cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fatal occupational injuries in California, 1972-1983

Prior reports have indicated that the crude incidence of fatal occupational accidents in California has substantially declined since at least 1972. We tested the hypothesis that this observation was an artifact of demographic shifts in the workforce towards lower-risk age groups and industries. Review of worker's compensation data from 1972 to 1983 identified 2,483 fatal injuries among males. Crude rates declined by an average of 7.0% annually (p less than .005). Age and industry adjustment reduced this decline to 6.7% annually, but the trend was still significant (p less than .005). Thus, the decline in fatal injury rates is not artifactual and will require further study to explain. In a separate analysis, age-specific death rates were found to follow a bimodal pattern in most industries with the highest rates observed at the extremes of age. These results conflict with those of several previous studies. However, these studies did not adjust for the prevalence of part-time work schedules among younger employees. Language: en
Epidermal growth factor increases granulation tissue formation dose dependently

Recent studies have shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated the rate of formation of granulation tissue in a model of wound repair (A. Buckley, et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 82: 7340, 1985). Because pharmacologic doses of EGF were used previously, the relationship of EGF concentration to physiologic effects was determined in this study. Rats were implanted with subcutaneous polyvinyl alcohol sponges containing slow-release pellets formulated to release 0, 0.1, 1.0, or 10 micrograms of EGF/day. Tissue response was judged by the degree of histologic organization and vascularity, as well as several quantitative parameters: wet weight, hydroxyproline content, protein content, and DNA concentration. Each of these parameters showed consistent increases by Day 5 after implantation, when inflammation and edema had subsided. Compared with placebo controls, hydroxyproline (collagen) content was significantly increased by as little as 1 microgram/day of EGF, and DNA content was significantly increased by all dose levels of EGF. Endogenous EGF concentration in experimental granulation tissue was found to be fairly constant (30-40 ng/g wet wt); however, the increasing cellularity of the sponges may have reduced the local concentration of free EGF to low levels. Pellets releasing as little as 4 ng/hr of EGF into the surrounding tissue were able to accelerate wound healing, suggesting that the availability of this growth factor may be a rate-limiting step in wound repair.
Managing business relationships in IT outsourcing

Enterprises rely on IT services and their efficient management. Enterprises have a choice to produce their IT services in-house or source them from external service providers. In the latter case, business relationships must be managed with service providers, ranging from managing contracts, contacts, observing the delivery of service, receiving and paying bills, conducting audits, dealing with incidents, etc. With an increasing number of contracted services in IT, the management of business relationships with service providers becomes a complex task. This paper describes a business interaction service which helps managing the business relationships with external IT service providers. This service can be operated in-house or can be provided as an external service itself. A prototype of the business interaction service has been built and demonstrated in prior work [1]-[3]. This paper describes its adaptation for managing business relationships in IT outsourcing based on the SCOR framework [4].
Comparison of long-term phosphorus removal performance of two large-scale constructed wetlands in South Florida, U.S.A

Abstract The Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs) have been constructed as a component of the Everglades restoration in southern Florida, U.S.A. These large-scale treatment wetlands function to remove excess phosphorus (P) from agricultural and urban runoff. The STAs can receive variable inflow hydraulic and P loading in response to storm events or regional droughts and are operated under state and federal permits. An evaluation of the long-term P removal performance for two of the best performing STAs, STA-2 and STA-3/4 is presented along with the challenges in managing these large wetlands. The trends in the inflow loadings and P retention over the period of record for STA treatment flow-ways were examined on an annual and wet/dry seasonal basis. Daily water depths and weekly outflow P concentrations were also examined. The period of record average annual inflow hydraulic loading rates were relatively low (2.0–3.8 cm d−1) and the average annual P loading rates were low to moderate (0.6–1.6 g m2 yr−1) compared to the other STAs, although variable seasonal and annual loadings were observed. Despite receiving variable hydraulic and P loads, these STAs have reduced surface water TP concentrations from 100 and 87 μg P L−1 at inflow structures to 23 and 18 μg P L−1 at outflow structures in STA-2 and STA-3/4, respectively. The outflow concentrations did not consistently respond to changes in the inflow loading rates, suggesting that the P assimilative capacity of the wetlands may not be exceeded on a long-term basis. The occasional elevated outflow TP concentrations indicate that internal physical processes, such as sediment transport or resuspension, may have occurred or the short-term phosphorus assimilative capacity of the wetland was temporarily exceeded, but it appears as though the long-term mechanisms related to biogeochemical processes were not affected.
Early Reproductive Ontogeny in Interspecific Crosses of Arachis hypogaea and Section Arachis Species

Abstract Wild Arachis species have been recognized as sources of resistance to pests and pathogens that infect A. hypogaea L. and cause substantial yield losses. However, utilization of these genetic resources for crop improvement has been difficult. This study was conducted to ( a ) understand the processes of early embryo growth and development in four Arachis species, two A. hypogaea cultivars and their hybrids and ( b ) identify parental compatibilities in reciprocal crosses of A. hypogaea. The results indicated that delayed fertilization beyond 24 h, coupled with slow proembryo growth, leads to embryo abortion in many interspecific crosses. For example, in female A. cardenasii crosses, lack of or delayed fertilization leads to failure to obtain hybrids. When A. batizocoi was used as a female parent, delayed fertilization and the inability of quiescent proembryos to resume growth after soil penetration caused abortion. Embryos of A. hypogaea × A. glandulifera crosses developed normally during the first 21 d after fertilization, but then aborted at a later time. In this study, A. hypogaea was always a better female parent than the wild Arachis species. Increasing the number of pollinations per cross, using the cultivated species as the female parent, utilizing different A. hypogaea varieties, and embryo rescue techniques are suggested to improve the probability of obtaining interspecific hybrids in Arachis.
Experimental demonstration of a classical approach for flexible structure control - The ACES testbed

This paper describes the results of an active structural control experiment performed for the Advanced Control Evaluation for Structures (ACES) testbed at NASA-Marshall as part of the NASA Control-Structure Interaction Guest Investigator Program. The experimental results successfully demonstrate the effectiveness of a 'dipole' concept for line-of-sight control of a pointing system mounted on a flexible structure. The simplicity and effectiveness of a classical 'single-loop-at-a-time' approach for the active structural control design for a complex structure, such as the ACES testbed, are demonstrated.
Inert gas washout in preschool children.

Summary The multiple-breath inert gas washout (MBW) method is used to measure the efficiency of ventilation distribution in the lungs and to measure the functional residual capacity (FRC). It involves recordings of the concentration of an inert marker gas and respiratory flow at the airway opening when a subject breathes through a sealed facemask or a mouthpiece. The MBW method is particularly useful for lung function testing in preschool children (2–6 years) because it requires only passive cooperation and tidal breathing. The lung clearance index (LCI) is the cumulative expired volume required to clear an inert gas from the lungs, divided by the FRC. The LCI has been shown to be more sensitive than spirometry or airway resistance measurements in detecting lung function abnormalities in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF). The MBW method may be useful also for screening for several other disorders that affect the peripheral airways in children.
Accelerated aging of selective brain structures in human immunodeficiency virus infection: a controlled, longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study

Advances in treatment have transformed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection from an inexorable march to severe morbidity and premature death to a manageable chronic condition, often marked by good health. Thus, infected individuals are living long enough that there is a potential for interaction with normal senescence effects on various organ systems, including the brain. To examine this interaction, the brains of 51 individuals with HIV infection and 65 uninfected controls were studied using 351 magnetic resonance imaging and a battery of neuropsychological tests collected 2 or more times over follow-up periods ranging from 6 months to 8 years. Brain tissue regions of interest showed expected age-related decrease in volume; cerebrospinal fluid-filled spaces showed increase in volume for both groups. Although HIV-infected individuals were in good general health, and free of clinically-detectable dementia, several brain regions supporting higher-order cognition and integration of functions showed acceleration of the normal aging trajectory, including neocortex, which extended from the frontal and temporal poles to the parietal lobe, and the thalamus. Beyond an anticipated increase in lateral ventricle and Sylvian fissure volumes and decrease in tissue volumes (specifically, the frontal and sensorimotor neocortices, thalamus, and hippocampus) with longer duration of illness, most regions also showed accelerated disease progression. This accelerated loss of cortical tissue may represent a risk factor for premature cognitive and motor compromise if not dementia. On a more promising note, HIV-infected patients with increasing CD4 counts exhibited slower expansion of Sylvian fissure volume and slower declines of frontal and temporoparietal cortices, insula, and hippocampus tissue volumes. Thus, attenuated shrinkage of these brain regions, likely with adequate pharmacologic treatment and control of further infection, has the potential of abating decline in associated higher-order functions, notably, explicit memory, executive functions, self-regulation, and visuospatial abilities.
Levelset based fluid topology optimization using the extended finite element method

This study focuses on finding the optimal layout of fluidic devices subjected to incompressible flow at low Reynolds numbers. The proposed approach uses a levelset method to describe the fluid-solid interface geometry. The flow field is modeled by the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations and discretized by the extended finite element method (XFEM). The no-slip condition along the fluid-solid interface is enforced via a stabilized Lagrange multiplier method. Unlike the commonly used porosity approach, the XFEM approach does not rely on a material interpolation scheme, which allows for more flexibility in formulating the design problems. Further, it mitigates shortcomings of the porosity approach, including spurious pressure diffusion through solid material, strong dependency of the accuracy of the boundary enforcement with respect to the model parameters which may affect the optimization results, and poor boundary resolution. Numerical studies verify that the proposed method is able to recover optimization results obtained with the porosity approach. Further, it is demonstrated that the XFEM approach yields physical results for problems that cannot be solved with the porosity approach.
Divided government and US federal rulemaking

Despite paying a great deal of attention to the effects of divided government on legislative outputs, scholars of American politics have surprisingly ignored the potential impact of divided government on bureaucratic regulatory outputs. In this article we argue that divided government should reduce the volume of federal agency rulemaking. We test this hypothesis against a data set covering 21,000 rules from 1983 to 2005. Our study is one of the first to analyze the determinants of federal bureaucratic rulemaking activity across such a long period of time. Our results demonstrate that during periods of divided government, agencies issue fewer rules and fewer substantively significant rules than they do during periods of unified government. These findings suggest that divided government impedes agency rulemaking.
Mono- and multiparticulate Langmuir-Blodgett films prepared from surfactant-stabilized silver particles

Oleic-acid-stabilized 100 A diameter silver particles have been spread at air-water interfaces in a Langmuir film balance. Surface pressure vs. surface area isotherms, reflectivity measurements, and Brewster angle and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that increasing surface pressure resulted in the transition from gaseous and liquid phases of mixed oleic acid silver particle domains to closely packed, well-separated monoparticulate silver domains which ultimately collapsed to multiparticulate layers. Sequential transfer to solid substrates by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique led to the formation of multiparticulate layers of silver clusters.
Henry’s constants of methanol in aqueous systems containing salts

Knowledge of the partitioning behavior of methanol in aqueous solutions is essential for estimating VOC emissions from pulp and paper mills. In this work, we report new data for partition coefficients of methanol in aqueous solutions containing sodium carbonate and sodium sulfate. The data show a linear dependence of partition coefficients of methanol with salt concentration. This linear dependence extends also to black liquor solutions containing sodium salts from pulp and paper mills. Furthermore, the data can be extrapolated in temperature and salt concentration using an extension of the relationship proposed by Harvey in 1998.
Development and validation of a questionnaire to detect behavior change in multiple advance care planning behaviors.

Introduction Advance directives have traditionally been considered the gold standard for advance care planning. However, recent evidence suggests that advance care planning involves a series of multiple discrete behaviors for which people are in varying stages of behavior change. The goal of our study was to develop and validate a survey to measure the full advance care planning process. Methods The Advance Care Planning Engagement Survey assesses “Process Measures” of factors known from Behavior Change Theory to affect behavior (knowledge, contemplation, self-efficacy, and readiness, using 5-point Likert scales) and “Action Measures” (yes/no) of multiple behaviors related to surrogate decision makers, values and quality of life, flexibility for surrogate decision making, and informed decision making. We administered surveys at baseline and 1 week later to 50 diverse, older adults from San Francisco hospitals. Internal consistency reliability of Process Measures was assessed using Cronbach's alpha (only continuous variables) and test-retest reliability of Process and Action Measures was examined using intraclass correlations. For discriminant validity, we compared Process and Action Measure scores between this cohort and 20 healthy college students (mean age 23.2 years, SD 2.7). Results Mean age was 69.3 (SD 10.5) and 42% were non-White. The survey took a mean of 21.4 minutes (±6.2) to administer. The survey had good internal consistency (Process Measures Cronbach's alpha, 0.94) and test-retest reliability (Process Measures intraclass correlation, 0.70; Action Measures, 0.87). Both Process and Action Measure scores were higher in the older than younger group, p<.001. Conclusion A new Advance Care Planning Engagement Survey that measures behavior change (knowledge, contemplation, self-efficacy, and readiness) and multiple advance care planning actions demonstrates good reliability and validity. Further research is needed to assess whether survey scores improve in response to advance care planning interventions and whether scores are associated with receipt of care consistent with one's wishes.
Public Opinion and the Role of Government Arts Funding in Spain

While several studies have probed the determinants of public support for government funding of arts and culture in the United States, little work to date has addressed the question in Europe. Yet as private cultural funding increases in magnitude in most Western European countries, the answer to this question has policy implications. This article formalizes the theory of the determinants of this public support in a model, employs public opinion data from Spain to estimate this model, and compares the results with those from the U.S. I find that support in Spain increases strongly with age, but is insignificant in most other variables. The article's empirical results yield several lessons for cultural policy design.
Human Hsp70 molecular chaperone binds two calcium ions within the ATPase domain.

Abstract Background: The 70 kDa heat shock proteins (Hsp70) are a family of molecular chaperones, which promote protein folding and participate in many cellular functions. The Hsp70 chaperones are composed of two major domains. The N-terminal ATPase domain binds to and hydrolyzes ATP, whereas the C-terminal domain is required for polypeptide binding. Cooperation of both domains is needed for protein folding. The crystal structure of bovine Hsc70 ATPase domain (bATPase) has been determined and, more recently, the crystal structure of the peptide-binding domain of a related chaperone, DnaK, in complex with peptide substrate has been obtained. The molecular chaperone activity and conformational switch are functionally linked with ATP hydrolysis. A high-resolution structure of the ATPase domain is required to provide an understanding of the mechanism of ATP hydrolysis and how it affects communication between C- and N-terminal domains. Results: The crystal structure of the human Hsp70 ATPase domain (hATPase) has been determined and refined at 1.84 A, using synchrotron radiation at 120K. Two calcium sites were identified: the first calcium binds within the catalytic pocket, bridging ADP and inorganic phosphate, and the second calcium is tightly coordinated on the protein surface by Glu231, Asp232 and the carbonyl of His227. Overall, the structure of hATPase is similar to bATPase. Differences between them are found in the loops, the sites of amino acid substitution and the calcium-binding sites. Human Hsp70 chaperone is phosphorylated in vitro in the presence of divalent ions, calcium being the most effective. Conclusions: The structural similarity of hATPase and bATPase and the sequence similarity within the Hsp70 chaperone family suggest a universal mechanism of ATP hydrolysis among all Hsp70 molecular chaperones. Two calcium ions have been found in the hATPase structure. One corresponds to the magnesium site in bATPase and appears to be important for ATP hydrolysis and in vitro phosphorylation. Local changes in protein structure as a result of calcium binding may facilitate phosphorylation. A small, but significant, movement of metal ions and sidechains could position catalytically important threonine residues for phosphorylation. The second calcium site represents a new calcium-binding motif that can play a role in the stabilization of protein structure. We discuss how the information about catalytic events in the active site could be transmitted to the peptide-binding domain.
Limitations of Essential-State Models for the Description of Two-Photon Absorption Processes: The Example of Bis(dioxaborine)-Substituted Chromophores†

We report spectroscopic and quantum-chemical investigations comparing the two-photon absorption (TPA) properties of a bis(dioxaborine)-substituted derivative of biphenyl with those of a bis(dioxaborine) carbazole derivative. The former molecule is close to linear and centrosymmetric, while the dioxaborine groups of the latter are in a V-shaped arrangement, due to their linkage to the 3 and 6 positions of the bridging group. For both systems, we find sizable TPA cross sections (on the order of 360−530 × 10-50 cm4 s/photon). Interestingly, while the TPA response in the biphenyl-based system can be well described on the basis of the traditional three-state model, a significantly larger number of excited states needs to be considered for the carbazole derivative. We present a detailed comparison of the convergence of the theoretical approaches and an analysis of the various channels that contribute to the TPA response in molecules with low effective symmetries.
LOW-frequency wave propogation in partially ionized plasmas and a strong density gradient in the Hot hELicon eXperiment (HELIX)

Damping of Alfven waves is one of the most likely mechanisms for ion heating in the solar corona. Ion-neutral collisions have significant but poorly-understood effects on energy transfer and Alfven wave propagation in partially ionized plasmas, such as those found in the solar chromosphere. Alfven waves are thought to play a major role in the formation of auroral arcs as well as the generation of parallel electric fields in the Earth's ionosphere. The high densities created in helicon plasmas make them ideal for investigating the propagation and damping of Alfven waves, which have very long wavelengths and low frequencies (ω/ω ci ≤ 1). In the Hot hELicon eXperiment (HELIX), the neutral density varies strongly with radius, giving access to a wide range of Alfven dynamics across the plasma column. The ratio of ion-cyclotron collision frequency in the solar atmosphere varies from 10−6 to 10, while in HELIX the ratio varies from about 0.02 to 0.5. A new low-frequency internal wave-launching antenna has been used by the West Virginia University helicon source group to induce azimuthal (sheer) magnetic field perturbations close to the high-density core and across the strong density gradient region. A small-scale, translatable magnetic sense coil is used to measure the propagation behavior of these low-frequency waves. Cross-correlation measurements are used to understand how wave phase speed changes across the plasma column and wavelet analysis is applied to characterize how the density affects the wave power and coupling. This work builds on previous low-frequency wave launching studies conducted in HELIX and extends them with more precise analysis techniques. For the first time, Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) measurements of the perturbed and unperturbed plasma column are compared the show the heating effect of the Alfven waves.
Acute toxicity induced by 2-aryl-N-methylsuccinimides.

Phensuximide (PSX) is a 2-arylsuccinimide useful in the treatment of absence seizures. PSX is a mild urotoxicant and is structurally related to N-phenylsuccinimide (NPS) and its antifungal derivatives. Since substitution of the phenyl ring of NPS with chloro or tert-butyl groups can produce compounds with enhanced nephrotoxic potential, it was felt that similar substitutions on the phenyl ring of PSX also might produce derivatives with enhanced nephrotoxic potential. Three derivatives of PSX were prepared and tested: 2-(3-chlorophenyl)-N-methylsuccinimide (CPMS); 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-N-methylsuccinimide (BPMS) and 2-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-N-methylsuccinimide (DPMS). In one set of experiments, male Fischer 344 rats were administered a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of a succinimide (0.4 or 1.0 mmol kg-1) or vehicle (sesame oil, 2.5 ml kg-1) and renal function monitored at 24 and 48 h. Only minor changes in renal function were noted with the PSX derivatives. BPMS and DPMS (1.0 mmol kg-1) treatment induced mild renal tubular necrosis and thickening of the glomerular membranes. However, no significant morphological changes were noted in ureters, bladder or liver in any treatment group. In a second set of experiments, rats were pretreated with phenobarbital (75 mg kg-1 day-1, i.p., 3 days) followed by a single i.p. injection of DPMS (0.4 or 1.0 mmol kg-1) or DPMS vehicle. Renal function was monitored as before. Phenobarbital pretreatment did not markedly enhance the functional nephrotoxicity induced by DPMS (0.4 mmol), but tubular necrosis was greater than observed in non-phenobarbital-pretreated rats receiving DPMS (1.0 mmol kg-1). In addition, hepatotoxicity was observed as the appearance of numerous non-staining vacuoles in hypertrophied hepatocytes. In the phenobarbital plus DPMS (1.0 mmol kg-1) treatment group, all rats died by 48 h. Prior to death, rats exhibited increased proteinuria (+3), hematuria (+3) and blood urea nitrogen concentration. At 24 h, kidneys from rats treated with phenobarbital plus DPMS (1.0 mmol kg-1) exhibited extensive proximal tubular necrosis and numerous glomeruli with thickened membranes. Hepatotoxicity was more pronounced than with phenobarbital plus DPMS (0.4 mmol kg-1) at 48 h and urinary bladders had focal areas of erythrocytes pooling below the epithelial lining. These results demonstrate that although NPS and PSX are structural analogs, chemical substitutions that enhance the nephrotoxic potential of NPS do not have a similar effect on PSX. In addition, DPMS can induce urotoxicity in a manner similar to that observed for PSX and probably induces toxicity via one or more metabolites.
Altitude profile of O2(1Δg) at night

Abstract The altitude profile of the infrared atmospheric system of oxygen (α1Δg − X3Σg−) has been measured at night on two separate occasions. The measurements were made at 1.27 μ by single-channel radiometers flown as part of rocket payloads. Both rockets were launched at Ft. Churchill, Canada during disturbed conditions; one in March 1969 and the other in November 1969. Both measurements indicated a maximum concentration of molecules in the O 2 ( 1 Δ g ) state of about 2 × 108cm−3 near 90km. The total equivalent vertically integrated emission intensity of about 180 kR on both flights appears to indicate the possibility of some auroral enhancement. Implications of these results are discussed.
Price dynamics among U.S. electricity spot markets

Combining recent advances in causal flows with time series analysis, relationships among 11 U.S. spot market electricity prices are examined. Results suggest that the relationships among the markets vary by time frame. In contemporaneous time, the western markets are separated from the eastern markets and the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas. At longer time frames these separations disappear, even though electricity transmission between the regions is limited. It appears the relationships among markets are not only a function of physical assets (such as transmissions lines among markets), but by similar and dissimilar institutional arrangements among the markets.
Critical appraisal of neuroprotection trials in head injury: What have we learned?

To date, despite very encouraging preclinical results, almost all phase II/III clinical neuroprotection trials in traumatic brain injury (TBI) have failed to show any consistent improvement in outcome for TBI patients. To understand the reasons behind such developments we need to review and evaluate the evolution of trial design as a result of our changing understanding of the pathophysiology of brain cell death and progress of translational research from the laboratory bench to the bedside. This paper attempts to critically appraise these neuroprotection trials, rationalize the paucity of effectiveness, review any recent developments in the field, and try to draw some conclusions on how to move forward.
Selection response of the Colorado potato beetle for adaptation to the resistant potato, Solanum berthaultii

Thirty cohorts of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) were reared for ten consecutive generations on the cultivated potato, Solanum tuberosum, and on two accessions (PI 473331 and PI 473334) of the resistant wild species, S. berthaultii. At each generation, selection was imposed for increased survival, decreased development time, and for increased fecundity. Although several parameters responded to selection, net replacement rate (R0) on S. berthaultii was consistently less than 1/3 that on cultivated potato. At the tenth generation, each S. tuberosum strain female replaced herself with 110 daughters, whereas females from strains reared on PI 473334 and PI 473331 produced an average of 30 and 7 daughters, respectively. Slopes of the R0 regression lines for populations reared on S. tuberosum and S. berthaultii did not differ from zero, indicating no significant response to selection. Our findings suggest that populations of the Colorado potato beetle may have genetic variability in some performance traits for adaptation to S. berthaultii, but that adaptation is unlikely to occur as rapidly as previously reported.
Inside and outside of supernovae

A newly formed neutron star in a supernova finds itself in a dense environment, in which the gravitational energy of accreting matter can be lost to neutrinos. For the conditions in SN 1987A, ≲0.1M ⊙ may have fallen back onto the central neutron star on a timescale of hours after the explosion, after which the accretion rate is expected to drop sharply. Radiation is trapped in the flow until the mass accretion rate drops to 2×10−4 M ⊙ yr−1 at which point radiation can begin to escape from the shocked envelope at an Eddington limit luminosity. Between this neutrino limit and the Eddington limit, 3×10−8 M ⊙ yr−1, there are no steady, spherical solutions for neutron star accretion. SN 1987A should have reached the neutrino limit within a year of the explosion; the current lack of an Eddington luminosity can be attributed to black hole formation or to a clearing of the neutron star envelope. There is no evidence for newly formed neutron stars in supernovae. Radio supernovae, which were initially interpreted as pulsar activity, probably involve circumstellar interaction; SN 1993J shows especially good evidence for outer shock phenomena.
Menstrual cycle shifts in attentional bias for courtship language

The current study investigated whether women show an attentional bias toward courtship language during the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. Thirty heterosexual women (17 naturally cycling, 13 using hormonal contraceptives) completed a dichotic listening task on both a high and low fertility day of their menstrual cycle. Participants were asked to verbally repeat (shadow) an emotionally neutral target passage played in one ear while either a neutral or courtship distracter was played in the other ear. Courtship distracters were flirtatious in content but not overtly sexual. Shadowing errors were coded as a measure of attentional bias toward the distracter. Saliva samples were taken to determine whether levels of estradiol, progesterone and/or testosterone correlated with task performance. As predicted, naturally cycling women made more shadowing errors when listening to a courtship distracter during the fertile phase of their cycle than during the nonfertile phase. This effect was moderated by relationship status, such that fertile, mated women showed an attentional bias for courtship language but fertile single women did not. However, because of small sample sizes in the analysis, this relationship should be viewed as preliminary. Hormonal analysis revealed that higher levels of salivary estradiol predicted greater attentional bias toward courtship language in naturally cycling women. These results suggest that women's attention is drawn to verbal courtship signals when they are fertile, and that this shift is linked to increased estradiol release during the periovulatory phase.
Pike: A full season scab and golden nematode resistant chipstock variety

Pike is a chipstock variety released jointly by the Cornell and Pennsylvania Experiment Stations in March 1996. Pike has a specific gravity comparable to Atlantic and the ability to produce light-colored chips after 7 C storage. Most of the chip color data were taken in December, January, and February. It has scab resistance comparable to that of Superior and is golden nematode resistant. It is a full season variety, somewhat earlier than Snowden. In 23 trials in New York, internal necrosis and hollow heart of Pike was 5% compared to 18% for Atlantic. When grown at high temperatures, Pike is susceptible to a unique expression o f heat necrosis that is net-like in appearance which is different from the internal brown spot of Atlantic. The yield has been about 95% of the yield of Atlantic.
Design and characterization of all-optical constant-force laser tweezers

Optical tweezers are widely used to manipulate individual biomolecules. Conventionally, they hold a molecule at a constant extension while the restoring force of the molecule is measured. Many applications, however, require that the molecule be held under constant force while its extension is measured. We developed two all-optical trapping techniques that provide such constant-force conditions together with a fast extension measurement scheme. Our techniques are based on a scanning-line optical trap, which provides a one-dimensional flat optical potential well. A position-independent lateral force is generated either by a synchronous modulation of the laser intensity during the scan or the use of an asymmetrically shaped beam profile in the back focal plane of the microscope objective. The position of the trapped particle as a measure of the extension of an attached molecule is measured by monitoring the diffraction pattern of the forward-scattered laser light. The performance of these techniques, along with consideration for the design and calibration of the instrument is discussed.
In Memoriam: Andre M. Weitzenhoffer

Bill Coe, a major contributor to hypnosis research and an outspoken advocate for the viewpoint that social factors play a decisive role in shaping hypnotic behavior, died on September 10, 2004. He ...
Development of a cyanobacterial biolarvicide

Results of studies on a larvicidal cyanobacterium that expresses a Bti cryIVD gene fusion are reported. Genetically altered Agmenellum quadruplicatum PR-6 is shown to be toxic to larvae of three major genera of disease-bearing mosquitos. Factors affecting expression of Bti genes in cyanobacteria are discussed.
Designing phase II studies in cancer with time-to-event endpoints

Background: The primary clinical endpoint in many phase II studies in cancer is a time-to-event outcome subject to potential censoring. The decision in favor of abandoning or continuing investigation of the protocol regimen is typically based on the amount of statistical evidence suggesting an improvement compared to a given historical control. The primary statistical endpoint would typically be the median of the time-to-event distribution of the clinical endpoint. For the purpose of sample size or power calculations, software implementing parametric and nonparametric median tests, is freely available. The main assumptions are those of Exponential survival and a Uniform right-censoring mechanism.Purpose: The performance of the parametric and nonparametric methods is compared to that of using a binomial endpoint based on dichotomizing the event time at a clinically relevant landmark. As sufficient details on the various methods and related designs for phase II clinical design with survival endpoints are pr...
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Indoor and Outdoor Air of Three Cities in the U.S.

The indoor and outdoor concentrations of 30 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in 55 nonsmoking residences in three urban areas during June 1999-May 2000. The data represent the subset of samples collected within the Relationship of Indoor, Outdoor, and Personal Air study (RIOPA). The study collected samples from homes in Los Angeles, CA, Houston, TX, and Elizabeth, NJ. In the outdoor samples, the total PAH concentrations (sigmaPAH) were 4.2-64 ng m(-3) in Los Angeles, 10-160 ng m(-3) in Houston, and 12-110 ng m(-3) in Elizabeth. In the indoor samples, the concentrations of sigmaPAH were 16-220 ng m(-3) in Los Angeles, 21-310 ng m(-3) in Houston, and 22-350 ng m(-3) in Elizabeth. The PAH profiles of low molecular weight PAHs (3-4 rings) in the outdoor samples from the three cities were not significantly different. In contrast, the profiles of 5-7-ring PAHs in thesethree citieswere significantlydifferent, which suggested different dominant PAH sources. The signatures of 5-7-ring PAHs in the indoor samples in each city were similar to the outdoor profiles, which suggested that indoor concentrations of 5-7-ring PAHs were dominated by outdoor sources. Indoor-to-outdoor ratios of the PAH concentrations showed that indoor sources had a significant effect on indoor concentrations of 3-ring PAHs and a smaller effect on 4-ring PAHs and that outdoor sources dominated the indoor concentrations of 5-7-ring PAHs.
Identification and separation of pre T-cells from nu/nu mice: differentiation by preculture with thymic reticuloepithelial cells.

Abstract Spleens and lymph nodes of nu/nu, congenitally athymic, mice have 16–32% and 72–76%, respectively, of large, brain-associated-T (BAT) antigen positive cells. These BAT positive large cells were isolated from nu/nu spleens with a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS-II) and then cultured on thymic reticuloepithelial cell (TRC) monolayers. Both concanavalin A and mixed lymphocyte reactivity was induced during this culture period. We concluded that these BAT positive cells are pre-T cells which can he induced to at least some T cell functions by an inductive factor produced by TRC.
Interaction of norepinephrine with Purkinje cell responses to cerebellar afferent inputs in aged rats.

Abstract —Age-related differences in the modulatory actions of NE on the evoked activity of cerebellar Purkinje cells were examined in young (3 month) and old (18–20 month) Fischer 344 rats. We have previously shown that NE is more potent in young than in old rats, in terms of its ability to inhibit spontaneous activity. In this investigation complex spike excitation, simple spike excitation, and inhibition of Purkinje cell discharge were elicited by stimulation of climbing fibers, mossy fibers, and cerebellar parallel fibers, and quantified by computing post-stimulus time histograms of the neuronal response, recorded extracellularly. Histograms were compared before, during and after local ejection of NE from multibarreled micropipettes. In young rats NE preferentially inhibits spontaneous discharge more than evoked excitations. The inhibitory response of the Purkinje cell to activation of basket and stellate cell afferents is potentiated by NE with respect to the inhibition of spontaneous discharge. In old rats the NE-induced potentiation of both excitatory and inhibitory responses was significantly diminished. The loss of noradrenergic enhancement of the relative responsiveness of Purkinje neurons to afferent inputs in senescent animals may relate to behavioral deficits seen in aging.
Racially Charged Legislation and Latino Health Disparities: The Case of Arizona's S.B. 1070

Researchers have established that minority groups tend to suffer worse health outcomes compared to their white counterparts, though the specific mechanisms at play are still under investigation. The passing of Arizona's 2010 “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,” commonly referred to as “S.B. 1070,” provides a unique opportunity to examine the effects of an increasingly racially charged milieu on Latino health. Using the Arizona sample of the 2009–2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, we find that the changing social setting around S.B. 1070 is related to poorer Latino self-reported health, but only for those whose primary language is Spanish. Furthermore, serving as control groups, we find no such relationship in other U.S.-Mexico border states that had no analogous legislation (Texas, New Mexico, and California). We expand on stress process theory and group position theory to explain this increase in Arizona's negative health reporting, despite traditional social and econom...
EFFECTS ON SUSTAINED PERFORMANCE OF TIME-SHARING A THREE-PHASE CODE TRANSFORMATION TASK ( 3P-COTRAN)

A group of 20 highly trained subjects were divided randomly into five equal groups to time-share the 3P-COTRAN task with a different task combination of a multitask performance battery (MTPB) used by Alluisi (1969). The effects of the time-sharing on the 3P-COTRAN performance and the effects of 3P-COTRAN on the time-shared MTPB performances are analyzed.
George Washington and the Alien and Sedition Acts

1 The Naturalization Act extended the residence requirement for citizenship to fourteen years. The Alien Friends Act provided licensing or deportation of aliens at the discretion of the executive, and restricted their property rights. The Alien Enemies Act placed full control of enemy aliens' liberty in the hands of the executive. The Sedition Act was directed against subversive conspiracies, and defined and punished scandalous, malicious, contemptuous, and detractory publication against the government, either house of the legislature, or the President. The acts are in United States Statutes at Large, I (1845), 566, 570, 577, 596, and perhaps more widely accessible in Documents of American History, ed. Henry Steele Commager (several editions), I. 2 Henry Adams put it well: "In recent times there has been a general disposition to explain away and to soften down the opinions and passions of that day; to throw a veil over their violence; to imagine a possible middle ground, from which the acts and miotives of all parties will appear patriotic and wise, and their extravagance a mere misunderstanding. Such treatment of history inakes both parties ridiculous." Henry Adams, The Life of Albert Gallatin, new lithoprint (New York, 1943), p. I59. This "general disposition" strongly perseveres. Since Adams wrote there have been several commendable exceptions, based for the most part on sources long available in print, and rather fewer which bring fresh data to a discussion of the politics of the 1790's. Of this latter class two stand out conspicuously: Samuel Eliot Morison's Life and Letters of Harrison Gray Otis (Boston, 1913) and Eugene Perry Link's Democratic-Reputblican Societies, 1790-1800 (New York, 1942). Much of the earlier literature on the subject is polemic or pietist, and if all the writers were to be believed, and reconciliation attempted, one woulcl necessarily conclude that the Alien and Sedition Acts were spontaneously generated. Of the subject of this paper, one of the rare early writers who stood up to the problem was Charles Francis Adams in Works of John Adaims, with a Life, Io vols. (Boston, I85o-56), I, 562, observing that Washington was never thought of in this connection, but that John Adams had not been so happily ignored. In the
Fast, functional, and fitting: expert response dynamics and response quality in an online newcomer help forum

In online communities a few experts are able to help a large number of help-seekers -- whether in QA (2) Functional -- There was little duplication of help-giving effort; and, (3) Fitting -- Initial responses were of high quality and reduced the need for further clarifications and corrections; high quality responses were provided earlier in the thread. Examination of differences across experts revealed that the most highly rated group of experts responded to 69% of the questions with a median response time of 16 minutes, twice as fast as other experts. Finally, we demonstrate the high quality of response through a taxonomy that characterizes expert responses as: framing, guiding, or engaged help.
Thermal stress evaluation of suspension cell cultures in winter wheat.

The objectives of this study were to compare thermotolerance in whole plants vs. suspension cell cultures of winter wheat, and to evaluate the synthesis of heat shock proteins in relation to genotypic differences in thermotolerance in suspension cells. Whole plant genetic differences in the development of heat tolerance were identified for three wheat genotypes (ND 7532, KS 75210 and TAM 101). Suspension cell cultures of these genotypes were used to evaluatein vitro response to heat stress. Viability tests by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) and by fluorescein diacetate (FD) were utilized to determine the relationship of cellular response to heat stress (37°C/24 h, 50°C/1h). KS 75210 and ND 7532 are relatively heat susceptible. TAM 101 is heat tolerant. Both tests at the cellular level were similar to the whole plant response. Thus, cellular selection for enhancing heat tolerance seems feasible. Heat shock protein (HSP) synthesis of two genotypes, ND 7532 and TAM 101 were determined for suspension cultured cells. In suspension cultures, HSPs of molecular weight 16 and 17 kD were found to be synthesized at higher levels in the heat tolerant genotype (TAM 101) than the susceptible genotype (ND 7532), both at 34° and 37°C treatments for 2 hours and 5 hours. HSP 22 kD was synthesized more at 34°C for TAM 101 than ND 7532, but not at 37°C; whereas, HSP 33 kD was synthesized at 37°C at similar abundance for both genotypes, but not at 34°C.
Chinese medical practice and the thoughts of Chairman Mao.

An examination is made of the relationship between ideology and medi cal care systems. Professionalism not ideology controls the American health care system. The relationship of ideology to health care in this country is weak because: 1) no consensus exists as to the social values to be imposed on health care systems; 2) medical professionalism has excluded the public from various areas of the medical system; and 3) much of the health care system is private and not subject to government control. In China Maoist ideology controls the health care system. Ideology functions in many ways to maintain control over a potentially dissident area of the society the health care system. By "deprofessionalizing" health care the Chinese system makes it possible to impose lay control over the medical workers. All medical failures can be attributed to wrong political thinking. The public can accept in ferior health care without losing faith in Chairman Mao. The Chinese feel personal gratitude toward Mao for their health care. Ill health is felt to be socially undesirable. The system fosters health ethnocentrism and favors comparisons between modern and past China. Health workers and patients are helped in dealing with feelings of inadequacy and/or fear by the psychological behavioral guidelines of Mao. Certain criticisms of the paper were made by Susan Rifkin. These include statements that: 1) the author chose an unrepresentative period in modern Chinese history the Cultural Revolution; 2) those aspects of health care which support the prevailing ideology are being publicized to the exclusion of all others; and 3) the present government has succeeded in delivering good health care services to the people.