cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Calcium Silicate Suppresses Powdery Mildew and Increases Yield of Field Grown Wheat

During three consecutive years of field trials conducted in northwestern New Jersey on a Quakertown silt loam soil (fine–loamy, mixed, active, mesic Typic Hapludult), a calcium silicate, steel slag by-product (CSS), was added as an effective liming agent to long winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and evaluated for its suppressive effects on powdery mildew disease (Erysiphe graminis DC. f. sp. tritici Em. Marchal Blumeria graminis (DC.) E.O. Speer = E. graminis DC. Oidium monilioides (Nees) Link [anamorph]). Limestone was used as the control in a completely random design, consistent for treatment during all trial years. Plots were split for one fungicide, propiconazole (1-[[2(2,4-Dichlorophenyl)-4-propyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl]methyl]1-H-1,2,4-triazole), application per year. The field was allowed to become naturally inoculated. In 2006 disease symptoms did not appear until late in the season. Although no significant grain yield response was exhibited in 2006, powdery mildew lesions were reduced by 29% on the flag leaves of wheat plants in the CSS treated plots. In 2007, powdery mildew was not diagnosed, but non-pathogenic Alternaria spp. leaf blotch was observed late season. Leaf blotch lesions were reduced 25% on flag leaves in the CSS-treated plots. During 2008, powdery mildew lesions on flag leaves were 44% less and yields were 10% greater in plots treated with CSS. Our results suggest that the use of CSS as an effective neutralizer of soil acidity may have the added benefit of suppressing powdery mildew in field grown winter wheat.
Strain-compensated InGaAsSb multiple quantum-wells with digital AlGaAsSb barriers for midinfrared lasers

Midinfrared InGaAsSb-AlGaAsSb strain-compensated multiple quantum-wells (SCMQW) have been grown by solid-source molecular beam epitaxy. Short-period (AlGaAsSb)/sub y/--(AlGaSb)/sub 1-y/ digital barriers were employed to avoid growth interruptions at the barrier-well interfaces, thereby significantly improving the structural and optical properties of the InGaAsSb SCMQW as evidenced by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence measurements. Based on these high-quality SCMQW, a room-temperature threshold current density as low as 163 A/cm/sup 2/ was achieved for 1000-/spl mu/m-long broad-area lasers emitting at 2.38 /spl mu/m in pulsed mode. The 880-/spl mu/m-long lasers retained a high characteristic temperature (T/sub 0/) of 165 K up to 80/spl deg/C and could operate at temperatures above 100/spl deg/C. A typical wavelength blueshift of 38 meV was observed in the SCMQW laser samples compared to the SCMQW-only samples.
The effect of leupeptin on progestin receptors of human uterine tissues.

In preparation for studies of progestin receptor dynamics in human uterine tissues, we have investigated the effect of tissue handling and the protease inhibitor leupeptin on the molecular forms of progestin receptors in human endometrium, myometrium, and leiomyoma. Tritiated R5020 [17,21–dimethyl–19–nor–4,9–pregnadiene–3,20–dione) (promegestone)] was the labeled ligand,and sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation was used to determine the sedimentation coefficients of the receptors. Scatchard plots of saturation analyses were used to determine the number of binding sites and dissociation constants. We found that rapid chilling of tissue at surgery was necessary to maintain specific progestin binding in myometrium, that leupeptin permitted demonstration of 8S receptors in my-ometrium and leiomyoma, and that 8S receptors were present in endometrium, with or without leupeptin. With careful handling of tissue and minimal homogenization, leupeptin may not be necessary to preserve 8S receptors in myometriu...
Silylation of poly (t-BOC) styrene resists: performance and mechanisms

The rate and selectivity of silicon uptake during the silylation of resists consisting of styrene/ para-(t-BOC)- styrene copolymer resins and tri-phenyl sulfonium hexa-fluom-arsenate (onium salt) photosensitizer has been studied. VFIR spectroscopy has been used to monitor the extent of the deprotection reaction that occurs during baking and the silicon uptake during silylation. It has been found that for the co-polymers, silicon diffusion is rapid, and the silicon uptake is directly related to the number of phenolic sites created during the post-exposure (jwesilylation) bake.
Stress waves in composite materials.

The method of cells (MOC) developed by Aboudi provides a powerful means for studying the propagation of waves through systems having complicated internal cell structure [Wave Motion {bold 9}, 141 (1987)]. Laminated materials are a common example. The method can handle harmonic waves and also {ital transient} waves arising from a finite duration impulse. The method is sufficiently robust to treat impact, as we show here. Both linear and nonlinear elastic-stress-strain relations can be included. The present work generalizes the method to include viscoelastic materials (such as polymers), systems with cell structure deviating from perfect periodicity (including random), and systems simulating actual impact experiments. We test the theory by comparing our results with measurements taken from a flat-plate impact experiment. The system investigated was a bilaminate composed of unit cells of epoxy and epoxy-graphite subcells. Using known and estimated material parameters, we find that the MOC gives a reasonable representation of the data. We then address some features of the experimental data that have not yet been explained by other theoretical methods. The importance of unit cell periodicity is tested by adding a random incremental width to each unit cell. Finally, the shortcomings of the MOC caused by using amore » truncated series expansion for the particle displacements, and neglecting plastic flow and nonadiabatic effects are discussed. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}« less
Measurements of gaseous elemental mercury fluxes over intact tallgrass prairie monoliths during one full year

Abstract The atmosphere is an important pathway by which mercury is transported and distributed to pristine ecosystems. The significance of anthropogenic versus natural mercury contributions to the atmosphere is controversial, and the importance of re-emission of deposited mercury from ecosystems is not known. Here we present a continuous year-long data set of gaseous elemental mercury exchange between intact soil–plant monoliths of tallgrass prairie and the atmosphere. Mercury fluxes were measured using large open-flow gas exchange chambers (7.3×5.5×4.5 m 3 , L × W × D ). Approximately 60 μg m −2 of elemental gaseous mercury was lost from four replicate grassland ecosystems (9 m 2 surface area each) to the atmosphere over the course of 1 yr. Deposition was an important flux in the winter and emissions were dominant in spring, summer, and fall. Solar radiation and air temperature were most strongly correlated with mercury emissions. Gaseous elemental mercury losses to the atmosphere exceeded other measured fluxes of mercury in and out of the grassland ecosystems. These results indicate that mercury emissions from uncontaminated terrestrial ecosystems to the atmosphere may be a significant source of atmospheric mercury. We hypothesize that most of the mercury being emitted is previously deposited mercury and that re-emissions of mercury from terrestrial ecosystems is an important process whereby mercury is continually cycled between the air and terrestrial ecosystems.
Lifetime prevalence rates of sleep paralysis: a systematic review.

Summary Objective To determine lifetime prevalence rates of sleep paralysis. Data sources Keyword term searches using "sleep paralysis", "isolated sleep paralysis", or "parasomnia not otherwise specified" were conducted using MEDLINE (1950–present) and PsychINFO (1872–present). English and Spanish language abstracts were reviewed, as were reference lists of identified articles. Study selection Thirty five studies that reported lifetime sleep paralysis rates and described both the assessment procedures and sample utilized were selected. Data extraction Weighted percentages were calculated for each study and, when possible, for each reported subsample. Data synthesis Aggregating across studies (total N =36,533), 7.6% of the general population, 28.3% of students, and 31.9% of psychiatric patients experienced at least one episode of sleep paralysis. Of the psychiatric patients with panic disorder, 34.6% reported lifetime sleep paralysis. Results also suggested that minorities experience lifetime sleep paralysis at higher rates than Caucasians. Conclusions Sleep paralysis is relatively common in the general population and more frequent in students and psychiatric patients. Given these prevalence rates, sleep paralysis should be assessed more regularly and uniformly in order to determine its impact on individual functioning and better articulate its relation to psychiatric and other medical conditions.
Hydrogen crossover in high-temperature PEM fuel cells

Abstract In this paper, hydrogen crossover was measured in an environment of high-temperature proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells using a steady-state electrochemical method at various temperatures ( T ) (80–120 °C), backpressures ( P ) (1.0–3.0 atm), and relative humidities (RH) (25–100%). An H 2 crossover model based on an MEA consisting of five layers – anode gas diffusion layer, anode catalyst layer, proton exchange membrane (Nafion 112 or Nafion 117), cathode catalyst layer, and cathode gas diffusion layer – was constructed to obtain an expression for H 2 permeability coefficients as a function of measured H 2 crossover rates and controlled H 2 partial pressures. The model analysis suggests that the dominant factor in the overall H 2 crossover is the step of H 2 diffusing through the PEM. The H 2 permeability coefficients as a function of T , P , and RH obtained in this study show that the increases in both T and P could increase the H 2 permeability coefficient at any given RH. However, the effect of RH on the permeability coefficient seems to be more complicated. The T effect is much larger than that of P and RH. Through experimental data simulation an equation was obtained to describe the T dependencies of the H 2 permeability coefficient, based on which other parameters such as maximum permeability coefficients and activation energies for H 2 crossover through both Nafion 112 and 117 membranes were also evaluated. Both Nafion 112 and Nafion 117 showed similar values of such parameters, suggesting that membrane thickness does not play a significant role in the H 2 crossover mechanism.
Composite sequential bypasses to the ankle and beyond for limb salvage

Abstract Composite grafts of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and saphenous vein were used for sequential bypasses to the ankle and foot in 35 men and 19 women (mean age 66.5 years). Presenting symptoms were rest pain (25), digital gangrene (19), and ischemic ulcer (10). Thirty-one tibial and 23 pedal bypasses were done and were followed up to 48 months (mean 26.4 months). The ankle pressure index rose from 0.31 ± 0.11 preoperatively to 0.77 ± 0.21 postoperatively. Mean graft flows were 34.8 ml/min. Composite sequential grafts took 51 minutes longer to perform than femoral-tibial vein grafts. Patency rates by the life-table method were 81.4% at 2 years and 72.4% at 4 years. Graft failures after the first 10 weeks usually led to amputation. Use of PTFE as an inflow conduit permits otherwise inadequate lengths of saphenous vein to be used for anastomosis to delicate distal vessels and takes advantage of the vein's ability to tolerate low flows. Our experience suggests that the excellent patency rates make sequential bypasses a reasonable option for limb salvage. (J VASC SURG 1984;1:381-6.)
Silencing of the expression of the immunoglobulin kappa gene in non-B cells.

Although the activating factor NF-_K B can be present in the nucleus of many cell types, transcription and rearrangement of the immunoglobulin kappa chain gene is restricted to cells of the B lineage. Part of this specificity is determined by sequences within the major intron of the kappa gene that specifically silence gene expression in non-B cells (T cells and HeLa cells). These sequences are found in a 232-bp fragment located 5' of the NF-K B binding sequence of the enhancer. When this fragment is added back upstream of an active NF-_K B site, it specifically decreases the expression of a linked gene by more than 10-fold in activated T cells but it has no effect on expression in B cells. The kappa silencer region acts in an orientation- and distance-independent manner and appears to be composed of multiple negative elements. The kappa silencer may act to restrict transcription and rearrangement of the C_K locus to cells of the B lineage.
Kinematic analysis of an en échelon—continuous vein complex

An array of sigmoidal tension gashes from the Idaho-Wyoming thrust belt changes laterally into a continuous vein. Detailed mechanical twin analysis was used to determine the strain variation in the optically and chemically homogeneous blocky calcite filling. In the continuous portion of the vein complex, the shortening axes are parallel to the vein boundary. However, the orientation of the shortening axes in the tip areas of the sigmoidal gashes are at an angle of approximately 35 ° to the vein boundary, and are parallel to the trend of the tips. Twinning patterns in the central portions of the gashes record two principal strain axes of shortening of nearly equal magnitude with the maximum perpendicular to the vein trend. Everywhere in the vein complex the orientation of the maximum extension axis is parallel to the twist axis of the gashes. The petrofabric strain results show that the vein filling has largely recorded local strains. The pattern of variation in orientation of the principal strains in the vein complex is in close agreement with the theoretically- determined stress distribution in similar structures. Our results show that the sigmoidal gashes were formed at the leading edge of a propagating vein and that the sigmoidal shape reflects changes in the local strain field rather than a remote shear. The orientation of these local strains closely corresponds to the orientation of the local stresses.
Take your time first, time your search later: How college students perceive time in Web searching

This study explores people's perception of time during their Web searches. Time is a major component of the context for information behavior, but in empirical studies it has been implied rather than investigated explicitly. The data were collected from Web search experiments in which participants were asked to conduct searches on three given tasks under differing search time conditions. The paper reports on findings drawn primarily from the exit interviews of 45 undergraduate and graduate students on their perception of time in Web searching. Study results indicate that at the beginning of their searching activity, participants did not explicitly consider temporal issues. However, these issues usually surface with the passage of time, especially when searches fail to go as planned. Perception of time is closely entangled with familiarity and difficulty of search task. In general, participants enjoyed spending time in searching and were not excessively concerned about time constraints. On the other hand, participants' affective experiences were sometimes caused by temporal issues. In conclusion, the study results indicate that temporal issues interlace with other contextual and affective factors in the process of Web searching.
A Note on Planning Theory

A recent article by Scott and Roweis (1977) on planning theory is discussed and criticized. It is suggested that the article is a useful commentary on social theory but not on planning theory. It begs the essential questions regarding the intrinsic difficulties which are encountered in actual planning and the ways in which the planning process and procedures should be organized to carry out planning tasks in various environments. An alternative view is suggested which is not incompatible with the authors' view of society.
Interrelationships of Food Safety and Plant Pathology: The Life Cycle of Human Pathogens on Plants

Bacterial food-borne pathogens use plants as vectors between animal hosts, all the while following the life cycle script of plant-associated bacteria. Similar to phytobacteria, Salmonella, pathogenic Escherichia coli, and cross-domain pathogens have a foothold in agricultural production areas. The commonality of environmental contamination translates to contact with plants. Because of the chronic absence of kill steps against human pathogens for fresh produce, arrival on plants leads to persistence and the risk of human illness. Significant research progress is revealing mechanisms used by human pathogens to colonize plants and important biological interactions between and among bacteria in planta. These findings articulate the difficulty of eliminating or reducing the pathogen from plants. The plant itself may be an untapped key to clean produce. This review highlights the life of human pathogens outside an animal host, focusing on the role of plants, and illustrates areas that are ripe for future investigation.
Complementary Recognition of Alternative Pathway Activators by Decay-Accelerating Factor and Factor H

The alternative complement pathway (ACP) functions as a surveillance mechanism by which microorganisms are opsonized with C3b in the absence of specific antibodies. The effectiveness of the ACP relies on its ability to distinguish self from non-self. This recognition function is mediated by C3 regulatory proteins including serum factor H, membrane cofactor protein (MCP), and membrane decay-accelerating factor (DAF). H activity against bound C3b can be increased by host components such as sialic acid and decreased by microbial polysaccharides. DAF and MCP may also recognize cell surface changes such as the presence of viral glycoproteins, since some virus-infected and tumor cells activate the ACP. In the present study, liposomes containing wild-type and mutant Salmonella minnesota lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were tested for ACP activation in serum. LPS-containing liposomes with bound C3b were then tested for their susceptibility to C3 convertase regulation by H and membrane DAF and for the sensitivity of their bound C3b to the cofactor activity of H. The results indicate that while the shortest mutant, Re595 LPS, did not induce ACP activation, R7 LPS containing an additional disaccharide did. This activation was poorly regulated by DAF but was inhibited by H. The regulatory activity of H for liposome-bound C3b, however, decreased when LPS of greater polysaccharide size was present in the membrane. In contrast the ACP activation induced by the phospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine was effectively inhibited by DAF but only poorly inhibited by H.
An automated method to segment the femur for osteoarthritis research

In this paper we develop a fully automated method for the segmentation of the femur in axial MR images and its use in the analysis of imaging biomarkers for osteoarthritis (OA). The proposed method is based on anatomical constraints implemented using morphological operations to extract the femur medulla and a level set evolution to extract the femur cortex. The average agreement of the automated segmentation algorithm with ground truth manual segmentations was 0.94 plusmn 0.03 calculated using the Zijdenbos similarity index (ZSI). A pooled variance t-test analysis found significant associations between the KL grade, a clinical measure of OA severity, and both the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the femur medulla (p = 3D 0.02) and the ratio of the femur medulla CSA to the femur cortex CSA (p = 3D 0.04) for women. No significant association between femur measurements and KL grade was found for men.
Effectiveness of Liposomes Possessing Surface-Linked Recombinant B Subunit of Cholera Toxin as an Oral Antigen Delivery System

ABSTRACT Liposomes appear to be a promising oral antigen delivery system for the development of vaccines against infectious diseases, although their uptake efficiency by Peyer’s patches in the gut and the subsequent induction of mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) responses remain a major concern. Aiming at targeted delivery of liposomal immunogens, we have previously reported the conjugation via a thioether bond of the GM1 ganglioside-binding subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) to the liposomal outer surface. In the present study, we have investigated the effectiveness of liposomes containing the saliva-binding region (SBR) of Streptococcus mutans AgI/II adhesin and possessing surface-linked recombinant CTB (rCTB) in generating mucosal (salivary, vaginal, and intestinal) IgA as well as serum IgG responses to the parent molecule, AgI/II. Responses in mice given a single oral dose of the rCTB-conjugated liposomes were compared to those in mice given one of the following unconjugated liposome preparations: (i) empty liposomes, (ii) liposomes containing SBR, (iii) liposomes containing SBR and coadministered with rCTB, and (iv) liposomes containing SBR plus rCTB. Three weeks after the primary immunization, significantly higher levels of mucosal IgA and serum IgG antibodies to AgI/II were observed in the rCTB-conjugated group than in mice given the unconjugated liposome preparations, although the latter mice received a booster dose at week 9. The antibody responses in mice immunized with rCTB-conjugated liposomes persisted at high levels for at least 6 months, at which time (week 26) a recall immunization significantly augmented the responses. In general, mice given unconjugated liposome preparations required one or two booster immunizations to develop a substantial anti-AgI/II antibody response, which was more prominent in the group given coencapsulated SBR and rCTB. These data indicate that conjugation of rCTB to liposomes greatly enhances their effectiveness as an antigen delivery system. This oral immunization strategy should be applicable for the development of vaccines against oral, intestinal, or sexually transmitted diseases.
Naturalness, weak scale supersymmetry, and the prospect for the observation of supersymmetry at the Fermilab Tevatron and at the CERN LHC

Naturalness bounds on weak scale supersymmetry in the context of radiative breaking of the electroweak symmetry are analyzed. In the case of minimal supergravity it is found that for low $\mathrm{tan}\ensuremath{\beta}$ and for low values of fine-tuning $\ensuremath{\Phi},$ where $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ is defined essentially by the ratio ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{2}{/M}_{Z}^{2}$ where $\ensuremath{\mu}$ is the Higgs mixing parameter and ${M}_{Z}$ is the $Z$ boson mass, the allowed values of the universal scalar parameter ${m}_{0},$ and the universal gaugino mass ${m}_{1/2}$ lie on the surface of an ellipsoid with radii fixed by $\ensuremath{\Phi}$ leading to tightly constrained upper bounds $\ensuremath{\sim}\sqrt{\ensuremath{\Phi}}.$ Thus for $\mathrm{tan}\ensuremath{\beta}l~2(l~5)$ it is found that the upper limits for the entire set of sparticle masses lie in the range $l700 \mathrm{GeV} (l1.5 \mathrm{TeV})$ for any reasonable range of fine-tuning $(\ensuremath{\Phi}l~20).$ However, it is found that there exist regions of the parameter space where the fine-tuning does not tightly constrain ${m}_{0}$ and ${m}_{1/2}.$ Effects of nonuniversalities in the Higgs boson sector and in the third generation sector on naturalness bounds are also analyzed and it is found that nonuniversalities can significantly affect the upper bounds. It is also found that achieving the maximum Higgs boson mass allowed in supergravity unified models requires a high degree of fine-tuning. Thus a heavy sparticle spectrum is indicated if the Higgs boson mass exceeds 120 GeV. The prospect for the discovery of supersymmetry at the Fermilab Tevatron and at the CERN LHC in view of these results is discussed.
Secondary vaginoplasty for disorders for sexual differentiation: is there a right time? Challenges with compliance and follow-up at a multidisciplinary center.

Abstract Purpose We present the experience of a multidisciplinary center for disorders of sexual differentiation (DSD) in treating females requiring vaginoplasty. Specifically, we evaluate outcomes and compliance with follow-up protocols in patients undergoing secondary vaginoplasties. Materials/methods We retrospectively reviewed consecutive DSD patients who underwent feminizing genitoplasties in 2006–2010. A subset of patients were instructed in vaginal self-dilation at time of secondary vaginoplasty. Through follow-up visits and administered questionnaires we assessed outcomes, compliance and overall satisfaction. Results Twenty-two feminizing genitoplasties were completed during the study interval. There were no postoperative complications; average blood loss was 74 ml and mean length of stay was 3 days. Ten females underwent secondary vaginoplasty. The response rate to questionnaires was 5 of 9. Age of initiation for self-dilation ranged from 8 to 24 years. Initial compliance two months postoperatively was good, but diminished 12–24 months after surgery. Responses to the quality-of-life questionnaire were diverse, reflecting a range of patient ages and varied experiences. Conclusion A multidisciplinary, comprehensive approach is necessary to care for patients with DSD due to psychosexual, medical and reconstructive concerns. A secondary vaginoplasty to facilitate menarche and psychosocial concerns is feasible with minimal complications, though compliance and toleration with regard to post-surgical dilation regimens is variable.
Approaches to β-Fused Porphyrinoporphyrins: Pyrrolo- and Dipyrromethaneporphyrins

Reaction of (2-nitro-5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato)nickel(II) 3 or its copper(II) complex 4 with α-isocyanoacetic esters in the presence of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.O]undec-7-ene accomplishes the first syntheses of β-fused pyrroloporphyrins (e.g. 5–10). The removal of the fused pyrrole ester protecting groups to give the di-α-free pyrroloporphyrins 2a and 13 is described, as well as some pyrrole-type chemistry. Unsymmetrical fused dipyrromethanoporphyrins (16–18) were synthesized by reacting 5-acetoxymethylpyrrole-2-carboxylates (14,15) with mono-α-free pyrroloporphyrins (5–8) in the presence of Montmorillonite clay. A symmetrical bis-porphyrinyl dipyrromethane 19 was also prepared by condensation of the β-fused methyl ester pyrroloporphyrin 7 with dimethoxymethane in ethanol and concentrated hydrochloric acid.
Security-Enhanced SPECTS O-CDMA Demonstration Across 150 km Field Fiber

We demonstrate security-enhanced, multi-user SPECTS O-CDMA transmission across 150 km of field fiber. The testbed incorporates a fully integrated silica AWG spectral phase encoder/decoder and tunable dispersion slope compensation. Error-free performance is achieved using FEC.
Binding of Tat to TAR and Recruitment of Positive Transcription Elongation Factor b Occur Independently in Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus

Transcriptional transactivators (Tat) from many lentiviruses interact with their cognate transactivation response RNA structures (TAR) to increase rates of elongation rather than initiation of transcription. For several of them, the complex of Tat and a species-specific cyclin T1 must be formed before the binding to TAR can occur with high affinity and specificity. In sharp contrast, Tat from the bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) binds to its TAR without the help of the cyclin T1. This binding depends on the upper stem and 5′ bulge, but not the central loop in TAR. Moreover, cyclins T1 from different species can mediate effects of this Tat in cells. Unlike the situation with other lentiviruses, Tat transactivation can be rescued simply by linking a heterologous promoter to TAR in permissive cells. Thus, lentiviruses have evolved different strategies to recruit Tat and the positive transcription elongation factor b to their promoters, and interactions between Tat and TAR are independent from those between Tat and the cyclin T1 in BIV.
Sociometric Status and Solitary Play of LD Boys and Girls

This investigation compared the sociometric status of learning disabled (LD) and non-learning disabled (NLD) boys and girls as well as their actual play during unsupervised free-time activities. Results indicated that the lower sociometric status of LD children was attributable to same-sex rejections of girls. The data also indicated that LD children tended to play alone significantly more often than NLD peers. The results were interpreted as highlighting the need to examine gender effects in subsequent research on social aspects of learning disabilities.
Importance of Non-Stand-Replacing Fire for Development of Forest Structure in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Old-growth forests have been the subject of much political concern and forestry research in the 20th century. Evidence that many old-growth stands of the western Oregon Cascade Range have experienced multiple low- to moderate-severity fires has led to the hypothesis that such fires have sustained structural complexity in certain temperate coniferous forests. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the role of historical non-stand-replacing fire for 90 mature and old forest sites on a 450-km 2 landscape of mixed-severity fire regime in western Oregon. The occurrence of non-stand-replacing fire was inferred from the relative frequency of fire scars on Pseudotsuga menziesii. Results suggest that in the central western Cascades, the occurrence of non-stand-replacing fire has favored variability in tree diameter sizes, larger trees, and a greater component of shade- tolerant tree species, after accounting for the effects of elevation, slope aspect, and stand age. However, the fire scar variable explained a relatively small percentage of the variance not explained by these effects, with partial R 2 values ranging from 0.05 to 0.16. A path analysis suggested that the effects of stand age on forest structure can be partitioned into direct effects (gap dynamics and successional processes in the absence of disturbance) and indirect effects (older stands have had more time to experience non-stand-replacing fire), with the indirect effects explaining a large component of forest structural attributes that are typically associated with the old-growth seral stage. While the cumulative and long-term effects of non-stand-replacing fire in this region are likely complex, it would seem prudent to include such disturbances as a key ecosystem process, where management practices seek to emulate natural disturbance regimes or facilitate the development of old-growth forest structures. FOR .S CI. 50(2):245-258.
Distributed Sensing and Access in Cognitive Radio Networks

We consider an ad hoc network of secondary users searching for idle frequency bands in a spectrum consisting of multiple channels. In each slot, a secondary user chooses one channel to sense and decide whether to access based on the sensing outcome. A sensing strategy for intelligent channel selection is crucial to track the rapidly varying spectrum op- portunities. In an ad hoc network without a central controller or common control channels, a secondary user can only resort to its local observations in the decision making. The tradeoff is between choosing the channel most likely to be idle and avoiding other competing secondary users. We show that the problem can be formulated as a decentralized Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP). A suboptimal randomized sensing policy is then proposed. This policy effectively addresses this design tradeoff and offers significant improvement in network throughput over the optimal single-user design.
A Molecular Genetic Analysis of the Interaction between the Cytoplasmic Dynein Intermediate Chain and the Glued (Dynactin) Complex

The microtubule motor cytoplasmic dynein performs multiple cellular functions; however, the regulation and targeting of the motor to different cargoes is not well understood. A biochemical interaction between the dynein intermediate chain subunit and the p150-Glued component of the dynein regulatory complex, dynactin, has supported the hypothesis that the intermediate chain is a key modulator of dynein attachment to cellular cargoes. In this report, we identify multiple intermediate chain polypeptides that cosediment with the 19S dynein complex and two differentially expressed transcripts derived from the single cytoplasmic dynein intermediate chain (Cdic) gene that differ in the 3′ untranslated region sequence. These results support previous observations of multiple Cdic gene products that may contribute to the specialization of dynein function. Most significantly, we provide genetic evidence that the interaction between the dynein intermediate chain and p150-Glued is functionally relevant. We use a genomic Cdic transgene to show that extra copies of the dynein intermediate chain gene act to suppress the rough eye phenotype of the mutant Glued1, a mutation in the p150-Glued subunit of dynactin. Furthermore, we show that the interaction between the dynein intermediate chain and p150-Glued is dependent on the dosage of the Cdic gene. This result suggests that the dynein intermediate chain may be a limiting component in the assembly of the dynein complex and that the regulation of the interaction between the dynein intermediate chain and dynactin is critical for dynein function.
Enhancing TCP for networks with guaranteed bandwidth services

In this paper, we consider TCP based applications with bandwidth guarantees, but can also benefit from any additional best-effort service offered by the network. Through simulations we show that default TCP cannot offer such applications the ideal throughput - the aggregate throughput of the reserved bandwidth and the best effort bandwidth. To illustrate the reasons for its degraded performance, we study TCP's congestion window adaptation and self-clocking mechanisms in detail. Based on the insights obtained from the study, we propose an adaptation of TCP called GTCP that employs changes to TCP's congestion control mechanisms to provide applications the optimal aggregate throughput of best-effort and reserved bandwidth. Compared with TCP, GTCP does not involve any additional implementation overhead, and only the sender need to be changed (the receiver remains to be a default TCP implementation). Through simulations and experiments over the Internet we show that GTCP achieves significantly better performance than default TCP in the target environment.
A late divergence hypothesis

The possibility of a Middle-Late Miocene separation of the human lineage from the lineages leading to the extant great apes, based on paleontological and phenetic evidence, is presented. Middle Miocene Sivapithecus, rather then Early Miocene Dryopithecus, is supported as a last common ancestor of Pongo, Pan, Gorilla, and Homo. Estimates for the branching of the lineages are a maximum of 15 m.y.a. for the Pongo lineage and a range from 14-6 m.y.a. for the Pan, Gorilla, and Ausralopithecus/Homo lineages. Weaknesses of the late divergence hypothesis are discussed.
Retention and Transmission Characteristics of Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus by Aphis gossypii and Myzus persicae (Homoptera: Aphididae)

We found significant differences in the transmission efficiencies of zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) by Aphis gossypii Glover at various preacquisition starving, and acquisition access times. Maximum transmission was obtained with a 1-h preacquisition starving time and a 5-min acquisition access time. For Myzus persicae (Sulzer), there were no differences in transmission efficiencies across all preacquisition starving, acquisition access, and inoculation access times. In experiments that used an aphid suspension technique for retention time assessment, 20% of A. gossypii transmitted 1 h after removal from ZYMV source plants and 12.5% transmitted after 3 h at 21 degrees C. For M. persicae, 33% transmitted after 1 h and 5.6% transmitted after 3 h. No aphids of either species transmitted virus after 5 h at 21 degrees C. At 8C, 3.0% of A. gossypii transmitted after 3 and 5 h, and 1% transmitted after 10 and 20 h. At the same temperature, 11.1, 5.1, 2, and 1.9% of the M. persicae transmitted at times of 3, 5, 10, and 20 h, respectively, after removal from ZYMV source plants. Also at this low temperature, 1 of 100 M. persicae transmitted after 30 h. M. persicae transmitted ZYMV over a broader range of temperatures and humidities than did A. gossypii, which did not transmit virus in low-temperature, low-humidity conditions.
The Lessons of GIST—PET and PET/CT: A New Paradigm for Imaging

Traditional anatomic tumor response criteria are based on uni- or bidimensional changes in tumor size, and do not take into account changes in tumor metabolism, tumor density, or decrease in the number of intratumoral vessels. These changes are, however, all indicative of response to imatinib therapy in patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST). In these patients, metabolic responses seen on positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18FDG) have been shown to be closely related to clinical benefit. Furthermore, these metabolic changes precede by weeks or months significant decrease in tumor size on computed tomography (CT). Conversely, lack of metabolic response on FDG-PET indicates primary resistance to the drug and may help identify patients who would benefit from another therapy, while re-emergence of metabolic activity within tumor sites following a period of therapeutic response indicates secondary resistance to the drug. Newly proposed CT criteria using either no growth in tumor size or a combination of tumor density and size criteria have shown a close correlation with the predictive value results of FDG-PET. Thus, the integration of FDG-PET and CT, as in the combined hybrid PET/CT scanners now available, will not only optimize the evaluation of patients with GIST treated with molecularly targeted drugs, but may ultimately help shorten clinical trials, and accelerate drug development in this disease and other cancers as well.
Analysis of Air Flow in Air-Jet Filling Insertion

A qualitative analysis of air flow in air-jet filling insertion is given. The air flow in single nozzle air-jet insertion is unsteady and turbulent, and can be compressible or incompressible depend...
Enterococcal bacteremia: risk factors for vancomycin resistance and predictors of mortality.

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for vancomycin resistance and mortality in enterococcal bacteremia. DESIGN Historical cohort study. SETTING A large academic medical center with a high prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). PATIENTS Two hundred sixty patients with enterococcal bacteremia, of whom 72 (28%) had VRE. RESULTS Independent risk factors for infection with VRE were the mean number of antibiotic days (P<.001), renal insufficiency (P<.001), mean days of vancomycin use (P = .005), and neutropenia (P = .013). A trend toward a significant association between metronidazole use and VRE also was noted (P = .068). Mortality was attributable to the bacteremia in 96 patients (37%). Severity of illness (P<.001) and age (P = .020) were independent risk factors for mortality. Vancomycin resistance was not, however, an independent predictor of mortality. CONCLUSION These results suggest that restrictions on antibiotic use, particularly in patients with renal insufficiency and neutropenia, may help to combat the rising incidence of VRE. Although patients with VRE bacteremia demonstrated higher mortality rates than patients with infection due to susceptible isolates, vancomycin resistance was not an independent predictor of mortality in these patients and likely serves more as a marker of underlying severity of illness.
Development and Justification of a Risk Evaluation Matrix To Guide Chemical Testing Necessary To Select and Qualify Plastic Components Used in Production Systems for Pharmaceutical Products.

An accelerating trend in the pharmaceutical industry is the use of plastic components in systems used to produce an active pharmaceutical ingredient or a finished drug product. If the active pharmaceutical ingredient, the finished drug product, or any solution used to generate them (for example, a process stream such as media, buffers, eluents, and the like) is contacted by a plastic component at any time during the production process, substances leached from the component may accumulate in the active pharmaceutical ingredient or finished drug product, affecting its safety and/or efficacy. In this article the author develops and justifies a semi-quantitative risk evaluation matrix that is used to determine the amount and rigor of component testing necessary and appropriate to establish that the component is chemically suitable for its intended use. By considering key properties of the component, the contact medium, the contact conditions, and the active pharmaceutical ingredient9s or finished drug product9s clinical conditions of use, use of the risk evaluation matrix produces a risk score whose magnitude reflects the accumulated risk that the component will interact with the contact solution to such an extent that component-related extractables will accumulate in the active pharmaceutical ingredient or finished drug product as leachables at levels sufficiently high to adversely affect user safety. The magnitude of the risk score establishes the amount and rigor of the testing that is required to select and qualify the component, and such testing is broadly grouped into three categories: baseline assessment, general testing, and full testing (extractables profiling). LAY ABSTRACT: Production suites used to generate pharmaceuticals can include plastic components. It is possible that substances in the components could leach into manufacturing solutions and accumulate in the pharmaceutical product. In this article the author develops and justifies a semi-quantitative risk evaluation matrix that can be used to determine the amount and rigor of component testing that may be necessary and appropriate to establish that the component is suitable for its intended use. Use of the risk evaluation matrix allows a user of a component to determine the type and amount of testing that should be performed to establish the patient safety risk associated with using that component in order to manufacture an active pharmaceutical ingredient or a finished drug product.
A Journey of Two Survivors

Life has an interesting way of bringing people together. The survivors are a University professor and a young college student. Both have struggled with cancer and have beaten the odds of survival. This is the true story, recited through their distinct voices, of their diverse and complicated journeys of participating in their own medical care and healing. While their paths are distinct, striking similarities also exist that will capture the interest and hopefully provide inspiration to others faced with a serious disease to take control of their own destiny. Their life travel is sometimes serious, complementary, yet ultimately successful.
Predictive Soil Maps Based on Geomorphic Mapping, Remote Sensing, and Soil Databases in the Desert Southwest

We present an expert based system to rapidly predict the shallow soil attributes that control dust emissions in the arid southwest U.S. Our system’s framework integrates geomorphic mapping, remote sensing, and the assignment of soil properties to geomorphic map units using a soil database within a geographic information systems (GIS) framework. This expert based system is based on soil state factor-forming model parameters that include: (1) climate data, (2) landform, (3) parent material, and (4) soil age. The four soil-forming data layers are integrated together to query the soil database. To validate the accuracy of the expert based model and resultant predictive soil map, a blind test was performed at Cadiz Valley in the Mojave Desert, California. The desert terrain in Cadiz Valley consists of alluvial fans, fan remnants, sand dunes, and playa features. The test began with three users independently mapping an area of over 335 km2 using 1:40,000-scale base maps to rapidly create geomorphic and age class layers, and then integrating these with climate and parent material layers. The results of the four data layers were then queried in the soil data base and soil attributes assigned to map unit layers. The soil-forming model presented here is geomorphic-based, and considers soil age as a significant factor in accurately predicting soil conditions in hyper arid to mildly arid regions. This work comprises a successful first step in the development of an expert-based system to map shallow soil conditions in support of dust emission models in remote desert regions.
Silver Linings: Reimagining the Role of ADR Education in the Wake of the Great Recession

This article in Northeastern's Law Journal, co-written with Professor Lela P. Love, surveys arbitration, negotiation and mediation teaching in American law schools. The paper highlights best practices, and suggests specific reforms to meet the demands of the rapidly changing legal market.
Observations on the Behavior of Digger Wasps of the Genus Stictiella (Hynienoptera: Sphecidae) with a Partition of the Genus

Original data presented on Stictiella formosa (Cresson), S. serrata (Handlirsch), S. cvansi Gillaspy, and S. melanosterna Parker indicate that these species employ adult Lepidoptera as prey and mass-provision their cells. Information on museum specimens indicates that S. callista Parker and S. emarginata (Cresson) also use Lepidoptera. Morphological data concord with these behavioral data and indicate the desirability of restricting Stictiella to the formosa [= emarginata (Cresson) group] and pulchella (Cresson) groups of Gillaspy (1959), which, insofar as known, employ Lepidoptera as prey. GLENOSTICTIA Gillaspy (type-species Monedula pulla Handlirsch, 1890) is erected for the remainder of the species currently catalogued in Stictiella . Additional evidence is presented that G. pulla provisions its cells progressively with Diptera; there is also evidence that G. clypeata (Gillaspy) and G. pictifrons (Fox) utilize Diptera; and field observations disclose G. scitula (Fox) preying upon both Diptera and small bees ( Perdita ) and provisioning progressively. Data are presented on the sleeping of several species.
Shutdown dose rate analysis with CAD geometry, Cartesian/tetrahedral mesh, and advanced variance reduction

Abstract In fusion energy systems (FES) high-energy neutrons born from burning plasma activate system components to form radionuclides. The biological dose rate that results from photons emitted by these radionuclides after shutdown—the shutdown dose rate (SDR)—must be quantified for maintenance planning. This can be done using the Rigorous Two-Step (R2S) method, which involves separate neutron and photon transport calculations, coupled by a nuclear inventory analysis code. The geometric complexity and highly attenuating configuration of FES motivates the use of CAD geometry and advanced variance reduction for this analysis. An R2S workflow has been created with the new capability of performing SDR analysis directly from CAD geometry with Cartesian or tetrahedral meshes and with biased photon source sampling, enabling the use of the Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (CADIS) variance reduction technique. This workflow has been validated with the Frascati Neutron Generator (FNG)-ITER SDR benchmark using both Cartesian and tetrahedral meshes and both unbiased and biased photon source sampling. All results are within 20.4% of experimental values, which constitutes satisfactory agreement. Photon transport using CADIS is demonstrated to yield speedups as high as 8.5·105 for problems using the FNG geometry.