cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
First Report of Sclerotium Production by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in Soil on Infected Soybean Seeds

Stem rot of soybean caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary was not recognized as an important problem in the North Central Region of the United States until severe outbreaks occurred in 1992, 1994, and 1996 (2). Although sclerotia mixed with seeds are known to be important to the spread of this disease, the role of internally infested soybean seed in dissemination of the disease is unknown. Tu (1) demonstrated in dry bean, which differs from soybean in seed size and plant architecture, that internally infected seeds are important to the spread of the disease, by producing sclerotia in the soil after the seeds are planted. Experiments were conducted to determine if sclerotia are formed in soils from internally infected soybean seeds. Soybean seed from a field with 70% disease severity were collected and sorted into three classes: (i) normal quality seed, which included moderate or good seed; (ii) poor quality seed (shriveled and/or whitish); and (iii) seed of regular size with visible mycelial mats (S. sclerotiorum or Peronospora manshurica (Naumov) Syd. in Gaum) on the seed coat. Transfer of surface-disinfested seeds to potato dextrose agar and subsequent production of sclerotia showed that 2, 44, and 6% of the seed from each respective class were infested with S. sclerotiorum. One hundred seeds from each of these classes were planted into sterilized and nonsterilized soil at a rate of 5 seeds per pot. Toothpicks were placed to identify the location of each seed, and seeds were covered with 2 cm of soil. Pots were placed in growth chambers with a 14-h photoperiod under two temperature regimes: (i) at 20°C; and (ii) at 10°C for 10 days and then raised to 20°C. Soil was kept saturated by periodically top watering the pots for the first 10 days and bottom watering after that. Two weeks after planting, seeds were examined for formation of sclerotia and the percentages of seeds from which sclerotia were formed were calculated. The experiments were conducted four times. One to two (occasionally three) sclerotia were found in place of each seed that did not germinate. Sclerotia were mainly found from seeds of poor quality, with an average of 12% seeds that produced sclerotia. The frequency of sclerotia found in normal quality seeds was 0.4%, and no sclerotia were found from seeds with mycelial mats. The sclerotia were 2.36 ± 1.07 mm in width, 3.33 ± 1.11 mm in length, and 6.8 ± 3.7 mg in weight, with an averaged germination rate of 88% 8 months after production. Sclerotia production frequencies were 11.4 and 15.4% for temperature regimes (i) and (ii), respectively. Higher percentages of sclerotium production were found in sterilized soil (15.6%) than nonsterilized soil (7.5%). Our results indicate the possibility of internally infected soybean seeds as a means for field-to-field dissemination of S. sclerotiorum. References: (1) J. C. Tu. J. Phytopathol. 121:40, 1988. (2) X. B. Yang. ICM Newsl. 18, 1997.
Enediyne-mediated cleavage of RNA

RNA cleavage by enediyne anticancer antibiotics was shown to occur with no apparent sequence selectivity, but RNA structure appears to be important in those substrates where cleavage was observed. Neocarzinostatin (NCS) cleaved a wider variety of RNA substrates than either esperamicin (ESP) or calicheamicin (CAL), and dynemicin (DYN) has yet to cleave any RNA substrate tried. NCS, ESP, and CAL were all observed to cleave RNA substrates near the 5'-end, and all three compounds exhibited cleavage in single-stranded loop regions of the RNA substrates. NCS required no thiol for activation and subsequent cleavage, but ESP and CAL required addition of thiol, as expected, for cleavage to occur. An RNA hairpin substrate containing a UCCU sequence, equivalent to the TCCT sequence preferred by CAL in double-stranded DNA substrates, was cleaved by CAL, but no retention of selectivity for the UCCU site was retained by CAL in this RNA substrate. This study confirms an earlier observation that RNA is a substrate for enediyne cleavage, and indicates that nucleic acid cleaving compounds such as the enediynes could be useful probes of RNA three-dimensional structure.
Science and Industry, Challenges of Antagonistic Interdependence

No one is responsible for the disenchantment of American science with its customers, government and industry, and of the customers with science. But the estrangement that has replaced the earlier relationship of mutual respect, while dangerous to both sides, is a mortal threat to American science.
Descriptive analyses of the integrity of a US Medicaid claims database

Purpose To examine the integrity of six Medicaid databases for use in pharmacoepidemiology research. Methods We performed descriptive analyses to examine four categories of potential data errors: incomplete claims for certain time periods; absence of an accurate indicator of inpatient hospitalizations; missing hospitalizations for those aged 65 years and over; and diagnostic codes in demographic groups in which those conditions should be rare. Results Prescription claims appeared to be missing intermittently in some states. No valid marker of inpatient hospitalizations could be found for three of six states. Hospitalizations appeared to be missing to varying degrees for those aged 65 years and over. Gross errors in diagnostic codes and demographic data did not appear to be widespread. Conclusions Whenever possible, investigators using administrative data should perform macro-level descriptive analyses on the parent data set. In particular, researchers should examine the number of medical and pharmacy claims over time, looking for gaps. Validity of markers of hospitalization should be assessed. The accuracy of diagnosis and demographic data should be examined. Such a descriptive macro-level approach should be used to supplement, and perhaps precede validation of study outcomes using clinical records. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
PANEL ATTRITION AND EXTERNAL VALIDITY IN THE SHORT-TERM FOLLOW-UP STUDY OF ADOLESCENT SUBSTANCE USE

The present study examines the relationship among grade, substance assessed; and type of measurement and statistical analysis employed in the detection of external validity threats due to panel att...
Survival in patients with poorly compressible leg arteries.

Objectives This study sought to compare survival of patients with poorly compressible arteries (PCA) to those with a normal ankle-brachial index (ABI) and those with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Background Limited data are available regarding survival in patients with PCA identified in the clinical setting by noninvasive lower extremity arterial evaluation. Methods We conducted a historical cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent outpatient, noninvasive lower extremity arterial evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, from January 1998 through December 2007, and who were followed for a mean duration of 5.8 ± 3.1 years. An ABI 1.00 to 1.30 was considered normal, PAD was defined as a resting or post-exercise ABI ≤0.90, and PCA defined as an ABI ≥1.4 and/or an ankle systolic blood pressure >255 mm Hg. Patients were followed for all-cause mortality through September 30, 2009. Results Of 16,493 individuals (mean age 67.8 ± 13.0 years, 59% male); 29% had normal ABI, 54% had PAD, and 17% had PCA. During follow-up (mean duration 5.8 ± 3.1 years), 4,365 patients (26%) died. The percent alive at the end of the study period was 88%, 70%, and 60% for normal ABI, PAD, and PCA, respectively. After adjustment for age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbid conditions, and medication use, the hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) of death associated with PCA were 2.0 (1.8 to 2.2) and 1.3 (1.2 to 1.4) compared with the normal ABI and PAD groups, respectively. Conclusions Patients identified by noninvasive vascular testing to have poorly compressible leg arteries have poor survival, worse than those with a normal ABI or those with PAD.
The Site of Action of Intrahypothalamic Estrogen Implants in Feminine Sexual Behavior: An Autoradiographic Analysis

Estrogenic stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamus is sufficient to prime progesterone-facilitated estrous behavior in ovariectomized rats. To determine precisely the site(s) of estrogenic stimulation and the locus of its priming action on estrous behavior, we used steroid autoradiographic methods to assess the diffusion of [3H]estradiol ([3H]E2) from behaviorally effective implants diluted 1:300 with cholesterol. Ovariectomized rats received [3H]E2-cholesterol implants aimed at the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN). Females were tested twice for feminine sexual behavior after stereotaxic surgery. They received progesterone on the day of behavioral testing. Animals were killed on the day after the second behavior test, cannulae were removed, and the brains were frozen rapidly and processed for autoradiography. Sections of 6-micron thickness from the preoptic region through the posterior hypothalamus were exposed to the nuclear emulsion-coated slides for varying periods of up to 12 months. Secti...
Economic Design of Central Water Supply Systems for Medium Sized Towns

. Adequate and good-quality water supply for medium sized towns is costly when there are insufficient quantity and low quality of groundwater or surface water. In a central water supply system serving a number of towns, the economies of scale may permit a sufficient and good-quality supply at lesser rates. Such a system has the flexibility of supplying rural population through small service lines. The system may be an interbasin or intrabasin conveyance depending on the location of a suitable water source and the economics of the supply network. Seven cost elements are pertinent to the optimum or least-cost design of network consisting of pipelines and pumping stations. The relevant cost functions are based on the available data gathered from various sources. Water conveyance costs are calculated for various flow rates, pipeline diameters, flow variabilities, static heads, and interest rates, thus providing a measure of sensitivity of the conveyance cost to such variations. The economies of scale, the sensitivity of optimum unit conveyance costs, and variations in unit costs with change in cost functions are useful in making a feasibility study for a proposed conveyance system.
Power consumption analysis of surface acoustic wave sensor systems using ANSYS and PSPICE

The power consumption of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensor system was investigated using ANSYS and PSPICE. Simulation results show that several design parameters of the surface acoustic wave sensor, such as the center distance between two interdigital transducers (IDT), the thickness of the piezoelectric substrate, the finger space of the IDT, etc., can greatly affect the power consumption of the whole system. The results of this study will be helpful to optimum design and fabricate the SAW sensor systems with very low-power consumption.
A New Catheter for the Female Patient

Summary: A new method of catheterizing the female patient has been designed. This method is aimed at reducing transfer of organisms from the distal urethra to the bladder at the time of catheterization. In an initial trial on 132 patients, post-catheterization bacteruria was reduced from 25% to 4%.
Electron Beam Testing And Its Application To Packaging Modules For Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) Chip Arrays

Electron Beam techniques, which have been applied for VLSI testing, are also useful for contactless testing of packaging modules. A test system has been developed to detect electrical opens and shorts in multilayer network wiring using specimens of 100 x 100 x 6mm in size. Various physical effects including charging, discharging, secondary electron emission and others allow a complete test to be performed. The contrast mechanism of the detected signal is based on the secondary electron yield vs. the beam potential and will be discussed in detail. Other signal mechanisms were also applied. By coordinating a pulsed electron beam in a vector mode to predetermined network terminals, computer controlled experiments were carried out. Results on the present status of this new testing approach will be presented.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The potential for sustainable harvests by traditional Wana hunters in Morowali nature reserve, central Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Conflicts arise between subsistence hunters and those who wish to conserve the animals they hunt. Solutions require measures of sustainability. Data are presented on the sustainability for the Wana hunters living in the highlands of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Pigs (Sus celebensis) and dwarf buffalo (Bubalus spp.) account for 58 percent and 40 percent of the large game harvest by weight. Primates (Macaca tonkeana) are occasionally killed. Data suggest pig hunting is sustainable, primates may have been overhunted in the past, and that dwarf buffalo are vulnerable. Using GPS, the area encompassing all of fields, traps, and house locations for the sample of 153 Wana was measured to be only 18.1 km2. To sustain their current harvest of pigs, however, the Wana need access to at least 290km2 of catchment. Their harvest of 0.30 pigs per person per year can be sustained if the Wana population density is no greater than 0.53 persons per km2. Pigs are the most sustainable of the Wana's prey options. Removing prima...
Transient Excitation of an Elastic Half Space by a Point Load Traveling on the Surface

The propagation of transient waves in an elastic half-space excited by a traveling normal point load is investigated. The load is suddenly applied and then it moves rectilinearly at a constant speed along the free surface. The displacements are computed for all points of the half-space as well as for all load speeds. The disturbance is analyzed by using multi-integral transforms and an inversion scheme based on the well-known Cagniard technique. This reduces the displacements to single integral and algebraic contributions, each of which is identified as the disturbance behind a specific wave front. The same solution is valid for all load speeds, even though the wave front geometry varies greatly, depending on the speed of the load relative to the body wave speeds. Moreover, the surface displacements are obtained from the interior ones, but only after the Rayleigh waves are computed by a separate calculation. Then, by taking advantage of the form of the exact solution, wave front expansions and Rayleigh wave approximations are computed for all load speeds. Several other analytical results are obtained for restricted values of the load speed. In particular, when it exceeds both of the body wave speeds the steady-state displacement field is separated from the transient one and reduced to algebraic form. Also, for the limit case of zero load speed a new representation of the interior displacements for Lamb's point load problem is displayed in terms of single integrals.
On a long series of measurements of Indian Ocean equatorial currents near Addu Atoll

Abstract Results of nearly 2 years of weekly current and temperature profiles to 300 m in the central equatorial Indian Ocean are discussed. The principal current detected is the eastward jet which appears at both the spring and fall monsoon transitions, driven by strong eastward winds, as noted by Wyrtki ( Science , 181 , 262–264, 1973). The jet is almost as strong at the depth of the thermocline as at the surface, and zonal currents at both depths are well correlated with the local wind stress at essentially zero lag. Since climatic atlases ( Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut , Indische Ocean Oceanografische en Meteorologische Gegevens . Publ. No. 135, Vol. 2, 1952) reveal a period of a month or more at the spring transition during which the winds over the western equatorial ocean response over the central and eastern ocean change to eastward, the importance to future equatorial ocean response studies of obtaining simultaneous wind and current data from a number of longitudes is underscored. A purely local balance of forces fails to account for the observed zonal accelerations; non-local effects, mainly the time-dependent zonal pressure gradient, are important. Following each appearance of the eastward jet is a month or more of westward flow, though the winds show little or no westward stress. A similar effect, due to relaxation of water piled up at the eastern coast by the jet, is found in a time-dependent numerical model of O'Brien and Hurlburt ( Science , 184 , 1075–1077, 1974). An eastward equatorial undercurrent beneath a westward surface flow is found in only one of the 2 years, and this is at least consistent with certain differences in the winds of these years.
A Guide to Uncertainty Analysis of Hot-Wire Data

Uncertainty analysis of hot-wire data in turbulent flows are made for time-averaging and real-time data reduction techniques. Equations of uncertainty are derived in general form for every step of data taking and evaluation. Numerical examples are supplied for two-dimensional flat plate boundary layer data. Results show that the real-time data reduction techniques generally have a lower and much more uniform uncertainty distribution than the time-averaging techniques (whose uncertainties are much higher for the near-wall data).
An electrochemical method for measurements of hydrogen and oxygen evolved in water photolysis sensitized by ZnTPP and MgTPP

Abstract The application of an electrochemical method for fast and continuous measurement of hydrogen and oxygen produced in cyclic water splitting process is described. The characteristics of this method including sensitivity, linearity and stability are discussed. Hydrogen and oxygen produced by photosensitization of ZnTPP or MgTPP in aqueous solution containing 20 per cent DMF, a variety of viologens, EDTA, either colloidal platinum, RuO2, or PbO2 were quantitatively detected in both gas and liquid phase. The results indicate that higher efficiency of H2 evolution is obtained with positively charged viologen PVA4+.
Characterization and Modeling of Wafer and Die Level Uniformity in Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE)

Wafer and die level uniformity effects in Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) are quantitatively modeled and characterized. A two-level etching model has been developed to predict non-uniformities in high-speed rotating microstructures. The separation of wafer level and die level effects is achieved by sequentially etching wafers with uniformly distributed holes. The wafer level loadings range from 0.06% to 17.6%. Resulting wafer maps reflect the transition from an ion-limited region to a neutral-transport limited region. Additionally, long-range die-level interactions are also evaluated. Resulting die-level etching non-uniformities have a comparable magnitude to wafer-level effects. A model taking into account both the diffusion and reaction rate of neutrals is applied to predict the etching of up to 21 dies. Agreement between measurement and prediction support the hypothesis that the depletion of radicals is the main cause of die-level etch variation. The characterization and prediction methods are applied to etching a micro-scale turbine engine.
A Survey of Employment Opportunities in the Atmospheric Sciences, 1981–1991

Results from an analysis of 11 years of the AMS Employment Announcements newsletter are discussed. The strongest signals in the record of various job categories are the annual cycle in advertisements of tenure-track faculty positions and the interannual variations in the overall market, which are dominated by private-sector positions. On average, there are 23±9 new positions announced each month, with maxima in March and November and the minimum in July. The overall market grew throughout the mid-1980s, but has declined in recent years.
Success is not enough: challenges to sustaining new forms of educational activity

Abstract Establishing a Fifth Dimension activity system in a community institution and an associated university course may be enough to get activity going, but it may not be sufficient to keep it going. We provide two examples of systems that existed for some time and then failed, despite evidence of their effectiveness. One was in California, the other in Michigan.
Coating with a modular bone morphogenetic peptide promotes healing of a bone-implant gap in an ovine model.

Despite the potential for growth factor delivery strategies to promote orthopedic implant healing, there is a need for growth factor delivery methods that are controllable and amenable to clinical translation. We have developed a modular bone growth factor, herein termed “modular bone morphogenetic peptide (mBMP)”, which was designed to efficiently bind to the surface of orthopedic implants and also stimulate new bone formation. The purpose of this study was to coat a hydroxyapatite-titanium implant with mBMP and evaluate bone healing across a bone-implant gap in the sheep femoral condyle. The mBMP molecules efficiently bound to a hydroxyapatite-titanium implant and 64% of the initially bound mBMP molecules were released in a sustained manner over 28 days. The results demonstrated that the mBMP-coated implant group had significantly more mineralized bone filling in the implant-bone gap than the control group in C-arm computed tomography (DynaCT) scanning (25% more), histological (35% more) and microradiographic images (50% more). Push-out stiffness of the mBMP group was nearly 40% greater than that of control group whereas peak force did not show a significant difference. The results of this study demonstrated that mBMP coated on a hydroxyapatite-titanium implant stimulates new bone formation and may be useful to improve implant fixation in total joint arthroplasty applications.
Integration and Responsiveness: Marketing Strategies of Japanese and European Automobile Manufacturers

Abstract Formulating a strategy to compete effectively in international markets is one of the major challenges a firm faces. The authors provide insight into how automobile firms devise strategies that respond to the conflicting pressures for local responsiveness and integration in the context of Western Europe, where Japanese automobile firms compete with European-based manufacturers. The authors develop a conceptual framework to test integration-responsiveness in terms of marketing-mix responses and market conditions, using data that cover four major European markets (73% of Western European sales) and a critical period in European integration. The findings indicate that Japanese firms are successfully pursuing standardization strategies rather than fully combining integration and responsiveness. These firms competitively adapt to limited differences between markets, and this strategy appears to be quite successful compared with the European firms’ strategies of combining integration and responsiveness....
The Impact of Health System Membership on Patient Safety Initiatives

Background: Research in configurations and strategic groups has a rich history of revealing performance differences for hospitals and health care systems. Purposes: To assess the relationship between hospital-led health system configurations and the adoption of patient safety practices. In particular, the adoption of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and intensive care unit physician staffing (IPS) is analyzed. Methodology: Analysis of variance was used to detect differences in patient safety measures based on health networks and systems' initial configuration clustering, and regression was used to assess group membership, controlling for hospital-level characteristics. The 2002 American Hospital Association survey and the first 3 years of the Leapfrog Group annual survey (2003-2005) are used for the analyses. Results: There were significant differences in CPOE and IPS adoption and implementation levels based on health systems' configurations. Centralized physician/insurance health systems and moderately centralized health systems were the highest configurations in terms of CPOE adoption. Group membership was not positively related to the use of IPS relative to hospitals that are not classified using the taxonomy. In fact, there is a significant and negative adoption rate for both patient safety measures in facilities classified in the independent hospital systems category. Conclusion: There are systematic differences in the adoption of CPOE and IPS patient safety measures based on health system configurations. The configuration with an insurance company as part of its structure was more likely than other groups to be adopting CPOE. Practitioner Implications: Given the durability of group membership, the Leapfrog Group and other patient safety initiatives could explicitly target configurations most likely to adopt and implement patient safety programs.
A hardware architecture to deploy complex multiprocessor scheduling algorithms

An increasing demand for high-performance systems has been observed in the domain of both general purpose and real-time systems, pushing the industry towards a pervasive transition to multi-core platforms. Unfortunately, well-known and efficient scheduling results for single-core systems do not scale well to the multi-core domain. This justifies the adoption of more computationally intensive algorithms, but the complexity and computational overhead of these algorithms impact their applicability to real OSes. We propose an architecture to migrate the burden of multi-core scheduling to a dedicated hardware component. We show that it is possible to mitigate the overhead of complex algorithms, while achieving power efficiency and optimizing processors utilization. We develop the idea of “active monitoring” to continuously track the evolution of scheduling parameters as tasks execute on processors. This allows reducing the gap between implementable scheduling techniques and the ideal fluid scheduling model, under the constraints of realistic hardware.
Adeno-associated virus-mediated expression and constitutive secretion of galanin suppresses limbic seizure activity in vivo.

Intractable temporal lobe epilepsy presents an ideal target for gene therapy, but therapeutic success depends upon the ability to suppress limbic seizure activity. Adeno-associated virus vectors (AAV) were constructed in which the fibronectin secretory signal sequence (FIB) preceded the coding sequence for galanin (AAV-FIB-GAL) or green fluorescent protein (AAV-FIB-GFP), constructs that express and constitutively secrete the gene product. Bilateral AAV-FIB-GAL infusion into the rat piriform cortex (2 μl/side) significantly attenuated kainic acid-induced seizures (10 mg/kg, ip) such that 11/12 rats exhibited no limbic seizures, while the remaining rat exhibited only a brief, single class III seizure. This AAV-FIB-GAL infusion also prevented electrographic seizure activity. In contrast, bilateral AAV-FIB-GFP infusion did not alter either behavioral or electrographic seizure activity. Since prior seizure exposure could influence vector efficacy, another group of rats received daily electrical stimulation of the piriform cortex until three consecutive class V seizures were elicited. Subsequently, AAV-FIB-GAL or AAV-FIB-GFP (3 μl/30 min) was infused into the area of the electrode. One week later the AAV-FIB-GAL rats exhibited a significant increase in the stimulation current necessary to evoke limbic seizure activity, while AAV-FIB-GFP did not alter the seizure threshold. Thus, AAV-mediated galanin expression and secretion significantly suppress limbic seizure activity in vivo.
Biosystematics of Peromyscus Eremicus, P. Guardia, and P. Interparietals

The taxonomic relationship of Peromyscus eremicus, P. guardia, and P. interparietalis was investigated, using hybridization, morphological characters, and blood serum protein electrophoresis. Under laboratory conditions P. interparietalis ryckmani and P. eremicus bred readily, but P. guardia guardia did not breed. Peromyscus interparietalis ryckmani and P. eremicus hybridized freely, producing fertile hybrids, and P. guardia guardia and P. interparietalis ryckmani produced two litters of hybrids. The interparietalis X eremicus hybrid sex ratio was abnormal—19 males and seven females. Peromyscus interparietalis ryckmani and P. eremicus are morphologically distinct, and the hybrids between these populations are morphologically distinguishable from both parental populations, and exhibit heterosis. Blood serum proteins of eremicus, two subspecies of guardia, three subspecies of interparietalis, and hybrids between eremicus and P. interparietalis ryckmani were analyzed by cellulose acetate strip electrophoresis. The protein patterns showed consistent interpopulation differences which tend to support current interpretations of the taxonomy of this group. Serum protein data appear to indicate a closer relationship between eremicus and interparietalis than is suggested by morphological characteristics. Even though eremicus, guardia, and interparietalis are morphologically distinct, they have not diverged sufficiently to have developed mechanisms of intersterility.
Mysis relicta: Effects of Turbidity and Turbulence on Short‐Term Survival

Abstract The effects of a wide range of turbidity and turbulence levels on the short-term survival of Mysis relicta under laboratory conditions were examined. The levels of turbulence and turbidity used bracket the conditions which Mysis relicta may be expected to encounter in one area of Twin Lakes, Colorado during the operation of a pumped storage power plant. Turbulence caused a highly significant increase in mortality; mortality was not significantly affected by the three levels of turbidity tested (0, 735–779, and 1,470–1,558 American Public Health Association turbidity units of glacial flour sediments) nor by the interaction of turbidity and tubulence. Mortality of Mysis relicta subjected to turbulence increased significantly over the 8-day experiment. Exhaustion from inability to feed and from continuous swimming during turbulent periods is suggested as the possible cause of increased mortality observed over time during the experiment.
Rho a negatively regulates cytokine-mediated inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in brain-derived transformed cell lines: negative regulation of IKKα

The present study describes the role of RhoA as a negative regulator of iNOS expression via the inactivation of NF-kappaB in transformed brain cell lines [C(6) glioma, human astrocytoma (T98G, A172), neuroblastoma (NEB), and immortal rat astrocytes]. Treatment with lovastatin resulted in the induction of LPS/IFN-gamma-mediated iNOS mRNA and increased nitric oxide (NO) production. The addition of mevalonate and geranylgeranylpyrophosphate (GGPP) reversed the lovastatin-mediated effect, whereas FPP had no effect. An inhibitor of geranylgeranyltransferase inhibitor (GGTI 298) further induced the cytokine and lovastatin-mediated iNOS expression, suggesting the involvement of geranylgeranylated proteins in the regulation of iNOS. Bacterial toxin B (inactivates RhoA, B, and C; CDC42; Rac proteins), C3 ADP-ribosyltransferase (C3) toxin from C. botulinum (inactivates RhoA, B, and C proteins), and Y-27632 (selective inhibitor of Rho-associated kinases) increased the LPS/IFN-gamma-mediated iNOS expression. Lovastatin treatment induced NO by increasing NF-kappaB translocation and its association with the CREB-binding protein (CBP/p300) via the downregulation of RhoA. Inhibition of RhoA resulted in increased activation of IKKalpha. Cotransfection studies with dominant-negative form of RhoA and iNOS-luciferase or NF-kappaB-luciferase reporter constructs further support these observations. Taken together, these studies show that downregulation of RhoA by lovastatin resulted in increased iNOS expression via the activation of NF-kappaB-CBP/p300 pathway in transformed brain cells.
Decomposition of recurrent choices into stochastically independent counts

Abstract Consider a fixed set of alternatives {1, …, k } available at each of a random number N of choice opportunities, exactly one alternative from {1, …, k } being selected at each such choice opportunity. Let the distribution of the conditional random vector {X 1 , …, X k | Σ X i = N} be known, X i being the number of times the i th alternative is chosen. What is the class of all possible ( k + 1)-vectors of probability mass functions { R(n), R 1 (x 1 ), …, R k (x k ) } such that if N is distributed according to R(n) , the components of the unconditional random vector {X 1 , …, X k } are mutually independent random variables distributed according to R 1 (x 1 ), …, R k (z k ) , respectively? This paper presents a complete and constructive solution of this problem for a broad class of conditional random vectors {X 1 , …, X k | Σ X i - N}. In particular, the solution applies to all situations where the sequence of potentially observable values of X i (for any i = 1, …, k ) forms an interval of consecutive integers, finite or infinite. When, for some i = 1, …, k , this sequence contains finite gaps, the solution may or may not apply in its entirety. it is suggested, however, that in many, if not all, such situations the representation of recurrent choices by conditional vectors {X 1 , …, X k | Σ X i = N} may not be optimal in the first place. A more natural representation, to which the solution proposed applies universally, is provided by {M 1 , …, M k | Σ M i = M}, where M i is the ordinal position of an observable value of X i in the sequence of all such values.
Elaboration of glial cell processes in the rat olfactory bulb associated with early learning

Odor preference training early in life induces anatomical changes in focal areas of the glomerular layer of the rat main olfactory bulb. We examined the associated focal changes in glial cell morphology using immunohistochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and found that the density of immunoreactive processes was higher in glomeruli responsive to an odor for which pups had developed a preference. The increase in process density in trained pups was specific to focal responsive regions of the bulb, revealed with [14C]2-deoxyglucose autoradiography. There was no change in the number of GFAP-immunoreactive cells between trained and control pups.
Transgenic zebrafish reveal stage-specific roles for Bmp signaling in ventral and posterior mesoderm development

Bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) signaling is crucial for the formation and patterning of zebrafish ventral and posterior mesoderm. Mutants defective in the Bmp pathway have expanded trunk muscle, abnormal tails and severely impaired development of ventral mesodermal derivatives such as vasculature, blood and pronephros. As Bmps continue to be expressed in the ventral and posterior mesoderm after gastrulation, it is likely that Bmp signaling continues to play an important developmental role during outgrowth of the posterior body. However, because Bmp signaling plays an essential role during the gastrula stages, it has not been possible with mutants or standard disruption techniques to determine the later functions of the Bmp pathway. To study the role of Bmp signaling in the ventral and posterior mesoderm during trunk and tail outgrowth, we generated a transgenic zebrafish line containing a heatshock-inducible dominant-negative Bmp receptor-GFP fusion. Our data show that Bmps are important for tail organizer formation and for patterning the ventral mesoderm during early gastrulation. However, from mid-gastrulation to the early somitogenesis stages, Bmp signaling is important for ventral tail fin development and for preventing secondary tail formation. We conclude that the role of Bmp signaling in the ventral and posterior mesoderm changes as gastrulation proceeds.
Characterization of inorganic salt particles by Raman spectroscopy

Abstract Raman spectra have been obtained for single aerosol particles levitated in an electrodynamic cell. The particles are composed of common inorganic salts such as sulfates, nitrates, phosphates and chromates in either pure or mixed form. The Raman vibrational frequencies observed for these compounds present in aerosol particles are found to be in good agreement with those of bulk samples. Moreover, the high resolution (±1 cm−1) developed in this work has made it possible to identify hydrated or mixed salts, which may be present in ambient aerosols under a variety of atmospheric conditions. It is shown that the Raman technique is a unique and non-destructive method for physical and chemical characterization of aerosol particles.
Measurement of metastable lifetimes for transitions in Fe 9 + , Fe 10 + , and Fe 13 +

Radiative lifetimes are measured for metastable levels in the iron charge states ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{9+},{\mathrm{Fe}}^{10+}$, and ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{13+}$. The ions are generated in a 14 GHz electron cyclotron resonance ion source and trapped in a Kingdon ion trap. The Fe levels and their measured lifetimes are (a) $73.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.8\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ms}$ for the $3{s}^{2}3{p}^{4}(^{3}P)3d$ $^{4}F_{7∕2}$ level in ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{9+}$, (b) $9.91\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ms}$ for the $3{s}^{2}3{p}^{4}$ $^{1}D_{2}$ level in ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{10+}$, and (c) $17.0\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{ms}$ for the $3{s}^{2}3p$ $^{2}P^{o}_{3∕2}$ level in ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{13+}$. Comparisons are made to other measured results using a Kingdon trap, an ion storage, and an electron-beam ion trap (EBIT).
Exploring Psychosocial Task Resolution and Self-Concept among African-American Adolescents

Developmental task resolution and self-concept of adolescents were examined for a sample of 110 African-American youth. The Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory was used to measure Erikson's stages of psychological development and the Bronstein-Cruz Child/Adolescent Self-concept and Adjustment Scale was used to measure multiple components of the self-concept. Scores for Self-concept and Resolution of Identity stages were highly correlated although scores on Resolution of Identity, commonly seen as the primary psychosocial task of adolescence, were not related to scores on either Emotional Well-being or Family Relations. The results are discussed in terms of improving understanding of relationships between processes in development, identity, and other salient psychosocial variables.
Innexins form two types of channels

Injury to the central nervous system triggers glial calcium waves in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In vertebrates the pannexin1 ATP-release channel appears to provide for calcium wave initiation and propagation. The innexins, which form invertebrate gap junctions and have sequence similarity with the pannexins, are candidates to form non-junctional membrane channels. Two leech innexins previously demonstrated in glia were expressed in frog oocytes. In addition to making gap junctions, innexins also formed non-junctional membrane channels with properties similar to those of pannexons. In addition, carbenoxolone reversibly blocked the loss of carboxyfluorescein dye into the bath from the giant glial cells in the connectives of the leech nerve cord, which are known to express the innexins we assayed.
Diolefin analog of a sex pheromone component ofHeliothis zea active in disrupting mating communication

A hydrocarbon (Z)-1, 12-heptadecadiene, was synthesized from the major sex pheromone of the corn earworm,Heliothis zea (Boddie). In field tests, significant disruption of the sexual behavior ofH. zea males was obtained, comparable to the pheromone (Z)-11-hexadecenal. This novel diolefin should be inexpensive, exhibit improved stability, and may lead to improved methods of control.
On eigenvalue ranking indices for continuous linear time invariant systems

The assessment of the importance of each single eigenvalue by deriving accurate ranking indices is discussed. The essential or critical modes are defined as the ones that contribute the most to a prespecified quadratic performance index, e.g. output energy function. Specifically, three ranking methods for continuous linear time-invariant systems are proposed. The first method is to use the results of A. Feliachi (IEEE Trans. Power Syst., vol.5, no.3, p.783-7, 1990) and derive a new separation method of the overall contribution index in ranking indices. The second approach, called the weighting factor ranking index, is based on the relative importance of joint eigenvalue contributions to the energy function. Finally, a remainder ranking index based on the least contribution to the energy function when the eigenvalue of concern is ignored is derived. A comparison of all these methods is given. >
Vocational education in the secondary school: The case for continuation

Abstract The essay supports the continuation and improvement of vocational education in public high schools based upon the value of the experiential nature of vocational instruction; the diversity the programs bring to the curriculum by offering broader learning choices and opportunities for success to all students; the leadership and related personal and employability attributes developed through the companion vocational student organizations; and the unique capacity of the programs to meet the needs of special learners. Note also is made of the role vocational education is playing in school reform efforts and its emergence as the “applied learning” dimension of the curriculum.
Improving Learner Performance with Computer Based Programs

This study compared the effectiveness of different types of instructional aids for improving learner performance in an introductory statistics course. Two types of instructional aids were examined: an expert system program (ES), and a computer-assisted instructional program (CAI). Subjects for this study were 133 students selected from a required undergraduate introductory statistics course at a large state university. Students with high and low prior levels of statistics achievement were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: 1) an ES as an adjunct to lectures, 2) a CAI as an adjunct to lectures, and 3) a control group with lectures alone. At the conclusion of the study students were tested on a Statistics Achievement Test. Students that had utilized the ES and the CAI teaching aids scored significantly higher than students from the lecture group alone. There were no significant differences between the ES and the CAI groups. The results of the study indicate that computer-based programs can help st...
Mass mortality of short‐tailed shearwaters in the south‐eastern Bering Sea during summer 1997

During summer 1997, hundreds of thousands of emaciated short-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) died in the south-eastern Bering Sea. Using strip transect methodology, we documented the distribution and abundance of short-tailed shearwaters during cruises conducted prior to, during, and after the dieoff, as well as the distributions and abundances of floating carcasses. The distributions and abundances of short-tailed shearwaters in 1997 were similar to those found during the 1970s and early 1980s. In August‐ September 1997, we observed 163 floating shearwater carcasses, most of which were between St Paul Island and Nunivak Island. We estimated » 190 000 carcasses were afloat in the study area, about 11% of the surveyed population. Between spring (June) and autumn (August/September), mean net body mass of shearwaters decreased by 19%, mean pectoral muscle mass decreased by 14%, and mean percentage body lipid content decreased by 46%, from 15.6% in spring to 8.4% in autumn. Compared with spring, shorttailed shearwater diets broadened in autumn 1997, to include, in addition to adult euphausiids Thysanoessa raschii, juveniles of T. inermis, T. raschii and T. spinifera, crab megalops, fish and squid. We discuss how the ecosystem anomalies in the south-eastern Bering Sea during spring and summer 1997 relate to the mortality event and suggest possible implications of long-term climate change for populations of apex predators in the south-eastern Bering Sea.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Blockade: A Novel Therapy for Rheumatic Disease

Overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other chronic inflammatory diseases. In RA, excessive production of TNF-alpha can drive synovial inflammation and proliferation as well as degradation of articular cartilage and bone. The importance of TNF-alpha in these mechanisms is supported by the results of clinical trials. In these studies, treatment with etanercept and infliximab, two recently approved TNF-alpha inhibitors, has been shown to significantly decrease the signs and symptoms of joint inflammation and slow the progression of radiological joint damage. Although TNF-alpha inhibitors have had acceptable toxicity in clinical trials, commercial use of these agents has produced growing concerns about the potential risk for opportunistic infections, most notably the reactivation of latent tuberculosis. The TNF-alpha inhibitors stand as a powerful example of the therapeutic potential of a targeted biological agent. Longer-term clinical experience with these cytokine antagonists will illuminate their optimal use in RA and other rheumatic diseases.
Negative dominance in hedonic integration of noun-noun pairs

Subjects in Experiment 1 rated the pleasantness of nouns and of noun pairs. Although pair pleasantness was highly correlated with average component-word pleasantness, it was systematically lower than this average. In Experiment 2, subjects rated all combinations of 18 nouns on either pleasantness or unpleasantness of the pair, in a within-subject factorial design. Significant interactions in the two studies were interpreted in the context of algebraic integration theory as indicating a context-sensitive differential weighting of components: the more unpleasant noun of a pair had a greater effect on pair ratings than the more pleasant noun. The potential reliability and generality of this “negative dominance effect” was considered, and it was contrasted with the “Pollyanna effect” discussed by previous authors.
Time trends in characteristics at diagnosis and subsequent survival for Caucasian, Japanese and Hawaiian women with breast cancer in Hawaii.

Abstract This study examines whether the improvement in breast cancer survival in Hawaii suggested by an earlier analysis might be explained by concomitant temporal variations in prognostic factors. Characteristics at diagnosis and survival experience were compared for 1251 Caucasian, 1015 Japanese and 505 Hawaiian women diagnosed with invasive breast carcinoma during 1960–1979 and followed until the end of 1982. Time-trends were present for the patients' stage at diagnosis, age and socioeconomic status. A multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards regression model revealed that adjustment for temporal variations in stage and age at diagnosis yielded a positive survival trend of a greater magnitude than that observed without adjustment, indicating that multivariate methods should be considered in time-trend analyses of cancer survival. Further analysis revealed that such improvement in breast cancer survival occurred for certain race-stage groups of patients only. Possible reasons for these trends in breast cancer prognostic factors and survival are discussed, along with potential biases. The data suggest that early detection might explain most of the survival improvement in Hawaii during the period of the study.