cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of glucose turnover and 13C recycling in the human newborn by simultaneous [1-13C]glucose and [6,6-1H2]glucose tracers.

To compare two methods of estimating systemic glucose production rates and to quantify carbon tracer recycling, six newborn infants, aged 2 h to 3 days, were infused simultaneously with [1-13C]glucose and [6,6-2H2]glucose tracers. The older infants were studied 6 h after a meal. [1-13C]Glucose was infused at 6 microgram/kg.min. Systemic glucose production rates were calculated from tracer dilution, assuming steady state kinetics. Although 13C was expected to randomize away from the C-1 of glucose, recycling occurred and was estimated from the difference in the rate of systemic glucose production quantified by the dilution of the two tracers. Systemic glucose production rates ranged from 4.2--5.4 mg/kg.min. Recycling on the glucose C-1 was 3--20% of the systemic glucose production rate and did not change with the age of the infant. Because recycling of glucose carbon signifies gluconeogenesis from lactate or pyruvate, it is concluded that the human newborn is able to initiate gluconeogenesis soon after birth.
The Chironomidae and Ceratopogonidae (Diptera) of New Zealand’s subantarctic islands

Abstract A taxonomic study of midges collected in the subantarctic islands of New Zealand yielded 22 species of Chironomidae and 4 of Ceratopogonidae. Only four of the chironomids occur elsewhere, three on ‘mainland’ New Zealand and one on The Snares islands. Of the 15 species found on the Auckland Islands, 11 on Campbell Island, and 5 on the Antipodes Islands, respectively 9, 4, and 2 are endemic. Nine new species are proposed in existing genera: Parochlus rennelli, P. reductus, P. gressitti, P. brevis, Telmatogeton antipodensis, Eukiefferiella heveli, Cricotopus aucklandensis, Chironomus antipodensis, and C. subantarcticus. Gressittius n.gen. is proposed for Corethra antarctica Hudson (type-species). Semiocladius n.gen. is proposed for Camptocladius crassipennis Skuse, and S. kuscheli n.sp. is described. Eight further new genera are proposed, with the following new species as type-species: Kuschelius dentifer, Mecaorus elongatus, Pterosis wisei, Hevelius carinatus, Gynnidocladius pilulus, Nesiocladius g...
The development of allergic inflammation

Allergic disorders, such as anaphylaxis, hay fever, eczema and asthma, now afflict roughly 25% of people in the developed world. In allergic subjects, persistent or repetitive exposure to allergens, which typically are intrinsically innocuous substances common in the environment, results in chronic allergic inflammation. This in turn produces long-term changes in the structure of the affected organs and substantial abnormalities in their function. It is therefore important to understand the characteristics and consequences of acute and chronic allergic inflammation, and in particular to explore how mast cells can contribute to several features of this maladaptive pattern of immunological reactivity.
Advanced Data Reduction and Control of High-Precision Low-Temperature Experiments

Advances in low-temperature techniques allow us to measure temperature with a precision approaching one part in 1011. Using an rf-biased Josephson-array voltage source, we can control the power dissipated in electric heaters to the same level. At this level of precision, the algorithm used for thermal control and its sensitivity to the non-white character of the input noise become important factors limiting the temperature stability of fundamental physics experiments. We consider the problem of measuring slowly changing data in the presence of both while noise and sudden, short noise spikes. Such data is obtained in high-resolution experiments in earth-orbit, where the thermometers are struck and heated by charged particles. We devise control schemes that improve upon traditional methods. Specifically, a proportional-integral/proportional controller has a better step response, and applying a Kalman filter to the input signal significantly decreases noise injected by the feedback loop. We also describe a new algorithm for spike removal that is robust and has a fixed worst-case execution time. It is significantly faster than the algorithm used in experiments previously flown in space.
Molecular-Level Mechanical Instabilities and Enhanced Self-Diffusion in Flowing Liquids

Molecular simulations show that shear strains arising from liquid flow cause local minima of the potential-energy surface to disappear, leading to mechanical instabilities which force the system towards alternate local minima. Associated with these mechanical instabilities are irreversible atomic displacements, which are strain activated rather than thermally activated. These displacements generate self-diffusion in excess of that from thermal-activation alone and give rise to the shear-enhanced self-diffusion known to occur in flowing liquids and concentrated suspensions of particles. The magnitude of this enhancement is shown to decrease with increasing temperature and strain rate.
"Judicial Review" in China: a Comparative Perspective

This topic might come as a surprise to the Western, particularly the American reader, who may have believed that the term "judicial review" specifically means judicial interpretation by the U.S. Supreme Court. It is virtually never used in reference to the legal system of the People's Republic of China. In this paper I shall try, using the comparative approach, to convince the reader that "judicial review" does exist in China.
Imaging fibrinogen adsorbed on noble metal surfaces with scanning tunneling microscopy: correlation of images with electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and radiolabeling studies

Abstract Fibrinogen adsorption on gold and platinum surfaces has been studied with electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), 125 I labeling, and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Stable images of single molecules have been obtained, but are rare. ESCA, SIMS, and labeling studies confirm that absorbed fibrinogen is present on samples at monolayer and submonolayer coverages even when STM images show only a bare substrate. Imaging is more reproducible at high coverages at which single molecules cannot be resolved. Possible explanations for the failure of STM to observe adsorbed fibrinogen molecules are discussed.
Quark confinement in the infinite-momentum frame

We formulate the problem of quark confinement in the infinite-momentum frame. In this frame the dynamics is naturally described as a many-body problem: Quarks and gluons can be thought of as nonrelativistic particles moving in the two-dimensional transverse space with mechanical mass related to the longitudinal momentum ${P}^{+}$. In this language, a natural quark-confining mechanism is the condensation of gluons along a tube joining a separated quark and antiquark. This condensation is favored by two circumstances: (1) The fact that bare gluons are massless reduces the minimum energy for gluon pair production to zero, and (2) the octet color structure allows gluons to form into chains with long-range attractive nearest-neighbor interactions. We investigate the viability of this mechanism first in the limit ${N}_{c}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$, ${N}_{c}{g}^{2}$ fixed, where ${N}_{c}$ is the number of colors in the theory. We analyze in detail a simplified version of the ${N}_{c}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}$ dynamics which preserves the essential features of the full problem. This simplified model exhibits quark confinement and describes mesons as relativistic open strings. It also yields a relationship between the Regge slope $\ensuremath{\alpha}$' and the scale ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}$, measured in deep-inelastic leptoproduction: ${\ensuremath{\mu}}_{0}^{2}\ensuremath{\approx}\frac{2}{(\ensuremath{\pi}\sqrt{3}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}})}\ensuremath{\approx}0.4$ Ge${\mathrm{V}}^{2}$, which is not too far from the experimental number 0.25 Ge${\mathrm{V}}^{2}$. We discuss next the problem of finite ${N}_{c}$. We argue that the $\frac{1}{{N}_{c}}$ expansion is likely to have a vacuum instability which must be handled nonperturbatively before $\frac{1}{{N}_{c}}$ corrections can be calculated. We suggest that the true vacuum is a condensate of closed strings which have a finite density by virtue of repulsive interactions inherent in the fourgluon term in the Hamiltonian. A crude estimate of the condensate energy density yields an order-of-magnitude relation of the form $\ensuremath{\epsilon}\ensuremath{\sim}\frac{{{N}_{c}}^{2}}{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{2}}$. ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{4}}$ should be a rough estimate of the thickness of the string.
Visualizing concave and convex partitioning of 2D contours

A new method based on parsing the concavity code is used to partition a digital contour into concave and convex sections. Innovative features of the technique include: (1) coerced two-state classification of every point into a concavity or a convexity; (2) linguistic explanation for each point's classification; (3) curvature validation via the residue (that portion of the boundary remaining after curvature extraction); (4) preservation of original contour shape; (5) symbolic logic methodology (no floating point operations); (6) parameter-free implementation; (7) linear time and space complexity. No other currently available contour partitioning method exhibits all of these features. The parser achieves two-state partitioning by implementing simple notions of cumulative curvature, vertex adjacency, shallow curvature absorption, and residue sharing. Concavities and convexities are color-coded to help disambiguate complex images such as topographic contour maps and radio frequency propagation plots. To gauge product quality, the observer may appeal visually to the residue for validation.
Consistency between Public Preferences and National Policy Decisions

While the importance of the question of how often American policy decisions are in agree ment with the preferences of the mass public is clear, there have been only a few limited attempts to provide an empirical answer. The research reported here uses available pub lished national survey results and compares them with policy outcomes. Overall, about two-thirds of the cases demonstrate consistency between public opinion and public policy. There is some variation in consistency among areas of substantive policy, most notably that foreign policy decisions are more often consistent with public preference than domes tic policies. The key factor limiting the extent of consistency appears to be the failure of the political system, particularly the legislative branch, to act quickly on proposals for policy change.
Identification of histidine residues important in the catalysis and structure of aspartyl aminopeptidase.

Abstract Aspartyl aminopeptidase (DAP), a widely distributed and abundant cytosolic enzyme, removes glutamyl or aspartyl residues from N-terminal acidic amino acid-containing peptides. DAP is a member of the M18 family of the MH clan of cocatalytic metallopeptidases. The human and mouse enzymes have been cloned. We have identified 8 highly homologous eukaryotic sequences that are probable aspartyl aminopeptidases. Eight histidine residues of human DAP were sequentially mutated to phenylalanine. Mutation of His94, His170, and His440 abolished enzymatic activity. His94 and His440 are postulated to be involved in binding cocatalytic zinc atoms by homology with other members of the MH clan. Mutation of His352 dramatically reduced enzyme activity. Gel-filtration analysis of the His352 mutant revealed destabilization of the quaternary structure and dissociation of the native 440-kDa enzyme. Mutation of His33 and of histidines residing in a cluster at residues 349, 359, and 363 all decreased k cat . These studies reveal an important role for histidine residues both in catalysis and in the structural integrity of DAP.
Synthesis and applications of nanocrystalline ceramics

Abstract Nanocrystalline ceramics are an exciting class of materials with many potential applications, but achieving nanocrystalline grain sizes requires careful attention to processing. An approach to fabricating nanocrystalline ceramics is described which involves the generation of nanoscale particles by conventional chemical precipitation techniques and the compaction and sintering of these particles to form solid ceramic bodies with grain sizes in the sub-100 nm range. The fabrication method and properties of the resulting compacted materials are discussed and the potential applications are described.
Child abuse: 30 years’ experience at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital

The management of child abuse and neglect is an area that demands great skill. Here, we give a brief presentation of the 30 years' experience in this field at the Bambino Gesu Children's Hospital, Rome, as well as a summary of certain clinical data and the intervention protocol applied. Between 1977 and 2007, a total of 1917 cases were referred to our Day Hospital (20.4% of all pathologies presenting for consultation). In order to increase the awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse for people working with children, training courses have been introduced for school and social services workers, and a telephone counselling service has been set up to facilitate case referrals to the Day Hospital. A multidisciplinary approach was used in the assessment of abuse cases as well as for therapeutic issues. Skilled training of the entire staff is essential.
Feasibility of Proton Transmission-Beam Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy versus Photon Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Lung Tumors: A Dosimetric and Feasibility Study

Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy is being increasingly adopted in the treatment of lung tumors. The use of proton beam therapy can further reduce dose to normal structures. However, uncertainty exists in proton-based treatment plans, including range uncertainties, large sensitivity to position uncertainty, and calculation of dose deposition in heterogeneous areas. This study investigated the feasibility of proton transmission beams, i.e. without the Bragg peak, to treat lung tumors with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy. We compared three representative treatment plans using proton transmission beams versus conformal static-gantry photon beams. It was found that proton treatment plans using transmission beams passing through the patient were feasible and demonstrated lower dose to normal structures and markedly reduced treatment times than photon plans. This is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility of proton-based stereotactic ablative radiotherapy planning for lung tumors using proton transmission beams alone. Further research using this novel approach for proton-based planning is warranted.
Determining the optimal PDMS–PDMS bonding technique for microfluidic devices

A number of polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) bonding techniques have been reported in the literature over the last several years as the focus on multilayer PDMS microfluidic devices has increased. Oxygen plasma bonding, despite cost, additional fabrication time and inconsistent bonding results, has remained a widely used method for bonding PDMS layers. A comparative study of four rapid, inexpensive alternative PDMS?PDMS bonding approaches was undertaken to determine relative bond strength. These include corona discharge, partial curing, cross-linker variation and uncured PDMS adhesive. Partial curing and uncured PDMS adhesive demonstrated a considerable improvement in bond strength and consistency by retaining average bond strengths of over 600 kPa, which was more than double the average bond strength of oxygen plasma. A description of each technique and their performance relative to oxygen plasma bonding is included.
Variability and Trends in Iowa Fly Ashes

An investigation has been made of the variability of physical and chemical properties of high-calcium (Class C) fly ashes from four Iowa power plants. The investigation summarizes results obtained from three years (1983 through 1985) of monitoring of the various power plants. All four of the power plants burn low-sulfur, sub-bituminous coal from Wyoming. Fly ash samples were obtained from the power plants in accordance to the procedures described in ASTM C 311. Laboratory testing methods were similar to those specified by ASTM C 311. During the three year period, 102 samples were subjected to chemical and physical analysis while an additional 349 samples were subjected to physical analysis only. In general, the four power plants produce fly ashes of similar mineralogy and chemical composition. The observed time variation of the chemical composition of fly ash from a single power plant was quite small. The sulfur content consistently showed the largest coefficient of variation of the 10 elements studied. Physical characteristics of the fly ashes (as measured by ASTM tests) were also fairly uniform over long periods of time, when considered on an individual power plant basis. Fineness, when measured by wet washing using a 325 mesh sieve, consistently exhibited the largest coefficient of variation of any of the physical properties studied.
Cyclic nucleotides and circadian rhythm generation in Bulla gouldiana

Abstract 1. 1. Phase shifts of the ocular circadian rhythm in isolated eyes of the marine snail, Bulla gouldiana were produced by 3- and 6-hr pulses of agents that increase or mimic cyclic AMP (cAMP) activity. 2. 2. The magnitude and direction of phase shifts depended upon the circadian phase of the rhythm, and the phase response curve was similar to that produced by membrane hyperpolarizing treatments in this species. 3. 3. Phase shifts induced by cAMP were eliminated by a depolarizing agent, tetraethylammonium, applied simultaneously to experimental and control eyes. 4. 4. As in other species, cAMP may regulate circadian rhythms in Bulla , possibly through effects on membrane potential.
Mechanisms of rhodopsin inactivation in vivo as revealed by a COOH-terminal truncation mutant

Although biochemical experiments suggest that rhodopsin and other receptors coupled to heterotrimeric guanosine triphosphate-binding proteins (G proteins) are inactivated by phosphorylation near the carboxyl (COOH)-terminus and the subsequent binding of a capping protein, little is known about the quenching process in vivo. Flash responses were recorded from rods of transgenic mice in which a fraction of the rhodopsin molecules lacked the COOH-terminal phosphorylation sites. In the single photon regime, abnormally prolonged responses, attributed to activation of individual truncated rhodopsins, occurred interspersed with normal responses. The occurrence of the prolonged responses suggests that phosphorylation is required for normal shutoff. Comparison of normal and prolonged single photon responses indicated that rhodopsin begins to be quenched before the peak of the electrical response and that quenching limits the response amplitude.
Searching for party effects in post-communist Ukraine

Abstract Initial studies of legislative behavior in post-communist Ukraine suggest that party affiliation plays a significant role in legislator voting decisions. Yet, the intense debate in the US Congress literature on party effects suggests that finding effects can be problematic. The article contends that there was evidence of party effects in the mixed-member Verkhovna Rada (1998–2002). An analysis of party switching demonstrates that those parliamentary parties linked to powerful political and economic elites were able to affect substantively the preferences of party switchers. While this analysis establishes the existence of party effects, the ability of a party to affect deputies does not depend on the strength of the party label as it does in the US case.
Implant brachytherapy: a novel treatment for recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma.

Abstract Background: Orbital rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common primary malignancy of the orbit in childhood. Tumor resection and exenteration were the preferred treatment modalities for rhabdomyosarcoma. In the past 20 years, however, combined local radiation and systemic chemotherapy have shown excellent survival results. Tumor recurrence after any of the aforementioned therapies is almost always fatal. We have developed a novel treatment for recurrent disease that has resulted in long-term survival for three patients. Methods: Three patients with recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma were previously treated with primary radiation and chemotherapy. At the time of recurrence, exenteration and localized brachytherapy were performed. An individually molded poly(methylmethacrylate) (Lucite; E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del.) device loaded with radioactive iodine seeds delivered localized high-dose radiation, 6000 cGy over 6 days, to the orbit without irradiating the brain. Results: All patients are alive and free of disease with follow-up ranging from 4 years and 4 months to 8 years and 4 months. Conclusion: A novel technique of delivering localized radiation to the orbit of three children with recurrent orbital rhabdomyosarcoma appears curative.
Rheology of fibrin clots. I. Dynamic viscoelastic properties and fluid permeation.

Abstract The storage and loss shear moduli ( G ', G ″) of human fibrin clots have been measured in small oscillating deformations over a frequency range of 0.01 to 160 Hz with the modified Birnboim transducer apparatus. Most clots were prepared by the action of thrombin on purified fibrinogen, under various conditions of pH and ionic strength to produce networks ranging from coarse to fine structure; some were liaated by fibrinoligase. The fine, unligated clot showed very little mechanical loss or frequency dependence of G ' over the experimental frequency range, though loss mechanisms evidently appear at higher frequencies; G ' was proportional to the 1.5 power of fibrin concentration. The coarse, unligated clot showed a slight increase of G ' with frequency, reflecting some relaxation mechanisms with time constants whose reciprocals lie in the experimental frequency range. Ligation did not greatly affect the magnitude of G '. However, clots prepared by dilution of solutions of fibrin monomer in 1 M sodium bromide had smaller moduli by a factor of ten than corresponding clots prepared by the action of thrombin of fibrinogen. Oscillatory measurements in the Birnboim apparatus with closed-end (annular pumping) geometry revealed a low-frequency anomaly which was shown to be due to permeation of fluid through the clot structure, and from these measurements the Darcy constants for coarse clots were calculated. From the Darcy constants, the average thicknesses of the fibrous elements of the structures were estimated to be from 300 to 700 A.
Vpr-Host Interactions During HIV-1 Viral Life Cycle

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral protein R (Vpr) is a multifunctional viral protein that plays important role at multiple stages of the HIV-1 viral life cycle. Although the molecular mechanisms underlying these activities are subject of ongoing investigations, overall, these activities have been linked to promotion of viral replication and impairment of anti-HIV immunity. Importantly, functional defects of Vpr have been correlated with slow disease progression of HIV-infected patients. Vpr is required for efficient viral replication in non-dividing cells such as macrophages, and it promotes, to some extent, viral replication in proliferating CD4+ T cells. The specific activities of Vpr include modulation of fidelity of viral reverse transcription, nuclear import of the HIV-1 pre-integration complex, transactivation of the HIV-1 LTR promoter, induction of cell cycle G2 arrest and cell death via apoptosis. In this review, we focus on description of the cellular proteins that specifically interact with Vpr and discuss their significance with regard to the known Vpr activities at each step of the viral life cycle in proliferating and non-proliferating cells.
Effect of Flexible Spacers on the Rheological Behavior of Main-Chain Thermotropic Liquid-Crystalline Polymers Having Bulky Pendent Side Groups†

The effect of flexible spacers on the rheological behavior of main-chain thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymers having bulky pendent side groups, poly[(phenylsulfonyl)-p-phenylenealkylenebis-(4-oxybenzoate)]s (PSHQn), was investigated. For the study we synthesized a homologous series of PSHQn polymers containing methylene groups, varying from 3 to 12, as the flexible spacer and then investigated their transient, steady-state, and oscillatory shear flow behaviors using a cone-and-plate rheometer. We identified the factors which give rise to, during experiment, time-dependent rheological behavior by taking wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns of the specimen right before and after each rheological measurement. The initial conditions (i.e., the initial morphology) for transient shear flow were controlled by first heating an as-cast specimen to the isotropic region, shearing there at a rate of 0.1 s -1 for ca. 10 min, and then cooling slowly to a preset temperature in the nematic region. Only positive values of steady-state first normal stress difference were observed in all the PSHQn polymers synthesized, except for PSHQ3 having 3 methylene groups of flexible spacer, at all temperatures and shear rates investigated. Interestingly enough, we found that PSHQ3 exhibits Newtonian behavior at low shear rates over the entire range of temperatures tested, showing no evidence of liquid crystallinity from a rheological point of view. This observation is consistent with our earlier findings based on differential scanning calorimetry and WAXD that PSHQ3 is a glassy, non-liquid-crystalline homopolyester. When steady-state shear viscosity (η) in the nematic region is plotted against T - T NJ , where T is a measurement temperature and T NI is a clearing temperature, we found that PSHQn moieties with odd numbers of methylene groups have higher values of η the nematic region compared to PSHQn moieties with even numbers of methylene groups of the flexible spacer.
The In-Vivo Co-monitoring of Protein, Polymeric Delivery System, and Spectator Ions by Radioisotope Induced X-Ray Fluorescence

Abstract The subcutaneous delivery of iodinated bovine serum albumin (I-BSA) incorporated into a barium alginate hydrogel matrix, synthesized from barium bromide, was monitored in vivo by radioisotope-induced X-ray fluorescence. By measuring the iodine, barium, and bromine X-ray fluorescence signals, we were able to simultaneously monitor the status of an entrapped protein, the hydrogel delivery device, and the spectator ions in the hydrogel. The release of the labeled protein followed first-order kinetics with half-lives of 6 h for the I-BSA in phosphate buffer solution up to 28 h for the I-BSA incorporated in the alginate hydrogel. The degradation of the barium alginate hydrogel was biphasic, and the disappearance of the bromide spectator ion from the hydrogel was well described by Fickian diffusion.
"That They Might Have Ontology": Radical Orthodoxy and the New Debate

I begin with an attempt to discern the contours of the "debate" contained in the edited volume Theology and the Political: The New Debate. While the Radical Orthodox contributors are eager to critique those outside the fold, only two authors seem to talk back to them: Kenneth Surin and Mary-Jane Rubenstein. I agree with Surin's rejection of ontological hierarchy and Rubenstein's recommendation of Nancy's notion of "being-with," and I use their arguments to critique Radical Orthodoxy's ontology and their simplistic approach to "secular" authors, respectively. Insofar as one must discuss ontology in relation to theology and the political, I propose that we must actually develop a new ontology rather than simply reassert some version of the Thomistic synthesis. Finally, I fault the relative lack of reference to actual political practice, and above all the complete absence of Latin American liberation theology, in a volume ostensibly discussing "theology and the political."
Transient Thermal Response of a Rotating Cylindrical Silicon Nitride Workpiece Subjected to a Translating Laser Heat Source, Part II: Parametric Effects and Assessment of a Simplified Model

In a companion paper (Rozzi et al., 1998), experimental validation was provided for a transient three-dimensional numerical model of the process by which a rotating workpiece is heated with a translating laser beam. In this paper, the model is used to elucidate the effect of operating parameters on thermal conditions within the workpiece and to assess the applicability of an approximate analysis which is better suited for on-line process control. From detailed numerical simulations, it was determined that the thickness of a surface thermal layer decreases with increasing workpiece rotational speed and that the influence of axial conduction on the workpiece temperature distribution increases with decreasing laser translational velocity. Temperatures increase throughout the workpiece with increasing laser power, while the influence of increasing beam diameter is confined to decreasing near-surface temperatures. Temperature-dependent thermophysical properties and forced convection heat transfer to the laser gas assist jet were found to significantly influence the maximum temperature beneath the laser spot, while radiation exchange with the surroundings and mixed convection to the ambient air were negligible. The approximate model yielded relations for calculatin g the radial temperature distribution within an r-o plane corresponding to the center of the laser source, and predictions were in reasonable agreement with results of the numerical simulation, particularly in a near-surface region corresponding to the depth of cut expected for laser-assisted machining.
Sexual Assault of the Elderly Victim

This study evaluated elderly victims of rape and determined the variables affected solely by the patient's age. It was conducted in a non-hospital-based clinic that serves as the primary resource for rape victims in Shelby County, Tennessee. Fifty-three women, 55 years of age or older, were compared with 53 patients aged 18 to 45 who were selected for the control group. The racial composition was similar for both groups. There was no difference in the time interval to examination. Among the elderly, the majority of assaults (71.7%) took place at the victim's home, and most were by an unknown assailant. Genital injuries were more prevalent among the elderly victims. Intimidation by physical force was all that was necessary to subdue the victim in most cases, and the assailants' racial distribution was similar in both groups.
Compactification of a set of matrices with convergent infinite products

Abstract We generalize and unify some aspects of the work of I. Daubechies, J.C. Lagarias [Linear Algebra Appl. 162 (1992) 227–263] on a set Σ of matrices with right-convergent-products (RCPs). We show that most properties of an RCP set Σ pass on to its compactification Σ (i.e., its closure in the matrix space). Results on finite RCP sets generally hold for compact RCP sets, among which is the existence of the Konig chain, an important tool for analyzing RCP sets.
Spectral-spatial classification using tensor modeling for cancer detection with hyperspectral imaging

As an emerging technology, hyperspectral imaging (HSI) combines both the chemical specificity of spectroscopy and the spatial resolution of imaging, which may provide a non-invasive tool for cancer detection and diagnosis. Early detection of malignant lesions could improve both survival and quality of life of cancer patients. In this paper, we introduce a tensor-based computation and modeling framework for the analysis of hyperspectral images to detect head and neck cancer. The proposed classification method can distinguish between malignant tissue and healthy tissue with an average sensitivity of 96.97% and an average specificity of 91.42% in tumor-bearing mice. The hyperspectral imaging and classification technology has been demonstrated in animal models and can have many potential applications in cancer research and management.
IFN-γ primes macrophages for enhanced TNF-α expression in response to stimulatory and non-stimulatory amounts of microparticulate β-glucan

Abstract β-(1 → 3)- d -Glucan is an integral cell wall component of a variety of fungi, plants, and bacteria. Like the prototypic inflammatory mediator lipopolysaccharide (LPS), some β-(1 → 3)- d -glucan-containing preparations have been shown to induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages. In the present study, we have tested a new microparticulate form of β-(1 → 3)- d -glucan (MG) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae for its ability to induce proinflammatory cytokine secretion in mouse peritoneal macrophages in vitro, and we have examined the effect of IFN-γ. MG was rapidly phagocytized by peritoneal macrophages, and these MG-treated macrophages upregulated TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β mRNAs and secreted these proinflammatory cytokines. IFN-γ treatment alone did not induce unstimulated macrophages to produce TNF-α. However, a 4 h IFN-γ pretreatment augmented TNF-α secretion by peritoneal macrophages subsequently treated with an optimally stimulatory dose of MG. IFN-γ pretreatment for 2 h followed by thorough washing and a further 2 h incubation without IFN-γ still resulted in enhanced TNF-α production in response to MG, suggesting that IFN-γ can prime macrophages for a subsequent proinflammatory response. Most interestingly, we found that IFN-γ pretreatment of peritoneal macrophages enhanced the TNF-α response to amounts of MG that were poorly stimulatory or non-stimulatory in the absence of IFN-γ priming. These data suggest that a synergy between IFN-γ and β-glucan may have evolved to lower the threshold of sensitivity of the innate immune response to fungal pathogens.
Syntheses and spectroscopic characterizations of oxidative metabolites of 4‐vinylcyclohexene II diol‐epoxides

Several possible diol‐epoxide derivatives of 4‐vinylcyclohexene were prepared and characterized spectroscopically for use as standards in toxicological studies of the oxidative metabolism of the parent hydrocarbon.
The natural history and clinical characteristics of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease.

Background Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD) is a clinical syndrome characterized by chronic rhinitis, nasal polyps, asthma, and precipitation of asthma and rhinitis attacks after ingestion of aspirin (ASA) and most nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Most information about the disease in the United States has come from small samples of patients. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the natural history and clinical characteristics of 300 AERD patients, referred to our institution for aspirin desensitization. Methods All potential AERD patients were evaluated using a standard questionnaire that included information about clinical characteristics and natural progression of their disease, previous history of reactions to ASA and other NSAIDs, current use of medications, and ethnic backgrounds. All patients underwent oral ASA challenges to prove they had AERD. Results From patients' history we found that the average age at onset of AERD was 34 years, and that 57% were female. Counting ASA as an NSAID, 33% had previously reacted on two occasions to NSAIDs and 36% on more than three occasions to NSAIDs, whereas only 27% had reacted to one NSAID before they came to us for evaluation. Our patients had averaged 5.5 episodes of sinusitis per year. There were no significant differences in the clinical characteristics or use of medications between genders. Ethnicity was heterogeneous in most participants. Conclusions AERD begins in the third decade of life and in both sexes. The disease progressed over the 13 years between historical onset and current evaluation, with more sinusitis and need for controller medications over time. There was no ethnic or familial distribution of AERD.
Plasma Membrane: Substructural Changes Correlated with Electrical Resistance and Pinocytosis

Inducers of pinocytosis in amoeba cause as much as a 50-fold decrease in the electrical resistance of the plasma membrane prior to the formation of the typical tunnels and vacuoles. In this state the thickness of the electron-transparent core or lamella of the unit membrane is at least twice as thick as that of the control. The changes in structure and resistance as well as the induction of pinocytosis are dependent on the initial external concentration of calcium. These changes are rapidly reversed when the concentration of calcium in the external medium is increased.
Mass transfer from Phycomyces in the avoidance and anemotropic responses: Numerical modeling

Abstract The giant, single-celled sporangiophore of Phycomyces bends into a prevailing wind (the anemotropic response) and bends away from a solid barrier (the avoidance response). We have modeled the sporangiophores' growth zone (GZ) as an infinite cylinder and numerically solved the appropriate (two-dimensional, steady-state) transport equations for the mass flux from the GZ using H2O as the transpiring species. For the anemotropic response, we have found that (1) as expected, the flux is greater from the windward side than the leeward side; (2) the flux asymmetry increases with increasing Reynolds number (Re); (3) the flux asymmetry decreases with increasing ambient humidity and this decrease is more pronounced at higher Re. For the avoidance response, we have found that (1) as expected, the flux is greater from the distal side; (2) the flux asymmetry increases as the barrier is moved closer to the cylinder; and (3) the flux asymmetry is independent of ambient humidity until 100% saturation is reached. If the transpiration rate of water mediates these responses, these results predict that (1) the anemotropic response should decrease as a function of increasing the humidity of the wind and (2) the avoidance response will be independent of humidity except at 100% humidity.
Near-infrared Raman spectroscopy for in-vivo diagnosis of cervical dysplasia: a probability-based multi-class diagnostic algorithm

We report the development of a probability-based multi-class diagnostic algorithm to simultaneously distinguish highgrade dysplasia from low-grade dysplasia, squamous metaplasia as well as normal human cervical tissues using nearinfrared Raman spectra acquired in-vivo from the cervix of patients at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Extraction of diagnostic features from the Raman spectra uses the recently formulated theory of nonlinear Maximum Representation and Discrimination Feature (MRDF), and classification into respective tissue categories is based on the theory of Sparse Multinomial Logistic Regression (SMLR), a recent Bayesian machine-learning framework of statistical pattern recognition. The algorithm based on MRDF and SMLR was found to provide very good diagnostic performance with a predictive accuracy of ~90% based on leave-one-out cross validation in classifying the tissue Raman spectra into the four different classes, using histology as the "gold standard". The inherently multi-class nature of the algorithm facilitates a rapid and simultaneous classification of tissue spectra into various tissue categories without the need to train and heuristically combine multiple binary classifiers. Further, the probabilistic framework of the algorithm makes it possible to predict the posterior probability of class membership in discriminating the different tissue types.
Nano CV probe characterization analysis comparison with conventional CV probe pad analysis

The introduction of nano CV characterization of discrete MOSFET devices and the method of performing scanning capacitance imaging has been previously presented.1
Reactive Sensor Networks: Mobile Code Support for Autonomous Networks

Sensor networks implement a distributed approach to automated perception. Autonomous sensor networks combine perception with actions in the form of internal network state reconfiguration. Our approach to autonomous sensor network design is an extension of the active networks paradigm [1], which provides an active network middleware for sensor networks. An innovative aspect of this middleware is the use of a mobile code infrastructure.
Officer Attitude Surveys In Community Policing Organizations: What Are They Really Telling Management?

Increasingly, managers in community policing organizations are relying on employee attitude surveys to assess the level of officers' acceptance of the role transition inherent in the adoption of the community policing philosophy. This paper draws upon classic theories and the commentaries and findings of police researchers to critically examine the usefulness of employee attitude surveys for predicting the behavioral expression of job satisfaction in field performance. It is concluded that the assumptions upon which employee attitude surveys are constructed are relics of an outdated bureaucratic organizational model. Alternative measurable indicators of police officers' job satisfaction are offered.
Fluid model for window-based congestion control mechanism

We study the stability of two queueing delay-based congestion control algorithms, the (p, 1)-proportionally fair algorithm and the global optimization algorithm. We linearize the systems around the intended operating point and show that these algorithms are stable within a range of feedback delay. Based on these linearized systems we study the impact of various (cascade) compensators on the system. We show that the PID control improves the transient behavior of the system. We simulate both the linearized system and non-linear system and illustrate the validity of the analysis and improvement in the system behavior with compensators.
Tahyna virus genetics, infectivity, and immunogenicity in mice and monkeys.

Background: Tahyna virus (TAHV) is a human pathogen of the California encephalitis virus (CEV) serogroup (Bunyaviridae) endemic to Europe, Asia, and Africa. TAHV maintains an enzootic life cycle with several species of mosquito vectors and hares, rabbits, hedgehogs, and rodents serving as small mammal amplifying hosts. Human TAHV infection occurs in summer and early fall with symptoms of fever, headache, malaise, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, and nausea. TAHV disease can progress to CNS involvement, although unlike related La Crosse virus (LACV), fatalities have not been reported. Human infections are frequent with neutralizing antibodies present in 6080% of the elderly population in endemic areas. Results: In order to determine the genomic sequence of wild-type TAHV, we chose three TAHV isolates collected over a 26-year period from mosquitoes. Here we present the first complete sequence of the TAHV S, M, and L segments. The three TAHV isolates maintained a highly conserved genome with both nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity greater than 99%. In order to determine the extent of genetic relatedness to other members of the CEV serogroup, we compared protein sequences of TAHV with LACV, Snowshoe Hare virus (SSHV), Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV), and Inkoo virus (INKV). By amino acid comparison, TAHV was most similar to SSHV followed by LACV, JCV, and INKV. The sequence of the GN protein is most conserved followed by L, N, GC ,N SS, and NSM .I n a weanling Swiss Webster mouse model, all three TAHV isolates were uniformly neurovirulent, but only one virus was neuroinvasive. In rhesus monkeys, the virus was highly immunogenic even in the absence of viremia. Cross neutralization studies utilizing monkey immune serum demonstrated that TAHV is antigenically distinct from North American viruses LACV and JCV. Conclusions: Here we report the first complete sequence of TAHV and present genetic analysis of new-world viruses, LACV, SSHV, and JCV with old-world viruses, TAHV and INKV. Using immune serum generated in monkeys against TAHV, LACV, and JCV, we have demonstrated cross-neutralization within the CEV serogroup. Such cross reactivity may complicate virus identification, especially following JCV infection which elicited antibodies that cross neutralized both LACV and TAHV. These data also suggest that a single vaccine could generate a cross-neutralizing antibody response which may provide protection against CEV serogroup viruses from a wide geographic range.
The role of interactive graphics in parameter optimization of output feedback control laws

The effectiveness of an interactive graphics software structure for designing output feedback control laws via a parameter optimization method is described. The structure utilizes a dynamic plot of costs versus iterations coupled with a database that maintains information regarding intermediate solutions for restarting purposes. Interactive synchronous and asynchronous devices are used when intervention in the optimization process is required.
Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony and likelihood methods.

The assumptions underlying the maximum-parsimony (MP) method of phylogenetic tree reconstruction were intuitively examined by studying the way the method works. Computer simulations were performed to corroborate the intuitive examination. Parsimony appears to involve very stringent assumptions concerning the process of sequence evolution, such as constancy of substitution rates between nucleotides, constancy of rates across nucleotide sites, and equal branch lengths in the tree. For practical data analysis, the requirement of equal branch lengths means similar substitution rates among lineages (the existence of an approximate molecular clock), relatively long interior branches, and also few species in the data. However, a small amount of evolution is neither a necessary nor a sufficient requirement of the method. The difficulties involved in the application of current statistical estimation theory to tree reconstruction were discussed, and it was suggested that the approach proposed by Felsenstein (1981,J. Mol. Evol. 17: 368–376) for topology estimation, as well as its many variations and extensions, differs fundamentally from the maximum likelihood estimation of a conventional statistical parameter. Evidence was presented showing that the Felsenstein approach does not share the asymptotic efficiency of the maximum likelihood estimator of a statistical parameter. Computer simulations were performed to study the probability that MP recovers the true tree under a hierarchy of models of nucleotide substitution; its performance relative to the likelihood method was especially noted. The results appeared to support the intuitive examination of the assumptions underlying MP. When a simple model of nucleotide substitution was assumed to generate data, the probability that MP recovers the true topology could be as high as, or even higher than, that for the likelihood method. When the assumed model became more complex and realistic, e.g., when substitution rates were allowed to differ between nucleotides or across sites, the probability that MP recovers the true topology, and especially its performance relative to that of the likelihood method, generally deteriorates. As the complexity of the process of nucleotide substitution in real sequences is well recognized, the likelihood method appears preferable to parsimony. However, the development of a statistical methodology for the efficient estimation of the tree topology remains a difficult open problem.
Chemically Bonded Phosphate Ceramics: III, Reduction Mechanism and Its Application to Iron Phosphate Ceramics

In this, the last of a series of three papers, we discuss a method of forming iron phosphate ceramics by a reduction process. We report the formation of iron oxide ceramics by reducing hematite with iron in a phosphoric acid solution. The reaction results in a rapid-setting ceramic (at room temperature) with a compressive strength of 3700 psi and a density of 1.7 g/cm{sup 3}. Although the exact mineral form of the binder is difficult to determine because it is mostly amorphous and hence is not amenable to X-ray diffraction analyses, this material is expected to consist of iron hydrophosphates. The reduction process is very useful in recycling several industrial wastes that are rich in hematite, including iron mine tailings, red mud (a caustic waste from the alumina industry), and machining swarfs. Formation of ceramics with red mud and swarfs is also discussed.