cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PINUS TRIPHYLLA AND PINUS QUINQUEFOLIA FROM THE UPPER CRETACEOUS OF MASSACHUSETTS

A B S T R A C T Dwarf shoots and needle leaves of Pinus triphylla Hollick and Jeffrey and P. quinquefolia Hollick and Jeffrey have been discovered recently in a Late Cretaceous age clay deposit on Martha's Vineyard Island, Massachusetts. Detailed study of these fossils provides further information on the internal construction of the two taxa. This new information permits both species to be compared easily with similar fossil forms from the Upper Cretaceous of Japan as well as with dwarf shoots and needles of modern species of Pinus. As a result, the relationships between Cretaceous pines and the extinct genus Prepinus are found to be less than previously believed. Moreover, the dwarf shoots and needles of Cretaceous members of the genus Pinus appear to be most like those of present-day species included in the subgenus Pinus. Two TYPES of Pinus dwarf shoots, each bearing needle bases, have been discovered recently in Santonian-Campanian age sediments (Miller and Robison, 1975) of Martha's Vineyard Island, Massachusetts. The fossils are anatomically preserved and come from a clay lens of the Magothy Formation that is exposed in the Gay Head Cliffs 1-2 m above beach level. Some specimens are assignable to Pinus triphylla Hollick and Jeffrey (1909) and are comparable with dwarf shoots of modern species of the subgenus Pinus in that each has a persistent sheath of cataphylls subtending three needle leaves. Other specimens belong to P. quinquefolia Hollick and Jeffrey (1909). Each of these dwarf shoots bears five needles, as do many present-day species of the subgenus Strobus, but certain structural peculiarities of the fossils align them with the subgenus Pinus. The fossils investigated are preserved as either fusain or semifusain, which is a preservational type intermediate to fusain and other coalified compressions (Schopf, 1975). All specimens were demineralized in concentrated hydrofluoric acid, gently washed in running water, dehydrated in a graded ethyl alcohol sequence, transferred to N-butanol, and then embedded in plastic (polymerized glycol methacrylate) following the
Penning type of ionizing energy transfer collisions in a Hg-Ar discharge detected by the optogalvanic effect

The temporal evolution of the optogalvanic signals has been investigated in detail in a Hg-argon discharge by irradiating it with an excimer pumped dye laser. The signals at 4510.7, 4596 and 4628.4 A exhibited anomalous behavior. Analysis of the data revealed that the excited Ar and Hg atoms respectively in the 1P1 and 3P1 states participated in energy transfer collisions, causing atomic mercury to excite to an ionized energy state, while simultaneously the argon atom relaxes to its ground state.
Aspects of non-ergpdicity in Hermitian systems

Abstract It is shown that some of the simplest interacting many body systems exhibiting non-ergodicity necessarily satisfy certain identities involving their equilibrium multipoint static correlations. These identities may be useful in the study of model non-ergodic systems being analysed or simulated. Some examples of pertinent model non-ergodic systems are given to illustrate the material discussed.
Renal excretion of metolazone, a new diuretic

Summary 1 Metolazone, a new diuretic, was found to be excreted by glomerular filtration and renal tubular secretion. 2 The secretory mechanism was antagonized by probenecid but this did not affect the diuretic action of metolazone.
Scientific Management in Practice

I. Introductory. — Scope of the investigation, personnel; statistics, 262; Personnel, 263. — II. Applications of scientific management, 267; Municipal and miscellaneous work, 267. — Railroads and public utilities, 269. — Industrial plants, 270. — Time study and instruction cards, 274. — Stores system, 279. — Routing, 280. — Inspection, 283. — Standardization of equipment, materials, and plant, 284. — Cost statistics, 286. — Sales, 287. — Gross results, 288. — III. Effect on workers. — Wages, 290; Health, 292; Interest, loyalty, 294.—IV. General economic results, 297. — Relations with organized labor, 298. — V. Failures and their causes, 303. — VI. General influence of the movement, 306.
The response of B cells in spleen, Peyer's patches, and lymph nodes to LPS and IL-4

The vast majority of B lymphocytes in the Peyer's patches (PP) and lymph nodes (LN) are memory cells or activated cells. Hence, in comparison to B lymphocytes in the spleen (SP), most B cells in these lymphoid organs have already encountered antigen. To further examine the ability of B cells in these peripheral lymphoid organs to respond to mitogens and interleukins in vitro, we have analyzed the ability of these cells (as compared to splenic B cells) to respond to LPS and LPS plus IL-4. Our results indicate that B cells from PPs and LNs proliferate poorly to LPS during the first 3 days of culture. In contrast, at later times, PP and LN B cells show enhanced proliferation as compared to splenic B cells. Furthermore, the addition of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) changes the proliferative activity of B cells from PPs and LNs, had only a minimal effect on splenic B cells. Hence, high doses of IL-4 (100 units/ml) enhance the proliferative rate of B cells from PPs and LNs early after activation, and have a suppressive effect at later times. The enhanced response of cells in PPs and LNs is further manifested by the presence of larger numbers of sIgG1+ cells 4 days after activation with LPS plus IL-4 and at 5 days these cells also secrete proportionally more IgG1 than splenic B cells. Enhanced IgG1 secretion is reflected in the methylation pattern of the s gamma 1 switch region of these cells. In cells from PP and LN cultured with LPS plus IL-4, most alleles containing the s gamma 1 region are demethylated or partly deleted, reflecting activation of this region of the Ig gene complex. In contrast, in splenic B cells, half the alleles remain in germline configuration. Our results suggest the presence of larger numbers of "preactivated" B cells in PPs and LNs as compared to spleen. These cells more rapidly secrete Ig following stimulation with LPS plus IL-4 in the absence of significant proliferation.
The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN): local cytoarchitecture and afferent connections

The retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) provides a source of tonic drive to respiratory neurons and is one of many sites for central chemoreception. Here we evaluate in the rat the local neuronal cytoarchitecture in the RTN histologically 2-4 h after neurobiotin injection and the afferent connections to the RTN 24 h after injection. Our neurobiotin injections often overlapped the RTN and the adjacent neurons of the parapyramidal region, so we group these two regions together in this study. The RTN is made up of small and medium sized neurons and has a low neuronal density compared to other nuclei. The organization of the RTN is reticular in nature and there are prominent small neurons at the ventral medullary border. Adjacent to the pyramids there are medium sized neurons with connections to the raphe pallidus. Major afferent connections include the regions of the dorsal and ventral respiratory groups, the medullary raphe, the contralateral parapyramidal and RTN regions, portions of the nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis, and portions of the reticular fields. Other sources of input include the Kolliker-fuse nucleus, subceruleus, A5 region, and the paralemniscal zone.
FTIR Spectroscopy of Flavonols in Argon and Methanol/Argon Matrixes at 10 K. Reexamination of the Carbonyl Stretch Frequency of 3-Hydroxyflavone

The FTIR spectra of six argon-matrix-isolated flavonols were measured. Carbonyl stretching frequencies for the following compounds were the following: flavone, 1669 cm - 1 ; chromone, 1676 cm - 1 ; 5-hydroxyflavone (5HF), 1660 cm - 1 ; 3-hydroxyflavone (3HF), 1652 cm - 1 ; 5-methoxyflavone (5MF), 1672 cm - 1 ; and 3-methoxyflavone (3MF), 1658 cm - 1 . The 3HF carbonyl stretching frequency assignment represents a correction to the literature values: (1628.6 cm - 1 in an argon matrix and 1621 cm - 1 in the liquid phase). 1 . 2 - 5 The hydroxyl stretch modes for 5HF and 3HF were observed at 2935 and 3320 cm - 1 , respectively, in agreement with the literature values. 2 - 5 While the hydroxyl stretch modes predict that the 5HF intramolecular-hydrogen bond to the carbonyl is stronger than that of 3HF, the carbonyl stretch frequency of 3HF is red-shifted more than that of 5HF. In analogy to hydroxyl-substituted flavones, methoxyl substitution at the flavone 3 position also results in a greater carbonyl red-shift than at the 5 position. Relative to the methoxyflavones, the effect of hydroxyl substitution on the carbonyl is clearly greater in 5HF than in 3HF. Density functional calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level are consistent with the experimental findings. Calculated OH...O intramolecular hydrogen bond distances and O-H...O angles were 1.70 A and 149° for 5HF and 1.94 A and 122° for 3HF, consistent with greater hydrogen-bonding in 5HF than in 3HF. Changes in the bond distances from 5MF to SHF are consistent with hydrogen bonding, encouraging a resonance form resembling the excited-state proton-transfer tautomer of SHF that weakens the carbonyl. Similarly, changes in the bond distances from 3MF to 3HF suggest that hydrogen bonding stabilizes a zwitterionic resonance form that also weakens its carbonyl. This zwitterionic resonance form of 3HF resembles the excited state proposed for its unusual fluorescence and could be responsible for the facile energy transfer to this state.
Collagen cross-linking: New dimension to cardiac remodeling

See article by Badenhorst et al. [1] (pages 632–641) in this issue. Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction has become a leading area of research as the prevalence of heart failure is reaching epidemic proportions. LV chamber remodeling and stiffness are consequent to significant structural and functional alteration of both the myocyte and extracellular matrix (ECM). Both these factors are important determinants of chamber size and geometry as well as its contractile and relaxation properties. Numerous papers have been published about the seminal role of collagen concentration and collagenolysis in hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies; however, the qualitative aspects of these changes were not correlated well with the functional characteristics of cardiac chambers. In this issue of Cardiovascular Research , Baldenhorst et al. [1] show the influence of collagen cross-linking on chamber stiffness and remodeling. Cellular mechanisms responsible for transformation of compensatory myocardial hypertrophy to a dysfunctional dilated ventricle remain enigmatic. Earlier studies focused on structural changes in the cardiac myocyte to explain chamber dysfunction in hypertensive heart disease [2–5]. This included studies related to changes in its size and spatial orientation [2–4]. The depression of systolic function and an increase in passive stiffness were noted even in isolated muscle preparations [5]. This suggested that physiological changes in the myocardial chamber were related to structural changes at the cardiac myocyte level. More recent studies have focused on the contribution of the ECM to cardiac contraction and relaxation functions [6–11]. The collagen matrix provides support for the maintenance of both myocyte and myofibrillar alignment, thereby ensuring structural integrity for individual myocyte shortening and relaxation, which then translates into overall myocardial systolic and diastolic properties. Therefore, the patterns of collagen synthesis and degradation play a seminal role in determining the altered systolic and diastolic properties of a remodeled ventricle in response … * Corresponding author. DC 034.00, Division of Cardiology, University of Missouri—Columbia, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO 65212, USA. Tel.: +1-573-882-2296; fax: +1-573-884-7743.
Bad Bedfellows: Disability Sex Rights and Viagra:

The disability rights movement grounds material critiques of the treatment of people with disabilities in a social constructionist perspective, locating disability in the social rather than physical realm, and demedicalizing the concept of disability. However, this conceptualization is threatened by the medicalization of nonnormative erections as the biomedical pathology erectile dysfunction (ED). Although use of medical treatments for ED can have positive outcomes for individuals, the medical community's tendency to include sexual difference in the rubric of disability threatens to remedicalize that category. Furthermore, medicalized conceptions of ED often serve to refocus sexuality around phallocentric, normative sex acts and gender roles, undoing the deconstructive work of disability sex studies. Finally, although aging Western populations targeted for ED treatment represent potentially expanded bases for disability movement activism, the pathologizing of nonnormative sexuality may have the power to i...
Molecular biology of proto‐oncogenes in genitourinary cancers

The application of molecular biology to oncology has allowed the recognition of altered genes in cancer cells. The DNA sequences most commonly altered belong to the family of proto-oncogenes, which are homologous to the cancer-causing genes of RNA tumor viruses. In the normal cell, proto-oncogenes apparently have important functions in regulation of growth and differentiation. When altered by mutation, deletion, translocation or amplification in cancer cells, proto-oncogenes may disrupt fundamental cellular processes. Such aberrant functioning by abnormal proto-oncogenes may play crucial and even causative roles in cancer development. Altered proto-oncogenes have been identified in cancers of the human urogenital tract. Studies on the expression of proto-oncogenes in genitourinary cells will increase understanding of basic biological properties of these cells, and may yield information relevant to staging, diagnosis, risk factors, and markers of pathologic classification.
Energetics of Ca2+–EDTA interactions: calorimetric study

The interaction between Ca(2+) and EDTA has been studied using isothermal titration calorimetry to elucidate the detailed mechanism of complex formation and to relate the apparent thermodynamic parameters of calcium binding to the intrinsic effects of ionization. It has been shown that Ca(2+) binding to EDTA is an exothermic process in the temperature range 5-48 degrees C and is highly dependent on the buffer in which the reaction occurs. Calorimetric measurements along with pH-titration of EDTA under different solvent conditions shows that the apparent enthalpy effect of the binding is predominantly from the protonation of buffer. Subtraction of the ionization effect of buffer from the total enthalpy shows that the enthalpy of binding Ca(2+) to EDTA is -0.56 kcal mol(-1) at pH 7.5. The DeltaH value strongly depends on solvent conditions as a result of the degree of ionization of the two amino groups in the EDTA molecule, but depends little on temperature, indicating that the heat capacity increment for metal binding is close to zero. At physiological pH values where the amino groups of EDTA with pK(a)=6.16 and pK(a)=10.26 are differently ionized, the coordination of the Ca(2+) ion into the complex leads to release of one proton due to deprotonation of the amino group having pK(a)=10.26. Increasing the pH up to 11.2, where little or no ionization occurs, leads to elimination of the enthalpy component due to ionization, while its decrease to pH 2 leads to its increase, due to protonation of the two amino groups. The heat effect of Ca(2+)/EDTA interactions, excluding the deprotonation enthalpy of the amino groups, i.e. that associated with the intrinsic enthalpy of binding, is higher in value (Delta(b)H(o)=-5.4 kcal mol(-1)) than the apparent enthalpy of binding. Thus, the large DeltaG value for Ca(2+) binding to EDTA arises not only from favorable entropic but also enthalpic changes, depending on the ionization state of the amino groups involved in coordination of the calcium. This explains the great variability in DeltaH obtained in previous studies. The ionization enthalpy is always unfavorable, and therefore dramatically decreases Ca(2+) affinity by reduction of the enthalpy term of the stability function. The origin of the enthalpy and entropy terms in the stability of the Ca(2+)-EDTA complex is discussed.
Theoretical study of In desorption and segregation kinetics in MBE growth of InGaAs and InGaN

Abstract A rate equation model is employed to investigate the surface dynamic processes such as In desorption, incorporation and segregation in the MBE growth of InGaAs and InGaN. In both cases, the agreement between our results and that of the experiment is good. In InGaAs growth, In desorption increases with increasing substrate temperature or group III–V over pressure ratio. The desorption process is observed to have two independent components, one arising from the physisorbed layer of In and the other from the surface of the crystal with activation energies of 0.18 and 2.6 eV, respectively. In InGaN MBE growth studies, In segregation is found to be negligible below 580°C. Above 640°C, the segregation dominates the surface kinetics. This temperature dependence is found to be independent of the fluxes. Activation energy for In segregation is found to be 2.9 eV.
Cost-effective Structures for off-system bridges

Nearly half of the 587,000 bridges in excess of 6.1 m (20 ft) long on public roads in the United States are located off the Federal Aid System, are on local rural and urban roads or rural minor collectors, and are classified as off-system bridges. Approximately one-third of the off-system bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. The majority of states with large bridge populations are rural states with large percentages of structures owned by counties and other local agencies. Many of these bridges are on low-volume roads. Given the size of the deficient bridge population and the concentration of these bridges largely on locally owned networks, a recent NCHRP synthesis (NCHRP 32-08, Cost Effective Structures for Off-System Bridges) has explored the current practices regarding the maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement of off-system bridges. The administrative aspects of off-system bridge ownership and management were explored, including sources and problems of funding, bridge ass...
TOWARD A GLOBAL PARAMETERIZATION FOR QUILTED CAD ENTITIES

A contiguous global parameterization suitable for numerical mesh generation is developed for collections of Computer Aided Design entities. The method is dependent on an underlying closed tessellation of the geometric components which are gathered into quilts to be subsequently treated as a single entity. The result allows for the navigation, evaluation, and calculation of entity derivatives based on the single unified global parameterization for the quilt. The technique has application in the field of numerical mesh generation. Included are unstructured meshing examples which utilize the parameterized quilts to suppress various aspects of the underlying topology defined for the model of interest.
Limitations of the World Health Organization classification of childhood supratentorial astrocytic tumors

BACKGROUND In the context of many implied but not rigorously stated histologic feature combinations, the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of astrocytic tumors specifies only the presence or absence of endothelial proliferation, necrosis, and mitosis to distinguish astrocytoma, anaplastic astrocytoma, and glioblastoma multiforme. METHODS The authors examined the effects of these and other reliably recognized histologic features on survival in the Childhood Brain Tumor Consortium (CBTC) sample of 340 children with supratentorial astrocytic tumors. RESULTS Overall, the WHO criteria distinguished only two prognostically distinct classes of astrocytomas. When the specific combinations of the three features were unambiguously designated, three diagnostic categories resulted. These revised diagnostic categories are consistent with WHO guidelines and have significantly different survival distributions. However, neither the original WHO diagnoses nor the revised categories adequately separated these tumors prognostically, because histologic features other than those specified by WHO were significantly associated with improved or worsened survival. CONCLUSIONS Classifications based on small numbers of specified histologic features may not be feasible because they inadequately separate childhood astrocytic tumors into prognostically homogeneous groups. Preferable classification techniques are those that simultaneously account for all reliably recognized histologic features. Cancer 2000;88:1477–83. © 2000 American Cancer Society.
The cell cycle during closure of the neural folds in the C57BL mouse

Abstract An analysis of cellular kinetics during closure of the cranial neural folds in the C57BL mouse at 8 and 9 days of gestation was obtained by means of tritiated thymidine autoradiography. At 8 days the short generation time (7.5 h) and high labeling index (61.4%) are evidence of intensive proliferative activity occurring concurrently with significant changes in cell shape and movement during neural fold elevation and approximation.
Single dermatome analgesia sparing in an obstetric patient following previous radiation to that region

We present a case of an obstetric patient with prior radiation therapy for Hodgkins lymphoma to the right hip, right flank region and lumbar spine, who suffered persistent right sided L1 dermatone distribution sensory and analgesia sparing after routine epidural placement despite additional boluses of local anesthetic. We postulate that the previous radiation therapy received by our patient left sufficient epidural fibrosis as a barrier to prevent spread of local anesthetic to cover the L1 dermatome. Subsequent replacement, using a combined spinal-epidural technique at a higher lumbar space, overcame this obstruction. In patients who have received substantial radiation therapy to the lumbosacral region in the past, awareness of this potential problem may assist in clinical management.
Ultrastructure of the compound eye and first optic neuropile of the photoreceptor mutant ora JK84 of Drosophila

The developmental mutant of Drosophila (ora JK84) is characterized by nonfunctional photoreceptor cells (R1–6), while the R7/R8 cells are normal. A fundamental question is: Does the near absence of photosensitive membranes inhibit development of the Rl-6 axons and their synapses at the other end of the cell? The retina and first optic neuropile (lamina ganglionaris) were examined with freeze-fracture technique and high voltage electron microscopy. R1–6 have reduced rhabdomere caps; rhabdomeric microvilli have about 50% of the normal diameter and 20% of the normal length. Affected cells exhibit prominent vacuoles which appear to communicate with some highly convoluted microvillar membranes. Almost no P-face particles (putative rhodopsin molecules) are present in the R1–6 rhabdomeres, and particle densities are lower in R7 than previously reported. Near the rhabdomere caps, microvilli of R1–6 are fairly normal, but at more proximal levels they are greatly diminished in length and changed in orientation, while at still more proximal levels they are lost. R1–6, R7, and R8 axons from each ommatidium are bundled into normal pseudocartridges beneath the basement membrane. No abnormalities are found in the lamina ganglionaris, and all synaptic associations as well as the presumed “virgin” synapses (of R1–6) appear normal. No glial anomalies are present, and R7/R8 axons project through the lamina in the usual fashion. These fine structural findings are correlated with known electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral correlates of both sets of photoreceptors (R1–6, and R7/R8).
Thidiazuron stimulates shoot organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis in white ash (Fraxinus americana L.)

Immature and mature nonstratified seeds of white ash (Fraxinus americana L.) were dissected transversely and 2/3 of each seed was placed onto agar-solidified Murashige and Skoog medium. Adventitious buds, shoots, and somatic embryos formed on callus, cotyledons, and hypocotyls of the resulting seedlings. Shoot organogenesis was induced on explants cultured on medium with 10 μM thidiazuron but not on explants on media with benzyladenine (BA) or isopentenyladenine. Not all seed sources were equally capable of shoot organogenesis and embryogenesis. Atypical of adventitious regeneration of other woody plants, mature seed explants of white ash were more organogenic with shoots that elongated better than explants from immature seeds. Somatic embryogenesis was observed in cultures where mature seeds were first cultured for 4 weeks on a medium containing 10 μM adenine 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in combination with 0.1 and 1.0 μM thidiazuron, followed by transfer to a medium containing 0.05 μM 6-benzyladenine and 0.5 μM naphthaleneacetic acid. Adventitious shoots and epicotyls from both seedlings and germinated somatic embryos were rooted under intermittent mist and acclimatized to the greenhouse.
Self-consistent calculation of the q dependence of the electron-phonon coupling in aluminum.

A new approach is developed to calculate electron-phonon interactions in metals. The method is fully self-consistent and does not assume the rigid-ion or the rigid-muffin-tin approximation. Application is made to aluminum to compute the wave-vector---dependent electron-phonon coupling. The results are in good agreement with experimental estimates of the average coupling $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and some previous calculations of this quantity.
Subcellular distribution of the R‐subunits of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase in LS‐174T human colon carcinoma cells

The analysis of the particulate preparations of LS-174T human colon carcinoma cells in confluent stage of growth revealed different distribution for regulatory subunits (R) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) in the subcellular compartments. The LS-174T cell lysates were subjected to differential and discontinuous sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The obtained fractions were assayed for marker enzymes and photoaffinity labeled with 8-N3[32P]cAMP. The whole lysates and cytoplasmic fraction exhibited the presence of both RI alpha and RII alpha--subunits of PKA. The fractions exhibiting high activity of the marker enzymes for plasma membranes, Golgi apparatus and mitochondria contained mainly RII alpha. In the fractions of lysosomes and microsomes RI alpha and RII alpha were found in nearly equal amounts.
Genetic alterations of the NRP/B gene are associated with human brain tumors.

Nearly all brain tumors develop following the progressive accumulation of genetic alterations of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (such as p53 and retinoblastoma protein). Furthermore, aberrations in the nuclear matrix often contribute to genomic instabilities and the development of cancer. We have previously shown that nuclear-restricted protein/brain (NRP/B), a member of the BTB/Kelch repeat family, is a nuclear matrix protein normally expressed in neurons but not in astrocytes, and that it is an early and specific marker of neurons during the development of the central nervous system. Here, we show aberrant expression of NRP/B in human brain tissues. NRP/B is expressed in the cytoplasm of human brain tumor cells (glioblastoma, GBM) arising from astrocytes. NRP/B mutations (13 mutations in the Kelch domains, two in the intervening sequence (IVS) domain and two in the BTB domain) were detected in brain tumor cell lines (A-172, CCF-STTG1, SK-N-SH and U87-MG) and in primary human malignant GBM tissues (eight samples). More importantly, we found that NRP/B mutants, but not wild-type (wt) NRP/B, increased the activation of ERK and consequently promoted cell proliferation, attenuated caspase activation and suppressed the cellular apoptosis induced by the stressful stimulus cisplatin (10 μ M). These events were observed to occur via a p53-mediated pathway. In addition, while wt NRP/B was associated with actin, mutations in the Kelch domains of NRP/B led to its reduced binding affinity to actin. Thus, alterations and gene mutations within the NRP/B gene may contribute to brain tumorigenesis by promoting cell proliferation, suppressing apoptosis and by affecting nuclear cytoskeleton dynamics.
Empiricism as a function of training in the scientific method

If science is based on empiricism, the teachers of science should understand the relationship between training in science and objective perception as a source of information. The study reported here attempts to determine what effect emphasizing the scientific method has on the student's appraisal of his environment.
Physiological stress in lodgepole pine as a precursor for mountain pine beetle attack1

The premise that mature lodgepole pine forests are susceptible to mountain pine beetle attack when physiologically stressed was evaluated by manipulating the canopy density and availability of nitrogen in a 120-year-old forest exposed to a high population of beetles. Where canopy density was reduced and nitrogen nutrition improved, trees significantly increased their resistance to attack. Changes in tree vigor were quantified by estimating increases in wood production per unit of leaf area. These changes were determined from cores and are therefore practical for assessing mortality risk from beetle attacks and for developing protective strategies for management. Zusammenfassung Physiologischer Stres in Pinus contorta als Befallsausloser fur den Kiefernborkenkafer Dendroctonus ponderosae Altbestande von Pinus contorta, die unter physiologischem Stres stehen, sollen fur Befall von Dendroctonus ponderosae besonders anfallig sein. Diese Pramisse wurde experimentell uberpruft durch Veranderung von Kronenschlus und Stickstoffangebot in einem 120jahrigen Bestand, der eine hohe Kaferpopulation aufwies. Verringerung von Kronenschlus und Erhohung der Stickstoffversorgung fuhren zu einer signifikanten Erhohung der Widerstandskraft der Baume gegen Befall. Veranderungen des Baumzustandes wurden quantifiziert durch Abschatzung der Holzproduktion bezogen auf die vorhandene Nadeloberflache. Die Messungen erfolgten an Zuwachsbohrungen und erlauben so eine praxisnahe Bestimmung der Gefahrdung durch Borkenkaferbefall und rechtzeitige Anwendung angemessener Bekampfungsmasnahmen.
Two-tone suppression and distortion production on the basilar membrane in the hook region of cat and guinea pig cochleae

Two-tone suppression and two-tone distortion were investigated at the level of the basilar membrane in the hook region of cat and guinea pig cochleae using a displacement-sensitive laser interferometric measurement system. The system allowed measurements to be performed at physiological stimulus levels in the cochlear region tuned to 30-35 kHz in cat and 29 kHz in guinea pig. The amplitude of vibration of the basilar membrane due to a probe tone at the characteristic frequency (CF) was attenuated during the presentation of a simultaneous suppressor tone either above or below CF. The amount of suppression depended on the intensities of both probe and suppressor, and the relationship of the suppressor frequency to the CF. Suppressors at frequencies more than an octave below the CF attenuated the responses to the CF probe at a rate of up to 1 dB/dB, with little variation based on suppressor frequency. As the suppressor frequency was increased above CF the rate of suppression decreased rapidly. The lowest suppressor intensity at which attenuation of the probe response was observed did not vary in direct proportion to the probe intensity. This suppression threshold often varied only a few dB SPL when the probe was varied over a 20 dB SPL range. In a few instances the rate of attenuation was as much as a factor of two greater at the lowest probe intensities than at higher intensities. It is noteworthy that suppression was found when the frequency of the suppressor was either above or below CF in the same preparation. Low frequency suppressor tones suppress basilar membrane motion at the CF when the basilar membrane undergoes displacement toward either scala. The maximum suppression occurs around 100 microseconds after the peak excursions caused by the low frequency biasing tone. Two-tone distortion products were often observed even at stimulus levels below those causing two-tone suppression at the site studied. The cubic difference tone (CDT) was the most prominent of the distortion products. The level of the CDT component varied nonmonotonically with the level of either of the primary tones. Responses at the difference frequency between the two primaries were usually below the noise floor of the recording system. The existence of both two-tone distortion and two-tone suppression was dependent on the presence of a cochlear nonlinearity.
Heat rejection and thermal efficiency in model hydrogen-halogen fuel cell systems

The efficiency and heat rejection characteristics of the H2/Cl2, H2/Br2 and H2/I2 fuel cell systems have been studied by computer simulation. The H2/Cl2 and H2/Br2 systems are comparable in terms of efficiency, heat rejection and fuel mass. The H2/I2 system is markedly less efficient.
Reliability Considerations in CATV Hybrids

The construction of broadband thin-film hybrid amplifiers for CATV applications is described. Failure modes and reliability considerations of the major components of the hybrid are discussed. The effects of environmental constraints unique to CATV amplifier service are analyzed and the results of recent analysis and testing done on hybrids designed for resistance to voltage transients are presented.
Materials with fluid-saturated cracks and cavities: Fluid pressure polarization and effective elastic response

We consider a linear elastic solid with cavities containing non viscous compressible fluid. The externally applied stress produces changes in fluid pressures in cavities that depend on the cavity orientations. This pressure polarization may produce abnormally high pressures in some of the cavities. Besides, it affects the effective elastic response of the material
Osteoporosis Therapies: Evidence from Health-Care Databases and Observational Population Studies

Osteoporosis is a well-recognized disease with severe consequences if left untreated. Randomized controlled trials are the most rigorous method for determining the efficacy and safety of therapies. Nevertheless, randomized controlled trials underrepresent the real-world patient population and are costly in both time and money. Modern technology has enabled researchers to use information gathered from large health-care or medical-claims databases to assess the practical utilization of available therapies in appropriate patients. Observational database studies lack randomization but, if carefully designed and successfully completed, can provide valuable information that complements results obtained from randomized controlled trials and extends our knowledge to real-world clinical patients. Randomized controlled trials comparing fracture outcomes among osteoporosis therapies are difficult to perform. In this regard, large observational database studies could be useful in identifying clinically important differences among therapeutic options. Database studies can also provide important information with regard to osteoporosis prevalence, health economics, and compliance and persistence with treatment. This article describes the strengths and limitations of both randomized controlled trials and observational database studies, discusses considerations for observational study design, and reviews a wealth of information generated by database studies in the field of osteoporosis.
Non-cooperative implementation of the nucleolus: the 3-player case

I present a non-cooperative bargaining game, in which responders may exit at any time and have endogenous outside options. When the order of proposers corresponds to the power that players have in the underlying coalitional function, the unique Markov perfect equilibrium outcome of the game is the prenucleolus. The result holds for 3-player superadditive games. An example shows that it cannot be extented to the same class of games forn players. The mechanism is inspired by the consistency property of the prenucleolus.
Hadronic coupling constants in lattice gauge theory

Abstract We describe an efficient method for calculating hadronic three-point functions in lattice gauge theory. We use the method to calculate the π-nucleon coupling constant the the coupling constants for the hadronic decays of the ρ and K ∗ mesons and the Δ, Σ ∗ , and Ξ ∗ baryons.
Preference for Analgesic Treatment for Cancer Pain Among African Americans

Over the past decade, there has been a surge of literature related to disparities in pain treatment between minority and nonminority patients. Conspicuously lacking from this body of literature is an effort to investigate the patient-level factors that might account for undertreatment of pain among minorities. The present qualitative descriptive study was designed to gain a preliminary understanding of the preference for analgesic treatment for cancer pain among African Americans and the factors shaping these preferences. The sample (n ¼ 35) was recruited from three outpatient oncology clinics in the Mid-Atlantic region. Inclusion was based on selfidentified African Americans,>18 years of age, diagnosed with solid tumors, with self-reported cancer pain of at least one month, and no history of major surgery in the past three months. The data were gathered using demographics, the Brief Pain Inventory-Long Form, and in-depth semistructured interviews. Qualitative findings revealed that despite having overt access to pain medications, considerable intra-ethnic heterogeneity existed in the preference for analgesia among this group of African Americans. The subjective preference for analgesics for cancer pain was tied to a number of covert factors such as meaning of cancer pain treatment, past experience with pain relief and analgesic side effects, fears of dependency and tolerance, and past experience with providers and the health system. These factors should be the focus of future inquiry.
Factibilidad técnica y financiera de explotación del cangrejo dorado de Juan Fernández (Chaceon chilensis)

The technical and financial feasibility of the golden crab fishery (Chaceon chilensis in Juan Fernandez's archipelago was analyzed. To evaluate the investment project, a systemic approach was used to analyze and to structure this situation problem. It was considered feasible an annual production of 14,4 ton of pieces of crab (pincers and legs), cooked and frozen without shell, in portions of 1/2 and 3/4 pounds; and 33,6 ton of crab meat, cooked and frozen in blocks of 1 and 2 pounds. For this production, the raw material would be supply by the extractive activity of 10 artisanal fishing crafts, which would operate in complementary form or alternative to the lobster fishing. The project is high sensitive to the prices of the products and the prices of the raw material. A great proportion of the investment is due to the work capital dedicated to the raw material purchase it prevails, in values that the fishermen allow to absorb the investment in technological innovations required to prepare the artisanal fishing craft. The results of the financial evaluation indicate that a probability of 73% of success of the investment would exist, being calculated a IRR of 49%, a ROI of 1,73 and a NPV of 17.538,6 UF, equivalent at $238.963.970 chilean pesos.
Uniqueness and blow-up rate of large solutions for elliptic equation −Δu=λu−b(x)h(u)

Abstract In this paper, we establish the blow-up rate of the large positive solution of the singular boundary value problem { − Δ u = λ u − b ( x ) h ( u ) in Ω , u = + ∞ on ∂ Ω , where Ω is a smooth bounded domain in R N . The weight function b ( x ) is a non-negative continuous function in the domain. h ( u ) is locally Lipschitz continuous and h ( u ) / u is increasing on ( 0 , ∞ ) and h ( u ) ∼ H u p for sufficiently large u with H > 0 and p > 1 . Naturally, the blow-up rate of the problem equals its blow-up rate for the very special, but important, case when h ( u ) = H u p . We distinguish two cases: (I) Ω is a ball domain and b is a radially symmetric function on the domain in Theorem 1.1; (II) Ω is a smooth bounded domain and b satisfies some local condition on each boundary normal section assumed in Theorem 1.2. The blow-up rate is explicitly determined by functions b and h. In case (I), the singular boundary value problem has a unique solution u satisfying lim d ( x ) → 0 u ( x ) K H − β ( b ∗ ( ‖ x − x 0 ‖ ) ) − β = 1 , where d ( x ) = dist ( x , ∂ Ω ) , b ∗ ( r ) and K are defined by b ∗ ( r ) = ∫ r R ∫ s R b ( t ) d t d s , K = [ β ( ( β + 1 ) C 0 − 1 ) ] 1 p − 1 , β : = 1 p − 1 . In case (II), the blow-up rates of the solutions to the boundary value problem are established and the uniqueness is proved.
The effect of fluoride therapy on blood chemistry parameters in osteoporotic females

To determine the potential adverse effects, if any, of long-term fluoride ingestion in humans, samples were collected from 25 adult females taking daily doses of fluoride (mean, 23 mg elemental F) for the treatment of osteoporosis and from 38 osteoporotic female controls. Patients in the fluoride group had been receiving therapy for approximately 18 months with a mean duration of 4.2 years and had serum fluoride values of at least 10 mumol/l. Laboratory analyses for fluoride were conducted on plasma, urine and drinking water samples collected from each panelist. Blood was also collected for blood chemistry analyses and plasma lymphocytes were examined for the frequency of sister chromatid exchange (SCE). Plasma and urine fluoride levels were significantly different between the two groups, while water fluoride was not. The SCE frequency, a measurement of potential genotoxicity, did not differ between the two groups. Of the blood chemistry parameters measured, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, sodium, chloride, the albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio, indirect bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were found to be significantly different between the two groups (P < or = 0.05). However, none of the mean group values were outside stated normal ranges for any of these parameters. We conclude that the risk of developing adverse systemic effects from the ingestion of fluoride, at dosages and for a duration comparable with that of our panel, is minimal.
A recurring outbreak of Shigella sonnei among traditionally observant Jewish children in New York City: the risks of daycare and household transmission

Dispersed community outbreaks of Shigella sonnei have occurred cyclically among traditionally observant Jews in the United States. In February 2000, we investigated a S. sonnei outbreak in one Jewish community in New York City. To determine risk factors for introduction of infection into households, we conducted a cohort study of households to compare risk factors for illness among primary subjects within households and age-matched well siblings. Isolates were subtyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). We used a random effects model to assess extra-household vs. intra-household transmission in households with multiple ill household members. Daycare or pre-school attendance [matched odds ratio (mOR) 16·1, P<0·001] and age <60 months (mOR 6·3, P<0·001) were independently associated with index subject illness. Outbreak isolates were closely related by PFGE analysis to the strain previously observed in Jewish community outbreaks. The random effects model strongly indicated that multiple illnesses in a single household are due to secondary transmission. Disease containment efforts should focus on reducing Shigella transmission in childcare settings and within homes.
3D Classification of Through-the-Wall Radar Images Using Statistical Object Models

For a variety of reasons it is desirable to know who or what is located behind a wall from a stand off distance. Radar has been shown to be the most effective sensor for this task. Research so far has primarily focused on image formation. However, imagery obtained from raw backscat- ter data is not easily interpreted. In particular, clutter masks the presence of real objects. At a minimum, we need a tool that would produce an occupancy map of the behind- the-wall scene using machine-assisted interpretation. This work reports on the development of such a tool. Object classes are developed from collected 3D data. The Maha- lanobis distance is the metric that is minimized to assign samples from the volume image to their respective class. Labels along three spatial dimensions are then fused to produce a final label for 3D cells. The final result is the interpreted volume image of behind-the-wall scene occupancy.
On globalisation and diversity

Mary Kalantzis’s plenary address at the 2005 International Conference on the Humanities (Cambridge, U.K.) argues that globalization and diversity ground the world of our times. The article expands on this notion as Kalantzis and co-author Bill Cope describe three instantiations of globalization since the evolutionary processes of human beings began. The third globalization of which we are a part today, they argue, is characterized by layers upon layers of difference. These layers, moreover, are supported through new media and the Internet—and may indeed return us to “multilingualism, divergence, and enduringly deep diversity.” © 2006 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Pulse shape measurements using differential optical gating of a picosecond free electron laser source with an unsynchronized femtosecond Ti:sapphire gate

Abstract We have measured the temporal pulse shape of a mid-infrared free electron laser using a 60 fs Ti:sapphire pulse as an optical gate. By employing a differential technique to simultaneously measure the instantaneous infrared intensity and its time derivative, we have reconstructed the pulse shape with sub-ps resolution, despite jitter the order of 50 ps between the two lasers. The experiment has been performed with two different types of gating methods: sum-frequency generation, which provides an instantaneous gate, and photo-induced plasma absorption, which supplies a step function gate. Differential optical gating can be generalized to include other gating methods, such as the optical Kerr effect or saturable absorption, thus permitting detailed pulse shape studies on a variety of optical processes, especially in the far-infrared, where conventional pulse shape measurement methods are more difficult to implement.
Ocular chrysiasis: accumulation of gold in the rabbit eye

Gold entered the eye and was accumulated in the aqueous humor, iris-ciliary body, and cornea (measured by flameless atomic absorption spectroscopy) of rabbits given gold sodium thiomalate by subcutaneous infusion for 4 weeks. It was not detected following such exposure in the vitreous humor, lens or retina. The concentration of gold in the cornea was quite high, about 25% of that in the liver. The concentration in the aqueous humor was only about 2.5% of that in the plasma, which is similar to the fraction of gold (5%) that is not bound to plasma proteins.
Disarmament and Development: An Analysis Using GLOBUS

The East-West and North-South divisions of the globe have structured a large percentage of global political and economic conflict throughout the post-World War II period and appear likely to do so for the foreseeable future. Many propositions for disarmament and development, often proposed as approaches to bridging the two gaps, fall generally into an Idealist/Internationalist model of international political economy. In a project using the GLOBUS world computer simulation, we have examined six propositions from that model. At the aggregate level, some results support and some generally contradict the Idealist/Internationalist propositions. More detailed examination often reveals complex patterns hidden by the aggregate results. This article summarizes project results and sketches a revised international political economy model.