cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A commentary on the Kick, Bond and Rittinger laws of grinding

Abstract Confusion concerning the so-called general law of grinding proposed by Walker et al. is removed when it is realised that two forms of the law exist, quite different in physical meaning. The Kick and Rittinger laws are special cases of one form, and Bonds law is a special case of the other. Thus it is possible for Rittinger's and Bond's laws to apply to the same set of data.
Number of 24-hour diet recalls needed to estimate energy intake.

Purpose Twenty-four–hour diet recall interviews (24HRs) are used to assess diet and to validate other diet assessment instruments. Therefore it is important to know how many 24HRs are required to describe an individual's intake. Method Seventy-nine middle-aged white women completed seven 24HRs over a 14-day period, during which energy expenditure (EE) was determined by the doubly labeled water method (DLW). Mean daily intakes were compared to DLW-derived EE using paired t tests. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the effect of call sequence and day of the week on 24HR-derived energy intake while adjusting for education, relative body weight, social desirability, and an interaction between call sequence and social desirability. Results Mean EE from DLW was 2115 kcal/day. Adjusted 24HR-derived energy intake was lowest at call 1 (1501 kcal/day); significantly higher energy intake was observed at calls 2 and 3 (2246 and 2315 kcal/day, respectively). Energy intake on Friday was significantly lower than on Sunday. Averaging energy intake from the first two calls better approximated true energy expenditure than did the first call, and averaging the first three calls further improved the estimate ( p = 0.02 for both comparisons). Additional calls did not improve estimation. Conclusions Energy intake is underreported on the first 24HR. Three 24HRs appear optimal for estimating energy intake.
Application of cross-correlation analysis to EXAFS : investigation of the cobalt phase on boron modified cobalt/alumina catalysts

Boron modified Co/Al2O3 catalysts, previously characterized by ESCA, are examined by EXAFS. A method of data analysis based on cross-correlation of the χ(E) spectra is used to determine the relative amounts of Co3O4 and cobalt surface phase present on the catalysts. The results are compared with those obtained previously by ESCA. The EXAFS analysis agrees well with the ESCA results. No gas-phase reactions were required to elucidate the relative proportion of cobalt species by EXAFS as is necessary for the ESCA analysis.
k-space properties of classical single- and double-layer potentials and their derivatives

Abstract Single- and double-layer potentials are well known functions used in many areas of mathematical physics. One extensive example is their use in the formulation of scattering problems as boundary integral equations. Their properties are summarized in several textbooks. Here we derive these properties in a different way using the Weyl representation for the Green's function and some elementary ideas from complex variables and distribution theory. In addition we provide k -space representations for the functions and their derivatives. The latter have not appeared in the literature and are useful for formulating scattering integral equations in Fourier transform space.
A Consumer's View of Correctional Policy Inmate Attitudes Regarding Determinate Sentencing

Several states have recently considered the adoption of determinate sentencing policies that would eliminate or reduce the discretion of parole authorities in deciding when to release inmates on parole status. Surveys in two correctional institutions show that inmates strongly prefer determinate sentencing over the more commonly used indeterminate sentencing policies. The same inmates also indicated that they would have participated in rehabilitative programs while incarcerated without the possibility of early release through parole being contingent on such participation.
Prostaglandins evoke a whole variety of responses in the lung.

Abstract Rapid intravenous (IV) injections of the prostaglandin precursor arachidonic acid (AA) increase pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in a variety of species. It has recently been reported that infusions of AA decrease PAP. The purpose of this report is to contrast responses to bolus injections and infusions of AA in the anesthetized dog. In all experiments rapid IV injections of AA increased PAP and PVR; however, infusions of 68 to 680 microgram/min produced variable responses. In 10 of 19 animals, AA infusion decreased PAP and PVR, and this response was enhanced when pulmonary vascular tone was actively increased by vasoconstrictor agents or alveolar hypoxia. In the other nine animals, the predominant response was an increase in PAP and PVR. In all experiments infusions of larger amounts of AA (1.4 to 3.4 mg/min) increased PAP. Both pressor and depressor responses to AA were inhibited to meclofenamate. This study shows that infusion of small amounts of AA dilates or constricts the pulmonary vascular bed. In contrast, infusion of larger amounts of AA always causes vasoconstriction. These data suggest that at low infusion rate, PGI2, which is a vasodilator, is the predominant metabolite formed from AA in some animals. However, at higher concentrations, the production of constrictor products predominates. These experiments also suggest that the products formed and the response observed may be dependent on a number of factors including the amount of tone present in the pulmonary vascular bed.
The Relationship between Hue Discrimination and Contrast Sensitivity Deficits in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

In an attempt to elucidate more fully the pathophysiologic basis of early visual dysfunction in patients with diabetes mellitus, color vision (hue discrimination) and spatial resolution (contrast sensitivity) were tested in diabetic patients with little or no retinopathy (n = 57) and age-matched visual normals (n = 35). Some evidence of visual dysfunction was observed in 37.8% of the diabetics with no retinopathy and 60.0% of the diabetics with background retinopathy. Although significant hue discrimination and contrast sensitivity deficits were observed in both groups of diabetic patients, contrast sensitivity was abnormal more frequently than hue discrimination. However, only 5.4% of the diabetics with no retinopathy and 10.0% of the diabetics with background retinopathy exhibited both abnormal hue discrimination and abnormal contrast sensitivity. Contrary to previous reports, blue-yellow (B-Y) and red-green (R-G) hue discrimination deficits were observed with approximately equal frequency. In the diabetic group, contrast sensitivity was reduced at all spatial frequencies tested, but for individual diabetic patients, significant deficits were only evident for the mid-range spatial frequencies. Among diabetic patients, the hue discrimination deficits, but not the contrast sensitivity abnormalities, were correlated with the patients' hemoglobin A1 level. A negative correlation between contrast sensitivity at 6.0 cpd and the duration of diabetes also was observed.
Isotope exchange studies of the oxidation and reduction of SrTiO3 single crystal surfaces by water and hydrogen

Abstract Thermal desorption studies of chemisorbed D 2 and D 2 O on a reduced SrTiO 3 (111) surface reveal that D 2 causes the reduction of the crystal, whereas D 2 O causes its oxidation. Thermal desorption of H 2 18 O indicates that there is a 15% exchange between the oxygen in the adsorbed water molecules and the lattice oxygen.
The zero module and invariant subspaces

The zero-module of a transfer function captures the idea of multivariable zero and is particularly successful in the study of inverse systems. Recent results on module-theoretic descriptions of invariant and controllability subspaces have also led to important insights into zeros. These two approaches can be unified in a comprehensive collection of isomorphisms.
Modulation of Substance P-Induced K+ Current in Coronary Endothelium

Substance P (SP) activates an outward K+ current, membrane hyperpolarization and increases cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+],) in porcine coronary artery endothelial cells (PCAECs). We tested the importance of Ca2+, CAMP, cGMP, arachidonic acid and G protein-linked pathways in modulating whole-cell K+ currents activated by SP. Current or membrane potential and [Ca2+], were measured simultaneously in single cells in response to SP (10 nM), using the perforated patch technique and fura-2 microfluorimetry. Partial block of Kcachannels by D-tubocurarine resulted in a significant reduction in SP-induced membrane hyperpolarization and the plateau phase of the cell [Ca2+]i response. In PCAECs preloaded with BAPTA, SP failed to elevate [Ca2+]i or activate outward current. In Ca2+-free bath solution, SP induced transient elevations in [Ca2+]i and outward current. With SP still present, addition of 1 mM Ca2+ to the bath after [Ca2+]i returned to resting levels elevated [Ca2+]i and elicited outward current. Acute application o...
Antiproteolytic Action of Insulin in Burn-Injured Rats

Abstract Background. Negative nitrogen balance is a typical metabolic response to burn injury resulting in decreased muscle mass and activity. Since insulin is an anabolic hormone, using insulin as a prophylactic agent in burned patients has received some attention. The present study was carried out to investigate the systemic effect of insulin on burn injury-induced muscle wasting. Patients and methods. A 15–20% total body surface area (TBSA) scald burn injury was inflicted on the shaved dorsum of rats. Rats were treated with a daily subcutaneous insulin injection for 3 days (0.25–1.0 U/day). After the treatment, a variety of insulin-dependent physiological parameters were monitored. Overall body protein degradation rates were determined by measuring the urinary tyrosine. Also, protein degradations were measured in diaphragm muscles, splenocytes, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells to directly confirm the antiproteolytic activity of insulin. Results. Administration of insulin to burn-injured rats restored body weight primarily by reducing accelerated protein degradation and regaining the intracellular protein content in individual skeletal muscle. The measured physiological parameters showed no possible side effects. Protein degradation in immune cells was also suppressed after the therapy. Conclusion. Results indicate that lower dose insulin particularly suppresses protein degradation without causing secondary effects. It may be a useful approach to preventing burn injury-induced muscle wasting and also has a potential to improve immune response.
Estimating the contribution of non-sensory factors to infant-adult differences in behavioral thresholds.

Abstract Estimates of behavioral thresholds of infants are elevated to those of adults. Explanation for the differences include auditory sensory factors and non-sensory factors, but no direct estimates of the relative contributions of these two factors have been made. In this investigation, thresholds in quiet and in increasing levels of a masking noise for a 1 kHz gtone, in infants 8 to 11 months old and in adults, were determined. The infant-adult difference in unmasked threshold was compared to the infant-adult difference in an estimate of the minimum masking level (MML) that was derived from the masking data. The intensity level of a masking noise at which masking begins is assumed to be independent of the non-sensory factors that impact on the threshold value itself. Therefore, it is reasoned that the infant-adult difference in MML reflects more closely differences in auditory sensory factors than does the infant-adult difference in unmasked threshold. In the region of 1 kHz, the infant-adult difference in behavioral threshold was 12 dB and the infant-adult difference in MML was 8 dB. Therefore, according to our assumptions, 8 dB of the infant-adult difference in unmasked threshold is accounted for by sensory factors and the remaining 4 dB must be attributable to non-sensory factors.
Prenatal diagnosis and imaging of genetic syndromes

R B ONGENITAL ANOMALIES, both major and minor, are present in approximately 0% of newborn infants and account for nearly a uarter of perinatal deaths. Many anomalies are etected prenatally during the course of a pregancy that the patient and her caregivers hope will e “uneventful.” Identification of an anomaly beore birth has both advantages and disadvantages. dvantages include the opportunity to alter pregancy management or to allow the parents to hoose not to continue the pregnancy; to educate nd prepare the parents for the birth of an anomaous child; the choice to intervene in utero, during elivery, or immediately after birth; to allow the bstetrician and newborn medicine specialist to oordinate delivery and resuscitation plans; and to llow the parents to meet the pediatric specialists ho will care for the infant after birth. Disadvanages include increased parental anxiety, costs of ncreased pregnancy surveillance, and the impact f diagnostic uncertainty on the patient’s imagers nd caregivers. As the field of prenatal diagnosis ontinues to evolve and pregnant women opt to use he battery of tests available to screen for anomaies, more true abnormalities and variants of noral will be detected.
In vitro biosynthesis and core glycosylation of the histidine-rich protein of Plasmodium lophurae

We have characterized the early biosynthetic forms of the histidine-rich protein (HisRP), a major, granule-bound protein (Mr 58 000) of the avian malarial parasite Plasmodium lophurae. We have translated poly(A)-containing, size-selected parasite mRNA in the wheat germ cell-free system in the presence of [3H]histidine. HisRP was synthesized as a larger precursor (Mr 63 000). When dog pancreas microsomal membranes were present in the cell-free system during translation, a still larger form of HisRP (Mr 66 000) was detected. This larger form was segregated into the dog pancreas microsomal vesicles and was core glycosylated. Presumably, it corresponds to an intermediate form located in the parasite rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). The difference in the Mr of approx. 8 000 between this RER associated ‘pro’ form and the granule-bound, mature form of HisRP suggests that proteolytic processing occurs upon transport from the RER to the granule. Segregation and core glycosylation were strictly coupled to translation and were not observed upon posttranslational addition of microsomal membranes. Thus, the early events in the biosynthesis of HisRP are similar to those established for secretory and lysosomal proteins.
Nonlinear Optical Response of the GaAs Exciton Polariton

High-resolution differential optical transmission measurements of a thin layer of bulk GaAs show anomalous behavior of the lowest energy exciton at low excitation density and temperature. The spectrum shows induced absorption with a superlinear dependence on excitation density with no detectable change in resonance frequency or linewidth. At a temperature dependent excitation density, the anomaly undergoes a transition to a normal response due to excitation-induced dephasing. The results are fully consistent with the polariton picture generalized to include exciton-exciton interactions.
Domestic hot water consumption in four low-income apartment buildings

Abstract We investigated domestic hot water consumption in four apartment buildings (a total of 48 units) managed by the San Francisco Public Housing Authority (PHA). In each of the buildings, we monitored system performance for 4–6 months and interviewed residents about hot water usage patterns. The shape of the measured profiles of daily domestic hot water consumption is different from that of published profiles, suggesting that cost-effective retrofits in multifamily buildings should rely on hot water use profiles in these kinds of buildings rather than those in single-family dwellings. We constructed a model of household water consumption based on reported behavior and found occupant-reported water-consuming behavior to correspond well with measured data: building differences ranged from — 19% (the model underpredicts) to 12% (the model overpredicts), and the average difference was approximately 12%. These results suggest that survey information can be used for estimating hot water usage for multifamily buildings without detailed monitoring.
Generation of Particulate Matter in Large-Volume Parenteral Containers

Polyvinyl chloride and glass large-volume parenteral containers were examined to determine the effects of agitation, storage, and additive handling on the generation of subvisual particulate matter. It was found that particles in flexible plastic containers can be generated by continuous shaking, with the maximum number of particles recorded after 30 hr of shaking. The particles were in the range of 2.33–5.02 μm in diameter, with very few particles recorded above 5 μm. It was also established that the generation and subsequent disappearance of particles during storage after an interval of continuous shaking are not only functions of time but also of temperature.
Leghemoglobin: Different roles for different components?

Abstract The ratio of leghemoglobin c content to leghemoglobin a content in soybean ( Glycine max ) root nodules drops in the early stages of plant growth and becomes constant during flowering and fruiting. These data bring into question the assumption that leghemoglobin components have a single biochemical role in nitrogen fixation.
Ring-torsional polarons in polyaniline and polyparaphenylene sulfide

Abstract The role of the dihedral angle of the backbone phenyl rings in determining the electronic structure and charge storage mechanism in polyaniline (PAN) and polyparaphenylene sulfide (PPS) is reviewed. The sensitivity of the average ring torsion angle to the effects of steric repulsion and electron delocalization is manifest in the effects of derivatization and temperature on the optical spectra of these materials. It is shown that charge is self-trapped into localized defect states in part via changes in ring angle, leading to novel ring-torsional polarons which induce only one defect level into the energy gap and possess a very large kinetic mass (50 – 500 m e ). Evidence for the existence of these defects in PAN and PPS is discussed.
Boron atom reactions. Rate constants with the epoxides

Abstract The reaction rates of atomic boron with various epoxides have been measured in a flow tube apparatus. The bimolecular rate constants, in units of cm 3 molecule −1 s −1 , are: 1,2-epoxypropane (8.6 × 10 −11 ), 1,2-epoxybutane (8.8 × 10 −11 ), 1,2,3,4-diepoxybutane (5.5 × 10 −11 ), 1-chloro-2,3-epoxypropane (5.7 × 10 −11 ), and 1,2-epoxy-3,3,3-trichloropropane (1.5 × 10 −11 ).
Cell Migration Inhibition Factor released by Antigen from Human Peripheral Lymphocytes

SPECIFIC antigen markedly inhibits the migration of macrophages from tissue explants of animals which show positive delayed hypersensitivity skin tests to that antigen1,2. The technique of migration inhibition from capillary tubes introduced by George and Vaughan3 and extended by David et al.4,5 is the most practical. David6 and Bloom and Bennett7,8 have shown that the capillary-tube-migration-inhibition assay requires : (1) a non-sensitive, migrating macrophage cell population, usually obtained as peritoneal exudate cells induced by oil; (2) a sensitive lymphocyte cell population; and (3) specific antigen. A migration inhibition factor (MIF) is apparently synthesized and released by the hypersensitive lymphocytes after contact with antigen6–8. Normal cells cannot be sensitized by incubation with antigen alone, nor by incubating them with sera from animals previously shown to exhibit delayed hypersensitivity to the antigen.
Faculty Views on eTextbooks: A Narrative Study

eTextbooks are both texts and tools. They provide opportunities for textbook companies to expand their services. Some large textbook companies are offering extensive educational technology products and services along with texts. These etexts, integrated into the Learning Management System (LMS), give instructors opportunities to use integrated assessments, data collection tools with in-depth usage statistics, and social networking features that allow instructors and students to interact within the publisher's material. News stories often discuss problems with blended and online learning and contentious relationships between faculty and vendors; etexts are part of the discussion. This paper describes findings from narrative interviews with instructors who have used etexts, focusing on affordability, access, privacy, and outsourcing. The goal is to inform instructors and administrators of some pros and cons of etexts.
Globalization is What States Make of It: Constructivism, US Foreign Economic Policy and the Peso Crisis

While constructivist arguments have been extensively applied to issues of national security policy and military-security issues, there has been little effort to consider constructivist contributions to understanding US foreign economic policy. This article examines US developing country debt policy in an era of globalization. In evaluating the limitations of the dominant perspectives — neoliberal institutionalism and new statism — a constructivist-inspired explanation of US policy is offered.
Diffusion in Glassy Polymers: Sorption of a Finite Amount of Solvent

A family of 1-D moving boundary models describing the diffusion of a finite amount of a penetrant in a glassy polymer is studied. Local existence of a unique classical solution is obtained for a generic quasilinear model. Specific data are then chosen which can be found in the literature (cf. [6]) and global existence of the classical solution and its convergence to an equilibrium solution are proven. Finally a rigorous proof is provided for a formal perturbation argument proposed in [6] and used therein to estimate the rate of convergence of the solution towards the equilibrium.
Determinants of Problem Drinking and Depression among Latino Day Laborers

Little is known about alcohol misuse and depression among Latino day laborers despite the fact that they encounter multiple stressors (e.g., job instability, unsafe work environments). A structural equation model tested the relationships among laborer stress, social support, health status, current alcohol misuse, and depression. A sample of 89 male, urban Latino day laborers completed measures assessing these constructs in 2011. Stress was negatively related to physical health status, which was associated with depression. Findings suggest that stressors specific to being a day laborer resulting from their work and living conditions generate and maintain health disparities in this vulnerable population.
Who values technology certification

When it comes to gauging the value of IT certification for assessing the competency of job candidates, it really all depends on who's doing the hiring.
PARTISAN POLITICS, ELECTORAL COMPETITION, AND IMPRISONMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF STATES OVER TIME

The now well-documented explosion in prison populations over the last 30 years has spurred significant attention in the literature. Early research focused primarily on economic explanations. More recently it has focused on political explanations of prison growth. Here we extend research on political explanations of imprisonment by drawing on the literature on state politics and public policy. We argue that the effect of partisan politics on punishment is conditional on how much electoral competition legislators face. We test this hypothesis using annual state level data on imprisonment from 1978 to 1996. Our findings show that the effect of Republican state legislative strength on prison admissions depends on time and the level of competition in state legislative elections. We argue that these findings suggest the need for a more nuanced understanding of the link between partisan U.S. politics and imprisonment.
Field Gradient Focusing: A Novel Method for Protein Separation

Equilibrium gradient techniques constitute a class of separation methods that combine the steps of separation and concentration by using a gradient in one or more counteracting forces to create a stable equilibrium point at which a protein can focus. Different proteins focus at different equilibrium points, creating a steady-state distribution of isolated proteins. Equilibrium gradient techniques can be adapted to a specific separation by choosing appropriate counteracting forces based on differences in the physical properties of the proteins involved. Zone electric field gradient focusing (FGF) is a new addition to this class of separation techniques with the unique property of using a gradient in the electric field to establish an equilibrium point instead of using a gradient in the velocity or pH. This paper presents two mathematical models which can be used to predict the steady-state concentration profiles obtained by zone electric field gradient focusing. The first model applies only at very low protein concentrations where nonlinear effects can be ignored, e.g., less than 1 mg/mL, but it can be solved analytically and is useful in understanding the basic principles engendered in the method. The second model applies at all concentrations and allows for variations in the electric field strength where the protein focuses, but requires numerical solution. The design of an experimental device is also reported, as well as the results of two experiments: (1) the focusing of the protein hemoglobin from a dilute solution and (2) the separation of different oxidation states of the protein myoglobin.
Apparent impedance correlation of transient energy margin and time simulation

A procedure was developed to relate the transient energy margin of a multimachine power system to the apparent impedance of a line protected by an out-of-step relay. In this procedure, only the multimachine system parameters are used, and the conventional intermediate step of forming a two-machine equivalent is eliminated. A technique for generating the swing impedance locus is described. The method is tested for a loss of generation disturbance on a 23-generator equivalent of the Florida Power & Light Co. network. The results obtained are compared with time simulation results. >
CCD Neural Network Processors for Pattern Recognition

A CCD-based processor that we call the NNC2 is presented. The NNC2 implements a fully connected 192-input, 32-output two-layer network and can be cascaded to form multilayer networks or used in parallel for additional input or output nodes. The device computes 1.92 × 109 connections/ sec when clocked at 10 MHz. Network weights can be specified to six bits of accuracy and are stored on-chip in programmable digital memories. A neural network pattern recognition system using NNC2 and CCD image feature extractor (IFE) devices is described. Additionally, we report a CCD output circuit that exploits inherent nonlinearities in the charge injection process to realize an adjustable-threshold sigmoid in a chip area of 40 × 80 µm2.
Effects of Dietary Fiber on Glucose Tolerance of Normal Men

26 g of dietary fiber sources—hard red spring wheat bran (HRS), soft white wheat (SWW), corn bran (CB), soy hulls (SH), freeze-dried apple powder (AP), and freeze-dried carrot powder (CP)—was fed to 15 men as part of a mixed diet. Oral glucose tolerance and one hour postprandial serum glucose were measured after one month of each fiber source and were compared with findings measured after one month of the diet without added fiber. The subjects9 energy intakes and expenditures were nearly constant throughout the study. The fiber sources contained 50.8% (HRS), 44.1% (SWW), 92.1% (CB), 86.7% (SH), 25.6% (AP), and 31.0% (CP) fiber. Oral glucose tolerance improved significantly when subjects ate CB, SH, AP, and CP. Corrected insulin response at the glucose peak (CIRp) and peripheral insulin sensitivity (GTp) improved when subjects were fed CB, SH, AP, and CP. Fasting plasma glucagon and plasma glucagon responses to oral glucose were significantly lower after feeding AP or CP. Hard spring wheat bran was associated with higher fasting plasma glucagon and a similar plasma glucagon response to oral glucose compared with those of controls. Postprandial serum glucose concentrations were significantly lower when subjects were fed fiber-supplemented (CB and SH) diets than when they were fed the same diet without fiber. Effects of the dietary fiber sources on carbohydrate metabolism seemed dependent on the composition of the source. Improved oral glucose tolerance was associated with improved insulin release and peripheral insulin sensitivity and decreased plasma glucagon concentrations.
Immune regulation by the TIM gene family

Recent studies have demonstrated that proteins of the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain (TIM) family are important regulators of immune function. Here we discuss the functional effects of TIM proteins on immune responses, how the effects of TIM proteins may be modulated by interactions with ligands and the limited information available on intracellular signals downstream of TIM proteins.
Destination, imagination & the fires within: design thinking in a middle school classroom

The purpose of the Taking Design Thinking to Schools Research Project was to extend the knowledge base that contributes to an improved understanding of the role of design thinking in K-12 classrooms. The ethnographic qualitative study focused on the implementation of an interdisciplinary design curriculum by a team of university instructors in a public charter school. Three questions framed the study:How did students express their understanding of design thinking classroom activities?How did affective elements impact design thinking in the classroom environment?How is design thinking connected to academic standards and content learning in the classroom?
Analyses of reported family history of glaucoma: A preliminary investigation

This study investigated the self-reported family history of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) among 4,314 black participants in the Barbados Eye Study (BES), which was based on a random sample of Barbados-born citizens between 40 and 84 years of age. Data collection included Humphrey perimetry, fundus photography, various ophthalmic and other measurements and a comprehensive interview, including family history. Results showed that participants with OAG and previous OAG treatment reported more family history; maternal history was reported twice as often as paternal history. In persons without previous OAG treatment, those with newly diagnosed OAG reported more sibling history (Odds Ratio = 4.5). The Statistical Analysis for Genetic Epidemiology (S.A.G.E.) system was used to test the transmission models for OAG in a subset of 1,048 families (5,806 individuals) with the most complete self-reported family information. The S.A.G.E. results are consistent with the existence of a major dominant allele for OAG. These results should be viewed as promising, but preliminary, since they are based on self-reported data. More definitive information is currently being collected by the Barbados Family Study of Open-angle Glaucoma.
In-Plane Thermal Conductivity Modeling of Carbon-Filled Liquid Crystal Polymer-Based Resins

Adding conductive carbon fillers to insulating thermoplastic resins increases composite electrical and thermal conductivity. In this study, varying amounts of three different carbons (carbon black, synthetic graphite particles, and carbon fiber) were added to Vectra A950RX liquid crystal polymer. The in-plane thermal conductivity of the resulting single filler composites was tested. The results showed that adding synthetic graphite particles caused the largest increase in the in-plane thermal conductivity of the composite. The composites were modeled using ellipsoidal inclusion problems to predict the effective in-plane thermal conductivities at varying volume fractions with only physical property data of the constituents. The synthetic graphite and carbon black were modeled using the average field approximation with ellipsoidal inclusions and the model showed good agreement with the experimental data. The carbon fiber polymer composite was modeled using an assemblage of coated ellipsoids and the model showed good agreement with the experimental data. POLYM. COMPOS., 32:147-157, 2011. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Ecoinformatics using wireless sensor networks: An overview

Abstract Wireless sensor networks have the potential to become significant subsystems of ecological experiment. Sensor networks consist of large number of tiny sensor nodes, all of which have sensing capabilities. These networks allow coordinated signal detection, monitoring, and tracking to enable sensor nodes to simultaneously capture geographically distinct measurements. Sensor nodes do not require predetermined positioning making such networks especially useful for applications in remote, inhospitable environments. In this paper we have tried to see the various ecological experimental scenarios, and how wireless sensor networks can be used in that field. One of the most challenging bottlenecks in the usage of wireless sensor networks in large scale experiments is the energy constraint. Various routing protocols which have tried to optimize the energy usage are also studied in the paper.
Dependable computing in the context of mobility, nomadicity, ubiquity, and pervasiveness

Summary form only given. This paper examines four aspects of computing and communications that are widely accepted and commonly confused: mobility, nomadicity, ubiquity, and pervasiveness. These attributes of present and future digital devices provide significant opportunities for new markets and important challenges in design for dependability. The relationship between dependability and the public is presented. Alternative approaches to dependability appropriate for consumers are discussed. Particular digital devices considered include cell phones, PDAs, notebook computers, and RFID.
Portents of Pluralism: How Hybrid Regimes Affect Democratic Transitions

The original studies of “competitive authoritarianism” and “hegemonic authoritarianism” inspected the occurrence of hybrid regimes during the 1990s but stopped short of testing their propensity for democratic change. This article assesses the causal effects of hybrid regimes, and the post–cold war period itself, on regime breakdown and democratization. Using a dataset of 158 regimes from 1975 to 2004, and a discrete measure for transitions to electoral democracy, I find that competitive authoritarian regimes are not especially prone to losing power but are significantly more likely to be followed by electoral democracy: vigorous electoral contestation does not independently subvert authoritarianism, yet it bodes well for democratic prospects once incumbents are overthrown.
Toxicological effect of emodin in mouse testicular gene expression profile.

Emodin (1,3,8-trihydroxy-6-methyl-anthraquinone) is a herbal medicine extracted from the rhizomes of Rheum palmatum, and is known as an inhibitor of casein kinase II (CK2). The CK2α' knockout mice are known to be male-infertile; however, there have been no reports on the toxicity of emodin in male reproductive organs/tissues. To evaluate the toxicological effects of emodin on differential gene expression profiles of the testis as compared with acrylamide, mice were orally administered emodin and acrylamide for 5 days at a dose of 1000 and 50 mg kg(-1) per day, respectively, and euthanized 24 h after the final administration. Both chemicals induced hypospermatogenesis, eosinophilic change and apoptosis of germ cell. A DNA microarray analysis showed that the IGF-1 receptor signaling was most closely related to the above testicular toxicity induced by emodin, and the RhoA regulation, TGF/WNT and cytoskeletal remodeling, TNFR1 signaling and adenosine A2A receptor signaling were commonly associated with the two chemicals. We selected 36 genes associated with CK2, apoptosis and spermatogenesis and determined their expression by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Both chemicals perturbed the expression of genes associated with CK2. Genes related to spermatogenesis were also affected, as evidenced by hypospermatogenesis, and eosinophilic change and apoptosis of germ cell. The results suggest that emodin causes testicular toxicity, including apoptosis with related the IGF-1 receptor signaling pathway, and the two chemicals commonly affect CK2, spermatogenesis and sperm motility via four pathways, such as TNFR1 signaling.
Exploiting operation level parallelism through dynamically reconfigurable datapaths

Increasing non-recurring engineering (NRE) and mask costs are making it harder to turn to hardwired Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) solutions for high performance applications [12]. The volume required to amortize these high costs has been increasing, making it increasingly expensive to afford ASIC solutions for medium volume products. This has led to designers seeking programmable solutions of varying sorts using these so-called programmable platforms. These programmable platforms span a large range from bit-level programmable Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), to word-level programmable application-specific, and in some cases even general-purpose processors. The programmability comes with a power and performance overhead. Attempts to reduce this overhead typically involve making some core hardwired ASIC like logic blocks accessible to the programmable elements. This paper presents one such hybrid solution in this space - a relatively simple processor with a dynamically reconfigurable datapath acting as an accelerating co-processor. This datapath consists of hardwired function units and reconfigurable interconnect. We present a methodology for the design of these solutions and illustrate it with two complete case studies: an MPEG 2 coder, and a GSM coder, to show how significant speedups can be obtained using relatively little hardware. The co-processor can be viewed as a VLIW processor with a single instruction per kernel loop. We compare the efficiency of exploiting the operation level parallelism using classic VLIW processors and this proposed class of dynamically configurable co-processors. This work is part of the MESCAL project, which is geared towards developing design environments for the development of application specific platforms.
T Cell-Intrinsic Factors Contribute to the Differential Ability of CD8+ T Cells To Rapidly Secrete IFN-γ in the Absence of Antigen

A subset of CD44(hi)CD8(+) T cells isolated from C57BL/6/J (B6) mice, but not BALB/c/By/J (BALB/c) mice, rapidly secrete IFN-γ within 16 h of infection with Listeria monocytogenes. This Ag-independent response requires the presence of both IL-12 and IL-18. Previous studies showed that dendritic cells from B6 mice produced more Th1-type cytokines such as IL-12 than did those from BALB/c mice in response to L. monocytogenes infection. In this report, we demonstrate that the microenvironment in L. monocytogenes-infected BALB/c mice is sufficient to induce responsive B6 CD8(+) T cells to rapidly secrete IFN-γ. Furthermore, BALB/c CD8(+) T cells did not rapidly secrete IFN-γ even when they were exposed to high concentrations of IL-12 plus IL-18 in vitro. In the presence of IL-12 and IL-18, B6 CD44(hi)CD8(+) T cells upregulated expression of the receptor subunits for these cytokines more rapidly than did BALB/c T cells. In comparing particular subsets of memory phenotype CD8(+) T cells, we found that virtual memory cells, rather than true Ag-experienced cells, had the greatest level of impairment in BALB/c mice. These data suggest that the degree of cytokine-driven bystander activation of CD8(+) T cells that occurs during infection depends on both APCs and T cell-intrinsic properties that can vary among mouse strains.
High frequency performance of capacitors

The high-frequency performance of capacitors is related to their geometry and material properties. By considering multilayer capacitors as distributed electrical systems, the tools of ICONSIM are applied to study resonant frequencies, equivalent circuits of capacitors, and the influence of ground planes, test fixtures, and type of connection topology. The methods established are applied to well-documented capacitors described in the literature and good agreement between experimental results and analyses is obtained. >
Dicarbonylbis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium

[12129-51-0] C12H10O2Ti (MW 234.09) InChI = 1S/2C5H5.2CO.Ti/c2*1-2-4-5-3-1;2*1-2;/h2*1-5H;;; InChIKey = PGTLZCOZZVJMOQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N (deoxygenates sulfoxides;3 forms alkenes by reductive coupling of aromatic aldehydes;4a reduces alkynes5) Physical Data: mp 90 °C (dec), subl 40–80 °C/0.001 mmHg.1a Solubility: sol most common organic solvents; reacts with CHCl3 and CH2Cl2. Analysis of Reagent Purity: IR, NMR.2 Preparative Method: reduction of Dichlorobis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium with Magnesium Amalgam under CO atmosphere.2 Purification: recrystallization from toluene or sublimation at 40–80 °C/0.001 mmHg. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: pyrophoric; store and handle under an inert atmosphere.1a Use in a fume hood.
Discourse and dissonance: religious agendas in the 104th Congress

This paper investigates the religious dimension of Republican legislators’ participation in one-minute speeches during the 104th Congress (1995–1996). Many have characterized the House Republican Conference that emerged after the 1994 elections as a highly cohesive majority party. Even in that context, however, legislators represent varied personal agendas, and in part these are informed by religion. We topically coded a subset of floor speeches to measure the extent to which variation is observed in the issues addressed by Members of Congress. The findings demonstrate that on key policy domains, such as the role of government, culture, and social welfare, speech participation varies systematically on the basis of member religion. This suggests that legislative participation is influenced by genuine personal preferences in additional to strategic political factors.
Alcohol induced depression of reticuloendothelial function in the rat.

Abstract The oral administration of ethanol significantly depressed the clearance of microaggregated albumin in rats. When 0.5 ml. of 100 per cent ethyl alcohol was given, the half-clearance time in the alcohol treated rats averaged 40 per cent longer than paired glucose treated controls. A similar depression of reticuloendothelial function was noted with higher ethanol doses, but no relation was demonstrated between the degree of depression and the blood alcohol level. Measurement of total radioiodine activity in the blood proved to be as useful as measuring the protein bound fraction, as little label was released during the 15 minute observation period. The reason for ethanol induced delay in phagocytosis was not clear. Changes in hematocrit or blood volume in the experimental and control animals were not found. The possible significance of these findings as an explanation for the increased susceptibility of alcoholics to infection is discussed.
Motorcycle helmet use and the risk of head, neck, and fatal injury: Revisiting the Hurt Study

Most studies find strong evidence that motorcycle helmets protect against injury, but a small number of controversial studies have reported a positive association between helmet use and neck injury. The most commonly cited paper is that of Goldstein (1986). Goldstein obtained and reanalyzed data from the Hurt Study, a prospective, on-scene investigation of 900 motorcycle collisions in the city of Los Angeles. The Goldstein results have been adopted by the anti-helmet community to justify resistance to compulsory motorcycle helmet use on the grounds that helmets may cause neck injuries due to their mass. In the current study, we replicated Goldstein's models to understand how he obtained his unexpected results, and we then applied modern statistical methods to estimate the association of motorcycle helmet use with head injury, fatal injury, and neck injury among collision-involved motorcyclists. We found Goldstein's analysis to be critically flawed due to improper data imputation, modeling of extremely sparse data, and misinterpretation of model coefficients. Our new analysis showed that motorcycle helmets were associated with markedly lower risk of head injury (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.31-0.52) and fatal injury (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.26-0.74) and with moderately lower but statistically significant risk of neck injury (RR 0.63, 95% CI 0.40-0.99), after controlling for multiple potential confounders.
A World-Class City-Region? Envisioning the Nairobi of 2030

A jaundiced optimism has surfaced in the past few years for a number of cities across the African continent. There is optimism for the moment in cities from Dakar to Nairobi, Cairo to Cape Town, Ma...
Using Requirements-Induced Complexity to Anticipate Development and Integration Problems: Analysis of Past Missions

Conventional approaches to system design use requirements as boundary conditions against which the design activity occurs. Decisions at a given level of the architecture decomposition can result in flowing down conflicting requirements, which are easy to fulfill in isolation but extremely difficult when dealt with simultaneously. This is particularly critical to space systems, where decisions at a given level of the architecture are often unchangeable once development begins at lower level assemblies. Designing against such sets of requirements can considerably limit system affordability. Evaluation of the anticipated impact of such dependencies is usually performed qualitatively. The lack of quantitative impact analyses on project resources results more often than desired in overlooked design decisions that make projects suffer from these conflicts during the entire system development. We suggest a System Development Complexity Framework that supports analytical evaluation of conflicting requirements before detailed development of lower elements is initiated and during their initial development by evaluating the complexity induced by a set of requirements that need to be fulfilled simultaneously, the effects of the architectural design, the effects of technology and component selection, and the effects of project environment. Using such framework the present research analyzes past space missions and evaluates the correlation between requirements tension points and resulting success and failure levels.
Abstract P125: The Association Between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Cognitive Status in an Elderly Sample Using the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Introduction: Dementia and cognitive impairment is a major public health issue and is likely related to complex interaction between genetics and modifiable risk factors. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has been associated with dementia, but its relationship with specific cognitive deficits has not been previously explored. Methods: Data was analyzed from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Cases of COPD were defined by a ratio of forced expiratory volume to forced vital capacity of Results: We identified individuals 60-89 years of age (weighted N= 17,181,182) with a diagnosis of COPD (mean age 71.5 ± 0.19 years, 50.1% women, 85.9% non-Hispanic whites). In the unadjusted model, there was a strong association between COPD and poor scores for immediate memory recall ( Discussion: In this nationally representative database, COPD is significantly associated with impaired immediate and delayed memory, but not with executive function. These results shed light on differential susceptibility of the brain in COPD and its relationship with vascular risk factors.