cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear Localization and Dynamic Properties of the Marek's Disease Virus Oncogene Products Meq and Meq/vIL8

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an avian herpesvirus that causes T-cell lymphomas and immune suppression in susceptible chickens. At least one gene product, MDV Eco Q-encoded protein (Meq), is essential for the oncogenicity of MDV. Alternative splicing permits the meq gene to give rise to two major transcripts encoding proteins designated Meq and Meq/vIL8. Meq is a basic leucine zipper protein capable of modulating transcription. The Meq/vIL8 protein retains a modified leucine zipper, along with the mature receptor-binding portion of vIL8, but lacks the domain of Meq responsible for transcriptional modulation. In this report, we describe studies using fusions between either Meq or Meq/vIL8 and fluorescent proteins to characterize the distribution and properties of these products in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs). Meq and Meq/vIL8 both localized to the nucleoplasm, nucleoli, and Cajal bodies of transfected cells. Similar distributions were found for fluorescent fusion proteins and native Meq or Meq/vIL8. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching and photoactivatable green fluorescent protein revealed that Meq exhibited mobility properties similar to those of other transcription factors, while Meq/vIL8 was far less mobile. In addition, fluorescence resonance energy transfer studies indicated the formation of Meq/vIL8 homodimers in CEFs. Time lapse studies revealed the coordinated elimination of a portion of Meq and Meq/vIL8 from the nucleus. Our data provide new insight regarding the dynamic cellular properties of two forms of a herpesvirus-encoded oncoprotein and suggest that these forms may have fundamentally different functions in MDV-infected cells.
Diffusion MRI of acute pancreatitis and comparison with normal individuals using ADC values

The aim of this study was to retrospectively measure and compare pancreatic apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) with aged matched controls who underwent diffusion weighted imaging (DWI). The institutional review board approved this retrospective Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant study with a waiver for informed consent. Pancreatic ADC values from 27 patients with a clinical diagnosis of AP and 38 normal age-matched controls evaluated with DWI (b = 0 and 800 mm2/s) were retrospectively and independently measured by two radiologists. The ADCs were compared between the groups and between each of the pancreatic segments in the normal group. Inter-observer reliability was calculated and receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of DW imaging in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The ICC for inter-observer reliability was 0.98 in the control and 0.97 in the AP group. The mean pancreatic ADC in the AP group (1.32 × 10−3 mm2/s ± 0.13) was significantly lower than in the normal group (1.77 × 10−3 mm2/s ± 0.32). There was no significant difference in mean ADCs between each of the pancreatic segments in the controls. A threshold ADC value of 1.62 × 10–3 mm2/s yielded a sensitivity of 93% and specificity of 87% for detecting acute pancreatitis for b values of 0 and 800 s/mm2. Pancreatic ADCs are significantly lower in patients with AP than normal controls.
On the stress distribution in a shallow cone

Abstract The solution of the shallow shell equations for the cone is considered from the viewpoint of an asymptotic expansion procedure which reflects the physical nature of the solution as the sum of an edge zone and interior solution contribution. As an application of the procedure, the stress boundary value problem for a semi-infinite cone is discussed. Upon obtaining the approximate interior and edge zone solution contributions, the leading terms of an expansion of the arbitrary constants in the solution are found. The applicability of the classical membrane-inextensional bending solution for the cone and determination of the interior solution constants by the use of Reissner's contracted boundary conditions are also discussed.
What would Bonica say? A word on the DVPRS validation study.

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have challenged pain medicine and health care like no previous conflict. Saving lives from injuries that would previously been deemed unsalvageable is now tempered by the challenges of restoring to survivors a meaningful and productive life ⇓. Tragically, we are failing, and everyday, a soldier commits suicide ⇓ and every other day unintentionally dies from a prescription opioid overdose ⇓. These deaths are added to the long list of warriors who have sacrificed their life in our defense, while leaving behind survivors who continue to burden the Military and Veteran Health Care programs, now staggering at a cost of $51 billion ⇓. This is not sustainable, and something needs to be done. Collaboration in pain management between the Veteran Health Administration (VHA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) began soon after the onset of the current wars. The 2009 VHA Pain Management Directive and the Defense Veterans Center for Integrated Pain Management led by the authors Drs. …
Ergonomics in organizational design and management

The historical development of ergonomics in organizational design and management is reviewed. Basic concepts of organizational design and of sociotechnical systems are discussed. The emergence of an organizational-machine interface technology and related concepts of macroergonomics are presented, including sociotechnical system considerations in organizational and work systems design. Macroergonomics methods and applications are summarized.
Multiple indices for optimal reactive power pricing and control

Abstract An integrated approach for reactive power price and control is developed. Reactive power price is divided into fixed and variable parts. The fixed part is the operational cost of reactive power service. The variable part of reactive power price is determined based on capability and contributions to the improvement of system performance such as security, reliability and economics. These contributions can be evaluated by computing sensitivity of objective function with respect to reactive power support. The optimal power flow (OPF) approach is used to carry out this purpose. For VAr planning (or control) purposes, three parallel indices are first presented to determine the sites of new VAr sources. They are benefit-to-cost ratio index, voltage reactive sensitivity index, and the bus voltage security index. The analytic hierarchical process is then used to comprehensively consider the effect of the three indices and the network topology for each candidate VAr source site. The proposed approach was tested on an IEEE 30-bus system with satisfactory results.
Energy eigenvalues and string tension in the Schwinger model

We exactly evaluate the energy eigenvalues of the Schwinger model, and find that due to a nontrivial cancellation the fermion eigenvalues are eliminated. The eigenspectrum of the interacting theory reduces to that of a free massive boson field. We then exactly evaluate the energy of the fermion-string-antifermion state and the string tension. We discuss the relation of the string tension to the Wilson criterion of confinement.
SAMPLE-SIZE REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTOMATED ESSAY SCORING

Sample-size requirements were considered for automated essay scoring in cases in which the automated essay score estimates the score provided by a human rater. Analysis considered both cases in which an essay prompt is examined in isolation and those in which a family of essay prompts is studied. In typical cases in which content analysis is not employed and in which the only object is to score individual essays to provide feedback to the examinee, it appears that several hundred essays are sufficient. For application of one model to a family of essays, fewer than 100 essays per prompt may often be adequate. The cumulative logit model was explored as a possible replacement of the linear regression model usually employed in automated essay scoring; the cumulative logit model performed somewhat better than did the linear regression model.
Odorant Receptor from the Southern House Mosquito Narrowly Tuned to the Oviposition Attractant Skatole

Oviposition attractants are environmental cues that allow Culex gravid female mosquitoes to locate suitable sites for egg-laying and, therefore, may be exploited for environmentally friendly strategies for controlling mosquito populations. Naturally occurring skatole has been identified as an oviposition attractant for the Southern House mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus. Previously, we identified in Cx. quinquefasciatus female antennae an olfactory receptor neuron (ORN) highly sensitive to skatole and an odorant-binding protein involved in the detection of this semiochemical. Here, we describe the characterization of an odorant receptor (OR), CquiOR10, which is narrowly tuned to skatole when expressed in the Xenopus oocyte system. Odorant-induced response profiles generated by heterologously expressed CquiOR10 suggest that this OR is expressed in the mosquito ORN sensitive to skatole. However, geranylacetone, which stimulates the antennal ORN, was not detected by CquiOR10-expressing oocytes, thus raising interesting questions about reception of oviposition attractants in mosquitoes.
There Goes the Neighbourhood? The ‘Americanisation’ of Elections, with Evidence from Scotland's Parliament

Observers of elections in European democracies increasingly encounter the assertion that campaigns and candidacies have become poisoned by a creeping ‘Americanisation’. When a comedian in Denmark, a professional wrestler in Finland, or a porn star in Italy enjoys electoral success by appealing to least-common-denominator populism the lament coming from academic and journalistic quarters is typically the same—the US style of politics has, unfortunately, arrived. The literature supporting such pejorative claims is, however, largely anecdotal, usually atheoretical, and almost exclusively directed at national-level elections. Building upon theories of diffusion at the intersection of comparative politics and international relations—and drawing upon individual-level survey data from elections to the Scottish Parliament—this article evaluates the merits and consequences of the Americanisation thesis. Results suggest the importance of uncertainty as a force driving candidates and parties to learn from and adopt ‘American’ campaign strategies and tactics.
Free and open source software development of IT systems

IT system development, integration, deployment, and administration benefit significantly from free and open source software (FOSS) tools and services. Affordability has been a compelling reason for adopting FOSS in computing curricula and equipping computing labs with support infrastructure. Using FOSS systems and services, however, is just the first step in taking advantage of how FOSS development principles and practices can impact student learning in IT degree programs. Above all, FOSS development of IT systems requires changes to how students, instructors, and other contributors work collaboratively and openly and get involved and invested in project activities. In this paper I examine the challenges to engage students in FOSS development projects proposed by real clients. A six-week course project revealed problems with adopting FOSS development and collaboration across different activities and roles that student team members have assumed. Despite these problems, students have showed a genuine and strong interest in gaining more practice with FOSS development. FOSS development teaching was further refined in two other courses to learn about adequate teaching strategies and the competencies that students achieve when they participate in FOSS development of IT systems.
The Treatment of Food Selectivity and Other Feeding Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Abstract Food selectivity and other feeding problems are endemic in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Additionally, many of the challenging behaviors which fall into this category are idiosyncratic to ASD. A technology is beginning to emerge regarding methods to lessen and effectively treat these issues which, if unchecked, can result in poor nutrition and difficulties in feeding. Specificity in foods consumed, choking, and aggression associated with food refusal can put the child and caregiver at risk. This paper provides a critical review of the current status of evidence-based clinical practices for this highly important set of challenging behaviors of ASD children.
Ten Reference Books: A Selfish Selection for Survival

Thoughts of those situations I have been in that might find me on a deserted island quickly cross my mind and of these, one stands out as a genuine possibility. I was in the army. The adjustment to living openly in a barracks with one hundred or so other young men without an inch of privacy had not been easily made. Basic training in the infantry had kept me busy, on edge, and very tired; consequently, there was no time for reading or thinking. I was not supposed to think. When the long awaited and eagerly sought first “pass” was granted, I was content to get to a quiet place off the post and just stare into space, contemplating what the future might hold and, indeed, whether or not I would survive to have a future. I am forever grateful to Lucille Hatch who gave me permission to practice on the organ at the First Methodist Church in Santa Maria, California, and this I did on many occasions. I had been in the army only four months but this was sufficient time for me to have become thoroughly indoctrinated in the ways of making war. There had been the discipline, the lectures and training movies, the drills and maneuvers, the simulated games, the mock‐ups and the bivouacs. All were planned, designed, and executed to make me a killer in combat, and, if not killed, able to survive under the most adverse and difficult conditions in a land totally foreign to my way of thinking and living. I had had all of the necessary physical examinations and the required “shots” for travel outside the United States, and with “kill or be killed” ringing in my ears, I found myself en route overseas.
Counseling the post-radical prostatectomy patients about functional recovery: high predictiveness of current status.

Objective To develop prediction models to help counsel post–radical prostatectomy patients about functional recovery. Methods The study included 2162 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy at a major cancer center, who reported urinary and erectile function at 1 year or at 2 years and at least 1 prior follow-up at 3, 6, 9, or 12 months. We created logistic regression models predicting function at one or 2 years on the basis of function at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months (2 years only), with the additional predictors of age, stage, grade, prostate-specific antigen levels, nerve-sparing status and baseline functional score. Results No variable other than current functional score had a consistent statistically significant relationship with outcome. The area under the curves for predicting function at 2 years based on current function alone at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months were respectively 0.796, 0.831, 0.882, and 0.885 for erectile function and 0.789, 0.862, 0.869, and 0.876 for urinary function. Patients using 1 pad at 6 months had only a 50% probability of being pad free at 2 years; this dropped to 36% for patients using 2 pads. This suggests that there is an opportunity for early identification and possible referral of patients likely to have long-term urinary dysfunction. Conclusion Assessment of urinary and erectile function in the first postoperative year is strongly predictive of long-term outcome and can guide patient counseling and decisions about rehabilitative treatments.
P4activation by group 3 metal arene complexes

The direct P4activation using group 3 metal complexes was achieved for the first time under mild conditions. Two Pn-containing products, P84− and P73−, were isolated and characterized for scandium; however, P73− was the sole product for yttrium.
Legal Strategies for Protecting Brands from Genericide: Recent Trends in Evidence Weighted in Court Cases

Abstract Under the Lanham Act and the Trademark Revision Act of 1988, trademarks may be cancelled if it is ruled that consumers use the brand name to describe a generic category. Trademark cancellation, or “genericide,” has high stakes in that it can result in the loss of a valuable corporate asset. The authors provide an overview of the history of trademark cancellation cases and examine what types of evidence are considered in such cases. The authors provide an analysis of trends in recent court rulings and advice for avoiding genericide.
Cholesterol crystal nucleation from enzymatically modified low-density lipoproteins: combined effect of sphingomyelinase and cholesterol esterase.

An assay detecting and quantifying cholesterol nucleation from low-density lipoproteins has been established. Forster resonance energy transfer between dehydroergosterol and dansylated lecithin becomes significantly alleviated as a consequence of conucleation of dehydroergosterol and cholesterol. The assay, in combination with dynamic light scattering, absorbance spectroscopy, and fluorescence microscopy, can be used to study aggregation and nucleation in model blood systems. Human plasma LDL was labeled with dehydroergosterol and dansylated lecithin by incubation with donor multilamellar liposomes and isolated by centrifugation. Exposure of labeled LDL (0.5 mg/mL of total lipids) to sphingomyelinase (0.0-0.2 unit/mL) led to modest particle aggregation but produced no changes in energy transfer and no crystallization. However, addition of sphingomyelinase produced significant particle aggregation, nucleation, and crystallization, in a dose-dependent fashion, in samples that were previously treated with the enzyme, cholesterol esterase (0.2 unit/mL). The combination of cholesterol esterase and sphingomyelinase led to a significant alleviation of energy transfer, which preceded by 24 h the appearance of fluorescent, microscopic sterol crystals. These results point to a synergistic effect between cholesterol esterase and sphingomyelinase, suggesting that mere aggregation of LDL is insufficient to promote nucleation, and crystal formation likely proceeds in the intracellular space after LDL uptake by macrophages.
Calibrating the wavefront sensor for the 6.5-m MMT with a phase-shifting interferometer

In an adaptive optical system, it is essential that the wavefront sensor be accurately calibrated and aligned to the wavefront corrector. For the case of the Shack Hartmann sensor, there are at least three quantities which must be measured: a. the response of the subapertures to local wavefront tilt, b. the location of the zero point for each subaperture from a plane wave input, and c. the spatial relationship between the wavefront sensor subapertures and the wavefront corrector actuators. This paper present a method which verifies the calibration of a Shack Hartmann wavefront sensor by simultaneously measuring static wavefront with a phase shifting interferometer. These measurements were made using an apparatus we constructed in the laboratory to build and test the adaptive optical system for the 6.5 m MMT.
LONG-CHAIN 3-HYDROXYACYL-COA DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY: THE MAJOR DISEASE-CAUSING MUTATION AND DIAGNOSIS. 851

Long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD) deficiency, an autosomal recessive disorder of fatty acid oxidation, is clinically characterized by skeletal myopathy, Reye-like syndrome or sudden unexplained infant death. A common mutation G1528C has recently been reported (Ij1st, L. 1994). To screen a large number of patients, we have developed a double PCR/Pst I digestion method. Here, we report mutation studies in eleven additional unrelated patients with LCHAD deficiency. Genomic DNA fragments (117 bp) were amplified by double PCR, digested with Pst I and subjected to electrophoresis on 12% polyacrylamide gel. The G1528C mutation in four patients were found to be homozygous; seven patients were compound heterozygous, indicating significant genetic heterogeneity. Furthermore, this DNA test combined with tandem mass spectrometric in vitro probe analysis could easily recognize the affected individuals and the mutation carrier in the family with compound heterozygous for G1528C. “Supported by the Courtwright-Summers Research Fund.”
Dangerous excursions: the case against expanding forensic DNA databases to innocent persons.

Over the past fifteen years, the United States has witnessed an extraordinary expansion in the banking and mining of DNA for law enforcement purposes. While the earliest state laws governing forensic DNA limited collection and retention of DNA samples to sexual offenders – on the theory that these persons were especially prone to recidivism and most likely to leave behind biological evidence – today forty-three states collect DNA from all felons, twenty-eight from juvenile offenders, and thirty-eight from those who commit certain categories of misdemeanors. A few states have expanded their databases beyond convicted criminals. Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, and California have authorized DNA retention from persons merely arrested for various offenses, although to date only Virginia has implemented such a program. At the federal level, an ill-considered statute that allows for the seizure and storage of DNA from anyone arrested and from non-U.S. citizens detained under federal authorities was recently signed into law.
Solving highly nonlinear convex separable programs using successive approximation

Abstract Owing to its rapid convergence, ease of computer implementation[1], and applicability to a wide class of practical problems[2, 3], separable programming is well established among the more useful non-linear programming techniques[2, 4]. Yet at the same time, its impracticality for highly nonlinear problems, pointed out repeatedly[1, 5, 6], constitutes a severe limitation of this important approach. This emerges even more strongly when one observes the essential failure of the method for some of the very small (2 × 2) problems included in this report. In this context of high nonlinearity, we examine the performance of a convergent (to within a given e> 0 of the optimal) alternative procedure based on Refs.[7, 8] which obviates the major difficulties effectively by solving a series of non-heuristic, rigorously determined small separable programs as opposed to a single large one in the standard separable programming technique given, e.g., in Refs.[1, 2, 5]. Specifically, this paper, first, in absence of any such study in the literature, demonstrates the extreme degree of vulnerability of standard separable programming to high nonlinearity, then states the algorithm and some of its important characteristics, and shows its effectiveness for computational examples. Problems requiring up to about 10,000 nonzero elements in their specifications and about 45,000 nonzero elements in the intermediate separable programs, resulting from up to 70 original nonlinear variables and 70 nonlinear constraints are included in these examples.
IL-4 modulates transcriptional control of the mannose receptor in mouse FSDC dendritic cells.

Abstract The mannose receptor is a 175 kDa protein found on the surface of macrophages and dendritic cells whose functions include clearance of extracellular hydrolases, internalization of pathogens, and antigen capture. Receptor expression is closely linked to the functional state of these cells and is regulated by cytokines. Previous work has shown that treatment of macrophages and dendritic cells with interleukin-4 leads to increased mannose receptor expression. We have examined the mechanism of this IL-4-mediated up-regulation in the murine dendritic cell line FSDC. IL-4 increased mannose receptor activity, protein, and mRNA. The mannose receptor promoter was functional in FSDCs using transient transfection assays, and IL-4 treatment increased promoter activity 2.6-fold. The responsive region was localized to the proximal 228 bp. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays detected an IL-4-inducible protein that bound to the mannose receptor promoter at a site spanning the region between −147 and −108 bp. The sequence TTAC(N)4CACC (−135 and −124 bp) is similar to the IL-4 response region in the Fce receptor II. Mutation of the flanking TT and CC in this motif blocked IL-4 responsiveness and binding of the IL-4-induced mannose receptor binding protein. This protein does not appear to be STAT6 since neither an anti-STAT6 antibody nor a STAT6 consensus oligonucleotide altered factor binding.
Changes in indole-3-acetic acid and abscisic acid levels during tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit development and ripening

Changes in the levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) fruit pericarp tissue during development through ripening were measured by GC-SIM-MS using d3-ABA and 13C6-IAA internal standards. In the two cultivars of fieldgrown tomatoes analyzed, the highest IAA levels (8–24 ng/g fw) were found at the earliest stage of development (7 days after anthesis) followed by a rapid decline in levels of the hormone. ABA levels of 40–60 ng/g fw were found at the earliest stages of development followed by a decline in levels until ripening occurred when elevated ABA levels (125 ng/g fw) were measured.
Rethinking and Reclaiming the Interdisciplinary Role of Personality Psychology: The Science of Human Nature Should Be the Center of the Social Sciences and Humanities☆

Abstract For both intellectual and practical reasons, it behooves personality psychology to adopt a broad self-definition, which should include interdisciplinary activity. The broad, interdisciplinary status of personality psychology was an important cause of its prominence for several decades, but the field has not maintained this in recent years. We suggest that personality psychologists make an active effort to recapture a prominent interdisciplinary role and we propose specific steps toward accomplishing this.
Dysregulated Cytokine Expression In Vivo in Prediseased and Diseased Autoimmune-Prone MRL Mice

Macrophages (MO) from prediseased autoimmune-prone MRL/ + and MRL/lpr mice produce markedly decreased levels of IL-1 in vitro in response to LPS. In contrast, tissues from diseased MRL/lpr mice overexpress IL-1 in vivo. To determine whether IL-1 underproduction in the MRL strains is solely an in vitro phenomenon, we compared in vivo cytokine mRNA expression from prediseased age-matched MRL/ + and MRL/lpr mice to that from normal BALB/c and C3HeB/FeJ mice. Like mO in vitro, whole organ RNA from the spleen, liver, and kidney of MRL/ + and MRL/lpr mice showed down-regulation of IL-1 RNA following intraperitoneal injection of LPS. This abnormality in inducible IL-1 expression was present in all MRL mice, irrespective of disease stage or the presence of the Ipr gene. On the other hand, only diseased MRL/lpr mice displayed elevated and constitutive expression of IL-1 in their livers and kidneys. We suggest that inducible expression is most indicative of the intrinsic, or genetic, capacity of cells to produce cy...
Simplified Procedure to Estimate the Wind Turbine Blade Aerodynamic Loadings Without Using CFD

The aerodynamic loadings that act on the blade of a horizontal axis wind turbine change as a function of time due to the instantaneous change of the wind speed, the wind direction and the blade position. The new contribution in this study is the introduction of a simplified non CFD based procedure for the calculation of all the aerodynamic loadings acting on a wind turbine blade. The premise of the current simplified model is that (a) the forces can be modeled by a set of point loads rather than distributed pressures, and (b) the magnitudes of these point loads can be estimated using the below load formulas, (c) an interpolation scheme needed to have all computed forces and moments as a function of the blade lengthwise x. Considering a 14m blade length and utilizing a time dependent set of parameters such as angle of attack, material and air density, wind and blade speed, flow angle, yaw, pitch angles, the centrifugal forces (along x-direction of the blade length), the cross-sectional forces (Fy and Fz) and the twisting moment of the blade (about the x-direction) were calculated for each of all the given time steps. After that the authors explain how to interpolate the calculated loadings (forces and twisting moment) and the right formulas to compute the aerodynamic load vector (the right side of the dynamic equations of motion).Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Variations in Radiation Sensitivity of Foodborne Pathogens Associated with the Suspending Meat

Longissimus dorsi from beef, pork, and lamb and turkey breast and leg meats were inoculated with Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus, and the gamma radiation resistance of the pathogens were determined under identical conditions. At 5 o C the respective radiation D-values of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes did not vary with the suspending meat. The D-value for a mixture of Salmonella spp. was significantly lower on pork than on beef, lamb, turkey breast, and turkey leg meats. The D-value for S. aureus was significantly lower on lamb and mechanically deboned chicken meat than on the other meats. All values were, nevertheless, within expected ranges
A priori estimates for solutions of fully nonlinear special lagrangian equations

We derive an a priori C2,α estimate in dimension three for the equation F(D2u)=arctanλ1+arctanλ2+arctanλ3=c, where λ1,λ2,λ3 are the eigenvalues of the Hessian D2u. For −π/2<c<π/2, the c-level set of F(D2u) fails the convexity condition. Note that for any solution u of the above equation, (x,▿u(x)) is a minimizing graph in R6. For c=0,±π, the equation is equivalent to ▵u=detD2u.
Interannual variability of the spatial distribution of sea ice in the north polar region

The interannual variability of the monthly average spatial distributions of northern hemisphere sea ice was examined for the 1973-1987 period of the electrically scanning microwave radiometer on the Nimbus 5 satellite and the scanning multichannel microwave radiometer on the Nimbus 7 satellite passive microwave data record. Strong seasonal and spatial contrasts in the amount of interannual variability are mapped and identified. The maps and analyses provide a baseline against which future northern hemisphere sea ice distributions can be compared in the continuing attempt to analyze global climate and to determine whether or not significant climate change is occurring.
An improvement in the Gavish-Shlifer algorithm for a class of transportation scheduling problems

Abstract In [2] Gavish and Shlifer present an algorithm for solving a class of transportation scheduling problems which includes the delivery problem, the school bus problem, and others. Their algorithm is based on the ‘savings method’ of Clarke and Wright. By solving a sequence of assignment problems, upper bounds may be generated for the original problem and the optimal solution determined through a branch and bound procedure. However, for certain problems the CPU time becomes excessive. In this paper we show that the bounds may be improved by solving a related maximum matching problem instead of the assignment problem. The result is that fewer branches need to be investigated. Computational results are presented indicating that considerably less CPU time is needed to solve problems using this approach than with the approach of Gavish and Shlifer.
In Vitro Studies with Cefazolin

Abstract Susceptibilities of 259 isolates of pathogenic bacteria to cefazolin were measured by broth and agar dilution procedures. Beta-hemolytic streptococci were inhibited by 0.25 μg/ml, whereas Staphylococcus aureus and alphahemolytic streptococci were inhibited by 2.0 μg/ml. Enterococci were resistant to less than 32 μg/ml. Wide variation was seen with gram-negative species. Most isolates of Klebsiella species and Proteus mirabilis were inhibited by 4.0 or 8.0 μg/ml. Escherichia coli were less susceptible, and most isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia species, and Enterobacter species were resistant to 128 μg/ml.
From the heart to the mind's eye: cardiac vagal tone is related to visual perception of fearful faces at high spatial frequency.

a b s t r a c t The neurovisceral integration model (Thayer and Lane, 2000) proposes that vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV)—an index of cardiac vagal tone—is associated with autonomic flexibility and emotional self-regulation. Two experiments examined the relationship between vagally mediated HRV and visual perception of affectively significant stimuli at different spatial frequencies. In Experiment 1, HRV was positively correlated with superior performance discriminating the emotion of affectively significant (i.e., fearful) faces at high spatial frequency (HSF). In Experiment 2, processing goals moderated the rela- tionship between HRV and successful discrimination of HSF fearful faces. In contrast to Experiment 1, discriminating the expressiveness of HSF fearful faces was not correlated with HRV. The current research suggests that HRV is positively associated with superior visual discrimination of affectively significant stimuli at high spatial frequency, and this relationship may be sensitive to the top-down influence of different processing goals.
Prospects for new vaccines against tuberculosis

Abstract The spectacular failure of the existing bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine in recent tuberculosis-control trials has prompted a search for potential replacements. Imaginative approaches currently under development include the modulation of BCG by the production of auxotrophic mutants or cytokine-secreting recombinants, and the development of subunit vaccines based on the major proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis .
Self-concept, deliquency, relations with parents and school and Chinese adolescents' perception of personal control

Abstract This study examined the relationship between Chinese adolescents' self-concept, deliquency and relations with parents and school and their perception of personal control from a multidimensional perspective. Results showed that external control was associated with low general, academic, and social self-concepts, high deliquency, and poor relations with parents and school. Sex differences were found as predicted. Specifically, external control was related to low academic self-concept in both sexes, but to low appearance, social, and general self-concepts only in girls. A stronger relationship between external control and deliqency in the moderate and low seriousness types as well as overall deliquency was found in girls. The relation of external control to deliquency in the high seriousness type was equally substantial in boys and girls. Moreover, it was also found that girls' sense of external control was more strongly associated with their poor relations with parents and school.
Surgical Versus Nonsurgical Management of Rotator Cuff Tears Predictors of Treatment Allocation

Background:Rotator cuff tears are a common shoulder disorder resulting in significant disability to patients and financial burden on the health care system. While both surgical and nonsurgical management are accepted treatment options, there is a paucity of data to support a treatment algorithm for care providers. Defining variables to guide treatment allocation may be important for patient education and counseling, as well as to deliver the most efficient care plan at the time of presentation.Purpose:To identify independent variables at the time of initial clinical presentation that are associated with preferred allocation to surgical versus nonsurgical management for patients with known full-thickness rotator cuff tears.Study Design:Case control study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:A total of 196 consecutive adult patients with known full-thickness rotator cuff tears were enrolled into a prospective cohort study. Robust data were collected for each subject at baseline, including age, sex, body mass index...
sGnRH‐A [(d‐Arg6, Pro9, NEt‐)LHRH] in combination with domperidone induces gonad reversal in a protogynous fish, the bluehead wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum

The effects of thrice weekly injections of Ovaprim (sGnRH-A in combination with domperidone) on the ovary of Thalassoma bifasciatum, a protogynous marine fish, after 4 and 6 weeks are described. At the end of 4 weeks of treatment, 72% (n=13) of the original females showed signs of reversal. The majority of these were deemed early stage although mid- (n=2) and late (n=1) stage reversals were present. At 6 weeks, 92% of the females had ovaries that were undergoing transformation. None of these, however, progressed beyond the early stage. Only 3.8% of the control fish showed signs of reversal over the same periods. The blue head colour pattern, typical of the terminal phase, did not appear in any of the fish. To our knowledge, this is the first report investigating the hypothalamic influence on sex reversal in T. bifasciatum. These observations shed new light on the neuroendocrine control of reversal of gender in this species and hermaphroditic fishes in general.
Fe isotope variations in natural materials measured using high mass resolution multiple collector ICPMS.

We present the first measurements of Fe isotope variations in chemically purified natural samples using high mass resolution multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma source mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS). High mass resolution allows polyatomic interferences at Fe masses to be resolved (especially, 40Ar14N+, 40Ar16O+, and 40Ar16OH+). Simultaneous detection of Fe isotope ion beams using multiple Faraday collectors facilitates high-precision isotope ratio measurements. Fe in basalt and paleosol samples was extracted and purified using a simple, single-stage anion chemistry procedure. A Cu “element spike” was used as an internal standard to correct for variations in mass bias. Using this procedure, we obtained data with an external precision of 0.03−0.11‰ and 0.04−0.15‰ for δ56/54Fe and δ57/54Fe, respectively (2σ). Use of Cu was necessary for such reproducibility, presumably because of subtle effects of residual sample matrix on mass bias. These findings demonstrate the utility of high-resolution MC-ICPMS ...
Surge capacity: a proposed conceptual framework

There is a need for emergency planners to accurately plan for and accommodate a potentially significant increase in patient volume in response to a disaster. In addition, an equally large political demand exists for leaders in government and the healthcare sector to develop these capabilities in a financially feasible and evidence-based manner. However, it is important to begin with a clear understanding of this concept on a theoretical level to create this capacity. Intuitively, it is easy to understand that surge capacity describes the ability of a healthcare facility or system to expand beyond its regular operations and accommodate a greater number of patients in response to a multiple casualty-producing event. The way a response to this need is implemented will, of course, vary dramatically depending on numerous issues, including the type of event that has transpired, the planning that has occurred before its occurrence, and the resources that are available. Much has been written on strategies for developing and implementing surge capacity. However, despite the frequency with which the term is used in the medical literature and by the lay press, a clear description of surge capacity as a concept is lacking. The following article will provide this foundation. A conceptual framework of surge capacity will be described, and some new nomenclature will be proposed. This is done to provide the reader with a comprehensive yet simplified view of the various elements that make up the concept of surge capacity. This framework will cover the types of events that can cause a surge of patients, the general ways in which healthcare facilities respond to these events, and the categories of people who would make up the population of affected victims.
Commentary on “The New Metropolitan History”

An analysis of the roles of corporate capital, home owners, and racialized groups in the three case studies presented in this special section of “The New Metropolitan History.”
Improving safety-restraint use by children in shopping carts: evaluation of a store-based safety intervention.

OBJECTIVE Approximately 20,700 children who are < 5 years old are treated in US hospital emergency departments annually for shopping cart-related injuries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an in-store intervention to increase the use of restraints in shopping carts by children who are < 5 years old. METHODS. The study intervention consisted of greeters at the store entrance who encouraged the use of appropriate shopping cart restraints plus the use of a small cash coupon incentive. The study used a preintervention and postintervention design with an untreated "control" group. Three stores served as intervention stores, and 4 stores served as nonintervention stores. Trained study personnel conducted the observations unobtrusively in all 7 stores simultaneously, recording the status of children's restraint use in the shopping cart as caregivers approached store checkout areas. The main outcome measure of the study was the change in the proportion of children who were < 5 years old, riding in a shopping cart, and restrained correctly. RESULTS There were a total of 967 observations, 57% of which were in the 4 nonintervention stores and 43% of which were in the 3 intervention stores. There were 442 observations on the baseline day and 525 on the follow-up day. Interrater reliability was good. Overall, among the 761 cases in which a shopping cart was used, 38% of children were transported in the shopping cart seat with the restraint off or used improperly, and 24% were seated with the restraint used correctly. In the 4 nonintervention stores, the percentage of children who were in shopping carts and restrained correctly increased from 19% at baseline to 31% during the follow-up observation period 1 week later. In the 3 intervention stores, the percentage of correct restraint use among children in shopping carts went from 15% at baseline to 49% after the intervention during the second observation period. The change in correct restraint use among children in shopping carts in intervention stores was significantly greater than that in nonintervention stores. CONCLUSIONS A safety intervention, consisting of a $2 incentive coupon plus greeters at the store entrance who encouraged the use of appropriate shopping cart restraints, significantly increased the correct use of restraints among young children who rode in shopping carts. The correct use rate increased to 49% in stores with this modest intervention. However, half of the young children in shopping carts remained unrestrained or restrained incorrectly. Higher rates of correct restraint use may occur with a more comprehensive and sustained shopping cart safety intervention. Shopping cart designs that seat children close to the floor and that do not rely on caregiver behavior change and vigilance for injury protection also should be implemented and evaluated as a passive strategy to prevent shopping cart-related injuries to young children.
Region-Specific Microtubule Transport in Motile Cells

Photoactivation and photobleaching of fluorescence were used to determine the mechanism by which microtubules (MTs) are remodeled in PtK2 cells during fibroblast-like motility in response to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). The data show that MTs are transported during cell motility in an actomyosin-dependent manner, and that the direction of transport depends on the dominant force in the region examined. MTs in the leading lamella move rearward relative to the substrate, as has been reported in newt cells (Waterman-Storer, C.M., and E.D. Salmon. 1997. J. Cell Biol. 139:417–434), whereas MTs in the cell body and in the retraction tail move forward, in the direction of cell locomotion. In the transition zone between the peripheral lamella and the cell body, a subset of MTs remains stationary with respect to the substrate, whereas neighboring MTs are transported either forward, with the cell body, or rearward, with actomyosin retrograde flow. In addition to transport, the photoactivated region frequently broadens, indicating that individual marked MTs are moved either at different rates or in different directions. Mark broadening is also observed in nonmotile cells, indicating that this aspect of transport is independent of cell locomotion. Quantitative measurements of the dissipation of photoactivated fluorescence show that, compared with MTs in control nonmotile cells, MT turnover is increased twofold in the lamella of HGF-treated cells but unchanged in the retraction tail, demonstrating that microtubule turnover is regionally regulated.
The effect of adjacent residues on the reactivity of tyrosyl with iodine.

Abstract The effect of the adjacent amino acid side chain groups on the iodination rate of the tyrosine was studied. The model peptides used were Gly-Tyr-Gly, Leu-Tyr-Leu, Glu-Tyr-Glu, and Lys-Tyr-Lys, in which the tyrosine is sandwiched between two hydrophobic, two negatively charged, or two positively charged residues. The results show only minor differences in the iodination rate of tyrosine in these four peptides. These differences are very small in comparison with those previously observed between the tyrosines of κ Bence-Jones proteins.
An Axiomatic Framework for Engineering Design

In order to ensure that engineering design is conducted as a rational process producing the best possible results given the context of the activity, a mathematics of design is needed. It is possible to develop such a mathematics based on the recognition that engineering design is a decision-making intensive process and adapting theories from other fields, such as economics and decision theory. We present here eight axioms and derive from them two theorems, which underlie the mathematics of design. Then we present a third theorem that, in the context of the axioms presented, imposes severe conditions upon design methodologies. Together, the axioms and theorems provide a framework that enables the development of a normative theory of design. This theory is applied to a simple example. The results, while intuitively obvious, are substantially different from the results of a conventional' engineering design analysis.
Computation of radiation patterns involving numerical double integration

A technique is presented which allows a substantial reduction in the number of points required to evaluate numerically a double integral arising in antenna problems. Accuracy is compared with conventional techniques, and error data are presented.
Coconut oil as a fuel in the Pacific Islands

The steadily increasing world market prices for fossil fuels in the past years have significantly increased interest in the development of indigenous sources of energy in the Pacific islands. As an import substitution strategy, many Pacific island Governments are looking into the use of local biomass resources to replace traditionally imported fuels such as petrol and diesel by biofuels. An overview of biofuel activities is given, with experiences and key achievements in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati and Marshall Islands with regard to efforts to develop alternative fuels. There are strong linkages between developments in the various Pacific island countries and lessons to be learned from experiences and policies implemented among Governments in the Pacific region. The paper concludes that there is a need for standardization, quality control and testing facilities for biofuels in the region. Governments need to investigate further the level of support that is required to make biofuel operations viable and maximize macroeconomic and environmental benefits.