cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Melatonin Promotes Sleep by Inhibiting Orexinergic Neurons in Perifornical Lateral Hypothalamus (P1.111)

Objective: Identify neuronal substrates mediating sleep promoting effects of melatonin Background: Melatonin promotes sleep, however the mechanism is unclear. Since the perifornical hypothalamic (PF-LH) orexin system is critical for wake promotion, we asked: Does melatonin promote sleep by inhibiting orexin neurons? We used C57BL/6J mice as our animal model and designed four experiments to address this question. Design/Methods: Experiment 1: examined the presence of melatonin receptors on orexin neurons by double-label immunofluorescence. Experiment 2: examined the effects of melatonin on the activation of orexin neurons. Standard sterile surgical protocol was used to implant bilateral guide cannulas targeted toward the orexinergic PF-LH. Melatonin (500pmole/50 nl/side) was bilaterally infused into PF-LH at dark onset. The animals were euthanized two hour later to examine c-Fos expression (marker of neuronal activation) in orexin neurons. Experiment 3: examined the effects of bilateral PF-LH infusion of melatonin on sleep-wakefulness. Animals were implanted with bilateral guide cannulas and sleep recording electrodes. At the onset of active (dark) period, melatonin (500pmole/50 nl/side) was infused into the PF-LH and its effects on spontaneous bouts of sleep-wakefulness were examined. Experiment 4: examined the effects melatonin receptor blockade on spontaneous bouts of sleep-wakefulness. Surgical and experimental procedures used were as described in experiment 3 except at sleep (light) onset melatonin receptor antagonist, Luzindol, (10pmol/50 nL/side) was administered and its effects on sleep-wakefulness were examined Results: Orexin neurons express MT1, but not MT2 receptors. Melatonin infusion into the orexinergic PF-LH significantly (p Conclusions: We suggest that melatonin may act via the MT1 receptors to inhibit orexin neurons and promote sleep. Disclosure: Dr. Thakkar has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sharma has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sahota has nothing to disclose.
The Association Between Stock-Price Interest Rate Sensitivity and Disclosures About Derivative Instruments

Using a sample of publicly traded savings and loan associations, this paper provides evidence that off-balance sheet derivatives activities are positively associated with lower stock-price interest rate sensitivity. Similar to the results for derivatives, on-balance sheet exposures to interest rate changes, as measured by the maturity mismatch of institutions' assets and liabilities, are also value relevant. Currently, the measures used in this study of on- balance sheet interest rate risk and the corresponding impact of derivatives are not required annual report disclosures. Rather, these data are obtained from regulatory filings. The reporting of the impact of derivatives on the corresponding measure of on-balance sheet risk is analogous to the concept of "at-risk" disclosures for derivatives which have been encouraged by the FASB and SEC. Therefore, the results suggest that the proposed disclosures will provide value-relevant information about interest rate risk for S&Ls. Because the value relevance tests suggest that an increased use of derivatives is associated with lower interest rate sensitivity after controlling for on-balance sheet exposure, the results also indicate that S&Ls, on average, use derivatives to hedge interest rate risk, rather than to speculate.
Numerical solutions of the trans-relativistic shock relations.

Using a slight modification of the Taub adiabat procedure, the paper solves the relativistic Rankine-Hugoniot (RH) relations for transrelativistic shocks in a nondegenerate Fermi gas. A parametric survey of numerical solutions of the RH relations is presented, making it possible to infer by interpolation from graphical displays the solutions to a variety of shocks. In addition, the transrelativistic nature of the solutions is explicit because when the upstream pressure is low, the shocks first approach those given by nonrelativistic strong shock theory and then approach the relativistic strong shock limit as the Mach number increases.
We Want Black Students, Just Not You: How White Admissions Counselors Screen Black Prospective Students:

Most historically and predominantly white institutions (HPWIs) now desire some number of black students on their campuses. However, recent theoretical scholarship suggests that HPWIs’ desire for and willingness to embrace black students is predicated on their racial palatability. The theory of intraracial discrimination stipulates that white gatekeepers are increasingly inclined to screen blacks to “weed out” those they perceive as too concerned with race and racism. In this study, the author assessed whether there was evidence of intraracial discrimination within the HPWI admissions regime. The data were derived through an audit of 517 white admissions counselors, employed at the same number of institutions, who received inquiry e-mails from fictitious black high school students who presented as more or less racially salient. The findings reveal that white admissions counselors are more responsive to black students who present as deracialized and racially apolitical than they are to those who evince a co...
Automated tuning of high-order waveforms for picoliter resolution jetting of rheologically challenging materials

Abstract Drop on demand piezoelectric jetting has become an important tool for direct patterning as well as adaptive material deposition in micro- and nano-fabrication applications. Key performance and reliability metrics for jetting include lowest dispense volume, mean volume accuracy, volume variance, and drop position accuracy. Using physics-based models that accurately describe drop formation is challenging as these models require several jet parameters that can vary due to manufacturing tolerances from one jet to the next, and are unavailable non-destructively. Such manufacturing variations are particularly important when pushing the limits of volume resolution while achieving other performance and reliability targets. Current practice involves ad-hoc manual recalibration of the actuation waveform to obtain reliable jetting of a variety of materials, which prevents the use of waveforms defined by large numbers of parameters. In order to achieve the above mentioned metrics, a promising approach is to explore high order waveforms; however, such waveforms are unsuited for ad-hoc manual techniques. Here, we propose an automatic waveform tuning method that: (i) circumvents the need for complex forward models by estimating drop volume and velocity measurements via computer vision; (ii) uses genetic algorithm based stochastic optimization to tune the waveform; (iii) using a real-time sensing based on image processing that has been benchmarked against an International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard for imaging-based measurement of droplet volume and (iv) enables exploration of high order waveforms (defined by up to 10 parameters) to maximize the performance/reliability of a given combination of jetting system and material. The experimental results presented in this paper show that with such methods, fluids considered rheologically impossible to jet in the literature can be jetted reliably with impressive performance metrics such as drop volumes of 1.1 pL achieved for ethyl acetate. The drop radii can also be reduced to as low as 25.6% of the jet aperture radius while achieving drop velocity sufficient to maintain position accuracy for ethyl acetate.
The glial sodium-potassium-2-chloride cotransporter is required for synaptic transmission in the Drosophila visual system.

The Drosophila Ncc69 gene encodes a Na+-K+-2Cl−-cotransporter (NKCC) that is critical for regulating intra- and extracellular ionic conditions in different tissues. Here, we show that the Ncc69 transporter is necessary for fly vision and that its expression is required non-autonomously in glia to maintain visual synaptic transmission. Flies mutant for Ncc69 exhibit normal photoreceptor depolarization in response to a light pulse but lack the ON and OFF-transients characteristic of postsynaptic responses of lamina neurons, indicating a failure in synaptic transmission. We also find that synaptic transmission requires the Ncc69 regulatory kinases WNK and Fray in glia. The ERG phenotype is associated with a defect in the recycling of the histamine neurotransmitter. Ncc69 mutants exhibit higher levels of the transport metabolite carcinine in lamina cartridges, with its accumulation most intense in the extracellular space. Our work reveals a novel role of glial NKCC transporters in synaptic transmission, possibly through regulating extracellular ionic conditions.
Do We Need Postoperative Chest Radiographs After Posterior Spinal Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Abstract Study Design The question was addressed in three ways: (1) a query of Kids' Inpatient Database (KID) to obtain nationally representative data; (2) retrospective review of cases at a single institution; (3) survey of Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) spine surgeons. Objectives Evaluate the rate of immediate postoperative pulmonary complications, risk factors, and relevant surgeon practice patterns, to determine the usefulness of routine postoperative chest radiographs after posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion (PSIF) for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Summary of Background Data Routine postoperative chest radiography after PSIF for AIS is performed in many institutions to evaluate for acute pulmonary complications, particularly pneumothorax (PTX). The incidence of pneumothorax and its effect on management is unknown. Methods The frequency of PTX and surgical intervention were recorded. We evaluated associations between PTX and patient demographics or comorbidities, as well as survey respondent demographics and their practice patterns. Results In the KID data sets, the risk of PTX after PSIF for AIS patients was 0.3% (30/9,036), with intervention required in 13.3% (4/30) of PTX-positive patients (0.04% of all cases). Review of cases at our institution revealed a PTX rate of 3.3% (8/244) by radiology report. No surgical intervention was required. Patients with PTX had, on average, an increased number of vertebrae fused (p = .012), a proximal thoracic scoliosis curve location (p = .009), and/or an intraoperative blood transfusion (p = .002). SRS respondents reported a PTX risk of 0.8% (87/11,318), and 32.2% (89/276) of respondents indicated routine use of postoperative chest radiographs. Of those, 46.1% (41/89) specified willingness to change practice patterns if provided evidence of low PTX rates. Conclusions Pneumothorax is uncommon after PSIF for AIS. The need for intervention is even less common. Routine postoperative chest radiographs are of questionable value after PSIF for AIS. Level of Evidence Level III.
Hypotheses for the Evolution of Reduced Reactive Aggression in the Context of Human Self-Domestication

Parallels in anatomy between humans and domesticated mammals suggest that for the last 300,000 years, Homo sapiens has experienced more intense selection against the propensity for reactive aggression than other species of Homo. Selection against reactive aggression, a process that can also be called self-domestication, would help explain various physiological, behavioral, and cognitive features of humans, including the unique system of egalitarian male hierarchy in mobile hunter-gatherers. Here I review nine leading proposals for the occurrence of self-domestication in H. sapiens. To account for the domestication syndrome, proposals must explain what led to a decline in fitness of highly aggressive males, and why the explanatory factor applies only to H. sapiens and not to other species of Homo. The proposed explanations invoke genetic group selection; group-structured culture selection (also known as cultural group selection); social selection by female mate choice; social selection by male partner choice; increased self-control; cooperative breeding; high population density; use of lethal weapons; and language-based conspiracy. Most of these proposals face difficulties in accounting for the origins and/or maintenance of reduced reactive aggression. I conclude that the evolution of language-based conspiracy, which is a form of collective intentionality, was the key factor initiating and maintaining self-domestication in H. sapiens, because it is the most convincing mechanism for explaining the selective pressure against individually powerful fighters. Sophisticated language enabled males of low fighting prowess to cooperatively plan the execution of physically aggressive and domineering alpha males. This system is known today as a leveling mechanism in small-scale societies. Group-structured culture selection possibly accelerated the process.
Automated identification of avian vocalizations with deep convolutional neural networks

Passive acoustic monitoring is an emerging approach to wildlife monitoring that leverages recent improvements in automated recording units and other technologies. A central challenge of this approach is the task of locating and identifying target species vocalizations in large volumes of audio data. To address this issue, we developed an efficient data processing pipeline using a deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to automate the detection of owl vocalizations in spectrograms generated from unprocessed field recordings. While the project was initially focused on spotted and barred owls, we also trained the network to recognize northern saw-whet owl, great horned owl, northern pygmy-owl, and western screech-owl. Although classification performance varies across species, initial results are promising. Recall, or the proportion of calls in the dataset that are detected and correctly identified, ranged from 63.1% for barred owl to 91.5% for spotted owl based on raw network output. Precision, the rate of true positives among apparent detections, ranged from 0.4% for spotted owl to 77.1% for northern saw-whet owl based on raw output. In limited tests, the CNN performed as well as or better than human technicians at detecting owl calls. Our model output is suitable for developing species encounter histories for occupancy models and other analyses. We believe our approach is sufficiently general to support long-term, large-scale monitoring of a broad range of species beyond our target species list, including birds, mammals, and others.
Pre-existing self-reactive IgA antibodies associated with primary graft dysfunction after lung transplantation

Abstract Background Primary graft Dysfunction (PGD) results in significant mortality and morbidity after lung transplantation (LT). The objective of this study was to evaluate if pre-existing antibodies to self-antigens in sera of LT recipients are associated with PGD. Methods The serum profiles of IgG and IgA autoantibodies were analyzed using a customized proteomic microarray bearing 124 autoantigens. Autoantibodies were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher exact test. The association of the autoantibodies with clinical phenotypes and survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier Survival Analysis. Receiver operating curve characteristics (ROC) were calculated to evaluate the predictive value of the autoantibodies for PGD. Results 51 patients were included in this study. Autoantigen microarray analysis on the pre-transplantation samples identified 17 IgA and 3 IgG autoantibodies which were significantly higher in recipients who developed PGD compared to those who did not (adjusted p 1.5). 6 IgA Abs were significantly associated with survival. Taken as a panel, an elevation of 6 IgA Abs had significant predictive value for PGD. Area under the curve value for the panel was 0.9413 for PGD with ROC analysis. Notably, 6 of the 17 IgA autoantigen targets are belong to proteoglycan family of extracellular matrix proteins. Conclusion Pre-existing IgG and IgA autoantibodies in LT patients correlate with PGD and with survival in a single center, small cohort of lung transplant recipients. Further validation is needed to confirm the findings in the study.
Hospice Use Among Individuals With Severe Persistent Mental Illness.

BACKGROUND: Severe persistent mental illness (SPMI) currently affects an estimated 11.2 million adults in the United States (National Institute of Mental Health, 2019). Affected individuals are kno...
Sonic Intimacy: by Malcolm James, London, Bloomsbury Academic, 2020, $24.95, ISBN#-9781501320729

Having taught and published in the areas of American Studies and ethnomusicology for three decades, I know firsthand that the scholars of cultural studies and music don't always know how to talk to...
Targeting buildings for energy-saving cool-wall retrofits: a case study at the University of California, Davis

Abstract Cool paints on exterior walls will save energy in air-conditioned buildings at hot-climate universities, such as the University of California, Davis (UC Davis). Cool paints are more reflective, typically lighter-colored versions of conventional paints. They can reduce air-conditioning demand by reducing the wall’s solar heat gain and decreasing heat flow into the occupied space. We calculated potential energy savings from cool paint modifications for 49 UC Davis main campus buildings. We analyzed the baseline building stock, directly measured wall albedos (solar reflectances), and created a model that estimates albedo from wall color. We also developed a method to identify those buildings that could benefit most from cool paint. About 35% of UC Davis campus buildings could be modified with cool paint, which could save annually up to $45,000 of energy costs, 3.1 TJ of source energy, and 86 t of CO2 equivalent emissions. Since light-colored paints cost no more than dark paints, payback time would be zero if cool paints are chosen when buildings are routinely repainted.
Embedded nanometer position tracking based on enhanced phasor analysis.

We present an embedded real-time 1D position tracking device at a nanometer precision. The embedded algorithm extracts the most appropriate region of the signal without manual intervention and estimates the position based on the phase shift from the signal’s first Fourier harmonic. Using simulated datasets, we demonstrate that the proposed approach can achieve a similar precision to the state-of-the-art maximum likelihood fitting-based method while executing over four orders of magnitude faster. We further implemented this algorithm on a low-power microprocessor and developed a simple, compact, and low-cost embedded position tracking device. We demonstrate nanometer tracking precision in real-time drift tracking experiments.
Rational Bubbles in the Stock Market: Accounting for the U.S. Stock-Price Volatility

Can rational stochastic asset bubbles help explain the excess volatility of stock prices? The bubble considered here is treated as an unobserved state vector in the state-space model and is easily estimated using the Kalman filter. I find that the bubble components estimated account for a substantial portion of U.S. stock prices, and the model does a credible job in fitting the data, especially during several bull and bear markets in this century. Much of the deviation of stock prices from the present-value model are captured by the bubble. NOTE: This paper was written while the author was affiliated with West Virginia University.
An Attempt to Detect the Greenhouse-Gas Signal in a Transient GCM Simulation

Abstract Results from the GISS model forced by transient greenhouse-gas (GHG) increases are used to demonstrate methods of detecting the theoretically predicted GHG signal. The signal predicted to occur in the surface temperature of the world's ocean since 1958 is not found in the observations but this is not surprising since the signal was small in the first place. The main result of the study is to demonstrate many of the key issues/difficulties that attend the detection problem.
Ordinary People: In and Out of Poverty in the Gilded Age, by David Wagner: Boulder, CO: Paradigm, 251 pages

As the title suggests, Ordinary People: In and Out of Poverty in the Gilded Age is about ordinary people, from a range of social classes (upper, middle, and lower), but primarily lower, who fell in...
Effects of Lipoprotein, Equine Luteinizing Hormone, Equine Follicle‐Stimulating Hormone, and Equine Prolactin on Equine Testicular Steroidogenesis In Vitro

A stallion testicular cell incubation system was developed and used to investigate the regulation of steroidogenesis in stallion testes. Cells isolated from testes of 2- to 4-year-old stallions (n = 6) were cultured for 12 hours in a defined medium with and without varying doses of lipoprotein, equine luteinizing hormone (eLH), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), equine follicle-stimulating hormone (eFSH), and/or equine prolactin (ePRL). Estrogen conjugate (EC), testosterone (T), and estradiol-17 beta (E2) production were determined by RIA. Increasing doses of lipoprotein significantly (P < 0.001) increased basal, hCG- and eLH-stimulated EC production, resulting in a maximal fourfold increase in each case. A maximal dose of lipoprotein (3 mg/ml) significantly (P < 0.001) increased basal T production threefold, whereas hCG- and eLH-stimulated T production were increased 76- and 30-fold, respectively. In the presence of 0.5 mg/ml of lipoprotein, increasing doses of eLH significantly (P < 0.001) stimulated EC, T, and E2 production. The increase in T production (5.6-fold) at a physiological dose of eLH (5 ng/ml) was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than the increase in EC or E2 production (2.1- and 2.3-fold, respectively). However, the total mass of EC produced was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the total amount of T produced at both basal (15 ng vs. 148 pg) or hormone-stimulated (48 ng vs. 2,427 pg at 5 ng/ml eLH) levels. hCG significantly (P < 0.001) stimulated EC and T production and was 82-fold more active in stimulating EC production and 41-fold more active in stimulating T production than was eLH. FSH had no significant effect on steroidogenesis either alone or in the presence of eLH, except at the highest dose tested (50 ng/ml), which was above the physiological level of circulating FSH (4-7 ng/ml) in the stallion. PRL (1-50 ng/ml) had no significant effect on steroidogenesis either alone or in the presence of eLH. These data suggest that in the postpubertal stallion, both estrogen and T production are regulated by LH, and this regulation appears to be dependent on the availability of lipoprotein-derived cholesterol. Furthermore, the observation that testicular cells produced a larger mass of EC than T, but responded to eLH with a larger relative increase in T production, suggests that production of these two steroids may be independently regulated.
Globalization versus redistribution? Egalitarian policies in a competitive world economy

A reduction of impediments to international flows of goods, capital and professional labor is thought to raise the economic costs of programs by the nation state (and labor unions) to redistribute income to the poor and to provide economic security. But some of the more politically and economically successful examples of such policies—for example, Nordic social democracy and East Asian land reform—have occurred in small open economies which would, on the above account, provide a prohibitive environment for egalitarian interventions. I present a model of globalization and redistribution to answer the following question: in a liberalized world economy, what programs of egalitarian redistribution and social insurance are implementable by democratic nation states acting independently? While in the absence of international coordination, globalization indeed makes it difficult for nation states to affect the relative (after tax) prices of mobile goods and factors of production and for this and other reasons may limit the effectiveness of some conventional strategies of redistribution, a large class of state and trade union interventions leading to substantial improvements in the wages, employment prospects, and economic security of workers is not ruled out by globalization. Included are redistributions of assets which provide efficient solutions to incentive problems arising in principal agent relationships such as wage employment, farm and residential tenancy.
[Asynchronous turnover of the thin filament proteins, actin, tropomyosin and troponin by a continuous double isotope method].

The relative turnover rate of protein components of the thin filament was measured by a continuous double isotope method. Both 3H-lysine and 14C-lysine were administered continuously in the diet to male adult rabbits for 7 days. On the 7th day, the 14C-lysine was discontinued while the 3H-lysine was continued for 14 additional days. The relative turnover rate of the protein components was estimated from the 3H/14C ratios of the isolated protein of the same animal. From the different ratios of 3H/14C of each protein fraction, asynchronous turnover of the thin fila-ment proteins (actin, tropomyosin and troponin) was concluded. The order of degree in relative turnover rate is as follows: troponin>tropomyosin>actin.
Comparison of monoclonal antibody-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and virus isolation for detection of peste des petits ruminants virus in goat tissues and secretions.

A monoclonal antibody-based sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (S-ELISA) was developed for specific detection of peste des petits ruminants virus. Compared with virus isolation in Vero cell cultures using 89 paired tissue and secretion samples from six experimentally infected goats, S-ELISA was significantly more sensitive (71.9% versus 65.2%; P
The Coming Crisis of Criminal Procedure

This article predicts the imminent demise of certain prominent doctrines of criminal procedure. These doctrines were fashioned in the 1960's primarily to combat the use of discretionary policing to exclude African-Americans from the Nation's political life. The political power of African Americans has risen steadily, however, since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Today African-Americans exert significant power in the Nation's inner cities. Many are now using their political strength to secure curfews, anti- loitering laws, and other forms of order maintenance policing, which they support as milder alternatives to severe prison sentences. Ironically, doctrines that were designed to counteract institutionalized racism are now being invoked to impede the efforts of minority communities to free themselves from rampant criminality -- itself both a vestige of racism and a potent barrier to the integration of minority citizens into the economic and social mainstream. A doctrinal regime so ripe with contradiction cannot long endure. This article proposes a new regime in which courts would defer to democratic evaluations of discretionary policing so long as it is clear that the community at large is meaningfully sharing in the burdens that such policing places on liberty. It uses this mode of analysis to defend curfews, gang-loitering laws, and other policies that make up the "new community policing."
Extracorporeal photopheresis for the treatment of severe, refractory steroid dependent pediatric Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract, affecting both children and adults. Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been used in steroid dependent adults with moderate to severely active Crohn's disease, with response rates up to 50%, with up to 25% complete responses. A 12-year-old male patient had severe unremitting Crohn's disease for one year, despite treatment with anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, and biologic agents. He failed elemental enteral nutrition and required total parenteral nutrition (TPN). A diverting colostomy for perforation was required. He required frequent hospitalizations and required homebound schooling. Endoscopy revealed severe inflammation and ulcerations of the entire colon. ECP was begun twice weekly for 4 weeks, then twice per week every 14 days for a total of 28 weeks. ECP was well tolerated and prednisone was gradually discontinued. He continued daily azathioprine and infliximab at 6 week intervals. TPN was weaned as enteral intake improved. Disease abatement allowed a return to school and normal activities. Endoscopy at completion of ECP course revealed normal upper tract, normal ano-rectum, and decreased, although significant, colonic disease. This response has continued for at least 16 months since completion of ECP. We conclude that ECP is useful for pediatric patients with steroid dependent Crohn's disease and prospective evaluation is warranted.
Sedimentation rates and heavy metal pollution of sediments in the Seto Inland Sea

In the Suo-Nada area of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, sedimentation rates and the sedimentary record of anthropogenic metal loads were determined by combining the Pb-210 dating technique with heavy metal analysis of the sediments. The sedimentation rates vary from 0.11 to 0.27 g cm−2 yr−1. Lower sedimentation rates were observed in the eastern part of the basin which is characterized by a bottom with sand and gravel, and fast tidal currents.
Design of a sediment removal and processing system to reduce sediment scouring potential from the lower Susquehanna River Dams

The Conowingo, Safe Harbor, and Holtwood dams located on the Lower Susquehanna River have historically acted as a system of sediment and nutrient pollution traps, retaining and thereby preventing large amounts of ecologically harmful sediment from entering the Upper Chesapeake Bay. However, extreme storm events, termed as scouring events, cause substantial amounts of the trapped sediment to be swept downriver into the Upper Chesapeake Bay, blanketing benthic organisms, affecting subaquatic vegetation growth, and the overall water quality. In addition, all three reservoirs have reached a state of near maximum sediment storage capacity termed as dynamic equilibrium. Based on prior research, this study seeks to reduce the sediment buildup in the LSR Dams through a continuous sediment removal and processing system, and thereby reduce the ecological impact of major scouring events. A set of scour performance curves derived from a regression analysis, and a stochastic lifecycle cost model were used to evaluate the sediment scouring reduction and economic feasibility of three processing alternatives: Plasma Vitrification, Cement-Lock, and Quarry/Landfill, and three removal amount cases: Nominal, Moderate, and Maximum. Since the scour performance curves treat the dams as static, a fluid system dynamics model was used to determine if there is a dynamic interaction between the capacitance of the dams during major scouring events. A utility vs. cost analysis factoring in time, performance, and suitability of the alternatives indicates that a Cement-Lock processing plant at nominal and moderate dredging is the most cost-performance effective solution.
Querying Parametric Temporal Logic Properties on Embedded Systems

In Model Based Development (MBD) of embedded systems, it is often desirable to not only verify/falsify certain formal system specifications, but also to automatically explore the properties that the system satisfies. Namely, given a parametric specification, we would like to automatically infer the ranges of parameters for which the property holds/does not hold on the system. In this paper, we consider parametric specifications in Metric Temporal Logic (MTL). Using robust semantics for MTL, the parameter estimation problem can be converted into an optimization problem which can be solved by utilizing stochastic optimization methods. The framework is demonstrated on some examples from the literature.
Effect of Ru and LaNiO3 barrier layers on lead zirconate titanate films grown on nickel-based metal foils by sol–gel process

Abstract Lead zirconate titanate [Pb(Zr0.52, Ti0.48)O3 (PZT)] films were grown by sol–gel process on nickel and hastelloy foils. PZT perovskite phase was obtained at 650 °C annealing condition and surface topography showed uniform and dense microstructure. The characterization on dielectric properties indicates that diffusion of foil elements into the PZT and the formation of low capacitance interfacial layer occur during process. In order to reduce the diffusion effect of foil element and/or interfacial layer, barrier layers such as Ru(RuO2) and LaNiO3 layers were utilized on foil substrates. The increase of grain size was observed in PZT films grown on barrier layers. Dielectric properties are greatly improved without degrading ultimate dielectric breakdown strength.
Human Rights, Constitutionalism, and Integration: Iconography and Fetishism

The advent of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union has made it into the so-called constitution.1 For many this is the center piece, indeed the only justification to call this treaty a constitution. It is appropriate that fundamental rights (German preference) or human rights (French preference) should be at the center of such constitutional discussion. But it is also appropriate that one does not allow the normative complexity of the trinity of human rights, constitutionalism, and integration to be obscured by our enthusiasms for all three. This chapter is meant, thus, to highlight some of the darker aspects of the ongoing debate.
Natural course of the S-T segment and QRS complex in patients with acute anterior myocardial infarction

Abstract Sums of the S-T segment elevation from the 35 lead precordial electrocardiographic map (∑ST35) and Standard 6 lead precordial electrocardiogram (∑ST6) were obtained from 20 patients after acute anterior myocardial infarction and the calculations repeated 2, 4, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 240 hours later. Q and R wave areas were summed (∑Q35, ∑Q6, ∑R35 and ∑R6). ∑ST35 and ∑ST6 values decreased significantly in patients without pericarditis 7 to 12 hours after the onset of symptoms (P
Substrate specificity for myelin basic protein-specific protein methylase I

The substrate specificity of bovine brain myelin basic protein (MBP)-specific protein methylase I (S-adenosyl-L-methionine:protein-L-arginine N-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.23), which methylates arginine residues of protein, has been studied using various MBPs, several synthetic peptides and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex protein (hnRNP). (1) Among MBPs from different species of brain, the carp MBP was found to be the best substrate for MBP-specific protein methylase I. This high degree of methyl acceptability is most likely due to the fact that carp MBP is not in vivo methylated at the arginine residue (Deibler, G.E. and Martenson, R.E. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248, 2387-2391) and that the methylatable amino acid sequence is present in this protein. (2) In order to study the minimum chain length of MBP polypeptide which functions as the methyl acceptor, several synthetic polypeptides whose sequences are identical to the region surrounding the residue 107 of bovine MBP (the in vivo methylation site) were synthesized. It was found that the hexapeptide, Gly-Lys-Gly-Arg-Gly-Leu (corresponding to residues 104-109 of bovine MBP), was the shortest methyl accepting peptide, while the tetrapeptide, Gly-Arg-Gly-Leu (corresponding to residues 106-109) was inactive as a substrate. (3) hnRNP protein is known to contain methylarginine at residue 193 (Williams, K.R., Stone, K.L., LoPresti, M.B., Merrill, B.M. and Plank, S.R. (1985) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82, 5666-5670) which is post-translationally modified. Thus, the RNP protein overproduced in Escherichia coli and therefore did not contain methylarginine was examined for its methyl acceptability. It was found that neither MBP-specific nor histone-specific protein methylase I could methylate this methylarginine-less RNP protein. This suggests a possible existence of a distinct protein methylase I specific for this nuclear protein.
On linear programming and plastic limit analysis

Abstract A new method of limit analysis of structures is introduced whereby a continuous structure made of a perfectly plastic material is replaced by a discrete mathematical model. The stress analysis problem is then interpreted as a linear programming problem. By means of this method a lower bound is found for the plastic collapse load of a square plate, both clamped and simply supported at the edge, under uniform hydrostatic pressure.
Measurements of the cross-bridge attachment/detachment process within intact sarcomeres by surface plasmon resonance.

We have developed a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system to monitor the cross-bridge attachment/detachment process within intact sarcomeres from mouse heart muscle. SPR occurs when laser light energy is transferred to surface plasmons that are resonantly excited in a metal (gold) film. This resonance manifests itself as a minimum in the reflection of the incident laser light and occurs at a characteristic angle. The angle of the SPR occurrence depends on the dielectric permittivity of the sample medium adjacent to the gold film. Purified sarcomeric preparations are immobilized onto the gold film in the presence of a relaxing solution. Replacement of the relaxing solution with increasing Ca2+ concentration solution activates the cross-bridge interaction and produces an increase in the SPR angle. These results imply that the interaction of myosin heads with actin within an intact sarcomere changes the dielectric permittivity of the sarcomeric structure. In addition, we further verify that SPR measurements...
Ethnobotany of Agave lecheguilla and Yucca carnerosana in Mexico’s Zona ixtlera

In the drylands of northcentral Mexico campesinos known as ixtleros or talladores gather ixtle, a hard fiber derived from the uncultivated plants lechuguilla (Agave lecheguilla Torr.), and palma samandoca (Yucca carnerosana [Trel.] McKelv.). Ixtleros sell most of the fiber they collect, and the region in which ixtle is currently exploited for commercial purposes is called the Zona Ixtlera. Unsold fiber is converted into rope and brushes in ixtlero communities and used for a variety of purposes. Various parts of lechuguilla and palma samandoca are also employed to meet local construction, cleansing, and dietary needs.
Simple, Robust Method for Quantifying Silicon in Plant Tissue

Low silicon (Si) content in rice, sugarcane and other Si-accumulating crops can adversely affect crop performance because it creates reduced tolerance to both abiotic and biotic stresses. Assessing the Si status of a crop typically depends upon accurately measuring Si accumulation in plant tissue. Methods involving wet digestion of plant tissue followed by colorimetric determination of Si have proven attractive because they are both rapid and do not require costly, specialized instrumentation. Some popular wet-digestion methods are reported to provide highly variable and inconsistent results. A systematic study to identify and address the sources of variability associated with wet digestion for Si analysis found that modifications that reduce excessive foaming during wet digestion of plant tissue in strong alkali and peroxide significantly reduce variability. Unstable and variable color development associated with the molybdenum blue reaction is a concern in the colorimetric determination of Si in digests...
Mycoplasma pneumoniae in women.

Abstract Mycoplasma pneumoniae (primary atypical or Eatons’ agent) is a common cause of walking or atypical pneumonia in young adults. It is responsible for approximately 43% of the cases of community-acquired pneumonia in patients between the ages of 17 and 44. Patients with Mycoplasma pneumonia typically present with the gradual onset of a nonproductive cough, sore throat, fever, and pulmonary infiltrates on chest x-ray. The diagnosis is based on symptomatology and on radiographic findings such as interstitial infiltrates, patchy infiltrates, plate-like atelectasis, nodular infiltration, or hilar adenopathy. The primary treatment for Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a macrolide antibiotic, preferably azithromycin: 500 mg initially and then 250 mg daily for 4 days.
A Condition Monitor For Liquid Lubricated Mechanical Seals

A recently developed condition monitor for liquid lubricated mechanical seals utilizes actively generated ultrasonic shear waves to determine conditions at the sealing interface. A shear wave transducer is mounted on the backside of the non-rotating seal face, and generates waves that propagate toward the sealing interface. The amplitude of the reflected waves indicates whether or not face contact occurs and, if there is contact, the severity of contact. Thus, this monitor is suitable for use with both non-contacting and partially contacting seals. Laboratory tests on a commercial, unbalanced seal demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach. Presented at the 56th Annual Meeting Orlando, Florida May 20–24, 2001
Detecting memory spoofing in secure embedded systems using cache-aware FPGA guards

Embedded systems of an inherently distributed and highly replicated nature are vulnerable to a class of attacks that require local access and physical tampering. Processors using Encrypted Execution and Data (EED) technology, where instructions and data are stored in encrypted form in memory and locally decrypted, form an attractive solution for securing embedded systems, as these platforms have been shown to protect software and limit information leakage. However, numerous realistic attacks are still possible on EED platforms given the assumption of an adversary with physical access. In this paper, we present an integrated compiler and architectural approach to address a class of memory spoofing attacks, in which a sophisticated attacker is able to control off-chip buses and modify data blocks as they are loaded into the processor. Our approach, which utilizes cache boundaries to greatly simplify the integrity checking process, prevents an attacker from tampering, injecting, or replaying code and data. We make use of an on-chip reconfigurable logic component to implement our security mechanisms. This use of reconfigurable logic greatly simplifies the required hardware modifications - no changes are necessary to the CPU, cache, or off-chip memory. Our simulations on a number of benchmarks show that a high level of security can be achieved with a low performance overhead. The average overhead incurred is dependent on the cache size and type of integrity checking scheme used, but is less than 16% even for the most computationally intensive scheme. We present a hardware/software prototype mapped to a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) platform in order to evaluate the space required and demonstrate the feasibility of our approach.
Lyme Disease Presenting as Heart Block

Lyme disease is now recognized as an infectious process capable of involving multiple organs including the cardiovascular system. We recently treated a boy whose complaints on admission related only to symptomatic heart block that was severe enough to require transvenous pacing. This boy was subsequently determined to have had Lyme Disease after his medical testing was reevaluated for possible tick exposure. In rare instances symptomatic heart block may be the sole presenting complaint of Lyme Disease in children.
The role of perceptual and semantic elaboration in high- and low-imagery sentence recall

Sentence imagery effects in recall are predicted by both perceptual and semantic elaboration models. The former attributes superior recall of high-imagery sentences to the addition of perceptual network components to an existing semantic network; the latter claims that additions of semantic components are involved. In order to identify the responsible components, free associates were generated to otherwise similar high- and low-imagery sentences in a short­ term memory task, In accordance with the perceptual elaboration model, associates differed in rated imagery, but not in number. In a second study, the causal role of perceptual elaboration in recall was investigated by using high- and low-imagery sentence associates as recall cues. Differential effects of cue imagery were found for high-imagery sentences, indicating that perceptual codes are in part responsible for superior high-imagery sentence recall. Evidence is presented that perceptual and semantic network components are involved in a processing tradeoff, and the adequacy of present network models to explain it is discussed.
Comparative effect on the induction of the subunits of rat liver glutathione S-transferases by butylated hydroxytoluene

1. When butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) was administered to rats, the smallest subunit Ya (Mr 22,000) of rat liver GSH S-transferases was found to undergo maximum induction. 2. It is suggested that the differential induction of GSH S-transferase activities by BHT towards different substrates may be due to the differences in the induction of the constituent subunits of GSH S-transferases.
Direction‐sensitive partitioning of the honeybee optomotor system

. The horizontal motion-detecting system controlling optomotor head-turning behaviour in honeybees, Apis mellifera, was found to be partitioned into two separate subsystems. Each subsystem is direction-specific such that visual stimulation in the preferred direction elicited a high level of responses that correcly followed the movement, whereas stimulation in the non-preferred direction resulted in response levels comparable to or lower than those for blinded controls. The results indicate that medial eye regions are specialized for the detection of posterior-to-anterior movements and lateral regions are specialized for detecting anterior-to-posterior motion. A model suggesting possible neural correlates for this functional subdivision of the optomotor response is proposed.
Polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid induces protein kinase D-dependent disassembly of apical junctions and barrier dysfunction in airway epithelial cells.

Background Disruption of the epithelial barrier might be a risk factor for allergen sensitization and asthma. Viral respiratory tract infections are strongly associated with asthma exacerbation, but the effects of respiratory viruses on airway epithelial barrier function are not well understood. Many viruses generate double-stranded RNA, which can lead to airway inflammation and initiate an antiviral immune response. Objectives We investigated the effects of the synthetic double-stranded RNA polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (polyI:C) on the structure and function of the airway epithelial barrier in vitro . Methods 16HBE14o- human bronchial epithelial cells and primary airway epithelial cells at an air-liquid interface were grown to confluence on Transwell inserts and exposed to polyI:C. We studied epithelial barrier function by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance and paracellular flux of fluorescent markers and structure of epithelial apical junctions by means of immunofluorescence microscopy. Results PolyI:C induced a profound decrease in transepithelial electrical resistance and increase in paracellular permeability. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed markedly reduced junctional localization of zonula occludens-1, occludin, E-cadherin, β-catenin, and disorganization of junction-associated actin filaments. PolyI:C induced protein kinase D (PKD) phosphorylation, and a PKD antagonist attenuated polyI:C-induced disassembly of apical junctions and barrier dysfunction. Conclusions PolyI:C has a powerful and previously unsuspected disruptive effect on the airway epithelial barrier. PolyI:C-dependent barrier disruption is mediated by disassembly of epithelial apical junctions, which is dependent on PKD signaling. These findings suggest a new mechanism potentially underlying the associations between viral respiratory tract infections, airway inflammation, and allergen sensitization.