that every hyperedge in the subdivision uses only labelings with 1 or 2 colors. This means that a natural LP cannot distinguish instances of Hypergraph Labeling with Color Lists that can be labeled so that every hyperedge uses at most 2 colors, and instances that must have a rainbow hyperedge. We prove that this problem is indeed NP-hard for k = 3.
Euvarroa Sinhai Delfinado and Baker (Acarina: Mesostigmata): A Parasitic Mite of Apis Florea

SummaryThe biology of the mite Euvarroa sinhai Delfinado and Baker was investigated. It is a parasite of drone brood of Apis florea. The developmental stages are egg, protonymph, deutonymph and sexual adult. The mite is reported for the first time from Thailand.
Placer Mining and Salmon Spawning in American River Basin, California

Mining operations, rightfully blamed for many environmental problems, may also have some beneficial environmental impacts. A good example of such an impact appears to be the channel gravel of the American River in California. A petrographic study of gravels in the American River Basin with a hand lens indicates that present channel gravels within the Central Valley section originated mostly from dredge tailings composed of older alluvial deposits which were washed and sorted by mining operations. Hence, present gravels which are considered to provide good spawning conditions are derived from goldmine dredging operations. Similar conditions could be expected in other streams in the Central Valley.
Effect of Laboratory Rearing on the Reproductive Biology of the Lone Star Tick (Acarina: Ixodidae)

Studies on the reproductive biology of lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.), freshly collected from the field, ticks taken from a 25-year established colony, and ticks from reciprocal crosses between wild and colony ticks showed that colony ticks statistically differed significantly in several parameters. Engorged colony females weighed less, took longer to engorge, had longer preoviposition and oviposition periods, laid fewer eggs per female, converted less of the engorged weight to eggs, and had significantly lower egg hatch than wild females. Reciprocal crosses between wild and colony ticks indicated that most reproduction characteristics of wild females mated to colony males were similar to those of wild females mated to wild males; and colony females mated to wild males had reproduction characteristics similar to those of colony females mated to colony males. Reproduction data collected in 1970 of the colony strain were similar to current data from the same strain. Thus, lengthy periods of colonization affected most parameters of reproductive biology of A. americanum
Nitric oxide exerts feedback inhibition on EDHF-induced coronary arteriolar dilation in vivo.

We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) inhibits endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF)-induced vasodilation via a negative feedback pathway in the coronary microcirculation. Cor...
Latitudinal body-mass trends in Oligo-Miocene mammals

Paleecological data allow not only the study of trends along deep-time chronological transects but can also be used to reconstruct ecological gradients through time, which can help identify causal factors that may be strongly correlated in modern ecosystems. We have applied such an analysis to Bergmann’s rule, which posits a causal relationship between temperature and body size in mammals. Bergmann’s rule predicts that latitudinal gradients should exist during any interval of time, with larger taxa toward the poles and smaller taxa toward the equator. It also predicts that the strength of these gradients should vary with time, becoming weaker during warmer periods and stronger during colder conditions. We tested these predictions by reconstructing body-mass trends within canid and equid genera at different intervals of the Oligo-Miocene along the West Coast of North America. To allow for comparisons with modern taxa, body mass was reconstructed along the same transect for modern Canis and Odocoileus . Of the 17 fossil genera analyzed, only two showed the expected positive relationship with latitude, nor was there consistent evidence for a relationship between paleotemperature and body mass. Likewise, the strength of body-size gradients does not change predictably with climate through time. The evidence for clear gradients is ambiguous even in the modern genera analyzed. These results suggest that, counter to Bergmann’s rule, temperature alone is not a primary driver of body size and underscore the importance of regional-scale paleoecological analyses in identifying such drivers.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Summary Overall, the goal of the emergency physician is proper recognition of the gravid woman whose pregnancy is complicated by hypertensive disease, particularly preeclampsia-eclampsia. As the classic triad of hypertension, proteinuria, and edema does not always occur simultaneously, supporting signs and symptoms as well as laboratory data may be necessary to support the diagnosis. Once the diagnosis is established, drug therapy aimed at the prevention of seizures and emergent control of blood pressure should be instituted to stop progression of the disease. Although many agents are undergoing investigation, magnesium sulfate and hydralazine remain the drugs of choice for anticonvulsant and antihypertensive therapy, respectively. Early consultation with an obstetrician should facilitate timely termination of the pregnancy with the least possible trauma to the mother and infant.