cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison and Research on the Images of “Trees” between Chinese and Japanese Modern Poem

If we regard Shimazaki Toson’s poetry anthology Wakanashu (1897) as the beginning of Japanese modern poem and regard Dr. Hu Shi’s eight poems published in the magazine Xinqingnian in 1917 as the beginning of the Chinese modern poem, we can say that the exploring of Japanese modern poem has been started 20 years earlier than the Chinese counter part. However, though it is overstated if one says that in the previous century the comparison between these two histories of modern poems has been ignored, it can be said at least that the real exchange between the poets in these two countries is very rare. This has been changed until the recent Chinese translation of Tanigawa Shuntaro’s poems appeared. The principal aim of this paper is to compare the images of “trees” in the poems of Tanigawa and those of the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan as well as the modern and contemporary Chinese poets Ai Qing, Niu Han and Chen Dongdong. Through this, I try to find out the cultural differences between the two countries. Meanwhile, I would also like to make comparison between their texts, thus to try to outline the lyrical mode and the expressive way between the poets in these two countries. Furthermore I would also try to analyze the cultural similarities and conflicts in their texts.
Optimal Design of Skirt Forging Structure Based on BP Neural Network and Genetic Algorithm

The geometric parameters for forging structure of skirt have significant effect on its mechanical property level.Their relationships can not be described by empirical equations and shown to be nonlinear.Design method by analysis was conventionally performed which cost too much time and still can not achieve the optimization.Neural network approach has good capability of nonlinear mapping and can summarize the function relationships of data automatically.Genetic algorithm can realize the multipoint population search and not be lost in the local optimized point.The orthogonal experiment was used in choosing the training sample data and the sample data were calculated through the finite element model in the paper.The artificial neural network model which reflected the structure features was established.At last,the neural network model will be optimized through the generic algorithm.The results are satisfactory.
Effects of Tuli, Brahman, Angus, and Polled Hereford Sires on Carcass Traits of Steer Offspring

Abstract Steer progeny (n = 122) of tropically adapted breeds [Tuli (TU) and Brahman (BR)] and temperate breeds [Angus (AN) and Hereford (HP)] was evaluated for carcass traits for 3 yr. Multiparous British (Bt) cows were bred to each sire breed. Following weaning in the fall, steers were provided bermudagrass hay and a supplement until rye was available, which they grazed until March. Steers were fed for 100 to 110 d beginning in March. Live weight (LWT); hot carcass weight (HCW); longissimus area (LEA); percentage kidney, pelvic, and heart fat (KPH); actual fat thickness (ACT); adjusted fat thickness (ADJ); marbling score(MARB); maturity score(MAT); quality grade (QG); yield grade (YG); dressing percentage(DP); and LEA per unit of LWT (LEACWT) were collected. Data were analyzed by Proc MIXED using a model that included year, sire breed, and year × sire breed. Sire breed was a significant source of variation for all traits except LEA. The effect of year was significant for all traits, and year × sire breed was significant for only LWT. Least square means for LWT and HCW ranked the breeds similarly; the AN-sired calves (576 kg, 333 kg) and BR-sired calves (574 kg, 334 kg) were heavier than the TU-sired calves (526 kg, 304 kg), and the HP-sired calves had intermediate LWT and HCW (562 kg, 320 kg). The actual and adjusted fat means were larger (P
Understanding Gordon Tullock

Gordon Tullock was rational to a fault, and he tried to insist that others be fully rational, confronting all with any inconsistency in their thinking. He loved to be shocking. He was also quite generous. Tullock’s willingness to take a chance, as editor of Public Choice, on a paper that he did not understand led to the publication of the most widely cited paper ever published in the journal.
Interpersonal and Attitudinal Factors in Healthcare Utilization among HIV-Infected Urban African American Men

This study describes health services utilization patterns and barriers to healthcare analyzing relationships among participant and situational variables. Using a cross sectional design with a sample of 117 HIV-infected African American men aged 21 to 60, a survey was administered to assess: socio-demographic indicators, health care utilization patterns, stigma, and self-efficacy relative to perceived attitudes toward their HIV healthcare providers (AHHCP). Fifty-seven percent reported not seeking health care when needed and 51 percent reported having missed appointments. Results revealed correlations between time spent by healthcare provider (HCP), ability to access care, lack of HCP commitment, and denial of care. Self-efficacy was correlated to the total AHHCP score and its subscales. This study provides important contextual perspectives on healthcare utilization barriers among HIV-infected African men in an urban setting. To reduce access barriers for HIV-infected patients, health care providers must understand better the patients’ perspectives on the difficulties of accessing care and navigating the healthcare system.
An asynchronous traversal engine for graph-based rich metadata management

Rich metadata in high-performance computing (HPC) systems contains extended information about users, jobs, data files, and their relationships. Property graphs are a promising data model to represent heterogeneous rich metadata flexibly. Specifically, a property graph can use vertices to represent different entities and edges to record the relationships between vertices with unique annotations. The high-volume HPC use case, with millions of entities and relationships, naturally requires an out-of-core distributed property graph database, which must support live updates (to ingest production information in real time), low-latency point queries (for frequent metadata operations such as permission checking), and large-scale traversals (for provenance data mining).Among these needs, large-scale property graph traversals are particularly challenging for distributed graph storage systems. Most existing graph systems implement a "level-synchronous" breadth-first search algorithm that relies on global synchronization in each traversal step. This performs well in many problem domains; but a rich metadata management system is characterized by imbalanced graphs, long traversal lengths, and concurrent workloads, each of which has the potential to introduce or exacerbate stragglers (i.e., abnormally slow steps or servers in a graph traversal) that lead to low overall throughput for synchronous traversal algorithms. Previous research indicated that the straggler problem can be mitigated by using asynchronous traversal algorithms, and many graph-processing frameworks have successfully demonstrated this approach. Such systems require the graph to be loaded into a separate batch-processing framework instead of being iteratively accessed, however.In this work, we investigate a general asynchronous graph traversal engine that can operate atop a rich metadata graph in its native format. We outline a traversal-aware query language and key optimizations (traversal-affiliate caching and execution merging) necessary for efficient performance. We further explore the effect of different graph partitioning strategies on the traversal performance for both synchronous and asynchronous traversal engines. Our experiments show that the asynchronous graph traversal engine is more efficient than its synchronous counterpart in the case of HPC rich metadata processing, where more servers are involved and larger traversals are needed. Moreover, the asynchronous traversal engine is more adaptive to different graph partitioning strategies.
Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Persistently Impacts Adult Neurobiology and Behavior

Adolescence is a developmental period when physical and cognitive abilities are optimized, when social skills are consolidated, and when sexuality, adolescent behaviors, and frontal cortical functions mature to adult levels. Adolescents also have unique responses to alcohol compared with adults, being less sensitive to ethanol sedative–motor responses that most likely contribute to binge drinking and blackouts. Population studies find that an early age of drinking onset correlates with increased lifetime risks for the development of alcohol dependence, violence, and injuries. Brain synapses, myelination, and neural circuits mature in adolescence to adult levels in parallel with increased reflection on the consequence of actions and reduced impulsivity and thrill seeking. Alcohol binge drinking could alter human development, but variations in genetics, peer groups, family structure, early life experiences, and the emergence of psychopathology in humans confound studies. As adolescence is common to mammalian species, preclinical models of binge drinking provide insight into the direct impact of alcohol on adolescent development. This review relates human findings to basic science studies, particularly the preclinical studies of the Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA) Consortium. These studies focus on persistent adult changes in neurobiology and behavior following adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE), a model of underage drinking. NADIA studies and others find that AIE results in the following: increases in adult alcohol drinking, disinhibition, and social anxiety; altered adult synapses, cognition, and sleep; reduced adult neurogenesis, cholinergic, and serotonergic neurons; and increased neuroimmune gene expression and epigenetic modifiers of gene expression. Many of these effects are specific to adolescents and not found in parallel adult studies. AIE can cause a persistence of adolescent-like synaptic physiology, behavior, and sensitivity to alcohol into adulthood. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that adolescent binge drinking leads to long-lasting changes in the adult brain that increase risks of adult psychopathology, particularly for alcohol dependence.
Competency-based Curriculum Mapping as a Tool for Continuous Improvement for Master of Public Administration (MPA) Programs

ABSTRACTCurriculum mapping (CM) is an assessment tool used to articulate and revise an academic curriculum. Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredited graduate programs in public policy, public affairs, and public administration are required to demonstrate a competency-based curriculum development and assessment methods. This article provides the rationale and approach used to generate a competency-based Master of Public Administration (MPA) curriculum and describes a systematic approach to incorporating program learning objectives, stakeholder engagement, competency development or revisions by faculty, into competency-based CM. The competency-based curriculum is relatively new for MPA programs. While there are many potential benefits and challenges, this article focuses on the utility of flexible mission-oriented curriculum design and its ability to link competencies to assessment strategies for MPA programs.
Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: from diagnosis to treatment

For decades, hepatocellular carcinoma was largely the main focus of research around primary liver cancer.
Effect of follow-up by a hospital diabetes care team on diabetes control at one year after discharge from the hospital.

Abstract Aim This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of continued follow-up by a hospital diabetes team on HbA1c at 1-year after discharge. Methods Adults with HbA1c ≥8% (64 mmol/mol), undergoing an elective surgery, were treated in the perioperative period and randomized to continued care (CC) or the usual care (UC) after discharge. Patients in the CC group received weekly to monthly phone calls from a diabetes specialist nurse practitioner (NP) to review their home blood glucose values, diet, exercise, and medications. Patients in the UC group followed with their diabetes care providers. Results Out of 151 patients, 77 were randomized to the CC group and 74 to the UC group. HbA1c (%) at 1-year was 8.2 ± 1.4 in the CC group and 8.5 ± 1.5 in the UC group (p = NS). Change in HbA1c from baseline was similar between the groups; −0.7 ± 1.4 in the CC versus −0.7 ± 1.5 in the UC group (p = NS). A higher number of calls was not associated with lower HbA1c or reduction in HbA1c. There were 41 insulin-treated patients in the CC group and 53 in the UC group and among them, HbA1c reduction was 0.5 ± 1.5 and 0.6 ± 1.3 respectively (p = NS). Conclusions Optimal perioperative treatment of diabetes is associated with an improvement in HbA1c but continued follow-up by a hospital diabetes team after discharge does not have an additional impact on long-term glycemic control. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02065050.
Against a unified treatment of obligatory presupposition trigger effects

This paper examines bi-sentential sequences where additive presupposition triggers (e.g. too , again ) seem to be obligatory in the second sentence. We present linguistic and experimental evidence against treating these obligatory additivity effects as uniformly following from Maximize Presupposition! (Heim 1991). We propose that the environments giving rise to these effects involve a discourse move that corrects for over-restrictive assumptions about the domain in the immediately preceding move. Crucially, the second move must be compatible with the first. General considerations about how the discourse unfolds, in conjunction with a principle that sentences are interpreted exhaustively by default, make it so that two sentences in such sequences are mutually inconsistent in the absence of the additive.
Role of fluorine in distortion from planarity of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a large class of compounds that pose a cancer risk to humans. Previously, it has been shown that increased molecular distortion decreases the amount of P...
Menschenrecht als Exilthema. Hermann Brochs Werk im Kontext

Will man Hermann Brochs Situation als Schriftsteller im Osterreich der Jahre zwischen 1933 und 1938 verstehen, reicht es nicht aus, mit dem Begriff der ›inneren Emigration‹ zu operieren. ›Inneres Exil‹1 umschreibt angemessener seine Lage als kritischer Autor, der sich mit der Verletzung von Menschenwurde und Menschenrecht in den europaischen Diktaturen auseinandersetzte. Hier wird nicht der Versuch gemacht, den Begriff der ›inneren Emigration‹2 durch den des ›inneren Exils‹ zu verdrangen. Das geht schon deshalb nicht, weil auch literarhistorische Periodisierungen eine Art Gewohnheitsrecht fur sich beanspruchen konnen. Im Fall von Broch ist der Terminus ›innere Emigration‹ aber fur die Jahre des osterreichischen Standestaats uberprufenswert.
Selecting Parameters for Image Processing Algorithms: A Case Study Using Retinal Image Segmentation

A challenge in applying image processing algorithms to scientific data is the variation within and across images in a data set. This makes it difficult to select parameters for the algorithms, especially when the data set is large and the variation is unknown. Using the task of segmentation of retinal images, we discuss the challenges that arise in selecting parameters for even a relatively simple algorithm. We show that the availability of ground truth results could make the identification of parameters subjective and propose a simple idea that could benefit the selection of a single parameter.
Fundamental Studies of the Singlet Oxygen Reactions with the Potent Marine Toxin Domoic Acid.

Domoic acid (DA), a potent marine toxin, is readily oxidized upon reaction with singlet oxygen (1O2). Detailed product studies revealed that the major singlet oxygenation reaction pathways were the...
Reverse Mortgages and the Liquidity of Housing Wealth

Housing wealth constitutes most of the non-pension wealth of the elderly population. This study analyzes the potential of reverse mortgages to increase the income and liquid wealth of the elderly by identifying households with relatively high levels of housing equity. Because this article looks at the whole distribution of elderly households and considers debt as well as income, it finds a larger potential market for reverse mortgages than previous studies. Calculations from the 1990 Survey of Income and Program Participation and Census population estimates show that over six million homeowners in the United States could increase their effective monthly income by at least 20% by using a reverse mortgage. Of these, more than 1.3 million have no children. Furthermore, a reverse mortgage would allow over 1.4 million poor elderly persons to raise their incomes above the poverty line.
Enhanced photocurrent due to interband transitions from InAs quantum dots embedded in InGaAs quantum well solar cells

Solar cells based on InAs quantum dots embedded in InxGa1-xAs quantum wells grown on n-type GaAs substrate were fabricated and tested. Solar cells with In mole fraction (x) in the range of 0-40% were investigated. The performance of the solar cells was evaluated using current-voltage characteristics, spectral response, and quantum efficiency measurements. The spectral response and quantum efficiency spectra possess several peaks along the lower energy side of the spectra, which are attributed to the interband transitions in the structure. These peaks are red shifted as x is increased above 0 %. The device power conversion efficiency was extracted from the current-voltage characteristics using an AM 1.5 solar simulator. The short circuit current density increased as the x is increased above 0 %. But the overall power conversion efficiency decreased due to decrease in the open circuit voltage. The decrease in open circuit voltage is due strain induced dislocations caused by lattice mismatch.
A Machine Learning Approach to Predicting New-onset Depression in a Military Population

Objective Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States in both civilian and military populations, but few prospective studies assess a wide range of predictors across ...
(π,πn) puzzle above the (3,3) resonance

We calculate the corrections due to pion production, Fermi motion, and the Pauli principle on the ratio of $^{12}\mathrm{C}({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}},\ensuremath{\pi}N)^{11}\mathrm{C}$ total cross sections for particle-stable final states. These corrections are important above 400 MeV. When they are combined with those estimated earlier for final state nucleon charge exchange interactions, good agreement is obtained with the data, which cover the energy region from 40 to 550 MeV.
Can we identify futility of care in the sickest critically ill patients on the third ICU day

Various models are used to predict mortality of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) based on the first ICU day findings. Some of these models have developed daily scoring systems for the subsequent ICU days. There is no consensus regarding the definition of futility and there are no reliable ways of identifying patients for whom ICU care is futile. The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine whether we can identify factors associated with futility in the sickest patients admitted to the ICU. We hypothesized that any increase in the acute physiology score (APS) from the first ICU day to the third ICU day would identify very sick patients with futile care.
Electrical design and specification challenges for high speed serial links

This paper describes the electrical design, packaging and specification challenges for high speed serial link interfaces utilizing clock data recovery and encoding protocols. Major design and modeling issues are discussed, such as attenuation, crosstalk, simultaneous switching, impedance control and intersymbol interference. Channel specification and characterization are important aspects of the total link design. A methodology for describing a compliant channel is presented based on impulse response and S-parameter techniques
Tubulins in the primate retina: evidence that xanthophylls may be endogenous ligands for the paclitaxel-binding site.

Abstract The xanthophylls—lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin (L&Z)—are found in the central region of the primate retina, which is called the macula lutea (yellow spot). How they are anchored there and what their function is has been debated for over 50 years. Here, we present evidence that they may be bound to the paclitaxel (Taxol) binding site of the β-tubulin subunit of microtubules and that a major function may be to modulate the dynamic instability of microtubules in the macula. Also, we compare nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of tubulins that are in human brain with those we have isolated from human-retina and monkey-macula cDNA libraries. In so doing, we suggest that in primates, class I β-tubulin consists of at least two subtypes (βIa and βIb). Alignment analysis of the sequences of the genes for βIa and βIb indicates that the corresponding mRNAs may have other functions in addition to that of coding for proteins. Furthermore, we show that there are at least five different types of β-tubulin in the macula lutea of rhesus monkey.
Measurement of Fracture Toughness in Thin Films and Small Volumes Using Nanoindentation Methods

Nanoindentation methods are now used routinely in the characterization of the elastic modulus and hardness of thin films and small volumes of material. Here, we report preliminary results of an investigation aimed at developing a technique by which the fracture toughness of a thin film or small volume can be determined. The method is based on the radial cracking which occurs when brittle materials are indented by a sharp indenter such as a Vickers diamond. In microindentation experiments, the lengths of radial cracks have been found to correlate reasonably well with fracture toughness, and a simple, semi-empirical method has been developed to compute toughness from measured crack lengths. However, a problem is encountered in extending the method into the nanoindentation regime in that there are well defined loads, called cracking thresholds, below which indentation cracking does not occur in most brittle materials. For a Vickers indenter, cracking thresholds in most ceramics are about 25 grams or more, i.e., loads well above those which would normally be used in nanoindentation. We have recently found, however, that the problems imposed by the cracking threshold can largely be overcome by changing the indenter geometry. Preliminary studies using a three sided indenter with the geometry of a corner of a cube have revealed that cracking thresholds can be reduced to loads as small as 0.5 grams, for which indentations and crack lengths in most materials are sub-micron in dimension. The studies also indicate that the simple relationship between toughness and crack length used for Vickers indenters still applies provided a different empirical constant is used. Results of these studies are presented along with a brief review of the theory on which the method is based.
Simulating the impacts of projected climate change on streamflow hydrology for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

A gridded model was developed to simulate the hydrology of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, the largest estuary in the United States. CMIP3 and CMIP5 climate projections were used to drive the model to assess changes in streamflow and watershed-wide hydrology. Index of agreement values indicated good model performance. Annual average temperature is projected to increase 1.9°C to 5.4°C by 2080 to 2099, with the greatest warming occurring in summer and fall in the northern part of the watershed. Annual total precipitation is projected to increase between 5.2 percent and 15.2 percent by 2080 to 2099, with the largest increases generally occurring in winter. Average evapotranspiration and rainfall are projected to increase while snowfall, snow water storage, and snowmelt decrease. Subsurface moisture is projected to decrease during the warmer months and the time to recharge increases and, in some cases, never actually occurs. Changes in annual runoff for all 346 climate projections averaged 0 percent (2020–2039)...
US Trends in Rates of Arthroplasty for Inflammatory Arthritis Including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, and Spondyloarthritis

Objective Although rates of arthroplasty have increased dramatically, rates among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are reported to be decreasing. It is not known if this is also the case among patients with other inflammatory arthritides. This study was undertaken to evaluate rates of arthroplasty due to RA, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), and a composite group of patients with inflammatory arthritides (IA), compared to arthroplasty rates among patients without inflammatory or autoimmune conditions. Methods Administrative discharge databases (State Inpatient Databases of the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, New York Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System, California Statewide Health Planning and Development) were used to compare rates of knee, hip, and shoulder arthroplasty occurring from 1991 to 2005. Results Of 2,839,325 arthroplasties in 1991–2005, 2.7% were performed in patients with IA. The rate of arthroplasty for noninflammatory conditions doubled (124.5 per 100,000 persons in 1991 versus 247.5 per 100,000 persons in 2005), while the rate for IA remained stable at 5.1 per 100,000. Rates of arthroplasty for RA decreased slightly (4.6 per 100,000 versus 4.5 per 100,000) and those for JIA decreased by nearly 50% (0.22 per 100,000 versus 0.13 per 100,000), but the rate of arthroplasty for SpA increased by nearly 50% (0.22 per 100,000 versus 0.31 per 100,000). Age at the time of arthroplasty increased for patients with RA (mean ± SD 63.4 ± 12.7 years versus 64.9 ± 12.8 years), JIA (30.9 ± 12.2 years versus 36.7 ± 14.9 years), and SpA (54.3 ± 16.1 years versus 60.4 ± 13.9 years). However, the mean age at the time of arthroplasty among non-IA cases decreased (71.5 ± 11.8 years versus 69.0 ± 12.0 years). Conclusion This population-based study is the first to show that arthroplasty rates have decreased significantly among patients with JIA and minimally among patients with RA, and have increased among patients with SpA. The increased age at the time of arthroplasty among patients with JIA and SpA suggests that these patients are increasingly able to defer surgical interventions. Further research is needed to assess the ongoing effect of biologic agents on the need for arthroplasties in patients with IA.
Factors Affecting Tracking of Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors in Childrena

The public health implications of reducing or preventing the excess increase in blood pressure and the acquisition of obesity during childhood years are important. Many children with high blood pressure, particularly those who are initially obese or become obese as young adults and those with excess left ventricular mass for body size, become adults with high blood pressure. Although blood pressure and cholesterol have been shown to track during childhood and from childhood into the adult years, the use of repeated determinations along with measures of obesity and information concerning family history of diabetes and coronary heart disease can significantly add to the prediction of future elevated levels.
The utility of preoperative routine carotid artery duplex scanning in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

Patients with aortic valve disease (AVD) typically have a cardiac murmur that radiates to the neck and may be indistinguishable from a cervical bruit secondary to carotid artery occlusive disease. The purpose of this report was to determine the prevalence of significant asymptomatic carotid artery occlusive disease in patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR). All patients scheduled for AVR were prospectively studied. Preoperative carotid artery color-flow duplex was performed in all patients. A total of 204 patients were included in the study and significant carotid disease (>50% stenosis of the internal carotid artery) was found in 17 (8%). In patients with isolated aortic valve disease, 4/129 (3%) had significant stenosis. Of the patients with concurrent aortic valve and coronary artery disease, 13/75 (17%) had significant stenosis. The incidence of significant carotid stenosis in patients with aortic valve disease was over five fold higher in patients with concurrent coronary artery disease (3% vs. 17%, p<0.001). The yield of routine carotid duplex scanning for patients undergoing isolated AVR is low. However, in the subset of patients with concurrent coronary disease, the yield is higher. This finding supports the use of routine carotid duplex scanning in patients with coexistent aortic valve and coronary artery disease.
Sensory and Quality Characteristics of Poultry Frankfurters Containing Nitrite or Sorbate

Abstract Three treatments of poultry frankfurters, made with mechanically deboned poultry (MDP), were evaluated for sensory and quality characteristics over a 6-week refrigerated-storage period. The treatments consisted of the addition of: 1) 156 ppm sodium nitrite, 2) 40 ppm sodium nitrite and .26% potassium sorbate, and 3) .26% potassium sorbate. Sensory evaluations utilized triangle tests, hedonic evaluations, and magnitude estimations of flavor and texture. Color was rated with a Gardner color difference meter. Rancidity levels were ascertained by the 2-thio-barbituric acid (TBA) test. In the triangle tests, panelists were able to differentiate between nitrite and nitrite-sorbate frankfurters, as well as between nitrite and sorbate-treated frankfurters, but not between nitrite-sorbate and sorbate frankfurters. On the hedonic scale of 1 to 9 for frankfurter flavor, all treatments were rated as 5, neither like nor dislike. In the magnitude estimation tests for flavor, no differences were found among any of the treatments. However, in color tests under normal lighting, the nitrite-treated frankfurters were judged to have twice the amount of typical frankfurter color as did the nitrite-sorbate and sorbate frankfurters. From magnitude estimation tests of texture, it was found that the inclusion of nitrite at either the 40 or 156 ppm level in frankfurters had improved texture over the ones without nitrite. Gardner color difference meter scores corresponded to the panelists evaluation for triangle tests on color. There were no differences in lightness (L) and yellowness (b) values; however, nitrite frankfurters had highest a values, the most red color. The nitrite frankfurters had low TBA values throughout the study (
On the convergence of multiple excitation sources to a two‐tone excitation class: Implications for a global optimum excitation in active sensing for structural health monitoring

We showed in a recent study that the parameters of a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) may be adjusted via an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to produce deterministic excitations that improve damage detection in a simple computational spring–mass system. In that study, frequency considerations were found to be dominant, but the exact mechanism by which detection improvement is effected was not immediately apparent. In this work, an EA is used to shape bandlimited noise excitations in the frequency domain such that improvement is seen in the sensitivity of the detection feature. Tailored excitations generated from three bandlimited excitation sources, a multi-tone (linear sum of sinusoids) excitation source, and an ODE excitation source complement results from the previous study and help explain what excitation frequency characteristics are important for improved damage discernment. The convergence of all excitation source optimizations to similar solutions suggests the existence of a class of excitations that are globally optimal for improved damage detection sensitivity in the model application. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography of left ventricular geometry in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy versus secondary left ventricular hypertrophy.

The data from the present nonrandomized observational study of 350 older persons with chronic atrial fibrillation showed that compared with aspirin, warfarin administered in a dose to maintain an INR between 2.0 and 3.0 caused a 40% significant reduction in thromboembolic stroke in persons with prior stroke, a 31% significant decrease in thromboembolic stroke in persons with no prior stroke, a 45% significant reduction in thromboembolic stroke in persons with abnormal LV ejection fraction, and a 36% significant decrease in thromboembolic stroke in persons with normal LV ejection fraction. Cox regression analysis showed that the use of warfarin in this study was a significant independent risk factor for reducing new thromboembolic stroke by 67%.
Genetic differences between BCG substrains

Abstract Setting: University-affiliated Mycobacteriology Reference Laboratory. Objective: To determine the genetic differences of 25 BCG isolates representing 16 referenced substrains. Design: Non-randomized, observational study based on the visual comparison of the large restriction fragment (LRF) patterns created by digesting each BCG isolate's DNA with an infrequent cutting restriction endonuclease (DraI, AsnI, XbaI or Spel) and separating the resultant DNA fragments with pulsed field gel electrophoresis. Results: The 25 BCG isolates gave 13 different Dral LRF patterns, 11 different XbaI LRF patterns, 11 different AsnI LRF patterns, and 15 different SpeI LRF patterns. Examples of the same BCG substrains from different sources produced the same LRF patterns for only 2 of 6 substrains studied. These findings suggest a significant degree of genetic diversity in this group of isolates despite a common origin. Four clinical BCG isolates gave LRF patterns identical to BCG Tice, BCG Connaught or BCG Glaxo. The BCG LRF patterns more closely resembled patterns of Mycobacterium bovis than M. tuberculosis . Conclusions: LRF patterns can accurately identify specific BCG substrains and will be useful in epidemiologic studies, monitoring vaccine production and studies of BCG vaccine efficacy.
Management of Daylily Rust with Different Fungicides and Application Methods.

Abstract The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of various fungicides applied as root dips, soil drenches, or foliar sprays to daylily plants grown in containers and planted in the field to manage rust caused by Puccinia hemerocallidis. Soil drenches and foliar sprays were evaluated in field experiments in Griffin, GA in 2010 and 2011. Dipping bare-root daylily plants for 5 min in azoxystrobin, tebuconazole, or thiophanate-methyl significantly reduced lesion development compared with nontreated control plants. Drenches with azoxystrobin, fluoxastrobin, or tebuconazole, each at three rates (0.06, 0.12, and 0.24 g of active ingredient [a.i.]/container), significantly reduced development of rust lesions on container-grown daylily plants for up to 9 weeks after treatment and 6 weeks after inoculation. One early-season drench of azoxystrobin at 0.12 g a.i‥/plant provided season-long reduction in disease incidence and disease progress that was comparable with foliar sprays with azoxystrobin or...
Effect of theophylline on the warm-up phenomenon

This study examined whether the adenosine receptor antagonist theophylline prevents the warm-up phenomenon in patients with stable angina undergoing serial exercise tests. Our findings offer evidence that adenosine does not play a role in the warm-up phenomenon, and indirectly suggest that the warm-up phenomenon does not represent ischemic preconditioning in humans.
On the Applicability of the Relative Excimer Yield Equation to Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence

Abstract In a recent communication, Keszthelyi1 claims that our application2 of the well-known equation used to describe the relative yield of excimer and mono-mer emission in spectroscopic studies3,4 to electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) studies in the presence of a quenching agent (Q) is “mathematically invalid” because the treatment does not apply when α =RD/RM (where RD is the rate of excimer formation and RM is the rate of formation of the excited singlet state monomer) approaches infinity. As we have pointed out, 2 however, this treatment is perfectly general for all steady state luminescent processes, independent of the mode of excitation, and holds for any value of α. Direct substitution in Equation 1 reveals that Simple rearrangement of Equation 1 yields so that Thus, for the case of “pure” T-route ECL, a plot of φD/φM vs. [A] has a slope of k′fka/kfkd (which is independent of [Q]) and an intercept of k′f/kfkd τ′M (which may have a minimum value of k′f/kfkdτM when [Q] is zero). The Slope ma...
Community Literacy Resources and Home Literacy Practices Among Immigrant Latino Families

ABSTRACT This paper reports relationships among communities, families, and Spanish-speaking children's language and literacy development in kindergarten and grade 1. Findings from a study of 35 communities show that communities with greater concentrations of Latinos are less likely to have printed materials, and available materials are more likely to be in Spanish. Communities with higher income and education levels have more literacy materials in English. Contrary to predictions, there are few associations among community literacy resources, frequency of children's home reading activities, and children's literacy achievement. This lack of association is due to within-community variation in home literacy practices and to schools' impact on home literacy. However, there are associations among community and family language characteristics and child literacy outcomes in Spanish and English, suggesting that at least in the early stages of literacy development, communities' influence on Spanish-speaking childr...
Regulation of Drosophila embryonic tracheogenesis by dVHL and hypoxia.

Abstract The tracheal system of Drosophila melanogaster is an interconnected network of gas-filled epithelial tubes that develops during embryogenesis and functions as the main gas-exchange organ in the larva. Larval tracheal cells respond to hypoxia by activating a program of branching and growth driven by HIF-1α/ sima -dependent expression of the breathless ( btl ) FGF receptor. By contrast, the ability of the developing embryonic tracheal system to respond to hypoxia and integrate hard-wired branching programs with sima -driven tracheal remodeling is not well understood. Here we show that embryonic tracheal cells utilize the conserved ubiquitin ligase dVHL to control the HIF-1 α/ sima hypoxia response pathway, and identify two distinct phases of tracheal development with differing hypoxia sensitivities and outcomes: a relatively hypoxia-resistant ‘early’ phase during which sima activity conflicts with normal branching and stunts migration, and a relatively hypoxia-sensitive ‘late’ phase during which the tracheal system uses the dVHL/sima/btl pathway to drive increased branching and growth. Mutations in the archipelago ( ago ) gene, which antagonizes btl transcription, re-sensitize early embryos to hypoxia, indicating that their relative resistance can be reversed by elevating activity of the btl promoter. These findings reveal a second type of tracheal hypoxic response in which Sima activation conflicts with developmental tracheogenesis, and identify the dVHL and ago ubiquitin ligases as key determinants of hypoxia sensitivity in tracheal cells. The identification of an early stage of tracheal development that is vulnerable to hypoxia is an important addition to models of the invertebrate hypoxic response.
Comparison of the potency of antihistamines

ABSTRACT: First- and second-generation antihistamines have proven effective in the management of patients with urticaria and allergic rhinitis; however, the efficacy of first-generation antihistamines has been compromised by undesirable side effects such as sedation, dry mouth, and blurred vision. Second-generation antihistamines, on the other hand, are less sedating and have fewer side effects than first-generation agents. Recently second-generation agents have been compared for their pharmacologic activities using an epicutaneous histamine-induced wheal and flare model in normal volunteers. Cetirizine was found to be superior to epinastine, ebastine, fexofenadine, terfenadine, loratadine, and placebo in inhibiting the wheal and flare response. Epinastine had the fastest onset of action at 30 minutes and terfenadine proved to be superior to its metabolite fexofenadine.
Estimation of the retransformed conditional mean in health care cost studies

SUMMARY We propose a new approach for analyzing skewed and heteroscedastic health care cost data through regression of the conditional quantiles of the transformed cost. Using the appealing equivariance property of quantiles to monotone transformations, we propose a distribution-free estimator of the conditional mean cost on the original scale. The proposed method is extended to a two-part heteroscedastic model to account for zero costs commonly seen in health care cost studies. Simulation studies indicate that the proposed estimator has competitive and more robust performance than existing estimators in various heteroscedastic models.
State of the science in brain tumor classification

Objectives To review the incidence of metastatic and primary brain tumors and the most widely used brain tumor classification systems, and to discuss discoveries advancing the understanding, classification, and grading of selected brain tumor histologies. Data sources Journal articles, text books, epidemiologic and statistical reports. Conclusion Recent advances in understanding the molecular biology of brain tumors have shown that molecular and genetic signatures may predict brain tumor behavior and may soon guide tumor classification, diagnosis, and tumor-specific treatment strategies. Implications for nursing practice Understanding recent advances in the molecular biology of brain tumors is important because these advances may soon guide treatment decisions. New tumor-specific therapeutic opportunities may improve outcomes as well as the care of persons with brain tumors.
Types of Singularity of Components of Difference Polynomials

Let S be a set of difference polynomials. The perfect difference ideal {S} [2, p. 76 and p. 82] may properly contain the difference ideal ~/[S]. It follows that in determining the irreducible components of the manifold of S it is not sufficient to consider only factorizations of polynomials of n/IS ] (or, equivalently, of IS]). In particular, let S contain only the algebraically irreducible difference polynomial F, and let M be a singular component [2, p. 161] of the manifold ofF. M will be called strongly singular if it can be found from factorizations in [F], and weakly singular otherwise. This definition will be made precise in Section 1. By analogy, all singular components of a differential polynomial with coefficients in a field of characteristic 0 should be considered strongly singular, since if G is such a polynomial, ~/[G] = {G}. An examination of the previously known examples of singular components of difference polynomials reveals that they are all strongly singular. This is not surprising in itself, since it appears to be difficult to prove that a manifold is a component if it is weakly singular. However, the examples cover three rather large classes of singular components, namely, those described in Theorems I, II, and III of Section 1, as well as one example with markedly different properties [2, p. 332]. It would indicate a most unexpected simplicity in the structure of the perfect ideals generated by algebraically irreducible difference polynomials if the known examples were an indication of the general situation. The principal object of this paper is to remove this possibility by providing an example (Section 2) of a difference polynomial F with the weakly singular component M = {0}. This example is of order 5, and Theorem I shows that it could not be of order less than 3. Whether examples of orders 3 or 4 exist is not known. In Section 3 approximations to solutions in singular components are considered for the case of coefficients and solutions which are complex valued functions on the integers. Using the polynomial Q of the example of Section 2 it is shown that the solution 0 constituting the singular component can be-approximated uniformly by solutions which are nowhere 0. This is quite unexpected. (Compare [3, p. 259].) It is easily seen to be possible only because of two circumstances: 1) {0} is a weakly singular component, 2) the approximating solutions are not regular, that is they do not lie in difference rings which are integral domains. Although no general theorem can be stated at present, this example suggests an important distinction in the behavior of weakly and strongly singular components, The distinction between weak and strong singularity is only one of an infinite sequence of similar distinctions that may be made using, in place of the difference ideal [F] generated by the difference polynomial F, each ideal of the sequence whose union is {F}, as described in [2, Ch. 3, Section 2].
Specific proteolysis of the kinase protein kinase C-related kinase 2 by caspase-3 during apoptosis. Identification by a novel, small pool expression cloning strategy.

Abstract The caspase family of proteases plays a critical role in the execution of apoptosis. However, efforts to decipher the molecular mechanisms by which caspases induce cell death have been greatly hindered by the lack of systematic and broadly applicable strategies to identify their substrates. Here we describe a novel expression cloning strategy to rapidly isolate cDNAs encoding caspase substrates that are cleaved during apoptosis. Small cDNA pools (approximately 100 clones each) are transcribed/translatedin vitro in the presence of [35S]methionine; these labeled protein pools are then incubated with cytosolic extracts from control and apoptotic cells. cDNA pools encoding proteins that are specifically cleaved by the apoptotic extract and whose cleavage is prevented by the caspase inhibitor acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp chloromethylketone are subdivided and retested until a single cDNA is isolated. Using this approach, we isolated a partial cDNA encoding protein kinase C-related kinase 2 (PRK2), a serine-threonine kinase, and demonstrate that full-length human PRK2 is proteolyzed by caspase-3 at Asp117 and Asp700 in vitro. In addition, PRK2 is cleaved rapidly during Fas- and staurosporine-induced apoptosis in vivo by caspase-3 or a closely related caspase. Both of the major apoptotic cleavage sites of PRK2 in vivo lie within its regulatory domain, suggesting that its activity may be deregulated by proteolysis.