cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiple Linear Regression Modeling of Furosemide Renal Clearance and Urinary Excretion Rate

Abstract Multiple linear regression techniques were utilized to determine models for the renal clearance and urinary excretion rate of furosemide. Models for the renal clearance were formulated based on data collected from the literature. The best model predicted that the weight-normalized renal clearance was a function of the weight-normalized creatinine clearance, with coefficient values dependent on the presence or absence of heart, liver, and/or kidney failure. The predictive performance of this model was evaluated using a separate verification data set, and, prospectively, for a group of cardiac patients. The urinary excretion rate of furosemide is the primary determinate of response. Models for the furosemide excretion rate were formulated from data collected prospectively from a group of patients with cardiac disease. The best model predicted that the dose-normalized morning urinary excretion rate was a function of the blood urea nitrogen concentration (BUN), with modifications for the presence of liver failure and/or decompensated heart failure. The oral dosage required to produce a clinically optimal furosemide excretion rate in cardiac patients without liver disease was dose (mg) = 42.1/(0.925 – 0.0151 BUN).
Application of chaos theory to biology and medicine

The application of “chaos theory” to the physical and chemical sciences has resolved some long-standing problems, such as how to calculate a turbulent event in fluid dynamics or how to quantify the pathway of a molecule during Brownian motion. Biology and medicine also have unresolved problems, such as how to predict the occurrence of lethal arrhythmias or epileptic seizures. The quantification of a chaotic system, such as the nervous system, can occur by calculating the correlation dimension (D2) of a sample of the data that the system generates. For biological systems, the point correlation dimension (PD2) has an advantage in that it does not presume stationarity of the data, as the D2 algorithm must, and thus can track the transient non-stationarities that occur when the systems changes state. Such non-stationarities arise during normal functioning (e.g., during an event-related potential) or in pathology (e.g., in epilepsy or cardiac arrhythmogenesis). When stochastic analyses, such as the standard deviation or power spectrum, are performed on the same data they often have a reduced sensitivity and specifity compared to the dimensional measures. For example, a reduced standard deviation of heartbeat intervals can predict increased mortality in a group of cardiac subjects, each of which has a reduced standard deviation, but it cannot specify which individuals will or will not manifest lethal arrhythmogenesis; in contrast, the PD2 of the very same data can specify which patients will manifest sudden death. The explanation for the greater sensitivity and specificity of the dimensional measures is that they aredeterministic, and thus are moreaccurate in quantifying the time-series. This accuracy appears to be significant in detecting pathology in biological systems, and thus the use of deterministic measures may lead to breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of some medical disorders.
Anti-Complement Therapy for Glomerular Diseases

A major shift in our understanding of glomerular diseases is the focus on which components of the complement pathway are involved in mediating kidney injury. For example, the membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis lesion is no longer classified solely by ultrastructural findings on biopsy and is now divided into immune-complex-mediated lesions vs complement-mediated lesions. In turn, this emphasis on complement leads to interest in therapies that target complement as potential disease-modifying agents. Eculizumab, the first available anti-complement therapy, blocks at the level of C5 and has revolutionized the treatment of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. Whether this agent will work equally well for the far more heterogeneous entities of C3 glomerulonephritis and dense deposit disease remains unclear. Instead, newer agents that target C3 may turn out to be the most effective and specific therapy for these C3 glomerulopathies.
Metal gate electrodes: Theoretical studies of Zr/ZrO2 and Hf/HfO2 interfaces

Abstract Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations have been performed on cluster models of Zr/ZrO2 and Hf/HfO2 interfaces. The theoretical method is a first principles method in which an exact electrostatic Hamiltonian is employed, except for core electron effective potentials, and wavefunctions are constructed by a self-consistent-field (SCF) method in which ionic correlation is included by local configuration interaction (CI). The outcome of the calculations is a detailed prediction of the electronic structure of the interface from which electrical properties can be inferred; e.g., work function, surface dipoles, barriers to electron transport, etc.. The results are compared with and also serve to calibrate electronegativity arguments that lead to predictions of surface dipole changes when Zr or Hf metals are deposited on the respective elemental oxides. In the present work the cluster describing the Zr/ZrO2 interface was embedded in an electrostatic field that simulates more distant Madelung contributions, and removes unphysical solutions as well.
The electrodynamic and hydrodynamic phenomena in magnetically-levitated molten droplets. I - Steady state behavior

A mathematical formulation is given and computed results are presented describing the behavior of electromagnetically-levitated metal droplets under the conditions of microgravity. In the formulation the electromagnetic force field is calculated using a modification of the volume integral method and these results are then combined with the FIDAP code to calculate the steady state melt velocities. The specific computational results are presented for the conditions corresponding to the planned IML-2 Space Shuttle experiment, using the TEMPUS device, which has separate 'heating' and 'positioning' coils. While the computed results are necessarily specific to the input conditions, some general conclusions may be drawn from this work. These include the fact that for the planned TEMPUS experiments to positioning coils will produce only a weak melt circulation, while the heating coils are like to produce a mildly turbulent recirculating flow pattern within the samples. The computed results also allow us to assess the effect of sample size, material properties and the applied current on these phenomena.
3X DC-DC Multiplier/Divider for HEV Systems

This paper presents a bidirectional 3X dc-dc multiplier/divider that can interface the battery with the inverter dc bus for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) traction drives. Compared with traditional multi-level dc-dc converter, this converter can have three output/input voltage ratios with smooth transition. The control method to limit the transient inrush current, as well as a novel regenerative clamping circuit for multi-level dc-dc converters is provided in this paper. By utilizing the parasitic inductance or the minimum inductance from an air core inductor, the size and weight of the converter can be significantly reduced. Its magnetic-less feature and high efficiency provide the potential of the high temperature operation with the future wide bandgap devices. Experimental results are given to verify the operating principle and the design concepts of this topology.
Effect of Temperature, Photoperiod and Several Growth Substances on the Cold Hardiness of Chrysanthemum morifolium Rhizomes

The effect of 14 combinations of photoperiod, soil and air temperature, and growth substance applications on the cold hardiness of Chrysanthemum morifolium‘Astrid’ rhizomes was evaluated. Both triphenyl tetrazolium chloride and regrowth tests were used to determine the viability of the cold-stressed rhizome tissues. The rhizomes exhibited different degrees of cold hardiness under these environmental conditions. A combination of short photoperiod and low air and soil temperatures induced maximum cold hardiness. Low soil temperature accompanied by long photoperiods and warm aerial temperatures did not induce rhizome hardening, while some hardening in cool soils was evident under either short photoperiods or low aerial temperatures. Warm soils reduced rhizome hardening under the normally inductive short photoperiod-cool aerial conditions. Since the induction of rhizome hardening was dependent on the induction of the aerial organs, the involvement of translocatable hardiness promoters is indicated. Foliar applications of low levels of gibberllic acid (GA3) or abscisic acid only slightly influenced rhizome hardiness.
The existence of glycosylated and non-glycosylated forms of human submandibular amylase

Abstract Amylase was isolated from human submandibular-sublingual saliva by BioGel P-2 filtration, ammonium sulphate precipitation and DEAE-Sephadex chromatography. The purified enzyme was separated into isoenzyme families A and B on Bio-Gel P-100 and the families were compared with the corresponding families of human parotid amylase. The respective enzymes exhibited identical specific enzymatic activities and isoenzyme patterns on polyacrylamide disc gels. Family A of human submandibular amylase contained the equivalent of 6 moles of covalently linked neutral sugar per mole of enzyme as compared to 7 moles/mole for the parotid family A. Family B contained no carbohydrate. The proportion of submandibular amylase that is glycosylated (25 per cent) is the same as in the parotid. All α-amylases tested exhibited an unusual absorption spectrum with a maximum at 405 nm when reacted with the phenol-sulphuric acid reagent. The A families of both human parotid and submandibular amylases have an additional maximum at 485 nm, typical of glycoproteins. The B families do not exhibit the second maximum.
Improving efficiency of electrostatic precipitation by physicochemical modification of the electrical resistivity of flyash

Theory and experiment show that lowered resistivity of fly ash, frequently caused by adding conditioning agents to flue gas to improve efficiency of electrostatic precipitation, is caused by capillary condensation of liquid at the contact points of ash particles, thereby providing additional pathways for flow of electrical current.
Microstructure and dynamics of hydrogen in a-Si:H detected by nuclear magnetic resonance

A proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study of a-Si:H was carried out on both hydrogen-diluted and non-hydrogen-diluted device quality glow-discharge (GD) a-Si:H films. The main features of the proton spectrum are the previously reported line with a linewidth of a few kHz and a line with a linewidth > 25 kHz. However, the broader line is a superposition of two peaks, rather than a single peak. Spin-lattice relaxation time (T 1 ) measurements of the non-H-diluted a-Si:H indicate that the spectral component with the greatest width ( 80 kHz) relaxes about four times faster than the 35 kHz and the few kHz peaks. T 1 measurements cannot resolve components of the H-diluted a-Si:H spectrum and in that case the deviation from a single Gaussian function fitted to the 35 kHz line is much less. Above room temperature the intensity of the broadest line decreases whereas the narrow peak and a narrower portion of the broad peak increase in intensity. These spectral changes are reversible at temperatures < 200°C. The temperature dependence of the spectra is larger for the non-H-diluted sample. We speculate that the temperature dependence is related to the intensity of the broadest spectral component and that this component may be associated with isolated trapped molecular hydrogen.
Retrograde winds on Venus - Possible periodic variations

Spectroscopic observations of the differential Doppler shift in a CO2 absorption line on Venus show that the upper atmospheric wind near the equator appears to have both a retrograde motion of about -85 + or - 10 m/s (confirming previous results) and, in addition, a periodically varying component, with an amplitude of about 40 + or - 14 m/s and a period of 4.3 + or - 0.2 days.
Horizontal Accuracy Assessment of Global Positioning System Data from Common Smartphones

Smartphones have become ever-present in our lives since the launch of the Apple iPhone in 2007. Since then, the number of smartphones in use has climbed to over 1 billion worldwide. Many users are attracted to the myriad of apps that these devices offer, including location-based services (LBS) that allow users to track their current location. In this study we seek to establish some preliminary results concerning the horizontal accuracy of several common smartphones. Many of the devices used in this study represent several generations of the same device with developmental and technological upgrades differentiating them from one another. Location coordinate data were collected using volunteer students and their smartphones in the study and compared to RTK corrected benchmarks to assess horizontal accuracy. Each benchmark represented different types of local obstruction that have plagued traditional Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers for years. The objective is to create some preliminary results of sm...
Activity variations attending tungsten skarn formation, Pine Creek, California

An integrated geochemical analysis of the well-exposed Pine Creek, California tungsten skarn deposit has been undertaken to evaluate changes in chemical gradients across various lithologies. Thermodynamic calculations using available experimental and thermodynamic data allow limits to be assigned to the activities of important chemical components in the metasomatic environment. Quantifiable changes in “non-volatile” component activites (CaO, MgO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, WO3) and in fugacities (O2, F2) have been traced across the system. The activities of Al2O3, Fe2O3 and WO3 generally increase from the marble (<102, <10−6, <10−5 respectively), through the outer skarn zone and into the massive garnet skarn (10−1.7±0.3, 10−3.4±0.4, 10−4.8±0.1) While CaO and MgO activities decrease for the same traverse from 10−5 and 10−2.1±1 respectively, to <10−5.7 and <10−3. Calculated oxygen fugacities are 10−23.5+1.0 at T=800 K (527° C), about one log unit below QFM, and more reducing than that required by Mt-Py-Po. The high variance of the garnet-pyroxene-quartz assemblages adds sufficient uncertainty to the calculated activities for individual specimens that only the large-scale trends survive the small-scale scatter. None of the chemical variables emerge as major independent or controlling factors for the mineralogy or phase compositions. Changes in the activity of one component may be offset by compensatory changes in another resulting in an environment that, while different from Pine Creek, could still host scheelite mineralization. Mass balance calculations indicate that the exposed endoskarn cannot have supplied the necessary chemical components to convert the country rock to skarn.
A PREDICTIVE SCORE FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME (RDS)

A prognostic scoring system for infants with RDS was developed in an effort to better predict the need for the type of therapy that would be required. The differences of the means of 5 variables occurring in 100 infants treated from July 1974 to June 1975 were compared by the Student's “t” test for 3 treatment outcomes: 1) oxygen by hood (OBH); 2) continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP); 3) mechanical ventilation (MV). These 5 variables, 1) birthweight, 2) clinical RDS score, 3) FiO2, 4)pCO2, 5) pH were formated into a multivariate scoring system with a score ranging from a value of zero for mild disease to a value of ten for the severest condition. This was applied to 159 infants treated for RDS from July 1975 to June 1976. The mean scores were significantly different when therapy by OBH or CPAP were compared to MV. There was less striking difference when OBH was compared with CPAP When the various score levels were distributed according to the 3 therapeutic modalities it was seen that most of the patients with scores in the range of 0-2 did well with OBH or CPAP and only 8% required mechanical ventilation. On the other hand, of those infants scoring in the range of 7 or greater, 83% required MV and only 5% were treated with OBH only.
Effect of Supply Voltage Harmonics on IRP-Based Switching Compensator Control

The instantaneous reactive power (IRP) p-q theory is one of the major theoretical tools for the development of algorithms for generating reference signals for control of switching compensators, commonly known as active harmonic or power filters. This paper presents results of study on how the supply voltage harmonics affect the reference signal that is generated using the IRP approach. According to this approach, the compensator should also compensate, apart from the IRP, the alternating component of the instantaneous active power of the load. The paper, however, demonstrates that in the presence of the supply voltage harmonics, an ideal, unity-power-factor load has an instantaneous active power with a nonzero alternating component. According to the IRP-based approach, it should be compensated, and this requires that a distorted current be injected into the distribution system. Thus, the conclusion of the IRP p-q theory that the instantaneous active power of ideally compensated loads should be constant is generally not true. The currents' physical components (CPC) power theory is the main theoretical tool for the presented analysis.
Optimal target tracking strategy with controlled node mobility in mobile sensor networks

This paper is concerned with target tracking using a network of collaborative sensors. The objective is to compute (online) the desired sensing and communication radii of sensors as well as their location at each time instant, such that a set of prescribed specifications are achieved. These specifications include end-to-end connectivity preservation from the target to a fixed destination, while durability of sensors is maximized and the overall energy consumption is minimized. The problem is formulated as a constrained optimization, and a procedure is presented to solve it. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Thesaurus Building With Transitive Closures For Kadre

Currently there is a big thrust towards the development of automated, user-friendly online information retrieval systems, which are software packages that allow a user population to query and receive appropriate information that is stored in a computer data-base. Our research adopts a knowledge based approach to the design and development of KADRE (Knowledge Assisted Document Retrieval Expert), an experimental online document retrieval system. Knowledge based techniques allow us to incorporate some of an expert librarian's heuristic techniques into the retrieval process. We present the mathematical model of the retrieval system as a five step process and discuss the system thesaurus in some detail. Six different transitive closures of the relational matrix of term pairs are used to compute the thesaurus, and the retrieval output produced by these techniques are compared. Representation of the thesaurus as a transitive closure offers two very significant advan-tages: this method provides a means for completion of partial knowledge which is represented as numerical relational data; and the ensuing completion has a well defined property of (mathemati-cal) consistency.
Water sources for Georges Bank

Abstract The origins of Georges Bank source waters can be quantified by the oxygen isotope — salinity tracer. Regionally, water is “tagged” by freshwater of different H 2 18 O/H 2 16 O ratios, and these waters can subsequently be identified after mixing downstream. This conservative Lagrangian tracer of source waters is useful for tracking passive plankton and larvae that may be important to sustain the Georges Bank ecosystem. The origin of Georges Bank freshwater sources is primarily in the Gulf of St. Lawrence consisting of Labrador Shelf Water, which enters via the Strait of Belle Isle, and St. Lawrence River Water. These two mix with the underlying Slope Water in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and along the Scotian Shelf. At the Northeast Channel, the input to the Gulf of Maine, there is a single freshwater endmember consisting of 5.6% St. Lawrence River Water and 94.6% Labrador Shelf Water by volume. These proportions remained constant for the years 1995–1997. The water on central Georges Bank consists of a mixture of water entering the Northeast Channel with Gulf of Maine River outflow. There is considerable interannual variation in the Maine River Water proportion, ranging from 3.3% in 1982 to 0.23% by volume in 1996. During 1995–1998 there was no correlation between Georges Bank salinity, which decreased monotonically, and the proportion of Maine River Water on the Bank. The interannual fluctuations of salinity on Georges Bank are driven by variations in upstream Scotian Shelf sources and its mixing onto the Bank and not by changes in local river outflow.
Slow and Fast Light Propagation in Semiconductor Quantum Dots

The group velocity of a laser pulse in semiconductor quantum dots has been investigated and both slow and fast light propagation were observed experimentally. The phenomena will be explained directly in time-domain in this paper.
Light, color, and poetry

There exists such an abundance of visual poetry in nature in the realm of light and color, it would seem desirable to integrate our joyful appreciation of it with human designs. At our nonprofit organization of artists and designers, the Margaret Gate Institute, we have explored light and color concepts in order to beautify once barren, visually monotonous interiors, specifically in mental institutions. How we have brought our artistic and intuitive understanding of light and color to institutions follows.
Response to Drs. Diwakaran and Giacaman

TO THE EDITOR: We appreciate the opportunity given to us to reply to the comments made by Drs. Hari H. Diwakaran and Mike H. Giacaman and the interest generated by our article (1). The points raised and the criticisms are quite valid. Almost all the points raised by them are addressed in our follow-up study presented at the Annual Meeting of American College of Gastroenterology in October 2000. In the latter study, we have compared the safety and efficacy of propofol alone with the combination of midazolam and meperidine in 200 patients undergoing upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. All medications including propofol were administered by the gastroenterologists. The mean doses of propofol used were 70.6 30.7 mg (25–170 mg) for EGD and 75.1 40.7 mg (20–180 mg) for colonoscopy, whereas the mean doses of midazolam were 2.1 0.7 mg (1–4 mg) for EGD and 1.6 0.6 mg (0.5–4 mg) for colonoscopy, and those of meperidine were 27.5 10.8 mg (12.5–50 mg) for EGD and 38.7 12.9 mg (12.5–75) for colonoscopy. The results of the study are essentially the same demonstrating that propofol alone is a safe anesthetic agent that offers superior sedation when administered by the gastroenterologists with training in intravenous sedation. Our results showed that propofol use caused deeper sedation, had better objective, and similar subjective comfort scores. The ease of endoscopy, amnesia score, recovery from sedation, drop in blood pressure, and oxygen saturation were similar in both groups.
Hotel attribute performance, eWOM motivations, and media choice

Abstract The objectives of this study are to match the motivations for posting about hotel experiences with the online media chosen and to identify the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) motivations that are affected by hotel attribute performance. The results show that altruism and platform assistance motivations were positively correlated with consumer opinion sites. Extraversion, social benefits, and dissonance reduction were positively correlated with social network sites. Economic incentives did not improve the likelihood of posting eWOM on consumer opinion sites but reduced the likelihood of posting on social network sites. Finally, hotel attribute performance had a significant effect only on extraversion and dissonance reduction motivations.
Interpretation at the Nuremberg Trial

It is often argued that the first War Crimes Trial (Nuremberg Trial) could not have been possible without simultaneous interpretation. This notwithstanding, Nuremberg interpreters have been consistently ignored in the historical record. This paper seeks to do justice to the language personnel of the Nuremberg Trial, by presenting the people who brought interpretation to the Trial, the court interpreters themselves, and the effect that interpretation was perceived to have on the proceedings. For this paper I draw on historical official and unofficial documents of the Nuremberg Trial deposited in major national archives, as well as on personal communication with 12 interpreters who worked at the Trial in Nuremberg between 1945 and 1946.
Apparent universal behavior of fluctuation-induced diamagnetism in superconductors

The dependence on temperature and magnetic field of the diamagnetism due to fluctuations above ${T}_{c}$, while showing marked deviations from the behavior expected on the basis of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, appears to follow a universal behavior if one introduces a new characteristic field ${H}_{s}$, which may be expressed in terms of other known material-dependent parameters.
Constitutively Elevated Salicylic Acid Levels Alter Photosynthesis and Oxidative State but Not Growth in Transgenic Populus

Salicylic acid (SA) has long been implicated in plant responses to oxidative stress. SA overproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana leads to dwarfism, making in planta assessment of SA effects difficult in this model system. We report that transgenic Populus tremula × alba expressing a bacterial SA synthase hyperaccumulated SA and SA conjugates without negative growth consequences. In the absence of stress, endogenously elevated SA elicited widespread metabolic and transcriptional changes that resembled those of wild-type plants exposed to oxidative stress-promoting heat treatments. Potential signaling and oxidative stress markers azelaic and gluconic acids as well as antioxidant chlorogenic acids were strongly coregulated with SA, while soluble sugars and other phenylpropanoids were inversely correlated. Photosynthetic responses to heat were attenuated in SA-overproducing plants. Network analysis identified potential drivers of SA-mediated transcriptome rewiring, including receptor-like kinases and WRKY transcription factors. Orthologs of Arabidopsis SA signaling components NON-EXPRESSOR OF PATHOGENESIS-RELATED GENES1 and thioredoxins were not represented. However, all members of the expanded Populus nucleoredoxin-1 family exhibited increased expression and increased network connectivity in SA-overproducing Populus, suggesting a previously undescribed role in SA-mediated redox regulation. The SA response in Populus involved a reprogramming of carbon uptake and partitioning during stress that is compatible with constitutive chemical defense and sustained growth, contrasting with the SA response in Arabidopsis, which is transient and compromises growth if sustained.
Improved estimation in Lognormal regression models

Abstract Lognormal regression model with unknown error variance is considered. We give a class of estimators of the regression coefficients vector improving upon traditional estimator when the number of independent variables is at least three. The relationship between these estimators on one hand and James-Stein type estimators of the normal mean and improved estimators of the normal variance on another hand is discussed.
Fragmentation of Nanoparticle Soot Aggregates during Pulsed Laser Heating: A Combined SMPS, TEM, NEXAFS, and Modeling Study

Carbonaceous nanoparticles formed from laser-heated soot aggregates were studied using electric mobility sizing, transmission electron microscopy, and near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The results suggest that nanoparticle formation proceeds through volatilization/re-condensation of carbon clusters.
Effective-medium theory for the fracture of fractal porous media.

A general energy-balance theory is developed for the fracture of fractal porous media using an effective-medium approximation to couple the fracture resistance to the (fractal) mass distribution. The decreasing resistance field derived increases the size and rate of size increase of flaws under the influence of localized loading. A general destabilizing field associated with a uniform applied stress is presented and used to examine the strength behavior: Strength is predicted to scale with the dominant flaw size according to ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{0}\ensuremath{\sim}{c}_{0}^{\frac{(D\ensuremath{-}3\ensuremath{-}a)}{2}}$, where $D$ is the fractal dimension of the medium (3), and $a$ is an exponent characterizing the variation of the destabilizing field with crack length (g1). Hence, for a given distribution of flaw sizes, a porous fractal medium will exhibit lower, more variable strengths than a homogeneous medium.
Ductal Origin of the Pulmonary Artery in Isolation: A Case Series

We present three cases of ductal origin of a pulmonary artery in the absence of associated structural heart disease. No geographic or genetic explanation for the temporal occurrence of these cases could be identified. This series illustrates the importance of angiography in achieving an accurate diagnosis as well as appropriate surgical planning. An understanding of the embryologic origin of this lesion supports the strategic approach at catheterization as well as the surgical choice of interposition graft versus direct anastomosis. We report our experience and highlight diagnostic and surgical approaches to such patients based on the underlying embryology of this congenital cardiac anomaly.
Process variation analysis for MEMS design

Process variations, incurred during the fabrication stage of MEMS structures, may lead to substantially different performance than the nominal one. This is mainly due to the small variation of the geometry of the structure with respect to the ideal design. In this paper we propose an approach to estimate performance variations for general planar suspended MEMS structure for low frequency applications. This approach is based on two complementary techniques, one probabilistic and the other deterministic. The former technique, based on the Monte-Carlo method, defines a random distribution on the geometric variables and evaluates the possible outcome performance by sampling that distribution. The latter technique, based on robust optimization and semidefinite programming (SDP) approximations \cite{EOL:98}, finds bounds on performance parameters given the bounds on the geometric variables, i.e. it considers the worst case scenario. Both techniques have been integrated with SUGAR, a simulation tool for MEMS devices available to the public \cite{Zhou98} \cite{Sito}, and tested on different types of folded springs.
Electronic structure of Rydberg atoms in parallel electric and magnetic fields

The structure of the eigenstates of a hydrogen atom in parallel uniform electric and magnetic fields is investigated using high-order classical perturbation theory. The Kustaanheimo-Stiefel transformation is first used to convert the problem into an anharmonically perturbed four-dimensional isotropic oscillator. A canonical transformation to a set of extended ``Lissajous'' action-angle variables is then introduced that considerably simplifies the perturbation expansion, leading to a simple and compelling classification scheme for the eigenstates. Extended Lissajous action-angle variables allow the construction of rotational energy surfaces, which provide a compact geometrical picture that captures important details of the energy-level structure of the system.
Effects of DSP4 on the Noradrenergic Phenotypes and Its Potential Molecular Mechanisms in SH-SY5Y Cells

Dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH) and norepinephrine (NE) transporter (NET) are the noradrenergic phenotypes for their functional importance to noradrenergic neurons. It is known that in vivo N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP4) treatment induces degeneration of noradrenergic terminals by interacting with NET and depleting intracellular NE. However, DSP4’s precise mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study various biochemical approaches were employed to test the hypothesis that DSP4 down-regulates the expression of DBH and NET, and to determine molecular mechanisms that may be involved. The results showed that treatment of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells with DSP4 significantly decreased mRNA and protein levels of DBH and NET. DSP4-induced reduction of DBH mRNA and proteins, as well as NET proteins showed a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that DSP4-treated cells were arrested predominantly in the S-phase, which was reversible. The arrest was confirmed by several DNA damage response markers (phosphorylation of H2AX and p53), suggesting that DSP4 causes replication stress which triggers cell cycle arrest via the S-phase checkpoints. Moreover, the comet assay verified that DSP4 induced single-strand DNA breaks. In summary, the present study demonstrated that DSP4 down-regulates the noradrenergic phenotypes, which may be mediated by its actions on DNA replication, leading to replication stress and cell cycle arrest. These action mechanisms of DSP4 may account for its degenerative consequence after systematic administration for animal models.
Temporal evolution of plasma from a highly ionized helium capillary discharge

The generation of a highly ionized helium capillary plasma and the study of its temporal evolution are discussed. A 30-cm-long and 1-mm-diameter helium plasma was created with well-terminated kiloamp current pulses of 90-ns full width at half-maximum (FWHM). Emission spectroscopy was used to study the recombination of totally stripped ions into hydrogenic helium ions and to measure the evolution of the plasma density from the Stark broadening of HeII transitions. A 1.2-kA discharge current pulse was observed to create a plasma density of 8*10/sup 16/ cm/sup -3/ in 1 torr of helium. The maximum intensity of HeII transitions occurs in the afterglow of the discharge pulse, following the collisional recombination of totally stripped ions with plasma electrons when the plasma cools. The study is of interest in relation to the possibility of obtaining amplification in the 164.0-nm line of HeII in a capillary discharge. >
Bladder smooth muscle organ culture preparation maintains the contractile phenotype.

Smooth muscle cells, when subjected to culture, modulate from a contractile to a secretory phenotype. This has hampered the use of cell culture for molecular techniques to study the regulation of s...
Differential hormonal action of the bag cell neurons on the arterial system of Aplysia.

The peptide-secreting bag cell neurons ofAplysia californica activate a long-lasting, complex behavior called egg laying. During egg laying some organ systems (reproductive) are more active than others (digestive) suggesting that blood flow to these tissues may change in accordance with their activities during egg laying. To examine this possibility we used a semi-intact preparation of the three major arteries innervated by the abdominal ganglion. We found that electrically stimulated bursts of bag cell activity triggered a long-lasting (>1 h) increase in contractile activity in two arteries, the anterior and gastroesophageal, but did not affect contractions of the third (abdominal) artery. The arterial responses were not affected either in form or duration by denervation of the arteries, suggesting that the increase in contractile activity was mediated by hormonal actions of bag cell transmitters on vasoconstrictor muscles. In intact animals this differential action on the arterial system may cause a long-term decrease in blood flow to relatively inactive tissues (digestive and locomotory organs) while increasing circulation to tissues involved in egg production (ovotestis and oviduct).
Standard-Basis Operator Method in the Green's-Function Technique of Many-Body Systems with an Application to Ferromagnetism

A new formalism, using standard-basis matrix operators, is presented for the study of the collective excitations and the thermodynamic properties of an ensemble of identical interacting quantum-mechanical systems subsequently called "ions," each ion having discrete energy levels. A model Hamiltonian is formulated in terms of these operators. The Hamiltonian contains terms which express the interaction of the ion with the crystal field and the external fields as well as terms which arise from the mutual interaction of ions. Using the doubletime temperature-dependent Green's-function technique, the equations of motion of the Green's functions of standard-basis operators are developed in the random-phase decoupling approximation. It is demonstrated that the temperature-dependent correlation functions of standard-basis operators, which are obtained from associated spectral Green's functions, lead to a set of equations that can be solved for the occupation probabilities of the single-ion energy levels. Hence, one can calculate the thermal-average expectation value of any quantum-mechanical operator representing a microscopic observable of a single ion, or a pair of ions (correlations). An important feature of the standard-basis matrix-operator formalism is that the single-ion terms, such as crystal field, molecular field, or external fields, are always treated exactly in any Green's-function decoupling scheme. In contrast, Green's-function methods which use angular momentum operators often necessarily treat single-ion terms in a decoupling approximation. As an example, the general standard-basis operator theory is applied to the Heisenberg ferromagnet in the presence of uniaxial single-ion crystal-field anisotropy, which has received extensive theoretical attention previously, with widely varying results.
Diagnostic errors in neonatal polycythemia based on method of hematocrit determination

One of the major determinants of blood viscosity is the erythrocyte mass. Viscosity determinations are unavailable to most physicians caring for newborn infants, so venous hematocrit values are used to identify possible cases of neonatal hyperviscosity. 1, 2 In most studies of viscosity measurement in the neonate, hematocrit values were determined by microcentrifugation: -4 Penn et al 5 reported that hematocrit values >47%, as determined by an automated blood cell counter (Coulter counter), were significantly lower than those obtained by microcentrifugation on the same blood sample. The clinical implications of their findings for therapy for neonatal hyperviscosity syndrome are unclear, because whole blood viscosity was not determined in their study. In a random survey of neonatologists, we found that the majority (35/55) were using hematocrit values estimated by Coulter counter to diagnose and treat polycythemia. Our objective was to determine whether Coulter counter hematocrit or microcentrifugation (spun) hematocrit results are more accurate in the diagnosis of hyperviscosity syndrome. METHODS
Supersymmetric effects in polarized-e*-p scattering.

We study the polarization asymmetry in polarized-e/sup + -/p..-->..e/sup + -/X scattering in supersymmetric quantum chromodynamics (SQCD). The main SQCD correction comes from the scalar-quark contest of the proton, which leads to approx.10% and approx.15% corrections for ep colliders at DESY HERA (30 GeV x 820 GeV) and the Superconducting Super Collider (30 GeV x 20 TeV), respectively.
Spatially Varying Relationships of New Firm Formation in the United States

Cheng S. and Li H. Spatially varying relationships of new firm formation in the United States, Regional Studies. This paper seeks to examine spatially varying relationships between new firm formation and its determinants across US counties. A geographically weighted regression (GWR) technique is calibrated with firm birth data in ten separate industries over the period 2001–2003. Results of GWR analysis support the existence of spatially varying relationships and show significant local variations, in magnitudes and/or signs, of new business creation in all the ten sectors investigated. The local variations were masked in traditional ordinary least-squares (OLS) global analysis. This paper is also intended to inform policy-makers and professionals about location-specific relationships and reject ‘one-size-fits-all’ public policies. Cheng S. et Li H. La variation geographique des rapports de la creation des nouvelles entreprises aux Etats-Unis, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche a examiner la variation g...
Effect of radiation fog on the radiographic contrast of dental films.

Abstract An experiment has been described whereby density and contrast were measured on Kodak Ultra-Speed, Du Pont LF, and Du Pont Dl periapical dental films. The films were positioned beneath a water phantom which simulated the scattering of radiation by tissues of the face. A small lead shield was in contact with a portion of the film packet to provide an area of control (reference) density. Another portion of each film received the image of a lead disk which was suspended in the water at a distance of 25 mm. from the film. The remainder of the film was subjected to both primary and secondary (scattered) radiation. All films were processed with two brands of developers, namely, Du Pont Xtra Fast and Kodak Rapid. The results and their important implications in dental practice are as follows: 1. 1. Film speed was constant, despite the change in the brand of developer. 2. 2. Variation of the contrast, as a function of the developer, was within 10 per cent. 3. 3. By using Du Pont developer, a saving of 2 minutes in developing time can be gained without affecting film speed or radiographic contrast. 4. 4. There was no major difference in contrast between the film types used in this study. Therefore, high-speed dental films should be employed without fear of any major deleterious effect on image quality.
In Vitro Evaluation of the Effects of Ortho‐, Tripoly‐ and Hexametaphosphate on Zinc, Iron and Calcium Bioavailability

Effects of orthophosphate, tripolyphosphate and hexametaphosphate on zinc, iron and calcium availability were evaluated following in vitro peptic and peptic-pancreatic digestions. Solubility was used as an index of potential availability for zinc and calcium; both total soluble and ionized levels were considered for iron. Orthophos-phate depressed zinc solubility while both polyphosphates enhanced it. All three phosphates depressed ionized, but not total, soluble iron, with the greatest effect exerted by tripolyphosphate. Results indicate that effects of phosphates on zinc and iron availability may be predicted by their effects on soluble zinc and soluble ionic iron levels following in vitro digestions. Effects on calcium availability were not explained by this method.
The Δ9 Fatty Acid Desaturation Index as a Predictor of Metabolic Disease

There is a tremendous need for improved biomarkers that can be used in the clinical setting to aid in the early detection of metabolic diseases. Of particular interest is the metabolic syndrome, or insulin resistance syndrome, a condition that is often clinically diagnosed as a cluster of risk factors including abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol, hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, and increased fasting glucose (1)(2). This constellation of phenotypes greatly increases the risk for the development of chronic conditions such as diabetes and several cardiovascular diseases. The root cause of the metabolic syndrome is insulin resistance, a condition in which the pancreas increases insulin secretion to compensate for the decreased ability of insulin-sensitive tissues to perform insulin-stimulated glucose uptake to maintain euglycemia (1). Therefore, the development of new tests that focus on the early detection of insulin resistance could help identify at-risk patients so that the benefits of lifestyle and pharmacological interventions can be maximized and progression to overt metabolic disease can be prevented. Insulin resistance is not limited to defects in carbohydrate metabolism, but is also associated with major perturbations in lipid metabolism (2). For example, adipocytes increase the release of free fatty acids (FFA)1 into the circulation, resulting in subsequent FFA uptake by the liver and other peripheral tissues, processes that may further exacerbate insulin resistance (2)(3). Although hepatic insulin resistance contributes to hyperglycemia by causing an inappropriate elevation in hepatic glucose production, the branch of insulin signaling responsible for stimulating de novo fatty acid biosynthesis in the liver remains intact (2)(4). Additionally, high-carbohydrate diets, especially those enriched in rapidly absorbed refined carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose, are able to potently stimulate de novo lipogenesis (DNL) (5). The effects of insulin and dietary carbohydrate occur via the transcriptional activation of …
Building a requirement fault taxonomy: experiences from a NASA verification and validation research project

Fault-based analysis is an early lifecycle approach to improving software quality by preventing and/or detecting pre-specified classes of faults prior to implementation. It assists in the selection of verification and validation techniques that can be applied in order to reduce risk. This paper presents our methodology for requirements-based fault analysis and its application to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) projects. The ideas presented are general enough to be applied immediately to the development of any software system. We built a NASA-specific requirement fault taxonomy and processes for tailoring the taxonomy to a class of software projects or to a specific project. We examined requirement faults for six systems, including the International Space Station (ISS), and enhanced the taxonomy and processes. The developed processes, preliminary tailored taxonomies for critical/catastrophic high-risk (CCHR) systems, preliminary fault occurrence data for the ISS project, and lessons learned are presented and discussed.
A Small School Ventures into the World of the CWIS.

By the fall of 1992, Kenyon College, a liberal arts school of 1,500 students in Gambier, Ohio, had just completed its campus network infrastructure, which provided network access to virtually all campus buildings. The campus community was communicating via e‐mail and beginning to share much information electronically. The time was ripe for Kenyon to consider how to utilize this new environment to more fully integrate its wide variety of information resources into a campus‐wide information system, or CWIS.
On the convergence of block relaxation methods for circuit simulation

The authors developed sufficient conditions for the convergence of several block relaxation methods. They first consider time-point relaxation methods, namely the block Gauss-Seidel-Newton (G-S-N) and the block Newton-Gauss-Seidel (N-G-S) algorithms. The previously known sufficient condition for convergence of the G-S-N and the N-G-S algorithms requires: (1) a capacitor connected between every node in the circuit and the reference ground node: and (2) the choice of a sufficiently small time step for the implicit integration formula used to discretize (in time) the circuit equations. The authors derive a sufficient condition that is less restrictive than (1) above. For a given partitioning of a circuit, they define a set (possibly empty) of feedback nodes that capture the topology of the partitioned circuit to a certain extent. They then show that the G-S-N and the N-G-S algorithms converge. >