cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pricing Asset Scheduling Flexibility using Optimal Switching

We study the financial engineering aspects of operational flexibility of energy assets. The current practice relies on a representation that uses strips of European spark‐spread options, ignoring the operational constraints. Instead, we propose a new approach based on a stochastic impulse control framework. The model reduces to a cascade of optimal stopping problems and directly demonstrates that the optimal dispatch policies can be described with the aid of ‘switching boundaries’, similar to the free boundaries of standard American options. Our main contribution is a new method of numerical solution relying on Monte Carlo regressions. The scheme uses dynamic programming to efficiently approximate the optimal dispatch policy along the simulated paths. Convergence analysis is carried out and results are illustrated with a variety of concrete computational examples. We benchmark and compare our scheme with alternative numerical methods.
A Study of Ethylene in Apple, Red Raspberry, and Cherry

High ethylene levels were associated with flower abscission in apple (Malus sylvestris) and cherry (Prunus avium and Prunus cerasus), “June drop” of immature cherries, and harvest drop of apple and red raspberry (Rubus idaeus). However, an increase in ethylene content was not associated with June drop of apples and harvest drop of cherries. During the period of fruit ripening on the plant, the largest increases in ethylene occurred in apple flesh and red raspberry receptacular tissue. Ethylene remained low throughout the period of sweet and tart cherry ripening. The data obtained indicated marked ethylene gradients between adjacent tissues. Increases of ethylene in some tissues may have resulted from ethylene diffusion from adjacent tissues containing high levels of ethylene.
Associations Between Chemical Dependency and Sexual Problems in Nurses

Nurses recovering from chemical dependency were compared to nondependent nurses on their reports of sexual abuse, negative outcomes of sexual experiences, and homosexuality. A national sample of nurses responded to a mailed questionnaire examining demographic, educational, and professional variables related to chemical dependency. Differences were found between dependent and nondependent subjects regarding gender, family history of alcoholism, sexual trauma, and sexual functioning. This exploratory study raises many questions for future investigative efforts.
Convergence rates for arbitrary statistical moments of random quantum circuits.

We consider a class of random quantum circuits where at each step a gate from a universal set is applied to a random pair of qubits, and determine how quickly averages of arbitrary finite-degree polynomials in the matrix elements of the resulting unitary converge to Haar measure averages. This is accomplished by mapping the superoperator that describes $t$ order moments on $n$ qubits to a multilevel $SU({4}^{t})$ Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick Hamiltonian. We show that, for arbitrary fixed $t$, the ground-state manifold is exactly spanned by factorized eigenstates and, under the assumption that a mean-field ansatz accurately describes the low-lying excitations, the spectral gap scales as $1/n$ in the thermodynamic limit. Our results imply that random quantum circuits yield an efficient implementation of $ϵ$ approximate unitary $t$ designs.
The Relevance of Oncogene-Induced Apoptosis in Cancer.

Cancers arise through the progressive accumulation of mutations that compromise control of cell proliferation, differentiation, cell adhesion, apoptosis and mortality. Deregulation of the cmyc proto-oncogene is a ubiquitous neoplastic mutation that disrupts cell growth control and renders cells independent of mitogens for cell cycle progression. However, activation of c-myc also sensitises cells to apoptosis. We believe that this innately contradictory action of c-myc acts as a restraint to the propagation of neoplastic cells within the soma, but this has never been directly demonstrated in vivo.
Spike frequency adaptation mediates looming stimulus selectivity in a collision-detecting neuron

How active membrane conductance dynamics tunes neurons for specific time-varying stimuli remains poorly understood. We studied the biophysical mechanisms by which spike frequency adaptation shapes visual stimulus selectivity in an identified visual interneuron of the locust. The lobula giant movement detector (LGMD) responds preferentially to objects approaching on a collision course with the locust. Using calcium imaging, pharmacology and modeling, we show that spike frequency adaptation in the LGMD is mediated by a Ca(2+)-dependent potassium conductance closely resembling those associated with 'small-conductance' (SK) channels. Intracellular block of this conductance minimally affected the LGMD's response to approaching stimuli, but substantially increased its response to translating ones. Thus, spike frequency adaptation contributes to the neuron's tuning by selectively decreasing its responses to nonpreferred stimuli. Our results identify a new mechanism by which spike frequency adaptation may tune visual neurons to behaviorally relevant stimuli.
Constructing spare sharing networks for reliability enhancement of scalable systems

Future systems based on nano-scale devices will be highly susceptible to operational faults. When hardware redundancy is used to boost reliability, through the repair-based approaches, redundancy is most effectively utilized if any spare unit can be made available to replace any faulty unit. However, such fully connected network of spare sharing demands dreadfully expensive interconnection when system size and complexity scale up. Consequently, while spare sharing provides flexibility, the sharing must be limited due to interconnection constraints. In this paper, we study the reliability issue of systems with shared spare units, under limited interconnection constraints. Particularly, we focus on the construction of the “spare sharing network” to boost system reliability. The proposed methodology connects the vulnerable units to the exploitable existing spares, thus strengthening the entire system without adding extra spares. Simulation results confirm that the proposed methodology achieves a significant reliability boost at very small cost of additional interconnects.
Crystal structure of LpxC from Pseudomonas aeruginosa complexed with the potent BB-78485 inhibitor

The cell wall in Gram-negative bacteria is surrounded by an outer membrane comprised of charged lipopolysaccharide (LPS) molecules that prevent entry of hydrophobic agents into the cell and protect the bacterium from many antibiotics. The hydrophobic anchor of LPS is lipid A, the biosynthesis of which is essential for bacterial growth and viability. UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase (LpxC) is an essential zinc-dependant enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine to UDP-3-O-(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)glucosamine and acetate in the biosynthesis of lipid A, and for this reason, LpxC is an attractive target for antibacterial drug discovery. Here we disclose a 1.9 A resolution crystal structure of LpxC from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (paLpxC) in a complex with the potent BB-78485 inhibitor. To our knowledge, this is the first crystal structure of LpxC with a small-molecule inhibitor that shows antibacterial activity against a wide range of Gram-negative pathogens. Accordingly, this structure can provide important information for lead optimization and rational design of the effective small-molecule LpxC inhibitors for successful treatment of Gram-negative infections.
Piracetam diminishes hippocampal acetylcholine levels in rats

Abstract Hippocampal acetylcholine levels were significantly depressed 30 min after rats received Piracetam (30–300 mg/kg, intraperitoneally).
Studies on the intrathecal effect of β-endorphin in primate

The intrathecal administration of beta-endorphin in the primate through an indwelling spinal catheter, produced a significant elevation in the nociceptive threshold as measured by the discrete trial shock titration task. The time of onset, duration of effect and magnitude of effect were all dose-dependent over a range of 150-750 micrograms. The effects were antagonized in a dose-dependent fashion by the systemic administration of naloxone. Aside from the elevations in the shock titration threshold produced by intrathecal beta-endorphin, no untoward effects on the animal's motor function or behavioral reactivity was noted. Significantly, unlike morphine, intrathecal beta-endorphin failed to produce any signs of scratching behavior at the doses used in these experiments. Once daily administration of intrathecal beta-endorphin (500 micrograms) showed a significant progressive decline in the antinociceptive effect over an 8-day period. Animals made tolerant to beta-endorphin in this fashion showed a significantly reduced response to an otherwise active dose of intrathecal morphine, indicating evidence for cross tolerance.
Using calibrated energy models for building commissioning and load prediction

Abstract This research article presents the development and demonstration of a monitoring based commissioning system for commercial buildings. An energy model of an educational building located on the campus of the University of Colorado Boulder was developed and was calibrated to conform to ASHRAE Guideline 14 using hourly measured data. A Latin Hypercube Monte Carlo (LHMC) sampling algorithm was used to obtain a set of plausible solutions by varying each key building parameter. A regional sensitivity analysis was then used to identify the parameters that had the greatest impact on the model's energy performance using a Goodness of Fit (GOF) metric. The calibrated model is used to compare actual building energy use to modeled energy use over various time scales. Deviations in consumption beyond adjustable predefined thresholds are detected as discrete events using a commercially available energy informatics system, while relative deviations against the model are quantified and visualized using a custom energy management application providing insight on model-to-actual deviations over daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual time horizons. Finally, utilizing weather and solar radiation forecasts, the effectiveness of said energy model in a predictive context was investigated, allowing operators to receive 24–48-h predictions of energy consumption and demand by end use as well as forecasts of building variables such as zone temperatures. The model based commissioning system successfully predicted energy and demand in terms of magnitude and timing and correctly forecasted cooling capacity shortfalls.
The Stability of Aryl Carbanions Derived from Pyridine N-Oxide: The Role of Resonance in Stabilizing Aryl Anions

The gas phase stability of carbanions centered at various positions on pyridine N-oxide were investigated by computational and experimental methods. In addition, G3MP2 computations were completed on ring-deprotonated pyridine and N-methylpyridinium. With these species, the effect of a nitrogen-centered positive charge on carbanion stability was assessed. Introduction of the nitrogen-oxide group into the benzene ring decreases the ΔHacid by ∼20 kcal/mol, but surprisingly, the effect is nearly independent of the position of the group (ortho, meta, or para). The results indicate that the N-oxide offers a balance of field, resonance, and local effects that cancels out any positional preferences. G3MP2 calculations indicate that a similar lack of positional selectivity is seen in nitrobenzene and benzonitrile. Overall, the data suggest that π-effects are limited in phenyl anions, and as a result, ylide-like, rather than carbene-like, resonance structures are most important in the anions derived from ring depro...
Shaping cups into phagosomes and macropinosomes

The ingestion of particles or cells by phagocytosis and of fluids by macropinocytosis requires cup-shaped invaginations of the plasma membrane. Common signalling mechanisms and distinct signalling patterns characterize the different stages of the formation of phagocytic and macropinocytic cups.
Accommodation in astigmatic children during visual task performance.

Purpose To determine the accuracy and stability of accommodation in uncorrected children during visual task performance. Methods Subjects were second- to seventh-grade children from a highly astigmatic population. Measurements of noncycloplegic right eye spherical equivalent (Mnc) were obtained while uncorrected subjects performed three visual tasks at near (40 cm) and distance (2 m). Tasks included reading sentences with stimulus letter size near acuity threshold and an age-appropriate letter size (high task demands) and viewing a video (low task demand). Repeated measures ANOVA assessed the influence of astigmatism, task demand, and accommodative demand on accuracy (mean Mnc) and variability (mean SD of Mnc) of accommodation. Results For near and distance analyses, respectively, sample size was 321 and 247, mean age was 10.37 (SD 1.77) and 10.30 (SD 1.74) years, mean cycloplegic M was 0.48 (SD 1.10) and 0.79 diopters (D) (SD 1.00), and mean astigmatism was 0.99 (SD 1.15) and 0.75 D (SD 0.96). Poor accommodative accuracy was associated with high astigmatism, low task demand (video viewing), and high accommodative demand. The negative effect of accommodative demand on accuracy increased with increasing astigmatism, with the poorest accommodative accuracy observed in high astigmats (≥3.00 D) with high accommodative demand/high hyperopia (1.53 D and 2.05 D of underaccommodation for near and distant stimuli, respectively). Accommodative variability was greatest in high astigmats and was uniformly high across task condition. No/low and moderate astigmats showed higher variability for the video task than the reading tasks. Conclusions Accuracy of accommodation is reduced in uncorrected children with high astigmatism and high accommodative demand/high hyperopia, but improves with increased visual task demand (reading). High astigmats showed the greatest variability in accommodation.
Plasma cholesterol and cancer morbidity and mortality in an adult community.

Abstract The relationship between plasma cholesterol and seven-year cancer morbidity and mortality was assessed in 4035 residents of Rancho Bernardo, CA, aged 40–89 years. Cancer was the underlying cause of death for 139 persons and occurred in an additional 168 individuals after the 1972–1974 cholesterol measurement. The age-adjusted cancer mortality rate per years of experience showed a slightly U-shaped relationship with cholesterol levels in men. For women, little association was seen between cancer mortality and cholesterol levels. Age-adjusted cancer morbidity rates per years of experience, indicated no association for men or women. Mean cholesterol levels did not differ significantly by cancer site. In addition, analysis of cholesterol levels by length of time between cholesterol measurement and cancer occurrence showed no significant trends, suggesting the progression of subclinical cancer did not result in lower cholesterol levels. In summary, in this population no significant association of cholesterol and cancer was seen in men or women.
Variation in melanosome numbers in cultured b-16 melanoma cells.

Melanosomes from B-16 mouse melanoma cells in culture were isolated by treatment of pigmented cells with 2% SDS, sonication, and heating at 100 degrees C. The total number of melanosomes in cultures of B-16 mouse melanoma cells increased exponentially during the rapid phase of sigmoid growth. The numbers of melanosomes per cell decreased during rapid phase of growth, and repigmentation was observed only when the cultures attained the stationary growth phase. BUdr at a minimum concentration of 0.5 mug/ml decreased both cell growth and numbers of melanosomes per cell, and completely inhibited repigmentation following a period of active growth. Cells cultured in 0.1 mug/ml BUdr grew at the same rate as untreated cells but contained fewer melanosomes/cell and lower total numbers of melanosomes during the late stages of the growth cycle.
Epigenetic domains found in mouse embryonic stem cells via a hidden Markov model

Epigenetics is an important layer of transcriptional control necessary for cell-type specific gene regulation. Recent studies have shown significant epigenetic patterns associated with developmental stages and diseases. However, previous studies have been mostly limited to focal epigenetic patterns, whereas methods for analyzing large-scale organizations are still lacking. We developed a hidden Markov model (HMM) approach for detecting the types and locations of epigenetic domains from multiple histone modifications. We used this method to analyze a published ChIP-seq dataset of five histone modification marks (H3K4me2, H3K4me3, H3K27me3, H3K9me3, and H3K36me3) in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. We identified three types of domains, corresponding to active, non-active, and null states. In total, our three-state HMM identified 258 domains in the mouse genome containing 9.6 genes on average. These domains were validated by a number of criteria. The largest domains correspond to olfactory receptor (OR) gene clusters. Each Hox gene cluster also forms a separate epigenetic domain. We found that each type of domain is associated with distinct biological functions and structural changes during early cell differentiation. The HMM approach successfully detects domains of consistent epigenetic patterns from ChIP-seq data, providing new insights into the role of epigenetics in long-range gene regulation.
Electrokinetic control and formation of nanoparticle array in a multilayer, nanofluidic device

We demonstrate a fabrication process based on electrokinetic forces that enables dynamically controlled placement of nanoparticles into a predefined pattern. Simulations of the nanoparticle's motion validated our approach as confirmed by experimental demonstration to produce uniform spherical nanoparticle array.
Heterointerfaces in semiconductor nanowires

Semiconductor nanowires have attracted considerable recent interest due to their unique properties, including their highly anisotropic geometry, large surface-to-volume ratio, and carrier and photon confinement. Currently, tremendous efforts are devoted to the rational synthesis of advanced nanowire heterostructures. Yet, if functional devices are to be made from these materials, precise control over their composition, structure, morphology, and dopant concentration must be achieved. Their fundamental properties must also be carefully investigated since the presence of a large surface and interfacial area in nanowires can profoundly alter their performance. In this article, the progress, promise, and challenges in the area of nanowire heterostructured materials are reviewed, with particular emphasis on the effect of different types of heterointerfaces on device properties.
A bibliographic survey of operations research in developing countries: methods and applications

The results of a literature survey of operations research studies in developing countries are presented. A categorized bibliography of 140 works is provided for operations research practitioners and researchers. The results of an analysis of the published studies are summarized along with trends in operations research utilization in less-developed countries. >
Serial Analysis of Gene Expression in Turkey Sperm Storage Tubules in the Presence and Absence of Resident Sperm

Turkey sperm lose viability within 8‐18 h when stored as liquid semen using current methods and extenders. In contrast, turkey hens maintain viable, fertile sperm in their sperm storage tubules (SST) for 45 or more days following a single insemination. Our long-term objectives are to identify and characterize differentially expressed genes that may underlie this prolonged sperm storage and then use this information to develop improved methods for storing liquid turkey semen. We employed serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) to compare gene expression patterns in turkey SST recovered from hens after artificial insemination (AI) with extended semen (sperm AI) or extender alone (control AI). We constructed two separate SAGE libraries with SST RNA obtained from sperm and control AI hens. We used these libraries to generate 95 325 ten-base pair SAGE tags. These 95 325 tags represented 27 430 unique genes. The sperm and control AI libraries contained 47 663 and 47 662 tags representing 18 030 and 19 101 putative unique transcripts, respectively. Approximately 1% of these putative unique genes were differentially expressed (P , 0.05) between treatments. Tentative annotations were ascribed to the SAGE tag nucleotide sequences by comparing them against publicly available SAGE tag and cDNA sequence databases. Based on its SAGE tag nucleotide sequence, we cloned a partial turkey avidin cDNA and confirmed its up-regulation in the sperm AI SST. The bioinformatics and experimental procedures employed to clone turkey avidin and confirm its differential expression represent a useful paradigm for analyzing SAGE tag data from relatively uncharacterized model systems.
Effect of Neotyphodium endophyte infection on growth and leaf gas exchange of Arizona fescue under contrasting water availability regimes

Abstract We assessed how Neotyphodium infection influenced the biomass production and growth of Arizona fescue (Festuca arizonica Vasey), a dominant understory grass in Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests of the southwest USA, by growing potted infected (E+) and uninfected (E−) plants under a high and a low water availability regime for 87 days. We measured growth analysis parameters, leaf net photosynthesis (Pn), chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, conductance to water vapor (gl) and water potential (Ψ), to provide explanations for differences in biomass production under these treatments. Under high water availability, E− plants produced more biomass and had greater relative growth rates (RGR; rate of biomass gain per biomass); higher RGR of E− plants was correlated with higher Pn as well as production of less dense, presumably thinner leaves, which provided more leaf area per leaf biomass, and greater LAR (leaf area ratio; leaf area per total plant biomass). Under low water availability, E+ plants produced more aboveground biomass and had greater RGR; higher RGR of E+ plants was correlated with higher net assimilation rates, as well as production of less dense leaves and greater LAR. Infected plants tended to have lower midday Pn and gl in both water availability regimes. Lower Pn in E+ plants appeared primarily due to stomatal, rather than biochemical, limitations to photosynthesis. When a more severe water stress was imposed in the low water availability treatment over the last 61 days of the experiment, E+ plants tended to have higher midday Pn and gl. Infected plants also tended to have less negative leaf Ψ regardless of water availability regime. Lower gl and transpirational losses of E+ plants probably conserved soil moisture, such that when a more severe water stress was subsequently imposed, higher soil moisture availability allowed E+ plants to maintain higher Pn and gl. Neotyphodium infection appears beneficial to Arizona fescue performance under low water availability and detrimental under ample water availability.
How to Select and Interpret Molecular Strain Typing Methods for Epidemiological Studies of Bacterial Infections A Review for Healthcare Epidemiologists

Strain typing is an integral part of epidemiological investigations of nosocomial infections. Methods for distinguishing among bacterial strains have improved dramatically over the last 5 years, due mainly to the introduction of molecular technology. Although not all molecular techniques are equally effective for typing all organisms, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis is the technique currently favored for most nosocomial pathogens. Criteria to aid epidemiologists in interpreting results have been published. Nucleic acid amplification-based typing methods also are applicable to many organisms and can be completed within a single day, but interpretive criteria still are under debate. Strain typing cannot be used to replace a sound epidemiological investigation, but serves as a useful adjunct to such investigations.
Cultural Development of Mathematical Ideas: Papua New Guinea Studies, by Geoffrey Saxe

Cultural anthropologist Clifford Geertz proposed that “small facts speak to large issues” (1973, p. 23). In many ways, Geoffrey Saxe’s new book echoes the Geertz quote. By gathering together the ma...
Use of antidepressants in treatment of comorbid diabetes mellitus and depression as well as in diabetic neuropathy.

AbstractAfter a brief review of epidemiology, the focus is on biochemistry of diabetes. Animal and human studies are reviewed in terms of the impact of alterations in catecholamines and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) on glucose utilization. Then, the implications of these experimental results for the choice of antidepressant in comorbid diabetes mellitus and depression as well as in diabetic neuropathy are discussed. Results of clinical investigations are then reviewed in terms of the above hypotheses. An Index Medicus Search for the past 10 years was supplemented by references from previous related reviews of the topic as well as by pending results, where available, not previously published. The range of prevalence of depression in diabetic patients has been 8-27%, depending on study criteria and procedures. An increase of catecholamines appears to increase glucose while both reducing insulin release and reducing sensitivity to insulin that is available. In contrast, increases in serotonergic funct...
PULMONARY EMBOLISM AS A CAUSE OF DEATH. THE CHANGING MORTALITY IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS

We studied the frequency and characteristics of death due to pulmonary embolism among all hospital and surgical patients in a university hospital from 1966 through 1980. Of 6,858 deaths, 3,412 autopsies were performed using a standardized and sensitive technique for pulmonary dissection. Our study showed that 6% of deceased patients (4.7% of surgical patients) had massive fatal embolism. Significant declines in embolism mortality were noted during this time period for hospital and surgical patients. The percentage of embolism cases among autopsies fell from 9.3% in the first five years to 3.8% in the last five years. Excluding patients receiving anticoagulants at the time of death, these percentages fell from 8.8% to 2.7%. The estimated hospital mortality rate for embolism fell during the same years from 0.37% of hospital discharges to 0.13%. During the years studied, the use of anticoagulants among all adult patients at the hospital increased from 4% of patients to nearly 12.3%. This and other evidence suggest the possibility that both the incidence rate and the case-fatality rate for pulmonary embolism have decreased in the hospital population we studied.
Pulmonary function following surgical repair of pectus excavatum: a meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to use a meta-analytical technique to examine the efficacy of surgical repair of pectus excavatum on pulmonary function. Studies were retrieved via computerized literature searches, cross-referencing from original and review articles. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (1) reporting quantitative measures of preoperative and postoperative pulmonary function; (2) published in the English language; (3) indexed between January 1960 and September 2005; (4) reporting the duration between which preoperative and postoperative assessments were conducted; and (5) describing the pulmonary assessment procedures. The titles and abstracts of potentially relevant articles were reviewed to determine whether they met the criteria for inclusion. Twelve studies representing 313 pectus excavatum patients met the inclusion criteria and were used for the meta-analysis. Random-effects modeling yielded a mean weighted effect size (ES) for pulmonary function which was statistically nonsignificant (ES = 0.08, 95% CI = -0.20 to 0.35; P = 0.58). The findings of the present study indicated that surgical repair of pectus excavatum does not significantly improve pulmonary function. These findings, however, may be a result of testing pulmonary function under conditions in which pectus excavatum does not manifest itself.
Proper Recruitment of γ-Tubulin and D-TACC/Msps to Embryonic Drosophila Centrosomes Requires Centrosomin Motif 1

Centrosomes are microtubule-organizing centers and play a dominant role in assembly of the microtubule spindle apparatus at mitosis. Although the individual binding steps in centrosome maturation are largely unknown, Centrosomin (Cnn) is an essential mitotic centrosome component required for assembly of all other known pericentriolar matrix (PCM) proteins to achieve microtubule-organizing activity at mitosis in Drosophila. We have identified a conserved motif (Motif 1) near the amino terminus of Cnn that is essential for its function in vivo. Cnn Motif 1 is necessary for proper recruitment of γ-tubulin, D-TACC (the homolog of vertebrate transforming acidic coiled-coil proteins [TACC]), and Minispindles (Msps) to embryonic centrosomes but is not required for assembly of other centrosome components including Aurora A kinase and CP60. Centrosome separation and centrosomal satellite formation are severely disrupted in Cnn Motif 1 mutant embryos. However, actin organization into pseudocleavage furrows, though aberrant, remains partially intact. These data show that Motif 1 is necessary for some but not all of the activities conferred on centrosome function by intact Cnn.
Vegetative and Reproductive Biomass Accumulation in Field Com: Response to Root Injury by Western Com Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

A 2-yr field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of larval injury by western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, on vegetative and reproductive biomass accumulation of field corn, Zea mays L. Studies in 1989 were conducted in irrigated, silty clay loam soil, whereas in 1990, the possible interacting effects of soil texture (silty clay loam, loam, and sandy loam) and soil moisture (furrow-irrigated and dryland) were examined. In both years, during the early phases of injury (feeding by first and second instars), the vegetative biomass was detrimentally affected. Larval infestations reduced leaf area and leaf wet weight by up to 17.4%. However, during the period of peak injury by third instars and during the postinjury period, the plant biomass accumulation response differed slightly between the 2 yr. Overcompensatory and exact compensatory responses were noted in 1989 and 1990, respectively. In 1989, dry weights of injured plants were greater than the uninjured plants at ≈2 wk following pupation and in 1990, plants from the two treatments had similar biomass. The reason for the differing response was probably related to the plant development stage at the time of peak injury. In 1989, plants were in the V15 stage, averaging 8,350 cm2 leaf area, whereas in 1990, plants were in the V8-V10 stage with 4,761.3 cm2 leaf area. The greater amount of photosynthetically active tissue in 1989 compared with 1990 may have allowed the plants to respond better to the injury. In addition, rootworrn-injured plants were unable to utilize, for the production of vegetative biomass, the supplemental soil moisture through irrigation compared with uninjured plants. The root injury apparently inhibited the plants from utilizing the soil moisture. Plant response to stress was generally similar in all three soil textures. The compensation and maintenance of unaltered levels of vegetative tissue biomass appeared to be at the sacrifice of reproductive tissue biomass. Western com rootworrn larval injury consistently reduced com grain yield by up to 15.0% in 1989 and by 40.7% in 1990.
CEO Duality: A Review and Research Agenda

CEO duality—the practice of a single individual serving as both CEO and board chair—has been the subject of academic interest for more than 20 years. In that time, boards’ use of CEO duality has fluctuated and the scholarly conceptualizations of the phenomenon have become more complex. As such, the need to understand CEO duality has only increased with time. We review and integrate the disparate literature on this topic so that future attempts to study it will benefit from a more complete understanding of the knowledge already produced. We review the demonstrated antecedents and consequences of CEO duality, pointing out that while much work has been done in this area, much remains that we do not understand. Finally, we offer new theoretical, methodological, and contextual directions that researchers could explore to extend knowledge about CEO duality.
KTP/LBO Laser Vaporization of the Prostate

Laser-based treatments have emerged in the past 15 years as an alternative to transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia. Increasing demand for a minimally invasive procedure to alleviate lower urinary tract symptoms with greater efficacy and fewer side effects has led to the introduction of various lasers. The excellent clinical outcomes, low morbidity, technical simplicity, and cost-effectiveness of GreenLight laser photoselective vaporization have made this technology a valid and efficacious clinical alternative to TURP.
Role of HtrA in Surface Protein Expression and Biofilm Formation by Streptococcus mutans

The HtrA surface protease in gram-positive bacteria is involved in the processing and maturation of extracellular proteins and degradation of abnormal or misfolded proteins. Inactivation of htrA has been shown to affect the tolerance to thermal and environmental stress and to reduce virulence. We found that inactivation of Streptococcus mutans htrA by gene-replacement also resulted in a reduced ability to withstand exposure to low and high temperatures, low pH, and oxidative and DNA damaging agents. The htrA mutation affected surface expression of several extracellular proteins including glucan-binding protein B (GbpB), glucosyltransferases, and fructosyltransferase. In addition, htrA mutation also altered the surface expression of enolase and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenease, two glycolytic enzymes that are known to be present on the streptococcal cell surface. As expected, microscopic analysis of in vitro grown biofilm structure revealed that the htrA deficient biofilms adopted a much more granular patchy appearance, rather than the relatively smooth confluent layer normally seen in the wild type. These results suggest that HtrA plays an important role in the biogenesis of extracellular proteins including surface associated glycolytic enzymes and in biofilm formation of S. mutans.
Influence of Advective Accelerations on Estuarine Exchange at a Chesapeake Bay Tributary

AbstractThe influence of nonlinear advection on estuarine exchange flow was investigated with observations at the transition between the James River and Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads, Virginia. Data were collected under different tidal forcing, wind forcing, and river discharge in 2004 and 2005. The relative contribution of nonlinear advective terms to the along-channel momentum balance had the same order of magnitude as pressure gradient and friction, verifying recent analytical and numerical model results. Both the magnitude and the spatial distribution of nonlinear advection showed fortnightly variability. Nonlinear advection was more influential on along-channel flow at spring tides than at neap tides because of increased tidal velocities, in a cross-sectionally averaged sense. The flow structures induced by each nonlinear advective process were investigated for the first time with observations. The lateral advection term υuy was found to enhance laterally sheared exchange acting along with Coriolis f...
Assessing brain plasticity across the lifespan with transcranial magnetic stimulation: why, how, and what is the ultimate goal?

Sustaining brain and cognitive function across the lifespan must be one of the main biomedical goals of the XXI Century. We need to aim to prevent neuropsychiatric diseases and, thus, to identify and remediate brain and cognitive dysfunction before clinical symptoms manifest and disability develops. The brain undergoes a complex array of changes from developmental years into old age, putatively the underpinnings of changes in cognition and behavior throughout life. A functionally ‘normal’ brain is a changing brain, a brain whose capacity and mechanisms of change are shifting appropriately from one time-point to another in a given individual’s life. Therefore, assessing the mechanisms of brain plasticity across the lifespan is critical to gain insight into an individual’s brain health. Indexing brain plasticity in humans is possible with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which, in combination with neuroimaging, provides a powerful tool for exploring local cortical and brain network plasticity. Here, we review investigations to date, summarize findings, and discuss some of the challenges that need to be solved to enhance the use of TMS measures of brain plasticity across all ages. Ultimately, TMS measures of plasticity can become the foundation for a brain health index to enable objective correlates of an individual’s brain health over time, assessment across diseases and disorders, and reliable evaluation of indicators of efficacy of future preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in adolescents born weighing <2000 grams.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the diagnostic prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in a low birth weight (LBW) cohort. METHODS: Participants belonged to a regional birth cohort of infants (N = 1105) born weighing RESULTS: Samples retained at ages 16 and 21 years were representative of samples assessed at earlier ages except for lower levels of social risk. Of positive screens, 11 of 70 had ASD; of negative screens, 3 of 119 had ASD. The fractions of the 2 screening groups with ASD (14.3% in screen-positives and 2.5% in screen negatives) were weighted by fractions of screen-positives and screen-negatives among the adolescents (18.8% and 81.2%, respectively). This calculation produced an estimated prevalence rate of ASD in the entire cohort of 5% (31 of 623). CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic prevalence of ASD in this LBW preterm cohort was higher than that reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for 8-year-olds in the general US population in 2006.
Despair over disparities: challenges and pathways to "affordable care".

The Affordable Care Act attempts to address our nation's 3 principal intertwined health care challenges: variable access, disparate quality, and spiraling costs. Many uncertainties remain regarding the characteristics of the system that will evolve as we try to meet these challenges. What will be
Yichud Rachel and Leah: Same-Sex Kabbalistic/Poetic Hermeneutics

The kabbalistic literature contains erotic descriptions of the unification between the masculine and the feminine aspects of God. This article introduces another significant unification -- same-sex relationship between the feminine aspects of God, sefirat Shekhinah and sefirat Binah. It focuses on the relationships between mother and daughter, sisters, and lovers in the Zohar and in Hebrew poems by Chaim Nachman Bialik (1873-1934) and Zelda (Shneurson Mishkowsky, 1914-1984). According to the Zohar, the Shekhinah, as the divine archetype of eternal womanhood, is actually embodied in the particular personalities of the mortal woman. This intriguing notion from a feminist perspective reveals a more complex model for the relationship between a female mystic/poet and the Shekhinah.
Perceiving the Problem of Disenchantment

In light of the framing of Asprem’s book in terms of Problemgeschichte, we can ask what is meant by a “problem.” Problems, as he uses it, are grounded in human experience, which means that for problems to be problems people have to perceive them as such. The problem of disenchantment thus entails both (1) the perception of the problem and (2) various responses to the problem. Asprem focuses primarily on the way people responded to the problem. But we can also ask how, when, and why people perceived the problem in the first place. If recognizing a problem can be construed in terms of “event perception” then we can view Problemgeschichte as involving the perception of problems at a whole range of levels from our perception of the historical past, our personal past, and what just happened, thus allowing for a fuller integration between sociology and psychology.
More on Moore-Penrose Inverses

The various properties of A+ discussed in this section are fundamental to the theory of Moore-Penrose inverses. In many cases, proofs simply require verification that the defining equations in (2.2) are satisfied for A and some particular matrix X. Having illustrated this proof technique in a number of cases, we will leave the remaining similar arguments as exercises.
SIMPLE, INEXPENSIVE SUCTION ELECTRODE SYSTEM FOR THE STUDENT PHYSIOLOGY LABORATORY

A versatile, inexpensive, easily constructed suction electrode system is described that can be used for routine exercises by the student on, or for demonstrations of, the electrophysiology of frog sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius and sartorius muscles. A disposable plastic syringe and a disposable pipette with Ag-AgCl wire comprise the suction electrode. Six readily manipulable electrodes are installed in the walls of the Plexiglas preparation bath, and an arbitrary number of additional "free" electrodes can be placed where desired. An optional small chamber, formed from a disposable plastic culture dish and Gootch rubber tubing, provides for "barrier" recording within the larger chamber. Interpretations are given of the electrical responses of nerve and muscle in terms of longitudinal currents along the preparation within the suction electrode tubes.
Ralstonia solanacearum lipopeptide induces chlamydospore development in fungi and facilitates bacterial entry into fungal tissues

Ralstonia solanacearum is a globally distributed soil-borne plant pathogenic bacterium, which shares a broad ecological range with many plant- and soil-associated fungi. We sought to determine if R. solanacearum chemical communication directs symbiotic development of polymicrobial consortia. R. solanacearum produced a diffusible metabolite that induced conserved morphological differentiation in 34 species of fungi across three diverse taxa (Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes and Zygomycetes). Fungi exposed to this metabolite formed chlamydospores, survival structures with thickened cell walls. Some chlamydospores internally harbored R. solanacearum, indicating a newly described endofungal lifestyle for this important plant pathogen. Using imaging mass spectrometry and peptidogenomics, we identified an undescribed lipopeptide, ralsolamycin, produced by an R. solanacearum non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-polyketide synthase hybrid. Inactivation of the hybrid non-ribosomal peptide synthetase-polyketide synthase gene, rmyA, abolished ralsolamycin synthesis. R. solanacearum mutants lacking ralsolamycin no longer induced chlamydospore development in fungal coculture and invaded fungal hyphae less well than wild-type. We propose that ralsolamycin contributes to the invasion of fungal hyphae and that the formation of chlamydospores may provide not only a specific niche for bacterial colonization but also enhanced survival for the partnering fungus.
Capillary Tube Kjeldahl Method for Determining Protein Content of 5 to 20 Milligrams of Tissue Fluid

SummaryA technic is given for obtaining 5 to 20 mg of subcutaneous fluid in subjects with minimal edema. A capillary tube Kjeldahl method for determining the protein content of small amounts of edema fluid is described.
JASON Navigation Shadowing Activities at NASA/JPL for the First Five Years

The JASON (Joint Altimetry Satellite Oceanogra phy Network) satellite continues its successful study of large -scale ocean circulation and provides coverage of 90% of the world’s oceans during its ten -day repeat cy cle. Launched on 7 December 2001 , this joint project between NASA and CNES (Centre Nationa l d’Etudes Spatiale) builds on the legacy of the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite mission. This paper highlights the different JASON mission phases during its first five years and describes the operational JASON navigation shadowing activities at NASA/JPL performe d by the TOPEX/Poseidon navigators.
Road detection in arid environments using uniformly distributed random based features

The capability of detecting an unpaved road in arid environments can greatly enhance an explosive hazard detection system. One approach is to segment out the off-road area and the area above the horizon, which is considered to be irrelevant for the task in hand. Segmenting out irrelevant areas, such as the region above the horizon, allows the explosive hazard detection system to process a smaller region in a scene, enabling a more computationally complex approach. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for speeding up the detection algorithms based on random projection and random selection. Both methods have a low computational cost and reduce the dimensionality of the data while approximately preserving, with a certain probability, the pair-wise point distances. Dimensionality reduction allows any classifier employed in our proposed algorithm to consume fewer computational resources. Furthermore, by applying the random projections directly to image intensity patches, there is no feature extraction needed. The data used in our proposed algorithms are obtained from sensors on board a U.S. Army countermine vehicle. We tested our proposed algorithms on data obtained from several runs on an arid climate road. In our experiments we compare our algorithms based on random projection and random selection to Principal Component Analysis (PCA), a popular dimensionality reduction method.
Mechanical properties of node of beam and column end-plate connections under fire

In this paper,the ANSYS computational model for node of beam and column end-plate with door frame semi-rigid end-plate connections is analyzed,whereby a relationship between the rotation angle and temperature is obtained.Also the critical temperature for extreme rotation angle is achieved.The results provide an economic and feasible method for the analysis of node performance.It is found that during the ANSYS model calculations,use of EC3 high temperature properties of steel is more reasonable.
Laparoscopic treatment in mild gallstone pancreatitis

[Objective] To discuss the method of laparoscopic treatment in mild gallstone pancreatitis. [Method] Common bile duct was dissociated and cystic duct closed to ampulla was occluded by clip. Lateral incision of cystic duct was made and drainage tube with a diameter of 2 mm was inserted. If cholangiography showed that there was no existing bile stone and the end of common bile duct was unobstructed, the drainage tube was fixed . If the bile drainage was good, the operation could be finished. Post operation, drainage tube might be pulled out after blood and urine amylase were normal and the patients were discharged 1 or 2 days later. [Results] 31 cases of gallstone pancreatitis were treated, and all these patients were diagnosed as mild gallstone pancreatitis. From 1 to 5 days after operation, blood amylase became normal, symptoms disappeared, and bile leakage did not happen in all cases. [Conclusion] Gallstone pancreatitis can be effectively treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy and bile duct drainage through cystic duct. It can effectively relieve pressure of the common bile duct, prevent pancreatitis from deteriorating and stimulate recovery. Lateral incision of cystic duct will closed because of its elastic contraction and bile leakage does not happen. Without common bile duct discussion, hospitalization and drainage time will be shortened and patients suffering will be relieved.