cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preconditioning mediated by sublethal oxygen–glucose deprivation-induced cyclooxygenase-2 expression via the signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 phosphorylation

The signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) were found to be essential for cardioprotection. However, their role in preconditioning (PC) neuroprotection remains undefined. Previously, our studies showed that PC mediated a signaling cascade that involves activation of epsilon protein kinase C (ePKC), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pathways. However, the intermediate pathway by which ERK1/2 activates COX-2 was not defined. In this study, we investigated whether the PC-induced signaling pathway requires phosphorylation of STAT isoforms for COX-2 expression. To mimic PC or lethal ischemia, mixed cortical neuron/astrocyte cell cultures were subjected to 1 and/or 4 h of oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD), respectively. The results indicated serine phosphorylation of STAT3 after PC or ePKC activation. Inhibition of either ePKC or ERK1/2 activation abolished PC-induced serine phosphorylation of STAT3. Additionally, inhibition of STAT3 prevented PC-induced COX-2 expression and neuroprotection against OGD. Therefore, our findings suggest that PC signaling cascade involves STAT3 activation after ePKC and ERK1/2 activation. Finally, we show that STAT3 activation mediates COX-2 expression and ischemic tolerance.
Remote sensing of biomass and annual net aerial primary productivity of a salt marsh

Net aerial primary productivity is the rate of storage of organic matter in above-ground plant issues exceeding the respiratory use by the plants during the period of measurement. It is pointed out that this plant tissue represents the fixed carbon available for transfer to and consumption by the heterotrophic organisms in a salt marsh or the estuary. One method of estimating annual net aerial primary productivity (NAPP) required multiple harvesting of the marsh vegetation. A rapid nondestructive remote sensing technique for estimating biomass and NAPP would, therefore, be a significant asset. The present investigation was designed to employ simple regression models, equating spectral radiance indices with Spartina alterniflora biomass to nondestructively estimate salt marsh biomass. The results of the study showed that the considered approach can be successfully used to estimate salt marsh biomass.
Acquisition of signs from American sign language in hearing individuals following left hemisphere damage and aphasia.

Abstract Three severely aphasic hearing patients with no prior knowledge of sign language were able to acquire competency in aspects of American Sign Language (ASL) lexicon and finger spelling, in contrast to a near complete inability to speak the English counterparts of these visuo-gestural signs. Two patients with damage in left postero-lateral temporal and inferior parietal cortices mastered production and comprehension of single signs and short meaningful sign sequences, but the one patient with damage to virtually all left temporal cortices was less accurate in single sign processing and was unable to produce sequences of signs at all. These findings suggest that conceptual knowledge is represented independently of the auditory-vocal records for the corresponding lexical entries, and that left anterior temporal cortices outside of traditional “language areas” are part of the neural network which supports the linkage between conceptual knowledge and linguistic signs, especially as they are used in the sequenced activations required for production or comprehension of meaningful sentences.
Experimental study of optimal energy weighting in energy-resolved CT using a CZT detector

Recent advances in energy-resolved CT can potentially improve contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), which could subsequently reduce dose in conventional and dedicated breast CT. Two methods have been proposed for optimal energy weighting: weighting the energy- bin data prior to log normalization (projection- based weighting) and weighting the energy-bin data after log normalization (image-based weighting). Previous studies suggested that optimal projection-based and image-based energy weighting provide similar CNR improvements for energy­ resolved CT compared to photon-counting or conventional energy-integrating CT. This study experimentally investigated the improvement in CNR of projection-based and image-based weighted images relative to photon­ counting for six different energy-bin combinations using a bench top system with a CZT detector. The results showed CNR values ranged between 0.85 and 1.01 for the projection- based weighted images and between 0.91 and 1.43 for the image- based weighted images, relative to the CNR for the photon-counting image. The range of CNR values demonstrates the effects of energy-bin selection on CNR for a particular energy weighting scheme. The non-ideal spectral response of the CZT detector caused spectral tailing, which appears to generally reduce the CNR for the projection-based weighted images. Image-based weighting increased CNR in five of the six bin combinations despite the non-ideal spectral effects.
Regeneration of a Peripheral Nerve Implant into Goldfish Telencephalic Parenchyma

THE nerve fibres of a peripheral nerve implanted in the cortex of the rat1 or cat2,3 do not regenerate into the brain parenchyma. The glial scar which lines the wound made in the parenchyma during nerve implantation seems to be a mechanical barrier to successful regeneration. After nerve implantation and administration of the drug piromen, however, the peripheral axons which formerly had not grown through the glial scar now grow through the scar2,3.
Principals Should Stress Effective Teaching Elements In Classroom Instruction

Staff development programs abound, but there appear to be few clear paths for principals who may wish to help classroom teachers improve teaching and learning. These writers con ducted a study of O...
SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC INVESTIGATION OF THE INTERACTIONS IN SOLUTIONS OF TICL4 WITH SEVERAL AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS AND ETHERS

Abstract Ultra-violet and visible absorption spectra were obtained for binary solutions of titanium tetrachloride with several aromatic compounds of varying electron density on the ring. These spectra show evidence for a charge-transfer process in such systems. Quantitative absorption studies were conducted on the benzene, anisole, and diphenyl ether containing systems. Attempts to describe the data with Benesi-Hildebrand type equations were successful for the two ether-containing systems by assuming 1 : 1 complexes in the diphenyl ether and both 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 complexes in the anisole system. The benzene system shows no evidence for the formation of a complex. The absorption spectrum in this system is ascribed to contact charge-transfer absorption.
In vivo inhibition of E. coli growth by a Ru(II)/Pt(II) supramolecule [(tpy)RuCl(dpp)PtCl2](PF6).

Abstract Supramolecular complexes consisting of ruthenium chromophores and a cisplatin unit represent an emerging class of bioactive molecules of interest as anti-cancer agents. Although the ability of Ru(II)/Pt(II) heteronuclear complexes to bind to DNA has been demonstrated, the in vivo activity of these complexes has not yet been reported. In the present work, we report the anti-bacterial activity of the complex [(tpy)RuCl(dpp)PtCl 2 ](PF 6 ) (where dpp = 2,3-bis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine, tpy = 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine). The impact on bacterial cell growth of exposure to different concentrations of [(tpy)RuCl(dpp)PtCl 2 ](PF 6 ) and cisplatin was studied. The bioactivity of this complex was found to be due to the presence of the cis -PtCl 2 moiety, as the monometallic synthon [(tpy)RuCl(dpp)](PF 6 ) did not inhibit bacterial cell growth.
THE SUSCEPTIBILITY OF CHICK EMBRYO SKIN ORGAN CULTURES TO INFLUENZA VIRUS FOLLOWING EXCESS VITAMIN A.

The conversion of chick embryonic epidermis to mucous epithelium by excess vitamin A in organ culture as reported by Fell and Mellanby (5) was shown to be accompanied by a corresponding change of susceptibility to influenza and vaccinia viruses. Untreated epidermis of 10- to 12-day chick embryos supported the growth of influenza (PR8) virus in organ cultures and a maximum infectivity (EID50) titer was reached 2 to 3 days after infection. At the same time) the epidermis showed squamous keratinization, beginning about the 4th day of cultivation. Addition of excess vitamin A (40 µg per ml) to the skin organ culture induced the following changes: (a) mucous metaplasia of the epidermis which was usually first evident after 4 to 5 days in the vitamin A medium, (b) increase in the daily and maximum yield of influenza virus, if the epidermis had been grown for 4 or more days in the vitamin A medium before infection took place, and (c) decrease in the production of vaccinia virus under similar conditions. The maximum yield of both viruses remained unchanged, however, if excess vitamin A was introduced to the organ culture at the time of virus inoculation. The magnitude of increase in the yield of influenza virus in this organ culture system was found to be proportionally related to the concentration of vitamin A added 4 or more days before inoculation of this virus. Increasing doses of vitamin A however, had no effect on the short-term growth of influenza virus in tissue cultures of chorio-allantoic membrane. Observation on the early period (2 to 12 hours) of influenza virus growth initiated in the 4-day organ cultures of chick embryonic skin showed no significant difference in virus production between the normal and the vitamin A medium groups. The change of virus specificity apparently is not due to the presence of excess vitamin A per se, but appears to be related to the change of differentiation produced in the organ culture system.
Glucose-Dependent Activation of Bacillus anthracis Toxin Gene Expression and Virulence Requires the Carbon Catabolite Protein CcpA

Sensing environmental conditions is an essential aspect of bacterial physiology and virulence. In Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, transcription of the two major virulence factors, toxin and capsule, is triggered by bicarbonate, a major compound in the mammalian body. Here it is shown that glucose is an additional signaling molecule recognized by B. anthracis for toxin synthesis. The presence of glucose increased the expression of the protective antigen toxin component-encoding gene (pagA) by stimulating induction of transcription of the AtxA virulence transcription factor. Induction of atxA transcription by glucose required the carbon catabolite protein CcpA via an indirect mechanism. CcpA did not bind specifically to any region of the extended atxA promoter. The virulence of a B. anthracis strain from which the ccpA gene was deleted was significantly attenuated in a mouse model of infection. The data demonstrated that glucose is an important host environment-derived signaling molecule and that CcpA is a molecular link between environmental sensing and B. anthracis pathogenesis.
Blaschke products and nonvanishing bounded analytic functions separating sequences

Soit H ∞ (Δ) les fonctions analytiques bornees sur Δ, le disque unite ouvert. Soit S un ensemble de fonctions definies sur Δ. On construit une suite qui separe les produits de Blaschke et une suite qui separe les fonctions analytiques bornees qui ne s'annulent pas qui ne separent pas H ∞ (Δ)
A parallel element‐by‐element solution scheme

A parallel element-by-element scheme is developed for finite-element solution of elliptic boundary-value problems. It is shown that, for a broad class of computational grids, the solution algorithm is totally parallelizable. Moreover, the conversion of an existing serial EBE code to a parallel code is seen to be quite simple. The method is implemented on the Alliant FX/8 and Sequent Balance parallel computers and ‘speedup’ performance studies are conducted for a representative elliptic PDE in two dimensions. The present procedure can be applied quite generally to other finite-element applications, and the associated programs can be modified in a straightforward way to implement the method.
Array CGH data modeling and smoothing in Stationary Wavelet Packet Transform domain

Background Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) is a highly efficient technique, allowing the simultaneous measurement of genomic DNA copy number at hundreds or thousands of loci and the reliable detection of local one-copy-level variations. Characterization of these DNA copy number changes is important for both the basic understanding of cancer and its diagnosis. In order to develop effective methods to identify aberration regions from array CGH data, many recent research work focus on both smoothing-based and segmentation-based data processing. In this paper, we propose stationary packet wavelet transform based approach to smooth array CGH data. Our purpose is to remove CGH noise in whole frequency while keeping true signal by using bivariate model.
Activin and TGFbeta limit murine primordial germ cell proliferation.

Mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) proliferate as they migrate from their initial location in the extraembryonic mesoderm to the genital ridge, the gonadal anlage. Once in the genital ridge, PGCs cease dividing and differentiate according to their gender. To identify ligands that might limit PGC proliferation, we analyzed growth factor receptors encoded in RNA obtained from purified germ cells shortly after their arrival in the genital ridge. Receptors for two members of the TGFbeta superfamily were found, TGFbeta1 and activin. As the signal-transducing domains of both receptor systems are highly conserved, the effects of both TGFbeta1 and activin on PGCs would be expected to be similar. We found that both ligands limited the accumulation of germ cells in primary PGC cultures. BrdU incorporation assays demonstrated that either ligand inhibits PGC proliferation. These results suggest that these signal transduction pathways are important elements of the mechanism that determines germ cell endowment.
Plans for balancing work and family life: Do women pursuing nontraditional and traditional occupations differ?

Work-involvement plans of women pursuing training in three fields are compared. Three approaches to the connection between gender and work are reviewed: an occupational, a differential gender socialization, and a role conflict approach. Data from 173 female students in traditional (nursing) and nontraditional (engineering and veterinary medicine) fields are used. The work plans of women pursuing these traditional and nontraditional occupations were similar. A minority in each field expected to work full time when their children were of preschool age. We obtained modest support for the structural and differential gender socialization approaches, and substantial support for the role conflict approach. Plans to pursue nontraditional professions do not appear associated with plans for nontraditional family life.
The frequency-doubling electro-optic modulation method for Kerr-effect measurements: Application in nitrobenzene

A new method for the measurement of the electric birefringence and electro-optic coefficients in Kerr-effect liquid media is presented. The method is based on the oscilloscopic observation of a characteristic frequency-doubling of an a.c. electro-optic modulation voltage applied to the sample, inserted in a Senarmont configuration system. Theoretical analysis predicts increased accuracy and sensitivity. This is verified by application of the method in measuring the temperature dependence of the Kerr constant of liquid nitrobenzene. The method has also been applied, in conjunction with He-Ne, argon and krypton lasers, to investigate the chromatic dispersion of the Kerr effect in this liquid over the short-wavelength range of the visible spectrum. The results obtained, which are original, indicate for the Kerr constantB a law of the formB = A/λ(λ - λ0)α, where λ is the wavelength andA, λ0 and α are constants.
Ethical Preferences among Business Leaders: Implications for Business Schools.

Since 1976, the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has encouraged business schools to include ethics in their curricula. Because lan guage is the means for conveying values, including ethical values, business com munication faculty play an important role in deciding what should be taught, and how. But until very recently, most researchers failed to look specifically at actual practices and perceptions in the workplace. To address that need, we conducted a survey of 250 business leaders concerning their ethical preferences and compared our results with an earlier study of business faculty and students. The survey, adapted from one used in the Arthur Andersen Business Ethics Program, consists of 20 narratives which presented respondents with the need to judge the impor tance of certain issues and their approval or disapproval of the action or decision described. We found no significant differences in responses to the 14 items which addressed ethical issues in such areas as creating ...
Sub-diffraction-limited multilayer coatings for the 0.3 numerical aperture micro-exposure tool for extreme ultraviolet lithography.

Multilayer coating results are discussed for the primary and secondary mirrors of the micro-exposure tool (MET): a 0.30 NA lithographic imaging system with a 200 μm×600 μm field of view at the wafer plane, operating in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) region at an illumination wavelength around 13.4 nm. Mo/Si multilayers were deposited by DC-magnetron sputtering on large-area, curved MET camera substrates. A velocity modulation technique was implemented to consistently achieve multilayer thickness profiles with added figure errors below 0.1 nm rms demonstrating sub-diffraction-limited performance, as defined by the classical diffraction limit of Rayleigh (0.25 waves peak to valley) or Marechal (0.07 waves rms). This work is an experimental demonstration of sub-diffraction- limited multilayer coatings for high-NA EUV imaging systems, which resulted in the highest resolution microfield EUV images to date.
Dewey and Citizenship Education

(2009). Dewey and Citizenship Education. Theory & Research in Social Education: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 284-292.
A synchrotron-based hydroxyl radical footprinting analysis of amyloid fibrils and prefibrillar intermediates with residue-specific resolution

Structural models of the fibrils formed by the 40-residue amyloid-β (Aβ40) peptide in Alzheimer’s disease typically consist of linear polypeptide segments, oriented approximately perpendicular to the long axis of the fibril, and joined together as parallel in-register β-sheets to form filaments. However, various models differ in the number of filaments that run the length of a fibril, and in the topological arrangement of these filaments. In addition to questions about the structure of Aβ40 monomers in fibrils, there are important unanswered questions about their structure in prefibrillar intermediates, which are of interest because they may represent the most neurotoxic form of Aβ40. To assess different models of fibril structure and to gain insight into the structure of prefibrillar intermediates, the relative solvent accessibility of amino acid residue side chains in fibrillar and prefibrillar Aβ40 preparations was characterized in solution by hydroxyl radical footprinting and structural mass spectrome...
A Relation Between Solar Radio Emission and Polar Cap Absorption of Cosmic Noise

Results are reported from a statistical study of the nature of centimeter-wave as well as meter-wave radio outbursts associated with polar cap absorption events. General conclusions are drawn regarding the prediction of the proton events. (C.H.)
A cost analysis of a smoke alarm installation and fire safety education program

Abstract Introduction While smoke alarm installation programs can help prevent residential fire injuries, the costs of running these programs are not well understood. Method We conducted a retrospective cost analysis of a smoke alarm installation program in 12 funded communities across four states. Costs included financial and economic resources needed for training, canvassing, installing, and following-up, within four cost categories: (a) personnel, (b) transportation, (c) facility, and (d) supplies. Results Local cost per completed home visit averaged $214.54, with an average local cost per alarm installed of $115.02. Combined state and local cost per alarm installed across all four states averaged $132.15. For every 1% increase in alarm installation, costs per alarm decrease by $1.32. Conclusions As more smoke alarms are installed, the average installation cost per alarm decreases. By demonstrating effective economies of scale, this study suggests that smoke alarm programs can be implemented efficiently and receive positive economic returns on investment.
Use of hybrid phenomenological and statistical effective-medium theories of dielectric functions to model the infrared reflectance of porous SiC films

The reflectance of porous silicon carbide (PSC) thin films on SiC substrates is measured in the infrared reststrahlen region by Fourier transform infrared reflectance spectroscopy and is compared to simulated spectra based on phenomenological and Bergman statistical effective-medium dielectric functions. The phenomenological models evaluated include the Bruggeman, cavity- and sphere-Maxwell-Garnett (C-MG and S-MG), Landau-Lifshitz/Looyenga (LLL), and Monecke models. In addition, modifications to the Bruggeman and C-MG models with variable particle shapes and surface layers are examined. Hybrid versions of the C-MG and LLL models are also considered, alternatively by using a phenomenological mixing approach, which gives a direct physical interpretation of the topology, and by directly mixing the statistical spectral density functions of the C-MG and LLL effective dielectric functions. This latter statistical hybrid model gives the best (and quite good) agreement with experiments. The differences in the hybrid models are understood by comparing their spectral density functions. The dip (or splitting) in the PSC film reststrahlen band is attributed to surface optical phonon modes.
Effects of Monoethylene Glycol on Carbon Dioxide Partitioning in Gas/Monoethylene Glycol/Water/Salt Mixed Systems

This paper extended the experimental results of carbon dioxide partitioning in gas/liquid equilibrium with a NaCl−H2O−monoethylene glycol (MEG) mixed solvent. The experiments were conducted systema...
Dynamic Friction of SiC Surfaces: A Torsional Kolsky Bar Tribometer Study

A dynamic tribometer has been successfully developed utilizing torsional Kolsky bar (TKB) technique for tribo pairs subjected to dynamic compression and shear. The dynamic tribometric responses of ground finish (Ra = 0.17 μm) and polished finish (Ra = 0.10 μm) surfaces of silicon carbide (SiC) under compression loading up to 1.5 GPa and shear-sliding velocity to 3.8 m/s have been measured. The experimental results show Coulomb friction behavior. Hardening of shear response is found on both the ground and polished surfaces. Repeating tests on the same tribo-pair demonstrate that steady state shear response on polished surfaces can be achieved by cumulating shear-sliding distance. SEM observation of the tested surface shows that the tested surfaces are microscopically shear-damaged. The similar surface conditions after a relative longer shear-sliding distance on polished surfaces lead to the same steady state frictional coefficient, 0.61, for both finishing surfaces.
Predation on native sculpin by exotic brown trout exceeds that by native cutthroat trout within a mountain watershed (Logan, UT, USA)

We explored potential negative effects of exotic brown trout (Salmo trutta) on native sculpin (Cottus sp.) on the Logan River, Utah, USA by (i) examining factors most strongly correlated with sculpin abundance (e.g., abiotic conditions or piscivory?), (ii) contrasting the extent of brown trout predation on sculpin with that by native cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii utah) and (iii) estimating the number of sculpin consumed by brown trout along an elevational gradient using bioenergetics. Abundance of sculpin across reaches showed a strong (r ≥ 0.40) and significant (P 260 mm) brown trout consumes as many as 34 sculpin per year. Nevertheless, results suggest that sculpin abundance in this system is controlled by abiotic factors and not brown trout predation. Additional research is needed to better understand how piscivory influences brown trout invasion success, including in-stream experiments exploring trophic dynamics and interactions between brown trout and native prey under different environmental conditions.
Effects of chlortetracycline amended feed on anaerobic sequencing batch reactor performance of swine manure digestion.

Abstract The effects of antimicrobial chlortetracycline (CTC) on the anaerobic digestion (AD) of swine manure slurry using anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (ASBRs) was investigated. Reactors were loaded with manure collected from pigs receiving CTC and no-antimicrobial amended diets at 2.5 g/L/d. The slurry was intermittently fed to four 9.5 L lab-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactors, two with no-antimicrobial manure, and two with CTC-amended manure, and four 28 day ASBR cycles were completed. The CTC concentration within the manure was 28 mg/L immediately after collection and 1.02 mg/L after dilution and 250 days of storage. CTC did not inhibit ASBR biogas production extent, however the volumetric composition of methane was significantly less (approximately 13% and 15% for cycles 1 and 2, respectively) than the no-antimicrobial through 56 d. CTC decreased soluble chemical oxygen demand and acetic acid utilization through 56 d, after which acclimation to CTC was apparent for the duration of the experiment.
Methodology for simultaneous optimization with reliability: nuclear PWR example

Approaches to combining optimization and reliability usually treat the two as separate problems, determining the reliability by integer programming. The purpose of the paper is to describe a method for including reliability in the usual process optimization problem. The algorithm applied to this mixed integer problem is the adaptive random search, which can search both discrete and continuous variables simultaneously. This method is applied to optimization of the primary cooling system of a PWR, which has twelve independent variables, three of which are integers directly affecting system reliability. Reliability data were obtained from USAEC-WASH 1400 report. Optimization results are presented for various levels of reliability.
A multiplex PCR for species- and virulence-specific determination of Listeria monocytogenes.

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes internalin gene inlJ has been described previously for differentiation of virulent from avirulent strains. However, a recent report indicated that there exist some unusual lineage IIIB strains (e.g., serotype 7 strain R2-142) that possess no inlJ gene but have the capacity to cause mouse mortality via intraperitoneal inoculation. Therefore, a multiplex PCR incorporating inlA, inlC and inlJ gene primers was developed in this study for rapid speciation and virulence determination of L. monocytogenes. Although inlB gene was also assessed for species-specific recognition, it was not included in the multiplex PCR due to the negative reaction observed between the inlB primers and serotypes 4a–e strains. The species identity of the 36 L. monocytogenes strains under investigation was verified through the amplification of an 800 bp fragment with the inlA primers and the virulence of these strains was ascertained by the formation of 517 bp and/or 238 bp fragments with the inlC and inlJ primers, respectively. Whereas L. monocytogenes pathogenic strains with capacity to cause mortality (showing relative virulence of 30–100%) in A/J mice via the intraperitoneal route were invariably detected by the inlC and/or inlJ primers, naturally non-pathogenic strains (showing relative virulence of 0%) were negative with these primers. While 8 of the 10 L. ivanovii strains reacted with the inlC primers, they could be effectively excluded as non-L. monocytogenes through their negative reactions with the inlA primers in the multiplex PCR. Thus, the use of the multiplex PCR targeting inlA, inlC and inlJ genes facilitates simultaneous confirmation of L. monocytogenes species identity and virulence.
Effects of irradiance on growth, photosynthesis, and water use efficiency of seedlings of the chaparral shrub, Ceanothus megacarpus

The effects of irradiance during growth on biomass allocation, growth rates, leaf chlorophyll and protein contents, and on gas exchange responses to irradiance and CO2 partial pressures of the evergreen, sclerophyllous, chaparral shrub, Ceanothus megacarpus were determined. Plants were grown at 4 irradiances for the growth experiments, 8, 17, 25, 41 nE cm-2 sec-1, and at 2 irradiances, 9 and 50 nE cm-2 sec-1, for the other comparisons.At higher irradiances root/shoot ratios were somewhat greater and specific leaf weights were much greater, while leaf area ratios were much lower and leaf weight ratios were slightly lower than at lower irradiances. Relative growth rates increased with increasing irradiance up to 25 nE cm-2 sec-1 and then leveled off, while unit leaf area rates increased steeply and unit leaf weight rates increased more gradually up to the highest growth irradiance.Leaves grown at 9 nE cm-2 sec-1 had less total chlorophyll per unit leaf area and more per unit leaf weight than those grown at 50 nE cm-2 sec-1. In a reverse of what is commonly found, low irradiance grown leaves had significantly higher chlorophyll a/b than high irradiance grown leaves. High irradiance grown leaves had much more total soluble protein per unit leaf area and per unit dry weight, and they had much higher soluble protein/chlorophyll than low irradiance grown leaves.High irradiance grown leaves had higher rates of respiration in very dim light, required higher irradiances for photosynthetic saturation and had higher irradiance saturated rates of photosynthesis than low irradiance grown leaves. CO2 compensation irradiances for leaves of both treatments were very low, <5 nE cm-2 sec-1. Leaves grown under low and those grown under high irradiances reached 95% of their saturated photosynthetic rates at 65 and 85 nE cm-2 sec-1, respectively. Irradiance saturated rates of photosynthesis were high compared to other chaparral shrubs, 1.3 for low and 1.9 nmol CO2 cm-2 sec-1 for high irradiance grown leaves. A very unusual finding was that leaf conductances to H2O were significantly lower in the high irradiance grown leaves than in the low irradiance grown leaves. This, plus the differences in photosynthetic rates, resulted in higher water use efficiencies by the high irradiance grown leaves. High irradiance grown leaves had higher rates of photosynthesis at any particular intercellular CO2 partial pressure and also responded more steeply to increasing CO2 partial pressure than did low irradiance grown leaves. Leaves from both treatments showed reduced photosynthetic capability after being subjected to low CO2 partial pressures (≃100 μbars) under high irradiances. This treatment was more detrimental to leaves grown under low irradiances.The ecological implications of these findings are discussed in terms of chaparral shrub community structure. We suggest that light availability may be an important determinant of chaparral community structure through its effects on water use efficiencies rather than on net carbon gain.
A Model for Developing International Student Exchanges

This paper presents a model of international student exchanges that considers the needs and expectations of both host and guest country. It draws on the literature on international social work in addition to the experiences of the authors, who have taught social work courses abroad and conducted numerous service projects in the Caribbean Islands. One author has been placing social work students in international field practica for the past 10 years. This model of developing and maintaining international student exchanges suggests that communication is at the core of successful international work. The process of developing the exchanges should include the following communication steps for both host and guest nation: (1) establish a feedback loop with potential participants; (2) gain an overview of the other country; (3) provide orientation at micro, mezzo and macro levels; (4) identify gains; (5) consider costs; (6) clarify expectations; and (7) establish roles for the student, field liaison, and field supe...
17 ps Rise-time measurement by photoemission sampling

We report on the first voltage measurements of signals with rise times below 20 ps by photoemission stampling based on the single-photon process. The high time and voltage resolution together with the potential of a submicrometre spatial resolution enables tesing of very high-speed VLSI circuits by this newly developed method.
Observing oceanic mesoscale eddies from Geosat altimetry: Preliminary results

Mesoscale eddies constitute the most energetic component of the variability of ocean currents. Sea level variations measured by the Geosat radar altimeter are used to study the spatial and temporal scales of the eddy motion. An attempt is also made to map the temporal evolution of the eddy field in the region of the Agulhas Current south of Africa, where the eddy motions are among the strongest in the world. The results demonstrate that Geosat has provided an unprecedented opportunity to map from space the temporal evolution of sea level variability associated with the energetic eddies in the ocean.
Was the Alexander terrane a source of feldspathic sandstones in the Shoo Fly Complex, Sierra Nevada, California?

Feldspathic sandstone in the Shoo Fly melange contains monocyclic 506 ± 22-m.y.-old detrital zircons and significant quantities of volcanic rock clasts. It is speculated that the feldspathic sandstones and their contained zircons were derived from detritus shed from the volcanic-plutonic Alexander terrane of southeastern Alaska during its Paleozoic residence at the latitude of northern California.
Studies of body temperature patterns in South American Camelidae

Abstract 1. 1. At sea level the core temperatures of the alpaca ( Lama pacos ) and llama ( Lama glama ), recorded continuously by radiotelemetry, were within the ranges of 37·9–38·3°C and 38·l–38·6°C respectively. These ranges were unaltered after 6 days of water deprivation. 2. 2. At high altitude (4·1 km) the ranges were very similar (37·6–38·2°C and 37·2–38·0°C respectively) Six days of water deprivation was without effect on the core temperature range of the alpaca at this altitude. 3. 3. The core temperature of the two vicunas ( Lama vicugna ) at high altitude was greater than those of the other species (36·0–37·9°C and 37·4–39·l°C). 4. 4. Just before parturition, the core temperature of a pregnant alpaca at high altitude was elevated by about 1°C.
Exploring clinician uncertainty in the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Based upon analyses of interview data collected from twenty-six clinician respondents, this study explores two facets of clinician uncertainty related to the diagnosis and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. First, this study explores clinician reservations about the diagnostic validity of ADHD as it is described by the American Psychiatric Association (1994) in DSM IV. Second, this study explores clinician ambivalence regarding the physical and social-psychological side-effects of stimulant medications, such as Ritalin. In applying the sociological discussions that address uncertainty in clinical settings and through reviewing a sizable cross-section of the popular and research-oriented literature demonstrating the contentious nature of the ADHD phenomenon, this study illustrates that clinicians do not practice within a vacuum, but are instead largely affected by the marked scepticism that surrounds ADHD. In being affected by this scepticism, it is concluded that clinicians who assess and treat ADHD are autonomous in how they interpret the diagnostic and treatment protocols for this mental disorder.
Psychological examination of traumatic encephalopathy

Abstract This paper incorporates a direct English translation of two key French papers on the Rey (1941) Complex Figure as modified proceduraly by Osterrieth (1944). The descriptions of the technique in the two original papers are supplemented by a commentary on the current use of the technique in clinical practice.
Inhibition, selection and enhancement operators for picture processing

Abstract Enhancement, inhibition and selection operators are obtained. This is followed by a discussion of how they are used and their effect on a picture matrix. Each element of the picture matrix is a gray level representing the gray level over a small area of the picture.
Seizures reported in association with use of dietary supplements.

Background. Seizures in persons using dietary supplements (DS) have been reported through the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch system, but not formally reviewed. Methods. Sixty-five cases of DS-associated seizures reported to MedWatch from 1993 to 1999 were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act and independently evaluated by three reviewers for probability of causation based on temporal relationship, biological plausibility, and underlying risk factors. Our aims in this review were 1) to assess the probability of causation in each case; 2) to characterize the patterns of use and types of supplements involved in cases of seizures; and 3) to identify trends that may explain potential risks factors for dietary supplement-related seizures. Results. Twenty seizures were judged as probably related, 13 possibly related, and 10 as unrelated to DS use. Five cases were not seizures, and 17 cases contained insufficient information. In the 20 probably related cases, 19 involved ephedra, 14 invo...
User-guided segmentation for volumetric retinal optical coherence tomography images

Despite the existence of automatic segmentation techniques, trained graders still rely on manual segmentation to provide retinal layers and features from clinical optical coherence tomography (OCT) images for accurate measurements. To bridge the gap between this time-consuming need of manual segmentation and currently available automatic segmentation techniques, this paper proposes a user-guided segmentation method to perform the segmentation of retinal layers and features in OCT images. With this method, by interactively navigating three-dimensional (3-D) OCT images, the user first manually defines user-defined (or sketched) lines at regions where the retinal layers appear very irregular for which the automatic segmentation method often fails to provide satisfactory results. The algorithm is then guided by these sketched lines to trace the entire 3-D retinal layer and anatomical features by the use of novel layer and edge detectors that are based on robust likelihood estimation. The layer and edge boundaries are finally obtained to achieve segmentation. Segmentation of retinal layers in mouse and human OCT images demonstrates the reliability and efficiency of the proposed user-guided segmentation method.
Intramolecular cyclizations of organometallic compounds V. 6,6-bis(diethylaluminum)-1-hexenes to substituted cyclopentanes.

Abstract 3-Substituted-hex-1-en-5-ynes were cyclized by treatment with diethylaluminum hydride; in hydrocarbon/ether solvent, trans -2-substituted-methylcyclopentane is produced, while in the absence of ether, the product is 2-substituted-methylenecyclopentane. Yields are 69% to 76%.
Synthesis and reactions of silyl ketene acetal-modified polysiloxanes. Preparation and preliminary dielectric characterization of some new polysiloxanes

Abstract A new route to the functionalization of polysiloxanes is described. Polysiloxanes having pendant silyl ketene acetals are synthesized through hydrosilation of poly(methylhydrosiloxane) with a terminal olefin bearing a silyl ketene acetal. The functionalized polysiloxanes can be reacted with electrophiles such as p-nitrobenzenesulphenyl chloride, affording derivatives having highly polar pendants. These materials have dielectric constants as high as 9 and dissipation factors as low as 0.02–0.06 at 100 kHz at room temperature. The temperature dependencies of the dielectric constants are a function of polar pendant group concentration.
Extragalactic and galactic gamma-rays and neutrinos from annihilating dark matter

We describe cosmic gamma-ray and neutrino signals of dark matter annihilation, explaining how the complementarity of these signals provides additional information that, if observable, can enlighten the particle nature of dark matter. This is discussed in the context of exploiting the separate galactic and extragalactic components of the signal, using the spherical halo model distribution of dark matter. We motivate the discussion with supersymmetric extensions of the standard model of particle physics. We consider the minimal supersymmetric standard model (MSSM) where both neutrinos and gamma-rays are produced from annihilations. We also consider a gauged $B\ensuremath{-}L$, baryon number minus lepton number, extension of the MSSM, where annihilation can be purely to heavy right-handed neutrinos. We compare the galactic and extragalactic components of these signals, and conclude that it is not yet clear which may dominate when looking out of the galactic plane. To answer this question, we must have an understanding of the contribution of halo substructure to the annihilation signals. We find that different theories with indistinguishable gamma-ray signals can be distinguished in the neutrino signal. Gamma-ray annihilation signals are difficult to observe from the galactic center, due to abundant astrophysical sources; but annihilation neutrinos from there would not be so hidden, if they can be observed over the atmospheric neutrinos produced by cosmic rays.
A diagnostic challenge: primary omental torsion and literature review - a case report

A case report of omental torsion, which is a rare differential diagnosis of the acute abdomen. Intraoperative diagnosis and treatment by resection are the current management of choice, however with increasing use of pre-operative imaging this may need to be reconsidered.
Schedulability analysis and utilization bounds for highly scalable real-time services

The proliferation of high-volume time-critical Web services such as online trading calls for a scalable server design that allows meeting individual response-time guarantees of real time transactions. A main challenge is to honor these guarantees despite unpredictability in incoming server load. The extremely high volume of real-time service requests mandates constant-time scheduling and schedulability analysis algorithms (as opposed to polynomial or logarithmic ones in the number of current requests). The paper makes two major contributions towards developing an architecture and theoretical foundations for scalable real-time servers operating in dynamic environments. First, we derive a tight utilization bound for schedulability of aperiodic tasks (requests) that allows implementing a constant time schedulability test on the server. We demonstrate that Liu and Layland's schedulable utilization bound of ln 2 does not apply to aperiodic tasks, and prove that an optimal arrival-time independent scheduling policy will meet all aperiodic task deadlines if utilization is maintained below 1/1+/spl radic/(1/2). Second, we show that aperiodic deadline-monotonic scheduling is the optimal arrival-time-independent scheduling policy for aperiodic tasks. This result is used to optimally prioritize server requests. Evaluation of a utilization control loop that maintains server utilization below the bound shows that the approach is effective in meeting all individual deadlines in a high performance real-time server.
Functional disability and associated factors among older Zuni Indians

Few studies have focused on American Indian elderly and functional disability, and none have explored potential moderating or mediating factors that may lend themselves to subsequent intervention. The purpose of this study was to describe the extent of functional disability in elders and to determine which factors were associated with a higher number of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) limitations. The study was a secondary data analysis of an existing survey of American Indian elders in one southwest tribe. Functional disability was defined as limitations in ADLs and was measured by the percent of respondents reporting specific limitations and by the mean total ADL limitations. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to determine the demographic, socioeconomic and health factors associated with ADL limitations. In the 90 elders surveyed, 40 percent of respondents reported a limitation with bathing, 31 percent with walking, and 22 percent with dressing. Only 6 percent of the elders surveyed, however, reported their health status as "poor" on a 5-point scale. Factors associated with more ADL limitations included poorer health status, less frequent exercise, and more elder care services used. Rates of functional disability in this tribe were higher than those found in the U.S. for all races. Further studies are needed to understand functional disability in American Indian elders and their need for long-term care services.
The Hodrick-Prescott Filter A Special Case of Penalized Spline Smoothing

We prove that the Hodrick-Prescott Filter (HPF), a commonly used method for smoothing econometric time series, is a special case of a linear penalized spline model with knots placed at all observed time points (except the first and last) and uncorrelated residuals. This equivalence then furnishes a rich variety of existing data-driven parameter estimation meth- ods, particularly restricted maximum likelihood (REML) and generalized cross-validation (GCV). This has profound implications for users of HPF who have hitherto typically relied on subjective choice, rather than estima- tion, for the smoothing parameter. By viewing estimates as roots of an ap- propriate quadratic estimating equation, we also present a new approach for constructing confidence intervals for the smoothing parameter. The method is akin to a parametric bootstrap where Monte Carlo simulation is replaced by saddlepoint approximation, and provides a fast and accurate alternative to exact methods, when they exist, e.g. REML. More importantly, it is also the only computationally feasible method when no other methods, exact or otherwise, exist, e.g. GCV. The methodology is demonstrated on the Gross National Product (GNP) series originally analyzed by Hodrick and Prescott (1997). With proper attention paid to residual correlation struc- ture, we show that REML-based estimation delivers an appropriate smooth for both the GNP series and its returns.
Effects of antibiotics and other agents on the intestinal transport of iron

That the intestinal absorption of inorganic iron may be significantly influenced by certain compounds is well established. In this regard, it has been demonstrated that phytates and phosphates cause depressed absorption of inorganic iron, whereas certain amino acids, sugars, citrate, and ascorbate seem to enhance iron transport. In addition, it is widely held that histamine-fast achiorhydria results in decreased absorption of inorganic iron. Recent studies from our laboratory (1, 2) suggest that certain antibiotics can also cause impaired absorption of iron. In this presentation, I shall discuss these studies as well as more recent observations on the effect of cholestyramine on the intestinal absorption of inorganic and hemoglobin iron. The limited time available will not permit a detailed survey of all the compounds and conditions known to influence iron absorption. Effect of tetracycline and other antibiotics on iron transport