cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Screening for Resistance to Sugarcane Brown Rust With Controlled-conditions Inoculation

Breeding for resistance is the primary control measure for brown rust of sugarcane. Resistance screening utilizing natural infection symptom severity ratings provides erratic results. Therefore, a method accomplishing infection and disease expression under controlled conditions was evaluated to determine whether it could provide accurate resistance ratings for seedlings and clones with known and unknown reactions. Seedlings from crosses between parents with different levels of resistance were inoculated with increasing concentrations of urediniospores. Inoculum concentration affected disease severity and the frequency of resistant progeny in crosses. Brown rust resistance is a heritable trait; however, parental reaction was not a consistent determinant of progeny distribution across resistance rating categories. These results suggest that seedling inoculation may be misleading for the evaluation of brown rust resistance. Clone resistance reactions could not be reliably determined for susceptible clones in single inoculations. Ratings for controlled-conditions inoculation and field natural infection severity were not correlated. Multiple inoculations under controlled conditions accurately identified resistant and susceptible clones, with severe infection resulting from any single inoculation indicating susceptibility. Therefore, controlled-conditions inoculation has the potential to be useful in limited studies to characterize parents in a recurrent selection program and for basic studies of resistance to brown rust.
Faculty Union and Faculty Senate Co-Existence A Review of the Impact of Academic Collective Bargaining on Traditional Academic Governance

This paper examines the intersection between faculty unions and faculty senates along with the costs and benefits that each pays and receives relative to one another. More specifically, the authors...
Tenant time preference as a barrier to homeownership

Many US government programs focus on reducing the financial barriers to homeownership. This paper uncovers evidence of an additional barrier – high time discounting by renters. Results from cumulative logistic and ordinary least squares models of 4228 households participating in the 2004 Survey of Consumer Finances indicate that renters self-report a significantly shorter financial planning time-horizon than owners do. Additionally, a tobit analysis reveals that renters tend to choose short-term, low-return investments when they save. A probit analysis of 14 743 household observations in the 2003–2004 Consumer Expenditure Survey reveals a significantly higher probability for consumption of tobacco by renters-a choice frequently associated with high time discounting due to negative long-term health effects. Each of these results is consistent with high time discounting by renters. Such discounting of future consequences can impede the transition to homeownership, which often requires delaying current consu...
Potassium Supplementation, Diet vs Pills: A Randomized Trial in Postoperative Cardiac Surgery Patients

Background Cardiac surgery patients are commonly treated with diuretics, which can result in hypokalemia requiring potassium supplementation. Objective Our objective was to determine whether cardiac surgery patients receiving therapy with potassium-wasting diuretics can safely and beneficially maintain serum potassium levels by eating potassium-rich foods. Design A prospectively randomized trial of diet vs medication supplementation of potassium was undertaken. Patients who were to undergo cardiac surgery and who would be receiving therapy with oral furosemide postoperatively were eligible for the study. Forty-eight patients were enrolled in the trial, and 38 patients completed the study. Patients received either potassium-rich foods (diet) or potassium chloride pills (medication). Results There was no significant difference in mean (± SD) serum potassium concentrations between groups preoperatively (4.25 ± 0.30 vs 4.29 ± 0.33 mEq/L, respectively), on postoperative day 3 (4.23 ± 0.40 vs 4.27 ± 0.40 mEq/L, respectively), or postoperative day 4 (4.23 ± 0.48 vs 4.24 ± 0.33 mEq/L, respectively) for the diet and medication groups. Length of stay was significantly lower in the diet group (5.0 ± 0.9 vs 6.3 ± 2.2 days, respectively). When asked their preferences for method of supplementation, 79% of patients preferred the diet method. Conclusions Cardiac surgery patients receiving therapy with diuretics can maintain serum potassium levels at clinically adequate concentrations by eating potassium-rich foods. Length of stay was significantly reduced. This method of potassium supplementation demonstrates the potential for reduced costs and increased patient satisfaction.
Effective dielectric constant of a linear matrix filled with linear and nonlinear spherical particles

A finite element study has been carried out to determine the effective dielectric constant of composite materials containing linear or nonlinear fillers. In the linear systems, spherical particles with field-independent dielectric constant are distributed randomly in a linear matrix. The effective dielectric constant is studied as a function of volume fraction and particle size. In the nonlinear system, a Landau thermodynamic model is employed to describe the field-dependent dielectric properties of the filler, and both the “hard” sphere and “soft” sphere models are examined at a volume fraction of 40%, which is above percolation for spherical filler.
Comparison of unstired, sonicated and stirred mixtures on the two-phase displacement of halide by thiocyanate ion

Abstract The two-phase catalytic reaction of alkyl halides with aqueous thiocyanate ion has been found to proceed readily in stirred, unstirred, and sonicated solutions.
Tropical Cyclone Track Forecasts Using an Ensemble of Dynamical Models

The relative independence of the tropical cyclone track forecasts produced by regional and global numerical weather prediction models suggests that a simple ensemble average or consensus forecast derived from a combination of these models may be more accurate, on average, than the forecasts of the individual models. Forecast errors of a simple ensemble average of three models for the 1995‐96 Atlantic hurricane seasons, and either three global models or two regional models for the western North Pacific during 1997, were compared with errors of the individual models. For the Atlantic, the mean errors for the joint ensemble were 120 km at 24 h, 194 km at 48 h, and 266 km at 72 h, which represent improvements of 16%, 20%, and 23% with respect to the best of the individual models. The joint ensemble also resulted in reduction in the standard deviation of the forecast error. The 95th percentile of forecast error for the ensemble was reduced 19%, 14%, and 23% with respect to the best of the individual models. The spread of the ensemble forecast was found to possess some potential for use by forecasters as a measure of confidence in the ensemble forecast. Similar results were found for the western North Pacific.
Why candidate divergence should be expected to be just as great (or even greater) in competitive seats as in non-competitive ones

Basic Downsian theory predicts candidate convergence toward the views of the median voter in two-candidate elections. Common journalistic wisdom, moreover, leads us to expect these centripetal pressures to be strongest when elections are expected to be close. Yet, the available evidence from the US Congress disconfirms this prediction. To explain this counterintuitive result, we develop a spatial model that allows us to understand the complex interactions of political competition, partisan loyalties, and incentives for voter turnout that can lead office-seeking candidates, especially candidates in close elections, to emphasize policy appeals to their voter base rather than courting the median voter.
Multiscale theory of finite-size Bose systems: Implications for collective and single-particle excitations

Boson droplets (i.e., dense assemblies of bosons at low temperature) are shown to mask a significant amount of single-particle behavior and to manifest collective, droplet-wide excitations. To investigate the balance between single-particle and collective behavior, solutions to the wave equation for a finite size Bose system are constructed in the limit where the ratio $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ of the average nearest-neighbor boson distance to the size of the droplet or the wavelength of density disturbances is small. In this limit, the lowest order wave function varies smoothly across the system, i.e., is devoid of structure on the scale of the average nearest-neighbor distance. The amplitude of short range structure in the wave function is shown to vanish as a power of $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ when the interatomic forces are relatively weak. However, there is residual short range structure that increases with the strength of interatomic forces. While the multiscale approach is applied to boson droplets, the methodology is applicable to any finite size Bose system and is shown to be more direct than field theoretic methods. Conclusions for $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ nanodroplets are drawn.
Medical Patients: Consultation and Psychotherapy

Introduction Psychiatrists in consultative practice encounter patients under a wide variety of circumstances and often must reach decisions on limited evidence. A deft touch is called for, and little opportunity usually exists for confirmation or refutation of initial impressions. An increased understanding of this type of psychiatric practice and its problems may be gained, therefore, by study along two dimensions. These are: (a) measurements of the validity and reliability of brief clinical impressions, and (b) follow-up study of patients' dispositions following consultation. A preliminary survey of the disposition of patients seen in consultation by the Liaison Service*showed that a very high proportion of patients was being recommended for psychotherapy by the resident consultants, while most of the rest were advised to return to their local physician for "support" or pharmacotherapy. Hospitalization was advised for some. It seemed that very few patients were availing themselves of the recommended psychotherapy, and
Synthesis of glycolipid analogs via highly regioselective macrolactonization catalyzed by lipase

Abstract Highly regioselective lipase catalyzed macrolactonization has been used in synthesizing first feedstock based glycolipid analogs. These macrolides containing common disaccharides maltose (4- O -α- d -glucopyranosyl-β- d -glucose) and melibiose (6- O -α- d -galactopyranosyl-β- d -glucose) were synthesized by employing chemoenzymatic methodologies. Maltose and Melibiose were coupled with methyl 15-hydroxy pentadecanoate and then subjected to a highly regioselective macrolactonization at the C-6″ position using Candida antarctica lipase-B to yield the desired products.
The Ins and Outs of Calcium in Heart Failure

See related article, pages 1398–1405 Cardiac excitation–contraction coupling is akin to a biophysical juggling act that involves fast and slow ion movements overlapping in time and space across several compartments. In response to sarcolemmal depolarization, Ca2+ release from the large intracellular store in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is triggered by a rush of Ca2+ from the extracellular space through L-type Ca2+ channels into the very tiny junctional cleft (12 nm) to activate SR Ca2+ release channels in a tightly controlled signal amplification step. Local inactivation of the L-type Ca2+ channel mediated by the large junctional Ca2+ spike (peaking at >50 μmol/L) provides a mechanism of negative feedback on beat-to-beat Ca2+ influx; thus, an abrupt change in the size of cytosolic Ca2+ transient will impact the trigger for subsequent beats and reciprocally influence the SR Ca2+ content in a process known as autoregulation.1 Ca2+ removal processes, although kinetically slower, also play a major role in shaping the Ca2+ dynamics, and, ultimately, the contraction, of the myocyte. The 2 main pathways, Ca2+ reuptake into the SR by the Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA2A) and Ca2+ efflux across the sarcolemma by the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX), compete for the job of removing Ca2+ ions in a species-dependent manner. In ventricular myocytes from rats and mice, ≈90% of the Ca2+ decline during a transient is mediated by SERCA2A, whereas NCX contributes only ≈7% to Ca2+ removal (the remainder is taken up by mitochondria or extruded from the cell by the sarcolemmal Ca2+ ATPase).2 In most large animals (eg, rabbits, dogs, cats, ferrets), some small animals (eg, guinea pigs and hamsters), and humans,3 Ca2+ removal by SERCA2A accounts for only 60% to …
Genetic and environmental contributions to initiation of cigarette smoking in young African-American and European-American women.

Abstract Background Distinctions in the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to initiation of cigarette smoking may explain, in part, the differences between African Americans and European Americans in the prevalence of smoking. The current investigation is the first to compare heritable and environmental influences on smoking initiation between African-American and European-American women. Methods Data were drawn from Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study participants and female Missouri Family Study participants ( n = 4498; 21% African-American, the remainder European-American). Mean ages at first and last assessments were 17.0 (SD = 3.5) and 24.0 (SD = 3.2), respectively. Twin-sibling modeling was conducted to estimate the proportion of variance in smoking initiation (i.e., ever trying a cigarette) attributable to additive genetic, shared environmental, special twin environmental, and unique environmental factors. Results Additive genetic influences accounted for approximately half of the variance in smoking initiation in both African-American and European-American women. In the African-American subsample, the remaining variance was attributable primarily to unique environmental factors (46%; 95% CI: 28–71%). In the European-American subsample, only 12% (95% CI: 8–16%) of the variance was attributable to unique environmental factors, with the remainder accounted for by shared environmental (13%; 95% CI: 0–41%) and special twin environmental (24%; 95% CI: 0–52%) factors. Conclusions The estimated heritability of smoking initiation is substantial and nearly identical for African-American and European-American women, but the type of environmental factors that contribute to risk differ by race/ethnicity. Whereas the primary environmental influences on European-American women's smoking initiation are at the family level, those that impact African-American women's smoking initiation are primarily individual-specific.
Have repeated applications of nitrogen and phosphorus to a loblolly pine plantation changed stand productivity and soil nutrient supply

To develop a nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization regime that produces long-term increases in stand productivity and soil nutrient supply in loblolly pine plantations, a series of N + P fertilizer studies were established in the Southeastern United States. One of these installations was examined partway through the study to determine if changes to stand productivity and soil nutrient supply had already been achieved. Stand growth and foliar nutrient concentrations were measured for 6 years, and during the third year, a seedling bioassay was conducted with soil collected from the highest fertilization and nonfertilized treatments. Annual stand growth was increased by 14%–27% in the fertilized plots suggesting that the fertilizer regime improved stand productivity. However, results from the seedling bioassay showed that only P fertilization had caused changes in soil nutrient supply. Seedling P contents in the fertilized treatments were 3.6 times larger than those in the nonfertilized treatments. I...
Impaired organic binding of radioiodine by the thyroid following radioiodine treatment of hyperthyroidism.

THERE have been several attempts to demonstrate a change in thyroid physiology following irradiation with radioiodine. Skanse (1) was able to show in chicks that the thyroid lost its ability to retain large doses of radioiodine and that its growth response to thiouracil and thyrotropic hormone was diminished following large doses of the isotope. On the other hand, Salter (2), using the thyroidal radioiodine uptake, serum protein-bound iodine concentration, and the rate of turnover of radioiodine into thyroxine, came to the conclusion that no appreciable change in thyroid function occurs in humans following therapeutic dosage with radioiodine. Evidence will be presented here of a specific change in thyroid function following such therapy. The work of McGinty and Sharp (3) in 1946 showed that radioactive iodine trapped by a thyroid gland which is under the effect of thiouracil remains in the inorganic form. Organic binding of the trapped iodide does not occur. This work was later confirmed by VanderLaan and...
Analysis of autophagic flux in response to sulforaphane in metastatic prostate cancer cells

Scope The phytochemical sulforaphane (SF) has been shown to decrease prostate cancer metastases in a genetic mouse model of prostate carcinogenesis, though the mechanism of action is not fully known. SF has been reported to stimulate autophagy, and modulation of autophagy has been proposed to influence SF cytotoxicity; however, no conclusions about autophagy can be drawn without assessing autophagic flux, which has not been characterized in prostate cancer cells following SF treatment. Methods and results We conducted an investigation to assess the impact of SF on autophagic flux in two metastatic prostate cancer cell lines at a concentration shown to decrease metastasis in vivo. Autophagic flux was assessed by multiple autophagy related proteins and substrates. We found that SF can stimulate autophagic flux and cell death only at high concentrations, above what has been observed in vivo. Conclusion These results suggest that SF does not directly stimulate autophagy or cell death in metastatic prostate cancer cells under physiologically relevant conditions, but instead supports the involvement of in vivo factors as important effectors of SF-mediated prostate cancer suppression.
FEEDBACKS BETWEEN SOIL NUTRIENTS AND LARGE HERBIVORES IN A MANAGED SAVANNA ECOSYSTEM

Small-scale fertilization experiments have shown that soil nutrients limit plant productivity in many semiarid grasslands and savannas, but linkages among nutrients, grasses, and grazers are rarely studied in an ecosystem context. We used hectare-scale heterogeneity in soil nutrients created by cattle management practices within a geologically homogeneous savanna to examine relationships among soil nitrogen and phosphorus, above- ground net primary production (ANPP), grass nutrient content, and a mixed community of native and domestic herbivores on central Kenyan rangeland. Increasing soil N and P content was consistently associated with increasing plant productivity and rainfall use efficiency in wet, dry, and drought years. A fertilization experiment and analyses of grass N:P ratios across sites indicated that N is the primary limiting nutrient on nutrient-rich glades, whereas N and P co-limit productivity on nutrient-poor bushland sites. Variation in ANPP among patches within the landscape was linearly correlated with consumption rates of large her- bivores. Grazing pressure was consistently high ( .60% of ANPP) at all but one site in a dry year (1999), and was greater in nutrient-rich glades (73 6 4% of ANPP) than in nutrient- poor bushland sites (43 6 7% of ANPP) in a wet year (2001). Grasses of nutrient-rich sites contained sufficient P concentrations to meet requirements for pregnant and lactating un- gulates, whereas grasses in nutrient-poor swards were P deficient. Even though native and domestic herbivores selectively used and intensively grazed nutrient-rich sites, productivity on these sites remained high throughout the study. Analyses of nitrogen budgets for nutrient- rich and nutrient-poor sites showed that large herbivores themselves caused a net N input to the former and a net N loss from the latter. Thus, large herbivores not only respond to heterogeneity in soil and plant nutrients across the landscape, but also play a role in maintaining the N-enriched status of highly productive and intensively grazed sites.
Sociologists in the Press

Stimulated by debates on public sociology in the recent years I studied contributions of sociologists in daily newspapers in Austria. Although sociologists are rather present in the Austrian press, I argue this remains without noticeable effects on public opinion formation; the topics sociologists write and talk about are rather arbitrary and they lack factual content. Although my data refers to sociologists in the Austrian press, the study's conclusions might be true to the wider sociological community: Through such exposure, a public profile of sociology cannot evolve. Furthermore, the article discusses criteria that prevent and complicate the relationship between sociologists and the press: avoidance of publicity, the problem of values and ideology, incompatibilities of language-games, divergence of relevance criteria, and deficient cultural empathy.
Electrically Tunable Susceptibility of Synthetic Antiferromagnet Lines

In this paper, a novel mechanism is introduced by which to modulate the permeability of a magnetic core is studied. This analysis has shown that a current passing through a coupled magnetic bilayer called a synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) can change its effective permeability over a wide range. A key advantage of this mechanism is that SAF layers are resistant to magnetic domain formation and thus will allow high quality, low noise devices in small form factors. The electrically tunable magnetic device considered here is a magnetic thin film bilayer consisting of two ferromagnetic films (e.g. NiFe) coupled through an intervening nonmagnetic spacer layer (e.g. Cu). Description of the magnetization behavior in this coupled bilayers takes into account the effect of thickness (t), width (w), magnetization (Ms), induced anisotropy of the two layers (Ke), exchange coupling between the two layers (Ka), external magnetic field and self-field due to current flowing through the structure. With the aid of numerical calculation, the ability to induce large changes in susceptibility with reasonable current was predicted.
Preserving cell sequence of handoff connections in wireless ATM networks

Preserving ATM cell sequencing is an important issue in the future wireless ATM network. Out-of-sequence ATM cells will cause entire data frame to be discarded and causes either data retransmission or quality of service degradation. Currently there is no connection handoff scheme providing a schematic method to preserve ATM cell sequencing. In this paper, we investigate the issue of preserving ATM cell sequencing during connection handoff sessions. A proposed VP-based hierarchical network infrastructure and a handoff mechanism are used to support connection handoffs and preserve cell sequencing for both uplink and downlink handoffs in the wireless ATM network.
Comparison of Rat Cone ERG Elicited by a Pulse Flicker and Sine-Wave Modulated Light Stimuli

The electroretinogram (ERG) affords a quantitative, objective, and noninvasive method by which to examine light-evoked neuronal activity, and is commonly used to study the functional integrity of normal and diseased retinas (Fishman, 2001; Frishman, 2006; Peachey and Ball, 2003). ERG elicited by a periodic stimulus (flicker ERG) is a useful tool to investigate temporal property of retinal circuitry, especially cone pathway in the retina (Alexander et al., 2005; Burns et al., 1992; Kondo and Sieving, 2001; Qian et al., 2010; Qian et al., 2008). Two kinds of light stimuli are commonly used for flicker ERG recordings: sinewave modulated light and a pulse light flickers. Sine-wave modulated light, due to its simplicity in spectrum component, is often used to characterize frequency-response relationship of ERG (Alexander et al., 2003; Burns et al., 1992; Kondo and Sieving, 2001; Krishna et al., 2002; Qian et al., 2008; Viswanathan et al., 2002). On the other hand, pulse light flicker can easily be implemented technically, and has long been applied for clinical use (Audo et al., 2008; Garry et al., 2010; Jacobs et al., 1996). Indeed, 30 Hz pulse flicker under light-adapted condition is recommended by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) for evaluating activity of the cone system in human patients (Marmor et al., 2009). For a pulse train consisting of a series of flashes with intensity I, duration d, and period P, the Fourier transform in the frequency domain is given by the expression:
Whats Wrong with Economic Models? A Response to John Kay

The article is a response to a polemical essay of J. Kay and his critique of macroeconomic modeling. The author shows that models are an indispensable instrument of economic analysis and that the only alternative would be the formulation and estimation of structural relationships between macroeconomic aggregates. But such a project is doomed to failure, because it does not account for the expectations of economic agents. However, as the author admits, the critique of rational expectations concept is justified. He shows possible directions that a more realistic analysis of ecpectation could take.
Gossip and Secrecy: Women's Articulation of Domestic Conflict in Three Religions of Urban Brazil

In this chapter I discuss how women in a Brazilian working-class town choose among the Catholic Church, pentecostalism, and Afro-Brazilian umbanda when seeking religious help in coping with domestic conflict. I argue that umbanda and pentecostalism, as cults of affliction in which blame for domestic conflict may be safely articulated and projected onto spiritual Others, limit the possibilities for gossip and increase those of secrecy. They are thus more attractive to women than is the Catholic Church, which places blame for domestic conflict on human agents and, as a local cult that recruits on the basis of prior social identity rather than affliction, makes women’s efforts to speak about their domestic problems vulnerable to gossip.
Differential Roles of Chemokines CCL2 and CCL7 in Monocytosis and Leukocyte Migration during West Nile Virus Infection

West Nile virus (WNV) is a re-emerging pathogen and the leading cause of epidemic encephalitis in the United States. Inflammatory monocytes are a critical component of the cellular infiltrate found in the CNS during WNV encephalitis, although the molecular cues involved in their migration are not fully understood. In mice, we previously showed that WNV infection induces a CCR2-dependent monocytosis that precedes monocyte migration into the CNS. Currently, the relative contribution of the CCR2 ligands, chemokines CCL2 and CCL7, in directing monocyte mobilization and leukocyte migration into the CNS is unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that, although both CCL2 and CCL7 are required for efficient monocytosis and monocyte accumulation in the CNS, only CCL7 deficiency resulted in increased viral burden in the brain and enhanced mortality. The enhanced susceptibility in the absence of CCL7 was associated with the delayed migration of neutrophils and CD8(+) T cells into the CNS compared with WT or Ccl2(-/-) mice. To determine whether CCL7 reconstitution could therapeutically alter the survival outcome of WNV infection, we administered exogenous CCL7 i.v. to WNV-infected Ccl7(-/-) mice and observed a significant increase in monocytes and neutrophils, but not CD8(+) T cells, within the CNS, as well as an enhancement in survival compared with Ccl7(-/-) mice treated with a linear CCL7 control peptide. Our experiments suggest that CCL7 is an important protective signal involved in leukocyte trafficking during WNV infection, and it may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of acute viral infections of the CNS.
A Pilot Study of Training Adoptive Parents for Cultural Competence.

ABSTRACT As a pilot for more rigorous study, this article describes a parent training program currently in use at an adoption agency that places children transracially; describes a new instrument designed to measure parents' perception of the importance of racial awareness, multicultural planning, and survival skills; and describes the use of this instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of an agency-based training session with a small group of parents. Results suggest that training can have a positive effect on transracial adoptive parents' perceptions of the importance of cultural competence. Future research needs in this area are discussed.
Media Rituals in Eusébio's Exequies

While celebrating collective representation, the media can be seen as spaces of ritualization that are fundamental to the consolidation of wider social values. In this paper we give an empirical frame to the concept of “media rituals” considering it as an entrenched symbolic practice that could be traceable in Eusebio’s exequies television broadcasting. Three sorts of media rituals are identified: rituals dealing with immediacy, rituals dealing with collective prominence and rituals dealing with the revelation of reality. Each media ritual exemplifies how a space of comprehensive ritualization is erected. It is through this generalized and mediated ritualization that the idea of a major social occurrence is refreshed and worked through.
Synthesis, Structure, and Application of [PhNMe2H][B{C6F4C(C6F5)2F}4]

The new perfluorinated tetraaryl borate [B{C6F4C(C6F5)2F}4]- (3) has been prepared and characterized. The X-ray structural analysis of [C6H5N(H)(CH3)2][3] confirms the tetrahedral geometry about the boron. The performance of 3 as a weakly coordinating anion in ethylene polymerization was evaluated and compared with that of B(C6F5)4- and B(3,5-(CF3)2C6H3)4-. The stability of 3 throughout polymerization was evaluated by analyzing anion residues in a polymer sample using mass spectroscopy.
Experimental Investigation of Transient Enhanced Diffusion (TED) of Phosphorus Implants in Silicon in the MeV Range

Transient Enhanced Diffusion (TED) is one of the biggest modeling challenges present in predicting scaled technologies. Prior work has concentrated on TED resulting from sub 200 KeV implants. However, the results applicable to the low energy regime cannot be extrapolated per se into the high energy regime. Furnace anneals have been performed and through simulations it has been observed that there is a differential diffusivity enhancement between the part of the profile before the profile peak and that beyond the profile peak. Longer saturation times compared to the low energy implants have also been observed.
Flow and Dropsize Measurements in Glycerol Spray Flames

Glycerol is a byproduct of the biodiesel production process that has many practical uses, but its supply has outstripped its demand at times in the recent past. While glycerol can be combusted, it is very difficult to atomize because of adverse physical properties, especially high kinematic viscosity. The novel “flow-blurring” atomization method has been shown to be effective in overcoming these this problem and has been used to successfully combust glycerol. This study presents, for the first time, velocity and droplet size statistics within sprays of glycerol flames using the phase Doppler particle analyzer system.
Evaluation of Synthetic Sex Pheromone as a Control Agent for Douglas-fir Tussock Moths

Synthetic pheromone evaporated from controlled-release applicators substantially reduced the ability of male Douglas-fir tussock moths, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough), to locate females and mate in the field. Dosages of 0.05–5.0 mg/ha/day were tested; the 2 strongest treatments of 1.0 and 5.0 mg/ha/day were the most effective. The disruption effect was relatively greater with traps baited with live females than with traps baited with synthetic pheromone. Catches of males in traps increased with increased height of traps above the 1.5 m treatment level up to 18.3 m.
IP Communication and Distributed Agents for Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles

Unmanned Autonomous Vehicles (UAVs) extend the reach of human activities and exploration, and are currently of utmost interest to NASA Mars missions and Earth Science enterprises. At present, fully autonomous machines are poorly equipped to survive in realistically complex and uncertain environments. However, incremental progress and useful intermediate results can be achieved through collaboration between local autonomy and remote supervision. In this paper, we submit that these objectives can be accomplished through the use of IP (Internet Protocol) coupled with • An appropriate design of the local controller, • Realand non-real-time middleware, and • Agent-based software. This paper describes our experience in the application of these methodologies for the remote supervision of intelligent machines.
Effects of Presentation Rate and Attention on Auditory Discrimination: A Comparison of Long-Latency Auditory Evoked Potentials in School-Aged Children and Adults.

Decoding human speech requires both perception and integration of brief, successive auditory stimuli that enter the central nervous system as well as the allocation of attention to language-relevant signals. This study assesses the role of attention on processing rapid transient stimuli in adults and children. Cortical responses (EEG/ERPs), specifically mismatch negativity (MMN) responses, to paired tones (standard 100–100Hz; deviant 100–300Hz) separated by a 300, 70 or 10ms silent gap (ISI) were recorded under Ignore and Attend conditions in 21 adults and 23 children (6–11 years old). In adults, an attention-related enhancement was found for all rate conditions and laterality effects (L>R) were observed. In children, 2 auditory discrimination-related peaks were identified from the difference wave (deviant-standard): an early peak (eMMN) at about 100–300ms indexing sensory processing, and a later peak (LDN), at about 400–600ms, thought to reflect reorientation to the deviant stimuli or “second-look” processing. Results revealed differing patterns of activation and attention modulation for the eMMN in children as compared to the MMN in adults: The eMMN had a more frontal topography as compared to adults and attention played a significantly greater role in childrens’ rate processing. The pattern of findings for the LDN was consistent with hypothesized mechanisms related to further processing of complex stimuli. The differences between eMMN and LDN observed here support the premise that separate cognitive processes and mechanisms underlie these ERP peaks. These findings are the first to show that the eMMN and LDN differ under different temporal and attentional conditions, and that a more complete understanding of children’s responses to rapid successive auditory stimulation requires an examination of both peaks.
Podocyte alpha-actinin induction precedes foot process effacement in experimental nephrotic syndrome

Attachment of podocytes to the glomerular basement membrane is thought to be mediated primarily by alpha 3/beta 1-integrins and by cytoskeletal proteins including actin, talin, vinculin, and alpha-...
Changes in the Distribution of Income

Institutional arrangements in Ethiopia have been transformed since the Revolution and this has led to dramatic changes in the distribution of income. In this chapter we shall try to document some of these changes and present a coherent explanation of them.
Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa integrin inhibition in acute myocardial infarction.

The initial cascade of events responsible for acute (ST segment elevation) myocardial infarction is now well elucidated. The vast majority of cases are precipitated by spontaneous plaque rupture resulting in platelet adhesion, activation, and aggregation, and finally thrombosis (1,2). The initial thrombus produces a hemostatic plug that limits blood flow to varying degrees, with most cases of acute infarction being the result of complete thrombotic occlusion of the coronary artery(3).
Epidural Angiopomatosis of the Thoracic Spine: Case report and literature review

Spinal epidural angiolipomatosis (SEA) is a rare benign neoplasm of adipose tissue with a prominent vascular component. Classified as either idiopathic or secondary to chronic steroid therapy it accounts for 0.14% of all spinal axis tumours. The clinical and radiological features and treatment of a case in a 24-year-old male are described and discussed together with a review of the literature and previous reports.
Sexy, Tough, or Inept? Depictions of Women Terrorists in the News

Using a constructionist approach and feminist rhetorical theories, this study analyzes how women terrorists are portrayed in English-language publications between 2000 and 2005. Five stereotypical categories for violent women are explored: (a) the technically unskilled suicide bomber; (b) the “attack bitch” seeking revenge; (c) the failed mother; (d) the brainwashed victim; and (e) the sexy "babe" with personal issues. The analysis looks at subtly implied emotional and intellectual deficiencies of women terrorists, especially in the context of their physical attractiveness (or lack thereof) and reproductive history.
Swelling, Inflation, and a Swelling-Burst Instability in Hyperelastic Spherical Shells

Abstract The incompressible hyperelastic Mooney-Rivlin constitutive model allows for pressure-inflation response of spherical shells that could either be globally stable (a monotonic pressure-radius graph) or could instead involve instability jumps of various kinds as pressurization proceeds. The latter occurs when the pressure-radius graph is not monotonic, allowing for a snap-through bifurcation that gives a sudden burst of inflation. For a given structure (shell thickness) composed of a specific material (a parameter choice in the M–R constitutive model), the form of the pressure-radius graph becomes fixed, enabling the determination of whether and when such a burst will be triggered. Internal swelling of the material that makes up the shell wall will generally change the response. Not only does it alter the quantitative pressure-inflation relation but it can also change the qualitative stability response, allowing burst phenomena for certain ranges of swelling and preventing burst phenomena for other ranges of swelling. This paper provides a systematic framework for predicting how such swelling ranges depend on structural geometry and material parameters.
Arabidopsis LORELEI, a Maternally Expressed Imprinted Gene, Promotes Early Seed Development

In flowering plants, the female gametophyte controls pollen tube reception immediately before fertilization and regulates seed development immediately after fertilization, although the controlling mechanisms remain poorly understood. Previously, we showed that LORELEI (LRE), which encodes a putative glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane protein, is critical for pollen tube reception by the female gametophyte before fertilization and the initiation of seed development after fertilization. Here, we show that LRE is expressed in the synergid, egg, and central cells of the female gametophyte and in the zygote and proliferating endosperm of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seed. Interestingly, LRE expression in the developing seeds was primarily from the matrigenic LRE allele, indicating that LRE expression is imprinted. However, LRE was biallelically expressed in 8-d-old seedlings, indicating that the patrigenic allele does not remain silenced throughout the sporophytic generation. Regulation of imprinted LRE expression is likely novel, as LRE was not expressed in pollen or pollen tubes of mutants defective for MET1, DDM1, RNA-dependent DNA methylation, or MSI-dependent histone methylation. Additionally, the patrigenic LRE allele inherited from these mutants was not expressed in seeds. Surprisingly, and contrary to the predictions of the parental conflict hypothesis, LRE promotes growth in seeds, as loss of the matrigenic but not the patrigenic LRE allele caused delayed initiation of seed development. Our results showed that LRE is a rare imprinted gene that functions immediately after double fertilization and supported the model that a passage through the female gametophyte establishes monoalleleic expression of LRE in seeds and controls early seed development.
STRAP Promotes Stemness of Human Colorectal Cancer via Epigenetic Regulation of the NOTCH Pathway.

NOTCH signaling exerts essential roles in normal and malignant intestinal physiology and the homeostasis of cancer stem-like cells (CSC), but the basis for this latter role remains obscure. The signaling scaffold protein STRAP is upregulated in several cancers where it promotes tumorigenicity and metastasis. Here we report a novel oncogenic function for STRAP in maintaining CSC subpopulations in a heterogeneous mixture by antagonizing formation of the chromatin modifier PRC2 and by epigenetically activating NOTCH signals in human colorectal cancer (CRC). Silencing STRAP sensitized CRC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs in vitro and in vivo. STRAP depletion also contributed to a reduced stem-like phenotype of CRC cells, as indicated by reduced expression of the CSC signature and NOTCH signaling regulators in vitro and by diminished tumorigenesis in vivo. Genes encoding some upstream activators of NOTCH were highly enriched for H3K27me3, which form repressive chromatin domains upon STRAP silencing. Mechanistically, STRAP competitively disrupted association of the PRC2 subunits EZH2 and SUZ12, thereby inhibiting PRC2 assembly. Restoring the NOTCH pathway by lentiviral expression of NICD1 or HES1 in STRAP-depleted tumor cells reversed the CSC phenotype. In 90 CRC clinical specimens, a significant positive correlation was documented between the expression of STRAP and HES1. Overall, our findings illuminated a novel STRAP-NOTCH1-HES1 molecular axis as a CSC regulator in CRC, with potential implications to improve treatment of this disease.
Intensive Blood Pressure Targets for Diabetic and Other High-Risk Populations: A Pooled Individual Patient Data Analysis.

Optimal blood pressure (BP) targets for different populations, especially diabetics, remain uncertain after conflicting data on intensive management. We assessed whether a P P =0.16). Significantly reduced secondary outcomes included stroke (hazard ratio, 0.75; P =0.033) and heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.76; P =0.014). No significant interactions were observed between treatment effect and baseline age, sex, race, cardiovascular disease history, systolic BP, or diastolic BP ( P values: 0.40, 0.95, 0.54, 0.18, 0.86, and 0.67, respectively). BP targets of P
Declining access to alcohol and drug abuse services among veterans in the general population.

ABSTRACT Although the Veterans Health Administration has been committed to preserving its capacity to provide specialized substance abuse (SA) services, administrative data from the late 1990s point to reduced access. To explore the possible effects of reduced access to Veterans Affairs services on veterans in the general population, we examined data from the National Household Survey of Drug Abuse from 1994 to 2001. Although the data are not longitudinal at the level of individuals, the annual nature of these surveys makes it possible to chart aggregate changes in clinical needs and service use over time. The results indicate that, whereas veterans' needs for SA services remained high and were consistent across these years, the proportion of veterans in treatment decreased. The proportion of nonveterans receiving SA treatment also decreased but not as steeply as that of veterans. This trend parallels declining delivery of specialized alcohol and drug abuse services within the Veterans Health Administrati...
Atomic-Scale Magnetometry of Dynamic Magnetization.

The spatial resolution of imaging magnetometers has benefited from scanning probe techniques. The requirement that the sample perturbs the scanning probe through a magnetic field external to its volume limits magnetometry to samples with pre-existing magnetization. We propose a magnetometer in which the perturbation is reversed: the probe's magnetic field generates a response of the sample, which acts back on the probe and changes its energy. For an NV^{-} spin center in diamond this perturbation changes the fine-structure splitting of the spin ground state. Sensitive measurement techniques using coherent detection schemes then permit detection of the magnetic response of paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials. This technique can measure the thickness of magnetically dead layers with better than 0.1 A accuracy.
Queen-worker behavior and nesmate interactions in young colonies ofLasioglossum Zephyrum

Nestmate interactions and caste differences in behavior were studied in young, artificial colonies ofLasioglossum zephyrum. Workers avoided or withdrew from interactions with queens more often than from interactions with other workers. Queens sat in locations where they can potentially influence the behavior of nestmates more frequently than did workers. Queens also made more brief visits to cells than did workers. It is hypothesized that workers avoid the queen in order to reduce the frequency of being nudged by her. The queen's tendency to sit in locations where the potential for influencing nestmate behavior is high may be a manifestation of her role as a coordinator of worker activities. Frequent but brief visits to cells may provide the queen with up-todate information on the statuts of each. Later, she may use this information to modify her influence on worker behavior.
Targeting the NF-κB pathway for therapy of ischemic stroke

Ischemic strokes occur when a major cerebral artery or its branches are occluded, resulting in activation of inflammatory processes that cause secondary tissue injury, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, edema or hemorrhage. Treatments that inhibit inflammatory processes may thus be highly beneficial. A key regulator of the inflammatory process is the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. In its active form, NF-κB regulates expression of proinflammatory and proapoptotic genes. The molecules that interact with NF-κB, and the subunits that compose NF-κB itself, represent therapeutic targets that can be modulated to decrease inflammation. This review focuses on our current understanding of the NF-κB pathway and the potential benefits of inhibiting NF-κB in ischemia-reperfusion injury of the brain.
Reactive Metabolites as Key Intermediates in Pharmacologic and Toxicologic Responses: Examples from Chemical Carcinogenesis

Five years have elapsed since the 1975 international conference on “Active Intermediates: Formation, Toxicity, and Inactivation” at the University of Turku, Turku, Finland. That conference and the volume that contained the record of its proceedings (Jollow et al., 1977) were landmarks in the field. Thus, that meeting was the first comprehensive international conference on the metabolic activation, reactivity, and conjugation of the wide range of biologically active xenobiotic molecules and on some of the biological consequences of the reactions of strong electrophilic reactants with cellular molecules. The international conference that we are opening today should provide us with an important up-dating of those data and concepts. It is a pleasure to have at this meeting many of those who participated in the Turku conference, as well as many other scientists contributing to this field.