cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of hydriding-dehydriding cycles on the plateau pressures and van't Hoff plots for PdNi alloys

Abstract Pd and its alloys that form hydride phases exhibit hysteresis. It has been observed that if PdNi alloys have been hydrided and then dehydrided a number of times, “cycled”, at moderate temperatures, the hysteresis is reduced. After the Pd 0.91 Ni 0.09 alloy had been cycled until its isotherms no longer changed, isotherms at other temperatures were measured. It was found for the cycled alloy that hysteresis is appreciable at 273 K and small at 343 K. The van't Hoff plots are affected by this changing hysteresis and consequently the derived thermodynamic parameters are also affected. If, instead of employing an alloy that had been cycled, virgin alloys, i.e. annealed ones, are employed for each temperature, the hysteresis is more constant and the resulting van't Hoff plots are more linear. The enthalpy has also been measured by reaction calorimetry for comparison with the values from the van't Hoff plots.
Nonequilibrium dynamics of a two-channel Kondo system due to a quantum quench

Recent experiments by Potok et al. have demonstrated a remarkable tunability between a single-channel Fermi-liquid fixed point and a two-channel non-Fermi-liquid fixed point. Motivated by this we study the nonequilibrium dynamics due to a sudden quench of the parameters of a Hamiltonian from a single-channel to a two-channel anisotropic Kondo system. We find a distinct difference between the long-time behavior of local quantities related to the impurity spin as compared to that of bulk quantities related to the total (conduction electrons plus impurity) spin of the system. In particular, the local impurity spin and the local spin susceptibility are found to equilibrate but in a very slow power-law fashion which is peculiar to the non-Fermi-liquid properties of the Hamiltonian. In contrast, we find a lack of equilibration in the two-particle expectation values related to the total spin of the system.
Direct picosecond time resolution of dissipative intramolecular vibrational-energy redistribution (IVR) in isolated molecules

Direct picosecond time resolution of dissipative IVR is reported for the first time. For jet-cooled anthracene with E_(vib) = 1792 cm^(−1), the unrelaxed fluorescence displays a fast decay of ≈75 ps, while the relaxed fluorescence displays a corresponding rise. The onset for dissipative IVR is related to the effective density of states and coupling matrix elements, and reflects the importance of time-resolved measurements.
Alloreactive killer cells: hindrance and help for haematopoietic transplants

Haematopoietic-cell transplantation is a treatment for leukaemia and lymphoma. To reduce the incidence of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) caused by transplanted T cells, donors and recipients are HLA matched. For patients for whom a matched donor is not available, one option is transplantation from an HLA-mismatched relative who shares one HLA haplotype. This procedure is distinguished by the use of a stronger conditioning regimen for the patient and of a T-cell-depleted graft containing numerous stem cells. After transplantation, natural killer cells are prevalent, and they can include alloreactive cells that kill tumour cells and prevent GVHD. The alloreactions seem to be determined by the mismatched HLA class I ligands and their killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptors.
Plasma cortisol correlates of impulsivity and substance abuse

Abstract Biological models of impulsivity frequently propose the concept of ‘trait low arousal’ as an explanation for the sensation-seeking and rule-breaking behavior observed in such individuals. In this work, baseline activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as measured by plasma cortisol, was selected to test for the relationship between impulsivity and HPA-axis arousal. In addition, differences in plasma cortisol between patients with a current diagnosis of substance abuse and normal controls were sought. Fifty-three subjects (medication free averaging 10 weeks) and 20 normal controls comprised the sample assessed. Impulsivity was measured by a subscale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory. Plasma cortisol was drawn at 8:00 a.m. after an overnight fast. Results showed that the substance abusers had a significantly lower level of plasma cortisol than the controls. Moreover, within the control group cortisol was negatively correlated with impulsivity. The findings suggest that the HPA-axis may furnish a useful signal to test arousal models of personality and behavior.
Matrix membrane big bangs and D-brane production

We construct matrix membrane theory in $pp$ wave backgrounds that have a null linear dilaton in Type IIB string theory. Such backgrounds can serve as toy models of big bang cosmologies. At late times only Abelian degrees of freedom survive, and if the Kaluza-Klein modes along one of the directions of the membrane decouple, standard perturbative strings emerge. Near the ``big bang'', non-Abelian configurations of fuzzy ellipsoids are present, as in the Type IIA theories. A generic configuration of these shrink to zero volume at late times. However, the Kaluza-Klein modes (which can be thought of as states of $(p,q)$ strings in the original IIB theory) can be generically produced in pairs in both $pp$ wave and flat backgrounds in the presence of time dependence. Indeed, if we require that at late times the theory evolves to the perturbative string vacuum, these modes must be prepared in a squeezed state with a thermal distribution at early times.
Shakespeare's Macbeth and Post-Reformation Desire

This essay won the 2007 Literature Compass Graduate Essay Prize, Shakespeare Section. The essay analyzes the way in which post-Reformation concerns and uncertainties are dramatized in Shakespeare's Macbeth, in particular through the play's treatment of language. The essay argues that the Reformation's eradication of some of the more tangible aspects of worship results in a lasting concern about the status of religion in general, and of language in particular. Shakespeare's 1606 play, through its complex depiction of language, showcases the risks and consequences of attempting to endow language with any kind of ‘tangibility’. In the case of the protagonist, such attempts consist of trying to bridge the perilous gap between word and action. Macbeth's obsession with the intangibility of language, the essay ultimately argues, contributes greatly to his downfall. Macbeth continuously – and disastrously – attempts to turn linguistic ‘surmise’ into fact. In doing so, he expresses a type of post-Reformation desire that is subversive (in its emphasis on the tangible and concrete), and must therefore be eradicated.
Monitoring DPA Release from a Single Germinating Bacillus subtilis Endospore via Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Microscopy

A method for monitoring DPA release from a single germinating Bacillus subtilis endospore is reported. High S/N ratio SERS spectra were obtained with excitation power 3 mW at 647.1 nm and 1 min spectral collection times. The method is proof-of-principle for the SERS detection limit at the single spore level. This represents a 100- to 1000-fold improvement over previously reported detection limits for SERS-based measurements of DPA in endospores.
A Subjective Assessment of Medical Student Perceptions on Animal Models in Medical Education

Background There remains increasing societal pressure to limit the use of animals in medical education. The purpose of this study was to explore the subjective perceptions that medical students exposed to an animal model curriculum feel about the laboratory and its continued use. Methods A 6-month prospective study was performed during the medical college core surgical clerkship. Medical students participated in both a trainer-based simulation workshop (dry laboratory) and a live-tissue animal laboratory (wet laboratory) in addition to their operative experience. Students completed a 23-question Likert survey at the end of the surgical clerkship. Data were compared using the chi-square test. Results More students reported increased subjective stress levels in the wet laboratory (32.4%) compared with the dry laboratory (5.4%, p 90%) felt the wet laboratory was an important experience and should be continued. Conclusions The results of this study show a subjective benefit perceived by medical students when it comes to participation in an animal laboratory during their surgical clerkship. As such, over 90% of participating medical students feel the animal laboratory is important in medical education and should be continued in their surgical curriculum.
The TickerTAIP parallel RAID architecture

Traditional disk arrays have a centralized architecture, with a single controller through which all requests flow. Such a controller is a single point of failure, and its performance limits the maximum number of disks to which the array can scale. We describe TickerTAIP, a parallel architecture for disk arrays that distributes the controller functions across several loosely coupled processors. The result is better scalability, fault tolerance, and flexibility.This article presents the TickerTAIP architecture and an evaluation of its behavior. We demonstrate the feasibility by a working example, describe a family of distributed algorithms for calculating RAID parity, discuss techniques for establishing request atomicity, sequencing, and recovery, and evaluate the performance of the TickerTAIP design in both absolute terms and by comparison to a centralized RAID implementation. We also analyze the effects of including disk-level request-scheduling algorithms inside the array. We conclude that the Ticker TAIP architectural approach is feasible, useful, and effective.
Polarized photoluminescence from point emitters in ordered Ga x In 1 − x P

A wide-field microphotoluminescence study of ordered ${\text{Ga}}_{x}{\text{In}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}\text{P}$ reveals spatially isolated submicron emission centers that emit in a spectral band 20 meV below previously studied PL features. The density of these centers is correlated with the presence of sharp PL lines reported in the low-energy PL band. Polarization analysis shows that many centers are very highly linearly polarized, contrary to models of quantum disks aligned at antiphase boundaries normal to the ordering direction. Orientations of the linearly polarized centers are found in some cases to be highly aligned along specific crystal directions that are not simply related to ordering.
Enhanced error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements for testing WLAN transceivers

As wireless LAN devices become more prevalent in the consumer electronics market, there is an ever increasing pressure to reduce their overall cost. The test cost of such devices is an appreciable percentage of the overall cost, which typically results from the high number of specifications, the high number of distinct test set-ups and equipment pieces that need to be used, and the high cost of each test set-up. In this paper, we investigate the versatility of EVM measurements to test the variable-envelope WLAN (Wireless Local Area Networks) receiver and transmitter characteristics. The goal is to optimize EVM test parameters (input data and test limits) and to reduce the number of specification measurements that require high test times and/or expensive test equipment. Our analysis shows that enhanced EVM measurements(optimized data sequence and limits, use of RMS, scale, and phase error vector values) in conjunction with a set of simple path measurements (input-output impedances) can provide the desired fault coverage while eliminating lengthy spectrum mask and noise figure tests
Near realtime visualization of coastal modelling results with WMS and Google Maps

The SCOOP (SURA (Southeastern Universities Research Association) Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction, http://scoop.sura.org) project promotes the effective and rapid fusion of observed oceanographic data with numerical models and facilitates the rapid dissemination of information from across the United States and Canada; a heterogenous workflow amongst many universities in the southeastern United States based on distributed computational Grids has been built to vizualize and integrate hydrodynamic model results and observational data of tropical and subtropical cyclones in the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico.
Structures of Mammalian and Bacterial Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase Reveal the Basis for Synergism in AMP/Fructose 2,6-Bisphosphate Inhibition.

Fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) operates at a control point in mammalian gluconeogenesis, being inhibited synergistically by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2) and AMP. AMP and Fru-2,6-P2 bind to allosteric and active sites, respectively, but the mechanism responsible for AMP/Fru-2,6-P2 synergy is unclear. Demonstrated here for the first time is a global conformational change in porcine FBPase induced by Fru-2,6-P2 in the absence of AMP. The Fru-2,6-P2 complex exhibits a subunit pair rotation of 13° from the R-state (compared with the 15° rotation of the T-state AMP complex) with active site loops in the disengaged conformation. A three-state thermodynamic model in which Fru-2,6-P2 drives a conformational change to a T-like intermediate state can account for AMP/Fru-2,6-P2 synergism in mammalian FBPases. AMP and Fru-2,6-P2 are not synergistic inhibitors of the Type I FBPase from Escherichia coli, and consistent with that model, the complex of E. coli FBPase with Fru-2,6-P2 remains in the R-state with dynamic loops in the engaged conformation. Evidently in porcine FBPase, the actions of AMP at the allosteric site and Fru-2,6-P2 at the active site displace engaged dynamic loops by distinct mechanisms, resulting in similar quaternary end-states. Conceivably, Type I FBPases from all eukaryotes may undergo similar global conformational changes in response to Fru-2,6-P2 ligation.
Electron microscopic autoradiography of the uptake of [3H]GABA in dispersed cell cultures of rat cerebellums. I. The morphology of the GABAergic synapse.

Dispersed cell cultures of rat cerebellums 21 days in vitro were incubated in saline containing 0.5 μ M [3H]GABA for 5 min, fixed and prepared for electron microscopic autoradiography. Quantitative methods for analyzing the resulting autoradiographs were developed to distinguish lightly labeled neurons from heavily labeled (i.e. GABAergic) neurons. After a 3 week exposure, 2% of the presynaptic elements were found to be GABAergic. A longer incubation time of 15 min resulted in a greatly increased grain density over lightly labeled neurons, making it more difficult to distinguish them from the GABAergic neurons. When the concentration of [3H]GABA was increased to 1.0 μ M, the grain densities over both GABAergic and other neurons increased to a similar extent. The morphology of the GABAergic synapses differed from that of the total population synapses. The GABAergic synapses had larger cross-sectional areas, lower densities of vesicles, greater numbers of vesicles, and thinner postsynaptic densities. Both the GABAergic and total population had similar lengths of the postsynaptic densities, cleft widths, vesicle sizes and types of postsynaptic elements. The morphology of the GABAergic synapse reported here is similar to that described for basket and stellate presynaptic elements in vivo.
Database relaxation: an approach to query processing in incomplete databases

Abstract This article discusses a query processor to deal with incomplete information in a database. We suggest using the relaxed database , which is an abstraction from the original database, as a basis for a front-end query processor. The purposes of the relaxed database are twofold: first, to restrict the number of the objects to be processed in a query, and second, to aid the interpretation of a query.
Transitivity and lexical cohesion: Press representations of a political disaster and its actors

Abstract Using The New York Times’ and China Daily's reports of the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Yugoslavia in May 1999 as examples, this article aims to unravel the processes of representing the event and its social actors in news texts. The article focuses on investigating the relations between choices of certain linguistic forms and the ideologies and power relations which underlie such forms. Guided by assumptions of critical discourse analysis and drawing on the analytical framework offered in Michael Halliday's Systemic Functional Grammar, the article examines two dimensions of clause grammar: transitivity and lexical cohesion, which may be respectively associated with the ideational and textual functions of language. By analyzing aspects of clause grammar related to these two dimensions of language in news texts of different ideological orientations, the article shows that interpretations of the NATO bombing and of the roles of social actors involved in the bombing event are constructed in the specific choices that each newspaper makes in the two dimensions of text organization.
The Effect of Restricted Feed Intake on Egg Weight, Egg Production, and Body Weight

Abstract MANY investigators have reported on several factors that influence, or are associated with, egg weight in the domestic fowl, but apparently little attention has been paid to the possible effect of limited feed intake. If a laying hen were not to receive all of the feed that she would normally consume, would such a feeding method result in a decrease in the total number of eggs laid, a decrease in the average weight of the eggs produced, a decrease in her body weight, or in all three? Two experiments were conducted at the Southwest Poultry Experiment Station, Glendale, Arizona, to determine the effect of limited feeding upon egg production and weight, and upon body weight of the pullets. Since the method of selecting the fowls and some other phases of the experimental procedure were different in the two experiments, they will be discussed separately. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE COMMON TO BOTH EXPERIMENTS
Sport as Ethnic Boundary Maintenance: A Case of the American Indian

An ethnic group's members select and translate into social boundaries cultural behaviors that support the group's values. By using sport contact situations between Navajo Indians and Euro-Americans...
Use of an optical clearing agent during noninvasive laser coagulation of the canine vas deferens, ex vivo and in vivo

Development of a noninvasive vasectomy technique may eliminate male fear of complications and result in a more popular procedure. This study explores application of an optical clearing agent (OCA) to the scrotal skin to reduce both the laser power necessary for successful noninvasive laser vasectomy and the probability of scrotal skin burns. A mixture of DMSO/glycerol was noninvasively delivered into the scrotal skin using a Madajet. Near-infrared laser radiation with a range of average powers (7.0-11.7 W) was delivered in conjunction with a range of cryogen spray cooling rates (0.20-0.33 Hz) to the skin surface in a canine model, ex vivo and in vivo. Burst pressure (BP) measurements were conducted to quantify the strength of vas closure. A 30-min application of the OCA improved skin transparency by 26 ± 5 %, reducing the average power necessary for successful noninvasive laser vasectomy from 9.2 W without OCA (BP = 291 ± 31 mmHg) to 7.0 W with OCA (BP = 292 ± 19 mmHg). Control studies without OCA at 7.0 W failed to coagulate the vas with burst pressures (82 ± 28 mmHg) significantly below typical ejaculation pressures (136 ± 29 mmHg). Application of an optical clearing agent reduced the laser power necessary for successful noninvasive thermal coagulation of the vas by approximately 25%. This technique may result in the use of a less expensive laser system and eliminate the formation of scrotal skin burns during the procedure.
Can critically timed sleep deprivation be useful in pregnancy and postpartum depressions

Abstract Background : The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of critically timed sleep deprivation in major mood disorders (MMD) occurring during pregnancy and postpartum. Methods : Nine women who met DSM-IV criteria for a MMD with onset during pregnancy or within 1 year postpartum underwent a trial of either early-night sleep deprivation (ESD), in which they were sleep deprived in the early part of one night and slept from 03:00–07:00 h, or late-night sleep deprivation (LSD), in which they were deprived of sleep in the latter part of one night and slept from 21:00–01:00 h. Mood was assessed before the night of sleep deprivation, after the night of sleep deprivation, and after a night of recovery sleep (sleep 22:30–06:30 h) by trained clinicians, blind to treatment condition, using standardized scales. Results : More patients responded to LSD (nine of 11 trials: 82%) compared with ESD (two of six trials: 33%) and they responded more after a night of recovery sleep (nine of 11 nights: 82%) than after a night of sleep deprivation (six of 11 nights: 55%). Pregnant women were the only responders to ESD and the only nonresponders to LSD. Limitations : The small and heterogeneous sample size prevents us from making more definitive conclusions based on statistical analyses. Conclusions : Although the findings are preliminary, the results suggest that with further study, critically timed sleep deprivation interventions may benefit women with pregnancy or postpartum major mood disorders and potentially provide a viable alternative treatment modality for those women who are not candidates for pharmacologic or psychotherapeutic interventions. Such interventions are needed to help prevent the devastating effects of depression during pregnancy and the postpartum period on the mother, infant, her family and society.
The phosphoinositide-dependent kinase, PDK-1, phosphorylates conventional protein kinase C isozymes by a mechanism that is independent of phosphoinositide 3-kinase.

Phosphorylation by the phosphoinositide-dependent kinase, PDK-1, is required for the activation of diverse members of the AGC family of protein kinases, including the protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes. Here we explore the subcellular location of the PDK-1-mediated phosphorylation of conventional PKCs, and we address whether this phosphorylation is regulated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Pulse-chase experiments reveal that newly synthesized endogenous PKC α is primarily phosphorylated in the membrane fraction of COS-7 cells, where it is processed to a species that is phosphorylated at the activation loop and at two carboxyl-terminal positions. This "mature" species is then released into the cytosol. Deletion of the plekstrin homology domain of PDK-1 results in a 4-fold increase in the rate of processing of PKC indicating an autoinhibitory role for this domain. Autoinhibition by the plekstrin homology domain is not relieved by binding 3′-phosphoinositides; PKC is phosphorylated at a similar rate in serum-treated cells and serum-starved cells treated with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitors, LY294002 and wortmannin. Under the same conditions, the PDK-1-catalyzed phosphorylation of another substrate, Akt/protein kinase B, is abolished by these inhibitors. Our data are consistent with a model in which PDK-1 phosphorylates newly synthesized PKC by a mechanism that is independent of 3′-phosphoinositides.
One-shot scanning using De Bruijn spaced grids

In this paper we present a new “one-shot” method to reconstruct the shape of dynamic 3D objects and scenes based on active illumination. In common with other related prior-art methods, a static grid pattern is projected onto the scene, a video sequence of the illuminated scene is captured, a shape estimate is produced independently for each video frame, and the one-shot property is realized at the expense of space resolution. The main challenge in grid-based one-shot methods is to engineer the pattern and algorithms so that the correspondence between pattern grid points and their images can be established very fast and without uncertainty. We present an efficient one-shot method which exploits simple geometric constraints to solve the correspondence problem. We also introduce De Bruijn spaced grids, a novel grid pattern, and show with strong empirical data that the resulting scheme is much more robust compared to those based on uniform spaced grids.
Effect of hemodialysis on oxygen-hemoglobin affinity in chronic uremics.

P50, plasma pH, red cell pH, 2,3-DPG, ATP, lactate, pyruvate, and glycolytic rate were measured before and after hemodialysis in 25 patients on chronic hemodialysis. The prehemodialysis—resting 2,3-DPG level and P50 were elevated in accordance with the degree of anemia. The resting lactate and glycolytic rate were mildly elevated. Plasma and red cell pH increased significantly with dialysis. The in vivo P50 decreased significantly, whereas the in vitro P50, 2,3-DPG, and ATP levels remained constant. The fall in the in vivo P50 can be attributed entirely to the rise in red cell pH or Bohr effect. The decrease in the in vivo P50 during hemodialysis may transiently impair tissue oxygen delivery in these patients. Marked shifts in pH, especially into the alkalemic range, should be minimized, particularly in patients undergoing frequent or prolonged hemodialysis.
Paper and voice MAYSI-2: format comparability and concordance with the voice DISC-IV.

The authors examine the comparability of paper and voice formats of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Second Version (MAYSI-2) as well as each format’s concordance with the Voice Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC) among adjudicated youth. Comparability is assessed among 248 youths admitted to a South Carolina Assessment Center. Mean scores and alpha coefficients are calculated, and area under the curve and positive and negative predictive values are used to compare concordance to the DISC. Paper and voice formats are significantly correlated, have similar alpha coefficients, and have comparable concordance with the DISC, suggesting that the MAYSI-2 paper and voice formats are comparable instruments. The voice format may be preferable to the paper format for screening justice youth for mental health problems because it may reduce incomplete data and increase reporting of stigmatized behaviors and because of its ability to automatically generate scored reports and aggregate data.
Impairments in primate information processing resulting from nitrogen narcosis.

Abstract When air is breathed under enhanced atmospheric pressure, reliable but ill-defined performance deficits occur on a variety of tasks. These deficits, collectively defined as nitrogen narcosis, were studied in the present research to determine whether specific dysfunctions in mechanisms necessary for accurate processing of sensory information are involved. Three Rhesus monkeys performed highly trained visual discrimination tasks while breathing air at normal atmospheric pressure, or the sea water equivalent of 200 ft. (61 M). It was found that (a) performance on the visual discrimination tasks suffered significant deficits at 200 ft., (b) the impairments were reliably greater when the visual discrimination was more difficult to make, (c) greater time was spent in looking at the stimuli per response under pressure, suggesting that more time may have been necessary to process the visual information, and (d) the degree of impairment could be significantly decreased by increasing the stimulus presentation time prior to when the choice response was made. These data were interpreted as demonstrating that mechanisms necessary for the processing of visual stimulus information are impaired under hyperbaric conditions, and that these dysfunctions may be a primary source of those performance impairments associated with nitrogen narcosis.
Diel patterns of preferred temperature and locomotor activity in the goldfish Carassius auratus

Abstract 1. 1. Goldfish thermoregulating in an electronic shuttlebox device exhibited a bimodal (crepuscular) rhythm of locomotor activity (peaks at the beginning and end of the dark period) and a unimodal (nocturnal) peak of preferred temperature during the latter half of the dark period. 2. 2. There was no direct relationship between temperature and activity level within the preferred-temperature range of 26–30°C. 3. 3. The preferred temperature peak (29.7°C) occurred at a time (“pre-dawn”) most conducive to increase in body weight and gonosomatic index in goldfish subjected to an exogenously cycled thermal regime.
Economic, Social and Educational Reform in China and the Implications for Management Education and Development

The People's Republic of China (PRC) is well known as the world's most populous country and the third largest in geographical mass. China is also viewed as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with annual growth in real Gross National Product (GNP) averaging nine per cent to 1992 (Economist, 1992) and 12.5% each year between the end of 1992 and 1995 (CEWC, 1995). In view of this, and despite the western backlash which followed the events in Tienanmen Square in 1989, American and European companies have not been reluctant to invest in China, both directly and through joint ventures.
Quantum Nature of the Big Bang

Some long-standing issues concerning the quantum nature of the big bang are resolved in the context of homogeneous isotropic models with a scalar field. Specifically, the known results on the resolution of the big-bang singularity in loop quantum cosmology are significantly extended as follows: (i) the scalar field is shown to serve as an internal clock, thereby providing a detailed realization of the ``emergent time'' idea; (ii) the physical Hilbert space, Dirac observables, and semiclassical states are constructed rigorously; (iii) the Hamiltonian constraint is solved numerically to show that the big bang is replaced by a big bounce. Thanks to the nonperturbative, background independent methods, unlike in other approaches the quantum evolution is deterministic across the deep Planck regime.
Measuring the Speed of Sound through Gases Using Nitrocellulose

Measuring the heat capacity ratios, γ, of gases either through adiabatic expansion or sound velocity is a well-established physical chemistry experiment. The most accurate experiments depend on an exact determination of sound origin, which necessitates the use of lasers or a wave generator, where time zero is based on an electrical trigger. Other experiments use loudspeakers as the sound source, which eliminates the ability to accurately measure time zero of sound generation. To date, experimental heat capacity ratio data have been reported for measurements at room temperature. We have designed an apparatus to directly measure the speed of sound generated as a result of nitrocellulose ignition via two microphones. Our experimental design also provides the ability to measure the speed of sound at various temperatures and thus determine the heat capacity ratio as a function of temperature. When implemented in a junior-level physical chemistry laboratory course, students learned to use equipment with which t...
Role of P30 in host immunity and pathogenesis of T. gondii infection

Many studies regarding the immunology of Toxoplasma gondii have been published in recent years. The role of various parasite antigens in the pathogenesis or immunogenicity of the T. gondii is currently being explored in a number of laboratories as discussed in this forum. Most work has concentrated on studies involving either the surface antigens (SAG) or excreted/secreted antigens (reviewed by Cesbron-Delauw) of the parasite. Our laboratory has been involved in studying the immune response to the major radioiodinated surface membrane protein of T. gondii. This protein called P30 (SAG-l) has a molecular weight of 30 kDa and appears to have an important role in both immune and pathogenic mechanisms of the parasite.
Obtaining confidence intervals for Cpk using percentiles of the distribution of Ĉp

Ĉpk is used as an estimate of process capability and can reflect performance degradation due to both shifts in the process mean and variability. Exact upper and lower confidence limits for the actual parameter value are elusive. Objections to existing estimators focus on two areas: the difficulty of executing the needed computations and the excessive widths of those confidence bounds. The CPE estimator (so called since it relies on Ĉp ) which we derive in this paper is formed by simply multiplying Ĉpk by a value from the inverse chi-square distribution. A PASCAL computer program is supplied which generates those percentiles. Our CPE is compared via simulation to other estimators and is shown to be the preferred selection in most cases by providing the requisite probability coverage and narrow interval widths. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Activation of DNA‐Dependent Protein Kinase May Play a Role in Apoptosis of Human Neuroblastoma Cells

Treating SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells with 1 microM staurosporine resulted in a three- to fourfold higher DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) activity compared with untreated cells. Time course studies revealed a biphasic effect of staurosporine on DNA-PK activity: an initial increase that peaked by 4 h and a rapid decline that reached approximately 5-10% that of untreated cells by 24 h of treatment. Staurosporine induced apoptosis in these cells as determined by the appearance of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation and punctate nuclear morphology. The maximal stimulation of DNA-PK activity preceded significant morphological changes that occurred between 4 and 8 h (40% of total number of cells) and increased with time, reaching 70% by 48 h. Staurosporine had no effect on caspase-1 activity but stimulated caspase-3 activity by 10-15-fold in a time-dependent manner, similar to morphological changes. Similar time-dependent changes in DNA-PK activity, morphology, and DNA fragmentation occurred when the cells were exposed to either 100 microM ceramide or UV radiation. In all these cases the increase in DNA-PK activity preceded the appearance of apoptotic markers, whereas the loss in activity was coincident with cell death. A cell-permeable inhibitor of DNA-PK, OK-1035, significantly reduced staurosporine-induced punctate nuclear morphology and DNA fragmentation. Collectively, these results suggest an intriguing possibility that activation of DNA-PK may be involved with the induction of apoptotic cell death.
Implantation and ion beam mixing in thin film analysis

Abstract In thin film analyses obtained using sputtering techniques, primary ion implantation and ion beam mixing effects frequently produce significant alteration of the substrate before it can be sampled by the sputtering front. The present state of qualitative and quantitative understanding of these effects is discussed, with particular reference to: ion yield matrix effects and interface transients in secondary ion mass spectrometry, reduction of overlayer sputter rates due to ion beam mixing, the role of ion beam mixing in preferential sputtering, and the use of ion beam mixing to allow quantitative analysis of interfacial layers.
An experimental investigation of the free vibration of thin cylindrical shells with discrete longitudinal stiffening

Abstract An experimental vibrational analysis was performed on four different freely-supported circular cylindrical shells: a shell with a welded seam, a uniform shell, a shell with one longitudinal stiffener, and a shell with two longitudinal stiffeners 90° apart. The experimental results are compared with an analysis developed by Egle and Sewall which utilizes the modes of the unstiffened shell in a Rayleigh-Ritz solution to the problem. For a stiffened shell, the theory predicts two resonances (one associated with a symmetric circumferential mode and the other with an antisymmetric circumferential mode) for every resonant frequency of the unstiffened shell. Close agreement between the theoretically predicted results and experimental results was obtained for the four shells tested.
Classical Probability and Quantum Outcomes

There is a contact problem between classical probability and quantum outcomes. Thus, a standard result from classical probability on the existence of joint distributions ultimately implies that all quantum observables must commute. An essential task here is a closer identification of this conflict based on deriving commutativity from the weakest possible assumptions, and showing that stronger assumptions in some of the existing no-go proofs are unnecessary. An example of an unnecessary assumption in such proofs is an entangled system involving nonlocal observables. Another example involves the Kochen-Specker hidden variable model, features of which are also not needed to derive commutativity. A diagram is provided by which user-selected projectors can be easily assembled into many new, graphical no-go proofs.
Rontgen's Ghosts: Photography, X-Rays, and the Victorian Imagination

Grove examines the way in which Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen's 1895 discovery of X-rays confirmed many pre-existing ideas about the existence of ghosts and the way in which the photographic plate could detect realities invisible to the human eye. The arti cle situates Rontgen's discovery within a history of ghost fiction, ghost hunting, and ghost-like photographs.
A transformation of the boundary layer equations for free convection past a vertical flat plate with arbitrary blowing and wall temperature variations

A transformation of the laminar boundary layer equations, similar to the transformation of Kao et al. (1977), is presented which allows arbitrary distributions of both wall temperature and blowing. The procedure yields constant boundary conditions, but variable coefficients appear in the differential equations. The proposed transformation is applicable to the problem of downward burning of vertical pieces of condensed-phase combustibles.
Global climate change and infectious diseases.

The effects of global climate change on infectious diseases are hypothetical until more is known about the degree of change in temperature and humidity that will occur. Diseases most likely to increase in their distribution and severity have three-factor (agent, vector, and human being) and four-factor (plus vertebrate reservoir host) ecology. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes may move northward and have more rapid metamorphosis with global warming. These mosquitoes transmit dengue virus, and Aedes aegypti transmits yellow fever virus. The faster metamorphosis and a shorter extrinsic incubation of dengue and yellow fever viruses could lead to epidemics in North America. Vibrio cholerae is harbored persistently in the estuaries of the U.S. Gulf Coast. Over the past 200 years, cholera has become pandemic seven times with spread from Asia to Europe, Africa, and North America. Global warming may lead to changes in water ecology that could enhance similar spread of cholera in North America. Some other infectious diseases such as LaCrosse encephalitis and Lyme disease are caused by agents closely dependent on the integrity of their environment. These diseases may become less prominent with global warming because of anticipated modification of their habitats. Ecological studies will help us to understand more fully the possible consequences of global warming. New and more effective methods for control of vectors will be needed.
The Utility of the BANA Test for Monitoring Anaerobic Infections due to Spirochetes (Treponema denticola) in Periodontal Disease

Treponema denticola, Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Bacteroides forsythus each possesses an enzyme(s) that hydrolyzes the synthetic substrate benzoyl-DL-arginine-naphthylamide (BANA). The presence of these organisms in a subgingival plaque sample can be determined by the ability of the plaque to hydrolyze BANA. In the present study, we describe the usefulness of the BANA test at various stages of a clinical trial of the efficacy of metronidazole in the treatment of periodontal disease. A BANA-positive test was significantly associated with high levels and proportions of spirochetes in the plaque, so that it provided information comparable with that which could be obtained by a microscopic examination of the plaque. Patients with such anaerobic spirochetal infections were randomly assigned to a group receiving either metronidazole or placebo (250 mg, three times a day) for one week and whose teeth were scaled and root-planed. The advantages of the decision that metronidazole be used were apparent from the comparison with the results obtained in the patients who received only the scaling and root planing. The initially BANA-positive teeth in the patients treated with metronidazole, scaling, and root planing gained attachment and exhibited a significant reduction in the need for periodontal surgery, when compared with the BANA-positive teeth in the patients who received only placebo, scaling, and root planing. After the conclusion of this therapy, those teeth with persistent BANA-positive plaques had significantly higher proportions and levels of spirochetes than did the teeth with BANA-negative plaques.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Toftness system of chiropractic adjusting on pain syndromes: a pilot study in a multicenter setting.

Objective This pilot project investigates the effectiveness of the Toftness system of chiropractic adjusting on subjects with pain syndromes.
ORGANOMETALLIC COMPOUNDS. II. SYNTHESIS AND ATTEMPTED RESOLUTION OF COMPOUNDS OF THE TYPE R2SNCH2.

The syntheses and properties of compounds of the type R2SnCh2 (where R = C6H5 and Ch = acetylacetonate, benzoylacetonate, dibenzoylmethanate and 8-quinolinolate) are described. Compounds of this type are conveniently prepared by the condensation of the thallium(I) chelate and dichlorodiphenyltin(IV). The isomer pattern is considered for compounds of the type R2SnCh2 and evidence is presented that these compounds exist predominantly in the trans form in nonpolar solvents.
Fixing a Faulty Thermostat: A Replication and re-Analysis of "The Public as Thermostat” Employing a Fixed-effects Model

In a 1995 AJPS article, Christopher Wlezien advanced the notion that the public acts in an Eastonian manner as a thermostat for shaping policy preferences. I assert Wleziens use of a GLS-ARMA approach may be a true mis-specification problem. I propose the use of a fixed-effects model. Using both the older version of MICROCRUNCH and the newer version of RATS, I test Wleziens models and his hypotheses. The results in MICROCRUNCH are somewhat different from the original, whilst the results from RATS suggest that the findings of Wlezien are not nearly as significant as assumed.
Thrombocytopenia in Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants

BACKGROUND: Thrombocytopenia is common among small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonates (birth weight METHODS: Using 9 years of multihospital records, we studied SGA neonates with ≥2 platelet counts RESULTS: We found first-week thrombocytopenia in 31% (905 of 2891) of SGA neonates versus 10% of non-SGA matched controls (P CONCLUSIONS: SGA neonates with clearly recognized varieties of thrombocytopenia have a high mortality rate. In contrast, thrombocytopenia of SGA is a hyporegenerative condition of moderate severity and 2 weeks’ duration and is associated with evidence of intrauterine hypoxia and a low mortality rate.
Three's company: co-crystallization of a self-assembled S4 metallacyclophane with two diastereomeric metallacycle intermediates

Three discrete supramolecular self-assembled arsenic(III) complexes including an unusual S4-symmetric tetranuclear [As4L2Cl4] metallacyclophane and two diastereomeric cis/trans-[As2LCl2] metallacycle intermediates co-crystallize within a single crystal lattice.
Symmetric two dimensional linear discriminant analysis (2DLDA)

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) has been successfully applied into computer vision and pattern recognition for effective feature extraction. High-dimensional objects such as images are usually transform as 1D vectors before the LDA transformation. Recently, two-dimension LDA (2DLDA) methods have been proposed which reduced the dimensionality of images without transforming the matrices into vectors. However, the objective function for 2DLDA remains an unresolved problem. In this paper, we (1) propose a symmetric LDA formulation which resolves the ambiguity problem, and (2) propose an effective algorithm to solve the symmetric 2DLDA objective. Experiments on UMIST, CMU PIE, and YaleB images databases show that our approach outperforms the other 2DLDA methods in terms of both classification accuracy and objective function results.
The Memorability of Introductory Psychology Revisited.

Almost 2 million students enroll in introductory psychology each year in the United States, making it the second most popular undergraduate course in the nation. Introductory psychology not only serves as a prerequisite for other courses in the discipline but for some students this course provides their only exposure to psychological science. Presently, when introductory psychology students are asked about what they believe they will learn in the course, students indicate becoming more insightful about their own behavior and expect to have improved critical thinking skills. However, what do students actually remember from introductory psychology? Two years after completing the course, a sample of students voluntarily retook their cumulative final exam, and we compared these scores to senior-level psychology majors enrolled in a Capstone course. We discuss the outcomes in relation to the knowledge retention expected for subsequent coursework as well as realistic expectations of faculty members about what t...
The effect of saccades on number processing

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois Recent research has shown that saccadic eye movements interfere with dorsal-stream tasks such as judgments of object orientation, but not with ventral-stream tasks such as object recognition. Because saccade programming and execution also rely on the dorsal stream, it has been hypothesized that cognitive saccadic suppression occurs as a result of dual-task interference within the dorsal stream. Judging whether one number is larger or smaller than another (magnitude comparison) is a dorsal-stream task that relies especially on the right parietal cortex. In contrast, judging whether a number is odd or even (parity judgment) does not involve the dorsal stream. In the present study, one group of subjects judged whether two-digit numbers were greater than or less than 65, whereas another group judged whether two-digit numbers were odd or even. Subjects in both groups made these judgments while making no, short, or long saccades. Saccade distance had no effect on parity judgments, but reaction times to make magnitude comparison judgments increased with saccade distance when the eyes moved from right to left. Because the right parietal cortex is instrumental in generating leftward saccades, these results provide further evidence for the hypothesis that cognitive suppression during saccades occurs as a result of dual-task interference within the dorsal stream.
Mathematical and physical models of a total artificial heart

Applications of mathematical and physical analog models of total artificial heart (TAH) play a significant role in simulating human cardiovascular system. Instead of a hydraulic model, an inexpensive, compact and simple electrical circuit consisting of resistances, capacitances, inductances and diodes has been constructed, using parametric values that are transformed from hydraulic models. Results from this electrical circuit are confirmed by simulation results and are comparable with the normal human pressure waveforms so that these results may be shown to be useful in clinical experiments. In order to obtain the more accurate model than those used in prior investigations in the literature, a baroreceptor model has been introduced to the artificial heart model. The baroreceptor model plays an important role in short term blood pressure control and heart rate regulation. A dSPACE system (for developing and testing mechatronic control systems) has been implemented so as to control the electrical model of the TAH in real-time. Cardiac diseases such as aortic insufficiency as well as Heart Rate Control are presented in case studies. Results also show that the model can be used in the simulation and control of real dynamic processes of the artificial heart.