cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The mosquito Aedes aegypti has a large genome size and high transposable element load but contains a low proportion of transposon-specific piRNAs

The piRNA pathway has been shown in model organisms to be involved in silencing of transposons thereby providing genome stability. In D. melanogaster the majority of piRNAs map to these sequences. The medically important mosquito species Aedes aegypti has a large genome size, a high transposon load which includes Miniature Inverted repeat Transposable Elements (MITES) and an expansion of the piRNA biogenesis genes. Studies of transgenic lines of Ae. aegypti have indicated that introduced transposons are poorly remobilized and we sought to explore the basis of this. We wished to analyze the piRNA profile of Ae. aegypti and thereby determine if it is responsible for transposon silencing in this mosquito. Estimated piRNA sequence diversity was comparable between Ae. aegypti and D. melanogaster, but surprisingly only 19% of mosquito piRNAs mapped to transposons compared to 51% for D. melanogaster. Ae. aegypti piRNA clusters made up a larger percentage of the total genome than those of D. melanogaster but did not contain significantly higher percentages of transposon derived sequences than other regions of the genome. Ae. aegypti contains a number of protein coding genes that may be sources of piRNA biogenesis with two, traffic jam and maelstrom, implicated in this process in model organisms. Several genes of viral origin were also targeted by piRNAs. Examination of six mosquito libraries that had previously been transformed with transposon derived sequence revealed that new piRNA sequences had been generated to the transformed sequences, suggesting that they may have stimulated a transposon inactivation mechanism. Ae. aegypti has a large piRNA complement that maps to transposons but primarily gene sequences, including many viral-derived sequences. This, together the more uniform distribution of piRNA clusters throughout its genome, suggest that some aspects of the piRNA system differ between Ae. aegypti and D. melanogaster.
Suicidal behaviors and drug abuse: impulsivity and its assessment

Impulsivity appears to play an important role in suicidal behaviors and drug abuse, which are two psychiatric problems that may interact with one another. Interpretation of the literature on impulsivity in these behaviors may be complicated by the variety of measurement techniques for the assessment of impulsivity. There are three general types of impulsivity assessment: self-report, biological, and laboratory behavioral. Because laboratory behavioral measures both meet an operational definition of impulsivity and are sensitive to state-dependent changes in impulsivity, this paper presents data that focuses on laboratory behavioral performance among samples emitting suicidal behaviors or substance abuse. To better account for influence of impulsivity in these psychiatric disturbances, no single source of measurement should be used without the consideration of other types of instruments.
Removal of intravoxel dephasing artifact in gradient-echo images using a field-map based RF refocusing technique.

A technique is proposed to compensate for the slice dephasing artifact and improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of gradient-echo images. This method is composed of two components: mapping of the internal gradient and design of the slice-selective radiofrequency (RF) pulse. The RF pulse is designed with its phase response as the negative of the product of a chosen echo time and the intravoxel internal gradient profile in a specified region of interest (ROI). The designed RF pulse can refocus the spin phases at a selected echo time and therefore effectively recover the signal loss due to both linear and nonlinear internal gradients. Principles, implementation, and application of the method are described in this note. Magn Reson Med 42:807–812, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Synthesis and effect of heterocycle modification on the spectroscopic properties of a series of unsymmetrical trimethine cyanine dyes

Abstract Carbocyanine dyes are a class of organic compounds that contain two heterocycles that act as electron donors and acceptors connected by a conjugated methine bridge. Herein the synthesis of a series of 16 novel unsymmetrical trimethine cyanine dyes is reported. Their structures were characterized by various spectroscopic techniques, and their optical properties were measured. Absorption maxima of the dyes were calculated using the time-dependent density-functional theory method and the computational absorption maxima are consistent with the experimental data. The addition of electron withdrawing substituents such as halogens on the heterocycle gave more favorable optical properties such as higher quantum yield and molar absorptivity. The aggregation of these cyanine dyes was studied and compared to a similar series of symmetric cyanine dyes. It was determined that the heterocycle has more effect on aggregation than the side chain and a dye with two different heterocycles will aggregate less than a dye with the same heterocycle. The dyes were also investigated for Lipinski Rule violations as their use is becoming more prevalent for in vivo applications.
Participative Managerial Behavior and Organizational Change

Managerial behavior has typically not been the lead variable in organizational change efforts. Change efforts have assumed that structure, strategy and work design changes will lead to new supervisory behaviors. The kinds of behaviors that are required of a manager in a high involvement organization are examined. It is suggested that managerial behavior is the primary change that is required to make a transition to a high involvement culture, and that it might be a suitable lead variable in the change sequence.
Paraprofessionals in parole and probation services: Selection, training, and program evaluation

Abstract The use of paraprofessional personnel in parole and probation services has been increasing dramatically. With decreasing budgets and expanded calls for service, parole and probation agencies have been turning to the paraprofessional employee as a solution. Several variables which can be changed through implementation of a paraprofessional program are identified, including the differences between using indigenous and nonindigenous personnel. Through a survey of past hiring practices, qualifications of those hired, and justification of using a certain type of personnel, factors to be used in the selection of paraprofessionals are delineated. Training programs for paraprofessionals, especially indigenous personnel, are reviewed in conjunction with standard industrial training concepts and practices. Comments are made regarding the necessity of evaluating paraprofessional programs in order to document empirically their effectiveness within the parole and probation organization.
Potato Cultivar Evaluation for Phosphorus-Use Efficiency

As a non-renewable mineral resource, mineable phosphate rock will be depleted in a few decades across the world. Efficient use of phosphorus (P) becomes imperative for sustainable crop production. Use of P-efficient cultivars can lead to reduced P fertilizer consumption and is an important priority to adapt to the dwindling P resource worldwide and to sustain food security. A pot experiment was conducted at the University of Florida, IFAS Research Farm in Hastings, FL, with seven potato (Solanum tuberosum) cultivars (‘Atlantic’, ‘Harley Blackwell’, ‘La Chipper’, ‘Marcy’, ‘Satina’, ‘Red Lasoda’, and ‘Yukon gold’), grown on a low P sandy soil without P application or with 59 kg ha−1 P to compare the cultivars’ ability for P utilization and mobilization. This study demonstrated that ‘Harley Blackwell’ and ‘Satina’ showed greater P mobilization ability in soils without supplemental P than the other five cultivars. ‘Red Lasoda’ showed greater P-utilization of bioavailable P as compared to the other cultivars. ...
In vivo development of the entomogeneous hyphomycete Paecilomyces farinosus in host Spodoptera exigua (beet armyworm) larvae

The in vivo development of the entomogenous hyphomycetePaecilomyces farinosus inSpodoptera exigua (beet armyworm) larvae was examined using light and electron microscopic techniques. Blastospores injected into larval hemocoels (500 blastospores/larva) were immediately ingested by phagocytic hemocytes, and no fungal cells were detected in the hemolymph until ∼36 h post-injection. As indicated by immunocytochemical methods, the in vivo-produced blastosopres, in contrast to in vitro blastospores, lacked a galacto-mannan surface layer required for opsonization by aS. exigua humoral lectin. Therefore, these in vivo cells were not recognized by phagocytic granulocytes and were freely-circulating in the hemolymph. Hyphae differentiating from the blastospores were recognized by the hemocytes and induced formation of multicellular hemocytic nodules. By 72 h post-injection, mycelia were observed emerging from the nodules and by 96 h, larvae had become mummified due to extensive proliferation of the fungus throughout host tissues. Neither phagocytosis of the initially injected in vitro-produced blastospores nor nodule formation around hyphal cells later in the infection process was effective in stopping fungal growth. The in vivo development ofP. farinosus was similar to that of another hyphomycete,Beauveria bassiana except that in the latter case, extensive nodule formation was inhibited by the production of fungal metabolites.
Secondary organic aerosol formation from photooxidation of a mixture of dimethyl sulfide and isoprene

Abstract Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) created from the photooxidation of a mixture of isoprene and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) was studied at different NO x concentrations (40–220 ppb) and humidities (12%, 42% and 80%) using a Teflon film indoor chamber. To study the effect of isoprene on DMS products, the major DMS photooxidation products, such as sulfuric acid, methanesulfonic acid (MSA) and methanesulfinic acid (MSIA), were quantified in both the presence and the absence of isoprene using a Particle-Into-Liquid-Sampler coupled with Ion Chromatography (PILS-IC). The resulting PILS-IC data showed that the DMS aerosol yield significantly decreased due to the photooxidation of isoprene. A 35.2% DMS aerosol yield reduction was observed due to 800 ppb isoprene in 185 ppb NO x and 140 ppb DMS. Among the aerosol-phase DMS oxidation products, MSA was the most sensitive to the presence of isoprene (e.g., 46% reduction). The DMS aerosol product analysis indicates that isoprene oxidation affects the pathways of MSA formation on the aerosol surface. Using a new approach that implements an Organic Carbon (OC) analyzer, the isoprene SOA yield ( Y iso ) in the DMS/isoprene/NO x system was also estimated. The OC data showed that Y iso increased significantly with DMS compared to the Y iso without DMS. For example, Y iso with 80 ppb NO x and 840 ppb isoprene was increased by 124.6% due to 100 ppb DMS at RH = 42%. Our study suggests that the heterogeneous reactions of isoprene oxidation products with the highly acidic products (e.g., MSA and sulfuric acid) from DMS photooxidation can considerably contribute to the Y iso increase.
Kinetic Study of the Oxidative Dissolution of UO2 in Aqueous Carbonate Media

The oxidative dissolution of uranium(IV) dioxide powder at room temperature in aqueous carbonate media has been investigated. Kinetic studies evaluating the efficacy of various oxidants, including K2S2O8, NaOCl, and H2O2, for dissolving UO2 in alkaline solution have been performed, with H2O2 exhibiting the most rapid initial dissolution at 0.1 M oxidant concentrations. This result is due in part to the ability of peroxide to act as both an oxidant and a ligand under alkaline conditions. A spectrophotometric titration was used to confirm peroxide coordination to the U(VI) metal center. The disappearance of characteristic absorbance maxima associated with UO2(CO3)34- (e.g., 448.5 nm) and a subsequent change in solution coloration upon titration with hydrogen peroxide indicated a change in speciation. Optimization of the hydrogen peroxide concentration indicated that the initial rate of uranium oxidation increased with increasing peroxide concentration, with a maximum reaction rate estimated at about 0.9 M p...
Pharmacy characteristics, vaccination service characteristics, and service expansion: An analysis of sustainers and new adopters

Abstract Objective To compare earlier (sustainers) and later (new) adopters in terms of pharmacy characteristics and characteristics of in-house vaccination services and to identify how sustainers modified their in-house vaccination services over time. Design Nonexperimental multistage study. Setting Washington State during 2003, 2004, and 2006–2007. Participants Community pharmacies included in this study's analyses must have participated in all data collection stages and provided in-house vaccination services during the third stage. Based on key informants' self-reports, those who had provided in-house services before or since 2003 were sustainers and those who started their services after 2004 were new adopters. Intervention Mixed-mode survey. Main outcome measures Pharmacy characteristics and characteristics of in-house vaccination services offered in 2003 and 2006 were measured in terms of service accessibility, scope, and supportive personnel. Results A total of 37 sustainers and 27 new adopters met the inclusion criteria. The majority of independent and supermarket pharmacies were sustainers, whereas the majority of chain and mass merchant pharmacies were new adopters. In-house services offered by sustainers were broader in service accessibility and scope and involved a greater number of pharmacists trained in immunization delivery than services offered by new adopters in the same year. Further, when comparing sustainers' in-house services offered in 2003 and 2006, the 2006 services were expanded to provide year-round services, involved a greater number of settings, included services to adolescents, and involved a greater number of trained pharmacists. Conclusion Community pharmacies started their in-house vaccination services on a small scale and later expanded to a larger scale. Pharmacies with expanded in-house services can make greater contributions to their business, their patients, and the profession by bringing in additional revenues, improving vaccination rates among high-risk patients, and facilitating the growth of pharmacy-based services.
Orthonormal orbitals for the representation of an arbitrary density

An alternative to the Gilbert construction is presented. It is shown that for any nonnegative, normalized density an arbitrary number of orthonormal orbitals can be constructed with squares which sum, with minimal restrictions on the occupation numbers, to the given density. In three dimensions substantial freedom remains in the choice of orbitals within the basic scheme. The kinetic-energy density obtained includes the Weizs\"acker term and another term which, in simple cases, is proportional to the cube of the density.
Periods of some nonlinear shift registers

Abstract We determine the set of all possible least periods of shift register sequences for non-linear feedback functions of the form f ( x 0 ,…, x m −1 ) = x 0 + Π i =1 k ( x i + b i ) where m ⩾ k + 1 ⩾ 3 and the least period of the k -block b 1 … b k itself.
Malnutrition and the critically ill elderly patient

Patients over the age of 65 years are the most rapidly growing segment of the critical care population, occupying about two thirds of all ICU beds. The critical care nurse must have an acute awareness of the nutritional requirements and the physiologic impact of age and the stress of illness on the nutritional status of the elderly critically ill patient. This knowledge is essential to implement appropriate nutritional support to prevent or manage malnutrition. Adequate nutritional screening and interventions have been demonstrated to be cost effective, resulting in fewer complications, faster recovery, shorter hospital stays, and reduced hospital expenditures.
The Effect of Concurrent Music Reading and Performance on the Ability to Detect Tempo Change.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of concurrent performance on the ability of three groups of musicians to detect tempo change. Ninety subjects were tested under two conditions: (a) listening for tempo changes in a series of metronomic “click tracks” and (b) listening for tempo changes while concurrently reading and performing music excerpts in synchronization with the click tracks. Results indicated that: (a) for all groups, the ability to detect tempo changes was inhibited by the playing task; (b) the detection ability of high school musicians who had previously practiced the music was less inhibited by the playing task than was the same ability of similar students who had not practiced the music; and (c) the detection ability of college and prof essional musicians who had not practiced the music was less inhibited by the playing task than was the detection ability of high school musicians who had not practiced the music.
Frequency of systematic reactions to penicillin skin tests.

Background Penicillin skin testing is generally considered to be safe when performed sequentially with puncture and intradermal testing although fatalities have been reported. Objective We analyzed the rate of systemic reactions to penicillin skin tests for a period of seven and two-thirds years. Method This retrospective study used a computerized database at the Mayo Clinic. Altogether 1710 patients were skin-tested to penicillin from January 1992 to September 1999. All patients tested had a history of penicillin allergy. Patients were tested with benzylpenicilloyl polylysine (Pre-Pen) (6.0 × 10 −5 M), freshly prepared penicillin G (10,000 units/ml), and penicilloate (0.01M). Prick tests were done first and if negative then intradermal tests. Systemic reactions were evaluated and treated by physicians. Results Eighty-six patients had positive penicillin skin tests of which two had systemic reactions. Our systemic reaction rate for all patients tested was 0.12%; and 2.3% for the penicillin skin test-positive group, with no fatalities. Conclusion The incidence of systemic reaction to penicillin skin tests is low. Skin prick tests should always be done first. If there is a history of a previous serious reaction, the skin tests-if done-should be diluted to start with. Those doing penicillin skin tests should be prepared to treat a systemic reaction.
Characterization of germanium stripe x-ray lasers

We will present experimental and theoretical characterizations of germanium line-focused and stripe x-ray lasers (XRLs). Key experimental parameters we will study include images of emission profiles of the laser blow-off, angular divergences, XRL output intensities, and ionization balances as we vary XRL designs. We will compare the experimental results with 2D laser deposition and hydrodynamics simulations using LASNEX, and study the changes in ionization balances and level populations from post-processing LASNEX results.
High Bandwidth High Throughput (HBHT) Government Reference Architecture (GRA) open source management and compliance

This paper describes some approaches for implementation of the HBHT GRA in an open source environment. It describes the process associated with engaging industry in developing the GRA Functional Decomposition, validating the GRA through a prototype, creating the GRA as an open standard for the Army HC3 Program and managing to that architecture and standard in an open development environment. This paper will review the alternatives with respect to open source implementation of GRA core framework.
Clinically Relevant Brain Tumor Model and Device Development for Experimental Therapeutics

This paper assesses the subcutaneous, orthotopic, and transgenic mouse models used to study glioblastomas (GBMs) as well as delineates our model to overcome the limitations of these currently used models. Subcutaneous model involves the injection of GBM cells into hind leg or back of a mouse, whereas in orthotopic model, the injection of GBM cells into the cranium of mice is required. Neither subcutaneous nor orthotopic models accurately display the infiltrative growth pattern of the tumor into the brain parenchyma characteristic of GBMs in humans. Transgenic models are achieved by pronuclear microinjection (into the male pronucleus, immediately after fertilization) or the injection of DNA into embryonic stem cells. Transgenic models are similar to human GBMs in every way, except they are not as genetically complex. To overcome the limitations in these models, we have developed a brain tumor model that exhibits all the histologic hallmarks of human GBM. We used a flank model initially to enrich a tumorigenic population of GBM cells from patient biopsies and a subsequent intracranial implantation to achieve the characteristics of tumors similar to those observed in human patients. The cells enriched by this method were then implanted and subjected to standard treatments such as chemotheraphy and radiation. Subsequently, we determined the treatment efficacy and rate of recurrence. Currently, we are using this approach to determine the treatment resistance pathways leading to recurrence and for developing a better combinatorial approach by short-circuiting the aberrant signaling pathways that are up-regulated in the treatment resistance tumors.
TIC-TAC-TOE: introducing expert systems to middle school students

Machines that play simple games have been a part of the development and promotion of computers for years. Charles Babbage conceived of a machine to play tic-tac-toe in an effort to obtain funding for his Analytical Engine. As part of the Summer Computer Science Workshop, participants design and implement a rule base for an expert system that plays the game of X's and O's (tic-tac-toe). This simple game was selected because most middle school age students are already domain experts. The participant has to select and order six or fewer rules with a seventh catch-all rule, “Take any available position.” The designers debug their own expert systems by playing the game and modifying their rule bases. Once they are satisfied with thier own design, they play against each other's expert systems in a round-robin tournament.The development environment, written in Pascal to run under MS-DOS, displays the current state of the game board and lists the rules with the most recently “fired” rule being highlighted. This program is far from a complete expert system, but it does illustrate a number of principles of expert systems design.Like most expert systems, a reasonable solution to the tic-tac-toe problem can be embodied in a surprisingly small rule base. No more than seven rules are needed to play a perfect game of tic-tac-toe, and the same rule base is valid whether the opponent or the computer makes the first move.
Differentiation in abstract spaces

Abstract A new definition of differentiation for mappings between topological vector spaces is introduced. It does not require the mapping to be defined on a linear manifold, nor does it require it to be continuous. All of the main theorems of differential calculus hold and all other known definitions of differentiation are included. The new definition can be used for singular mappings and those defined on arbitrary sets. Applications are given.
Secondary coal recovery from slurry ponds utilizing solar drying

Abstract The drying of moist, fine coal waste was experimentally studied using an indoor batch dryer with a constant-radiation heat source. The effect of air velocity and radiation level on the coal drying rate was investigated and an analytical correlation obtained. Outdoor direct solar drying of coal waste was studied in a 3.1 m 2 dryer. The solar dryer was able to dry coal at a rate of about 14 kg of coal per day per square metre of solar collector area. The simple pay-back period for such a system is between 2.5 to 5 years.
Treatment of separation anxiety disorder with graduated exposure and reinforcement targeting school attendance: a controlled case study

Abstract A six-year, nine-month old girl with school avoidance and a variety of other anxiety symptoms was diagnosed with Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD). SAD was treated using graduated exposure with positive reinforcement for approximations of independent school attendance. Treatment focused on systematically shaping increased duration of school attendance while fading mother's proximity and time spent in the classroom and in transit to and from school. A changing criterion single-subject research design was used to demonstrate functional control of the treatment over the child's school attendance. Follow-up indicated that treatment gains were maintained at two- and nine-months post-treatment. SAD is discussed as a childhood disorder involving fear and avoidance of separation from parents in a variety of situations, one of which may be attending school. The importance of differentiating SAD from school phobia and other anxiety disorders is discussed.
Endomorphin-1 and -2 immunoreactive cells in the hypothalamus are labeled by fluoro-gold injections to the ventral tegmental area

Endomorphin-1 and -2 (EM1, EM2) are endogenous opioids with high affinity and selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor. Cells expressing EM-like immunoreactivity (EM-LI) are present in the hypothalamus, and fibers containing EM-LI project to many brain regions, including the ventral tegmental area (VTA). The VTA is one of the most sensitive brain regions for the rewarding and locomotor effects of opioids. It contains mu-opioid receptors, which are thought to mediate gamma-aminobutyric acid-dependent disinhibition of dopamine transmission to the nucleus accumbens. We investigated whether hypothalamic EM-LI cells project to the VTA, where they could play a natural role in this circuitry. The retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold (FG) was microinjected into the anterior or posterior VTA in rats. Nine days later, colchicine was injected, and 24 hours later, the animals were perfused and processed for fluorescence immunocytochemistry. Numerous FG-labeled cells were detected in the hypothalamus. Both EM1-LI and EM2-LI cells were present in the periventricular nucleus, between the dorsomedial and ventromedial hypothalamus and between the ventromedial and arcuate nuclei. Subpopulations of EM1-LI and EM2-LI cells were labeled by FG. Injections of FG to the anterior and posterior VTA were both effective in producing double-labeled cells, and an anterior-posterior topographical organization between the VTA and hypothalamus was observed. The results support the idea that some endomorphin-containing neurons in the hypothalamus project to the VTA, where they may modulate reward and locomotor circuitry.
Optical effects induced in oxide glasses by irradiation

Spectral changes induced by UV irradiation were studied in a variety of glasses. These include photosensitive glasses in which colloidal silver is formed, glasses in which the formation of V+ ions produces violet color, and glasses in which irradiation within a charge transfer band leads to the formation of Fe+2 ions and holes in the valence band. In all of these glasses, hole trapping by non-bridging oxygen atoms is required for the occurence of spectral changes.
Relations Among Childhood Memory, a History of Abuse, Dissociation, and Repression

The author of this study investigated several questions regarding the relationships between a history of child abuse, recovered abuse memories, childhood memory in general, repression, and dissociation. Of the total sample (N = 560 undergraduate students), one quarter reported a history of child abuse, and 18% of these reported that they had a period when they lacked memories of their abuse. These participants endorsed a variety of descriptions of their recovered memories, many of which do not suggest a lack of conscious access to the memories. General quality of childhood memory was found to be unrelated to a history of abuse, and most participants, regardless of their abuse history, reported recovering memories from their childhood in general. Repressive personality traits were found to be unrelated to recovering abuse memories, but dissociative traits were found to be weakly associated with recovering abuse memories.
H∞ controller design for boilers

This paper examines the ability of the H∞ design methodology to provide a solution to a gas- or oil-fired boiler control problem, and addresses the nontrivial application issues of the H∞ design. The H∞ methodology is applied to an experimentally verified heating-cogeneration boiler model which exhibits nonlinearities, instability, time delays, non-minimum phase behaviour, and coloured noise disturbances with sensor noise in the frequency range of the significant plant dynamics. The design shows that, to satisfy performance criteria, a high order controller is needed. The paper also demonstrates a trade-off between the reduction of controller order and the loss of controller performance.
An Investigation of Vane-Island Diffusers at High Swirl

The results of an experimental investigation of the performance of vane-island diffusers at high swirl [λ=10] are presented in this paper. Five different sets of vane-island designs and their corresponding performance are reported, and this study indicates that the performance of the vane-island diffuser depends to a significant degree on the mechanism of flow at the impeller exit. The investigation also shows that the radial distance from the vane leading edge to the impeller exit is one important factor in diffuser effectiveness. The lowest loss coefficient obtained was achieved when the vane-island leading edge was at a radius approximately equal to 1.2 times the diffuser inlet radius, and with the ratio of diffuser exit area to impeller exit area approximately equal to 1.Copyright © 1980 by ASME
Effects of ageing and staining on color of acrylic resin denture teeth

Abstract Objectives To assess the color stability of high-strength acrylic resin denture teeth after exposure to red wine, coffee and artificial ageing. Methods Four different shades of acrylic resin denture teeth were selected from three manufacturers. The teeth were evaluated in two phases: Phase I, upon staining for 7 days in distilled water (control Group A), red wine (experimental Group B) and coffee (experimental Group C), and Phase II, upon artificial ageing in a Weather-Ometer for a total exposure of 150 kJ/m 2 (control Group A; Phase I). Denture tooth positioning jigs were fabricated and color data recorded by means of an intra-oral spectrophotometer and expressed using the Commission Internationale d’Eclairage (CIE) L * a * b * color notation system. Means and standard deviations were determined. The staining data were analysed by three-way ANOVA, while the artificial ageing data were analysed by two-way ANOVA. Fisher's PLSD intervals were calculated at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. Results In the staining experiment, the main effects of stains and denture teeth and the two-way and three-way interactions among stains, denture teeth and shades were significant ( P ≤ 0.05). The same was true for the main effects of denture teeth and shades and their interactions in the ageing experiment. The smallest overall color change upon staining in red wine was recorded for Vita Physiodens denture teeth (Δ E * = 0.9 ± 0.4), followed by SR Vivodent PE 1.2 (0.6) and Portrait IPN 2.4 (0.6). Corresponding values for staining in coffee were 2.0 (0.6), 1.7 (1.0) and 1.8 (0.8), while ageing-dependent changes in color were 1.7 (0.4), 2.4 (0.8) and 1.1 (0.4) for Portrait IPN, SR Vivodent PE and Vita Physiodens teeth, respectively. Conclusion Although the null hypothesis has been partially rejected, because some statistically significant changes in color and color coordinates occurred upon staining and ageing, all evaluated denture teeth exhibited good color stability compared to the 50:50% acceptability threshold used in data interpretation. Clinical significance Selection of a color stable and stain-resistant denture tooth can contribute to denture longevity and overall patient satisfaction.
Biomarker explorations in acute kidney injury: the journey continues

Determining whether an elevation in serum creatinine represents structural damage or a reversible functional change is a dilemma that clinicians encounter frequently. The emergence of kidney-specific biomarkers offers an opportunity to improve our discriminatory ability. Singer et al. provide new information on the utility of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) to distinguish pre-renal from established acute kidney injury. Although these results are promising, several caveats need to be considered and applied for future confirmatory studies.
Standard sphenoidal and mini-sphenoidal electrodes: A direct comparison

Abstract This study was designed to directly compare EEG recordings from standard sphenoidal (SS) electrodes to those obtained from subdermal "mini-sphenoidal" (MSP) electrodes. A montage was designed to include SS electrodes, MSP electrodes, and surface temporal leads. In a series of 100 consecutive patients, 9 cases demonstrated abnormalities in the SS and MSP electrodes only. An additional 6 patients had abnormalities present only in the SS electrodes. We conclude that MSP electrodes cannot be substituted for SS electrodes in the search for suspected abnormalities in temporal, inferior, or mesial brain regions.
The significance of collector colloid adsorption phenomena in the fluorite/oleate flotation system as revealed by FTIR/IRS and solution chemistry analysis

Abstract Previous spectroscopic studies of the fluorite/oleate flotation system have shown that under certain conditions calcium dioleate is formed at or transported to the fluorite surface, leading to multilayer formation in the, so-called, surface precipitation region of the adsorption isotherm. Most studies show that the adsorbed calcium dioleate compound becomes significant at equilibrium oleate concentrations of between 4 × 10 −6 M and 4 × 10 −5 M, yet little explanation regarding the nature of this adsorption phenomenon is provided. In this study both ex-situ and in-situ FTIR/IRS experiments have been utilized in connection with a thermodynamic solution chemistry analysis to better understand the oleate adsorption mechanism as well as the factors which control precipitate formation and adsorption. Results show that contol of calcium ion concentration and pH in solution are crucial in determining both the form and quantity of the adsorbate. Also, results suggest that the predominant mechanism of calcium dioleate adsorption is formation of calcium dioleate in solution, followed by transportation to the surface rather than nucleation and growth at the surface as a surface precipitate.
North American snow extent: 1900-1994

Historical fluctuations of North American snow extent from November through March are reconstructed back to 1900 using a combination of satellite and station observations. Using results of principal components analyses (PCA) from a companion study (Frei, A. and Robinson, D.A. Int. J. Climatol., this volume), simple and multiple linear regression models are used to take advantage of the spatial coverage of satellite observations and the temporal extent of station observations. This analysis more than triples the remotely-sensed record length, which begins in 1972. Model results indicate that North American winter snow extent tended to increase between the 1930s and around 1980, followed by a subsequent decrease during the 1980s. Long-term trends during November are less dramatic, with small increases since the 1960s. During March a different signal is observed, with snow extent decreasing since the 1950s. These results suggest a possible shift in the snow season. Historical signals from smaller regions within North America are identified during December and January. During December, the continental-scale signal is driven mainly by fluctuations over the western US, while January fluctuations are more strongly driven by an eastern signal. Models are sufficiently accurate to estimate changes in interannual variability over North America only during February, as well as over the eastern portion of the continent during December and January. Continental-scale interannual variability during February has been high since the mid-1970s compared to any previous time this decade. Regional-scale interannual variability over eastern North America in January has also been higher in recent years, but in December the highest interannual variability occurred during the 1940s. Copyright © 1999 Royal Meteorological Society
Biological export of shelf carbon is a sink of the global CO 2 cycle

Measurements of carbon metabolism, production and exchange along food webs suggest that large fractions of the organic matter produced on continental shelves must be exported to continental slopes. The annual loss of organic matter from continental shelf ecosystems is far greater than in the open ocean. If part of the loss of nearshore primary production has increased in those coastal zones where anthropogenic inorganic nutrient supplies have been consistently increasing since the industrial revolution, then burial and diagenesis of this material in slope depocentres could represent the ‘missing BMTs of carbon’ in global CO2 budgets.
Confinement as a determinant of macromolecular structure and reactivity

The confinement of macromolecules within enclosures or "pores" of comparable dimensions results in significant size- and shape-dependent alterations of macromolecular chemical potential and reactivity. Calculations of the magnitude of this effect for model particles of different shapes in model enclosures of different shapes were carried out using hard particle partition theory developed by Giddings et al. (J. Phys. Chem. 1968. 72:4397–4408). Results obtained indicate that the equilibrium constants of reactions, such as isomerization, self-association, and site binding, that result in significant change in macromolecular size, shape, and/or mobility may be altered within pores by as much as several orders of magnitude relative to the value in the unbounded or bulk phase. Confinement also produces a substantial size-dependent outward force on the walls of an enclosure. These results are likely to be important within the fluid phase of biological media, such as the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, containing significant volume fractions of large fibrous structures (e.g., the cytomatrix).
Electron confinement in a bumpy torus without the influence of hot-electron rings: ''Ring killer'' experiment

The ELMO Bumpy Torus (EBT) [Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion (IAEA, Vienna, 1975), Vol. II, p. 141] normally has an energetic electron ring in each of its 24 mirror sectors. The original intention of using this hot‐electron population was to provide an average local minimum in the magnetic field (through its diamagnetism) to stabilize the simple interchange and flute modes, which otherwise are theoretically inherent in a closed‐field‐line bumpy torus. To study the confinement properties of a bumpy torus without the influence of hot‐electron rings, a water‐cooled stainless steel limiter in each mirror sector was extended into the plasma to the ring location; this eliminated the hot‐electron ring population. These limiters were aptly named ‘‘ring killers.’’ Electron temperature, density, space potential, and plasma fluctuations have been measured during the ring killer experiment and are compared to standard EBT operation. The results of these experiments indicate that the hot‐electron rings in ...
Mixing experiments in NbSe3

Abstract The response of NbSe 3 to combined a.c. and d.c. fields has been characterized at T = 125 K below the first charge-density wave (CDW) transition. The a.c. and d.c. conductances were measured, along with the rectification and harmonic mixing at megahertz frequencies due to the CDW non linearity. These experimental results are shown to be consistent with a revised tunneling theory of CDW depinning.
Thermionic emission in a hydrodynamic model for heterojunction structures

Abstract A hydrodynamic numerical model for compositionally graded heterojunction structures has been used to model the d-c properties of a triangular AlxGa1−xAs barrier diode. The boundary conditions for the current density and the energy flow density at the abrupt heterojunction interface are based on the combined thermionic emission/diffusion theory. While the electrical potential is continuous throughout the whole device, both the Fermi level and the electron temperature are allowed to be discontinuous at the abrupt heterojunction interface. The inclusion of a boundary condition for thermionic emission reduced the reverse current about ten times, while the forward current was almost unaffected. The extension of the drift-diffusion model to a hydrodynamic model, however, had very little effect on the reverse current, but resulted in a forward current about three times higher. Monte Carlo simulations were used to investigate the influence of the Al mole fraction on some physical quantities, such as the low-field mobility and the energy relaxation time.
BP NEURAL NETWORK-BASED EFFECTIVE FAULT LOCALIZATION

In program debugging, fault localization identifies the exact locations of program faults. Finding these faults using an ad-hoc approach or based only on programmers' intuitive guesswork can be very time consuming. A better way is to use a well-justified method, supported by case studies for its effectiveness, to automatically identify and prioritize suspicious code for an examination of possible fault locations. To do so, we propose the use of a back-propagation (BP) neural network, a machine learning model which has been successfully applied to software risk analysis, cost prediction, and reliability estimation, to help programmers effectively locate program faults. A BP neural network is suitable for learning the input-output relationship from a set of data, such as the inputs and the corresponding outputs of a program. We first train a BP neural network with the coverage data (statement coverage in our case) and the execution result (success or failure) collected from executing a program, and then we use the trained network to compute the suspiciousness of each executable statement, in terms of its likelihood of containing faults. Suspicious code is ranked in descending order based on its suspiciousness. Programmers will examine such code from the top of the rank to identify faults. Four case studies on different programs (the Siemens suite, the Unix suite, grep and gzip) are conducted. Our results suggest that a BP neural network-based fault localization method is effective in locating program faults.
Accuracy and repeatability of a pressure measurement system in the patellofemoral joint

The objective of this study was to assess how accurately and repeatably the Iscan system measures force and pressure in the natural patellofemoral joint. These measurements must be made to test widely held assumptions about the relationships between mechanics, pain and cartilage degeneration. We assessed the system's accuracy by using test rigs in a materials testing machine to apply known forces and force distributions across the sensor. The root mean squared error in measuring resultant force (for five trials at each of seven load levels) was 6.5 +/- 4.4% (mean +/- standard deviation over all trials at all load levels), while the absolute error was -5.5 +/- 5.6%. For force distribution, the root mean squared error (for five trials at each of five force distributions) was 0.86 +/- 0.58%, while the absolute error was -0.22 +/- 1.03%. We assessed the repeatability of the system's measurements of patellofemoral contact force, pressure and force distribution in four cadaver specimens loaded in continuous and static flexion. Variability in measurement (standard deviation expressed as a percentage of the mean) was 9.1% for resultant force measurements and 3.0% for force distribution measurements for static loads, and 7.3% for resultant force and 2.2% for force distribution measurements for continuous flexion. Cementing the sensor to the cartilage lowered readings of resultant force by 31 +/- 32% (mean +/- standard deviation), area by 24 +/- 13% and mean pressure by 9 +/- 34% (relative to the uncemented sensor). Maximum pressure measurement, however, was 24 +/- 43% higher in the cemented sensor than in the uncemented sensor. The results suggest that the sensor measures force distribution more accurately and repeatably than absolute force. A limitation of our work, however, is that the sensor must be cemented to the patellar articular surface to make the force distribution measurements, and our results suggest that this process reduces the accuracy of force, pressure and area measurements. Our results suggest that the Iscan system's pressure measurement accuracy and repeatability are comparable to that of Fuji Prescale film, but its advantages are that it is thinner than most Fuji Prescale film, it measures contact area more accurately and that it makes continuous measurements of force, pressure and area.
Direct Interaction between the N- and C-Terminal Portions of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Origin Binding Protein UL9 Implies the Formation of a Head-to-Tail Dimer

UL9, a superfamily II helicase, is a multifunctional protein required for herpes simplex virus type 1 replication in vivo. Although the C-terminal 317-amino-acid DNA binding domain of UL9 exists as a monomer, the full-length protein behaves as a dimer in solution. Thus, it has been assumed that the N-terminal 534 residues contain a region necessary for efficient dimerization and that UL9 dimers are in a head-to-head configuration. We recently showed, however, that residues in the N terminus could modulate the inhibitory properties of UL9 by decreasing the DNA binding ability of the C terminus (S. Chattopadhyay and S. K. Weller, J. Virol. 80:4491-4500, 2006). We suggested that a direct interaction between the N- and C-terminal portions of UL9 might exist and serve to modulate the DNA binding activities of the C terminus. In this study, we used a coimmunoprecipitation assay to show that the N-terminal portion of UL9 can indeed directly interact with the C terminus. A series of truncation mutant proteins were used to show that a region in the N terminus between residues 293 and 321 is necessary for efficient interaction. Similarly, a region in the C terminus between residues 600 and 800 is required for this interaction. The simplest model to explain these data is that UL9 dimers are oriented in a head-to-tail arrangement in which the N terminus is in contact with the C terminus.
Assessing the influence of historical factors, contemporary processes, and environmental conditions on the distribution of invasive species1

Abstract Despite concern over potential detrimental effects of non-native invasive species on human and natural systems, the factors controlling regional distributions of invasive species remain unresolved. Few studies have evaluated the influence of both environmental factors and disturbance history on invasive species distributions, or assessed synthetically the importance of landscape-level disturbances like historical land-use, forest harvesting, and contemporary forest fragmentation. We analyzed vegetation, soils, and recent and historical land-use and landscape context for forests across central and western Massachusetts to identify controls on invasive species distributions. Almost half (49.3%) of 148 randomly selected sites had at least one non-native invasive plant present, and invasive species occurred more frequently on former agricultural sites than in continuous woodlands. We used logistic regression to model the probability of finding the four most common species: Japanese barberry (Berberis...