cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The slow motion of a sphere in a rotating, viscous fluid

The uniform, slow motion of a sphere in a viscous fluid is examined in the case where the undisturbed fluid rotates with constant angular velocity Ω and the axis of rotation is taken to coincide with the line of motion. The various modifications of the classical problem for small Reynolds numbers are discussed. The main analytical result is a correction to Stokes's drag formula, valid for small values of the Reynolds number and Taylor number and tending to the classical Oseen correction as the last parameter tends to zero. The rotation of a free sphere relative to the fluid at infinity is also deduced.
Incidence of presentation of common functional gastrointestinal disorders in children from birth to 5 years: a cohort study.

Background & Aims: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), abdominal pain of unknown origin, and constipation are thought to be causes for frequent medical visits during childhood. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidences, repeat presentation, clinical symptoms, and sociodemographic risk factors in children who medically presented for GERD, abdominal pain of unknown origin, and constipation from birth to 5 years. Methods: This was a population-based, retrospective birth cohort study of all children born to mothers residing in Rochester, Minnesota who remained in the area until at least age 5 (n = 5718). The medical records of all individuals were searched for relevant diagnostic billing codes for GERD, abdominal pain of unknown origin, and constipation, without another underlying diagnosis, and manually reviewed. Parental sociodemographic factors collected from birth certificate records on patients and matched controls were compared. Results: The incidence for childhood (age, Conclusions: The incidences of presentation for GERD, abdominal pain of unknown origin, and constipation are among the highest for pediatric disorders, and a cause for repeated medical consultations.
Carbohydrate metabolism in uremia.

Abnormalities of insulin and glucose metabolism, namely glucose intolerance, inhibition of insulin secretion and insulin resistance, are present in children with chronic renal failure. Insulin resistance is universal among children with end-stage renal disease and may be caused by uremic toxins accumulated because of reduced renal function. The normal response of the beta cell is to enhance insulin secretion to overcome the insulin resistance. In patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism, this increase in insulin secretion is inhibited, resulting in glucose intolerance. Presence of glucose intolerance may be responsive for the growth retardation in uremic children. Improvements in glucose tolerance correlate with improvements in linear growth in uremic children. Further research should be directed towards investigation of the mechanisms by which abnormal energy utilization may affect growth in uremia and development of indices of glucose metabolism as predictors of growth in aremia.
25-Hydroxyvitamin D: analysis and clinical application.

Abstract 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) is one of the most popular tests requested by clinicians nowadays because in addition to bone diseases, many non-skeletal disorders have been suggested to be linked to vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. Methodologies used in clinical laboratories include competitive vitamin D protein binding assays (CPBA), immunoassays, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). In this review article, we introduce the basic metabolism and physiology of vitamin D, key issues in the methods for 25-OHD measurement currently used in most clinical laboratories, and clinical applications of 25-OHD testing. We conclude that although the methodologies for 25-OHD testing have improved significantly, considerable bias between different methods and laboratories still exists. Therefore, standardization of the method is critical. The optimal 25-OHD levels should be determined based on the standardized method. Also, more studies are needed to further determine the relationship between vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and non-skeletal diseases as well as daily vitamin D dose requirement for reducing the risk of non-skeletal diseases.
Uptake of inorganic nitrogen and seaweed surface area: Volume ratios

Surge uptake of ammonium and nitrate by four intertidal seaweed species was examined under standard conditions (16.5 or 20°C, 72 μE m−2 s−1), at both subsaturating and saturating initial nutrient concentrations. Uptake rates were positively correlated with the surface area: volume (SA:V) ratio of the thallus: Ulva curvata (Kutzing) DeToni > Fucus evanescens C. Agardh ≈ Gracilaria tikvahiae McLachlan > Codium decorticatum (Woodward) Howe. A positive correlation was also found for the relationship between SA:V and the initial slope of the curves of uptake rate vs. external concentration. These results support the predictions of an earlier funtional-form model, and suggest the usefulness of the SA:V ratio as a comparative index of nutrient uptake capability in co-occurring seaweeds.
NEW ROLES, NEW COMMITMENTS? JEWISH WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY'S ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Since the early 1970s, Jewish women have participated in the dramatic changes characterizing American women in general. They marry later, bear fewer children, have high levels of education, and enter the labor force in increasing numbers. These developments have important significance for the organized Jewish community. The changing profile of Jewish women may be inimical to their joining organizations and engaging extensively in volunteer activities.
Appropriateness and Effectiveness Perceptions of Conflict Strategies

This study investigates how conflict strategies and communicator gender affect two properties of communicative competence, appropriateness and effectiveness, and how these properties are associated with interpersonal attraction. In total, 361 participants read one of 12 randomly distributed conflict scripts that operationalized one of three conflict strategies (i.e., integrative, distributive, or avoidance), communicator gender, and episode type (i.e., same- versus opposite-sex situation). The impact of strategy type, gender, and episode on measures of general appropriateness, specific appropriateness, and effectiveness is reported. While all of the competence properties varied due to strategy inductions, specific appropriateness was the most sensitive to strategy differences. In addition, both appropriateness variables correlated strongly, and effectiveness correlated moderately with social and task attraction. Discussion focuses on the implications of the results for communication competence research.
Rethinking Premedical and Health Professional Curricula in Light of MCAT 2015

The 2015 redesign of the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) is a disruptive event that has stimulated a great deal of discussion in undergraduate educational circles. These discussions include figuring out who will teach biochemistry, whether nonmajor chemistry courses should be changed, whether the psychosocial material to be tested constitutes academic behavioral science or the sensibilities that come from exposure to different cultures, and determining whether resources need to shift. The 2015 MCAT has also begun to alter admissions requirements and curricula in medical, pharmacy, and dental schools. Though many medical schools are taking the position that biochemistry will already have been covered as an undergraduate requirement and seem to be deemphasizing molecular science in the first-year curriculum, at least one college of dentistry has embraced the better prepared first-year student in order to offer advanced biochemistry and genomics that will build on undergraduate biochemistry.
Sulfur Partitions in Cat Urines Following Injections of Monobromobenzene, Cystine or Methionine.

Conclusion1. Fasting and well-fed cats excreted p-bromphenylmercapturic acid in their usines following the injection of monobromobenzene. 2. Cysteine necessary for the synthesis of mercapturic acids by fasting cats may arise their own tissues. 3. Sulfur partitions have been made on urines from cats.
Excited state electronic properties of sodium iodide and cesium iodide

Abstract We compute from first principles the dielectric function, loss function, lifetime and scattering rate of quasiparticles due to electronic losses, and secondary particle spectrum due to plasmon decay in two scintillating alkali halides, sodium iodide and cesium iodide. Particular emphasis is placed on quasiparticles within several multiples of the bandgap from the band edges. A theory for the decay spectra of plasmons and other electronic excitations in crystals is presented. Applications to Monte Carlo radiation transport codes are discussed.
A Buttressed Unilamellar Membrane System for Studying Lipid-Protein Interactions

Recent studies have demonstrated that annular lipids can directly change the voltage-gating of voltage-gated ion channels. We recognized that it was a challenge to insert membrane proteins into a bilayer that mimics the eukaryotic cell membranes in current model systems, especially the membranes that contain sphingomyelin and cholesterol. A new system is needed to overcome this technical barrier. In this study we developed a stable unilamellar vesicle system that is supported by unidirectionally inserted membrane proteins, and offers the capability of controlling lipid composition with relative ease. A voltage-gated potassium channel, KvAP, was used as a model system, and was selectively anchored onto the surface of micron-sized beads. Our data suggested that with a high surface density of channel molecules, it was feasible to introduce various lipids and form continuous membranes around the beads. The unilamellar nature of the bilayers was demonstrated by cryo-electron microscopic observations, and the functionality of the channels in the bead-buttressed unilamellar membrane (bBUM) system was examined by electrical recordings of voltage-gated activities. We anticipate that this novel membrane system will provide a new technique to study how lipids influence membrane proteins.
Warfarin and cytochrome P450 2C9 genotype: possible ethnic variation in warfarin sensitivity

Introduction: Warfarin is a widely prescribed, efficacious oral anticoagulant. S-warfarin, the more active form, is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 (CYP)2C9 enzyme. The aim was to evaluate the influence of two CYP2C9 functional polymorphisms (*2 and *3) on warfarin dose in African–Americans, an unstudied population and Caucasians, and also to assess the effect of these polymorphisms on anticoagulation response after accounting for nongenetic factors and genetic factors that might also impact the dose–response relationship of warfarin. Patients and methods: A prospective cohort of 362 patients with a target international normalized ratio of between 2.0 and 3.0 were genotyped. Warfarin sensitivity stratified by genotype was investigated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: The maintenance dose of warfarin was significantly related to genotype (p < 0.01) (variant carriers: 31.25 mg/week; wild-type: 37.5 mg/week), even after adjustment for possible confounding factors (p = 0.046). However, ...
The Effects of Platelet-Rich Plasma on Muscle: Basic Science and Clinical Application

Muscle injuries are the most common type of injuries in sports. The natural course in this repair process is often slow, incomplete, and unpredictable. For competitive or professional athletes, this delay or unpredictability in complete healing may be costly or career ending. With the introduction of the potential benefits of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) preparations, our treatment algorithm is changing. Our understanding of growth factors and their roles in the modulation and activation in soft-tissue healing is expanding at a rapid pace. This has led to its clinical use far outpacing clinical trials. Basic science has documented a potential for PRP to regenerate and modulate skeletal muscle and, thus, provides a foundation for clinical treatment and improved patient outcomes. Despite widespread anecdotal use in a variety of musculoskeletal injuries, research investigating its clinical efficacy is still in its infancy. This article addresses the biological effects of PRP on skeletal muscle myogenesis and its potential clinical applications.
Development of Flood Hazards Policy in the Indus River Basin of Pakistan, 1947–1996

ABSTRACT Since independence in 1947, floods in the Indus River Basin in Pakistan have claimed more than 7,000 lives and caused massive infrastructure and crop losses. To date, flood damage reduction has received limited attention relative to the irrigation and hydropower subsectors in the basin. Nonstructural approaches to flood hazard mitigation have lagged behind engineering approaches. This article retraces the development offlood policies in Pakistan, from an early situation of risk acceptance to more recent strategies of risk management. It shows that an underlying problem, and future aim, for flood policy will lie in giving greater attention to mitigating social vulnerability to flood hazards in the basin.
Development of the Mauthner cell in Xenopus laevis: a light and electron microscopic study of the Perikaryon.

The Mauthner cell can first be recognized in Xenopus embryos at stage 31+–32 by its position and by the size of its nucleus and nucleolus. At early stages the perikaryon is dominated by a large ellipsoidal nucleus containing a single relatively compact nucleolus. The cytoplasm is characterized by numerous free ribosomes, poorly developed membrane systems, yolk platelets and globules, and by the presence of dense bodies containing what appear to be remnants of yolk breakdown.
Adaptive teleoperation transparency based on impedance modeling

Transparency is a method proposed to quantify the telepresence performance of bilateral teleoperation systems. It is practically impossible to achieve transparency for all frequencies, however, previous research has shown that by proper manipulation of the individual transfer functions, transparent systems for limited frequency bands can be designed. In this paper we introduce a different approach. We first study the problem of designing systems that are transparent only for a given value of the output impedance, then, by combining this concept with that of time-adaptive impedance estimation, we postulate a new strategy for the design of transparent systems. In the proposed method, the output impedance estimate is updated at each time instant using adaptive ARMA modeling based on either the LMS or RLS algorithms. The current estimate of the output impedance is used to update some free-design system parameters in such a way that the system tries to achieve transparency. We refer to this strategy as asymptotic transparency. An example on how to use this strategy in the design of a system with position-forward and force-feedback paths is included.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Clinical data analysis for the combined optical and tomosynthesis breast imaging

Combining 2D X-ray mammography or 3D tomosynthesis with diffuse optical tomography for breast imaging is advantageous in facilitating clinical diagnosis by fusing the structural X-ray images with functional optical images. In this study, we imaged 65 patients with a combined tomosynthesis/diffuse optical breast imaging system developed at Massachusetts General Hospital. The bulk optical properties and patient demographics were summarized in this paper. The averaged total-hemoglobin for 60 healthy breasts is 21 mM which is comparable with literature values given the applied mammographic compression in our experiments. The averaged oxygen saturation is 76%. The comparison of contra-lateral breast measurements also demonstrated correlations in total hemoglobin and oxygen saturation. Image reconstructions of the healthy breasts with moderate-sized fibroglandular regions correctly recovered the chest-wall muscle, fibro-glandular tissue as well as the surrounding fatty tissue. For dense breasts, the contrast between the chest-wall and the fibro-glandular region is small and the most pronounced feature of the image is a low-absorption region in the center of the breast. We hypothesized that this is caused by pressure induced blood-redistribution. Supportive evidence for this hypothesis had been shown with mechanical simulations of breast compression.
Age-adjusted exact trend tests in the event of rare occurrences.

Summary. Preclinical animal carcinogenicity studies are usually concerned with testing the statistical significance of a dose–response relationship. When the response consists of a rare event such as the development of a certain type of tumor, exact statistical methods are often employed. The exact randomization trend test based on the multivariate hypergeometric distribution is less powerful in the presence of treatment-related risks other than the specified response. Particularly, the loss of power becomes more pronounced when competing risks cause progressively higher mortality rates with increasing dose, which is usual in practice. An age-adjusted form of the randomization test is proposed to adjust for this effect. Permutational distribution for Peto's cause-of-death (COD) test is also explored and compared with its asymptotic counterpart by simulation. The use of COD information has been a controversial issue due to the subjectivity in the pathologists' determinations as well as for economic reasons. The proposed age-adjusted exact test does not require COD, and it is shown to compare favorably to the COD tests via an extensive Monte Carlo simulation. Applications of the methods to two real data sets are included.
Anomalous Solid Phase Epitaxy Near the Compensation Point in Amorphous Silicon with Boron and Phosphorus Impurity Profiles

We made high precision cw laser interferometric measurements of the variations of the rate of solid phase epitaxial regrowth (SPER) of amorphous layers on (100) silicon implanted with both boron and phosphorus. Depth profiles of SPER were correlated with the implanted boron and phosphorus distributions measured by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The results showed that: (1) the minimum (SPER) rate did not occur at the depth where the implanted impurity concentrations were equal; (2) the maximum activation energy for SPER (∼2.9 eV; ≈0.18 eV greater than for SPER in intrinsic Si) occurred at the depth where the regrowth rate was a minimum; (3) the regrowth rates in the dual implanted sample were different from those of the samples doped only with phosphorus at the same net phosphorusc concentration; and (4) the rate at the depth where the impurity concentrations were equal was different from the intrinsic rate. Further interpretation of the results suggests that the SPER rate in the dual implanted samples is equal to the value for intrinsic silicon at a depth where the net ionized impurity concentration is compensated. The SPER rate was a minimum at a depth where the net ionized impurity concentration was slightly p type.
The contribution of time and local geography to craniofacial variation in Nubia's Batn el Hajar.

While the history of Lower Nubia has traditionally been explained in terms of racial migrations and mixture, recent studies of craniofacial variation have emphasized the biological continuity in Lower Nubia over the past 12,000 years. Carlson and Van Gerven for example have demonstrated a trend among the populations for changes in craniofacial form that are best explained by changing masticatory function and in situ evolution independent of major racial migrations. The purpose of the present research is to extend the analysis of craniofacial variation in Lower Nubia to a culturally and geographically distinctive region to the south known as the Batn el Hajar. Data for Lower Nubia were obtained in the field from 44 Meroitic, 94 X-Group, and 36 Christian crania during the 1964 Colorado Expedition to Nubia. Data from the Batn el Hajar were obtained from 188 crania excavated in 1979 at the Christian site of Kulubnarti which spans the entire Christian era from 550 to 1450 +. Analysis of 12 metric variables using discriminant function revealed two sources of variation. The first is temporal and reflects the pattern of facial reduction previously reported for Lower Nubia. The second is geographic and suggests a morphological convergence between the people of Kulubnarti and Lower Nubia during late Christian times. This convergence reflects the southward migration of Lower Nubian Christians following the annexation of Lower Nubia by Islamic Egypt in the middle 15th century.
Periodic orbits emanating from a resonant equilibrium

For a conservative Hamiltonian system with two degrees of freedom, in the case where the two frequencies at an equilibrium of the elliptic type are commensurable or close to being so, completely canonical transformations can be formally constructed in explicit terms under the form of Lie transforms to the effect that it renders one angle coordinate ignorable and gives to the transformed Hamiltonian the form of what Garfinkel calls an ideal problem of resonance. For the problem so reduced, the unnormalized residual being omitted, natural families of periodic orbits are analyzed, their emergence from the equilibrium is discussed as well as their characteristic exponents. Special attention is given to the evolution of the system of natural families under a continuous transition through the resonance band.
Discrimination and Latino psychological distress: the moderating role of ethnic identity exploration and commitment.

This study sought to examine the moderating effect of ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity commitment on the various types of discrimination and psychological distress within a sample of Latino adults (N = 397). The results revealed that ethnic identity exploration was associated with increased psychological distress within the context of discrimination in work, academic, and public settings. Ethnic identity commitment, on the other hand, served as a buffer between covert discrimination and mental health. These findings highlight the circumstances in which ethnic identity functioned as a protective and as a risk factor in the psychological distress of Latinos. The implications are discussed within a stress and coping framework and outline directions for future research.
In Vivo Interferon-γ Therapy Augments the In Vitro Ability of Chronic Granulomatous Disease Neutrophils to Damage Aspergillus Hyphae

During the recently completed double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma) therapy in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), a metabolic assay of neutrophil damage to Aspergillus fumigatus hyphae was used to monitor neutrophil function before and during therapy. In this assay, 5 x 10(4) conidia that had germinated into hyphae were exposed to 5 x 10(5), 15 x 10(5), or 50 x 10(5) CGD neutrophils. By analysis of variance, neutrophils from patients on rIFN-gamma were found to produce significantly more damage to hyphae than those from the placebo group (P less than .01). In subgroup analysis, this effect was best seen in the hyphae exposed to 50 x 10(5) CGD neutrophils, where neutrophils from patients receiving rIFN-gamma produced significantly more damage to the hyphae than those from the placebo group (P less than .05). In vivo rIFN-gamma therapy improves the ability of CGD neutrophils to damage Aspergillus fumigatus hyphae in an in vitro assay.
Modulation of ventricular transient outward K+ current by acidosis and its effects on excitation-contraction coupling

The contribution of transient outward current (Ito) to changes in ventricular action potential (AP) repolarization induced by acidosis is unresolved, as is the indirect effect of these changes on c...
Resource sharing in pipelined CDFG synthesis

Efficient use of limited available resources on an FPGA remains a crucial problem for synthesizing pipelined designs. Resource sharing addresses this challenge. In this paper, we propose resource sharing techniques that can be incorporated into an automated synthesis flow to generate pipelined designs. Given a synthesized pipelined design, we create a direct relationship between available time slack on modules and the multiplexing overhead due to sharing. This flexibility is maximally exploited without violating any throughput constraints. We propose different techniques to address resource sharing problems of varying restrictions. Specifically, we propose an optimal algorithm for Constant-Slack Resource Sharing and a heuristic for the general Intra-Pipeline Stage Resource Sharing. On an average the demand on arithmetic functional units can be reduced by 39.5% for a set of benchmarks from the multimedia domain using our resource sharing technique.
A whole brain fMRI atlas generated via spatially constrained spectral clustering

Connectivity analyses and computational modeling of human brain function from fMRI data frequently require the specification of regions of interests (ROIs). Several analyses have relied on atlases derived from anatomical or cyto-architectonic boundaries to specify these ROIs, yet the suitability of atlases for resting state functional connectivity (FC) studies has yet to be established. This article introduces a data-driven method for generating an ROI atlas by parcellating whole brain resting-state fMRI data into spatially coherent regions of homogeneous FC. Several clustering statis- tics are used to compare methodological trade-offs as well as determine an adequate number of clus- ters. Additionally, we evaluate the suitability of the parcellation atlas against four ROI atlases (Talairach and Tournoux, Harvard-Oxford, Eickoff-Zilles, and Automatic Anatomical Labeling) and a random parcellation approach. The evaluated anatomical atlases exhibit poor ROI homogeneity and do not accurately reproduce FC patterns present at the voxel scale. In general, the proposed func- tional and random parcellations perform equivalently for most of the metrics evaluated. ROI size and hence the number of ROIs in a parcellation had the greatest impact on their suitability for FC analysis. With 200 or fewer ROIs, the resulting parcellations consist of ROIs with anatomic homol- ogy, and thus offer increased interpretability. Parcellation results containing higher numbers of ROIs (600 or 1,000) most accurately represent FC patterns present at the voxel scale and are preferable when interpretability can be sacrificed for accuracy. The resulting atlases and clustering software have been made publicly available at: http://www.nitrc.org/projects/cluster_roi/. Hum Brain Mapp
A shared dataspace language supporting large-scale concurrency

The authors are currently evaluating the use of shared dataspace paradigm as the basis for a novel programming language, called SDL (Shared Dataspace Language), that supports large-scale concurrency. Their goal is to develop the software support needed for the design, analysis, understanding, and testing of programs involving many thousands of concurrent processes running on a highly parallel multiprocessor. The authors provide an overview of the key SDL features, using small examples to illustrate its power and flexibility. >
Somatic preoccupations of future pregnancy.

Ms. A is a 36-year-old, married woman, referred by her gynecologist to psychiatry because the patient was having a difficult time accepting her diagnosis of uterine agenesis. When Ms. A was initially seen by the consulting psychiatrist in the Women’s Health Center, she was working full time at a local retail chain and was married, though she and her husband had always lived separately with their families of origin. She had graduated from high school and had held her current job for 15 years. She reported that she and her husband had been married for 4 years, with no children. The patient described a childhood full of medical tests attempting to explain her constellation of symptoms, which included low body weight, alopecia, and precocious breast development. Ms. A was unable to explain her medical diagnosis and stated that she had undergone an extensive workup at Children’s Hospital, though “they could never figure out what was wrong.” Ms. A has two brothers born with congenital problems—one with severe cognitive impairment and one with abnormal brain vasculature.
Flow Cytometry Antifungal Susceptibility Testing of Aspergillus fumigatus and Comparison of Mode of Action of Voriconazole vis-à-vis Amphotericin B and Itraconazole

Aspergillus fumigatus isolates were tested with three antifungals by flow cytometry (FC) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. FC results after 4 h correlated well with MICs obtained by the NCCLS M38-A method; voriconazole exhibited fungicidal activity, albeit to a lesser extent than amphotericin B, but to a greater extent than itraconazole.
Flexible Split-Ring Electrode for Insect Flight Biasing Using Multisite Neural Stimulation

We describe a flexible multisite microelectrode for insect flight biasing using neural stimulation. The electrode is made of two layers of polyimide (PI) with gold sandwiched in between in a split-ring geometry. The split-ring design in conjunction with the flexibility of the PI allows for a simple insertion process and provides good attachment between the electrode and ventral nerve cord of the insect. Stimulation sites are located at the ends of protruding tips that are circularly distributed inside the split-ring structure. These protruding tips penetrate into the connective tissue surrounding the nerve cord. We have been able to insert the electrode into pupae of the giant sphinx moth Manduca sexta as early as seven days before the adult moth emerges, and we are able to use the multisite electrode to deliver electrical stimuli that evoke multidirectional, graded abdominal motions in both pupae and adult moths. Finally, in loosely tethered flight, we have used stimulation through the flexible microelectrodes to alter the abdominal angle, thus causing the flying moth to deviate to the left or right of its intended path.
The Ability of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor to Regulate Ovarian Follicle Growth and Estradiol Biosynthesis in Mice Depends on Stage of Sexual Maturity

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that mediates the toxicity of environmental chemicals and regulates many physiological functions, including processes in female reproduction. Previous studies demonstrated that Ahr deletion leads to slow ovarian follicle growth because of impaired estradiol production and reduced gonadotropin responsiveness in prepubertal mice. These studies, however, did not determine how Ahr deletion impairs estradiol production or whether the effects of Ahr deletion on follicle growth and estradiol production persist in adulthood. Thus, the present study evaluated the effect of Ahr deletion on steroid precursors in the estradiol biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, this study evaluated follicle growth and estradiol biosynthesis in wild-type (WT) and Ahr knockout (AhrKO) antral follicles at different stages of sexual maturity. AhrKO antral follicles from prepubertal mice had slower growth, produced lower estradiol levels, and had reduced cyclin D2 (Ccnd2) expression compared to WT follicles. AhrKO follicles from adult mice, however, produced higher androgen levels and expressed higher levels of Ccnd2 compared to WT follicles. Furthermore, AhrKO follicles from adult mice had growth to that of WT follicles. These findings suggest that the AHR regulates follicle growth by altering factors involved in the estradiol biosynthesis pathway as well as key regulators of follicle growth and that this role of AHR depends on stage of sexual maturity.
A Systematic Review and Meta-regression of Temporal Trends in Adult CD4+ Cell Count at Presentation to HIV Care, 1992–2011

Background. The clinical status of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive persons at the time of presentation to medical care has important individual- and population-level implications. Methods. We synthesized the literature on clinical status of adults newly presenting to care for HIV infection in developed countries to generate an estimate of the time trend for CD4 cell count at the initiation of HIV care. We systematically searched PubMed for studies published between January 2000 and November 2011 to identify those that reported CD4 cell count for patients newly presenting to HIV care according to standardized inclusion criteria. We abstracted the mean or median CD4 cell count or reconstructed the mean CD4 cell count from the presented data describing the number or proportion of patients in CD4 cell count categories. We estimated the change in CD4 cell count over time by modeling it as a weighted linear function of calendar year. Results. Based on a meta-regression of 197 point estimates encompassing CD4 cell count measurements from 169 007 patients in 44 studies, mean CD4 cell count at presentation increased minimally by 1.5 cells/μL per year (95% CI, −6.1 to 5.5 cells/μL per year), from 307 cells/μL in 1992 to 336 cells/μL in 2011. Conclusions. In developed countries, patients’ CD4 cell counts at first presentation to medical care have not increased meaningfully over the past 20 years. New and innovative strategies are imperative to identify persons earlier in the course of their infection and link them promptly with medical care.
MnBi films for magnetooptic recording

Progress made during the past years in the area of magnetooptic data storage by the computer industry has been most impressive. Many material media and physical phenomena have been developed for this particular application. It now appears that a large capacity ( \gsim 10^{10} bits) magnetooptic data store possessing major advantages over the conventional recording techniques could be developed. Of the many materials and techniques advanced to date, the use of thin films of MnBi for thermomagnetic writing, erasing, and magnetooptic reading has received particularly intensive study because of the many unique properties of this film medium. In order to provide an assessment of the potential of this medium for optical memory application, we have included in this review the pertinent material physical properties of MnBi; the memory characteristics in regard to read, write, and erase operation; the physical process involved in the writing and erasure by thermomagnetic technique; the technique for detection of written information; and the utilization of this medium for magnetic holographic storage. Emphasis is given to the material properties and physical phenomena, rather than the systems considerations in using MnBi films for optical memory.
An Evaluation of the Effects of Environmental Variables on Marine Plankton Primary Productivity by Multivariate Regression

Stepwise multiple regression analysis has been used to evaluate the relative importance of environmental variables for primary productivity in oceanic areas off Washington and Oregon, USA. Special emphasis has been placed on the area affected by the Columbia River plume. In the plume, a large proportion of the total variability in primary productivity data is explained by only four variables: chlorophyll a, nitrate, depth of the photic zone, and temperature. In ambient sea water, the significant variables are salinity, temperature, solar radiation of the previous day, vertical stability in the upper 100 m, and phosphate. Analysis of the combined data indicates that, in the spring, primary productivity depends on chlorophyll a concentration alone. The results are explained from the biological and physical points of view. The usefulness of multiple regression analysis for marine ecosystem studies appears to be limited.
Inhibitory effect of osmotic concentration, potassium and pH on motility of the sperm of the North American burbot Lota lota maculosa

Seminal plasma factors maintaining North American (NA) burbot Lota lota maculosa sperm quiescent were examined. Sperm were diluted into buffered saline solutions of various compositions and motility assessed. After 1 h in these solutions at 10° C, aliquots of the suspension were diluted with tap water and motility again assessed. Dilution of sperm in an incubation solution containing Ca2+ in the absence of K+ initiated sperm motility resulting in low motility when sperm were subsequently diluted in tap water. Incubation solutions with osmolalities >200 mOsm kg−1 and containing 12·5 mM K+ prevented the onset of sperm motility and were associated with maximal sperm motility upon dilution in tap water. Sperm maintained at lower osmolalities exhibited limited motility upon dilution in tap water indicating interdependence between K+ and osmolality in maintaining sperm quiescent in the presence of Ca2+. Sperm kept in incubation solution at pH values < c. 7·5 for 1 h demonstrated reduced motility when subsequently diluted in tap water. That motility of sperm was pH sensitive was further indicated by CO2 inhibition of motility. Therefore, NA burbot sperm are probably maintained in an immotile state, yet with potential for motility, by combination of high K+, osmolality and possibly pH. The results from this study differ from published information on sperm quiescence in the temporally and geographically distinct Eurasian burbot Lota lota lota.
Triplet energy confinement effect in blue phosphorescent organic light emitting devices

The effects of triplet energy confinement and charge balance by hole and electron transport layers are investigated on blue phosphorescent organic light emitting devices (PHOLEDs).
Crown Class Dynamics of Oaks, Yellow-Poplar, and Red Maple after Commercial Thinning in Appalachian Hardwoods: 20-Year Results

Silvicultural strategies are often planned to favor the growth and survival of desired species until they reach a competitive position in the upper canopy. Once desired species reach the upper canopy, they can persist and provide a variety of benefits for decades. Later, they can serve as a source of natural regeneration for sustaining species composition. Although information is available for promoting desired advance seedlings in the understory of mature stands and culturing desired saplings in the upper canopy of young stands, additional information is needed on promoting desired species at mid-rotation, when the stand first reaches commercial size classes. Crown class transition rates for a total of 2,668 white and chestnut oaks, northern red oak, scarlet and black oaks, yellow-poplar, red maple, blackgum, and black birch were observed for 20 years in a 53-year-old central Appalachian mixed-hardwood stand. Treatments included three residual stand densities after commercial thinning and an unthinned control. In general, the thinning treatments reduced mortality, increased crown class retention rates of codominant trees, and increased the ascension rates of trees in the intermediate crown class. After thinning, codominant trees exhibited the crown class stability of dominant trees, and intermediate trees exhibited greater survival and ascension to the upper canopy compared with unthinned controls. Very few suppressed trees improved canopy position in thinning treatments; however, thinning did tend to reduce mortality of these trees. Crown class transition rates are presented to help forest managers understand how commercial thinning treatments can affect the composition of the upper canopy in the latter stages of stand development.
Control of Initiation of Sporulation by Replication Initiation Genes in Bacillus subtilis

Initiation of spore formation in Bacillus subtilis appears to depend on initiation of DNA replication. This regulation was first identified using a temperature-sensitive mutation in dnaB. We found that mutations in the replication initiation genes dnaA and dnaD also inhibit sporulation, indicating that inhibition of sporulation is triggered by general defects in the function of replication initiation proteins.
Separation Assurance and Scheduling Coordination in the Arrival Environment

Separation assurance (SA) automation has been proposed as either a ground-based or airborne paradigm. The arrival environment is complex because aircraft are being sequenced and spaced to the arrival fix. This paper examines the effect of the allocation of the SA and scheduling functions on the performance of the system. Two coordination configurations between an SA and an arrival management system are tested using both ground and airborne implementations. All configurations have a conflict detection and resolution (CD&R) system and either an integrated or separated scheduler. Performance metrics are presented for the ground and airborne systems based on arrival traffic headed to Dallas/ Fort Worth International airport. The total delay, time-spacing conformance, and schedule conformance are used to measure efficiency. The goal of the analysis is to use the metrics to identify performance differences between the configurations that are based on different function allocations. A surveillance range limitation of 100 nmi and a time delay for sharing updated trajectory intent of 30 seconds were implemented for the airborne system. Overall, these results indicate that the surveillance range and the sharing of trajectories and aircraft schedules are important factors in determining the efficiency of an airborne arrival management system. These parameters are not relevant to the ground-based system as modeled for this study because it has instantaneous access to all aircraft trajectories and intent. Creating a schedule external to the CD&R and the scheduling conformance system was seen to reduce total delays for the airborne system, and had a minor effect on the ground-based system. The effect of an external scheduler on other metrics was mixed.
The effect of instructor background and institutional setting on topic coverage in the first accounting information systems course

AbstractThe selection of topics to be covered in the first accounting information systems course varies greatly depending on the background of the instructor and on the institution in which the course is taught. A questionnaire was mailed to 413 accounting educators who identified themselves as having a systems interest in Accounting Faculty Directory (Hasselback, 1986). Topic coverage was then related to certain instructor and institutional setting characteristics. Differences in topic coverage were noted with the research or practice orientation of the instructor and in the teaching experience level of the instructor. Size of the institution and business program along with certain course prerequisites were also related to topic coverage.
Liszt’s Final Decade by Dolores Pesce

Dolores Pesce’s new book adds to what is a rather crowded Liszt research field. Scholars remain fascinated by the composer, continuously researching his life and work from every possible angle. To ...
An Improved Time Marching Algorithm For GWC Shallow Water Models

Finite element solutions of the shallow water wave equations have found increasing use by researchers and practitioners in the modeling of oceans and coastal areas. Wave equation models successfully eliminate spurious oscillation modes without resorting to artificial or numerical damping. Typically, wave equation models integrate the continuity equation with a three-time-level scheme centered at k and the momentum equation with a two-time-level scheme centered at &+1/2; nonlinear terms are evaluated explicitly. This allows for a computationally-efficient sequential solution procedure. However in highly nonlinear applications, the algorithm becomes unstable for high Courant numbers. In this work, we examine a predictorcorrector algorithm to improve the stability constraint. Two advantages of the predictor-corrector scheme over the alternative of simultaneous integration of the full nonlinear equations are: 1) they can be easily implemented within the framework of existing codes; and 2) they minimize the size of the matrices that must be stored and inverted. Results from an exhaustive series of one-dimensional experiments show that, depending on the bathymetry, grid resolution, and iteration procedure, we can see over a ten-fold increase in the size of the stable time step. Implementation of the most promising algorithm into the 2D/3D circulation model, Adcirc, is in progress. Transactions on Ecology and the Environment vol 17, © 1998 WIT Press, www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541
Spatial Distribution Analyses of Superconducting Transition Temperature in Epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7 Film Using Variable Temperature Scanning Laser Microscopy

The spatial distribution of superconducting properties using variable temperature scanning laser microscope (VTSLM) has been investigated. The superconducting thin film used in this study is an epitaxial YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 film photolithographically patterned to a 300 μm-wide bridge. Since the voltage response, δV(x,y) is proportional to dR/dT(x,y), the spatial distribution of superconducting transition can be obtained in VTSLM images. In the resistive transition region, there is a strong correlation between the VTSLM images and the resistance of the sample. With decreasing resistance, the area with large δV(x,y) shifts toward the ends of the bridge. This indicates that the resistive transition is not uniform and both ends of the bridge have lower transition temperature, Tc. Different currents or different output power of lasers do not affect the images. VTSLM technique is a powerful tool to image the local superconducting properties and to identify the weaker superconducting areas.
Effect of Light and Humidity on the Absorption and Translocation of Dimethoate in the Cotton Plant

In studies of absorption and translocation of dimethoate by cotton plants, as affected by different light and humidity conditions, similar amounts of dimethoate were absorbed by the roots of plants held in the light or in the dark. Also, the cotyledons of the plants in the light and dark accumulated similar amounts of dimethoate during an 8-hr exposure period. Leaves on the same cotton plant, but under different light and humidity conditions, accumulated different amounts of dimethoate. Both high humidity and darkness resulted in greatly reduced dimethoate accumulation in the leaves.
Causes of death of bacteria in frozen suspensions.

The lack of good evidence in support of a mechanical cause of death, together with the demonstrated similarities between the behavior of bacterial cells in frozen broth and in unfrozen solute, has led to the consideration that death in frozen suspensions has to do with unsolidified solute. Concomitant with freezing, water is withdrawn from the suspending medium as ice, and the cells become subjected to concentrated solute. The degree of lethality of this unsolidified solute is, of course, dependent upon the compounds of which it is composed. At −22°C. sodium chloride is strongly lethal. Glycerol, on the other hand, may cause little if any death. Infact, glycerol is even able to counteract to some extent the lethality of sodium chloride. Another factor is involved in death at low temperatures; this is some component of the atmosphere. However, the primary cause of death in frozen suspensions appears to be solute which is concentrated concomitantly with the solidification of the suspension. These conclusions pertain only to bacteria of the type studied. In the case of cells of higher organisms, although the conclusions just presented may hold to a degree, death due to disruption of the cells by ice may be a factor.
Natural vibration analysis of steel truss arch structures

Natural vibration of steel truss arch structures is analyzed base upon the large general structural analysis software ANSYS.With the new concept of upset stiff cable structure,frequency of this type of steel truss arch structures is determined by energy variational method.Results of two methods are compared and show that the presented frequency formulas are of high accuracy,and the differences of frequencies are all within 5%.This provides a new concept and method for evaluations of steel truss arch structures that resist earthquake and wind loads.