cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity of direct-detection lightwave receivers using optical preamplifiers

A simple technique for analyzing the sensitivity and bit-error rate performance of direct- detection lightwave receivers using optical preamplifiers is presented. Our analysis provides closed-form expressions for the system performance, and includes the impact of phase noise. For zero (negligible) linewidth, our theory predicts an average signal energy of 42.3 photons/bit at BER equals 10-9. In comparison, at BER equals 10-9 Ref. 1 predicts an average signal energy of 38 photons/bit.
A comparison of graphic and analytic solutions for both oblique and orthogonal simple structures for factors of employee morale

Solutions for simple structure obtained from empirical data through the use of the Oblimax, Quartimax, and Varimax procedures are matched with independently determined graphic solutions for the same data. The relative merits of the two analytic orthogonal solutions (Quartimax and Varimax) are discussed. Factors of employee morale are interpreted.
Genotoxicity studies of the reaction of chlorine or chlorine dioxide with L-tryptophan.

Abstract Non-volatile reaction products generated from the reactions of 70 mM aqueous chlorine or chlorine dioxide with 10 mM l -tryptophan were shown to be direct-acting mutagens to Salmonella typhimurium TA100 and TA98. Several of the fluorescent bands obtained after thin-layer Chromatographie fractionation of the XAD- 2 8 resin concentrates of the reaction mixtures were shown to be more mutagenic than the reaction mixtures using the Ames Salmonella/microsome assay. In addition, these fractions were shown to be capable of increasing significantly the frequency of sister chromatid exchange in Chinese hamster ovary cells in the absence of rat liver S9 mix. GC/MS analysis of the products in a highly mutagenic fraction of the aqueous chlorine reaction products identified 1,1,3-trichloropropanone, 1,1,3,3-tetrachloropropanone and dichloroquinoline.
Channel equalization and performance analysis of a coherent frequency hopped spread spectrum system

A design and analysis of a coherent frequency-hopped (C-FH) spread-spectrum system operating in the presence of both jamming and a nonideal channel response is presented. A simple channel equalizer and a joint maximum-likelihood RF and C-FH phase track loop operate simultaneously. By assuming that the channel response is smooth over every slot, and that the effect of decision error is negligible, the convergence properties of the equalizer are analyzed in the presence of jamming. The numerical results are shown for the average error probability, the steady-state mean-square-error, and the convergence time when the system is operating in the presence of both frequency error and arbitrary channel phase response. The overall performance is very close to that of an ideally synchronized system, except when a coherent multitone jammer is present having the same phase of the received signal. In this latter case, the system experiences slightly more degradation
PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE INTERNAL CONTROL INDEX

Summary.-The Internal Control Index of Duttweiler was administered to 85 college students and scores were analyzed to study the psychometric properties of the instrument. Descriptive statistics were similar to those reported for other college samples. An internal consistency (coefficient alpha) of .82 was found. An item analysis supported the use of a single total score as a psychometrically sound measure. Further use of the Internal Control Index across a variety of settings seems appropriate.
Adrenergic modulation of pancreatic polypeptide secretion

Abstract In order to examine the effect of adrenergic influences on pancreatic polypeptide (PP) secretion, a series of insulin tolerance tests was carried out in five normal volunteers. Control ITT's, as well as ITT's following pretreatment with oral cyproheptadine (4 mg q 6 hr for 48 hr ITT-cyp), and intravenous phentolamine (5 mg stat, then 0.5 mg/min for 120 min, ITT-phe), and propranolol (3 mg stat, then 0.08 mg/min for 120 min, ITT-pro), were performed. Alpha blockade established during ITT-phe augmented the peak PP concentration after insulin from 1470 ± 472 to 2684 ± 840 pg/ml (p
SWING: Small World Iterative Navigation Greedy Routing Protocol in MANETs

Routing is the foremost issue in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs). In a wireless environment characterized by small bandwidth and limited computational resources, position-based routing is attractive because it requires little communication and storage overhead. To guarantee delivery and improve performance, most position-based routing protocols, e.g. GFG, forward a message in greedy mode until the message is forwarded to a node that has no neighbor closer to the destination, which is called a local minimum. They then switch to a less efficient mode. Face routing, where the message is forwarded along the perimeter of the void, is one example. This paper tackles the void problem with two new methods. First, we construct a virtual small world network by adding virtual long links to the network to reduce the chance of a protocol encountering local minima in greedy mode, and thus decrease the chance to invoke inefficient methods. Second, we use the virtual force method to recover from local minima without relying on face routing. We combine these two methods to be our new purely greedy routing protocol SWING. Simulation shows that SWING finds shorter routes than the state of art geometric routing protocol GOAFR, though with a longer route establishment time. More importantly, SWING is purely greedy which works even if position information is inaccurate, also it can be directly applied to the 3D MANET models. A theoretical proof that it guarantees delivery is given.
PBDM: a flexible delegation model in RBAC

Role-based access control (RBAC) is recognized as an efficient access control model for large organizations. Most organizations have some business rules related to access control policy. Delegation of authority is among these rules. RBDM0 and RDM2000 models are recently published models for role-based delegation. They deal with user-to-user delegation. The unit of delegation in them is a role. But in many cases users may want to delegate a piece of permission from a role. This paper proposes a flexible delegation model named Permission-based Delegation Model (PBDM), which is built on the well known RBAC96 model. PBDM supports user-to-user and role-to-role delegations with features of multi-step delegation and multi-option revocation. It also supports both role and permission level delegation, which provides great flexibility in authority management. In PBDM, a security administrator specify the permissions that a user (delegator) has authority to delegate to others (delegatee), then the delegator creates one or more temporary delegation roles and assigns delegatees to particular roles. This gives us clear separation of security administration and delegation.
Femoral pulse as a guide to the mechanical axis in total knee arthroplasty

Abstract The anatomic relationship of the center of the femoral head to the femoral artery was studied in 140 hips in 70 patients. The coronal plane distance between the femoral artery 2.5 cm below the inguinal ligament and the center of the femoral head was measured on pelvic arteriograms. The femoral artery was found an average of 7.7 ± 5 mm medial (range, −3–22 mm) to the center of the femoral head. The femoral artery was within 15 mm of the center of the femoral head in 93% of cases reviewed. A 76-cm theoretical mechanical axis was used in estimating clinical angular changes in the axis for a given coronal plane difference. By use of this model, the range of variability translates into a maximum change in the mechanical axis of 1.66° and up to only 1.2° in 95% of the cases reviewed. A marker placed just lateral to the palpable femoral pulse approximately 2 to 3 cm below the inguinal ligament is suitable as a guide to locate the center of the femoral head when determining the mechanical axis during total knee arthroplasty.
On the Lp rates of convergence of simple linear rank statistics under contiguous alternatives

Abstract This paper gives the rates of convergence for the Lp, 1 ≤ p ≤ ∞, distances between the cumulative distribution functions of simple linear rank statistics and the normal random variables. It is shown that under contiguous alternatives the L1 rate of convergence is O (n −δ 2 ) and the Lp, 1 O [n −δ 2 ( log n) (1+δ)/2 ] if the score generating function satisfies a Lipschitz condition of order δ, 0
Abstract LB-6: Exploring nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase kinetics through targeted metabolomic profiling for its prognostic value in glioblastoma

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Purpose: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive form of glioma. With average patient survival of about 14 months, largely due to its resistance to conventional therapies, there is opportunity for significant improvements to care. Nicotinamide-N-methyltransferase (NNMT) is an enzyme responsible for the methylation of Nicotinamide and other xenobiotic compounds. Although NNMT's exact role in the malignant phenotype remains poorly understood, it has been investigated for its potential use as a prognostic marker or therapeutic target in other cancers. It is detected at very low levels in normal brain tissue but at significantly higher levels in GBM. Additionally, Kaplan-Meier plots from publically available data sets suggest that higher NNMT expression is correlated with adverse patient outcome. In addition to gene interference and various functional assays, we employed a targeted metabolomic approach, using LC-MS Quadropole Time of Flight (Q-TOF) and LC-MS Triple Quad (QQQ) instruments to study intracellular levels of Nicotinamide and N-methylnicotinamide to gain a better understanding of NNMT's role in GBM. Methods: We determined the expression profile of NNMT in established (ATCC) and in our panel of patient derived, primary GBM cell lines. By generating an NNMT isogenic model in U87 cells, we were able to study the functional consequences of differential NNMT expression using in vitro assays such as MTS Assay, Clonogenic Survival Assay, Annexin V, ATP Assay, Comet Assay, and Western Blotting. We intracranially injected NOD-SCID mice with U87 NNMT cells to assess differences in tumorgenicity in vivo. We have also used LC-MS Quadropole Time of Flight (Q-TOF) and LC-MS Triple Quad (QQQ) instruments to measure intracellular levels of the metabolites relevant to NNMT enzymatic function. Results and Conclusions: Results indicate that NNMT protein is highly expressed in primary cell lines. Encouragingly, U87 NNMT Knockdown cells are less proliferative, more sensitive to radiation in vitro, and are less tumorgenic in vivo. Recapitulating the clinical observations, these results could justify why clinically patients with lower expression of NNMT enjoyed increased overall survival. These results also suggest that finding ways to decrease NNMT in patient's tumors may improve response to radiation. Additional preliminary results indicate that intracellular N-methylnicotinamide levels correlate directly with NNMT protein expression and could be used a surrogate biomarker for intracellular NNMT levels, potentially predicting not only overall survival but perhaps response to radiation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-6. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-LB-6
Comparison Of Various Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Techniques For Polymer Analysis

A brief comparison of different FT-IR techniques for analysis of a polymer film on a me-tal surface is made. DRIFT (Diffuse Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) is used to obtain spectra of thin films of polystyrene on metal and glass substrates. Band intensities measured for different thicknesses of free polystyrene films are found to follow correctly the Kubelka-Munk theory relating concentration and band intensity.© (1981) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Root respiration and soil aeration status of blueberries (Vaccinium SP.)

Abstract Plants of 3 progenies of Vaccinium sp. were utilized in exised root respiration studies over a range of O2 levels from 2.5 to 21%. Root respiration of plants from an intraspecific V. ashei Reade progeny, Powderblue x T‐142, were approximately half that of two other progenies, one with germplasm of V. ashei and V. constablaei Gray and the other with germplasm of V. corymbosum L., V. ashei and V. constablaei. The V. ashei progeny was unaffected by reduced O levels under laboratory conditions, whereas the other two progenies showed significantly reduced root respiration rates, particularly at the 2.5% O2 level. However, soil O2 levels were near 21% at a depth of 15 cm under established blueberry bushes indicating that root respiration per se may be a more important criteria in blueberry adaptation to soil and environmental stresses than actual soil oxygen status. Root respiration measurements at 21% O2 may provide a useful tool in screening blueberry progenies for adaptation to climatic and soil ind...
Complementation analysis at the ery-M1 locus in Chlamydomonas reinhardi

Previous studies with haploid erythromycin-resistant mutants mapping to the Mendelian locus ery-M1 in Chlamydomonas reinhardi have revealed the presence of an altered chloroplast ribosomal protein (LC6) (Mets and Bogorad, 1971, 1972; Davidson et al., 1974). Vegetative diploids of C. reinhardi heterozygous at the ery-M1 locus have now been constructed. Chloroplast ribosomes from such diploids contain 60–70% wild-type form of protein LC6 and 30–40% altered form of LC6. Growth assays show that these diploids are partially resistant to erythromycin. Whether the diploids are grown in the presence or absence of erythromycin, the same ratio of wild-type: altered form of LC6 in chloroplast ribosomes is observed. Therefore, resistant chloroplast ribosomes must be able to carry out protein synthesis even when many of the sensitive chloroplast ribosomes are blocked by erythromycin.
Allelic differences affecting invariant chain dependency of MHC class II subunit assembly

The conserved invariant chain associates with highly polymorphic alpha and beta subunits guiding class II transport through the secretory pathway. Early associations of these three polypeptides inside antigen-presenting cells are poorly understood. The present experiments provide a detailed picture of the structure and fate of class II alpha and beta subunits in invariant chain mutants possessing different MHC haplotypes. In the absence of invariant chain, A alpha bA beta b is predominantly expressed as free A alpha b and A beta b chains by both splenocytes and activated LPS/IL-4 blasts, confirming that A alpha bA beta b assembly is strongly dependent on invariant chain coexpression. A quite different situation exists with respect to other allelic products. In the absence of invariant chain, A alpha kA beta k, E alpha kE beta k, and A alpha dA beta d molecules assemble efficiently and are conformationally similar to mature wild-type heterodimers. The contribution of invariant chain to subunit assembly thus differs for allelic variants, suggesting that sequential associations of alpha, beta, and invariant chain may be affected by polymorphic differences.
HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein NCp7 and its RNA stem loop 3 partner: rotational dynamics of spin-labeled RNA stem loop 3.

The tumbling dynamics of a 20-mer HIV-1 RNA stem loop 3 spin-labeled at the 5' position were probed in the nanosecond time range. This RNA interacted with the HIV-1 nucleocapsid Zn-finger protein, 1-55 NCp7, and specialized stopped-flow EPR revealed concomitant kinetics of probe immobilization from milliseconds to seconds. RNA stem loop 3 is highly conserved in HIV, while NCp7 is critical to HIV-RNA packaging and annealing. The 5' probe did not perturb RNA melting or the NCp7/ RNA interaction monitored by gel shift and fluorescence. The 5'-labeled RNA tumbled with a subnanosecond isotropic correlation time (∼0.60 ns at room temperature) reflecting both local viscosity-independent bond rotation of the probe and viscosity-dependent diffusion of 40-60% of the RNA. The binding of NCp7 to spin-labeled RNA stem loop 3 in a 1:1 ratio increased the spin-labeled tumbling time by about 40%. At low ionic strength with a ratio of NCp7 to RNA ≥3 (i.e., an NCp7 to nucleotide ratio ≤7, which is the threshold ratio for chaperone effects), the probe tumbling time markedly increased to several nanoseconds, signifying a NCP7/RNA complex with restricted motion even at the initially mobile 5' position. Increasing the ionic strength to shield the electrostatic attraction between polyanionic RNA and polycationic NCp7 eliminated this immobilization. Forming the immobilized ≥3:1 complex also required intact Zn fingers. Stopped-flow EPR kinetics with NCP7/RNA mixed at a 4:1 ratio showed the major phase of NCp7 interaction with RNA stem loop 3 occurred within 4 ms, a second phase occurred with a time constant of ∼30 ms, and a slower immobilization, possibly concomitant with large complex formation, proceeded over seconds. This work points the way for spin-labeling to investigate oligonucleotide-protein complexes, notably those lacking precise stoichiometry, that are requisite for viral packaging and genome fabrication.
Evaluation of the Mechanistic -Empirical Pavement Design Guide for Implementation in Iowa

With the release of the new Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) in the United States, there is a big shift in pavement analysis and design and many state highway agencies are undertaking initiatives to implement the MEPDG. The Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) is one such highway agency in the United States interested in implementing the MEPDG. In order to effectively and efficiently transition to the MEPDG from the current empirical approach and accelerate its adoption, the IDOT needs a detailed implementation and training strategy. In support of the MEPDG implementation initiatives, sensitivity studies were conducted using the MEPDG software to identify design inputs pertaining to flexible pavements that are of particular sensitivity in Iowa. Based on a study of the MEPDG design components, results of sensitivity analyses, and past experience, this paper, which is the second of the 2 companion papers, presents key initiatives for implementing the MEPDG in Iowa. The need for implementing the MEPDG at IDOT and the results of rigid pavement input parameter sensitivity analysis are discussed in detail in the first paper.
CAD Directed Inspection and Error Analysis Using Surface Patch Databases

Parametric surface patch databases are a convenient form of representation for complex part surface geometries. They allow for sufficient degrees of freedom both in the design and modification of complex surface contours. Nominal (CAD) part surface geometries defined by surface patch databases can be used both to automatically direct inspection of parts produced by computer-aided-manufacturing systems and in the determination of error between measured points and the desired part geometry. In this paper it is shown how surface patch databases can be used to automatically guide a tactile probe to obtain a database of measured points on the surface of a part. It is then shown how these data can be compared with the surface patch database to determine part accuracy.
Optimizing Expression Selection for Lookup Table Program Transformation

Scientific programmers can speed up function evaluation by precomputing and storing function results in lookup table (LUTs), thereby replacing costly evaluation code with an inexpensive memory access. A code transform that replaces computation with LUT code can improve performance, however, accuracy is reduced because of error inherent in reconstructing values from LUT data. LUT transforms are commonly used to approximate expensive elementary functions. The current practice is for software developers to (1) manually identify expressions that can benefit from a LUT transform, (2) modify the code by hand to implement the LUT transform, and (3) run experiments to determine if the resulting error is within application requirements. This approach reduces productivity, obfuscates code, and limits programmer control over accuracy and performance. We propose source code analysis and program transformation to substantially automate the application of LUT transforms. Our approach uses a novel optimization algorithm that selects Pareto optimal sets of expressions that benefit most from LUT transformation, based on error and performance estimates. We demonstrate our methodology with the Mesa tool, which achieves speedups of 1.4-6.9x on scientific codes while managing introduced error. Our tool makes the programmer more productive and improves the chances of finding an effective solution.
The role of event centrality, coping and social support in resilience and posttraumatic growth among women and men

This study examined gender differences in resilience and posttraumatic growth (PTG) among adults exposed to a range of traumatic events (i.e., events in interpersonal, work/financial, health and bereavement areas). A total of 175 adults (aged between 18 and 52 years) who had experienced a traumatic event in one or more of these areas within the past 2 years completed questionnaires on the impact of the traumatic event (event centrality), individual factors (mastery, coping style), social factors (social support) and positive adaptation (resilience and PTG). Results for the total sample indicated that greater event centrality and use of ineffective coping were negative predictors of resilience, while emotion-focused coping was a positive predictor of resilience. Event centrality, emotion-focused coping and social support were positive predictors of PTG. Some gender differences emerged, such as the finding that event centrality negatively predicted resilience in women, but not in men. Implications and direc...
Peptide NMR Studies of Cx26 Interdomain Interactions and their Regulation by Taurine

Protonated aminosulfonates (AS), notably taurine, directly and reversibly inhibit homomeric and heteromeric channels that contain Cx26, a widely distributed connexin, but not homomeric Cx32 channels. Our previous biophysical studies identify the carboxyl-terminal domain of Cx26 (Cx26CT) as a key component of the channel modulation, suggesting a mechanism by which AS disrupts a pH-dependent association between the CT and cytoplasmic loop of Cx26 (Cx26CL), leading to occlusion of the pore [1,2]. Using recombinantly expressed Cx26CL and a Cx26CT peptide, NMR showed that taurine binds to the CL and not the CT, and that the CT and CL directly interact [3]. Our next goal to further characterize this mechanism is to identify the Cx26CL residues that directly interact with the Cx26CT and taurine. The Cx26CL construct used in the prior study (residues 98-139) contained a number of hydrophobic residues on the C-terminus, likely membrane associated, which decreased solubility below levels needed for detailed structural studies. Therefore, we created a shorter Cx26CL construct (residues 98-134) and were able to achieve millimolar soluble concentrations. Using this construct, we demonstrated by NMR a substantial interaction between the Cx26CT and the Cx26CL, which was blocked by taurine. Ongoing studies will determine (i) the binding affinities between the molecular partners, (ii) identify the Cx26CL residues involved in these regulatory interactions, and (iii) explore the potential effects of the Cx32CL and CT domains on these interactions, as may occur in Cx26-Cx32 heteromeric channels. Support: GM072631 & GM101950.References1. Bevans, C.G. & Harris, A.L. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274:3711.2. Tao, L. & Harris, A.L. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279:38544.3. Locke, D. et al. (2011) J. Gen. Physiol. 138:321.
Composite Skewness for Two Rough Surfaces in Contact

Typically, the contact of two rough bodies is transformed into an equivalent rough surface contacting a flat. Due to the mathematics involved, this was usually conducted for surfaces assumed to be Gaussian, where distribution of peaks and valleys are equal. These assumptions were acceptable when dealing with ground surfaces, which are typically Gaussian; however, other finishing techniques often result in skewed surface distributions. As such, an equation was developed numerically within, based on the Weibull distribution, to estimate the composite skewness of contacting rough bodies. The assumption of using the Weibull distribution to describe the surface variation was validated with measured data from different finishing techniques, as was the equation for composite skewness developed within. Presented at the STLE Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 15-19, 2005 Review led by Alan Lebeck
Selective laryngeal adductor denervation-reinnervation surgery for spasmodic dysphonia

Surgical treatment of adductor-type spasmodic dysphonia provides relief from the disabling voice breaks that require repeat botulinum toxin injections. The selective laryngeal adductor denervation-reinnervation surgery is described here. Key points discussed include patient selection, pertinent laryngeal and neural anatomy, and postoperative course.
Benign Metastasizing Leiomyomatosis of the Lungs Presenting a Miliary Pattern

Benign metastasizing leiomyomatosis is a very rare and significantly interesting pathology of the lungs. It is a challenge to clinicians when presenting a miliary pattern in preoperative radiologic imaging because it could be any other interstitial disease or infectious in etiology such as miliary tuberculosis. We report a case of innumerable tiny nodular densities spread evenly throughout both lungs in a patient with history of hysterectomy for a fibroid uterus.
On Inertial Wave and Flow Structure at Low Rossby Number

Flow disturbances produced by the slow relative motion of an impermeable body in a large, rapidly rotating vessel are studied as an asymptotic theory for an inviscid, incompressible fluid at a small Rossby number (ℛ≡uc/ΩL≪1). The axial distance between the vessel wallsH is assumed to be so much larger than the body scaleL that the reduced height Θ≡ℛH/L is of unit order or greater. This flow admits a columnar structure near the body and an outer nonlinear structure of the inertial-wave type far above the forcing region, at distances along the rotation-axis (z=0(L/ℛ)). The inner boundary condition for the outer problem is provided by transferring the impermeable surface condition through the columnar structure; the outer solution in turn determines the vorticity and the solution of the columnar inner region.
Mortality Patterns following Downsizing at Pan American World Airways

There are only a small number of studies on the health effects of involuntary unemployment (e.g., downsizing), and results are contradictory. The authors studied the mortality through 2002 of 13,370 Pan American World Airways employees who were born before 1940 and whose records were available after the company's bankruptcy in 1991. The cohort was divided into those who left work voluntarily (55%), involuntarily (39%), and because of illness (6%). The mean year of first employment was 1963, the mean year of last employment was 1987, and the mean age at leaving the company was 55 years. Of those who left involuntarily, 56% left at the time of bankruptcy in December 1991 or later. Twenty-two percent of the cohort died during follow-up, which began at the time of leaving the company. Standardized mortality ratios relative to the US population for all causes for those who left voluntarily, involuntarily, and because of illness were 0.72 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69, 0.76), 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65, 0.74), and 2.40 (95% CI: 2.22, 2.60), respectively. Ischemic heart disease mortality showed a similar pattern. Internal analyses comparing involuntary to voluntary leavers after adjusting for age, race, sex, calendar time, and education yielded all-cause and ischemic heart disease rate ratios of 0.96 (95% CI: 0.87, 1.07) and 1.11 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.35), respectively. Subanalyses of those who left involuntarily at age >/=60 years, or those who left involuntarily at the time of bankruptcy, did not indicate any excess mortality (all-cause standardized mortality ratios = 0.69 and 0.64, respectively). These data do not indicate that mortality among those who left involuntarily was higher than for those who left voluntarily. Both groups showed a strong healthy worker effect.
Thermal accommodation coefficients of neon and krypton on gas covered platinum

Abstract A hot wire column type instrument is employed to determine the thermal accommodation coefficient, α, of neon and krypton on a gas covered platinum wire in the temperature range of 400–1400 K. The α values are determined from heat transfer rate measurements taken in the temperature-jump regine. The test surface was covered with oxygen by several heating cycles reaching up to about 1400 K at an oxygen partial pressure of about 5 × 10 −6 mm of mercury. The experimental heat transfer data are analyzed according to three different procedures and the resulting α values are reported and compared with the available data in the literature which are only in the temperature range of about 300–500 K.
Calculation of 14N and 33S Quadrupole Coupling Constants on Optimized Molecular Structures of Thiazole

Abstract 14N and 33S nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have been calculated for optimized molecular structures of thiazole. For nitrogen, the B3PW91/6-311+G (df, pd) model was used to calculate of the electric field gradients, and for sulfur, the B3LYP/6-311G (3df, 3p) model. The best results are obtained for the B3PW91/6-31G (2d, 2pd) optimized molecular structure. For this structure, the root mean square difference between the calculated and experimental nitrogen coupling constants is 3 kHz (0.14%), and that between the calculated and experimental sulfur coupling constants is 43 kHz (0.25%). Calculated coupling constants are given in the principal axes of both the inertia and coupling constant tensors.
Citation pattern and lifespan: a comparison of discipline, institution, and individual

Citation frequency is often used in hiring and tenure decisions as an indicator of the quality of a researcher's publications. In this paper, we examine the influence of discipline, institution, journal impact factor, length of article, number of authors, seniority of author, and gender on citation rate of top-cited papers for academic faculty in geography and forestry departments. Self-citation practices and patterns of citation frequency across post-publication lifespan were also examined. Citation rates of the most-highly cited paper for all tenured forestry (N = 122) and geography (N = 91) faculty at Auburn University, Michigan State University, Northern Arizona University, Oklahoma State University, Pennsylvania State University, Texas A&M University, University of Florida, University of Massachusetts, University of Washington, and Virginia Tech were compared. Foresters received significantly more citations than geographers (t = 2.46, P = 0.02) and more senior authors received more citations than junior researchers (r 2 = 0.14, P = 0.03). Articles published in journals with higher impact factors also received more citations (r 2 = 0.28, P = 0.00). The median self-citation rate was 10% and there was no temporal pattern to the frequency of citations received by an individual article (x 2 = 176). Our results stress the importance of only comparing citation rates within a given discipline and confirm the importance of author-seniority and journal rankings as factors that influence citation rate of a given article.
Brain thyrotrophin-releasing hormone is independent of the hypothalamus.

THYROTROPHIN-releasing hormone (TRH) is widely distributed in regions of the brain outside the hypothalamus1–3, and behavioural4 and neurophysiological5 studies lend credence to the hypothesis1,6 that in these locations it is involved in neuro-transmission. To determine whether extrahypothalamic brain TRH arises from the hypothalamus or is synthesised in situ, we have made electrolytic lesions of the “thyrotrophic area”7 of the rat hypothalamus, and examined the effect on TRH content in the hypothalamus itself, the rest of the brain and the anterior and posterior pituitary. We have found that such lesions markedly reduce the hypothalamic content of TRH, deplete the pituitary gland of TRH and result in severe chemical hypothyroidism, but do not affect the large amount of TRH normally stored in the extrahypothalamic brain.
The Effects of Case Mix on Hospital Costs and Revenues for Medicare Patients in California

Hospital competition and managed care have negatively affected hospital profitability. In the current turbulent health care environment in the U.S., hospitals in California have argued that the rate of increase in hospital costs is faster than the rate of increase in hospital revenues. By employing Medicare case mix indexes (CMIs) as a primary policy variable, this study found that the coefficients for CMIs in hospital costs for Medicare patients were smaller than those in hospital revenues in the years of 1986, 1989 and 1998. However, the coefficients for CMIs in hospital costs for Medicare patients were greater than those in hospital revenues in the years of 1992 and 1995. Although there were some differences between the coefficients for CMIs in hospital costs and revenues for Medicare patients, those differences found to be statistically insignificant. In spite of claims on behalf of Californian hospitals, the rate of increase in hospital costs for Medicare patients had not been greater than that of hospital revenues for Medicare patients.
Displacement sensing and estimation theory and applications

In this paper we introduce NDSE (nanoscale displacement sensing and estimation) technology, encompassing a family of algorithms which estimate image displacements to within a few nanometers using optical microscopy, and to sub-nanometers using an imaging system with sub-optical imaging resolution. NDSE algorithms generally fall into two groups: (1) algorithms based on statistical analyses of images, such as correlations of the reference (non-displaced) frame with respect to the comparison (displaced) frame; (2) algorithms based on transforms, such as the Fourier transforms of the individual frames. Algorithms of the latter type, such as PCM (phase correlation method) and PDD (Phase delay detection), take advantage of the translation property of Fourier transforms. We describe a number of NDSE algorithms and their variants, and we explore the theoretical limits of displacement sensing and estimation by presenting error propagation models for idealized algorithms. HP’s DSE (displacement sensing and estimation) algorithms have been successfully integrated into several products, providing displacement estimation with micron-level precision. Such products include the Capshare handheld scanner, HP’s optical media advance sensor (OMAS), and optical mice. Research efforts are now focused on extending DSE into the nanoscale regime of NDSE. To illustrate the motivation behind this interest, we briefly discuss promising applications, such as alignment sensing for micro/nano lithography, web-tracking for web-based fabrication (e.g., roll-to-roll imprinting or printed electronics), and others. We present both the theoretical and experimental aspects of HP Labs’ drive to understand the fundamental limitations of image-based displacement estimation and to push DSE technology well into the nanoscale. Once demonstrated, NDSE can be immediately compared with competing nanoscale displacement-sensing and alignment-sensing technologies. NDSE-enabled methods could demonstrate several advantages over alternative techniques: (1) lower costs because conventional diffraction-limited optical systems can be used to achieve nanoscale displacement sensing and alignment; (2) lower costs because no specially-made high-accuracy alignment marks are required; and (3) lower costs due to potentially more simple and robust system designs.
Periodontal Diseases in the Elderly: A Critical Evaluation of Current Information1

The proportion of elderly persons in the American population is increasing significantly, and the number of individuals losing all or some of their teeth is decreasing. Consequently, the number of teeth in the elderly at risk for developing periodontis is growing. The prevalence and severity of periodontitis apparently increase with increasing age. These facts have led to the widely held supposition, that periodontitis in elderly people is an ever-increasing burden that society and the dental profession must face. A careful assessment of the data, especially the most recent, shows that this may in fact not be the case. Elderly people have a type of periodontitis that, at any given site, usually progresses infrequently and slowly. The enhanced prevalence and severity among older people may not result from an enhanced susceptibility, but rather, most likely reflect the accumulation of lesions over time. The most recent epidemiological studies indicate that the prevalence of gingivitis, the precursor to periodontitis, is decreasing significantly, especially in the younger segments of the population, and that this may translate into a markedly decreased prevalence of periodontics as these same individuals enter the older age groups. The types of therapy most needed in dealing with periodontitis in older people are not complex and the capacity to perform them does not require specialized periodontal training; it can, in fact, for the most part, be performed by auxillaries such as dental hygienists. Thus, the treatment burden on the dental profession will probably not be as great as in currently anticipated. The numerous gaps in our knowledge about periodontitis in the elderly include a poor understanding of its true prevalence and severity as well as its likelihood of occurrence and rate of progression. We have almost no knowledge about the flora at normal and periodontally diseased sites. Except for the immune system, we have but little knowledge about how the host defense mechanisms change during the aging process. Resolution of these questions would aid greatly in planning prevention and treatment programs and in improving therapeutic decision-making in individual cases.
Interaction of 0. 6--300 GeV protons with U, Bi, Au, and Ag; mica track detector study

Mica track detectors were utilized to investigate interactions of 0.6-300 GeV protons with U, Bi, Au, and Ag. Fission cross sections of heavy elements are shown to remain nearly constant as the incident proton energy is increased from 13 to 300 GeV. The values of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{f}$ for U, Bi, Au, and Ag at 300 GeV are 890 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 130, 181 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 35, 118 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 24, and \ensuremath{\sim}1.3 mb, respectively. There is also no substantial change in the frequency of ternary relative to binary fission over this energy range; at 300 GeV it is about 0.4% for U, 1.1% for Bi, and 1.3% for Au. From observation of the forward to backward ratios of single (unpaired) tracks it was concluded that forward momentum transfer to heavy element targets peaks at \ensuremath{\sim}2 GeV and then decreases at higher beam energies.
Micromethod for the estimation of xylose in serum and urine.

Abstract A micromethod for xylose in serum and urine has been described. The reliability of the method has been demonstrated by a study of interferences, comparison with another method, study of the stability of the parameter in serum and urine, by a study of the kinetics of the reaction, determination of recovery of added xylose to serum and urine, study of specificity of the glucose oxidase, and by replicate analyses. We submit that it offers attractive advantages over the commonly used Roe-Rice method.
Intracellular Lipid Droplets Contain Dynamic Pools of Sphingomyelin: ADRP Binds Phospholipids with High Affinity

During the last several years, intracellular lipid droplets have become the focus of intense study. No longer an inert bystander, the lipid droplet is now known as a dynamic organelle contributing lipids to many cellular events. However, while the dynamics of cholesterol efflux from both the plasma membrane and lipid droplets have been studied, less is known regarding the efflux of sphingomyelin from these membranes. In order to address this issue, sphingomyelin efflux kinetics and binding affinities from different intracellular pools were examined. When compared to the plasma membrane, lipid droplets had a smaller exchangeable sphingomyelin efflux pool and the time required to efflux that pool was significantly shorter. Fluorescence binding assays revealed that proteins in the plasma membrane and lipid droplet pool bound sphingomyelin with high affinity. Further characterization identified adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) as one of the sphingomyelin binding proteins in the lipid droplet fraction and revealed that ADRP demonstrated saturable binding to 6-((N-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)-hexanoyl)sphingosyl-phosphocholine (NBD-sphingomyelin) and also 2-(6-(7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)amino)hexanoyl-1-hexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (NBD-phosphatidylcholine) with binding affinities in the nanomolar range. Taken together, these results suggest that lipid droplet associated proteins such as ADRP may play a significant role in regulating the intracellular distribution of phospholipids and lipids in general. Overall, insights from the present work suggest new and important roles for lipid droplets and ADRP in phospholipid metabolism.
Severe Aortic Stenosis With Low Transvalvular Gradient and Severe Left Ventricular Dysfunction Result of Aortic Valve Replacement in 52 Patients

Background—The outcome of aortic valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis, low transvalvular gradient, and severe left ventricular dysfunction is not well known. Methods and Results—Between 1985 and 1995, 52 patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) ≤35% and aortic stenosis with transvalvular mean gradient <30 mm Hg underwent aortic valve replacement. The mean (±SD) preoperative characteristics included EF, 26±8%; aortic valve mean gradient, 23±4 mm Hg; aortic valve area, 0.7±0.2 cm2; and cardiac output, 3.7±1.2 L/min. Simultaneous coronary artery bypass graft surgery was performed in 32 patients (62%). Perioperative (30-day) mortality was 21% (11 of 52 patients). Ten additional patients died during follow-up. Advanced age (P=0.048) and small aortic prosthesis size (P=0.03) were significant predictors of hospital mortality by univariate analysis. By multivariate analysis, the only predictor of surgical mortality was smaller prosthesis size. The only predictor of postoperative ...
Except in emergencies: AMA ethics and physician autonomy.

In this paper I will argue that in emergency cases, physician autonomy is soci-etally constrained under Principle VI of the American Medical Association's (AMA) “Principles of Medical Ethics”1 The issue will be seen to turn on whether the contextual use of “emergency” should be construed narrowly or broadly; I argue for a broadened rendering. Although a societal emergency is not defined here, I recommend that the condition of inner city healthcare presents a paradigm “patient” for such emergency care. I further urge that because societal constraints on physician autonomy are ambiguous and only derived indirectly in the AMA document, further AMA comment on physician autonomy and societal responsibility would advance clarity on the profession's commitment to the public trust.
Parent and Professional Partnerships in Special Education: Multicultural Considerations

Highlights the importance of parent-professional relationships to students' academic and social development and the impact of ethnic, linguistic, and cultural diversity on the establishment of thes...
Studies on the in vitro transcription and translation of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA.

Abstract Optimal conditions are described for the preparation of transcribing vesicular stomatitis virus ribonucleoprotein cores, and for the coupled in vitro transcription and translation of VSV mRNA, using RNP cores as a generating source of mRNA. The system was used to study some aspects of the mechanism and regulation of VSV mRNA synthesis. The effect of varying ionic strength and of extracts from eukaryotic cells on size and composition of VSV in vitro RNA were examined. Coelectrophoresis in formamide-polyacrylamide gels of VSV in vitro and in vivo RNA showed that RNA synthesized in vitro under standard conditions (100 mM salt) was much more heterogeneous and most of it considerably smaller than in vivo RNA. Either high ionic strength (250–500 mM salt) or the presence of a wheat embryo extract were required for the synthesis of RNA with molecular weights and molar ratios comparable to that of in vivo RNA. In the presence of the wheat embryo extract RNA species corresponding in size to complete copies of the entire VSV genome were reproducibly synthesized in vitro. Some of the findings are consistent with a model of the transcription mechanism involving initiation of the various VSV mRNAs at one common promotor site and generation of messenger size RNA by a cleavage process.
White blood cell count and endothelin-1 vasoconstrictor tone in middle-aged and older adults

Background Higher white blood cell (WBC) count is associated with impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation. However, the influence of higher WBC count on endothelin (ET)-1 vasoconstrictor activity is currently unknown. We tested the hypothesis that adults with elevated WBC count demonstrate enhanced ET-1 system activity.
A correlation between the Geriatric Depression Scale long and short forms.

A sample of 81 elderly subjects (M age = 76 years) volunteered to take part in a study to determine whether the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) Short Form is an acceptable substitute for the GDS Long Form. Half of the subjects took the GDS Long Form first, and half took the GDS Short Form first. After two weeks, the subjects were given the remaining form. Although the mean scores were lower than in previous correlation studies, the results indicated that the GDS Short Form correlated significantly (r = +.66, p less than .01) with the GDS Long Form, but not highly enough to be considered an appropriate substitute.
Influence of preparative method on the lipid profiles of bovine fat globule membrane.

Abstract The lipid profiles of bovine fat globule membrane preparations were obtained using a procedure that separates neutral and polar lipids on a silica cartridge, analyzes components of these two lipid groups by high performance liquid chromatography, and identifies fatty acids of total lipid as well as neutral and polar lipids separately by gas chromatography. Fat globule membrane preparation involved either churning the cream, followed by ammonium sulfate precipitation of membrane, or a combined isolation-extraction with dimethyl sulfoxide. In preparations that did not include a delipidation step, the carryover of neutral lipids was significant. In contrast, preparations that were delipidated after ammonium sulfate precipitation or as part of the isolation-extraction had much lower levels of neutral lipids. For the latter samples, values for neutral and polar lipids were comparable to those reported previously. The relative ease with which fat globule membrane is obtained using the isolation-extraction procedure makes it the preferred method for subsequent isolation and purification of fat globule membrane proteins.