cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ion-molecule charge exchange: He + and Ar + on H 2 and N 2

Charge exchange in ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ collisions with ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ (${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$) and ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ is studied at small angles. This work extends our earlier studies which primarily emphasized the direct inelastic scattering at low keV energies. Using time-of-flight techniques for energy analysis of the scattered atoms, it is directly shown, for the first time, that in ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ + ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ + ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$, and ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$ + ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$ the dominant small-angle charge-exchange process is quasiresonant ($Q\ensuremath{\approx}0$). In ${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$ + ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ there is no available quasiresonant channel, and here the dominant final channels are associated with energy losses from 13 to 18 eV. A simple model is proposed.
Modern Advances in Vascular Trauma

Early diagnosis and intervention are paramount for improving the likelihood of a favorable outcome for traumatic vascular injuries. As technology has rapidly diversified, the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches available for vascular injuries have evolved. Mortality and morbidity from vascular injury have declined over the last decade. The use of vascular shunts and tourniquets has become standard of care in military medicine.
Some potentials for lessening world food deficits

A detailed demographic nutritional model for 118 countries is used to estimate food demands. World food production is computed using regression techniques. The balance of net food demand is then applied as an export demand on U.S. agriculture. A linear programming model is used to evaluate export possibilities. Four demand policy options are examined for bridging the world food gap. The first implication of this study is that the United States and large exporting countries, in general, have a large capacity to produce grains. A second is that a reallocation of grain among consuming methods and countries could be effective in making more grain available for countries suffering malnutrition.
Automatic form generation

The Acuity project, in support of a collaborative brain-tumor research effort, provides WWW-based input forms implemented as Java applets for updating a WWW-accessible database. The continuing need to develop new, but closely related, input forms motivated the design and implementation of the Acuity Form Generator (AFG), an automatic form-generation tool. This paper documents the AFG technology.
Functional redundancy of Ets1 and Ets2.

In this issue of Blood , Wei and colleagues investigate the overlapping roles of Ets1 and Ets2 in the regulation of endothelial cell function and survival during embryonic angiogenesis.[1][1] [1]: #ref-1
Modeling motion-induced fluid release from partially saturated fibrous media onto surfaces with different hydrophilicity

Abstract Modeling the rate of fluid release from moving partially saturated nonwoven sheets in contact with a solid surface is a challenge, as the release rate depends on many parameters, some of which are difficult to quantify. In this paper, we report on a diffusion-controlled boundary treatment which we have developed to simulate fluid release from partially saturated porous materials onto surfaces with different hydrophilicy. The new boundary treatment considers the solid impermeable surface as a fictitious porous layer with a known fluid diffusive coefficient. Motion of the porous sheet on the surface is incorporated in the simulations by periodically resetting the saturation of the fictitious layer equal to zero, with a period obtained from the sheet’s speed of motion. Fluid transport inside the fibrous sheets is calculated by solving Richards’ equation of two-phase flows in porous media. Our numerical simulations are accompanied with experimental data obtained using a custom-made test rig for the release of liquid from partially saturated media at different speeds. It is demonstrated that the novel mathematical formulations presented here can correctly predict the rate of fluid release from moving fibrous sheets onto solid surfaces with different hydrophilicity as a function of time.
Schistosome ABC multidrug transporters: From pharmacology to physiology.

Praziquantel (PZQ) is essentially the only drug currently available for treatment and control of schistosomiasis, a disease affecting hundreds of millions worldwide. Though highly effective overall, PZQ has limitations, most notably its significant lack of activity against immature schistosomes. Furthermore, the availability of only a single drug for a disease of this magnitude makes reports of PZQ-resistant isolates particularly troubling. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) multidrug transporters such as P-glycoprotein (Pgp; ABCB1) are efflux transporters that underlie multidrug resistance (MDR); changes in their expression or structure are also associated with drug resistance in parasites, including helminths. This review will discuss the role these transporters might play in modulating schistosome susceptibility to PZQ, and the implications for developing new or repurposed treatments that enhance the efficacy of PZQ. However, in addition to influencing drug susceptibility, ABC transporters play important roles in several critical physiological functions such as excretion and maintenance of permeability barriers. They also transport signaling molecules with high affinity, and several lines of evidence implicate mammalian transporters in a diverse array of physiological functions, including regulation of immune responses. Like their mammalian counterparts, schistosome ABC transporters appear to be involved in functions critical to the parasite, including excretory activity and reproduction, and we hypothesize that they underlie at least some aspects of parasite–host interactions. Thus, in addition to their potential as targets for enhancers of PZQ susceptibility, these transporters might also serve as candidate targets for agents that disrupt the parasite life cycle and act as antischistosomals on their own.
Graphical animation of parallel Fortran programs

A tool for visualizing the behavior of parallel Fortran programs is described. PF-View builds on the functionality already provided by IBM''s Parallel Fortran Trace Facility, extending its usefulness by postprocessing the textual trace information to derive a graphical framework on which program behavior is animated. Its design capitalizes on formal and informal studies of how programmers go about parallelizing scientific applications, providing an intuitive representation of program execution. Detailed information on lock/event synchronization and performance analysis, while quickly available through additional windows, is hidden from the casual user to maximize ease and simplicity. Most importantly, the program as the user knows it--in the form of hierarchiacally-organized source code--is constantly available and automatically correlated with the animation to underscore visually the relationship between source statements and run-time actions.
A deterministic model for planning production quantities in a multi-plant, multi-warehouse environment with extensible capacities

Abstract We have developed a deterministic model for planning production and transportation quantities in multi-plant and multi-warehouse environment with extensible capacities. The model determines a production mix that maximizes total profit over a finite planning horizon. When production cannot meet demand due to lack of adequate resources, the model allows shortfalls to be met through subcontracting or the use of inventory. However, it does not allow subcontracting when adequate resources are available. When solved, the model produces the quantity of each product to be: (1) produced at each plant, (2) transported from each plant to each warehouse, (3) subcontracted at each warehouse, and (4) kept in inventory at each warehouse. Furthermore, it identifies the warehouses that need extensions at any period and the corresponding amounts of extensions needed. We also develop a procedure for reducing the size of the zero–one MILP problem that can be obtained during any application of the model. Numerical examples given to illustrate the model and to compare the full and the reduced versions of the model show that the model works well and that both the full and the reduced versions produce exactly the same results. Finally, we discuss the assumptions underlining the model and highlight the approaches that can be taken to eliminate or, at least, prevent errors that are associated with violations of the assumptions.
Multicasting in interconnected networks

The state of the art in reliable multicasting protocols renders itself inadequate for group multicasting in environments where both intra-group and inter-group messages bridge several LANs. A particularly difficult situation arises if some LANs are managed by autonomous authorities. If autonomy is upheld, as a defacto condition, then LANs under different authorities can adopt different ordering criteria for group multicasting. The accommodation of heterogeneous ordering criteria is a problem that has been largely ignored. The authors propose the multi-LAN multi-order (MLMO) protocol, which supports a reliable ordered delivery service for both local and global messages. The MLMO protocol assumes an environment in which multicasting groups can have members belonging to different LANs, and each group can adopt either total or causal order for message delivery to its members. Characteristic to the protocol is a communication structure that can be aligned with the actual routing topology; thus, the number of necessary protocol messages is maintained. Furthermore, groups that adopt causal order are not forced to experience message latency solely because of coexisting groups that adopt total order.
Unmanned Aircraft Guidance for Penetration of Pretornadic Storms

This paper investigates unmanned aircraft guidance for a severe storm penetrator in order to assess the feasibility of such a mission and to optimize ingress/egress in terms of flight time and exposure to precipitation. Understanding guidance-layer behavior and deriving optimal control strategies will provide tools for developing mission-level concepts of operation and for making vehicle design tradeos. A backward propagating wavefront algorithm based on ordered upwind methods is developed for guidance-layer planning of severe storm penetration. Target areas for investigation by the aircraft are identified within simulated storm wind, hail, and precipitation data. The simulated data is used to determine the feasibility of storm penetration to the points of interest, along with calculating airframe exposure to precipitation. Intelligent ingress is also considered for a dynamic wind field using a receding horizon control approach to adapt the flight path in response to environmental changes.
Off-road Motorcycle Effects on a Desert Soil

The effects of controlled motorcycle traffic on a Mojave Desert soil in California were studied in order to describe soil compaction quantitatively. Four experimental trails, representing 1, 10, 100, and 200, passes each with an off-road motorcycle were established in a loamy sand at 6.2% by weight moisture content. Penetration resistance, density, infiltration rate, and response to rainfall, were measured for the undisturbed soil and for the experimental trails immediately after the conclusion of the impact, and soil cores were measured in the laboratory to determine pore-size distributions. The soil density was remeasured again one year after the impact, to determine the amount of recovery.Immediately after motorcycle use, the average density of the soil in the 0 to 60 mm depth increased from an average of 1.53 metric tons/cubic metre in the undisturbed soil to 1.77 t/m3 in the 200 pass trail, and the average density in all the trails could be expressed empirically as a logarithmic function of the number of motorcycle passes. The soil penetration resistance profile for the 200-passes-trail showed that the maximum compaction occurred between 30 and 60 mm depth, and that changes in penetration resistance could be measured to a depth of 0.21 to 0.25 m. The infiltration rate after 2 hours decreased from an average of 98 mm/hr in the undisturbed soil to 29 mm/hr in the 200 pass trail.The undisturbed soil infiltrated artificial rainfall up to an intensity of 46 mm/hr before surface ponding occurred in the 100- and 200-passes-trails at intensities greater than 25 mm/hr. Decreases in the soil-pore volume were greatest in pores with effective radii greater than 150 μm, with incremental decreases occurring in pores with radii between 150 and 4.5 μm; the total volumes of smaller pores were similar in the compacted and undisturbed soils. One year after the impact, the density of the soil at a depth of 0–30 mm had decreased significantly in the 10-, 100-, and 200-passes-trails but the densities at 30–60 mm depth remained unchanged.
Chip-level waveguide-mirror-pillar optical interconnect structure

Waveguides, mirrors, and polymer pillars can be integrated together to provide optical interconnects to the chip level. Total internal reflection in the polymer pillar provides a high level of spatial confinement of the light. The metallized mirror terminating the waveguide may be at 45deg or at a nearby angle such as 54.74deg (anisotropically etched silicon) and produce nearly equal coupling efficiencies. For a polymer waveguide, a gold mirror, and a polymer pillar of the dimensions fabricated, the simulated coupling efficiencies are 80.7% or 0.93 dB (45deg mirror) and 82.5% or 0.84 dB (54.74deg mirror), respectively. These simulations together with the fabrication and testing of a 54.74deg mirror configuration demonstrates the viability of the waveguide-mirror-pillar structure, its insensitivity to mirror angle, and its compatibility with current substrate fabrication technologies
Stability and performance of a class of decentralized filters

Conditions guaranteeing stability of the optimal surely locally unbiased decentralized filter are derived and it is shown that the filter preserves the decentralized stabilizability of the system. It is also shown that the performance loss due to decentralization is bounded via the performance loss of a ‘completely localized’ filter.
Microsecond-to-second Timescale Motions In The Ligand Binding Domain Of Glutamate Receptor 2

Within the central nervous system, AMPA-type glutamate receptors mediate fast synaptic transmission and deactivate on the millisecond timescale. In this study, we characterize backbone amide nuclear spin dynamics associated with conformational and hydrogen exchange events in the ligand binding domain of glutamate receptor 2 and obtain a novel view of the backbone motions occurring over five orders of magnitude of timescale, spanning microsecond-to-second timescale motions. Most notably, we find that hydrogen exchange rates of particular residues in the ligand binding site provide important clues about the sequence of events leading to ligand detachment from the ligand binding domain. These results thus provide insights into the mechanism of receptor deactivation.
Comparison of DNA extraction kits for PCR-DGGE analysis of human intestinal microbial communities from fecal specimens

Background: The influence of diet on intestinal microflora has been investigated mainly using conventional microbiological approaches. Although these studies have advanced knowledge on human intestinal microflora, it is imperative that new methods are applied to facilitate scientific progress. Culture-independent molecular fingerprinting method of Polymerase Chain Reaction and Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) has been used to study microbial communities in a variety of environmental samples. However, these protocols must be optimized prior to their application in order to enhance the quality and accuracy of downstream analyses. In this study, the relative efficacy of four commercial DNA extraction kits (Mobio Ultra Clean ® Fecal DNA Isolation Kit, M; QIAamp ® DNA Stool Mini Kit, Q; FastDNA® SPIN Kit, FSp; FastDNA® SPIN Kit for Soil, FSo) were evaluated. Further, PCR-DGGE technique was also assessed for its feasibility in detecting differences in human intestinal bacterial fingerprint profiles. Method: Total DNA was extracted from varying weights of human fecal specimens using four different kits, followed by PCR amplification of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and DGGE separation of the amplicons. Results: Regardless of kit, maximum DNA yield was obtained using 10 to 50 mg (wet wt) of fecal specimens and similar DGGE profiles were obtained. However, kits FSp and FSo extracted significantly larger amounts of DNA per g dry fecal specimens and produced more bands on their DGGE profiles than kits M and Q due to their use of bead-containing lysing matrix and vigorous shaking step. DGGE of 16S rRNA gene PCR products was suitable for capturing the profiles of human intestinal microbial community and enabled rapid comparative assessment of inter- and intra-subject differences. Conclusion: We conclude that extraction kits that incorporated bead-containing lysing matrix and vigorous shaking produced high quality DNA from human fecal specimens (10 to 50 mg, wet wt) that can be resolved as bacterial community fingerprints using PCR-DGGE technique. Subsequently, PCR-DGGE technique can be applied for studying variations in human intestinal microbial communities.
Control integration through message-passing in a software development environment

Understanding tool integration in a software development environment (SDE) is one of the key issues being addressed in current work on providing automated support for large-scale software production. Work has been taking place at both the conceptual level (‘what is integration?’) and the mechanistic level (‘how do we provide integration?’). Many people see the answers to these questions as providing the corner-stone to real progress in the area. Until recently, existing integration mechanisms have been very rigid in the support they provide for integration. Users have been offered a fixed level of integration with little flexibility. However, one approach that has been recently implemented employs a control integration paradigm which appears to be flexible, supportive and adaptable to a wide range of end-user needs. Implementations of this paradigm are based on the notion of ‘message-passing’ as the underlying communication mechanism between SDE services. In this paper, we examine the message-passing approach to integration in an SDE, look at the general principles of the approach, describe some existing implementations, and discuss the use of such a mechanism as the basis for a more flexible environment that is open to experimentation with different approaches to integration.
A TPC detector for the study of high multiplicity heavy ion collisions

The design of a time projection chamber (TPC) detector with complete pad coverage is presented. The TPC allows the measurements of high multiplicity ( approximately 200 tracks) relativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions initiated with the heaviest, most energetic projectiles available at the LBL (Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) BEVALAC accelerator facility. The front-end electronics, composed of over 15000 time sampling channels, is located on the chamber. The highly integrated, custom-designed electronics and the VME-based data acquisition system are described. >
Practice patterns in the management of patients with esophageal strictures and rings

Background Only few data exist on the epidemiology and management of esophageal strictures and rings. Objective To study the epidemiology and management of esophageal strictures and rings. Design Case-control study. Setting Endoscopic data repository of U.S. gastroenterology practices from 1998 to 2003 (Clinical Outcomes Research Initiative). Patients Case subjects included 7287 patients with strictures and 4993 patients with rings. The control group consisted of 124,120 patients without endoscopic evidence of esophageal stenosis. Interventions Esophageal dilation. Main Outcome Measurements Patient demographics, types and diameters of esophageal dilators, frequency of repeat dilations. Results Strictures displayed a male predominance, and rings displayed a small female predominance. Compared with the control population, strictures and rings both occurred most frequently in elderly white patients. Dysphagia and reflux were the most common indications for dilation in both conditions. Compared with strictures, rings were treated more often with larger dilators and rubber bougies. One-year rates of repeat dilation for strictures and rings were 13% and 4%, respectively. The mean interval length between repeat dilations was 82 days for strictures and 184 days for rings. Limitations Only a limited amount of information about individual patients was retrievable from the electronic database. Conclusions The variations in the demographic characteristics and the treatment practice allude to differences in the underlying pathophysiology of these 2 benign obstructing lesions of the esophagus.
The influence of extraction and replacement of teeth on hearing.

Abstract Hearing thresholds were measured on a group of patients prior to the extraction of teeth and again at three-day, one-month, and two-month intervals following the extraction of their teeth. Subsequent to the insertion of complete dentures, threshold measurements also were made at 3-day, 1-month, and 2-month intervals. Tests indicated: (1) a slight, but consistent, improvement in hearing acuity at all frequencies following the complete removal of teeth, (2) a significant improvement of pre-existing hearing impairments at the higher frequencies following the replacement of missing teeth with complete dentures, and (3) that decibel measurements of the right and left ears of each individual did not differ significantly.
Evaluation of the Role of Microbial Strecker-Derived Aroma Compounds in Unclean-Type Flavors of Cheddar Cheese

Abstract Commercial Cheddar cheeses selected to include a variety of flavors, ages, and compositional factors were analyzed by gas chromatographic procedures for several microbially derived Strecker-type volatile aldehydes and alcohols. Six of 26 samples lacked unclean-type flavors and each contained concentrations below threshold of the Strecker-type compounds measured. All of the remaining samples exhibited some degree of unclean-type flavors and each contained concentrations above threshold of at least one of the Strecker-type compounds. When evaluated individually in a bland Cheddar cheese base, phenethanol and phenylacetaldehyde both caused flavor suppressions and unclean, rose-like aftertaste flavor sensations; phenylacetaldehyde also contributed an astringent bitterness. Elevated concentrations of p -cresol caused either unclean-utensil-like, unclean-barny, or horse-blanket-like flavors while 3-methyl butanal/2-methyl butanal, 2-methyl propanal, and methional caused unclean-harsh and dulling flavor sensations in cheese. Phenol contributed sharp, clean flavor effects to cheeses, especially in well-aged Cheddars.
No Increased Risk of Knee Arthroplasty Failure in Patients With Positive Skin Patch Testing for Metal Hypersensitivity: A Matched Cohort Study

Abstract Background It is unclear whether a positive skin patch test for metal allergy in patients with skin hypersensitivity to metals is associated with an increased risk of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) failure. Our aim was to determine whether patients with a history of metal allergy who had a positive skin patch test (SPT+) had worse outcomes after primary TKA compared with those with a negative skin patch test and compared with controls. Methods Over 12 years, 127 patients underwent 161 TKA after skin patch testing (SPT; 56 were positive). Cases were matched by age, gender, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, implant type, and implant manufacturer to 161 control knee arthroplasties without any prior history of metal allergy and no SPT. Median follow-up was 5.3 years. Differences in outcome measures were assessed between groups. Results Patients with a SPT+ to metal did not have a higher complication, reoperation, or revision rates compared with patients with a SPT− and matched controls. Survivorship free of revision at 5 years was 98.1% for SPT+; 100% for SPT−; 97.6% for SPT+ controls, 99.0% for SPT− controls. There was no statistically significant difference in postoperative pain between SPT+ and SPT− patients and matched controls. Conclusion This study was designed to evaluate the effect of metal hypersensitivity on TKA outcomes and the role of SPT in patients before TKA. In this study, a SPT+ for metals was of little practical value in predicting the midterm outcome after TKA and cannot be strongly recommended as a method to guide the selection of implant type.
Ubs Global Asset Management: Capturing Alpha Through Global Equity Investing

In October 2002, the senior investment officers of UBS AGâ¬"s Global Asset Management (GAM) division, the largest asset management firm in the world, must decide whether to issue a new quantitative investment product, one that will stand in sharp contrast to GAMâ¬"s historically fundamentalist and value-style approach. The problem raises sharp questions about the strategic evolution of the industry, its products, and in particular, its leading firms. To some in the firm, it seemed that the new â¬Squantâ¬? product was a natural extension of the strategic transformation of GAM since 1995. But others in the senior team wondered whether the market would be ready for this product. The tasks for the student are to map the industry changes, evaluate the transformation of UBS, and assess the fit of the new quant product with the firmâ¬"s strategic approach. This case was prepared to meet the following teaching objectives: 1) Assess the pace, direction, and implications of globalization of the asset management industry. Key to this assessment is the emerging research on the relative importance of countries versus sectors in explaining investment returns globally; 2) Explore a â¬Scountry/sectorâ¬? organization structure for global research; Identify its defining characteristics. Compare it with other possible structures. Determine its advantages and disadvantages as an organizing system. Identify key success drivers. And 3) Evaluate a quantitative investment product relative to other product offerings.
Possible Impact of Tetrahydrobiopterin and Sepiapterin on Endothelial Dysfunction

To the Editor: Vasquez-Vivar et al1 reported on diminished tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) concentrations in vessels from hypercholesterolemic rabbits. This is an interesting finding because both in serum and urine from patients with coronary artery diseases and hypercholesterolemia, total plasma biopterin concentrations were found to be unchanged2 (unpublished data, 2002). However, total biopterin represents the sum of BH4, 7,8-dihydrobipterin (BH2), and fully oxidized biopterin, and one cannot exclude possible the effect of either reduced BH4 or increased BH2 concentrations on the endothelial dysfunction in these patients. In normal plasma, almost all biopterin (>95%) is present as BH4, and measurement of biologically active tetrahydro-derivative seems to be essential. Differential oxidation with iodine and subsequent high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), according to Fukushima and Nixon,3 is a simple method to measure different oxidation forms of biopterin. In this method, under acidic conditions, BH4 and BH2 are oxidized to biopterin, while under basic conditions, only BH2 is oxidized to biopterin, and BH4 undergoes a side-chain cleavage to form the blue fluorescing pterin. The difference in biopterin content between the two oxidations represents the actual BH4 levels. HPLC separation of biopterin from pterin and isoxanthopterin is essential for the correct interpretation. Another important finding of Vasquez-Vivar et al1 is the observation that supplementation with sepiapterin, an intermediate in the salvage pathway of …
The Sensitivity of the Hadley Circulation to Past and Future Forcings in Two Climate Models

A comparison is made of the Hadley cell response to altered external forcing and climatic boundary conditions in two different climate models. The experiments performed cover past and future climatic forcings that range from the last glacial maximum (LGM) to a doubling in atmospheric CO2. Both models have a consistent response to all forcings in the depth and meridional extent of the Hadley cell in both solstitial seasons. The strength of the December-January-February (DJF) cell varies consistently between the two models, increasing in colder climates and weakening in warmer climates. For June-July-August (JJA), however, the sign of the response is opposite between models for the range of forcing. It is suggested that the origin of this different response in the JJA cell is related to the type of ocean model used. Nevertheless, the results from the LGM and doubled CO2 experiments show a consistent correlation between the surface temperature gradient between the winter and summer hemisphere tropics and Hadley cell strength: When the temperature contrast is larger (smaller), the Hadley cell is stronger (weaker). The Holocene, with the response to the forcing peaking over the subtropical and mid-latitude continents, has temperature gradients and Hadley cell responses that deviate from this relationship. The implications of these results to paleoclimate studies are discussed.
The Influence of Tardy Classmates on Students' Socio-Emotional Outcomes.

Background/ContextResearchers, policymakers, and practitioners undoubtedly concur that missing school deteriorates student outcomes. And yet, in evaluating the deleterious effects of missing in-sch...
Leveraging Health-Related Quality of Life in Population Health Management: The Case for Healthy Days

Abstract Measuring population health with morbidity and mortality data, often collected at the site of care, fails to capture the individual's perspective on health and well-being. Because health happens outside the walls of medical facilities, a holistic and singular measure of health that can easily be captured for an entire population could aid in understanding the well-being of communities. This paper postulates that Healthy Days, a health-related quality of life measure developed and validated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is an ideal survey instrument to advance population health. A systematic literature review was conducted and revealed a strong evidence base using Healthy Days with significant correlations to chronic disease conditions. Building on the literature base and experience, methods for analyzing Healthy Days data are discussed, including stratified sampling techniques, statistical measures to account for variance, and modeling techniques for skewed distributions. Usi...
Life History of Typhlodromus mcgregori (Acarina: Phytoseiidae)

The life history of Typhlodromus megregori Chant was studied as it related to its potential in controlling Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten); the European redmite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch); and the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, in central Utahapple orchards. Developmental time from egg to egg took 11+ days under laboratory conditions. The larvae did not food. The preferred hosts were B. rubrioculus larvae and protonymphs, although alternate food included B. rubrioculus eggs, and eggs, larvae, and protonymphs of P.ulmi and T. urticae. Apple leaves and pollen were also eaten, but colonies could be maintained on B. rubrioculus only. It was concluded that T. megregori would not assist substantially in controlling P. ulmi and T. urticae; and because of its limited potential in destroying prey and slow population growth, it would provide limited assistance in controlling B. rubriocnlus.
Institutional Environment,Expectations and Efficiency——A New Perspective of the Reform of the System of Civil Trial Periods

The system of civil trial periods is facing a debate of abolition and reform as a specific system.The system should not be abolished because it has its own system environment,but also achieve its value from the point of view of the relevant economics theories and public choice economics.However,it should be reformed because of the absence of the main illegal penalty system,as well as the abstract provisions.
Assessment of the zinc nutritional status of selected elderly subjects.

A precise definition of low zinc status measurements among the elderly is not available at this time. However, the low hair zinc concentrations and taste acuity, compounded with the low zinc intake, of elderly subjects in this study suggest that this population is at risk for zinc deficiency.
Carboplatin-induced cell death in model prostate cancer systems.

Background: Many chemotherapeutic agents are believed to kill cancer cells by inflicting cellular damage which triggers the cell to enter apoptosis (programmed cell death). We investigated the means by which carboplatin induces cell death in three model cancer systems: the human prostate carcinoma cell lines PC-3 and LNCaP and the human cervical carcinoma cell line HeLa. Materials and Methods: Drug cytotoxicity, cell cycle effects, bcl-2 deactivation, and multiple markers for apoptosis were utilized to examine carboplatin activity within these cell lines. Results: In HeLa cells, carboplatin appears to induce an S-phase block followed by apoptosis. In contrast, PC-3 and LNCaP cells show no cell cycle phase block and die from necrosis rather than apoptosis. The effects of carboplatin contrast sharply with the effects of paclitaxel, which induces an M-phase block and apoptosis in all three cell lines. Conclusions: These results show that PC-3 and LNCaP cells are relatively resistant to carboplatin and suggest two causes of resistance: bypassing the cell cycle checkpoints which serve as points of entry into apoptosis, and incomplete execution of the effector mechanisms of apoptosis. Carboplatin resistance in the prostate cancer cell lines fits into the developing scheme of apoptosis-necrosis and raises valuable questions about the root causes of cancer resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.
A photoelectron spectroscopic and computational study of the o-dicarbadodecaborane parent anion

We report a combined photoelectron spectroscopic and computational study of the o-dicarbadodecaborane (o-carborane) parent anion, (C2B10H12)−. Previous studies that focused on the electrophilic nature of o-carborane led to tantalizing yet mixed results. In our study, we confirmed that o-carborane does in fact form a parent anion and that it has considerable stability. This anion is an isomer (“Anion iso 2”) where unlike in neutral o-carborane, the two carbon atoms are not bound.
Tales Legal Fictions Tell

Pathology reports are useful devices in assessing not only the cause of death of human organisms but legal institutions also. This article is intended as a pathology report about what was once the central organizing principle of domestic relations law but is now considered a rattling antique in the attic of the common law. Coverture (also known as feme covert) was premised upon male headship, the right of the husband to govern his family, to control his wife's property and her legal affairs generally, his unrestricted power to demand sexual intercourse with her, even over her objections, and the concomitant duty of the wife to submit and obey. Male headship, in turn, was derived from a legal fiction -- the idea that the wife's legal personality was subsumed into her husband's at the time of marriage. The article focuses on the role belief played in the vitality of this system, and then in its dissolution. English common lawyers justified coverture by appeals to the Bible. Its demise was brought about by a secularization of social values, a transformation worked by commentators, satirists, essayists, and pamphleteers. Only after society changed, was law prepared to follow. The article closes with some general lessons about legal fictions and their relationship to belief systems, where it speculates about another seemingly dominant, unquestioned legal fiction -- the fiction of corporate personality.
SU-F-J-86: Method to Include Tissue Dose Response Effect in Deformable Image Registration

Purpose: Organ changes shape and size during radiation treatment due to both mechanical stress and radiation dose response. However, the dose response induced deformation has not been considered in conventional deformable image registration (DIR). A novel DIR approach is proposed to include both tissue elasticity and radiation dose induced organ deformation. Methods: Assuming that organ sub-volume shrinkage was proportional to the radiation dose induced cell killing/absorption, the dose induced organ volume change was simulated applying virtual temperature on each sub-volume. Hence, both stress and heterogeneity temperature induced organ deformation. Thermal stress finite element method with organ surface boundary condition was used to solve deformation. Initial boundary correspondence on organ surface was created from conventional DIR. Boundary condition was updated by an iterative optimization scheme to minimize elastic deformation energy. The registration was validated on a numerical phantom. Treatment dose was constructed applying both the conventional DIR and the proposed method using daily CBCT image obtained from HN treatment. Results: Phantom study showed 2.7% maximal discrepancy with respect to the actual displacement. Compared with conventional DIR, subvolume displacement difference in a right parotid had the mean±SD (Min, Max) to be 1.1±0.9(−0.4∼4.8), −0.1±0.9(−2.9∼2.4) and −0.1±0.9(−3.4∼1.9)mm in RL/PA/SI directions respectively. Mean parotid dose and V30 constructed including the dose response induced shrinkage were 6.3% and 12.0% higher than those from the conventional DIR. Conclusion: Heterogeneous dose distribution in normal organ causes non-uniform sub-volume shrinkage. Sub-volume in high dose region has a larger shrinkage than the one in low dose region, therefore causing more sub-volumes to move into the high dose area during the treatment course. This leads to an unfavorable dose-volume relationship for the normal organ. Without including this effect in DIR, treatment dose in normal organ could be underestimated affecting treatment evaluation and planning modification. Acknowledgement: Partially Supported by Elekta Research Grant
Water, Food and Environmental Security

Water scarcity has emerged as one of the key issues for food and environmental sustainability in the twenty-first century. Agriculture is far and away the largest consumer of water in the world, and irrigated agriculture accounts for 70 % of all freshwater withdrawals globally. An increasing portion of this is coming from groundwater, which is favored by farmers. However, shortages are emerging in many places and these are expected to result in curtailed supplies of irrigation water to farming. While irrigated area accounts for less than 20 % of all cropland, it accounts for about 40 % of production, and attempts to reduce this dependence will require significant expansion of rainfed area to make up for the resulting production losses. Fortunately, there is considerable scope for increasing the efficiency of water use in agriculture, through improved delivery to the plants, as well as through increased water use efficiency by the plants themselves. This chapter explores the role of water in agriculture in some detail as well as offering a series of simulation results, based on SIMPLE, to highlight the interplay between restrictions on irrigated agriculture and global land use change.
Middle Ordovician agglutinated foraminifera including Reophax from the Mifflin Formation, Platteville Group of Illinois

Agglutinated siliceous foraminifera occur in the Middle Ordovician (Blackriveran) Mifflin Formation of the Platteville Group in northern Illinois. The fauna consists of globular saccamminids and a new form Reophax blackriveranus n. sp. which records the oldest validated representative of this genus. This marks the earliest known occurrence of agglutinated foraminifera with multichambered uniserial tests of progressively expanding chambers from the proloculus to the aperture. This early innovation of test morphology was probably developed to control unfavorable changes in the water chemistry of the environment. Mifflin lithofacies consist of light gray, thin, wavy-bedded, lithographic limestone and fine-grained dolomite with green shale interbeds, thin calcarenite layers with graded bedding, a K-bentonite ash layer and hardground corrosion bedding surfaces. Mifflin biofacies include the foraminiferan fauna, brachiopods and molluscan shelly faunas, bryozoans, trilobites, ostracodes, echinoderms, solitary corals, conodonts, chitinozoans, scolecodonts, sponges and trace fossils particularly Chondrites. The Mifflin strata were deposited on an exceedingly gentle slope off the Pecatonica carbonate platform which flanked the Wisconsin Arch. Thin Mifflin clinothem limestone beds wedge out into shales in the moderately deep (<200 m) aerobic starved basin in eastern Iowa. This occurred in south tropical seas during a eustatic rise in sealevel and major marine transgression. Reophax is associated with saccamminids in the benthos of the marine upper foreslope. Apparently slope-dwelling Reophax foraminifera of the Ordovician were displaced downslope into the basin by the rapid development and expansion of hyperamminids which occupy the lower and middle foreslope in the Mississippian.
Microbiome changes through ontogeny of a tick pathogen vector

Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are one of the most important pathogen vectors in the United States, responsible for transmitting Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. The structure of a host's microbial community has the potential to affect the ecology and evolution of the host. We employed high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 hypervariable regions in the first study to investigate the tick microbiome across all developmental stages (larvae, nymphs, adults). In addition to field-collected life stages, newly hatched lab-reared larvae were studied to determine the baseline microbial community structure and to assess transovarial transmission. We also targeted midguts and salivary glands due to their importance in pathogen maintenance and transmission. Over 100,000 sequences were produced per life stage replicate. Rickettsia was the most abundant bacterial genus across all sample types matching mostly the Ixodes rickettsial endosymbionts, and its proportion decreased as developmental stage progressed, with the exception of adult females that harbored a mean relative abundance of 97.9%. Lab-reared larvae displayed the lowest bacterial diversity, containing almost exclusively Rickettsia. Many of the remaining bacteria included genera associated with soil, water, and plants, suggesting environmental acquisition while off-host. Female organs exhibited significantly different β-diversity than the whole tick from which they were derived. Our results demonstrate clear differences in both α and β diversity among tick developmental stages and between tick organs and the tick as a whole. Furthermore, field-acquired bacteria appear to be very important to the overall internal bacterial community of this tick species, with influence from the host blood meal appearing limited. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Diamond Powder Produced Using Microwaves

(1989). Diamond Powder Produced Using Microwaves. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 4, No. 9, pp. 3-4.
Expanding Opportunities for Teaching Civic Engagement in a Bachelor of Public Policy Degree

AbstractThe mission of the Bachelor of Science in Public Policy degree is to prepare students for roles as good citizens and for careers in the public service. This is a case study of how civic engagement is used to accomplish this mission in three courses within this curriculum. These courses use service learning, leadership, and an internship to teach civic engagement. The experience of the faculty in developing these courses within the undergraduate public policy curriculum may assist other institutions as they seek to incorporate civic engagement in their programs. The lessons for other programs include recognizing the importance of civic engagement in educating students for citizenship, the use of faculty-directed reflection in civic engagement courses, and the continuing challenge of connecting the approaches to civic engagement into a coherent program.
Squirrel Monkey (Genus Saimiri) Taxonomy

Systematists are more than ever faced with the task of interpreting the biological validity of species from data representing many different biological components. How data, such as molecular, biochemical, chromosomal, behavioral, and morphological, may be interpreted objectively within a consistent paradigm is yet without consensus. Characters have often presided over their interpretation, and it is not unknown for technique to have usurped method. The aim of this study is to assess within a paradigm the contributions of a variety of data toward understanding the species taxonomy of the genus Saimiri. This is done under the explicit premises entailed in Mayr’s biological species concept (BSC; see Mayr, 1942, 1963, 1982), and as expanded by Bock (1986; see also Szalay, this volume). A few remarks are made concerning Paterson’s (1980, 1985) species recognition concept with regard to Saimiri taxonomy.
Small random fiber angle variations as a mechanism for far-field stimulation of cardiac tissue

The mechanism by which an electric field stimulates cardiac tissue far from the stimulating electrode is not known. Current theories rely on the inherent heterogeneity of cardiac tissue as contributing to this phenomenon. This paper explores a possible mechanism for far-field stimulation in relation to fiber curvature. We incorporate a randomized fiber angle geometry into a two-dimensional active cardiac tissue model with unequal anisotropy ratios already exhibiting smooth, curving fibers. We simulate cross-field stimulation to initiate reentry in the tissue model, and compare the electric field thresholds at different S1-S2 intervals for tissue with randomized fiber angles and tissue with a smooth fiber geometry. The tissue with random fiber angles has a significantly lower threshold for reentry at certain intervals on the strength-interval curve. We conclude that a random fiber geometry may have an effect on the mechanism for far-field stimulation.
Implication of Auto-Anti-U Antibody in a Pediatric Patient

The anti-U antibody is a rare antibody belonging to the MNS blood group system and has been implicated in cases of hemolytic transfusion reaction and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). We report a case of auto-anti-U antibody in a pediatric patient. A 14-year-old African American girl, G0, with a 4-week history of bloody diarrhea, was admitted to Le Bonheur Children’s …