cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acromial base fractures after reverse total shoulder arthroplasty: report of five cases.

Background Most series of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) have reported acromial fractures, but they have not been shown to alter reported outcomes in most series. We present 5 patients with acromial base fractures where the entire deltoid origin was displaced from its anatomic location. Materials and methods Five patients with acromial base fractures after rTSA were identified and evaluated for functional outcomes and pain relief as well as results of fracture treatment. Three were treated operatively and 3 were treated nonoperatively. One nonoperative treatment eventually required open reduction and internal fixation. Results Function was limited after fracture, with average forward elevation of only 43° but which improved to 84° after fracture union. Pain was significant after the fracture (6.8 of 10) and improved with fracture healing (0.8 of 10). Neer Functional Outcome scores after fracture union averaged 62 of 100, consistent with unsatisfactory results. Conclusion Acromial base fractures after rTSA are a painful and disabling complication. The outcomes appear different in this series than in other series describing acromial fractures. This may be a result of the different anatomic location of the fractures. Pain improves with fracture union, but functional returns are unpredictable.
Effects of brain laterality on accuracy of decoding facial displays of emotion

The human face is capable of producing numerous unique expressions and comprises the primary nonverbal channel for the communication of emotion. In this study, we investigated the effects of sex and neurological hemispheric dominance on the ability to decode facial expressions of emotion accurately. On the basis of a battery of measures assessing handedness, familial sinistrality, and immune disorders, we classified participants as having standard, anomalous, or mixed hemispheric dominance. Consistent with previous studies, we found that hemispheric dominance and sex interacted to influence participants' abilities to decode facial displays of affect from photographs. Specifically, mixed dominant females had the highest accuracy in the decoding of facial emotion, whereas mixed dominant males had the lowest accuracy. We discuss these findings within the context of communibiology and comment on their implications for the study of neurology and social behavior.
The effects of chronic unpredictable stress on male rats in the water maze

Exposure to chronic stress can affect cognitive processes in a complex manner depending upon the intensity and duration of the stressors. The current study investigated the effects of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), a procedure thought to use moderate stressors, on acquisition of and performance in the Morris Water Maze (MWM). Separate behavioral tests were also used to determine whether the stress-induced changes in MWM were due to general changes in locomotor activity or preference for a rewarding stimulus. Adult male rats were exposed to 10 days of different stressors applied at various times. Following the last stressor, stressed and non-stressed rats began training in the MWM, were tested in an open field box, or were tested for sucrose preference. In the MWM, rats exposed to stress had shorter latencies to reach the hidden platform during training. The path lengths on day 2 of training, trials 2 and 4, were shorter in CUS rats compared to controls, with the stressed rats traveling less in the outer portion of the maze. During the probe trial, CUS rats also traveled less overall and less in the outer portion of the maze, although all other measures were the same. The facilitation in learning the platform location was not due to a change in other behavioral components that could contribute to the measures, such as general activity, sensorimotor processing or the preference for a 2% sucrose solution. Thus, chronic unpredictable stress selectively appears to affect the search strategies in the water maze.
EWMA and CUSUM control charts in the presence of correlation

The statistical properties of control charts are usually evaluated under the assumption that the observations from the process are independent. For many processes however, observations which are closely spaced in time will be correlated. This paper considers EWMA and CUSUM control charts for the process mean when the observations are from an AR(1) process with additional random error. This simple model may be a reasonable model for many processes encountered in practice. The ARL and steady state ARL of the EWMA and CUSUM charts are evaluated numerically using an integral equation approach and a Markov chain approach. The numerical results show that correlation can have a significant effect on the properties of these charts. Tables are given to aid in the design of these charts when the observations follow the assumed model.
Attenuation of Proton Currents by Methanol in a Dioxolane-Linked Gramicidin A Channel in Different Lipid Bilayers

The mobility of protons in a dioxolane-linked gramicidin A channel (D1) is comparable to the mobility of protons in aqueous solutions (Cukierman, S., E. P. Quigley, and D. S. Crumrine. 1997. Biophys. J. 73:2489-2502). Aliphatic alcohols decrease the mobility of H+ in aqueous solutions. In this study, the effects of methanol on proton conduction through D1 channels were investigated in different lipid bilayers and at different HCl concentrations. Methanol attenuated H+ currents in a voltage-independent manner. Attenuation of proton currents was also independent of H+ concentrations in solution. In phospholipid bilayers, methanol decreased the single channel conductance to protons without affecting the binding affinity of protons to bilayers. In glycerylmonooleate membranes, the attenuation of single channel proton conductances qualitatively resembled the decrease of conductivities of HCl solutions by methanol. However, in both types of lipid bilayers, single channel proton conductances through D1 channels were considerably more attenuated than the conductivities of different HCl solutions. This suggests that methanol modulates single proton currents through D1 channels. It is proposed that, on average, one methanol molecule binds to a D1 channel, and attenuates H+ conductance. The Gibbs free energy of this process (DeltaG0) is approximately 1.2 kcal/mol, which is comparable to the free energy of decrease of HCl conductivity in methanol solutions (1.6 kcal/mol). Apolar substances like urea and glucose that do not transport protons in HCl solutions and do not permeate D1 channels decreased solution conductivity and single channel conductance by a considerably larger proportion than methanol. Cs+ currents through D1 channels were considerably less (fivefold) attenuated by methanol than proton currents. It is proposed that methanol partitions inside the pore of gramicidin channels and delays the transfer of protons between water and methanol molecules, causing a significant attenuation of the single channel proton conductance. Gramicidin channels offer an interesting experimental model to study proton hopping along a single chain of water molecules interrupted by a single methanol molecule.
History force on a sphere in a weak linear shear flow

Abstract A numerical study of history forces acting on a spherical particle in a linear shear flow, over a range of finite Re, is presented. In each of the cases considered, the particle undergoes rapid acceleration from Re1 to Re2 over a short-time period. After acceleration, the particle is maintained at Re2 in order to allow for clean extraction of drag and lift kernels. Good agreement is observed between current drag kernel results and previous investigations. Furthermore, ambient shear is found to have little influence on the drag kernel. The lift kernel is observed to be oscillatory, which translates to a non-monotonic change in lift force to the final steady state. In addition, strong dependence on the start and end conditions of acceleration is observed. Unlike drag, the lift history kernel scales linearly with Reynolds number and shear rate. This behavior is consistent with a short-time inviscid evolution. A simple expression for the lift history kernel is presented.
Peer coaching: building collegial support for using innovative health programs

To ensure students achieve intended benefits from effective health programs, it is necessary to maximize program implementation and maintenance. Peer coaching provides a post-inservice staff development approach for health educators to strengthen teacher use of new health programs during implementation trials. While peer coaching positively influences teacher behavior and student outcomes, previous coaching programs have been limited in scope, have not been theoretically derived or adequately evaluated, and have not been systematically applied to health programs. This paper addresses teacher needs during trials, reviews peer coaching program features, and proposes a model to guide future planning, evaluation, and research. In this model, critical components of the coaching program include classroom assessments, coaching team cluster meetings, and administrative support. Strategies based on Social Learning Theory and Diffusion Theory are incorporated into the peer coaching program to influence teacher perceptions of their work roles, capability to implement a program, and commitment to the new instructional program. Interrelations among components are discussed and directions for future research and practice are suggested.
Multicenter, randomized, prospective trial of early tracheostomy

Objectives: Determine the effect of early (days 3-5) or late (days 10-14) tracheostomy on intensive care unit length of stay (ICU LOS), frequency of pneumonia, and mortality, and evidence of short-term or long-term pharyngeal, laryngeal, or tracheal injury in head trauma, non-head trauma, and critically ill nontrauma patients. Study Design: Randomized, prospective. Setting: Five Level I trauma centers. Methods: Data were obtained prospectively and included Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III score (AIII), Glasgow Coma Scale score, Emergency Room Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score, Acute Injury Score, type of endotracheal tube or tracheostomy, level of positive end-expiratory pressure, and peak inspiratory pressure. Patients were to undergo laryngoscopy for detection of injury according to the Lindholm criteria at the time of endotracheal tube or tracheostomy removal and be reevaluated at 3 to 5 months after discharge. Results: One hundred fifty-seven patients were entered, 127 to early randomization (3-5 days) and 28 to late randomization (10-14 days); however, only 112 patients with early and 14 with late randomization had completed data forms for the primary study goals. An additional 22 patients from the early entry groups were rerandomized late. Early randomization data: the AIII score was higher (p < 0.05) in the head trauma tracheostomy (65 ± 4) than in the nontracheostomy group (51 ± 4) and in the nontrauma tracheostomy (92 ± 6) than in the nontracheostomy group (68 ± 7), but was equivalent in the non-head trauma group. Glasgow Coma Scale score, Emergency Room Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score, Acute Injury Score, positive end-expiratory pressure, and peak inspiratory pressure were not significantly different in any of the groups. There were no significant differences in ICU LOS, frequency of pneumonia, or death in any of the groups after either early or late tracheostomy compared with continued endotracheal intubation. Only 83 patients underwent postextubation laryngoscopy. There were no significant differences between the groups; however, there were trends to more vocal cord ulceration and subglottic inflammation in the continued intubation group. No patient was seen in this study with late vocal cord or laryngeal stenosis; there were no tracheal-innominate artery fistulae. Seven of the patients with abnormal findings at extubation had normal 3- to 5-month postextubation laryngoscopy. Conclusion: Physician bias limited patient entry into the study. Although there were higher AIII scores in the head trauma early tracheostomy patients, there were no differences in the primary end points of ICU LOS, pneumonia, or death in any of the groups studied. Long-term endoscopic follow-up was poor, but no known late tracheal stenosis was seen.
Molecular modeling of lanthionine synthetase component C-like protein 2: a potential target for the discovery of novel type 2 diabetes prophylactics and therapeutics

The rates of type 2 diabetes (T2D) are rising to epidemic proportions in the US and worldwide. While current T2D medications are efficacious, significant side effects have limited their use and availability. Our laboratory has discovered that abscisic acid (ABA) exerts anti-diabetic effects, in part, by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR γ). However, since ABA does not bind to the ligand-binding domain (LBD) of PPAR γ, the mechanism of activation of PPAR γ by ABA remains unknown. Lanthionine synthetase component C-like protein 2 (LANCL2) was predicted to be a novel target for the binding and signaling of ABA in human granulocytes and rat insulinoma cells. The goal of this study was to determine whether LANCL2 is a molecular target of ABA and other PPAR γ agonists. To this end we performed homology modeling to construct a three-dimensional structure of LANCL2 using the crystal structure of LANCL1 as a template. Our molecular docking studies predicted that ABA and other PPAR γ agonists (e.g., rosiglitazone and pioglitazone) share a binding site on the surface of LANCL2. The identification of a binding site for PPAR γ agonists will facilitate the high-throughput virtual screening of large compound libraries and may shed new light on alternative mechanisms of PPAR γ activation.
Evaluation of Nitrification Inhibitors and Urea Placement in No‐Tillage Winter Wheat

Nitrification inhibitors (NIs) such as dicyandiamide (DCD) and nitrapyrin [2-chloro-6-(trichloromethyl)pyridine] (NP) slow the nitrification process, thus reducing N losses from leaching and denitrification. In field studies (1990-1994) on a Renfrow silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, thermic Udertic Paleustolls) near El Reno, OK, we evaluated these two NIs and their placement effects on nitrification of applied urea in soils and on wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yields. Urea at 60 kg N ha -1 treated with or without NIs was placed 3 to 4 an below the seed (BL) at seeding or was broadcast (BR) after seeding on the day of seeding, with no N as control. Mineral N forms were determined in the 0- to 30-cm soil zone in fall and spring. Differences in soil mineral N concentration below the 10-cm depth were minimal (but higher than the control) in all N treatments. In the 0- to 10-cm depth, BL placement of NI-treated urea significantly reduced nitrification in the fall compared with BR urea with or without NIs, except in 1994. Soil mineral N content in spring was similar with either placement of NI-treated urea, but was significantly greater than untreated BR urea. Warm temperatures and dry soil in the fall tended to reduce the effectiveness of surface-applied NIs. The highest NH 4 + percentage in total soil mineral N was observed with DCD BL or NP BL, followed by NP BR and DCD BR Urea treated with NIs increased grain yield from 7 to 31% above untreated urea. Grain yield was highest with DCD BL (31%), followed by DCD BR (26%) and NP BR (24%), compared with the broadcast untreated urea. Grain N yield was 140 g kg -1 greater with DCD-N than with untreated urea. Deep placement of DCD under no-till winter wheat in the southern Great Plains can reduce nitrification and increase N availability under varying year-to-year environmental conditions and can improve wheat grain yield and grain N compared with surface broadcast of urea with or without NI.
THE KINASE SUPPRESSOR OF RAS (KSR) MODULATES GROWTH FACTOR AND RAS SIGNALING BY UNCOUPLING ELK-1 PHOSPHORYLATION FROM MAP KINASE ACTIVATION

The Ras GTPase plays an essential role in many cellular signal transduction events. Activation of the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase is a primary consequence of Ras activation and plays a key role in mediating Ras signal transduction. A novel kinase, KSR, has recently been functionally isolated as a positive regulator of Ras signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans vulval induction and Drosophila photoreceptor differentiation. We have examined the effect of KSR on growth factor and Ras-induced MAP kinase signaling in mammalian cells. Surprisingly, we observed that KSR specifically blocks EGF and Ras-induced phosphorylation and activation of ternary complex factors (TCF), physiological substrates of MAP kinases, without affecting the activation of MAP kinase itself. A kinase-deficient mutant of KSR, KSR-RM, appears to function as a dominant interfering mutant which elevates phosphorylation of Elk-1, a member of the TCF family, and Elk-1-dependent transcription. The effect of KSR on Elk-1 was significantly decreased by inhibition of calcineurin, a putative Elk-1 phosphatase. These observations demonstrate that KSR is capable of uncoupling the MAP kinase activation from its target phosphorylation, and thus provide a novel mechanism for modulating the Ras‐MAP kinase signaling pathway. This study provides the first evidence that signal output of MAP kinase cascades is subject to regulation at a level independent of MAP kinase activity.
Global assessment of promoter methylation in a mouse model of cancer identifies ID4 as a putative tumor-suppressor gene in human leukemia

DNA methylation is associated with malignant transformation, but limitations imposed by genetic variability, tumor heterogeneity, availability of paired normal tissues and methodologies for global assessment of DNA methylation have limited progress in understanding the extent of epigenetic events in the initiation and progression of human cancer and in identifying genes that undergo methylation during cancer. We developed a mouse model of T/natural killer acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is always preceded by polyclonal lymphocyte expansion to determine how aberrant promoter DNA methylation and consequent gene silencing might be contributing to leukemic transformation. We used restriction landmark genomic scanning with this mouse model of preleukemia reproducibly progressing to leukemia to show that specific genomic methylation is associated with only the leukemic phase and is not random. We also identified Idb4 as a putative tumor-suppressor gene that is methylated in most mouse and human leukemias but in only a minority of other human cancers.
DNA, PNA AND PROTEIN CONTENTS IN A RAPIDLY DIFFERENTIATING SYSTEM, THE RAT TAPEWORM (HYMENOLEPIS DIMINUTA).

THE role of the nucleic acids, deoxypentosenucleic acid (DNA) and pentosenucleic acid (PNA), in the growth and differentiation of organisms has been thoroughly examined and characterized. Rapidly growing tissues usually display rapid synthesis of DNA, PNA and protein. The synthetic rate of these constituents in a given tissue may be estimated by the relative amount of each present. Most of the systems that have been investigated in this regard have required the use of several different individual preparations at different stages of development. Tapeworms, such as Hymenolepis diminuta, should be ideal organisms for the examination of certain principles of growth and differentiation, for along the length of the strobila is a gradient of developmental stages, all within the same individual. The experiments reported in this communication were designed to test the usefulness of the tapeworm in a typical examination of growth and development.
Immunology: Peptide gets in shape for self-defence.

The transformation of tadpole to frog and of caterpillar to butterfly are two of the more obvious examples of metamorphosis. But molecular shape-shifting may occur in each of us as part of our innate antibacterial defence system. See Letter p.419 Defensins are key effector molecules of innate immunity, protecting the host from infectious microbes and shaping the composition of the microbiota at mucosal surfaces. Human β-defensin 1 (hBD-1) is one of the most prominent peptides of its class and is expressed by virtually all human epithelial sites, but previous work suggested that it has low antibiotic activity when compared with other defensins. Jan Wehkamp and colleagues now show that in reducing conditions similar to those found in the distal colon, hBD-1 exhibits potent antimicrobial action against the potential pathogens Candia albicans, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species. In vitro evidence points to thioredoxin as the reducing agent most likely to unmask hBD-1's antimicrobial activity in the intestinal epithelium.
Optimal design of FIR digital filters with monotone passband response

The application of linear programming to the design of FIR digital filters with constraints on the derivative of the frequency response is described. Numerical considerations in the implementation are discussed and a program is given with examples for the design of filters with optional monotone response in passbands. The method provides the user with an additional degree of flexibility over the Remez exchange algorithm.
Nigeria During and After the Oil Boom: A Policy Comparison with Indonesia

Nigeria and Indonesia provide an interesting contrast with regard to performance and policy during and after the oil boom. Roughly a decade after the first oil shock, Nigeria is faced with several economic problems including a serious decline in its agricultural sector and a deteriorating external debt situation. While some decline in the nonoil traded goods sector reflects efficient adjustment to the oil boom, policy with regard to public expenditure, exchange rates, pricing, and the trade regime could exacerbate such decline and impede readjustment as the boom subsides. The links between oil prices, deficits, inflation, and real exchange rate appreciation are analyzed and Nigerian and Indonesian fiscal and exchange rate and agricultural and foreign borrowing strategies are compared. It is concluded that with the exception of cuts in the deficit since 1984, Nigerian policy following the boom has not been conducive to adjustment to the current period of low oil prices and high real interest rates. Corrective measures and policy options are discussed.
Longitudinal dispersion mechanisms in packed beds

A theoretical study has been made of longitudinal dispersion mechanisms during steady flow of a fluid through unconsolidated spherical beads. The mathematical model utilizes a step function input of thermal energy and presents the solution for the transient behvior of the system. The longitudinal dispersion of the step input is considered the result of eddy mixing of the fluid, molecular conduction within the fluid, and a finite time lag for heat transfer to occur between fluid and particle. The latter mechanism is characterized by both a fluid film resistance and an intraparticle resistance. The exact solution, involving an infinite integral, is approximated to an error function form. The character of the contribution of each mechanism is apparent from the form of the approximate solution, and furthermore, the contributions are shown to be additive to yield the total dispersion. The conditions for convergence to the aproximate solution are indicated. The equations are presented such that the analysis is applicable to both heat and mass transfer processes.
A Bayesian hybrid Huberized support vector machine and its applications in high-dimensional medical data

A hybrid Huberized support vector machine (HHSVM) with an elastic-net penalty has been developed for cancer tumor classification based on thousands of gene expression measurements. In this paper, we develop a Bayesian formulation of the hybrid Huberized support vector machine for binary classification. For the coefficients of the linear classification boundary, we propose a new type of prior, which can select variables and group them together simultaneously. Our proposed prior is a scale mixture of normal distributions and independent gamma priors on a transformation of the variance of the normal distributions. We establish a direct connection between the Bayesian HHSVM model with our special prior and the standard HHSVM solution with the elastic-net penalty. We propose a hierarchical Bayes technique and an empirical Bayes technique to select the penalty parameter. In the hierarchical Bayes model, the penalty parameter is selected using a beta prior. For the empirical Bayes model, we estimate the penalty parameter by maximizing the marginal likelihood. The proposed model is applied to two simulated data sets and three real-life gene expression microarray data sets. Results suggest that our Bayesian models are highly successful in selecting groups of similarly behaved important genes and predicting the cancer class. Most of the genes selected by our models have shown strong association with well-studied genetic pathways, further validating our claims.
Damage and size effect during superplastic deformation

Abstract Superplastic forming is a valuable metal working technique because of the extreme ductility that can be achieved. However, it is limited in application due to the presence of small voids that grow and coalesce during the forming process, often causing premature failure. In order to understand and control this phenomenon accurate constitutive models must be developed which account for void parameters that affect the macroscopic behavior of the material. This paper looks specifically at the effect of void size and spacing on the ductility and flow stress of viscoplastic materials. Based on the gradient-dependent theory of plasticity, a model is proposed that accounts for size effects by incorporating strain gradient terms into a continuum based constitutive equation. Both experimental testing and finite element (FE) modeling were performed on Pb–Sn, tensile specimens with small holes drilled in them in random patterns. The experimental tests indicate that a decrease in void size results in an increase in ductility. The FE results demonstrate that the gradient terms strengthen the material by diffusing the strain in areas of high strain concentration and delay failure by slowing void growth. In addition, the model predicted an increase in ductility and flow stress with decreasing void size.
The demand for natural gas, electricity and heating oil in the United States

Abstract In this paper the residential, commercial, and industrial consumption of natural gas, electricity, and heating oil in the Bureau of the Census regions and subregions is studied with an errorcomponents model consisting of nine equations. The nine equations are estimated simultaneously by the Avery's error components and seemingly unrelated regressions (EC-SUR) procedure as well as individually by the ordinary least-squares and error components methods. The EC-SUR estimates of short-run and long-run price and income elasticities and adjustment speeds are analyzed. The main results include: (i) the residential, commercial, or industrial consumption of a fuel good is price- and income-inelastic in the short run and is elastic or becomes more elastic in the long run; (ii) the speed of adjustment differs from a fuel good to another for different uses in different (sub)regions; (iii) the patterns of the demand for a fuel good are not uniform within or across (sub)regions; (iv) there are differences in the behavior of energy consumption because of geographical locations as well as similarities because of geographical conditions; (v) the cross-price elasticities imply the existence of substitutability and complementarity among the three types of fuel goods; (vi) in the long run, the demand for a fuel commodity in different consuming sectors exhibits a relatively large degree of volatility in response to changes in its own price, the prices of other fuel goods, and income; and (vii) considering the nation as a whole, it is found that residential consumption of natural gas, electricity and heating oil is more elastic with respect to price than to income in the short and long run; that residential, commercial and industrial demand for electricity are income-inelastic in the short and long run, but commercial and industrial use of natural gas and electricity are more sensitive to both price and income than residential demand in the short and long run, and that the speed of adjustment for heating oil is relatively slower than for natural gas and electricity. These findings bear important implications for national energy policies.
SENSITIVITY AND STABILITY OF EFFICIENCY CLASSIFICATIONS IN DATA ENVELOPMENT ANALYSIS

A new technique for assessing the sensitivity and stability of efficiency classifications in Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is presented. Here developed for the ratio (CCR) model, this technique extends easily to other DEA variants. An organization's input-outut vector serves as the center for a cell within which the organization's classification remains unchanged under perturbations of the data. For the l 1, l ∞ and generalized l ∞ norms, the radius of the maximal cell can be computed using linear programming formulations. This radius can be interpreted as a measure of the classification's stability, especially with respect to errors in the data.
GENETIC DIVERSITY IN LOCAL RAINFED LOWLAND RICE (Oryza sativa L.) IN BANGLADESH

Genetic diversity of 40 traditional Bangladeshi rice genotypes was studied under rainfed lowland condition through Mahalanobis D 2 statistic for grain yield and yield contributing characters. The genotypes were grouped into six clusters. The inter cluster distances were higher than the intra cluster distances indicating wider genetic diversity among the genotypes of different clusters. The intra cluster distances were lower in all the cases reflecting homogeneity of the genotypes within the clusters. The cluster VI contained the highest number of genotypes (12) and the cluster IV contained the lowest (2). The highest intra cluster distance was noticed for the cluster VI and the lowest for cluster IV. The highest inter cluster distance was observed between cluster III and IV followed by clusters IV and V, clusters I and IV, clusters IV and VI and the lowest between clusters II and VI. Regarding inter cluster distance, cluster IV showed high genetic distance from all other four clusters except cluster II. The genotypes from cluster IV could be hybridized with the genotypes of any of the four clusters for producing transgressive segregants. Days to flowering, duration and spikelets/panicle were mainly responsible for genetic divergence while considering mean values. Though filled grains/panicle and flag leaf area are the most positive contributors based on the latent vectors. The highest cluster means for yield and 1000 grain weight and other 2 nd highest four yield contributing characters (viz. plant height, days to maturity, panicle length and flag leaf area) were obtained from cluster III. The highest flag leaf area, plant height, panicle length, filled grains per panicle and grain length were found in cluster V. Cluster IV had the lowest mean for yield and other moderate to low yield contributing characters. Therefore more emphasis should be given on cluster V and III for selecting genotypes as parents for crossing with the genotypes of cluster IV which would be used to produce new recombinants with desired traits.
Tracing the Progress of Process Tracing

Building on a Lakatosian approach that sees Social Science as an endeavour that confronts rival theories with systematic empirical observations, this article responds to probing questions that have been raised about the appropriate ways in which to conduct systematic process analysis and comparative enquiry. It explores varieties of process tracing, the role of interpretation in case studies, and the relationship between process tracing and comparative historical analysis.
Rapidity-gap events in e+e− annihilation

Abstract We discuss the significance of events containing rapidity-gaps in high-energy scattering processes, in particular in e+e− annihilation and/or W, Z decays. We compute explicitly the fraction of events containing rapidity-gaps in e+e− →q q q q and e+e− →q q gg processes at low jet-pair invariant mass limit. These events follow a distinctive sin2θ distribution in the jet-pair scattering angle. Similar processes are candidate backgrounds for important Higgs and W+W− scattering physics at the SSC and LHC.
Protected area acquisition costs show economies of scale with area

Abstract Protected areas are a center-piece of strategies for conserving biodiversity and providing ecosystem service benefits to enhance human well-being. One of the most striking characteristics of protected areas is how much they vary in size. We examine the consequences of this size variation for the cost of acquiring protected areas. We use recent land acquisitions (2000–2009) in central and southern Appalachian forest ecosystems of the United States. Acquisition costs for these protected areas show pronounced economies of scale; specifically ten times the area can be purchased for seven times the cost of a smaller site. We examine how these economies of scale differ by contract type and motivations. For example, we find that easements do not show economies of scale despite costing less than fee simple acquisitions overall. Also, we find that economies of scale are stronger for protected areas that were specifically created to protect occurrences of rare or imperiled species but where development pressure was not identified as an explicit threat to the site. Conservation organizations may better account for acquisition costs in protected area creation by recognizing such economies of scale and their context dependency with respect to land acquisition contract type and conservation motivations.
Separation and Spectrofluorometric Assay of the β-Adrenergic Blocker Sotalol from Blood and Urine

Abstract A sensitive spectrofluorometric assay of sotalol·HCl ( d,l -4-(2-isopropylamino-1-hydroxyethyl)methanesulfonanilide hydrochloride; MJ 1999), a potent and specific β-adrenergic blocking agent, was developed. The compound fluoresces in alkali at 250/350 nm. and in acid at 235/309 nm. The maximum extractability was found at a pH of 9, where the substance is primarily the zwitterion with potentiometric pKa' values of 8.30 and 9.80, where the former has been spectrophotometrically assigned to the dissociation of the conjugated sulfanilino group. A mixture of n -amyl alcohol and chloroform (1:3, v/v) at a volume ratio of organic solvent and pH 9 buffer solution of 8:1 extracted 85% of the compound, which was completely reextracted into 5.2 N HCl. The fluorescence of the monocharged molecule was measured at 235/309 nm. in the acid solution. The sensitivity of the assay was 0.1mcg./ml. in plasma and 2.5mcg./ml. in urine. Statistical analyses of assays of sotalol-spiked plasmas, urines, and acidic extraction blanks showed no dose × day interactions and no significant variations of the slopes of calibration curves within 3-4 days of assay; no significant assay differences when the drug was stored under refrigeration in water, acidic extraction blanks, whole blood, plasma, serum, and urine for 2-6 days; and no significant effects from blood and urine obtained from different dogs. The recovery of the drug was 69.4% from plasma and 81% from urine. The sensitivity of 0.1 mcg./ml. in plasma and 2.5mcg./ml. in urine and the reproducibility of 2% at a midrange concentration of 0.5mcg./ml. in plasma and of 2.2% at a midrange concentration of 10mcg./ml. in urine allow the assay to be applicable for monitoring blood levels and urinary excretion of the drug when administered in therapeutic amounts.
Preparation of MgF 2 -SiO 2 Thin Films with Low Refractive Index by Sol-gel Process

Porous MgF2-SiO2 films with low refractive index of 1.26 were made by sol-gel process. The film was consisted of MgF2 particles and SiO2 binder connecting them. The refractive index was variable with the processing conditions.
The promoter-proximal KCS element of the PKR kinase gene enhances transcription irrespective of orientation and position relative to the ISRE element and is functionally distinct from the KCS-like element of the ADAR deaminase Promoter.

The RNA-dependent protein kinase PKR promoter is interferon (IFN) inducible and possesses a novel 15-base pair (bp) constitutive activator element, designated kinase conserved sequence (KCS), in ad...
Bovine Adenoviral Vector–based H5N1 Influenza Vaccine Overcomes Exceptionally High Levels of Pre-existing Immunity Against Human Adenovirus

Because of the high prevalence of adenovirus (Ad) infections in humans, it is believed that pre-existing Ad-neutralizing antibodies (vector immunity) may negatively impact the immune response to vaccine antigens when delivered by human Ad (HAd) vectors. In order to evaluate whether bovine Ad subtype 3 (BAd3), a non-HAd vector, can effectively elude high levels of pre-existing vector immunity, naive and HAd serotype 5 (HAd)-primed mice were immunized with BAd-H5HA [BAd3 vector expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) gene from H5N1 influenza virus]. Even in the presence of very high levels of HAd-specific neutralizing antibody, no significant reductions in HA-specific humoral and cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses were observed in HAd-primed mice immunized with BAd-H5HA. In naive mice immunized with HAd-H5HA (HAd5 vector expressing H5N1 HA) and boosted with BAd-H5HA, the humoral responses elicited were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than with either HAd-H5HA or BAd-H5HA alone, while the CMI responses were comparable in the groups. This finding underlines the importance of a heterologous prime-boost approach for achieving an enhanced immune response. The immunization of naive or HAd-primed mice with BAd-H5HA bestowed full protection from morbidity and mortality following a potentially lethal challenge with A/Hong Kong/483/97. These results demonstrate the importance of BAd vectors as an alternate or supplement to HAd vectors for influenza pandemic preparedness.
The induction approach to heavy ion inertial fusion: Accelerator and target considerations

Induction acceleration is one of two principal approaches for producing ion beams for heavy-ion inertial fusion. This approach was first suggested by the late Denis Keefe of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and is the main approach of the U.S. heavy-ion fusion program. Induction accelerators have the ability to handle high beam currents; therefore, accumulation rings or storage rings are not required. This paper reviews the target and accelerator considerations that are important for the design of induction accelerators for fusion. These considerations, including some important assumptions, have led to a standard induction accelerator concept; however, a careful examination of the assumptions and considerations shows that many of them are not truly fundamental. Through improvements in technology, changes in design, and alternate ways of focusing beams, it appears possible to circumvent or relax the constraints imposed by the standard orthodoxy. If it is possible, it will lead to induction accelerators that are more efficient and less costly than the standard concept.
Metabolism of 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal by central nervous system mitochondria is dependent on age and NAD+ availability.

Lipid peroxidation and mitochondrial dysfunction are associated with multiple neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. 4-Hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) is a major, neurotoxic product of lipid peroxidation whose levels are elevated in these diseases. Previous data from this laboratory demonstrate that mitochondria play an important role in the detoxification of HNE particularly through the oxidation of HNE to 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenoate (HNEAcid). In this work, we examined the disposition of HNE when incubated with intact, well-coupled, rat brain mitochondria. Our results demonstrated that HNE loss occurred in a time- and concentration-dependent, saturable manner with a KM of 28.0 ± 11.8 μM HNE and a VMax of 10.0 ± 1.7 nmol/min/mg. HNEAcid formation occurred in a saturable manner with a KM of 25.3 ± 6.3 μM HNE and a VMax of 4.4 ± 0.43 nmol/min/mg. The formation of HNE−glutathione adducts and HNE−protein adducts comprised only a small percentage of HNE consumption. H...
Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes of Undergraduate Business Students Compared to Non-Business Students

To learn how business students perform on objective measures of environmental knowledge and attitude in comparison to other students, business administration students were compared to non-business students on the Environmental Attitude and Knowledge Scale (EAKS). Business students were not less environmentally knowledgeable, but they did demonstrate less concern for the environment, less willingness to act in environmentally friendly ways, and reported behavior that was less environmentally oriented. Men evidenced greater knowledge than women, but women evidenced greater concern.
Elastic wave‐field inversion of reflection and transmission data

Elastic inversion of multioffset seismic data by wavefield fitting yields a maximum probability P-wave and S-wave velocity and density model of the Earth. Theoretically, the inversion accounts for all elastic waves including reflected and transmitted waves, mode conversions, shear waves, head waves, Rayleigh waves, etc. These different wave types tend to resolve different components of the Earth properties. By inverting two-component synthetic data, I show that reflection data mainly resolve high wavenumbers, while transmission data mainly resolve low wavenumbers of the P-wave and S-wave velocity model. The inversion of reflection data (shot gathers) yields a result that looks like a prestack elastic migration but the meaning of the inverted data is not simply reflectivity: it is the P-wave and S-wave velocity perturbation. The inversion of transmission data (VSPs) yields a solution that contains useful interval velocity information and is comparable to an elastic diffraction tomography result.
Spatially Specific Changes in Infants' Muscle Coactivity as They Learn to Reach

Infants first reach out and touch objects between the ages of 3 and 5 months. This article reports changes in muscle coactivity associated with this transition. A group of 4 infants were observed weekly from 3 to 30 weeks and every 2 weeks from 30 to 52 weeks. Hand kinematics of both prereaching and reaching movements were collected, as was electromyographic activity from the trapezius, deltoid, biceps, and triceps. Before infants first reached for toys presented at midline, they used biceps and triceps to move their hands near the toy in front of them and 45° to the side of midline. After the transition, they used trapezius and deltoid to move the hand toward the toy and combinations of multiple muscles when their arms were high and extended near the toy. Thus, infants showed a dramatic change in which muscles worked together across the transition to reaching, even though their hands moved in similar spatial regions.
Lower respiratory symptoms in children exposed to nitrogen dioxide from unvented combustion sources

Abstract A prospective epidemiologic study was carried out for 12 weeks in the winter of 1983 to evaluate the impact of indoor air contaminant levels on respiratory health. A group of 121 children below the age of 13 (59 with unvented kerosene space heaters in the home; 62 without) were enrolled in the study and nitrogen dioxide levels were measured in 93% of the subjects' homes for one two-week period. When socioeconomic status and history of respiratory illness were controlled, children under the age of seven exposed to 30 μg/m3 or more of nitrogen dioxide were found to have a risk of reporting lower respiratory symptoms 2.25 times (95% C.I. 1.69–4.79) that of children who were not exposed. Aspects of our study design, including increased precision of exposure classification and the inclusion of very young children, may explain our findings.
X-Ray Point Sources in the Central Region of M31 as Seen by Chandra

We report on Chandra observations of the central region of M31. By combining eight Chandra ACIS-I observations taken between 1999 and 2001, we have identified 204 X-ray sources within the central ~17' × 17' region of M31, with a detection limit of ~2 × 1035 ergs s-1. Of these 204 sources, 22 are identified with globular clusters, two with supernova remnants, nine with planetary nebula, and nine with supersoft sources. By comparing individual images, about 50% of the sources are variable on timescales of months. We also found 13 transients, with light curves showing a variety of shapes. We also extracted the energy spectra of the 20 brightest sources; they can be well fitted by a single power law with a mean photon index of 1.8. The spectral shapes of 12 sources are shown to be variable, suggesting that they went through state changes. The luminosity function of all the point sources is consistent with previous observations (a broken power law with a luminosity break at 1.7 × 1037 ergs s-1). However, when the X-ray sources in different regions are considered separately, different luminosity functions are obtained. This indicates that the star formation history might be different in different regions.
A common aberration with water‐immersion objective lenses

Summary We describe here an aberration that is frequently encountered with water-immersion but not oil-immersion objectives. The aberration is shown to be induced by tilt of the coverslip out of the plane normal to the optical axis. Model calculations taking into account the path-length distortions introduced by a tilted coverslip satisfactorily reproduce the observed effect on the images of small subresolution fluorescent beads.
Godot: A real-time data acquisition and control program for the PET microcomputer

This article discusses a program for the PET microcomputer that is used to record the amount of time a human infant spends attending to one of two stimuli presented via 35-mm slides and a slide projector. The program records the number of attention episodes for either stimulus, the duration of slide presentation, and the number of slides presented. Also controlled are the transfer of data onto cassette tape at the end of the session, the detection of buttonpresses from an external keyboard, and the changing of stimuli. The interfacing used in the system and specialized subroutines are also described.
Trends in vegetation activity and their climatic correlates: China 1982 to 1998

We combined a satellite-derived Leaf Area Index (LAI) dataset and a gridded climate dataset to analyse trends in vegetation activity and their correlation with climate variability in China between 1982 and 1998. Vegetation activity over the growing season increased 11.03% in China during the 17-year period, which is broadly consistent with the greening trend in the northern high latitudes in Eurasia and North America shown in previous studies. Approxi- mately 99610 6 ha of croplands and 35610 6 ha of forest exhibited significant upward trends in growing season LAI, and accounted for 53% and 19% of the total vegetated area with greening trends, respectively. Temperature was the leading climatic factor controlling greening patterns. However, trends in agricultural practices, such as increased use of high-yield crops and application of chemical fertilizers, along with land-use changes such as afforestation and reforestation probably made a greater contribution to the greening trend than temperature. Increased vegetation activity in forests suggests an increasing carbon stock in forest biomass in China, which supports previous studies based on satellite sensor data and forest inventory data.