cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strength and Stiffness of 3-Ply Industrial Bamboo Matting

There is a pressing need to develop engineering standards for timber- and other wood-based mats suitable for supporting construction vehicles, etc. In 2018, a group of mat producers and users began discussing a potential grading standard specific to mats. There are large gaps in the literature regarding the performance of the available raw materials as well as bolt-laminated mat systems. This study addresses the issue of determining the strength and stiffness values of a commercially sourced industrial bamboo mat. A total of seven 8 ft × 14 ft (2.44 m × 4.27 m) commercial bamboo mats were cut into 28 billets that were 21.5 in (54.6 cm) in width. The bamboo mat billets were evaluated for bending stiffness (modulus of elasticity [MOE]) and strength (modulus of rupture [MOR]) using a three-point static bending test. The 5th percentile non-parametric tolerance limit (5% NTL) and design value for fiber stress in bending (Fb) were calculated. The mechanical property values measured for the 3-ply bamboo mat were at least 25% less than values reported for mixed hardwood timber mats. This type of structural performance information is helpful and useful in the development of matting standards, as it describes the minimum performance characteristics for this type of composite matting.
Obesity prevalence in celiac disease in the United States from 2014 to 2018.

Celiac disease (CD) is not commonly associated with obesity; however, many patients are overweight or obese at time of diagnosis. As the number of people in the United States with obesity continues to rise, it is not known if the prevalence of obesity among patients with CD has also increased. This study utilized an electronic health record database incorporating over 360 individual hospitals in the United States (Explorys Incorporated, Cleveland, OH). Adult patients who had an esophagogastroduodenoscopy at least 1 day prior to reporting of CD from the years 2014 to 2018 formed the study population. From 2014 to 2018, 13,410 patients had a diagnosis of CD. The prevalence of obesity was 45,000/100,000 persons in this CD population. Prevalence of class I (BMI 30–34.9), II (BMI 35–39.9), and III (BMI > 40) obesity in patients with CD continued to rise over the 5-year span. Class I obesity had the highest prevalence and Class II the highest prevalence increase when obesity classes were compared. Clinicians should be aware of obesity as a comorbidity of increasing prevalence when providing longitudinal care for patients with CD.
Immunosuppression in Cattle with Fescue Toxicosis

Anecdotal observations suggest that cattle entering feed lots after grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue have increased morbidity and mortality (Purdy et al.,1989). The morbidity and mortality has been interpreted as resulting from reduced immune functions in animals with fescue toxicosis. Rats fed endophyte-infected seed diets had lower serum antibody titers to sheep red blood cells than rats fed endophyte-free seed diets. In addition, spleen cells from rats on the endophyte-infected seed diets bad reduced mitogen response (Dew et al.., 1990). A consistent physiologic change associated with fescue toxicosis is hypoprolactinemia (Thompson et al., 1987). There is an increasing body of literature that indicates that prolactin functions as a co-factor in the regulation of the immune response (Reber,1993). Based on these observations the hypothesis was developed that cattle with fescue toxicosis would have decreased ability to produce antibodies to a protein antigen.
Multifunctional Cement-Based Materials

Introduction to Cement-Based Materials Introduction to Multifunctional Cement-Based Materials Cement-Based Materials for Piezoresistivity (Strain Sensing) Cement-Based Materials for Damage Sensing Electrically Conductive Cement-Based Materials Cement-Based Materials for Dielectric Functions Cement-Based Materials for Thermal Engineering Cement-Based Materials for Damping
Collective Punishment: When is Our Group Responsible for Our Actions?

This study explores the conditions under which people are willing to punish collectives for an individual's actions - i.e., collective punishment. Manipulating the perspective of the participant and the control the collective had over the perpetrator, the authors found collectives received harsher punishments when the collective had control over the perpetrator and the participant was in the role of victim than when the collective had no control over the perpetrator and the participant was in the role of a neutral observer. Perpetrators received harsher punishments from victims when the collective had control over the perpetrator as compared to when the collective did not have control over the perpetrator. The opposite was true for neutral observers. Possible affective and cognitive explanations for these findings are explored.
Intragenic sequences are required for cell type-specific and injury- induced expression of the rat peripherin gene

Peripherin is a 57 kDa type III intermediate-filament protein that is thought to play a role in axonogenesis both during development and following nerve injury (Oblinger et al., 1989; Escurat et al., 1990; Gorham et al., 1990; Troy et al., 1990b). We have used transgenic mouse technology to define peripherin gene sequences that are necessary for cell type-specific expression and for the increase in peripherin that occurs in response to axonal injury. Correct temporal and nervous system-specific expression resulted when 5.8 kilobases of peripherin 5′ flanking sequence were linked to a reporter gene, but precise cell type- specific expression was achieved only when intragenic sequences were included. When intragenic sequences were present, peripherin transgenes were expressed in dorsal root ganglion neurons and spinal cord motor neurons and were upregulated in these cells following nerve injury.
US Union and Workers' Movements, Past and Future

The last half century of US labor movement history is characterized by dramatic decline in both density and (since 1979) real numbers. While unions and union federations in the mainstream union movement have attempted to adjust, developments outside their sphere have been especially prominent: the rise of independent unions and the initiation of alternative forms of workers movements. With union decline, community labor organizations [typified by Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)], worker centers, and living wage campaigns have risen to fill the void. These alternate paths for worker representation, like other forms developed in the past, bring new tactics, new activists, and new links to labor struggles and may yet contribute to the future of labor movements in the United States. Keywords: labor movement; unions; workers; community labor organizations; worker centers; living wage laws
Business Connections and Informed Trading of Mutual Fund Managers

This paper explores the hypothesis that investors gain information advantages through business connections made during prior employment. Mutual fund managers who previously worked as sell-side analysts put significantly more weight on the stocks they previously covered, and holdings of those stocks outperform their other holdings by 18% annually. These abnormal returns are concentrated around earnings announcements. However, the superior performance of covered stocks decreases significantly after the implementation of Regulation-FD or after executive changes at the covered companies. The results indicate that fund managers may have access to inside information through the business connections they made while working as analysts.
Monitoring solar-thermal systems: An outline of methods and procedures

This manual discusses the technical issues associated with monitoring solar-thermal systems. It discusses some successful monitoring programs that have been implemented in the past. It gives the rationale for selecting a program of monitoring and gives guidelines for the design of new programs. In this report, solar thermal monitoring systems are classified into three levels. For each level, the report discusses the kinds of information obtained by monitoring, the effort needed to support the monitoring program, the hardware required, and the costs involved. Ultimately, all monitoring programs share one common requirement: the collection of accurate data that characterize some aspect or aspects of the system under study. This report addresses most of the issues involved with monitoring solar thermal systems. It does not address such topics as design fundamentals of thermal systems or the relative merits of the many different technologies employed for collection of solar energy.
Irukandji-like syndrome in South Florida divers

Irukandji syndrome is a constellation of delayed severe local and systemic symptoms occurring after a Carukia barnesi box jellyfish sting involving any exposed skin. These cases are limited to Australia, the habitat of that animal. Numerous other cases of an Irukandji-like syndrome after other small Carybdeid genus envenomations have been reported elsewhere in the world. There have yet been no reports of Irukandji-like syndrome occurring in continental US coastal waters. We describe 3 cases of marine envenomation causing such a symptom complex in US military combat divers off Key West, FL. It is unclear what species caused the injuries, but a member of the Carybdeid genus seems most likely.
Ordering tendencies in octahedral MgO-ZnO alloys

Isostructural II-VI alloys whose components are either rocksalt stable (e.g., CaO-MgO) or zincblende stable (e.g., ZnS-ZnSe) are known to be thermodynamically unstable at low temperatures, showing a miscibility gap and nobulk ordering. In contrast, we show that heterostructural MgO-ZnO is stable, under certain conditions, in the sixfold-coordinated structure for Zn concentrations below 67%, giving rise to spontaneously ordered alloys. Using first-principles calculations, we explain the origin of this stability, the structures of their low-temperature ordered phases, short-range-order patterns, and their optical band-gap properties.
Vitamin D and Depression

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient proven to be important for bone health. It has other physiological functions, and there are plausible reasons for investigating vitamin D in depressive disorders. Some cross-sectional clinical and epidemiologic studies, but not all studies, have found that low levels of vitamin D are significantly associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms or with a depression diagnosis. However, cross-sectional studies cannot establish causality, and the methodology of these studies has been criticized. Due to the poor quality of the treatment studies, the effectiveness of vitamin D for depression cannot be adequately assessed. Current evidence does not definitively demonstrate that vitamin D deficiency is a cause of or risk for developing depression or that vitamin D is an effective therapy for depression.
Ab‐initio SCF calculations on pyrrole and pyrazole

Full ab-initio SCF calculations have been carried out on pyrrole and pyrazole with very large Gaussian basis sets. A preliminary analysis of the molecular wave functions has been made by looking at the total and orbital energies and some of the properties. A comparison is made between these results and previous SCF calculations performed with much smaller basis sets. The ionization energies obtained by Koopman's theorem are compared with the experimental photoelectron spectroscopic values. Very good agreement is obtained for the two highest orbitals (both of π type). The comparison of pyrrole and pyrazole with some recent SCF results for furan is also included.
Taking a Chance: A Formal Model of How Firms Use Risk in Strategic Interaction with Other Firms

This article provides a formal mathematical treatment of the link between competitive advantage and risk in strategic interaction. In the first part of the analysis, I establish a basic mechanism whereby a rational, profit-maximizing firm that is risk neutral with respect to realized profits would nonetheless benefit from risk in the antecedent process of developing a competitive advantage. This result serves to motivate two game-theoretic models demonstrating that (1) the trade-off between risk and expectation in developing a competitive advantage and (2) the shape of this risk each define a different and previously unexplored dimension of differentiation along which firms choose distinctive competitive positions. Two other important aspects of market rivalry—the number of competing firms and their product market overlap—affect where firms position themselves and which firms have higher expected profit than others. The analysis offers a risk-based theory of the origins of competitive advantage among init...
The zero phase-front in microwave optics

Many microwave optical devices have been designed and studied, at least in part, by the methods of geometrical optics. Common practice in the microwave field has been to focus attention on the family of rays rather than on the surfaces normal to them, the so-called phase-fronts. When phase-fronts are examined, they are usually obtained from the rays by passing along each ray a constant electrical distance from a reference phase-front. The clumsy analytical expression for a phase-front thus obtained renders even a routine investigation of it a burdensome exercise in mathematical manipulation.
MULTIPLE SCALING AND THE FINE STRUCTURE OF PERIOD DOUBLING

To unravel the fine structure of period doubling, we have generalized the simple scaling law discovered by Feigenbaum to a multiple scaling law. This multiple scaling law is applied to period doubling in dissipative and conservative systems. New scaling exponents are found.
Should Interventionalist Work Hours Be Restricted After a Night on Call

As an interventional fellow, I hated to miss cases. I came in early and stayed late. I took call without hesitation. I was always available, and I never let lack of sleep get in my way. I was indefatigable—it was a form of invincibility. I’d remind myself of that as I worked exhausting hours,
African American Women in Sport

(1999). African American Women in Sport. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 70, No. 4, pp. 35-38.
Knockdown of MADD and c-FLIP overcomes resistance to TRAIL-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells.

Objective The clinical utility of tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis–inducing ligand (TRAIL) in the treatment of established human malignancies is limited by the development of resistance to TRAIL. We hypothesized that knockdown of map-kinase activating death domain containing protein (MADD), a TRAIL-resistance factor, may overcome TRAIL resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Study Design MADD expression in resected ovarian cancer specimens and cell lines was quantified with the use of polymerase chain reaction. Sensitivity of ovarian cancer cell lines to TRAIL, with or without MADD knockdown, was assessed. Results MADD is expressed at relatively higher levels in human malignant ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines, compared with normal ovarian tissues. The cell lines OVCA429 and OVCAR3 were susceptible, and cell lines CAOV-3 and SKOV-3 were resistant to TRAIL. MADD knockdown in CAOV-3 cells, but not in SKOV-3 cells, conferred TRAIL sensitivity. Knockdown of cellular Fas-associated death domain–like interleukin-1 beta-converting enzyme–inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) in SKOV-3 cells increased spontaneous and TRAIL-induced apoptosis, which was further increased on MADD knockdown. Conclusion MADD/c-FLIP L knockdown can render TRAIL-resistant ovarian cancer cells susceptible to TRAIL.
Modeling and image processing for visualization of volcanic mapping

In countries such as Italy, Japan, and Mexico, where active volcanoes are located in highly populated areas, the problem of risk reduction is very important. Actual knowledge about volcanic behavior does not allow deterministic event prediction or the forecasting of eruptions. However, areas exposed to eruptions can be analyzed if eruption characteristics can be inferred or assumed. Models to simulate volcanic eruptions and identify hazardous areas have been developed by collaboration between the IBM Italy Pisa Scientific Center and the Earth Science Department of Pisa University (supported by the Italian National Group of Volcanology of the Italian National Research Council). The input to the models is the set of assumed eruption characteristics: the typology of the phenomenon (ash fall, pyroclastic flow, etc.), vent position, total eruptible mass, wind profile, etc. The output of the models shows volcanic product distribution at ground level. These models are reviewed and their use in hazard estimation (compared with the more traditional techniques currently in use) is outlined. Effective use of these models, by public administrators and planners in preparing plans for the evacuation of hazardous zones, requires the clear and effective display of model results. Techniques to display and visualize such data have been developed by the authors. In particular, a computer program has been implemented on the IBM 7350 Image Processing System to display model outputs, representing both volume (in two dimensions) and distribution of ejected material, and to superimpose the displays upon satellite images that show 3D oblique views of terrain. This form of presentation, realized for various sets of initial conditions and eruption times, represents a very effective visual tool for volcanic hazard zoning and evacuation planning.
Drug-induced cues in studying mechanisms of drug action.

Abstract This paper describes how drug-cues can be used to study psychoactive drug mechanisms. Several overall approaches can be utilized. In one such approach, drug-cues can be either (1) compared with other pharmacological agents, or (2) the pharmacological mechanism of the cue can be evaluated by attempting to antagonize it with various receptor antagonists. A second approach involves studying the mechanism of a drug-cue by central neuropharmacologieal manipulations. In this approach the site of action of the cue can be characterized by comparing the peripherally generated cue to drug administered into various brain area sites. In addition, the mechanism of action can be studied by attempting to mimic the peripherally-generated cue by stimulating various CNS sites electrically, or one can attempt to alter the cue by the selective neurotoxic lesioning of various brain area sites. This latter approach can provide much information concerning possible neurochemical mechanisms involved in how the drug cue is elicited. Finally, one can compare drug cues with other pharmacological models of drug action such as the rat fundus pA2 model which has the value of allowing a better understanding of possible structure activity relationships of various psychoactive drugs. The drug-cue provides a very good model of a psychoactive drug effect, which can assist in obtaining important information concerning drug-receptor interactions using an in vivo rat preparation.
Serum amylase isoenzymes in cystic fibrosis patients. Evidence for a generalized defect in exocrine gland secretory regulation.

Summary: Altered exocrine gland function is characteristic of cystic fibrosis (CF). This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between pancreatic and salivary exocrine dysfunction in CF. We have measured serum pancreatic (P) and salivary-like (S) isoenzyme concentrations in CF patients, their obligate heterozygote parents and normal controls (N) using a quantitative gel-electrophoretic method. Our results show that serum levels of these isoenzymes correlate with the respective pancreatic and salivary gland amylase output and, therefore, can be used as measures of pancreatic and salivary exocrine function. Thus, P isoenzyme levels are low in CF patients with pancreatic insufficiency (mean ± S.D.: 1.3 + 0.6 starch units per liter versus 5.8 ± 1.7 for the N group, P < 0.001). In contrast, P isoenzyme levels are elevated in CF patients with adequate pancreatic function (12.0 ± 5.3; P < 0.002 versus N). Whereas P isoenzyme levels differentiate CF patients with pancreatic insufficiency from those with adequate pancreatic function, S isoenzyme levels are equally elevated irrespective of pancreatic function (12.5 ± 5.3 and 12.5 ± 5.2 versus 8.1 ± 2.7 for the N group, P < 0.001 and < 0.01, respectively). Thus, increased salivary amylase levels in CF patients are not due to a compensatory mechanism for reduced pancreatic amylase output, but rather are intrinsic to CF. In those patients with adequate pancreatic function, the increased S isoenzyme levels correlate with increased P levels (r = 0.72), indicating defective control of both pancreatic and salivary exocrine secretion in CF. In obligate heterozygote samples, P isoenzyme levels are increased (7.6 ± 2.5; P < 0.05 versus N) whereas S isoenzyme levels are normal (8.2 ± 5.6), indicating that this defect is partially expressed in the carrier state. We conclude that elevated saliva amylase and altered serum amylase isoenzyme levels in the CF patient and carrier state are due to a generalized defect in exocrine gland secretory regulation in CF. Speculation: We speculate that the altered exocrine secretion in cystic fibrosis patients and their parents is due to the presence of an extra, cystic-fibrosis-associated, stimulatory agent and that the exocrine pancreas is more sensitive to this agent than are the salivary glands.
Atomic distributions in liquid copper-tin alloys

Abstract Molten copper-tin alloys have been studied by X-ray diffraction, using a focusing theta-theta diffraetometer and Mo-Kα radiation (monochromator in the diffracted beam). Five alloys with 20, 35, 45, 55 and 78 atomic percent Sn, and pure Cu and Sn were measured at temperatures about 20 °C above the liquidus, and at 1100 °C. The total interference functions I(K), where K = 4π sin θ/δ, were obtained from the observed scattered intensities Ia(K) per atom and the theoretical atomic scattering factors. Splitting of the first peak in I(K) has been observed in the Cu-55 at% Sn alloy at the liquidus temperature. The partial interference functions Itj(K) at the liquidus temperature and at 1100°C were evaluated (assuming that they are independent of atomic concentration) using the five total I(K) of the alloys. The functions Iij(K) are in reasonable agreement with those obtained by Enderby, North and Egelstaff from neutron diffraction data of a Cu-45 at % Sn alloy. The reduced partial distribution functions ...
Linkage disequilibrium and haplotype tagging polymorphisms in the Tau H1 haplotype.

We and others have previously detected association of the Tau H1 haplotype on chromosome 17 with risk of idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD). The H1 haplotype appears to have a fundamental importance in neurodegeneration, as multiple studies have shown it is also associated with an increased risk for progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, frontotemporal lobar degeneration syndromes, and primary progressive aphasia. Therefore, to divide the H1 haplotype into sub-haplotypes that could be more significantly associated with the risk of developing PD, and to delimit the genes lying in the H1 haplotype, we analyzed 34 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) spanning over 3.15 megabases in the region containing Tau. These SNPs are located in or flank the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1, presenilin homolog 2, Tau, Saitohin, and KIAA1267 genes. Analysis of linkage disequilibrium (LD) using these 34 SNPs suggests that the H1 haplotype extends over about 1.3 megabases, making it the largest region of LD reported to date. Of the 29 SNPs lying in this region of LD, 5 were identified as “haplotype tagging” SNPs (htSNPs), capturing 96% of the sample’s haplotype diversity. Association analysis with these htSNPs revealed a new H1 sub-haplotype that is significantly associated with PD (P<0.02). These results define the genes and regulatory regions included in this region of LD, containing an important susceptibility allele contributing to increased risk of neurodegeneration.
Non-perturbative Yukawa coupling in scalar-fermion systems

Abstract We summarize our results of the 1-component real and complex scalar-fermion models. We show that the perturbative predictions are not valid for strong Yukawa coupling and investigate the possibility of a non-trivial tricritical fixed point.
The Residue Number System For VLSI Signal Processing

A new VLSI design method is developed for digital signal processors based on residue number systems and linear systolic arrays. The method breaks large processors into a set of small parallel processors that are interconnected only at the input and the output. Each of the parallel processors is a linear systolic array made up of a set of nearest-neighbor-connected, minimally complex, identical cells. The method has been illustrated by the design of a digital finite impulse response (FIR) filter which is projected for single chip VLSI implementation in 1.25 μm technology to have more than 5 x 1012 gate-Hz/cm2 throughput rate. A proof-of-concept filter has been implemented in 4 micron nMOS by 23 custom chips, each of approximately 20,000 transistor complexity. The filter has a combination of characteristics difficult to achieve with other design techniques--128 fully programmable taps and 136 dB dynamic range--yet it contains only 150,000 gates and has 5 MHz throughput. A fault-tolerant version of the filter provides the error-correction capability of triplication and voting, but it requires a redundancy of only 40%--one-third that required by triplication. In general, an RNS filter with N parallel processing channels can be provided with the fault tolerance of triplication and voting with one-Nth as much redundant hardware. By choosing a systolic architecture that computes outputs in parallel, an amount of fault tolerance can be provided that equals the use of triplication and voting at every stage of the filter.
“One of the Most Crying Needs of the Present Time”: The Call for a Christian Daily Newspaper

This historical examination of the decades-long call for a Christian daily newspaper in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries explicates the broadly felt desire for such a publication, and, in the process, it unpacks the tension between the sacred and the secular, revealing the efforts of a religious community of discourse—as it recognized the growing power of the press over public opinion and modern life—to confirm journalists as moral agents who would reconnect facts with values and to hinge the notion of social responsibility to the news ethic of daily secular journalism.
Differences in Mitotic Activity May Explain Observed Differences in HIF-1α Response in Cancers and Stroma

/l, compared with 88 × 10 9 /l for the entire untreated group. Antinuclear antibodies were tested in 46 cases (74.2%), with signifi cantly positive values in six patients (13% of the tested individuals). During the follow-up period of 1.9 to 59 months, no further bleeding occurred in the eight patients with initial moderate hemorrhage, although six of them remained thrombocytopenic for more than six months. None of the asymptomatic individuals developed any hemorrhagic symptoms. A chronic ITP (isolated thrombocytopenia of at least six months' duration) was diagnosed in 31 patients (59%) with a mean platelet count of 66 × 10 9
CYCLIC GMP ACCUMULATION IN PULMONARY MICROVASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS MEASURED BY INTACT CELL PRELABELING

Cyclic GMP accumulation in cultured rat pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (RPMVEC) was studied with a new prelabeling method developed using intact platelets and smooth muscle cells (1). [3H]-hypoxanthine was used to radiolabel the cellular guanine nucleotide pool. Neutral alumina and Dowex-50 double column chromatography was used to purify and quantitate the levels of [3H]-cyclic GMP. Changes in cyclic GMP metabolism in short and long term RPMVEC cultures were studied using rat atrial naturetic factor 8-33 (ANF) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) in the presence and absence of cyclic nucleotide (CN) phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors. In RPMVEC exogenous hypoxanthine was incorporated into both low (65% uptake) and high (34% uptake) passage cells in a time-dependent manner reaching maximum incorporation near 8 hours. Basal cyclic GMP values in both groups were 0.003% of the total cellular tritium (9 x 10(6) and 4 x 10(6) cpm/10(6) cells, respectively). ANF treatment of prelabeled RPMVEC resulted in a 10- to 12-fold increase in [3H]-cyclic GMP in the absence of CN PDE inhibitors (EC50 = 5.4 nM). However, incubation with SNP showed no changes in cellular cyclic GMP accumulation. Several relatively selective CN PDE inhibitors had no effect on ANF or SNP induced cyclic GMP accumulation in RPMVEC. The ANF induced cGMP accumulation was verified by radioimmunoassay. These studies confirm the utility of the hypoxanthine prelabeling technique to monitor intact microvascular EC cyclic GMP accumulation. Cultured RPMVEC show little or no functional soluble guanylate cyclase or cyclic GMP PDE activity.
Self-limiting Deposition of N-(3-Trimethoxysilylpropyl)ethylenediaminetriacetic Acid for the Production of Aqueous-stable Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

This paper presents a novel self-limiting deposition of a carboxysilane functional group to the surface of maghemite iron oxide nanoparticles (IOP). Self-limited deposition of N-(3-trimethoxysilylp...
Catecholamine metabolism in affective disorders. IV. Preliminary studies of norepinephrine metabolism in depressed patients treated with amitriptyline.

Abstract The findings of the present study provide clear evidence that clinical administration of amitriptyline produces changes in the metabolism of norepinephrine in depressed patients and suggest that these changes may be involved in the biochemical mechanism of action by which amitriptyline produces its clinical antidepressant effects. Decreases in MHPG and VMA excetion were observed during treatment with amitriptyline suggesting that amitriptyline may decrease the synthesis of norepinephrine in the brain as well as in peripheral sympathetic nerves. Concurrent increases were observed in the NMN: MHPG and NMN: VMA ratios during treatment with amitriptyline suggesting that the decrease in norepinephrine synthesis is accompanied by, and in part may even be caused by, a decrease in the deamination of norepinephrine. As a result of this decrease in deamination (presumed to occur within the presynaptic neurons) a larger fraction of synthesized norepinephrine may be available for extraneuronal release onto receptors. In contrast to imipramine, which has been reported to have been most effective in those depressed patients excreting the lowest levels of MHPG, our preliminary findings tentatively suggest that amitriptyline may be more effective in depressed patients with relatively higher levels of MHPG. These very preliminary findings, if borne out in our presently ongoing studies, thus, may provide a rational basis for choosing between amitriptyline or imipramine in the treatment of patients with endogenous depressions.
Interaction of Tamm-horsfall protein with bacterial extracts.

Interaction of Tamm–Horsfall protein with bacterial extracts. Crude extracts of uropathic Escherichia coli have been reported to inhibit the binding of human Tamm–Horsfall protein (THP) to homologous and heterologous anti-THP antibody in immunoassays. This phenomenon was believed to be due to immunologic cross reactivity between THP and the bacterial antigens for the same antibody. Our attempts to further purify and characterize these "cross reactive" antigens with ion exchange and molecular sieve chromatography were unsuccessful. When purified anti-THP antibody was conjugated to sepharose beads forming an immunoadsorption column capable of isolating THP and cross reactive antigens from solution, the bacterial extracts did not react with the affinity column. However, binding between THP and the bacterial extracts and between THP and whole bacteria were demonstrated. These findings suggest that the cross reactivity seen in the immunoassays is caused by the interaction between the bacterial extracts and THP, and is not representative of true immunologic cross reaction for a common antibody.
Fractional programming with absolute-value functions

Abstract This paper considers a fractional functionals programming problem of the type: maximize z= ∑ 1 n c j |x j |+α ∑ 1 n d j |x j |+β subject to Ax=b, x is unrestricted. In general, adjacent extreme point (simplex-type) methods [Naval Res. Logist. Quart. II (1964) 135] cannot be used to solve this class of problems. However, this work presents the conditions under which simplex-type algorithms can be used to arrive at an optimal solution for a fractional programming problem with an absolute value objective function.
An effective method of Cu incorporation in CdTe solar cells for improved stability

Thin film CdTe solar cells of the superstrate configuration have been fabricated in order to study the effect of Cu on device stability. The study focused on two distinct sets of solar cells: in one set of devices Cu was introduced during the formation of the back contact, by sputtering a small thickness of Cu onto the CdTe surface prior to the application of a graphite electrode; for the second set of devices Cu was introduced in CdS by briefly immersing the CdS films in a CuCl solution prior to the deposition of CdTe with the back contact electrode being sputtered Mo. The solar cells were light soaked under approximately AM1.5 conditions for nearly 700 h during 4 h ON/4 h OFF cycles. Device degradation correlated well with the amount of Cu for the devices with Cu in the back contact. Cells with larger amounts of Cu exhibited larger degradation, suggesting that the amount of Cu utilized during the back contact formation must be minimized. On the other hand, a number of devices fabricated without any Cu in the back contact, but with Cu in the CdS, exhibited nearly no degradation during the light soaking process suggesting that in addition to the amount of Cu used for the fabrication of CdTe cells, the method of incorporating this element is also critical in achieving long term device stability.
The contractile deceleration point: an important physiologic landmark on oesophageal pressure topography

Background This study aimed to correlate oesophageal bolus transit with features of oesophageal pressure topography (OPT) plots and establish OPT metrics for accurately measuring peristaltic velocity. Methods About 18 subjects underwent concurrent OPT and fluoroscopy studies. The deglutitive Contractile Front Velocity (CFV) in OPT plots was subdivided into an initial fast phase (CFVfast) and subsequent slow phase (CFVslow) separated by a user-defined deceleration point (CDP). Fluoroscopy studies were analyzed for the transition from the initial rapidly propagated luminal closure associated with peristalsis to slow bolus clearance characteristic of phrenic ampullary emptying and to identify the pressure sensors at the closure front and at the hiatus. Oesophageal pressure topography measures were correlated with fluoroscopic milestones of bolus transit. Oesophageal pressure topography studies from another 68 volunteers were utilized to develop normative ranges for CFVfast and CFVslow. Key Results A distinct change in velocity could be determined in all 36 barium swallows with the fast and slow contractile segments having a median velocity of 4.2 cm s−1 and 1.0 cm s−1, respectively. The CDP noted on OPT correlated closely with formation of the phrenic ampulla making CFVfast (mean 5.1 cm s−1) correspond closely to peristaltic propagation and CFVslow (mean 1.7 cm s−1) to ampullary emptying. Conclusions & Inferences The deceleration point in the CFV on OPT plots accurately demarcated the early region in which the CFV reflects peristaltic velocity (CFVfast) from the later region where it reflects the progression of ampullary emptying (CFVslow). These distinctions should help objectify definitions of disordered peristalsis, especially spasm, and improve understanding of impaired bolus transit across the oesophagogastric junction.
Alfalfa fields promote high reproductive rate of an invasive predatory lady beetle

Invasive insect species often may attain high fecundity in agricultural habitats, thereby contributing to their establishment in new geographic regions and their displacement of similar native species. Such may be true for predatory lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) that have been introduced to North America in recent decades, raising concerns of adverse impact on native lady beetles. In northern Utah, Coccinella septempunctata L. first appeared in 1991, and is now predominant among lady beetles especially in alfalfa fields. We assessed the suitability of alfalfa fields as breeding habitat for females of C. septempunctata and the native, similarly sized Coccinella transversoguttata richardsoni Brown. The timing and amount of egg production differed significantly between C. septempunctata and C. transversoguttata as populations of aphids increased through spring and early summer. Reproduction by both species conformed to the egg window hypothesis, with populations of the predators producing most eggs before aphid numbers peaked. But consistently among fields and years, females of C. septempunctata produced more eggs, and did so earlier in the spring, than C. transversoguttata females even at low prey density. Furthermore, C. septempunctata females were more successful than females of C. transversoguttata in approaching their maximum body weights and reproductive output as measured in the laboratory under ideal conditions. The strong reproductive success of C. septempunctata may contribute to its displacement of C. transversoguttata in irrigated alfalfa in the generally arid Intermountain West of North America and to its establishment as an abundant species in this region of North America.
Thermorotation effects in superfluid helium

We have observed a variety of thermorotation effects, effects involving thermal counterflow in rotating superfluid helium. In particular, the temperature and chemical-potential gradients associated with the motion of vortex lines have been measured.
Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion

In Pagan Theology, Michael York situates Paganism one of the fastest-growing spiritual orientations in the West as a world religion. He provides an introduction to, and expansion of, the concept of Paganism and provides an overview of Paganism's theological perspective and practice. He demonstrates it to be a viable and distinguishable spiritual perspective found around the world today in such forms as Chinese folk religion, Shinto, tribal religions, and neo-Paganism in the West. While adherents to many of these traditions do not use the word "pagan" to describe their beliefs or practices, York contends that there is an identifiable position possessing characteristics and understandings in common for which the label "pagan" is appropriate. After outlining these characteristics, he examines many of the world's major religions to explore religious behaviours in other religions which are not themselves pagan, but which have pagan elements. In the course of examining such behaviour, York provides rich and lively descriptions of religions in action, including Buddhism and Hinduism. Pagan Theology claims Paganism's place as a world religion, situating it as a religion, a behaviour, and a theology.
In the Dreamtime of the Saucer People Sense-making and Interpretive Boundaries in a Contactee Group

This phenomenological analysis describes the author's encounter with the lifeworld of Unarius, an extraterrestrial contact group, which utilizes idiosyncratic procedures like dreams and past-life “...
Improvements To The PCS Algorithm For Binary Images

Progressive coding1 for image data is the focus of current standardization activity within the CCITT and ISO organizations. Recently, a Joint Bi-level Image experts Group (JBIG) has been formed by these two organizations to study the question of progressive coding for bi-level image data. The point of departure for this work is the PCS algorithm for binary images described in ISO/CCITT standards meetings by Endoh and Yamazaki2, in which they added the use of arithmetic coding3 to previous proposals. Our paper summarizes some enhancements that can be made to this PCS scheme by improving the application of adaptive binary arithmetic coding (ABAC) technology. In particular, the "Q-coder" form of ABAC technology is used4 which was recently featured in the November 1988 issue of the IBM Journal of Reseaich and Development5.
Ferroelectric based multiple radiations source for in situ multifunctional analytical instruments

A ferroelectric based multiple radiation source is being developed and tested at JPL. This device has the potential to emit five radiation types enabling a new generation of compact, low power, low mass in-situ analysis instruments. These radiation types include visible light, ultraviolet, X-ray, as well as electron and ion beams. These types of emitted radiation can support multiple instruments that may potentially be used in future NASA missions to detect water, perform mineralogical/chemistry analysis and identify biological signatures. The source consists of a ferroelectric wafer having a continuous ground electrode on one side and a grid-shaped cathode on the other side. This source is placed in a vacuum tube and is used to generate plasma by switching high voltage pulses. A series of experiments were performed to evaluate the characteristics of the generated radiation and the results are described and discussed in this paper.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Molecular Dynamics Exploration of Thin Liquid Films on Solid Surfaces. 2. Polyatomic Nonpolar Fluid and Water Films

The methodology used to simulate a monatomic film on a solid metallic surface is extended to polyatomic nonpolar fluids and water. In this extension, the wall potential is calculated in the same manner as for a monatomic fluid since the intermolecular distance is generally much larger than the molecular size. Nonpolar films are simulated in a manner very similar to the monatomic system since no long-ranged Coulombic potentials are present. The water simulation methodology uses a corrected 3-D Ewald summation technique, but this technique limits the number of vapor molecules in the simulation domain such that the system must be equilibrated to a value far from the critical point. As a result, the lack of vapor molecules in the water system does not allow for calculation of the equilibrium saturation pressure via external pressure adjustment, but rather the simulation is run with a fixed external pressure. In this study, a diatomic nitrogen film at T/T c = 0.55 and three water films (T = 100, 127, and 140°C...
Statistical tools for transgene copy number estimation based on real-time PCR

As compared with traditional transgene copy number detection technologies such as Southern blot analysis, real-time PCR provides a fast, inexpensive and high-throughput alternative. However, the real-time PCR based transgene copy number estimation tends to be ambiguous and subjective stemming from the lack of proper statistical analysis and data quality control to render a reliable estimation of copy number with a prediction value. Despite the recent progresses in statistical analysis of real-time PCR, few publications have integrated these advancements in real-time PCR based transgene copy number determination. Three experimental designs and four data quality control integrated statistical models are presented. For the first method, external calibration curves are established for the transgene based on serially-diluted templates. The Ct number from a control transgenic event and putative transgenic event are compared to derive the transgene copy number or zygosity estimation. Simple linear regression and two group T-test procedures were combined to model the data from this design. For the second experimental design, standard curves were generated for both an internal reference gene and the transgene, and the copy number of transgene was compared with that of internal reference gene. Multiple regression models and ANOVA models can be employed to analyze the data and perform quality control for this approach. In the third experimental design, transgene copy number is compared with reference gene without a standard curve, but rather, is based directly on fluorescence data. Two different multiple regression models were proposed to analyze the data based on two different approaches of amplification efficiency integration. Our results highlight the importance of proper statistical treatment and quality control integration in real-time PCR-based transgene copy number determination. These statistical methods allow the real-time PCR-based transgene copy number estimation to be more reliable and precise with a proper statistical estimation. Proper confidence intervals are necessary for unambiguous prediction of trangene copy number. The four different statistical methods are compared for their advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, the statistical methods can also be applied for other real-time PCR-based quantification assays including transfection efficiency analysis and pathogen quantification.
Elastic interaction and stability of misfitting cuboidal inhomogeneities

The elastic interaction energy between several rectangular parallelepipeds and the elastic self‐energy of a cuboid are calculated to first order in the difference in elastic constants between the precipitate and matrix. The system is assumed to be elastically isotropic, the precipitates are coherent with the matrix and possess a dilatational misfit. The functionality and magnitude of the interaction energy per precipitate are extremely sensitive to the precipitate morphology and number of precipitates considered. The interaction energy between three or more precipitates cannot be accurately estimated by summing the pairwise interactions. The influence of the interaction energy on the stability of precipitate arrays is discussed.
Second quantization representation for decay of unstable particles

Abstract A previously-developed second quantization representation for nonrelativistic systems of composite particles is extended to include unstable composites. This representation explicitly exhibits the kinematics and dynamics of the decay of an unstable composite particle into smaller stable and/or unstable composites plus free constituents. The relevant decay terms are exhibited explicitly in some simple cases and their qualitative structure is described in the general case.
The life cycle and drumming behavior of Zealeuctra claasseni (Frison) and Zealeuctra hitei ricker and ross (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) in Texas, USA 1

Abstract The life histories of Zealeuctra claasseni (Frison) and Zealeuctra hitei (Ricker and Ross) (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) were determined from observations and sampling on a Red River tributary in Cooke County, and N. Pecan Creek, Wise County, Texas, Dec., 1974‐June, 1978. Both species showed peak emergence when daily temperature was ca. 12°. Emergence was diurnal, with teneral adults and mating pairs found from dawn—late evening. Male‐female drumming signals were successfully recorded for both species. Incubation experiments at simulated stream temperatures indicated rapid embryonic development, so that larvae were visible through the chorion within ca. 4 weeks after deposition. Both species have highly flexible seasonal development patterns. Four types of life cycles seem possible, depending on field conditions: (1) slow univoltine, (2) fast univoltine, (3) slow semivoltine, and (4) fast semivoltine.