cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Forwarding devices: From measurements to simulations

Most popular simulation and emulation tools use high-level models of forwarding behavior in switches and routers, and give little guidance on setting model parameters such as buffer sizes. Thus, a myriad of papers report results that are highly sensitive to the forwarding model or buffer size used. Incorrect conclusions are often drawn from these results about transport or application protocol performance, service provisioning, or vulnerability to attacks. In this article, we argue that measurement-based models for routers and other forwarding devices are necessary. We devise such a model and validate it with measurements from three types of Cisco routers and one Juniper router, under varying traffic conditions. The structure of our model is device-independent, but the model uses device specific parameters. The compactness of the parameters and simplicity of the model make it versatile for high-fidelity simulations that preserve simulation scalability. We construct a profiler to infer the parameters within a few hours. Our results indicate that our model approximates different types of routers significantly better than the default ns-2 simulator models. The results also indicate that queue characteristics vary dramatically among the devices we measure, and that backplane contention can be a factor.
The Effects of Slice-Selective Excitation/Refocusing in Localized Spectral Editing with Gradient-Selected Double-Quantum Coherence Transfer

Spectral editing using gradient-selected double-quantum filtering (DQF) with PRESS localization has been used for selective observation of metabolites in vivo. In previous studies using localized DQF sequences, it is generally assumed that the slice-selective pulses used in the sequence have no roles in coherence transfer, and do not interfere with DQF. To validate this assumption, the effects of slice-selective excitation/refocusing on DQF were investigated in DQF lactate editing sequences combined with PRESS localization. Contrary to the previous assumption, the results show that, due to chemical shift displacement artifact and J coupling, slice selection in DQF does interfere with coherence transfer, affecting both the accuracy of spatial localization and the detection sensitivity adversely. In the case of lactate editing, the effects of this interference can be accounted for simply by adjusting the strength of the slice-selection gradients and by using narrowband slice-selective refocusing pulses.
Effect of telescope alignment on a stellar interferometer

For a ground-based stellar interferometer, we investigate the effect of wave-front distortions that are due to telescope alignment errors and other factors. We apply the results to the IR/Optical Telescope Array (IOTA) interferometer. We present the computational method used in our simulation program to calculate explicitly the wave-front shape from an arbitrarily misaligned telescope. We calculate the wave-front shape and variance for a suite of misalignment conditions and interpret these results to find allowable tolerances on the positions and tilts of the telescope mirrors. We calculate the expected Strehl ratios from a total of ten types of factor, including telescope alignment, that are expected to be important in a real interferometer. Ranking the expected wave-front perturbations, we find that three of them, the wave-front curvature from atmospheric turbulence, the servo system time constant, and the flatness of the relay optics surfaces, are more significant than the telescope alignment factor. We compare observational experience at IOTA with our model estimate of the overall Strehl ratio in the visual and the infrared, finding moderately good agreement and, more important, a guide for future instrumental improvements.
Characterization of an IgA rheumatoid factor: Binding properties and reactivity with the subclasses of human γG globulin

Abstract The binding properties and specificity of a purified homogeneous IgA rheumatoid factor have been determined. With the use of the equilibrium molecular sieving technique the interaction of the rheumatoid factor and a γG-Fc piece were studied. From the data a linear Scatchard plot was obtained and from this an antibody valence of 2 and an average intrinsic association constant [K (0) ] 1·5 × 10 6 L/M were calculated. The temperature dependence fo and the thermodynamic parameters governing the interaction were determined. Equivalent reactivity of the IgA rheumatoid factor with representative γG 1 , γG 2 and γG 4 myeloma proteins was demonstrated. Data is presented which supports the concept that the rheumatoid factor is reacting with a specific antigenic determinant present on the Fc region of these γG globulin molecules.
Inhibition of Carotenoid Synthesis in Photosynthetic Bacteria: Suppression of Carotenoid Synthesis and its Effect on the Activity of Photosynthetic Bacterial Chromatophores

Inhibition of Carotenoid Synthesis in Photosynthetic Bacteria: Suppression of Carotenoid Synthesis and its Effect on the Activity of Photosynthetic Bacterial Chromatophores
Visual evidence and quantification of interaction of polymeric sulfonylurea with pancreatic islet.

Using a polymeric sulfonylurea (PSU) designed from glibenclamide, we examined the interactions of sulfonylurea with pancreatic islets rather than genetically remodeled β-cell lines to clarify the biological roles of ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels to which sulfonylurea binds. PSU enhanced insulin secretion from the islets with 10 nM (SU equivalent) treatment, especially at low glucose concentration, but its activity was inhibited by 100 μM diazoxide. Confocal microscopy visualized PSU interactions with the islet and revealed that the modulation of intracellular Ca2+ occurred in the same region of an islet where PSU was also bound. In quantification method of the confocal microscopic images, competition of PSU with glibenclamide on its binding sites and glucose inhibition against PSU binding were confirmed. In this study, it was concluded that the PSU was a comparable drug with glibenclamide and offered a new standard method to study intact islets.
Readily regenerable reduced microstructure representations

Many of the physical properties of materials are critically dependent on their microstructure. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in using computer simulations based on phase-field models for the spatial and temporal evolution of microstructures. Although such simulations are computationally expensive, the generated set of microstructures can be stored in a repository and used for further analysis in materials design. However, such an approach requires a substantial amount of storage, for example, approximately 1 Terabyte for a single binary alloy. In this paper, we develop fast data compression and regeneration schemes for two-dimensional microstructures that can reduce storage requirements without compromising the accuracy of computed values, such as stress fields used in analysis. Our main contribution is the development and evaluation of a sparse skeletal representation scheme which outperforms traditional compression schemes. Our results indicate that our scheme can reduce microstructure data size by more than two orders of magnitude while achieving better accuracies for the computed stress fields and order parameters.
Two kinetically distinct tRNAile isoacceptors in Escherichia coli C6.

Abstract The isoleucine acceptance of tRNA from Escherichia coli C6 was previously shown to be influenced by the synthetase level (Marashi, F. and Harris, C.L. 1977. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 477, 84-88). We show here that the increased acceptance observed at higher enzyme levels is accompanied by an increase in the aminoacylation of one tRNAile species. Hence, tRNAile, a minor species at low enzyme levels, is a major isoacceptor after full aminoacylation. The two major isoleucine species have been purified using a combination of BD-cellulose, DEAE-Sephadex A-50 and methylated albumin kieselguhr chromatography. tRNAile (1511 pmoles ile/A260 of tRNA) was found to be slowly acylated, with 2a Vmax one-seventh that observed with tRNAil3le (1475 pmoles ile/A260). Two-dimensional TLC analysis of RNase T2 digests revealed differences in nucleotide content between the purified tRNAs. These results are discussed in terms of the presence of slow and fast tRNAile species in E. coli.
The Effect of Thonzylamine Hydrochloride and Phenobarbital Sodium on Certain Psychological Functions

(1951). The Effect of Thonzylamine Hydrochloride and Phenobarbital Sodium on Certain Psychological Functions. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 181-200.
Viral studies in benign acute childhood myositis.

• Thirty-five cases of benign acute childhood myositis followed infections with influenza A or B. Two children had recurrent myositis associated with infections of different influenza types. None of the children had acute-phase antibody titers to the infecting type of influenza. These results are consistent with the proposal that benign acute childhood myositis can occur only with the initial infection of a viral type.
Single peptide-based protein identification in human proteome through MALDI-TOF MS coupled with amino acids coded mass tagging

Identification of proteins with low sequence coverage using mass spectrometry (MS) requires tandem MS/MS peptide sequencing. It is very challenging to obtain a complete or to interpret an incomplete tandem MS/MS spectrum from fragmentation of a weak peptide ion signal for sequence assignment. Here, we have developed an effective and high-throughput MALDI-TOF-based method for the identification of membrane and other low-abundance proteins with a simple, one-dimensional separation step. In this approach, several stable isotope-labeled amino acid precursors were selected to mass-tag, in parallel, the human proteome of human skin fibroblast cells in a residue-specific manner during in vivo cell culturing. These labeled residues can be recognized by their characteristic isotope patterns in MALDI-TOF MS spectra. The isotope pattern of particular peptides induced by the different labeled precursors provides information about their amino acid compositions. The specificity of peptide signals in a peptide mass mapp...
An ex vivo Study of the Correlation Between Acoustic Emission and Microvascular Damage

Abstract The objective of this study was to conduct an ex vivo examination of correlation between acoustic emission and tissue damage. Intravital microscopy was employed in conjunction with ultrasound exposure in cremaster muscle of male Wistar rats. Definity microbubbles were administered intravenously through the tail vein (80 μL.kg−1.min−1infusion rate) with the aid of a syringe pump. For the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) study, exposures were performed at four locations of the cremaster at a PRF of 1000, 500, 100 and 10 Hz (one location per PRF per rat). The 100-pulse exposures were implemented at a peak rarefactional pressure (Pr) of 2 MPa, frequency of 2.25 MHz with 46 cycle pulses. For the pressure amplitude threshold study, 100-pulse exposures (46 cycle pulses) were conducted at various peak rarefactional pressures from 0.5 MPa to 2 MPa at a frequency of 2.25 MHz and PRF of 100 Hz. Photomicrographs were captured before and 2-min postexposure. On a pulse-to-pulse basis, the 10 Hz acoustic emission was considerably higher and more sustained than those at other PRFs (1000, 500, and 100 Hz) (p ssamuel@umich.edu )
A high order difference method for the steady state Navier-Stokes equations

A stable high order difference method is developed for solving the heated cavity and the driven cavity problems governed by the steady state Navier-Stokes equations. The numerical results compared favorably with other methods. Coordinate transformations were also used to reflect the boundary layer phenonmena without requiring many mesh points. The methods used in this paper are accurate, stable, and applicable to other flow problems governed by the Navier-Stokes equations.
On Dutch windows

In The Netherlands, living room windows are big, left uncovered day and night, and elaborately decorated. This pattern, which is widespread in all urban and rural regions in this country, disappears abruptly as soon as the border into Germany is crossed where windows are generally smaller, consistently covered, and more sparsely decorated. Going south into Flanders, the disappearance of open and decorated windows is gradual but noticeable.
Self-assembly of C-methyl calix[4]resorcinarene with 1,2-bis(5'-pyrimidyl)ethene

The self-assembly of the tetradentate ligand 1,2-bis(5‘-pyrimidyl)ethene with C-methyl calix[4]resorcinarene is reported. The structures of two different three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded networks ...
Root Cause Analysis of Failures in Interdependent Power-Communication Networks

Studies on communication network robustness, though extensive, have primarily focused on standalone networks. However, real world communication networks do not operate in isolation, but instead are part of complex interdependent ecosystems that function together as a comprehensive symbiotic unit. For instance, communication networks of today are highly dependent on the power infrastructure and hence, any efforts to improve the robustness of communication networks must necessarily take into account the vulnerabilities of the power infrastructure and their shared interdependencies. For example, event-induced failures (failures caused by natural disasters or terrorist attacks), on any of these two infrastructures can trigger further failures (triggered failures) into the system through a cascading process due to the interdependencies between the networks. In such an interdependent system where an event induced failure can cascade and result in a much larger combined (event-induced plus triggered) failure, it may be imperative to identify the original event-induced failure for the purpose of post fault diagnostics, or for pre-cascade network strengthening. This ascertainment of event-induced original failure, or the Root Cause of Failure, from combined failures in interdependent Power-Communication networks is the main focus of this paper. We model interdependencies between the two infrastructures using the recently proposed Implicative Interdependency Model. We introduce the Root Cause of Failure problem, and prove it to be NP-Complete. We also provide optimal solutions using ILP, and provide an O(ln(n)) approximation algorithm. Finally, we validate our analytical results through experiments in the power communication network of Maricopa County, Arizona.
Differential contribution of TM6 and TM12 to the pore of CFTR identified by three sulfonylurea-based blockers

Previous studies suggested that four transmembrane domains 5, 6, 11, 12 make the greatest contribution to forming the pore of the CFTR chloride channel. We used excised, inside-out patches from oocytes expressing CFTR with alanine-scanning mutagenesis in amino acids in TM6 and TM12 to probe CFTR pore structure with four blockers: glibenclamide (Glyb), glipizide (Glip), tolbutamide (Tolb), and Meglitinide. Glyb and Glip blocked wildtype (WT)-CFTR in a voltage-, time-, and concentration-dependent manner. At VM = −120 mV with symmetrical 150 mM Cl− solution, fractional block of WT-CFTR by 50 μM Glyb and 200 μM Glip was 0.64 ± 0.03 (n = 7) and 0.48 ± 0.02 (n = 7), respectively. The major effects on block by Glyb and Glip were found with mutations at F337, S341, I344, M348, and V350 of TM6. Under similar conditions, fractional block of WT-CFTR by 300 μM Tolb was 0.40 ± 0.04. Unlike Glyb, Glip, and Meglitinide, block by Tolb lacked time-dependence (n = 7). We then tested the effects of alanine mutations in TM12 on block by Glyb and Glip; the major effects were found at N1138, T1142, V1147, N1148, S1149, S1150, I1151, and D1152. From these experiments, we infer that amino acids F337, S341, I344, M348, and V350 of TM6 face the pore when the channel is in the open state, while the amino acids of TM12 make less important contributions to pore function. These data also suggest that the region between F337 and S341 forms the narrow part of the CFTR pore.
An Amniotic Fluid Embolism Survival Story

Childbearing Poster Presentation Background A full-term woman in labor presented with a history of gestational diabetes and no pulmonary disease. Until the insult, the labor was uncomplicated and the fetal monitor tracing was a category I. The labor and delivery registered nurse was at the bedside charting when the woman (who had an epidural and was taking Pitocin) first began to cough. Case The woman suddenly began to cough, and could not stop. It appeared as if the woman was choking. A prolonged fetal heart rate deceleration was noted, and maternal oxygen saturation and maternal heart rate also dropped. Additional nurses and an anesthesiologist were called to the bedside stat. The patient's radial pulse became nonpalpable, and the oxygen saturation finger clip connected to the electronic fetal monitor did not register a pulse or an oxygen saturation reading; however, an apical pulse via stethoscope was still heard. The woman was moved quickly to the labor and delivery operating room where she was rapidly intubated by the anesthesiologist. Her respiratory status stabilized after intubation. A stat cesarean was performed, and a live newborn was delivered and handed to the awaiting neonatal intensive care unit staff. Bleeding during surgery appeared to be slightly increased. The circulating nurse looked under the operating room drape to check lochia flow and discovered the woman was bleeding profusely from the vagina. Urine output was minimal. An arterial line and a central line were quickly placed by the anesthesiologist because it appeared that the woman had developed disseminated intravascular coagulation. At the same time, the circulating nurse called the blood bank to initiate the obstetric rapid blood transfusion protocol. The blood transfusion protocol is similar to an emergency room trauma blood transfusion protocol. The blood bank follows the protocol by cross matching and thawing several units of blood products at one time according to an established guideline. The woman received multiple units of blood very quickly and never went into cardiac arrest. She was transferred to the intensive care unit immediately after the cesarean where she remained for at least 24 hours. Conclusion The woman and newborn were discharged in stable condition on postpartum day 6.
Cosmopolitan-local orientations as predictors of scientific productivity, organizational productivity, and job satisfaction for scientists and engineers

Data from over 400 civilian scientists and engineers in four Air Force Research and Development Laboratories were used to explore the predictive power of the cosmopolitan-local construct. Those respondents who scored high on the cosmopolitan dimension (concern with contribution to science) tended to score high on the scientific productivity dimension (publish papers in professional journals and present papers at symposia). Similarly, high scores on the local dimensions (concern for the employing organization) were found with high scores on the organizational productivity dimension (write laboratory technical reports and memoranda). Job satisfaction was positively associated with the local orientation and unassociated with the cosmopolitan orientation. The interaction or combined effect of the two orientations yielded no additional predictive power over that of the separate orientations.
Variations Forever: Flexibly generating rulesets from a sculptable design space of mini-games

Variations Forever is a novel game in which the player explores a vast design space of mini-games. In this paper, we present the procedural content generation research which makes the automatic generation of suitable game rulesets possible. Our generator, operating in the domain of code-like game content exploits answer-set programming as a means to declaratively represent a generative space as distinct from the domain-independent solvers which we use to enumerate it. Our generative spaces are powerfully sculptable using concise, declarative rules, allowing us to embed significant design knowledge into our ruleset generator as an important step towards a more serious automation of whole game design process.
S-Oxygenation of N-substituted thioureas catalyzed by the pig liver microsomal FAD-containing monooxygenase.

The microsomal FAD-containing monooxygenase (EC 1.14.13.8, dimethylaniline monooxygenase) purified to homogeneity from hog liver catalyzes NADPH- and oxygen-dependent S-oxygenation of phenylthiourea, ethylenethiourea, thiocarbanilide, N-methylthiourea, and thiourea to their corresponding formamidine sulfinic acids. The sulfinic acids are formed by sequential enzymic oxidation of the thioureas through intermediate sulfenic acids. The reaction sequence was established by separating intermediate and final oxygenated metabolites of phenylthiourea and ethylenethiourea. The sulfenic and sulfinic acids of these two thioureas, produced enzymically, were chromatographically and spectrally identical with chemically synthesized reference compounds. Phenylformamidine and ethyleneformamidine sulfinic acids are slowly converted to their sulfonic acids upon prolonged incubation. While N-substituted formamidine sulfinic acids oxidize spontaneously to formamidine sulfonic acids at 37 °C, the further oxidation of ethyleneformamidine sulfinic acid may be, at least in part, enzyme catalyzed. The purified monooxygenase also catalyzes rapid oxygenation of mercaptoimidazoles to the corresponding imidazole sulfinic acids. The instability of S-oxygenated mercaptoimidazoles prevented their isolation and positive identification, but analysis of kinetic data obtained with sulfenic acid trapping agents suggests that these compounds are oxygenated by the same reaction sequence established for N-substituted thioureas. The NADPH- and oxygen-dependent oxidation of thiocarbamates and of 2-mercaptoimidazoles catalyzed by hog or hamster liver microsomes correlates with dimethylaniline N-oxidase activity and appears completely independent from cytochrome P-450. The S-oxidation of thiourea and its derivatives is not inhibited by n-octylamine, a known inhibitor of cytochrome P-450 dependent oxygenations. Furthermore, differential thermal inactivation of the flavin-containing monooxygenase totally abolishes phenylthiourea S-oxidase activity of hamster liver microsomes.
A Guide to Understanding the Science behind Useful Approaches to Learning

Review of : The New Science of Learning: How to Learn in Harmony With Your Brain ; Terry Doyle and Todd Zakrajsek; (2013). Stylus Publishing, Sterling, VA. 126 pages.
Knowledge effects on document selection in search results pages

Click through events in search results pages (SERPs) are not reliable implicit indicators of document relevance. A user's task and domain knowledge are key factors in recognition and link selection and the most useful SERP document links may be those that best match the user's domain knowledge. User study participants rated their knowledge of genomics MeSH terms before conducting 2004 TREC Genomics Track tasks. Each participant's document knowledge was represented by their knowledge of the indexing MeSH terms. Results show high, intermediate, and low domain knowledge groups had similar document selection SERP rank distributions. SERP link selection distribution varied when participant knowledge of the available documents was analyzed. High domain knowledge participants usually selected a document with the highest personal knowledge rating. Low domain knowledge participants were reasonably successful at selecting available documents of which they had the most knowledge, while intermediate knowledge participants often failed to do so. This evidence for knowledge effects on SERP link selection may contribute to understanding the potential for personalization of search results ranking based on user domain knowledge.
ACTH mediation of learned fear: blockade by naloxone and naltrexone.

Abstract Adult male rats received an ACTH or saline injection 24 hr after non-contingent footshock experience or apparatus exposure without shock. For some of the animals, narcotic antagonists (naloxone, naltrexone) were administered prior to the ACTH. Only animals receiving prior noncontingent footshock experience and ACTH in conjunction with specific cue exposure showed reliable avoidance of the shuttlebox cues. Control groups showed that neither shock-induced sensitization nor place aversion contributed substantially to the aversion of the specific cues. Since the ACTH-mediated learning was blocked by specific narcotic antagonists, endogenous opioid involvement appears to be implicated in this type of learning.
Improved pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling for mapping brain perfusion

Purpose: To investigate arterial spin labeling (ASL) methods for improved brain perfusion mapping. Previously, pseudo-continuous ASL (pCASL) was developed to overcome limitations inherent with conventional continuous ASL (CASL), but the control scan (null pulse) in the original method for pCASL perturbs the equilibrium magnetization, diminishing the ASL signal. Here, a new modification of pCASL, termed mpCASL is reported, in which the perturbation caused by the null pulse is reduced and perfusion mapping improved. Materials and Methods: improvements with mpCASL are demonstrated using numerical simulations and experiments. ASL signal intensity as well as contrast and reproducibility of in vivo brain perfusion images were measured in four volunteers who had MRI scans at 4 Tesla and the data compared across the labeling methods. Results: Perfusion maps with mpCASL showed, on average, higher ASL signal intensity and higher image contrast than those from CASL or pCASL. Furthermore, mpCASL yielded better reproducibility in repeat scans than the other methods. Conclusion: The experimental results are consistent with the hypothesis that the new null pulse of mpCASL leads to improved brain perfusion images. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010;31:1419–1427. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Abstract 1325: Chlorinated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (EPI-001) mediates degradation of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC The androgen receptor is a critical target for the treatment of locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). Blocking AR signaling via castration or antiandrogens such as bicalutamide and enzalutamide results in tumor regression. However, resistance to AR-targeted therapy inevitably develops, marked by the outgrowth of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. Mechanisms of CRPC include amplification of the AR gene, leading to overexpression of AR mRNA and protein, as well as expression of truncated AR splice variants. AR overexpression can convert bicalutamide to a weak agonist, thereby driving AR reactivation and ongoing cellular proliferation and survival. AR splice variants lack the COOH-terminal AR ligand binding domain (LBD) and function as constitutively-active, ligand-independent transcription factors. Recently, the chlorinated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether, EPI-001, was shown to bind to the AR NH2-terminal domain and inhibit AR signaling by interfering with coactivator recruitment. Here, we show that EPI-001 has a novel activity of mediating degradation of AR protein in various PCa cell lines, including cells driven by AR gene amplification and cells driven by AR splice variants. Cells displaying resistance to the next-generation antiandrogen enzalutamide were growth inhibited at EPI-001 concentrations corresponding to maximal AR degradation. Moreover, using VCaP cells as a model of AR overexpression, we show that EPI-001-mediated AR degradation prevents inappropriate agonist response to bicalutamide. This work provides proof-of-principle that targeting full-length and splice variant forms of the AR for degradation with EPI-001 may enhance the efficacy of conventional and next-generation antiandrogens for treatment of CRPC. Citation Format: Lucas J. Brand, Scott M. Dehm. Chlorinated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (EPI-001) mediates degradation of the androgen receptor in prostate cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1325. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1325
Pharmacokinetics of clindamycin phosphate in the first year of life.

The pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered clindamycin phosphate was studied in 40 children 4 weeks, and 12.69 μg/ml in term infants 4 weeks (0.294 and 0.678, respectively, vs 1.58 L/hr). Clearance was significantly greater (1.919 vs 0.310 L/hr) and serum half-life less (1.75 vs 7.57 hours) in infants with body weight >3.5 kg. On the basis of these data it is recommended that in infants >4 weeks or >3.5 kg, intravenous clindamycin dosage be 20 mg/kg/day in four divided doses. In premature neonates 1 week of age may also receive 20 mg/kg/day in four doses.
Equilibrium and stability of polarization in ultrathin ferroelectric films with ionic surface compensation

Thermodynamic theory is developed for the ferroelectric phase transition of an ultrathin film in equilibrium with a chemical environment that supplies ionic species to compensate its surface. Equations of state and free energy expressions are developed based on Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory, using electrochemical equilibria to provide ionic compensation boundary conditions. Calculations are presented for a monodomain PbTiO${}_{3}$ (001) film coherently strained to SrTiO${}_{3}$ with its exposed surface and its electronically conducting bottom electrode in equilibrium with a controlled oxygen partial pressure. The stability and metastability boundaries of phases of different polarization are determined as a function of temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and film thickness. Phase diagrams showing polarization and internal electric field are presented. At temperatures below a thickness-dependent Curie point, high or low oxygen partial pressure stabilizes positive or negative polarization, respectively. Results are compared to the standard cases of electronic compensation controlled by either an applied voltage or charge across two electrodes. Ionic surface compensation through chemical equilibrium with an environment introduces new features into the phase diagram. In ultrathin films, a stable nonpolar phase can occur between the positive and negative polar phases when varying the external chemical potential at fixed temperature, under conditions where charged surface species are not present in sufficient concentration to stabilize a polar phase.
Pegylated Interferon and Ribavirin Failures: Is Retreatment an Option?

Currently, there are limited therapeutic options available for chronic hepatitis C (HCV) patients who fail treatment with peginterferon α (PEG IFN) + ribavirin (RBV). An option is retreatment with a second course PEG-IFN + RBV. However, the virologic clearance with this option is unknown. Thus, we evaluated the outcome of our cohort of patients with chronic HCV who achieved a sustained viral response when retreated with PEG IFN plus RBV after having no response to an initial course of PEG IFN plus RBV. Nonresponse to treatment was defined as failure to achieve an early virologic response by week 12 or presence of detectable HCV RNA at week 24 or after completion of PEG-IFN + RBV therapy. Twenty patients (12 [60%] men; 8 [40%] women) were treated with PEG IFN α-2b plus RBV and PEG IFN α-2a plus RBV. The mean age of the patients was 50 years, 85% were white, 95% had genotype 1, and 35% had cirrhosis. Prior to the first course of PEG IFN plus RBV, 12 (60%) of 20 patients had no prior treatment for Hepatitis C. After the second course of PEG IFN plus RBV, 2 (10%) of 20 patients achieved a sustained virologic response. These results suggest marginal benefit of retreatment of patients with chronic HCV with another course of PEG IFN plus RBV after they have not responded to an initial course of PEG IFN plus RBV.
Application of bottom-hole temperature corrections in geothermal studies

Abstract Bottom-hole temperature (BHT) data measured in oil and gas wells constitute a large, low quality set of temperature observations commonly used in geothermal studies. Raw BHT data are, on the average, cooler than true formation temperatures. To estimate true formation temperatures, corrections must be applied. Empirical BHT corrections may be applied to BHT data for which only depths of measurement are known, but may not be valid outside of the area for which they are calibrated. If multiple BHT measurements from successive logging runs are available, the Horner plot correction procedure can be used. The accuracy of the Horner plot is limited by simplifying assumptions made in its derivation, and by the common lack of information on parameters such as duration of mud circulation. More detailed and complete treatments provide insight into the borehole equilibration process, but their application is similarly limited by a common lack of data regarding borehole thermal properties. A new type of empirical correction procedure may be derived in some areas and allows a correction to be made for BHTs for which only a depth and time of measurement are known. Noise is invariably present in the BHT data found on well log headers from oil and gas wells, and the consequence of noise in these data should be considered when choosing and applying a correction. Although the average nature and magnitude of error in raw BHT data may be approximately known, application of all BHT correction procedures to the typical data available from oil and gas well log headers usually involves an unknown amount of error. Reliable estimates of average geothermal conditions can be made only from suites of BHT data, and are condemned to be imprecise at best.
Oxidation of naphthalene by radiolytically produced OH radicals

Radiolytically produced OH radicals react with naphthalene in aqueous solution in the presence of ferricyanide mainly to yield 1- and 2-naphthol in a ratio of 2.1:1. Reaction takes place via addition of OH to the naphthalene with a rate constant of 1.2 x 1010M-1S-1. Because of the low solubility of naphthalene (∼ 2 x 10-4M) γ-radiolysis studies were carried out at doses of ∼ 103 rad, where the naphthols were produced at micromolar concentrations. Analysis was by high-performance liquid chromatography. The initial yields of naphthols from solutions saturated with N2O and naphthalene total 4.7 molec/100 eV, indicating near to quantitative conversion of the OH adducts to the naphthols by the ferricyanide. The observed product ratio is taken to reflect a two-fold preference for attack of OH at the 1-position as compared with that at the 2-position of naphthalene with only little (<10%) reaction at the 9-position.
The Great Divide: Examining Football Revenue among FBS Schools

The focus of this study is to examine the dispersion of football-generated revenue amongst Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams. This article seeks to determine if parity exists in the ability of all college football teams to generate revenue, and to determine the impact on the competitive balance of the sport. The results of this study indicate that there is a major stratification among affiliation status (automatic qualifying versus non-automatic qualifying) and within conferences. Further, the data indicates a cycle of inequity in college football. This study quantifies the perception of inequality and recommends means to correct or control this disparity moving forward.
Red blood cell alloantigenic systems in the rat.

SUMMARY A new alloantigenic system on red blood cells, Ag-S, is described: the Ag-S1 allele is present in the SHR strain, and all other strains tested possess the allelic Ag-S2 specificity. The Ag-C system, which was previously described using xenogeneic antisera, was shown to be an alloantigenic system. The appropriate strain combinations are needed to elicit detectable antibodies, and the variability of the antigenic strength of this system can lead to problems in histocompatibility (Ag-B, H-1) typing. The Ag-D system was explored using both allogeneic and xenogeneic antisera. All three red cell systems are not linked to each other and are not linked to Ag-B (H-1). They are not isoantigenic systems, at least in the classical sense, since a variety of normal rat sera did not contain agglutinating antibodies to these antigens. Antibodies raised in various strain combinations are haemagglutinating but are not cytotoxic. The three antigenic systems serve as useful markers in delineating strains and substrains, and a variety of inbred strains of animals were typed using these reagents.
Simple analytic spiral K-space algorithm.

The exact, hardware-constrained design of a spiral k-space trajectory requires the solution of a differential equation, thereby making real-time prescription difficult on scanners with limited computational power. This study describes a closed-form approximate solution for interleaved Archimedian spiral trajectories that closely matches the exact design. Both slew rate-limited and amplitude-limited regimes are incorporated. Magn Reson Med 42:412-415, 1999.
The District Magistrate Profession in the Early Republican Period: Occupational Recruitment, Training and Mobility

The subject of magistrates, the local administrative leaders in the hsien, districts, is central to the study of Chinese government and society. The district has always been and still remains the basic administrative unit in China. Magistrates, the ‘offcials close to the people’, in the districts, are the chief administrators, who have always been singly responsible for the direct implementation of governmental policies at the local levels. Although several studies have been published on local administrators of the Ch'ing dynasty and the Communist period, district magistrates of the Republican era have been little studied.
The double switch operation with accent on the Senning component.

In congenitally corrected transposition (ccTGA) the most common configuration is atrial situs solitus with left ventricular loop and left transposition of the great arteries (SLL). Less common is ccTGA with atrial siti inversus (IDD). In both configurations there is a high incidence of ventricular septal defect, pulmonary stenosis, or atresia and some anatomic abnormality of the morphologc tricuspid valve (mTV). The morphologic right ventricle (mRV) is the systemic ventricle and prone to premature failure, particularly in the presence of early TV regurgitation, atrial arrhythmias conduction defects, and prior surgical ventricular septal defect closure. With a long experience with the Senning operation and then the arterial switch, it seemed feasible that these could be combined in ccTGA to restore the mLV to the systemic circuit. This was first attempted in 1989 by the author and was successful. Many of the more recently graduated congenital heart surgeons have little or no experience with the inflow switch. For this reason, the author ws asked to write this article, accenting the technical details of the inflow switch. The author uses the Senning operation, with those modifications needed to accommodate the differences between the morphologic right atrium, conduction system, and quite frequent discordance between the atrial situs and the position of the apex of the heart, in ccTGA as compared with TGA.
Scleral thickness following fluocinolone acetonide implant (Retisert).

Purpose: To evaluate whether intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide (FA) implantation (Retisert) leads to scleral thinning.Methods: Scleral thickness was measured at the pars plana region (4 quadrants) with anterior segment OCT (Visante) in FA implanted eyes (18) with noninfectious posterior uveitis in comparison to eyes with prior vitrectomy (8), and normal eyes without prior surgery (30).Results: Mean scleral thickness in normal (nonsurgical) eyes was 0.99/0.93/0.88/0.86, and 0.92 mm in the inferonasal/inferotemporal/superotemporal/superonasal quadrants, and overall, respectively. Sclera was thinner in each quadrant of the FA implanted eyes compared to the fellow or nonsurgical eyes, although none reached statistical significance, as the differences were small. However, a few FA implanted eyes demonstrated more dramatic scleral thinning than others.Conclusions: FA implant appears to lead to statistically nonsignificant scleral thinning overall with few exceptions. Clinicians should be aware of potential sc...
Promoting Reading Achievement and Countering the "Fourth-Grade Slump": The Impact of Direct Instruction on Reading Achievement in Fifth Grade.

Previous research has documented a substantial decline of standardized test scores of children from low-income backgrounds, relative to more advantaged peers, in later elementary grades, the so-called “fourth-grade slump.” This article examines changes in reading achievement from first to fifth grade for students in a large urban school system with a high proportion of students from economically deprived backgrounds. Students received first-grade reading instruction from Direct Instruction (DI), Open Court, or a mixture of reading curricula. Results indicate that students in schools using DI had significantly greater gains in both reading vocabulary and comprehension than students in the two other settings and that their average levels of achievement in fifth grade were above the national norms, thus countering the fourth-grade slump.
A dynamical approach to precision entry in multi-body regimes: Dispersion manifolds

Abstract The identification of trajectories that target a precise location and approach vector during planetary entry is sensitive to the quality of the startup arc supplied to iterative path planning and guidance algorithms. These sensitivities are especially evident when multi-body effects are significant; low-energy spacecraft trajectories that dwell near the gravitational boundary of two bodies, for instance, are more susceptible to third-body effects. Dynamical sensitivities are also significant when maneuvers are scheduled within a region of space susceptible to multi-body effects. The present study considers precision entry targeting from the perspective of the multi-body problem.
Robustness of error estimators for finite element solutions of problems with high orthotropy

In this paper, we address the accuracy of a posteriori error estimators for finite element solutions of problems with high orthotropy especially for cases where rather coarse meshes are used, which are often encountered in engineering computations. We present sample computations which indicate lack of robustness of all standard residual estimators with respect to high orthotropy. The main culprit is the coarseness of the finite element meshes relative to the thickness of the boundary and interface layers in the solution. This is often imposed by the size of the problem domain, the capabilities for mesh generation, and the employed finite element software and cannot be changed. Hence, there is need for a posteriori error estimation approaches which are robust for coarse meshes and which are constructed using non-intrusive approaches with respect to the employed software.
Police technology in cities: changes and challenges

Abstract Advanced technologies originally developed for the military are now commonly used to enhance urban public safety. Photonics, thermal imaging, facial and behavioral recognition systems, remote monitoring by satellite, and biometric systems like DNA testing and retinal scans have become new weapons in police agencies. These technologies are being diffused among cities by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA, the US military, national research laboratories, the Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization of the National Institute of Justice, and others. As a result, public police agencies are changing their methods of handling urban space and the ways such spaces are defined and controlled by police. Police technologies are evolving into, among other things, machine systems that code and decode information embedded in urban spaces, with the ability to track movements of targeted individuals and groups and identify the unseen remnants left by targets of these surveillance machines. As these systems become more automated and autonomous, critical thought needs to be directed to their impact on people and cities.
Stability Governs the Apparent Expression of "Particulate" Hepatitis B e Antigen by Mutant Hepatitis B Virus Core Particles

Abstract The p21.5 capsid or core protein of hepatitis B virus carries two distinct classes of epitopes. Core (HBc) epitopes are found exclusively on the surface of the 28-nm viral icosahedral capsids or core particles, while HBe epitopes are normally expressed only by subparticulate forms of the core protein. Recent studies have suggested that a "particulate" form of HBe is expressed on the surface of capsid particles assembled from p17, a truncated core protein that lacks the carboxy-terminal protamine-like region of p21.5 and hence the ability to bind end encapsidate RNA. In this report we have used epitope-specific ELISAs in conjunction with capsids assembled from a series of carboxy-terminally truncated core proteins to address the mechanistic basis for particulate HBe. Specifically, we sought to test the idea that particulate HBe expression might be linked to the loss of RNA binding. However, our results strongly suggest that expression of HBe by mutant core particles is a result of their intrinsic instability which increases sharply when RNA binding is lost. We show that core particles assembled from mutant core proteins lacking Cys residues also express HBe, again because of capsid instability. We report mild conditions that can induce the dissociation of the mutant capsids and discuss our findings in terms of the factors that control capsid stability.
Does IL-6 release ACTH by exerting a direct effect in the rat anterior pituitary.

Adult male rats were used to determine whether high circulating levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) were capable of releasing ACTH independently of endogenous corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). On one hand, CRF antibodies or a potent CRF antagonist significantly decreased, but did not totally abolish the ACTH response to the intravenous (i.v.) injection of recombinant rat IL-6. These results suggest that this cytokine might act either directly on the pituitary, or can release ACTH through mechanisms that do not involve CRF. On the other hand, the CRF antagonist or antibodies significantly (but not totally) blocked ACTH secretion due to the i.v. injection of endotoxin (LPS) while enhancing the ability of this immune stimulus to increase serum IL-6 concentrations. These results indicate that during endotoxemia, even very elevated circulating IL-6 concentrations were not able to release large amounts of ACTH in the absence of CRF drive. These data also illustrate the ability of a ...
Monte Carlo optimization of 4D smoothing methods for gated myocardial perfusion SPECT

We develop a technique for optimizing space-time smoothing methods proposed for gated myocardial perfusion SPECT. Gated SPECT synchronizes image acquisition with an ECG signal so that a time loop of 3D SPECT images is acquired. The optimization technique employs a realistic spline-based beating heart phantom. We simulate noise-free SPECT data from the phantom including all principal physical degrading effects, and then we simulate an ensemble of noisy datasets. Each member of the ensemble is processed using the candidate reconstruction method, varying the smoothing parameters to optimize bias and variance of a quantitative measure representing the task to be performed with the study. The method is demonstrated on the optimization of smoothing parameters for left ventricular volume estimation. We conclude that Monte Carlo simulation using realistic models of motion is essential in predicting and optimizing performance of 4D reconstruction methods.