cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strengthened antioxidant capacity improves photosynthesis by regulating stomatal aperture and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity.

Abstract ABA is important for plant growth and development; however, it also inhibits photosynthesis by regulating the stomatal aperture and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase activity. Noteworthy, this negative effect can be alleviated by antioxidants including ascorbic acid (AsA) and catalase (CAT), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Two rice cultivars, Zhefu802 (recurrent parent) and its near-isogenic line, fgl were selected and planted in a greenhouse with 30/24 °C (day/night) under natural sunlight conditions. Compared to fgl, Zhefu802 had significantly lower net photosynthetic rate (PN) and stomatal conductance (Cond) as well as significantly higher ABA and H2O2 contents. However, AsA and CAT increased PN, Cond, and stomatal aperture, which decreased H2O2 and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. In this process, AsA and CAT significantly increased the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase activity, while they strongly decreased the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate oxygenase activity, and finally caused an obvious decrease in the ratio of photorespiration (Pr) to PN. Additionally, AsA and CAT significantly increased the expression levels of RbcS and RbcL genes of leaves, while H2O2 significantly decreased them, especially the RbcS gene. In summary, the removal of H2O2 by AsA and CAT can improve the leaf photosynthesis by alleviating the inhibition on the stomatal conductance and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase capacity caused by ABA.
Adaptation of the Couples Satisfaction Index into Russian

The commonly used double translation method fails to provide evidence for cross-cultural equivalence of instruments used in multicultural research thus increasing measurement error-variance. This study exemplified the rigorous acculturation steps needed to negate this cross-cultural error-variance by verifying cultural appropriateness and psychometric equivalence between the instruments. Through application of a cutting-edge adaptation methodology, we created a Russian version of the 16-item Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI; Funk and Rogge in J Fam Psychol 21:572–583, 2007) that is semantically, idiomatically, experientially, conceptually, and linguistically equivalent to the original scale. Next, using the data from 406 Russian-speaking respondents, we employed parallel and exploratory factor analyses to explore the factorial structure of the adapted version subsequently named CSI-16(Russian). Internal reliability and convergent validity with another measure used frequently in Russian scholarship were high. Additionally, results suggested that couples’ satisfaction—when assessed as a unidimensional phenomenon—is similar across the two cultures in spite of linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic differences between the cultures. The CSI-16(Russian) can be used in comparative cross-cultural studies with sufficient assurance of high convergent linguistic reliability and psychometric similarity with the original CSI scale.
Association Between Adolescent Blunt Use and the Uptake of Cigars.

Importance Almost two-thirds of adolescents who smoke blunts also report using cigars. Although adolescent co-use of blunts and cigars is prevalent, whether adolescent blunt use is associated with progression to current cigar use (past 30-day use) and increased frequency of use is unknown. Objective To determine whether adolescent use of blunts is associated with progression to cigar use (past 30-day use) and increased number of days used (in the past 30 days) across the subsequent 24 months compared with adolescents who have never used blunts. Design, Setting, and Participants In this prospective cohort study of adolescents from 4 public high schools outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in-classroom surveys were administered at baseline (fall 2016, beginning of 9th grade) and at 6-month intervals for the following 24 months (fall 2018, beginning of 11th grade). Data analyses were conducted in September and October 2019. Exposures Self-report of lifetime (ever) blunt use at baseline (age 14 years). Main Outcomes and Measures Progression to current cigar use (use in the past 30 days) and escalation in the frequency of use (number of days used in the past 30 days) across the subsequent 24 months. Results Of 1825 participants, 907 (49.7%) were female, 1330 (72.9%) were white, and 376 (20.6%) were Hispanic; the mean (SD) age at baseline was 14.38 (0.55) years. In all, 257 participants (14.0%) reported ever blunt use. Mixed-effects models revealed that ever blunt use at baseline vs never blunt use was associated with progression to current cigar use (past 30 days use: odds ratio, 22.66; 95% CI, 11.34-45.27) but not escalation in the number of days used across the following 24 months (β = 0.13; 95% CI, −0.17 to 0.43). Conclusions and Relevance These findings highlight the risk that blunt use may pose for subsequent cigar use among adolescents. Policies and public health campaigns addressing marijuana as well as cigars will be important to reduce adolescent blunt use and cigar use.
Chapter 10 – Robotic-Assisted Kidney Transplantation

Traditional, open kidney transplantation has been performed with minimal changes for more than half a century. Despite the immense benefits for the recipients, open surgery also carries some of the disadvantages of surgical trauma. The development of robotic surgical systems has made a minimally invasive approach possible, even for complex and precise procedures such as kidney transplantation. We have employed a robotic surgical system to perform transabdominal renal transplantation in obese recipients with very encouraging results in terms of decreased wound complications, graft function, and graft and patient survival. Others groups, applying different robotic approaches to kidney transplantation, reported benefit also for nonobese patients. With the evolution of the robotic surgical technology and intensive exchange of experience, the popularity of minimally invasive kidney transplantation is expected to increase in the near future.
Factors Influencing Prescribers' Decision for Extending Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in the Medical Patient Population following Hospitalization.

Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis during hospitalization has clearly defined metrics for risk stratification and practice policy employed to ensure processes of adherence. However, acceptance for practice or even the level and timeline of risk is less clear during the immediate time after hospitalization. With emerging new oral anticoagulant agents, data are available that may influence prescribing in the outpatient setting following hospitalization. A survey was created to determine the level of acceptance or influences for practice surrounding continuation of anticoagulation following hospitalization. Methods This study was designed as a single-center survey of hospitalist and family medicine physician to assess influences to the physician's impression for risk of VTE prophylaxis and knowledge of therapy options. Results Physicians reported depending heavily on medical center protocols for determining anticoagulation at hospital discharge. Prescribing postdischarge anticoagulation was reported to be affected by lack of comfort with prescribing oral medications and concerns with risk of bleeding for all types of anticoagulation outweighing the perceived benefit. Additionally, the decision whether to prescribe these medications at discharge was reported to be related to perceived cost and other patient barriers such as concerns over route of administration. Conclusion Concerns for bleeding were an influence and likely resulted in shorter duration for VTE prophylaxis being prescribed posthospitalization.
A Highly Linear Non-Magnetic GaN Circulator Based on Spatio-Temporal Modulation with an IIP3 of 56 dBm

In this work, we demonstrate a non-magnetic circulator based on spatio-temporal conductivity modulation (STCM) with cutting edge gallium nitride (GaN) high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The circulator exhibits low insertion loss of -2.56 dB from transmitter (TX) to antenna (ANT) and -3.01 dB from ANT to receiver (RX). Additionally it demonstrates a maximum TX to RX isolation of 40 dB. Due to the virtues of GaN, the circulator also exhibits a record input referred third-order intercept point (IIP3) of 56.12 dBm for TX to ANT transmission. These advanced performance metrics achieved in this first demonstration point to the feasibility of GaN non-magnetic circulators that can achieve the stringent performance metrics required by DoD and commercial applications.
Assessing the Field of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine's Interest in Expanding Fellowship Training to Pediatricians.

BACKGROUND Training opportunities to pursue a career in pediatric rehabilitation medicine (PRM) have evolved over the last 40 years, with the most recent change being the development and accreditation of PRM fellowships and subspecialty certification in PRM. Currently the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (ABPMR) requires all candidates for PRM subspecialty certification to have completed a physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency. The small number of certified PRM physicians has prompted debate within the field about permitting pediatricians to enter PRM fellowships without having to complete a PM&R residency. OBJECTIVE To assess the level of interest within the field of PRM in creating a pathway to PRM for pediatricians. DESIGN Survey of pediatric physiatrists in the United States in 2017. SETTING National. PARTICIPANTS Pediatric physiatrists. INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Favorability toward pediatricians becoming certified in PRM. RESULTS Most respondents (62%) were in favor of pediatricians having the opportunity to pursue training in PRM, with an increase in support (70%) after being introduced to workforce issues in PRM. Training time for pediatricians was the largest concern identified by respondents who were not in favor (80%), with additional themes identified including dilution of the essence of the field and operationalization issues. CONCLUSIONS With a small number of practicing pediatric physiatrists, the growing number of children with disabilities, and the limited access to our services, most pediatric physiatrists are in agreement that it is time to consider the opportunity to expand the PRM workforce by creating a fellowship pathway to subspecialty board certification in PRM after pediatric residency.
Unsupervised clinical relevancy ranking of structured medical records to retrieve condition-specific information in the emergency department.

Abstract Background Decision making in the Emergency Department (ED) requires timely identification of clinical information relevant to the complaints. Existing information retrieval solutions for the electronic health record (EHR) focus on patient cohort identification and lack clinical relevancy ranking. We aimed to compare knowledge-based (KB) and unsupervised statistical methods for ranking EHR information by relevancy to a chief complaint of chest or back pain among ED patients. Methods We used Pointwise-mutual information (PMI) with corpus level signiﬁcance adjustment (cPMId), which modifies PMI to reward co-occurrence patterns with a higher absolute count. cPMId for each pair of medication/problem and chief complaint was estimated from a corpus of 100,000 un-annotated ED encounters. Five specialist physicians ranked the relevancy of medications and problems to each chief complaint on a 0–4 Likert scale to form the KB ranking. Reverse chronological order was used as a baseline. We directly compared the three methods on 1010 medications and 2913 problems from 99 patients with chest or back pain, where each item was manually labeled as relevant or not to the chief complaint, using mean average-precision. Results cPMId out-performed KB ranking on problems (86.8% vs. 81.3%, p Conclusion A fully unsupervised statistical method can provide a reasonably accurate, low-effort and scalable means for situation-specific ranking of clinical information within the EHR.
Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment Substitution Effects.

Advanced placement (AP) and concurrent enrollment (CE) provide high school students with rigorous coursework and possible college credit. Theoretical modeling predicted students would substitute CE...
Parasitic Fungi of Illinois: Part II. Erysipheae

Covers parasitic fungi in the family Erysipheae (Class Ascomycetes, Order Pyrenomycetes, Suborder Perisporiaceae), providing keys to genera and species in the group. Includes an index of host plants and a taxonomic index.
Origin and Significance of Transplantation Antigens Induced on Cells Transformed by UV Radiation

Many experimentally induced cancers express cell surface antigens not normally found on the tissue of origin. Some of these antigens induce complete or partial protection against a lethal challenge with the tumor cells. Because of their ability to induce resistance to tumor transplantation, they have been termed tumor-specific transplantation antigens (TSTA), and they are defined primarily on the basis of their ability to induce a protective immune response in vivo.
Structural study of crystalline auromomycin: Preliminary X-ray diffraction study of auromomycin and macromomycin

Auromomycin and macromomycin from the organism Streptomyces macromomyceticus have been crystallized. The X-ray diffraction pattern of crystals of each molecule is consistent with space group P21212 with cell parameters a = 46.45 A, b = 54.34 A and c = 42.03 A for auromomycin, and a = 46.45 A, b = 54.52 A and c = 41.54 A for macromomycin. Diffraction analysis of auromomycin is in progress.
Long-range video motion estimation using point trajectories

This thesis describes a new approach to video motion estimation, in which motion is represented using a set of particles. Each particle is an image point sample with a long-duration trajectory and other properties. To optimize these particles, we measure point-based matching along the particle trajectories and distortion between the particles. The resulting motion representation is useful for a variety of applications and differs from optical flow, feature tracking, and parametric or layer-based models. We demonstrate the algorithm on challenging real-world videos that include complex scene geometry, multiple types of occlusion, regions with low texture, and non-rigid deformation.
Using Precision Prairie Reconstruction to Drive the Native Seeded Species Colonization Process

Restoring forb richness to the northern tallgrass prairie (U.S.A.) is often problematic. A potential solution is the establishment of native forb-seeded patches that can serve as colonization sites. This study was designed to determine the following: (1) the success at which native forbs sown in small patches can colonize the surrounding vegetation matrix and (2) whether soil amendments (C additions, P fertilization, and seed bank reduction) applied to the seeded sites can facilitate such colonization (patch quality). Colonization was investigated at (1) the immediate surrounding (1 m belt transect, BT) of the seeded sites and (2) in disturbed but not seeded patches located 3 m from the seeded site (out-plots). Soil amendments did not affect colonization, but native forb density in the BT and out-plots was correlated to the density of forbs in the seeded sites (r2 = 0.3, p < 0.01). Seeded native forb density in the out-plots was higher than in the adjacent BT (19 vs. 5 plants/m2), suggesting that competition from the matrix vegetation may be more important in forb colonization than distance from the source. Taller forbs with larger seeds showed advantages in colonization success. This study showed that the colonization of matrix vegetation with native forbs from seeded patches is a viable method for prairie reconstruction but requires the availability of disturbed sites. In most prairies, animal-generated soil disturbances are common. In their absence, disturbances of the vegetation matrix will need to be added to the management plan.
Clinical course and diagnosis of genital herpes simplex virus infection and evaluation of topical surfactant therapy

Abstract A prospective study of 37 men and 32 women with culture-proved genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was undertaken to characterize the clinical manifestations of the disease and effects of topical therapy with Nonoxynol 9, ∗ a nonionic surfactant active in vitro against HSV. The duration of pain, lesions, and virus shedding was significantly longer in initial than in recurrent genital HSV infection. Cervical HSV shedding occurred in 11 of 13 initial infections versus two of 19 recurrences (p
Impact of transmit range on throughput performance in mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile ad hoc networking offers the promise of connecting mobile nodes without the need for a fixed infrastructure. Performance limitations of these networks under real network and traffic conditions are still largely unknown. In this paper we present a simulation study which investigates the impact of transmit range of nodes on resulting throughput performance. Although this aspect has previously been studied analytically in stationary packet radio networks, those studies were based on a number of simplifying assumptions. Our aim is to find out the optimum transmit range to maximise data throughput in mobile ad hoc networks which use the channel contention of the 802.11 MAC layer. Contrary to the available analytical results, we find that under a wide set of network and load conditions multi-hop networks have lower performance than single hop networks. Data throughput is maximised when all nodes are in range of each other. Moreover, the addition of relay only nodes does not significantly improve throughput performance of multi-hop networks.
Non-Gaussian simulation of local material properties based on a moving-window technique

In this paper, a moving-window micromechanics technique, Monte Carlo simulation, and finite element analysis are used to assess the effects of microstructural randomness on the local stress response of composite materials. The randomly varying elastic properties are characterized in terms of a field of local effective elastic constitutive matrices using a moving-window technique based on a finite element model of a given digitized composite material microstructure. Once the fields are generated, estimates of the random properties are obtained for use as input to a simulation algorithm that was developed to retain spectral, correlation, and non-Gaussian probabilistic characteristics. Rapidly generated Monte Carlo simulations of the constitutive matrix fields are used in a finite element analysis to create a series of local stress fields associated with the random material sample under uniaxial tension. This series allows estimation of the statistical variability in the local stress response for the random composite. The identification of localized extreme stress deviations from those of the aggregate or effective properties approach highlight the importance of modeling the stochastic variability of the microstructure.
Marketing Challenges for the Next Decade

A 1998 think tank that examined marketing issues facing the hospitality industry for the next decade concluded that the information-technology function should be merged with marketing. The idea wou...
Megacrysts and xenoliths in kimberlite, Elliott County, Kentucky: A mantle sample from beneath the Permian Appalachian Plateau

Two kimberlite pipes in Elliott County contain rare ultramafic xenoliths and abundant megacrysts of olivine (Fo85–93), garnet (0.21–9.07% Cr2O3), picroilmenite, phlogopite, Cr-poor clinopyroxene (0.56–0.88% Cr2O3), and Cr-poor orthopyroxene (<0.03–0.34% Cr2O3) in a matrix of olivine (Fo88–92), picroilmenite, Cr-spinel, magnetite, perovskite, pyrrhotite, calcite, and hydrous silicates. Rare clinopyroxene-ilmenite intergrowths also occur. Garnets show correlation of mg (0.79–0.86) and CaO (4.54–7.10%) with Cr2O3 content; the more Mg-rich garnets have more uvarovite in solution. Clinopyroxene megacrysts show a general decrease in Cr2O3 and increase in TiO2 (0.38–0.56%) with decreasing mg (0.87–0.91). Clinopyroxene megacrysts are more Cr-rich than clinopyroxene in clinopyroxene-ilmenite intergrowths (0.06–0.38% Cr2O3) and less Cr-rich than peridotite clinopyroxenes (1.39–1.46% Cr2O3). Orthopyroxene megacrysts and orthopyroxene inclusions in olivine megacrysts form two populations: high-Ca, high-Al (1.09–1.16% CaO and 1.16–1.18% Al2O3) and low-Ca, low-Al (0.35–0.46% CaO and 0.67–0.74% Al2O3). Three orthopyroxenes belonging to a low-Ca subgroup of the high-Ca, high-Al group were also identified (0.86–0.98% CaO and 0.95–1.01% Al2O3). The high-Ca, high-Al group (Group I) has lower mg (0.88–0.90) than low-Ca, low-Al group (Group II) with mg=0.92–0.93; low mg orthopyroxenes (Group Ia) have lower Cr2O3 and higher TiO2 than high mg orthopyroxenes (Group II). The orthopyroxene megacrysts have lower Cr2O3 than peridotite orthopyroxenes (0.46–0.57% Cr2O3). Diopside solvus temperatures indicate equilibration of clinopyroxene megacrysts at 1,165°–1,390° C and 1,295°–1,335° C for clinopyroxene in clinopyroxene-ilmenite intergrowths. P-T estimates for orthopyroxene megacrysts are bimodal: high-Ca, high-Al (Group I) orthopyroxenes equilibrated at 1,165°–1,255° C and 51–53 kb (± 5kb) and the low-Ca, low-Al (Group II) orthopyroxenes equilibrated at 970°–1,020°C and 46–56 kb (± 5kb). Garnet peridotites equilibrated at 1,240°–1,360° C and 47–49 kb. Spinel peridotites have discordant temperatures of 720°–835° C (using spinel-olivine Fe/Mg) and 865°–1,125° C (Al in orthopyroxene).
A system for multiparadigm development of software systems

It is the authors' goal to create a software development environment that will offer multiple editable views of software systems, will allow users to define new views, and will support communication between views as the systems are changed. The research to date has focused on the development of a single canonical representation for software systems, semantic program graphs (SPGs). The authors briefly describe SPGs, show how they can form the basis of a development environment, give examples of their utility, and compare them with other ways of representing software systems. They concentrate on describing the various characteristics of software systems that SPGs must support, and on explaining how SPGs can serve as the basis for the development environment envisioned. >
High-energy nucleonnucleon collisions

It is shown that single-vector meson exchange processes which may give rise to the repulsive core in nucleon-nucleon collisions, yield an elastic scattering cross section which approaches a constant value in the limit of infinitely large energy. Limits on the values of mass and coupling constant of this meson are inferred from high energy data, in particular a value for the strength of thep nucleon interaction is determined from the charge-exchange cross section data.
Special Collections and Archives Code (SPAC): Preserving Provenance in a Bibliographic Catalog

The recording of provenance is of particular importance in special collections cataloging, as knowledge of provenance lends authenticity and reliability to the materials held. A method of cataloging collection-level provenance in bibliographic records through a short mnemonic code, a Special Collections and Archives Code (SPAC), is described which enhances visibility of collections and retrieval in a catalog. A collection code not only collocates unique individual items that share a common characteristic, but can also constitute part of a linked data approach to visualizing integrated collections in the form of a “virtual bookplate.”
CO oxidation over Ru(0 0 0 1) at near-atmospheric pressures: From chemisorbed oxygen to RuO 2

RuO2(1 1 0) was formed on Ru(0 0 0 1) under oxygen-rich reaction conditions at 550 K and high pressures. This phase was also synthesized using pure O2 and high reaction temperatures. Subsequently the RuO2 was subjected to CO oxidation reaction at stoichiometric and net reducing conditions at near-atmospheric pressures. Both in situ polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRAS) and post-reaction Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) measurements indicate that RuO2 gradually converts to a surface oxide and then to a chemisorbed oxygen phase. Reaction kinetics shows that the chemisorbed oxygen phase has the highest reactivity due to a smaller CO binding energy to this surface. These results also show that a chemisorbed oxygen phase is the thermodynamically stable phase under stoichiometric and reducing reaction conditions. Under net oxidizing conditions, RuO2 displays high reactivity at relatively low temperatures (⩽450 K). We propose that this high reactivity involves a very reactive surface oxygen species, possibly a weakly bound, atomic oxygen or an active molecular O2 species. RuO2 deactivates gradually under oxidizing reaction conditions. Post-reaction AES measurements reveal that this deactivation is caused by a surface carbonaceous species, most likely carbonate, that dissociates above 500 K.
Learning about loss

Researchers have identified two genes-follistatin and activin-as having an important role in the ability of certain flatworms to identify wounds that require the production of new tissue.
Collaborated Camouflaging Mobility for Mobile Privacy

We present a collaborated camouflaging mobility algorithm to protect mobile hosts' mobility privacy. Our algorithm alters a mobile host's straight moving paths into Delta-shaped camouflaging paths, which cause its wireless transmissions to be distributed over a large area, and hence, reduce the probability of generating traceable wireless transmissions. Furthermore, on the premise of not affecting the mobile hosts' itineraries, our collaborated mobility algorithm clusters the motion paths of mobile hosts to make it difficult for an adversary to identify the mobile hosts. We model the objective of maximizing mobility privacy and minimizing the overhead (e.g. the extra travel distance) as a nonlinear constrained optimization problem and use the solution to the optimization problem as the collaborated mobility. Lastly, we analyze the calculation time of the collaborated camouflaging mobility and conduct simulations to evaluate the privacy improvements brought by the collaborated camouflaging mobility algorithm compared with non-covered mobility.
Evaluation of the unsteady-state quenching method for determining boiling curves

Abstract The accepted method for determining the “true” boiling curve, qvsΔT, for a liquid is to measure the heat flux and surface-to-liquid temperature driving force during a series of steady-state tests. For some liquids, this procedure is extremely difficult. A few observers have been attracted to unsteady-state quenching tests. The quenching method uses transient values of temperature vs time and converts them to qvsΔT curves. It has never been clear whether one is justified in identifying the unsteady-state quenching results with those at steady-state. The object of the present study was to discover the limits of the unsteady-state quenching method. The present investigation consisted of a series of quenching tests of copper in liquid nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. Boiling occurred on the face-up, horizontal, circular end of a 5.08 cm diameter cylindrical copper block. The sides and the opposite circular end of the copper were insulated. The quenching time varied from 7h for 51cm thick copper to 2 min for 0.05 cm thick copper. For the thicker copper (51-2.5 cm), the experimental qvsΔT curves were equivalent, confirming that these were all quasi-steady-states. For the thinner copper (2.5-0.05 cm), the qmax decreased with decreasing thickness. For the 0.05 cm thickness, qmax was only 36% of the quasi-steady-state value.
A GOAL PROGRAMMING MODEL FOR OUTPUT PLANNING

This paper describes a goal programming procedure for determining satisfactory output plans for a work center. The situation being modeled is one in which work center inputs are known but vary significantly across time periods. Input levels are fixed relative to a given master production schedule, and output levels can be varied only within certain prescribed limits, at least in the short term. The similarity of the output planning problem to the more familiar aggregate planning problem is noted and discussed.
Taxonomic concepts and superfluity in bivalve nomenclature

Among the classes of invertebrate animals, the Bivalvia, with its extremely long fossil record and its preserved characters, which permit inferential anatomical reconstruction, comprises a group especially fit for phyletic analysis. Ideal for the investigation of the dynamics of speciation and the evolution of higher categories, bivalves represent a taxonomic unit whose systematics suffer from certain weaknesses. The relative narrowness of the anagenetic distances between lineages and the all-too-human tendency both to proliferate nomina and to elevate taxa partially obfuscate reality. The taxonomy of the Bivalvia is threatened by a cloying nomenclature both at specific and higher categorical levels. Reappraisal of various, recently proposed, systematic arrangements and judicious application of Occam’s Razor may allay the malaise of superfluity and promise the elaboration of a phyletically meaningful but somewhat simplified, utilitarian classification.
An experimental study of the course and termination of the spino-cerebellar systems in a lizard (Lacerta viridis)

Summary The Nauta silver method for staining degenerated axons was applied to 10 lizards ( Lacerta viridis ) having spinal cord lesions at various levels (1st–27th segment). The ascending spino-cerebellar tracts of each animal were observed at the 1st spinal segment and in the serial sections of the brain stem and cerebellum. The following results were obtained.
Chondroblastoma of the hands and feet

To review the imaging findings, age and gender distribution of chondroblastoma of the hands and feet. Twenty-five cases of pathologically proven chondroblastoma of the hands and feet were reviewed. Available imaging modalities included radiographs (n=24), CT (n=3), MRI (n=5), and radionuclide bone scintigraphy (n=1). The following imaging features for each case were tabulated: location, presence of sclerotic margin, calcification, expansion, presence of fluid/fluid levels on cross-sectional imaging and surrounding edema on MRI. The images were evaluated for skeletal maturity using closure of the physeal plate in the region as a standard. The average age at time of diagnosis was 23 years (range 7–57 years). Eighty-four percent (n=21) of the patients were skeletally mature. Males (20 of 25) outnumbered females by a ratio of 5:1. The bones of the foot accounted for 22 cases: calcaneus (n=8), talus (n=8), metatarsals (n=3), and the cuboid (n=3). The bones of the hand accounted for three cases: phalanx (n=1), triquetrum (n=1), and a metacarpal (n=1). Radiographically all lesions were osteolytic with identifiable calcification in 54% (13 of 24). Fluid/fluid levels were seen in four of five cases on MRI. Edema on MR images was seen in 40% (2 of 5). The size of the lesions ranged from 2 to 41 cm2. Chondroblastomas of the hands and feet share many of the radiographic characteristics seen in the long bones, but manifest in skeletally mature patients with a higher male to female ratio than in long bone chondroblastoma. Talar and calcaneal lesions were encountered only in males. Chondroblastoma of the wrist and hand appears to be exceptionally rare.
Continuous monitoring of cellular nitric oxide generation by spin trapping with an iron-dithiocarbamate complex.

Abstract Nitric oxide (NO) generation in murine macrophages was determined in real time using the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spin trapping method. An iron complex of N-methyl- d -glucamine dithiocarbamate was utilized as the spin trap. This spin trapping compound reacts with NO in solution to form a specific room-temperature stable, mononitrosyl complex which is readily detected and identified by EPR spectroscopy. Mouse peritoneal macrophages were placed in an EPR sample-cell and activated by lipopolysaccharide and γ-interferon at 37°C, followed by an additional incubation in oxygenated medium without these activation agents. After various incubation periods, spin trap solution was infused to replace the medium in the sample cell, and the time evoluation of the EPR signal of the spin adduct (NO-complex) was recorded. Rates of NO generation were calculated based upon the initial slopes of the increase in the EPR intensity with time. In comparison to the NO (or NO2−) generation rate obtained under similar experimental conditions using the Griess reaction assay, the spin trapping method was found to be more sensitive, with a lowest limit of the detection of 3 pmol/min. In addition, by using the spin trapping method. NO generation from the same cells could be measured consecutively during various stages of activation, because infusion of the spin trap solution did not affect the viability of macrophages.
Interacting regime shifts in ecosystems: implication for early warnings

Big ecological changes often involve regime shifts in which a critical threshold is crossed. Thresholds are often difficult to measure, and transgressions of thresholds come as surprises. If a critical threshold is approached gradually, however, there are early warnings of the impending regime shift. For example, in a one-dimensional ecosystem dynamics, autocorrelation approaches 1 from below, variance and skewness increase, and variance spectra shift to lower frequencies. Here we focus on variance, an indicator easily computed from monitoring data. There are two distinct sources of increased variance near a critical threshold. One is the amplification of small shocks that occurs as the square of the modulus of the leading eigenvalue (or leading pair of eigenvalues in the complex case) approaches 1 from below. This source, called “squealing,” is well-studied. The second source of variance, called “flickering,” involves brief excursions between attractors. Interacting regime shifts may muffle or magnify variance near critical thresholds. Whether muffling or magnification occurs, and the size of the effect, depend on the product of the feedback between the state variables times the correlation of these variables' responses to environmental shocks. If this product is positive, magnification of the variance will occur. If the product is negative, muffling or magnification can occur depending on the relative magnitudes of these and other effects. Therefore, monitoring programs should measure variates that have opposite responses to the critical transition. If the correlations to environmental shocks have the same sign, the variance of at least one variate will be magnified as the critical transition is approached. Simulation studies suggest that muffling may sometimes interfere with detection of early warning signals of regime shifts. However, more important effects of muffling and magnification may come from their effect on flickering, when random shocks trigger a state change in a system with low resilience. Muffling decreases the likelihood that a random shock will trigger a regime shift. Magnification has the opposite effect. Magnification is most likely when feedbacks are positive and state variables have positively correlated responses to environmental shocks. These results help delimit the conditions when regime shifts are more likely to cascade through complex systems.
A preconditioner for hybrid matrices arising in RF MEMS switch analysis

Despite the excellent characteristics of RF MEMS switches, they generally suffer from low power-handling capability. This limitation is due to the complex interactions among electromagnetic losses, heat transfer, and mechanical deformations associated with the switches. To understand these failure mechanisms, we proposed a multiphysics model (Jensen, B.D. et al., IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters, vol.13, no.9, p.364-66, 2003). This model is based on an extended finite element-boundary integral (EFE-BI) model that allows efficient modeling of the boundary (MEMS beam for our case) exterior to the volumetric region modeled by the standard FE-BI method. The condition number of the resulting EFE-BI matrix system increases rapidly as the frequency decreases. The matrix condition number required at 2 GHz warrants computational accuracy beyond the capability of normal CPUs. For this reason, our EFE-BI analysis and validation of the code were limited to high frequency cases. We propose a preconditioning approach that lowers the condition number of the system. The proposed approach allows for fast, efficient analysis of RF MEMS switches at practical RF frequencies as low as 500 MHz, which will enable the desired multiphysics modeling.
Radar Echo Structure, Air Motion and Hail Formation in a Large Stationary Multicellular Thunderstorm

Abstract Observations from aircraft, Doppler radars, surface mesonetwork, upper air network and surveillance radar are used to describe the structure and evolution of a large rain and hailstorm that occurred on 22 June 1976 in northeastern Colorado. In its early stage, the storm was unicellular in nature and was moving northward somewhat slower than the middle-level environmental winds. Once significant outflow developed beneath the storm, new cells started their growth over the southeastwardly progressing outflow boundary and then advected northward and interacted with the now nearly motionless main updraft. For about 45 min the storm exhibited characteristics of the steady, vaulted supercell, though overall it was still clearly multicellular in nature. During this stage nearly 2.5×109 kg s−1 of air and 2×107 kg s−1 of moisture were being processed through cloud base within the vault updraft. Precipitation that grew to millimeter size within the small (about 5 km diameter) cells served as embryos for con...
Three layer cake for shared-memory programming

There are many different styles of parallel programming for shared-memory hardware. Each style has strengths, but can conflict with other styles. How can we use a variety of these styles in one program and minimize their conflict and maximize performance, readability, and flexibility? This paper surveys the relative advantages and disadvantages of three styles (SIMD, fork join, and message passing), shows how to compose them hierarchically, and advises how to choose what goes at each level in the hierarchy.
Design and modeling of a low-f-number wide-field-of-view imaging spectrometer

Ground-based observations of the terrestrial dayglow emissions require the measurement of a small signal embedded in a large background. A high sensitivity imaging spectrometer has been developed to perform these measurements. The instrument is capable of operating over a full diurnal cycle with photometric like sensitivity to provide simultaneous measurements from the ground of the rich spectral content of the daytime mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere spectra. This low-f-number wide field-of-view imaging spectrometer is capable of measuring the day-glow spectrum over the wavelength range of 300 to 880 nm with a very high spectral resolution of 0.5 nm. The spectrometer has a field-of-view of 14 degrees without any vignetting. The spectrometer is designed to work with a 1024 by 1024 pixel UN-enhanced CCD detector having a 24.6 mm by 24.6 mm imaging area. A five-element telecentric lens group has been designed to achieve a compact and low cost package. The symmetric configuration of this lens group eliminates the optical distortions to permit the use of a simple curved slit. Three identical lens groups have been used for the telescope, collimator, and imaging optics to simplify the design and to reduce the fabrication cost. The optical design and performance analysis results for this imaging spectrometer are presented. The optomechanical design and modeling of the instrument is also discussed.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Clergy Knowledge and Attitudes Concerning Faith Community Nursing: Toward a Three‐Dimensional Scale

Objective Research has described faith community nursing practice, including positive aspects and barriers to practice. Barriers to faith community nursing practice must be identified and addressed to facilitate faith community nursing programs. The primary purpose of this study was to pilot test a newly developed instrument to measure knowledge and attitudes concerning faith community nursing. Design and sample A survey design was used. The sample included clergy in the United Church of Christ (n=34). Measures An investigator developed survey entitled Knowledge, Attitudes, and Opinions Concerning Faith Community Nursing was administered. Results Psychometric evaluation of the survey included content validity and internal consistency reliability for each of 3 scales. Coefficient alpha was high, ranging from .88 to .95. The results of the survey indicate that clergy, within the selected Christian denomination, generally have adequate knowledge and positive attitudes about faith community nursing. Knowledge scores on one item indicated some uncertainty among clergy about spiritual counseling as a nursing intervention. A major limitation to this study was the small, homogeneous sample. Future research should include further psychometric evaluation of validity and reliability in a larger, diverse sample. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that, with further testing, the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Opinions Concerning Faith Community Nursing Survey has the potential to expand assessment of barriers to faith community nursing.
Backlash Hits Business Ethics: Finding Effective Strategies for Communicating the Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility

Recently, several articles have asserted that corporate social responsibility programs have gone too far and need to be reigned in. These critics have charged that corporate social responsibility is to be regarded with skepticism and that any changes in corporate accountability should be superficial at best. I will examine a␣number of these objections; I conclude that these critiques are largely ill founded, but that their increasing frequency in popular media is a cause for concern. I argue that these purported objections are better understood as one part of a long-term cycle that generally accompanies positive moral change in institutions. Using the feminist movement as a touchstone, I examine the similarities between backlash against the movement for corporate accountability as compared to backlash against feminists. I␣also suggest ways in which successful strategies adopted by feminists could be used effectively to communicate the aims of those working to increase awareness of business accountability.
Analysis of interconnect lines using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method

In this Letter the coupling effect (cross talk) in parallel microstrip interconnects is analyzed with the use of the finite-difference–time-domain (FDTD) method. The interconnects are terminated either by lumped elements or by a perfectly matched layer (PML), and the results obtained from these two methods are compared. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 34: 6–9, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.10356
Diabetes and change in bone mineral density at the hip, calcaneus, spine, and radius in older women.

Older women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) have higher bone mineral density (BMD) but also have higher rates of fracture compared to those without DM. Limited evidence suggests that DM may also be associated with more rapid bone loss. To determine if bone loss rates differ by DM status in older women, we analyzed BMD data in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) between 1986 and 1998. SOF participants were women >65 years at baseline who were recruited from four regions in the U.S. DM was ascertained by self-report. BMD was measured with dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at baseline and at least one follow-up visit at the hip (N=6624) and calcaneus (N=6700) and, on a subset of women, at the spine (N=396) and distal radius (N=306). Annualized percent change in BMD was compared by DM status, using random effects models. Of 6,867 women with at least one follow-up DXA scan, 409 had DM at baseline. Mean age was 70.8 (SD 4.7) years. Baseline BMD was higher in women with DM at all measured sites. In models adjusted for age and clinic, women with prevalent DM lost bone more rapidly than those without DM at the femoral neck (-0.96% vs. -0.59% per year, p < 0.001), total hip (-0.98% vs. -0.70% per year, p<0.001), calcaneus (-1.64% vs. -1.40% per year, p=0.005), and spine (-0.33% vs. +0.33% per year, p=0.033), but not at the distal radius (-0.97% vs. -0.90% per year, p=0.91). These findings suggest that despite higher baseline BMD, older women with DM experience more rapid bone loss than those without DM at the hip, spine and calcaneus, but not the radius. Higher rates of bone loss may partially explain higher fracture rates in older women with DM.
REGIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY OF NEOPLASTIC DISEASES

Recent developments have made regional chemotherapy a more rational endeavour. The important pharmacokinetic principles have been defined. The increase in regional exposure achieved is a direct function of a drug's total body clearance and is an inverse function of the permeability-area product (defining ease of egress) for third spaces or of the regional arterial blood flow for intraarterial infusion. Agents having appropriate properties are available. For new agents with appropriate pharmacokinetic parameters, regional chemotherapy may provide a means to examine the dose response against measurable tumors in the regions in question. The observation that most tumors are hypervascular may be crucial to the development of selective treatments using microspheres to deliver therapy in direct proportion to the density of the microvasculature. Regionally infused vasoconstrictors (epinephrine, angiotensin) may allow shunting of flow away from normal tissue toward tumor without potentially serious systemic cardiovascular effects. Investigations and applications of regional chemotherapy have been fostered immensely by the reliably and convenience of the Infusaid implantable pump and by implantable injection ports. The problem of systemic failure with regional approaches still remains but is approachable using pharmacologically rational programs aimed at delivering maximal systemic chemotherapy along with regional treatment. In hepatic arterial therapy, in particular, a randomized prospective study is being considered to examine the impact of such combined treatment versus regional therapy alone and versus systemic chemotherapy alone for metastatic colorectal cancer to liver. Thus, the future for regional chemotherapy appears exciting. There are many opportunities to apply therapeutic principles rationally with the potential of significant benefit to many patients.
Bone regeneration mediated by biomimetic mineralization of a nanofiber matrix.

Abstract Rapid bone regeneration within a three-dimensional defect without the use of bone grafts, exogenous growth factors, or cells remains a major challenge. We report here on the use of self-assembling peptide nanostructured gels to promote bone regeneration that have the capacity to mineralize in biomimetic fashion. The main molecular design was the use of phosphoserine residues in the sequence of a peptide amphiphile known to nucleate hydroxyapatite crystals on the surfaces of nanofibers. We tested the system in a rat femoral critical-size defect by placing pre-assembled nanofiber gels in a 5 mm gap and analyzed bone formation with micro-computed tomography and histology. We found within 4 weeks significantly higher bone formation relative to controls lacking phosphorylated residues and comparable bone formation to that observed in animals treated with a clinically used allogenic bone matrix.