cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Puccinia subnitens: An Obscure Rust Pathogen Little-Known for More than a Century

Harveson, R. M. 2014. Puccinia subnitens: An Obscure Rust Pathogen Little-Known for More than a Century. Plant Health Progress. doi:10.1094/PHPRV-13-0124 Sugar beet seedling rust, caused by Puccinia subnitens, is a rarely occurring but essentially harmless disease in sugar beet production. However, it has caused substantial but sporadic losses to commercial spinach growers. It has the typically complex life cycle of a macrocyclic rust pathogen, but is also unusual because it is one of the few documented heteroecious rust diseases where the early spore stages (pycnial and aecial) occur on the economic host while the normally damaging, repeating, uredial stage is found on the feral, noneconomic host. Most significantly, it was one of the first heteroecious rust diseases recognized to have the ability to infect numerous, distinct host species with the aecial stage while maintaining a relatively narrow host range for its uredial and telial stages.
Site-directed mutagenesis of glutamate residues in the large extrinsic loop of the photosystem II protein CP 43 affects oxygen-evolving activity and PS II assembly.

The psbC gene encodes the intrinsic chlorophyll protein CP 43, a component of photosystem II in higher plants, green algae, and cyanobacteria. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was used to introduce mutations into the portion of psbC that encodes the large extrinsic loop E of CP 43 in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803. Three mutations, E293Q, E339Q, and E352Q, each produced a strain with impaired photosystem II activity. The E293Q mutant strain grew photoautotrophically at rates comparable to the control strain. Immunological analyses of several PS II components indicated that this mutant accumulated normal quantities of PS II proteins. However, this mutant evolved oxygen to only 56% of control rates at saturating light intensities. Measurements of total variable fluorescence yield indicated that this mutant assembled approximately 60% of the fully functional PS II centers found in the control strain. The E339Q mutant grew photoautotrophically at a severely reduced rate. Both immunological analysis...
Continuous work function monitoring of the emersed double layer

Abstract Work functions measurements were used to monitor the emersed double layer. An apparatus was used which utilized a Kelvin probe and rotating electrode. Curves called emersograms show the change in work function, ΔΦ, vs. electrode potential. ΔΦ of Au, SnO 2 , and other emersed electrodes, was measured as a function of electrolyte concentration, potential scan rate, time-out-of-solution, and other parameters, with no deoxygenation. Au demonstrated less than ideal emersion due to double layer “rip-off”, discharge, and species formed irreversibly in the double layer. To first order, SnO 2 exhibited ideal double layer emersion, even in very dilute solution.
Assessing the impact of biomedical research in academic institutions of disparate sizes.

The evaluation of academic research performance is nowadays a priority issue. Bibliometric indicators such as the number of publications, total citation counts and h-index are an indispensable tool in this task but their inherent association with the size of the research output may result in rewarding high production when evaluating institutions of disparate sizes. The aim of this study is to propose an indicator that may facilitate the comparison of institutions of disparate sizes. The Modified Impact Index (MII) was defined as the ratio of the observed h-index (h) of an institution over the h-index anticipated for that institution on average, given the number of publications (N) it produces i.e. (α and β denote the intercept and the slope, respectively, of the line describing the dependence of the h-index on the number of publications in log10 scale). MII values higher than 1 indicate that an institution performs better than the average, in terms of its h-index. Data on scientific papers published during 2002–2006 and within 36 medical fields for 219 Academic Medical Institutions from 16 European countries were used to estimate α and β and to calculate the MII of their total and field-specific production. From our biomedical research data, the slope β governing the dependence of h-index on the number of publications in biomedical research was found to be similar to that estimated in other disciplines (≈0.4). The MII was positively associated with the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.653, p < 0.001), the h-index (r = 0.213, p = 0.002), the number of publications with ≥ 100 citations (r = 0.211, p = 0.004) but not with the number of publications (r = -0.020, p = 0.765). It was the most highly associated indicator with the share of country-specific government budget appropriations or outlays for research and development as % of GDP in 2004 (r = 0.229) followed by the average number of citations/publication (r = 0.153) whereas the corresponding correlation coefficient for the h-index was close to 0 (r = 0.029). MII was calculated for first 10 top-ranked European universities in life sciences and biomedicine, as provided by Times Higher Education ranking system, and their total and field-specific performance was compared. The MII should complement the use of h-index when comparing the research output of institutions of disparate sizes. It has a conceptual interpretation and, with the data provided here, can be computed for the total research output as well as for field-specific publication sets of institutions in biomedicine.
Tight-Binding Approach to Electrons in a Crystal Potential and an External Magnetic Field

A general transformation of the tight-binding determinant for a finite orthorhombic crystal in an external magnetic field is introduced. It yields interacting finite Peierls determinants, where the interaction terms arise from distinct surfaces. This result is applied to the energy structure of wires and foils. The formation of Landau levels is demonstrated. The gap widths obtained in films are applicable also to infinite crystals. It is shown that the level broadening near the edges of the unperturbed band and the gap widths near the center decrease exponentially with the magnetic field.
Hydrogen Production by Catalytic Dehydrogenation of Tetralin and Decalin Over Stacked Cone Carbon Nanotube-Supported Pt Catalysts

Stacked cone carbon nanotubes (SC-CNT) with a BET surface area of ∼280 m2/g were used as the support medium to prepare Pt catalysts for partial dehydrogenation of tetralin and decalin to produce pure hydrogen and naphthalene. The results show that for dehydrogenation of tetralin at 240 °C, 1.0 wt % Pt/SC-CNT is more active than 1.0 wt % Pt catalyst supported on granular carbon or carbon black (acetylene soot) and more active than 1.0 wt % Pt, Pd, or Rh supported on γ-alumina. HRTEM characterization of the used catalysts established that Pt was more highly dispersed on SC-CNT than on the other supports. At 240 °C, dehydrogenation of decalin produces hydrogen, tetralin, and naphthalene. The small amount of tetralin present in the products compared with the amount of naphthalene produced suggests that the dehydrogenation of decalin to tetralin is slower than the dehydrogenation of tetralin. cis-Decalin exhibits a higher conversion rate than trans-decalin, suggesting that the flexible geometric structure of c...
Learning Dimensional Analysis through Collaboratively Working with Manipulatives

Dimensional analysis is traditionally one of the first topics covered in a general chemistry course. Chemists use dimensional analysis as a tool to keep track of units and guide them through calculations. Although unit conversions are taught in a variety of subjects over several grade levels, many students have not mastered this topic by the time they enter college. To properly equip beginning chemistry students, a collaborative active-learning activity was developed. This article describes the activity and reports data of the effects it had on students’ performance in a first-semester general chemistry course at a large research institution.
Lighting the Computerized Office: A Comparative Study of Parabolic and Lensed-Indirect Office Lighting Systems

A comparative field survey of the effects of two alternative lighting systems, a parabolic downlighting system and a ceiling suspended, lensed- indirect lighting system, on computer workers in a virtually windowless office was conducted. A questionnaire, collecting data on work content, perception of ambient environmental conditions including office lighting, work-related health symptoms, job stress and job satisfaction, and self-reported productivity was completed by 96 workers. Results show that the lensed-indirect lighting system was rated significantly more favorably on several subjective lighting quality scales, and significantly more appropriate for computer based work. Workers reported less problems with glare on their computer screen and with work being hindered, fewer eye problems (tired eyes, trouble focusing eyes), better productivity, and significantly higher satisfaction for the lensed-indirect system compared with parabolic lighting.
Fractional dynamics and collider phenomenology

Abstract Both theory and experiments strongly suggest that new phenomena await discovery above the energy range of the standard model for particle physics (SM). In this brief report we argue that a correct description of physics in the TeV energy region needs to account for the inherent randomness induced by short-distance fluctuations. The existence of “unparticles”, alleged to emerge at the next-generation colliders, is motivated by a dynamic setting that is out-of-equilibrium and able to sustain a rich spectrum of complex phenomena.
Alcohol-induced sexual behavior on campus.

Abstract This study investigated the prevalence of alcohol-related sexual activity on campus. Since coming to college, 35% of the students had engaged in some form of sexual activity that was influenced by drinking. Because they had been drinking, 18% had engaged in sexual intercourse, and 15% had abandoned safe-sex techniques. For the categories any form of sexual activity and abandonment of safe-sex techniques, a significantly greater percentage of women were affected by alcohol use, but this was not true for sexual intercourse. The survey showed no significant differences between undergraduate and graduate students. All three variables showed a relationship with heavier alcohol use and with binge drinking. Academic excellence was negatively correlated with alcohol-induced sexual intercourse.
Gaussian Integers and Arctangent Identities for π

(2009). Gaussian Integers and Arctangent Identities for π. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 116, No. 6, pp. 515-530.
Perinatal outcomes based on the institute of medicine guidelines for weight gain in twin pregnancies.

AbstractObjective: To estimate the impact of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) weight gain recommendations on perinatal outcomes in twin pregnancies.Methods: In this multicenter cohort study, using the 2009 IOM guidelines, we examined pregnancy outcomes in 570 uncomplicated diamniotic twin pregnancies. Subjects were grouped according to pre-pregnancy body mass index. Perinatal outcomes were assessed based on whether maternal weekly weight gain was less than, at, or in excess of the recommended IOM guidelines.Results: In women with a normal pre-pregnancy BMI, patients whose weight gain met the IOM recommendations had a significantly higher mean gestational age at delivery; less prematurity and larger birth weight infants compared to women whose weekly weight gain was less or excess than the recommended IOM guidelines. Similarly, when compared with their low weight gain counterparts, overweight women with appropriate weight gain had improved outcomes including higher mean gestational age at delivery, higher...
Chronic administration of trifluoperazine in multiple dosages and multiple durations.

Abstract Albino rats received a chronic drug administration experience of trifluoperazine in varying dosages and durations, beginning on day 5 in infancy. In adulthood all drug groups were tested on avoidance conditioning and competition testing. The results demonstrated that the chronic drug experience detrimentally affected the acquisition of a conditioned avoidance response, but failed to support the hypotheses that the deficit would be compounded by increasing either dosage or duration.
Corneal Lipodermoid by Microphthalmos

Although dermoids of the cornea have been frequently reported, those interfering severely with embryonic development of the eye are extremely rare." A case was presented by Von Graefe in 1870, and later fully described by Swanzy (1871), of a patient with a corneal dermoid which was very large at birth and which al­ most doubled in size during the first eight months of life. This tumor involved most of the cornea and protruded through the lid fissure. Histologic examination of the tumor showed skin with hair follicles and sweat glands. The cornea was replaced by connect­ ive tissue and the iris had been incorporated completely within this tissue. There was no anterior chamber and no evidence of lentic­ ular material. A detailed report on a case of lipodermoid of the cornea with severe ocular in­ volvement was published by Wagenmann (1889). Rudimentary eye structures were found within the dermoid, as were bone fragments. The mass was surrounded by skin containing hair follicles. The greater portion of the tumor consisted of fat with septa of connective tissue extending into the rudimentary globe. The rudimentary bulbus had striated muscle fibers on both sides. A possible cornea, appearing as a curved mem­ brane, was described, but Descemet's mem­ brane could not be identified. Lens material, a vague anterior chamber, iris and cellular elements of ciliary muscles were present. The posterior aspect of the rudimentary globe contained retinal structures and pig­ ment epithelium, but the sclera was absent. A small piece of cartilage was found to ex­ tend into the bulbus. From the rudimentary structures present it was concluded that the tumor must have formed at the beginning of the second month of embryonic life.
Field Immobilization of Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) for Minor Surgical Procedures

A combination of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine hydrochloride at doses of 50 mg/kg and 5 mg/kg, respectively, was used to immobilize 48 muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) from October 1993 to November 1994 in Tennessee (USA). Mean (±SD) time for induction was 2.97 ± 1.1 min. After a mean (±SD) duration of 27.2 ± 3.5 min intramuscular yohimbine hydrochloride at a dose of 0.125 mg/kg was administered. Mean (±SD) recovery time was 48.1 ± 21.6 min. All anesthetic inductions were smooth and sufficient depth of anesthesia was achieved to allow surgical collection of adipose tissue. Recovery times were more variable than expected. There was a significant (P ≤ 0.05) drop in heart rate, respiratory rate, and body temperature during anesthesia. One animal died during recover).
An atomic-scale nanoelectronic in - vivo sensing system: Fundamental limits

A self-contained or autonomous (10-?m)3 cubic system capable of migrating within a mammal to sense and communicate the in vivo state of individual cells is defined and analyzed to determine the fundamental limits for several component technologies. These component technologies include an embedded energy source, sensors, a control microprocessor, and a communication system. Interested in determining the limiting technology, we show that the communication system would consume most of the energy per bit or operation. This analysis suggests that while fabrication technologies needed to realize this system do not exist today and the tradeoffs are daunting, systems on this scale may be feasible using end-of-ITRS technologies.
In vitro growth of five Frankia isolates in the presence of four phenolic acids and juglone

Abstract The effects of four phenolic acids and juglone on the growth of five Frankia isolates were determined using a total protein assay and light microscopy. Juglone and eaffeic acid, at 100 μM and 1 mM concentrations respectively, were most inhibitory to growth of the Frankia isolates, although an isolate from Alnus crispa [Alnus viridis ssp. crispa (Ait.) Turril] nodules exhibited significantly greater growth compared to the other isolates at identical treatment levels. Gentisic, o-hydroxyphenylacetic and vanillic acids were less inhibitory to growth of the five Frankia isolates than juglone and caffeic acid. Juglone inhibited vesicle production of two isolates that produced vesicles in controls. Juglone, caffeic acid and vanillic acid caused increased hyphal ramification, while vanillic acid also induced Frankia to form numerous spherical structures unlike vesicles or sporangia in appearance. None of the isolates tested had the ability to utilize the phenolic acids as sole carbon and energy sources at 1 mM concentrations.
On the Physical Basis of Theory of “Mental Waves”

We discuss the conjecture on quantum-like (QL) processing of information in the brain. It is not based on the physical quantum brain (e.g., Penrose) - quantum physical carriers of information. In our approach the brain created the QL representation (QLR) of information in Hilbert space. It uses quantum information rules in decision making. The existence of such QLR was (at least preliminary) confirmed by experimental data from cognitive psychology; in particular, experiments on recognition of ambiguous figures (Conte et al., 2006; 2009). The violation of the law of total probability in these experiments is an important sign of nonclassicality of data. In this paper we speculate on a possible physical realization of QLR in the brain: a classical wave model producing QLR . It is based on variety of time scales in the brain. Each pair of scales (fine - the background fluctuations of electromagnetic field and rough - the cognitive image scale) induces the QL representation. The background field plays the crucial role in creation of “superstrong QL correlations” in the brain.
Spectrophosphorimetry of several indole derivatives

Abstract Many of the indole derivatives are active components of the metabolism of both plants and animals. In the case of plants, it now seems likely that most auxins are indolic in nature. However, reliable techniques for the unambigous identification of certain indoles at physiological concentrations are still lacking. Since spectrophosphorimetry has become a valuable analytical tool for quantitative analysis of organic molecules that phosphoresce, and indoles are known to have this characteristic, it seemed possible that this analytical technique could be extremely useful with this class of compounds. This communication will be concerned with showing that certain indoles can be detected at very low levels, that they have decay times that are measurable and different, and that they have definitive excitation and emission spectra. Also it will be shown that the procedure can be coupled with gas chromatography for identification purposes.
A history of Mars atmospheric opacity in the southern hemisphere during the Viking extended mission

A history of developing opacity in the Mars southern hemisphere during the Viking extended mission has been compiled using orbiter images obtained at high altitude. Observations of changing contrasts under similar viewing conditions have been modeled by multiple-scattering intensity transfer equations that have produced a temporal description of changes in optical depth and particle-scattering properties within a network of control points. The results are presented in the form of Mercator and perspective plots for various dates.
A novel solvent extraction process with bottom gas injection without moving parts

Abstract A novel solvent extraction process in which the emulsion is generated by bottom gas injection rather than mechanical stirring has been developed. This process has a number of advantages over the mixer–settler unit or the spray column in terms of simple equipment configuration and the ease of cleaning and process control, while providing a sufficiently large interfacial area for mass transfer. The equipment consists of a horizontal cylindrical vessel in which the two immiscible liquids flow countercurrently. High-strength gas jets are injected from the bottom at certain intervals along the length of the vessel. The gas jet creates a plume zone consisting of an emulsion of the two liquids which contains a large interfacial area for rapid mass transfer. The two liquids then disengage and flow in the opposite directions before entering another plume zone. Thus, the process combines the simplicity of a cylindrical vessel, having no moving parts, with the contacting efficiency of a mixer–settler. The gas can be recycled in a closed loop, thus eliminating mist and other emission problems. By using an inert gas, the oxidation degradation of the extractants and/or solutes can be prevented.
Image restoration of multiple-frame sequences

One of the most challenging image processing applications is image restoration, which refers to methods for removing various sources of distortion that may have corrupted the ideal image data. Most of the image restoration techniques were developed to process one image at a time, and do not take advantage of the availability of multiple frames of essentially the same scene. More recently, the advancement of image processing hardware allowed us to process a sequence of images at or near frame rate, and new techniques were developed to process multiple frames of images for various applications. In this paper we propose a novel iterative restoration technique based on Kaczmarz's method, that processes a sequence of frames and produces output images with higher resolution and larger signal-to-noise ratio than the input image sequence. The proposed method provides a natural and simple way to improve image resolution by exploiting the relative scene motion from frame to frame. This relative motion can be due to the motion of the imaging platform, and/or motion of objects in the scene. We discuss the first case in some detail, show how to apply the novel iterative method to the problem, and present experiments using real data to demonstrate the algorithm performance.
Using SST/Macro for Effective Analysis of MPI-Based Applications: Evaluating Large-Scale Genomic Sequence Search

Future and current high-performance computing applications will have to change and adapt as node architectures evolve. The application of advanced architecture simulators will play a crucial role for the design and optimization of future data intensive applications. In this paper, we present our simulation-based framework for analyzing the scalability and performance of a number of critical optimizations of a massively parallel genomic search application, mpiBLAST, using an advanced macroscale simulator (SST/macro). We report the use of our framework for the evaluation of three potential improvements of mpiBLAST: 1) enabling high-performance parallel output; 2) an approach for caching database fragments in memory; and 3) a methodology for pre-distributing database segments. In our experimental setup, we performed query sequence matching on the genome of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.
High Precision Tracking of Intracellular Transport with Fluorescent Nanoparticles

To grow and maintain eukaryotic cilia and flagella, axonemal precursors and membrane proteins are moved continuously along the unipolar array of outer microtubules by intraflagellar transport (IFT). To understand the role of dynein and kinesin motors in this process, we have used paralyzed flagella mutants of Chlamydomonas as a model organism. Flagella was rigidly immobilized to a glass coverslip and fluorescent nanoparticles were attached to transmembrane component of moving cargoes. Fluorescent signals of nanoparticles were tracked by ultrahigh spatial (∼1 nm error) and temporal (600 microsecond) resolution. Cargoes were moved by 8 nm steps towards both directions, in agreement with kinesin and dynein step sizes. Movement was highly directional (no backward steps) which is different from other bidirectional transport systems, i.e. axonal transport in neurons. The bead usually changes the direction of movement at the tip of the flagellum and change in direction in the middle of the flagella was less common. Remarkably, just before the change in direction we observed high fluctuations in position for ∼50 msec. The cargo then abruptly starts moving on the opposite direction without showing any forward-backward stepping. The results imply that the motors responsible of the transport can be switched on and off quickly in turnaround zones by the cell so that they do not compete against each other to determine the direction of cargo transport.
Benzodiazepines and central inhibitory mechanisms.

The effect of diazepam was evaluated on spontaneous activity and drug-and electrically-elicited inhibitions of neuronal activity. Doses of diazepam which did not change spontaneous firing rates markedly enhanced GABA-mediated inhibitions in rat cerebellum in situ and in tissue cultures of rat hypothalamus. The effects of diazepam were readily reversible, and could be antagonized by picrotoxin; no effect on glycine or norepinephrine-induced inhibition was seen. It is concluded that actions of diazepam are mediated, at least in part, by a specific increase in GABA-mediated inhibition in the central nervous system.
Fos Expression in the Rat Brain Following Vaginal‐Cervical Stimulation by Mating and Manual Probing

Vaginal-cervical stimulation (VCS), provided by mating or manual probing, induces many reproductive behavioral and endocrine changes in female rats. These changes include an increase in lordosis duration, heat termination and pseudopregnancy. Electrophysiological and ['4C]2-deoxy-D-gIucose studies collectively show that neurons in the medial preoptic area, ventromedial hypothalamus and midbrain central gray respond to manual VCS. In the present study we immunocytochemically labeled brain sections for Fos, the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos, to detect VCS-responsive neurons in hormone-primed animals receiving VCS by mating or manual probing. In Experiment 1, females receiving mounts and intromissions were compared to: 1) vaginally-masked females receiving mounts but no VCS, 2) females exposed to an intact anesthetized male or 3) females not exposed to males or the testing arena. Those animals receiving VCS showed a dramatic increase in the number of Fosirnmunoreactive cells in the medial preoptic area, posterodorsal portion of the medial amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, as well as the dorsomedial hypothalamus, ventromedial hypothalamus and midbrain central gray. These effects of VCS were confirmed in Experiment 2 in animals receiving manual vaginal-cervical probing. These findings extend previous electrophysiological and ['4C]2-deoxy-D-g1ucose studies by providing evidence that additional brain areas respond to VCS by mating, as well as manual probing. For a brief period during the estrous cycle, rats express a component of female sexual behavior known as receptivity. Receptivity includes lordosis, the sexually receptive posture that female rats assume in order to facilitate intromission by the male. The expression of lordosis is dependent on an increase in estradiol secretion followed by a peak in progesterone (1). Elimination of the cyclic release of estradiol and progesterone by ovariectomy blocks the expression of lordosis, while sequential administration of estradiol and progesterone reinstates it (1, 2). Estradiol and progesterone are believed to induce their effects on female sexual behavior by acting through neural intracellular receptors (3), predominantly located in the mediobasal hypothalamus (4, 5). While the proper hormonal conditions are required for lordosis, the appropriate somatosensory stimulation provided by the male during mounting, such as flank stimulation, is also necessary (6). Another somatosensory stimulus associated with copulation, vaginal-cervical stimulation (VCS) provided during penile intromission, influences the reproductive behavior and physiology of female rats. In the short term, the duration of lordosis during copulation is increased by VCS (7). In the long term, prolonged VCS provided by mating decreases the duration of sexual receptivity in rats (8-10). Furthermore, rejection of the male occurs much more often in female rats which receive VCS (9). Manual VCS,
Opportunities for inertial fusion and high-energy-density physics research at the National Laser Users' Facility

State-of-the-art, high-energy, high-power laser facilities, such as the Omega Laser Facility at the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), provide unique opportunities for conducting a broad range of inertial fusion and high-energy-density physics studies. As part of the LLE National Laser Users' Facility program, a significant portion of the shot time of the 60-beam UV 30-kJ, 30-TW OMEGA and the four-beam, petawatt-class OMEGA EP Laser Systems is provided for external user experiments. These experiments include studies of matter compressed to super-high densities and pressures, inertial fusion, laboratory astrophysics, relativistic plasma physics, warm-densematter physics, and the development of advanced high-energy-density plasma diagnostic systems. Some of the challenges, exciting results, and future opportunities for inertial fusion and high-energy-density physics research will be presented.
Evaluation of Pr {x⩾y} When Both X and Y are from Three-Parameter Weibull Distributions

It is important in many reliability applications to determine the probability that the failure time of an element from one population will exceed that of an element from a second population. In this paper, we present a method for computer calculations of Pr {x ⩾ y} where X and Y are each from a three-parameter Weibull distribution. In addition, we provide the moments and the probability density function of the difference. Numerical examples are included.
Studies on the site of ribosomal binding of f2 bacteriophage RNA

Interaction of messenger RNA and ribosomes studied, using F-2 bacteriophage RNA as model messenger in cell-free Escherichia
Factors predicting inhaled corticosteroid responsiveness in African American patients with asthma

Background African American patients disproportionately experience uncontrolled asthma. Treatment with an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) is considered first-line therapy for persistent asthma. Objective We sought to determine the degree to which African American patients respond to ICS medication and whether the level of response is influenced by other factors, including genetic ancestry. Methods Patients aged 12 to 56 years who received care from a large health system in southeast Michigan and who resided in Detroit were recruited to participate if they had a diagnosis of asthma. Patients were treated with 6 weeks of inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate, and pulmonary function was remeasured after treatment. Ancestry was determined by genotyping ancestry-informative markers. The main outcome measure was ICS responsiveness defined as the change in prebronchodilator FEV 1 over the 6-week course of treatment. Results Among 147 participating African American patients with asthma, average improvement in FEV 1 after 6 weeks of ICS treatment was 11.6%. The mean proportion of African ancestry in this group was 78.4%. The degree of baseline bronchodilator reversibility was the only factor consistently associated with ICS responsiveness, as measured by both an improvement in FEV 1 and patient-reported asthma control ( P = .001 and P = .021, respectively). The proportion of African ancestry was not significantly associated with ICS responsiveness. Conclusions Although baseline pulmonary function parameters appear to be associated with the likelihood to respond to ICS treatment, the proportion of genetic African ancestry does not. This study suggests that genetic ancestry might not contribute to differences in ICS controller response among African American patients with asthma.
EFFICACIES OF ACETIC, LACTIC AND TWO MIXED ACIDS IN REDUCING NUMBER OF BACTERIA ON SURFACE OF LEARN MEAT

This study on sanitizing beef surfaces was designed to evaluate effects of mixtures of acetic, lactic, citric and ascorbic acids with individual solutions of acetic and lactic acids. Acetic acid (3%), lactic acid (3%), MA1 (2% acetic, 1% lactic, 0.25% citric and 0.1% L-ascorbic acids) and MA2 (2% lactic, 1% acetic, 0.25% citric and 0.1% L-ascorbic acids) solutions were applied to beef core samples of muscle inoculated with bacteria. Experimental variables were type, concentration and temperature of acid solutions and type of microorganisms. Overall, an increase in either acid concentration or treatment temperature decreased numbers of residual viable bacteria. Lactic acid solution was the most effective against S. typhimurium with a reduction of 2 log10 at 70°C. For enterobacteria, acetic, lactic and MA2 solutions at 70°C resulted in a 1.5 log10 reduction. MA2 was the most effective acid solution at both 45 and 70°C, whereas, lactic acid and the MA2 mixture did not differ in effectiveness at 20°C.
Menstrual disorders during adolescence

Concerns about menstrual function are a frequent reason for primary care visits during adolescence. Following a review of normal pubertal development and menstrual function, primary care assessment and management of delayed menarche, amenorrhea, and dysfunctional uterine bleeding during adolescence are presented.
Oracle Exalytics: Engineered for Speed-of-Thought Analytics

One of the biggest product announcements at 2011's Oracle OpenWorld user conference was Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine, the latest addition to the "Exa"-branded suite of Oracle-Sun engineered software-hardware systems. Analytics is all about gaining insights from the data for better decision making. However, the vision of delivering fast, interactive, insightful analytics has remained elusive for most organizations. Most enterprise IT organizations continue to struggle to deliver actionable analytics due to time-sensitive, sprawling requirements and ever tightening budgets. The issue is further exasperated by the fact that most enterprise analytics solutions require dealing with a number of hardware, software, storage and networking vendors and precious resources are wasted integrating the hardware and software components to deliver a complete analytical solution. Oracle Exalytics Business Intelligence Machine is the world’s first engineered system specifically designed to deliver high performance analysis, modeling and planning. Built using industry-standard hardware, market-leading business intelligence software and in-memory database technology, Oracle Exalytics is an optimized system that delivers answers to all your business questions with unmatched speed, intelligence, simplicity and manageability.
Patterns of Mediastinal Metastases in Bronchogenic Carcinoma

The location and frequency of metastases to the lymph nodes were documented in a review of 200 patients with bronchogenic carcinoma who underwent pulmonary resection and total lymph node resection. No nodal metastases were found in 120 patients (60 percent). Metastases were present in only lobar or hilar nodes (or both) in 32 patients (16 percent), and 34 (17 percent) had metastases in mediastinal nodes as well as in lobar or hilar nodes. Only mediastinal nodal metastases were found in 14 patients (7 percent). Previously described lymphatic pathways can explain the presence of metastases in mediastinal nodes alone. Unexplained findings were the higher prevalence of mediastinal nodal metastases in adenocarcinoma vs squamous cell carcinoma and a much higher frequency of mediastinal metastases without lobar or hilar involvement (or both) in patients with adenocarcinoma compared to those with squamous cell carcinoma.
Indications for Sinus Surgery: How Appropriate Are the Guidelines?

Sinusitis is the most commonly reported chronic disorder in America. More than 75,000 sinus surgical procedures were performed in 1993. Evaluating the appropriateness of procedures is a major focus of health care reform. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) collaborated with Value Health Sciences, Inc. (VHS) to develop guidelines for the use of sinus surgery. The clinical utility of these guidelines is presented. Patients undergoing sinus surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, between November 1994 and July 1995 were eligible. Relevant patient information was used to prospectively rate surgery on the nine-point VHS appropriateness scale (1 to 3, inappropriate; 4 to 6, equivocal; 7 to 9, appropriate). Of 55 patients, 37 (67%) had chronic sinusitis, 10 (18%) recurrent sinusitis, five (9%) chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps, and three (6%) sinusitis with moderate to severe asthma; 27 (49%) had previous sinus surgery. Appropriateness ratings ranged from 1 to 9, with nine (16%) procedures rated as inappropriate, 22 (40%) uncertain, and 24 (44%) appropriate. There were no significant differences in the ratings of appropriateness between the group of patients who had undergone previous sinus surgery and the group of patients who had not. Overall, the guidelines were easily applied and clinically pertinent.
Auxin receptors: a new role for F-box proteins.

The plant hormone auxin regulates transcription by promoting the degradation of a family of transcriptional repressors called Aux/IAA proteins. Genetic and biochemical studies have shown that this degradation is dependent on a ubiquitin protein ligase called SCF TIR1 . In the presence of auxin, the F-box protein TIR1 binds to the Aux/IAA proteins, resulting in their ubiquitination and degradation. Recent attention has focused on the nature of the auxin receptor and upstream signaling events involved in this process. Now, two recent papers demonstrate that auxin binds directly to TIR1 and promotes the interaction with the Aux/IAA proteins. Furthermore, TIR1 functions together with at least three other related F-box protein/receptors to mediate the auxin response throughout plant growth and development.
The ISABELLE Accelerator Software, Control System, and Beam Diagnostic Philosophy

The ISABELLE Project combines two large proton accelerators with two storage rings in the same facility using superconducting magnet technology. This combination leads to severe constraints on beam loss in magnets and involves complex treatment of magnetic field imperfections and correction elements. The consequent demands placed upon beam diagnostics, accelerator model programs, and the computer oriented control system are discussed in terms of an illustrative operation scenario.
Extracting hierarchies with overlapping structure from network data

Relationships between entities in many complex systems, such as the Internet and social networks, have a natural hierarchical organization. Understanding these inherent hierarchies is essential for creating models of these systems. Thus, there is a recent body of research concerning the extraction of hierarchies from networks. We propose a new method for modeling hierarchies through extracting the affiliations of the network. From these affiliations, we construct a lattice of the relationships between nodes. A principal advantage of our approach is that any overlapping community structures of the nodes within the network have a natural representation within the lattice. We then show an example of our method using a real data set.
First-Line Treatment and Prognostic Factors of Metastatic Bladder Cancer for Platinum-Eligible Patients

Metastatic urothelial carcinoma is primarily a disease of the elderly, with a median overall survival of approximately 15 months. Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy is standard first-line treatment for eligible patients, with carboplatin-based regimens used as an alternative for patients considered unfit to receive cisplatin. Prognostic models incorporating clinical risk factors have been validated, and molecular characteristics that predict for treatment response are under investigation. This review summarizes the current status of first-line treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma in platinum-eligible patients as well as prognostic and predictive models in this disease.
Bibliographic Catalogue of the Marine Benthic Algae in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (Northwestern Hawaiian Islands)

The algal bibliographic catalogue of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) is based on previously published records for the 10 northwestern islands, atolls and shoals in the Hawaiian Archipelago, and includes, aligned from northwest to southeast, Kure Atoll (90 species), Midway Atoll (123 species), Pearl & Hermes Atoll (74 species), Lisianski Island including Neva Shoals (52 species), Laysan Island (131 species), Maro Reef (79 species), Gardner Pinnacles (75 species), French Frigate Shoals including La Perouse Pinnacle (173 species), Necker Island (118 species) and Nihoa Island (33 species). The first section (I. Classification) provides a listing of classes, orders, and families of the 148 genera reported from the PMNM. The second section (II. Species-Reference Index) provides an alphabetized listing of the 335 algal species under the four Phyla, i.e., Cyanobacteria (18 species), Rhodophyta (198 species), Ochrophyta (45 species) and Chlorophyta (74 species) with the applicable reference citations for each island, atoll or shoal. Brief notes are provided, when appropriate, for selected species. The third section (III. Island-Reference Index) provides a chronological listing of all published algal references for each respective island, atoll or shoal. The Reference section contains the complete citation for each reference.
“Shades of Gray” in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Images of Infarcted Myocardium Can They Tell Us What We’d Like Them to?

Identifying individuals at risk of sudden death continues to be a challenging problem. Subgroups classified as high risk on the basis of prior myocardial infarction, low ejection fraction, and arrhythmia-related parameters are recognized to include only a small proportion of the sudden cardiac deaths occurring annually.1 Nevertheless, as the indications for implantable cardioverter-defibrillators expand to intermediate-risk groups, issues related to cost and the potential morbidity of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation take on greater significance. Article p 32 The possibility that high-resolution cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) of acute and chronic infarctions with the use of delayed gadolinium enhancement2 can improve risk stratification is now being evaluated by several groups. Bello et al3 have reported that measurements of infarct mass and surface area predict inducible monomorphic ventricular tachycardia more reliably than ejection fraction does in coronary patients referred for electrophysiological study. Because of the known limitation in positive predictive accuracy of electrophysiological testing,4 a need remains for studies of more definitive outcomes. Although CMR measurements of infarct size have also been used to forecast the extent of functional recovery after acute infarction and myocardial revascularization, studies of their predictive value for mortality are just beginning to become available. The study of Yan et al5 in this issue provides an initial look at the mortality question. It proposes a new approach for identifying a “potentially arrhythmic heterogeneous zone of viable and nonviable peri-infarct myocardium.” The authors hypothesize that the size of this zone can provide prognostic value for mortality incremental to that offered by ejection fraction and left ventricular (LV) end-systolic volume. Their study group consisted of patients with a history of coronary artery disease referred for CMR examination and found to have areas of myocardial delayed gadolinium enhancement. With the use of specialized image analysis software, the …
Minimum disruption service composition and recovery in mobile ad hoc networks

The dynamic nature of mobile ad hoc networks poses fundamental challenges to the design of service composition schemes that can satisfy the end-to-end quality of service requirements and minimize the effect of service disruptions caused by dynamic link and node failures. Although existing research on mobile ad hoc networks has focused on improving reliability, little existing work has considered service deliveries spanning multiple components. Moreover, service composition strategies proposed for wireline networks (such as the Internet) are poorly suited for highly dynamic wireless ad hoc networks. This paper proposes a new service composition and recovery framework designed to achieve minimum service disruptions for mobile ad hoc networks. The framework consists of two tiers: service routing, which selects the service components that support the service path, and network routing, which finds the optimal network path that connects these service components. Our framework is based on the disruption index, which is a novel concept that characterizes different service disruption aspects, such as frequency and duration, that are not captured adequately by conventional metrics, such as reliability and availability. Using the definition of disruption index, we formulate the problem of minimum-disruption service composition and recovery (MDSCR) as a dynamic programming problem and analyze the properties of its optimal solution for ad hoc networks with known mobility plan. Based on the derived analytical insights, we present our MDSCR heuristic algorithm for ad hoc networks with uncertain node mobility. This heuristic algorithm approximates the optimal solution with one-step lookahead prediction, where service link lifetime is predicted based on node location and velocity using linear regression. We use simulations to evaluate the results of our algorithm in various network environments. The results validate that our algorithm can achieve better performance than conventional methods.
Electrocardiographic impacts of lung resection

Abstract Introduction Electrocardiographic (ECG) changes accompanying lung resection have not been well investigated previously in a large controlled series of human adults. Thus, our current investigation was undertaken for a better understanding of the ECG changes associated with lung resection. Materials and Methods Medical records of 117 patients who underwent lung resection (segmentectomy, lobectomy, or pneumonectomy) were reviewed. Their clinical course and ECGs were compared during early, intermediate and late postoperative course ( 1 year post-op respectively). Results Patients in the acute postoperative phase had higher heart rate, increased maximum P-duration and P-dispersion, increased incidence of atrial arrhythmias and frequent ST-T changes. P-vector and QRS-vector were significantly affected after the lung resections; the correlation being most consistent between the anatomical displacements and the QRS-vector in the majority of patients. The axial shifts also demonstrated a characteristic temporal relationship after left pneumonectomy (a leftward deviation in the acute, normal or slight rightward deviation in the intermediate and a rightward deviation in the late postoperative course). The precordial R/S transition is often affected due to the mediastinal shifts and the ECGs in patients after left lung resection may simulate acute anteroseptal myocardial infarction due to a delayed R/S transition. Conclusion The understanding and recognition of the expected ECG findings after lung resection are imperative to avoid confusing these changes with other acute cardiopulmonary events which would prevent unnecessary further investigational work-up. These ECG changes are often dynamic and may bear a temporal relationship to the dynamic post-surgical changes in the thoracic anatomy.