cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An electrocardiogram-based technique to assess cardiopulmonary coupling during sleep

Study objectives To evaluate a new automated measure of cardiopulmonary coupling during sleep using a single-lead electrocardiographic signal. Design Using training and test datasets of 35 polysomnograms each, we assessed the correlations of an electrocardiogram-based measure of cardiopulmonary interactions with respect to standard sleep staging, as well as to the cyclic alternating pattern classification. The pattern of coupling in 15 healthy individuals was also assessed. Setting American Academy of Sleep Medicine Accredited Sleep Disorders Center. Interventions None. Measurements and results From a continuous, single-lead electrocardiogram, we extracted both the normal-to-normal sinus interbeat interval series and a corresponding electrocardiogram-derived respiration signal. Employing Fourier-based techniques, the product of the coherence and cross-power of these 2 simultaneous signals was used to generate a spectrographic representation of cardiopulmonary coupling dynamics during sleep. This technique shows that non-rapid eye movement sleep in adults demonstrates spontaneous abrupt transitions between high- and low-frequency cardiopulmonary coupling regimes, which have characteristic electroencephalogram, respiratory, and heart-rate variability signatures in both health and disease. Using the kappa statistic, agreement with standard sleep staging was poor (training set 62.7%, test set 43.9%) but higher with cyclic alternating pattern scoring (training set 74%, test set 77.3%). Conclusions A sleep spectrogram derived from information in a single-lead electrocardiogram can be used to dynamically track cardiopulmonary interactions. The 2 distinct (bimodal) regimes demonstrate a closer relationship with visual cyclic alternating pattern and non-cyclic alternating pattern states than with standard sleep stages. This technique may provide a complementary approach to the conventional characterization of graded non-rapid eye movement sleep stages.
Forward mutations to arabinose resistance in Salmonella typhimurium strains: A sensitive assay for mutagenicity testing

Abstract The forward-mutation assay using the l -arabinose-sensitive strain SV3 of Salmonella typhimurium has been calibrated against a selected set of mutagens. Strain SV3 is sensitive to chemicals causing base-pair substitutions, frameshift mutations and deletions. New strains deficient for the excision-repair system for the lipopolysaccharide barrier or both have been selected from strain SV3. The additional mutations do not affect the independence of the assay from experimental artifacts due to physiological or lethal damage or differences in plating density. The new strains are more sensitive than SV3 to certain mutagens. Techniques for using this set of strains are presented and their relative advantages discussed.
The HACCP System and Food Safety

Among the desirable qualities that should be associated with foods is freedom from infectious organisms. Although it may not be possible to achieve a zero tolerance for all such organisms under good manufacturing practices (GMP), the production of foods with the lowest possible numbers is the desirable goal. With fewer processors producing more products that lead to foods being held longer and shipped farther before they reach consumers, new approaches are needed to ensure safe products. Classical approaches to microbiological quality control have relied heavily on microbiological determinations of both raw materials and end products, but the time required for results is too long for many products. The development and use of certain rapid methods have been of value, but these alone have not obviated the need for newer approaches to ensuring safe foods. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system is presented in this chapter as the method of choice for ensuring the safety of foods from farm to home. When deemed necessary, microbiological criteria may be established for some ingredients and foods, and these in connection with sampling plans are presented as components of the HACCP system.
Robust Reinforcement Learning for Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Control of Buildings

This chapter is a case study, implementing the technique presented in Chapter 13. A detailed problem formulation is presented for a heating and cooling system and a step-by-step solution is discussed. A combined PI and reinforcement learning controller is designed within a robust control framework and detailed simulation results are presented. An internet link is provided to a website where information on experiments is provided.
Advanced human body and head shape representation and analysis

The 3D scans of human bodies contain over hundreds of thousand grid points. To be used effectively for analysis, indexing, searching, clustering and retrieval, these human bodies requires a compact shape representation. We have developed compact representations based on human body shape based on lengths mostly between joints of single large bones and in the second method silhouettes of the human body are created and then encoded as Fourier shape descriptors. We also have developed two such compact representations based on human head shape by applying Principal Component Analysis on the facial surface and in the second method the whole head is transformed to a spherical coordinate system expanded in a basis of Spherical Harmonics.
Effectiveness of weather derivatives as a cross-hedging instrument against climate change: Case studies of reservoir water allocation management in Guanajuato, Mexico

Ongoing climate change will increase competition for water. Diversified demand for water—in contrast with the rigid design of water systems, institutions and infrastructure—could hinder the implementation of adaptation policies in water management for Latin American countries. In this context, weather derivatives are proposed as a complementary mechanism for the successful adoption of more efficient water allocations in irrigation districts. Weather derivatives spread risks and incorporate a better understanding of climate system behavior, strengthening irrigation districts’ ability to deal with water availability and demand. The model uses a dynamic water resource allocation model, historical precipitation and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios to find optimal water allocation strategies for the baseline scenario and in the presence of climate change. This analysis is applied to an irrigation district located in Guanajuato, Central Mexico.
Civil War Diffusion and the Emergence of Militant Groups, 1960–2001

In this research note, I argue that scholars of the international diffusion of civil conflict would benefit from directly measuring rebel mobilization prior to the onset of civil war. To better understand the way in which international processes facilitate dissidents overcoming the collective action problem inherent in rebellion, I focus on militant organizations and model the timing of their emergence. I use several data sets on militant groups and violent nonstate actors and rely on Buhaug and Gleditsch’s (2008) causal framework to examine how international conditions predict militant group emergence. While Buhaug and Gleditsch conclude that civil war diffusion is primarily a function of internal conflict in neighboring states, once militant group emergence is substituted in the dependent variable, I observe that global conditions affect rebel collective action. A final selection model links militant groups with civil conflict onset and demonstrates the variable performance of diffusion effects. The res...
Does the η meson bind to other hadrons

The constituent quark model has had great success in describing the properties of the basic mesons (QQ) and baryons (Q3). Bound states with larger numbers of valence quarks such as Q2Q2, Q3Q3 and Q4Q have also been predicted. The possibility that the η meson binds to nuclei has been addressed both theoretically and experimentally. An important caveat concerning the composite nature of the η meson is pointed out and discussed.
Diagnostic challenges: Equine thoracic neoplasia

Summary The diagnosis of thoracic neoplasia in the horse can be difficult due to the nonspecific nature of the clinical signs and their overlap with other pulmonary diseases. Haematological and serum biochemical evaluation, thoracic ultrasonography, radiography, endoscopic examination, and, where appropriate, thoracocentesis and pleural fluid cytology may all be helpful in reaching a diagnosis. Granular cell tumours are the most frequently reported primary pulmonary tumours of horses. They occur as single or multiple masses adjacent to bronchi and bronchioles, and the mass typically extends into the airway, resulting in partial or complete occlusion of the lumen. Thymic tumours are classified as benign or metastatic, based on evidence of tissue invasiveness, even though they uniformly appear benign histologically. These tumours are derived from epithelial reticular cells of the thymus and are rare in horses. Other primary thoracic neoplasms originate from various pulmonary tissues and are primarily reported as single case reports: pulmonary and bronchial carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, bronchogenic squamous cell carcinoma, bronchial myxoma, pulmonary chondrosarcoma, pulmonary leiomyosarcoma and pleuropulmonary blastoma. Clinical signs of these primary pulmonary neoplasms are dependent on the tumour type and location, but commonly include chronic cough, weight loss, anorexia, fever and respiratory difficulty; ventral oedema, pleural effusion and epistaxis are also frequently observed. Mesothelioma is a rare primary pleural tumour arising from the mesothelium of the pleura, pericardium and peritoneum. The clinical presentation in horses includes weight loss, respiratory difficulty and large volume pleural effusion. The tumour appears ultrasonographically as multiple small nodules on a thick serosal surface and pleural biopsy is diagnostic. Lymphoma is the most common haematopoietic neoplasm in horses, which can present with 4 main manifestations of lesions: mediastinal, multicentric, alimentary and cutaneous. Common clinical features include chronic weight loss, lethargy, anorexia, subcutaneous oedema, lymphadenopathy, colic, bleeding tendency and diarrhoea. Coughing and laboured respiratory effort are often apparent in individuals suffering from mediastinal masses. In such instances, pleural effusion may result in severe pulmonary atelectasis and pulmonary function is significantly compromised. Haemangiosarcoma is the second most common metastatic thoracic neoplasm in horses. Disseminated haemangiosarcoma is aggressive and rapidly progressive. The clinical presentation often includes tachypnoea, pale or icteric mucous membranes, respiratory distress, epistaxis, and subcutaneous, cutaneous or intramuscular masses. Other tumour types that metastasise to the thoracic cavity include adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, fibrosarcoma, metastatic melanoma, mastocytoma and undifferentiated sarcoma. The clinical features of these tumours are generally nonspecific and often relate more to the primary site of tumour formation.
Reversible Stabilization of Liver Lysosomes by Zinc Ions

The effect of zinc ions on the stability of rat liver lysosomes was studied. Zinc was added by several methods: feeding the animals a high-zinc diet; infusion of zinc into the liver through the portal vein, or by adding zinc to the lysosomal fraction either before or after isolation of this fraction from rat liver homogenates. By all techniques, addition of zinc reduced the release of beta-glucuronidase from liver lysosomes. Lysosomes and lysosomal membranes from rats fed a high-zinc diet were found to be relatively high in zinc. These lysosomes were less fragile than lysosomes from the liver of control animals. The stabilizing effect of zinc ions could be reversed by treatment of lysosomes with phosphate buffer. We concluded that increasing the zinc content in the liver by any of these methods results in stabilization of liver lysosomes.
Thermo-optical parameters measured in potassium-gadolinium-tungstate

By accurately measuring the values of dn/dT, thermal expansion coefficients, and indices of refraction for KGd(WO/sub 4/)/sub 2/ (KGW), the athermal orientation for the propagation direction and polarization is determined.
Parallelizing the Conjugate Gradient Algorithm for Multilevel Toeplitz Systems

Abstract Multilevel Toeplitz linear systems appear in a wide range of scientific and engineering applications. While several fast direct solvers exist for the basic 1-level Toeplitz matrices, in the multilevel case an iterative solver provides the most general and practical solution. This paper proposes several parallelization techniques that enable an efficient implementation of the conjugate gradient algorithm for solving multilevel Toeplitz systems on distributed-memory machines. The two major differences between this implementation and that for a general sparse linear solver are (1) a communication-efficient approach to handle data expansion and truncation and data transpose simultaneously; (2) the interleaving of matrix-vector multiplications and vector inner product calculations to reduce synchronization cost and latency. Similar ideas can be applied to the implementation of other iterative methods for Toeplitz systems that are not necessarily symmetric positive definite. Scaling results are shown to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed techniques.
PeerPress: utilizing enemies' P2P strength against them

We propose a new, active scheme for fast and reliable detection of P2P malware by exploiting the enemies' strength against them. Our new scheme works in two phases: host-level dynamic binary analysis to automatically extract built-in remotely-accessible/controllable mechanisms (referred to as Malware Control Birthmarks or MCB) in P2P malware, followed by network-level informed probing for detection. Our new design demonstrates a novel combination of the strengths from both host-based and network-based approaches. Compared with existing detection solutions, it is fast, reliable, and scalable in its detection scope. Furthermore, it can be applicable to more than just P2P malware, more broadly any malware that opens a service port for network communications (e.g., many Trojans/backdoors). We develop a prototype system, PeerPress, and evaluate it on many representative real-world P2P malware (including Storm, Conficker, and more recent Sality). The results show that it can effectively detect the existence of malware when MCBs are extracted, and the detection occurs in an early stage during which other tools (e.g., BotHunter) typically do not have sufficient information to detect. We further discuss its limitations and implications, and we believe it is a great complement to existing passive detection solutions.
Optimization of scalable product platform using quality function deployment

In order to minimize the total quality loss caused by commonization, this paper proposes a QFD-based method to obtain the appropriate values for platform engineering characteristics (ECs) and non-platform ECs of the product variants. Firstly, a QFD optimization approach is used to determine the optimal ECs for each product variant. By using clustering analysis or heuristic method, the set of platform ECs and the number of groups for each EC are decided according to the calculated sensitivity indices of the ECs. Then a mathematical model based on QFD is developed to simultaneously optimize the values of the determined platform ECs and non-platform ECs of the product variants. Finally in this paper, a case study is used to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach.
Shattering the diffraction limit of light: A revolution in fluorescence microscopy?

Identifying and cataloging all gene sequences and their corresponding protein high-resolution structures will serve only as a prelude to the real challenge of future biological inquiry—the deciphering of the cell circuitry and its detailed time-dependent responses to various stimuli. Most of the central functions of the cell are performed by highly organized self-assembled cellular machines that are controlled and regulated by a complex set of dynamic interactions between multiple molecular building blocks. Analytical tools will need to be developed to identify and measure these molecular interactions. Alongside the traditional methods of molecular biology, electron and x-ray microscopies, crystallography, immunocytochemistry, and many others, optical microscopy, and in particular fluorescence microscopy, will play a vital role in this endeavor.
Categories, concepts, and reasoning in the study of international relations.

The theory that what we find out about the real world is dependent upon the terms we use as well as upon the nature of reality is a major contention of this article. Since the words of a proposition are no more dispensable than its empirical content, what is necessary is not the elimination of definitions and their role, but the establishment of a satisfactory “balance” between what is conceptual and what is concrete. Here three such possible “balances” are illustrated in arguments about international relations.
HST/WFC3: new capabilities, improved IR detector calibrations, and long-term performance stability

Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) is the most used instrument on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Providing a broad range of high quality imaging capabilities from 200 to 1700mn using Silicon CCD and HgCdTe IR detectors, WFC3 is fulfilling both our expectations and its formal requirements. With the re-establishment of the observatory level "spatial scan" capability, we have extended the scientific potential ofWFC3 in multiple directions. These controlled scans, often in combination with low resolution slit-less spectroscopy, enable extremely high precision differential photometric measurements of transiting exo-planets and direct measurement of sources considerably brighter than originally anticipated. In addition, long scans permit the measurement of the separation of star images to accuracies approaching 25 micro-arc seconds (a factor of 10 better than prior FGS or imaging measurements) enables direct parallax observations out to 4 kilo-parsecs. In addition, we have employed this spatial scan capability to both assess and improve the mid­ spatial frequency flat field calibrations. WFC3 uses a Teledyne HgCdTe 1014xl014 pixel Hawaii-lR infrared detector array developed for this mission. One aspect of this detector with implications for many types of science observations is the localized trapping of charge. This manifests itself as both image persistence lasting several hours and as an apparent response variation with photon arrival rate over a large dynamic range. Beyond a generally adopted observing strategy of obtaining multiple observations with small spatial offsets, we have developed a multi-parameter model that accounts for source flux, accumulated signal level, and decay time to predict image persistence at the pixel level. Using a running window through the entirety of the acquired data, we now provide observers with predictions for each individual exposure within several days of its acquisition. Ongoing characterization of the sources on infrared background and the causes of its temporal and spatial variation has led to the appreciation of the impact of He I 1.083 micron emission from the earth's atmosphere. This adds a significant and variable background to the two filters and two grisms which include this spectral feature when the HST spacecraft is outside of the earth's shadow. After nearly five years in orbit, long term trending of the scientific and engineering behavior of WFC3 demonstrates excellent stability other than the expected decline in CCD charge transfer efficiency. Addition of post-flash signal to images is shown to markedly improve the transfer efficiency for low level signals. Combined with a pixel based correction algorithm developed at STScl, CCD performance is stabilized at levels only slightly degraded from its initial values.
Incentives, fertility control, and research.

Psychologists have the unique expertise of accumulated knowledge concerning incentive manipulation of behavior that they can bring to the research issue of incentives and fertility control. Equal or greater resources need to be invested in other approaches to the question of how to control fertility in addition to the usual solution of family planning. Any programs seeking to control fertility without the use of coercive or repressive means must be concerned with environmental aspects that influence the number of children a family has. It becomes necessary to identify the total range of contingencies in the environment of a given population that influence family size and then alter those contingencies in order to increase birth limitation behavior and decrease average family size. The issue of public sensitivity regarding family size ethical responsibility and efficiency of programs designed to control fertility all affect any research approach to the problem of fertility control. A practical approach to a research study of fertility control is that behavior is maintained by its consequences. Incentives can be positive or aversive relative to birth limitation and birth facilitation. They are anticipated or observed consequences of a behavior that tend to either increase or decrease the frequency of occurrence of that behavior. A conceptual framework is needed to guarantee that no major incentives are disregarded in the research. Lipe and Jung have developed such a framework. It divides the types of incentives into stimulus and response incentives. The stimulus incentives include material social secondary and vicarious incentives; feedback of consequences; and aversive incentives. Response incentives can be any of the existing high probability activities of the target couples themselves. The target population would include all adults of a community who are in their fertile years with the focus on the group for whom birth limitation is most relevant. Mode of incentive delivery and timing of reinforcements along with the nondelivery of certain incentives are all part of the framework.
Dissolution of technetium(IV) oxide by natural and synthetic organic ligands under both reducing and oxidizing conditions.

Technetium-99 (Tc) in nuclear waste is a significant environmental concern due to its long half-life and high mobility in the subsurface. Reductive precipitation of technetium(IV) oxides [TcO2(s)] ...
Radar interferometer estimate of zonal drift variability during spread F

Zonal drift velocity variations with 30% amplitudes and several minute time scales are observed in Jicamarca radar interferometer data collected from bottomside F region altitudes during two different periods with 70-90 m/s and 100-155 m/s mean zonal drifts. These fluctuations are indicative of intermediate scale vertical structuring of F region plasma to be expected in periods of Rayleigh-Taylor bubble formation, and may contribute significantly to the decorrelation of forward scattered satellite signals detected for scintillation spaced receiver analysis.
Study of stability of ultrathin Au films on Cu(100) using positron annihilation-induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES)

PAES (Positron Annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy) intensities from ultrathin Au films deposited at 198 K on Cu(100) were measured as a function of temperature (from 198 K to 348 K) for three different Au coverages. Intermixing of Au and Cu atoms with the increase of temperature was directly monitored. The measurements indicated that the intermixing was not reversible as a function of temperature. EAES (Electron induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy) results were compared with PAES results for each experiment, and the comparison showed the feasibility of PAES over EAES for the study of surface alloy formation as a function of temperature.
Planning Rights in Theory and Practice: The Case of Israel

Abstract Planning rights in theory means the abstract concept of planning rights (PRs): here this concept is defined and the status of real PRs–positive or potential–is explained. Real PRs are always related to a particular context; thus any discussion must be context-specific. A pilot study researched the Israeli planning system: this paper presents the resulting inventory and status of PRs in Israel. A selective review details positive and potential PRs under participation, non-discrimination, human dignity and social justice, and evaluates their effectuation in Israel, compared to some other planning systems. The conclusions summarize the pilot study's findings and recommendations, and develop its implications for research methodology, planning theory and practice.
A radio (51Cr) micro-tube leukocyte adherence inhibition assay: specific tumor-associated immunity in 3 murine tumor systems.

Abstract A radio (51Cr) micro-tube leukocyte adherence inhibition assay is described. In this study, murine mononuclear cells were labeled with 51Cr, plated into tissue culture plates with different tumor extracts and counts/min (cpm) of the non-adherent cells were used as a parameter of adherence inhibition. This assay was used to measure anti-tumor immunity, in vitro, in 3 murine tumor systems: MCA-38 colon adenocarcinoma, L1210 lymphoma and P815 mastocytoma. Tumor immunity was detected using 3 doses (0.01–0.001 mg/ml) of tumor extract in the MCA-38 tumor model, and using 2 doses (0.1–0.05 mg/ml) of tumor extract in both the L1210 and P815 tumor models. It was observed that specific tumor-associated adherence inhibition could be measured in the MCA-38 tumor model between days 7 and 22 of tumor growth and in the L1210 and P815 tumor models between days 7 and 17 of tumor growth. The radio-LAI assay described is an easy, specific and reproducible way to measure tumor-associated adherence inhibition, in vitro.
Metabolism of neutral steroids in the human fetus. II. Metabolism of progesterone and pregnenolone in anencephalic monsters after delivery.

Abstract The present data were obtained from four female anencephalic monsters (after 35 – 40 weeks gestation). Labeled progesterone or pregnenolone were injected into the umbilical vein of three anencephalic monsters after delivery. As radioactive metabolites of progesterone the following compounds were isolated and identified: 20α-dihydroprogesterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, 16α-hydroxyprogesterone, 3α-hydroxy-5β-pregnan-20-one and 5β-pregnane-3α, 20α-diol. As radioactive metabolites of pregnenolone the following compounds were isolated and identified: 17α-hydroxypregnenolone, 16α-hydroxypregnenolone, dehydroepiandrosterone and 16α-hydroxydehydroepiandrosterone. Homogenates of the liver, kidney and adrenal of a monster were incubated with labeled progesterone and pregnenolone, respectively. As metabolites of progesterone the following compounds isolated and identified: 20α-dihydroprogesterone and 16α-hydroxyprogesterone from all the tissues; 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and androstenedione from the liver and adrenal; testosterone from the adrenal, and 3α-hydroxy-5β-pregnan-20-one and 5β-pregnane-3α,20α-diol from the liver. As metabolites of pregnenolone the following compounds were isolated and identified: 17α-hydroxypregnenolone from all the tissues; 16α-hydroxypregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone from the liver and adrenal, and androstenedione and testosterone from the adrenal.
Evidence for Archean subduction and crustal recycling, Wyoming province

The Beartooth Mountains of the northern Wyoming province contain a suite of incompatible-element-enriched amphibolites of andesitic composition that contains both calcalkalic and tholeitic varieties. These amphibolites formed about 2800 Ma and show trace-element and lead isotopic signatures that suggest an origin similar to some modern andesites produced in convergent margin environments. In particular, these rocks show depletions of the high-field-strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ti, Zr) and enriched Pb isotopic compositions indicative of recycling of Pb from a crustal reservoir into the mantle. These data and other geologic considerations suggest that the northern Wyoming province may have been the site of a Late Archean convergent continental margin.
Prediction of Extraprostatic Extension in Men With Biopsy Gleason Score of 8 or Greater

Purpose: Recent data have shown that high grade prostate cancer is a potentially surgically curable disease in properly selected patients. We assessed the ability of preoperative variables to predict extraprostatic extension in men with biopsy Gleason score 8 or greater.Materials and Methods: We identified 159 patients who underwent prostatectomy without neoadjuvant therapy for biopsy proven Gleason score 8 or greater T1c-T2N0M0 cancer between 1996 and 2006. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to predict extraprostatic extension using side specific data, including clinical features and biopsy findings.Results: Organ confined cancer was pathologically confirmed in 84 of 159 patients (52.8%). Side specific analysis was practicable on 124 sides (124 men) and side specific extraprostatic extension was found on 48 of the 124 sides (38.7%). Gleason grade 5 element, maximum tumor length, percent of positive cores, positive basal cores and side specific palpable disease were significantly associat...
Management issues in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the leadership and management challenges of creating and maintaining a comprehensive hematopoietic stem cell transplant program. DATA SOURCES: Research studies, review articles, databases, and web sites. CONCLUSION: Nurses at all levels of practice must conceptualize and execute expert specialized care through all phases of transplantation. Attention must be paid to specialized functions such as care coordination and case management, as well as scope of practice. Focus must be given to quality assessment and improvement. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: As the field of transplant grows and evolves, expert nursing leadership will be required to manage the continuum of care as patients move between health care settings. The increased emphasis on outpatient care, cost containment, and consumer and regulatory demand for quality will continue to challenge nurse leaders to manage creative enterprises.
A linguistic comparison of speech and writing in two types of aphasia

Abstract Samples of free narrative obtained in speech and writing from a Wernicke's and a Broca's aphasic showed the same contrasting features in both media of expression. The Wernicke's aphasic was more fluent grammatically and had a greater proportion of non-picturable nouns and verbs. The quality of grammatical errors was similar in both media with the Wernicke's aphasic making many more semantically based errors. Both patients showed a reduced proportion of verbs to nouns in writing as compared to speech and particularly a reduction in the high-frequency non-picturable verbs which occur in the filler-phrases of conversation.
Phenomenological theory of velocity autocorrelation in simple liquids

Abstract The velocity autocorrelation function of the atomic motions in simple classical fluids is analyzed in terms of a generalized diffusivity. A satisfactory description of the power spectrum, of liquid argon at 85.5°K, is found to require the postulation of two intrinsic relaxation times: τ1 ∽ 10−12 sec and τ2 ∽ 10−13 sec. The analysis rests on the knowledge' of the frequency moments 〈ω2n〉, n = 1, 2, 3, 4, of the normalized power spectrum, I (ω), of the velocity autocorrelation function. The results are in good agreement with the computer experiment results of Rahman.
Analysis of volatile-phase transport in soils using natural radon gas as a tracer

We have conducted a field study of soil gas transport processes using radon gas as a naturally occurring tracer. The .experiment monitored soil gas radon activity, soil moisture, and soil temperature at three depths in the shallow soil column; barometric pressure, rainfall and wind speed were monitored at the soil surface. Linear and multiple regression analysis of the data sets has shown that the gas phase radon activities under natural environmental conditions are influenced by soil moisture content, barometric pressure variations, soil temperature and soil structure. The effect of wind speed on subsurface radon activities under our field conditions has not been demonstrated.
Studies of the mode of action of the sulfonylureas and phenylacetamides in enhancing the effect of vasopressin.

Chlorpropamide and acetaminophen are effective antidiuretic agents in diabetes insipidus. They appear to act by sensitizing the kidney to the low levels of vasopressin that may continue to circulate in many patients with this disease. To determine the mechanism of action of these agents, a series of studies of their effects on water flow was carried out in the isolated urinary bladder of the toad. The patterns of action of chlorpropamide and the phenylacetamides (phenacetin, acetaminophen and structurally related compounds) were compared to that of theophylline, a potent phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Theophylline enhanced the effect of low and saturating concentrations of vasopressin, enhanced the effect of cyclic AMP, had no effect on the inhibitory action of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) and (at 3 × 10−3m) greatly increased water flow in the absence of vasopressin. Chlorpropamide differed from theophylline in all major respects, enhancing only low concentrations of vasopressin, inhibiting the effect of cyclic ...
Rapid and simultaneous quantitation of prostanoids by UPLC-MS/MS in rat brain.

Abstract The metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) produced from the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway, collectively termed as prostanoids, and from the CYP 450 pathway, eicosanoids, have been implicated in various neuro-degenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases. This study developed a quantitative UPLC–MS/MS method to simultaneously measure 11 prostanoids including prostaglandins and cyclopentenone metabolites in the rat brain cortical tissue. Linear calibration curves ranging from 0.104 to 33.3 ng/ml were validated. The inter-day and intra-day variance for all metabolites was less than 15%. The extraction recovery efficiency and matrix (deionized water) effects measured at 12.5 ng/ml (750 pg on column) ranged from 88 to 100% and 3 to 14%, respectively, with CV% values below 20%. Additionally, applying the processing and extraction conditions of this method to our previous CYP450 eicosanoids method resulted in overall improvement in extraction recovery and reduction in matrix effects at low (0.417 ng/ml) and high (8.33 ng/ml) concentrations. In rat brain cortical tissue samples, concentrations of prostanoids ranged from 10.2 to 937 pmol/g wet tissue and concentration of eicosanoids ranged from 2.23 to 793 pmol/g wet tissue. These data demonstrate that the successive measurement of prostanoids and eicosanoids from a single extracted sample of rat brain tissue can be achieved with a UPLC–MS/MS system and that this method is necessary for evaluation of these metabolites to delineate their role in various neuroinflammatory and cerebrovascular disorders.
Fatty acid composition of brown fat and brain fat of the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus, during hibernation

Abstract 1. 1. Male and female little brown bats were collected on 7 dates during hibernation and on one date prior to hibernation. 2. 2. The predominant fatty acids in brown fat were 16:0 and 18:1, with lesser proportions of 16:1, 18:0 and 18:2, and small amounts of others; 16:0 decreased, while 18:1 increased, during hibernation. 3. 3. The major fatty acids in the brain were 16:0, 18:0 and 18:1, with lesser amounts of 16:1, 18:2 and 22:6, and small proportions of others; there were no significant changes in major fatty acids during hibernation. 4. 4. No significant fatty acid differences were found between sexes.
The Virtues of Metaphysics: A Review of Iris Murdoch's Philosophical Writings

Iris Murdoch's moral philosophy has long influenced contemporary ethics, yet it has not, in general, received the kind of sustained critical attention that it deserves. Existentialists and Mystics and Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals provide new access to most of Murdoch's philosophical writings and make possible a deeper appreciation of her contribution to current thought. After assessing the recent critical reception of Murdoch's thought, this review places her moral philosophy in the context of contemporary trends in ethics by tracing her influence on the work of Charles Taylor, highlights the distinctive features of her moral philosophy (especially her analysis of consciousness), and suggests future directions for Murdochian ethics.
Anisotropy of the neutron fluence from a plasma focus.

The fluence of neutrons from a plasma focus was measured by gamma spectrometry of an activated silver target. This method results in a significant increase in accuracy over the beta‐counting method. Multiple detectors were used in order to measure the anisotropy of the fluence of neutrons. The fluence was found to be concentrated in a cone with a half‐angle of 30 deg about the axis, and to drop off rapidly outside of this cone; the anisotropy was found to depend upon the total yield of neutrons. This dependence was strongest on the axis. Neither the axial concentration of the fluence of neutrons nor its dependence on the total yield of neutrons is explained by any of the currently proposed models. Some other explanations, including the possibility of an axially distributed source, are considered.
SU-E-T-578: Beam Energy Dependence and Intermediate-Low Dose Bath on Normal Tissue When Comparing VMAT with Conventional IMRT.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of beam energy and intermediate‐low dose bath on normal tissue when comparing volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with conventional IMRT.Methods: A total of 10 prostate patients were randomly chosen for this study. The clinical IMRT plans were designed with 5 coplanar 10 MV photon beams. To investigate impacts of energies and delivery methods, we created 2 additional IMRT plans with 6 and 15 MV photons and 3 VMAT plans with 6, 10, and 15 MV photons in the Pinnacle treatment planning system. All plans were evaluated in terms of target coverage, clinical endpoints for organs‐at‐risks (OAR), and intermediate‐low dose distributions to normal tissue, for which endpoints of V5Gy, V10Gy, V20Gy, V30Gy, V40Gy, and V50Gy were used. For this study, normal tissue was further divided into near region (5 cm thick concentric shell of normal tissue surrounding the target) and far region (concentric shell of normal tissue surrounding the near region and target). Longitudinally, the total normal tissue in calculation was limited to 10 cm from field edges. Results: No significant differences were found among 6 types of treatment plans in terms of target coverage, OAR sparing, plan quality, intermediate‐low doses to the near region, and integral dose to the total normal tissue (p > 0.05). VMAT deposited less intermediate doses of 30‐50 Gy and more low doses of 5‐10 Gy to the far region than IMRT. For example, mean average V40Gy and V10Gy were 51 and 2,967 cc for VMAT, and 140 and 2,618 cc for IMRT, respectively. Conclusions: VMAT and IMRT plans created with different photon energies are comparable for target coverage and OAR sparing. For prostate treatment, VMAT redistribute normal tissue doses from intermediate range into low dose range while keeping the similar the integral dose as IMRT.
An Auditory Processing Abnormality Specific to Liability for Schizophrenia

Abnormal brain activity during the processing of simple sounds is evident in individuals with increased genetic liability for schizophrenia; however, the diagnostic specificity of these abnormalities has yet to be fully examined. Because recent evidence suggests that schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may share aspects of genetic etiology the present study was conducted to determine whether individuals with heightened genetic liability for each disorder manifested distinct neural abnormalities during auditory processing. Utilizing a dichotic listening paradigm, we assessed target tone discrimination and electrophysiological responses in schizophrenia patients, first-degree biological relatives of schizophrenia patients, bipolar disorder patients, first-degree biological relatives of bipolar patients and nonpsychiatric control participants. Schizophrenia patients and relatives of schizophrenia patients demonstrated reductions in an early neural response (i.e. N1) suggestive of deficient sensory registration of auditory stimuli. Bipolar patients and relatives of bipolar patients demonstrated no such abnormality. Both schizophrenia and bipolar patients failed to significantly augment N1 amplitude with attention. Schizophrenia patients also failed to show sensitivity of longer-latency neural processes (N2) to stimulus frequency suggesting a disorder specific deficit in stimulus classification. Only schizophrenia patients exhibited reduced target tone discrimination accuracy. Reduced N1 responses reflective of early auditory processing abnormalities are suggestive of a marker of genetic liability for schizophrenia and may serve as an endophenotype for the disorder.
Spin-related magnetism of interstellar grains

The magnetic dipole moments and internal magnetic fields due to the spin of electrically charged elongated nonmagnetic interstellar grains in kinetic equilibrium with their surroundings are computed for the grain-size range from 0.01 to 1.0 micron. It is shown that the induced magnetic moments and internal magnetic fields of charged spinning nonmagnetic grains of arbitrary composition and prolate spheroidal shape can be appreciable, possibly even exceeding 0.01 emu/cu cm for 0.01-micron grains. The results indicate that virtually all grains smaller than 0.1 micron in mean diameter, and all elongated grains smaller than about 1 micron in length, are immersed in local magnetic fields due to spin that are much larger than the ambient galactic field. Some implications of this effect are discussed in relation to the polarization of starlight by aligned dust grains and the primordial remanent magnetization found in primitive carbonaceous chondrites.
Failure to Meet Weight Loss Expectations Does Not Impact Maintenance in Successful Weight Losers

GORIN, AMY A., ANGELA MARINILLI PINTO, DEBORAH F. TATE, HOLLIE A. RAYNOR, JOSEPH L. FAVA, AND RENA R. WING. Failure to meet weight loss expectations does not impact maintenance in successful weight losers. Obesity. 2007;15:3086–3090. Objective: The objective was to examine whether having a weight loss experience that lives up to one’s expectations is related to maintenance in a group of successful weight losers participating in the STOP Regain trial. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants (N 314, 81% women, mean age, 51.3 10.1 years; BMI 28.6 4.8 kg/m 2 ) who lost 10% of their body weight within the past 2 years were randomly assigned to a maintenance program delivered either face-to-face or via the Internet or to a control group and assessed at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months. Results: At study entry, participants had lost 19% of their body weight, yet 86% of participants were currently trying to lose more weight. Further losses of 13% of body weight were needed to reach self-selected ideal weights, with heavier participants wanting to lose more (p 0.001). The weight loss-related benefits participants achieved did not live up to their expectations (p 0.01). However, neither satisfaction with current weight, nor amount of further weight loss desired, nor discrepancies between actual and expected benefits predicted regain after adjusting for treatment group, gender, baseline weight, and percent weight loss before entry. Discussion: Even among very successful weight losers, expectations were not met and substantial further weight losses were desired; however, these factors were not related to subsequent weight maintenance outcomes.
Estimating contributions of turbulent layers to total wavefront phase aberration

Multiple deformable mirrors (DMs) and an array of artificial guide stars have been used to analyze a method for widening the compensated field of view of an adaptive optical telescope. The contribution of an atmospheric region to the cumulative phase distortion is estimated using wavefront sensor (WFS) measurements. The analysis takes into account the effects of measurement noise, WFS spatial bandwidth, and reconstruction of the wavefront from slope measurements for a 2-layer atmosphere.
Photonic Crystal Microring Resonator based Sensors

Experimental studies on the chemical detection sensitivity of high surface area photonic crystal microring resonators are presented. We report a detection sensitivity of ~170nm/RIU for slow-light resonance modes close to the band edge.
Federal research impact assessment: state-of-the-art

This article describes the practice of federal research impact assessment. Evaluation of research impact is described for three cases: research selection, where the work has not yet been performed; research review, where work and results are ongoing; and ex-post research assessment, where research has been completed and results can be tracked. Retrospective methods (such as projects Hindsight and TRACES), qualitative methods (such as peer review), and quantitative methods (such as cost-benefit analysis and bibliometrics) are described. While peer review in its broadest sense is the most widely used method in research selection, review, and ex-post assessment, it has its deficiencies, and there is no single method which provides a complete impact evaluation. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Birth of the American journal of public health

The article discusses the history of the publication "American Journal of Public Health." The American Public Health Association (APHA) was founded in 1872 and began publishing meeting transactions in its annual publication "Public Health Reports and Papers," which later was titled "Public Health Papers and Reports." In 1907 the "American Journal of Public Hygiene," originally published as the "Journal of the Massachusetts Association of Boards of Health," became the laboratory section of the APHA. The article also discusses Burt Ransom Rickards', managing editor of the "American Journal of Public Hygiene," role in the founding of the "American Journal of Public Health."
The association between vascular endothelial growth factor expression in invasive breast cancer and survival varies with intrinsic subtypes and use of adjuvant systemic therapy: results from the Nurses' Health Study.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is important in breast carcinogenesis. However, whether the effect of VEGF expression on survival varies with intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer remains unclear and the prognostic significance of VEGF expression in breast cancer remains controversial. Using immunostaining of tissue microarray sections, VEGF expression was determined in 1,788 primary invasive breast cancers identified from the Nurses’ Health Study cohort. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) of breast cancer-specific and overall mortality and distant recurrence, adjusted for epidemiological, clinicopathological, and related molecular factors, and year of diagnosis. Overall, 72.5% of breast cancers were positive for VEGF. VEGF expression was correlated with intrinsic subtypes (P < 0.0001), with higher frequency in luminal B, HER2, and basal-like types versus luminal A type. Although VEGF expression was not significantly related to worse survival when all cases were considered together, it was significantly associated with increased risks for breast cancer-specific mortality (BCSM) (HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.01, 1.97) and distant recurrence (HR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.07, 2.07) among women with luminal A tumors. In 262 women untreated systemically, VEGF expression was significantly associated with BCSM (HR = 5.58, 95% CI = 1.17, 26.66). In 902 women receiving adjuvant hormonal therapy, VEGF expression did not significantly predict clinical outcomes. The VEGF-associated increased risk of BCSM is limited to luminal A tumors. VEGF expression is a prognostic but not predictive marker of hormonal response in non-metastatic invasive breast cancer.