cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relevance theory and citations

Abstract Relevance theory (RT) holds that the relevance of communications is determined by their cognitive effects and the effort needed to process them. The evidence is usually drawn from dialogues between speakers and hearers. Self-communing scholars and scientists afford a new source of real-world evidence as they cite various works over time. Authors cite works with the intention of strengthening their claims in context – a cognitive effect for them as well as for readers – and the works they choose to cite most frequently are found through least-effort behavior. Indicators of least effort include heavy reliance on self-citation, re-citation of a limited number of acquaintances and orienting figures known through reading, and the use of closely related vocabulary across texts. Such practices produce the power-law distributions of citations and terms that are ubiquitous in bibliometrics. These distributions accord well with the claimed universality of RT's Cognitive Principle on maximization of relevance. Authors maximize the relevance of citations for themselves, then optimize those citations for readers under the Communicative Principle. Examples are drawn from a set of course readings, the citation records of three authors, and word-association data. Major tenets of RT have considerable power in explaining various findings from citation research.
Allotransplanted DRG neurons or Schwann cells affect functional recovery in a rodent model of sciatic nerve injury

Objective: In this study, the functional recoveries of Sprague-Dawley rats following repair of a complete sciatic nerve transection using allotransplanted dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons or Schwann cells were examined using a number of outcome measures. Methods: Four groups were compared: (1) repair with a nerve guide conduit seeded with allotransplanted Schwann cells harvested from Wistar rats, (2) repair with a nerve guide conduit seeded with DRG neurons, (3) repair with solely a nerve guide conduit, and (4) sham-surgery animals where the sciatic nerve was left intact. The results corroborated our previous reported histology findings and measures of immunogenicity. Results: The Wistar-DRG-treated group achieved the best recovery, significantly outperforming both the Wistar-Schwann group and the nerve guide conduit group in the Von Frey assay of touch response (P < 0·05). Additionally, Wistar-DRG and Wistar-Schwann seeded repairs showed lower frequency and severity in an autotomy measure of the self-m...
A cross‐cultural comparison of police personality

‘'The role of culture in determining police personality'’ was the primary research issue addressed in this cross cultural study of police personality. The 16PF along with a demographic questionnaire was administered to 619 police officers in Scotland, London, and the U.S. The results showed a significant and distinct personality pattern shared in all the cultures examined, but they also showed that the shared characteristics, as well as some that were not shared by all groups, varied by culture. Thus, police personality appears to have both fixed and malleable characteristics and to be partially determined by cultural roles.
CHRONIC DIGOXIN ADMINISTRATION INHIBITS THE MYOCARDIAL NaK-PUMP IN LAMBS

The physiological and myocardial effects of digoxin in infants and children are debated and uncertain. In order to examine the response of the myocardial NaK-pump to chronic digoxin administration active transport of the K+ analog Rb+ was measured in vitro in serial right atrial biopsies in young lambs. Nine lambs (mean age 7d) were lightly sedated, instrumented, and ECG, aortic pressure, LV pressure and LVdP/dt were recorded. General anesthesia was then induced and a right atrial biopsy was obtained for Rb+ active transport determination. This procedure was repeated 34d (mean) later after either no treatment (controls, n=4) or digoxin (n=5). Digoxin was given I.M. to maintain a plasma concentration of 1.3 ng/ml (mean) with no toxicity. The changes in hemodynamics between initial and final study were similar in both groups. No significant difference was observed in controls between initial and final Rb+ active transport values (0.381 ± 0.015 (± SEM) nmol Rb+/mg wet wt/30 min vs 0.364 ± 0.023, paired t). In contrast, digoxin inhibited Rb+ active transport when compared to initial values (0.349 ± 0.014 vs 0.246 ± 0.033, P < 0.05). Under these conditions the NaK-pump was inhibited indicating that chronic digoxin administration in therapeutic concentrations does have a myocardial effect in the developing mammalian heart.
ACHROMOTRICIA IN IRON-DEFICIENT RATS.

IN the course of an examination of iron deficiency in rats, we noticed that the deficient animals became grey. There was variation among individuals in the time of onset and the severity of greying; but it was apparent in all test animals compared to controls (Fig. 1). Usually a change in colour of fur could be seen about four weeks after weanling animals had been placed on the deficient diet, and by eight weeks greying was pronounced.
Targeted radiosensitization with PARP1 inhibition: optimization of therapy and identification of biomarkers of response in breast cancer

Sustained locoregional control of breast cancer is a significant issue for certain patients. Inhibition of PARP1 is a promising strategy for radiosensitization (RS). We sought to optimize therapy with PARP1 inhibition and radiation (RT) by establishing the most effective treatment schedule, degree of PARP1-mediated RS, and identify early biomarkers predictive of efficacy in breast cancer models. Using clonogenic survival assays, we assessed intrinsic radiosensitivity and RS induced by PARP1 inhibition in breast cancer cell lines. Potential biomarkers of response were evaluated using western blotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence with validation in vivo using tumor xenograft experiments. Across a panel of BC and normal breast epithelial cell lines, the PARP1 inhibitor ABT-888 preferentially radiosensitizes breast cancer (vs. normal) cells with enhancement ratios (EnhR) up to 2.3 independent of intrinsic BC subtype or BRCA mutational status. Concurrent and adjuvant therapy resulted in the highest EnhR of all schedules tested. The degree of RS did not correlate with pretreatment markers of PARP1 activity, DNA damage/repair, or cell cycle distribution. Increases in PARP1 activity 24 h after RT were associated with sensitivity after combination treatment. Findings were confirmed in breast cancer xenograft models. Our study demonstrates that PARP1 inhibition improves the therapeutic index of RT independent of BC subtype or BRCA1 mutational status and that PARP1 activity may serve as a clinically relevant biomarker of response. These studies have led to a clinical trial (TBCRC024) incorporating intratreatment biomarker analyses of PARP1 inhibitors and RT in breast cancer patients.
Sensation seeking and music preferences

A Musical Preference Scale was devised from factor analyses of preference ratings for established categories of music based on divisions in the recording industry in the U.S.A. The scales of the Sensation Seeking Scale form V were correlated with rated likings of each of the categories derived from the factor analysis. Total Sensation Seeking correlated positively with liking for all types of rock music and negatively with liking for bland, soundtrack music. In addition to a liking of rock music, those having high scores of the Thrill and Adventure Seeking and Experience Seeking subscales liked folk and classical music. High scorers on the Disinhibition subscale liked rock and disliked religious and soundtrack music. The results are consistent with the theory that high sensation seekers have a high optimal level of stimulation and thus tolerate and like high intensity and/or complexity in music, and stimulation in general.
DAC measurement of perovskite conductivity and implications for the distribution of mineral phases in the lower mantle

Measurements of the electrical conductivity of olivine buffered by magnesiowuestite can increase by more than two orders of magnitude if as little as 2 x 10{sup {minus}3} percent of the magnesiowuestite is allowed to form a parallel conduction path between the electrodes. These results are used, in concert with recent petrologic studies of the distribution of iron between perovskite and magnesiowuestite that have been synthesized from iron-bearing olivine, to show how most of the inconsistencies in diamond-anvil-cell electrical conductivity measurements of perovskite may be explained by the presence of highly conductive, through-going magnesiowuestite layers in laser-heated samples, including those synthesized from pyroxene. Without electrical conductivity measurements on perovskite uncontaminated with secondary phases, current laboratory data can be interpreted - within constraints provided by the electrical conductivity of the mantle from geomagnetic studies - as requiring that either the conductivity of perovskite is not much different from magnesiowuestite or that magnesiowuestite in the lower mantle is distributed heterogeneously as an interconnected through-going phase. 27 refs., 2 figs.
Performance characterization of structured light-based fingerprint scanner

Our group believes that the evolution of fingerprint capture technology is in transition to include 3-D non-contact fingerprint capture. More specifically we believe that systems based on structured light illumination provide the highest level of depth measurement accuracy. However, for these new technologies to be fully accepted by the biometric community, they must be compliant with federal standards of performance. At present these standards do not exist for this new biometric technology. We propose and define a set of test procedures to be used to verify compliance with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s image quality specification for Personal Identity Verification single fingerprint capture devices. The proposed test procedures include: geometric accuracy, lateral resolution based on intensity or depth, gray level uniformity and flattened fingerprint image quality. Several 2-D contact analogies, performance tradeoffs and optimization dilemmas are evaluated and proposed solutions are presented.
Predicting the Risk of Patients With Biopsy Gleason Score 6 to Harbor a Higher Grade Cancer

Purpose: Prostate cancer Gleason score 3 + 3 = 6 is currently the most common score assigned on prostatic biopsies. We analyzed the clinical variables that predict the likelihood of a patient with biopsy Gleason score 6 to harbor a higher grade tumor.Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 448 patients with a mean age of 59.1 years who underwent radical prostatectomy between February 2003 to October 2006 for Gleason score 6 adenocarcinoma. The effect of preoperative variables on the probability of a Gleason score upgrade on final pathological evaluation was evaluated using logistic regression, and classification and regression tree analysis.Results: Gleason score upgrade was found in 91 of 448 patients (20.3%). Logistic regression showed that only serum prostate specific antigen and the greatest percent of cancer in a core were significantly associated with a score upgrade (p = 0.0014 and 0.023, respectively). Classification and regression tree analysis showed that the risk of a Gleason s...
Syntactic abstraction in Scheme

Naive program transformations can have surprising effects due to the interaction between introduced identifier references and previously existing identifier bindings, or between introduced bindings and previously existing references. These interactions can result in inadvertent binding, or capturing, of identifiers. A further complication is that transformed programs may have little resemblance to original programs, making correlation of source and object code difficult. This article describes an efficient macro system that prevents inadvertent capturing while maintaining the correlation between source and object code. The macro system allows the programmer to define program transformations using an unrestricted, general-purpose language. Previous approaches to the capturing problem have been inadequate, overly restrictive, or inefficient, and the problem of source-object correlation has been largely unaddressed. The macro system is based on a new algorithm for implementing syntactic transformations and a new representation for syntactic expressions.
Coercion: The link between treatment mechanisms in behavioral parent training and risk reduction in child antisocial behavior

Coercive parent-child interaction, child oppositional behavior, and parental reinforcement contingencies for child misbehavior were observed before and after treatment in the families of 46 boys referred for serious conduct problems. Reliable pre- to posttreatment reductions in coercive interaction and child noncompliance, and reliable increases in parental reinforcement of constructive child behavior, were found. Posttreatment parental contingencies for coercive child behavior predicted child arrests over the subsequent 2 years. Children from families whose observed posttreatment coercive interaction, parental contingencies, and child compliance failed to reach levels observed in nonreferred, normative families were more likely to evidence arrests and out-of-home placement during the 2 years after treatment. The implications of using observational data to identify critical mechanisms that mediate change in child antisocial behavior as a result of behavioral parent training are described in terms of developmental theory, the dosage of intervention, and the development of more powerful interventions for child conduct problems.
Laboratory observations of green water overtopping a fixed deck

A small-scale laboratory experiment was conducted to quantify a transient wave overtopping a horizontal, deck fixed above the free surface. Detailed free surface and velocity measurements were made for two cases with and without the deck structure to quantify the effect of the deck on the wave kinematics. The study showed that the structure increased the free surface above the leading edge of the deck by 20%. The velocity profile at the leading edge was fairly uniform, and the maximum horizontal velocity was similar to the maximum crest velocity measured without the deck. Immediately below the deck, the maximum velocity was 2.5 times greater than the corresponding velocity without the deck and 2.1 times greater than the maximum crest velocity without the deck. On the deck, the wave collapsed into a thin bore with velocities that exceeded 2.4 times the maximum crest velocity measured without the deck.
Close-packed (polytypic) structures in molecular-dynamics simulations.

Molecular-dynamics (MD) computer-simulation studies are used to study close-packed structures found in solid-phase atomic systems interacting via a Morse potential (parametrized to model Ni). A graphical display of particle positions [a (112\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}0) projection] within the parallelepiped forming the MD cell is illustrated. Such a graphic projection allows accurate, complete, and readily visual recognition of the stacking order of close-packed planes and is a much more effective way of identifying polytypes than a study of the pair-distribution function for the structure. These illustrations demonstrate the polytypic nature of previously and newly recognized MD close-packed structures. When assuming compatibility with periodic boundary conditions, as is conventional in MD, only certain polytypes are allowed for an MD simulation system. A discussion of compatibility between close-packed structures and the periodic boundary conditions is presented. The pair coordination numbers, geometrical structure-factor intensities, and potential-energy lattice sums are then calculated for some of these compatible structures. This paper concludes that, through careful consideration, a considerable variety of close-packed physical systems may be appropriately modeled with use of MD computer simulation. Conversely, proper interpretation of the data obtained during such studies may require awareness of the findings presented here.
Numerical Simulation of the Response of the Ocean Surface Layer to Precipitation

Numerical experiments were conducted to investigate the ocean's response to the precipitation. A squall line observed in TOGA COARE was simulated. The simulation reproduced some of the observed ocean responses to the precipitation, such as the formation of a fresh water layer, surface cooling and the variation of upper layer turbulent mixing. The precipitation-induced fresh layer can cause the vertical turbulent diffusivities to decrease from the surface to a depth of about 11-13 meters within a few hours. After the rainfall, the turbulence increases near the surface of the ocean due to the combined effect of increased shear and wind forcing, but decreases with depth due to the development of a stable layer. The main reason for the turbulence variation is the decrease in the vertical turbulence flux below the surface fresh layer because of increased static stability. Sensitivity experiments reveal that the sea-surface temperature increases faster after rainfall due to the formation of a shallow fresh water layer near the surface.
Bystander intervention: Group size and victim status.

In the context of either a two- or four-person group discussion via an intercom system, female Ss overheard either a high- or low-status group member undergo an asthma attack. The prediction deriving from Latane and Darley′s model-that reporting of the emergency would be quicker in the two- than in the four-person group-was supported. The prediction that independent of group size reporting would be quicker when the victim was high status, rather than low, was not.
Resistive-Pulse DNA Detection with a Conical Nanopore Sensor†

In this paper, we describe resistive-pulse sensing of two large DNAs, a single-stranded phage DNA (7250 bases) and a double-stranded plasmid DNA (6600 base pairs), using a conically shaped nanopore in a track-etched polycarbonate membrane as the sensing element. The conically shaped nanopore had a small-diameter (tip) opening of 40 nm and a large-diameter (base) opening of 1.5 μm. The DNAs were detected using the resistive-pulse, sometimes called stochastic sensing, method. This entails applying a transmembrane potential difference and monitoring the resulting ion current flowing through the nanopore. The phage DNA was driven electrophoretically through the nanopore (from tip to base), and these translocation events were observed as transient blocks in the ion current. We found that the frequency of these current-block events scales linearly with the concentration of the DNA and with the magnitude of the applied transmembrane potential. Increasing the applied transmembrane potential also led to a decrease...
Cervical ripening and induction of labor with misoprostol, dinoprostone gel, and a foley catheter: A randomized trial of 3 techniques

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of 3 different techniques of cervical ripening and induction. Study Design: Patients who required cervical ripening and induction were randomized to one of 3 groups: (1) supracervical Foley catheter and intravaginal dinoprostone gel, (2) supracervical Foley catheter and 100 μg oral doses of misoprostol, or (3) serial 100-μg oral doses of misoprostol. Intravenous oxytocin was administered when a protraction disorder of labor was identified. Results: There were 339 women randomized. There was no significant difference in the time from first intervention to delivery in the 3 groups ( P =.546). In each group, a similar percentage of women required oxytocin ( P =.103). The rates of cesarean delivery were equivalent among the groups ( P =.722). Rates of tachysystole were high but statistically equivalent among the 3 groups. There were no significant differences in Apgar scores or umbilical artery pH. Conclusion: Oral 100 μg serial doses of misoprostol, with or without the use of a supracervical Foley catheter, were equivalent to the use of a supracervical Foley catheter and serial 4-mg doses of dinoprostone gel for cervical ripening and the induction of labor. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;186:1124-9.)
Fr-TM-align: a new protein structural alignment method based on fragment alignments and the TM-score

Protein tertiary structure comparisons are employed in various fields of contemporary structural biology. Most structure comparison methods involve generation of an initial seed alignment, which is extended and/or refined to provide the best structural superposition between a pair of protein structures as assessed by a structure comparison metric. One such metric, the TM-score, was recently introduced to provide a combined structure quality measure of the coordinate root mean square deviation between a pair of structures and coverage. Using the TM-score, the TM-align structure alignment algorithm was developed that was often found to have better accuracy and coverage than the most commonly used structural alignment programs; however, there were a number of situations when this was not true. To further improve structure alignment quality, the Fr-TM-align algorithm has been developed where aligned fragment pairs are used to generate the initial seed alignments that are then refined using dynamic programming to maximize the TM-score. For the assessment of the structural alignment quality from Fr-TM-align in comparison to other programs such as CE and TM-align, we examined various alignment quality assessment scores such as PSI and TM-score. The assessment showed that the structural alignment quality from Fr-TM-align is better in comparison to both CE and TM-align. On average, the structural alignments generated using Fr-TM-align have a higher TM-score (~9%) and coverage (~7%) in comparison to those generated by TM-align. Fr-TM-align uses an exhaustive procedure to generate initial seed alignments. Hence, the algorithm is computationally more expensive than TM-align. Fr-TM-align, a new algorithm that employs fragment alignment and assembly provides better structural alignments in comparison to TM-align. The source code and executables of Fr-TM-align are freely downloadable at: http://cssb.biology.gatech.edu/skolnick/files/FrTMalign/ .
Use of a balloon-tipped perfusion catheter for renal preservation during suprarenal abdominal aortic operations

Abstract Two cases are presented that illustrate the use of the Pruitt-Inahara vascular shunt to avoid renal failure during suprarenal aortic reconstruction. Previously reported methods of renal preservation are briefly reviewed, and the advantages of a balloon-tipped perfusion catheter over previously reported techniques are presented. (J VASC SURG 1985;2:337-9.)
Development of salix and populus mycorrhizae in metallic mine tailings

Roots of two year old willow and poplar planted as cuttings in copper and iron mine tailings were stained intact and examined microscopically for mycorrhizal development. Incidence of mycorrhizae was related to tree vigor and to chemical and physical properties of the tailings. Results showed that no mycorrhizal development occurred on roots of these tree species in the copper tailings; inoculations with natural forest soil extract failed to initiate this symbiosis. Tops and roots of the willow and poplar were stunted and survival was poor. Roots in the iron mine tailings developed extensive ectomycorrhizae and trees showed good growth. Presence of mycorrhizae was confirmed and external morphology examined with the scanning electron microscope. Aseptic jack pine and naturally mycorrhizal white pine roots were used in microscopic comparisons with the hardwoods. re]19760220
Effects of D2O on citric acid and pyruvate carboxylase formation by Aspergillus niger

In a D 2 O medium, the growth of Aspergillus niger is retarded and citric acid production is repressed, The citrate synthase activity of D 2 O-grown mycelia is higher than the activity of H 2 O-grown mycelia. Pyruvate carboxylase is absent in extracts of D 2 O-grown mycelia although H 2 O-grown mycelia are highly active. The direct effect of D 2 O on in vitro assays of pyruvate carboxylase is negligible. These results suggest that D 2 O interferes with the synthesis of certain enzymes possibly through effects on repressor type mechanisms.
Analysis of DNA replication forks encountering a pyrimidine dimer in the template to the leading strand

Electron microscopy (EM) was used to visualize intermediates of in vitro replication of closed circular DNA plasmids. Cell-free extracts were prepared from human cells that are proficient (IDH4, HeLa) or deficient (CTag) in bypass replication of pyrimidine dimers. The DNA substrate was either undamaged or contained a single cis, syn thymine dimer. This lesion was inserted 385 bp downstream from the center of the SV40 origin of replication and sited specifically in the template to the leading strand of the newly synthesized DNA. Products from 30 minute reactions were crosslinked with psoralen and UV, linearized with restriction enzymes and spread for EM visualization. Extended single-stranded DNA regions were detected in damaged molecules replicated by either bypass-proficient or deficient extracts. These regions could be coated with Escherichia coli single-stranded DNA binding protein. The length of duplex DNA from a unique restriction site to the single-stranded DNA region was that predicted from blockage of leading strand synthesis by the site-specific dimer. These results were confirmed by S1nuclease treatment of replication products linearized with single cutting restriction enzymes, followed by detection of the diagnostic fragments by gel electrophoresis. The absence of an extended single-stranded DNA region in replication forks that were clearly beyond the dimer was taken as evidence of bypass replication. These criteria were fulfilled in 17 % of the molecules replicated by the IDH4 extract.
The Hierarchical Service Location Problem

A location problem with a hierarchy of facilities and services is proposed and solved. The formulation defines a demand point to be covered for a given level of service if some member of the facility hierarchy eligible to provide that service is present within an appropriate distance. Furthermore, the absence of coverage at any one service level for a demand point is taken to imply lack of coverage in the grand measure of coverage. The problem's objective is the maximum coverage of population given specific limits on either the number of each type of facility or on the total investment that can be made in all facility types. Relaxed linear programming, supplemented by branch and bound where necessary, is used to solve the resulting integer programming problem. An application is described that uses distance and population data developed for a region of Honduras. Honduran nationals are currently being trained in the use of this and related location methodologies under a contract with the Agency for International Development. This effort is in support of work being undertaken by the Honduran National Planning Council to develop a nationwide data set of populated places in Honduras to which location methodologies will be applied.
Anti-human immunodeficiency virus agent 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine inhibits replication of Epstein-Barr virus.

We show that the anti-human immunodeficiency virus agent, 39-azido-39-deoxythymidine (AZT), which suppresses infectivity and cytopathic effects of human immunodeficiency virus, also effectively inhibits Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA replication. However, AZT has no effect on four other human herpesviruses: cytomegalovirus, varicella-zoster virus, and herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2. The combination of acyclovir and AZT, while it is not synergistic, has an additive effect against EBV replication. AZT may prove to be a useful drug for treatment of coinfections with human immunodeficiency virus and EBV.
Bilateral Trade and Political Conflict/Cooperation: Do Goods Matter?

This article investigates Granger causality between political conflict/cooperation and bilateral trade. The measures of conflict/cooperation are constructed by accumulating daily events and splicing the two datasets of the Conflict and Peace Data Bank and the World Events Interaction Survey. Trade data from the United Nations include ten commodity groups as well as total trade. Quarterly data are analyzed from the very early 1970s to the early 1990s for four dyads of USA-USSR, USA-China, Turkey-Greece, and Egypt-Israel. Yearly data are investigated from the early 1960s to the early 1990s for 16 dyads. Granger causality between bilateral trade and conflict/cooperation is generally reciprocal in most goods and dyad dependent, but independent of whether or not two countries are political rivals. For USA-USSR and USA-China, however, there is a tendency for bilateral trade to increase in some goods when political relations improve. For USA-USSR, in particular, causality from conflict to trade is pronounced in more goods than causality from trade to conflict. While the effect of cooperation in these dyads is mostly positive, the effect of an increase of trade on conflict is generally ambiguous. For 20 dyads collectively, conflict/cooperation tends to Granger-cause bilateral trade in minerals, iron and steel, fuels, basic manufactures and control and scientific equipment; whereas bilateral trade somewhat more frequently Granger-causes conflict/cooperation in food and live animals, beverages and tobacco, and machines and transport equipment. The concept of strategic goods, much debated in the literature, is further discussed in light of these results. The general result of reciprocal Granger causality calls for a model in which both bilateral trade and conflict/cooperation are simultaneously determined. Such a simultaneous equations model is briefly sketched.
Connection of Sulfuric Acid to Atmospheric Nucleation in Boreal Forest

Gas to particle conversion in the boundary layer occurs worldwide. Sulfuric acid is considered to be one of the key components in these new particle formation events. In this study we explore the connection between measured sulfuric acid and observed formation rate of both charged 2 nm as well as neutral clusters in a boreal forest environment. A very short time delay of the order of ten minutes between these two parameters was detected. On average the event days were clearly associated with higher sulfuric acid concentrations and lower condensation sink (CS) values than the nonevent days. Although there was not a clear sharp boundary between the nucleation and no-nucleation days in sulfuric acid-CS plane, at our measurement site a typical threshold concentration of 3·105 molecules cm−3 of sulfuric acid was needed to initiate the new particle formation. Two proposed nucleation mechanisms were tested. Our results are somewhat more in favor of activation type nucleation than of kinetic type nucleation, even...
Terahertz detection of Bacillus thuringiensis spores in DiPel

Frequency domain terahertz (THz) spectroscopy was used to study DiPel® PRO DF, a commercial insecticide containing 54% Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. The mixture contains Bt spores as well as Bt protein toxins. Microscopic imaging revealed that DiPel® is composed of millimeter scale coarse particles and SEM photos indicate Bt spores are in these particles. The substantial attenuation from transmission measurements suggested strong signal scattering since the dimensions of particles (~1 mm-400 μm) are close to the THz wavelengths (~750-250 μm). Alternatively, periscope reflection measurements were carried out and a 917 GHz absorbance signature was observed. This is explained by the Mie theory that a portion of absorption is accompanied with scattering. Resonant absorption can be excited as long as internal vibration exists within particles. Therefore, absorption can be detected by the reflectivity measurements. To prove this hypothesis, Bt spores were separated from the large DiPel® coarse particles and their presence was again confirmed with microscopy. A transmission scan of the extracted spore samples was then repeated. The 917 GHz absorbance signature was present and consistent with transmissions on culture-grown, freshly harvested Bt spore samples.
Release of a Gregarious Muscidifurax Species (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) for the Control of Filth Flies Associated with Confined Beef Cattle

Abstract A recently colonized gregarious species of Muscidifurax near raptorellus (Kogan and Legner) from eastern Nebraska was evaluated in the field for its potential as a biological control agent for the house fly (Micsca domestica L.) and stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans (L.)). Muscidifurax sp. was released at three beef cattle feedlot pens, three times at 3-week intervals at 50,000, 100,000, or 200,000 parasitized hosts per treatment. Mean host mortality in sentinel house fly pupae reached 94% 2 weeks after the first release, but parasitism decreased to 72% after 3 weeks. Similar trends were observed with the second and third releases. Also, large numbers of parasite progeny were recovered from sentinel cohorts, suggesting that many of the released parasites found the sentinel pupae. Parasitism by Muscidifurax sp. was substantially lower, 27.4 and 12.2%, respectively, in naturally occurring house fly and stable fly pupae than that observed in sentinel hosts. Little correlation was evident between mean host mortality and a given parasite release rate. This Muscidifurax sp. has a high reproductive capacity, is easily reared, and appears to be one of the more effective species commercially available for fly control on midwestern beef and dairy cattle confinements.
Characterization and prediction of air traffic delays

This paper presents a new class of models for predicting air traffic delays. The proposed models consider both temporal and spatial (that is, network) delay states as explanatory variables, and use Random Forest algorithms to predict departure delays 2–24 h in the future. In addition to local delay variables that describe the arrival or departure delay states of the most influential airports and links (origin–destination pairs) in the network, new network delay variables that characterize the global delay state of the entire National Airspace System at the time of prediction are proposed. The paper analyzes the performance of the proposed prediction models in both classifying delays as above or below a certain threshold, as well as predicting delay values. The models are trained and validated on operational data from 2007 and 2008, and are evaluated using the 100 most-delayed links in the system. The results show that for a 2-h forecast horizon, the average test error over these 100 links is 19% when classifying delays as above or below 60 min. Similarly, the average over these 100 links of the median test error is found to be 21 min when predicting departure delays for a 2-h forecast horizon. The effects of changes in the classification threshold and forecast horizon on prediction performance are studied.
Stanford V and Radiotherapy for Locally Extensive and Advanced Hodgkin’s Disease: Mature Results of a Prospective Clinical Trial

PURPOSE: To provide more mature data on the efficacy and complications of a brief, dose-intense chemotherapy regimen plus radiation therapy (RT) to bulky disease sites for locally extensive and advanced-stage Hodgkin’s disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred forty-two patients with stage III or IV or locally extensive mediastinal stage I or II Hodgkin’s disease received Stanford V chemotherapy for 12 weeks followed by 36-Gy RT to initial sites of bulky (≥ 5 cm) or macroscopic splenic disease. Freedom from progression (FFP), overall survival (OS), and freedom from second relapse (FF2R) were determined using life-table estimates. Outcomes were analyzed according to the international prognostic score. Late effects of treatment were recorded in follow-up. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 5.4 years, the 5-year FFP was 89% and the OS was 96%. No patient progressed during treatment, and there were no treatment-related deaths. FFP was significantly superior among patients with a prognostic score of 0 to 2 c...
Enzymatic synthesis of [1‐14C‐N‐acetyl, P18O2] cytidine monophosphate neuraminic acid

A method for the enzymatic synthesis of [1-14C-N-acetyl, P18O2] cytidine monophosphate neuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) is described. Central to the synthesis of [1-14C-N-acetyl, P18O2]CMP-NeuAc was the enzymatic preparation of [γ-P18O3]ATP for use in a reaction with uridine kinase and cytidine to provide 5′-[P18O3]CMP. The [1-14C-N-acetyl, P18O2]CMP-NeuAc isotopomer was then synthesized from a reaction involving nucleoside monophosphate kinase, pyruvate kinase and CMP-NeuAc synthetase. The isolated reaction yield was 35%. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increased living donor volunteer rates with a formal recipient family education program

We have generally encouraged living donation among our kidney recipients. However, an examination of our clinical practice revealed inconsistencies in the depth and content of information transmitted to kidney recipient families regarding living donation. We therefore initiated a structured education program, including an educational video, to ensure that all recipient families would receive a similar exposure to a standard block of information. After the program had been functioning for over a year, we compared the living donor (LD) volunteer rates between the 3-year period before (BEFORE) and the 18 months after (AFTER) initiation of the formal education program. There were 1,363 patients registered on our kidney transplantation waiting list during the 54-month study period (757 white [56%] and 580 black [43%]). We found that 33.4% of the kidney transplant candidates in the period BEFORE the LD education program had at least one potential LD tissue typed, compared with 39.4% in the period AFTER starting the program (P = 0.03). The increase in the proportion of patients with potential donors was greatest among the black (P < 0.05) and elderly (P < 0.01) registrants, which were the groups with the lowest volunteer rates before the program began. Among the registrants with at least one potential donor, the percentage of registrants who ultimately received an LD transplant was highly correlated with the number of donors (R = 0.98). The rate of LD kidney transplantation was significantly higher (P = 0.02) for the patients referred in the period AFTER initiation of the LD education program compared with the period BEFORE the program. The 1- and 3-year graft survival rates for the 170 LD transplants performed in these patients were 96.9% and 93.2%, respectively. These were significantly better than the corresponding 83.9% and 71.4% rates for the 341 kidney transplants from cadaver donors in these registrants (P < 0.001). Black recipients of LD transplants had graft survival rates comparable to whites; the 3-year graft survival rate for LD transplants was 93.9% in whites and 90.6% in blacks (P = NS). We conclude that living kidney donor volunteer rates can be improved by a formal family education program, especially for subgroups of patients with low volunteer rates. A substantial benefit is derived by black patients, who generally experience low graft survival rates with cadaver-donor kidneys. A local formal LD education program is a useful adjunct to national organ donation campaigns.
Preterm Delivery in the Setting of Left Calyceal Rupture

Spontaneous rupture of the renal collecting system is a rare but serious complication of pregnancy. We report a case of nontraumatic left renal calyceal rupture in a pregnancy which ultimately progressed to preterm delivery. A 29-year-old primigravida with a remote history of urolithiasis presented with left flank pain, suprapubic pain, and signs of preterm labor at 33 weeks of gestation. The patient was believed to have urolithiasis, although initial renal ultrasound failed to demonstrate definitive calculi. After a temporary improvement in flank pain with medication, the patient experienced acute worsening of her left flank pain. Urology was consulted and further imaging was obtained. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was consistent with bilateral hydronephrosis and rupture of the left renal calyx. Given the patient's worsening pain in the setting of left calyceal rupture, the urology team planned for placement of a left ureteral stent. However, before the patient could receive her stent, she progressed to active labor and delivered a viable female infant vaginally. Following delivery, the patient's flank pain resolved rapidly and spontaneously, so no surgical intervention was performed. A summary of the literature and the details of this specific clinical situation are provided.
Constrained types for object-oriented languages

X10 is a modern object-oriented language designed for productivity and performance in concurrent and distributed systems. In this setting, dependent types offer significant opportunities for detecting design errors statically, documenting design decisions, eliminating costly run-time checks (e.g., for array bounds, null values), and improving the quality of generated code. We present the design and implementation of constrained types, a natural, simple, clean, and expressive extension to object-oriented programming: A type C{c} names a class or interface C and a constraint c on the immutable state of C and in-scope final variables. Constraints may also be associated with class definitions (representing class invariants) and with method and constructor definitions (representing preconditions). Dynamic casting is permitted. The system is parametric on the underlying constraint system: the compiler supports a simple equality-based constraint system but, in addition, supports extension with new constraint systems using compiler plugins.
Availability and Fairness Support for Storage QoS Guarantee

Multi-dimensional storage virtualization (MDSV) technology allows multiple virtual disks, each with a distinct combination of capacity, latency and bandwidth requirements, to be multiplexed on a physical disk storage system with performance isolation. This paper presents novel design and implementation techniques that solve the availability guarantee and fairness assurance problems in multi-dimensional storage virtualization. First, we show that a measurement-based admission control algorithm can reduce the effective resource requirement of a virtual disk with availability guarantee by accurately estimating its resource needs without prior knowledge of its input workload characteristics. Moreover, to accurately factor disk access overhead into real-time disk request scheduling algorithm, we propose a virtual disk switching overhead extraction and distribution algorithm that can derive the intrinsic disk access overhead associated with each virtual disk so as to achieve perfect performance isolation. Finally, we develop an adaptive server time leap-forward algorithm to effectively address the short-term unfairness problem of virtual clock-based disk scheduler, the only known proportional-share scheduler that is based on wall-clock time and thus enables disk utilization efficiency optimization while delivering disk QoS guarantees.
Do Latino and non-Latino grocery stores differ in the availability and affordability of healthy food items in a low-income, metropolitan region?

Objective: To compare non-ethnically based supermarkets and Latino grocery stores (tiendas) in a lower-income region with regard to the availability, quality and cost of several healthy v. unhealthy food items. Design: A cross-sectional study conducted by three independent observers to audit twenty-five grocery stores identified as the main source of groceries for 80% of Latino families enrolled in a childhood obesity study. Stores were classified as supermarkets and tiendas on the basis of key characteristics. Setting: South San Diego County. Subjects: Ten tiendas and fifteen supermarkets. Results: Tiendas were smaller than supermarkets (five v. twelve aisles, P 50?003). Availability of fresh produce did not differ by store type; quality differed for one fruit item. Price per unit (pound or piece) was lower in tiendas for most fresh produce. The cost of meeting the US Department of Agriculture’s recommended weekly servings of produce based on an 8368kJ (2000kcal)/d diet was $US 3?00 lower in tiendas compared with supermarkets (P ,0?001). The cost of 1 gallon of skimmed milk was significantly higher in tiendas ($US 3?29 v. $US 2?69; P 50?005) and lean (7% fat) ground beef was available in only one tienda (10%) compared with ten (67%) supermarkets (P 50?01). Conclusions: Barriers remain in the ability to purchase healthier dairy and meat options in tiendas; the same is not true for produce. These results highlight the potential that tiendas have in improving access to quality, fresh produce within lower-income communities. However, efforts are needed to increase the access and affordability of healthy dairy and meat products.
The Right Ventricle: Biologic Insights and Response to Disease: Updated

Despite ample evidence that right ventricular function is a critical determinant of the clinical response to a spectrum of cardiovascular diseases, there has been only a limited analysis of the unique and distinguishing physiologic properties of the RV under normal circumstances and in response to pathologic insults. This knowledge deficit is increasingly acknowledged. This review highlights some of these features and underscores the fact that rational therapy in RV failure needs to acknowledge its unique physiology and ought to be chamber specific. That is proven therapies for LV dysfunction do not necessarily apply to the RV. The updated version of this review now acknowledges recent advances in the understanding of metabolic, inflammatory and gender-specific influences on the right ventricle.
A Real-Time Hurricane Surface Wind Forecasting Model: Formulation and Verification

A real-time hurricane wind forecast model is developed by 1) incorporating an asymmetric effect into the Holland hurricane wind model; 2) using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/ National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) hurricane forecast guidance for prognostic modeling; and 3) assimilating the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) real-time buoy data into the model’s initial wind field. The method is validated using all 2003 and 2004 Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico hurricanes. The results show that 6- and 12-h forecast winds using the asymmetric hurricane wind model are statistically more accurate than using a symmetric wind model. Detailed case studies were conducted for four historical hurricanes, namely, Floyd (1999), Gordon (2000), Lily (2002), and Isabel (2003). Although the asymmetric model performed generally better than the symmetric model, the improvement in hurricane wind forecasts produced by the asymmetric model varied significantly for different storms. In some cases, optimizing the symmetric model using observations available at initial time and forecast mean radius of maximum wind can produce comparable wind accuracy measured in terms of rms error of wind speed. However, in order to describe the asymmetric structure of hurricane winds, an asymmetric model is needed.