cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Can Rapidly Display the Bacterial Diversity Contained in 16S rDNA Clone Libraries

Two different strategies for molecular analysis of bacterial diversity, 16S rDNA cloning and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), were combined into a single protocol that took advantage of the best attributes of each: the ability of cloning to package DNA sequence information and the ability of DGGE to display a community profile. In this combined protocol, polymerase chain reaction products from environmental DNA were cloned, and then DGGE was used to screen the clone libraries. Both individual clones and pools of randomly selected clones were analyzed by DGGE, and these migration patterns were compared to the conventional DGGE profile produced directly from environmental DNA. For two simple bacterial communities (biofilm from a humics-fed laboratory reactor and planktonic bacteria filtered from an urban freshwater pond), pools of 35–50 clones produced DGGE profiles that contained most of the bands visible in the conventional DGGE profiles, indicating that the clone pools were adequate for identifying the dominant genotypes. However, DGGE profiles of two different pools of 50 clones from a lawn soil clone library were distinctly different from each other and from the conventional DGGE profile, indicating that this small number of clones poorly represented the bacterial diversity in soil. Individual clones with the same apparent DGGE mobility as prominent bands in the humics reactor community profiles were sequenced from the clone plasmid DNA rather than from bands excised from the gel. Because a longer fragment was cloned (∼1500 bp) than was actually analyzed in DGGE (∼350 bp), far more sequence information was available using this approach that could have been recovered from an excised gel band. This clone/DGGE protocol permitted rapid analysis of the microbial diversity in the two moderately complex systems, but was limited in its ability to represent the diversity in the soil microbial community. Nonetheless, clone/DGGE is a promising strategy for fractionating diverse microbial communities into manageable subsets consisting of small pools of clones.
Parent stars of extrasolar planets – X. Lithium abundances and v sin i revisited

We determine Li abundances and v sin i values from new spectra of 53 stars with Doppler-detected planets not included in our previous papers in this series. We also examine two sets of stars without detected planets, which together serve as our comparison sample. Using the method of comparison of Li abundances and v sin i values between two sets of stars we introduced in Gonzalez, we confirm that these two quantities are smaller among stars with planets (SWPs) compared to stars without detected planets near the solar temperature. The transition from low to high Li abundance among SWPs occurs near 5850 K, a revision of about 50 K from our previous determination. The transition from low to high v sin i occurs near 6000 K, but this temperature is not as well constrained.
Nitrate deposition in northern hardwood forests and the nitrogen metabolism of Acer saccharum marsh.

It is generally assumed that plant assimilation constitutes the major sink for anthropogenic Nitrate NO 3 − deposited in temperate forests because plant growth is usually limited by nitrogen (N) availability. Nevertheless, plants are known to vary widely in their capacity for NO 3 − uptake and assimilation, and few studies have directly measured these parameters for overstory trees. Using a combination of field and greenhouse experiments, we studied the N nutrition of Acer saccharum Marsh. in four northern hardwood forests receiving experimental NO 3 − additions equivalent to 30 kg N ha−1 year−1. We measured leaf and fine-root nitrate reductase activity (NRA) of overstory trees using an in vivo assay and used 15N to determine the kinetic parameters of NO 3 − uptake by excised fine roots. In two greenhouse experiments, we measured leaf and root NRA in A. saccharum seedlings fertilized with 0–3.5 g NO 3 − −N m−2 and determined the kinetic parameters of NO 3 − and NH 4 + uptake in excised roots of seedlings. In both overstory trees and seedlings, rates of leaf and fine root NRA were substantially lower than previously reported rates for most woody plants and showed no response to NO 3 − fertilization (range = non-detectable to 33 nmol NO 2 − g−1 h−1). Maximal rates of NO 3 − uptake in overstory trees also were low, ranging from 0.2 to 1.0 μmol g−1 h−1. In seedlings, the mean V max for NO 3 − uptake in fine roots (1 μmol g−1 h−1) was approximately 30 times lower than the V max for NH 4 + uptake (33 μmol g−1 h−1). Our results suggest that A. saccharum satisfies its N demand through rapid NH 4 + uptake and may have a limited capacity to serve as a direct sink for atmospheric additions of NO 3 − .
Influence of water temperature on rainbow smelt spawning and early life history dynamics in St. Martin Bay, Lake Huron

Abstract Rainbow smelt are an important prey species for native and introduced salmonines in the Great Lakes. In Lake Huron, rainbow smelt populations are characterized by variable recruitment and year-class strength. To understand the influence of water temperature on reproduction, growth, and survival during larval-fish stages, we sampled spawning tributaries and larval-fish habitats during 2008 and 2009 in St. Martin Bay, Lake Huron. Spawning by rainbow smelt occurred primarily when stream temperatures were between 3 and 10 °C, which resulted in a 7–10-day spawning period during 2008, and a 15–20-day spawning period during 2009. Regardless of these differences in spawning temperatures and duration, peak larval-fish densities during 2008 were double those observed during 2009. Length–frequency analysis of larval-fish populations during both years revealed stream-hatched fish during May and a later emergence of larval rainbow smelt during summer, presumably originating from lake spawning. Warmer bay water temperatures led to earlier emergence of lake-spawned rainbow smelt larvae during 2009. Stream-hatched fish larvae experienced large-scale mortality during May 2008 resulting in a bay population consisting primarily of lake-spawned rainbow smelt larvae, but during 2009 both stream- and lake-hatched cohorts experienced higher survival concomitant with significantly higher mean population growth rates. Higher larval-fish growth rates during 2009 appeared to be density-dependent and facilitated by warmer water temperatures during late June and cooler water temperatures during July. Temperature-mediated differences in annual growth rates and irregular contributions from stream- and lake-hatched fish larvae are important factors affecting survival and abundance of young-of-the-year rainbow smelt in Lake Huron.
On the use of collocation methods for the construction of stellar models

Collocation with piecewise continuous polynomials is studied for use in the numerical modelling of stellar evolution. Accuracy and convergence of the method are demonstrated for a 5M⊙ star with a convective core. Collocation should be further studied since it is likely to lead to significant gains in computational efficiency for the construction of stellar models.
Heart rate variability

the rhythm of the heart has not only fascinated cardiologists but also inspired poets and musicians. Indeed, the periodic beat of the heart was used to define the speed of music. In music notation, the traditional Italian term “moderato” originally referred to one beat of the measure per walking
Soil-zone adsorption of atmospheric CO2 as a terrestrial carbon sink

Abstract Identifying and quantifying sources and sinks of CO 2 is integral to developing global carbon budgets and effectively modeling climate change. Adsorption of CO 2 onto mineral and soil surfaces has generally been regarded as an insignificant sink, though few studies have investigated adsorption on natural materials at temperatures and CO 2 concentrations relevant to atmospheric or soil zone conditions. In this study, annual adsorption at the scale of North America was modeled for the upper 3 m of the Earth’s surface (the root zone) based on our own and published adsorption data, and results compared with reported estimates for the North American terrestrial carbon sink during 2000–2005. Our results suggest that adsorption can account for 1–3% of the average annual sink during these years. At smaller regional scales where more adsorptive deposits are present, such as volcanic ash or high-organic soils, the sink may be significantly larger.
In vivo efficacy of an alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectant containing a synergistic combination of ethylhexylglycerin and preservatives

Alcohol-based surgical hand disinfectants are widely available in healthcare settings. Some currently marketed alcohol-based products use active concentrations of antimicrobials to achieve the required efficacy, raising the risk for exposure to potentially irritating levels of antimicrobials. This study compares the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of an alcohol-based surgical hand preparation containing 70% ethanol and preservative levels of chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and benzalkonium chloride (BZK) in synergistic combination with ethylhexylglycerin (Surgicept) with a surgical hand disinfectant containing 61% ethanol and 1% CHG (Avagard). The in vivo efficacy of Surgicept and Avagard was evaluated in volunteers using the Tentative Final Monograph method of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and their prolonged effect against transient pathogens was compared using a pig skin model. Surgicept exceeded the FDA requirements for surgical hand antiseptic with mean log(10) reductions of 2.36, 3.3 and 3.54 in resident flora 1 min after initial application, and showed a persistent effect with mean log(10) reductions of 2.23, 2.73 and 3.3, 6h post application on days 1, 2 and 5, respectively. Surgicept showed a superior prolonged effect against transient bacteria compared with Avagard. Surgicept (70% alcohol and preservative levels of CHG and BZK) may provide similar in vivo efficacy as Avagard (61% ethanol and 1% CHG).
Implementation and analysis of the decomposition-fusion ECCM technique

In a previous paper, the authors proposed a new general and systematic electronic counter-countermeasure (ECCM) technique called the Decomposition and Fusion (D&F) approach. This ECCM is implemented within the multiple target-tracking framework for protection against range- gate-pull-off (RGPO) and range false target ECM techniques. The original formulation left open the specific multiple target tracking framework. In this paper, we develop a specific implementation of the D&F technique and evaluate it within the Benchmark 2 Problem environment. Simulation results are presented showing the track-loss rejection capabilities and the track accuracy performance of the D&F technique.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Finite element method approach to forging process design

Forging processes in the past have primarily been developed based on empirical relationships or trial and error. The finite element approach to forging process development and design has been found to be practically feasible and economical. The rigid-viscoplastic finite element method (FEM) code “ALPID” developed by Battelle Columbus Laboratories, has been successfully utilized to simulate metal forming processes. In the following paper, the application of finite element simulation to study deformation mechanics in the forging of gear blanks and axle shafts is discussed. An underfill problem on the gear blank was overcome and tool life was improved on the axle shaft hot heading process.
Detecting Intervention Effects Across Context: An Examination of the Precision of Cluster Randomized Trials

The Institute of Education Sciences has funded more than 100 experiments to evaluate educational interventions in an effort to generate scientific evidence of program effectiveness on which to base education policy and practice. In general, these studies are designed with the goal of having adequate statistical power to detect the average treatment effect. However, the average treatment effect may be less informative if the treatment effects vary substantially from site to site or if the intervention effects differ across context or subpopulations. This article considers the precision of studies to detect different types of treatment effect heterogeneity. Calculations are demonstrated using a set of Institute of Education Sciences funded cluster randomized trials. Strategies for planning future studies with adequate precision for estimating treatment effect heterogeneity are discussed.
Finite Analytic Solution of Convective Heat Transfer for Tube Arrays in Crossflow: Part I—Flow Field Analysis

The convective motion in two types of tube array is solved numerically by the Finite Analytic Method. The Finite Analytic Method utilizes the local analytic solution of governing differential equations in obtaining its discretized algebraic representation. Both in-line tube arrays and staggered tube arrays with longitudinal and transverse pitches of 2 are studied. The geometries are expressed in boundary-fitted coordinates on which the Navier-Stokes equations and energy equation are solved. Solutions for Reynolds numbers of 40, 120, 400, and 800 are obtained. Differences in stream function, vorticity function, and location of separation and reattachment for flow past in-line tube arrays and staggered tube array are predicted and compared. The zone of separation for both arrays tends to increase with increasing Reynolds number. The predicted results on flow field and heat transfer are shown to agree with available experimental measurements.
Gonadotropin receptors in rat ovarian tissue. II. Subcellular localization of LH binding sites by electron microscopic radioautography.

Electron microscopic radioautography has been utilized for subcellular localization of 125IhCG in ovarian cells of rats in which pseudopregnancy had been honnonally induced. Light microscopic radioautography showed the highest concentration of silver grains over luteal cells, with a more limited number of silver grains over thecal cells. Granulosa cells were generally free of silver grains. Electron microscopic radioautographs revealed that the majority (72%) of the silver grains in luteal and thecal cells was located at the plasma membranes of these cells. No qualitative difference in terms of subcellular localization of the silver grains in luteal and thecal cells was observed between samples obtained 5 or 60 min after the injection of the labeled hormone. These observations confirm the presence of high affinity binding sites (presumably receptors) for LH (hCG) in luteal and thecal cells and suggest that the binding sites are localized in plasma membranes. (Endocrinology 95: 589, 1974)
MOMENTARY FORGETTING: ENTERING AND LEAVING THE TOT STATE

The frequent description of tip-of-the-tongue CTOT) states as subthreshold memory traces is challenged by data showing that TOT genesis and TOT recovery are distinct processes. While encoding strategy is a strong predictor of TOT activity in paired-associate forgetting as compared to several estimates of response strength, neither factor influences the order in which hints cue retrieval. It is concluded that TOTs represent a failure of decoding processes in mediated retrieval.
The infrared-to-radio ratio within NGC 5236 (M83) and NGC 6946

A detailed comparison of the distribution of 60-micron IR and 20-cm radio continuum emission within NGC 5236 (M83) and NGC 6946 is presented. In the disks of both galaxies, a slow decrease of the 60-micron-to-20-cm ratio with increasing radius is observed. Values of this ratio within the central regions are enhanced by roughly a factor of 3 with respect to the outer disks, whereas the corresponding enhancement in radio surface brightness is at least a factor of 20. The 100-micron-to-20-cm ratio shows a similar but shallower gradient. To account for these observations, it is suggested that spiral galaxies are characterized by an IR disk with a shorter scale length than that of the radio continuum disk, the latter being smeared as a result of cosmic-ray propagation.
Nitric acid measurement methods: An intercomparison

Abstract An interlaboratory comparison of methods to measure gaseous nitric acid is described. Field experiments were conducted in Claremont, CA in late August and early September of 1979. Ten nitric acid measurement methods were compared during the 8 day field experiment. Six different research groups participated in the nitric acid measurements. The methods compared include 2 which employed chemiluminescence principles, 1 infrared, 2 diffusion denuder and 5 filtration techniques. The 8 study days were divided into 32 sampling intervals of 3, 6 and 12 h. Based on the median of the 10 methods, the nitric acid concentration ranged from 1.85 to 37.05μ gm −3 . The nitric acid concentration was highly correlated with other photochemical pollutants such as O 3 and PAN, and all three were strongly correlated with temperature and solar intensity. On the average, gaseous nitric acid and paniculate nitrate contributed equally to the total inorganic nitrate burden at the site. Of the 10 methods investigated, 5 exhibited excellent agreement with the median nitric acid concentration, 2 yielded slopes significantly exceeding 1.0 and 3 suffered from problems which resulted in relatively poor agreement with nitric acid concentration. A great many chemical and meteorological variables were measured during the study, and the effects of these ancillary variables on the nitric acid measurement methods are discussed.
In vivo detection and functional correlates of white matter microstructural disruption in chronic alcoholism.

Background: Postmortem studies report degradation of brain white matter microstructure in chronic alcoholism, but until recently, in vivo neuroimaging could provide measurement only at a macrostructural level. The development of magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for clinical use offers a method for depicting and quantifying the diffusion properties of white matter expressed as intravoxel and intervoxel coherence of tracts and fibers. Methods: This study used DTI to examine the intravoxel coherence measured as fractional anisotropy (FA) and intervoxel coherence (C) of white matter tracts of the genu and splenium of the corpus callosum and of the centrum semiovale in 15 detoxified alcoholic men and 31 nonalcoholic control subjects. Exploratory correlational analyses examined the relationships between regional DTI measures and tests of attention and working memory in the alcoholic patients. Results: The alcoholic group had lower regional FA than the control group. C was lower in the alcoholics than controls in the splenium only. Working memory correlated positively with splenium FA, whereas attention correlated positively with genu C. Conclusions: These results provide in vivo evidence for disruption of white matter microstructure in alcoholism and suggest that interruption of white matter fiber coherence contributes to disturbance in attention and working memory in chronic alcoholism.
Dynamics of coal dust flame acceleration: A feedback control model for unsteady flow☆

Several modeling concepts borrowed from control theory are employed to develop an algebraic and ordinary differential equations model for the dynamics of unsteady coal dust flame acceleration in a constant area duct closed at one end, e.g., in a coal mine tunnel. We are particularly concerned with modeling the feedback mechanisms which cause a coal dust flame to accelerate, leading to detonation. Previous experimental studies have been conducted on both coal dust flame propagation and on individual coal particle combustion. Based on the results, a physical model is proposed in which coal dust flame acceleration is entirely controlled, in a feedback fashion, by volatiles emission and their reaction. A control system model is developed that employs five well-stirred reactor subsystems with three feedback interaction mechanisms. The model consists of a leading shock wave, followed by a variable length volatiles emission region ahead of the flame, a fixed length burning region immediately behind the flame front, and a variable length exhaust region extending back to the closed end of the duct. The feedback mechanisms incorporated into the model include heat transfer and pressurization from the burning region to the volatiles emission region, and pressurization from the volatiles emission region to the turbulent mixing region behind the shock wave. Each well-stirred reactor is described by a system of algebraic and ordinary differential equations for the rate of change of conditions inside the reactor. Numerical simulation results reveal that, despite far-reaching simplifications (ordinary instead of partial differential equations, ideal gases insteady of two-phase flow, separation of volatiles emission and combustion, neglection of char burning), the model exhibits the fundamental dynamic properties of the flame propagation process. The model agrees with qualitative photographic experimental results and is applicable to both the case where the flame accelerates to detonation and to the case where the combustion process dies out.
Dust obscuration of Mars solar arrays

Abstract The atmosphere of Mars contains a considerable amount of suspended dust. Over a period of time, this dust will settle out of the atmosphere and deposit onto the surfaces of solar arrays, resulting in degradation of performance. This paper attempts to quantify the amount of dust coverage expected and the amount of performance lost, using available data on Martian conditions. Since this amount of dust in the atmosphere varies, the degradation of array performance could be between 1 and 50% over a 30 day mission, and between 22 and 89% over a two-year mission. Sand and dust may also be deposited on a solar array by saltation.
GPS synchronized UV communication system performance based on USRP

Recently, Ultraviolet communication is paid more and more attention, with its solar blind and Non-Line-of-Sight characteristic. However, it is hard to capture and recover the transmitted signal outdoor without synchronized signal. In this work, we integrate Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) into UV communication system and employ GPS as synchronized signal. At receive side, photon counting and adaptive threshold method are used to recover original signal. Through experiments, we test path loss and BER of the system under di erent con guration geometries. Some results are compared to the previous proposed path loss and BER models.
Relativistic Wave Equation for Anyons

I describe how, starting from fundamental symmetry principles, a relativistic theory of anyons can be formulated.
A note on nonlinear flow over obstacles

Abstract A simple “laboratory” flow is described which exhibits the bistable behavior observed in more complicated geophysical flows. The behavior is present in a blocking experiment involving a shallow, homogeneous flow over an obstacle. It is demonstrated that within a certain parameter space, the blocking tendency depends not only on the height b O of the obstacle but on the history of the flow as well. The implied hysteresis confirms behavior predicted by Baines and Davies (1980, p. 239). It is further shown that the hysteresis is associated with a nonuniqueness in steady solutions which is, in turn, attributed to the existence of stationary blocking bores upstream of the obstacle.
Latest Pleistocene alpine glacier advances in the Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, USA: Reflections of midlatitude moisture transport at the close of the last glaciation

Mountain glaciers in the Sawtooth Mountains responded strongly to reinvigorated atmospheric moisture transport following the last ice-sheet maximum. The glaciers constructed an extensive moraine belt in the southeastern Sawtooth Mountains, allowing determination of a detailed radiocarbon chronology from lake and marsh cores. Moraine morphometry and soil data indicate construction of seven to nine moraines in each of four valleys during two main late Pleistocene ice advances. A basal radiocarbon date from marsh cores in the Alturas valley documents that the maximum advance during marine oxygen isotope stage 2 occurred shortly before ca. 16,900 calibrated (cal.) yr B.P. Minimum limiting dates on glacial-lacustrine sediment in lake and marsh cores from three valleys, clustered around 13,950 cal. yr B.P., document the maintenance or reestablishment of extensive ice volume during early late-glacial time. The ca. 16,900 cal. yr B.P. advance postdates the last ice-sheet maximum by ∼4000 yr and is broadly correlative with maximum advances of the North Yellowstone outlet glacier and the Puget Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet and a near-maximum advance of Wallowa Mountain glaciers. These synchronous advances indicate response of a variety of ice systems to reinvigorated moisture transport following the ice-sheet maximum, as does the subsequent Sawtooth advance during early late-glacial time. Together, these responses indicate strong sensitivity of certain ice systems to moisture-delivery fluctuations.
Policy-based management of networked computing systems

This article provides an overview of the Policy Management for Autonomic Computing (PMAC) platform, and shows how it can be used for the management of networked systems. We present the policy information model adopted by PMAC and the system model for interaction between the policy manager and the managed resource. We also present the main components of PMAC for policy creation, storage, evaluation, and enforcement, and present practical applications of PMAC in networks management.
Isolation and Further Characterization of a Heat Resistant Peroxidase Isoenzyme from Cauliflower

A heat resistant isoenzyme was isolated from the snowball cauliflower and was analyzed for its thermal inactivation characteristics. Although it exhibited less than 5% of the total peroxidase activity, it showed strong heat stability in that it took more than 30 min at 50°C to reduce activity by 50%. The rate of inactivation followed fist order kinetics with an Ea value of 21.3 Kcal/mol. In order to prevent all peroxidase catalyzed reactions in cauliflower during storage, this heat resistant isoenzyme must be completely inactivated.
Playing doctor: Application of game theory to medical decision-making

Decision analysis is an explicit, quantitative and prescriptive means by which the physician can identify optimal clinical strategies under conditions of uncertainty. It is incomplete, however, since it dispenses clinical advice without regard for the fact that the patient--for whatever reason--might choose to reject that advice. Game theory provides a supplementary means to explicate optimal rational strategies in situations where the actual outcome depends on the choices of both the patient and the physician. To determine its potential clinical relevance, we used game theory to reassess a clinical problem which has been used as a textbook exemplar of decision analysis: Should patients with chronic liver failure undergo liver biopsy before being treated? Decision analysis prescribes a pure (deterministic) strategy: the physician should always perform a biopsy. In contrast, given the proper conditions, game theory mandates a mixed (probabilistic) strategy: the physician should (randomly) recommend biopsy to only some fraction of patients, and only some fraction of these should (randomly) accept this advice. Thus, whenever the patient is free to accept or reject the physician's advice, game theory provides a prescriptive decision-making model which is qualitatively and quantitatively different from decision analysis.
Mucosal melanoma of the head and neck

Forty-two patients with mucosal melanoma of the head and neck were treated at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center from 1944-1989. Their records were evaluated regarding: location of the primary, stage of the disease at presentation, type of treatment, location of recurrences, and overall survival. These patients received the majority of their therapy at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The treatment consisted of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or a combination of these. The 5-year survival rate was 40%. Twenty-four of 27 patients who died with metastatic melanoma had local or regional disease concomitantly. Forty percent of patients were free of disease at 5 years; however, only 26% had long-term survival. Although the majority of patients eventually succumbed to their disease, local and regional control was obtained initially in 92% of the group. These data indicate that prolonged survival is possible with mucosal melanoma of the head and neck; however, recurrence or metastasis remain possible many years after the initial diagnosis.
Safety and Efficacy of Bariatric Surgery in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

OBJECTIVE To determine the safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery in obese patients with documented coronary artery disease (CAD). PATIENTS AND METHODS Among patients with class II or III obesity who underwent bariatric surgery between March 1995 and January 2002 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, the rates of major in-hospital cardiovascular complications and mortality of 52 patients with clinical CAD were compared with those of 507 patients without CAD. The efficacy of bariatric surgery was measured by changes in body weight and other cardiovascular risk factors at follow-up. RESULTS There were no in-hospital deaths in either group. Three patients with documented CAD (5.8%; 95% confidence interval, 0%-12.2%) and 7 patients without CAD (1.4%; 95% confidence interval, 0.4%-2.4%) had cardiovascular complications (P=.06). After a mean follow-up of 2.5 years (range, 77–2403 days) of patients with CAD, the following values decreased postoperatively (all at P CONCLUSION Bariatric surgery should be considered for treating patients with CAD and class II or III obesity.
Restoration of fertility in light-deprived female hamsters by chronic melatonin treatment

Blinding young adult female hamsters was followed by functional involution of the ovaries and uteri and by the cessation of cyclic vaginal phenomena. Light deprivation was also accompanied by elevated plasma and pituitary levels of luteinizing hormone and depressed levels of prolactin in both the blood and the pituitary gland. Only one of 15 blinded hamsters became pregnant when they were exposed to fertile males for 30 days. Both pinealectomy or chronic melatonin treatment (1 mg melatonin implanted subcutaneously per week in beeswax) prevented the changes in the reproductive organs and in pituitary hormone levels attendant on light-deprivation. Both treatment also returned vaginal cycles to normal and restored plasma prolactin titers. Unlike hamsters that were blinded only, light deprived hamsters that were either pinealectomized or melatonin treated were capable of reproducing when they were caged with fertile males. The reproductive capability (i.e., percent of animals that become pregnant and the sizes of their litters) of these animals was equivalent to that of the untreated control hamsters. This is the first report that chronic melatonin treatment restores fertility in blinded female hamsters.
Definability in the enumeration degrees

We prove that every countable relation on the enumeration degrees, ${\frak E}$ , is uniformly definable from parameters in ${\frak E}$ . Consequently, the first order theory of ${\frak E}$ is recursively isomorphic to the second order theory of arithmetic. By an effective version of coding lemma, we show that the first order theory of the enumeration degrees of the $\Sigma^0_2$ sets is not decidable.
Dopamine Excites Nucleus Accumbens Neurons through the Differential Modulation of Glutamate and GABA Release

Afferent activity into the nucleus accumbens (NAc) occurs in bursts of action potentials. However, it is unclear how synapses in this nucleus respond to such bursts, or how these responses are altered by dopamine (DA). I examined the effects of DA on excitatory and inhibitory responses to trains of stimuli in rat NAc slices. Both EPSCs and IPSCs showed use-dependent depression during trains. Although DA inhibited both glutamate and GABA release in the NAc, it differentially inhibited release during trains. The inhibition of IPSCs persisted throughout the train of stimuli, whereas the inhibition of EPSCs progressively diminished. This differential modulation may be explained by a calcium-dependent change in the recovery from depression at the GABA synapses, where DA acts by decreasing Ca2+ entry. Thus, at later stages of sustained stimulation, DA preferentially inhibits GABA release, producing a net excitatory effect during bursts suggesting a mechanism for enhancing the contrast between competing inputs into the NAc, as well as for affecting long-term plasticity in this structure.
Performance bounds for nonhomogeneous queues

This paper considers nonhomogeneous M(t)/M(t)1 queues which can model systems such as communications networks. For such systems, bounds on moment-generating functions and on the tail distribution of the queue process are obtained. These bounds are useful for characterizing the quality of service a system can provide to its users. An approach utilizing the theory of differential equations is adapted. The bounds given in this paper are tighter than those previously available. In fact, the bounds can be made arbitrarily tight given sufficient computational effort.
Forced Air Drying of Partially Freeze-Dried Compressed Carrot Bars

The quality of compressed carrot bars produced by combining freeze drying with air drying was investigated. Quality parameters measured were color, texture, rehydration ratio, carotene, ascorbic acid, alphatocopherol, and sensory acceptance. It was found that a high quality compressed carrot bar could be obtained by freeze drying to 20–40% moisture, equilibrating with microwave energy, compressing, then air drying at 60°C. The scanning electron microscope proved useful in delineating reasons for differences in texture and rehydration.
The science behind Exubera

Fear of needles constitutes a significant barrier to the use of insulin. Lung tissue offers a large permeable surface for rapid and predictable absorption of insulin into the bloodstream. Exubera insulin was the first inhaled insulin to be approved and marketed for clinical use. The present review is intended to summarize the data to present with Exubera insulin. The pharmacodynamic effect of this inhaled insulin is similar to that of injected regular human insulin. There are small changes in lung function that parallel age-related changes in patients who are not taking inhaled insulin. Cough occurs frequently but does not affect the overall insulin effect. Patients who start using insulin gain weight, but there is less weight gain with Exubera use than with comparable doses of injected insulin. In multiple studies, the incidence of hypoglycemia with Exubera is similar to that with regular insulin. There is concern that insulin may act as a growth factor on the lung epithelium. Recently, analysis of existing data showed that six patients on Exubera developed lung cancer compared to only one on comparator injectable insulin, all cases occurred in former smokers. However, studies were not powered for this safety issue and numbers were too small to conclude a causal relationship between Exubera exposure and occurrence of lung cancer. Pfizer decided to discontinue marketing Exubera on October 18, 2007. The decision was based upon failure to meet financial landmarks rather than due to concern about possible safety issues. Drug Dev Res 69:130–137, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Transgenic cystic fibrosis mice exhibit reduced early clearance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from the respiratory tract.

The cystic fibrosis (CF) transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) has been proposed to be an epithelial cell receptor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa involved in bacterial internalization and clearance from the lung. We evaluated the role of CFTR in clearing P. aeruginosa from the respiratory tract using transgenic CF mice that carried either the ΔF508 Cftr allele or an allele with a Cftr stop codon (S489X). Intranasal application achieved P. aeruginosa lung infection in inbred C57BL/6 ΔF508 Cftr mice, whereas ΔF508 Cftr and S489X Cftr outbred mice required tracheal application of the inoculum to establish lung infection. CF mice showed significantly less ingestion of LPS-smooth P. aeruginosa by lung cells and significantly greater bacterial lung burdens 4.5 h postinfection than C57BL/6 wild-type mice. Microscopy of infected mouse and rhesus monkey tracheas clearly demonstrated ingestion of P. aeruginosa by epithelial cells in wild-type animals, mostly around injured areas of the epithelium. Desquamating cells loaded with P. aeruginosa could also be seen in these tissues. No difference was found between CF and wild-type mice challenged with an LPS-rough mucoid isolate of P. aeruginosa lacking the CFTR ligand. Thus, transgenic CF mice exhibit decreased clearance of P. aeruginosa and increased bacterial burdens in the lung, substantiating a key role for CFTR-mediated bacterial ingestion in lung clearance of P. aeruginosa .
Pilus Production, Hemagglutination, and Adhesion by Porcine Strains of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Lacking K88, K99, and 987P Antigens

Abstract Three strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli which adhered, colonized intensively, and caused disease in pig intestine, but which did not produce pili of the K88, K99, or 987P antigen types were designated 3P− ETEC. The 3P− ETEC caused mannose-resistant hemagglutination, adhered to porcine intestinal epithelial cells in vitro, and produced pili. However, most bacteria taken directly from the intestine of pigs infected with 3P− ETEC appeared to be nonpiliated. Two preparations were isolated from the 3P− ETEC. One (material A) contained pili, caused mannose-sensitive hemagglutination, and did not inhibit adhesion of whole bacteria to epithelial cells in vitro. The other (material B) had no demonstrable pili, caused mannose-resistant hemagglutination, and blocked ahesion of bacteria to epithelial cells in vitro. Antiserum against an acapsular mutant (K−) of one 3P− ETEC strain was absorbed to remove antibodies directed against somatic (O) antigen. The absorbed antiserum agglutinated all three 3P− ETEC strains grown in the K− form at 37°C, but not when they were grown at 18°C. The absorbed antiserum blocked the hemagglutinating activity of material B, but not of material A. It also reacted (via indirect immunofluorescence) with all of the 3P− ETEC when they were grown in pig intestine. The results were interpreted to indicate that: (i) the epithelial adhesive and mannose-resistant hemagglutinating activities of the 3P− ETEC strains may be mediated by an antigen contained in material B; (ii) this antigen either is not pilus associated or is associated with pili that are not demonstrable by the methods used here; (iii) the 3P− ETEC strains produce type 1 pili which do not mediate their adhesion to intestinal epithelium of pigs.
The Impact of Neighborhood Environment, Social Support, and Avoidance Coping on Depressive Symptoms of Pregnant African-American Women

Abstract Background Although depressive symptoms during pregnancy have been related to negative maternal and child health outcomes such as preterm birth, low birth weight infants, postpartum depression, and maladaptive mother–infant interactions, studies on the impact of neighborhood environment on depressive symptoms in pregnant women are limited. Pregnant women residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of social support. No researchers have examined the relationship between neighborhood environment and avoidance coping in pregnant women. Guided by the Ecological model and Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping, we examined whether social support and avoidance coping mediated associations between the neighborhood environment and depressive symptoms in pregnant African-American women. Methods Pregnant African-American women (n = 95) from a medical center in Chicago completed the instruments twice during pregnancy between 15 and 25 weeks and between 25 and 37 weeks. The self-administered instruments measured perceived neighborhood environment, social support, avoidance coping, and depressive symptoms using items from existing scales. Objective measures of the neighborhood environment were derived using geographic information systems. Findings Perceived neighborhood environment, social support, avoidance coping, and depressive symptoms were correlated significantly in the expected directions. Objective physical disorder and crime were negatively related to social support. Social support at time 1 (20 ± 2.6 weeks) mediated associations between the perceived neighborhood environment at time 1 and depressive symptoms at time 2 (29 ± 2.7 weeks). An increase in avoidance coping between times 1 and 2 also mediated the effects of perceived neighborhood environment at time 1 on depressive symptoms at time 2. Conclusion Pregnant African-American women's negative perceptions of their neighborhoods in the second trimester were related to higher levels of depressive symptoms in the third trimester. If these results are replicable in prospective studies with larger sample sizes, intervention strategies could be implemented at the individual level to support pregnant women in their ability to cope with adverse neighborhood conditions and ultimately improve their mental health.
Analysis of Channel Estimation Error in Physical Layer Network Coding

This article investigates the effect of erroneous channel estimation on performance of physical layer network coding over fading channels. In this scenario, the relay maps the superimposed noisy modulated data, received from the two end terminals, to network coded combination of the source packets. We consider channel estimation error to be Gaussian distributed and formulate the network coding error by the distance between real and estimated points in the channel coefficients plane. Using this model, we present a statistical lower bound on variance of estimation error that can be tolerated by the relay terminal without imposing a network coding error on the system.
Microvolt T-wave alternans in patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting: a pilot study.

Introduction: We designed a prospective observational study targeting a selective population of patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting with normal systolic function. In this study we looked at the prevalence of pre-operative microvolt T-wave alternans and if it predicts atrial fibrillation after surgery. Methods: The inclusion criteria included all patients referred to the cardiothoracic outpatient clinic for elective bypass, who can perform aerobic exercise, with a recent exercise stress test exercising at least to 85% of the maximal predicted heart rate (220 - age) and with non-limiting chest pain at maximal exercise. Twenty patients met the inclusion/exclusion criteria between May 2008 and February 2010. The hospital course of those patients was followed, and in-hospital events were recorded. Results: Nine out twenty (45%) of patients had a non-negative microvolt T-wave alternans tracing. Six patients (30%) developed new onset atrial fibrillation post surgery. Patients with non-negative microvolt level T-wave alternans are more likely to develop atrial fibrillation post coronary artery bypass grafting then patients with negative microvolt level T-wave alternans (p=0.05). Conclusions: This pilot study provides the first clinical evidence that patients with ischemic heart disease and normal systolic function have a high prevalence of abnormal microvolt T-wave alternans and might be at higher risk of sudden cardiac death. In addition our results show that microvolt level T-wave alternans predicts post coronary artery bypass grafting new onset atrial fibrillation.
A hierarchical secure routing protocol against black hole attacks in sensor networks

A black hole attack is a severe attack that can be easily employed against routing in sensor networks. In a black hole attack, a malicious node spuriously announces a short route to the sink node (the destination) to attract additional traffic to the malicious node and then drops them. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical secure routing protocol for detecting and defending against black hole attacks. The proposed protocol uses only symmetric key cryptography to discover a safe route against black hole attacks. The comparison of the proposed protocol with two other existing approaches proves that the proposed scheme is faster in detecting black hole attacks with much lower message overhead.
Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Propagation Measurements Along a 4900-km Path

Extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic wave propagation was investigated by measuring the amplitude of a CW signal transmitted from the Sanguine site in North Carolina to receiving sites located in New York State, Labrador, and Iceland. The attenuation factor α and the reciprocal of the excitation factor h_{i} (\sigma_{e}S_{0})^{1/2} were determined. Data for daytime, nighttime, and sunrise transition paths were obtained. The attenuation factors obtained for 78 and 156 Hz are compared with the value of α obtained from measurements of atmospherics. The attenuation values at 78 Hz of 1.29 and 1.01 dB/1000 km, and a value of 0.75 dB/1000 km at 45 Hz, obtained by interpolation of results of this and other experiments, were used in Sanguine systems analysis.
Frequency independent features of self-similar fractal antennas

One of the fundamental properties of classical frequency independent antennas is their ability to retain the same shape under certain scaling transformations. More recently, it has been demonstrated that this self-similar property is also shared by many fractals. The framework for a more general theoretical treatment of frequency-independent antennas is established in this paper. This generalization of frequency-independent antenna theory is accomplished by removing the restrictions imposed by a past reliance on classical Euclidean geometry in favor of adopting a more modern fractal geometric interpretation. Of particular interest in this paper is the application of this new theory of self-similar fractal radiators to the development of a multiband linear array design methodology for which the directive gain is a log-periodic function of frequency.