cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigations into the reduction of pepsin activity by bile.

Summary Previous observations of a pepsin-inhibiting action of canine bile in vitro have led to further studies reported herein. It has been found that: 1. Oxidation of canine bile abolishes its ability to reduce pepsin activity in vitro. 2. Conjugated bile acids in concentrations ranging from 0.0025 M to 0.04 M showed pepsin-inhibiting activity proportional to their concentrations. This activity is present at pepsin concentrations ranging from 10 to 100 μ g/0.5 ml. 3. Taurine and glycine conjugates of chenodeoxycholic acid were more active inhibitors than were the cholic acid conjugates. 4. Human hepatic bile also showed pepsin-inhibiting properties in the in vitro assay. This evidence supports the theory that bile exerts a protective effect against peptic ulceration in the duodenum by inhibiting pepsin activity at the acid pH's found in the duodenum in fasting and postprandial subjects. Removal of bile from the duodenum by surgical procedures such as choledochojejunostomy may favor postoperative peptic ulceration due to the loss of this inhibitor in the presence of increased acid output. Further pre- and postoperative clinical and laboratory investigations are indicated to assess the magnitude of the risk to patients and elucidate the mechanism by which bile retards pepsin activity.
Vaccines against Coxiella infection.

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes a worldwide zoonotic disease, Q fever. Since C. burnetii infection is an occupational hazard and could develop into severe chronic disease in humans, vaccination should be considered to protect individuals at-risk of contact with naturally infected animals or exposure to the agents. Although several vaccines produced from Phase I whole-cell C. burnetii are effective in protecting against the infection in humans, vaccination of previously sensitized people can induce severe local and occasional systemic reactions. Safe use of these vaccines requires screening of potential vaccinees by skin tests, serological tests, or in vitro lymphocyte proliferation assay. Since these procedures are time-consuming and costly, they limit the use of whole-cell vaccines in a mass vaccination program. Efforts have been underway to develop a safer, more effective new-generation vaccine that will not cause adverse reactions when given to someone with pre-exis...
Confectionery coating with an electrohydrodynamic (EHD) system.

: In the confectionery coating industry, hard butters are frequently used as cocoa butter replacers. An electrohydrodynamic (EHD) system, which forms fine droplets with a relatively narrow size distribution, may be beneficial in confectionery coating to produce more even coverage. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of lecithin content and fat type on electrical resistivity and apparent viscosity, and the effect of these variables under EHD (25kV) and non-EHD coating on droplet size, width of coating area, thickness, and minimum flow rate to produce complete coverage. Total of 3 different types of fat were used: cocoa butter, cocoa butter equivalent, and lauric butter. As lecithin content increased, resistivity and apparent viscosity decreased, except all samples showed a local apparent viscosity minimum at 0.5% lecithin. EHD coating was more efficient than non-EHD as a smaller droplet size and thinner coating was formed. Due to repulsive forces between the like-charges on the droplets during EHD, it spread over wider areas which lead to a higher minimum flow rate to get complete coverage. Under EHD, increasing resistivity significantly increased the droplet size, but only at the highest resistivities. There was no correlation between resistivity and droplet size or width of coating under non-EHD. The width of coating under EHD decreased significantly as resistivity increased. Thickness and minimum flow rate to produce complete coverage, significantly correlated to resistivity, for EHD coating, and to apparent viscosity, for 2 of the 3 fat types during both EHD and non-EHD. Practical Application: Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) spraying offers great potential improvement to the food industry especially in the confectionery area. From the quality point of view, EHD offers greater and more complete coverage than non-EHD coating. From the economic point of view, lower cost can be achieved for coated food because during EHD, smaller droplet size and thinner coating is produced.
A centroid-based nonparametric regression estimator

A new nonparametric function estimator is proposed that is a gener-alization of the Wald Line. Bivariate data is sorted by the independent variable, then divided into roughly equal bins. For each bin, a centroid (x, y is computed, and these are interpolated to obtain the estimator. This estimator exhibits a rate of convergence equal to the optimal rate of conver-gence possible with a nonparametric function estimator, as long as a suitable method of interpolation is used. If natural splines are used to interpolate the centroids, convergence is at the optimal rate only if the true function is not too smooth.
Stress analysis of multilayered anisotropic elastic media

The stress analysis of media subjected to applied surface tractions is performed. The solutions are obtained based on the Fouier transfrom technique together with the aid of he stiffness matrix approach. It can be uniformly applied to media with transversely isotropic, orthotropic, and monoclinic layers
Estrous cycle-dependent variation in amphetamine-induced behaviors and striatal dopamine release assessed with microdialysis

Estrous cycle-dependent variation in amphetamine (AMPH)-stimulated behaviors and striatal dopamine (DA) release were determined for freely moving rats undergoing intracerebral microdialysis. There was greater AMPH-stimulated striatal DA release in the striatum of rats in estrus, during the period from 20 min to 100 min post-AMPH, compared with the response of rats in diestrus (P less than 0.05). Animals in estrus also showed less general activity and greater intensity of stereotyped behaviors than did animals in diestrus (P less than 0.05). Independent experiments examining estrous cycle-dependent differences in AMPH-stimulated striatal DA release in vitro also found that AMPH-stimulated striatal DA release was greater on estrus than on diestrus (P less than 0.05). Thus, striatal DA release and behaviors induced by AMPH are modulated by ovarian hormones. The heightened responsiveness to AMPH during estrus suggests that estrogen and/or progesterone potentiate the striatal DA response to AMPH.
Real-Time Identification of Flutter Boundaries Using the Discrete Wavelet Transform

Real-time analysis of an airframe’s eutter boundaries during eight testing can help ensure safety and reduce costs. One method of identiecation is to performcorrelation elteringusing a set of singlet functions. The method is abletoidentifyaccuratelythefrequencyand dampingcoefe cientof thesystemtoexcitation, but the computational time required can be too signiecant to implement in real-time. An alternative method is presented for correlation e ltering that employs amultiple-level discretewavelet transform. The wavelet transform decomposes theresponse signal into a set of subsignals that correspond to different frequency bands. The same operation is applied to each entry in a dictionary of singlet functions. The transform results in a considerable reduction in the data and, thus, to a reduction in the computational time needed to calculate the correlation. We demonstrate that our approach is able to identify accurately frequency and damping characteristics of the impulse response of both a synthetically generated test signal and actual eight-test data. As a result, real-time identie cation of eutter boundaries during e ight testing may be possible with relatively low-cost computational resources.
An Evaluation of Four Different Wavelet Decomposition Procedures for Spatial Feature Discrimination in Urban Areas

Texture or spatial arrangement of neighborhood objects and features plays an important role in the human visual system for pattern recognition and image classification. The traditional spectral–based image processing techniques have proven inadequate for urban land use and land cover mapping from images acquired by the current generation of fine–resolution satellites. This is because of the high frequency spatial arrangements or complex nature of urban features. There is a need for an effective algorithm to digitally classify urban land use and land cover categories using high–resolution image data. Recent studies using wavelet transforms for texture analysis have generally reported better accuracy. Based on a high–resolution ATLAS image, this study illustrates four different wavelet decomposition procedures – the standard, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal decompositions – for urban land use and land cover feature extraction with the use of 33×33 pixel samples. The standard decomposition approach was found to be the most efficient approach in urban texture analysis and classification. For comparison purposes and to better evaluate the accuracy of wavelet approaches in image classification, spatial autocorrelation techniques (Moran’s I and Geary’s C) and the spatial co–occurrence matrix method were also examined. The results suggest that the wavelet transform approach is superior to all other approaches.
Stress–strain behavior in main chain liquid crystalline elastomers: effect of crosslinking density and transverse rod incorporation on “Poisson's ratio”

Stress-strain results are reported for two series of smectic C main chain liquid crystalline elastomers (MCLCEs). The structural variable in one series is crosslink density; in the other, transverse rod content. With increasing crosslinker content, the LCEs exhibit increased modulus, a shorter polydomain-to-monodomain (P-M) plateau, and a lower elongation at break. Increasing transverse rod content leads to lower clearing temperatures and lower modulus. For each series, stress-strain measurement was made simultaneously with Poisson's ratio determination. For the variable crosslinker series, typical behavior showed the Poisson's ratio increased at small strain, rose to a maximum about 50% strain, then decreased with greater strain. For the transverse rod series, typical behavior also showed the Poisson's ratio increased at small strain, rose to a maximum about 50% strain, then decreased with greater strain. In both series, the maximum in the Poisson's ratio corresponded to the onset of the P-M transition. Possible deformation mechanisms are presented.
Genetics of childhood disorders: XLVIII. Learning and memory, Part 1: Fragile X syndrome update.

Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry - Vol. 42 - N° 3 - p. 372-375
Spanish Books for Children

Abstract For the Very Young: Allen, Jonathan: iDespierta, Bella Durmiente! (Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty!) Illus. by the author. Translated by Marta Sans Meca. Barcelona: Beascoa Internacional, 1997. 20p. ISBN: 84-488-0571-2. $22.95. Bourgoing, Pascale de: Colette Camil: ?Donde estan los circuios? (Where Are the Circles?) Translated from the French by Xavier Carrasco. (A Traves de la Ventana.) Madrid: La Galera, 1998. 20 pp. ISBN: 84-246-6809-X. $15.95. Bourgoing, Pacale de: Tom se enfada. (Tom Gets Mad.) Illus. by Y. Calarnou. Translated from the French by Sylvie Christiaen. (Tom y Tim) Barcelona: La Galera, 1998. 20 pp. ISBN: 84-246-5211-8. $8.50. Cowley, Stewart: Dora, la pastora. (Dora, the Shepherdess.) Illus. by Sonia Canals. Barcelona: Editorial Beascoa, 1998. 12 pp. ISBN: 84-8985745-8. $8.95. Galmez, Griselda: Candelaria. (Candelaria.) Illus. by Maria Wernicke. Buenos Aires: Alfaguara, 1998. 37pp. ISBN: 950-511-412-5. pap. $8.95. Mantegazza, Giovanna: El leon y el raton. (The Lion and the Mouse.) ISBN...
Mental Imagery in Counseling.

Heightened interest in conscious mind phenomena such as mental imagery has been evident among professionals and lay people in recent years. In this article the author discusses some of the uses of mental imagery techniques in counseling. Special emphasis is given to the potential of mental images in the tapping of creative energy and other positive aspects of the “higher self that may enhance daily living. These uses of mental imagery have significant implications for contemporary counselors.
Attractiveness of Plant Roots To Pratylenchus Penetrans (Cobb) 1)

Initial migration of P. penetrans from an inoculation point in a thin layer of agar or quartz sand was significantly greater in the direction of host seedlings. Tomato, carrot, and alfalfa seedlings were attractive in agar but only alfalfa seedlings were attractive in sand. Removal of seedling tops decreased attractiveness and areas where plants had been removed were less attractive than seedlings themselves. No attraction was found to excised root tips of mature plants and seedlings were not attractive when placed more than 12.5 mm from the inoculation site.
A test of reciprocal X-Y interactions as a cause of hybrid sterility in Drosophila.

ELUCIDATION of the nature of the gene interactions that underly the sterility of interspecific hybrids is important in evolutionary biology1,2. The interactions between the heterospecific X and Y (or Z and W) chromosomes are often used as an explanation for two reasons. First, the fertility of the hybrids of the heterogametic sex is much more often affected than that of the homogametic sex (Haldane's rule3) and X–Y interactions are specific to the heterogametic sex. Second, sex chromosomes, especially the X chromosome, are often considered to be of special importance in determining the fertility of hybrids1,2,4. X–Y interactions have been addressed in studies of males with a heterospecific Y chromosome in a mixed genetic background5–8. A more stringent test of the X–Y interaction model requires each X chromosome sterility factor to be tested separately for its interaction with the Y chromosome in a homogeneous background of the pure species. Here we report such a test of the X–Y interaction model and conclude that X–Y interactions should not be assumed to be the only or even the most common cause of hybrid sterility.
How can good randomized controlled trials in leading journals be so misinterpreted

The results of good randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in leading peer-reviewed journals have been deemed the best possible basis for good medical practice. However, several limitations may decrease their value. These include flaws and weaknesses in the design and the timeliness of RCTs. Progress in a treatment method or control arm may invalidate a trial. So too can defects in patient selection, physician competence, randomization, applicability, end points, and the population being studied. Idiosyncratic flaws can also invalidate an RCT. Examples of these flaws and weaknesses are presented. Another problem with articles describing RCTs is the potential for the conclusions of the trial report to be misleading because of error or bias. This plus subsequent misinterpretation of the trial results or conclusions by others can make the effect of the trial misleading with an unintended detrimental result on medical practice. Guidelines based on such errors or bias-based conclusions and misinterpretations can further compound the problem. This article provides examples of misleading conclusions and/or misinterpretations (spinning) of trial results in articles describing RCTs in leading journals. All physicians should recognize these value-limiting processes so that RCTs can be evaluated adequately and fairly. In that way, they can be used along with good physician judgment to optimize the care delivered to individual patients and to society at large.
The use of intraoperative epicardial echocardiography with color flow imaging during the repair of complete atrioventricular septal defects

The use of intraoperative echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging has acquired increased popularity for early assessment of efficacy of repair of congenital heart defects soon after discontinuance of cardiopulmonary bypass. This technology has been found useful also for evaluating the anatomy of the lesion prior to repair. Furthermore, with the use of color flow mapping, additional anomalies, such as patent arterial duct or multiple ventricular septal defects, which might have been overlooked during the initial examination, can be easily diagnosed. Moreover, intraoperative echocardiography provides the quickest and most sensitive method for a surgeon to look for residual atrioventricular valves regurgitation and/or residual atrial or ventricular septal defects as well as for depressed ventricular contractility. Previous studies1–4 have discussed specifically the applicability of intraoperative color flow imaging during the repair of atrioventricular septal defect with a common atrioventricular orifice using both epicardial and transesophageal methodology. Routine intraoperative echocardiography with Doppler color flow imaging has been used since March 1987 at Duke University Medical Center during repair of congenital heart defects. Our aim was to confirm the preoperative dignosis and to assess the quality of repair soon after discontinuance of cardiopulmonary bypass. Our overall experience now includes 612 patients of whom 239 or 39% were less than one year of age at the time of repair. This indicates our tendency to undertake early correction regardless of the age of patients and of the severity of the lesion.
Lyme Disease and the Heart

Lyme disease is caused by bacteria that are transmitted to humans by hard-bodied ticks found in temperate climates throughout the world.1,2 In the United States, the disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and is endemic in areas of the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions, as well as the upper Midwest and northern Pacific Coast (Figure 1). Ticks undergo a 3-stage life cycle during which they acquire the Lyme disease bacteria from mice and other rodent hosts and transmit them back to these hosts and to humans. The most common clinical manifestation is an expanding red rash called erythema migrans that occurs in ≈90% of cases (Figure 2). Other disease manifestations can be seen when the bacteria disseminate from the site of initial deposition in the skin to the heart and other organs. Before the discovery of effective antibiotic therapy, more than half of all Lyme disease patients experienced joint manifestations, whereas ≤10% had neurological or cardiac manifestations. The number of people experiencing these complications has decreased markedly since the use of standard antibiotic therapy early in the course of infection. Figure 1. Reports of cases of Lyme disease to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States, 2010 (National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, Bacterial Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States). One dot is placed randomly within county of residence for each confirmed case. Although Lyme disease cases have been reported in nearly every state, cases are reported from the infected person’s county of residence, not the place where they were infected. Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Figure 2. Erythema migrans rash. This rash can be uniformly red ( A ) or have a bull’s-eye appearance with central clearing ( B ). The rash usually is painless …
Purification of α-Synuclein from Human Brain Reveals an Instability of Endogenous Multimers as the Protein Approaches Purity

Despite two decades of research, the structure–function relationships of endogenous, physiological forms of α-synuclein (αSyn) are not well understood. Most in vitro studies of this Parkinson’s disease-related protein have focused on recombinant αSyn that is unfolded and monomeric, assuming that this represents its state in the normal human brain. Recently, we have provided evidence that αSyn exists in considerable part in neurons, erythrocytes, and other cells as a metastable multimer that principally sizes as a tetramer. In contrast to recombinant αSyn, physiological tetramers purified from human erythrocytes have substantial α-helical content and resist pathological aggregation into β-sheet rich fibers. Here, we report the first method to fully purify soluble αSyn from the most relevant source, human brain. We describe protocols that purify αSyn to homogeneity from nondiseased human cortex using ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, and ion exchange, hydrophobic interaction, and affinity chro...
Monomode fibre polarisation scrambler

A technique for the pseudodepolarisation of a long-coherence-length source is described, which is based on a simple polarisation modulation scheme. Using a length of high-birefringence fibre wound on to a piezoelectric transducer, a simple all-fibre polarisation scrambler can be constructed.
Case-reporting of acute hepatitis B and C among injection drug users

Although public health surveillance system data are widely used to describe the epidemiology of communicable disease, occurrence of hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV, respectively) infections may be misrepresented by under-reporting in injection drug users (IDUs). This study was carried out to examine the relationship between HBV and HCV incidence and case-reporting of hepatitis B and C in Seattle IDUs. Names of participants in a Seattle IDU cohort study who acquired HBV or HCV infection over a 12-month follow-up period were compared to a database of persons with acute bepatitis B and C reported to the bealth department surveillance unit over the same period. Of 2,208 IDUs enrolled in the cohort who completed a follow-up visit, 63/759 acquired HBV infection, 53/317 acquired HCV infection, and 3 subjects acquired both HBV and HCV. Of 113 cohort subjects who acquired HBV or HCV, only 2 (1.5%) cases were reported; both bad acute bepatitis B. The upper 95% confidence limit for case-reporting of bepatitis C in the cohort was 5.7%, and for hepatitis B, it was 7.5%. In this study, reporting of acute bepatitis in IDUs was extremely low, raising questions regarding the use of community surveillance data to estimate underlying incidence in that population group.
Determinants of customer loyalty in the wireless telecommunications industry

This paper reports the results of research investigating the determinants of the propensity to switch wireless service providers. A model generated from the data rather than from a priori theory is presented, and it is found to uphold the strong relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty exhibited in prior studies. In sharp contrast to the prevailing industry practice of 'locking in' customers by means of restrictive contracts, this research suggests that wireless service providers are better off improving customer satisfaction in order to minimize customer defection. This would imply shifting scarce resources to customer retention through improved service, saving costs of expensive customer acquisition campaigns. The paper also proposes two methodological innovations. First, the research employs the 'Tetrad methodology' as an exploratory technique prior to building a Structural Equation Model (SEM) making it possible to identify drivers of loyalty-direct or indirect-when it might not be known a priori what these drivers might be. Secondly, the paper proposes an approach to estimating moderator effects on the relationship between satisfaction and customer loyalty.
The thermodynamics of transfer of DNP-lysine from water to ethanol: A model for antibody-hapten association

The apparent partial molar heat capacities of lysine in water and N-e-(2,4-dinitrophenyl)-L-lysine (DNP-lysine) in water and ethanol have been determined. In addition, the thermodynamic quantities (ΔGtr, ΔHtr, ΔStr, ΔCp, tr) associated with the transfer of DNP-lysine from water to ethanol have been estimated. A comparison of these latter values with similar quantities for the interaction of the hapten, DNP-lysine, with its antibody suggest that water-hapten interactions play a significant role in defining the overall thermodynamic changes for the reaction. In particular, it appears that the large negative ΔCp values measured for hapten-antibody reactions are largely the result of a reduction in water-hapten interactions.
Treatment of Common Childhood Malignancies

Malignancy is the fourth leading cause of death in persons aged 1 to 19 years. The success of the pediatric oncology cooperative group clinical trials has allowed a systematic approach to the treatment of relatively rare malignancies. Each trial builds on previous results in terms of both survival and toxicity. This article will discuss the current treatment regimens for several of the more common pediatric malignancies and their long-term complications developed through this process.
Selection and extended growth of murine epidermal stem cells in culture.

Continuously renewing epithelia contain small undifferentiated stem cells capable of self-renewal and maintenance of the differentiating cell population. In murine epidermis stem cells have been identified as label-retaining cells (LRCs) by long-term retention of tritiated thymidine or BrdU. It has been suggested that epidermal stem cells adhere to basement membranes through differential expression of specific integrins. To determine whether we could use a specific integrin to enrich for murine epidermal stem cells, we tested adherence of LRCs to several substrates. Regardless of the substrate used, approximately 10% of total basal cells and 100% of LRCs adhered in 10 min. In our medium specifically formulated for murine keratinocytes, rapidly adherent stem cells formed large colonies and could be used to form a structurally complete epidermis in organotypic culture. They showed a fivefold greater transient transfection efficiency than total basal cells, and when individual adherent cells were transduced with a retroviral vector, they formed large clones. Although these stem cells grew more slowly than the total basal cell population, they could be subcultured more times. Our results indicate that murine epidermal stem cells can be selected by rapid attachment to a substrate, but not by one specific integrin, and that they can be expanded in culture if the appropriate conditions are maintained.
Strategy and metrics for wafer handling automation in legacy semiconductor fab

We present a systematic approach for converting a legacy wafer fab from manual wafer handling to fully automatic wafer handling. Our strategy began by quantifying the need for automation in terms of impact on die yield, identifying a seven percent die loss associated with scratches from wafer handling. We then addressed the fundamental changes in production equipment and processes as well as overall fab goals and attitudes that are required to achieve full wafer handling automation. After considering several approaches to staged fab automation, we selected an approach which eliminated all manual handling within specific fab modules, completing the automation within one group of modules before embarking on another module set. In this way, we limited both the initial scope and cost of the project while preparing to leverage its initial successes. This paper summarizes the methodology and metrics found useful for preparing the fab for change, executing the change, and successfully managing the overall project.
VHDL extensions for complex transmission line simulation

This paper proposes extensions to the VHDL grammar and defines new semantics in the language to model the timing behavior of high frequency buses and clock lines with multiple, distinct taps in a VHDL description. The proposed language constructs utilize transmission line analysis to model the timing behavior but avoids the continuous time simulation by using line-events.
Burkitt-like lymphoma in a hemophilic boy with impaired cellular immunity.

Burkitt-like lymphoma was seen in a hemophilic boy with impaired cell-mediated immunity, of the type described in healthy hemophiliacs. The coexistence of two rare diseases, hemophilia and Burkitt9s lymphoma in an immunosuppressed patient is suggestive of a blood-borne agent transmitted with factor VIII concentrates which might be an immune modifier and/or oncogenic at the same time.
Anomalous Diffuse Interstellar Bands in the Spectrum of Herschel 36. II. Analysis of Radiatively Excited CH+, CH, and Diffuse Interstellar Bands

Absorption spectra toward Herschel 36 (Her 36) for the transitions of CH+ in the J = 1 excited rotational level and for the transitions of CH in the J = 3/2 excited fine structure level have been analyzed. These excited levels are above their ground levels by 40.1?K and ~25.7?K and indicate high radiative temperatures of the environment of 14.6?K and 6.7?K, respectively. The effect of the high radiative temperature is more spectacular in some diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) observed toward Her 36; remarkable extended tails toward red (ETRs) were observed. We interpret these ETRs as being due to a small decrease of the rotational constants upon excitation of the excited electronic states. Along with radiative pumping of a great many high-J rotational levels, this causes the ETRs. In order to study this effect quantitatively, we have developed a model calculation in which the effects of collisions and radiation are treated simultaneously. The simplest case of linear molecules is considered. It has been found that the ETR is reproduced if the fraction of the variation of the rotational constant, ? ? (B' ? B)/B, is sufficiently high (3%-5%) and the radiative temperature is high (T r > 50?K). Although modeling for general molecules is beyond the scope of this paper, the results indicate that the prototypical DIBs ?5780.5, ?5797.1, and ?6613.6 which show the pronounced ETRs are due to polar molecules that are sensitive to the radiative excitation. The requirement of high ? favors relatively small molecules with three to six heavy atoms. DIBs ?5849.8, ?6196.0, and ?6379.3 that do not show the pronounced ETRs are likely due to non-polar molecules or large polar molecules with small ?.
Coherent Doppler lidar signal covariance including wind shear and wind turbulence

The performance of coherent Doppler lidar is determined by the statistics of the coherent Doppler signal. The derivation and calculation of the covariance of the Doppler lidar signal is presented for random atmospheric wind fields with wind shear. The random component is described by a Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum. The signal parameters are clarified for a general coherent Doppler lidar system. There are two distinct physical regimes: one where the transmitted pulse determines the signal statistics and the other where the wind field dominates the signal statistics. The Doppler shift of the signal is identified in terms of the wind field and system parameters.
Networking performance for microkernels

Performance measurements for network protocols in microkernel systems are typically two to five times slower than comparable macrokernel systems. It is shown that user-level network protocols have performed poorly because they rely on code designed to run in a kernel environment. As a result, they make assumptions about the costs of primitive protocol operations such as scheduling, preemption, and data transfer which can require substantial overhead to satisfy at user level. Good user-level protocol performance can be achieved by restructuring protocol servers to take advantage of microkernel facilities, rather than ignore them. >
Activities of enzymes that detoxify superoxide anion and related toxic oxyradicals in Trichoplusia ni

In third-, fourth-, and fifth-instar larvae of the cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni, the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD*), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPOX), and glutathione reductase (GR) were examined using 850 g supernatants of whole-body homogenates. The enzyme activities, expressed as units mg−1 protein min−1 at 25°C ranged as follows: SOD, 0.67-2.13 units; CAT, 180.5-307.5 units; GPOX, none detectable; and GR, 0.40-1.19 units. There was a similar pattern of changes for SOD and CAT activities with larval ontogeny, but not for GR. The cabbage looper apparently uses SOD and CAT to form a “defensive team” effective against endogenously produced superoxide anion (O2⪸). Glutathione may serve as an antioxidant for the destruction of any organic/lipid peroxides formed, and GSH oxidized to glutathione disulfide would be recycled by GR. Bioassays against pro-oxidant compounds exogenous sources of (O2⪸) show high sensitivity of mid-fifth instars to the linear furanocoumarin, 8-methoxypsoralen (xanthotoxin) primarily from photoactivation (320-380 nm), and auto-oxidation of the flavonoid, quercetin. The LC50s are 0.0004 and 0.0045% (w/w) concentration of xanthotoxin and quercetin, respectively. Both pro-oxidants have multiple target sites for lethal action and, in this context, the role of antioxidant enzymes is discussed.
Simple Diagnosis of Tropical Cyclone Structure via Pressure Gradients

In 1980 the Holland tropical cyclone (TC) wind profile model was introduced. This simple model was originally intended to estimate the wind profile based on limited surface pressure information alone. For this reason and its relative simplicity, the model has been used in many practical applications. In this paper the potential ofasimplifiedversion ofthe HollandB parameter, whichisrelated tothe shapeofthetangentialwind profile, is explored as a powerful diagnostic tool for monitoring TC structure. The implementation examined is based on the limited information (maximum wind, central pressure, radius and pressure of the outer closed isobar, radii of operationally important wind radii, etc.) that is typically available in operational models and routineanalysesofTCstructure.This‘‘simplifiedHollandB’’parameterisshowntobesensitivetoTCintensity, TC size, and the rate of radial decay of the tangential winds, but relatively insensitive to the radius of maximum winds.AclimatologyofthesimplifiedHollandBparameterbasedonhistoricalbest-trackdataisalsodeveloped and presented, providing the expected natural ranges of variability. The relative simplicity, predictable variability,anddesirablepropertiesofthesimplifiedHollandBparametermakeitidealforavarietyofapplications. ExamplesofhowthesimplifiedHollandBparametercanbeusedforimprovingforecasterguidance,developing TC structure tools, diagnosing TC model output, and understanding and comparing the climatological variations of TC structure are presented.
Short-Term Load Forecasting Using System-Type Neural Network Architecture

Neural networks have been applied in various new ways to the problem of short-term load forecasting for power systems. Virtually all of these methods are based on using statistical patterns, which are perceived between the yearly load histories of the system to predict the forecasted year's demand. The proposed method also uses a neural network approach, but differs from the others in how those patterns are perceived. Specifically, the proposed approach begins with the premise that the load demand for a given year can be given a structure which can then be related to the structure of the reference year, in such a way that a transformation can be found from the reference year's structure to the forecasting year's structure. The transformation depends upon how parameters, which influenced the load but can not be measured, move from the reference year to the forecasting year.
CONTINUITIES AND TRANSFORMATIONS IN THE EVOLUTION OF WORLD-SYSTEMS

This chapter discusses continuities and transformations of systemic logics and modes of accumulation in world historical and evolutionary perspective as well as the prospects for systemic transformation in the next several decades. It also considers the meaning of the global financial meltdown of 2008 by comparing it with earlier debt crises and periods of collapse. Was this just another debt crisis like the ones that have periodically occurred over the past 200 years, or was it the beginning of the end of capitalism and the transformation to a new and different logic of social reproduction? I consider the network of global counter-movements and progressive national regimes that emerged to seek transformation of the capitalist world-system into a more humane, sustainable and egalitarian civilization and how the current crisis is affecting this network of antisystemic movements and regimes, including the Pink Tide populist regimes in Latin America and the anti-austerity movements. I describe how the New Global Left has been similar to, and different from, earlier global lefts. And I discuss the wave of populist nationalism that emerged along with the rise of the New Global Left. The point is to develop a comparative and evolutionary framework that can discern what is really new about the current global situation and that can inform collectively rational responses.
CT Colonography Computer-Aided Polyp Detection using Topographical Height Map

CT colonography (CTC) is an emerging noninvasive technique for screening and diagnosing colon cancers. Computer aided detection (CAD) techniques can increase sensitivity and reduce false positives. We propose to employ topographical height maps in our CAD pipeline. For every detection, a height map is computed using a ray-casting algorithm. Since colonic polyps are protrusions outward from the colon wall and are round in contour, their height maps present concentric patterns. The projection direction is optimized through a multi-scale spherical search. We derive several topographic features from the map, and also compute texture features from the Haar wavelet coefficients. We send the selected features to a committee of support vector machines for classification. We have tested our method on 1186 patients with 226 polyps. Results showed that the height map features can reduce false positives by about 50%.
Source memory and frontal functioning in Parkinson's disease

The most extensively described pathological abnormality in Parkinson's disease (PD) is loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the ventral tegmental area, with degeneration of their striatal terminals. Because of the intimate connections between the striatum and the frontal lobes, individuals with PD often demonstrate impairments on those tasks relying on the prefrontal cortex (e.g., tests of executive functioning). Source memory, or memory for context, is believed to rely on the prefrontal cortex and has been previously associated with executive functioning performance, although it has received little attention in the PD literature. Executive functioning and source memory were measured in a group of nondemented PD patients and healthy control participants. Within the PD group, an anti-Parkinson's medication withdrawal manipulation was used to examine whether source memory was affected by phasic changes in dopamine levels. Compared to healthy control participants, PD patients were impaired in source memory (both on- and off-medication) and on a composite measure of executive functioning. Within the PD group, medication administration improved motor performance but did not have a significant effect on source memory.
Analysis of variance techniques: A comment

The efforts of Professor Adelman and her colleagues to broaden the scope of empirical development research so that it incorporates noneconomic, as well as economic variables probably represents an important additional step in the quest to understand the processes of economic growth and development. In their recent methodological essay [1971] Professors Adelman and Morris have performed a valuable service by providing a concise exposition of several related statistical techniques. However, they failed to adequately discuss the limitations of these techniques and the danger involved in the inductive theorizing they proposed. This note indicates some of the caveats to their proposals. It begins by commenting on some methodological issues involved, and argues that the problem of interpreting what the statistical solution mean relative to the original variables and development is serious. Finally, it compares regression analysis and other techniques in the specific context of development studies.
Engineering of an Escherichia coli Strain for the Production of 3-Methyl-1-Butanol

3-Methyl-1-butanol is a potential fuel additive or substitute. Previously this compound was identified in small quantities in yeast fermentation as one of the fusel alcohols. In this work, we engineered an Escherichia coli strain to produce 3-methyl-1-butanol from glucose via the host's amino acid biosynthetic pathways. Strain improvement with the removal of feedback inhibition and competing pathways increased the selectivity and productivity of 3-methyl-1-butanol. This work demonstrates the feasibility of production of 3-methyl-1-butanol as a biofuel and shows promise in using E. coli as a host for production.
Brief Report: The Relationship Between Chronic Illness and Identification and Management of Psychosocial Problems in Pediatric Primary Care

Objective To compare identification, management, and barriers to treatment for psychosocial concerns in children with and without a chronic illness. Methods Using data from the Child Behavior Study (CBS), provider rates of identification, treatment, and reports of barriers to treatment were compared in children with and without a chronic illness. Of the 21,065 children ranging in age from 4 to 15 years, 808 children were identified with a chronic illness and were matched on eight demographic variables with 763 healthy children. Results Providers identified psychosocial concerns in significantly more children with a chronic illness (36.8%) than healthy children (20.2%). Among children with psychosocial concerns, rates of identification, treatment, and barriers to treatment did not differ across the two groups. Conclusions Chronic illness did not present more barriers to the management of psychosocial concerns. Increased rates of identification and treatment of psychosocial concerns require attention to general barriers to treatment and screening.
Reading the Book of the World

In Writing the Book of the World, Ted Sider argues that David Lewis’s distinction between those predicates which are ‘perfectly natural’ and those which are not can be extended so that it applies to words of all semantic types. Just as there are perfectly natural predicates, there may be perfectly natural connectives, operators, singular terms and so on. According to Sider, one of our goals as metaphysicians should be to identify the perfectly natural words. Sider claims that there is a perfectly natural first-order quantifier. I argue that this claim is not justified. Quine has shown that we can dispense with first-order quantifiers, by using a family of ‘predicate functors’ instead. I argue that we have no reason to think that it is the first-order quantifiers, rather than Quine’s predicate functors, which are perfectly natural. The discussion of quantification is used to provide some motivation for a general scepticism about Sider’s project. Shamik Dasgupta’s ‘generalism’ and Jason Turner’s critique of ‘ontological nihilism’ are also discussed.
A multi-disciplinary framework for the study of private housing schemes: integrating anthropological, psychological and political levels of theory and analysis

This paper examines the theories and methods involved in the study of the impact of private governance on residents in two distinct kinds of middle class housing schemes: gated community residents in New York and Texas living in single family attached and detached houses, and cooperative apartment dwellers in New York City. The studies employed a range of methodologies drawing on the disciplines of anthropology, psychology and political science. An attempt was made to understand residents lived experiences through a number of disciplinary lenses: theories of community and culture; theories of rationalization and psychological resistance, and theories of moral minimalism and representation. Each of these disciplinary layers added to the analysis, while at the same time, creating epistemological disjunctures and concerns that had to be addressed by the research team on an ongoing basis. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the benefits of this approach in terms of the production of new knowledge about private governance, while offering cautionary comments about undertaking interdisciplinary projects of this nature.
Model-based control of semiconductor processing equipment: rapid thermal processing example

Analytical and empirical based models have been incorporated into the real-time control of rapid thermal processing equipment to improve both absolute temperature control and uniformity. This paper describes the special control needs of RTP systems along with a detailed description or an RTP model. >
Rethinking Rule of Law Efforts in Iraq

JURIST Guest Columnist Kevin Govern, Assistant Professor of Law at the US Military Academy, West Point, NY, discusses the evolution of rule of law challenges in Iraq post-2003 and proposes new criteria for achieving and assessing Iraq's status as a "rechtsstaat", i.e. a law-based state.
Overview of Shoulder Approaches: Choosing Between Mini-incision and Arthroscopic Techniques

In recent years, there has been great interest in minimally invasive orthopedic surgery. Several branches of orthopedics have embraced the principles of minimally invasive surgery, including traumatology,1–3 spinal surgery,4 and adult reconstruction.5–7 By far the greatest influence has been felt in the field of sports medicine with the introduction, routine, and later obligate use of the arthroscope. Indeed, the days of the open menisectomy or extraarticular anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction are almost beyond us, as in these and many other cases, arthroscopic and arthroscopically assisted techniques have become the standard of care. More recently, the field of shoulder and elbow surgery has begun a similar transition; however, a single, distinct difference exists. Previously in sports medicine, the arthroscope was a new tool and standard open procedures were subsequently approached arthroscopically; however, we are currently witnessing a surge of interest in minimally invasive approaches to techniques that are not amenable to arthroscopic treatment, such as arthroplasty5–7 or plate osteosynthesis for fractures.1–3 This creates an interesting dilemma: when to choose arthroscopy versus minimally invasive open surgery or even more traditional open approaches.
Reactions of equity markets to recent financial reforms

Abstract We conduct event studies of broad equity market reaction to the events surrounding introduction and enactment of recent financial reform initiatives. In response to the introduction of the Dodd-Frank Act, financial firms and firms from a few other industries experience a statistically significant decrease in systematic risk, while a substantial number of industries, representing a broad cross-section of the economy, experiences a statistically significant increase in systematic risk. The systematic risk in some industries does not change. The increase in risk is concentrated in industries in which firms are dependent on external capital. The initial market reaction to Dodd-Frank indicates that it may lower the risk in financial firms, but the risk for many non-financial firms simultaneously increases.