cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aggregating courier deliveries

We consider the problem of efficiently scheduling deliveries by an uncapacitated courier from a central location under online arrivals. We consider both adversary‐controlled and Poisson arrival processes. In the adversarial setting we provide a randomized (3βΔ/2δ − 1)‐competitive algorithm, where β is the approximation ratio of the traveling salesman problem, δ is the minimum distance between the central location and any customer, and Δ is the length of the optimal traveling salesman tour overall customer locations and the central location. We provide instances showing that this analysis is tight. We also prove a 1 + 0.271Δ/δ lower‐bound on the competitive ratio of any algorithm in this setting. In the Poisson setting, we relax our assumption of deterministic travel times by assuming that travel times are distributed with a mean equal to the excursion length. We prove that optimal policies in this setting follow a threshold structure and describe this structure. For the half‐line metric space we bound the performance of the randomized algorithm in the Poisson setting, and show through numerical experiments that the performance of the algorithm is often much better than this bound.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome as a paradigm for medicolegal education.

In the fall semester of 1987, I attempted to introduce preclinical second-year medical students at the State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn to the range of medicolegal issues that would confront them as they entered the clinical phase of their training. For many medical students, and for many in medical practice, “medicolegal issues” previously meant the issue of medical malpractice, in particular the risk that one might be sued. All students in the entire class (220 students) were introduced to this topic with two one-hour lectures which are part of a required course in health services taught by the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health.
Non-Infection-Related And Non-Visit-Based Antibiotic Prescribing Is Common Among Medicaid Patients

Ambulatory antibiotic stewardship policies focus on prescribing decisions made when patients present to clinicians with possible infections. They do not capture antibiotics prescribed outside of cl...
Holographic spectrum-splitting photovoltaic system using bifacial cells

In this paper a photovoltaic system is proposed that achieves high energy yield by integrating bifacial silicon cells into a spectrum-splitting module. Spectrum-splitting is accomplished using volume holographic elements to spectrally divide sunlight onto an array of PV cells with different bandgap energies. Diffuse sunlight is transmitted through the holographic element and converted. Light that is reflected off the ground surface is incident upon the rear side of the module and converted by the bifacial silicon cells. A diffuse scattering surface is applied to the rear-side of the monofacial wide-bandgap cell to redirect light to the bifacial silicon and increase the light collection. The volume holographic element optimization is automated and practical system design parameters such as concentration and aspect ratio are analyzed. An example using 22.5% efficient silicon and 28.8% efficient GaAs is presented and shows that an energy conversion efficiency of 32.9% can be achieved using typical utility scale illumination parameters. An economic analysis is presented that shows the installed cost per watt can be reduced by over 30% compared to a monofacial silicon panel and can even provide benefit if the cost of the wide-bandgap cell is over 10X the cost of silicon cells.
The cost of a single concussion in American high school football: a retrospective cohort study.

Aim The potential financial burden of American football-related concussions (FRC) is unknown. Our objective was to describe the healthcare costs associated with an FRC and determine factors associated with increased costs. Methodology/results A retrospective cohort study of concussed high school football players presenting between November 2017 and March 2020 was undertaken; 144 male high school football players were included. Total costs were about $115,000, for an average direct healthcare cost of $800.10/concussion. Visiting the emergency department (β = 502.29, 95% CI: 105.79-898.61; p = 0.01), the initial post-concussion symptom scale score (β = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.11-0.66; p = 0.01) and a post-concussion syndrome diagnosis (β = 670.37, 95% CI: 98.96-1241.79; p = 0.02) were each independently associated with total costs. Conclusion A granular understanding of cost-driving factors associated with FRC is the first step in understanding the cost-effectiveness of prevention and treatment methods.
Manufacturing deformation impact on the performance of electrical generator for the wind turbine application

The system of systems approach is the representation of several distributed and independent systems, for a larger and complex system. The system can be defined as interacting and interdependent com...
Semiempirical, parameterized spectrum estimation for x-ray computed tomography.

PURPOSE To develop a tool to produce accurate, well-validated x-ray spectra for standalone use or for use in an open-access x-ray/CT simulation tool. Spectrum models will be developed for tube voltages in the range of 80 kVp through 140 kVp and for anode takeoff angles in the range of 5° to 9°. METHODS Spectra were initialized based on physics models, then refined using empirical measurements, as follows. A new spectrum-parameterization method was developed, including 13 spline knots to represent the bremsstrahlung component and 4 values to represent characteristic lines. Initial spectra at 80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp and at takeoff angles from 5° to 9° were produced using physics-based spectrum estimation tools XSPECT and SpekPy. Empirical experiments were systematically designed with careful selection of attenuator materials and thicknesses, and by reducing measurement contamination from scatter to <1%. Measurements were made on a 64-row CT scanner using the scanner's detector and using multiple layers of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), aluminum, titanium, tin, and neodymium. Measurements were made at 80, 100, 120, and 140 kVp and covering the entire 64-row detector (takeoff angles from 5° to 9°); a total of 6,144 unique measurements were made. After accounting for the detector's energy response, parameterized representations of the initial spectra were refined for best agreement with measurements using two proposed optimization schemes: based on modulation and based on gradient descent. X-ray transmission errors were computed for measurements vs calculations using the nonoptimized and optimized spectra. Half-value, tenth-value, and hundredth-value layers for PMMA, Al, and Ti were calculated. RESULTS Spectra before and after parameterization were in excellent agreement (e.g., R2 values of 0.995 and 0.997). Empirical measurements produced smoothly varying curves with x-ray transmission covering a range of up to 3.5 orders of magnitude. Spectra from the two optimization schemes, compared with the unoptimized physic-based spectra, each improved agreement with measurements by twofold through tenfold, for both postlog transmission data and for fractional value layers. CONCLUSION The resulting well-validated spectra are appropriate for use in the open-access x-ray/CT simulator under development, the x-ray-based Cancer Imaging Toolkit (XCIST), or for standalone use. These spectra can be readily interpolated to produce spectra at arbitrary kVps over the range of 80 to 140 kVp and arbitrary takeoff angles over the range of 5° to 9°. Furthermore, interpolated spectra over these ranges can be obtained by applying the standalone Matlab function available at https://github.com/xcist/documentation/blob/master/XCISTspectrum.m.
Three-dimensional printing and craniosynostosis surgery.

The goal of this study was to review the current application and status of three-dimensional printing for craniosynostosis surgery. A literature review was performed using the PubMed/MEDLINE databases for studies published between 2010 and 2020. All studies demonstrating the utilization of three-dimensional printing for craniosynostosis surgery were included. A total of 15 studies were ultimately selected. This includes studies demonstrating novel three-dimensional simulation and printing workflows, studies utilizing three-dimensional printing for surgical simulation, as well as case reports describing prior experiences. The incorporation of three-dimensional printing into the domain of craniosynostosis surgery has many potential benefits. This includes streamlining surgical planning, developing patient-specific template guides, enhancing residency training, as well as aiding in patient counseling. However, the current state of the literature remains in the validation stage. Further study with larger case series, direct comparisons with control groups, and prolonged follow-up times is necessary before more widespread implementation is justified.
Constructing Mental Illness: Race, Incarceration, and State Violence

As historians of psychiatry often tell it, the process of psychiatric deinstitutionalization follows a more or less linear path toward liberation of the mentally ill. This narrative typically begin...
The Psychology of Taxing Capital Income: Evidence from a Survey Experiment on the Realization Rule

How to tax capital income is a critical issue today. The realization rule—requiring that property usually must be sold before gains are taxed—is central to taxing capital income, but often decreases the efficiency, equity, and simplicity of the tax system. Estimates suggest that the realization rule costs the government over $2 trillion over 10 years. Given these problems, it is unclear why the rule exists for assets that are easy to value and sell. Scholars have long speculated about the role of the public’s views here, but little is known empirically about them. We conduct the first survey experiment to understand the psychology of the realization rule, which has broad implications for the taxation of capital income. We have three main findings. First, respondents strongly prefer to wait to tax gains on stocks until sale: 75% to 25%. This pattern persists across a variety of other assets and policy framings: indeed, nearly half of those without stock prefer raising everyone’s taxes (including their own) to taxing unsold stock gains. But the flip side is that there is surprisingly strong support for taxing gains on assets at sale or transfer, including at death, in areas where current law never taxes those gains. Second, these views change only modestly after randomized participants observe a policy debate composed of videos explaining both the pros and cons of taxing before sale, though the pro and con treatments have large effects individually. And, third, among many possible explanations of these attitudes, we find particular evidence for four: using a different mental account for unsold gains than other ways of getting richer; a tendency to support the status quo; concerns about complexity; and a desire to tax consumption, not income, in the context of capital gains.
Missed HIV diagnoses when screening only emergency department patients who have blood samples obtained for other clinical purposes.

Abstract Objective Emergency departments (EDs) are highly valued settings for HIV screening. Most large-volume ED HIV screening programs have attenuated operational barriers by screening only ED patients who already have a blood sample available for other clinical reasons. Our objective was to estimate the proportion of HIV positive patients who are missed when an ED excludes patients for whom HIV screening would be the only indication to obtain a blood sample. Methods This cross-sectional analysis used existing electronic records of patients seen between 2017 and 2019 by an urban, academic ED and its HIV screening program, which includes patients regardless of whether they receive other ED blood testing. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients tested by the screening program who were newly diagnosed with HIV (Sample 1) for whom HIV screening would be the only indication for venipuncture. We secondarily 1) estimate the proportion of ED patients who received venipuncture using a representative sample of consecutively approached participants which prospectively recorded whether patients had blood obtained or intravenous catheter placement during usual ED care (Sample 2) and 2) report patient characteristics including HIV risk factors for those with and without ED venipuncture for both groups. Results Of 41 persons newly diagnosed with HIV by the ED screening program (Sample 1), 13 (31.7%, 95%CI 18.6–48.2) did not undergo venipuncture for any reason other than their HIV test. The proportion of ED visits without a venipuncture (Sample 2) was 44.2% (95% CI 41.9–46.6). Patient characteristics were similar for both groups. Conclusions Screening only those patients with a blood sample already available or easily obtainable due to usual ED care, misses many opportunities for earlier HIV diagnosis. Innovation in research, policy, and practice is needed to overcome still unaddressed barriers to ED HIV screening when HIV screening is the only indication for collection of a biological sample.
A Rhizomatic CALL: Technological Becoming in the Language Classroom

La recherche sur l’apprentissage des langues assistees par ordinateur (ALAO) et sur la technologie de l’information et des communications (TIC) en pedagogie demande souvent ce qu’est une technologi...
Acute Asthma Management with IV Magnesium in Obese, Overweight and Non-Overweight Inner-City Children.

Objective: IV Magnesium (IV Mg) is increasingly used as adjunctive therapy for asthma exacerbations. In obese patients, delays in recognition of asthma severity may lead to delays in IV Mg administration. Our objective was to examine whether timing of IV Mg administration varies by Body Mass Index (BMI) category and whether this relates to hospitalization course.Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of IV Mg use for asthma in children 2-17 years old hospitalized in an urban children's hospital. Weight status was categorized by BMI percentile for age. The primary outcome was time to IV Mg administration. Secondary outcomes included admission to the intensive care unit, time to discharge readiness and Length of Stay (LOS). Continuous variables were analyzed using Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney test, categorical variables with Chi-Square test or Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. A linear regression model examined factors related to time to IV Mg administration.Results: In 2017, 361/698 (52%) of patients admitted with acute asthma received IV Mg. Of these, 210 patients met study criteria. Except for age, baseline characteristics did not vary by BMI category. No differences were found in Time to IV Mg, rates of admission to the intensive care unit, time to discharge readiness, or LOS comparing non-overweight to overweight or obese patients.Conclusions: In this sample of inner-city children who received IV Mg there were no differences in timing of IV Mg based on BMI category. Further work is needed to examine whether standardizing timing of IV Mg improves care.
Measurement of Spin Effects in pp Elastic Scattering Using the Polarized Beam at the AGS

Using the recently developed 18.5 GeV/c AGS polarized proton beam and a polarized proton target we measured the analyzing power, A, and the spin-spin correlation parameter, Ann, in medium-P2 ⊥ proton-proton elastic scattering. We found sharp dips in both A and Ann, which occur at different P2 ⊥ values. The unexpected sharp structure in the spin-spin force occurs near P2 ⊥ = 2.3 [GeV/c]2 where the elastic cross-section has no apparent structure.
SU-C-204-03: In-Vivo Range Verification and Tissue Response to Proton Radiotherapy Using Prompt Gamma Volume Histograms

Purpose: To study if prompt gamma (PG) volume histograms created from PG images acquired during treatment delivery can be used to identify changes to beam range and tissue composition in response to proton radiotherapy. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations of a single field from a single treatment fraction (100 cGy) for prostate cancer were performed for the cases of: 1) an ideal patient setup, 1) a setup shift in the superior direction and 2) a reduction in oxygen concentration in the tumor. For each case, the 3 -Dimsional dose delivery and elemental PG emission in the patient for the treatment fraction were recorded and imported into a commercial treatment planning system. Changes in the dose volume histograms (DVH), as well as the PG volume histograms (PG-VH) for the PG emission from oxygen and for the total PG emission (from all elements) were analyzed. Results: For the 1 cm superior shift, the prostate DVH and total PG-VH both shifted toward lower doses with the shape of the curves remaining nearly unchanged, resulting in the DVH V95 dropping from 100 cGy to 90 cGy. For the total PG-VH, the V95 fell from 50 to 38. For the reduced oxygen case, both the DVHmore » and PG-VH had a much different shape than for the ideal case, with a significant downward slope in the curves as a function of dose. Conclusions: The shift in the prostate PG-VH for a superior shift in the patient setup correlated well with the DVH indicating it is possible to detect setup errors by analyzing the PG-VH from prompt gamma images obtained during daily proton treatment delivery. Additionally, it may be possible to detect changes in the elemental concentrations of irradiated tissues by analyzing the shape of the PG-VH.« less
Evaluating the effectiveness of detecting delay defects in the slack interval: a simulation study

A new delay testing scheme that identifies abnormal delays in the slack interval by comparing switching delays in neighboring dies on a wafer has been recently proposed and validated on experimental circuits. We evaluate the effectiveness of this new approach through the simulation of injected delay faults in the ISCAS benchmark circuits. The simulations are performed using a simple switched RC (resistor-capacitor) switching delay model. The results indicate that the new delay testing approach is orders of magnitude more effective in detecting and diagnosing smaller delay defects that increase circuit path delays by 10-50%. The new methodology can address increasing concerns that failure to detect such small delay faults during test may be the cause of significant unreliability in emerging nanometer technologies.
Optimising the care of patients with cirrhosis and gastrointestinal haemorrhage: a quality improvement study

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 34: 76–82 Summary Background Patients with cirrhosis and gastrointestinal haemorrhage are a complex group with high thirty-day mortality rates. Aim To evaluate the quality of care delivered to patients admitted with gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage to a tertiary care centre before and after implementing a quality improvement initiative for better adherence to practice standards. Methods This is a prospective cohort study. All patients admitted to a tertiary care centre with a GI haemorrhage and known or suspected chronic liver disease were evaluated before and after the quality improvement initiative was implemented. Interventions to improve quality of care included the delivery of educational sessions for medical practitioners, and creation and implementation of standardised admission order sets. Quality of care measures included delivery of prophylactic antibiotics (PAs) within 24 h of admission, delivery of a somatostatin analogue (SA) and use of a proton pump inhibitor (PPI); optimal care was defined as receiving all three. Secondary outcomes included hospital length of stay (LOS) and 30-day readmission rate. Results In comparing the preintervention and postintervention groups, we found significant gains in delivering PAs (57% vs. 75%, P = 0.05), SAs (54% vs. 76%, P = 0.013) and overall optimal care (41% vs. 65%, P = 0.008). Use of PPIs did not change and remained in accordance with guidelines (90% vs. 87%, P = 0.67). Hospital LOS remained similar between the two groups (6.8 vs. 7.1, P = 0.88), whereas the 30-day readmission decreased (41% vs. 13%, P = 0.001). Conclusion Implementation of quality improvement initiatives, such as targeted educational efforts and standardised order sets, can improve the quality of care delivered and patient outcomes in patients with cirrhosis and GI haemorrhage.
Multimode fiber response dependence on data pattern

A computer model has been implemented to predict the effective multimode fiber impulse response for different data patterns due to source nonidealities. Changes in the effective impulse response could significantly impact MMF post equalization processes.
Virtual laboratory development for undergraduate engineering courses

The mechanical engineering program at the United States Military Academy (USMA) has recently explored virtual laboratories for its undergraduate thermodynamics course to complement - or someday replace - existing full-scale laboratory equipment. During the fall term 2003, mechanical engineering faculty developed a virtual gas turbine laboratory and offered a fully digital virtual laboratory exercise in the undergraduate thermodynamics course. By digitally reproducing the laboratory setup, introduction, instrumentation, data collection and analysis, the virtual experience captured the essence of the laboratory. This paper explores virtual laboratory development and future opportunities for virtual educational events. Results of the first version of the USMA Virtual Gas Turbine Laboratory and details of its development are provided.
A society of ideas on cognition: review of Marvin Minsky's The Society of Mind

It is unfortunate that cognitive scientists have, for the most part, reacted to Minsky's book as though it were light reading or a minor conversation piece, to be relegated to a coffee table. Minsky himself is partly to blame here, since he has written the book in a style as though it were intended only for those uninitiated to the cognitive sciences. The book consists of a set of discrete observations, each limited to a page in length, and there are no citations in the text. There is no separate bibliography at the end and what bibliography there is is embedded within the glossary. In spite of this informal organizational style, The Society of Mind is well worth reading by cognitive scientists, whether coming from linguistics, psychology, connectionism, neuroscience, or AI. Minsky's discrete observations are organized into thirty chapters, covering a wide range of topics (e.g. consciousness, emotions, development, language, jokes, space, reasoning, memory, individuality) and the book is somewhat reminiscent of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations, where the intent is more to stimulate novel questions and ideas in the mind of the reader than to actually inform the reader
Rescheduling for Locality in Sparse Matrix Computations

In modern computer architecture the use of memory hierarchies causes a program's data locality to directly affect performance. Data locality occurs when a piece of data is still in a cache upon reuse. For dense matrix computations, loop transformations can be used to improve data locality. However, sparse matrix computations have nonaffine loop bounds and indirect memory references which prohibit the use of compile time loop transformations. This paper describes an algorithm to tile at runtime called serial sparse tiling. We test a runtime tiled version of sparse Gauss-Seidel on 4 different architectures where it exhibits speedups of up to 2.7. The paper also gives a static model for determining tile size and outlines how overhead affects the overall speedup.
Effects of Turbulence on Bridge Flutter Derivatives

Bridge flutter derivatives have heretofore been obtained from models almost exclusively tested under oncoming laminar flow conditions. This paper demonstrates how a section model teest may be set up and the results interpreted to obtain bridge deck flutter derivatives under conditions of oncoming turbulent flow. New theory is necessary in the turbulent flow case, and this is developed in the paper. The technique described amounts to a system identification method in which aerodynamic results are inferred from a theoretical model plus measured results of turbulent wind components, together with the motion they cause in the model. Flutter derivative results for an arbitrary model shape, obtained under a particularly pronounced form of turbulence that does not necessarily duplicate the natural turbulent wind over a prototype, are compared with analogous results obtained under laminar flow.
Ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block catheter experience in 2 neonates

The study objective is to describe our experience with placement and management of thoracic paravertebral block catheters in 2 neonates. The design is retrospective chart review of 2 consecutive newborns undergoing repair of tracheoesophageal fistula. Ultrasound-guided oblique intercostal approach for catheter placement and infusions of dilute ropivicaine for 4-5 days. The measurements are postoperative narcotics and sedatives administered. The main results are neither infant required continuous infusions of sedatives or narcotics. Thoracic paravertebral block catheter infusions for neonatal thoracotomy and chest tube placement may eliminate the need for continuous narcotic infusions and may avoid the need for narcotic and benzodiazepine taper or weaning.
LIFE EVENTS AND SUBSEQUENT ILLNESS

The objective was to examine for relationships between stress, as measured by life events, and hospitalization or death during the following 6 to 12 months, using a case-control design. As part of the Community Mental Epidemiology Program, life events data for the preceding year were gathered on a random sample of the population at two sites, and health data for the interval between interviews were collected at follow-up. A case is defined as anyone becoming ill and being hospitalized or dying during the interval between interviews. Each case was individually matched by several variables to a control who had neither been sick nor hospitalized. There were no significant demographic differences between cases and control in either site or between sites. When life events were examined by various scoring methods, there were no differences between cases and controls. This finding is important since most longitudinal studies that have shown a positive relationship between life events and subsequent illness have had methodologic limitations or have been based on healthy, young, male populations who generally did not become seriously ill during the study period. The results of this study plus the lack of generalizability of previous findings and their somewhat conflicting results raise serious questions about the etiologic relationship of life events to subsequent illness.
Acute monocular blindness resulting from transformation of von Recklinghausen's neurofibromatosis to malignant melanocytic schwannomas.

A 59-year-old male was transferred to our facility after initial workup for left eye blindness revealed multiple brain lesions. The patient presented with scant pedunculated skin lesions on his neck and arms, axillary freckling and bilateral subcutaneous ankle nodules suggestive of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). Neurological examination revealed left-sided blindness, diminished pupillary response to light, incomplete eyelid closure and facial droop. A CT series of the chest/abdomen/pelvis demonstrated several lesions in the lungs, liver and left kidney. CT-guided biopsy of the renal lesion was “consistent with metastatic melanoma” based on the presence of malignant cell staining for the melanocyte differentiation antigen MART-1, as well as the calcium binding protein S-100. A dermatology consultant confirmed neurofibromas and a cafe au lait macule. No dysplastic nevi or primary melanoma were identified. An ophthalmology consultant noted gray choroidal lesions on fundoscopic examination thought to be metastatic disease of unknown primary. Despite treatment with whole brain irradiation and intravenous steroids, the patient died on hospital day 10. A full autopsy showed diffuse neurofibromas and cafe au lait macules consistent with NF-1 and malignant melanocytic schwannomas with multiple metastases.
Peach twig borer, Anarsia lineatella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), development in Washington and California.

Lower and upper developmental thresholds for Anarsia lineatella Zeller based on egg duration and adult flight were 10 and 3l.1°C, respectively. Generation time ranged from 514 to 612 day-degrees. Adult flight of the winter generation was first observed 118 day-degrees after first pupation of overwinter larvae. Shoot flagging was observed 260 day-degrees after the first moth. The average day-degree duration for each insect stage is given. Parameters are suggested for using the PETE generalized-phenology model.
Does asymptotic linearity of the regression extend to stable domains of attraction

C. D. Hardin, Jr., G. Samorodnitsky, and M. S. Taqqu (1991,Ann. Appl. Probab.1 582-612) have shown that the regression E[Y | X = x] is typically asymptotically linear when (X, Y) is an @a-stable random vector with @a < 2. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for asymptotic linearity of E[ Y | X + @d = z], where (X,Y) is an @a-stable random vector and @d is a random variable, independent of (X, Y), such that X + @d is in the domain of normal attraction of X. Asymptotic linearity does not always hold even when E[Y| X = x] is linear. For some distributions of @d, the asymptotic rate of E[Y| X + @d = z] fluctuates.
Inhibition and induction of drug metabolism by psoralens: alterations in duration of sleep induced by hexobarbital and in clearance of caffeine and hexobarbital in mice.

1. Hexobarbital (100 mg/kg i.p.) sleeping times in male CD-1 mice pretreated (-1 h) with a single i.p. injection of 150 μmol/kg of psoralen or coumarin analogues were increased, most markedly (6-fold) by linear, methoxy-substituted psoralens.2. Hexobarbital sleeping times of mice which received three daily injections (231 μmol/kg; 50 mg/kg) of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) were 44% of controls (corn oil).3. The whole-body half-life of caffeine (1 mg) in mice was 10˙2, 1˙2, and 0˙37 h following 8-MOP (50 mg/kg per day) × 1, vehicle, and 8-MOP × 3 respectively.4. The whole-body concentrations of hexobarbital (100 mg/kg dose) in mice 30 min after dosing were 14˙3±0˙9, 8˙4±0˙3, and 5˙2±0˙5 μg/ml (1 mcuse = 150 ml) following 8-MOP (50 mg/kg per day) × 1, vehicle, and 8-MOP × 3 respectively.5. It is concluded that, administered acutely, psoralen analogues inhibit hexobarbital metabolism in mice; and 8-MOP administered acutely inhibits the metabolism of caffeine and hexobarbital, but administered repeatedly increase...
Periodic and constant solutions of matrix Riccati differential equations: n = 2

Several formulas are developed which can be used to determine constant solutions and the possible periods of periodic solutions (if any) of autonomous homogeneous matrix Riccati differential equations. These formulas are used to analyse some 2 × 2 cases, as well as to discuss the existence of periodic solutions under weak periodic forcing.
Real-time image processing and control interface for remote operation of a microscope

ABSTRACT A real-time image processing and control interface for remote operation of a microscope is presented in this paper. Thesystem has achieved real-time color image display for 640 x 480 pixel images. Multi-resolution image representation can beprovided for efficient transmission through the network. Through the control interface the computer can communicate withthe programmable microscope via the RS232 serial ports. By choosing one of three scanning patterns, a sequence of imagescan be saved as BMP or PGM files to record information on an entire microscope slide. The system will be used by medicaland graduate students at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey for distance learning. It can be used in manynetwork-based telepathology applications. 1. INTRODUCTION The microscope plays an essential role in diagnosis, education, and research in pathology. Telepathology uses telecommunication technologies to transmit data and images to and from a remote site to extend and enhance the use ofscarce resources, such as microscopes. Some work has been carried out on remote manipulation of instruments to facilitate
Accurate estimation of expected coverage: revisited

Abstract As noted in several studies (Batta et al., Transp. Sci. 23 (1989) 277), (Burwell et al., Comput. Opns. Res. 20 (1993) 113), (Daskin, Network and Discrete Location, Wiley, New York, 1995), (Marianov and ReVelle, Eur. J. Opns. Res. 93 (1996) 110), (Saydam et al., Socio-Econ. Plann. Sci. 28(2) (1994) 113), the accurate estimation of expected coverage is an important and open issue. Although the maximum expected coverage model is empirically shown to prescribe a robust set of “optimal” locations, earlier findings suggest that it could also over or underestimate the coverage by a significant margin. In this study, we present a genetic algorithm (GA) that combines the expected coverage approach with the hypercube model (Jarvis, Mgmt. Sci. 31 (1985) 235), (Larson, Comput. Opns. Res. 1 (1974) 67), (Larson, Opns. Res. 23 (1975) 845) to solve the maximum expected coverage location problem with increased accuracy and realism. Our findings suggest that the GA provides at least as good solutions 94% of the time making it a viable alternative to the two-step procedures stipulated earlier.
Occupational Adjustment of Refugees: The Vietnamese in the United States.

This paper provides a detailed description of the pattern of occupational adjustment of the Vietnamese refugees to the United States and compares their experiences with other recent refugee and imm...
Interfacial Phenomena and Computational Fluid Mechanics in Materials Processing

A general formulation is presented, describing the behavior of three systems of importance in metals processing, where interfacial phenomena play a key role in affecting the overall flow behavior. These three systems include gas plumes in liquids, electomagnetic stirring of continuous casting systems and spray forming. In the model, allowance is made for the forces in the liquid that are due to fluid motion and the effect of interfacial tension. The results include the representation of the plume shape in the multi-phase system, the free surface behavior in continuous casting and the evolution of a droplet shape in spray forming.
Bovine luteal prolactin receptor expression: Potential involvement in regulation of progesterone during the estrous cycle and pregnancy

In the present study, we performed quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qPCR) to examine changes in gene expression of prolactin receptor (long form: l-PRLR; short form: s-PRLR) and 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20α-HSD; EC 1.1.1.149) in the bovine corpus luteum (CL) throughout the estrous cycle and pregnancy. Western blotting was used to determine protein abundance. Bovine CL were collected and luteal stages (n = 6/stage) were classified by macroscopic observation as early (d 1 to 4 after ovulation), mid (d 5 to 10), late (d 11 to 17), and regressing (d 18 to 20). A CL of pregnancy (n = 6) was determined by the presence of conceptus (d 28 to term). The mRNA for both forms of PRLR were expressed at all the luteal stages. Expression of s-PRLR and l-PRLR mRNA was less (P < 0.01) during early and regressing luteal stages compared with mid and late stages. Expression of s-PRLR mRNA in CL of pregnancy was greater (P < 0.01) than early, mid, and regressing CL and did not differ from late luteal stage expression. A greater (P < 0.01) expression of l-PRLR mRNA was observed in pregnant vs. early and regressing CL. In addition, qPCR showed the presence of 20α-HSD mRNA during all luteal stages of the estrous cycle, with the greatest (P < 0.01) expression observed in the regressing luteal stage. Western blotting revealed protein abundance of both PRLR isoforms during all luteal stages and pregnancy, with a predominance of the s-PRLR protein. Densitometry analysis indicated that protein abundances of s-PRLR were greater (P < 0.05) than 1-PRLR during early, mid, and late luteal stages and did not differ during the regressing luteal stage. Protein abundances of 20α-HSD were least (P < 0.05) during the early luteal stage. In conclusion, results of the current study suggest a possible involvement of PRLR, especially s-PRLR, in the regulation of progesterone secretion and metabolism during the bovine estrous cycle and pregnancy.
Estimating Higher-Order Moments of Nonlinear Time Series

Abstract This study extends the authors’ earlier work that addresses the importance of bootstrap methods in computing statistical characteristics of meteorological and climatological datasets. Subsampling confidence intervals for the skewness and kurtosis are developed for nonlinear datasets, for which traditional time series techniques are not applicable. It also provides an example of how to apply subsampling to real data when only a single record of limited length is available: aircraft observations of vertical velocity in the wintertime convective boundary layer over Lake Michigan. This demonstrates the value of bootstrap methods in obtaining reliable confidence intervals for turbulent flows with coherent structures (characterized by non-Gaussian skewness and kurtosis).
Excitability of neural elements within the rat corpus striatum

The excitability of cholinergic, glutamatergic and dopaminergic elements within the rat neostriatum was studied in both in vivo and in vitro preparations. In vivo, the microdialysis technique was used to measure the release of striatal acetylcholine and dopamine under basal and electrically evoked conditions. For comparison, acetylcholine, dopamine and glutamate release was assayed in media obtained from superfused rat striatal slices. Electrical stimulation was used to derive the strength-duration functions and their chronaxies of stimulated elements containing the three neurotransmitter types. The chonaxies for experiments in vitro and in vivo were similar: the chronaxy values for elements containing acetylcholine were the shortest, the values for glutamate were intermediate, and the values for those containing dopamine were the longest. Based on the chronaxy estimates, it is proposed that the elements containing acetylcholine are the large cholinergic interneurons of striatum, and the elements containing glutamate and dopamine are the terminals of corticostriatal and nigrostriatal neurons, respectively. These results indicate that electrical stimulation of neural elements surrounding a microdialysis probe can be an additional tool to examine the factors that regulate neurotransmitter release. Likewise, investigators can activate specific striatal elements by using pulse durations that coincide with their chronaxies.
GLASS POTOMETERS FOR STUDIES OF ABSORPTION AND EXUDATION BY EXCISED ROOTS.

Two types of potometers which have been found very useful in studies on roots are shown in figure 1. Type I is used for studies of exudation only, type II for absorption and exudation. The dimensions of a potometer of either type are based upon such factors as : the diameter and length of the root selected for study ; capacity of the vessel, A, which should be sufficient to provide an adequate oxygen supply when gases are not passed through the solution surrounding the root ; and by the type of apparatus in which the potometer is placed. Each potometer is filled or drained through the tube, N, by using a small pipette with a rubber bulb and a short piece of rubber tubing to fit over the external orifice of N. This pipette is used to stir the solution when desired. In type I, tube ? is also used to pass gases or solutions continuously into the vessel and out through the side arm, P. The external orifices of ? and ? are closed with minute glass stoppers or by clamping rubber tubing passed over the projecting side arms. A root with no lateral branches is threaded through the respective holes, R, S, and ? of each potometer. In type I the hole, S, extends through the glass cover (which in some potometers is attached with vaseline to permit easy removal) ; in type II, S is the external aperture of the neck. The diameters of R and S correspond in general to the diameters of the selected roots ; they are a fraction greater to permit threading without injury. Threading a root through the aperture is conveniently done by holding the plant and excising the root at the upper level of R after threading. Excision is always made with a sharp razor blade through a drop of water surrounding the root at R. The excised root is held in place by the walls of the hole, T, bored through a small rod attached to the vessel wall. The root is placed so that its cut surface is just below the top edge of the opening R. A small drop of water over the cut edge provides a meniscus as a reference point at the beginning of an experiment. Ex?date flows from the cut surface into the " exudation ' ' tube, E, attached to the bent glass rod, B, which is the potometer support. When desirable the opening R is covered with a minute piece of cover glass. An "absorption'' tube, D, attached to the neck of a potometer vessel of type II is the essential difference between the two potometer types. This is filled or drained by passing fluid through tube N. Determination of the rates of absorption or exudation is based upon observation of the excursions of the terminal menisci in the ''absorption'' or
Induction by 5-bromodeoxyuridine of sex-linked lethal mutations in spermatogenous cells of Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Injection of adult males of Drosophila melanogaster with a solution of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) induced sex-linked lethal mutations but no chromosomal rerrangements. Application of the brood method suggests that the vast majority of the detected sex-linked lethals were induced in spermatozoa or spermatids. The findings suggest that secondary effects rather than an immediate direct involvement of DNA account for the mutagenic action of BUdR in D. melanogaster .
Concentrating Breath Samples Using Liquid Nitrogen: A Reliable Method for the Simultaneous Determination of Ethane and Pentane

Abstract The measurement of ethane and pentane in breath offers a sensitive and noninvasive means to assessin vivolipid peroxidation in animals and humans. However, numerous technical obstacles inherent in collecting and concentrating air-breath samples have limited the wider application of these measurements for the assessment ofin vivolipid peroxidation. We have developed a relatively simple, inexpensive, rapid, and reliable method to collect, concentrate, and measure breath ethane and total-body pentane from rats. This method, which concentrates alkanes from 4 liters of collected air-breath on adsorbant cooled to −174°C, was found to be superior to similar cryofocusing techniques at −130°C, which fail to effectively trap highly volatile ethane from large volumes of air. We found ethane evolves predominantly through breath, whereas a significant amount of pentane evolves from sources other than breath. Mean evolution rate for ethane was 1.08 pmol/100 g body wt/min. Pentane evolution rates displayed more inter-rat and day-to-day variability with a mean of 0.52 pmol/100 g body wt/min. We also found that excreted rat feces exude large amounts of ethane and pentane.
Long-Term Results of Forearm Shortening and Volar Radiocarpal Capsulotomy for Wrist Flexion Deformity in Children With Amyoplasia

Purpose To perform a long-term review of results of forearm shortening osteotomies, tenotomy, and volar wrist capsulotomy for treatment of typical wrist flexion deformities in children with the amyoplasia form of arthrogryposis, a procedure originally reported and described as “most rewarding” by Lexington Shriners Hospital for Children in 1965. Methods A retrospective review of operating room and clinic records was done. An attempt to contact all patients produced 1 current follow-up. Results Nine extremities in 6 patients had undergone the procedure. Of the 9 extremities, 3 subsequently underwent salvage procedures, 2 had salvage procedures recommended, and 1 had a distal forearm fracture angular malunion that compensated for the wrist flexion contracture. The charts for the patients with the 3 remaining extremities showed that at 3-year follow-up, the wrist flexion contractures had recurred. Conclusions Long-term follow-up of the procedure shows that the initial improvement in wrist position is not maintained. This procedure is not recommended for correction of the wrist deformity in amyoplasia. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic IV.
Transport ofl-cystine in isolated perfused proximal straight tubules

Unidirectional fluxes ofl-35S-cystine and intracellular35S activity were measured in isolated perfused segments of rabbit proximal straight tubule. The absorptive (lumen-to-both) flux ofl-35S-cysteine showed a tendency toward saturation within the concentration limits imposed by the low solubility of cystine (0.3 mmol·l−1). In contrast, for the bath-to-lumen fluxes, there was a linear relation between the bathing solution concentration ofl-35S-cystine and the rate of35S appearance in the lumen. Nonlinear fitting of both sets of unidirectional flux data gave a maximal cystine transport rate (Jmax) of 1.45±0.27 (SEM) pmol min−1 mm−1, a Michaelis constant (Km) of 0.20±0.07 mmol·l−1, and an apparent permeability coefficient of 0.27±0.11 pmol min−1 mm−1 (mmol·l−1)−1 (approximately 0.06 μm/s). The35S concentration in the cell exceeded that in the lumen by almost 60-fold during the lumen-to-bath flux, and exceeded the bathing solution concentration by 4.7-fold during the bath-to-lumen flux. Thus cystine was accumulated by the cells across either membrane, but over 77% of the intracellular activity was in the form of cysteine. Although the presence of luminall-lysine or cycloleucine inhibited the absorptive flux of cystine, neither amino acid affected the bath-to-lumen flux.
Neurons of origin of the perforant path.

Abstract Neurons of origin of the perforant path were labeled in entorhinal cortex after exposure of their injured axons to horseradish peroxidase. Almost all neurons in layer II of portions of the entorhinal cortex ipsilateral to the injury site contained diffuse and/or granular label. They included stellates, pyramids, fusiforms, and two cell types whose dendrites arose from two or three characteristic sites and divided into branches which were largely parallel or oblique to the pial surface. These two types predominated in the area lateralis, and stellates with dendrites mainly oriented perpendicular to the pia were the most numerous cells in the area medialis.