cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitric oxide decreases surfactant protein gene expression in primary cultures of type II pneumocytes

Inhaled nitric oxide (NO) is a selective pulmonary vasodilator effective in treating persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns and in infants following congenital heart disease surgery. Recently, multiple in vivo and in vitro studies have shown a negative effect of NO on surfactant activity as well as surfactant protein gene expression. Although the relationship between NO and surfactant has been studied previously, the data has been hard to interpret due to the model systems used. The objective of the current study was to characterize the effect of NO on surfactant protein gene expression in primary rat type II pneumocytes cultured on a substratum that promoted the maintenance of type II cell phenotype. Exposure to a NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), decreased surfactant protein (SP)-A, (SP)-B, and (SP)-C mRNA levels in type II pneumocytes in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The effect was mediated in part by an increase in endothelin-1 secretion and a decrease in the intracellular messenger, phosphorylated ERK1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). Exposing type II pneumocytes to endothelin-1 receptor antagonists PD-156707 or bosentan before exposure to SNAP partially prevented the decrease in surfactant protein gene expression. The results showed that NO mediated the decrease in surfactant protein gene expression at least in part through an increase in endothelin-1 secretion and a decrease in phosphorylated ERK1/2 MAPKs.
Legionella Pneumophila Transcriptome during Intracellular Multiplication in Human Macrophages.

Legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, an acute pulmonary infection. L. pneumophila is able to infect and multiply in both phagocytic protozoa, such as Acanthamoeba castellanii, and mammalian professional phagocytes. The best-known L. pneumophila virulence determinant is the Icm/Dot Type IVB secretion system (TFBSS), which is used to translocate more than 150 effector proteins to host cells. While the transcriptional response of Legionella to the intracellular environment of A. castellanii has been investigated, much less is known about the Legionella transcriptional response inside human macrophages. In this study, the transcriptome of L. pneumophila was monitored during exponential and post-exponential phase in rich AYE broth as well as during infection of human cultured macrophages. This was accomplished with microarrays and an RNA amplification procedure called SCOTS to detect small amounts of mRNA from low numbers of intracellular bacteria. Among the genes induced intracellularly are those involved in amino acid biosynthetic pathways leading to L-arginine, L-histidine and L-proline as well as many transport systems involved in amino acid and iron uptake. Gene involved in catabolism of glycerol is also induced during intracellular growth and could be used as a carbon source. The genes encoding the Icm/Dot system are not differentially expressed inside cells compared to control bacteria grown in rich broth, but the genes encoding several translocated effectors are strongly induced. Moreover, we used the transcriptome data to predict previously unrecognized Icm/Dot effector genes based on their expression pattern and confirmed translocation for three candidates. This study provides a comprehensive view of how L. pneumophila responds to the human macrophage intracellular environment.
Ideologies of land and place : memories from Zimbabwe's war of liberation

Textual analysis of Shona and British settler memoirs describing life primarily during Zimbabwe's liberation war was undertaken to investigate non-traditional sources of environmental information and to understand how perceptions of human-environment relations and place may be shaped by gender, culture, and war experience. Findings from nineteen book-length works (three for each pre- and post-war periods and thirteen for the period during the war) established that most authors exhibited strong, generally positive feelings toward land, especially their home areas. Shona authors demonstrated knowledge of colonial ideologies of bringing progress and security, but settlers exhibited little understanding of colonialism's impact on traditional land tenure. Reflecting on the liberation war, settlers were more likely to comment on hardships faced in 'wild' lands, landscape aesthetics, road conditions, and leisure time activities, whereas Shona emphasized the need for land tenure reform, land as sacred and provider of material needs, and hardships faced due to racial discrimination, relocation, and forced labor. Threats from landmines, ambushes, disease, and wild animals affected both groups. The cultural background and degree of contact across these authors were instrumental in shaping their ideologies. Gender and combat experience were less relevant in shaping ideologies confirming findings from the analyses of East African memoirs.
Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase enhances contractile response of ventricular myocytes from streptozotocin-diabetic rats

The contractile hyporesponsiveness of the streptozotocin diabetic rat heart in vitro to β-adrenergic agonists is eliminated when the heart is perfused with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The following study evaluated the hypothesis that an increased production of NO/cGMP within the diabetic myocyte inhibits the β-adrenergic-stimulated increase in calcium current and contractile response. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given an intravenous injection of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg). After 8 weeks, L-type calcium currents were recorded in ventricular myocytes using the whole cell voltage-clamp method. Shortening of isolated myocytes was determined using a video edge detection system. cAMP and cGMP were measured using radioimmunoassay. Nitric oxide production was determined using the Griess assay kit. Basal cGMP levels and nitric oxide production were elevated in diabetic myocytes. Shortening of the diabetic myocytes in response to isoproterenol (1 μM) was markedly diminished. However, there was no detectable difference in the isoproterenol-stimulated L-type calcium current or cAMP levels between control and diabetic myocytes. Acute superfusion of the diabetic myocyte with l-NAME (1 mM) decreased basal cGMP and markedly enhanced the shortening response to isoproterenol but did not alter isoproterenol-stimulated calcium current. These data suggest that increased production of NO/cGMP within the diabetic myocyte suppressed β-adrenergic stimulated shortening of the myocyte. However, NO/cGMP apparently does not suppress shortening of the myocyte by inhibition of the β-stimulated calcium current.
Effect of Urea in Sulfonamide Base on Healing of Clean Skin Wounds in Rabbits.

SummaryUrea retards the rate of epithelization of open skin wounds of rabbits, but stimulates the rate and extent of formation of granulation tissue; 40%, 10%, and 2% levels of urea in a glyceride jelly base containing sulfanilamide or sulfathiazole retard the average rate of epithelization 108%, 16%, and 20% respectively; 40% and 10%, levels of urea promote the rate and extent of granulation 36% and 19% respectively, and 2% urea has little or no effect.
A statistical analysis of subsampling and an evaluation of the Folsom plankton splitter

Subsampling techniques are important for the determination of precise plankton density estimates. A binomial model of random subsampling, and its Poisson extension, were developed for the purpose of evaluating the performance of compartment-type plankton subsamplers. Two approaches were used to assess the performance of the Folsom plankton splitter on an extensive series of nearshore Lake Michigan crustacean zooplankton samples collected between 1974 and 1979. First, Folsom subsamples were observed to be significantly (p < 0.05) more variable than expected from the random model of subsampling. Second, a random effects ANOVA model was used to compare fractions of the total variance in density estimates that were attributable to subsampling and sampling phases of a specially designed study. Departures from randomness in subsampling were sufficiently small that an analysis of optimal allocation of effort between subsampling and sampling phases, based on the ANOVA model, indicated that only one to three subsamples needed to be examined per sample.
Protecting civil society from terrorism: the search for a sustainable strategy

Abstract The threat of terrorism is very different from conventional war. Terrorism challenges the structures of national, state, and municipal governments and their relationships. Confronting terrorism requires compromises between maximizing competitiveness in the critical infrastructure industry and restoring the industry’s resilience. Responsibility for addressing these issues is diffuse and poorly specified in American society. But most critical is the development of a strategy to reduce the threat and consequence of catastrophic terrorism while protecting civil liberties—all in a strategy that is sustainable over periods of time when no attacks have occurred. The beginning of such a strategy is proposed.
Neurosecretory Cells in some Cirripedes

THE occurrence of neurosecretory cells or their products has not hitherto been demonstrated in the Cirripedia. By analogy with the situation in many other crustaceans the neurosecretory organs of which have recently been the object of much investigation, control of many of the metabolic processes in the Cirripedes might be expected to be under hormonal control originating in neurosecretory activities1.
Instrumentation to Measure the Backscattering Coefficient bb for Arbitrary Phase Functions

A single detector instrument concept that collects scattered light over the full range of backscattering angles is described. Its light collection aperture is designed so as to introduce a sin⁡θ factor into the collection probability. Hence, the instrument is exactly a bb meter; it directly measures bb, not a proxy for it. For an infinitesimal aperture to the detector, the instrument would give bb exactly; for a finite aperture (e.g., 1.26 cm2), it would typically give bb to an accuracy of a few tenths of 1%. The instrumentation itself is as simple as that of the well-known fixed-angle meters—it projects a beam of light into the medium and collects backscattered light with a single detector; the differences are the position of the detector and the shape/orientation of the entrance aperture to the detector.
Demography of American chestnut populations: effects of a pathogen and a hyperparasite

Summary 1 Matrix models were used to evaluate the effect of chestnut blight infection on transition probabilities and population growth rates for American chestnuts. Disease-free, epidemic and recovering (i.e. pathogen infected with a double-stranded (ds) RNA hypovirus) populations were compared. 2 Population growth rates (λ) did not differ significantly over time or with disease status. However, predicted stable stage distributions differed between population types, with disease-free and recovering populations more similar to each other than either was to epidemic populations. 3 Survival had the highest proportional contribution to population growth rates as revealed by elasticity analyses. However, reductions in stasis of the largest trees contributed most to reductions in population growth rate when comparing diseased with disease-free populations using LTRE. 4 The presence of hypovirus reduces pathogen virulence, allowing individual American chestnut trees to increase in size. Where dsRNA has spread, chestnut populations in Michigan have attained population dynamics similar to those found in disease-free populations. 5 Matrix models and life table response experiments can be used to detect important pathogen-mediated changes in the dynamics of host populations.
BDNF mRNA expression is increased in adult rat forebrain after limbic seizures: Temporal patterns of induction distinct from NGF

We have localized brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA in rat brain and examined its regulation by seizure activity. In situ hybridization of BDNF 35S-cRNA most prominently labeled neurons in hippocampal stratum pyramidale and stratum granulosum, superficial olfactory cortex, pyramidal cell layers of neocortex, amygdala, claustrum, endopiriform nucleus, anterior olfactory nucleus, and ventromedial hypothalamus. Hybridization to BDNF mRNA was markedly increased in all of these regions after lesion-induced recurrent limbic seizures and within dentate gyrus granule cells following one electrically stimulated epileptiform afterdischarge. In contrast to seizure-elicited changes in nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA expression, increases in BDNF mRNA occur in a greater number of different neuronal populations and develop several hours more rapidly in extrahippocampal loci. These results indicate that regulation by physiological activity may be an intrinsic property of this class of neurotrophic factor but that, in the recurrent seizure paradigm, different mechanisms mediate increased expression of mRNAs for BDNF and NGF outside hippocampus.
A relay driver and contact closure sensing interface for an LSI-11 DRV11 parallel I/O board

A simple input and output circuit is described that allows users to sense contact closures and to drive relays from a Digital Equipment Corporation LSI-11 DRV 11 parallel interface board or a signal-compatible equivalent.
Investigations of bivalent antibody binding on fluid-supported phospholipid membranes: The effect of hapten density

Investigations of ligand−receptor binding between bivalent antibodies and membrane-bound ligands are presented. The purpose of these studies was to explore binding as a function of hapten density i...
Degradation of α and β neo-endorphin by rat brain membrane peptidases

Abstract Fractionation of Triton-solubilized rat brain membranes on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose resolves two peptidases which hydrolyze β-neo-endorphin. One of these peptidases was identified as Angiotensin Converting Enzyme by (a) its sensitivity to inhibition by the specific inhibitors MK422 and captopril, (b) by the identification of reaction products, and (c) by comparison to authentic angiotensin converting enzyme. In contrast, α-neo-endorphin hydrolysis by angiotensin converting enzyme could not be detected. The second enzyme active on β-neo-endorphin was identified as an aminopeptidase. This aminopeptidase is identical to the previously described enkephalin-degrading aminopeptidase. The possible involvement of these enzymes in the metabolism of opioid peptides is discussed.
The effects of trade agreements on the growth of major Latin American economies

While the connection between trade openness and economic growth is generally assumed to be positive, empirically, it is not clearly demonstrable. Examinations of the relationship between trade and growth have taken a number of approaches, differing both in the empirical methods, as well as the proxies employed for trade openness, trade liberalization, and growth, but results have been decidedly mixed. Our research differs from prior studies in that it does not examine whether trade policy, trade liberalization or the level of trade itself enhances GDP; but rather whether participating in a specific type of trade agreement/union and/or the number of trade agreements to which a given country or region belongs enhances a country's level of growth. For this purpose, we study the relationship between trade agreements and growth for 18 Latin American countries between 1960 and 2008. Empirical analysis uses an adaptation of the neoclassical Solow growth model. Even though supporters of globalization advance the ...
Controlling gradation of surface strains and nanostructuring by large-strain machining

Direct measurement of the deformation field associated with the creation of a machined surface shows that the strains in the surface and chip are large and essentially equal. This is supported by microstructure and hardness data. By interpreting these results in the framework of an upper bound model for the deformation, control of severe plastic deformation parameters on the machined surface is seen to be feasible, suggesting interesting opportunities for nano- and microscale engineering of surface microstructures by machining.
How Can Clinicians Incorporate Research Advances into Practice

n 1965, my freshman college chemistry lab partner told me an anecdote about his father, a Michigan country doctor, that left an indelible impression. He contrasted the drudgery of a freshman struggling to master college chemistry with the excitement his father experienced at a medical education meeting. The excitement came from how much his dad had learned. He learned how to be a better doctor. He was going to change his practice, and his patients would be better off because of what he had learned. Although it was not apparent to me as a naive freshman, this anecdote is an example of applied learning—new knowledge and research incorporated into practice. More than 30 years later, the practicing physician has the same opportunity: to improve practice based on new knowledge. Today's practitioner has an array of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that are quite different from those of my classmate's father. In addition, the material generated by today's global medical research enterprise is extensive and expanding rapidly. We continue to experience the same sense of excitement over opportunities to learn of advances that help our patients. We are also, however, probably more aware today of practices that were adapted, only later to be proved ineffective or even harmful.1,2 The challenges of incorporating research into practice involve several processes. First, the clinician needs to learn of the advance. Second, some judgment should be made about whether a research advance signals the need to make a change in practice. Third, the clinician must change practice, including perhaps learning new skills. Each of these processes is dynamic. One of the joys of practicing internal medicine is the constant interplay of forces old and new—knowledge, judgment, and experience with patients—that constitute everyday decision making and practice. This article describes the challenges clinicians face learning about medical advances and determining whether an advance is relevant to practice. Examples are provided from recent updates in general internal medicine. A common theme is the importance of consensus in sifting through the scientific literature and in the development of practice changes. Modest changes in therapeutic precision, once proved, tend to be easier to incorporate into practice, whereas more radical changes will require more evidence and greater consensus. As a consequence, I do not believe in rapidly incorporating new agents into practice if they are only slightly different from existing, effective alternatives.
Parapsychological research: A tutorial review and critical appraisal

Beginning in the 1850s, some eminent scientists such as Robert Hare, Alfred Russel Wallace, and Sir William Crookes investigated the claims of spiritualist mediums and believed that they had demonstrated scientifically the existence of psychic phenomena. Critics, without examining the evidence, dismissed the claims out of hand and charged the offending scientists with gross incompetence or with fraud. Encouraged by the work of these early psychical researchers, a group of scholars founded the Society for Psychical Research in London in 1882. In spite of this beginning, psychical research remained an amateur and uncoordinated set of activities until the publication of Rhine's Extra-Sensory Perception in 1934. The card-guessing experiments featured in Rhine's book became the model for experimental parapsychology for the next 40 years. Since the 1970s Rhine's paradigm has been replaced by a number of research programs such as remote viewing, the-Ganzfield experiment, and psychokinetic investigations using Random Event Generators. The present paper examines examples of what were considered, in their time, the best examples of scientific evidence for paranormal phenomena. Each generation of para-psychologists has set aside the work of earlier generations and offered up as sufficient scientific evidence the best work of its own day. As a result, parapsychology lacks not only lawful and replicable phenomena, but also a tradition of cumulative evidence. Two systematic evaluations of the best contemporary research programs in parapsychology revealed that the experiments departed from the minimal standards of adequate randomization of targets, appropriate use of statistical inference, and controls against sensory leakage. The historical survey in this paper suggests that the same themes and inadequacies that haunted the very earliest investigations still characterize contemporary parapsychological research. Both proponents and critics throughout the 130 years of the controversy over psychical research, have deviated greatly from those standards of fair-play and rationality that we would like to believe characterizes the best scientific arguments. Some encouraging signs for progress towards resolving some of the issues raised by the controversy have recently appeared. The criticism of the parapsychological claims is becoming more informed and constructive. Many younger parapsychologists have been working for higher standards within their field. The best lines of systematic research in parapsychology are not of sufficient quality to be put before the scrutiny of the rest of the scientific community. However, with the recent increase in constructive criticism and with the growing awareness within the parapsychological community that it needs to specify minimal standards and set its own house in order, there is hope that in the near future either the parapsychologists will fail to find evidence for psi or will be ready to challenge the scientific community with the sort of evidence that it cannot ignore.
Variations on undirected graphical models and their relationships

We compare alternative definitions of undirected graphical models for discrete, finite variables. Lauritzen [7] provides several definitions of such models and describes their relationships. He shows that the definitions agree only when joint distributions represented by the models are limited to strictly positive distributions. Heckerman et al. [6], in their paper on dependency networks, describe another definition of undirected graphical models for strictly positive distributions. They show that this definition agrees with those of Lauritzen [7] again when distributions are strictly positive. In this paper, we extend the definition of Heckerman et al. [6] to arbitrary distributions and show how this definition relates to those of Lauritzen [7] in the general case.
Placing food/designing places

Food systems are both embedded in and constitutive of landscape systems. There are ways of linking food systems with the place-making practices of landscape design and planning. Food and landscape can be re-described as mutually constitutive systems operating across multiple scales and various cultural practices. Beyond the common notions of landscapes as bounded sites, formal gardens, aesthetic or visual scenes, landscapes are conceived here as complex, emergent, multi-sensory and diversely authored phenomena. Working with this conception landscape design is a synthetic and strategic art form that engages natural process and cultural practices, as well as the poetics and politics of place. From these re-descriptions that emphasize mutual interests, new projects and practices can be proposed to create “productive reciprocities” between landscape and food systems. On one hand, working with landscape strategies offers new ways of grounding food systems in spatial frameworks of regional ecologies and local cultural landscapes. On the other hand, working with food systems invigorates current design practices, such as preservation, and offers new potentials for making public places, sustainable ecologies and constructing cultural identities connected to the vital processes and practices of food.
Seasonal aspects of the recent pause in surface warming

The slowdown in global warming has been identified predominately through changes in the Pacific Ocean. This study investigates the teleconnections and seasonal changes associated with the slowdown. The present forcing from the tropical Pacific is found to produce many of the changes in atmospheric circulation, for example, changes in the upper troposphere wave patterns increase the chances of cold European winters.
Cyclodextrin, a probe for studying adhesive interactions

In this short communication, we introduce a-cyclodextrin as a new probe to study mechanisms of adhesive interactions. We show that this cyclic polysaccharide, that consists of 6 glucosyl residues linked by alpha-1, 4 bonds, was the only sugar of 22 tested that dramatically blocked a specific cellular interaction in the sea urchin embryo (p < 0.001 compared with non-sugar controls). 150–400 embryos were sampled for each concentration of each sugar tested. Mechanisms of cellular interactions have been studied for almost a century and they still remain poorly understood. Cyclodextrin is an exciting new tool that can be utilized for investigating these mechanisms.
Pure nucleoside enantiomers of beta-2',3'-dideoxycytidine analogs are selective inhibitors of hepatitis B virus in vitro.

Abstract (-)-beta-L-2',3'-Dideoxycytidine (beta-L-DDC), (+)-beta-D-2',3'-dideoxycytidine (beta-D-DDC), (-)-beta-L-2',3'-dideoxy-5-fluorocytidine (beta-L-FDDC), (-)-beta-L-2',3'-dideoxy-5-fluoro-3'-thiacytidine (beta-L-FTC), and (+)-beta-D-1,3-dioxolane-5-fluorocytidine (beta-D-FDOC) were evaluated for their anti-hepatitis B virus (anti-HBV) activities in HBV-transfected human liver cells (2.2.15). The order of decreasing potency for the compounds at the 90% effect level was beta-D-FDOC > beta-L-FTC > beta-L-FDDC approximately beta-L-DDC >> beta-D-DDC. Inhibition of HBV in transfected liver cells by the cytosine nucleosides was selective. The beta-L-nucleoside-5'-triphosphates were consistently more potent inhibitors of woodchuck hepatitis virus DNA polymerase than the corresponding natural beta-D-enantiomers.
Low Risk of Physeal Damage from a Medial Patellofemoral Ligament (MPFL) Reconstruction Technique that Uses an Epiphyseal Socket in Children

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess short-term distal femoral growth plate safety associated with femoral sockets for hamstring autograft fixation in pediatric MPFL reconstruction.
Secure data management in the cloud

As the cloud paradigm becomes prevalent for hosting various applications and services, the security of the data stored in the public cloud remains a big concern that blocks the widespread use of the cloud for relational data management. Data confidentiality, integrity and availability are the three main features that are desired while providing data management and query processing functionality in the cloud. We specifically discuss achieving data confidentiality while preserving practical query performance in this paper. Data confidentiality needs to be provided in both data storage and at query access. As a result, we need to consider practical query processing on confidential data and protecting data access privacy. This paper analyzes recent techniques towards a practical comprehensive framework for supporting processing of common database queries on confidential data while maintaining access privacy.
Testing a Two-Dimensional Measure of Job Search Behavior

Abstract Empirical support for a two-dimensional measure of job search behavior was found using 114 hospital employees, 103 pharmaceutical managers, and 418 graduating college seniors. The two dimensions are preparatory job search behavior and active job search behavior. A structural model of determinants and consequences of job search behavior was tested using the hospital employee and pharmaceutical manager samples. LISREL results indicated that financial need and task-specific self-esteem affected both job search behaviors, and that task-specific self-esteem moderated the relationship between job search behaviors. Results and limitations of the study are discussed.
Synthesis of four tritium‐labelled aminowarfarin methyl ketal regioisomers

6-Bromo-4′-nitro-, 4′-bromo-6-nitro-, 4′-bromo-7-nitro- and 4′-bromo-8-nitrowarfarin methyl ketals were prepared and together subjected to catalytic tritiation over palladium on charcoal to produce tritium-labelled aminowarfarin methyl ketals. The four regioisomers were separated by thin-layer chromatography to yield pure compounds of high (24.9–29.8 Ci/mmol) specific activity.
Platelet Monoamine Oxidase Activity in Subgroups of Schizophrenic Disorders

This article summarizes findings from a series of studies that examined platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in patients with nonaffective schizophrenic disorders and schizophrenia-related depressions. The findings indicate that mean platelet MAO activity was not different from control values in the subgroup of nonaffective schizophrenic disorders without auditory hallucinations (that is, the S-1 subgroup). However, mean platelet MAO activity was reduced in the subgroup of nonaffective schizophrenic disorders characterized by the presence of auditory hallucinations often occurring in conjunction with paranoid features (that is, the S-2 subgroup). Moreover, we found that mean platelet MAO activity was increased in schizophrenia-related depressions characterized by histories of chronic asocial, eccentric, or bizarre behavior.
Measurements of seed coat fragments in cotton fibers and fabrics

Seed coat fragments (SCFs) are the parts of a seed coat that have been broken from the surface of either mature or immature seeds during mechanical processing. SCFs can cause spinning problems and ...
Neuroinflammation in Parkinson's Disease Animal Models: A Cell Stress Response or a Step in Neurodegeneration?

The motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are due to the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. Multiple neuroinflammatory processes are exacerbated in Parkinson’s disease, including glial-mediated reactions, increased expression of proinflammatory substances, and lymphocytic infiltration, particularly in the substantia nigra. Neuroinflammation is also implicated in the neurodegeneration and consequent behavioral symptoms of many Parkinson’s disease animal models, although it is not clear whether these features emulate pathogenic steps in the genuine disorder or if some inflammatory features provide protective stress responses. Here, we compare and summarize findings on neuroinflammatory responses and effects on behavior in a wide range of toxin-based, inflammatory and genetic Parkinson’s disease animal models.
The Social Dynamics of a Cultural Upheaval Social Interactions Surrounding September 11, 2001

Using the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), a new methodology for sampling behavioral data in naturalistic settings, we tracked the social lives of 11 people by recording 30-s snippets of ambient sounds in their environment approximately every 12 min. Participants wore the EAR continuously for 10 days from September 11, 2001. Pre-September 11 baseline data were available for all participants. Analyses of the coded sound information showed that although participants did not change in their overall amount of interactions, they gradually shifted from group conversations to dyadic interactions. Exploratory analyses revealed that a relative increase in dyadic interactions over the first 10 days after September 11 was marginally related to better psychological adjustment at follow-up. The findings have relevance for the understanding of stress and affiliation and normal psychological reactions to emergencies.
Effect of Prohexadione-Calcium Dose Level on Shoot Growth and Fire Blight in Young Apple Trees

Norelli, J. L., and Miller, S. S. 2004. Effect of prohexadione-calcium dose level on shoot growth and fire blight in young apple trees. Plant Dis. 88:1099-1106. Prohexadione-calcium suppresses both shoot growth and fire blight in apple. In young apple orchards, there are conflicting requirements to control fire blight and allow sufficient tree growth for tree establishment. Application of prohexadione-calcium to various cultivars of orchardgrown apple trees ranging in age from newly planted to fifth-leaf trees indicated that fewer highdose (125 or 250 mg·liter-1) applications of prohexadione-calcium provided a better balance between fire blight control and growth in young orchards than multiple low-dose (30 or 63 mg·liter -1 ) applications. The response of early-season shoot growth to prohexadione-calcium treatment dose was linear. However, trees that received high doses of prohexadione-calcium tended to grow more in the latter part of the season, resulting in little or no difference in total seasonal growth between trees that received a few high or multiple low doses of prohexadionecalcium. Enhancement of fire blight resistance by prohexadione-calcium was correlated with shoot growth suppression at the time of inoculation, and the resistance response to prohexadione-calcium treatment dose was linear. Fire blight management strategies that use prohexadione-calcium in young apple orchards are discussed. Additional keyword: Apogee, Erwinia amylovora, Malus × domestica, plant growth regulator, shoot blight
Deep Vein Thrombosis in Orthopedic Surgery

We compared 315 patients with deep vein thrombosis who underwent major orthopedic surgery with 618 who underwent general surgery in a prospective registry of consecutive ultrasound-confirmed deep vein thrombosis patients. Orthopedic patients had fewer indwelling central venous catheters (14.0% vs. 46.4%, P < .0001) as well as lower rates of congestive heart failure (7.0% vs. 13.4%, P = .002), cancer (5.1% vs. 28.6%, P < .0001), and diabetes (7.0% vs. 12.6%, P = .004). Extremity discomfort (43.5% vs. 30.3%, P < .0001) and erythema (10.1% vs. 4.8%, P = .001) were more common in orthopedic patients, but dyspnea was less common (11.4% vs. 18.0%, P = .005). There was an increased use of graduated compression stockings (19.4% vs. 15.0%, P = .04), low-molecular-weight heparin (18.7% vs. 12.1%, P = .003), and warfarin (31.7% vs. 11.0%, P < .0001) for deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis in the orthopedic surgery group. Orthopedic surgical patients had a higher frequency of calf deep vein thrombosis than patients who underwent general surgery (38.4% vs. 2.1%, P < .0001). In both groups, 28% did not receive prophylaxis. In conclusion, despite having fewer comorbid conditions, orthopedic patients with deep vein thrombosis remain particularly vulnerable to calf deep vein thrombosis. Rates of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis were inadequate.
Impact of Fertilization on a Salt Marsh Food Web in Georgia

We examined the response of a salt marsh food web to increases in nutrients at 19 coastal sites in Georgia. Fertilization increased the nitrogen content of the two dominant plants, Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus, indicating that added nutrients were available to and taken up by both species. Fertilization increased Spartina cover, height, and biomass and Juncus height, but led to decreases in Juncus cover and biomass. Fertilization increased abundances of herbivores (grasshoppers) and herbivore damage, but had little effect on decomposers (fungi), and no effect on detritivores (snails). In the laboratory, herbivores and detritivores did not show a feeding preference for fertilized versus control plants of either species, nor did detritivores grow more rapidly on fertilized versus control plants, suggesting that changes in herbivore abundance in the field were driven more by plant size or appearance than by plant nutritional quality. Community patterns in control plots varied predictably among sites (i.e., 17 of 20 regression models examining variation in biological variables across sites were significant), but variation in the effects of fertilization across sites could not be easily predicted (i.e., only 6 of 20 models were significant). Natural variation among sites was typically similar or greater than impacts of fertilization when both were assessed using the coefficient of variation. Overall, these results suggest that eutrophication of salt marshes is likely to have stronger impacts on plants and herbivores than on decomposers and detritivores, and that impacts at any particular site might be hard to distinguish from natural variation among sites.
Wood-boring insect abundance in fire-injured ponderosa pine

Wood-boring larvae in the families Cerambycidae and Buprestidae are often found in high densities in burned trees after wildland fires. They play an important role in tree decomposition, often reducing the value of salvageable timber, and represent an important avian food source.
Arabidopsis FAMA Controls the Final Proliferation/Differentiation Switch during Stomatal Development

Coordination between cell proliferation and differentiation is essential to create organized and functional tissues. Arabidopsis thaliana stomata are created through a stereotyped series of symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions whose frequency and orientation are informed by cell-cell interactions. Receptor-like proteins and a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase were previously identified as negative regulators of stomatal development; here, we present the characterization of a bona fide positive regulator. FAMA is a putative basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor whose activity is required to promote differentiation of stomatal guard cells and to halt proliferative divisions in their immediate precursors. Ectopic FAMA expression is also sufficient to confer stomatal character. Physical and genetic interaction studies combined with functional characterization of FAMA domains suggest that stomatal development relies on regulatory complexes distinct from those used to specify other plant epidermal cells. FAMA behavior provides insights into the control of differentiation in cells produced through the activity of self-renewing populations.
A rapid gas chromatographic method quantitating clozapine in human plasma or serum for the purpose of therapeutic monitoring.

A gas chromatographic method using nitrogen-phosphorus detection was developed to quantitate clozapine in plasma or serum. Methyl clonazepam was used as an internal standard. Sample preparation included a single-step extraction with ethyl acetate, which was injected directly onto a wide-bore capillary column. Within-run and total precision, measured as percent coefficient of variation, were determined at low, therapeutic, and high clozapine plasma concentrations. The within-run precision for the low, therapeutic, and high clozapine plasma samples was 5.2, 2.7, and 2.4%, respectively. The total precision for the low, therapeutic, and high clozapine plasma samples was 10.0, 2.6, and 2.0%, respectively. Analytical accuracy was evaluated by comparing quantitative results with those obtained from a reference laboratory. Those samples containing therapeutic or high concentrations agreed within 3% ; the sample containing a subtherapeutic concentration differed by 11.9%. The limit of quantitation was determined to be 35 ng/mL, and the upper limit of linearity was 3000 ng/mL. No significant interferences were detected after testing more than two dozen drugs and metabolites.
Identification of quantitative trait loci for larval morphological traits in interspecific hybrids of Ochlerotatus triseriatus and Ochlerotatus hendersoni (Diptera: Culicidae).

Ochlerotatus triseriatus is the natural vector of La Crosse virus, a common cause of pediatric encephalitis in the United States; the closely related Ochlerotatus hendersoni transmits this virus at low frequency. Adults of these mosquito species are difficult to distinguish morphologically; however, the larval stages show species-specific differences in several characters. We identified genomic regions contributing to the differences between the larvae of these species through interspecific hybridizations. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified by standard interval mapping techniques and by univariate marker association analyses. We examined 159 F2 progeny from an Oc. hendersoni female by Oc. triseriatus male interspecific cross for variation in the number of saddle and siphon hair branches, attachment of the acus, and morphology of the anal papillae. At least one putative QTL was identified for each of the phenotypes examined. QTL most commonly mapped to linkage group (LG) III, although QTL were identified on LGI and LGII for three phenotypes each. Several of these QTL, and particularly those on LGIII, also map to genome regions controlling adult female body size and ability to orally transmit La Crosse virus. Further studies are required to elucidate the relationships among these traits and the impact they may have had on the ecological specialization and speciation of these mosquitoes.
Use of sparse magnetometer measurements for geomagnetically induced current model validation

This paper focuses on interpolating the magnetic field data to improve the model validation for geomagnetically induced currents (GICs). The available magnetic data is very sparse over the Earth's surface and readings of a distant magnetometer are often used for model validation. This paper proposes an interpolation technique that considers the magnetic field inherent characteristics. The real magnetic data over a three-year period is analyzed and the dependencies between the observatories are extracted. These interdependencies are eventually incorporated in the interpolation and higher performance is achieved.
A 90-nm CMOS Doherty power amplifier with minimum AM-PM distortion

A linear Doherty amplifier is presented. The design reduces AM-PM distortion by optimizing the device-size ratio of the carrier and peak amplifiers to cancel each other's phase variation. Consequently, this design achieves both good linearity and high backed-off efficiency associated with the Doherty technique, making it suitable for systems with large peak-to-average power ratio (WLAN, WiMAX, etc.). The fully integrated design has on-chip quadrature hybrid coupler, impedance transformer, and output matching networks. The experimental 90-nm CMOS prototype operating at 3.65 GHz achieves 12.5% power-added efficiency (PAE) at 6 dB back-off, while exceeding IEEE 802.11a -25 dB error vector magnitude (EVM) linearity requirement (using 1.55-V supply). A 28.9 dBm maximum Psat is achieved with 39% PAE (using 1.85-V supply). The active die area is 1.2 mm/sup 2/.
Disorders of the Peripheral Nervous System

Disorders of the peripheral nervous system are caused by a variety of diseases, toxins, trauma, and metabolic causes. Neuropathies are estimated to affect 2–8 % of the population with the incidence being higher in older individuals [1]. Depending on the cause a single or multiple nerves may be involved. The most common causes of polyneuropathy are diabetes, alcoholism, fatty liver disease, and malignancy. In axonal disease typically the more distal ends of the nerves are affected first resulting in the “stocking and glove” distribution seen in diabetic neuropathy. This type of damage will also result in loss of distal reflexes (i.e., ankle jerk) with preserved reflexes elsewhere. Demyelinating neuropathies often have proximal weakness with generalized loss of reflexes. Pain, loss of temperature sensation, and autonomic features suggest involvement of small nerve fibers. Autonomic features include light intolerance (pupillary), postural hypotension (cardiovascular), nocturnal diarrhea (gastrointestinal), impaired sweating (sweat gland), and bladder dysfunction. These symptoms may occur as part of diabetic neuropathy or as a sign of more systemic nerve involvement such as with amyloidosis or autoimmune conditions. Many diseases have mixed involvement of both sensory and motor symptoms. Compressive neuropathies often result from overuse or mechanical problems. Presentation is more common in the later decades. For all compressive neuropathies except carpal tunnel, initial presentation is usually at ages 55–64 [2]. Carpal tunnel is more likely to present initially in women aged 45–54 years, and radial nerve palsy is more common in men aged 75–84 years [2]. Prevalence rates from a UK study are shown in Table 1. The duration of development may help provide clues as to the etiology and is divided into categories: acute ( 3 months). Neuropathies that occur acutely tend to be related to vasculitis or Guillain-Barre syndrome [3].
Near-Universal Basic Income

Under what I call Near-Universal Basic Income, or NUBI, everyone receives a high level of basic income, except for the rich. NUBI is therefore only near-universal and it requires means-testing. It is an economic hybrid: a cross between Universal Basic Income (UBI) and conservative social relief. My thesis is that if standard considerations that are often advanced to support UBI against social relief are successful, then these combined considerations probably lend NUBI even greater support. Thus, UBI supporters should consider becoming NUBI supporters. The considerations I examine focus on (1) sufficiency; (2) cost cuts; (3) equality; (4) freedom; (5) the social bases of self-respect; and (6) political resilience.
High levels of endemism in suckermouth catfishes (Mochokidae: Chiloglanis) from the Upper Guinean forests of West Africa

Freshwater systems are under threat globally, yet the biodiversity in many areas is still unknown. This is especially true for the aquatic biodiversity of the Upper Guinean forests of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d'Ivoire. Access to this area is largely restricted, though recent surveys by the authors are allowing us to reassess the area's diversity. This area has vast mineral reserves and hydroelectric potential. As the area emerges from civil strife and the recent public health crisis, policy makers and resource managers require accurate accounts of biodiversity to evaluate future development projects. Here we look at the diversity of the suckermouth catfishes (Chiloglanis) populations from the area; inferred from mitochondrial (cyt b) and nuclear (Growth Hormone intron) markers. The phylogenies revealed additional lineages, independent of the currently recognized taxa, suggesting the presence of ten new candidate species. These new taxa are largely endemic and allopatrically distributed in rivers of the Upper Guinean forests. Our results suggest that the aquatic diversity within the Upper Guinean forests is currently underestimated. This study provides the foundation for elucidating the historical biogeography of the region and highlights the endemism within rivers in the Upper Guinean forests and surrounding areas.
Evolution of the system and motive powers of social development

The paper tells the differences between motive powers and dynamics in terms of logic, researching prospective point of view and content. It agrees that the motive powers of social development come from the input of material, energy and information from the outside world. At last it points out that the relations between productive forces and production relations, economic basis and the superstructure should be classified in dynamics rather than the motive powers of social development. 
Leadership style and patient safety: implications for nurse managers

OBJECTIVE:The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between nurse manager (NM) leadership style and safety climate.BACKGROUND:Nursing leaders are needed who will change the environment and increase patient safety. Hospital NMs are positioned to impact day-to-day operations. Therefore