cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Greedy search algorithm used in the automated scheduling of Hubble Space Telescope activities

This paper presents the greedy search technique used by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Science Planning and Scheduling System to automatically schedule HST activities on weekly calendars. Given a set of possible observations to schedule in a week, this technique determines the best time ordering of observations which would maximize the scheduling efficiency or total science time in a calendar. The HST observation constraints that strongly influence the search heuristics and the process that produce HST flight calendars are also described in detail.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Photon spin and Bose–Einstein statistics

Abstract It is shown that Maxwell’s equations for the electric and magnetic fields free of sources can be inferred from Dirac’s pair of first-order equations for a zero-mass, zero-charge particle. This result is interpreted as a Lorentz invariant form of the transverse nature of photonic propagation in which only two components of the spin-1 field exist in nature. Canonical quantization of Dirac’s equations leads to a time average of the electromagnetic energy in agreement with the standard result of quantum electrodynamics. It is shown that the spin-statistics theorem is not violated for canonical quantization of the Dirac field provided the mass of the particle is zero.
Optical properties and device prospects of ZnSe-based quantum structures

Abstract The optical properties of wide-gap II–VI heterostructures are reviewed with emphasis on recent results in (Zn,Cd)Se/ZnSe and (Zn,Cd)Se/Zn(S,Se) quantum wells and their impact on quasi-two-dimensional excitons, light emitting diodes, as well as on optically pumped lasers and diode lasers in such type-I systems.
Technical note—engineering and scientific subroutine library release 3 for IBM ES/3090 vector multiprocessors

This technical note should be read in conjunction with the paper by McComb and Schmidt 1 which describes the Engineering and Scientific Subroutine Library through Release 2. In this technical note, which is an addendum to that paper, we briefly describe some of the new features in Release 3 and indicate some of the techniques used to optimize vector and parallel performance.
EXPERIMENTAL PNEUMONIA IN GUINEA PIGS I. THE EFFECT OF CERTAIN TOXIC AUTOLYSATES OF PNEUMOCOCCI.

1. Anaerobic autolysates of pneumococci, prepared according to the method described, are highly toxic for guinea pigs when injected intratracheally in dosage of 0.2 cc. Death occurs either within a few hours (36 per cent) or within 3 days. In the early deaths there is intense hemorrhagic edema of the lungs with beginning inflammatory reaction; in animals surviving for 18 hours or longer extensive areas of pneumonia are produced. 2. The intratracheal injection of virulent living pneumococci is followed by transient slight lesion with recovery, or by later death from septicemia without pneumonic lesions. 3. The addition of a sublethal dose of toxic autolysate to living pneumococci alters the reaction of the animal, so that there develops extensive pneumonia associated with unrestrained multiplication of the organism.
Mother ship and physical agents collaboration

This paper discusses ongoing research at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory that investigates the feasibility of developing a collaboration architecture between small physical agents and a mother ship. This incudes the distribution of planning, perception, mobility, processing and communications requirements between the mother ship and the agents. Small physical agents of the future will be virtually everywhere on the battlefield of the 21st century. A mother ship that is coupled to a team of small collaborating physical agents (conducting tasks such as Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA); logistics; sentry; and communications relay) will be used to build a completely effective and mission capable intelligent system. The mother ship must have long-range mobility to deploy the small, highly maneuverable agents that will operate in urban environments and more localized areas, and act as a logistics base for the smaller agents. The mother ship also establishes a robust communications network between the agents and is the primary information disseminating and receiving point to the external world. Because of its global knowledge and processing power, the mother ship does the high-level control and planning for the collaborative physical agents. This high level control and interaction between the mother ship and its agents (including inter agent collaboration) will be software agent architecture based. The mother ship incorporates multi-resolution battlefield visualization and analysis technology, which aids in mission planning and sensor fusion.
Homology modeling of plant cytochrome P450s

Plant P450 monooxygenases represent the largest family of plant proteins and the largest collection of P450s available for comparative studies and biotechnological applications. They have been shown to catalyze a diverse array of difficult chemical reactions and have demonstrated potential to be used in pharmacological, agronomic and phytoremediative applications. Central to our use of these catalytically competent enzymes is the need to understand their interactions with substrates. Because most characterized plant P450s are membrane-bound proteins that are resistant to standard X-ray and NMR structure determinations, homology modeling represents a reliable and relatively rapid alternative method for analyzing structure-function relationships and predicting substrates for many P450s that are only now being characterized. These methods, which are being widely used in mammalian P450 structure-function studies, can allow plant biologists to define critical residues interacting with substrates and, in a directed fashion, alter the reactivities of individual monooxygenases. The homology modelings that have been done on a limited number of plant P450s and the site-directed mutations that validate them indicate that current modeling and substrate docking procedures are capable of providing structural explanations for sequence variants as well as for predicting functional characteristics of undefined P450s.
Cystosarcoma phyllodes. Report of an unusual case, with death due to intraneural extension to the central nervous system.

Cystosarcoma phyllodes tumors of the breast occasionally exhibit malignant behavior, including chest wall invasion, hematogenous spread or, rarely, metastasis by lymphatic routes. An unusual case of cystosarcoma is presented in which death was apparently caused by perineural and intraneural extension of the tumor along intercostal nerves, to the sympathetic chain, and then to the brain stem by spinal roots, with no evidence of embolic metastasis. Cancer 56: 1691-1695, 1985.
The Effects of Intradermal Steroids on the Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and The Skin

The effects of three commonly used corticosteroid preparations on the pituitary-adrenal axis and the skin were studied following graded intradermal injections. Betamethasone acetate-phosphate suspension was more suppressive to the pituitary-adrenal axis than equivalent doses of either triamcinolone acetonide or triamcinolone diacetate. However, the long-term local effects of intradermal corticosteroids (hypopigementation, atrophy, telangiectasia) were more marked following the use of the triamcinolone formulations.
Recent astronomical detector development at the University of Arizona

The University of Arizona Imaging Technology Laboratory (ITL) has been developing back illuminated detectors and detector technologies for several astronomical projects in recent years. These projects include the WIYN telescope One Degree Imager (ODI) mosaic of Orthogonal Transfer Array CCDs, the VIRUS detectors for the University of Texas' Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX), detector and packaging development for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), and 10kx10k and 4kx4k CCDs for several instruments. In this paper we discuss these projects with an emphasis on backside processing issues and detector characterization results which may be relevant to other groups. We will also focus packaging techniques and metrology for achieving very flat and stable focal planes. Results will include device flatness at cryogenic temperatures, process yield, photo-response non-uniformity and cosmetics, quantum efficiency, read noise, linearity, charge transfer efficiency, and photon transfer data.
Correction of the DNA Repair Defect in Fanconi Anemia Complementation Groups A and D Cells

Abstract We have previously isolated from Fanconi anemia, complementation groups A (FA-A) and D (FA-D) cells, a DNA endonuclease complex which is defective in its ability to incise DNA containing interstrand cross-links produced by psoralen plus UVA light. The repair capabilities of the FA complexes, compared with those of the corresponding normal complex, have now been examined using two types of complementation analysis. First, introduction of the normal complex, by electroporation, into 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) plus UVA treated FA-A and FA-D cells resulted in correction of their repair defect, determined by measuring repair-related unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS). The FA-A and FA-D complexes could similarly complement the repair defect in each others’ cells, but not in their own. Second, mixing the normal with the FA-A and FA-D complexes, or the FA-A with the FA-D complex, in a cell-free system resulted in correction of the defect in ability of these FA complexes to incise damaged DNA. These results indicate that the normal complex contains the proteins needed to correct the DNA repair defect in FA-A and FA-D cells and that the FA-A and FA-D complexes contain the protein needed to complement the repair defect in each other.
Proposed Change in Calculation of Norms of Rocks.

It is proposed that the following normative pyroxene minerals be used: CaSiO3, MgSiO3, and FeSiO3 (with symbols “wo,” “en,” and “ hy,” respectively); and that the olivine molecule be given in terms of Mg2SiO4 and Fe2SiO4 (with symbols “ fo ” and “fa”). It is shown that these changes will improve the norm by bringing the ferro-magnesian minerals into a closer approach to natural conditions, by making it easier to survey their composition, and by rendering calculations simpler.
Effects of message style on users' attributions toward agents

We used a Wizard-of-Oz paradigm to study effects of message style on dialog and on people's mental models of computer agents. People made airline reservations using a simulated reservation agent from which they received one of three message styles: Telegraphic, Fluent, or Anthropomorphic. The agent accepted any kind of language or command input people typed. When people took the initiative, they tended to model their inputs on the computer's messages. They expended more effort in the Anthropomorphic than in the Fluent or Telegraphic conditions. We found no evidence that natural language messages caused higher expectations of intelligence than telegraphic messages.
Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Free and Stretched Rabbit Muscle

SUMMARY: Shear strength, sarcomere length and protein solubility were studied in rabbit longissimus dorsi allowed to pass through rigor in free and stretched physical states. Stretched muscles were significantly more tender as evidenced by lower shear values. They also exhibited significantly longer sarcomeres as compared to their paired controls allowed to pass through rigor without restraint. Greater amounts of total protein were extracted from stretched muscles in all trials except one. Significantly greater amounts of actomyosin were extracted from stretched muscles in all trials. The actomyosin results were unexpected since it has been suggested by several workers that actomyosin formation is directly related to toughness in muscle. Some possible explanations for the results obtained in this study are discussed.
MOCVD-grown HEMTs on Al2O3 substrates

Abstract Al0.2Ga0.8N/GaN HEMTs have been fabricated from MOCVD-grown epilayers on (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates. DC current densities from 0.5 to ∼1 A/mm were achieved for gate lengths ranging from 0.75 to 0.1 μ m. A maximum transconductance of 207 mS/mm was measured for short gate length devices. From s-parameter measurements, ft of 59 GHz and fmax of 90 GHz were extracted. Load pull results from 0.25×150 μm 2 gate dimension devices indicated an output power density of 2.75 W/mm at 3 GHz and 1.7 W/mm at 10 GHz. Small signal modeling of the measured s-parameters is also presented.
Changes in the isoforms of the sodium pump in the placenta and myometrium of women in labor.

Abstract Objective: We determined whether changes in sodium pump isoform abundance accompanied active human labor. Study Design: Specimens of placenta, amniochorion, and myometrium were collected from women in active spontaneous labor and from those not in labor. The abundance of the three sodium pump α-isoforms was determined by Western blot analysis. Results: Levels of the α1 and α2 isoforms were comparable in the three tissues for women in labor and not in labor. However, α3 isoform abundance in placenta and myometrium (but not amniochorion) was significantly decreased in women in active labor compared with women not in labor (sodium pump α3 in placenta: no labor 91.2 ± 27.6 vs labor 46.9 ± 3.6 density units, P =.002. Sodium pump α3 in myometrium: no labor 52.3 ± 7.7 vs labor 19.8 ± 1.6 density units, P =.0002). Conclusion: Because reductions in sodium pump number can result in hormone release from secretory tissues and in contraction of muscle, this suggests that the sodium pump may play a significant role in the initiation or maintenance of human labor. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003;188:759-64.)
Aortic reconstruction with femoral-popliteal vein: graft stenosis incidence, risk and reintervention.

Background Management using femoral-popliteal vein (FPV) of aortic graft infections, failing aortofemoral bypass, and aortoiliac occlusive disease in young patients with a small aorta is now an accepted therapeutic method and is performed frequently at our institution. A high reintervention rate for FPV graft stenosis has recently been reported. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of FPV graft failure due to stenosis after neoaortoiliac system (NAIS) reconstruction, and to identify risk factors for this complication. Methods A review was performed of 240 patients who underwent NAIS reconstruction at our institution between January 1991 and December 2005. All patients were entered into a prospective database and were evaluated for the incidence of vein graft stenosis requiring reintervention, risk factors for stenosis, and the rate and type of reintervention required to assist patency. Patients with occlusion are evaluated and reported, but excluded from detailed analysis. Risk factors assessed included gender, operative features, FPV size (diameter), smoking history, and medical comorbidities. Results Of the 240 NAIS procedures performed during this time period, 11 (4.6%) patients have required 12 graft revisions (one patient required a second intervention) for stenosis using open and endovascular techniques. Over the same time period, graft occlusion occurred in nine patients (3.8%). This provided a primary patency at 2 and 5 years of 87% and 82%, and an assisted primary patency rate of 96% and 94%. Mean time to revision was 23.5 months (range 5.5 to 83.5 months). Median FPV graft size in the nonrevised patients was 7.8 mm (range 4.0 to 11.4 mm), and 6.4 mm (range 4.7 to 8.7 mm) in the revised group (P = .006). Survival analysis revealed small vein graft size ( Conclusions FPV graft stenosis requiring revision after NAIS reconstruction is uncommon. Risk factors for stenosis include small graft size, history of CAD, and smoking. All patients merit aggressive counseling for smoking cessation, and patients exhibiting multiple risk factors should undergo close postoperative surveillance for graft stenosis.
Polymerization of Ethylene Terephthalate Cyclic Oligomers with Antimony Trioxide

Conditions for polymerizing ethylene terephthalate cyclic oligomers (ETCs) with the catalyst antimony trioxide were investigated with the ultimate goal in mind of using ETCs to produce high-performance poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) composites. The ETCs used were prepared both by a direct synthesis method and by cyclodepolymerization (CDP) in dilute solution. ETCs prepared exhibited a distribution of oligomeric species displaying a broad melting range, the uppermost end of which lies at 290 °C. In the case of ETCs prepared by CDP, purified ETCs (p-ETCs) were prepared by eliminating remaining impurities including linear oligomers and cyclic oligomers containing the diethylene glycol (DEG) unit using dichloromethane and tetrahydrofuran. A homogeneous mixture of ETCs prepared by the direct synthesis method or p-ETCs with antimony trioxide was successfully polymerized to high molecular weight (MW) PET (Mn ≥ 25 000) at 293 °C within 15 min. The lower the contents of remaining impurities, the higher the MW ...
Placement of medium-sized molecular fragments into active sites of proteins.

We present an algorithm for placing molecular fragments into the active site of a receptor. A molecular fragment is defined as a connected part of a molecule containing only complete ring systems. The algorithm is part of a docking tool, called FlexX, which is currently under development at GMD. The overall goal is to provide means of automatically computing low-energy conformations of the ligand within the active site, with an accuracy approaching the limitations of experimental methods for resolving molecular structures and within a run time that allows for docking large sets of ligands. The methods by which we plan to achieve this goal are the explicit exploitation of molecular flexibility of the ligand and the incorporation of physicochemical properties of the molecules. The algorithm for fragment placement, which is the topic of this paper, is based on pattern recognition techniques and is able to predict a small set of possible positions of a molecular fragment with low flexibility within seconds on a workstation. In most cases, a placement with rms deviation below 1.0 A with respect to the X-ray structure is found among the 10 highest ranking solutions, assuming that the receptor is given in the bound conformation.
Abstract passive interferometers with applications to conservative logic

Abstract Interferometers with two complex inputs and two complex outputs can be viewed as state machines over a 4-D hyperspace, where the relationship between outputs and inputs are transition functions. In the simplest case, there is full symmetry between inputs and between outputs. The nonzero inputs, the origin and the outputs define a 2-D plane in the 4-D space. The interferometer rotates the input vectors by π / 4 in the hyperspace. Cascading the symmetric units defines a simple Hamiltonian path of length 8 in a 2-D subspace. Breaking symmetry by introducing a relative phase shift in the input leads to more complex Hamiltonian paths that can require all four dimensions to describe. The special symmetry breaking caused by a π 2 phase shift in one of the input arms leads to outputs which, upon detection, are recognizable as Boolean and other simple operations on properly encrypted and interpreted inputs!
Optic Disc Cupping as Clinically Estimated from Photographs

Cup-to-disc ratios of 204 right eyes were evaluated by two clinicians and by a trained grader using a standardized grading scheme. Mean measurements by the grader were greater than estimates made by either clinician. The measurement scheme used by the trained grader has a high degree of reliability and validity. The standard protocol provides an objective assessment of optic disc cupping and could be easily adapted for office use.
Phencyclidine: a NIDA perspective.

(1980). Phencyclidine: A NIDA Perspective. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 12, PCP: Problems and Prevention. Selected Proceedings of the National PCP Conference 1979+K2, pp. 205-209.
Alternaria alternata as a new fungal enzyme system for the release of phenolic acids from wheat and triticale brans

This study describes the release of antioxidant ferulic acid from wheat and triticale brans by mixtures of extracellular enzymes produced in culture by a strain FC007 of Alternaria alternata, a dark mold originally isolated from Canadian wood log. The genus of the mold was confirmed as Alternaria by 18S ribosomal DNA characterization. Enzyme activities for feruloyl esterase (FAE) and polysaccharide hydrolyzing enzymes were measured, and conditions for release of ferulic acid and reducing sugars from the mentioned brans were evaluated. The highest level of FAE activity (89 ± 7 mU ml−1 fermentation culture) was obtained on the fifth day of fermentation on wheat bran as growth substrate. Depending on biomass and processing condition, up to 91.2 or 72.3% of the ferulic acid was released from wheat bran and triticale bran, respectively, indicating the proficiency of A. alternata extracellular enzymes in plant cell wall deconstruction. The apparent high extraction of ferulic acid from wheat and triticale brans represents a potential advantage of using a whole fungal cell enzyme complement over yields reported previously through an artificial assembly of cloned FAE with a particular xylanase in a cocktail format.
Current status of fiber optical parametric amplifiers

Fiber optical parametric amplifiers (OPAs) are nonlinear devices based on the third-order nonlinear susceptibility of glass fibers. They require one or two pumps, located near the fiber zero-dispersion wavelength, and phase matching between the waves must occur. Injecting a signal at the input results in amplified signal and a new wavelength, the idler, emerging from the output. Important features have been demonstrated, including: 60 dB of cw gain; 400 nm gain bandwidth; tunable narrowband gain spectra; noise figure below 4 dB. The presence of the idler can be used for wavelength conversion. The spectrum of the idler is also inverted with respect to that of the signal; thus by placing an OPA in the middle of a fiber span one can realize mid-span spectral inversion (MSSI) which counteracts the effect of fiber dispersion and some nonlinear effects. By modulating the pump one modulates signal and idler at the output. This can be used to implement a variety of signal processing functions, including: demultiplexing of TDM signals; retiming and reshaping functions (2R regeneration). Some challenges must be overcome for fiber OPAs to be useful in communication applications. In WDM systems, these are: four-wave mixing and cross-phase modulation between signals; cross-gain modulation. Fiber OPAs also exhibit conversion of pump RIN and/or FM (used to suppress SBS) to signal and idler IM. Fiber OPAs will benefit from design and fabrication of novel fibers with high nonlinearity and improved dispersion properties. Novel families of fibers, such as holey fibers, are promising in this respect.
Geology and chemistry of hydrothermal deposits from active submarine volcano Loihi, Hawaii

High-resolution bathymetric surveys, bottom photography and sample analyses show that Loihi Seamount at the southernmost extent of the Hawaiian ‘hotspot’ is an active, young submarine volcano that is probably the site of an emerging Hawaiian island. Hydrothermal deposits sampled from the active summit rift system were probably formed by precipitation from cooling vent fluids or during cooling and oxidation of high-temperature polymetallic sulphide assemblages. No exotic benthic fauna were found to be associated with the presently active hydrothermal vents mapped.
Vibration and Buckling of Rotating, Pretwisted, Preconed Beams Including Coriolis Effects

The effects of pretwist, precone, setting angle and Coriolis forces on the vibration and buckling behavior of rotating, torsionally rigid, cantilevered beams were studied. The beam is considered to be clamped on the axis of rotation in one case, and off the axis of rotation in the other. Two methods are employed for the solution of the vibration problem: (1) one based upon a finite-difference approach using second order central differences for solution of the equations of motion, and (2) based upon the minimum of the total potential energy functional with a Ritz type of solution procedure making use of complex forms of shape functions for the dependent variables. The individual and collective effects of pretwist, precone, setting angle, thickness ratio and Coriolis forces on the natural frequencies and the buckling boundaries are presented. It is shown that the inclusion of Coriolis effects is necessary for blades of moderate to large thickness ratios while these effects are not so important for small thickness ratio blades. The possibility of buckling due to centrifugal softening terms for large values of precone and rotation is shown.
Blastogenic responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from individuals with various forms of periodontitis and effects of treatment

Abstract Experiments were done to learn whether or not the blastogenic responsiveness of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBM) from 34 patients to mitogens and homogenates of a panel of periodontal bacteria differs significantly from that of cells from 16 normal individuals. Groups of control individuals and patients with juvenile (JP), rapidly progressive (RP) and adult periodontitis (AP) were formed. Blastogenic responsiveness was assessed after 72 and 120 h incubation by measuring the uptake of radioactive precursor into DNA. Bacterial preparations and mitogens used as stimulators included Bacteroides melaninogemcus (BMEL), Capnocytophaga (CAPNO), Fusobacterium nucleatum (FUSO), Actinomyces viscosus (AVIS), phytohemagglutinin (PHA), and pokeweed mitogen (PWM). When the data were calculated as Stimulation Index (E/C), responsiveness of cells from patients with AP and JP was enhanced relative to that of cells from normal control subjects, but the enhancement was not statistically significant. In contrast, responsiveness of cells from RP patients to FUSO and AVIS was significantly suppressed. Except in the case of AP cells activated with PHA, mitogenic responsiveness of all patient cells was significantly suppressed. When responsiveness was calculated as E minus C, these differences between patient and control cells disappeared except for suppression of the level of blastogenesis by AP and RP cells exposed to AVIS. After 120 h incubation, unstimulated cultures of AP cells incorporated significantly less, and RP cells significantly more, radioactivity than did unstimulated cultures from normal individuals indicating an abnormal autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction. Cells were harvested and tested from a group of AP patients before, during and following periodontal therapy. PBM responsiveness to horaogenates of CAPNO did not change significantly during therapy, but responsiveness to all of the other bacterial preparations including autologous plaque increased following initial therapy. Values for AVIS, FUSO, and PLAQ were statistically significant. Responsiveness to the bacterial preparations either remained at the enhanced levels or increased to even greater levels following completion of therapy, except in the case of autologous plaque, where the values had begun to return toward pretreatment levels. In addition, responsiveness to PWM and PHA dropped to about one-half the pretreatment values and responsiveness of unstimtilated cultures increased significantly to levels observed in cultures of ceils from normal donors.
Probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis using the boundary element method

The development and application of a probabilistic fracture mechanics computer program is discussed. This program is obtained by integrating an advanced reliability analysis code, NESSUS, with a special purpose fracture mechanics boundary element program, BIECRX. The resulting program, NESSUS/BIECRX, can perform probabilistic and reliability analysis with respect to stress intensity factors, energy release rate, displacements, and stresses for two-dimensional structures in a highly accurate, yet efficient manner. Random variables with respect to geometry, loading, material properties, and crack parameters can be analyzed. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the capabilities of NESSUS/BIECRX. The accuracy and efficiency of the program with respect to Monte Carlo methods is demonstrated. >
THE ADAPTABILITY OF CHICKENS TO VARIOUS TEMPERATURES.

Abstract CHICKENS deviate from their potential in reproductive performance when challenged by environmental conditions. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 90°F. (Mueller, 1961) or below 60°F. (Hays, 1958) results in a reduced egg yield. Eggs produced under high air temperature conditions have thinner than normal shells and as a result are particularly fragile (Thornton and Moreng, 1959). These relationships are economically significant to the egg industry since meteorological variations constitute hazards in many poultry producing areas of the world. There is evidence that genetic differences affect the sensitivity and adaptability of chickens to high environmental temperatures. This appears to be true between breeds (Huston et al., 1957; Campos et al., 1960) and between families (Kheireldin and Shaffner, 1957). Individuals in a family have also demonstrated differences in acclimatization to hot humid environments (Hutchinson and Sykes, 1953). Genetic-environmental relationships with respect to adaptation of strains to different climates are reported here. MATERIALS AND…
Point-of-Care Noninvasive Hemoglobin Determination Using Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy

Study objective: rapidly identifying anemia through qualitative observation of the palpebral conjunctiva for pallor is standard medical practice. We report on the ability of using a fiber optic array probe to collect diffusely reflected light from the palpebral conjunctiva and measure hemoglobin concentration noninvasively. Patients (N=102) admitted to the emergency department and receiving a complete blood count (CBQ were enrolled as a convenience set. The tarsal plate was exposed by averting the lower eyelid and illuminated with a white LED while diffusely reflected light was collected using a fiber optic probe and commercial grating spectrometer. Spectra were analyzed using partial least squares regression to extract hemoglobin concentration information and compare to the CBC result. The probe and algorithm demonstrated correlation coefficient of r = 0.82 and standard error of 1.05 g/dL compared to invasive CBC test. Experimental error is due to variability in distance and position of the probe relative to the conjunctiva. This technique has shown the ability to measure total hemoglobin noninvasively and in real-time at the point-of-care using diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of the tarsal plate, leading to potential inclusion of this class of device as a triage centric tool to identify anemia appearing with internal hemorrhage or other acute conditions.
Methodology Review: Principles, Procedures, and Findings in the Application of Background Data Measures

This paper provides a review and critique of the background data literature. As a life history measure, the effective application of background data items is based on a developmental strategy in which a pattern of prior behavior and experiences is related to certain forms of criterion performance. This principle pro vides a framework for discussing the various issues in volved in generating an adequate pool of background data items. The four principal methods for scaling background data items are examined: rational scaling, factorial scaling, empirical keying, and subgrouping. The relative strengths and weaknesses of these four techniques are considered along with current research needs in each area. This review indicates that substan tial progress has been made in the development and application of background data measures, but that al ternatives to the traditional empirical keying strategy should receive more attention.
Cellular mechanisms of social attachment.

Pharmacological studies in prairie voles have suggested that the neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin play important roles in behaviors associated with monogamy, including affiliation, paternal care, and pair bonding. Our laboratory has investigated the cellular and neuroendocrine mechanisms by which these peptides influence affiliative behavior and social attachment in prairie voles. Monogamous prairie voles have a higher density of oxytocin receptors in the nucleus accumbens than do nonmonogamous vole species; blockade of these receptors by site-specific injection of antagonist in the female prairie vole prevents partner preference formation. Prairie voles also have a higher density of vasopressin receptors in the ventral pallidal area, which is the major output of the nucleus accumbens, than montane voles. Both the nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum are key relay nuclei in the brain circuits implicated in reward, such as the mesolimbic dopamine and opioid systems. Therefore, we hypothesize that oxytocin and vasopressin may be facilitating affiliation and social attachment in monogamous species by modulating these reward pathways.
Topographical control of multiple cell adhesion molecules for traction force microscopy

Cellular traction forces are important quantitative measures in cell biology as they have provided much insight into cell behavior in contexts such as cellular migration, differentiation, and disease progression. However, the complex environment in vivo permits application of cell traction forces through multiple types of cell adhesion molecules. Currently available approaches to differentiate traction forces among multiple cell adhesion molecules are limited to specialized approaches to decouple cell–cell from cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) tractions. Here, we present a technique which uses indirect micropatterning onto a polyacrylamide gel to pattern multiple, spatially distinct fluorescently labeled ECM proteins, specifically gelatin and fibronectin (Fn), and confine the area to which cells can adhere. We found that cells interacting with both gelatin and Fn altered their traction forces significantly in comparison to cells on Fn-only substrates. This crosstalk interaction resulted in a decrease in overall traction forces on dual-patterned substrates as compared to cells on Fn-only substrates. This illustrates the unique need to study such interactions and demonstrates great potential in future studies in multi-ligand environments. Current micropatterning techniques on glass can easily be adapted to present other protein classes, such as cadherins, while maintaining control of adhesion spacing, cell spread area, and stiffness, each of which are important regulators of cell mechanobiology.
American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World

American Holocaust: Columbus and the Conquest of the New World. David E. Stannard. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. xv + 358pp. $13.95 (paper). ISBN 0–19–508557–4.
Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater , Parasitism and Abundance in the Northern Great Plains

The Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ) reaches its highest abundance in the northern Great Plains, but much of our understanding of cowbird ecology and host-parasite interactions comes from areas outside of this region. We examine cowbird brood parasitism and densities during two studies of breeding birds in the northern Great Plains during 1990–2006. We found 2649 active nests of 75 species, including 746 nonpasserine nests and 1902 passerine nests. Overall, <1% of nonpasserine nests and 25% of passerine nests were parasitized by Brown-headed Cowbirds. Although the overall frequency of cowbird parasitism in passerine nests in these two studies is considered moderate, the frequency of multiple parasitism among parasitized nests was heavy (nearly 50%). The mean number of cowbird eggs per parasitized passerine nest was 1.9 ± 1.2 (SD; range = 1–8 cowbird eggs). The parasitism rates were 9.5% for passerines that typically nest in habitats characterized by woody vegetation, 16.4% for grassland-nesting passerines, 4.7% for passerines known to consistently eject cowbird eggs, and 28.2% for passerines that usually accept cowbird eggs. The Red-winged Blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) was the most commonly parasitized species (43.1% parasitism, 49.6% multiple parasitism, 71.2% of all cases of parasitism). Passerine nests found within areas of higher female cowbird abundance experienced higher frequencies of cowbird parasitism than those found in areas of lower female cowbird abundance. Densities of female cowbirds were positively related to densities and richness of other birds in the breeding bird community.
Abstraction Assistant: An automatic text abstraction system

In the interest of standardization and quality assurance, it is desirable for authors and staff of access services to follow the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines in preparing abstracts. Using the statistical approach an extraction system (the Abstraction Assistant) was developed to generate informative abstracts to meet the ANSI guidelines for structural content elements. The system performance is evaluated by comparing the system-generated abstracts with the author's original abstracts and the manually enhanced system abstracts on three criteria: balance (satisfaction of the ANSI standards), fluency (text coherence), and understandability (clarity). The results suggest that it is possible to use the system output directly without manual modification, but there are issues that need to be addressed in further studies to make the system a better tool. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Findings From a Community-Based Program for Battered Women and Their Children

The effectiveness of a strengths-and community-based support and advocacy intervention for battered women and their children was examined. The study included a longitudinal, experimental design and employed multimethod strategies to measure children's exposure to abuse and their self-competence over a period of 8 months. Maternal experience of abuse and maternal well-being were also assessed. The experimental intervention involved advocacy for mothers and their children and a 10-week support and education group for the children. Families in the experimental condition received the free services of a trained paraprofessional for 6 to 8 hours per week over 16 weeks. Eighty mothers and their 80 children participated in the study. Findings were modest but promising. Children in the experimental condition reported significantly higher self-competence in several domains compared to children in the control group. The intervention caused improvement in women's depression and self-esteem over time. Policy, practice...
Fixed Pattern Noise Compensation Techniques For Staring Infrared Focal Planes

To utilize the full performance advantages of staring infrared imaging systems currently under development, it is necessary to compensate for the characteristic fixed pattern "noise" which is present at the output from these infrared focal planes. Since many of the applications for staring sensor systems require low power dissipation configurations, it is necessary to develop automatic nonuniformity compensation electronics which have much lower power dissipation requirements than conventional digital compensation techniques. This paper discusses the sources of the nonuniformities and describes the typical characteristics of elevated temperature staring arrays. An analysis is given which shows how detector/charge-coupled device electrical coupling techniques strongly influence the compensation implementation, and finally a review of circuit configurations for the compensation function will be given which shows that very low power dissipation circuitry can be developed which meets the performance power dissipation requirements.
Development of a Multidimensional Scale of Social Integration in Later Life.

Social integration is increasingly recognized as key to successful aging; however, definitions and assessments vary greatly across gerontological studies. This study describes the development of and provides preliminary evidence for the multidimensional Social Integration in Later Life Scale (SILLS). A review of previous measures led to the development of a 30-item questionnaire, which was given to a community-based sample of 399 older adults (ages 60–100). Factor analysis was used to determine a four-factor structure that included dimensions of frequency–social ties, frequency–social activities, satisfaction–social ties, and satisfaction–social activities. The overall scale Cronbach’s α was .86 (subscales ranged from .72 to .84), demonstrating good internal consistency. Preliminary results suggest that the SILLS has adequate concurrent and convergent validity. By assessing enacted and perceived integration across social ties and activities, this comprehensive measure is a useful tool for understanding so...
Photonic temperature sensor based on microring resonators

We present an experimental analysis on a photonic temperature sensor based on microring resonators, and we show that the sensitivity can be better than 40μK, which is limited by technical noise.
Current status and future perspectives for sequencing livestock genomes

Only in recent years, the draft sequences for several agricultural animals have been assembled. Assembling an individual animal's entire genome sequence or specific region(s) of interest is increasingly important for agricultural researchers to perform genetic comparisons between animals with different performance. We review the current status for several sequenced agricultural species and suggest that next generation sequencing (NGS) technology with decreased sequencing cost and increased speed of sequencing can benefit agricultural researchers. By taking advantage of advanced NGS technologies, genes and chromosomal regions that are more labile to the influence of environmental factors could be pinpointed. A more long term goal would be addressing the question of how animals respond at the molecular and cellular levels to different environmental models (e.g. nutrition). Upon revealing important genes and gene-environment interactions, the rate of genetic improvement can also be accelerated. It is clear that NGS technologies will be able to assist animal scientists to efficiently raise animals and to better prevent infectious diseases so that overall costs of animal production can be decreased.
Hot-carrier-induced degradation of gate dielectrics grown in nitrous oxide under accelerated aging

Gate oxides grown with partial and complete oxidation in N/sub 2/O were studied in terms of hot-carrier stressing. The DC lifetime for 10% degradation in g/sub m/ had a 15*improvement over control oxides not grown in a N/sub 2/O atmosphere. Further improvement in g/sub m/ degradation was observed in oxides that received partial oxidation as compared with control oxides. This improvement is due to the incorporation of nitrogen that reduces strained Si-O bonds at the Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface, leading to lower interface state generation (ISG). Improvements were also observed in I/sub g/-V/sub g/ characteristics, indicating a reduction of trap sites both at the Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface and in the bulk oxide. Improved gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) characteristics as a function of hot-carrier stressing for partial N/sub 2/O oxides were observed over control oxides. However, severe drain leakage that masked GIDL was observed on pure N/sub 2/O oxides and is a subject for further study. >
Human anti-estrogen receptor antibodies: assay, characterization, and age- and sex-related differences.

A binding assay was developed to measure the estrogen receptor (ER)-binding activity in serum. The method employed immunoglobulin G (IgG) adsorption with protein Abearing Staphylococcus aureus cells before incubation with tritium- labeled ER. Specificity studies employing chromatographic and electrophoretic analyses suggested that an IgG antibody (Anti-ER) was responsible for the serum activity. Anti-ER was found in human, rat, and mouse serum and exhibited species cross-reactivity. The antibody recognized both the 8S and 5S forms of the ER. Anti-ER was measured in 262 individuals ranging in age from 1–85 yr. The antibody was detected in all serum samples examined, suggesting its natural occurrence. When the study group was divided into three arbitrary age groups (young, 1–13 yr; middle age, 13–51 yr; older, >51 yr), significant differences in levels of antibody were found, with highest levels in the young, followed by the elderly, and lowest levels in the middle years. An examination of sex- as well as a...
Attachment theory and the psychoanalytic tradition

I take this occasion to reflect on the relation between the flourishing attachment tradition established by Bowlby's work and the psychoanalytic tradition. I want to show how Bowlby's virtual expulsion from mainstream psychoanalysis in the early 1960s makes some sense in terms of the history of psychoanalytic ideas, as he was several steps ahead of his own time. I then consider the ways in which other major psychoanalytic authors, W.R.D. Fairbairn and Hans Loewald, as well as the American psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan, struggled with the same problems Bowlby did. There is now a marked receptivity among psychoanalysts to the same ideas that earned Bowlby his place, along with Fairbairn and Sullivan, in the psychoanalytic Gulag. Finally, I consider the way in which an integration of these different angles on the same phenomena can be helpful both conceptually and clinically.
Adult and Child Development in the Zone of Proximal Development: Socratic Dialogue in a Playworld

This article analyses adult and child development in the zone of proximal development in an educational practice based in Vygotsky's theories of play: the playworld educational practice. The playwo...
Soviet Hegemony of Form: Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More

This paper was prompted by a personal question that has puzzled many former Soviet people, myself included, since the late 1980s: How to make sense of the sudden evaporation of the colossal and seemingly monolithic Soviet system and way of life, in which we grew up and lived? What was it about the Soviet system that made its “collapse” appear completely unimaginable and surprisingly fast not only to most Western Sovietologists but also to most Soviet people? The experience of the unexpectedness and abruptness of the collapse is reflected in diverse materials I have collected in Russia in the past ten years. This question is not about the “causes” for the collapse but about its “conditions of possibility”: what conditions made the collapse possible while keeping that possibility invisible? To begin addressing this question, we must analyze how the particular “culture” of Soviet socialism invisibly created the conditions for the collapse and at the same time rendered it unexpected. The period when these conditions emerged, the approximately thirty years preceding the beginning of perestroika (the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s), I shall call Soviet “Late Socialism.”