cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fabrication and properties of visible‐light subwavelength amorphous silicon transmission gratings

We present the first fabrication and investigation of visible‐light subwavelength transmission gratings in high refractive index materials (e.g., amorphous silicon) on silica substrates. The gratings have periods ranging from 100 to 800 nm in 50 nm increments, a thickness of 180 nm (very thin), and they were fabricated using electron‐beam lithography and reactive ion etching. Because of the high index, we have observed, for the first time, strong polarization dependence in light transmittance. The polarization effect was found to greatly depend on the ratio of grating period to wavelength, having the largest variation when the period is near half of the wavelength. The largest transmission difference for the polarization parallel and perpendicular to the grating fingers was found to be 12 dB. This observation contradicts the behavior manifested in subwavelength transmission gratings in low index materials, where the transmittance is essentially independent of the light polarization and the grating period....
Pervasive Benefits of Preparation in Language Switching

Many theories of bilingual language production assume that when bilinguals process words in their first language, representations from their second language are coactivated. Verhoef, Roelofs, and Chwilla (2009) proposed an alternative account, assuming that the activation of second language representations is highly limited during first language production. Using a cued language-switching task, Verhoef et al. showed that allowing participants to prepare their responses failed to facilitate first language production in some contexts. Verhoef et al. argued that this reflected a lack of coactivation of second language representations in these contexts. We report two experiments with different bilingual populations that failed to confirm the predictions of this account: Preparation consistently facilitated first language production in all contexts. This suggests that in the cued switch paradigm, both first language and second language representations are consistently activated during first language production.
HIV-associated neuropathic pain: epidemiology, pathophysiology and management.

Peripheral neuropathy is associated with numerous systemic illnesses including HIV infection. Neuropathic pain constitutes approximately 25–50% of all pain clinic visits. Distal symmetrical polyneuropathy (DSP) is the most common form of peripheral neuropathy in individuals with HIV infection. DSP is distinguished from other forms of neuropathy on the basis of history and neurological examination. The pain associated with DSP can be debilitating. Therefore, it is important to diagnose HIV-associated DSP properly and treat the neuropathic pain in order to improve quality of life. We review the clinical manifestations, epidemiology, pathophysiology and management strategies for HIV-associated DSP.
Putrescine-modified nerve growth factor: Bioactivity, plasma pharmacokinetics, blood-brain/nerve barrier permeability, and nervous system biodistribution

Abstract: Previous investigations from our laboratory have demonstrated that the covalent modification of a variety of proteins, including antioxidant enzymes, with the naturally occurring polyamines—putrescine (PUT), spermidine, and spermine—dramatically increases their permeability coefficient-surface area product (PS) at the blood-brain and blood-nerve barriers after parenteral administration. In the present study, we have covalently modified nerve growth factor (NGF) with PUT by targeting carboxylic groups for their graded modification by controlling the ionization of these groups with pH. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western, and isoelectric focusing analyses demonstrated conversion of NGF to its polyamine-modified derivatives at different pH values. Although the immunoreactivity of PUT-NGF determined by ELISA and western analysis decreased with decreasing pH, the biological activity of PUT-NGF was not affected at any pH as determined by survival and neurite extension of dorsal root ganglia and PC12 cultures. Plasma pharmacokinetics after a single intravenous bolus administration revealed intact PUT-NGF through 10 min and 73–82% intact protein at 15 min. The PS value for PUT-NGF was maximized and the residual plasma volume (Vp) of the protein in the blood vessels minimized when the pH of the modification reaction was >6.4. The biodistribution of PUT-NGF at 15 min showed 22–33% intact protein in different brain regions, which represented 0.4–5.9 ng of PUT-NGF in different brain regions, a physiological dose that is capable of eliciting a bioresponse. The design of this polyamine-modified NGF derivative that has enhanced permeability at the blood-brain and blood-nerve barriers with retained bioactivity may obviate the necessity to create small-molecule mimics of NGF and may be applicable to neurotrophins, engineered multifunctional chimeric neurotrophins, antioxidant enzymes, and other therapeutic proteins with specific clinical application to neurological diseases.
Fast infrared response of YBCO thin films

The response to short infrared pulses of some epitaxial YBCO films prepared by sputter deposition and by electron-beam evaporation is reported. The response is found to be essentially bolometric on the ns timescale, with some indirect hints of nonequilibrium electron transport on the ps scale. Fast switching could be obtained either by biasing the switch close to the critical current or by cooling the film below about 20 K. These results are encouraging for potential application to a high-current optically-triggered opening switch.
Interdisciplinary Problems and Agency Boundaries: Exploring Effective Cross-Agency Collaboration

Interagency collaboration is frequently described as a pivotal element of environmental and public health problem solving; yet, there is little systematic evidence to document the conditions under which interagency collaboration is effective. If, as is widely believed, collaboration can promote comprehensive problem solving, then understanding the determinants of interagency collaboration is fundamental to improving environmental quality and promoting public health. This article examines factors promoting or inhibiting effective working relationships between environmental agencies and state and local public health departments in Wisconsin on a range of environmental and public health policy problems. Data collected using a web-based Internet survey of agency personnel are analysed. The results suggest that previous collaborative experience is important for public health departments at the state and local level, and structural incentives to collaborate are systematically linked to effective interagency collaboration.
SECRETORY COMPONENT AND SUDDEN-INFANT-DEATH SYNDROME

Post-mortem specimens of blood, respiratory-tract washings, bronchopulmonary tissue, spleen, and thymus were examined for respiratory viruses, immunoglobulins, and secretory component (S.C.) in eight infants with sudden-infant-death syndrome (S.I.D.S) and in eight other (control) infants with an identifiable cause of death. Serum-immunoglobulin levels were similar in infants with S.I.D.S. and in control infants. In some S.I.D.S. cases serum-IgM was slightly raised. Respiratory syncytial virus was found in the pulmonary tissues of five S.I.D.S. patients but no viruses were isolated from other subjects. However, in one control subject parainfluenza type-3 viral antigen was detected in the bronchial tissue. In all patients with S.I.D.S., immunological reactions and fluorescent antibody staining for S.C. in the broncho-pulmonary epithelium were absent or grossly reduced. The levels of IgG and IgM in bronchial washings were unremarkable. These observations suggest a possible defect in respiratory mucosal defence in patients with S.I.D.S.
Binding of the Transcription Effector ppGpp to Escherichia coli RNA Polymerase Is Allosteric, Modular, and Occurs Near the N Terminus of the β′-Subunit

Among the prokaryotae, the nucleotide ppGpp is a second messenger of physiological stress and starvation. The target of ppGpp is RNA polymerase, where it putatively binds and alters the enzyme's activity. Previous data had implicated the β-subunit of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase as containing a single ppGpp binding site. In this study, a photocross-linkable derivative of ppGpp, 6-thioguanosine-3′,5′-(bis)pyrophosphate (6-thio-ppGpp), was used to localize the ppGpp binding site. In in vitrotranscription assays, 6-thio-ppGpp inhibited transcription from the argT promoter identically to bona fide ppGpp. The thio group of 6-thio-ppGpp is directly photoactivatable and is thus a zero-length cross-linker. Cross-linking of RNA polymerase was directed primarily to the β′-subunit and could be competed efficiently by native ppGpp but not by GTP or GDP. Cyanogen bromide digestion analysis of the cross-linked β′-subunit was consistent with an extreme N-terminal cross-link. To assess allosteric consequences of ppGpp binding to RNA polymerase, high level trypsin resistance in the presence and absence of ppGpp was monitored. Trypsin digestion of RNA polymerase bound to ppGpp leads to protection of an N-terminal fragment of the β′-subunit and a C-terminal fragment of the β-subunit. We propose that the N terminus of β′ together with the C terminus of β constitute a modular ppGpp binding site.
A Theoretical Perspective for Understanding Reactions to Victimization

Although specific victimizations may differ, there appear to be common psychological responses across a wide variety of victims. It is proposed that victims' psychological distress is largely due to the shattering of basic assumptions held about themselves and their world. Three assumptions that change as a result of victimization are: 1) the belief in personal invulnerability; 2) the perception of the world as meaningful; and 3) the view of the self as positive. Coping with victimization is presented as a process that involves rebuilding one's assumptive world. Introductions to the papers that follow in this issue are incorporated into a discussion of specific coping strategies adopted by victims.
Anisotropic radiation-induced segregation in 316L austenitic stainless steel with grain boundary character

Abstract Radiation-induced segregation (RIS) and subsequent depletion of chromium along grain boundaries has been shown to be an important factor in irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking in austenitic face-centered cubic (fcc)-based alloys used for nuclear energy systems. A full understanding of RIS requires examination of the effect of the grain boundary character on the segregation process. Understanding how specific grain boundary structures respond under irradiation would assist in developing or designing alloys that are more efficient at removing point defects, or reducing the overall rate of deleterious Cr segregation. This study shows that solute segregation is dependent not only on grain boundary misorientation, but also on the grain boundary plane, as highlighted by markedly different segregation behavior for the Σ3 incoherent and coherent grain boundaries. The link between RIS and atomistic modeling is also explored through molecular dynamic simulations of the interaction of vacancies at different grain boundary structures through defect energetics in a simple model system. A key insight from the coupled experimental RIS measurements and corresponding defect–grain boundary modeling is that grain boundary–vacancy formation energy may have a critical threshold value related to the major alloying elements’ solute segregation.
Sorption mechanisms of zinc on hydroxyapatite: systematic uptake studies and EXAFS spectroscopy analysis.

The systematics and mechanisms of Zn uptake by hydroxyapatite (HAP) in preequilibrated suspensions open to PCO2 were characterized using a combination of batch sorption experiments, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) over a wide range of pH and Zn concentrations. Sorption isotherms of Zn(II) on HAP at pH 5.0 and 7.3 show an initial steep slope at low Zn(II) concentrations, followed by a plateau up to [Zn] 750 μM, a sharp rise in the pH 5.0 isotherm suggests precipitation, whereas slight continued uptake in the pH 7.3 isotherm is suggestive of an additional uptake mechanism. The sorption isotherm at pH 9.0 shows a steep uptake step at [Zn] ≤ 0.8 μM, followed by an increasing linear trend up to [Zn] = 5 μM, without any indication of a maximum, suggesting that precipitation is an important uptake process at this pH. Zn K edge EXAFS results show a first oxygen shell at 1.96−1.98 ± 0.02 A in sorption...
4-(2,3-Di­hydro­thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)aniline

In the title mol­ecule, C12H11NO2S, the dioxane-type ring adopts a half-chair conformation. The thio­phene ring forms a dihedral angle of 12.53 (6)° with the benzene ring. In the crystal, N—H⋯O, hydrogen bonds link mol­ecules, forming chains along the c-axis direction. A weak intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond is observed.
Phylogeographic structure in the bogus yucca moth Prodoxus quinquepunctellus (Prodoxidae): comparisons with coexisting pollinator yucca moths.

The pollination mutualism between yucca moths and yuccas highlights the potential importance of host plant specificity in insect diversification. Historically, one pollinator moth species, Tegeticula yuccasella, was believed to pollinate most yuccas. Recent phylogenetic studies have revealed that it is a complex of at least 13 distinct species, eight of which are specific to one yucca species. Moths in the closely related genus Prodoxus also specialize on yuccas, but they do not pollinate and their larvae feed on different plant parts. Previous research demonstrated that the geographically widespread Prodoxus quinquepunctellus can rapidly specialize to its host plants and may harbor hidden species diversity. We examined the phylogeographic structure of P. quinquepunctellus across its range to compare patterns of diversification with six coexisting pollinator yucca moth species. Morphometric and mtDNA cytochrome oxidase I sequence data indicated that P. quinquepunctellus as currently described contains two species. There was a deep division between moth populations in the eastern and the western United States, with limited sympatry in central Texas; these clades are considered separate species and are redescribed as P. decipiens and P. quinquepunctellus (sensu stricto), respectively. Sequence data also showed a lesser division within P. quinquepunctellus s.s. between the western populations on the Colorado Plateau and those elsewhere. The divergence among the three emerging lineages corresponded with major biogeographic provinces, whereas AMOVA indicated that host plant specialization has been relatively unimportant in diversification. In comparison, the six pollinator species comprise three lineages, one eastern and two western. A pollinator species endemic to the Colorado Plateau has evolved in both of the western lineages. The east-west division and the separate evolution of two Colorado Plateau pollinator species suggest that similar biogeographic factors have influenced diversification in both Tegeticula and Prodoxus. For the pollinators, however, each lineage has produced a monophagous species, a pattern not seen in P. quinquepunctellus.
Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide

The moral issues involved in doctors assisting patients to die with dignity are of absolutely central concern to the medical profession, ethicists, and the public at large. The debate is fuelled by cases that extend far beyond passive euthanasia to the active consideration of killing by physicians. The need for a sophisticated but lucid exposition of the two sides of the argument is now urgent. This book supplies that need. Two prominent philosophers, Gerald Dworkin and R. G. Frey present the case for legalization of physician-assisted suicide. One of the best-known ethicists in the US, Sissela Bok, argues the case against.
Children with spina bifida: key clinical issues.

Spina bifida is the most common of the neural tube defects (NTDs), which include myelomeningocele, encephalocele, and anencephaly. Spina bifida occulta is a common spectrum condition, present in approximately 5% of the population, in which one or more vertebral arches may be incomplete (Fig. 1). The spinal cord is normal, and there are usually no associated neurologic abnormalities. Spina bifida occulta may be accompanied by localized skin abnormalities (dermal sinus, dimples, and pigmented or hairy skin). If there is an associated skin-covered swelling, with an intact spinal cord, the terms meningocele or lipomeningocele are used. Meningoceles are almost always present in the lumbosacral area. A lipomeningocele may be entirely asymptomatic, but intraspinal lipomas can impinge on the cord and lead to progressive weakness and/or deformity. Whenspinabifidaisopenandassociatedwithamalformedspinalcordandasac,the terms myelomeningocele or meningomyelocele are used. Myelomeningoceles arise as a consequence of incomplete or disrupted neurulation during the fourth week of gestation, when the embryo is only 3 to 5 mm in length (Fig. 2). 1 The myelomeningocele includes the splayed-open malformed cord (neural placode) as well as the meninges and fatty tissue (Fig. 3). Myelomeningoceles are often intact, with a meningeal sac enclosing cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but in many cases the sac is disrupted and leaking CSF at birth. Myelomeningoceles vary in size and location, and the range of associated motor and sensory impairments depends on the level of the lesion.
The reaction between palladium(II) and complexes of 8-quinolinol-5-sulfonic acid

Abstract Anomalous results for the reaction between palladium(II) and fluorescent complexes of 8-quinolinol-5-sulfonic acid were found to be due to a slow reaction. Heating the solution permits the determination of palladium(II) in combination with copper(II) or nickel(II), the two cations being titrated stepwise The approximate value for the overall formation constant of the PdL22- complex was determined.
Developing the capacity to better address societal concerns

During the 1996 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting, representatives of 18 scientific societies from Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States agreed on a number of issues facing society that Earth and space scientists can help resolve. Despite the near unanimity on the issues, the group did not develop a clear plan for how they might collectively address these problems. Rather, the products of the convocation were a better understanding of the missions and approaches of the societies represented and a commitment to develop ways to share information on a continuing basis. Knowing more about the activities and interests of the different scientific societies will facilitate bilateral arrangements on matters of mutual concern. Electronic communication systems will be used to facilitate this sharing and several specific actions were agreed to as a follow-on from the convocation.
Gastric function in Caiman crocodilus (Crocodylia: Reptilia). I. Rate of gastric digestion and gastric motility as a function of temperature.

Abstract 1. 1. A cannulation method was devised that allows continuous safe gastric sampling and recording of intragastric pressure in Caiman crocodilus. 2. 2. In C. crocodilus, fed 5 per cent of the body weight, complete gastric emptying takes an average of 99 (±10) hr at 30°C, to an average of 315 (±16) hr at 15°C. 3. 3. Two types of gastric contractions were recorded in C. crocodilus, by means of intragastric pressure measurements, at 20, 25 and 30°C. 4. 4. The two types of contractions were recorded regardless of the feeding state of the animals. 5. 5. Their frequency and amplitude increase with temperature or upon feeding.
Hydraulic exchange between a coral reef and surface sea water

Hydraulic exchange between overlying sea water and the internal structure of a patch reef in Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii, was studied with an array of wells, 1, 2, and 4 m deep. Two natural chemical tracers, radon, and salinity, were used to calculate the exchange rate between surface sea water and reef interstitial waters. Dissolved radon concentrations are substantially higher in interstitial waters than is surface water. The degree of radon enrichment is quantitatively related to the time elapsed since interstitial water had equilibrated with the atmosphere. Residence time estimates are 1-40 days, with deeper wells having slower exchange. The average residence time for 1-m-deep wells was 2.1 days. A rainstorm-induced dilution of the salinity of Kaneohe Bay provides the second tracer. Samples of surface and reef interstitial waters following this salinity perturbation are used to calculate an average residence time of 2.6 days at a depth of 1 m and 42 days at a depth of 2 m. Three types of physical forces thought to cause exchange between surface and interstitial water are considered by measurement of the forcing functions and reef permeability. Hydraulic conductivities are about 50 m/d, with lower values near the seaward side of the reef.more » Most exchange seems to be caused by high-frequency, wave-driven oscillatory pumping and by unidirectional hydraulic head gradients (of uncertain origin) that are stable for at least 3-4 days. Wave-driven mixing is probably more important shallower in the reef, whereas head-driven flow may dominate deeper in the reef. Tidal pumping does not seem to contribute to exchange. All methods indicate that exchange in the upper part of Checker Reef is primarily through vertical exchange. The best estimate for the residence time of water at a depth of 1 m is 2 days. Water at depths of 204 m probably has a residence time of weeks to months. 49 refs., 8 figs., 6 tabs.« less
Vibrational spectra and normal-coordinate analyses of silacyclobutanes

Abstract The complete vibrational spectra of sila cyclo butane, (CH 2 ) 3 SiH 2 , and of three of its derivatives, (CH 2 ) 3 SiX 3 where X = D, F, Cl, have been recorded and an assignment for each molecule is proposed. A normal-coordinate calculation for each of these molecules was carried out to test the assignment and to demonstrate coupling between various vibrational modes. Considerable mixing of the modes was found. An analysis of the spectra shows that all four of these four-membered ring compounds are non-planar and have C 3 symmetry.
Cleavage of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus E7 RNA with an anti-E7 ribozyme

Abstract We have designed and constructed a plasmid (pE7RZ-1) that contains a gene for a hammerhead ribozyme that specifically cleaves cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) E7 RNA sequences in vitro . The in vitro produced transcripts of pE7RZ-1 cleave CRPV E7 target sequences in trans at 37°C. Pretreatment of pE7RZ-1 RNA with poly-L-lysine (PLL) increases the stability of the RNA to greater than 2 hours in the presence of a crude papilloma cell extract and the pE7RZ-1 RNA/PLL mixture retains catalytic activity in this system. This is the first report of a papillomavirus specific ribozyme RNA cleavage and leads the way for the design of effective papillomavirus specific ribozyme based therapies.
“I'm Just No Good at Writing”: Epistemological Style and Attitudes Toward Writing

The authors assessed writing attitudes and epistemologies of 117 first-year and 329 upper-level undergraduates. Attitude scales assessed enjoyment of writing, self-ratings of writing ability, and belief in writing as learnable. Epistemological scales measured absolutism (belief in knowledge as determinably true or false), relativism (belief in the indeterminacy of all claims), and evaluativism (belief that truth can be approximated). Absolutism correlated negatively with writing grades and verbal aptitude, whereas evaluativism exhibited a weak positive correlation with both. Students with higher evaluativism tended to enjoy writing more and to assess themselves as good writers. Upper-level students were less absolutist and marginally more evaluativist than first-year students. Differences in attitudes and epistemologies emerged between men and women and among upper-level students in four disciplinary groups. The authors sketch some implications for writing pedagogy.
Fault Injection Experiments with the CLAMR Hydrodynamics Mini-App

In this paper, we present a resilience analysis of the impact of soft errors on CLAMR, a hydrodynamics mini-app for high performance computing (HPC). We utilize F-SEFI, a fine grainedfault injection tool, to inject faults into the kernel routines of CLAMR. We demonstrate visually the impact of these faults as they are either benign (have no impact on the results), cause silent data corruption (SDC), or cause the application to crash due to instabilities. We quantify the probability that an injected fault will cause CLAMR to transition to one of the above three states using F-SEFI. Finally, we explore the relationship between the application's fault characteristics and when the fault is injected in simulation time. Overall, we find that 17% and 24% of the faults propagate into SDC and crashes respectively.
Phalloidin-based fluorimetric quantitation of cells on plates and polycarbonate membranes

An in vitro, fluorimetric method for the quantitation of immobilized cells has been developed using sulfarhodamine-labeled phalloidin. This actin-based microtiter assay has a number of important advantages over conventional cellular quantitation methods. It does not require prior labelling of cells, works well on either plates or polycarbonate membranes, and is rapid, automatable and quantitative. We have optimized the assay using cultured human lung cancer cells. Although special emphasis has been placed on the attachment of CD44-positive cells to hyaluronan, the method detects cellular attachment to a variety of substrates including laminin and fibronectin. The porous surfaces used are identical to those employed in conventional chemotaxis and invasion assays. As such, this detection method may provide a useful means to identify anti-adhesives and invasives and represents an alternative to the initial phases of animal testing.
Modulation of spontaneous seizures in the Mongolian gerbil: Effects of β-endorphin

Abstract Intraventricular injection of β-endorphin (0.1–3 μg) into gerbils from the UCLA seizure sensitive strain reduced the incidence and severity of spontaneous epileptiform seizures, both the motor manifestations and the preceding high voltage focal spiking and accompanying seizure activity in the cortical EEG. This “anticonvulsant” effect of β-endorphin was prevented by prior administration of naloxone (1 mg·kg −1 IP). These findings suggest that the endogenous opioid peptide may be involved in the normal suppression of the epileptic diathesis in these animals during the interictal periods.
CHAPTER 6 – English Language Handwriting Recognition Interfaces

This chapter discusses English language handwritings recognition interfaces as a method of entering text into a computer. It reveals that handwriting has been an excellent means of communication and documentation for thousands of years. Handwriting is a learned skill, but because it has a long history and is learned in early school years, many consider it more natural than the alternative learned skill of text entry by either standard or virtual keyboards. The chapter also discusses offline handwriting recognition, which falls in the area of optical character recognition (OCR), for which only the static information is available. It covers line, word, and character segmentation and character recognition technologies and describes the dynamic information and the digitizer equipment that captures it. The usual recognition strategies and especially those that deal with the problems of segmentation and dynamic writing variation are presented. Further, the chapter describes shorthand techniques for speed writing, including shorthand alphabets and other shorthand for words and phrases.
Do Stock Price Bubbles Influence Corporate Investment

Building on recent developments in behavioral asset pricing, we develop a model in which an increase in the dispersion of investor beliefs under short-selling constraints predicts a bubble, or a rise in a stock's price above its fundamental value. Our model predicts that managers respond to bubbles by issuing new equity and increasing capital expenditures. We test these predictions, as well as others, using the variance of analysts' earnings forecasts - a proxy for the dispersion of investor beliefs - to identify the bubble component in Tobin's Q. When comparing firms traded on the New York Stock Exchange with those traded on NASDAQ, we find that our model successfully captures key features of the technology boom of the 1990s. We obtain further evidence supporting our model by using a panel-data VAR framework. We find that orthogonalized shocks to dispersion have positive and statistically significant effects on Tobin's Q, net equity issuance, and real investment - results that are consistent with the model's predictions.
Plasma-enhanced third harmonic generation of ultrafast pulses focused in a gas

Enhancement of 300x in third harmonic generation conversion efficiency for ultrafast laser pulses in gases is demonstrated. The enhancements are obtained by generating a spatially-localized plasma in the focal region of an ultrashort pulse.
Mixing of fluids flowing through beds of packed solids

An extension of the known data and the results of an investigation of the axial mixing of liquids flowing through fixed beds of solids are presented. The variables which were investigated were fluid velocity, particle diameter, particle shape, and liquid viscosity. (J.R.D.)
Yoga and pilates in the management of low back pain.

Many interventions for the management of low back pain exist, however most have modest efficacy at best, and there are few with clearly demonstrated benefits once pain becomes chronic. Therapeutic exercise, on the other hand, does appear to have significant benefits for managing patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) in terms of decreasing pain and improving function. In addition, because chronic pain is complex and does not fit a simple model, there have also been numerous trials investigating and demonstrating the efficacy of multidisciplinary pain programs for CLBP. It follows that interventions that treat more than one aspect of LBP would have significant benefits for this patient population. Yoga and Pilates which have, both been gaining in popularity over the last decade are two mind–body exercise interventions that address both the physical and mental aspects of pain with core strengthening, flexibility, and relaxation. There has been a slow evolution of these nontraditional exercise regimens into treatment paradigms for LBP, although few studies examining their effects have been published. The following article will focus on the scientific and theoretical basis of using yoga and Pilates in the management of CLBP.
Spontaneous unstable unc-22 IV mutations in C. elegans var. Bergerac.

This paper describes a mutator system in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans var. Bergerac for the gene unc-22. Of nine C. elegans and two C. briggsae strains tested only the Bergerac BO strain yielded mutant animals at a high frequency and the unc-22 IV gene is a preferred mutational target. The forward spontaneous mutation frequency at the unc-22 locus in Bergerac BO is about 1 x 10-4 , and most of these spontaneous unc-22 mutations revert at frequencies between 2 x 10-3 and 2 x 10 -4. Both the forward mutation frequency and the reversion frequency are sensitive to genetic background. Spontaneous unc-22 mutations derived in a Bergerac background and placed in a primarily Bristol background revert at frequencies of <10-6. When reintroduced into a Bergerac/Bristol hybrid background the mutations once again become unstable. The mutator activity could not be localized to a discrete site in the Bergerac genome. Nor did mutator activity require the Bergerac unc-22 gene as a target since the Bristol unc-22 homolog placed in a Bergerac background also showed high mutation frequency. Intragenic mapping of two spontaneous unc-22 alleles, st136 and st137, place both mutations in the central region of the known unc-22 map. However, these mutations probably recombine with one another, suggesting that the unstable mutations can occur in more than one site in unc-22. Examination of the phenotypic effect of these mutations on muscle structure indicates that they are less severe in their effect than a known amber allele. We suggest that this mutator system is polygenic and dispersed over the nematode genome and could represent activity of the transposable element Tc1.
Selecting the best by comparing simulated systems in a group of three when variances are known and unequal

This paper presents a fully sequential procedure for selecting the best system among a finite number of simulated systems with variances that are known but not necessarily equal. Our procedure compares systems in groups of three and is based on exit properties of a bivariate Brownian motion from an ellipse. The procedure is a modification of the one proposed in Kim and Dieker (2011) for the equal-variance case.
Ocean Drilling Program: Results From Ninth Year Of Drilling Operations

The Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) has completed 61 internationally staffed expeditions and ten years of scientific ocean drilling in search of answers relating to the tectonic evolution of passive and active continental margins, origin and evolution of oceanic crust, origin and evolution of marine sedimentary sequences, and paleoceanography. To address these problems, ODP has made numerous advances in technology for retrieval of continuous undisturbed cores under hostile environmental conditions. ODP curates over 198 km of cored material and associated scientific data bases and publishes results of the scientific expeditions in a continuous series of Proceedings volumes. During its tenth year, ODP continued its pioneering exploration in the Atlantic Ocean. This paper reviews the drilling activities associated with the Atlantic Leg of the project. It focuses on volcanic rifted margins and magma emplacement; the chemical composition and evolution of the lower crust and mantle; depth transect reconstruction for a variety of temporal resolutions; research on the Amazon deep-sea fan and associated paleoclimatology; temporal and spatial scales of fluid flow, the role of faults in fluid transport, and the relationships between mechanical state and seismicity in the northern Barbados accretionary prism; and the history of volcanic activity in the Canary Hotspot, themore » detailed evolution of large volcanic oceanic islands, the growth of volcanic aprons and the filling of the distal Madeira Abyssal Plain. Finally, Leg 158 investigated fluid flow, alteration and mineralization and associated geochemical fluxes, microbiological processes and the subsurface mixture of an active hydrothermal system on a slow spreading, sediment-free mid-ocean ridge (TAG area -- Mid Atlantic Ridge).« less
Lectin-induced apoptosis of mature olfactory receptor cells

Previous studies showed that uptake of the lectin conjugate, wheat germ agglutinin-horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) by olfactory receptor cells results in a thinning of the olfactory epithelium (OE) and increased turnover of globose basal cells. To ascertain the cell-type lost as well as the time course and mechanism of the loss, the current study measured changes in the number of dendritic knobs, olfactory marker protein (OMP) expression and assessed TUNEL labeling as an indicator of apoptosis. Electron microscopic analysis of the number of dendritic knobs showed that the largest reduction occurred at 1 week after intranasal irrigation with WGA-HRP. This data in conjunction with decreased OMP staining provided evidence for a loss of mature receptor neurons. TUNEL labeling, especially in more superficial aspects of the OE, peaked at 18 hr after WGA-HRP application suggesting that the lectin-conjugate produced a rapid induction of apoptotic cell death that was complete by 3 days. Measurement of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the olfactory bulb, a sensitive measure of deafferentation, showed that innervation reached a nadir at about 1 week and that reinnervation was complete by 4 weeks. These findings demonstrate that internalization of WGA-HRP by some receptor cells results in their death by apoptosis and a subsequent deafferentation of the olfactory bulb. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Automated schematic capture and the UCS51 (microcontroller)

The author introduces automated schematic capture configuration for the UCS51 embedded microcontroller, which is based on the 80C51 microcontroller, and its five accompanying peripherals. In addition, current automation applications are outlined. The UCS51 design entry tool, a menu-driven automated schematic capture/configuration procedure, is discussed step by step, menu by menu. The discussion includes mapping the peripheral registers into the special function register bus where they may be directly accessed to support the full logical functions of the core's instruction set. 'How to' and sample schematics are shown for each configuration. Future and related applications are also explored. >
Attribution and Characteristics of Wet and Dry Seasons in the Upper Colorado River Basin

AbstractPrevious research has shown that the temperature and precipitation variability in the Upper Colorado River basin (UCRB) is correlated with large-scale climate variability [i.e., El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO)]. But this correlation is not very strong, suggesting the need to look beyond the statistics. Looking at monthly contributions across the basin, results show that February is least sensitive to variability, and a wet October could be a good predictor for a wet season. A case study of a wet and a dry year (with similar ENSO/PDO conditions) shows that the occurrence of a few large accumulating events is what drives the seasonal variability, and these large events can happen under a variety of synoptic conditions. Looking at several physical factors that can impact the amount of accumulation in any given event, it is found that large accumulating events (>10 mm in one day) are associated with westerly winds at all levels, higher wind speeds at all level...
Clustering the heap in multi-threaded applications for improved garbage collection

Garbage collection can be a performance bottleneck in large distributed, multi-threaded applications. Applications may produce millions of objects during their lifetimes and may invoke hundreds or thousands of threads. When using a single shared heap, each time a garbage collection phase occurs all threads must be stopped, essentially halting all other processing. Attempts to fix this bottleneck include creating a single heap per thread, however this may not scale to large thread intensive applications. In this paper we explore the potential of clustering threads into related sub-heaps. We hypothesize that this will lead to a smaller shared heap, while maintaining good garbage collection parallelism. We leverage results from software module clustering to achieve this goal. Our results show that we can significantly reduce the number of sub-heaps created and reduce the number of objects in the shared heap in a representative application. This suggests that clustering may be a promising optimization technique for garbage collection in large multi-threaded systems with many shared objects.
Extensions of large-scale power system simulation algorithms to include the effects of dispersed generation

Preliminary simulation results of power systems using "complete" generator/exciter/governor models for synchronous machine generator systems are given in this paper. Traditional and advanced models for the electrical and mechanical subsystems of a generating unit are provided and discussed independently, and simulation results for a simple system are provided to verify the results. One approach of including these improved models into simulation algorithms is also presented with regard to large-scale power system simulation. The proposed large-scale simulation package is conceptually compared with other methods to determine the most suitable type of algorithm for system simulation including detailed synchronous machine, excitation system, and governor representation. >
Spironolactone in the Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate evidence supporting the use of spironolactone in managing congestive heart failure.DATA SOURCES:Literature accessed through MEDLINE (January 1966–December 1999) and cross-referencing of selected articles. Search terms included spironolactone and heart failure.DATA SYNTHESIS:Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Through aldosterone antagonism, spironolactone may be an effective pharmacotherapeutic addition to patients not responding to standard drug therapy for heart failure.RESULTS:Clinical trials have demonstrated that, in patients with heart failure, spironolactone improves laboratory indices, quality of life, and morbidity. Recently, spironolactone has been demonstrated to improve the survival of patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) III or IV heart failure.CONCLUSIONS:Spironolactone use should be considered in patients with NYHA Class III or IV heart failure.
A comparison of homogenization and standard mechanics analyses for periodic porous composites

Composite material elastic behavior has been studied using many approaches, all of which are based on the concept of a Representative Volume Element (RVE). Most methods accurately estimate effective elastic properties when the ratio of the RVE size to the global structural dimensions, denoted here as ν, goes to zero. However, many composites are locally periodic with finite ν. The purpose of this paper was to compare homogenization and standard mechanics RVE based analyses for periodic porous composites with finite ν. Both methods were implemented using a displacement based finite element formulation. For one-dimensional analyses of composite bars the two methods were equivalent. Howver, for two- and three-dimensional analyses the methods were quite different due to the fact that the local RVE stress and strain state was not determined uniquely by the applied boundary conditions. For two-dimensional analyses of porous periodic composites the effective material properties predicted by standard mechanics approaches using multiple cell RVEs converged to the homogenization predictions using one cell. In addition, homogenization estimates of local strain energy density were within 30% of direct analyses while standard mechanics approaches generally differed from direct analyses by more than 70%. These results suggest that homogenization theory is preferable over standard mechanics of materials approaches for periodic composites even when the material is only locally periodic and ν is finite.
NB 3 SN accelerator magnet technology R&D at Fermilab

Accelerator magnets based on Nb3Sn supercondutor are being developed at Fermilab. Six nearly identical 1-m long dipole models and several mirror configurations were built and tested demonstrating magnet performance parameters and their reproducibility. The technology scale up program has started by building and testing long dipole coils. The results of this work are reported in the paper.
Distribution, prevalence, and genetic characterization of Baylisascaris procyonis in selected areas of Georgia.

Baylisascaris procyonis is an intestinal nematode of raccoons (Procyon lotor) that can cause fatal larval migrans in numerous species of birds and mammals, including humans. Although this parasite has historically been absent in the southeastern United States, it has been found in isolated regions in the Appalachian Mountains and was recently documented in DeKalb County, Georgia. The first objective of the current study was to investigate the distribution and prevalence of B. procyonis in selected populations of raccoons in Georgia. Intestinal tracts of 312 raccoons from 25 Georgia counties were examined for B. procyonis. The only county where B. procyonis was detected was Clarke County, where 12 of 116 (10.3%) raccoons were infected. In Clarke County, significantly more juveniles (P 5 0.049) were infected compared with adults, and no differences in prevalence were noted by sex, season of capture, or land use (rural vs. urban); however, significantly (P 5 0.0370) higher worm burdens were found in infected raccoons from urban/suburban locations compared with rural areas. In addition, Toxascaris leonina, a morphologically similar ascarid, was found in 3 raccoons from Clarke County (n 5 2) and Morgan County (n 5 1). A second objective was to determine if sequence polymorphisms were associated with B. procyonis from different geographic regions. Because sequences from a single worm from Japan had been entered into GenBank, we obtained nematodes from Kentucky and Texas for comparison with our samples from Georgia. Sequence analysis of the 18S and 5.8S rRNA genes and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) -1 and ITS-2 regions confirmed Georgia samples were B. procyonis. Although several polymorphic bases were observed within both ITS regions, none was associated with a particular geographic location. These data indicate that the distribution of B. procyonis within Georgia is increasing and only limited genetic variation is present in the rRNA and ITS gene regions among B. procyonis from the southern United States and introduced populations in Japan.
Anxiety Sensitivity and Posttrauma Stress Symptoms in Female Undergraduates Following a Campus Shooting

Participants were recruited from female undergraduate students participating in an ongoing longitudinal study at the time of a campus shooting. Eighty-five percent (N = 691) of the 812 students who were invited to participate in the current study completed questionnaires an average of 27 days following a campus shooting. In a mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal design, the cognitive and the physical concerns dimensions of postshooting anxiety sensitivity accounted for unique variance in posttrauma stress symptom severity (cross-sectional), after controlling for preshooting psychological symptoms (longitudinal). The cognitive concerns dimension showed the strongest relationship. Anxiety sensitivity also appeared to moderate the relationships of hyperarousal symptoms with reexperiencing and numbing symptoms.
An Application of Psychophysical Scaling Techniques to the Measurement of National Power

In recent years, psychophysicists have expended a great deal of I effort in attempts to develop accurate and practical scales of subjective magnitude, i.e., scales that measure perceptions of the magnitudes of "real" variables. These efforts have met with considerable success, at least in the rather limited area in which this work has been done, and it has been more or less conclusively shown that it is possible to measure with considerable accuracy the subjective, or perceived, magnitudes of such variables as loudness of sound, brightness of light, and heaviness of weight.' That this is so may not seem of direct relevance to the study of international politics,2 but there are indications that the techniques and methodology developed in psychophysics may have direct application to the measurement of social norms, opinions, and attitudes. Thus we have several studies of social status by Hamblin,3 a scale of the seriousness of various acts of juvenile delinquency developed by Sellin and Wolfgang,4 a study that scales the importance of Swedish monarchs by Ekman and Kunnapas,5 and others.