cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Observations of Wild Turkey Nesting in Invasive Cogongrass

Invasive plant species commonly have negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions but may also provide suitable nesting habitat for wildlife. Imperata cylindrica (Cogongrass) is a widespread invasive plant in the southeastern US that creates dense stands with heights that can exceed 1.5 m. During a long-term project monitoring tick hosts in native and Cogongrass-invaded mixed pine–hardwood forests in Florida, we incidentally observed nests of Meleagris gallopavo (Wild Turkey) in Cogongrass-invaded but not uninvaded areas. Invaded areas exhibited significantly taller understory vegetation, greater herbaceous plant cover and biomass, and lower daily maximum temperatures (∼3 °C cooler) at ground level. Research on nest success and the commonness of this phenomenon is needed, but our observations suggest that the structure of Cogongrass-invaded plant communities may provide an alternative nesting substrate for Wild Turkeys.
Sleep-disordered breathing and cognition in older women.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between objectively measured sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older women and to determine whether the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ɛ4 allele modifies this association. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Participants' homes and two sites of the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). PARTICIPANTS: Four hundred forty-eight women with a mean age±standard deviation (SD) of 82.8±3.4. MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Trail Making Test Part B (Trails B), and polysomnography (PSG). SDB indices were the apnea–hypopnea index (AHI), the central apnea index (CAI), and oxygen saturation (SaO2) nadir less than 80%. APOE ɛ4 was determined for a subset of 242 women. Cognitive impairment was defined as 1.5 SDs or more from the sample mean on either cognitive test (MMSE or Trails B). RESULTS: All SDB indices were associated with cognitive impairment according to the MMSE (AHI (per SD, odds ratio (OR)=1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03–1.9), AHI of ≥30 (OR=3.4, 95% CI=1.4–8.1), SaO2 nadir <80% (OR=2.7, 95% CI=1.1–6.6), and CAI (per SD, OR=1.4, 95% CI=1.1–1.7)). Weaker, nonsignificant associations emerged between SDB and Trails B. In women who completed genotyping, each SD increase in AHI was associated with 70% greater odds of cognitive impairment according to the MMSE (OR=1.7, 95% CI=1.2–2.6). Women with the ɛ4 allele had a nearly five times greater odds of impairment (per SD, OR=4.6, 95% CI-1.0–20.7); the association was smaller and nonsignificant in women without the ɛ4 allele (per SD, OR=1.5, 95% CI-0.9–2.4; P for interaction=.08). CONCLUSION: SDB is an important risk factor for cognitive impairment in older women, especially those with the APOE ɛ4 allele. Mechanisms linking these disorders need to be identified.
Outline of A Theory of Brightness, Color, and form Perception

Abstract This paper describes new concepts and mechanisms from a real-time visual processing theory that has been used to explain paradoxical data about brightness and form perception. These data include the Craik-O'Brien effect, the Land brightness and color demonstrations, the fading of stabilized images, neon color spreading, complementary color induction, completion of illusory contours, and binocular rivalry. Two functionally distinct contour processes interact to generate these brightness and form properties in the theory. A Boundary Contour process is sensitive to the amount of contrast but not to the direction of contrast in scenic edges. It includes a binocular matching stage that is sensitive to spatial scale, orientation, and binocular disparity, and whose outcome triggers a process of monocular contour completion. These completed contours form the boundaries of monocular perceptual domains. A Feature Contour process is sensitive to both the amount of contrast and to the direction of contrast in scenic edges. It triggers a diffusive filling-in reaction of featural quality within perceptual domains whose boundaries are dynamically defined by the completed boundary contours. The diffusive filling-in reactions take place within syncytia of cell compartments. These preprocessed monocular representations give rise to a percept via a process of binocular resonance. The percept takes the form of standing waves of patterned activity among multiple spatial scales. The Boundary Contour process is hypothesized to be analogous to interactions between the hypercolumns in area 17 of the visual cortex. The Feature Contour process is hypothesized to be analogous to interactions between the cytochrome oxydase staining blobs in area 17 and prestriate cortex in area 18.
Pension Plan Termination and Retirement

Abstract Employee termination and retirement probabilities affect the valuation of employee benefit plans and thus are of concern to actuaries. To provide timely experience for the profession, the Society of Actuaries’ Non-Mortality Decrement Task Force organized a data collection effort. Thirty-two contributors provided over 1.7 million life years of pension plan turnover data for years 1994–2000. This article summarizes the results of this data collection effort. Traditionally, the most important determinants of termination and retirement are age, a proxy for attachment to the workforce, and service, a measure of attachment to a firm. This article documents the importance of these traditional quantities using current data and provides tables so that actuaries may quantitatively assess their importance when valuing pension plans. For the middle working years, ages 25–55, we find female termination probabilities are higher than males, although the differences are smaller than has been true historically. T...
Microsatellite loci confirm a lack of population connectivity among globally distributed populations of the tope shark Galeorhinus galeus (Triakidae)

This study used 11 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci to determine the population connectivity of five geographically isolated populations of tope shark Galeorhinus galeus (Africa, Australia, North America, South America and western Europe). Genetic analyses revealed significant structure among all populations indicating a lack of population connectivity. These findings indicate that globally distributed populations of G. galeus are isolated and should be managed as distinct, independent stocks.
To File (Again) or Not to File (Again): The Post-Morgan Circuit Split Over the Duty to File an Amended or Second EEOC Charge for Claims of Post-Charge Employer Retaliation

Prior to filing a Title VII lawsuit, a plaintiff must exhaust her administrative remedies. This exhaustion requirement includes filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), receiving a right-to-sue notice, and filing suit within ninety days of receiving that notice. Most relevant to this Article, however, is the rule that the lawsuit the plaintiff files typically must raise only the issues raised in her EEOC charge. There are, however, some exceptions to the rule regarding the lawsuit’s scope. This Article’s focus involves the exception for claims involving post-charge retaliation; specifically, most courts do not require a plaintiff to file an amended or second EEOC charge if her employer engages in retaliation because the plaintiff filed her initial EEOC charge. While this exception was widely recognized prior to the Supreme Court’s decision in National Railroad Passenger Corporation v. Morgan, after Morgan, some courts started requiring plaintiffs to amend their original charges or file additional charges, alleging retaliation. Most courts do not require this, but cases from the Eighth Circuit, the Tenth Circuit, and possibly the Fifth Circuit have created questions regarding whether a plaintiff must now jump over this additional hurdle. While the plaintiff from the Eighth Circuit case asked the Supreme Court to answer this question, the parties eventually settled. The plaintiff from the Fifth Circuit case also asked the Court to answer a similar question, but the Court denied certiorari. This Article will first address Title VII’s administrative exhaustion requirement and the "retaliation exception" to it. Next, the Article will focus on pre-Morgan cases in which the courts applied the retaliation exception. The Article will then focus on Morgan, which has caused some courts to eliminate the retaliation exception. The Article will then discuss the post-Morgan circuit split. Finally, the Article will set forth options courts have when deciding this issue and will suggest one option that balances the goals behind Title VII's administrative exhaustion requirement with an employee’s need for a fair resolution of her claim. Although the proposed solution is not perfect, it does address the concerns many courts have raised when confronted with this important issue.
Basic Representation Theory

This chapter discusses representation theory, which formalizes the notion of an object that transforms in a certain way under a given transformation. We begin with a heuristic introduction that shows how representations naturally arise in quantum mechanics, and how the panoply of such representations calls for organizing principles, which we develop in the rest of the chapter. We then define a representation of a group as a vector space on which that group acts, and we give many examples, using the vector spaces we met in Chap. 2 and the groups we met in Chap. 4. We then discuss how to take tensor products of representations, and we see how this reproduces the additivity of quantum numbers in Quantum Mechanics. We then define irreducible representations, which are in a sense the “smallest” ones we can work with, and we compute these representations for SU(2). These just end up being the familiar spin j representations, where j is a half-integer. We then use these results to compute the irreducible representations of the Lorentz group as well.
Waste Management of First Wall and Blanket Structural Materials for Tokamak Fusion Reactors

A comparison has been made of the induced radioactivities in the first wall and structural materials of the breeder blanket in the high flux region for two different fusion reactor types. One syste...
Effect of dietary N-3 fatty acids upon the phospholipid molecular species of the monkey retina.

PURPOSE To characterize the molecular species composition of ethanolamine glycerophospholipids (EGP) in the primate retina and to examine the effects of different dietary fats, the authors fed rhesus monkeys diets containing widely ranging amounts of n-3 fatty acids. METHODS From birth, infant monkeys were fed either a control soybean oil diet, containing 8% of total fatty acids as 18:3 (n-3), or a safflower oil-based n-3 fatty acid deficient diet containing < 0.4% 18:3 (n-3). A subset of the n-3 deficient group was later repleted with 1.6% ethyl docosahexaenoate, 22:6 (n-3), starting at 10 months of age. Tissues were taken from all monkeys upon termination at 21 to 51 months of age. The diacyl, alkenylacyl, and alkylacyl EGPs were quantitated by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). RESULTS Twenty-eight molecular species were identified in the retina of control monkeys. Ether phospholipids comprised 36% of the retinal ethanolamine glycerophospholipids. Species containing polyunsaturated fatty acids in both the sn-1 and sn-2 positions (dipolyenes) were present only in the diacyl subclass and comprised 16% of the total species. Species having n-3 fatty acids in the sn-2 position contributed 59%, 36%, and 70% of total species in the diacyl, alkenylacyl, and alkylacyl subclasses, respectively. In the molecular species of the n-3 fatty acid deficient monkeys, the major change was the loss of most of the 18:0-22:6(n-3) species and its partial replacement with 18:0-22:5(n-6). In contrast, the species 18:1-22:6(n-3) decreased only slightly, from 6.2% to 4.8% of total diacyl species. Although the total concentration of dipolyenes (15% to 20% of the total species) was not affected by diet, their fatty acid compositions were changed drastically. The dipolyene species 22:6(n-3)-22:6(n-3) nearly disappeared in the n-3 deficient monkeys. Concomitantly, two new species, 22:5(n-6)-22:6(n-3) and 22:5(n-6)-22:5(n-6), appeared at 2.6% and 2.0%, respectively. Deficient monkeys given the ethyl ester of 22:6(n-3) in the diet recovered to a near-normal molecular species composition, except in the ether lipids, in which 16:0-20:4 remained low. CONCLUSION Diets of differing n-3 fatty acid content had profound qualitative and quantitative effects on the molecular species of retinal phospholipids, and the replacement of 22:6(n-3) by 22:5(n-6) in the retinas of n-3 deficient monkeys was asymmetric and functionally incomplete.
3 micron imaging of the Hubble Deep Field

Images of the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) at 3.2 μm, taken with the 10 m Keck Telescope, are presented. The images cover a total area of ~2.5 arcmin^2. To a 5 σ limit of [3.2]_(tot) ≈ 17.5 mag (Vega relative), 11 sources are detected, nine of which are extragalactic. The integrated galaxy number counts are therefore ~1.3 × 10^4 deg^(-2) to this depth. The galaxies detected at 3.2 μm have a median redshift of z = 0.56. All 3.2 μm sources have 1.6 μm, 1.1 μm, and visual counterparts, all of fairly regular morphology; several also have 6.7 μm, 15 μm, 850 μm, 8.5 GHz, or 1.4 GHz counterparts. No sources are found that are either anomalously red or anomalously blue in their H-[3.2] color, and there are significant detections of most of the known near-infrared HDF sources for which detection in these 3.2 μm data seemed likely.
APRENDER ONDE SE ENSINA: COMPLEXIDADES NO CAMPO DA GESTÃO

The text discusses the complexity of issues related to management in educational institutions focusing on elements that can provide a learning to their managers. Through his own experience and reasoning in the bibliographic references, the author presents elements to reflect on the relationship among the education environments and the society. Since then he analyzes the factors that interfere in the field of management, such as power, autonomy and relationship with market practice. At the end he proposes alternatives that pass through the fostering of creativity in the workplace, the care for the human relationship and the need for critical evaluation as a way of learning.
The Effect of a Drooped Wing Tip on Its Trailing Vortex System

The effect of wing tip droop on the structure and position of its trailing vortex is studied. Spanwise load distributions determined by vortex lattice theory show that the stronger vortex moves from the tip of the wing to the hinge of the drooped tip as the droop angle increases. Experimental results on model wings are given which present the strength and the induced velocity profiles of the rolled-up vortex as a function of tip geometry. These results confirm at least qualitatively, the analytical prediction. It is concluded that a droop angle of approximately 90° is optimum and results in a maximum induced velocity which is half of that produced by a plane wing.
From the GPS to HM: Place Cells, Grid Cells, and Memory

A longstanding debate in hippocampus research has revolved around how to reconcile spatial mapping functions of the hip- pocampus with the global amnesia produced by hippocampal damage in humans. Is the hippocampus primarily a cognitive map used to sup- port spatial learning, or does it support more general types of learning necessary for declarative memory? In recent years, a general consensus has emerged that the hippocampus receives both spatial and nonspatial inputs from the entorhinal cortex. The hippocampus creates representa- tions of experience in a particular spatial and temporal context. This process allows the individual components of experience to be stored in such a way that they can be retrieved together as a conscious recollec- tion. V C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Impact of a Curricular Change on Perceived Knowledge, Skills, and Use of Evidence in Occupational Therapy Practice: A Cohort Study.

Objective We evaluated the impact of a curriculum revision that emphasized experiential use of evidence in clinical environments on occupational therapy graduates' attitudes, perceived knowledge and skill, and use of evidence in practice. Methods We used a retrospective cohort design to compare two curriculum cohorts of recent graduates exposed to different evidence-based practice (EBP) educational approaches. Responses on a validated survey of attitudes, knowledge/skill, and use of evidence in practice were compared using t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests for Cohort 1 (n = 63) and Cohort 2 (n = 62) graduates. Results Findings suggest similar attitudes and use of evidence between cohorts; Cohort 2 reported statistically greater perceived knowledge of and skill in EBP. Conclusions Emphasis on experiential learning in school with reinforcement of skills in clinical learning environments is not sufficient to change graduates' use of evidence. Although the curriculum revision improved perceived knowledge/skill, our study suggests systems or other factors may influence use after graduation.
Combustion of Thermites in Reduced Gravity for Space Applications

Fabricating and repairing techniques based on the combustion of thermite mixtures are of great interest for space applications due to the low-energy consumption and self-sustained behavior of the involved chemical reactions. Two such techniques investigated in the present paper are exothermic welding and the combustion-based production of structural materials from lunar regolith. In both cases, the occurring combustion of thermite-type mixtures may be affected by reduced gravity. In the present paper, experiments on the exothermic welding of copper rods and on the combustion of a lunar regolith simulant mixed with magnesium were conducted during the parabolic flights of reduced-gravity research aircraft. In the welding experiments, using a spring mechanism for the movement of a molten welding material did not result in a strong weld. In the experiments with regolith, a slight effect of the gravity on the combustion front velocity was observed. The product compositions are in a reasonable agreement with th...
Neptune's Eccentricity and the Nature of the Kuiper Belt

The small eccentricity of Neptune may be a direct consequence of apsidal wave interaction with the trans-Neptune population of debris called the Kuiper belt. The Kuiper belt is subject to resonant perturbations from Neptune, so that the transport of angular momentum by density waves can result in orbital evolution of Neptune as well as changes in the structure of the Kuiper belt. In particular, for a belt eroded out to the vicinity of Neptune's 2:1 resonance at about 48 astronomical units, Neptune's eccentricity can damp to its current value over the age of the solar system if the belt contains slightly more than an earth mass of material out to about 75 astronomical units.
Hypertrophic Gastropathy in a newborn: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

A newborn with hypoalbuminemia, hematochezia, and hypertrophic gastropathy is described. These features are similar to those reported in association with prostaglandin therapy in newborns, as well as those described in so-called Menetrier's disease. Very few cases of hypertrophic gastropathy have been reported in children and fewer still verified histologically; only three other cases have been reported in newborns. The clinical and pathologic features of hypertrophic gastropathy in children, as well as its close association with eosinophilic gastroenteritis and with prostaglandin therapy, are discussed.
Development of an aggregate indicator to assess the machinability of steels

Abstract A methodology for the machinability assessment of steel is proposed based on the direct measurement of cutting forces and surface roughness, along with the development of an aggregate machinability indicator. Experimental work for the verification of the validity of this testing scheme was carried out at different cutting condition combinations using three grades of steel, namely, 1018 (Low Carbon, Cold-Rolled Steel), 304 (Austenitic Stainless Steel), and 4140 (Low-Alloy Steel) and uncoated carbide inserts as the tool material. Mathematical models are developed for predicting the forces acting on the tool for different cutting conditions and materials. The test results show that the developed indicator provides a number of advantages: (1) an adequate estimate of a material’s machinability; (2) a cost effective method for machinability testing.
A simple blood flush technique and mannitol promote hemodynamic stability and avoid reperfusion injury in isolated intestinal transplantation.

ISCHEMIA/REPERFUSION of the human intestine produces mucosal disruption and translocation and may lead to intraoperative hemodynamic instability. Preservation in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution may also contribute to clinical reperfusion syndrome. We devised a simple method to flush UW solution and inflammatory cytokines from isolated cadaveric intestinal grafts prior to restoration of circulatory continuity. Mannitol is also used, as it has been shown to ameliorate reperfusion injury after warm ischemia.
COORDINATE EXPRESSION OF LACTASE-PHLORIZIN HYDROLASE (L-PH) mRNA AND ENZYME LEVELS IN RAT INTESTINE DURING DEVELOPMENT

The development of rat intestinal L-Ph specific activity displays a well-known post weaning decline. In contrast, total lactase activity increases to reach maximal levels around weaning, and remains high subsequently. In order to elucidate the molecular basis for these patterns, a rat lactase cDNA was isolated and characterized, and used in the quantification of lactase mRNA during development. This lactase cDNA uniquely hybridized to a 6.8 kb mRNA in the small intestine. To assess the amount of lactase mRNA encoding for lactase enzyme activity in the small intestine, total intestinal RNA was isolated and analyzed by Northern and dot blot hybridization. The pattern of total lactase mRNA during development followed that of total lactase activity, suggesting that over this time span the level of lactase activity is primarily controlled at the transcriptional level. However, the magnitude of increase of total lactase activity during lactation compared to that of total lactase mRNA suggests that additional mechanisms are involved in regulating lactase levels. Analysis of the regional distribution of lactase mRNA along the small intestine at 14 days revealed that mRNA was high in the proximal three regions, but was dramatically lower in the distal regions. Total lactase activity, in contrast, displayed maximum activity in the mid intestine with decreased levels both proximally and distally. Thus, lactase activity in the intestine appears to be regulated during development predominantly by transcriptional mechanisms, while alterations during lactation, and along the proximal to distal gradient, are the result of other control mechanisms.
Cloning SV40 HindIII restriction fragments into M13 bacteriophage.

Abstract The six Hind III restriction fragments of the simian virus 40 (SV40) genome were cloned into the bacteriophage M13mp5 vector to generate strand-specific hybridization probes.
The design and implementation of CoBase

CoBase, a cooperative database, is a new type of distributed database that integrates knowledge base technology with database systems to provide cooperative (approximate and conceptual) query answering. Based on the database schema and application characteristics, data are organized into conceptual (type abstraction) hierarchies. The higher levels of the hierarchy provide a more abstract data representation than the lower levels. Generalization (moving up in the hierarchy), specialization (moving down in the hierarchy) and association (moving between hierarchies) are the three key operations in deriving cooperative query answers.Relaxation in CoBase can also be specified explicitly in the query by the user or calling program through cooperative operators. We have extended SQL to CSQL by adding cooperative primitives. We describe the CoBase software implementation, including an inter-module data protocol that provides a uniform module interface. This modular approach provides flexibility in adding new relaxation modules and simplifies software maintenance.CoBase uses LOOM as its knowledge representation and inference system and supports relational data bases (e.g. Oracle and Sybase). We have demonstrated the feasibility and functionality of CoBase on top of a Transportation Database. The CoBase methodology has also been adopted in the multi-media medical distributed database project at UCLA, which provides approximate query answers to medical queries.
Identification of aldehyde dehydrogenase resistant to cyanamide and disulfiram inhibition

Abstract A small number of Wistar rats from our breeding colony was identified whose mitochondrial low-K m aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) was resistant to inactivation by low (2.5 μM) concentrations of cyanamide, termed "resistant" by contrast to the typical animal labeled "sensitive." Resistance could be due either to a lack of the hypothesized cyanamide-converting enzyme (catalase) or to the presence of different forms of ALDH. ALDH purified by affinity chromatography from either type of animal was not inhibited by cyanamide alone. Addition of intact "sensitive" mitochondria with cyanamide caused a great inhibition of purified cyanamide-sensitive ALDH but not of resistant ALDH. Similar results were obtained when catalase was used to convert cyanamide to its reactive derivative. Furthermore, disulfiram was observed to be less effective in inhibiting the cyanamide-resistant ALDH. These combined results are interpreted as indicating that resistance to cyanamide inhibition is due to a difference in ALDH isozymes and not to an artifact of the isolation process or to the absence of the cyanamide-activating enzyme.
DOES MATERNAL SMOKING DURING PREGNANCY HAVE A LONG-TERM EFFECT ON THE CHILD ?

Abstract Possible long-term effects of maternal smoking on physical growth and intellectual development through the first seven years of life were investigated, in a matched-pair study, by comparisons between children of women who smoked substantially throughout pregnancy and children whose mothers did not smoke. There was no significant difference between the groups of mothers with respect to nine other major variables known to affect birth-weight. The babies of smokers showed significant intrauterine growth retardation. They were 250 g. lighter and shorter at birth than the babies of non-smokers; they were still shorter at one year. At four and seven years there was no significant difference in either physical measurements or intellectual functioning. Thus, in those children who survived the perinatal period harmful long-term effects of smoking were not identified.
Will there be a need for complete dentures in the United States in 2020

Currently, there is much speculation among dental educators that the need for complete dentures will decline markedly in the future and that complete denture training should be removed from the dental curriculum. Estimates based on national epidemiologic survey data indicate that edentulism has declined by 10% every decade and that only 90% of edentulous adults obtain and wear complete dentures. However, when the number of adults in each specific age group is multiplied by the percentage who need a complete maxillary or mandibular denture, the results suggest that the adult population in need of 1 or 2 complete dentures will increase from 33.6 million adults in 1991 to 37.9 million adults in 2020. The 10% decline in edentulism experienced each decade for the past 30 years will be more than offset by the 79% increase in the adult population older than 55 years. The clinical implications of these findings are twofold: First, practicing dentists will find that a sizable minority of the patient population will continue to need complete denture services; and second, if training in complete denture prostheses is eliminated from the dental education curriculum, millions of patients will be forced to seek denture services from alternative providers.
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT OF TRAUMA

Initial assessment and management of severely injured patients may occur in a specialized area of an emergency department or in a specialized area of a trauma center. The time from injury until definitive management is of essence for survival of life-threatening trauma. The initial care delivered strongly influences patient morbidity and mortality. Prolonged transport times or inadequate prehospital care increases the requirement for early rapid restoration of tissue perfusion and reversal of physiologic disturbances on patient arrival. On the other hand, in urban areas, rapid emergency medical services (EMS) response times and advanced prehospital care increase the number of critically injured patients surviving sufficiently long to reach a hospital "in extremis." Both scenarios provide challenges in the management of traumatized patients. This article addresses the management of severely injured patients after these patients reach a hospital emergency department or a trauma center.
Some effects on the circulation of smoking cigarettes with varying nicotine content.

Abstract It is generally agreed that the smoking of cigarettes produces immediate changes in the circulation in practically all persons. The effects are shown by an increase in heart rate and blood pressure as well as by constriction of the peripheral vessels.1 In some patients the occurrence of vasospasm has been reported in coronary and retinal arteries.2,3 Variability in the degree of response in different subjects depends to a greater degree on individual susceptibility to tobacco than on the presence of cardiovascular disease.4 Most investigators have ascribed to the nicotine in the smoke the chief role in producing these vascular reactions.5,6,7 Some, however, still question its importance in this respect, and the suggestion has been made that sympathetic stimulation brought about by the irritating action of the smoke upon the respiratory tract may be responsible for the changes noted.8 Others have attributed the effects to deep breathing.9 Such varying opinions leave the issue still unsettled. Because the matter is of some practical importance, particularly for patients with cardiovascular diseases, this study was planned.
Praline metabolism by germinating Lilium longiflorum pollen. I. Labelling of cytoplasmic, wall and culture medium molecules

Radioactivity occurs in trithloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble and precipitable, cytoplasm and salt-washed walls following germination of Lilium longiflorum , cv. 'Ace' pollen in medium containing [ 14 C]-proline (Pro). Sephadex gel filtration on G-25 through G-100 was employed to determine whether radioactivity in cytoplasm, wall and growth medium from pollen fed [ 14 C]-Pro or [ 3 H]=Pro plus [ 14 C]-arafbinose (Ara) was contained within molecules possessing molecular weights of 5,000 to 100,000 daltones or greater. G-25 elution profiles of a crude cytoplasmic fraction (15,000 X g supernatant) from [ 14 C]-Pro labelled pollen yielded a radioctive void volume peak and a retarded peak. The void volume peak contained hydroxyproline (Hyp), and exhibited a coincidence of [ 3 H]-Pro and [ 14 C] -Ara labelling when pollen was double labelled with the two isotopes. This peak also contained radioactivity when pollen was germinated in 2-[ 3 H]-myo-inositol. Germination in medium supplemented with 100 µM 2,2'-dipyridyl eliminated radioactivity from 2-[ 3 H]-myo-inositol or [ 14 C]-,Pro in the peak. Filtratian on G-25 of aTCA-soluble fraction of a salt-extract of walls from [ 14 C]-Pro labelled pollen resulted in void volume and two retarded peaks. Void volume and two retarded peaks were also obtained upon G-25 filtration of a cellulase-digest of walls from [M]-Pro labeled pollen. The void volume peak contained Hyp, Lys, Gly, Ala, Ser, Glu and Asp acids, Val, Tyr, Leu or lieu and Pro. Sephadex G-90, 75, and 100 elution profiles of cellulasedigests of walls from [ 3 H]-,Pro and [ 14 C]-Ara labelled pollen yielded radioactive retarded and Hyp-containing void volume peaks with a coincidence of [ 3 H] and [ 14 C] labelling. Label in the void volume was obtained when either rhozyme P11- or pepsin-digests of walls from [ 14 C]-Pro labelled pollen were gel filtered on G-50. Paper electrophoresis coupled with paper chromatography of acid hydrolyzates of salt-washed wall fractions demonstrated 15 of the common amino acids. Gel filtration on G-25 of growth medium in which pollen was germinated resulted in two peaks, one of which eluted in the void volume. contained Hyp and excluded during subsequent gel filtration on G-100.
Overview of enteral and parenteral feeding access techniques: Principles and practice

The importance of adequate nutrition has long been established in the surgical patient population. Enteral nutrition provides the safest, most cost-effective approach with endoscopic and surgical options for permanent access. Parenteral nutrition should be reserved for patients in whom enteral nutrition is contradicted. This article summarizes the routes of access for both enteral and parenteral nutrition as well as the indications, procedural pearls, and complications associated with each approach.
Arcuate fasciculus and speech in congenital bilateral perisylvian syndrome.

Standard magnetic resonance imaging can diagnose congenital bilateral perisylvian polymicrogyria, but is limited in explaining the heterogeneous clinical spectrum of the related congenital bilateral perisylvian syndrome, characterized by pseudobulbar dysfunction, developmental delay, and epilepsy. We analyzed arcuate fasciculi using diffusion tensor imaging, a major language tract in the perisylvian region interconnecting the Broca and Wernicke areas, and at high risk of becoming developmentally affected in this condition. Six patients with congenital bilateral perisylvian syndrome underwent diffusion tensor imaging and were evaluated. The arcuate fasciculus was manually isolated, using tractography. The tract was identified in three patients who had developed speech, and whose values for various diffusion parameters were similar to those in age-matched controls (patients/controls means: fractional anisotropy, 0.50/0.52; apparent diffusion coefficient, 0.0022/0.0022 mm 2 /second; P = ns for both). However, in three patients with severe impairment and no speech development, the arcuate fasciculus could not be identified by fiber-tracking. In this small series, the absence of arcuate fasciculi on diffusion tensor imaging correlated with a more severe phenotype, which cannot be appreciated via structural magnetic resonance imaging alone.
Analysis and expression of the Borrelia burgdorferi P/Gau fla gene: Identification of heterogeneity with the B31 strain

The flagellin gene from the P/Gau strain of Borrelia burgdorferi was cloned and sequenced. The translated P/Gau flagellin protein differed from the flagellin of the B31 strain at 13 of 336 amino acids. This includes seven differences between amino acids 190–234, an immunodominant and specific region for B. burgdorferi. The entire flagellin molecule, as well as peptides of the internal portion of the protein which is more specific for B. burgdorferi, has been expressed in Escherichia coli using a pET7HIs.2 expression system. These peptides may be of great value for the development of sensitive and specific recombinant-based serological assays.
DNA sequences required for expression of the LHβ promoter in primary cultures of rat pituitary cells

Abstract To begin analysis of the DNA sequences necessary for luteinizing hormone (LH) gene transcription, fusion genes containing the 5′ flanking region of the rat LHβ or the human α-subunit gene linked to luciferase were transfected into primary cultures of rat pituitary cells. The LHβ-luciferase construct was expressed in the primary cultures at a level 50 times greater than a promoterless luciferase control plasmid. Little or no expression of the LHβ-luciferase construct was detected following transfection of MCF-7, JAR or GH3 tumor cell lines. Treatment of transfected cells with gonadotropin-releasing hormone resulted in a modest induction of LHβ-luciferase activity. Considerably higher levels of LHβ-luciferase activity were obtained with cultures from ovariectomized rats than were obtained with cultures from intact female rats. Analysis of 5′ deletions of the LHβ-luciferase construct demonstrated that activity was well maintained even after substantial deletions. The shortest construct, which contained 75 base pairs of 5′ flanking sequence had 38% of the activity of the longest which contained 1.7 kilobase pairs of flanking sequence. These findings demonstrate that transfection of primary cultures of rat pituitary cells may provide a useful system for analysis of the cis-acting sequences and trans-acting factors required for LH gene expression.
Let's move and save some energy

MAID (Motion-based Ambient Interactive Display) is an interactive public ambient display system, driven to motivate behavior changes regarding energy consumption, through a persuasive game interface based on gesture recognition technology.
The nature and location of the suture zone in the Rokelide orogen, Sierra Leone: Geochemical evidence

Abstract The boundaries of the West African Craton mark the location of a continuous suture zone that records Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian oceanic closure. The western part of the circum-West African suture zone extends through the line of outcrop of the Mauritanide, Bassaride and Rokelide mountain belts. Our geochemical analyses are consistent with the idea that igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Rokelide and Southern Mauritanide mountain belts of West Africa occupy a suture zone that records the closing of a Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian ocean basin during the Pan-African orogeny and final assembly of Gondwana. The closing of that basin was marked by the collision between Archean rocks of the Leo massif of the West African Craton and reactivated Archean and Paleoproterozoic rocks that now outcrop nearer to the coast of Africa in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Within the Rokelides, the geochemistry of the Kasewe Hills volcanic rocks and Marampa amphibolite indicate that remnants of an arc system are caught up in the suture zone. The geochemistry of Guingan schists that outcrop along strike of the Rokelides is compatible with the idea that the metamorphosed equivalents of the Marampa and Kasewe Hills arc volcanic rocks extend through the Bassarides and into the Southern Mauritanides.
Use of Ultrasound in Needle Placement in Intercostal Muscles: A Method for Increased Accuracy in Cadavers

Abstract Objective To validate the use of ultrasound technology for the positioning and leveling of intercostal needle placement. Design Double-blinded experimental study. Setting An anatomy laboratory. Participants Two board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, 2 first-year medical students, 1 anatomist, and 8 cadavers. Interventions Four unfixed cadavers were used for unguided needle placement, and 3 unfixed and 1 partially fixed cadavers were used for ultrasound-guided needle placement. Ultrasound-guided needle placement was then confirmed with computed tomography and blind dissection. Main Outcome Measure The accuracy of needle placement. Results The unguided study showed needle placement in an intercostal muscle 89% of the time, but in only 15.4% of the time was the correct level sampled. In the 96 needle placements completed, the unguided needle placements had an accuracy of 8.3%, while ultrasound-guided needle placements had an accuracy of 93% (χ 2 with P Conclusions Ultrasound guidance dramatically increases needle placement accuracy for intercostal nerve blocks and intercostal muscle sampling for electromyography.
Guidelines for the inclusion of low wind speed conditions into risk assessments

Although they are not often considered in risk assessments or safety cases, low wind speed conditions are likely to produce many of the worst case dispersion scenarios, especially for situations where dense vapour clouds would form close to the ground. The results of previous review and validation studies, undertaken by the authors for the UK Health and Safety Executive, have been drawn together in this paper to provide guidelines for the practical application of appropriate modelling of scenarios involving low wind speeds within quantified risk assessments. The production of these guidelines has been achieved by using example risk assessments covering the storage of chlorine, bromine, LPG and Liquid Oxygen, for each of which sensitivity studies were also undertaken. These demonstrated that the inclusion of low wind speeds has varying effects, depending on the material considered, which could be as much as 1-2 orders of magnitude. Most importantly, it also showed that, when low wind speeds are included, it is not only their dispersion effects but also their effects on source term and impact on the population, which need to be considered to ensure that the calculated risks are neither overly conservative nor optimistic.
Plasma B-Type Natriuretic Peptides in Children With Cardiovascular Diseases

Natriuretic peptides (NP) are released from the heart in response to pressure and volume overload. The biologic properties of NPs include counterregulation of the rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone pathway and a decrease in sympathetic tone resulting in diuresis, natriuresis, and vasodilation. Natriuretic peptides help to maintain fluid balance and blood pressure in a healthy physiologic range. The B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its N-terminal precursor (NTpBNP) have become important diagnostic biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in adults. Although many studies suggest that BNP also is a reliable test for diagnosing significant CVDs in children, data are lacking on whether additional use of BNP increases diagnostic accuracy and predicts prognosis. This comprehensive review describes the utility of BNP and NTpBNP for various CVDs of the neonatal and pediatric age groups. Because BNP is not a stand-alone test, it should not replace history, physical examination, or clinical judgment, but it has a clear value in adding details to the whole story for children, thus enabling the front-line physicians to make a diagnosis, especially in the acute care setting.
TAM receptors are dispensable in the phagocytosis and killing of bacteria

Many receptors that are employed for the engulfment of apoptotic cells are also used for the recognition and phagocytosis of bacteria. Tyro3, Axl, and Mertk (TAM) are important in the phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by macrophages. Animals lacking these receptors are hypersensitive to bacterial products. In this report, we examine whether the TAM receptors are involved in the phagocytosis of bacteria. We found that macrophages lacking Mertk, Axl, Tyro3 or all three receptors were equally efficient in the phagocytosis of Gram-negative E. coli. Similarly, the phagocytosis of E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus bioparticles by macrophages lacking TAM receptors was equal to wild-type. In addition, we found that Mertk did not play a role in killing of extracellular E. coli or the replication status of intracellular Francisella tularensis. Thus, while TAM receptors may regulate signal transduction to bacterial components, they are not essential for the phagocytosis and killing of bacteria.
Feedback regulation of RNA polymerase subunit synthesis after the conditional overproduction of RNA polymerase in Escherichia coli.

The β and β′ subunit of RNA polymerase are thought to be controlled by a translational feedback mechanism regulated by the concentration of RNA polymerase holoenzyme. To study this regulation in vivo, an inducible RNA polymerase overproduction system was developed. This system utilizes plasmids from two incompatibility groups that carry RNA polymerase subunit genes under lac promoter/operator control. When the structural genes encoding the components of core RNA polymerase (α, β and β′) or holoenzyme (α, β, β′ and σ70) are present on the plasmids, induction of the lac promoter results in a two fold increase in the concentration of functional RNA polymerase. The induction of RNA polymerase overproduction is characterized by an initial large burst of ββ′ synthesis followed by a gradual decrease as the concentration of RNA polymerase increases. Overproduction of RNA polymerase in a strain carrying an electrophoretic mobility mutation in the rpoB gene results in the specific repression of ββ′ synthesis off the chromosome. These results indicate that RNA polymerase feedback regulation controls ββ′ synthesis in vivo.
Dipole-induced localized plasmon modes and resonant surface plasmon scattering

A metal film supports the continuum of propagating surface plasmon waves. The interaction of these waves with a dipole (nanoparticle) positioned some distance from the surface of the film can produce well-defined localized plasmon modes whose frequency nonetheless resides inside the continuum. This leads to the resonant enhancement of scattering of surface plasmons off the dipole. The maximum of scattering is found to occur when the distance from the dipole to the surface of the film is equal to one-half of the film thickness. The possibility of controllable plasmon scattering could be advantageous for the field of nanoplasmonics.
A comparison of the pseudo-steady-state and shrinking-core model for the reduction of titanium dioxide to titanium

A multistage shrinking-core model is proposed for the electrodeoxidation of titanium dioxide to titanium. This takes place through a series of steps from TiO2 to Ti3O5 to Ti2O3 to TiO to Ti. Ideally, the model would incorporate a number of shells of the above lower oxide phases with the shrinking core of TiO2 in the center but this would be mathematically intractable. A simpler method would be to use the shrinking-core model for each of the individual reductions. Taking the experimental parameters and diffusion coefficient of oxygen in the different phases into account, an analytical solution is developed for the transient differential equation. The first ten eigenvalues are taken into account for the computation of the series solution. This is then compared with a solution based on a pseudo-steady-state approximation to the transient equations. Based on the results, for higher values (>0.01) of dimensionless applied current density, Id, both the solutions disagree in terms of the time it takes for the core to shrink completely. The difference appears to be decreasing with lower values of Id but for larger values of Id the pseudo-steady-state approximation fails to yield results close to the analytical solution.
Might cortical hyper-responsiveness in aging contribute to Alzheimer's disease?

Our goal is to understand the neural basis of functional impairment in aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) to be able to characterize clinically significant decline and assess therapeutic efficacy. We used frequency-tagged ERPs to word and motion stimuli to study the effects of stimulus conditions and selective attention. ERPs to word or motion increase when a task-irrelevant 2nd stimulus is added, but decrease when the task is moved to that 2nd stimulus. Spectral analyses show task effects on response power without 2nd stimulus effects. However, phase coherence shows both 2nd stimulus and task effects. Thus, power and coherence are dissociably modulated by stimulus and task effects. Task-dependent phase coherence successively declines in aging and AD. In contrast, task-dependent spectral power increases in aging, only to decrease in AD. We hypothesize that age-related declines in signal coherence, associated with increased power generation, stresses neurons and contributes to the loss of response power and the development of functional impairment in AD.