cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Zonation of large benthic invertebrates in the deep-sea off the Carolinas

Populations of large epibenthic invertebrates in the deep-sea off North Carolina have restricted distributions which are narrow ribbons parallle to depth contours. On the upper continental slope (200–800m) these ribbons or bands correlated with marked changes in sediment size distribution parameters and temperature variation which in turn were related to the movements and proximity of the Gulf Stream current. At depths greater than approximately 1000 m temperature variation with time ceased and the small differences in sediment size were not correlative with the continued zonation of populations with depth down the slope. Some of the most common species formed broad bands which were confined to large physiographic features and areas where the Western Boundary Undercurrent impinged on the bottom. Within these bands on the continental slope and its base, on the other hand, narrower ribbons appeared to be related to a zonation of detrita food supplies, with suspension feeders recuiring in isolated regions. This binding, however, may have resulted from interactions between species, with the narrow ribbons being a function of which animals can or cannot successfully survive in the midst of the dominant ophiuroid (Ophimusium lymani) population.
Cervical Cytology and Human Papillomavirus Testing in Adolescent Women: Implications in Management of a Positive HPV Test

Objectives. Consensus guidelines establish that HPV testing should not be used to manage adolescents with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASC-US). This study aimed to estimate the impact on follow-up of HPV testing after the first-time ASC-US diagnosis. Methods. From January 2009 to December 2010, all ASC-US diagnoses in adolescents were retrieved. Results. 1950 cervical cytologies were received from this population and 335 cases (17.1%) were reported as ASC-US. A total of 287 cases were included in the study. Cases were divided into control group (no HPV test; 46 cases) and case group (HPV test performed; 241 cases). On follow-up, in the control group, 43.4% patients had cytology, and 56.6% patients had no follow-up. The case group was divided into negative HPV (60 cases) and positive HPV (181 cases). In the negative-HPV group, 41.7% had cytology and 58.3% had no follow-up. In the positive-HPV group, 41% had cytology, 22% underwent colposcopy, and 37% had no follow-up. Patients with positive-HPV results were more likely to have follow-up than patients in the control and negative-HPV groups (63% versus 43.4% versus 41.7%, resp.). Conclusions. HPV infections are common in adolescents. A positive HPV test cannot predict which women will develop carcinoma. Adherence to current guidelines is recommended in this population.
On the trail of an elusive flux sensor

The hexokinase PII isozyme has been implicated as an essential component of multiple glucose sensing pathways in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Several lines of evidence suggest that the flux through this enzymatic step, but not the levels of substrates, cofactors or products, is the critical process detected by downstream sensing machinery. In spite of intensive research efforts, how the activity of this enzyme is translated into a quantitative signal remains an unresolved question.
Non-C2 Lie Bracket Averaging for Nonsmooth Extremum Seekers

A drawback of extremum seeking-based control is the introduction of a high frequency oscillation into a system’s dynamics, which prevents even stable systems from settling at their equilibrium points. In this paper, we develop extremum seeking-based controllers whose control efforts, unlike that of traditional extremum seeking-based schemes, vanish as the system approaches equilibrium. Because the controllers that we develop are not differentiable at the origin, in proving a form of stability of our control scheme we start with a more general problem and extend the semiglobal practical stability result of Moreau and Aeyels to develop a relationship between systems and their averages even for systems which are nondifferentiable at a point. More specifically, in order to apply the practical stability results to our control scheme, we extend the Lie bracket averaging result of Kurzweil, Jarnik, Sussmann, Liu, Gurvits, and Li to non-C functions. We then improve on our previous results on model-independent semiglobal exponential practical stabilization for linear time-varying single-input systems under the assumption that the time-varying input vector, which is otherwise unknown, satisfies a persistency of excitation condition over a sufficiently short window. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4025457]
Muscle and tendon size relationships in a paralyzed chick embryo model of clubfoot

Clubfoot is a birth defect that may be related to muscle weakness or imbalance. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among muscle and tendon size and embryonic motility in a paralyzed chick embryo model of clubfoot and arthrogryposis. Decamethonium bromide, a neuromuscular blocking agent, was administered to a series of embryos in five dosage groups, producing a cohort of embryos with various degrees of paralysis and atrophy of tendons and muscle. Embryonic movement frequency was monitored, and after death in late gestation, the cross-sectional areas of the calf musculature and the gastrocnemius tendon proximal to the ankle were measured histologically. Significant correlations were found between embryonic motility and both muscle (r 2 = 0.52) and tendon (r 2 = 0.77) areas. In addition, a significant correlation (r 2 = 0.74) was found between muscle and tendon areas, suggesting that a measurement of one may be used to predict the other.
UV-Curable Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Film Coatings Based on Epoxidized Cyclohexene Derivatized Linseed Oil

Summary: Organic-inorganic hybrid films based on epoxidized cyclohexene derivatized linseed oil (ECLO) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) oligomers were prepared via a UV-curing process. The kinetics of the hybrid materials were studied by photo-differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition to the kinetics, the tensile properties, pencil hardness, pull-off adhesion, reverse impact resistance, solvent resistance and abrasion resistance of the hybrid coatings were evaluated. Both dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to investigate the viscoelastic and thermal properties of the hybrid films. The morphology of the hybrid film was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Based on the results from the aforementioned evaluation of the coatings, the hybrid films exhibited higher pencil hardness, tensile strength, tensile modulus, fracture toughness, abrasion resistance, cross-link density and thermal stability compared to the ECLO organic film. The Photo-DSC data showed that the photo-curing speed of the hybrid materials increased with TEOS oligomers content. It was postulated that the TEOS oligomers were reactive diluents. Structure of ECLO.
New Perspectives on Use of Thymic Factors in Immune Deficiency

Current knowledge on the role of thymic factors in the immune response is inadequate and remains relatively primitive when compared with present technical possibilities for assessing lymphocyte subsets or cytokine interaction. New studies support the potential importance of thymic factors as regulators of immune interactions. Indirect evidence supports the concept that thymic factors may work at the level of IL-2. The functional identity of cells responsive to thymic factors and the relation of observed effects to cytokine network interactions need to be established. The use of thymic factors in the future will depend on the development of criteria to identify appropriate settings in which to use such factors and the implementation of appropriate measures of immune functional response.
Using a Single Calibration Curve With the Anti-Xa Chromogenic Assay for Monitoring Heparin Anticoagulation

bration hybrid curve could be used to calibrate the chromogenic anti-Xa assay for monitoring patients on either unfractionated heparin (UFH) or low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH). The APTT is the assay most commonly used to monitor the effects of UFH therapy. Unfractionated heparin potentiates the activity of antithrombin and covalently neutralizes thrombin and factor Xa.1 Low-molecular weight heparin such as enoxaparin selectively catalyzes the neutralization of factor Xa over thrombin and the drug effect cannot be effectively measured using the APTT assay.1 The method of choice for monitoring LMWH and other heparin analogues is the anti-Xa chromogenic assay. This procedure can also be used to measure the amount of UFH present.1,2 Previous publications have cited the interference of different anticoagulant concentrations in evacuated collection tubes, factor deficiencies, interfering substances, specimen collection problems dealing with time of processing and specimen handling, APTT reagent sensitivity, and instrumentation on the APTT results.3-12 Other studies have shown situations where a therapeutic anti-Xa level of UFH was achieved but dosage changes may have been indicated due to a non-therapeutic APTT level result.11,13 The antithrombin in these studies were sometimes from different sources. Some were from the assay and other studies used an assay where the patient’s antithrombin was the source for the test. This protocol used different concentrations of sodium citrate anticoagulant in the evacuated collection tubes and amount of the blood to anticoagulant ratio to see if these variables affected the chromogenic anti-Xa assay results in samples from patients receiving either a UFH or LMWH dosing regimens.
Ecomorphological Indicators of Feeding Behavior in Recent and Fossil Raptors

Modern raptors feed predominantly on animals and exhibit a wide range of feeding behaviors and prey preferences. The following six ecomorphs, based on feeding preferences served to classify members from all families of diurnal birds of prey: (1) avivores, which feed primarily on avian prey; (2) mammalivores, which feed primarily on mammalian prey; (3) herpetivores, which feed primarily on reptiles and amphibians; (4) piscivores, which feed primarily on fishes; (5) scavengers, which are primarily carrion feeders; and (6) gen- eralists, which are opportunistic feeders on all of the above prey and on invertebrates. A series of skull-based indices were created to reflect functional aspects of prey preferences- calculated from measures of the cranium, maxilla (beak) and mandible-and were analyzed separately and with all units combined. The same indices were determined for 13 raptor species, including some extinct genera unearthed from the Pleistocene Rancho La Brea tar pits in California. A discriminant function analysis was used to assess the functional pre- dictability of the indices for the extant raptors and also to predict the ecomorphs of the fossils. Results indicate that all of the indices combined provide the best predictor of prey preferences, especially for scavengers and avivores. Cranial and mandibular indices provide a better resolution than maxillary indices when considering only isolated elements. Eleven fossil species were assigned to their dietary categories with high probabilities and two were less definitely classified. Received 28 February 1994, accepted 16 May 1994.
A minimally intrusive, low cost system for determining indoor air flow patterns

This paper describes an ozone-based tracer gas system that can be used to create models of indoor air flow. Ozone is generated via corona discharge using a parallel resonant DC-DC converter, and ozone concentration is monitored using a novel low-noise amplifier. Power-line carrier modems are used to coordinate the generation and detection of ozone. Intelligent digital control strategies for the generator are developed using the requirements of several different air flow tests.
Urinary Excretion of Immunoreactive Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone-Like Material in Children: Correlation with Pubertal Development*

Immunoreactive LRH (iLRH)-like material has been measured in extracts of urine from normal children and adolescents, adult men and women, and postmenopausal women. The urinary excretion of iLRH-like material was significantly greater in pubertal than in prepubertal subjects and inboys than girls at both stages of sexual maturation [prepubertal males, 3.26± 0.49 ng/24 h (SE; n = 24); pubertal males, 5.94 ± 1.36 (n = 12); prepubertalfemales, 1.14 ± 0.21 (n = 19); pubertal females, 2.85 ± 0.56 (n = 13)]. In adult males (n = 5) the urinary excretion of iLRH-like material was 7.8 ± 1.3 ng/24 h, and in adult women in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (n = 8) it was 2.9 ± 0.3. In five postmenopausal women the urinary iLRH-like content was 7.32 ± 0.92 ng/24 h (P < 0.01 relative to normal pubertal and adult women). In children the 24-h urinary excretion of iLRH-like material was positively correlated with chronological and bone ages, Tanner stage of genital (male) and breast (female) development, and the...
Foods and beverages associated with higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages.

Background Although consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with higher caloric intakes, the amount SSBs contribute to higher intakes has not been addressed. Purpose To estimate the amount SSBs contribute to higher caloric intakes and determine how the diets of SSB consumers and nonconsumers differ. Methods The What We Eat In America, NHANES 2003–2010 surveys were combined into a sample of 13,421 children; analyses were conducted in December 2012. To determine the contribution of SSBs to higher caloric intakes, total non-SSB intake (food + non-SSB beverages) of SSB consumers and nonconsumers were compared using linear regression models controlling for demographic and socioeconomic factors. Analyses also compared intakes between nonconsumers and SSB consumers with different amounts of SSB consumption. Results For children aged 2–5 years and 6–11 years, total non-SSB intakes did not differ between nonconsumers and SSB consumers at any level of SSB consumption, indicating that SSBs were primarily responsible for the higher caloric intakes among SSB consumers. A similar finding was observed among children aged 12–18 years; however, both food and SSB contributed to higher caloric intakes of adolescents consuming ≥500 kcal of SSBs. Among those aged 12–18 years, higher intakes of foods (e.g., pizza, burgers, fried potatoes, and savory snacks) and lower intakes of non-SSB beverages (e.g., fluid milk and fruit juice) were associated with increased SSB intake. Conclusions Sugar-sweetened beverages are primarily responsible for the higher caloric intakes of SSB consumers, and SSB consumption is associated with intake of a select number of food and beverage groups, some of which are often unhealthy (e.g., pizza and grain-based desserts).
Ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase: a potential new target for suppressing inflammation in heart failure?

Ataxia‐telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase, the mutation of which causes the autosomal recessive disease ataxia‐telangiectasia, plays an essential role in the maintenance of genome stability (reviewed in ref. [1][1]). ATM (a serine/threonine protein kinase) senses DNA double‐strand breaks and
Toward Effective Standardization of Hams

Orderly marketing requires standardized products. Current USDA inspection criteria prevent the packer from completely standardizing cured hams on the basis of protein and moisture content. It is argued that changes in the current cured meat inspection procedures might result in (1) a more standardized product for consumers and (2) more accurate price signals for farmers, which could increase the reward to those swine producers whose product is of high quality. If the inspection criteria were changed so that cured hams could be standardized on the basis of a moisture-protein ratio of 3.79∶1, a simultaneous equation model indicates that the gross live-weight price differential between swine producing high-protein hams and those producing low-protein hams could widen to $2.42 per hundredweight.
Coherence conversion for optimized resolution in optical measurements – example of femtosecond time resolution using the transverse coherence of 100-picosecond X-rays

A way is proposed to obtain a femtosecond time resolution over a picosecond range in laser-pump, X-ray probe spectroscopic measurements where the light source and the detector are much slower than that. It is based on a phase-space transformation from the time/bandwidth to the spatial/wavenumber domain to match the coherence properties of synchrotron radiation to the requirements of femtosecond experiments. In a first step, the geometry of the laser incidence maps time, t, of laser-induced femtosecond dynamics to a spatial coordinate, x. Then, a far-field X-ray diffraction pattern, i.e. the optical Fourier transform, is obtained from the laser-induced modifications of the sample properties, including shifts of X-ray absorption edges and changes in crystallographic unit-cell form factors. Whereas the first step is similar to previously used schemes for femtosecond time resolution, the second one is substantially different with specific advantages discussed in the text. Key to this technique is that the mod...
User Discrimination through Structured Writing on PDAs

This paper explores whether features of structured writing can serve to discriminate users of handheld devices such as Palm PDAs. Biometric authentication would obviate the need to remember a password or to keep it secret, requiring only that a user's manner of writing confirm his or her identity. Presumably, a user's dynamic and invisible writing style would be difficult for an imposter to imitate. We show how handwritten, multi-character strings can serve as personalized, non-secret passwords. A prototype system employing support vector machine classifiers was built to discriminate 52 users in a closed-world scenario. On high-quality data, strings as short as four letters achieved a false-match rate of 0.04%, at a corresponding false non-match rate of 0.64%. Strings of at least 8 to 16 letters in length delivered perfect results--a 0% equal-error rate. Very similar results were obtained upon decreasing the data quality or upon increasing the data quantity.
Measurement of lateral dopant diffusion in thin silicide layers

The lateral diffusion of dopants in silicides was studied using a sensitive Schottky-barrier test structure that relies on changes in the I-V characteristic of a silicide-polysilicon interface due to dopant diffusion from the doped silicide into the polysilicon. The process flow of the test structure makes the device readily adaptable to all deposited or reacted silicides. The test structure was used to measure the diffusivity of B, As, and P in WSi/sub 2/, TiSi/sub 2/, and CoSi/sub 2/ at temperatures from 750 to 1000 degrees C. No measurable lateral diffusion of B in TiSi/sub 2/ was observed. In all the other cases, diffusion was several orders of magnitude higher than in silicon. These results should aid the development of process flows to prevent device degradation due to the lateral diffusion of dopants in the silicide layer. >
Chemical Imaging of Monolayers on Metal Surfaces: Applications in Corrosion, Catalysis, and Self-Assembled Monolayers

In situ techniques are indispensable to understanding many topics in surface chemistry. As a consequence, several spectroscopic methods have been developed to provide molecular-level information that only spectroscopy can supply. However, as important as this information is, it is just as critical to realize that nearly all surfaces under investigation have spatial heterogeneities of the order of nanometers to millimeters; thus, spatial analysis is very important to the overall interpretation. This Minireview focuses on a few of the recent developments in spectroscopic techniques that can provide spatial, spectroscopic, and in situ information. These techniques include photo-electron microscopy, infrared and Raman imaging, and nonlinear optical imaging vibrational spectroscopy as applied to topics in corrosion, catalysis and self-assembled monolayers.
The Correlation Between Locomotor Performance and Hindlimb Kinematics During Burst Locomotion in the Florida Scrub Lizard, Sceloporus woodi

Burst locomotion is thought to be closely linked to an organism's ability to survive and reproduce. During the burst, animals start from a standstill and then rapidly accelerate to near-maximum running speeds. Many previous studies have described the functional predictors of maximum running speed; however, only recently has work emerged that describes the morphological, functional and biomechanical underpinnings of acceleration capacity. Herein we present data on the three-dimensional hindlimb kinematics during burst locomotion, and the relationship between burst locomotor kinematics and locomotor performance in a small terrestrial lizard (Sceloporus woodi). We focus only on stance phase joint angular kinematics. Sceloporus woodi exhibited considerable variation in hindlimb kinematics and performance across the first three strides of burst locomotion. Stride 1 was defined by larger joint angular excursions at the knee and ankle; by stride 3, the knee and ankle showed smaller joint angular excursions. The hip swept through similar arcs across all strides, with most of the motion caused by femoral retraction and rotation. Metatarsophalangeal (MTP) kinematics exhibited smaller maximum angles in stride 1 compared with strides 2 and 3. The significant correlations between angular kinematics and locomotor performance were different across the first three strides. For stride 1, MTP kinematics predicted final maximum running speed; this correlation is likely explained by a correlation between stride 1 MTP kinematics and stride 2 acceleration performance. For stride 3, several aspects of joint kinematics at each joint predicted maximum running speed. Overall, S. woodi exhibits markedly different kinematics, performance and kinematics-performance correlations across the first three strides. This finding suggests that future studies of burst locomotion and acceleration performance should perform analyses on a stride-by-stride basis and avoid combining data from different strides across the burst locomotor event. Finally, the kinematics-performance correlations observed in S. woodi were quite different from those described for other species, suggesting that there is not a single kinematic pattern that is optimal for high burst performance.
Food abundance does not determine bird use of early-successional habitat

Few attempts have been made to experimentally address the extent to which temporal or spatial variation in food availability influences avian habitat use. We used an experimental approach to investigate whether bird use differed between treated (arthropods reduced through insecticide application) and control (untreated) forest canopy gaps within a bottomland hardwood forest in the Upper Coastal Plain of South Carolina, USA. Gaps were two- to three-year-old group selection timber harvest openings of three sizes (0.13, 0.26, and 0.50 ha). Our study was conducted during four bird use periods (spring migration, breeding, post-breeding, and fall migration) in 2002 and 2003. Arthropods were reduced in treated gaps by 68% in 2002 and 73% in 2003. We used mist-netting captures and foraging attack rates to assess the influence of arthropod abundance on avian habitat use. Evidence that birds responded to arthropod abundance was limited and inconsistent. In 2002, we generally captured more birds in treated gaps of the smallest size (0.13 ha) and fewer birds in treated gaps of the larger sizes. In 2003, we recorded few differences in the number of captures in treated and control gaps. Foraging attack rates generally were lower in treated than in control gaps, indicating that birds were able to adapt to the reduced food availability and remain in treated gaps. We conclude that arthropod abundance was not a proximate factor controlling whether forest birds used our gaps. The abundance of food resources may not be as important in determining avian habitat selection as previous research has indicated, at least for passerines in temperate subtropical regions.
A 1.4-kJ solid-state power oscillator with good beam quality

By using three 6-disk amplifiers of 10 cm clear aperture from the Nova laser as the active element in an unstable resonator of magnification M=3, we achieved a single shot output of 1.4 kJ in a beam which contains 90% of its energy within twice the theoretical beam divergence. We show that most of the beam quality degradation comes from about one wave of beam tilt during the pulse and that the tilt corrected beam quality corresponds to a Strehl ratio of /spl ap/0.6. >
Mouse Myeloma Mid the Immune Response1 Suppression of Ascites Formation by Antigenic Stimulatioh

The effect of antigenic stimulation on the induotion of mouse myeloma by mineral oil was studied. Potter and Boyce found that 3 intraperitoneal injections of mineral oil (M.O.) spaced 2 months apart induced myeloma in about 50% of BALB/c mice by 1 year of age or less. Accordingly, one group of 2-month-old BALB/c mice was injected with M.O. alone, using the schedule of these authors. Another group was similarly injected with M.O. plus sheep red blood cells, bovine serum albumin and ribonuclease. In the group given M.0, alone, 22 of 42 mice developed ascites within 1 year of age, with the majority of the mice showing elevated levels of IgA protein. In the Troup given M.O. plus antigens, only 1 of 18 mice developed ascites within 1 year of we. The absence of ascites in these mice was associated with the presence of antibodies to the injected antigens, and the maintenance of normal plasma protein patterns. In mice developing ascites at a later age, the level of specific antibodies declined rapidly with the se...
Support for Waste Facility Siting: Differences between Community Leaders and Residents

Decisions regarding hazardous waste facility siting are now open to extensive public debate. Efforts on the part of public officials and private companies to site waste management facilities have been thwarted by public opposition. Using survey data from leaders and residents in communities which are hosting or siting facilities, this study examines their sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, levels of trust, perceptions of risk, perceptions of economic impacts, perceptions of equity issues and the differential effects of these factors on acceptance of local waste facility siting. Leaders in these communities were more supportive of local waste facility siting than were other community residents. The major determinant of leaders' acceptance of waste siting was their perceptions of the economic benefits of a facility to the community. Although this was also important to residents, perceptions of health, safety, and environmental contamination risks had larger effects on their acceptance of such facilities.
Evidence for cross-adaptation between s-triazine herbicides resulting in reduced efficacy under field conditions.

BACKGROUND: Enhanced atrazine degradation has been observed in agricultural soils from around the globe. Soils exhibiting enhanced atrazine degradation may be cross-adapted with other s-triazine herbicides, thereby reducing their control of sensitive weed species. The aims of this study were (1) to determine the field persistence of simazine in atrazine-adapted and non-adapted soils, (2) to compare mineralization of ring-labeled 14 C-simazine and 14 C-atrazine between atrazine-adapted and non-adapted soils and (3) to evaluate prickly sida control with simazine in atrazine-adapted and non-adapted soils. RESULTS: Pooled over two pre-emergent (PRE) application dates, simazine field persistence was 1.4-fold lower in atrazine-adapted than in non-adapted soils. For both simazine and atrazine, the mineralization lag phase was 4.3-fold shorter and the mineralization rate constant was 3.5-fold higher in atrazine-adapted than in non-adapted soils. Collectively, the persistence and mineralization data confirm cross-adaptation between these s-triazine herbicides. In non-adapted soils, simazine PRE at the 15 March and 17 April planting dates reduced prickly sida density at least 5.4-fold compared with the no simazine PRE treatment. Conversely, in atrazine-adapted soils, prickly sida densities were not statistically different between simazine PRE and no simazine PRE at either planting date, thereby indicating reduced simazine efficacy in atrazine-adapted soils.
Judicial Versus Legilsative Authority after Lebron

In February, 2010 in Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, the Illinois Supreme Court invalidated certain statutory caps on non-economic damages in medical negligence cases. The court ruled the caps “unduly” infringed “upon the inherent power of the judiciary” theretofore recognized (albeit in judicial dictum) within the separation of powers clause of the Illinois Constitution. The caps were said to “encroach” on the judiciary’s “sphere of authority” in civil procedure lawmaking because they impeded “the courts in the performance of their function.”This article examines what types of statutes after Lebron will likely be invalidated on separation of powers grounds. After examining Lebron, the article concludes that there will be heightened judicial scrutiny of statutes on attorney conduct, appellate practice, and jury decision-making.
Peer assessment of class participation: applying peer nomination to overcome rating inflation

Having students actively engaged with each other in discussions has become an increasingly important and common aspect of the classroom environment. This increased emphasis has also meant that instructors need to find ways to effectively and efficiently evaluate class participation. In this paper, we describe the most common method used for these assessments and highlight some of its inherent challenges. We then propose an alternative method based on peer nominations. Two case studies illustrate the advantages of this method; we find that it is both easy for students to complete and provide instructors with valuable diagnostic information with which to provide feedback and assign grades.
Dynamics of leaf water relations components in co‐occurring iso‐ and anisohydric conifer species

Because iso- and anisohydric species differ in stomatal regulation of the rate and magnitude of fluctuations in shoot water potential, they may be expected to show differences in the plasticity of their shoot water relations components, but explicit comparisons of this nature have rarely been made. We subjected excised shoots of co-occurring anisohydric Juniperus monosperma and isohydric Pinus edulis to pressure-volume analysis with and without prior artificial rehydration. In J. monosperma, the shoot water potential at turgor loss (Ψ(TLP)) ranged from -3.4 MPa in artificially rehydrated shoots to -6.6 MPa in shoots with an initial Ψ of -5.5 MPa, whereas in P. edulis mean Ψ(TLP) remained at ∼ -3.0 MPa over a range of initial Ψ from -0.1 to -2.3 MPa. The shoot osmotic potential at full turgor and the bulk modulus of elasticity also declined sharply with shoot Ψ in J. monosperma, but not in P. edulis. The contrasting behaviour of J. monosperma and P. edulis reflects differences in their capacity for homeostatic regulation of turgor that may be representative of aniso- and isohydric species in general, and may also be associated with the greater capacity of J. monosperma to withstand severe drought.
Eccentric contractions require unique activation strategies by the nervous system

Enoka, Roger M. Eccentric contractions require unique activation strategies by the nervous system. J. Appl. Physiol. 81(6): 2339–2346, 1996.—Eccentric contractions occur when activated muscles are ...
Average daily risk range as a measure of glycemic risk is associated with mortality in the intensive care unit: a retrospective study in a burn intensive care unit.

Background: Although tight glycemic control has been associated with improved outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU), glycemic variability may be the influential factor in mortality. The main goal of the study was to relate blood glucose (BG) variability of burn ICU patients to outcomes using a sensitive measure of glycemic variability, the average daily risk range (ADRR). Method: Data from patients admitted to a burn ICU were used. Patients were matched by total body surface area (TBSA) and injury severity score (ISS) to test whether increased BG variability measured by ADRR was associated with higher mortality risk and whether we could identify ADRR-based classifications associated with the degree of risk. Results: Four ADRR classifications were identified: low risk, medium-low, medium-high, and high. Mortality progressively increased from 25% in the low-risk group to over 60% in the high-risk group (p < .001). In a post hoc analysis, age also contributed to outcome. Younger (age < 43 years) survivors and nonsurvivors matched by TBSA and ISS had no significant difference in age, mean BG or standard deviation of BG; however, nonsurvivors had higher ADRR (p < .01). Conclusions:
An open trial of olanzapine in the treatment of patients with psychotic depression.

Compared to major depression without psychosis, psychotic depression often responds poorly to treatment with tricyclic antidepressants alone. Atypical antipsychotics, which appear to possess thymoleptic properties, may represent a new treatment alternative for patients with psychotic mood disorders. This open-label, pilot study evaluated the efficacy of olanzapine monotherapy in patients with psychotic depression. Seven inpatients who met DSM-IV criteria for a major depressive episode (unipolar) with psychotic features participated in a 10-week open-label trial of olanzapine 10–20 mg/day. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), and the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI) were performed at each visit to evaluate clinical response. Four out of the 5 study completers responded during the trial. Overall, there was a statistically significant change between baseline and final visit on the SAPS, HRSD, and the CGI Scale (p < .001). The results of this pilot study suggest that olanzapine may be an effective treatment for some patients with unipolar psychotic depression. However, these observations require replication in randomized, controlled trials.
Writing, critical thinking, and engineering curricula

Writing-across-the-curriculum and critical thinking approaches have gained favor in higher education. However, while these movements have sprouted and grown roots in colleges of arts and science across the country, they have found the ground less fertile in colleges of engineering. These movements certainly influenced changes in the philosophy and approach to the accreditation of engineering programs, manifest in ABET Engineering Criteria 2000. Several ABET program outcomes are difficult to achieve using traditional approaches to engineering education. For example, it seems particularly difficult to show that graduate engineers will have the broad education necessary to understand the impact of civil engineering solutions in a global and societal context, and knowledge of contemporary issues as they relate to engineering problems. We believe that there is much to be gained from broader application of the philosophies and techniques of these movements to the education of engineers. This paper presents examples of assignments that promote these goals.
Application of prostaglandin E2 improves ileal blood flow in NEC.

Abstract Purpose Indomethacin, a nonselective prostaglandin inhibitor used to treat patent ductus arteriosus, is associated with intestinal perforation inducing an NEC-like illness. We sought to define the contribution of prostaglandin E 2 (PG E 2 ) and its receptor EP4 to intestinal blood flow regulation in premature neonates with NEC. Methods Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized by litter to undergo experimental NEC induction or to serve as a CONTROL. At 48hours of age, intestinal laser Doppler blood flow was assessed at baseline and after intraperitoneal administration of indomethacin, PG E 2 , EP4 antagonist, or EP4 agonist. Data were analyzed using a 2-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey-Kramer correction. Results At baseline, NEC animals had lower intestinal blood flow than controls. Indomethacin, PG E 2 and EP4 agonist all increased ileal blood flow, but PG E 2 and EP4 agonist increased blood flow the most in NEC pups. EP4 antagonist decreased intestinal perfusion in both groups. Conclusion The above evidence suggests the importance of PG E 2 and EP4 in regulation of neonatal intestinal blood flow. Since indomethacin treatment of patent ductus arteriosus in the premature infant is associated with an increased risk of intestinal perforation owing to compromised blood flow, PG E 2 supplementation might provide intestinal protection if administered simultaneously with indomethacin.
SISC: A Text Classification Approach Using Semi Supervised Subspace Clustering

Text classification poses some specific challenges. One such challenge is its high dimensionality where each document (data point) contains only a small subset of them. In this paper, we propose Semi-supervised Impurity based Subspace Clustering (SISC) in conjunction with k-Nearest Neighbor approach, based on semi-supervised subspace clustering that considers the high dimensionality as well as the sparse nature of them in text data. SISC finds clusters in the subspaces of the high dimensional text data where each text document has fuzzy cluster membership. This fuzzy clustering exploits two factors - chi square statistic of the dimensions and the impurity measure within each cluster. Empirical evaluation on real world data sets reveals the effectiveness of our approach as it significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art text classification and subspace clustering algorithms.
Bail Prediction Exploring the Role of Neighborhood Context in Philadelphia

The concurrent impact of individual and neighborhood effects on defendant pretrial performance has not been studied. This study asks whether there is neighborhood-level variation in defendants’ fai...
A utility-based distributed maximum lifetime routing algorithm for wireless networks

Energy efficient routing is a critical problem in multihop wireless networks due to the severe power constraint of wireless nodes. Despite its importance and many research efforts towards it, a distributed routing algorithm that maximizes network lifetime is still missing. To address this problem, we propose a novel utility-based nonlinear optimization formulation to the maximum lifetime routing problem. Based on this formulation, we further present a fully distributed, localized routing algorithm, which is proved to converge to the optimal point, where the network lifetime is maximized. Solid theoretical analysis and simulation results are presented to validate our solution
Asset Accumulation Among Low-Income Households

We examine patterns and correlates of asset accumulation among low-income households and other demographic groups using a series of cross-sections from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. We find that 20 percent of American households, including 45 percent of black households, do not maintain a transactions account. In addition, households in the bottom half of the income distribution maintain tend to maintain very low discretionary financial asset holdings. Our regression analysis suggests that income, age, education and marital status are significantly correlated with the level of net worth and financial assets. However, despite controlling for a series of other variables, we find that black households and those who receive public assistance have lower wealth than others. Examining net worth versus financial assets revealed somewhat different patterns of accumulation. This suggests that the process by which these two are accumulated may be different, at least for lower-income households. We also show that, controlling for other factors, not having a transaction account is correlated with economically and statistically significant effects on the ownership of net financial assets, housing, and vehicles. Along with previous work, they provide a set of facts to help frame and motivate analyses of public policies to assist low-income households in accumulating assets.
Experimental Developments in Isolation/Energy Dissipation Platforms for the Seismic Protection of Equipment in Multistory Facilities

Applications of isolation/energy dissipation devices for the seismic protection of equipment and components in multistory buildings are limited, and experimental evidence on the effectiveness of these applications is lacking. This paper summarizes the developments of experimental studies to assess the seismic performance of different isolation/energy dissipation platforms for the protection of equipment under three-directional seismic floor accelerations of multistory facilities. The experimental studies consisted of earthquake simulation tests of different isolation/energy dissipation platforms under three directional shaking. The experimental studies included five different platforms based on energy-absorbing wire ropes, hinge-rubber bearings, lead-rubber bearings, among other isolation/energy dissipation mechanisms. The platforms supported full-scale equipment and simulated equipment with different properties; including relatively heavy and rigid simulated equipment and relatively light-weight tall frames that held computer equipment. The different platforms supporting a piece of equipment were subjected to seismic shaking that intended to simulate a variety of floor accelerations of different multistory buildings under earthquake shaking of varying intensities. This paper includes the summary of outcomes of the experimental studies and concludes on the performance of the platforms for the seismic protection of equipment under floor acceleration at different building levels, and discusses further research directions.
Rotary Engine Geometry

Most of the mathematics implicit in the famous rotary combustion engine of Felix Wankel predates the engine by a few centuries. We will survey in this note the classical roots of rotary engine geometry; non-mathematical background material can be found in [2]. We begin with several definitions that lead to an elegant result, known as the Bernoulli-Goldbach-Euler double generation theorem, that nicely relates the triangular rotor to its housing (bore).
Linear Programming and Media Selection: A Comment:

Because efficient media selection is a complex process, and because media costs are essentially linear, the most promising technique for media selection is linear programming. To improve its useful...
Influence of middle-molecular-weight solutes from dialysate on the migration rate of leukocytes

Influence of middle-molecular-weight solutes from dialysate on the migration rate of leukocytes.To investigate further the biologic activity of solutes in the middle-molecular-weight range, we studied the influence of these compounds on the migration of unseparated white blood cells and separated granulocytes and lymphocytes. Middle molecules (MM) inhibit the migration of unseparated leukocytes, but this effect on lymphocytes was seldom observed. With scanning electron microscopy, unseparated leukocytes were shown to adhere to one another, forming cellular clumps. This phenomenon could not be seen when separated cells were used. These results give some insight into the mechanism of inhibition exerted by MM and into the changes, observed in earlier experiments, of cellular composition of skin exudate obtained from untreated patients with uremia. Influence de substances dissoutes de poids moleculaires moyens du dialysat sur la vitesse de migration des leucocytes. Afin de poursuivre l'etude de l'activite biologique des substances dissoutes de poids moleculaires moyens, l'influence de ces composes sur la migration de leucocytes non separes et de granulocytes et de lymphocytes separes a ete etudiee. Les moyennes molecules (MM) inhibent la migration des leucocytes non separes alors que cet effet est pratiquement absent sur les lymphocytes. En microscopie electronique il a ete observe que les leucocytes non separes adherent les uns aux autres pour former des amas cellulaires. Ces resultats eclairent le mecanisme de l'inhibition par MM, et aussi les modifications observees, au cours d'experiences anterieures, dans la composition de l'exsudat cutane obtenu chez des malades uremiques non traites.
High pressure liquid chromatographic determination of sodium fluoroacetate (compound 1080) in canine gastric content

A sensitive high pressure liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of sodium fluoroacetate (compound 1080) in canine gastric content. The procedure involves extraction of 1080 with water, methyl ethyl ketone, and dilute base, followed by sample cleanup using octadecylsilane bonded phase cartridges and derivatization in ethyl acetate sodium with O-p-nitrobenzyl-N-N'-diisopropylisourea (PNBDI). The compound was chromatographed on a 10 micrometer silica column, and ultraviolet absorbance at 254 and 280 nm was measured. Recovery was greater than 95% for standard 1080 and in the 70-90% range for spiked samples (1-50 ppm).
Two-Hybrid System for Characterization of Protein-Protein Interactions in E. coli

The yeast two-hybrid system has been used to characterize many protein-protein interactions. A two-hybrid system for E. coli was constructed in which one hybrid protein bound to a specific DNA site recruits another to an adjacent DNA binding site. The first hybrid comprises a test protein, the bait, fused to a chimeric protein containing the 434 repressor DNA binding domain. In the second hybrid, a second test protein, the prey, is fused downstream of a chimeric protein with the DNA binding specificity of the lambda repressor. Reporters were designed to express cat and lacZ under the control of a low-affinity lambda operator. At low expression levels, lambda repressor hybrids weakly repress the reporter genes. A high-affinity operator recognized by 434 repressor was placed nearby, in a position that does not yield repression by 434 repressor alone. If the test proteins interact, the 434 hybrid bound to the 434 operator stabilizes the binding of the lambda repressor hybrid to the lambda operator, causing increased repression of the reporter genes. Reconstruction experiments with the fos and jun leucine zippers detected protein-protein interactions between either homodimeric or heterodimeric leucine zippers.
Cohesion Relationships in Tutorial Dialogue as Predictors of Affective States

We explored the possibility of predicting learners' affective states (boredom, flow/engagement, confusion, and frustration) by monitoring variations in the cohesiveness of tutorial dialogues during interactions with AutoTutor, an intelligent tutoring system with conversational dialogues. Multiple measures of cohesion (e.g., pronouns, connectives, semantic overlap, causal cohesion, coreference) were automatically computed using the Coh-Metrix facility for analyzing discourse and language characteristics of text. Cohesion measures in multiple regression models predicted the proportional occurrence of each affective state, yielding medium to large effect sizes. The incidence of negations, pronoun referential cohesion, causal cohesion, and co-reference cohesion were the most diagnostic predictors of the affective states. We discuss the generalizability of our findings to other domains and tutoring systems, as well as the possibility of constructing real-time, cohesion-based affect detectors.
Corporate Coalitions and Industrial Restructuring: Explaining Regional Trade Agreements

This paper locates business support for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) in the context of the internationalization of capital markets and th...