cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isotope Fractionation during Primary Production

The biological source of sedimentary organic matter can be inferred from detailed chemical studies on the structure of individual molecules extracted from sediments. These inferences are drawn from established relationships between biological source materials and diagenetically altered compounds (de Leeuw and Largeau, this volume, Chapter 2). A second method for inferring the biological source and the ecological setting in which organisms existed is with isotopic tracers of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and sulfur in organic matter and inorganic substances that have been processed by living organisms. Stable isotope compositions of bulk organic matter have integrative signals from processes that have occurred over the life of the organism, whereas those of individual compounds can record specific events in life. In this chapter, we will review recent advances in biological isotope fractionations of the light stable isotopes and attempt to offer an interpretation of processes that affected the isotopic signature of organic substances in living organisms that were preserved in the fossil record.
2D Multi-Slice and 3D k-Space Simulations using a 3D Quadric Head Phantom with MRI Properties

A 3D quadric head phantom with MRI physical properties (tissue relaxation, proton density, and magnetic susceptibility) is presented. The phantom can be used to generate analytic k-space data for both 3D and 2D multi-slice acquisitions to compare their imaging performances and characteristics. The 2D multi-slice acquisitions are simulated from the 3D phantom using a matrix-based calculation of the intersections of each imaging plane (or slice) and the ellipsoids.
Towards an integrated theory of mathematics conceptual learning and instructional design: The Learning Through Activity theoretical framework

Abstract We discuss the theoretical framework of the Learning Through Activity research program. The framework includes an elaboration of the construct of mathematical concept, an elaboration of Piaget’s reflective abstraction for the purpose of mathematics pedagogy, further development of a distinction between two stages of conceptual learning, and a typology of different reverse concepts. The framework also involves instructional design principles built on those constructs, including steps for the design of task sequences, development of guided reinvention, and ways of promoting reversibility of concepts. This article represents both a synthesis of prior work and additions to it.
Improving Student Motivation through Competitive Active Learning

This Research Work in Progress paper introduces the Competitive Learning Platform (CLP), an online tool that provides automatic partial performance feedback to students or groups of students on individual or collaborative assignments. CLP motivates students to think outside-the-box and come up with novel solutions that can lead to improved assignment results before the assignment deadline. We developed the CLP system as an Active Learning tool for encouraging and motivating student engagement in a STEM course. In this paper, we describe the CLP system and present the results of a set of analyses aimed at gauging the impact of competitive Active Learning activities using the CLP system on student motivation, engagement, and performance. The analyses are based on CLP submission, student outcome, and student feedback data obtained from 5 STEM undergraduate and graduate course offerings over 3 semesters. Results indicate that competitive active learning is beneficial in this setting, leading to active student participation and improved motivation.
Diagnostic and prognostic utility of cardiac troponin in post-cardiac arrest care

Abstract Background Cardiac troponin is routinely tested in the post-cardiac arrest setting, but its utility in identifying ischaemic aetiology and predicting left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and survival is not known. Methods In a retrospective single center registry, we identified 145 consecutive patients who had achieved return of spontaneous circulation after cardiac arrest and had undergone serial cardiac troponin T (cTnT) testing, echocardiogram, and expert adjudication of aetiology. Initial and peak cTnT were evaluated for assessing ischaemic aetiology, LVSD, and survival to discharge using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results Mean age was 61 ± 14 years and 71% were men. Of the 145 arrests, 19% had an ischaemic aetiology, 68% had LVSD post-arrest, and 55% survived to discharge. All patients had a positive initial cTnT at 0.01 ng/mL (clinical cut-off). Even at higher cut-offs of 10×, 100× and 1000×, initial cTnT performed poorly (AUROC 0.57, 0.56, and 0.56) and peak cTnT performed modestly (AUROC 0.55, 0.61, and 0.62) as diagnostic tests for ischaemic aetiology. Similarly, even at higher cut-offs, initial (AUROC 0.60, 0.62, 0.55) and peak (AUROC 0.57, 0.61, and 0.62) cTnT performed poorly to modestly at predicting LVSD. The test performed poorly for predicting survival to discharge (AUROC for all Conclusions At both current and several-fold higher thresholds, cTnT does not perform sufficiently well to guide clinical decision-making or predict patient outcomes. Routine post-cardiac arrest testing of cTnT should be reevaluated.
Recently emerged and diverse lineages of Xanthomonas perforans have independently evolved through plasmid acquisition and homologous recombination originating from multiple Xanthomonas species

Abstract Xanthomonas perforans is the predominant pathogen responsible for bacterial leaf spot of tomato and X. euvesicatoria of pepper in the southeast United States. Previous studies have indicated significant changes in the X. perforans population collected from Florida tomato fields over the span of two decades including a shift in race, diversification into three genetic groups, and host range expansion to pepper. Recombination originating from X. euvesicatoria was identified as the primary factor driving the diversification of X. perforans in Florida. The aim of this study was to genetically characterize X. perforans strains that were isolated from tomato and pepper plants grown in Alabama and compare them to the previously published genomes available from GenBank. Surprisingly, a maximum likelihood phylogeny coupled with a Bayesian analysis of population structure revealed the presence of two novel genetic groups in Alabama, which each harbored a different transcription activation-like effector (TALE). While one TALE, avrHah1, was associated with adaptation of X. perforans to pepper, the other was identified as a new class within the avrBs3 family, designated here as pthXp1. Examination of patterns of homologous recombination between X. perforans and other closely related Xanthomonas spp. indicated that the lineages identified here emerged in part through recent recombination events originating from xanthomonads associated with diverse hosts of isolation. Our results also suggest that the evolution of pathogenicity to pepper has likely emerged independently within X. perforans and in one lineage, was associated with the recombination-mediated remodeling of the Xps type II secretion and TonB transduction systems. Importance The emergence of novel pathogen lineages has important implications in the sustainability of genetic resistance as a disease management tool in agricultural ecosystems. In this study, we identified two novel lineages of X. perforans in Alabama. While one lineage was isolated from symptomatic pepper plants, confirming the host range expansion of X. perforans, the other lineage was isolated from tomato and acquired a novel transcription activation-like effector, pthXp1. Unlike AvrBs4, PthXp1overcomes Bs4-mediated resistance in tomato, indicating the evolution of this novel lineage towards fitness on this host. Our findings also show that different phylogenetic groups of the pathogen have experienced independent recombination events originating from multiple Xanthomonas species. This suggests a continuous gene flux between related xanthomonads associated with diverse plant hosts which results in the emergence of novel pathogen lineages and associated phenotypes, including host range expansion.
Is Earlier Better? Immunotherapy for Resectable Lung Cancer

Abstract PD-1 blockade has demonstrated survival benefits in advanced lung cancer patients both in combination with chemotherapy and as a single agent for PD-L1 high tumors. The majority of stage II and III lung cancer patients experience relapse of their cancer despite apparently curative surgery and perioperative chemotherapy delivers only modest benefits. Early data from neoadjuvant immune checkpoint studies in resectable lung cancer is promising with encouraging tolerability and pathologic response rates with single agent PD-1 blockade, PD-1/CTLA-4 combination, and chemotherapy-immunotherapy combination therapy. This session reviews data from neoadjuvant immunotherapy trials reported to date and discusses the landscape of current and planned clinical trials of neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy.
Integrating Pediatric Care And Taking On Risk To Improve Health

In Delaware, Nemours Children’s Health System wants to get paid for keeping children healthy.
CEO Overconfidence and Firm Performance: The Moderating Effect of Restaurant Franchising:

This study examined the effect of CEO overconfidence on restaurant performance and how franchising, a key business format in the restaurant industry, affects the relationship. Based on the notion t...
Disrespect at Work, Distress at Home: A Longitudinal Investigation of Incivility Spillover and Crossover Among Older Workers

The prevalence of workplace mistreatment toward older adults is well-documented, yet its effects are understudied. We applied the strength and vulnerability integration model (SAVI) to hypothesize that, despite its low intensity, workplace incivility has numerous deleterious outcomes for older employees over time. Specifically, we investigated whether and how incivility relates to well-being outside of work, among both targeted employees and their partners. We drew on affective events theory to examine how incivility "spills over" to older targets' personal lives. We also tested whether incivility is potent enough to "crossover" to the well-being of older targets' partners at home. Based on longitudinal data from a national study of older workers (N = 598; 299 couples), results demonstrate that workplace incivility related to decrements in targets' affective well-being, which in turn, was associated with life dissatisfaction, interference with work, and lower overall health. Workplace incivility also predicted declines in partner well-being, although these crossover effects varied by gender: Men's postincivility affective well-being predicted their female partners' life satisfaction but not vice versa. However, women's uncivil experiences directly related to the affective well-being of their male partners. These results suggest that for both older workers and their partners, the harms of incivility eventually extend beyond the organizations where they originate.
Ezafe, PP and the nature of nominalization

In the paper we argue that the English VP/NP structures in (i) a-d have exact counterparts in the i(ranian)Persian PP/NP structures in (ii) a-d, where P1-P3 are three different classes of iPersian Ps and where -EZ is the so-called “Ezafe” morpheme. (i. a) John [VP destroy the evidence] “Pure VP”; (i. b) John -’s [NP destroying the evidence] Nominalized VP; (i. c) John -’s [NP destroying of the evidence] Nominalized V; (i. d) John -’s [NP destruction of the evidence] Deverbal N; (ii. a) NP [PP P1 NP] “Pure PP”; (ii. b) NP -Ez [NP P2 NP] Nominalized PP; (ii. c) NP -Ez [NP P2 -Ez NP] Nominalized P; (ii. d) NP -Ez [NP P3 -Ez NP] “Deprepositional” N. The notion “nominalization” is thus shown to be relevant to both of the lexical categories - V and P - identified by Chomsky (1974) as [-N]. Our demonstration proceeds in three steps: 1) We establish a common syntactic function for English -’s/of and iPersian -EZ, viz., case-assignment, following Samiian 1994; Karimi and Brame 1986/2012; Larson and Samiian 2020; 2) We argue for a shared cross-categorial structure for VP-PP, developing proposals by Jackendoff 1973; van Riemsdijk 1990; Svenonius 2003. We show that if Jackendoff’s (1977) “scopal nominalization” analysis of gerunds is extended to iPersian PPs, the parallelism in (i) and (ii) is accounted for; 3) We show that the full extension of nominalization to iPersian PPs suggests a more general view of nominalization than has been recognized previously, viz., a “split-feature” view of category specification. This has a variety of implications, which we briefly explore.
The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trail-blazers Who Created the American Superhighways

Review of: "The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways," by Earl Swift.
N-acetylcysteine prevents verapamil-induced cardiotoxicity with no effect on the noradrenergic arch-associated neurons in zebrafish

There is a strong association between calcium channel blockers (CCBs) and heart failure. CCB toxicity is very common due to overdose and underlying medical conditions. CCBs also have been shown to affect the nervous system. Recently, we demonstrated that the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prevented ketamine-induced cardiotoxicity, developmental toxicity and neurotoxicity. Functionally, we attributed NAC's beneficial effect to its ability to increase cellular calcium. Here, we hypothesized that if there was an involvement of calcium in NAC's preventative effects on ketamine toxicity, NAC might also ameliorate toxicities induced by verapamil, an L-type CCB used to treat hypertension. Using zebrafish embryos, we show that in the absence of NAC, verapamil (up to 100 μM) dose-dependently reduced heart rate and those effects were prevented by NAC co-treatment. Furthermore, a 2-h treatment with NAC rescued reduction of heart rate induced by pre-treatment of 50 and 100 μM of verapamil for 18 h. Verapamil up to 100 μM and NAC up to 1.5 mM did not have any adverse effects on the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase in the noradrenergic neurons of the arch-associated cluster (AAC) located near the heart. NAC did not change cysteine levels in the embryos suggesting that the beneficial effect of NAC on verapamil toxicity may not involve its antioxidant property. In our search for compounds that can prevent CCB toxicity, this study, for the first time, demonstrates protective effects of NAC against verapamil's adverse effects on the heart.
Synonymously different: Examining business students’ implicit theories of creativity versus innovation

In an effort to address the needs of twenty-first century businesses, academic institutions are developing courses on creativity and innovation. Students’ capacity for learning such strategies are ...
Cardiac tamponade associated with human immunodeficiency virus-associated immune complex kidney disease

Cardiac tamponade is a life-threatening emergency, characterized by rapid accumulation of pericardial fluid. There are multiple risk factors for cardiac tamponade, nephrotic syndrome is an uncommon one, especially in adults. Herein, we are reporting a 35-year-old African American woman with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis secondary to human immunodeficiency virus-associated immune complex kidney disease (HIVICK), who presented with cardiac tamponade. The patient had pericardiocentesis and was discharged, with outpatient follow-up with cardiology, nephrology, and infectious disease. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of HIVICK nephrotic syndrome associated with cardiac tamponade.
Chemical variability and antioxidant activities among Pinus halepensis Mill. essential oils provenances, depending on geographic variation and environmental conditions

Abstract Variability in chemical composition and antioxidant activities of Pinus halepensis Mill. essential oils, collected from ten different bioclimatic areas in Algeria was investigated. The impact of geographic variation and environmental conditions on this variability was studied by using canonical correspondence analysis. GC and GC–MS analyses showed that α-pinene (7.6–22.3%), myrcene (10.5–24.1%), p-cymene (8.7–14.6%), (Z)-β-caryophyllene (15.6–27.4%) and caryophyllene oxide (0–12.5%) are the major components. Hierarchical cluster, principal component and canonical correspondence analyses showed that the investigated provenances essential oils are divided into three groups. The first group (S1–S5) was characterized by caryophyllene oxide, related to elevated areas in dolomitic soils that are wet during summer and being strongly dependent on continentality index. The second group (S6, S7) was characterized by p-cymene and occupied areas in limestone soils that are relatively dry during summer. The third group of provenances (S8–S10) was characterized by α-pinene and was strongly related to the bioclimatic factors affecting hydric balance in plants and soils. Based on the four DPPH, reducing power, β-carotene bleaching and chelating ability tests, the investigated essential oils highlighted important antioxidant activities. The highest antioxidant activities were exhibited by the first group (S1-–S5). P. halepensis essential oil can be used as an alternative additive in foods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic preparations instead of the toxic synthetic antioxidants, taking into account the importance of geographical origin of the provenances and the growing conditions, which significantly affect the essential oil composition and their antioxidant activities.
Building Knowledge-Based Tutors

We have described existing tools for representing, acquiring, and reasoning about tutoring knowledge. Tutoring knowledge has been described both in terms of content (i.e., topics, questions, and examples) and in terms of context (i.e., tutoring strategies and discourse interventions). Current tools provide a generic framework which allows development of multiple tutors. Several application systems have been described, namely those in statics and thermodynamics, along with a few tools, namely TUPITS, DACTNs, and the Response Matrix. The tools and applications provide a test-bed for exploring new issues and testing new tutoring functionality. Ultimately, we expect to build systems which can reason about the choice of tutoring strategy based on a clear representation of a student's cognitive knowledge. No extant system yet has this capability.
An analytic proof of the theorems of Pappus and Desargues

In this article we give an analytic of Pappus' theorem and an analytic proof of Desargues'theorem over a not necessarily commutative field.
Experimental Results on Using General Disjunctions in Branch-and-Bound for General-Integer Linear Programs

Typical implementations of branch-and-bound for integer linear programs choose to branch on single variables. In this paper we explore the use of general disjunctions for branching when solving linear programs with general-integer variables. We give computational results that show that the size of the enumeration tree can be greatly reduced by branching on such disjunctions rather than on single variables.
Cell wall synthesis in Dictyostelium discoideum. A model system for the synthesis of alkali-insoluble cell wall glycogen during differentiation.

Abstract An enzyme present in the 100,000 g pellet fraction of slime mold extracts has been shown to catalyze the synthesis of alkali-insoluble cell wall glycogen from UDPG-14C. This reaction is completely primer-dependent, in contrast to the system in which cell wall preparations are used as a source of both enzyme and primer. Four lines of evidence suggest that one enzyme in the pellet fraction catalyzes the synthesis of both soluble glycogen and insoluble cell wall glycogen. The more insoluble the primer used as acceptor for this enzyme, the less dependence there is on G-6-P. In the presence of pellet enzyme, with glycogen as primer, the Km for UDPG is 4.2 × 10−4 m in the presence of G-6-P and 4.7 × 10−3 m in the absence of G-6-P; with cell wall as primer, the Km is 4.6 × 10−4 m in the presence of G-6-P and 8.3 × 10−4 m in the absence of G-6-P. When cell wall is the source of both enzyme and primer, the Km is about 1.5 × 10−3 m in the presence or absence of G-6-P.
Current Concepts in the Pathophysiology and Management of Near-Drowning:

Approximately 6,500 people drown in the United States each year. Nearly 50,000 of the estimated 500,000 annual near-drowning victims seek medical attention. Near-drowning is most common among child...
MQAM/CDMA for increased cellular capacity

The CDMA (code division multiple access) technique can provide efficient multiple access to a large number of users. CDMA as a multiple access method can be combined with any desired modulation technique. The author considers the result of combining CDMA access with a high-efficiency modulation technique, e.g., 256-QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation), and whether the bandwidth efficiency of high-level QAM can be used to overcome the bandwidth inefficiency of CDMA. A mathematical model is built to compare cellular capacity obtained with and without MQAM-CDMA use. It is seen that MQAM-CDMA leads to reduced capacity, indicating that the advantages of the two schemes are not enough to overcome each other's disadvantages.
A design and modeling environment to develop real-time, distributed software systems

Design of real-time, parallel/distributed systems is a very complex task. First, the system needs to satisfy not only a desired set of functional requirements, but also a set of performance requirements. Second, architecture design becomes an essential issue in the parallel/distributed environment since complexity of the new availability of parallel and distributed processing resource has added a new dimension to the software design process. Our goal aims at integrating performance engineering into software engineering under a parallel/distributed environment. A systematic methodology for constructing parallel/distributed software systems to meet performance objectives, and matching between software structures and architecture configurations is presented as an integral part of the software design process. A Software Performance Analysis and Design Environment (SPADE) for real-time, parallel/distributed software systems is developed to provide a richer environment for the designer to cope with different modeling and analysis methods during the different design stages. It is an iterative development system with feedback information to assist the designer in adjusting previous designs. It captures the dependencies and relationships between different tools and integrates a variety of modeling techniques to represent different aspects of software performance. It provides an ability to make more intelligent design decisions during the design stage.
Nimbus Satellite Program

First page of article Keywords: Nimbus satellite program; satellite search and rescue and data collection
Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing: Is International Cooperation Contagious?

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) Fishing is considered a major threat to high seas fish stocks. Each of the the international regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) are combating some form of IUU fishing and this led the Food and Agriculture Oranization of the United Nations (FAO) to adopt the International Plan of Action to Deter, Prevent and Eliminate IUU Fishing (IPOA-IUU). This article will analyze the issues involved with IUU fishing, examine the recommendations in the IPOA, and consider examples of successful management and enforcement measures in use by states and RFMOs. Finally, recent developments in China will be viewed as an example of how international cooperation is contagious.
Halothane-induced nephrotoxicity.

Abstract Two cases are reported of combined renal and hepatic failure following exposure to halothane anesthesia. Both patients presented with postoperative fever and rapidly deteriorating liver and kidney function. Both required peritoneal dialysis. Both patients died, and in both cases this was the second exposure to halothane. The pathologic features of the 2 cases were similar in that the liver changes were typical of those seen with halothane hepatitis and the renal lesion was similar to that of methoxyf urane nephritis. This is, to our knowledge, the third report of renal failure occurring after halothane anesthesia. Possible mechanisms regarding its toxicity are discussed.
The fate of methylcholanthrene tumor cells in bone: analysis of immune factors in host resistance.

SPONTANEOUS REGRESSION has been reported for a variety of neoplasms. In the 130 cases documented by Everson, neuroblastoma and renal cell carcinoma were the most common cancers to demonstrate spontaneous regression [ 11. This phenomenon seldom involves skeletal metastases from these neoplasms [2] suggesting that bone may be a relatively privileged site where metastatic cells are protected from immunologic surveillance. Current evidence suggests immunity against malignancy is predominantly a cellular mechanism involving tumor cell destruction by immune lymphocytes [3]. Lysis of tumor cells requires close lymphocyte approximation as well as a high lymphocyte-tumor target cell ratio [4, 51. We wondered if anatomical and structural factors in bone protected metastatic cells from immunologic attack by preventing optimal lymphocyte-tumor cell interaction, In this work, a highly immunogenic methylcholanthrene (MCA) induced fibrosarcoma was used to immunize C57/BL female mice. Once resistance against this tumor was established the animals were rechallenged by tumor isografts injected directly into bone to determine if bone was
Academic Fit: Is the Right School the Best School or is the Best School the Right School?:

The purpose of the current study was to examine the academic consequences of attending an institution that is not considered an academic fit for a student. The results from the current study show t...
Formation of silylated allenes from some perhalogenated hydrocarbons

Abstract The preparation of tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)allene and related compounds from cyclic halocarbons via in situ reactions with lithium or magnesium and chlorotrimethylsilane is described. Similar results are obtained using straight chain chloroalkenes. 1,1,3,4,6,6-Hexakis(trimethylsilyl)-l,2,4,5-hexatetraene is formed in many of these reactions, and can be converted by lithium and chlorotrimethylsilane to tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)allene. This conversion is of particular significance as it points to the novel tetraene as an important intermediate in some of the reactions.
Successful Betatron Acceleration of Kiloampere Electron Rings in RECE-Christa

This paper describes first experiments in which the strong electron rings normally trapped in the RECE-Christa device are accelerated in a plasmabetatron-like arrangement. Using a cold collisional background plasma (Te = 1-2 eV, np = 1011-1012 cm-3) generated by the ring in a gas fill of 50 - 200mTorr H2, electron rings with currents of up to 2 kA were accelerated from about 1 MeV to 2.5-3 MeV. It appears that this method may be useful in significantly extending the parameter range of betatrons, in particular its ring current into the 10 kA range.
Blood flow patterns in the thoracic aorta studied with three-directional MR velocity mapping: the effects of age and coronary artery disease.

The objective was to investigate how the blood flows in the thoracic aorta, with special emphasis on flow reversal and flow into the coronary arteries. Three-directional MR velocity mapping was used to map multidirectional flow velocities in the aorta in 14 normal subjects and 14 patients with coronary artery disease. Dynamic flow vector maps and through-plane velocity maps were used. The flow reversed in all subjects in the upper ascending aorta and usually also in the distal aortic arch. Retrograde flow became antegrade again at various levels in the ascending aorta and in the coronary sinuses. Seven flow characteristics were investigated that, lumped together, were significantly different (P = .0005) in normal subjects compared with patients and in normal subjects 70 years of age and older compared with those younger than 70 years of age.
Subchronic treatment of rats with aurothioglucose; effects on plasma, hepatic, renal and urinary zinc, copper and metallothionein

Abstract Administration of sodium aurothioglucose (10 mg/kg per day) to female rats for up to 8 weeks resulted in no apparent effects on the kidney. Gold accumulated in kidney, liver, spleen, pancreas, skin and blood. Although plasma and hepatic gold levels increased with time, no remarkable change in either copper, zinc or metallothionein (MT) levels was observed. Gel filtration chromatography of plasma showed binding of gold to albumin, whereas copper was associated with albumin, ceruloplasmin and a protein eluting in the void volume of the Sephadex G-150 column. Almost all of the hepatic gold was bound to proteins other than MT. In the kidney, not only gold but also copper and MT increased rapidly, reached a maximum between 2 and 4 weeks and exhibited insignificant change thereafter. Gold-treated animals showed an increase in binding of copper to the very high molecular weight plasma protein, which may be involved in transport of copper to the kidneys. Urinary gold and MT followed a pattern similar to that in the kidney. Renal zinc also increased but returned to normally by week 8. In renal cytosol 57% and 54% of the gold and copper, respectively, were associated with MT. It appears that the elevated levels of copper and zinc, rather than gold, are responsible for the induction of MT synthesis. This then provides a mechanism by which gold and the inducing metals are retained by the kidney.
Systemic Insecticides Applied to Cut Seed Pieces and to Soil at Planting Time to Control Potato Insects

The systemic insecticides phorate, formerly designated as Thimet® ( O,O -diethyl S -(ethylthio)methyl phosphorodithioate), Di-Syston® (( O,O -diethyl S -2-(ethylthio)ethyl phosphorodithioate) and demeton were evaluated in a series of field trials for control of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulz.), the leafhopper, Empoasca filamenta DeL., and the tobacco flea beetle, Epitrix hirtipennis (Melsh.) on potatoes. The three insecticides were applied on activated charcoal to cut potato seed pieces. Granulated phorate and Di-Syston were applied to the soil with the seed pieces or with fertilizer at planting time. Demeton was also applied to cut seed pieces as a 0.75% emulsion dip. The charcoal seed piece treatments with phorate 44% and Di-Syston 50% at 2.6 ounces of formulated material per 100 pounds of seed pieces provided good control of the green peach aphid for 77 days. Applications of 2% phorate granules or 2% Di-Syston granules at 100 pounds per acre in the seed furrow controlled the green peach aphid for 86 days. Di-Syston generally gave longer aphid control than phorate. The demeton dip was more effective than the charcoal formulation in controlling the green peach aphid but in general control was poor. Seed piece treatments with carbon formulations of phorate and Di-Syston were not as effective as applications of granules in controlling filamenta. Applications of phorate or Di-Syston granules gave excellent leafhopper control for 97 to 100 days. The two materials appeared to be about equal in effectiveness. Demeton failed to control this leafhopper. The tobacco flea beetle was better controlled with seed piece treatments of charcoal formulated phorate and Di-Syston than with granules. Phorate resulted in slightly better control than Di-Syston. Charcoal formulations of phorate and Di-Syston, especially at dosages of 2.6 ounces per 100 pounds of seed, greatly retarded plant emergence and in some instances reduced stand. Injury was especially severe on potatoes grown in peat soil. Applications of granules had less effect on delaying plant emergence although when applied in the seed furrow some slight reductions in stand resulted. The placing of the insecticide granules in fertilizer bands away from the seed pieces had little or no adverse effect on emergence and plant growth. Treating the seed pieces with demeton both as powders and as a dip appeared to stimulate plant growth. Plants from demeton-treated seed pieces emerged ahead of all other treatments. Residue studies with phoratc indicate that applications of this material to seed pieces or to the soil at planting time leave no detectable residues on the tubers 74 or 91 days later.
Penetrating zone II neck injury: does dynamic computed tomographic scan contribute to the diagnostic sensitivity of physical examination for surgically significant injury? A prospective blinded study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the utility of dynamic computed tomographic (CT) scanning as a diagnostic tool and adjunct to physical examination in the identification of surgically significant penetrating zone II neck injuries. Methods: All patients older than 14 years of age who suffered penetrating zone II neck injuries were eligible for entry into the study protocol at an urban Level I trauma center. All patients that presented with signs of surgically significant injury on physical examination underwent immediate neck exploration. Patients that did not show signs of surgically significant injury were entered into the study protocol and underwent soft tissue dynamic CT scan (1/2-cm cuts, 250-mL oral contrast) of the neck after initial resuscitation. After CT scan, all patients entered into the study protocol underwent esophagography. After completion of radiologic assessment, all study protocol patients underwent surgical exploration of the neck. The patient's surgical team was blinded to results of the CT scan and esophagography before and during surgical exploration of the neck. Results: During a 42-month period from May 1997 to March 2001, 42 patients were entered into the study protocol. Thirty-six (86%) of the injuries were secondary to stab wounds and the rest were caused by gunshot wounds. Surgical exploration revealed four esophageal injuries, of which two (50%) were missed by CT scan. Esophagography missed the identical esophageal injuries, as did CT scan. Both of the missed esophageal injuries were secondary to stab wounds. Seven internal jugular vein injuries were diagnosed intraoperatively, of which four (57%) were diagnosed by CT scan. During the study period, all patients with carotid artery and tracheal injuries were diagnosed by physical examination and thus underwent immediate surgical exploration without study entry. Conclusion: Dynamic CT scan contributes minimally to the sensitivity of physical examination in the diagnosis of surgically significant penetrating zone II neck injury. Diagnosis of esophageal injuries with dynamic CT scan appears no better than esophagography. CT scan has greater sensitivity than physical examination for the diagnosis of jugular venous injuries; however, the majority of these injuries do not require identification or surgical intervention.
Understanding agile project management methods using Scrum

Purpose – This paper seeks to define and describe agile project management using the Scrum methodology as a method for more effectively managing and completing projects.Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a general overview and introduction to the concepts of agile project management and the Scrum methodology in particular.Findings – Agile project management using the Scrum methodology allows project teams to manage digital library projects more effectively by decreasing the amount of overhead dedicated to managing the project. Using an iterative process of continuous review and short‐design time frames, the project team is better able to quickly adapt projects to rapidly evolving environments in which systems will be used.Originality/value – This paper fills a gap in the digital library project management literature by providing an overview of agile project management methods.
Improved Envelope Injection and Termination (EIT) RF Power Amplifier With Envelope Equalization for Mobile Terminal Applications

An improved envelope equalization technique to enhance the efficiency of envelope injection and termination RF power amplifiers (PAs) is proposed. A TriQuint heterostructure field-effect transistor PA, which draws 100 mA from an 8.0-V supply and provides maximum power of 28 dBm for a continuous-wave input at 1.95 GHz, exhibits a significant improvement in the maximum linearity compliant efficiency from 21% to 28% using the proposed technique for an uplink WCDMA signal with 6.9-dB peak-to-average power ratio. The equalization improves the amplifier linearity by reducing the clipping distortion extending the maximum linear output power by more than 1 dB. A technique to maintain high efficiency, even at low average powers, is also described.
Multiphoton fluorescence microscopy.

Multiphoton fluorescence microscopy has now become a relatively common tool among biophysicists and biologists. The intrinsic sectioning achievable by multiphoton excitation provides a simple means to excite a small volume inside cells and tissues. Multiphoton microscopes have a simplified optical path in the emission side due to the lack of an emission pinhole, which is necessary with normal confocal microscopes. This article illustrates examples in which this advantage in the simplified optics is exploited to achieve a new type of measurements. First, dual-emission wavelength measurements are used to identify regions of different phase domains in giant vesicles and to perform fluctuation experiments at specific locations in the membrane. Second, we show how dual-wavelength measurements are used in conjunction with scanning fluctuation analysis to measure the changes in the geometry of the domains and the incipient formation of gel domains when the temperature of the giant vesicles is gradually lowered.
Vaccination with the pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate: a successful experiment but the species is adapting.

Streptococcus pneumoniae exacts a tremendous death toll and is currently the most common cause of pneumonia and meningitis in young children, older adults and immunocompromised populations. A 23-va...
Workplace Substance-Use Norms as Predictors of Employee Substance Use and Impairment: A Survey of U.S. Workers

Objective:Although much research has explored the relation of substance-use norms to substance use among college students, much less research has focused on employed adults and the workplace as a social context for social norms regarding substance use. This study explored the relation of descriptive and injunctive workplace substance-use norms regarding alcohol and illicit drug use to employee substance use. Both alcohol use and illicit drug use were explored, as well as overall and context-specific use and impairment. Method:Data were collected from a national probability sample of 2,430 employed adults (55% female) using a random-digit-dial telephone survey. Overall employee alcohol and illicit drug use were assessed, as well as use before work, use and impairment during the workday, and use after work. Results:After controlling for a number of potential covariates, injunctive norms regarding workplace alcohol and illicit drug use predicted substance use and impairment overall and across all contexts of...
Positive and negative contrast effects obtained following shifts in delayed water reward

In a two-shift experiment, four independent groups of thirsty rats were delayed 20 sec before receiving the following treatments: LLL, LSL, SSS, SLS, with each letter denoting the magnitude of water reward received in each of the three phases of the experiment. Both a significant positive contrast effect (PCE) and a negative contrast effect (NCE) were obtained following the first shift. Weaker contrast effects were found in the second shift. The present results support and extend the generality of previous findings of studies using shifts in magnitude of food reward with superimposed delay as a control for ceiling effects.
Restricted growth of ent- and tonB mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi in human Mono Mac 6 monocytic cells

Monocytes and macrophages are an important host defense in humans infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. Bacterial ability to survive in these cells is therefore a crucial virulence characteristic of this pathogen. In this study, we demonstrate that growth of a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi enterochelin synthesis mutant and a tonB mutant in the human monocyte cell line Mono Mac 6 is restricted compared to that of the parental wild-type Ty2 strain. These results suggest that enterochelin- and TonB-mediated iron uptake plays a role in S. enterica serovar Typhi pathogenesis, and also suggest that mutations in iron uptake may attenuate S. enterica serovar Typhi strains for human beings.
Sub-pixel confusion-uncertainty matrix for assessing soft classifications

Abstract The prevailing concerns on ecological and environmental issues, occurring especially at regional to global scales, have prompted significant advances on the use of remote sensing data for the estimation of land cover information at sub-pixel level. However, the quality of such classification products, as well as the performance of the classification protocol employed, are difficult to quantify. This paper had the objectives of 1) reviewing the existing alternatives, while identifying major drawbacks and desirable properties, for sub-pixel accuracy assessment based on cross-comparison matrices, and 2) developing theoretical grounds, for a more general accuracy assessment of soft classifications, that account for the sub-pixel class distribution uncertainty. It was found that, for a sub-pixel confusion matrix to exhibit a diagonalization characteristic that allows identifying a perfect matching case, the agreement measure must be constrained at pixel level, whereas a disagreement measure can take into account the sub-pixel distribution uncertainty, leading to an underspecified problem termed the sub-pixel area allocation problem. It was demonstrated that the sub-pixel area allocation problem admits a unique solution if, and only if, no more than one class is either over- or underestimated at each pixel. In this case, the sub-pixel confusion can be uniquely determined. When no unique solution exists, the space of feasible solutions can be represented by confusion intervals. A new cross-comparison matrix that reports the confusion intervals in the form of a center value plus–minus maximum error was proposed to account for the sub-pixel distribution uncertainty. The new matrix is referred to as sub-pixel confusion–uncertainty matrix (SCM). Sub-pixel accuracy measures were also derived from this matrix. The practical use of the SCM and derived indices was demonstrated in assessing an invasive species detection method and a fuzzy classification of urban land use/land cover through remote sensing procedures.
The role of diffusion in ferritin-induced relaxation enhancement of protons

Abstract The influence of proton diffusion on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation was investigated in the presence of horse spleen ferritin at 7 T. Binary mixtures of water and glycerol were used to control diffusion within the range of 0.6–2.0 × 10−9 m2/s, which was confirmed by pulsed gradient techniques. The effect of chemical exchange by hydrolysis between water and glycerol on relaxation was characterized with Carr–Purcell–Meiboom–Gill (CPMG) dispersion experiments. The relaxation rate enhancement of the protons due to ferritin was found to be inversely proportional to the diffusion coefficient. The enhancement increased by a factor of 3.6 over the range of diffusion coefficients, while the hydroxyl proton concentration decreased by a factor of 1.3. This result is in disagreement with the proton exchange dephasing model, which is independent of diffusion but predicts an inverse dependence on the hydroxyl concentration. Our data indicate that the role of diffusion dominates and must be considered when relaxation rates are used to determine iron concentration in vivo.
Correlations between epidermal DNA synthesis and haemolymph ecdysteroid titre during the last larval instar of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta

Abstract During the fifth larval instar of Manduca sexta the commitment of the epidermis to the synthesis of pupal cuticle is presumably affected by a small increase in ecdysteroid titre when juvenile hormone levels are minimal. Two sequential rounds of DNA synthesis without an intervening mitosis occur at about this time, resulting in polyploidy of the epidermis. There is a definite temporal correlation between the first peak of ecdysone and the second round of DNA synthesis and indirect evidence has been presented which suggests that this small increase in ecdysteroid titre actually initiates the second period of DNA synthesis. Further, it appears that large doses of ecdysteroids do not elicit the same response as smaller doses at a specific developmental stage, indicating that the different physiological effects of ecdysteroids (reprogramming and apolysis) may be dependent upon the relative concentration of the hormone. Following mitosis which takes place on approximately day 6 of the last instar, the epidermis undergoes apolysis and secretes pupal cuticle, expressing the commitment made 4.5 days earlier. These results support the ‘quantal mitosis’ theory of cytodifferentiation since the covert differentiative event occurs during a period of DNA synthesis and since mitosis precedes the expression of that event.
A review of lunar chronology revealing a preponderance of 4.34–4.37 Ga ages

In this study, data obtained from Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic measurements of lunar highlands’ samples are renormalized to common standard values and then used to define ages with a common isochron regression algorithm. The reliability of these ages is evaluated using five criteria that include whether: (1) the ages are defined by multiple isotopic systems, (2) the data demonstrate limited scatter outside uncertainty, (3) initial isotopic compositions are consistent with the petrogenesis of the samples, (4) the ages are defined by an isotopic system that is resistant to disturbance by impact metamorphism, and (5) the rare-earth element abundances determined by isotope dilution of bulk of mineral fractions match those measured by in situ analyses. From this analysis, it is apparent that the oldest highlands’ rock ages are some of the least reliable, and that there is little support for crustal ages older than ~4.40 Ga. A model age for ur-KREEP formation calculated using the most reliable Mg-suite Sm-Nd isotopic systematics, in conjunction with Sm-Nd analyses of KREEP basalts, is 4389 ± 45 Ma. This age is a good match to the Lu-Hf model age of 4353 ± 37 Ma determined using a subset of this sample suite, the average modelmore » age of 4353 ± 25 Ma determined on mare basalts with the 146Sm-142Nd isotopic system, with a peak in Pb-Pb ages observed in lunar zircons of ~4340 ± 20 Ma, and the oldest terrestrial zircon age of 4374 ± 6 Ma. The preponderance of ages between 4.34 and 4.37 Ga reflect either primordial solidification of a lunar magma ocean or a widespread secondary magmatic event on the lunar nearside. The first scenario is not consistent with the oldest ages reported for lunar zircons, whereas the second scenario does not account for concordance between ages of crustal rocks and mantle reservoirs.« less