cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Benefits of Accepting Cruising Flight Levels That Are Not in Compliance with the Hemispherical Rules in the Pacific Airspace

The hemispherical rules require that eastbound flights should use odd thousands flight levels (FLs) and westbound flights should use even thousands FLs. Though these rules improve safety, they could also negatively impact flight efficiency by, for example, reducing the available FLs that can be used to improve efficiency. With improved surveillance and communication capabilities in oceanic airspace, it is possible to use the FLs that do not comply with the hemispherical rules (non-complying FLs). The paper investigates whether doing so in the Pacific airspace could bring benefits to airlines and air traffic controllers. Our analysis showed mixed results. We found that fuel savings would increase as more flights accept non-complying FLs. If all flights accept non-complying FLs, the annual total fuel savings could reach 12.2 million gallons within the Oakland and Anchorage Flight Information Region (FIR). Depending on the price of Jet-A fuel, the monetary value of these fuel savings ranges from 11.25 to 25.66 million dollars. However, we also found that the annual total travel time inside the two FIRs would increase by about 2,070 flight hours. In addition, the workload of air traffic controllers and pilots may also increase as more flights accept non-complying FLs.
Analyzing the Efficacy of Isotretinoin in Treating Dissecting Cellulitis: A Literature Review and Meta-Analysis.

Dissecting cellulitis of the scalp is a primary scarring alopecia. Isotretinoin is commonly referenced in the literature as a treatment for dissecting cellulitis. The objective of this article was to conduct a review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of isotretinoin for treating dissecting cellulitis of the scalp. The following databases were searched for articles prior to 23 June, 2019: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, CINAHL, and Web of Science. Multi-patient studies (more than three) that reported on the administration of isotretinoin for dissecting cellulitis were included. A pooled meta-analysis for improvement of disease burden after isotretinoin administration in patients with dissecting cellulitis of the scalp was performed. A fixed-effects model was used. Five articles were ultimately used for the quantitative meta-analysis. The overall efficacy rate of isotretinoin in treating dissecting cellulitis of the scalp was estimated to be 0.9 with a 95% confidence interval (0.81–0.97). The sensitivity analysis suggested that the overall efficacy is still very high, with a range of 0.83–0.94. Recurrence was seen in 24% (6/25) of patients. Common associated diseases amongst patients with dissecting cellulitis of the scalp were acne conglobata 20% (30/151) and hidradenitis suppurativa 19% (11/72). Isotretinoin is an effective treatment for improving symptoms of dissecting cellulitis of the scalp. Disease recurrence is a common finding for those who undergo successful treatment.
Asia-Pacific Interests in the Emerging Arctic

This article focuses on pelagic opportunities for Asia-Pacific countries in an age of melting Arctic ice. While much attention focuses on the strategic pivot to Asia, a new cycle of Pacific relations indicates that such a turn has implications for the High North as well as for East-West interactions. This Article addresses problems of contested sovereignty in the coming age of the global Arctic with emphasis on Russia's role as gatekeeper to the problematic Northern Sea Route, China's emerging interests, and the role of middle powers such as South Korea in this increasingly congested space.
Single-Center Review of Celiac Plexus/Retrocrural Splanchnic Nerve Block for Non-Cancer Related Pain

Rationale and Objectives Celiac plexus and retrocrural splanchnic nerve (CP/RSN) blocks are widely used for cancer-related abdominal pain, but there is limited literature on their efficacy for non-cancer related pain. Our aim was to determine the indications and effectiveness of CT-guided CP/RSN blocks performed on patients with abdominal pain from non-cancer related sources. Materials and Methods CT-guided CP/RSN blocks for non-cancer related abdominal pain from 2011-2020 were retrospectively reviewed for patient demographics, procedure details, duration of pain relief, and complications. Effective blocks were defined as patient-reported pain relief or decrease in opioid use lasting 2 or more days for temporary blocks and 14 or more days for permanent blocks. Results Of 72 CT-guided CP/RSN blocks for non-cancer related abdominal pain, 48 (67%) were effective for a mean of 51 days (median 14, range 2-700). Of the 18 permanent blocks, 9 (50%) were effective for a mean of 111 days (median 90, range 14-390). Of the 54 temporary blocks, 39 (72%) were effective for a mean of 37 days (median 9, range 2-700). Indications included postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome/dysautonomia (77% effective, 20/26), pancreatitis (86% effective, 12/14), postsurgical pain (62% effective, 8/13), median arcuate ligament syndrome (70% effective, 7/10), chronic pain syndrome (20% effective, 1/5), gastroparesis (80% effective, 4/5), and renal cystic disease (33% effective, 1/3). For postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome /dysautonomia, pancreatitis, post-surgical pain, and MALS, there were no statistically significant differences in effectiveness between celiac vs. splanchnic blocks in groups matched by indication and intended duration (temporary/permanent). Conclusions CT-guided CP/RSN blocks can effectively manage non-cancer related abdominal pain, though there is discrepancy in efficacy between temporary and permanent blocks.
CaloFlow: Fast and Accurate Generation of Calorimeter Showers with Normalizing Flows.

We introduce CaloFlow, a fast detector simulation framework based on normalizing flows. For the first time, we demonstrate that normalizing flows can reproduce many-channel calorimeter showers with extremely high fidelity, providing a fresh alternative to computationally expensive GEANT4 simulations, as well as other state-of-the-art fast simulation frameworks based on GANs and VAEs. Besides the usual histograms of physical features and images of calorimeter showers, we introduce a new metric for judging the quality of generative modeling: the performance of a classifier trained to differentiate real from generated images. We show that GAN-generated images can be identified by the classifier with 100% accuracy, while images generated from CaloFlow are able to fool the classifier much of the time. More broadly, normalizing flows offer several advantages compared to other state-of-the-art approaches (GANs and VAEs), including: tractable likelihoods; stable and convergent training; and principled model selection. Normalizing flows also provide a bijective mapping between data and the latent space, which could have other applications beyond simulation, for example, to detector unfolding.
Data Serving Climate Simulation Science at the NASA Center for Climate Simulation

The NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) provides high performance computational resources, a multi-petabyte archive, and data services in support of climate simulation research and other NASA-sponsored science. This talk describes the NCCS's data-centric architecture and processing, which are evolving in anticipation of researchers' growing requirements for higher resolution simulations and increased data sharing among NCCS users and the external science community.
Role of honeydew of rice hoppers as a kairomone and nutrient to the predatory mirid bugs, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter and Tytthus parviceps (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae).

Honeydew of brown planthopper (BPH), whitebacked planthopper (WBPH) and green leafhopper (GLH) of rice was evaluated for its role as an attractant and nutrient to their egg predators, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter and Tytthus parviceps (Reuter). The mirid bugs were attracted in more numbers to plants coated with honeydew than that of distilled water. The mirid bugs survived for 4-6 days on honeydew and 11-20 days on insect prey. It was found that honeydew attracts mirid bugs to the treated surface but it could not support the survival of mirid bugs for longer time.
Open-end winding induction motor driven with indirect matrix converter for common-mode elimination

In this article a novel scheme using matrix converter is proposed for control of three phase machines. The analysis shows that the scheme has several benefits. By eliminating the common mode voltage from the three phases of the machine the motor bearing current is entirely removed. The maximum insulation stress in the motor winding is limited to the peak value of input phase voltage. The power factor at the utility end is controllable. By using matrix converters for power conversion bulky capacitors are eliminated from the drive.
Vulnerability to disease is associated with a domain‐specific preference for symmetrical faces relative to symmetrical non‐face stimuli

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that the accessibility of disease concerns would be associated with a preference for faces high in symmetry, a cue to good health and pathogen resistance. Disease concerns (perceived vulnerability to disease) were measured as an individual difference in Experiment 1 and were situationally primed in Experiment 2. Across both studies, heightened disease sensitivity predicted a preference for symmetrical faces. Importantly, this increased preference for symmetrical faces when disease threats were salient did not generalize to non-face stimuli. These results suggest a domain-specific preference for symmetry in human faces, an adaptive response due to the ability of faces to signal resistance to infectious diseases in individuals and situations where disease is a salient threat. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acoustically evoked potentials in the rat during conditioning.

Abstract : Acoustically evoked potentials were recorded from unanesthetized rats in a series of experiments designed to study changes in evoked potentials during conditioning. It is shown that when clicks are established as conditional stimuli (CS) in conditioned emotional response (CER) situations, click-evoked potentials recorded from central auditory structures and from mesencephalic reticular formation exhibit amplitude increases. Similar increases were found with Sidman avoidance conditioning. These changes during aversive conditioning were not related to acquired discriminative properties of the acoustic stimulus, since similar changes in click-evoked potentials were found when a CER was elicited by a photic CS. The changes were shown to be independent of movement-related variables. Potentials evoked in central auditory structures by electrical stimulation of the cochlear nucleus or cochlea increased in amplitude during acquisition of a CER. In one CER situation nearly all movement was eliminated through methods of behavioral control, and data-sampling techniques provided a control for residual differences in amount of movement during CS and control periods. These procedures did not eliminate increases in click-evoked potentials during conditioning. In general, whenever behavioral measures indicated that rats were frightened, acoustically evoked potentials exhibited increased amplitudes, whether or not a CS was present, but only changes in late components of click-evoked potentials were consistently related to observed behavioral changes. (Author)
Human cerebral cortex Cajal-Retzius neuron: development, structure and function. A Golgi study.

The development, morphology and possible functional activity of the Cajal-Retzius cell of the developing human cerebral cortex have been explored herein. The C-RC, of extracortical origin, is the essential neuron of the neocortex first lamina. It receives inputs from subcortical afferent fibers that reach the first lamina early in development. Although the origin and function of these original afferent fibers remain unknown, they target the first lamina sole neuron: the C-RC. The neuron’ orchestrates the arrival, size and stratification of all pyramidal neurons (from ependymal origin) of the neocortex gray matter. Its axonic terminals spread radially and horizontally throughout the entire first lamina establishing contacts with the dendritic terminals of all gray matter pyramidal cells regardless of size, location and/or eventual functional roles. While the neuron axonic terminals spread radially and horizontally throughout the first lamina, the neuron’ bodies undergoes progressive developmental dilution and locating any of them in the adult brain become quite difficult. The neuron bodies are probably retained in the older regions of the developing neocortex while their axonic collaterals will spread throughout its more recent ones that, eventually, will represent the great majority of the brain surface. This will explain their bodies progressive dilution in the developing neocortex and, later, in the adult brain. Although quite difficult to locate the body of any of them, they have been described in the adult brain.
On the telescopic homotopy theory of spaces

In telescopic homotopy theory, a space or spectrum X is approximated by a tower of localizations LnX, n ≥ 0, taking account of vn-periodic homotopy groups for progressively higher n. For each n ≥ 1, we construct a telescopic Kuhn functor Φn carrying a space to a spectrum with the same vn-periodic homotopy groups, and we construct a new functor Θn left adjoint to Φn. Using these functors, we show that the nth stable monocular homotopy category (comprising the nth fibers of stable telescopic towers) embeds as a retract of the nth unstable monocular homotopy category in two ways: one giving infinite loop spaces and the other giving “infinite Ln-suspension spaces.” We deduce that Ravenel’s stable telescope conjectures are equivalent to unstable telescope conjectures. In particular, we show that the failure of Ravenel’s nth stable telescope conjecture implies the existence of highly connected infinite loop spaces with trivial Johnson-Wilson E(n)∗-homology but nontrivial vn-periodic homotopy groups, showing a fundamental difference between the unstable chromatic and telescopic theories. As a stable chromatic application, we show that each spectrum is K(n)-equivalent to a suspension spectrum. As an unstable chromatic application, we determine the E(n)∗-localizations and K(n)∗-localizations of infinite loop spaces in terms of E(n)∗-localizations of spectra under suitable conditions. We also determine the E(n)∗-localizations and K(n)∗-localizations of arbitrary Postnikov H-spaces.
The aftermath of efficacy.

As a member of the US Preventive Services Task Force for 12 years and its chair for 5, I have given countless presentations on Task Force recommendations. During questions and comments, clinicians often voice frustration and even hostility to the recommendations because the Task Force does not
The Affective Alienation of the Elderly

The way in which people have regarded old age throughout the history of humankind has been contradictory: for example, older people have been appreciated for their wisdom and have been looked down upon because of their progressive feebleness. There is no doubt that aging brings about physiological changes that frequently are associated with psychological and social difficulties in the process of adaptation to a new way of life, a life that may be as rewarding as during the previous periods if the person is able to maintain a sense of personal identity and continuity. That is the basis for successful aging. Unfortunately, however, aging is viewed mostly as a progressive, biological deterioration over time, the anticipation of death.
Citizens as Voluntary Sensors: Spatial Data Infrastructure in the World of Web 2.0

Much progress has been made in the past two decades, and increasingly since the popularizing of the Internet and the advent of the Web, in exploiting new technologies in support of the dissemination of geographic information. Data warehouses, spatial data libraries, and geoportals have proliferated, and today’s users of geographic information have a wealth of potential sources that can be searched for suitable data sets. Standards have been established, issues of syntactic interoperability have been largely addressed, and rich descriptions are available in metadata to allow the suitability of a given data set to be assessed. Table digitizers used to be an essential asset for any spatial data center in the days when most sources of geographic information were in the form of paper maps, and skill in digitizing was a major part of any introduction to geographic information systems (GIS). Today, however, users rely heavily on digital sources, and virtually all digitizing is heads-up on-screen.
Replies to Weatherson, Hall, and Lange

ing until only dierence-makers for the explanandum remain. In a “given that” explanation, the procedure is amended as follows. First, the element of the story that is taken to be “given” must appear in the description andmay not be removed. Second, anything that causally explains that element (and that plays no other causal role in the story) must be removed. In the example above, the rock’s hitting the window is taken to be a xed part of the explanatory model, then, but no explainers of the rock’s trajectory and impact are admitted into themodel. In such explanations, I say that the “given” element is moved to the explanatory framework, where the term “framework” is intended to suggest something that is necessary for the explanation without itself being explanatorily active. When the element that is frameworked is a causal mechanism, its explanation is a description of the workings of the mechanism itself. To remove the explanation of what is given from a causal model, then, is to remove from the model all mention of these workings. What is le behind is a mere black box, a functional specication of the mechanism that maps inputs to outputs while saying nothing of the structure of the internal causal paths. If you are asked, for example, to explain the crash of Air France ight 447, you might well give a detailed description of the causal processes that led to the malfunctioning of the aircra’s Pitot tubes (resulting in faulty airspeed readings). But if you are asked to explain the crash given that the Pitot tubes were malfunctioning, the same description will be explanatorily irrelevant. e tubes will enter into your explanatory model only in the guise of a functional description specifying what (faulty) readings would be yielded in what circumstances, without any hint of the way in which the circumstances cause the readings. You will see that the eect of explanatory frameworking is to focus the explanatory spotlight on some parts of the relevant causal mechanism while excluding others. Frameworking the rock in the window-breaking case shines the spotlight on the structure of the window; frameworking the malfunction-
Blood pressure variability and white matter hyperintensities in older adults with cardiovascular disease

The present study examined the relationship between multiple blood pressure (BP) indices and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in a sample of 39 older adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Resting BP was measured using an automated monitor every 10 min for 2 h. WMH were quantified on FLAIR images and separate indices were generated for neocortical, periventricular and subcortical brain regions. Correlation analyses revealed systolic BP variability was related to neocortical and total WMH. A function of systolic BP variability and average diastolic pressure showed the strongest relationships, including significant correlation to neocortical, subcortical and total WMH. No BP index was related to WMH in periventricular regions. Exploratory analyses showed only the function of systolic BP variability and average diastolic pressure predicted total WMH, whereas as age, CVD conditions and psychosocial factors did not. These findings demonstrate BP variability is an important contributor to WMH in older adults with CVD and suggests it may have differential relationships to WMH in different brain regions. Additional studies are needed to examine the role of autoregulatory systems in the development of WMH, particularly those using beat-to-beat measures of BP.
Mapping from GenBank to MEDLINE

GenBank has been based largely on literature that provides nucleic acid sequences. To find additional literature that is relevant to a given sequence, a search of MEDLINE can prove helpful. This paper documents some of the similarities between GenBank and MEDLINE that facilitate retrieval of documents from MEDLINE. In particular, techniques and examples are presented which take GenBank information and lead to MEDLINE information that supplements the GenBank information.
Obesity and exercise habits of asthmatic patients

Background National guidelines recommend 20 to 30 minutes of exercise 3 to 5 days a week. However, achieving these goals may be challenging for asthmatic patients whose symptoms are exacerbated by exercise. Objective To describe relationships among exercise habits, weight, and asthma severity and control in adults with asthma. Methods Self-reported exercise habits were obtained from 258 stable patients by using the Paffenbarger Physical Activity and Exercise Index. Disease status was measured by using the Asthma Control Questionnaire and the Severity of Asthma Scale. Exercise habits were evaluated in multivariate analyses with age, sex, education, body mass index, and asthma control and severity as independent variables. Results The mean patient age was 42 years; 75% were women, 62% were college graduates, and 40% were obese. Only 44% of patients did any exercise. In bivariate analysis, patients with well-controlled asthma were more likely to exercise; however, in multivariate analysis, asthma control and severity were not associated, but male sex ( P = .01), having more education ( P = .04), and not being obese ( P P = .02). Conclusions Compared with the general population, a lower proportion of asthmatic patients did any routine exercise and met national exercise guidelines. Physicians need to manage asthma and obesity to help asthmatic patients meet exercise goals.
An IPv6 Based QoS Unicast Routing Mechanism

IPv6 is the core protocol of Future Internet. Thus, IPv6 based QoS (Quality of Service) routing mechanisms need to be developed to support diverse QoS requirements of new network applications. In this paper, an IPv6 based QoS unicast routing mechanism is proposed based on OSPFv3 and BGP4 +. By introducing QoS state message and extending the link state database and link state advertisement, the collection, storage and release of intra-domain QoS information are realized. By introducing NLRI (Network Layer Reachability Information) which supports QoS, the release and revocation of inter-domain QoS routing information are realized. The mechanism not only provides QoS support, but also is compatible with the existing routing protocols. It can be quickly and effectively deployed in networks. A prototype implementation of the proposed mechanism is completed, which is tested under a video conference application over the CERNET2 topology. The results indicate that it is feasible and effective with good performance.
Fluorescence and the structure of proteins. VI. Non-fluorescent phenol-amide complexes.

Abstract Tyrosine derivatives as well as other phenols form non-fluorescent complexes with amides in non-polar solvents. For example, the association constant for the 1:1 complex of phenol and N , N -dimethylacetamide in n -hexane is 285 l/mole at 25°, ΔF ° = −3.34 kcal/mole and ΔH = −4.45 kcal/mole. Formation of the complex leads to loss of fluorescence and a characteristic red shift in the absorption spectrum of phenol; other phenolic compounds with unsubstituted and sterically unobstructed hydroxyl groups show analogous behavior. The loss of fluorescence arises from internal energy degradation within the complex. In more polar solvents, association is weaker and at higher amide concentrations (0.1–0.2 M) in the latter solvents intermolecular collisional quenching also could be observed.
Naturally Occurring Perinatal Growth Restriction in Mice Programs Cardiovascular and Endocrine Function in a Sex- and Strain-Dependent Manner

Perinatal growth restriction (PGR) is associated with type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Identification of an isogenic mouse model of fetal programming will facilitate mechanistic understanding. We sought to test the hypotheses that 1) PGR impairs glucose tolerance and induces hypertension; and 2) the programming phenotype is more severe in an inbred mouse strain susceptible to diabetes (C57BL/6) than in a strain without such genetic predisposition (DBA/2). PGR pups were paired at weaning with same sex normally grown littermates. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests were performed at 17 wk, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured at 20 wk. Impaired glucose tolerance was evident only among female PGR mice from both strains. While PGR did not alter insulin sensitivity in either strain, female DBA/2 mice had significantly decreased insulin levels during glucose tolerance testing. SBP was increased in PGR male C57BL/6 mice (p < 0.01), while heart rate was decreased in PGR male DBA/2 mice (p < 0.05). These studies indicate that in isogenic mice, PGR alters endocrine and cardiovascular physiology in female and male mice, respectively. Strain-and sex-specific genetic susceptibilities emphasize the need to consider genetic predisposition when evaluating the role of the perinatal environmental in the inception of adult disease.
Calibration of glass fiber filters for particle size studies.

Abstract Filtration devices have been suggested as a means for determining the size distribution of airborne materials, for studying phenomena related to particle size, and for separating respirable from non-respirable dusts. This report describes work performed to determine the collection efficiency of selected glass fiber filters by using homogeneous latex sphere, oleic acid, and uranine test aerosols having aerodynamic equivalent diameters ranging from 0.1 to 2.7 microns. Variations in field sampling which might cause changes in collection efficiency are discussed, and results are compared with theoretically calculated retentivities based on interception, inertial impaction, and diffusion parameters.
Bandstructure matching at a heterojunction interface

Abstract An analytic theory for the matching of the bandstructure of different crystals at the interface of a heterojunction is presented. The Generalized Wannier functions serve as a basis. For a simple uniform band, the Hamiltonian matrix elements then reduce to the k-space Fourier coefficients of the bandstructure along the superlattice direction. The technique therefore accounts for non-effective mass effects, and the lower and upper valleys, and enables us to invoke both the quasi-k-space periodicity together with the spatial variations of the bandstructure. The superlattice Hamiltonian is a system of difference equations taking the form of a band matrix. A new definition of current not based on the effective-mass is introduced for this higher-order Schroedinger equation. The enforcement of the continuity of the elemental currents leads to analytic connection rules for the overlap Hamiltonian matrix elements. A maximum transparency for all energies is achieved only for geometrically related bandstructures. Non-effective-mass effects are demonstrated in resonant-tunneling structures. The technique presented offers new theoretical insights together with efficient numerical tools for the study of non-effective-mass superlattices.
Everolimus: a classical mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor?

Purpose of review Everolimus administration after cardiac transplantation has been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, acute cellular rejection, and cytomegalovirus infection. This immunosuppressive agent, which inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin, has also been associated with impaired renal function when used with full-dose calcineurin inhibitors. Recent experience has provided strategies for using everolimus without the diminution in renal function. This review evaluates the most recent clinical experience with everolimus. Recent findings Everolimus was first shown in cardiac transplant recipients to reduce cardiac allograft vasculopathy, cardiac allograft rejection, and cytomegalovirus infection while diminishing renal function and exacerbating hypertriglyceridemia. Recent studies have evaluated new approaches for using everolimus while minimizing the adverse events noted in previous clinical trials. Recent clinical observations from European countries where everolimus is approved for clinical use have shown that everolimus dosed at an optimal trough blood level of 6-8 ng/ml can be used with reduced-dose cyclosporine with trough levels of 150-175 ng/ml in the first 3 months, with further reductions later, without the deterioration in renal function seen in the pivotal clinical trial in which full-dose cyclosporine was used. Steroids could also be discontinued in some patients. Summary Everolimus is a novel mammalian target of rapamycin or proliferation signal inhibitor that has been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiac allograft rejection and vasculopathy in clinical trials. In clinical practice with reduced-dose cyclosporine, renal function was preserved in cardiac allograft recipients.
BISON AND BOS FROM PROTOHISTORIC AND HISTORIC LOCALITIES IN THE SAN RAFAEL VALLEY, ARIZONA

AbstractTwo sub-fossil localities in San Rafael Valley, Santa Cruz County, provide new evidence about the timing and occurrence of Bison (bison) and Bos (cattle) in southeastern Arizona. A portion of the young male Bison skull was radiocarbon dated and produced a conventional age of 370±40 BP (intercept date of Cal AD 1490). Charcoal recovered in association with the articulated Bos skeleton produced a conventional age of 250±30 BP (intercept date of CAL AD 1650). Interpretations of the radiocarbon dates may vary; however, the intercept age implies that Bison was present in southeastern Arizona, but may have become extirpated just prior to the diary accounts of the Spanish explorations. It is not known if the recovered Bos was feral or perhaps belonged to Jose Romo de Vivar who farmed and ranched in the region from San Rafael Valley, Arizona, to Cananea, Sonora during the 1680s. Sub-fossil and zooarchaeological remains of bovids from Arizona and Sonora should be examined in more detail to better understan...
Roles of Glutamine Synthetase Inhibition in Epilepsy

Glutamine synthetase (GS, E.C. 6.3.1.2) is a ubiquitous and highly compartmentalized enzyme that is critically involved in several metabolic pathways in the brain, including the glutamine-glutamate-GABA cycle and detoxification of ammonia. GS is normally localized to the cytoplasm of most astrocytes, with elevated concentrations of the enzyme being present in perivascular endfeet and in processes close to excitatory synapses. Interestingly, an increasing number of studies have indicated that the expression, distribution, or activity of brain GS is altered in several brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, depression, suicidality, and mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE). Although the metabolic and functional sequelae of brain GS perturbations are not fully understood, it is likely that a deficiency in brain GS will have a significant biological impact due to the critical metabolic role of the enzyme. Furthermore, it is possible that restoration of GS in astrocytes lacking the enzyme could constitute a novel and highly specific therapy for these disorders. The goals of this review are to summarize key features of mammalian GS under normal conditions, and discuss the consequences of GS deficiency in brain disorders, specifically MTLE.
Two-Phase Coexistence in the Metallic State of Polyacetylene

We numerically determine the ground-state lattice configuration and infra-red absorption spectrum of a simple (strictly one-dimensional) model of a polyacetylene doped to metallic densities. Our model includes electron-electron interactions (treated in Hartree-Fock approximation) and interactions with the counter-ion lattice. Our chief results are: 1) The nature of the ground state is sensitive to minute details of the counter-ion arrangement, leading to the conclusion that small inhomogeneities in the counter-ion distribution can lead to the coexistence of more than one electronically distinct phase in the same sample. 2) The infra-red oscillator strength associated with the pinned soliton mode in a homogeneous phase is a strongly superlinear function of dopant concentration
Conformational analysis of the major DNA adduct derived from the food mutagen 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline.

The heterocyclic amine 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ) is one of a number of carcinogens found in barbecued meat and fish. It is mutagenic in bacterial and mammalian assays and induces tumors in mammals. IQ is biochemically activated to a derivative which reacts with DNA to form a major covalent adduct at carbon 8 of guanine. This adduct may deform the DNA and consequently cause a mutation, which may be responsible for initiating IQ's carcinogenicity. Atomic resolution structures of the IQ-damaged DNA are not yet available experimentally. We have carried out an extensive molecular mechanics energy minimization search to locate feasible structures for the major IQ−DNA adduct in the representative sequence d(5‘-G1-G2-C3-G4-C5-C6-A7-3‘)·d(5‘-T8-G9-G10-C11-G12-C13-C14-3‘) with IQ modification at G4; this contains the GGCGCC mutational hotspot sequence known as NarI. The molecular mechanics program AMBER 5.0 with the force field of Cornell et al. [(1995) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 117, 5179−5197] was emplo...
The strategic petroleum reserve: Technology and policy implementation

Abstract The debate over how much control technologists should have over the policy process has been enlivened by the United States' attempt to solve its energy problems. The fate of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), a program for storing huge supplies of crude oil in salt caves, provides an opportunity for understanding the technology-policy nexus through a concentrated examination of the roles of accountability and administrative responsibility in an energy program considered vital to national security. Analysis of the SPR case reveals that planners designed the program without consideration of the political, sociological and ecological factors involved, and leads to the conclusion that, even when familiar technologies are employed in the solution of energy problems, enthusiasts can resist public and administrative pressure for standard practices of safety and accountability.
An assessment of proposed similarity theories for the atmospheric boundary layer

The various similarity theories proposed for the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) are critically examined in the light of some recent atmospheric observations as well as the results of numerical modeling experiments. For the surface layer, the theory proposed by Monin and Obukhov (1954) is still the best, although by no means perfect. For the whole ABL, the older Kazanski-Monin (1961) similarity theory is found to be less satisfactory, and must be replaced by the generalized version of Deardorff's (1972a) hypothesis, which considers the effects of varying boundary-layer height, latitude, stability, and baroclinicity. The latter presents no conceptual or mathematical difficulties when applied to low latitudes. The free convection similarity scaling is valid only for certain turbulent quantities, under well-developed convection. The “shear convection” hypothesis of Zilitinkevich (1973) for the surface layer, as well as its extension for the whole ABL, are found wanting on both theoretical and physical grounds, and lead to unrealistic predictions about the turbulence structure.
Assessment of driver vision enhancement technologies

Driver vision enhancement systems provide augmented information to improve the driver's perceptual ability when visibility is reduced. Vision enhancement is a technologically- challenging mission. We surveyed two classes of technologies: imaging systems (visible and infrared) and radars (millimeter-wave and laser radars). Night (IR) vision and radar-based systems promise meaningful vision enhancement functionality to the driver. Available field test data give thermal imagers operating in the range of 8 to 12 micrometers an edge. This spectral regime has a long (miles) clear night range, adequate object discrimination and handles inclement weather conditions better than other shorter wavelength imagers. Uncooled thermal imagers, because of their potentially low-cost, are emerging as a front runner technology. All weather penetration of a radar based system is attractive for certain driving scenarios. They are not particularly adept in high resolution imaging. This combination makes them more of interest as automated warning devices. Icons replace the actual objects imaged to indicate the hazard ahead. True all-weather high-resolution vision enhancement systems are beyond near- term capabilities. Overall, vision enhancement systems under development today will have good utility with the challenge that they become `affordable'.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effects of Ovariectomy and Season on Plasma Luteinizing Hormone in Mares

Six pony mares were ovariectomized (OVX) on day 16 of diestrus during June and July, 1972, to study short term changes in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations. Plasma LH was higher (P < .05) 3 days after OVX (1.76 ng/ml) than the day after OVX (1.01 ng/ml), and a gradual increase occurred over the first 2 weeks. Elevated plasma LH concentrations similar to mid-estrus levels were present from the 2nd to 11th week post-OVX. In another experiment, the same 6 OVX mares were bled once a month from February, 1973, to January, 1974, to study long-term changes in plasma LH in relation to the anestrous (November-April) and breeding seasons (May-October). Mean monthly plasma LH concentrations in OVX mares during all months of the anestrous season were lower (P < .05) than mean monthly plasma LH during the months of June-September of the breeding season. During the transition from anestrous to breeding seasons (April, May) and breeding to anestrous seasons (October, November), mean plasma LH concentrations...
Focused-Ion-Beam Micromachined Diode Laser Mirrors

Focused-ion-beam micromachining is a new technique for forming optical quality surfaces in semiconductor laser materials. It exploits the precise, computer controlled, maskless, sputter-etching afforded by a beam of 15 - 25 keV Ga+ ions focused to a 50 to 250 nm spot to fabricate features in semiconductor laser dice and wafers. Diode laser output mirrors of quality comparable to that of cleaved facets have been fabricated. Focused-ion-beam micromachined (FIBM) single stripe coupled cavity lasers have demonstrated widely and continuously tunable single mode operation. As much as 80 mW of pulsed tunable single longitudinal mode optical power has been achieved with FIBM coupled cavity phase-locked arrays of AlGaAs semiconductor lasers. Hundreds of milliwatts of pulsed optical power has been observed from surface-emitting phase-locked arrays with FIBM turning and oscillator mirrors. The use of vector scanning of the ion beam to produce arbitrary surface contours, such as linear and curved turning mirrors and micron pitch gratings with various profiles, has been demonstrated. Recent results from elevated temperature aging tests suggest that FIBM does not cause significant damage to transverse junction stripe laser diodes and that it can be a promising tool for fabrication of etched mirrors for optoelectronic integrated circuits. Continuing research includes work on the fabrication of (i) monolithic dual micromachined coupled cavity single frequency lasers with wavelength separations continuously variable from 0 to 600 GHz, (ii) linear and parabolic turning mirrors for two-dimensionally coherent surface emitting arrays of lasers, (iii) total-internal-reflection mirrors to route light in the plane of the wafer, (iv) single wavelength micromachined coupled cavity lasers tunable at high frequencies, (v) a methanometer with a continuously tunable micromachined coupled cavity InGaAs/InP optical source, (vi) curved laser mirrors, and (vii) submicron, arbitrarily profiled, diffraction gratings for distributed feedback and dis-tributed Bragg reflector lasers.
A hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome with normal chemotaxis in vitro and defective leukotaxis in vivo

A 26-yr-old male with a lifelong history of atopic dermatitis and recurrent severe staphylococcal abscesses was found to have hyperimmunoglobulinemia E. Evaluation of both the humoral and cellular aspects of chemotaxis in vitro showed both neutrophils and monocytes to be normal. However, quantitative neutrophil migration in vivo was significantly suppressed using the patient's own serum as the attractant. This defective migration in vivo was partially corrected by serum from normal donors as the attractant and also partially corrected following plasma infusion in this patient. Evaluation of quantitative leukocyte migration in vivo may be most useful in patients suspected of defects of leukocyte mobility.
Thermodynamic relations and equilibria in (Na2CO3 + NaHCO3 + H2O): standard Gibbs energies of formation and other properties of sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium carbonate heptahydrate, sodium carbonate decahydrate, trona: (Na2CO3·NaHCO3·2H2O), and Wegscheider's salt: (Na2CO3·3NaHCO3)

Abstract Literature results for numerous heterogeneous equilibria in the three-component system (Na2CO3 + NaHCO3 + H2O) or (Na2CO3 + CO2 + H2O) were critically evaluated. Careful attention was given to evaluation of activity coefficients and pressure effects. Temperature effects were treated using enthalpies of formation determined previously for the reacting species. Standard Gibbs energies of formation at 298.15 K were evaluated: −(2714.94±0.30) kJ·mol−1 for Na2CO3·7H2O(s); −(3428.61±0.40) kJ·mol−1 for Na2CO3·10H2O(s); −(851.30 ± 0.19) kJ·mol−1 for NaHCO3(s); −(2381.33 ± 0.55) kJ·mol−1 for trona: Na2CO3·NaHCO3·2H2O(s); −(3604.72±0.80) kJ·mol−1 for Wegscheider's salt: Na2CO3·3NaHCO3(s). Corresponding standard entropies at 298.15 K are: (422.36±1.50), (562.74 ± 1.15), (102.36 ± 0.80), (303.13 ± 1.70), and (433.33 ± 2.50) J·K−1·mol−1, respectively, in the same order. The upper temperature limit for existence of trona was evaluated as 395 K. NaHCO3(s) heated in a small closed container forms a saturated solution of NaHCO3(s) and Na2CO3·3NaHCO3(s) at 402 K and above. Likewise, Na2CO3·3NaHCO3(s) heated in a small closed container forms a saturated solution of Na2CO3(s) and Na2CO3·3NaHCO3(s) at 460 K and above. The results permit interpretation of equilibria in the system up to at least 600 K.
Gas Cooled Slab Scaling Laws And Representative Designs

Based on simple considerations for the mechanisms limiting average power operation of solid state lasers, we deduce some scaling laws for the gas cooled disk amplifier architecture. We discuss geometrical issues, gain and efficiency considerations, and output power scaling. The paper concludes with an outline for a high repetition rate GSGG system and a very large average power module suitable for a fusion driver.
On the initiation and growth of kink bands in fiber composites: Part I. experiments

The initiation and growth of a kink band in a uniaxial composite is investigated experimentally. Experiments on unidirectional plates of AS4/PEEK were conducted using a custom biaxial testing device. A relatively stable post-failure response which occurs for displacement controlled shearing under a compressive preload is exploited to observe quasi-static kink band growth. The band initiates from a stress concentration on one of the free edges and grows across the specimen with a constant inclination of about 12°. Detailed in situ measurements show that the fiber rotation and band width at a point increase as the band goes past it. After traversing the specimen, the band propagates (broadens) with constant fiber rotation. The observed kink band characteristics were similar to those of kink bands which grew dynamically in the same composite tested under pure compression. A difference is that the ends of the bands formed under combined compression and shear are highly bent but not broken.
P DNA element movement in somatic cells reduces lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster: evidence in support of the somatic mutation theory of aging

Evidence is presented in support of the hypothesis that P DNA element movement in somatic cells of Drosophila melanogaster induces genetic damage that significantly reduces lifespan. The lifespan of D. melanogaster males was significantly reduced by the somatic movement of a single P element in the presence of P[ry+ Δ2–3](99B) transposase. In addition, the P[ry+ SalI](89D) repressor of P[ry+ Δ2–3](99B) somatic transposasc was observed to reduce the effect of P element movement on lifespan. Finally, the frequency of somatic-cell chromosome breakage was significantly increased in neuroblasts of males with somatically active P elements. These results show that lifespan in D. melanogaster is decreased with increased somatic genetic damage from DNA-element movement. Although this conclusion does not confirm that transposable element movement is a cause of natural senescence, this conclusion is clear evidence in support of a close relationship between somatic genetic damage and aging.
Assessment of SNP streak statistics using gene drop simulation with linkage disequilibrium.

We describe methods and programs for simulating the genotypes of individuals in a pedigree at large numbers of linked loci when the alleles of the founders are under linkage disequilibrium. Both simulation and estimation of linkage disequilibrium models are shown shown to be feasible on a genome wide scale. The methods are applied to evaluating the statistical significance of streaks of loci at which sets of related individuals share a common allele. The effects of properly allowing for linkage disequilibrium are shown to be important as they explain many of the large observations. This is illustrated by re analysis of a previously reported linkage of prostate cancer to chromosome 1p23.
“Write/Read/Erase” with Laser Irradiation of Dicyanoargentate(I) Doped and Pure Crystals

Laser irradiation of single crystals of doped Ag(CN)2-/KCl and pure KAg(CN)2 at 77 K results in dramatic changes in their emission spectra. Higher-energy bands that were either absent or weak start...
Performance study of a unipolar aerosol mini-charger for a personal nanoparticle sizer

Abstract We designed and constructed a corona-discharge-based unipolar mini-charger and experimentally evaluated its performance. The simple design and compact size make the prototype mini-charger well suited for use with portable aerosol sizing instruments based on particle electrical mobility techniques. In this work, we optimized the extrinsic charging efficiency of the prototype mini-charger for two different aerosol flow rates (i.e., 0.3 and 1.5 lpm). The optimal settings for the prototype operation are: (i) a corona current of 1 μ A and an ion driving voltage of 40 V for the 0.3 lpm flow rate, and (ii) 2 μ A and 120 V for the 1.5 lpm flowrate. Both intrinsic and extrinsic charging efficiencies of the prototype mini-charger at the optimal operational conditions were then evaluated for particles in diameters ranging from 10 to 200 nm. The intrinsic charging efficiency of the prototype reaches 100% at 20 nm for the 0.3 lpm flow rate, and 45 nm for the 1.5 lpm flow rate. The higher intrinsic charging efficiency at the low flowrate is due to the longer residence time of particles in the device. The extrinsic charging efficiency, however, is higher for the 1.5 lpm flow rate than for the 0.3 lpm flow rate due to charged particle loss in the prototype. Charge distributions of test monodisperse particles of different sizes were also measured by the Tandem-DMA technique.