cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Attachment of Mytilus edulis L.larvae on algal and byssal filaments is enhanced by water agitation.

Abstract Larvae of the blue mussel Mytilus edulis L. are known to settle preferentially on filamentous substrata, in this study, competent larvae attached by secreting byssal threads onto filamentous red algae, Ceramium rubrum (Hudson) Agardh, Cystoclonium purpureum (Hudson) Batters, and Polysiphonia sp., and byssal threads from conspecific adults, but not onto the glass culture dish. Percent attachment to filamentous substrata in static conditions was low (0–30%). Unexpectedly, culture agitation routinely increased percentage attachment to filaments two- to eight-fold. This effect was not due to an influence of agitation on oxygen concentration, no differences in oxygen concentration of shaken vs. static cultures were detected at the end of the test periods. Water agitation in the absence of filaments did not induce attachment to the glass culture dishes. Elevated potassium (5–20 mM increases in KCl levels) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA, 10−6-10−4 M) were also tested for ability to induce settlement or metamorphosis of competent mussel larvae, no induction occurred in up to 48-h exposures. To date, the bivalve M. edulis is the first mollusc reported that is not induced to settle and metamorphose by elevated potassium ion levels.
Psychiatric malpractice claims in Maryland

Historically, professional liability issues have not been a major focus of concern among psychiatrists or psychiatric institutions. In 1975, the American Medical Association (AMA) reported that the malpractice claims rate against psychiatrists was the second lowest of all physician specialities (AMA, 1975). A major study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) of all reported medical malpractice claims closed during 19751978 in the United States, found that claims against psychiatrists represented only 0.3% of the 71,788 malpractice claims included in the analysis (NAIC, 1980). Several reasons have been advanced for the low rate of psychiatric claims filed during the 1970s. Slawson and Guggenheim (1984) note that the NAIC data base contains no claims brought by patients of Veterans Administration or other public hospitals-a factor possibly leading to underreporting of claims and/or lower levels of claims filed against psychiatrists who are more likely than most other clinical specialists to be employed in such settings. In addition, it has been argued that psychiatric treatment, unlike obstetrical and other surgical procedures, for example, rarely leads to grave or permanent physical injuries -the type of unanticipated treatment outcomes most likely to result in large malpractice claims and substantial awards. Slawson and Guggenheim (1984) also speculate that most malpractice claims result from a breakdown in the doctor-patient relationship and reason that psychiatrists may have experienced few claims because they are the medical specialists most likely to focus on interpersonal relationships. An alternative (or additional) explanation has been offered by Stone (1984) in a discussion of legal and judicial concerns regarding the prescribing behavior of many mental health professionals with respect to neuroleptic drugs. Stone notes, “Were it not for the reformer’s zeal of mental health litigators and the readiness of federal courts to deal with these cases as a matter of constitutional rights applicable to all patients in similar circumstances, they might well be tried as cases of medical malpractice” (1984, p. 1385). Thus, it could be argued that one reason the rate of psychiatric claims has been relatively low is that a large number of concerns about the quality of care provided to psychiatric patients have been dealt with in the courts as constitutional issues regarding a
Selective inhibition of angiotensin-II-mediated aldosterone secretion by 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid.

Abstract We have previously demonstrated that the 12- lipoxygenase (12-LO) pathway plays a key role in angiotensin- II (All)-dependent aldosterone production. In the present study we examined the role of the 5LO pathway on All-induced aldosterone secretion in rat glomerulosa cells in vitro. The 5LO product 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5HETE) and its unstable precursor 5-hydroxperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid did not significantly alter basal aldosterone secretion in concentrations from 10−9-10−7 M. In contrast, 5HETE reduced peak All-induced aldosterone production from 59.1 ± 9.0 to 37.9 ± 7.2 ng/106 cells (P < 0.01). This was accompanied by inhibition of the AIIstimulated rise in 12HETE production (10−9 M All, 160 ± 4% of control; 10−9 M All plus 10−7 M 5HETE, 90 ± 1% of control production). However, 5HETE had no effect on the aldosterone response to potassium or ACTH, secretagogues that cause no activation of the 12LO pathway. These results suggest that the 5LO product 5HETE can selectively modulate All-d...
SVM vs regularized least squares classification

Support vector machines (SVMs) and regularized least squares (RLS) are two recent promising techniques for classification. SVMs implement the structure risk minimization principle and use the kernel trick to extend it to the nonlinear case. On the one hand, RLS minimizes a regularized functional directly in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space defined by a kernel. While both have a sound mathematical foundation, RLS is strikingly simple. On the other hand, SVMs in general have a sparse representation of solutions. In addition, the performance of SVMs has been well documented but little can be said of RLS. This paper applies these two techniques to a collection of data sets and presents results demonstrating virtual identical performance by the two methods.
Pharmacology of binding of 3H-SCH-23390 to D-1 dopaminergic receptor sites in rat striatal tissue

Abstract 3 H-SCH-23390, a selective antagonist of D-1 dopamine (DA) receptors, was used in a radioreceptor assay with rat brain striatal tissue, optimized biochemically, and extensively characterized pharmacologically with striatal membranes. Nonspecific binding, denned with excess cis (Z)-flupenthixol (300 nM), averaged 20–25% of total counts bound. Specific binding was linearly dependent on the amount of original striatal tissue (0–4 mg) or protein (0–250μg), temperature dependent, saturable and reversible, and appeared to involve a single site at ligand concentrations limited to accumbens > prefrontal cortex > posterior cerebral cortex > cerebellum. Association was virtually complete within 30 min at 30°, and the rate of dissociation at 30° was 0.0377 min −1 (half-time = 18.4 min). Affinity ( K a or K d ) determined from association and dissociation rate constants and from concentration isotherms averaged 0.349 and 0.340 nM respectively. Including Na + at 150 mM increased apparent maximum specific binding ( B max ) by 19%, with a 29% increase in affinity; other monovalent cations alone had small effects on specific binding; Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ reduced binding by 30–40% at 5–10 mM, and a physiologic mixture of cations reduced binding by 42%. Agents (N = 85) were tested for potency ( K i or IC 50 ) in competition with the ligand (at 0.30 nM). Those known to have selective effects at D-1 receptors, generally, were most potent and stereoselective. Na + (150 mM) had little effect on the affinity of cis -thioxanthenes but decreased that of most other agents tested with high D-1 affinity. For antipsychotic agents, the correlation of typlcal clinical daily doses versus K i at D-1 sites ( r = 0.06) was much lower than at D-2 sites ( r = 0.94) . (−)Thioridazine was discovered to be D-1 selective, whereas the (+) enantiomer was selective for D-2 sites labeled with 3 H-spiperone. Relatively sedating antidepressants had greater D-1 affinity than their less-sedating, secondary amine congeners.
Long-term fatigue behavior of compact bone at low strain magnitude and rate

Abstract Fatigue behavior of compact bone at physiological strain ranges was examined in vitro. Standardized specimens of bovine compact bone were cyclically loaded in uniaxial tension of 0–1200 or 0–1500 microstrain for up to 13–37 million cycles to study the long-term fatigue properties. All specimens exhibited fatigue during the first several million cycles of loading, evidenced by a gradual decrease of specimen modulus during this initial loading period; mean modulus loss for all specimens was approximately 6%. After this initial stiffness loss, specimen modulus stabilized and did not change again for the duration of the loading. Osteonal bone specimens lost significantly more stiffness than primary bone specimens during the early loading history, but neither microstructural type progressed to fatigue failure. These data suggest that some fatigue of compact bone is a realistic expectation of the normal loading environment, but this fatigue does not progress to fatigue failure within a physiologically reasonable number of cycles when tested in vitro at strain magnitudes like those measured in living animals. Implications for fatigue/stress fractures in vivo are discussed.
Receptors for transferrin and transcobalamin II display segregated distribution on microvilli of leukemia L1210 cells

Simultaneous addition of uniform latex particles derivatized with transferrin (0.532 micron) and transcobalamin II (0.345 micron) to leukemia L1210 cells resulted in segregated binding to individual microvilli as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. This segregated distribution suggests that individual microvilli are endowed either transferrin or transcobalamin II receptors but not both. Intracellular sorting and segregation of newly synthesized or recycling receptors probably occur prior to expression on the plasmalemma microvilli.
Processing and performance of Nicalon/Blackglas and Nextel/Blackglas using cure-on-the-fly filament winding and preceramic polymer pyrolysis with inactive fillers

Abstract The effects of inert powder inclusion on processing and mechanical performance of Nicalon/Blackglas and Nextel/Blackglas prepared by cure-on-the-fly filament winding with preceramic polymer pyrolysis have been investigated. Ceramic fiber reinforcements were boron-nitride-coated Nextel® and carbon-coated Nicalon™. Blackglas™ preceramic polymer was mixed with the micron size inert fillers in the presence of a surfactant agent, Hypermer PS2, to achieve a good dispersion of the powder during the process. Nextel/Blackglas, Nextel/Blackglas–TiN, Nextel/Blackglas–TiC, Nextel/Blackglas–SiC, Nextel/Blackglas–Si 3 N 4 , Nicalon/Blackglas, Nicalon/Blackglas–TiN, and Nicalon/Blackglas–Si 3 N 4 tubes were manufactured. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the good quality of the parts. Samples with fillers exhibited excellent shape retention by comparison with those without fillers. C-ring tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical performance of the C-rings at room temperature. The production rate of samples composed of Nextel and Nicalon/filler increased by 14–28%. The strength and displacement to failure dropped by 6–28% and 5–33%, respectively, for Nextel-based samples, and the same values for Nicalon-based samples were 22–33% and 30–46%, respectively. No conclusive statement could be made for modulus. Effects of material system were studied and the results revealed that samples composed of BN-Nextel® showed better mechanical performance over samples composed of C-Nicalon™.
Time-dependent effects of repeated amphetamine treatment on norepinephrine in the hypothalamus and hippocampus assessed with in vivo microdialysis.

The effects of repeated amphetamine (AMPH) pretreatment on norepinephrine (NE) neurotransmission in the hypothalamus and hippocampus were assessed using in vivo microdialysis. Rats were pretreated with either saline or an escalating-dose AMPH regimen (1→10 mg/kg) over 10 consecutive days, and then were withdrawn from AMPH for either 1 day or 30 days, at which time the animals underwent two consecutive days of testing. As expected, repeated treatment with AMPH resulted in time-dependent changes in both spontaneous locomotor activity and in the psychomotor response to a subsequent challenge injection of AMPH. In addition, repeated exposure to AMPH resulted in time-dependent and regionally-specific changes in the basal concentrations of NE in dialysate, and in the NE response to an AMPH challenge. For example, AMPH pretreatment produced a persistent (at least one month) increase in the basal concentration of NE in the hippocampus, but not the hypothalamus, although the response to an AMPH challenge was altered in both structures. It is suggested that AMPH treatment produces adaptations in NE systems that far outlast the acute effects of the drug, and that these may contribute to both transient and more persistent behavioral sequelae associated with the discontinuation of chronic AMPH use.
Variation in periodic replication of the chromosome in Escherichia coli B/rTT.

Abstract A method using 5-bromouracil photolysis induction with 313 nm radiation was employed to estimate the variation in the period between successive rounds of DNA replication in rapidly growing cultures of Escherichia coli B rTT The coefficient of variation of this period was 9.3%, which is significantly less than the corresponding value of about 20% reported for variation in the cell interdivision period. Thus chromosome replication is much more tightly controlled than is cell division. The reduced variability of the DNA replication cycle indicates that the period ( D ) between termination of a round of DNA replication and cell division and the following period ending in initiation of the next round of DNA replication ( B ) are riot independent of each other but tend to have compensatory variations. The results suggest that other events in the cell cycle are related more closely to DNA replication rather than to the much less regular event of cell division.
Memantine in the treatment of binge eating disorder: an open-label, prospective trial.

Objective: To assess preliminarily the efficacy of memantine in binge eating disorder. Method: This was an open-label, 12-week, flexible-dose (5–20 mg/day) trial of memantine in binge eating disorder. The primary outcome was frequency of binge days. Secondary outcomes included frequency of binge episodes, body-mass index (BMI), weight, Clinical Global Impressions Severity (CGI-S), Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Longitudinal random regression analysis was performed for frequency of binge days and episodes, BMI, weight, and CGI-S; analysis of baseline to endpoint change was performed for all outcomes. Results: Sixteen individuals received memantine; 15 completed at least one postbaseline evaluation, 9 completed the study. Mean dose at endpoint was 18.3 mg/day. Memantine was associated with significant reductions in frequency of binge days and episodes, severity of illness (p < .001 for both analyses), disinhibition on the TFEQ (p = .015), and disability on the SDS (p < .05 for three subscales). There was no significant change in BMI, weight, MADRS, HAM-A, and TFEQ cognitive restraint and hunger. Conclusion: In this open-label trial, memantine was well tolerated and effective in reducing binge eating, severity of illness, and disability, but had little effect on BMI and weight. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008
Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Female Poverty

The causal relationships between poverty in female-headed households with minor children and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) transfer payments for the period from 1959 to 1988 were examined by means of the Granger causality test. This study found weak statistical evidence that receipt of AFDC “causes” poverty, but strong statistical evidence that the number of poor female-headed households with minor children is a “cause” of the number of recipients of AFDC, and that an increase in the real dollar amount of AFDC per recipient family “causes“ a reduction in the poverty rate of female-headed households with minor children.
Reversible jump algorithm for analysis of gamma mixtures

Radiological experiments, designed to study absorbed dose in irradiated microscopic biological tissues, play a central role in microdosimetry. They yield data that cannot directly reveal the distribution of charge per event, but indirectly, through appropriate models, can lead to estimates of desired quantities. In particular, the measurements can be considered as independent random variables whose distribution is a mixture of Gamma densities with unknown but related parameters. The main data processing tasks is to estimate the weights of the components from the experimentally obtained measurements, which are subsequently used for quantifying the physically meaningful distribution of ion pairs per particle crossing the irradiated tissue volume. In the paper, the processing of the mixtures is addressed, and a procedure for estimating all the unknown model parameters proposed. A Bayesian approach to the problem is adopted based on the reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling scheme. Samples from the unknown parameters are obtained from their posterior distributions either by Gibbs sampling or by implementing the Metropolis- Hastings scheme. After convergence, the so obtained samples are used to find the estimate of all the unknowns.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Building A Translation, the Re-Construction Business: Poem 145 of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

(1984). Building A Translation, the Re-Construction Business: Poem 145 of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures: Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 143-158.
Opening Doors to Feminist Research

Currently, both controversy and consensus exist concerning the conceptualization and implementation of feminist research. In this article I trace the rise of feminist research in the context of the multiple meanings of a gendered and feminist psychology. I then summarize examples of recent research studies that demonstrate some of the many ways in which feminist psychology is contributing to our understandings of human behavior. The challenge to feminist psychology is to document the variables that influence the process of gendering in social transactions, while actively questioning the perpetuation of its authority.
Surgical repair of the congenitally malformed mitral valve in infants and children

Abstract Background . Mitral valve remodeling techniques were applied to 26 infants and children (mean age, 6.0 years, range, 0.4 to 15.9 years) with various forms of congenital mitral valve disease over a 7-year period. Patients with atrioventricular canal, l-transposition and single ventricle were excluded. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) was utilized to assess the repair and guide the need for immediate intervention. Methods . Twenty-one patients had mitral regurgitation: 10 with cleft anterior mitral leaflet, 7 with annular dilatation, 1 with normal leaflets with an obstructing cord, 2 with prolapsed leaflets and elongated cords, and 1 with restricted leaflet motion, normal papillary muscles, and shortened cords. Of the 5 mitral stenosis patients, 3 had supravalvular mitral ring, 1 had midvalvular mitral ring, and 1 had a parachute valve. Three of the mitral stenosis patients had additional stenotic lesions. Concurrent repair of associated lesions was performed in 21 patients (78%). Results . Operative mortality was 3.8% (n = 1). There were no late deaths. Immediate rerepair in 4 patients resulted in improved function. All mitral stenosis patients improved. A total of 20 mitral regurgitation patients (95%) improved; 1 required mitral valve replacement. Mean follow-up is 31 months (range, 2 to 81 months). All patients are in New York Heart Association functional class I or II. Conclusions . Mitral valve repair can be successfully performed in infants and children with excellent short- and midterm results. Assessment using transesophageal echocardiography can guide the necessity for immediate rerepair to achieve improved function.
An adaptive approach with active learning in software fault prediction

Background: Software quality prediction plays an important role in improving the quality of software systems. By mining software metrics, predictive models can be induced that provide software managers with insights into quality problems they need to tackle as effectively as possible.Objective: Traditional, supervised learning approaches dominate software quality prediction. Resulting models tend to be project specific. On the other hand, in situations where there are no previous releases, supervised learning approaches are not very useful because large training data sets are needed to develop accurate predictive models.Method: This paper eases the limitations of supervised learning approaches and offers good prediction performance. We propose an adaptive approach in which supervised learning and active learning are coupled together. NaiveBayes classifier is used as the base learner.Results: We track the performance at each iteration of the adaptive learning algorithm and compare it with the performance of supervised learning. Our results show that proposed scheme provides good fault prediction performance over time, i.e., it eventually outperforms the corresponding supervised learning approach. On the other hand, adaptive learning classification approach reduces the variance in prediction performance in comparison with the corresponding supervised learning algorithm.Conclusion: The adaptive approach outperforms the corresponding supervised learning approach when both use Naive-Bayes as base learner. Additional research is needed to investigate whether this observation remains valid with other base classifiers.
Shortest paths, single origin‐destination network design, and associated polyhedra

We study a specialized version of network design problems that arise in telecommunications, transportation, and other industries. The problem, a generalization of the shortest path problem, is defined on an undirected network consisting of a set of arcs on which we can install (load), at a cost, a choice of up to three types of capacitated facilities. Our objective is to determine the configuration of facilities to load on each arc that will satisfy the demand of a single commodity at the lowest possible cost. Our results (i) demonstrate that the single-facility loading problem and certain “common break-even point” versions of the two-facility and three-facility loading problems are polynomially solvable as a shortest path problem; (ii) show that versions of the two-facility loading problem are strongly NP-hard, but that a shortest path solution provides an asymptotically “good” heuristic; and (iii) characterize the optimal solution (i.e., specify a linear programming formulation with integer solutions) of the common break-even point versions of the two-facility and three-facility loading problems. In this development, we introduce two new families of facets, give geometric interpretations of our results, and demonstrate the usefulness of partitioning the space of the problem parameters to establish polyhedral integrality properties. Generalizations of our results apply to (i) multicommodity applications and (ii) situations with more than three facilities. © 1993 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Significance of the Doppler-derived gradient across a residual aortic coarctation

Few data exist which address the significance of the Doppler gradient across a residual narrowing in older children who have had a coarctation repaired. Therefore, we evaluated 11 patients with repaired aortic coarctation with and without residual obstruction by Doppler echocardiography. The Doppler-derived transcoarctation pressure gradient correlated poorly with catheter-measured peak-to-peak and catheter maximal instantaneous gradients when only the maximal velocity across the repair was utilized in the simplified Bernoulli equation, [r=0.73, standard of error of the estimate (SEE)=5.0 mmHg andr=0.56, SEE=7.6 mmHg, respectively]. However, when the precoarctation velocity was included in the simplified Bernoulli equation, the correlation between Doppler-derived and catheter-measured gradients became excellent. The maximal Doppler gradient correlated well with catheter peak-to-peak gradient (r=0.95, SEE=2.2 mmHg) and catheter maximal instantaneous gradient (r=0.94, SEE=3.2 mmHg). However, the maximal Doppler gradient slightly overestimated the catheter peak-to-peak gradient and underestimated the catheter maximal instantaneous gradient. The Doppler mean gradient showed excellent correlation with the catheter mean gradient (r=0.97, SEE=0.85 mmHg). Precoarctation velocities were generally twofold greater than published normals due to a spatial acceleration phenomenon. All subjects had residual hypoplasia of the transverse aorta such that its transverse diameter was 29% less than, and its crosssectional area was 50% less than, the ascending and descending aorta. Thus, it is apparent that proximal velocities must be accounted for in the modified Bernoulli equation in order to achieve an accurate gradient determination, and that this gradient is representative of a value that is between the maximal instantaneous and peak-to-peak catheter gradient. Flow acceleration within the transverse aorta may be related to significant reductions in luminal radius and crosssectional area.
Reducing Macrophage Proteoglycan Sulfation Increases Atherosclerosis and Obesity through Enhanced Type I Interferon Signaling

Heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are an important constituent of the macrophage glycocalyx and extracellular microenvironment. To examine their role in atherogenesis, we inactivated the biosynthetic gene N-acetylglucosamine N-deacetylase-N-sulfotransferase 1 (Ndst1) in macrophages and crossbred the strain to Ldlr(-/-) mice. When placed on an atherogenic diet, Ldlr(-/-)Ndst1(f/f)LysMCre(+) mice had increased atherosclerotic plaque area and volume compared to Ldlr(-/-) mice. Diminished sulfation of heparan sulfate resulted in enhanced chemokine expression; increased macrophages in plaques; increased expression of ACAT2, a key enzyme in cholesterol ester storage; and increased foam cell conversion. Motif analysis of promoters of upregulated genes suggested increased type I interferon signaling, which was confirmed by elevation of STAT1 phosphorylation induced by IFN-β. The proinflammatory macrophages derived from Ndst1(f/f)LysMCre(+) mice also sensitized the animals to diet-induced obesity. We propose that macrophage HSPGs control basal activation of macrophages by maintaining type I interferon reception in a quiescent state through sequestration of IFN-β.
P&P: A Combined Push-Pull Model for Resource Monitoring in Cloud Computing Environment

Cloud computing paradigm contains many shared resources, such as infrastructures, data storage, various platforms and software. Resource monitoring involves collecting information of system resources to facilitate decision making by other components in Cloud environment. It is the foundation of many major Cloud computing operations. In this paper, we extend the prevailing monitoring methods in Grid computing, namely Pull model and Push model, to the paradigm of Cloud computing. In Grid computing, we find that in certain conditions, Push model has high consistency but low efficiency, while Pull model has low consistency but high efficiency. Based on complementary properties of the two models, we propose a user-oriented resource monitoring model named Push&Pull (P&P) for Cloud computing, which employs both the above two models, and switches the two models intelligently according to users’ requirements and monitored resources’ status. The experimental result shows that the P&P model decreases updating costs and satisfies various users’ requirements of consistency between monitoring components and monitored resources compared to the original models.
Alpha-Channeling Effects in Mirror-like Plasma

Summary form only given. The alpha-channeling effect [Fisch, N.J., 2006] in tokamaks exploits the higher population of high-energy alpha particles in the tokamak interior compared to that of low-energy alpha particles at the periphery. Because of the population inversion, it is possible to inject radio frequency waves that diffuse resonant particles along diffusion paths connecting these regions, so that hot alpha particles diffuse to the periphery and cool at the same time. However, the population inversion for fuel deuterium ions is opposite to that of the alpha particles. There are no MeV fuel ions in the center, but there are many relatively cold fuel ions near the periphery. Thus, in a tokamak, the same wave that taps alpha particle energy, while rejecting the alpha particles to the periphery, also can fuel the plasma by sucking in fresh fuel ions and heating them. Similar possibilities might be expected in mirror geometry [Fisch, N.J., 2006]. Both mirrors and tokamaks are devices with a symmetry direction, so that the diffusion paths can be written similarly. Using effects similar to the alpha channeling effect in tokamaks, important improvements in open traps might be had through the use of rf fields interacting with mirror-confined ions, such that the ions diffuse in the rf fields along highly constrained orbits, losing energy as they are forced out of the trap. The channeling effect in magnetic mirror geometry might be used, like in tokamaks, to enhance the fusion power density of hot plasma for the purposes of energy production. However, the effect may have other applications as well in improving other uses of magnetically confined mirror-like plasma, such as occurs in plasma separations or plasma propulsion.
Modularity concepts of the Multi-Path Redundant Avionics Suite (MPRAS)

The use of modularity within the Multipath Redundant Avionics Suite project is discussed. Modularity is considered at several levels, including systems, subsystems, electronic circuit assemblies and even functionality within circuit assemblies. MPRAS maintains the modularity of PAVE PILLAR and extends it to include modules designed to provide efficient input/output functions and to support implementation of multistring redundancy. A method of configuring multiple sets of avionics modules (clusters) into a fault-tolerant redundant subsystem has been developed. These subsystems are intended to be incorporated into the overall system in a modular fashion to support vehicles such as the advanced launch system, which are themselves designed as modular vehicle families. The software operating system is also modular, based on the Ada high order language, and can be configured for specific vehicle functions. Deterministic system software operation and high levels of avionics testability provide an environment intended to keep system operations costs as low as possible. The result is an avionics architecture which can be used in a wide variety of applications, from the simplest launch vehicles to complex systems envisioned for future space exploration. >
Liquid core light guide for laser angioplasty

It is shown that delivery of laser energy to intravascular targets through a flowing fluid-core laser angioplasty catheter offers new design possibilities and solutions to current practical problems facing laser angioplasty. Fluid-core catheters using iodinated radiographic contrast material as the core fluid can transmit high-peak-power visible laser pulses at high efficiencies while offering improved imaging of the target and distal vasculature. These catheters are simple to produce, are optically and mechanically stable, and are compatible with conventional angioplasty equipment and techniques. In canine coronary arteries in vivo, the catheters proved to be flexible, atraumatic, and able to deliver ablative high-peak-power laser pulses. >
The Purity of Spirit and the Power of Blood: A Comparative Perspective on Nation, Gender and Kinship in Cyprus

This article argues that the kinship relations of the national ‘family’ are not simply a direct appropriation of ‘natural’ kinship relations but involve a transformation of those relations that also takes into account some gendered image of the land as a member of that family. Using comparative research in the Turkish and Greek communities of Cyprus, I propose that what is centrally important in images of national kinship is the common substance that land and people are imagined to share. Moreover, this common substance is regarded as so ‘natural’ that it constitutes an important axiom that is central to understanding the logic of nationalisms.
Multiple Sites of Contact between the Carboxyl-terminal Binding Domain of PTHrP-(1–36) Analogs and the Amino-terminal Extracellular Domain of the PTH/PTHrP Receptor Identified by Photoaffinity Cross-linking

The carboxyl-terminal portions of parathyroid hormone (PTH)-(1--34) and PTH-related peptide (PTHrP)-(1-36) are critical for high affinity binding to the PTH/PTHrP receptor (P1R), but the mechanism of receptor interaction for this domain is largely unknown. To identify interaction sites between the carboxyl-terminal region of PTHrP-(1--36) and the P1R, we prepared analogs of [I(5),W(23),Y(36)]PTHrP-(1--36)-amide with individual p-benzoyl-l-phenylalanine (Bpa) substitutions at positions 22--35. When tested with LLC-PK(1) cells stably transfected with human P1R (hP1R), the apparent binding affinity and the EC(50) of agonist-stimulated cAMP accumulation for each analog was, with the exception of the Bpa(24)-substituted analog, similar to that of the parent compound. The radiolabeled Bpa(23)-, Bpa(27)-, Bpa(28)-, and Bpa(33)-substituted compounds affinity-labeled the hP1R sufficiently well to permit subsequent mapping of the cross-linked receptor region. Each of these peptides cross-linked to the amino-terminal extracellular domain of the P1R: [I(5),Bpa(23),Y(36)]PTHrP-(1-36)-amide cross-linked to the extreme end of this domain (residues 33-63); [I(5),W(23),Bpa(27),Y(36)]PTHrP-(1--36)-amide cross-linked to residues 96--102; [I(5),W(23),Bpa(28),Y(36)]PTHrP-(1--36)- amide cross-linked to residues 64--95; and [I(5),W(23), Bpa(33),Y(36)]PTHrP-(1--36)-amide cross-linked to residues 151-172. These data thus predict that residues 23, 27, 28, and 33 of native PTHrP are each near to different regions of the amino-terminal extracellular receptor domain of the P1R. This information helps define sites of proximity between several ligand residues and this large receptor domain, which so far has been largely excluded from models of the hormone-receptor complex.
INFLUENCE OF THE THYROID ON THE RESORPTION OF GONADOTROPIC HORMONES

STUDIES (1–4) have shown that thyroidectomy in immature female rats will increase the ovarian response to injections of hypophyseal gonadotropic extracts but not to the injection of pregnancy serum extracts. Fluhmann (3) found that thyroid feeding decreased the gonadotropic effect of both types of preparations (pituitary or placental) and suggested, since the latter was free of thyrotropic principle while the former contained thyrotropic principle, that an induced condition of hyperthyroidism was produced by the injection of pituitary extracts in normal rats, this condition being responsible for the lessened response. The pregnancy extract not containing the thyrotropic factor was equally effective in normal and thyroidectomized animals. Leonard (5), however, found that pituitary and urinary (castrate and testes tumor) gonadotropic extracts free from thyrotropic hormone were more effective in the absence of the thyroid and Leonard, Hisaw and Fevold (6) observed that the addition of thyrotropic hormone to ...
Advances in radiation oncology.

Radiation therapy is commonly used in the treatment of cancer. It is the primary curative modality in about 30% of patients, and more than half of all cancer patients receive radiation therapy sometime during the course of their disease. The use of radiation began shortly after the discovery of X-rays in 1895 by Roentgen. The implementation and importance of this therapy has closely followed advances in physics, nuclear chemistry, and technology. The major technological milestones leading to improved and expanded applications include radium, high-vacuum tubes, artificial isotopes, linear accelerators, transistors, and computers. These sophisticated tools have allowed biological discoveries and clinical research to have an increasing role in the treatment of common tumours (table). Similar to surgery, radiation therapy is a local-regional modality. When successful, this treatment cures by eradicating tumour in the primary site, the draining regional lymphatics, and lymph nodes. Reproductive death--the consequence of DNA damage--is the primary mechanism of tumour destruction. Apoptosis has an important role in radiation-induced tumour-killing and differences in the role of apoptosis may explain variation in tumour curability by ionising radiation. The practice of clinical radiotherapy is based on the following premises. Cure can be achieved by eliminating disease at the primary site in patients without metastatic disease outside the irradiated volume. The dose required to achieve such cure depends on the type of tumour and the number of tumour clonogens. The dose should be confined to the tumour as much as possible to avoid adverse effects in normal tissue. The total dose delivered to the tumour currently is limited by the tolerance of the surrounding normal tissues and ultimately by that of the tumour bed itself. Both of these are inversely related to the volume irradiated: the larger the volume, the lower the tolerated dose. These important concepts have been validated and technical advances now offer opportunities for increasing tumour dose without raising that of the normal tissue (figure). Whilst a dose-response relation has been demonstrated for turnout control with conventional radiotherapy, what is not clear is where on the curve each cancer-treatment technique is and, consequently, how much more improvement can be achieved with further dose escalation. The preliminary results we discuss below are encouraging, and suggest that increased cure and decreased complications can be achieved by applying
Asynchronous consensus protocols for multi-agent systems

Motivated by the famous Vicsek's model, this paper addresses the problem of heading consensus for a multi-agent group by using asynchronous decentralized algorithms. Two algorithms, one for the leaderless case and one for the leader based case are proposed. The appealing feature of both algorithms is that neither a global coordinate system nor a common clock is required. It is proved that these algorithms guarantee (almost) global consensus of the headings under some well known connectivity assumptions.
Studies of Fluoride Retention by Oral Soft Tissues after the Application of Home-use Topical Fluorides:

Previous studies have focused on enamel and plaque as the primary sites of fluoride (F) retention in the mouth. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the role of oral soft tissue as a site of F retention by comparing an edentulous subject panel (n = 9) with a fully dentate panel (n = 10). Unstimulated whole saliva samples were collected by having subjects pool saliva for two min. Samples were collected over a 24-hour period after application of a placebo dentifrice (PD; 0.4 ppm F), fluoride dentifrice (FD; 1100 ppm F), fluoride rinse (FR; 226 ppm F), or fluoride gel (FG; 5000 ppm F) delivered in custom trays. There was no statistically significant difference in salivary flow rate between the two panels for any of the treatments. The edentulous panel had higher salivary F levels than the dentate panel, which reached statistical significance (p less than 0.05) for the FD and FG treatments. In a separate study involving the same treatments, F levels at specific soft-tissue sites were measured over a one-hour period by use of absorbent discs placed in different soft-tissue areas of the mouth. The tongue and lower posterior vestibule retained the highest F levels, followed by the upper posterior buccal vestibule and upper anterior labial vestibule, with the lowest F levels retained in the lower anterior vestibule and the floor of the mouth. There was a strong-to-moderate correlation between whole saliva F concentration and F levels at specific soft-tissue sites. This study establishes the importance of oral soft tissue as the major site of F retention in the mouth.
Computer based robot training in a virtual environment

As more market segments are welcoming automation, the robotic field continues to expand. With the accepted breadth of viable industrial robotic applications increasing, the need for flexible robotic training also grows. In the area of simulation and offline programming there have been innovative developments to Computer Aided Robotics (CAR) Systems. New and notable releases have been introduced to the public, especially among the small, affordable, and easy to use systems. These CAR-Systems are mainly aimed at system integrators in general industry business fields to whom the complex, powerful software tools used by the automotive industry (and its suppliers) are oversized. In general, CAR-Systems are used to design robot cells and to create the offline programs necessary to reduce start-up time and to achieve a considerable degree of planning reliability. Another potential yet to be fully considered, is the use of such CAR-Systems as an inexpensive and user-friendly tool for robotics training. This paper will show the educational potential and possibility inherent in simulation and introduce a successful example of this new method of training. Finally, this presentation should be seen as an attempt to outline novel methods for future education in an industrial environment characterized by the increased occurrence and implementation of the virtual factory.
DBAli: a database of protein structure alignments

SUMMARY The DBAli database includes approximately 35000 alignments of pairs of protein structures from SCOP (Lo Conte et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 28, 257-259, 2000) and CE (Shindyalov and Bourne, Protein Eng., 11, 739-747, 1998). DBAli is linked to several resources, including Compare3D (Shindyalov and Bourne, http://www.sdsc.edu/pb/software.htm, 1999) and ModView (Ilyin and Sali, http://guitar.rockefeller.edu/ModView/, 2001) for visualizing sequence alignments and structure superpositions. A flexible search of DBAli by protein sequence and structure properties allows construction of subsets of alignments suitable for a number of applications, such as benchmarking of sequence-sequence and sequence-structure alignment methods under a variety of conditions. AVAILABILITY http://guitar.rockefeller.edu/DBAli/
Significance of Salicylic Acid Sublimation in Stability Testing of Aspirin-Containing Solids

The salicylic acid content, formed from the decomposition of aspirin, was found to be an unreliable basis for judging the stability of aspirin tablets. Under conditions of accelerated stability testing, the loss of salicylic acid from the system by sublimation can incur appreciable errors in the direction of overestimating aspirin stability. Since aspirin was not detected to sublime under these same conditions, its residual content is an improved indication of its stability. A method for its simultaneous determination with salicylic acid is presented.
A reduced order controller design method for multi-input, multi-output plants based on the Youla parameterization of all stabilizing controllers

Efforts in designing controllers of order less than n-m-l+1 for systems modeled by n state, m input, l output minimal state space realizations are presented. It is shown that manipulations within the Youla parameterization of all stabilizing controllers yield controllers with order equal to the system observability index /spl upsi//sub 0/ that can generate any desired linear combination of the system state variables. It is possible to place the closed loop poles for a minimal realization with such a linear combination, so the method may be used for controller design. Because /spl upsi//sub 0/, is often less than the plant order for large multiinput-multioutput (MIMO) plant realizations, the method may prove to be a viable reduced order controller design tool. The technique is used on a tenth order model of an existing NASA test facility to generate a fifth order stabilizing controller. >
Low temperature route for synthesis of cadmium selenide quantum dots and their application in fabricating a QD-LED

The present study describes the effect of ageing time during the synthesis of oleic acid capped cadmium selenide quantum dots synthesized by the hot injection route and their use in the fabrication of a hybrid quantum dot light emitting device (QD-LED). This hot injection process has been carried out at the lower synthesis temperature of 140°C compared to the conventional temperature of ∼300°C. Fluorescent monodisperse quantum dots of size 3-5 nm and 8-10 nm have been obtained at an ageing time of 2 and 3 hours respectively. An attempt to fabricate a QD-LED has been carried out. Current versus voltage studies show a turn on voltage at 3.06 V with a current of ∼ 87 nA.
Adrenal cells in tissue culture. IV. Use of an inhibitor of steroid synthesis for the study of ACTH action.

This report describes the use of aminoglutethimide (AG), an inhibitor of steroid synthesis, for the study of some effects of ACTH on the metabolism of functional monolayer cultures of murine adrenal cortex tumors. At concentrations in the medium of 10 μg/ml or higher, the drug specifically blocks steroid biosynthesis from cholesterol. At concentrations over 50 μg/ml it is also a competitive inhibitor of 11β-hydroxylation. Its action is immediate and reversible. Concentrations in excess of 100 μg/ml have no adverse effect on cell growth, RNA and protein synthesis, glycolysis or cholesterol synthesis. Four effects of ACTH which we have previously described were investigated: the steroidogenic response to ACTH, the augmentation of steroidogenesis by prolonged stimulation with ACTH, the increased synthesis of cholesterol from acetate, and the stimulation of glycolytic activity. At concentrations over 10 μg/ml, both control and stimulated steroidogenic activity is blocked. At lower concentrations, the ratio of...
A proposal for an evidenced-based emergency department discharge form for mild traumatic brain injury.

Primary objective: To examine and compare a sample of head injury care instruction forms available in hospital emergency departments (EDs) against evidence-based factors predictive of haemorrhage or traumatic lesions and to propose an easy-to-understand discharge instruction form for patients with concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI).Research design/methods: Fifteen hospital discharge instruction forms were reviewed for inclusion of six factors known to be associated with the presence of haemorrhage after MTBI. ED instruction forms were also evaluated for readability.Results: The 15 hospital ED instruction forms varied in what patients’ caretakers were instructed to observe. Some but not all important factors associated with haemorrhage were included. The mean Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level of the discharge instruction forms was 8.2 with a mean Reading Ease score of 59.9%.Conclusion: EDs use discharge instruction forms listing signs and symptoms that are highly variable, confusing, not all...
Hardware-Based Computational Intelligence for Size, Weight, and Power Constrained Environments

Nanotechnology research is an enabling field and is closely aligned with advances in neuromorphic architectures, energy efficient computing, and autonomy efforts. The development of neuromorphic circuits leverages a mixture of proven CMOS technologies with experimental devices and architectures that pose significant challenges for integration and fabrication. This chapter examines the pressures pushing the development of unconventional computing designs for size, weight, and power constrained environments and briefly reviews some of the trends that are influencing the development of solid-state neuromorphic systems. Later sections provide high level examples of selected approaches to hardware design and fabrication.