cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Surface Tarp on Emissions and Distribution of Drip-Applied Fumigants

Soil fumigants are used to control a wide variety of soil-borne pests in high-cash-value crops. Application of soil fumigants through drip irrigation systems is receiving increasing attention as a method to improve the uniformity of fumigant application. Little information is available on the emissions and soil distribution of fumigants following subsurface drip application, or the effect of plastic tarp on fumigant emissions in these systems. In these experiments, the fumigant compounds 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), Vapam (a methyl isothiocyanate (MITC) precursor), and propargyl bromide (PrBr) were applied to soil beds via drip irrigation at 15 cm depth. Beds were tarped with either standard 1-mil high-density polyethylene (HDPE) or a virtually impermeable film (VIF), leaving the furrows bare. Cumulative emissions of 1,3-D, MITC, and PrBr in these tarped bedded systems was very low, amounting to <10% of the applied mass. These experiments were conducted in the winter months, with average air temperatures ...
Dynamic pharyngeal collapse in racehorses.

Summary Reason for performing study: Dynamic pharyngeal collapse (PC) is a condition seen in racehorses that can be career-ending. Objectives: To characterise and grade PC and describe the effects of PC on athletic performance. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for 828 horses, of which 49 (6%) records were identified as horses with a primary diagnosis of PC. Tapes of video-endoscopy of the pharynx during exercise were reviewed. Each video recording was assigned a grade (0–4) reflecting the degree of PC and a classification for severity of upper airway obstruction. Earnings per race prior to diagnosis of PC were compared to earnings per race after diagnosis of PC for all horses, as well as performance index (PI). Available exercising arterial blood gases were reviewed for horses with PC. Results: There were 35 (80%) Thoroughbreds (TB), and 9 (20%) Standardbreds (STD). 32 (73%) had a history of making an upper respiratory noise. 4 (9%) grade 1 PC, 8 (18%) grade 2 PC, 26 (59%) grade 3 PC, and 6 (14%) grade 4 PC. Seven (16%) horses were classified as mild PC, 18 (41%) as low-moderate PC, 14 (32%) as high-moderate PC, and 5 (11%) as severe PC. Of 30 horses 11 had abnormally decreased PaO2 and 8 horses had abnormally elevated PaCO2. A significant decrease was found in earnings per race prediagnosis when compared to post diagnosis earnings per race in horses ≥4 years of age (P = 0.003). A significant decrease was also observed for earnings per race prediagnosis when compared to post diagnosis earnings per race in horses with grade 3 PC (P = 0.03) No significant differences were observed in PI before or after diagnosis of PC. Conclusions: There was a trend for PC to be observed in more TB than STD, and more males than females compared to the general hospital population. Horses with PC significant had decreases in arterial oxygenation. Racing records after a diagnosis of PC in all horses ≥4 years of age suggesting that older horses have a guarded prognosis for continued success. Potential relevance: This study provides a classification system for dynamic pharyngeal collapse and suggests that older racehorses (≥4 years of age) diagnosed with PC and all horses with grade 3 PC have a poor prognosis for return to previous level of performance.
The isotope dependence of the equilibrium rotational constants in 1Σ states of diatomic molecules

Abstract From spectroscopic observations it is possible to deduce an adiabatic bond length for each isotope of a diatomic molecule. It is shown that the adiabatic bond lengths of the different isotopes depend linearly on the reciprocals of the masses of the two atoms, with coefficients that are in general distinct. Most previous treatments have assumed that the coefficients are equal. A similar mass-dependence applies to the bond lengths derived directly from the values of Y 01 (≈ B e ). This behavior can be used to deduce the equilibrium bond length of the molecule in the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. Applications to the precise experimental data for CO, HCl, and LiCl are described, but only in the case of CO is there a definite indication that the two coefficients in the adiabatic bond length are required experimentally.
Influence of specialty training and experience on endodontic decision making

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to compare decision-making choices among dentists with different levels of training. Methods: Scanned periapical radiographs and a leaflet with relevant information of 17 endodontically treated teeth were mailed to 40 undergraduate students, 25 general practitioners, 20 postgraduate students, and 40 endodontists. All teeth were symptom-free. The hypothetical scenario referred to patients who sought treatment for first time and had noncontributory medical history. Five treatment options were given for each situation: (1) Extraction, (2) Surgical Retreatment, (3) Nonsurgical Retreatment, (4) Wait and See, and (5) No Therapy. Statistical analysis was performed by using multinomial logistic regression models. Results: The overall response rate was 70.4%, with endodontists exhibiting the lowest response. The undergraduates gave 4 or 5 treatment solutions for all cases,incontrasttoendodontists,whogave2or3treatment solutions in a percentage of 82%. Nonsurgical Retreatment predominated among the participants’ choices. Significant differences were detected in (1) Extraction for postgraduate students (P = .008) and endodontists (P = .001), (2) Surgical Retreatment for general practitioners (P = .002), postgraduate students (P = .002), and endodontists (P = .001), and (3) Wait and See for postgraduate students (P = .023). Conclusions: Differences in specialty training and experience strongly influence endodontic decision making. Endodontists showed the most consistent agreement among the groups. (J Endod 2010;36:1130‐1134)
De‐moralizing Disgustingness

Understanding disgustingness is philosophically important partly because claims about disgustingness play a prominent role in moral discourse and practice. It is also important because disgustingness has been used to illustrate the promise of “neo-sentimentalism.” Recently developed by moral philosophers such as David Wiggins, John McDowell, Simon Blackburn. Justin D'Arms and Dan Jacobson, neo-sentimentalism holds that for a thing to be disgusting is for it to be “appropriate” to respond to it with disgust. In this paper, I argue that from what we currently know about the disgust response. these accounts are mistaken. Instead, disgustingness is best understood as a descriptive property: fundamentally, things that are disgusting-for-S are things that possess triggers for S's disgust mechanism. Theoretically, my account puts pressure on neo-sentimentalists to show that the responses they appeal to can anchor normative properties. Practically, my account shows that we must abandon authoritative claims that certain things really are—or are not—disgusting.
A locus in human extrastriate cortex for visual shape analysis

Positron emission tomography (PET) was used to locate an area in human extrastriate cortex that subserves a specific component process of visual object recognition. Regional blood flow increased in a bilateral extrastriate area on the inferolateral surface of the brain near the border between the occipital and temporal lobes (and a smaller area in the right fusiform gyms) when subjects viewed line drawings of 3-dimensional objects compared to viewing scrambled drawings with no clear shape interpretation. Responses were Seen for both novel and familiar objects, implicating this area in the bottom-up (i.e., memory-independent) analysis of visual shape.
Development of a viral insecticide: Concept to commercialization☆

Abstract About 18 months ago, on December 8, 1970, the Food and Drug Administration officially granted the Heliothis nucleo polyhedrosis virus (NPV) the status of temporary exemption from requirement of a tolerance. This NPV, registered for use against Heliothis on cotton, has also been extensively tested on Heliothis species attacking corn, sorghum, tobacco and truck crops. This was the first time an insect virus had been officially registered by a federal agency for use as an insecticide. More recently Spain has registered this virus, and other governments also are in the process of registering the virus. The historical and technical development of this virus from concept to commercialization is the subject of this presentation. The virus, first isolated from diseased Heliothis attacking cotton in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, was successfully developed through laboratory, pilot-plant, and commercial phases. At each phase the virus was evaluated on the basis of: (1) its safety to man, animals, and plants; (2) its production feasibility and costs; and (3) its effectiveness against the specific target pest. Currently, two companies (International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, Libertyville, Ill., and Nutrilite Products, Inc., Buena Vista, Calif.) are producing the Heliothis NPV under their trade names Viron/H and Biotrol VHZ, respectively, for experimental programs and for limited sales.
Sequence of a rotavirus gene 4 associated with unique biologic properties.

The genome segment 4 of the simian rotavirus variant SA 11-4 F was sequenced. This gene is of probable bovine origin, and it contains a few amino acid differences when compared with other SA 11 variants (4 fm and fem) that were isolated independently and that have fast migration patterns of their gene 4 segments. Hypotheses for the role of sequence changes are made relative to the unique properties of the SA 11-4 F variant.
A preliminary investigation on the relationship between color-word Stroop task performance and delusion-proneness in nonpsychiatric adults

Abstract The current study examined whether there is a relationship between the dimension of delusion-proneness and performance on the color-word Stroop task. As dysfunction in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has been related to both Stroop task performance and the presence of delusions in various psychiatric populations, we hypothesized that impaired Stroop performance would relate to increased delusion-proneness in a nonpsychiatric sample. A total of 36 college students, representing a wide range of scores on a measure of delusion-proneness (Peters et al. Delusions Inventory—PDI-21), completed a computerized version of the classic color-word Stroop task. Results revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between the PDI-21 score and the Stroop effect. The pattern of results suggests that reduced efficiency of Stroop performance is related to increasing levels of delusion-proneness. This study appears to be the first to report this relationship across a continuum of delusion-proneness in a nonpsychiatric sample. This finding contributes to the cognitive neurobiological understanding of delusions and adds further support for the dimensional construct of propensity for delusions.
Diltiazen enhances and flunarizine inhibits nimodipine's antiseizure effects

The dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist, nimodipine has antiepileptic and anticonvulsive properties that are thought to be mediated through neuronal calcium channel blockade. The dihydropyridine binding site can be positively and negatively allosterically regulated by the benzothiazepines and the phenylalkylamines/piperazines, respectively. We investigated this binding interaction at the physiologic level by examining the effects of diltiazem (a benzothiazepine) and flunarizine (a piperazine) on the antiseizure activity of nimodipine. Seizures were induced with pentylenetetrazole in awake rats with chronically implanted EEG electrodes. Calcium channel antagonists were administered intracerebroventricularly 30 min after pentylenetytrazole at doses given at 15 min intervals. Diltiazem and flunarizine alone lacked antiseizure properties. The calculated ED50 values for nimodipine were: nimodipine alone = 135 μg; nimodipine + diltiazem (100 μg) = 67 μg. Nimodipine + flunarizine (10 μg) completely suppressed nimodipine's antiseizure activity. These findings may reflect the interaction observed among these agents at binding sites associated with the calcium channel and supports the idea that dihydropyridines mediate their antiseizure actions through neuronal calcium channel antagonism.
Measured module performance variation and the opportunity for distributed power electronics: Analysis of 27 PV arrays in the Southwestern U.S.

A custom multitracer system has been designed to collect simultaneous, module-level I-V curves over an entire array. This system is used to acquire high and low light module performance data for over 500 modules, deployed in 27 arrays including six different PV technologies in the Southwestern U.S. The modules' current and voltage parameters show relatively little variation in arrays which are five years old or newer, but in older arrays the mean absolute deviation of maximum power between modules may approach 20% or more. Individual module performance models are created from the data and incorporated into hourly energy simulations for each array. Annual mismatch loss (and thus potential for increased energy capture using distributed power electronics) is found to be minimal, less than 1% for most arrays, but in several it is as high as 1-3% when simulated in their installed configurations. Factors contributing to mismatch loss are analyzed, including investigation of the impact of array orientation, size, module ordering, and string wiring configuration. Varying these factors has little impact on some arrays, but on one it creates scenarios in which the annual mismatch losses may exceed 10%.
A wind turbine hybrid simulation framework considering aeroelastic effects

In performing an effective structural analysis for wind turbine, the simulation of turbine aerodynamic loads is of great importance. The interaction between the wake flow and the blades may impact turbine blades loading condition, energy yield and operational behavior. Direct experimental measurement of wind flow field and wind profiles around wind turbines is very helpful to support the wind turbine design. However, with the growth of the size of wind turbines for higher energy output, it is not convenient to obtain all the desired data in wind-tunnel and field tests. In this paper, firstly the modeling of dynamic responses of large-span wind turbine blades will consider nonlinear aeroelastic effects. A strain-based geometrically nonlinear beam formulation will be used for the basic structural dynamic modeling, which will be coupled with unsteady aerodynamic equations and rigid-body rotations of the rotor. Full wind turbines can be modeled by using the multi-connected beams. Then, a hybrid simulation experimental framework is proposed to potentially address this issue. The aerodynamic-dominant components, such as the turbine blades and rotor, are simulated as numerical components using the nonlinear aeroelastic model; while the turbine tower, where the collapse of failure may occur under high level of wind load, is simulated separately as the physical component. With the proposed framework, dynamic behavior of NREL’s 5MW wind turbine blades will be studied and correlated with available numerical data. The current work will be the basis of the authors’ further studies on flow control and hazard mitigation on wind turbine blades and towers.
Ca2+/Calmodulin Kinase II Translocates in a Hippocampal Slice Model of Ischemia

Rat hippocampal slices were exposed to conditions that simulate an ischemic insult, and the subcellular distribution and the enzymatic activity of Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase) were monitored. Semiquantitative western blots using a monoclonal antibody to the 50-kDa α subunit showed that there was a significant redistribution of the enzyme from a supernatant to a pellet fraction after 10 min of an anoxic/aglycemic insult. No significant change in the total amount of CaM kinase enzyme was detected in the homogenates for up to 20 min of exposure to the insult. Ca 2+ /CaM-dependent enzyme activity did not significantly change in the pellet during the 20-min insult. Supernatant activity decreased throughout the insult. The persistence of Ca 2+ /CaM-dependent CaM kinase activity in the pellet fraction and the detected movement of enzyme from the supernatant to the pellet indicate that redistribution may be an important mechanism in regulating the cellular location of CaM kinase activity
World Health Organization and International Prognostic Scoring System: The Limitations of Current Classification Systems in Assessing Prognosis and Determining Appropriate Therapy in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of disorders with a wide range of clinical and pathologic manifestations. A number of prognostic and morphologic classifications have been developed that can be helpful in terms of defining the characteristics of populations of patients in clinical trials and longitudinal observational studies, and sometimes in allowing comparisons of the outcomes of different treatment approaches. They are less helpful in guiding treatment decisions in individual patients and, unfortunately, provide little insight into the poorly understood biology of MDS. The merits and limitations of these classification systems are discussed.
Hot lines in the Earth's mantle

THE mantle ‘hot spot’ or ‘plume’ hypothesis of Wilson1 and Morgan2 has been used to explain linear chains of volcanic islands and seamounts as well as aseismic ridges. These features of the ocean basins were presumably caused by the motion of lithospheric plates over mantle plumes, since it is assumed that unusually intense volcanism occurs at the Earth's surface above mantle plumes. Initially it was suggested that hot spots do not move relative to the lithosphere or to each other1,2, but it was later proposed that some hot spots undergo a limited amount of motion relative to each other3,4. Here we hypothesise that some linear volcanic chains are the expression not of lithospheric motion over mantle hot spots but of ‘hot lines’ in the mantle, above which volcanism occurs intermittently.
Web Services and IT Management: Web services aren’t just for application integration anymore.

Platform and programming language independence, coupled with industry momentum, has made Web services the technology of choice for most enterprise integration projects. Their close relationship with SOA (service-oriented architecture) has also helped them gain mindshare. Consider this definition of SOA: "An architectural style whose goal is to achieve loose coupling among interacting software agents. A service is a unit of work done by a service provider to achieve desired end results for a service consumer. Both provider and consumer are roles played by software agents on behalf of their owners." Although SOA doesn’t mandate Web services, its emphasis on loose coupling requires use of something with the characteristics of Web services.
Learning from Strategic Success and Failure

Abstract Organizations facing complex, ambiguous, and dynamic environments find adaptive learning a key to survival and success. This study proposes three models of organization response in such environments: 1) A model of how aspiration levels or goals adapt over time, 2) a model of the riskiness of strategic choices made, and 3) a model of the innovativeness of search activities (R & D). In each model, the difference between performance and aspiration level is posited to be an important explanatory variable. Using the Markstrat game as a research environment, the data are consistent with all three models.
Reactive compensation techniques to improve the ride-through capability of wind turbine during disturbance

World wind energy capacity expanded at an annual rate of 25% during the 1990s. The total world wind turbine installation capacity was approximately 40 000 MW at the end of 2003. Germany has the highest installed capacity of over 10 000 MW, while Denmark, where the wind energy accounts for more than 13% of electricity consumed, has the highest wind energy level per capita. The United States is catching up in the development of wind farms, with several large-scale wind generation projects currently being materialized. Even though there is significant progress in the wind generation technology, most of the currently installed wind turbines utilize induction generators to produce the electricity. Since the induction generators do not perform voltage regulation and absorb reactive power from the utility grid, they are often the source of voltage fluctuations. It is necessary to examine their responses during the faults and possible impacts on the system stability when the percentage of the wind generation increases. This paper compares the steady-state voltage profile and the voltage ride-through capabilities of the induction-generator-based wind farms with different reactive compensation techniques.
PT-09TARGETED THERAPY IN GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME PRESENTING AS GLIOMATOSIS CEREBRI

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) presenting as gliomatosis cerebri (GC) is a rare aggressive neoplasm of the central nervous system (CNS) with a median survival of less than one year. To-date no well-defined therapeutic strategy exists for these tumors. We report our experience of the likely benefit of using an individualized personalized therapeutic (IPT) approach to profile a new combinatorial treatment regimen in a child with GBM/GC of the CNS. CASE REPORT: An 8-year-old male with a Lansky score of 50 presented with headache, dysarthria and ataxia. MRI of the CNS showed tumor involvement of the thalamus, cerebellum, brain stem and spinal cord. Pathology of the biopsy performed was consistent with GBM. Diffuse positivity of the tumor for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was noted by immunohistochemistry. He received radiation therapy along with temozolomide followed by adjuvant therapy with temozolomide, irinotecan, and bevacizumab every 28 days. After 2 cycles, he demonstrated disease progression. Based on the diffuse EGFR expression profile of his tumor, Erlotinib (EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitor) was started orally daily. Marked response was noted clinically and by neuroimaging. However, following six cycles, MRI of the brain demonstrated a new lesion in the frontal lobe. Temsirolimus (m-TOR inhibitor) was added to Erlotinib. Currently he continues to tolerate this regimen, remains well with a Lansky scale of 80, 16 months post-diagnosis. DISCUSSION: EGFR-AKT-mTOR pathway is known to be up-regulated in GBM justifying targeting multiple oncogenic drivers and report the likely benefit of using erlonitib with temsirolimus. Prospective studies are warranted to standardize an IPT approach for such rare pediatric CNS tumors. Future studies will explore the potential benefit of this regimen targeting key molecules of this signaling pathway driving GBM tumorogenesis and evaluate its therapeutic efficacy in improving overall survival in comparison to historical controls.
The Marriage Well at Teltown: holy well ritual at royal cult sites and the rite of temporary marriage

This article discusses Lag an Aonaigh, the ‘Marriage Well’ of Teltown, and the unusual temporary marriage ritual that once took place there during the annual Lughnasa festival. The relationship of Lag an Aonaigh to the modern and ancient fairs (aonach and oenach), and to the broader cult of holy wells is considered, which it is suggested largely represents the local adoption of the Mediterranean healing-spring cult. The article investigates the possibility that this marriage rite was informed by lore of a divine wedding at Teltown, and by the inaugurations carried out at many royal centres that entailed the matrimonial symbolism of the king marrying the Goddess of the land. The relationship of this site to the broader landscape of Teltown, especially to the nearby Knockans linear earthwork is explored. This relationship is then used to analyse the landscapes of the other main ‘royal’ sites, where linear earthworks similar to the Knockans that terminate near springs or ponds are also found. It is considere...
An Insulated Evaporimeter

Evaporation was measured from a circular evaporation pan, 18 inches in diameter and 8 inches deep. The pan was insulated on the sides and bottom using 2 inches of freon-blown polyurethane foam. A U.S. Weather Bureau Class A evaporation pan was used to obtain reference evaporation measurements. Water evaporation from the Class A pan and the insulated pan were highly correlated. Using a water-methanol mixture, the insulated pan may be operated at temperatures below 32 F; the equivalent liquid water evaporation may be determined using a regression equation.
Theoretical analysis of strategies for improving p-type conductivity in wurtzite III-nitride devices for high-power opto- and microelectronic applications

Achieving high p-type conductivity is one of the most significant bottlenecks to the efficient operation of wurtzite III-N based optoelectronic and microelectronic devices. Through judicious volumetric redistribution of fixed negative polarization charge, compositionally graded layers may be exploited to achieve nearly flat valence band profiles free from electrostatic barriers to hole injection into the active region. This may potentially ameliorate problems associated with poor p-type conductivity and inefficient hole transport that complicates the design of DUV laser diodes and light emitting diodes. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Cascading tree sheets and recombinant HTML: better encapsulation and retargeting of web content

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) took a valuable step towards separating web content from presentation. But HTML pages still contain large amounts of "design scaffolding" needed to hierarchically layer content for proper presentation. This paper presents Cascading Tree Sheets (CTS), a CSS-like language for separating this presentational HTML from real content. With CTS, authors can use standard CSS selectors to describe how to graft presentational scaffolding onto their pure-content HTML. This improved separation of content from presentation enables even naive authors to incorporate rich layouts (including interactive Javascript) into their own pages simply by linking to a tree sheet and adding some class names to their HTML.
Intrapulmonary vascular shunt pathways in alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins

Alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACD/MPV) is a lethal neonatal lung disease characterised by severe pulmonary hypertension, abnormal vasculature and intractable hypoxaemia. Mechanisms linking abnormal lung vasculature with severe hypoxaemia in ACD/MPV are unknown. We investigated whether bronchopulmonary anastomoses form right-to-left shunt pathways in ACD/MVP. We studied 2 infants who died of ACD/MPV postmortem with direct injections of coloured ink into the pulmonary artery, bronchial artery and pulmonary veins. Extensive histological evaluations included serial sectioning, immunostaining and 3-dimensional reconstruction demonstrated striking intrapulmonary vascular pathways linking the systemic and pulmonary circulations that bypass the alveolar capillary bed. These data support the role of prominent right-to-left intrapulmonary vascular shunt pathways in the pathophysiology of ACD/MPV.
PerfectDoc: a ground truthing environment for complex documents

In this paper, we present PerfectDoc; a ground truthing and document correction tool. The tool provides post processing correction capabilities that are required after complex document analysis and understanding tasks. The tool has the advantage of being comprehensive (integration of most common correction tasks), easy to use (minimal clicks for corrections), configurable (can be used for different types of documents), and provides separate correction views. We used the tool to correct the output from a document understanding system used to extract articles from 80-years archive of Time weekly magazine.
An analysis of force-reduced toroidal magnets

Superconductors alleviate the problem of Joule losses in electromagnetic devices, but an upper limit on large-scale electromagnets remains the difficulty in supporting the Lorentz forces within such a magnet. The problem is magnified if the materials are brittle, such as a ceramic superconductor. Recently, we discussed a possible solution to this problem: electromagnets with a force-reduced winding. Producing such a phenomenon may greatly reduce the size and support needed. Force-free finite geometries are not possible due to the limits of the virial theorem, but present-day magnet support masses are up to an order of magnitude greater than the virial limit. We present results from finite element calculations indicating that this design offers substantial improvement over conventional approaches. >
Public Evacuation Decisions and Hurricane Track Uncertainty

Public officials with the authority to order hurricane evacuations face a difficult trade-off between risks to life and costly false alarms. Evacuation decisions must be made on the basis of imperfect information, in the form of forecasts. The quality of these decisions can be improved if they are also informed by measures of uncertainty about the forecast, including estimates of the value of waiting for updated, more accurate, forecasts. Using a stochastic model of storm motion derived from historic tracks, this paper explores the relationship between lead time and track uncertainty for Atlantic hurricanes and the implications of this relationship for evacuation decisions. Typical evacuation clearance times and track uncertainty imply that public officials who require no more than a 10% probability of failing to evacuate before a striking hurricane (a false negative) must accept that at least 76%---and for some locations over 90%---of evacuations will be false alarms. Reducing decision lead times from 72 to 48 hours for major population centers could save an average of hundreds of millions of dollars in evacuation costs annually, with substantial geographic variation in savings.
The Effect of Temperature, Dietary Energy Level, and Corn Particle Size on Broiler Performance

Experiments were conducted to study the effect on broiler performance of grinding corn with different hammer mill screen openings (HMSO). Corn for Trials 1 and 2 was ground through HMSO of 3.18 or 9.59 mm and broilers were grown at 15.5 and 26.6 C in Trial 1 and at 26.6 C in Trial 2. Dietary energy levels used from 22 to 42 days were 3,050 and 3,230 kcal ME/kg for Trial 1 and 3,230 and 3,330 kcal ME/kg in Trial 2. In all starter and finisher diets, lysine and sulphur amino acid concentrations were similar on a megacalorie basis. In Trials 3 and 4, HMSO were 3.18, 4.76, 6.35, and 7.94 mm. Corn ground through a HMSO of 9.59 mm significantly reduced body weight and feed:gain ratio in Trials 1 and 2 at 21 days as compared with corn ground through an HMSO of 3.18 mm. At 42 days, body weights were reduced when corn was ground through 9.59- and 3.18-mm HMSO for the starter and finisher diets, respectively, as compared with those fed with the corn ground through a 3.18-mm HMSO in the starter diet. In Trials 3 and 4, significant differences in body weight and feed:gain ratios at 21 days were not noted for feed containing corn ground through an HMSO of 3.18, 4.76, 6.35, or 7.94 mm.
The `Too Tall' Child

The subject of the "too tall child" has been discussed. Excessively tall stature is overwhelmingly frequently a physiologic variant, but it must be considered in the context of a young preteenager9s life-style, goals, and apprehensions. Decisions as to whether intervention will be appropriate often cannot be made until considerable insight has been gained and perceptive inquiry undertaken. In view of the complexity of the problem, expert endocrinologic consultation is often sought in order to assure the most rational and appropriate treatment decisions.
A New Instrum ent for Real-Tim e Ethernet Perform ance M easurem ent

In the last few years Ethernet has become the standard de facto for local area network. Nowadays, it is becoming popular also as the physical layer for industrial communications, thanks to its reliability and widespread diffusion. The actual cutting edge is a minimum cycle time in the order of 100 mus and a jitter of 1 mus. Innovative instruments are needed to cope with these performances: usually they are high cost laboratory devices not suitable to be adopted in industrial environment. In this paper a PLD based instrument is proposed: it can be easily transported to an ASIC platform allowing for the implementation of a rugged low cost instrument. A prototype has been realized to verify feasibility and performances
CHILDREN OF SURVIVORS OF THE NAZI HOLOCAUST: A Critical Review of the Literature

This review of published research on children of Holocaust survivors focuses on new directions taken in clinical and experimental studies during the past decade. Methodological problems persisting from earlier research are considered, and suggestions for future research strategies are offered.
Modulation of Feeding Behavior by Odorant-Binding Proteins in Drosophila melanogaster

Nutrient intake and avoidance of toxins are essential for survival and controlled by attractive and aversive feeding responses. Drosophila melanogaster presents one of the best characterized systems for studies on chemosensation, which is mediated by multigene families of chemoreceptors, including olfactory receptors, gustatory receptors, and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). Although the response profiles of gustatory receptors have been well studied, the contribution of OBPs to food intake is largely unknown. As most aversive (“bitter”) tastants are hydrophobic, we hypothesized that OBPs may fulfill an essential function in transporting bitter tastants to gustatory receptors to modulate feeding behavior. Here, we used 16 RNAi lines that inhibit expression of individual target Obp genes and show that OBPs modulate sucrose intake in response to a panel of nine bitter compounds. Similar to their function in olfaction, OBPs appear to interact with bitter compounds in a combinatorial and sex-dependent manner. RNAi-mediated reduction in expression of individual Obp genes resulted either in enhanced or reduced intake of sucrose in the presence of bitter compounds, consistent with roles for OBPs in transporting tastants to bitter taste receptors, sequestering them to limit their access to these receptors, or interacting directly with gustatory neurons that respond to sucrose.
Reducing Postoperative Venous Thromboembolism Complications with a Standardized Risk-Stratified Prophylaxis Protocol and Mobilization Program

Background Data revealed that our urban, academic, safety net medical center was a high outlier for postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE). Our goal was to implement and determine the efficacy of a standardized intervention for reducing postoperative VTE complications. Study Design We developed a strategy to decrease VTE complications, based on standardized electronic physician orders that specify early postoperative mobilization and mandatory VTE risk stratification for every patient, using the "Caprini" grading system. The derived scores dictate the nature and duration of VTE prophylaxis, including on an outpatient basis. Electronic reminders about appropriate VTE prophylaxis are automatically generated before and after operations, and on discharge. Both mechanical (pneumatic compression boots) and pharmacologic prophylaxis (unfractionated or low molecular weight heparin) are used, as indicated by risk level. We conducted a before-and-after trial, comparing National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) VTE outcomes (deep vein thromboses and pulmonary emboli) before and after implementing the standardized risk-stratified protocol combined with a postoperative mobilization program. Measured outcomes included NSQIP-reported raw and risk-adjusted VTE outcomes during 2 years before and after implementing the VTE prevention program. Results The incidence of deep venous thromboses decreased by 84%, from 1.9% to 0.3% (p Conclusions A patient care program, emphasizing early postoperative mobilization along with mandatory VTE risk stratification and commensurate electronic prophylaxis recommendations, significantly reduced the likelihood of VTE complications among our patients.
Coming close and then pulling away

Interventional cardiologists have focused great interest and resources on vascular healing. The obvious reasons for this interest relate to what happens after vascular segments have been manipulated—expanded, stretched, cracked, or otherwise broken—during percutaneous intervention. The earliest energies focused on what happened after balloon dilatation alone. There were four possibilities: (i) a significant dissection developed which disrupted flow and resulted in acute or threatened closure, (ii) the artery was initially stretched but then recoiled within the first 24 h, (iii) the artery healed after the initial injury but then developed neointimal hyperplasia which often resulted in significant stenosis or ischaemia which required treatment, and (iv) the artery healed and did not develop significant neointimal hyperplasia but instead became inert and resistant to subsequent instability. With the introduction of stents, the situation became more complex because a foreign body was placed and became part of the enduring landscape. This development either eliminated or greatly decreased the above-mentioned issues of acute or threatened closure and recoil. However, the longer term … Corresponding author. Tel: +1 507 255 2504; fax: +1 507 255 2550. E-mail address : dholmes{at}mayo.edu/hughes.karyn{at}mayo.edu
Novel and quantitative DNA dot-blotting method for assessment of in vivo proliferation

Immunohistochemical assessment of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) in tissue sections is a widely used method to evaluate cell proliferation in vivo. However, this method requires time-consuming prepa...
The interaction of neutrons with fluorine in NE-226☆

Abstract The neutron-induced reactions on ‘hydrogen-free’ NE-226 have been studied between 6 and 11 MeV. At these energies pulse-shape discrimination between charged-particle reaction products and electrons is possible. The 19 F(n, p) 19 O(g.s.+1) reaction is identified through a comparison of the proton response curve for NE-226 and the corresponding curve for NE-231 (having a hexafluorobenzene and benzene solvent material, respectively). From the (n, p) cross sections obtained from the data it is possible to measure neutron flux in a mixed radiation field.
Putting Response and Natural Resource Damage Costs in Perspective1

ABSTRACT The total private and social cost of oil spills is of great interest to industry, responders, and regulators, but relatively few incidents have been examined in detail. Furthermore, public...
A 1000-year record of Adélie penguin diets in the southern Ross Sea

Non-krill prey remains were recovered from ornithogenic sediments at three active Adelie penguin colonies on Ross Island, to assess long-term dietary trends in this species. Radiocarbon dates place the age of these deposits from a maximum of 947 years ago to the present. We identified 12 taxa of fish and two of squid with the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarcticum) as the most abundant prey species represented at all sites. In addition, silverfish have decreased in importance in Adelie penguin diet over the past 600 years, perhaps in response to climate change since the onset of the Little Ice Age, though it remains much more abundant in current penguin diet in the Ross Sea than in the Antarctic Peninsula. Other prey taxa reflect the diversity of prey selection by Adelie penguins in Antarctica. Received 25 May 2002, accepted 22 August 2002
High‐Resolution, Broad‐Band Microcalorimeters for X‐Ray Microanalysis

Scanning electron microscope (SEM)-based x-ray analyzers have employed wavelength-dispersive x-ray (WDX) diffractometers or energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) detectors as the spectrally resolving elements. In spite of their relatively poor energy resolution (ΔE = 130 eV at 6 keV), the solid-state EDX instruments have enjoyed much wider use than the WDX systems (ΔE = 1-10 eV) because of their convenience and efficiency. A microcalorimeter detector with 95% quantum efficiency at 6 keV has been developed that can produce spectra with an energy resolution of 7 eV over the broad energy band of 0.2-20 keV. This performance will advance the state-of-the-art for elemental analysis by virtue of its 20-fold increase in x-ray energy resolution. When coupled to an SEM it will permit the evolution of a new generation of microanalysis tools with greatly improved spatial resolution and increased sensitivity for minor elemental constituents. Since it will allow the SEM to operate at low electron energies, it will provide the ability to identify unambiguously x-ray signatures from a mixture of light and heavy elements. The latest performance of these detectors is presented along with a discussion of how they will eventually improve SEM-based microanalysis for small particle defect review and sub-micron depth studies.
E-Commerce In China And Its Risks And Opportunities For US Companies

China is the fastest growing Internet economy in Asia/Pacific, with Chinese Internet users forecasted to account for approximately half of all Internet usage in the region by the end of 2005. Chinese companies are also proving to be the largest investors of Internet infrastructure equipment as they turn to the Internet to increase business and information flow. As the Internet permeates all corners of the globe, small to medium-sized businesses may be pondering the move to a multilingual ecommerce website to increase their reach, and may be enticed by the potentially huge Chinese market. While a larger corporation can make the transition to a multilingual site with relative ease, small to medium enterprises (SMEs) must be concerned about the cost and effort involved, as well as how to go about the actual translation process and handle complications. China’s accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has opened up many opportunities, especially to expand their operations in the outside world, and has also changed it from a minor trading country to one of the world’s major trading countries. Some companies are already starting to take advantage of these opportunities, making now the key time to get a foothold in the market before everyone else makes their claim. The countries as a whole and its individual companies begin to face a range of issues that will have a direct impact on the course of the country’s further development. This research paper will examine business environment in China for US companies to analyze risks and opportunities of E-commerce in China.
Decompensated cirrhosis may be a risk factor for adverse events in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS There are limited data regarding the safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in cirrhosis. The current literature consists of small series totalling less than 225 patients. METHODS Retrospective matched cohort study of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for 2009. We compared adverse events of cirrhotic patients who underwent ERCP (n = 1930) with a matched control group that consisted of randomly selected non-cirrhotic patients who underwent ERCP (n = 5790). An additional control group, to measure cirrhosis-related adverse events, consisted of cirrhotic patients undergoing non-pancreaticobiliary endoscopy. RESULTS ERCP-associated adverse events of post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP) (8.3% vs. 5.5%) and bleeding (2.3% vs. 1.0%) were more common in the cirrhosis cohort vs. the non-cirrhosis cohort (all P < 0.05). In subgroup analysis, compensated cirrhotic patients (n = 1308) had a similar adverse event profile to non-cirrhotic controls except for a slightly higher rate of PEP (7.7% vs. 5.5%; P < 0.05). However, decompensated cirrhotic patients (n = 622) had statistically significant higher rates of PEP (9.7% vs. 5.5%) and bleeding (4.3% vs. 1.0%), compared with non-cirrhotic controls respectively (P < 0.05). In regard to cirrhosis-related adverse events, cirrhotic patients undergoing ERCP were more likely to develop bacterial peritonitis vs. cirrhotic patients undergoing non-pancreaticobiliary endoscopy (2.2% vs. 1.1%; P < 0.005). CONCLUSION ERCP adverse events were statistically higher among patients with decompensated cirrhosis. This increased risk needs to be confirmed with prospective studies. A thorough risk/benefit assessment should be performed prior to performing ERCP in decompensated cirrhotic patients.
Controlling Unmanned Aerial Vehicles with a pre-existing autopilot system in the loop

Implementing a control law on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle can be problematic when the existing autopilot system is incompatible with the controller structure. This paper extends the control strategy that incorporates a pre-existing autopilot system in a closed-loop control law design [1]. In [1], the control scheme explicitly involves the autopilot in the controller derivation, based on an assumption that the autopilot is able to follow the input commands in an exponential manner, which may not be possible. In this paper, we present a novel controller design that incorporates unknown autopilot gains. The controller is proved to guarantee that the tracking error converges to an ultimate bound, which is a function of the maximum magnitude of unmeasured disturbances and control gains. Simulation results are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.