cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steroid-induced dermal atrophy: effects of glucocorticosteroids on collagen metabolism in human skin fibroblast cultures.

: Collagen production by human skin fibroblast cultures was studied by incubation with [3H] proline and several glucocorticosteroids known to produce dermal atrophy in vivo. Collagen production was measured as formation of [3H]hydroxyproline or collagenase-digestible3H-polypeptides, and the values were corrected for changes in cell number in the same cultures. The steroids, in a wide concentration range, failed to elicit any consistent alterations in collagen production. Review of the literature dealing with corticosteroid-induced changes in collagen production by human skin fibroblasts indicate conflicting results even under apparently similar incubation conditions. Consequently, no unifying hypothesis for steroid-induced dermal atrophy can be developed presently based on the in vitro data.
The Papal Bull "Unigenitus" and the Forging of Enlightenment Catholicism, 1713-1764

This article discusses the relationship between the papal Bull Unigenitus (1713) and the Catholic Enlightenment. The circumstances under which this controversial bull was received in the 18th century in Europe, and particularly in France, partially occasioned the construction of factions in many dynastic states—factions either pro-Unigenitus or pro-Augustinian (including but not limited to Jansenists). These factions, in turn, tailored their particular varieties of Catholic Enlightenment in the process of elaborating their respective positions concerning Unigenitus. This article synthesizes general trends in the present scholarship in order to underscore the importance of Unigenitus to the response of the Catholic Church to the Enlightenment. Because the fractures introduced into Catholic Europe by the bull were most acute during the early 18th century in France and the most formative and contentious factionalism is often presumed to have occurred before the suppression of the bull's most stalwart defenders—the Jesuits—between 1759 and 1773, this article focuses chiefly on the formative years of Catholic Enlightenment factionalism in the middle third of the 18th century before the suppression of the Jesuits.
The Influence of Emergency Medical Services Transport on Emergency Severity Index Triage Level for Patients With Abdominal Pain

ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2011; 18:261–266 © 2011 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine Abstract Objectives: The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is a prospectively validated, five-level emergency department (ED) triage system designed to match triage acuity to both patient acuity and appropriate resource allocation. The study hypothesis was that, in practice, there exists an inappropriate bias toward triaging patients with abdominal pain to a higher ESI level based solely upon their mode of arrival to the ED. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective case–control study of patients presenting with abdominal pain. Patients were matched on sex, age (±5 years), and date of arrival. Cases were those patients triaged to a Level 2, and controls were those triaged as Level 3. Conditional multiple variable logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of the following variables on the odds of being triaged as Level 2: mode of arrival, systolic blood pressure ( 140 mm Hg), heart rate, severe pain score (≥8 of 10), fever, race, history of cancer, and previous abdominal surgery. Age was also included in the regression modeling to confirm that matching was adequate. One-hundred cases and 100 controls were necessary to provide adequate sample size. A backward modeling technique was used, requiring a p < 0.05 for retention. Results: Of the 200 subjects, 52 arrived by emergency medical services (EMS) and 148 walked in. After matching for sex, age, and date of arrival, and after adjusting for heart rate, cancer diagnosis, and severe pain, the odds ratio (OR) for being triaged ESI Level 2 was 7.19 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.75 to 18.8, p < 0.0001) for EMS patients compared to walk-in patients. The admission rate for Level 2 patients was not different from that of Level 3 patients (49% vs. 35% of Level 3 patients, p = 0.06), but EMS patients were more likely to be admitted, regardless of ESI level assignment (65% vs. 34%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: After adjusting for covariates, EMS patients with abdominal pain were more likely to be triaged to a higher acuity level. Triage level was not associated with admission, but patients arriving by EMS were more likely to be admitted. This may indicate that the effect of EMS arrival on triage level assignment is actually appropriate. Further research is necessary to validate whether mode of arrival should be incorporated in the initial ESI triage acuity assignment.
Soil/Landscape Relationships in a Mesotidal Maine Estuary

Submerged sediments represent an important component of near-shore coastal systems. Soil scientists have begun to study subaqueous soils from a pedological perspective, and conceptualize these soils as organic or mineral materials, having the ability to support rooted plants, which are submerged by estuarine, marine, or lacustrine water for a period of time such that their pedogenesis reflects an environment dominated by submergence. The objective of this study was to describe and classify subaqueous soils of a shallow, mesotidal, Maine estuary and identify the relationship between soil properties and landscape position. A detailed bathymetric map was created for the study site using a fathometer, Global Positioning System (GPS), tide gauges, surveying equipment, and Geographic Information System (GIS) software. The bathymetric map was used to identify the slope for each landscape unit and the mean water depth above each landscape unit. Slopes in the study range from 1 to >25%. Water depths above the soil surfaces are between 0.1 and 21.0 m at mean sea level (MSL). Soil samples were collected to depths between 1.0 and 5.5 m below the soil surface using a bucket auger, McCauley peat auger, or vibracoring device. Seven soil landscape units and 10 soil map units were differentiated from one another according slope class, geomorphic position, depositional environment, and soil characteristics. Most of the soil parent materials in the estuary are fine-textured sediments. This work is the first estuary soil survey completed in Northern New England.
Prenatal Cocaine Exposure Related to Cortisol Stress Reactivity in 11-Year-Old Children

Objective Determine the association between prenatal cocaine exposure and postnatal environmental adversity on salivary cortisol stress reactivity in school-aged children. Study design Subjects included 743 11-year-old children (n = 320 cocaine-exposed; 423 comparison) followed since birth in a longitudinal prospective multisite study. Saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol at baseline and after a standardized procedure to induce psychological stress. Children were divided into those who showed an increase in cortisol from baseline to post stress and those who showed a decrease or blunted cortisol response. Covariates measured included site, birthweight, maternal pre and postnatal use of alcohol, tobacco or marijuana, social class, changes in caretakers, maternal depression and psychological symptoms, domestic and community violence, child abuse, and quality of the home. Results With adjustment for confounding variables, cortisol reactivity to stress was more likely to be blunted in children with prenatal cocaine exposure. Children exposed to cocaine and who experienced domestic violence showed the strongest effects. Conclusions The combination of prenatal cocaine exposure and an adverse postnatal environment could downregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis resulting in the blunted cortisol response to stress possibly increasing risk for later psychopathology and adult disease.
Educational Software for Blade and Disk Design

One problem with many introductory level turbomachinery courses is a lack of easy to use design and visualization tools. Oftentimes students will become too focused on the underlying math and never develop a good understanding of the physical systems they are working with. To combat this problem, a series of GUI based design and visualization codes have been created. The codes are intended primarily for educational purposes, but in many cases they are robust enough for actual design use. All of the new codes have been designed to complement and to a small extent connect to the existing T-Axi suite of codes. This paper will focus on two new freely available codes: T-Axi Blade and T-Axi Disk. T-Axi Blade was created to help visualize the key design features of a single rotor, with special emphasis on vector triangles, and the ability to design compressor, turbine, axial and centrifugal rotors with a universal approach. T-Axi Blade can also output files for use with T-Axi Disk, a code to aid in the design of a lightweight disk to support the blade row. This code allows the user to design a disk interactively with instantaneous feedback in the form of weights, stresses, and a series of 2D and 3D visualizations. Taken together these codes offer a simple introduction to multidisciplinary engineering. In this paper the structure of these codes and the numerical models are discussed. Ideas are presented of how these codes can be used as a classroom tool and as an actual design tool. An example analysis of the third stage GE EEE HPC axial rotor is presented to demonstrate the features of these codes.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Oncologist preferences for health states associated with the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.

For advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, oncologists are faced with multiple treatment options that differ in terms of possible clinical and patient-reported outcomes. To explore oncologists’ preferences for hypothetical outcome scenarios (i.e. health states) resulting from various treatment options. Six hypothetical health states reflecting varying levels of toxicity, treatment efficacy and emotional well-being were developed representing advanced ovarian cancer treatment. During face-to-face interviews, oncologists provided their relative preferences for these health states using a visual analogue scale and Standard Gamble exercise. The 34 participating oncologists consistently preferred health states reflecting high treatment efficacy over low efficacy for patients with newly diagnosed disease, regardless of toxicity or emotional well-being. In the setting of recurrent disease, physicians preferred a heath state only if it reflected both high efficacy and positive emotional well-being. These data suggest that oncologists may choose treatments that maximize clinical efficacy only when not associated with severe toxicities or low emotional well-being unless associated with a large improvement in efficacy. Physicians may prefer a more toxic chemotherapy regimen that improves survival, and are more willing to compromise emotional well-being for a large survival advantage in the setting of newly diagnosed disease. Slight improvements in clinical efficacy may not be acceptable to oncologists unless associated with higher emotional well-being for the patient.
Variability in alfalfa for growth and mineral uptake and efficiency ratios under aluminum stress

(…) Growth of shoots and roots differed with Al levels and cultivars/lines. At 75 μmol L −1 the mean reductions of shoot and root dry matter yield were 29 and 6% of the control, respectively. Shoot nutrient contents showed significant positive correlations with shoot Al concentrations (…)
Writing “True Stories”: Historians and Hagiographers in the Late Antique and Medieval Near East

Never judge a book by its cover. This densely packed text on historians and hagiographers is a case in point. It constitutes the ninth title in the series Cultural Encounters in Late Antiquity and ...
Changes in immune checkpoint protein expression on CD8 T cells during neoadjuvant therapy in patients with pancreatic cancer

In most patients, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is metastatic at diagnosis and available systemic therapies have had only a modest impact on survival duration. The overwhelming majority of patients with apparent localized, operable disease have extra-pancreatic micrometastases. Cancer patients experience both systemic and intra-tumor immune suppression. Thus, it is likely that pancreatic tumors evade immune surveillance. Harnessing the immune system to eradicate tumor cells represents a logical treatment approach and the optimal patient subset for study are those with operable disease. The immune profile of pancreatic cancer patients, especially those receiving active treatment, has not been studied. We are examining how neoadjuvant therapy affects the immunity of PDAC patients with low tumor burden and operable disease. We hypothesize that the changes in the peripheral immune profile that occur during neoadjuvant therapy will reflect host/tumor immunity, and that these changes will be associated with tumor response/ relapse and patient survival. To address this hypothesis we are examining immune profiles in peripheral blood samples acquired before neoadjuvant therapy (baseline), after neoadjuvant therapy (but before surgery), and again after surgery. Our preliminary data shows that during neoadjuvant therapy, there is a reduction in the percentage of CD4 T cells and an increase in the percentage of CD8 T cells. In some patients the CD8 T cells up-regulate the PD-1 and 2B4 inhibitory receptors (referred to as immune checkpoint proteins). One interpretation of these findings is that neoadjuvant therapy facilitates immune activation. Patients that have increased expression of PD-1 and 2B4 on CD8 T cells may have more activated adaptive immunity induced by neoadjuvant therapy. Further patient follow-up will determine if this profile correlates with a more favorable disease outcome. Our preliminary data indicate that the neoadjuvant treatment period may be an opportune time to add immune therapy to release T cell immune suppression. We anticipate that our data will contribute to an understanding of how the immune system is altered during PDAC progression and will provide a rationale for the timing and delivery of novel anti-tumor immunotherapies to improve patient survival.
AMS-02 cryocooler baseline configuration and EM qualification program

Abstract Four Sunpower M87N Stirling-cycle cryocoolers will be used to extend the lifetime of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 (AMS-02) experiment. The cryocoolers will be mounted to the AMS-02 vacuum case using a structure that will thermally and mechanically decouple the cryocooler from the vacuum case while providing compliance to allow force attenuation using a passive balancer system. The cryocooler drive is implemented using a 60 Hz pulse duration modulated square wave. Details of the testing program, mounting assembly and drive scheme are presented. AMS-02 is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector containing a large superfluid helium-cooled superconducting magnet. Highly sensitive detector plates inside the magnet measure a particle's speed, momentum, charge, and path. The AMS-02 experiment, which will be flown as an attached payload on the International Space Station, will study the properties and origin of cosmic particles and nuclei including antimatter and dark matter. Two engineering model cryocoolers have been under test at NASA Goddard since November 2001.
Antipruritic effect of millimeter waves in mice: Evidence for opioid involvement

In our previous studies, exposure of mice to millimeter waves (MW) increased the duration of anesthesia caused by either ketamine or chloral hydrate, and this effect was blocked by naloxone. To further characterize the biological effects of MW, we have chosen a new animal model of experimental itch. Male Swiss albino mice were injected s.c. in the rostral part of the back with the pruritogenic agent, compound 48/80, with or without naloxone pretreatment. After a 15-min exposure of mice to MW (frequency, 61.22 GHz; incident power density, 15 mW/cm2), the number of scratches of the injected site was counted for 90 min post-injection. MW inhibited the scratching activity of mice by more than 2 times in comparison with the sham-exposed controls (p<0.005). Pretreatment of animals with (-)-naloxone (0.1-1.0 mg/kg, i.p.) suppressed the antipruritic effect of MW in a dose-dependent manner, while the inactive enantiomer (+)-naloxone at 1 mg/kg did not alter the effect. These results suggest that MW trigger the release of opioids in exposed subjects.
Dynamic Contact Stress Patterns on the Tibial Plateaus during Simulated Gait: A Novel Application of Normalized Cross Correlation

The spatial distribution and pattern of local contact stresses within the knee joint during activities of daily living have not been fully investigated. The objective of this study was to determine if common contact stress patterns exist on the tibial plateaus of human knees during simulated gait. To test this hypothesis, we developed a novel normalized cross-correlation (NCC) algorithm and applied it to the contact stresses on the tibial plateaus of 12 human cadaveric knees subjected to multi-directional loads mimicking gait. The contact stress profiles at different locations on the tibial plateaus were compared, where regions with similar contact stress patterns were identified across specimens. Three consistent regional patterns were found, among them two most prominent contact stress patterns were shared by 9-12 of all the knees and the third pattern was shared by 6-8 knees. The first pattern was located at the posterior aspect of the medial tibial plateau and had a single peak stress that occurred during the early stance phase. The second pattern was located at the central-posterior aspects of the lateral plateau and consisted of two peak stresses coincident with the timing of peak axial force at early and late stance. The third pattern was found on the anterior aspect of cartilage-to-cartilage contact region on the medial plateau consisted of double peak stresses. The differences in the location and profile of the contact stress patterns suggest that the medial and lateral menisci function to carry load at different points in the gait cycle: with the posterior aspect of the medial meniscus consistently distributing load only during the early phase of stance, and the posterior aspect of the lateral meniscus consistently distributing load during both the early and late phases of stance. This novel approach can help identify abnormalities in knee contact mechanics and provide a better understanding of the mechanical pathways leading to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
Extrarenal Wilms' tumor: An analysis of four cases

During a review of Wilms' tumor, four located external to the kidney were identified. Patient age ranged from 7 months to 4 years; three were female. One neoplasm was located in the parametrial connective tissue to the left of the uterus; both kidneys were radiographically normal. Three neoplasms were located in the right retroperitoneum adherent to the surface of the ipsilateral kidney, but separated from the parenchyma by a thick fibrous capsule. Two were attached to the upper pole, while the third was attached to the midportion of the kidney. Radiologic studies showed displacement of all three kidneys, but intravenous pyelogram (IVP) revealed no calyceal distortion. All four neoplasms were favorable histology Wilms' tumor: one was monophasic epithelial type, one was monophasic blastemal type, and two had a mixture of stromal, epithelial, and blastemal tissue. No teratomatous elements were present. Immunoperoxidase staining for cytokeratin (AE-1, AE-3, CAM 5.2), vimentin, and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) showed the strongest focal positive staining of tubular structures with CAM 5.2, and slight staining with EMA. Staining reaction to vimentin was variable, but negative in most areas. Three tumors extracted from paraffin were diploid by quantitative flow cytometric DNA analysis; in one case, flow cytometry could not be performed. Clinical follow-up from 2 years to 6 years showed all children to be alive without evidence of disease. Based on the similarity to conventional renal Wilms' tumor, these findings support the hypothesis of displaced mesonephric/metanephric rests for the origin of extrarenal Wilms' tumor.
Enhanced cross-talk correction technique for simultaneous dual-isotope imaging: A TL-201/Tc-99m myocardial perfusion SPECT dog study

A newly developed cross-talk correction method for simultaneous dual-isotope SPECT imaging was tested in a canine model. The method is based on the assumption that the transformations, which modify the primary energy window images into the scatter images as viewed in the other energy windows, are known. These transformations were found by measuring the point spread functions (PSFs) in two different energy windows for both isotopes in water. The dual-isotope correction method is described by two convolution equations which were applied in frequency space. The equations take into account the different spatial distributions of the primary and scatter cross-talk photons. The new enhancement of the method was in applying restoration filters to the resulting corrected images. Three separate studies were acquired in our dog study: two single-isotope and one dual-isotope study. The single isotope images were used as references. The contrast between the left ventricle cavity (LVC) and the myocardium was used in transaxial and short-axis slices as a parameter to evaluate results of dual-isotope correction method with restoration. The change in contrast in the dual-isotope corrected images in both energy windows, i.e., Tc-99m primary window (140 keV) and Tl-201 primary window (70 keV), was significant. The only exception was for the short-axis Tc-99m window images. The corrected 140 keV dual-isotope short-axis slice had the contrast of 0.60 vs 0.58, which was the value in the noncorrected dual-isotope short-axis slice. For dual-isotope 140 keV transaxial slice, the contrast changed from 0.72 to 0.82 after correction. In comparison, for single-isotope Tc-99m 140 keV transaxial slice, contrast changed from 0.62 to 0.84 after restoration correction. There was less change in contrast in the short-axis Tc-99m 140 keV slice, i.e., from 0.56 to 0.61. In the Tl-201 primary window for the transaxial slices the improvement of contrast was from 0.38 to 0.64, and for short-axis slices from 0.22 to 0.32 after correction. In the same 70 keV energy window for single-isotope Tl-201 images, contrast improved from 0.61 to 0.69 and from 0.35 to 0.38 for transaxial and short-axis slice, respectively, after applying restoration correction. In conclusion, the presented dual-isotope correction method with restoration improves the quality of the simultaneous rest Tl-201/stress Tc-99m sestamibi SPECT imaging.
THE PROBLEM OF THE UNDERDEVELOPED REGIONS IN SOUTHEAST EUROPE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ROMANIA, YUGOSLAVIA, AND GREECE1

ABSTRACT The three countries of Southeast Europe approach the problem of a balanced economic development from a long history of foreign domination which created great regional disproportions. Today these three countries have different ideologies, but the solutions to their regional imbalances are handled with strikingly similar tools: massive investments to encourage industrialization and diversification of their economies. This study compares their problems and evaluates steps taken toward their solution. Romania gives special emphasis to locating new industries in less-developed regions. The relative position of the prewar industrially developed regions is still predominant. The underdeveloped regions have increased only slightly their industrial share of the country (37.3 percent to 40.7 percent between 1950 and 1964), even though the policies followed during the whole postwar period have resulted in a more even distribution of the productive forces. Yugoslavia is the only country which has a definite ...
Experimental results from a beam direct converter at 100 kV

A direct-energy converter was developed for use on neutral-beam injectors. The purpose of the converter is to raise the efficiency of the injector by recovering the portion of the ion beam not converted to neutrals. In addition to increasing the power efficiency, direct conversion reduces the requirements on power supplies and eases the beam dump problem. The converter was tested at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory on a reduced-area version of a neutral-beam injector developed for use on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at Princeton. The conversion efficiency of the total ion power was 65 ±7% at the beginning of the pulse, decaying to just over 50% by the end of the 0.6-s pulse. Once the electrode surfaces were conditioned, the decay was due to the rise in pressure of only the beam gas and not to outgassing. The direct converter was tested with 1.7 A of hydrogen ions and with 1.5 A of helium ions through the aperture with similar efficiencies. At the midplane through the beam, the line power density was 0.7 MW/m, for comparison with our calculations of slab beams and the prediction of 2–4 MW/m in some reactor studies. Over 98 kV was developed at the ion collector when the beam energy was 100 keV. When electrons were suppressed magnetically, rather than electrostatically, the efficiency dropped to 40%. However, a better designed electron catcher could improve this efficiency. New electrode material released gas (mostly H2 and CO) in amounts that exceeded the input of primary gas from the beam. The electrodes were all made of 0.51-mm-thick molybdenum cooled only by radiation. This allowed the heating by the beam to outgas the electrodes and for them to stay hot enough to avoid the reabsorption of gas between shots. By minor redesign of the electrodes, adding cryopanels near the electrodes, and grounding the ion source, these results extrapolate with high confidence to an efficiency of 70–80% at a power density of 2–4 MW/m. Higher power may be possible with magnetic electron suppression.
Current trends in minor planet research

Abstract The outlook for the future of coping with the increasing number of minor planets for which orbits have been determined is considerably brighter than it was forty years ago, when only one-half of the present number of orbits needed attention. This is due to the availability of rapid computing machines which not only expedite the computers' task of providing observers with ephemerides but have also made these generally more reliable. Among the problems of current interest are those concerned with the physical properties of the asteroid ring: the distribution of the asteroids according to size, the distribution of orbits within the ring, and the relationship between asteroids and meteorites.
Focus on American Culture

Unit 1 The Family in America Segment 1 Mid-life Moms Segment2 Fast-Track Parents Segment 3 Is Love Color-blind? Unit 2 Work in America Segment 4 Manufacturers Engage in False Advertising on the Environment Segment 5 Beyond 9 to 5 Segment 6 The Joys and Risks of the "Daddy Track" Unit 3 Education in America Segment 7 Bilingual Education Segment 8 Judgment Day Segment 9 Cheating in College Unit 4 Trends in America Segment 10 New Suburban Designs for Living Segment 11 Health Care for the Poor Segment 12 The Perfect Baby: A Follow Up
Structures of Cyano‐Biphenyl Liquid Crystals

The structures of p-alkyl- p'-cyano- bicyclohexanes, C(n)H(2n+1) (C6H10)(C6H10) CN (n-CCH), and p-alkyl- p'-cyano- biphenyls, C(n)H(2n+1) (C6H4)(C6H4) CN (n-CBP), were studied. It is convenient to use an x ray image intensification device to search for symmetric x ray diffraction patterns. Despite the similarities in molecular structures of these compounds, very different crystal structures were found. For the smectic phase of 2CCH, the structure is close to rhombohedral with threefold symmetry. In contrast, the structure is close to hexagonal close-packed with two molecules per unit cell for 4CCH. Since intermolecular forces may be quite weak for these liquid crystals systems, it appears that crystal structures change considerably when the alkyl chain length is slightly altered. Different structures were also found in the crystalline phase of n-CBP for n = 6 to 9. For n = 7 to 9, the structures are close to monclinic. The structures are reminiscent of the smectic-A liquid crystal structures with the linear molecules slightly tilted away from the c-axis. In contrast, the structure is quite different for n = 6 with the molecules nearly perpendicular to the c-axis.
Technical Note-A Note on Extended GLM

This note presents a modification of some earlier work of Gould on nonlinear multiplier functions in generalized Lagrangian penalty formulations. The purpose of the modification is to present a generalized Lagrangian that is invariant under right-hand-side translations and that yields the usual economic interpretation for unused resource quantities at optimality.
Evaluation of Thymol as Biofumigant for Control of Bacterial Wilt of Tomato Under Field Conditions

Volatile plant essential oils thymol and palmarosa oil, used at a concentration of 0.7%, were evaluated under field conditions for control of bacterial wilt of tomato caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. The experimental fields were artificially infested with the bacterial pathogen. Two hours after infestation, the plant essential oils were applied, then the plots were sealed with plastic mulch for 3 or 6 days. Tomato seedlings were transplanted into the field 7 days later. In fall of 2002, 92.5% of tomato plants (cv. Equinox) wilted in the untreated control plots. Both thymol and palmarosa oil soil treatments reduced bacterial wilt incidence significantly. Thymol was more effective than palmarosa oil based on the final assessment, when 33.1 and 48.1% of the plants had wilted in plots treated with thymol and palmarosa oil, respectively. Soil treatment with either thymol or palmarosa oil produced significantly higher yield of tomato than the untreated control. In 2003, only thymol was evaluated. Thymol application significantly reduced bacterial wilt incidence on the susceptible cultivar Solar Set. Disease incidence in untreated plots reached 65.5%, while in thymol treated plots only 12% of plants wilted. Thymol treatment also increased yield of Solar Set significantly compared with the untreated control. This is the first report on the use of thymol for controlling a plant disease under field conditions, which indicated that this compound provided effective control of bacterial wilt on susceptible tomato cultivars when used as preplant treatment of soils. Because of its volatile property and broad-spectrum functions, thymol shows potential to be used as a soil biofumigant for the management of various plant pathogens.
Meteorological Transport of Particulate Material to the South Polar Plateau

A series of aerosol measurements were made over the Antarctic continent, during the Austral spring of 1977. Vertical profiles indicate that the highest aerosol concentrations are present in the mixing layer, around the edges of the continent where some open water is present, and in a moist layer just above the surface over the South Polar Plateau. Aerosol concentrations, with respect to both mass and volume of air, decrease continuously with increasing altitude above these layers, and this smooth decrease continues without discontinuity when the local tropopause is crossed. Aerosol concentrations were distributed uniformly at all latitudes between 75 and 90 degrees south latitude in the 500-450 mb layer. A small systematic decrease in aerosol concentration with increasing latitude was detected above 400 mb, which allow small ice crystals to form by homogeneous nucleation which scavenge particles from the air by Brownian coagulation during their slow fall. These measurements indicate that the lower troposphere, especially those layers below 450 mb, is the most probable level at which particulate material is transported to the South Polar Plateau.
Technological Forecasting: Who does it and how useful is it?

Abstract This article reports on the results of a survey undertaken to estimate the extent of use of Technological Forecasting (TF) in U.S. industry. The results demonstrate that more firms use TF than eight years ago, and the perception of its importance has increased greatly. The emphasis on TF, the range of time horizons for the forecasts and the use to which TF is put differ according to the nature of the industry and the organizational level within the firm. Based on these results, the characteristics of firms that find TF crucial to their business, and those that find TF unimportant, are developed.
Down-regulation of Krüppel-like Factor-4 (KLF4) by MicroRNA-143/145 Is Critical for Modulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Phenotype by Transforming Growth Factor-β and Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4

In the postnatal vasculature, fully differentiated and quiescent vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in a "contractile" phenotype are required for the normal regulation of vascular tone. The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily of growth factors (TGF-βs and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs)) are potent inducers of contractile phenotype and mediate (i) induction of contractile genes, and (ii) inhibition of VSMC growth and migration. Transcription of contractile genes is positively regulated by a regulatory DNA element called a CArG box. The CArG box is activated by the binding of serum response factor and its coactivators, myocardin (Myocd) or Myocd-related transcription factors (MRTFs). Kruppel-like factor-4 (KLF4) is known to inhibit activation of the CArG box. However, the potential role of KLF4 in the contractile activities of TGF-β or BMP has not been explored. Here, we demonstrate that TGF-β and BMP4 rapidly down-regulate KLF4 through induction of microRNA-143 (miR-143) and miR-145, which leads to a reduction of KLF4 transcripts and decreased KLF4 protein expression. Inhibition of miR-145 prevents down-regulation of KLF4 and activation of contractile genes by TGF-β or BMP4, suggesting that modulation of KLF4 is a prerequisite for induction of contractile genes by TGF-β and BMP4. Interestingly, both TGF-β and BMP4 activate transcription of the miR-143/145 gene cluster through the CArG box, however, TGF-β mediates this effect through induction of Myocd expression, whereas BMP4 utilizes nuclear translocation of MRTF-A. Thus, this study sheds light on both the similarities and the differences of TGF-β and BMP4 signaling in the regulation of KLF4 and contractile genes.
On the evolutionary state of beta cephei stars.

Low rotational velocities and period analyses of Beta Cephei variables lead to hypothesis that they are nonrotating stars undergoing radial oscillations
A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION FOR QUANTITATIVE GENETICS

Quantitative genetics is at or is fast approaching its centennial. In this perspective I consider five current issues pertinent to the application of quantitative genetics to evolutionary theory. First, I discuss the utility of a quantitative genetic perspective in describing genetic variation at two very different levels of resolution, (1) in natural, free-ranging populations and (2) to describe variation at the level of DNA transcription. Whereas quantitative genetics can serve as a very useful descriptor of genetic variation, its greater usefulness is in predicting evolutionary change, particularly when used in the first instance (wild populations). Second, I review the contributions of Quantitative trait loci (QLT) analysis in determining the number of loci and distribution of their genetic effects, the possible importance of identifying specific genes, and the ability of the multivariate breeder's equation to predict the results of bivariate selection experiments. QLT analyses appear to indicate that genetic effects are skewed, that at least 20 loci are generally involved, with an unknown number of alleles, and that a few loci have major effects. However, epistatic effects are common, which means that such loci might not have population-wide major effects: this question waits upon (QTL) analyses conducted on more than a few inbred lines. Third, I examine the importance of research into the action of specific genes on traits. Although great progress has been made in identifying specific genes contributing to trait variation, the high level of gene interactions underlying quantitative traits makes it unlikely that in the near future we will have mechanistic models for such traits, or that these would have greater predictive power than quantitative genetic models. In the fourth section I present evidence that the results of bivariate selection experiments when selection is antagonistic to the genetic covariance are frequently not well predicted by the multivariate breeder's equation. Bivariate experiments that combine both selection and functional analyses are urgently needed. Finally, I discuss the importance of gaining more insight, both theoretical and empirical, on the evolution of the G and P matrices.
Making a Post-Eurocentric Humanity: Tragedy, Realism, and Things Fall Apart

This essay defends the proposition that in tragedy and realism Achebe finds the efficacious aesthetic means to remake the African person and world—as represented by Okonkwo and Umuofia in Things Fall Apart—to humanist measure. In invoking the two aesthetic forms, Achebe is to be seen deliv- ering a literary rebuke to Joseph Conrad and Joyce Cary. Conrad's use of impressionism in evoking the Congo's presumed lack of humanity in Heart of Darkness impliedly denied that realism could have an African normativity. On the other hand, Cary's Mister Johnson denied proper tragic stature to the African—and hence a humanity commensurate with the European—whose story it was telling by depicting him in mock tragedy. Pitted against Euro- centric denial is Achebe's tragic-realist insistence in Things Fall Apart that African realities are humanistically translatable; and that African persons and worlds have a humanistic commensurability with those elsewhere.
CARCINOMA EN CUIRASSE OF THE SCROTUM: AN UNUSUAL PRESENTATION OF LUNG CARCINOMA METASTATIC TO THE SCROTUM

Metastatic carcinoma to the scrotum is rare. We report a case of pulmonary adenocarcinoma presenting as indurated leathery scrotal skin that mimicked the appearance of chest wall iniiltration by carcinoma of the breast, known as carcinoma en cuirasse. To our knowledge our report represents the first case of scrotal metastasis presenting in this manner, and the first of pulmonary adenocarcinoma metastatic to the scrotum. differentiated carcinoma infiltrating the dermis and subcutaneous tissue without involvement of the epidermis. Extensive search for a primary lesion identified only an endobronchial lesion histologically identical to that in the scrotum (fig. 2). The patient died of inanition 4 weeks after presentation.
Structures of Clostridium botulinum Neurotoxin Serotype A Light Chain Complexed with Small-Molecule Inhibitors Highlight Active-Site Flexibility.

The potential for the use of Clostridial neurotoxins as bioweapons makes the development of small-molecule inhibitors of these deadly toxins a top priority. Recently, screening of a random hydroxamate library identified a small-molecule inhibitor of C. botulinum Neurotoxin Serotype A Light Chain (BoNT/A-LC), 4-chlorocinnamic hydroxamate, a derivative of which has been shown to have in vivo efficacy in mice and no toxicity. We describe the X-ray crystal structures of BoNT/A-LC in complexes with two potent small-molecule inhibitors. The structures of the enzyme with 4-chlorocinnamic hydroxamate or 2,4-dichlorocinnamic hydroxamate bound are compared to the structure of the enzyme complexed with L-arginine hydroxamate, an inhibitor with modest affinity. Taken together, this suite of structures provides surprising insights into the BoNT/A-LC active site, including unexpected conformational flexibility at the S1' site that changes the electrostatic environment of the binding pocket. Information gained from these structures will inform the design and optimization of more effective small-molecule inhibitors of BoNT/A-LC.
Buckling of elastic—plastic square tubes under bending

Abstract This paper addresses the response, buckling and collapse of long, thin-walled, seamless steel square tubes under pure bending using a combined experimental and analytical approach. All tubes tested had nominal cross-sections with height equal to 1 in. (25.4 mm) and ranged in height-to-thickness ratios (h/t) from 15.4 to 28.6. The experiments were conducted under curvature control. It was found that the deformation of the cross-section that accompanied bending was uniform along the tubes for low values of curvature. At higher values, periodic ripples with wavelengths approximately equal to the width of the cross-section appeared on the compression flange. These ripples increased in amplitude with further bending. For tubes with higher h∼ the increase was more pronounced. Tubes with lower h/t showed more moderate increases in ripple amplitude but developed regions spanning several ripples in which the cross-section deformation was more pronounced. In all cases, collapse occurred when a kink formed on the compression flange of the tube. Rayleigh—Ritz type formulations based on the principle of virtual work were developed to predict the response and buckling of the tubes. Results include predictions of the response considering the effect of uniform cross-section deformation and predictions of the critical curvature at which the ripples appear. The numerical results are in good agreement with experimental observations.
Limited capacity information processing and pigeon matching-to-sample: Testing alternative hypotheses

The limited capacity hypothesis explains the element superiority effect observed in pigeons’ element-compound matching-to-sample performance as the result of a central information processing overload occurring at the time of sample exposure. Major alternative hypotheses offered in the literature to date argue that element superiority is due to a difference in element- and compound-sample memory codes or to a peripheral sensory limitation during sample exposure. These alternative factors weresimultaneously prevented from influencing matching performance in the present experiment, but the element superiority effect remained. A central information processing account of the element superiority effect is supported by the strong tests of alternative hypotheses provided herein. The discussion addresses remaining challenges to the hypothesis that information overload for compound samples occurs at the time of sample exposure.
Halo Reduction Technique in Phase Contrast Microscopy

A new phase contrast microscopy technique has been developed which achieves halo reduction by applying an apodization to the Zernike phase contrast method. In this technique, a new apodized phase plate is placed at the back focal plane of the objective. This plate consists of a quarter wave phase shift ring conjugated of the illuminating aperture, which has a 25#x0025; transmittance, and a pair of adjacent rings having 50#x0025; transmittance. The developed technique yields the highest resolution images without a bluish hue effect ever achieved in phase contrast microscopy.
Statistical analysis of outcrossing between adjacent maize grain production fields

Abstract The presence of transgenes in conventional maize, Zea mays L., crops is a serious concern when the genetic purity affects the value of the harvested product (i.e., specialty markets, organic products, crops with value-added traits, and hybrid seed production). Gene flow from a central transgenic source plot into a conventional grain production field was quantified using a combination of three marker genes: the y1 seed color gene, the Bt-Cry1Ab gene derived from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ) and the Roundup Ready ® ( RR ) gene. Two fields of approximately 36 ha were planted with a nontransgenic, white-seeded corn hybrid in Ankeny, IA, in 2003 and 2004. In the center of each field, a 1 ha plot of yellow-seeded, Bt / RR hybrid corn was planted as an adventitious pollen source. Detailed measurements of flowering dynamics confirmed the white- and yellow-seeded hybrids flowered synchronously both years. Grain samples were collected at 1, 10, 35, 100, 150, 200, and 250 m from the transgenic pollen source along eight transects (north [N], northeast [NE], east [E], southeast [SE], south [S], southwest [SW], west [W], and northwest [NW]) and were analyzed for number of Bt-/RR-/y1 - kernels. The statistical model describes the proportion of outcrossed kernels to decrease exponentially with distance from the yellow pollen source and linearly with the wind speed and direction during silking of the white hybrid. On average, outcrossing at 35 m was 0.4% in both years. At 100 m and beyond, the average level of outcrossing decreased to 0.05% or less. A few Bt-/RR-/y1 - kernels, however, were detected in the white corn field even at 250 m from the source plot. A single empirical model captured the field-scale patterns of outcrossing from the source plot for both years. These results indicate gene flow from a transgenic pollen source follows a fairly predictable pattern. The results also suggest that extent of outcrossing can be reduced by surrounding the transgenic pollen source with nontransgenic corn producing a high density of local pollen.
XX Sex Chromosomes in Cells Cultured from “Streak Gonads” and in Peripheral Leukocytes

ABSTRACT Normal karyotypes with XX sex chromosome complements were found in cells from multiple biopsy specimens of bilateral streak gonads in an 18-yr-old girl. The patient had sparse sexual hair and had failed to menstruate or undergo adolescent breast development, but “was of normal height (157.5 cm) and had no associated congenital anomalies. Dermatoglyphic studies were normal. Barr bodies were found in 22% of buccal mucosa cells, and leukocyte cultures yielded cells with normal karyotypes and XX sex chromosomes. Autoradiographic studies revealed a late-replicating Cgroup chromosome, presumably an X. This case study provides no support for the hypothesis that these patients have an unrecognized XO cell line in the gonads.
Environmental pH Sensing: Resolving the VirA/VirG Two-Component System Inputs for Agrobacterium Pathogenesis

Agrobacterium tumefaciens stands as one of biotechnology's greatest successes, with all plant genetic engineering building on the strategies of this pathogen. By integrating responses to external pHs, phenols, and monosaccharides, this organism mobilizes oncogenic elements to efficiently transform most dicotyledonous plants. We now show that the complex signaling network used to regulate lateral gene transfer can be resolved as individual signaling modules. While pH and sugar perception are coupled through a common pathway, requiring both low pH and sugar for maximal virulence gene expression, various VirA and ChvE alleles can decouple pH and monosaccharide perception. This VirA and ChvE system may represent a common mechanism that underpins external pH perception in prokaryotes, and the use of these simple genetic elements may now be extended to research on specific responses to changes in environmental pH.