cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A population balance approach to the modeling of solid phase reactions

A population balance approach is used to model solid phase reactions in terms of nuclei of the product phase dispersed in the reactant matrix. A conversion-time relationship is obtained by the solution of a set of moment equations derived from the population balance. Some previously known solutions for both homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation are developed by this approach to demonstrate the relative ease of solution when compared with previously used integral techniques. A model for nucleus impingement at low conversions is formulated and applied to published data on the oxidation of cuprous iodide to illustrate the practical use of this technique. The classical Avrami model (Avrami, 1939, 1940, 1941) is modified to include the initial volume of a nucleus, and it is shown that insensitivities in the original model are removed by this improvement. The need for direct measurements of nucleation and growth rates is emphasized.
Alkyllithium anionic polymerization initiators in hydrocarbon solvents

Abstract The degree of association of sec-butyllithium has been shown to be fourfold in both benzene and cyclohexane solution. In benzene solution the order of reaction in butyllithium when sec-butyllithium reacts with either styrene or isoprene has been shown to be 1 4 . In cyclohexane, however, the reaction curves with both monomers are sigmoidal, and the maximum rate shows a dependence on butyllithium nearer first. This behaviour difference is compared with the behaviour of other lithium alkyls in their reactions in aromatic and aliphatic solvents. It is suggested that two different mechanisms apply in aromatic and in aliphatic solvents because of the large difference in the rates of dissociation of the aggregates in the two types of solvent.
Demand for smokeless tobacco: Role of advertising

While the prevalence of smokeless tobacco (ST) is low relative to smoking, the distribution of ST use is highly skewed with consumption concentrated among certain segments of the population (rural residents, males, whites, low-educated individuals). Furthermore, there is suggestive evidence that use has trended upwards recently for groups that have traditionally been at low risk of using ST, and thus started to diffuse across demographics. This study provides the first estimates, at the national level, of the effects of magazine advertising on ST use. The focus on magazine advertising is significant given that ST manufacturers have been banned from using other conventional media since the 1986 Comprehensive ST Act and the 1998 ST Master Settlement Agreement. This study is based on the 2003–2009 waves of the National Consumer Survey (NCS), a unique data source that contains extensive information on the reading habits of individuals, matched with magazine-specific advertising information over the sample period. This allows detailed and salient measures of advertising exposure at the individual level and addresses potential bias due to endogeneity and selective targeting. We find consistent and robust evidence that exposure to ST ads in magazines raises ST use, especially among males, with an estimated elasticity of 0.06. There is suggestive evidence that both ST taxes and cigarette taxes reduce ST use, indicating contemporaneous complementarity between these tobacco products. Sub-analyses point to some differences in the advertising and tax response across segments of the population. The effects from this study inform the debate on the cost and benefits of ST use and its potential to be a tool in overall tobacco harm reduction.
Business Travelers' Diet Practices

Abstract The low carbohydrate (low-carb) movement has been impacting all facets of the hospitality industry including restaurants, hotels, airlines and conventions. The purpose of this study was to identify business travelers' low-carb diet practices and to understand their experiences with low-carbohydrate menus during business trips. The findings indicate that the respondents' experiences with low-carb foods during their business trips are influential in predicting their behavior regarding following a diet in the future. The findings imply that the hospitality industry facets interfacing with business travelers need to continue development of low-carb menu offerings if they are to meet business travelers' needs.
A Comparison Between Measured Surface Microtopography And Observed Scattering In The Extreme Ultraviolet

The paper presents comparative measurements of surface roughness on prepared samples. These measurements have been made with both Talystep profilometers and WYKO interferometers. In addition, the scattering distribution from these samples was measured at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths. The utility of the WYKO interferometer and Talystep device for specifying extreme ultraviolet mirror surface quality is discussed.
The interaction of a series of hybridoma IgGs with reovirus particles Demonstration that the core protein λ2 is exposed on the particle surface

Abstract We have recently described the isolation of 19 hybridoma cell lines that secrete IgGs directed against reovirus-coded proteins, and characterized their specificities as judged by their ability to precipitate virus-coded proteins from lysates of infected cells. We describe in this paper the characterization of these hybridoma-secreted IgGs by their ability to react with reovirus particles. IgGs directed against three reovirus proteins were able to neutralize infectivity, inhibit hemagglutination, and precipitate/aggregate reovirus particles: those directed against polypeptides σ1 and σ3, both components of the outer reovirus capsid shell, and those directed against polypeptide λ2, a component of reovirus cores. In addition, some, but not all, of the IgGs directed against polypeptides μ1/μ1C and μNS also precipitate/aggregate reovirus particles. The fact that IgGs directed against λ2 possess strong neutralizing, hemagglutination inhibiting, and virus precipitating activities suggests that the projections or spikes that are present on reovirus cores and that are composed primarily or exclusively of λ2 project through the outer capsid shell to the surface of reovirus particles. This conclusion was confirmed by the demonstration that polypeptide λ2 could be labeled by means of the lactoperoxidase-catalyzed radioiodination technique under conditions when only known components of the reovirus outer capsid shell became labeled.
Effects of gastrointestinal hormones on transport by peritoneal dialysis

Effects of gastrointestinal hormones on transport by peritoneal dialysis. Because the gastrointestinal hormones are known to dilate the splanchnic vasculature, their effects on transport of water and solutes during peritoneal dialysis were studied in an experimental model, the rabbit. In unanesthetized rabbits, dialysate volume was calculated by isotope dilution, and clearances were estimated by dialysate/plasma concentration ratio factored by minute volume. With isotonic dialysis solution, the mean increment in dialysate volume per minute of intraperitoneal dwell was 0.19 ml/kg/min, and mean clearances of creatinine and urea were 0.71 and 0.90 ml/kg/min, respectively. When administered intravenously, secretin significantly augmented osmotically induced water flux, but not when given intraperitoneally. Neither glucagon nor cholecystokinin affected dialysate volume. Intravenously, but not intraperitoneally, glucagon increased peritoneal clearances of creatinine and urea to more than 150% of control values. Neither cholecystokinin nor secretin augmented significantly peritoneal mass transport when given by either route. The data suggest that the site of action is the endothelial surface of the membrane, that the mechanisms of augmenting transport involve increased permeability and/or surface area, and that agents which combine an increase in mass transport and capillary filtration coefficient may be clinically useful. Effets des hormones gastro-intestinales sur les transports au cours de la dialyse peritoneale. Du fait que les hormones gastro-intestinales dilatent le territoire vasculaire splanchnique, leurs effets sur les transports d'eau et de substances dissoutes au cours de la dialyse peritoneale ont ete etudies sur un modele experimental, le lapin. Chez des lapins eveilles le volume de dialysat a ete calcule par dilution isotopique et les clearances par le rapport de concentration dialysat/plasma multiplie par le debit. Avec une solution isotonique l'augmentation moyenne du volume du dialysat par minute de cycle intraperitoneal est de 0,19 ml/kg/min et les clearances moyennes de la creatinine et de l'uree sont de 0,71 et 0,90 ml/kg/min, respectivement. La secretine administree par voie intraveineuse augmente le flux osmotique d'eau. Cet effet n'est pas observe si la secretine est administree par voie intraperitoneale. Le glucagon, par voie intraveineuse mais non intraperitoneale, augmente les clearances de la creatinine et de l'uree a plus de 150% des valeurs controles. Ni la cholecystokinine, ni la secretine n'augmentent le transport massique peritoneal quelle que soit la voie d'administration. Ces constatations suggerent que le site de l'action est la face endotheliale de la membrane, que les mechanismes de l'augmentation des transports impliquent une augmentation de permeabilite et/ou de la surface d'echange et que les agents qui induisent a la fois une augmentation de transport de substances et du coefficient de filtration capillaire peuvent etre utiles en clinique.
Ethnicity and the Social Scientist: Phonemes and Distinctive Features

In recent years, anthropologists and sociologists have been concerned with the problem of the definition of ethnic groups within various societies. This paperl suggests that the purpose of the researcher's definition largely determines the composition of the group and that research on ethnicity may be seen as analogous, in that respect, to approaches to research on language. For some types of research, it is sufficient to equate ethnic identity with tribal affiliation. This is true in areas of the world where it makes sense to record answers from informants to the question “What is your tribe?”. However, it is necessary in such areas for the researcher to ask the question directly, rather than ask one person to label another. In a recent article, A.N. Tucker (1973) discusses this same problem with regard to placenames. He cites, for Africa, cases where it was discovered that the official name of a particular place was not the place's name at all but had been supplied to researchers (linguists, anthropologists, geographers, or whatever) by a guide from another culture or linguistic group. Tucker (1973: 163) states that: Occasionally lack of liaison with even the guide would result in, for instance, a mountain being solemnly entered as ‘Jebel Sakit’—which in Arabic means ‘Just a mountain’! As research in social anthropology has turned from studying tribal units in more or less isolated areas toward urban-centered research, it has become apparent that one feature of urban social organization seems to be emergent ethnic or tribal groupings (Arens, 1973: 441). The criteria underlying such groupings, as opposed to those underlying traditional tribal affiliation, are often of a complex nature. Where, in rural areas, it has been possible to ask informants “What is your tribe?” and receive an unambiguous answer (usually related to parentage and/or land inheritance), in urban poly-ethnic communities today as well as in rural yet urban-linked areas, criteria for determining ethnicity are changing. In fact, as Arens has pointed out, in today's Africa common tribal identity in the sense of ethnic consciousness seems to be of particular importance in the cities, where ethnicity—in the absence of kinship—underlies social organization. The common assumption that rural areas are static and urban areas dynamic is being challenged.
Improved Time-Reversal-Based Beamforming Using a Self-Biasing Switch

In this letter, a self-biasing switch is proposed to reduce the artifacts associated with time-reversal-based beamforming. This device consists of multiple diodes placed in series on a 50- Ω microstrip. At low incident voltages, this device behaves like a high-pass filter, rejecting low-power transients over a broad bandwidth. Once the activation voltage of these diodes is exceeded, the capacitive elements of this filter are shorted, allowing energy to pass with significantly less attenuation. By preferentially attenuating low-power transients, this device can suppress the temporal artifacts associated with the time reversal process. An experimental demonstration of this device is performed using a reverberant cavity as a passive delay line network. Measured outputs from this cavity are used as inputs to a simulated array of Vivaldi antennas to demonstrate the proposed improvement in beamforming.
Human catecholamine storage vesicle proteins.

Catecholamines in the adrenal medulla and sympathetic nerve are stored in vesicles, along with numerous proteins and peptides; both catecholamines and proteins are released by and are markers of exocytosis during sympathoadrenal neurosecretion. The proteins include the enzyme dopamine-β-hydroxylase and the chromogranins, a group of molecules of largely undetermined function. We have isolated catecholamine storage vesicles (chromaffin granules) from bovine adrenal medulla and human pheochromocytoma. The numerous soluble proteins in the granules: (a) have a spectrum of sizes; (b) have a spectrum of charges; and (c) display considerable interspecies qualitative homology. Dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) was isolated from human and bovine vesicles by Concanavalin A affinity chromotography. DBH is a tetrameric glycoprotein consisting of 2 non-covalently joined dimeric subunits, each of which is 2 disulfide linked monomers; interspecies molecular weight differences were noted. Ongoing studies concern chromogranin A...
MD1: COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF AIRLINE DEFIBRILLATORS: IS PEACE OF MIND MORE IMPORTANT THAN SAVING LIVES?

OBJECTIVES: Airline passengers are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cardiac arrest due to a lack of access to emergency medical services. To offset this isolation, airlines are installing automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on aircraft. Our objective was to measure the cost-effectiveness of airline AED programs and estimate their value to the flying public. METHODS: A decision analytic model was constructed to estimate the clinical and economic effects of airline AEDs. Inputs were obtained from published data and the FAA. Utility estimates were derived from cardiac arrest survivors. Sensitivity analyses evaluated changes in AED cost and probability of cardiac arrest. Since AEDs may provide utility gains through “peace of mind” for passengers not experiencing a medical event, the impact of this added passenger confidence was also evaluated. RESULTS: AEDs on commercial aircraft cost an incremental $5.16 per flight. AED deployment resulted in an estimated additional $162,000 per QALY gained (16 quality-adjusted minutes per flight). Sensitivity analysis of event probabilities and cost inputs did not substantially change the results. However, the cost-effectiveness of AEDs was significantly enhanced by the inclusion of utility gain experienced by passengers from increased peace of mind. While the magnitude of this benefit is unknown, an incremental increase of .003 in utility over the flight duration would reduce the incremental cost-effectiveness of AEDs to less than $50,000 per QALY gained. CONCLUSIONS: Our model estimated that when the benefits of on-board AEDs are limited to patients experiencing medical events, the incremental cost-effectiveness is inferior to most recommended medical interventions. However, if passengers gain utility from knowing an AED is on the aircraft, then these incremental expenditures may be justified. Utility gains from “peace of mind” may have significant implications in determining the value of health care interventions. Further research should be conducted into this potentially important area.
Vascular Inflammation in Obesity and Sleep Apnea

Background— Unrecognized obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in obesity. Both obesity and OSA are associated with vascular endothelial inflammation and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. We investigated directly whether the endothelial alterations that are attributed commonly to obesity are in fact related to OSA. Methods and Results— Seventy-one subjects with a body mass index ranging from normal to obese underwent attended polysomnography. To assess vascular inflammation and oxidative stress directly, we quantified the expression of nuclear factor-κB and nitrotyrosine by immunofluorescence in freshly harvested venous endothelial cells. To evaluate basal endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production and activity, we quantified the expression of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) and phosphorylated eNOS. Vascular reactivity was measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation. Expression of eNOS and phosphorylated eNOS and flow-mediated dilation were significantly lower, whereas expression...
The legal status of U.S. negative security assurances to non‐nuclear weapon states

Has the United States committed itself not to use nuclear weapons against countries that forswear them? This article summarizes the gradual change in how this question has been answered from the 1960s, when the United States would not even say that it had no “intention” of using nuclear weapons against such countries, to 1995, when President Clinton made a formal but qualified declaration that it would not do so. It then describes why this declaration (a so-called “negative security assurance”) is binding—“legally binding” to some and “politically binding” to others— and discusses whether it precludes the use of nuclear weapons to counter a biological or chemical weapon attack.
A technique for the assay of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione) in serum using celite column chromatography and competitive protein binding

Abstract An improved method for the assay of 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione) in blood is presented. The procedure utilizes a Celite column which is more rapid and yields lower blanks than thin layer chromatography. It also allows the separation and assay of other steroids in the same extracted sample. The sensitivity and precision reported are comparable to other methods. The mean values obtained for men were 1.0 ng/ml, for women in the follicular phase 0.3 ng/ml and in the luteal phase 1.3 ng/ml. These values agree closely with other reports.
Effect of hypertonic saline on quantal size and synaptic vesicles in identified neuromuscular junction of the frog.

Miniature endplate potential amplitude distributions, miniature endplate potential frequencies and the percentage of sub-miniature endplate potentials were studied during treatment with hypertonic saline (with sucrose) during the initial high frequencies of release and after fatigue. Small muscle fibers were selected which had normal miniature endplate potential frequencies of 0.1/s to 1/s so that the miniature endplate potential amplitude distributions could be determined at the height of the hypertonic effect (first 5-15 min) at which time the miniature endplate potential frequency increased two-hundredfold. During the first few minutes of the effect, there was little change in miniature endplate potential amplitude or in the profiles of their amplitude histograms. Subsequently, after the occurrence of as few as 10(4) miniature endplate potentials, the size of the mean bell-miniature endplate potentials decreased. Later (25 min) the amplitude profiles became uniform, and finally (45 min) the percentage of sub-miniature endplate potentials and smaller miniature endplate potentials increased until many miniature endplate potentials (30-70%) were of the sub-miniature endplate potential class and the overall distributions were skewed. The mean sub-miniature endplate potential amplitude did not appear to change. After the initial high frequency of release, many miniature endplate potentials showed a definite break on the rising phase and the amplitude of the break was usually that of the sub-miniature endplate potential. The rapid decrease in miniature endplate potential size, change in miniature endplate potential amplitude profile and breaks on the miniature endplate potential rising phase can be explained with the subunit hypothesis. The edge fibers of the sartorius muscle were used so that physiologically studied edge junctions that were producing various miniature endplate potential histograms could be identified for electron microscopy. Synaptic vesicle diameters and the coefficient of variation of vesicle diameters were not changed either during high miniature endplate potential frequencies or in those junctions that generated mainly sub-miniature endplate potentials. Thus, the quantal class (i.e. sub-miniature endplate potential or bell-miniature endplate potential) cannot be determined from the vesicle diameter.
Fast GPR underground shape anomaly detection using the Semi-Analytic Mode Matching (SAMM) algorithm

Ground penetrating radar is an effective means of characterizing the subsurface and is an invaluable tool for detecting buried anomalies, including land mines, utility lines, tunnels, and pavement deterioration [1-3]. The conventional strategies of migrating monostatic time domain signals or using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques to produce images are improved in this work by a model-based inversion algorithm which uses the Semi-Analytic Mode Matching (SAMM) method [4,5]. Similar to pattern matching, this approach simulates the scattering from a buried object of specific size and shape and compares it to observed signals. Since scattering is considered from the entirety of the target rather than by analyzing each spatial pixel as in SAR imaging, the inverse-SAMM algorithm is superior at characterizing larger buried objects. Here, we consider a forward-looking, standoff, vehicle-mounted multi-monostatic stepped-frequency radar operating at 0.4-3 GHz searching for buried mines in two dimensions (depth and down-track). Detection and localization of metallic or plastic-cased mines is excellent and size characterization is reasonable, even when fairly substantial ground surface roughness is included.
Development of a Ct equation taking into consideration the effect of lot variability on the inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts with ozone.

Abstract Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts are prevalent in surface water and ground water under the influence of surface water, and are difficult to inactivate using free chlorine, the most common disinfectant currently used for treating drinking water. In contrast, it has been shown that ozone is a more effective disinfectant than chlorine. US EPA is currently evaluating a treatment rule, which addresses the control of C. parvum oocysts in drinking water. The use of Ct (average disinfectant concentration multiplied by characteristic contact time) values is being considered as one of the options for demonstrating adequate control of this microbial contaminant. The purpose of this study is to incorporate the variability in inactivation kinetics among different lots of oocysts and to develop a statistical model for Ct based on first-order delayed Chick–Watson inactivation kinetics. A Bayesian approach is used to estimate the delayed Chick–Watson kinetic parameters. A log-linear regression analysis is then used to represent the effect of temperature on the resulting kinetic parameters. The overall model developed in this study provides an approach for water utilities and regulatory agencies to decide on the level of safety needed when developing treatment requirements for the inactivation of C. parvum oocysts with ozone as part of broader risk assessment considerations.
The Dexamethasone Suppression Test in Infantile Autism

The Dexamethasone Suppression Test was administered to 13 autistic children and adolescents. Following either 1 or 2 mg of dexamethasone, this test was found to have an overall sensitivity of 84.6% when nonsuppression is defined as levels of cortisol greater than 5 mg/dl. Infantile autism must be included as further evidence of the lack of DST specificity. The authors speculate that infantile autism and major depression may show an underlying abnormal substrate that may be mediated by serotonin and norepinephrine which are ineffective in shutting off cortisol secretion.
Oncogene and cytokine expression of human colorectal tumors responding to immunotherapy.

Tumor samples from five patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who demonstrated tumor regressions in clinical trials of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, and adoptive cellular therapy were analyzed for oncogene and cytokine mRNA expression. Tumors from eight nonresponding patients were also studied. Mutations of the ras protooncogene and overexpression of c-myc protooncogene were observed in both responding and nonresponding tumors. In contrast, none of the responding tumors expressed transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 mRNA, whereas nonresponding tumors did. The expression of IL-1, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β, macrophage chemotactic protein, and RANTES was variable between responding and nonresponding patients. Although we cannot conclude that a pattern of oncogene and/or cytokine mRNA expression specifically characterizes sensitive colorectal cancers, these analyses-the assessment of TGF-β1 mRNA in particular-merit further evaluation as biomarkers prognostic of immunotherapy response.
The differing roles of comparison and contrast in children's categorization.

Abstract Comparison of perceptually similar exemplars from an object category encourages children to overlook compelling perceptual similarities and use relational and functional properties more relevant for taxonomic categorization. This article investigates whether showing children a contrasting object that is perceptually similar but out of kind serves the same function as comparison in heightening children’s attention to taxonomically relevant features. In this study, 4-year-olds completed a forced-choice categorization task in which they viewed exemplars from a target category and then selected among (a) a perceptually similar out-of-kind object, (b) a category member that differed perceptually from the exemplars, and (c) a thematically related object. Children were assigned to one of four conditions: No-Compare/No-Contrast, Compare/No-Contrast, No-Compare/Contrast, or Compare/Contrast. As in previous work, comparison increased the frequency of category responses, but there was no effect of contrast on categorization. However, only those in the Compare/Contrast condition displayed consistently taxonomic patterns of responding. Follow-up studies revealed that the effect of comparison plus contrast was evident only when comparison preceded, rather than followed, contrast information and that the value added by providing contrastive information is not attributable to the perceptual similarity between the category exemplars and the contrast object. Comparison and contrast make differing contributions to children’s categorization.
Influence of hearing loss on children's identification of spondee words in a speech-shaped noise or a two-talker masker.

Objective This study evaluated the influence of hearing loss on children's speech-perception abilities in a speech-shaped noise or a two-talker masker. For both masker conditions, it was predicted that children with hearing loss would require a more advantageous signal to noise ratio (SNR) than children with normal hearing to achieve the same criterion level of performance. However, it was hypothesized that the performance gap between children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing would be larger in the two-talker than in the speech-shaped noise masker. Design A repeated-measures design compared the spondee identification performance of two age groups of children with hearing loss (9-11 and 13-17 years of age) and a group of children with normal hearing (9-11 years of age) in continuous speech-shaped noise or a two-talker masker. Estimates of the SNR required for 70.7% correct spondee identification were obtained using an adaptive, four-alternative, forced-choice procedure. Children were tested in the sound field. Children with hearing loss wore their personal hearing aids at their regular settings during testing. Results Both groups of children with hearing loss performed more poorly than children with normal hearing in the speech-shaped noise masker. Younger children required an additional 2.7 dB SNR and older children required an additional 4.7 dB SNR to achieve the same level of performance as children with normal hearing. This disadvantage decreased to 8.1 dB for both age groups of children with hearing loss in the two-talker masker. For children with hearing loss, degree of hearing loss was significantly correlated with performance in the speech-shaped noise masker, but not in the two-talker masker. Conclusions A larger performance gap was observed between children with hearing loss and children with normal hearing in competing speech than in steady state noise. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that hearing loss influenced children's perceptual processing abilities.
Loudness discrimination of speech signals spectrally shaped by a simulated hearing aid.

A discrimination task was used to assess changes in the loudness of speech that accompanied changes in the spectral tilt of a simulated hearing aid’s frequency response. Band-limited (0.25–4 kHz) s...
Cyclic AMP modulation of calcium accumulation by sarcoplasmic reticulum from fast skeletal muscle.

Abstract The role of cyclic 3′,5−AMP in modulating sarcoplasmic reticulum from fast skeletal muscle was studied. The rate of Ca2+ uptake was stimulated in the presence of protein kinase plus 1 μM cyclic AMP. The stimulation was absent when denatured protein kinase was used. When an adenylate cyclase inhibitor was added, the uptake rates fell to 55% of control. This decrease in rate was partially overcome by 1 μM cyclic AMP. A modulating role for cyclic AMP in fast skeletal muscle is proposed.
Vortex street impinging upon an elliptical leading edge

The interaction of a Karman vortex street with an elliptical edge is investigated experimentally. Basic types of interaction, as a function of scale and transverse displacement of the incident vortex street, are revealed using flow visualization. Unsteady pressure fields induced by these interactions are measured by a phase-averaging technique and correlated with the visualized flow patterns for basic classes of interactions.For a generic vortex–edge interaction, measurements of the phase-averaged velocity field allow construction of streamlines and vorticity contours showing the details of the interaction, including distortion of the vortical structures near the edge. The pressure field is calculated from the measured velocity field and interpreted in relation to the vortical structures.Simulation of flow visualization using the measured velocity field demonstrates possible misinterpretations related to the underlying vorticity field.
ON THE INCLUSION OF VARIANCE IN DECISION MAKING UNDER UNCERTAINTY

The basic paradigm for decision making under uncertainty is introduced. A methodology is suggested for the calculation of the variance associated with each of the alternatives in the case when the uncertainty is not necessarily of a probabilistic nature.
MO‐D‐213A‐03: Practical Aspects of PET Accreditation

PET scanner accreditation is based on reviews of images acquired from the ACR PET phantom. The phantom is relatively easy to fill and set up for a PET study and can be used to measure tomographic uniformity, spatial resolution, and the detectability of “hot” lesions. The variety of resolution and “hot” components enables the reviewers to see relatively subtle differences in system performance. The accreditation phantom images are submitted to a review panel of qualified medical physicists for scoring. The Nuclear Medicine Accreditation Committee has defined acceptable standards for uniformity, spatial resolution and lesion detection. Uniformity and noise are evaluated qualitatively by inspection of reconstructed tomographic sections. Optimal density ranges should be comparable to those used for clinical images.Spatial resolution is judged by identifying the smallest “cold” rods in the phantom and lesion detectability is determined from the “hot” cylinders. The same protocol is also used for the “cold” cylinders that demonstrate the effectiveness of the attenuation and scatter corrections. Learning Objectives: 1. Be aware of the ACR PET accreditation process and PETPhysicist Qualifications. 2. Understand the ACR PET Phantom and testing required for ACR accreditation. 3. Understand how phantom images are reviewed by the ACR. 4. Be able to activate the ACR Phantom. 5. Understand phantom image acquisition and processing. 6. Understand PET phantom imagecontrast, resolution, and uniformity.
Men Are from the Gilded Age, Women Are from the Progressive Era

This is an expanded version of the presidential address I gave to the Society for Historians of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (SHGAPE) at their meeting in 2000. In Part I, I use the catchphrase “Men are from the Gilded Age, Women are from the Progressive Era” as a way of making a critique of Progressive-era historiography from the perspective of women's history. In Part II, I suggest four specific ways in which Progressive-era historians might respond to that critique.
The role of LIGHT in T cell-mediated immunity.

This review focuses on the role of homologous to 1 lymphotoxin, exhibits inducible expression, competes with herpesvirus glycoprotein D for HVEM on T cells (LIGHT) in T-cell immunity and T cell-mediated diseases. LIGHT binds to lymphotoxin β receptor (LTβR), and cooperates with LTβ in lymphoid organogenesis and development of lymphoid structure. Previous findings establish a crucial biological role for LIGHT, a T cell-derived costimulatory ligand, in T-cell activation and expansion via a T-T cell-dependent manner. Transgenic studies demonstrated that the dysregulation of LIGHT activity results in the disturbance of T-cell homeostasis and ultimately the breakdown of peripheral tolerance. Furthermore, the blockade of LIGHT activity ameliorates the severity of T cell-mediated diseases indicating the essential involvement of LIGHT in various pathological conditions. Here, we review the recent studies about LIGHT mainly in the context of autoimmunity and conclude with a discussion of the potential mechanisms by which LIGHT promotes autoimmunity.
Circulating pluripotent haemopoietic cells in patients with myeloproliferative disorders

Summary. Peripheral blood cells of 17 patients with myeloproliferative disorders were grown in vitro to form mixed colonies (CFU-mix). CFU-mix were found in four of nine patients with chronic phase chronic myelocytic leukaemia (CML) at levels 28- to 132-fold higher than the upper limits of normal subjects. These patients also had higher than normal levels of circulating granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) and erythroid (BFU-E) progenitors. Development of blastic crisis was associated with disappearance of CFU-mix from the blood. CFU-mix was detected in the blood of three of five patients with polycythaemia vera (PV) and two patients with myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia (MMM) at levels slightly higher than those of normal subjects. Our results are consistent with a clonal expansion of multipotent haematopoietic precursor cells in CML and abnormal kinetics of this cell in CML, PV and MMM.
Optimization Decomposition for Scheduling and System Configuration in Wireless Networks

Who gets to use radio spectrum, and when, where, and how? Scheduling (who, where, when) and system configuration (how) are fundamental problems in radio communication and wireless networking. Optimization decomposition based on Lagrangian relaxation of signal quality requirements provides a mathematical framework for solving this type of combined problem. This paper demonstrates the technique as a solution to spatial reuse time-division multiple access (STDMA) scheduling with reconfigurable antennas. The joint beam steering and scheduling (JBSS) problem offers both a challenging mathematical structure and significant practical value. We present algorithms for JBSS and describe an implemented system based on these algorithms. We achieve up to 600% of the throughput of TDMA with a mean of 234% in our experiments. The decomposition approach leads to a working distributed protocol producing optimal solutions in an amount of time that is at worst linear in the size of the input. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first actually implemented wireless scheduling system based on dual decomposition. We identify and briefly address some of the challenges that arise in taking such a system from theory to reality.
Nonlinear system identification using radial basis functions

Focussing on applications to fluid flow phenomena, we are interested in developing dynamical system models that are based on the discrete multivariate time series information only. A method based on radial basis functions and linear multi-step methods is used to construct continuous nonlinear models that approximate the original dynamical system. Information, such as the structure of the original system, is incorporated into the models through weak constraints. The formulation of the model and its advantages associated with modeling is described. Different examples are presented that highlight the various characteristics of the model and its effectiveness in dealing with various problems encountered in fluid flow problems. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis

Abstract Bacterial vaginosis (often called nonspecific vaginitis or gardnerella vaginitis) is an incompletely understood disease whose initial diagnosis is often one of exclusion made when no trichomonads, yeast, or evidence of cervicitis is found during the initial examination of a woman complaining of a vaginal discharge. To increase the accuracy of the initial diagnosis, specific criteria were used before the clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis was made. The presence of three of the following four criteria was necessary: 1) vaginal pH >4.5; 2) clue cells on the saline wet mount; 3) thin, homogeneous-appearing discharge; or 4) positive potassium hydroxide "whiff test." A study on 100 consecutive women presenting to the emergency department with vaginal symptoms was done. Of those women meeting the criteria, 93% (5458) obtained relief of their symptoms by treatment with metronidazole. Of those women not meeting the criteria, only 24% (1042) were cured ( P
Electrical stimulation of cortex improves corticospinal tract tracing in rat spinal cord using manganese-enhanced MRI.

Following bilateral injection of manganese (Mn) into the rat's motor cortex, electrical stimulation of the cortex is shown to increase the transport, uptake and accumulation of Mn in the corticospinal tract (CST), as assessed by manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEI). T1-weighted gradient echo images were acquired in 3-D and displayed in different orientations to anatomically delineate the CST pathway from cortex to spinal cord (SC) at the thoracic level. T1-maps of the SC were produced from spin-echo based image data to demonstrate the distribution of the T1 properties of the SC tissue and to quantitatively assess the T1-change occurring in the CST due to the presence of Mn therein. Implications for improving the tract tracing ability with the proposed in vivo approach and its application to spinal cord injury (SCI) research are discussed in terms of aiding future experimental investigations of neuroplasticity following an injury.
The existence of a tricritical point in the smectic A-smectic C transition line

Abstract In the light of a recent x-ray study on the smectic layer spacing in the vicinity of the smectic A-smectic C (SmA-SmC) transition of the TBBA (terephthal-bis-(4n)-butylaniline) homologous series, a Landau theory with coupled order parameters is proposed to provide a unique explanation of the x-ray data. It is found that as the length of the alkyl-tails increases the SmA-SmC transition change from being second-order to being first-order with a tricritical point in between.
Current Attitudes Toward Voice Studio Teaching Technology: A Bicoastal Survey of Classical Singing Pedagogues

Summary In recent years, the availability of studio teaching technology tools for the classical singing studio has developed exponentially. Nevertheless, the integration of voice analysis technology and other computer-based technology into a traditional classical singing studio can be a daunting task for many teachers, despite fine instructional texts such as those of Garyth Nair (1999) and Scott McCoy (2004). For this reason, The Texas Tech Voice Alliance developed and assessed a bicoastal online survey of classical singing pedagogues in the United States about their perceptions of, and attitudes toward, the use of studio teaching technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the current use of this technology and to assess the readiness of these teachers to explore further its possible benefits. Subjects were asked to rank relevant factors associated with voice studio teaching technology in the classical singing studio and respond to questions using calibrated judgment scales. Discussion focuses on descriptive survey results and analyses, including agreement and disagreement between classical singing pedagogues regarding real or perceived uses and future benefits of voice studio teaching technology in their studio programs. Results of this survey provide data on which to base future studies. Building on the record of existing software and related literature, and through ongoing research, this team ultimately intends to expand the survey group and use the results to guide us in further development of user-friendly computer-based technology.
Vitamin A deficiency as a preventable cause of maternal mortality in undernourished societies: plausibility and next steps

Maternal vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in the developing world. Recent evidence from Nepal suggests that supplementing populations of rural, poor, and undernourished women with a recommended dietary amount of vitamin A--or its equivalent as beta-carotene--can lower mortality risk related to pregnancy and childbirth, presumably by reducing the severity of conditions such as sepsis, tuberculosis, and diarrheal diseases. An adequate intake of beta-carotene may also reduce some maternal health risks related to oxidative stress. These findings reveal the potential for vitamin A and other micronutrient interventions to improve maternal and infant health and survival. They also present important implementation challenges for the developing world.
Integrated optical Butler matrix for beam forming in phased-array antennas

Butler matrices, consisting of 3 dB directional couplers and phase shifters, can be used to obtain specific phase relationships between the signals on the feedlines of the various antenna elements in a phased array system. Microwave Butler matrices consisting of microwave phase shifters and directional couplers are difficult to fabricate because of crosstalk and EMI. Integrated optical Butler matrices, in addition to being immune to EMI and having negligible cross talk, are small in size, lightweight and can be fabricated on a single substrate. Some of the advantages of using an integrated optical Butler matrix for beam steering and detection in a phased array system are discussed. Integrated optical directional couplers are fabricated on LiNbO3 substrates by a proton exchange and thermal annealing technique. A method of obtaining accurate 3 dB directional couplers is presented. Statistics based on the experimental measurements of these directional couplers are used to demonstrate the relative insensitivity of the Butler matrix performance to variations in fabrication parameters. The S/N and dynamic range of a sysem employing a Butler matrix with an optical local oscillator are calculated and compared to present-day phased-array antenna systems.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A Cellular Hypercube Architecture For Image Processing

In this paper we present a two-dimensional cellular hypercube architecture for image processing that combines features of the conventional hypercube and cellular logic architectures for 2-D computation cells. A unified theory of parallel binary image processing, binary image algebra (BIA), serves as a software tool for designing parallel image processing algorithms. To match the hardware to the software, we characterize the cellular processors using the same algebraic structure as BIA. The two-dimensional cellular hypercube image processor is a cellular SIMD machine with N2 cells and has a simple overall organization, low cell complexity and fast processing ability. An optical cellular hypercube implementation of BIA is proposed which offers parallel input/output and global interconnection capabilities which are difficult to do in planar VLSI technology.
Bilateral Lung Transplant With Pulmonary Thromboendarterectomy for Eisenmenger’s Syndrome

Patients with secondary pulmonary hypertension frequently present for evaluation for lung transplantation. In some of these patients, Eisenmenger's syndrome has developed from chronic left to right intracardiac shunts. A smaller group of these patients will also have associated pulmonary artery aneurysms. There is a paucity of literature discussing this topic, however, and currents reports have suggested the need to replace the abnormal pulmonary artery. This paper discusses a patient in whom Eisenmenger's syndrome developed from an atrial septal defect, and resultant pulmonary artery aneurysms and mural thrombi, who underwent successful bilateral lung transplantation with thromboendarterectomy and atrial septal defect closure.
Metabolic impact of sex chromosomes.

Obesity and associated metabolic diseases are sexually dimorphic. To provide better diagnosis and treatment for both sexes, it is of interest to identify the factors that underlie male/female differences in obesity. Traditionally, sexual dimorphism has been attributed to effects of gonadal hormones, which influence numerous metabolic processes. However, the XX/XY sex chromosome complement is an additional factor that may play a role. Recent data using the four core genotypes mouse model have revealed that sex chromosome complement—independently from gonadal sex—plays a role in adiposity, feeding behavior, fatty liver and glucose homeostasis. Potential mechanisms for the effects of sex chromosome complement include differential gene dosage from X chromosome genes that escape inactivation, and distinct genomic imprints on X chromosomes inherited from maternal or paternal parents. Here we review recent data in mice and humans concerning the potential impact of sex chromosome complement on obesity and metabolic disease.