cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biosynthesis of sorbic acid in aphids: an investigation into symbiont involvement and potential relationship with aphid pigments

Studies were undertaken to determine the role of symbionts and UV exposure in biosynthesis of the aphid-specific polyketides, sorbic acid and quinone pigments. Injection of adult potato aphids, Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), with the antibiotic rifampicin did not alter the level of sorbic or myristic acid in triglycerides of resultant progeny; pigmentation was also unaffected. However, antibiotic injection did produce marked physiological effects; progeny from injected aphids were smaller, slower to mature, and not fecund. Light microscopy confirmed that only 8% of rifampicin-treated aphids contained mycetocytes; thus, symbiont involvement in the production of this unusual UV-quenching short chain fatty acid is not supported. Following multigenerational exposure to long wavelength UV light, no substantial changes in sorbic acid content were detected in the potato aphid or the oleander aphid, Aphis nerii Fonscolombe. Pigments from UV-exposed oleander aphids had a peak absorbance at 390 nm, 70 nm lower than unexposed aphids. This suggests a photo-protective role for the pigments of the sunlight-inhabiting A. nerii; by contrast, no changes were observed in pigments of M. euphorbiae which usually feeds in the shade. Injection of adult potato aphids with sodium [1-14C]-acetate rapidly labeled both sorbic acid and pigments, particularly among the latter a yellow pigment which co-chromatographed with the dominant C15 yellow pigment of the oleander aphid. These data support the hypothesis that aphid C30 pigments are built up by coupling of “monomeric type” C15 pigments. Although aphid and not symbiont enzymes appear to synthesize these acetogenins, a possible biosynthetic link between sorbic acid and aphid pigments requires further clarification. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Carcinoma of the head of the pancreas with aortoduodenal fistula

Abstract A case report has been presented describing the clinical and pathologic features of a patient with an acquired aortoduodenal fistula. The fistula apparently arose as the result of neoplastic invasion of the third portion of the duodenum and adjacent aorta by a primary carcinoma in the head of the pancreas. This represents a complication of a tumor in this location which has not, to our knowledge, been previously described.
Endovascular management of thoracic dissections.

The first surgical management of aortic dissection was reported in 1935 by Gurin et al,1 who created a distal reentry point in the iliac artery to decompress the false lumen. In 1949, Abbott2 reported the repair of a chronic dissection by wrapping cellophane around the descending aorta to reinforce it. Despite the efforts of these early pioneers and other investigators, it was not until 1955 that a major therapeutic advance was made; this was the year that DeBakey, Cooley, and Creech introduced a revolutionary surgical treatment that involved excision of the intimal tear, obliteration of the false lumen, and either direct reanastomosis or insertion of a prosthetic graft.3 The next great milestone in therapy was introduced by Wheat et al4 in 1965, when they described medical therapy directed toward lowering blood pressure and dP/dt. Since then, investigators have made significant advances in the detection, characterization, and treatment of aortic dissection; however, the morbidity and mortality of this debilitating disease remain alarmingly high, with an overall in-hospital mortality of 27.4% reported by the International Registry of Aortic Dissection (IRAD).5 The latest additions to the armamentarium to treat dissection have been based on percutaneous interventional techniques. The minimally invasive nature of these techniques makes them an attractive alternative to open surgical intervention; however, the exact role and long-term durability of these procedures remain to be proven. The earliest endovascular therapies were directed toward the complications of aortic dissections and included angioplasty of an obstructed aorta, stenting of obstructed branch vessels, and fenestration of the dissection flap to relieve mesenteric ischemia.6–8 More recently, the advent of the stent graft has led to a novel endovascular approach aimed at treating the inciting lesion of aortic dissection by obliterating the primary intimal tear.9,10 Since the first reports in …
A Five-coordinate Metal Center in Co(II)-substituted VanX

In an effort to structurally probe the metal binding site in VanX, electronic absorption, EPR, and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopic studies were conducted on Co(II)-substituted VanX. Electronic spectroscopy revealed the presence of Co(II) ligand field transitions that had molar absorptivities of approximately 100 m(-1) cm(-1), which suggests that Co(II) is five-coordinate in Co(II)-substituted VanX. Low temperature EPR spectra of Co(II)-substituted VanX were simulated using spin Hamiltonian parameters of M(S) = |+/-1/2), E/D = 0.14, g(real(x,y)) = 2.37, and g(real(z)) = 2.03. These parameters lead to the prediction that Co(II) in the enzyme is five-coordinate and that there may be at least one solvent-derived ligand. Single scattering fits of EXAFS data indicate that the metal ions in both native Zn(II)-containing and Co(II)-substituted VanX have the same coordination number and that the metal ions are coordinated by 5 nitrogen/oxygen ligands at approximately 2.0 angstroms. These data demonstrate that Co(II) (and Zn(II) from EXAFS studies) is five-coordinate in VanX in contrast to previous crystallographic studies (Bussiere, D. E., Pratt, S. D., Katz, L., Severin, J. M., Holzman, T., and Park, C. H. (1998) Mol. Cell 2, 75-84). These spectroscopic studies also demonstrate that the metal ion in Co(II)-substituted VanX when complexed with a phosphinate analog of substrate D-Ala-D-Ala is also five-coordinate.
Small-slope expansion for thermal and reflected radiation from a rough surface

Abstract Small-perturbation and small-slope expansions are applied and compared for calculation of thermal emission from a rough sea surface and reflected sky radiation. The comparison shows that the expansions are identical. This permits us to use the small-perturbation expansion to calculate microwave thermal radiation from the ocean instead of the two-scale model and the small-slope expansion. At grazing observation angles multiple scattering and shadowing become crucial and high-order terms of the expansion must be taken into account. This imposes a limitation on the applicability of the small-slope approximation.
A generic optimizer interface for programming-free optimization systems

In this paper, a new mechanism called the generic optimizer interface is presented to bridge different optimization problems with various optimizers for programming-free optimization systems. With this generic interface, an optimization problem is given independent of optimizers and can be solved by different optimizers linked to the interface. Several types of function representations for the generic interface are developed and analyzed, and the indexed binary tree representation (IBTR) is identified to be both efficient and convenient. Different formulations for solving multi-objective optimization problems are then implemented with high computational efficiency by taking advantage of the IBTR. The generic interface is object-oriented and can be easily extended to add new optimizers and formulations.
Floating-point unit design with nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) relays

Digital circuits made with nano-electro-mechanical (NEM) relays offer energy-efficiency benefits over CMOS since they have zero leakage power and can offer circuit level performance that competes with CMOS. In this paper we show how new relay circuit design techniques combined with those we already demonstrated on smaller relay blocks enable us to optimize the design of the most complex arithmetic unit, the floating-point unit (FPU). The energy, performance, and area trade-offs of FPU designs with NEM relays are examined and compared with those of state-of-the-art CMOS designs in an equivalent scaled process. Circuits that are critical path bottlenecks for the FPU specifically, most notably the leading zero detector (LZD) and leading zero anticipator (LZA), are optimized with new relay-tailored circuit techniques. These optimizations reduce the NEM relay FPU latency from 71 mechanical delays in an optimal-CMOS-style implementation to 16 mechanical delays in a generalized custom NEM relay implementation. In a 90nm process node, the FPU designed with NEM relays is projected to achieve 15× lower energy per operation compared to the FPU designed with CMOS.
Stress and psychosocial factors: Effects on primary cellular immune response

Life stress is associated with decreases in some immune functions, but little is known about the effect of stress on immune response to active immunization. We examined the relationships between stressful events, psychosocial, and biologic factors and primary immune response to a novel antigen-keyhold limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Lymphocyte proliferation (LP) was measured prior to immunization and 3 and 8 weeks following KLH immunization. At 3 weeks, LP was significantly lower in subjects reporting more "bad" stress and those experiencing more psychological distress, while "good" stress and social support tended to be associated with higher LP. There was a trend toward the more stressed subjects having lower baseline, but higher 8-week, LP responses. The model that best fits these data suggests that psychosocial processes mediate the relationship between stressful events and primary immune response, while biologic factors, such as recent weight gain, show direct independent effects on immune response.
Improving efficiency of symbolic model checking for state-based system requirements

We present various techniques for improving the time and space efficiency of symbolic model checking for system requirements specified as synchronous finite state machines. We used these techniques in our analysis of the system requirements specification of TCAS II, a complex aircraft collision avoidance system. They together reduce the time and space complexities by orders of magnitude, making feasible some analysis that was previously intractable. The TCAS II requirements were written in RSML, a dialect of state-charts.
Lysimetry versus Neutron Moisture Meter for Evapotranspiration Determination in Four Soils

Knowledge of evapotranspiration (ET) is vital for the management of our freshwater resources. One method for determining ET is through the measurement of the soil water balance, where ET is the residual calculated from the change in soil water storage plus precipitation and irrigation and minus drainage and runoff. The objective of this research was to compare the ET calculations where the change in soil water storage was measured using the neutron moisture meter (NMM), or ET NMM' vs. using weighing lysimeters (ET Lys ) in four soils. Cotton (Gossypium birsutum L.) was grown in 2006 and 2007 in weighing lysimeters with NMM access tubes and drainage systems. The soil textures ranged from fine sand to clay loam. The ET NMM was ≤4% of the ET LYS for the clay loam and sandy loam soils, but ET NMM was 8% less than ET LYS in the fine sand due to errors created by the timing of drainage and NMM measurements. At ET LYS amounts <50 mm, the difference between ET LYS and ET NMM for individual measurement intervals could be as much as 28 mm and the average ET NMM /ET LyS ratios as much as 1.20. Beyond 100 mm of ET LYS , the average ET NMM /ET LYS ratios became near 1.0 except for the fine sand, where unmeasured drainage out of the NMM sensor zone resulted in an underestimation of ET. When all other soil water balance components were quantified, a field-calibrated NMM accurately determined the change in soil water storage for the calculation ofET in three of the four soils.
The effects of noise over the complete space of diffusion tensor shape

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) is a technique used to quantify the microstructural organization of biological tissues. Multiple images are necessary to reconstruct the tensor data and each acquisition is subject to complex thermal noise. As such, measures of tensor invariants, which characterize components of tensor shape, derived from the tensor data will be biased from their true values. Previous work has examined this bias, but over a narrow range of tensor shape. Herein, we define the mathematics for constructing a tensor from tensor invariants, which permits an intuitive and principled means for building tensors with a complete range of tensor shape and salient microstructural properties. Thereafter, we use this development to evaluate by simulation the effects of noise on characterizing tensor shape over the complete space of tensor shape for three encoding schemes with different SNR and gradient directions. We also define a new framework for determining the distribution of the true values of tensor invariants given their measures, which provides guidance about the confidence the observer should have in the measures. Finally, we present the statistics of tensor invariant estimates over the complete space of tensor shape to demonstrate how the noise sensitivity of tensor invariants varies across the space of tensor shape as well as how the imaging protocol impacts measures of tensor invariants.
The correspondence of vocal tract resonance with volumes obtained from magnetic resonance images.

The increasing availability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a research, and even clinical, tool in speech production makes possible a wide range of quantitative methods in vocal tract measur...
Mechanistic aspects of acid-catalyzed reactions of 2,2,2-trifluorodiazoethane with alcohols

Abstract This paper describes a mechanistic study of the acid-catalyzed reactions of various alcohols with 2,2,2-trifluorodiazoethane (TFD). Both specific and competitive reaction rates are reported for various oxygen nucleophiles (e.g., alcohols). In addition, evidence for a rapid pre-equilibrium proton transfer step was obtained using a deuterated alcohol and monitoring the products by 19F NMR.
POLITICAL REGULATION OF MEXICO'S OIL BOOM. THE POLICY CHOICES OF WEALTH

Abstract Firm estimates have been given of the oil, gas and gas-liquid reserves that Mexico is likely to develop in the next decade or more. But the decision has yet to be made as to how fast and how far its energy resources should be developed. One faction, including the Pemex technocrats, believe that foreign capital should be utilized with all speed, to accelerate Mexico's export of energy products, especially to the US. Another group argues that the development of domestic and agrarian enterprises should be granted a higher priority. The resolution of the debate, and the recovery of the world oil market, will determine whether Mexico will become one of the richest or the most unstable of the oil exporters in the Third World.
Human papillomaviruses target differentiating epithelia for virion production and malignant conversion

Abstract Human papillomaviruses infect stratified epithelial cells and induce hyperproliferative lesions. Over 70 different HPV types have been identified and each targets epithelia at distinct body locations. A subset, including HPV types 16, 18, 31, 45 and 54, target the genital tract and are the etiological agents of cervical cancers. While viral infection is a necessary prerequisite for the development of most cervical cancers, it is not by itself sufficient indicating that secondary mutational events are also required. The viral life is closely linked to epithelial differentiation and this process is disrupted in the development of malignancies. In a productive infection, vegetative replication and production of virions is restricted to highly differentiated suprabasal cells. Analysis of the mechanisms regulating the viral life cycle in differentiating epithelia provides insight into why certain types induce cancers of the genital tract.
Adaptation to potassium

In vertebrates, the development of complex and efficient mechanisms for avoiding potassium intoxication might be predicted from a simple consideration of their chemical anatomy. The proper function of excitable membranes depends on a low concentration of potassium outside of the cell. On the other hand, potassium is the major ionic constituent of intracellular fluid; it therefore accompanies calories in almost every form of food. Animals that alternate starvation with periods of gorging themselves must therefore be able to adapt to sudden large exogenous loads of potassium in order to avoid potassium intoxication.
Nonlinear viscoelastic-degradation model for polymeric based materials

Abstract This study presents a phenomenological constitutive model for describing response of solid-like viscoelastic polymers undergoing degradation. The model is expressed in terms of recoverable and irrecoverable time-dependent parts. We use a time-integral function with a nonlinear integrand for the recoverable part and another time-integral function is used for the irrecoverable part, which is associated with the degradation evolution in the materials. Here, the degradation is attributed to the secondary and tertiary creep stages. An ‘internal clock’ concept in viscoelastic materials is used to incorporate the accelerated failure in the materials at high stress levels. We ignore the effect of heat generation due to the dissipation of energy and possible healing in predicting the long-term and failure response of the polymeric materials. Experimental data on polymer composites reported by Drozdov (2011) were used to characterize the material parameters and validate the constitutive model. The model is shown capable of predicting response of the polymer composites under various loading histories: creep, relaxation, ramp loading with a constant rate, and cyclic loadings. We observed that the failure time and number of cycles to failure during cyclic loadings are correlated to the duration of loading and magnitude of the prescribed mechanical loads. A scalar degradation variable is also introduced in order to determine the severity of the degradation in the materials, which is useful to predict the lifetime of the structures subject to various loading histories during the structural design stage.
A rapid, high-efficiency bioassay of melanocyte-stimulating hormone ☆

Abstract A reflectance bioassay for melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) using the skin of the American chameleon Anolis carolinensis was developed to give a rapid (20 min/sample) assay with an index of precision of 0.1.
Osmotin gene expression is controlled by elicitor synergism

Arachidonic acid (AA), a fatty-acid fungal elicitor, and a cellulase preparation from Aspergillus niger, a protein-type fungal elicitor, induced osmotin gene expression. Both elicitors activated the osmotin promoter fused to a β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene in a tissue-specific manner in tobacco seedlings (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Wisconsin 38). The cellulase preparation was more effective than AA at the concentrations tested and, unlike AA, also induced the accumulation of osmotin mRNA and protein. Combinations of AA and the cellulase preparation had a greater than additive effect on the activation of the osmotin promoter and the accumulation of osmotin mRNA and protein. Both AA and the cellulase preparation, when applied separately, were virtually ineffective in the induction of the osmotin promoter in cotyledon tissues. However, together they were able to induce synergistically GUS fused to the osmotin promoter. Increases in osmotin-promoter-driven GUS activity and accumulation of osmotin mRNA induced by AA, the cellulase preparation or their combination were reversed by norbornadiene, an ethylene action inhibitor, indicating that ethylene is involved in the induction of the osmotin gene by these elicitors.
REPORT ON PENAEID SHRIMP CULTURE CONSULTATION AND VISIT, GUAYAQUIL, ECUADOR, SOUTH AMERICA, AND PANAMA, CENTRAL AMERICA, AUGUST 12 TO SEPTEMBER 20, 19811

The culture of penaeid shrimp in grow-ponds in Ecuador is expandin: at a rapid rate. Coastal, low lying, salt flats adjacent to estuarine waters, unsuited for classical agriculture, are being transformed into productive shrimp farming areas. Currently, post-larval “seed” shrimp must be collected from the wild to stock the ponds. The Ecuadorian Government is concerned, however, that this practice may affect production from the trawl fishery. A hatchery facility with the capacity of producing 5 million postlarval shrimp per month is planned by the Ecuadorian government. This should help eliminate part of the demand for post-larval shrimp from the wild stock. Also, an extension service is being developed to aid the shrimp farmers. An on-site visit and description of Ralston Purina's hatchery facilities in Panama, Central America, is also included.
Spectral Response of Ternary Logic Netlists

Past methods for computation of the spectrum of a multiple-valued logic network usually rely on first characterizing the network in terms of a switching function, secondly in mapping the function values to complex numbers, and thirdly in performing the computation resulting in the spectrum. More recent approaches use decision diagram (DD) representations but still require initial formation of a DD representing the logic network switching function before the spectrum is computed. A method is described that derives a spectral transfer function directly from a netlist representation. The spectral transfer function can then be used to compute either the logic network spectral response for a specified input, or for computation of the entire Chrestenson spectrum. This method avoids the need for representing the network as a DD before computing the spectrum and can be used to directly compute either a single spectral response, the entire netlist spectrum, or the spectrum of subcircuits contained within a netlist.
Dynamics of volcanic and meteorological clouds produced on 26 December (Boxing Day) 1997 at Soufrière Hills Volcano, Montserrat

Abstract The 26 December 1997 explosive activity of Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat, provided an opportunity to study the evolution of a volcanic cloud by merging data from various satellites with wind-trajectory data. The activity involved a debris avalanche that descended SSW from the lava dome, to the coast, and a pyroclastic density current that traversed the coast and entered the sea. The slope failure and subsequent dome collapse occurred at c . 07:01 universal time (UT; 03:01 local time), lasted 15.2 minutes, and produced an upwardly convecting volcanic ash cloud that cloud temperatures suggest rose to c . 15 km. The volcanic ash cloud was unusual because the pyroclastic density current transported hot fine ash to the sea, where it rapidly transferred its heat to the sea water. The evaporation of large volumes of water produced a volcanogenic meteorological (VM) cloud that convected along with the volcanic ash cloud. The evolution of the volcanic and VM clouds was studied using an isentropic wind trajectory model and data from three satellite sensors: Geostationary Observational Environmental Satellite 8 (GOES 8), Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). The high temporal resolution of the GOES 8 images filled many of the time gaps the other satellites left, and allowed quantitative retrievals to be performed using a two-band infrared retrieval method. The three-dimensional morphology of the volcanic cloud was reconstructed using GOES 8 data and by determining the heights of air parcels from wind-trajectory data. The volcanic cloud was estimated to contain up to 4.5 x 10 7 kg of silicate ash. Between c . 07:39 UT and 13:39 UT the ash signal of the volcanic cloud was masked by the VM cloud, which had a mass of up to 1.5 x 10 8 kg of ice. Ice forms when moist air is convected upwards to temperatures of less than -40°C and becomes saturated. Ice formation in volcanic clouds is especially likely when hot volcanic material is cooled by seawater rather than the atmosphere. The efficiency of evaporation of the seawater was calculated to be c . 5%, based on physical and GOES 8 data. TOMS data showed the SO 2 in the volcanic cloud rose higher than the ash in the volcanic cloud, as has occurred in several other eruptions. A comparison between GOES 8 and AVHRR data showed that AVHRR data retrieved higher fine-ash silicate masses and higher cloud areas than GOES 8 due to the finer spatial resolution of AVHRR images. The effect on retrieval data of the high water vapour content in the lower troposphere of the tropical atmosphere was quantified; the high humidity in the Montserrat region caused the characteristic ash signal to the infrared sensors to be depressed by up to 80%. This signal depression caused a corresponding underestimation of the mass and area of the volcanic cloud when the infrared brightness temperature difference retrieval technique was used.
Review Article: Can Diplomatic History Guide Foreign Policy?

HENRY KISSINGER. Diplomacy. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. Pp. 912. $45.00 (US) M. S. ANDERSON. The Rise of Modern Diplomacy, 1450–1919. London and New York: Longman, 1994. Pp. x, 320. $80.95 (CDN) KEITH HAMILTON and RICHARD LANGHORNE. The Practice of Diplomacy: Its Evolution, Theory, and Administration. London and New York: Routledge, 1995. Pp. vii, 879. £12.99, paper JAMES L. RICHARDSON. Crisis Diplomacy: The Great Powers since the Mid-Nineteenth Century. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994. Pp. xi, 436. $59.95 (US), cloth; $19.95 (US), paper.
Visualization of steroid-3beta-o1-dehydrogenase activity in tissues of intact and hypophysectomized rats.

Dehydrogenation of dehydroepiandrosterone, a 3β-hydroxysteroid, is demonstrable in all types of steroid-producing cells in the rat adrenal gland, ovary and testis, as well as in some of the oviduct epithelium, when sections are incubated in a phosphate buffer (pH 7.1–7.4) solution containing substrate, propylene glycol, DPN, nicotinamide and the tetrazolium salt, Nitro-BT. No activity toward this substrate is evident in liver or kidney. After cold acetone treatment, activity is severely inhibited in the follicular theca interna but not in the other sites. Steroid-3β-ol dehydrogenase appears more labile than the widely-distributed DPN-dependent dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase. Enzymatic activity remains conspicuous in rat ovary and adrenal cortex after hypophysectomy, declining after 1–2 months only in those residual steroid-producing cells that have become severely atrophied (ovarian interstitial cells, inner zones of the adrenal cortex). Treatment with ACTH restores adrenocortical activity in long-te...
Consensus development for healthcare professionals

Consensus development sprang from a desire to synthesize clinician and expert opinions on clinical practice and research agendas in the 1950s. And since the American Institute of Medicine formally defined "guidelines" in 1990, there has been a proliferation of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) both formally and informally. This modern decision-making tool used by both physicians and patients, requires extensive planning to overcome the challenges of consensus development while reaping its rewards. Consensus allows for a group approach of multiple experts sharing ideas to form consensus on topics ranging from appropriateness of procedures to research agenda development. Disagreements can shed light on areas of controversy and launch further discussions. It has five main components: three inputs (defining the task, participant identification and recruitment, and information synthesis), the approach (consensus development by explicit or implicit means), and the output (dissemination of results). Each aspect requires extensive planning a priori as they influence the entire process, from how information will be interpreted, the interaction of participants, the resulting judgment, to whether there will be uptake of results. Implicit approaches utilize qualitative methods and/or a simple voting structure of majority wins, and are used in informal consensus development methods and consensus development conferences. Explicit approaches aggregate results or judgments using explicit rules set a priori with definitions of "agreement" or consensus. Because the implicit process can be more opaque, unforeseen challenges can emerge such as the undue influence of a minority. And yet, the logistics of explicit approaches may be more time consuming and not appropriate when speed is a priority. In determining which method to use, it is important to understand the pros and cons of different approaches and how it will affect the overall input, approach, and outcome.
Pitch memory for short tones

Ten listeners judged a 300-msec tone as higher or lower in pitch than another 300-msec tone that occurred 8 sec earlier. The intervening time either was unfilled or contained a 400-msec interpolated tone. This interpolated tone occurred either just after the first tone or just before the final one, and was of a frequency either inside or outside the critical band of the target frequency. Performance for the silent-interval condition was about as good as has been reported for pitch discrimination with no delay when the target was 250 Hz but was slightly poorer for the target at 1,550 Hz. Presence of the interpolated tone decreased the slope of the psychometric [unction and produced constant error for nine Ss. These effects were more pronounced when the interpolated tone occurred 50 msec after the target than when it preceded the comparison tone by 50 msec. Both brevity of the target tone and occurrence soon thereafter of an interpolated tone are required to produce constant errors of pitch memory.
Magnetic flux structure in superconducting niobium foil: Influence of the specimen shape

The domain structure of the magnetic flux distribution in thin foils of superconducting niobium has been studied at 4.2°K for different sample shapes. The foil thickness was 18 μm. The experiments were carried out with a magneto-optical apparatus which utilizes the high specific Faraday rotation in thin films of a mixture of EuS and EuF2. The macroscopic domain structure of the magnetic flux was found to be closely related to the sample shape. Die Domanenstruktur der Verteilung des magnetischen Flusses in dunnen supraleitenden Niobiumfolien verschiedener Gestalt wurde bei 4,2°K untersucht. Die Dicke der Folien betrug 18 μm. Die Experimente wurden mit einer magneto-optischen Apparatur durchgefuhrt, in der die grose spezifische Faraday-Rotation dunner Schichten der Mischung von EuS und EuF2 ausgenutzt wird. Es wird gefunden, das die makroskopische Domanenstruktur des magnetischen Flusses stark von der Probengestalt beeinflust wird.
Evaluation of body mass index, pre-vaccination serum progesterone levels and anti-anthrax protective antigen immunoglobulin G on injection site adverse events following anthrax vaccination in women.

Background In 2002, CDC initiated the Anthrax Vaccination Program (AVP) to provide voluntary pre-exposure anthrax vaccination for individuals at high risk for exposure to Bacillus anthracis spores. The AVP offered an opportunity to investigate hypothesized reasons for a reported gender difference in injection site adverse events (AEs) following anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA). Objectives To evaluate in women the impact of body mass index (BMI), pre-vaccination serum progesterone levels, and pre-vaccination anti-anthrax protective antigen immunoglobulin G concentrations (anti-PA IgG) on the occurrence of AEs following subcutaneous AVA vaccination. Methods Participants' BMI was determined at enrollment. Also, pre-vaccination blood samples were assayed for serum progesterone and anti-PA IgG. Post-vaccination solicited AEs were recorded by participants using a 4-day diary card. Results Obese group had an elevated risk for arm soreness. Decreased pre-vaccination serum progesterone level was associated with arm swelling. Increased pre-vaccination anti-PA IgG was associated with itching on the arm; and within the obese group, was associated with arm swelling, lump or knot, redness, soreness, and warmth. Conclusions In AVA vaccinated women, obesity was associated with arm soreness and decreased pre-vaccination serum progesterone levels were associated with increased rate of arm swelling. Increased pre-vaccination anti-PA IgG may be associated with an increased frequency of itching on the arm, and in obese women, may increase the occurrence of arm swelling, lump or knot, redness, and warmth. Administering AVA according to a woman's menstrual phase may reduce the occurrence of certain injection site reactions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of oxidation and hydrogen permeation in Al-containing stainless steel alloys

Abstract As the national hydrogen economy continues to develop and evolve the need for structural materials that can resist hydrogen assisted degradation will become critical. To date austenitic stainless steel materials have been shown to be mildly susceptible to hydrogen attack which results in lower mechanical and fracture strengths. As a result, hydrogen permeation barrier coatings are typically applied to these steel to retard hydrogen ingress. The focal point of the reported work was to evaluate the potential for intentional alloying of commercial 300-series stainless steels to promote hydrogen permeation resistant oxide scales. Previous research on the Cr- and Fe-oxide scales inherent to 300-series stainless steels has proven to be inconsistent in effecting permeation resistance. The approach undertaken in this research was to add aluminum to the 300-series stainless steels in an attempt to promote a pure Al-oxide or and Al-rich oxide scale. Al-oxide had been previously demonstrated to be an effective hydrogen permeation barrier. Results for 304L and 347H alloys doped with Al in concentration from 0.5 to 3.0 wt% with respect to oxidation kinetic studies, cyclic oxidation and characterization of the oxide scale chemistry are reported herein. Gaseous hydrogen permeation testing of the Al-doped alloys in both the unoxidized and oxidized (600 °C, 30 min) conditions are reported. A critical finding from this work is that at concentration as low as 0.5 wt% Al, the Al stabilizes the ferrite phase in these steels thus producing duplex austenitc–ferritic microstructures. As the Al-content increases the amount of measured ferrite increases thus resulting in hydrogen permeabilities more closely resembling ferritic steels.
Solar wind noble gases and nitrogen in metal from lunar soil 68501

Noble gases and N were analyzed in handpicked metal separates from lunar soil 68501 by a combination of step-wise combustions and pyrolyses. Helium and Ne were found to be unfractionated with respect to one another when normalized to solar abundances, for both the bulk sample and for all but the highest temperature steps. However, they are depleted relative to Ar, Kr and Xe by at least a factor of 5. The heavier gases exhibit mass-dependent fractionation relative to solar system abundance ratios but appear unfractionated, both in the bulk metal and in early temperature steps, when compared to relative abundances derived from lunar ilmenite 71501 by chemical etching, recently put forward as representing the abundance ratios in solar wind. Estimates of the contribution of solar energetic particles (SEP) to the originally implanted solar gases, derived from a basic interpretation of He and Ne isotopes, yield values of about 10%. Analysis of the Ar isotopes requires a minimum of 20% SEP, and Kr isotopes, using our preferred composition for solar wind Kr, yield a result that overlaps both these values. It is possible to reconcile the data from these gases if significant loss of solar wind Ar, Kr and presumably Xe has occurred relative to the SEP component, most likely by erosive processes that are mass independent, although mass-dependent losses (Ar greater than Kr greater than Xe) cannot be excluded. If such losses did occur, the SEP contribution to the solar implanted gases must have been no more than a few percent. Nitrogen is a mixture of indigenous meteoritic N, whose isotopic composition is inferred to be relatively light, and implanted solar N, which has probably undergone diffusive redistribution and fractionation. If the heavy noble gases have not undergone diffusive loss, then N/Ar in the solar wind can be inferred to be at least several times the accepted solar ratio. The solar wind N appears, even after correction for fractionation effects, to have a minimum delta N-15 value equal to or greater than +150% and a more probable value equal to or greater than +200%.
Sources of variability in cation analysis for a quantitative exfoliation corrosion resistance test

Abstract Exfoliation corrosion of some high-strength aluminum alloys results in delamination of the metal surface resulting in a reduction of mechanical properties. The susceptibility is a strong function of the metallurgical condition of the material. Artificial aging treatments leading to higher strengths generally lead to higher susceptibility to exfoliation. The results of a new, quantitative test for exfoliation resistance based upon solution analysis of dissolution products are presented. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has been used to quantify the Mg 2+ and Zn 2+ leached by 10 m M HCl from the thermal oxide of aluminum alloy AA7075 artificially aged to different degrees. An empirical relationship was found between the ratio of Mg 2+ to Zn 2+ dissolved during the test and the susceptibility of material to exfoliation. The development of the test is discussed with a focus on an analysis of its reproducibility and sources of variance. The primary sources of variability were found to be spatial variations in the composition of the thermal oxide and inhomogeneities in the test solution.
Recovery of rat incisor dentin from abnormal mineralization produced by strontium and fluoride

Rats were injected with 5 mg NaF/100 g or 125 mg SrCl2/100 g. Animals injected once were killed at intervals of 4, 6, 12 and 24 days after injection. Other animals received pairs of injections, separated by intervals of four or nine days. One maxillary incisor from each animal was embedded in methacrylate, sectioned transversely, and microradiographs prepared. The other incisor was demineralized, sectioned, and the sections stained with histochemical methods for polysac-charide-protein complexes. In the microradiographs, the abnormally mineralized layers of dentin produced by the injections became less distinct as they aged. This recovery was detectable in all animals within two weeks after injection. The histochemical changes were less marked, but the weakly stained (hypomineralized) layers of matrix became more nearly normal as recovery occurred. Apparently, fluoride accelerates the maturation (secondary mineralization) of a thin layer of dentin, while both fluoride and strontium inhibit primary mineralization of predentin. In time, mineralization in the hypomineralized layers overtakes the normally mineralized dentin, and the normally mineralized dentin overtakes the hypermineralized layers.
Effects of Altered Thyroid Function on Plasma Prolactin Clearance

This study was designed to examine directly whether changes in thyroid function alter the plasma clearance and/or distribution of PRL in rats. Tracer doses of rat [125I]PRL were injected into the jugular veins of hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, and euthyroid female rats, and blood samples were drawn from the opposite carotid artery at frequent intervals over a 40-min period. The disappearance of the immunoprecipitable radioactive material from the plasma was plotted against time, and a computer program based on the Gauss-Siedel iteration algorithm was then used to derive specific equations for each of the multiexponential curves produced. It was observed that biexponential functions of the form Ct = A-αt + B-βt fit the data points of the clearance curves of each of the animals with a coefficient of determination (r2) greater than 0.94. It also became apparent with the establishment of a biexponential form for the clearance curves that PRL clearance could be suitably defined by a two-compartment open model. The...
Increases in HIV diagnoses at the U.S.-Mexico border, 2003-2006.

The population at the U.S.-Mexico border has experienced growth, more than double the U.S. national average. Movements of populations in this region have contributed to increased incidence of certain infectious diseases. We used information on persons diagnosed with HIV during 2003 to 2006 and aged 13 years or older (n = 4,279) reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 45 U.S. border counties. We estimated the annual percent change and rates with Poisson regression. Overall, 47% of persons diagnosed with HIV in the border region were Hispanic; 39% nonHispanic white; and 10% nonHispanic black. During 2003 to 2006, HIV diagnoses increased 7.8% per year. Increases were observed among males, particularly among men who have sex with men. Among females, HIV diagnoses remained stable but decreased among females in nonborder regions. The number of HIV diagnoses at the border has increased. To decrease incidence of HIV disease it is necessary to develop prevention and education programs specific to this region. The population along the U.S.–Mexico border has experienced tremendous growth, more than double the U.S. national average (United States–Mexico Border Health Commission, 2001). According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2001b), between 1990 and 2000, the region experienced a 21% increase in population. Movements of populations in this region have contributed to increased incidence of some infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, hepatitis A, botulism, brucellosis, measles, mumps, rabies, rubella, salmonellosis, and shigellosis (Doyle & Bryan, 2000; Perez, Brown, & Restrepo, 2006; Redlinger, O’Rourke, Nickey, & Martinez, 1998). Factors such as population migration, socioeconomic status, and demographic characteristics may contribute to the risk of HIV infection, and an increase in the population affects the health care infrastructure. Migration patterns in the border region may contribute to the risk for HIV infection because change in residence can result in homelessness, loneliness, isolation, and financial instability. In turn, these factors can result in new sex partners, drug use, and inadequate access to health care services (Hirsch, Higgins, Bentley, & Na
The distribution and expansion of the invasive seagrass Halophila stipulacea in Dominica, West Indies, with a preliminary report from St. Lucia

Abstract The seagrass Halophila stipulacea Forsskal, native to the Red Sea, is an invasive species in the Mediterranean that was recently observed offshore Grenada, in the Caribbean. Here, we document the presence of this seagrass in Dominica and St. Lucia, demonstrating it has spread across part of the eastern Caribbean. H. stipulacea in Dominica was present in seven locations along the west coast covering more than 22.9 ha of the benthos, at depths from 2 to 18 m. Populations were concentrated in or adjacent to bays frequented by recreational or commercial boats, likely vectors for the introduction. Morphological features varied from bed to bed, with depth being the predominant driving factor. H. stipulacea had a rapid mean lateral bed expansion rate of 0.5 cm d−1, with a maximum rate of >6 cm d−1. H. stipulacea patches often occurred exclusive of the otherwise dominant seagrasses of the Caribbean. The potential for the expansion of H. stipulacea, combined with its tolerance for a wide spectrum of environmental conditions, positions it as a potential threat to local and regional biodiversity.
Ecological, economic and social perspectives on cocoa production worldwide

Cocoa is a crop grown largely by smallholder farmers in the lowland tropics, including parts of Latin America, West Africa, and Indonesia. Research suggests that it has the potential to provide biodiversity benefits when grown under certain shade conditions, especially when compared with alternative land uses. The primary literature on cocoa production reveals a range of objectives for improvement of cocoa production on small farms. These objectives are sometimes in direct opposition to each other, for example, increasing productivity through shade removal and chemical inputs, and the desire to increase biodiversity benefits. These opposing goals demonstrate some real trade-offs faced by cocoa producers. We summarize the current literature, drawing attention to some of these trade-offs and highlighting important ecological, economic, and social considerations. In considering strategies for ameliorating these negative tradeoffs, we make two primary policy recommendations. First, we suggest that outreach focusing on farm diversification may be the most effective way of optimizing ecological, economic, and social outcomes. Farm diversification may provide an effective means of achieving improved farmer security and dissuade farmers from abandoning or planting cocoa according to price fluctuations, thus reducing the use of new forest areas in cocoa production. Secondly, we suggest greater focus on determining effective economic incentives for maintaining shade in cocoa production. For example, price premiums associated high quality shade-grown cocoa may increase economic benefits while simultaneously providing incentives to farmers to maintain shade in production. Lastly, we identify some important areas of research for further informing policy in this arena.
Spring constant modulation in a zone plate tweezer using linear polarization

At large NAs a micro-Fresnel zone plate produces a focal spot that is more elliptical than that produced by an objective lens with the same NA. Using this anisotropy we demonstrate a method for modulating the spring constant of an optical trap by rotating the linear input polarization. The focal spot ellipticity is enhanced by the apodization factor of the zone plate and its extremely high NA. By measuring the positions of trapped particles we obtain two-dimensional histograms of particle position. These indicate that the trap spring constant is 2.75 times larger perpendicular to the incident polarization than along it. The elliptical focal spot distribution can be rotated by rotating the incident polarization, allowing the spring constant along a given direction to be modulated.
Quantitative fine-tuning of photoreceptor cis -regulatory elements through affinity modulation of transcription factor binding sites

Given the remarkable recent progress in gene therapy-based treatments for retinal disease, there is an urgent need for the development of new approaches to quantitative design and analysis of photoreceptor-specific promoters. In this study, we determined the relative binding affinity of all single-nucleotide variants of the consensus binding site of the mammalian photoreceptor transcription factor, Crx. We then showed that it is possible to use these data to accurately predict the relative binding affinity of Crx for all possible 8 bp sequences. By rationally adjusting the binding affinity of three Crx sites, we were able to fine-tune the expression of the rod-specific Rhodopsin promoter over a 225-fold range in living retinas. In addition, we showed that it is possible to fine-tune the activity of the rod-specific Gnat1 promoter over ∼275-fold range by modulating the affinity of a single Crx-binding site. We found that the action of individual binding sites depends on the precise promoter context of the site and that increasing binding affinity does not always equate with increased promoter output. Despite these caveats, this tuning approach permits quantitative engineering of photoreceptor-specific cis-regulatory elements, which can be used as drivers in gene therapy vectors for the treatment of blindness.