cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On Optimizing Anomaly Detection Rules for Gas Turbine Health Monitoring

Gas turbine health monitoring is a critical process in preventing costly unplanned maintenance and secondary damage. To monitor gas turbine health, control signals are typically collected and analyzed using anomaly detection rules and models to assess failure likelihood based on observed data patterns. An analytic designer will often deal with rule optimization tasks in order to maximize failure detection and reduce false alarms. Manual tradeoff analysis is typically time consuming and suboptimal. In this paper, we attempt to address this issue by introducing a strategy for automatic and efficient rule optimization. By focusing on optimizing rule parameters while keeping rule structure intact, we maximize the rule performance by integrating domain knowledge with data driven optimization techniques. Realizing that automated rule tuning can be computationally expensive and infeasible to complete in reasonable time, we will leverage our recently-developed scalable learning framework - iScale that allows for automatically distributing rule tuning tasks to a large number of cloud computers, which not only dramatically speeds up tuning process, but also enables us to handle big size of historical data for tuning. We also explore different search methods to make rule tuning more efficient and effective and finally demonstrate our rule optimization strategy by a real-world application.
Treatment of Obesity

Obesity is one of the major health problems in modern society. A recent National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference (1985) concluded that being overweight by 20% or more of ideal body weight represents a significant risk for increased mortality and morbidity. Among the health risks associated with obesity are cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and some types of cancers (Bray, 1985). In the United States, approximately 30% of women and 25% of men are 20% or more overweight. Obesity is also becoming increasingly common in children and adolescents (Gortmaker, Dietz, Sobal, & Wehler, 1987). From the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, the prevalence of obesity increased from 17.6% to 27.1% in 6- to 11-year-old children and from 15.8% to 21.9% in 12- to 17-year-olds.
Parental neurotic excoriation injury of children: A case series of hidden physical abuse.

Background Recognizable skin findings of child physical abuse include bruises, abrasions, lacerations, bite marks, burns, and oral injuries. Self-induced skin picking, or neurotic excoriation, can correspond to emotional stress, underlying psychiatric illness, or substance abuse. Parental neurotic excoriation injury of children has not been reported previously as a form of physical abuse. Methods We present a case series of five children abused via parental excoriation. All affected children were three years of age or younger and otherwise healthy. Each child presented with wounds determined to be consistent with chronic picking. Patient age, injury location, and in some cases, witness accounts confirmed the lesions were not self-inflicted. Results In three cases, caregivers reported methamphetamine use. In these cases, caregivers repeatedly picked or wiped the infants' skin. In two cases, the caregiver demonstrated personal neurotic excoriation behavior, which was imposed upon her children resulting in similar lesions. One affected child died at 14 days of age from abusive head trauma, while the other four children were placed in foster care by Child Protective Services. Conclusion Excoriation injury places children at risk for significant scarring and other long-term effects. We report examples demonstrating that repetitive skin injury by caregivers is a diagnostic consideration for abuse in young children.
When the balloon goes up, blood transfusion goes down: a pilot study of REBOA in placenta accreta spectrum disorders.

Background Patients with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) disorders often suffer massive hemorrhage during cesarean hysterectomies (CHyst). A novel strategy to decrease blood loss and minimize perioperative morbidity associated with PAS is utilization of ER-REBOA Catheter intraoperatively. In this study, we explore the use of ER-REBOA Catheter during CHyst with the goal of minimizing perioperative morbidity and packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions. Methods We conducted a retrospective case–control study at a regional referral center of consecutive patients with PAS undergoing CHyst. The primary outcomes were PRBC transfusions of ≥4 units. Secondary outcomes included surgical intensive care unit admissions, postoperative length of stay (LOS), postoperative ileus, and vascular complication rate. We also explored utilization of manual palpation and omission of precesarean fluoroscopy for resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) placement verification in distal aortic zone 3. Results 90 patients were included in the study. REBOA and non-REBOA cases were similar in clinicodemographic characteristics. 17.7% of REBOA cases received ≥4 units of PRBC compared with 49.3% of non-REBOA cases (p=0.03). Zero REBOA patients developed postoperative ileus, whereas 18 (25%) non-REBOA patients did (p=0.02). LOS was reduced in the REBOA group. Postplacement fluoroscopy was omitted in all REBOA cases. Two postoperative arterial thrombotic events (2 of 19, 11% of REBOA patients) were identified in the REBOA group, one requiring a thrombectomy (1 of 19, 5%). Discussion Decrease in blood transfusions of ≥4 units of PRBC is demonstrated when ER-REBOA Catheter is placed in distal aortic zone 3 during CHyst performed for severe PAS disorders. The incidence of postoperative ileus and LOS are reduced in the ER-REBOA Catheter group. Placement and utilization of ER-REBOA Catheter during CHyst may be feasible without fluoroscopy when manual placement verification is performed by an experienced operator. Protocol modifications focusing on reducing thrombotic rate are ongoing. Level of evidence IV.
Socioeconomic Impact on Outcomes During the First Year of Life of Patients with Single Ventricle Heart Disease: An Analysis of the National Pediatric Cardiology Quality Improvement Collaborative Registry

Socioeconomic status (SES) affects a range of health outcomes but has not been extensively explored in the single ventricle population. We investigate the impact of community-level deprivation on morbidity and mortality for infants with single ventricle heart disease in the first year of life. Retrospective cohort analysis of infants enrolled in the National Pediatric Cardiology Improvement Collaborative who underwent staged single ventricle palliation examining mortality and length of stay (LOS) using a community-level deprivation index (DI). 974 patients met inclusion criteria. Overall mortality was 20.5%, with 15.7% of deaths occurring between the first and second palliations. After adjusting for clinical risk factors, the DI was associated with death (log relative hazard $${\chi }_{3}^{2}$$ = 8.92, p = 0.030) and death or transplant (log relative hazard $${\chi }_{3}^{2}$$ = 8.62, p = 0.035) in a non-linear fashion, impacting those near the mean DI. Deprivation was associated with LOS following the first surgical palliation (S1P) (p = 0.031) and overall hospitalization during the first year of life (p = 0.018). For every 0.1 increase in the DI, LOS following S1P increased by 3.35 days (95% confidence interval 0.31–6.38) and total hospitalized days by 5.08 days (95% CI 0.88–9.27). Community deprivation is associated with mortality and LOS for patients with single ventricle congenital heart disease. While patients near the mean DI had a higher hazard of one year mortality compared to those at the extremes of the DI, LOS and DI were linearly associated, demonstrating the complex nature of SES factors.
Artin's theorems in supergeometry

We generalize Artin's three main algebraicity theorems to the setting of supergeometry: Artin approximation, algebraization of formal moduli, and algebraization of stacks.
Imagining the Past and Remembering the Future: The Supreme Court's History of the Establishment Clause

What people believe to be ultimately true forms the core of their "religion" and affects, if it does not control, every significant decision they make. Moreover, the perception of an ultimate truth begets a personal moral code that determines how people treat other individuals and how they define their social duties. Whether it be through the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, or some other tenet of faith, personal morality often supplants society's own assignment of duties through its law. Religion thus stands in a superior relation to positive law. Indeed, even the Supreme Court has made this primacy of con­ science the sine qua non of its definition of religion as "a faith, to which all else is subordinate or upon which all else is ultimately dependent." The political significance of religious belief does not end, however, with the public repercussions of these individual private decisions. Many contemporary societies understand themselves and their relationship to the world in almost exclusively religious terms. Even the great twentieth-century movement of atheism confirms the public importance of faith through the continuing efforts of communist states to capture or annihilate religion. Thus, just as the solitary religious adherent perceives his fate through the interpretive medium of faith, religious belief can contribute to a collective social consciousness. In America, collective political activity has been an intensely religious enterprise. Americans have traditionally joined political parties and voted for public officials according to church membership and religious belief. It is impossible to disentangle great nonpartisan political movements such as abolition, the creation of a free public school system, prohibition, and the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s from their religious underpinnings. More recently, the participation of clergy and religiously motivated lay persons in the controversies surrounding the issues of abortion, sanctuary for illegal aliens, and apartheid highlights how religion can become entangled with public policy.
Hypothalamic Hypophysiotropic Hormones

A large body of experimental evidence supports the key role played by hypothalamic neurosecretory cells in coordinating the activities of the central nervous and endocrine systems. The nonapeptides vasopressin and oxytocin, synthesized in nerve cell bodies of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, travel by axoplasmic flow within tracts terminating in the neurohypophysis, from which they are secreted into the general circulation in response to the appropriate hypothalamic inputs (Sachs et al., 1969). Other hypothalamic hormones, the hypophysiotropic releasing and release inhibiting factors, exert a general influence on the homeostasis of the organism via their effects on the adenohypophysis. The portal vessel chemotransmitter theory states that the hypothalamus, in response to various neural and blood-borne signals, secretes factors or hormones which reach the adenohypophysis via the hypothalamic—hypophyseal portal system (Green and Harris, 1947; Friedgood, 1936). The vessels of the primary capillary plexus of this portal system are found in the median eminence of the hypothalamus; these vessels coalesce into veins which pass down the pituitary stalk to the adenohypophysis, where they disperse into a secondary capillary plexus supplying the various secretory cell types of the adenohypophysis. The demonstration of hypophysiotropic activities attributed to factors in hypothalamic extracts represented a critical part of the evidence supporting this theory.
A design method of a multi-rate servo controller using H/sub /spl infin//

A method of designing a multi-rate servo controller for a HDD that operates at a higher sampling frequency than that of the position error signal (PES) is proposed. Multi-rate sampling has an advantage for increasing the track density of a HDD without increasing the overhead of the servo information on the disk. A plant model for a design with a higher sampling rate is obtained by adding a zero-interpolator at the output of the position error signal. The controller is calculated by the H/spl infin/ method to suppress the noise at the PES sampling frequency that is created by the use of multi-rate sampling. The servo bandwidth and margins of the method are studied for 2.5" and 3.5" HDDs, and for an HDD with a dual-stage actuator. The multi-rate sampling is especially effective for the dual-stage actuator because the MEMS actuator's transfer function is very clean.
Alkaline phosphatases of the chicken duodenum: I. Isolation and partial characterization of the multiple forms of duodenal phosphatase in pre- and post-hatching stages

Abstract 1. 1.|Butanol-solubilized alkaline phosphatase (orthophosphoric monoester phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.1) from chicken duodenum has been resolved into several isozymic forms: (1) Two forms (F) that migrate fast in starch gel and have molecular weights of about 200 000; F 1 migrates slightly further than F 2 . (2) A polydisperse series of molecules (S) that move slowly in starch gel; they vary in molecular size from slightly larger than the F-forms to a size completely excluded from Sepharose 6B. The proportion of F- and S-phosphatase obtained from butanol extracts is age-dependent, the F-enzyme constituting about 20% of the extracted activity in the 20-day embryo, but more than 55% in post-hatching stages. 2. 2.|The isolated S-complex does not yield additional F-enzyme on a second extraction with butanol. F 1 can be transformed into F 2 by desialation with neuraminidase. 3. 3.|Purified F 1 , F 2 and S are virtually indistinguishable in several catalytic properties. They do however differ in Na 2 EDTA sensitivity and thermal stability, and to some extent in susceptibility to inactivation by acid or urea.
An infectious transfer and expression system for genomic DNA loci in human and mouse cells

The recent completion of the human genome sequence allows genomics research to focus on understanding gene complexity, expression, and regulation. However, the routine-use genomic DNA expression systems required to investigate these phenomena are not well developed. Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) and P1-based artificial chromosomes (PACs) have proved excellent tools for the human genome sequencing projects. We describe a system to rapidly and efficiently deliver and express BAC and PAC library clones in human and mouse cells by converting them into infectious amplicon vectors. We show packaging and intact delivery of genomic inserts of >100 kilobases with efficiencies of up to 100%. To demonstrate that genomic loci transferred in this way are functional, the complete human hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) locus contained within a 115-kilobase BAC insert was shown to be expressed when delivered by infection into both a human HPRT-deficient fibroblast cell line and a mouse primary hepatocyte culture derived from Hprt-/- mice. Efficient gene delivery to primary cells is especially important, as these cells cannot be expanded using antibiotic selection. This work is the first demonstration of infectious delivery and expression of genomic DNA sequences of >100 kilobases, a technique that may prove useful for analyzing gene expression from the human genome.
Double-isotope derivative assay of serum iodothyronines. I. Preparation of acetyl derivatives of thyroxine and triiodothyronine.

Abstract In order to apply the double-isotope derivative method to assay of total serum thyroxine or triiodothyronine, the stable mono- and diacetyl derivatives of these compounds were prepared and examined for use in an assay procedure. The monoacetyl derivatives were found to be best for this purpose since they show greater stability, are more soluble in polar solvents, and are easier to purify by chemical or chromatographic means. Therefore the N -acetyl- 3 H derivatives of thyroxine and triiodothyronine were used to develop an assay procedure.
Production of hot nuclei in Fermi energy domain: from peripheral to central collisions

The production mechanism of highly excited nuclei in the Fermi energy domain is investigated. A phenomenological approach, based on the exciton model, is used for the description of pre-equilibrium emission. A model of deep inelastic transfer is employed for the peripheral collisions in the post-pre-equilibrium stage. An approach to describe more central collisions is proposed. A geometric overlap formula is employed in a way suitable for given energy domain. A simple geometric approach describing the interaction of participant and spectator zones is used to determine the incomplete fusion channel. Excitation energies of both fragments are determined. Results of the calculation are compared to available experimental data and an overall satisfactorily agreement is obtained. The model's ability to describe the production of the hot nuclei can be employed in the study of multifragmentation and/or in the production of rare beams.
Geometries of Power

In the revolution of 1789, France set out to replace its absolute monarchy with a government based on a separation of legislative, judicial, and executive powers. In Geometries of Power: Royal, Revolutionary, and Postrevolutionary French Courtrooms, Katherine Fischer Taylor asks how the goal of separating powers affected the reform of French justice through its physical housing. Providing the first overview of French courtroom layout, Taylor identifies four geometric configurations that characterize in turn the late ancien regime, the revolutionary decade, and the Napoleonic era and beyond. While taking account of changes in the conduct of trials, the analysis emphasizes instead how the courtroom’s spatial arrangement expresses the political source and status of justice. The revolution’s hitherto-unstudied circular layout is placed in the context of the novel curvilinear legislative chamber and influential theater reform. It proposes that the Napoleonic replacement, a rectangular layout inspired by contemporaneous basilican church interiors, instead reframed justice as a sacral power distinct from the theatrical legislature.
Resonant tunneling and quantum integrated circuits

Devices fabricated at the scaling limits of conventional technology must either contend with quantum-mechanical tunneling as a parasitic effect or incorporate tunneling into the device function. Taking the latter approach, the phenomenon of resonant tunneling between epitaxially-grown double-barrier heterostructures shows significant promise for extending integrated circuit performance both before and beyond the post-shrink era. Recent progress in this technology is reviewed.
GRIDLAT: Toward a constructivist methodology to investigate brain lateralization

Verbal conceptual processes and emotional experience (in general, as well as positive vs. negative) are phenomena that appear to have lateralized correlates. A general method is herein put forth by which researchers can investigate the lateralization of various constructive processes in the brain. The technique, called GRIDLAT, is a computerized repertory grid protocol that displays element and construct information to a single hemisphere (vis a vis visual field) at a time during grid elicitation. GRIDLAT is described in detail. Then some preliminary findings are described, and several dependent variables possible in studies employing methods such as GRIDLAT are discussed.
Sodium palmitate in organic liquids as studied by X‐ray diffraction

The descendent phases of systems of sodium palmitate in 11 organic compounds have been studied by x-ray diffraction. These consist of: 1. sodium palmitate in one of the three gamma crystalline forms; 2. an unknown component which may be a lamellar liquid crystal; and 3. the free organic compound.
Geometric effects on convective coupling and interfacial structures in bilayer convection

The effects of boundaries on bilayer convection in a cylinder with idealized boundary conditions are studied. Using as examples two bilayer systems, a plot of the Rayleigh number versus aspect ratio (radius-height) is calculated. For certain systems, the type of convection coupling, either thermal or viscous, will change as the width of the container changes, even as the height is fixed. Additionally, the interfacial structure is calculated to help identify the driving force for the convection. Sudden changes in the convection coupling and the dominant driving force of convection are found as the container radius increased. The oscillatory onset of convection and the possibility of oscillating nonlinear dynamics are also identified.
Cytokinesis: Furrowing activity in nucleated endoplasmic fragments of fertilized sand dollar eggs

When the sand dollar egg surface is extensively disrupted by contact with an expanding oil drop, and the egg contents are squeezed out by mechanical pressure, the denuded endoplasm is rapidly covered by a new surface. The original egg surface alters its appearance as the area that it covers diminishes, and the original and the new surfaces become different in appearance and behavior. If a mitotic apparatus is pushed into the endoplasmic fragment, the fragment surface undergoes furrowing activity, which is synchronous with typical cyclical changes in the appearance of the mitotic apparatus. In this circumstance, furrows develop later and progress more slowly than normal. Furrows formed soon after the operation usually regress, but those developing in conjunction with subsequent cell cycles are more nearly normal and are frequently permanent.
Rapid estimation of rupture directivity: Application to the 1992 Landers (MS = 7.4) and Cape Mendocino (MS = 7.2), California earthquakes

Using empirical Green functions with regional and teleseismic surface waves, it is possible to resolve fault finiteness effects, in many cases uniquely defining the fault plane for relatively large earthquakes. The technique requires very little data processing and can be applied in near-real time with the current distribution of seismic stations. The Landers strike-slip earthquake was dominated by two sub-events with predominantly north-northwestward rupture. The second sub-event was 1.5 times larger and rotated in strike by 12° counterclockwise relative to the first. The Cape Mendocino thrust event had a relatively smooth rupture that propagated to the southwest on a shallow dipping fault.
A modular electronic readout system for the OPAL electromagnetic presampler

Abstract The readout system used to sample and digitize the 21 504 channels of the OPAL electromagnetic barrel presampler is described. The system consists of semi-custom analog electronics mounted directly on the detector to provide integrate-and-hold capability and custom VME boards to implement the digitization functions. The data from one event is digitized completely in under 7 ms. This meets the OPAL requirement of a sustained 10 Hz trigger rate with less than 10% dead time. A minimum ionizing particle deposits 2.7 pC in a single layer of the presampler, and the largest signal commonly seen in 200 pC. The dynamic range of the readout system is 0.032 to 1000 pC. The noise on a single channel is typically 0.2 pC. A linear analog calibration is automatically applied on a channel-by-channel basis. Programmable logic is used extensively.
Decreased incidence of NSF in patients on dialysis after changing gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI protocols.

Purpose: To retrospectively determine the incidence of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients on dialysis administered either a lower dose high-relaxivity linear gadolinium-chelate, gadobenate dimeglumine (MultiHance, MH), compared to a standard dose linear gadolinium chelate, gadodiamide (Omniscan, OM). Materials and Methods: This study was Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant and Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved. As per institution standardized contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols, patients on dialysis were imaged using either MH, between 2/2007 to 9/2008, or OM between 10/2003 and 1/2007. Rates of NSF were compared using 95% score-based confidence intervals (CI). The Wilcoxon rank sum test was used to test similarity/difference between contrast doses given to each patient group. Results: Overall, 312 patients on dialysis received OM and eight (2.6%) developed NSF (95% CI: 1.30%–4.98%). In all, 784 patients on dialysis received MH at a mean cumulative dose of 0.11 mmol/kg (0.05–0.75 mmol/kg) and no cases of NSF were identified (upper 95% confidence bound of 0.45%). The mean cumulative dose of OM was 0.16 mmol/kg (0.1–0.9 mmol/kg) for all patients and 0.28 mmol/kg (0.1–0.8 mmol/kg) for the patients with NSF. The median OM dose was greater in patients who developed NSF (P = 0.03), and was greater than the median MH dose (P < 0.005). Conclusion: NSF incidence in at-risk patients receiving contrast-enhanced MRI can be reduced after changing contrast administration protocols that includes changing the type and dose of contrast agent. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2010; 31: 440–446. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mathematical modelling of a stratified cooling pond

The efficiency of a modern steam-electric power plant is about 40 ~o for a coal or oil fired system and about 33 % for a light water nuclear facility. Thus all power plants reject a significant amount of heat to the environment, ultimately to the atmosphere. The choice of a particular cooling water system is governed primarily by the location of the power plant site. Inland power stations, which are expected to comprise approximately 70',!/o of the new base load, are required to use a closed cycle cooling system, either cooling towers or a cooling pond. Cooling ponds offer many advantages over cooling towers, namely, low maintenance, low power requirements, aesthetic, possible recreational values, and less environmental effects. Figure 1 shows a typical cooling pond. Their behaviour is difficult to predict because of the irregular geometry and bottom topography, the presence of internal dyking and barnes, in-and-out flow of rivers, and the complex initial mixing of the flow. Whether the pond is stratified is the critical issue. Stratification has unique effects on the performance of
Cardiac myocyte function and left ventricular strains after brief ischemia and reperfusion in rabbits.

BACKGROUNDAfter a brief episode of ischemia, myocardial function may be depressed for prolonged periods despite reperfusion. The mechanisms of postischemic dysfunction differ depending on the experimental model. Regional ischemia and reperfusion in the intact animal provide a clinically relevant model, but experimental variables are difficult to control. Experimental conditions can be well controlled in isolated cardiac muscle and myocyte preparations, but these models are limited by the assumptions used to mimic ischemia and reperfusion. This study combines the unique advantages of both preparations. We characterized in vivo alterations in regional two-dimensional finite strains with ischemia and reperfusion produced in the intact animal, then isolated cardiac myocytes from the region with postischemic dysfunction to characterize in vitro function of postischemic myocytes.METHODS AND RESULTSIn seven anesthetized rabbits, three piezoelectric crystals were inserted in a triangular array to measure two-dime...
Spoil banks: Effects on a coastal marsh water-level regime

Abstract Above- and below-ground water-level fluctuations were measured in the marshes south of New Orleans, Louisiana, between November 1982 and December 1983. The purpose of the program was to define the basic marsh water-level regime and to investigate how canal spoil banks may influence the water-level regime. Two study areas were used: (1) a control area, defined as a section of marsh with unrestricted hydrologic connection to an adjacent bayou; and, (2) a partially-impounded area, defined as an area with limited hydrologic connection to an adjacent bayou due to the presence of dredged canal spoil banks. Data sources included marsh water levels from gages deployed at three sites within the study areas and water levels from the adjacent bayous obtained from the tide gages of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Data from all marsh gage sites showed a similar pattern with a distinct surface and subsurface diurnal tidal signal superimposed upon other, larger scale events. These larger scale events correspond to the passage of weather fronts. The data also indicated that a significant amount of water-level fluctuation in the marshes occurs below ground. A comparison of the control area and the partially-impounded site indicated that the spoil banks changed the response of the marsh water levels to the forcing from the bayou, with the result that the partially-impounded area: (1) was flooded 141 hours more per month than the control area; (2) had fewer, but longer flooding events; (3) had fewer but longer drying events; and (4) reduced water exchange, both above and below ground.
Three theorems on relative motion.

The three theorems treat the analytical aspects of the relative motion of non-interacting particles influenced by arbitrary force fields. As special cases motion in gravitational and central force fields are discussed. The theorems generalize Encke's method, Euler's transformation and Sundman's regularization.
Lipid composition of human labial salivary gland secretions

Abstract Extraction of the dialysed and lyophilized labial saliva with chloroform/methanol yielded 423.8 ± 73.0 μg of lipids/ml of saliva, a level 4–5 times higher than in the major salivary glands. Of the total lipids, 32.4 per cent were represented by neutral lipids, 44.6 per cent by glycolipids and 23.0 per cent by phospholipids. Neutral lipids had a high content of free fatty acids (43.8 per cent), cholesteryl esters (26.9 per cent) and triglycerides (15.4 per cent). The glycolipids consisted mainly of neutral (74.6 per cent) and sulphated (25.4 per cent) glyceroglucolipids, whereas phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylserine accounted for 54.7 per cent of the total phospholipids.
Growth of loblolly pine and white pine after enrichment by nutrient loading.

Low nutrient availability often constrains the growth of young trees following planting to fields or forests. Nutrient loading of young tree seedlings increases their growth in outplanting. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and white pine (Pinus strobus L.) were grown for one year on nutrient-loading regimes that varied from 13 to 410 mg N L−1 in sand culture. Other nutrients varied in proportion to the nitrogen (N) concentrations. Resulting plant growth showed that an array of nutritional regimes from deficient to excessive was applied. The young plants were transplanted into containers of sandy loam and were grown for one year without fertilization. Growth of each species increased with enhanced nutrient loading. The optimum concentration of N for nutrient loading was about 1.5 to 1.8% leaf dry weight for either species. Nutrient loading during nursery culture imparts transplants with nutrient levels that will enable growth for at least a year after outplanting.
Race/ethnicity, income, chronic asthma, and mental health: a cross-sectional study using the behavioral risk factor surveillance system.

OBJECTIVE To examine the relationships among race/ethnicity, income, and asthma on mental health outcomes in individuals surveyed as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Racial and ethnic disparities in asthma prevalence exist, which may be explained in part by socioeconomic status. Individuals with asthma often have comorbid mental health conditions, the rates of which are also marked by significant racial and ethnic disparities. METHODS We obtained 2004 BRFSS demographic, asthma, and mental health data on Hispanics, non-Hispanic Whites, and non-Hispanic Blacks. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the main and interaction effects of race/ethnicity, income, and history of asthma on poor mental health (n = 282,011), as well as on depression (n = 14,907) and anxiety (n = 14,871) specifically. RESULTS A significant three-way interaction emerged among race/ethnicity, income, and history of chronic asthma on number of days of poor mental health. Among the most impoverished (income <$15,000/yr), Hispanics with asthma reported greater number of days of poor mental health than non-Hispanic Whites with asthma. However, among those with slightly greater economic resources, Hispanics with asthma reported fewer number of days of poor mental health than non-Hispanic Whites. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study highlight the complex interactions among race/ethnicity, income, and asthma on mental health outcomes.
Realizations of nonlinear systems

Given the Volterra series representation of a single input, single output nonlinear system, we examine conditions on the Volterra kernels that determine if the system is in some sense equivalent to a linear system. The systems considered herein are known as “feedback linearizable” systems. Feedback linearizable systems are usually discussed in terms of their state-space representations. A key result relates the Volterra series description of a feedback linearizable system to its state-space description.
An Algorithmic Proof of Suslin′s Stability Theorem for Polynomial Rings

Abstract Let k be a field. Then Gaussian elimination over k and the Euclidean division algorithm for the univariate polynomial ring k[x] allow us to write any matrix in SLn(k) or SLn(k[x]), n ≥ 2, as a product of elementary matrices. Suslin′s stability theorem states that the same is true for SLn(k[xl,..., xm]) with n ≥ 3 and m ≥ 1. In this paper, we present an algorithmic proof of Suslin′s stability theorem, thus providing a method for finding an explicit factorization of a given polynomial matrix into elementary matrices. Grobner basis techniques may be used in the implementation of the algorithm.
The effects of pH, buffers, bile and bile acids on excystation of sporozoites of various Eimeria species.

SYNOPSIS. Oocysts of Eimeria bovis were found to undergo excystation when subjected at 39 C to a pretreatment consisting of exposure for 24 hr to CO2 and air (50–50), and a treatment for 7 hr with a mixture of bile and trypsin. At pH's of 6.0 thru 10.0 with tris-maleate buffer, excystation occurred over the entire range of pH tested, with the highest levels at pH 7.5-8.5. No adverse or inhibitive effect on excystation or the viability of the sporozoites was observed. Disintegration of sporozoites occurred within the sporocysts of intact oocysts at each of the pH levels studied when boric acid-borax, ammediol, and glycine-sodium hydroxide buffers were used in the treatment medium. Phosphate buffer inhibited excystation when used in the excysting medium. Excystation occurred at levels above 90% in all dilutions of taurocholic, glycocholic, glycotaurocholic, and cholic acids included in the study (0.5-10.0%) except for the 10% and 5% dilutions of cholic acid and the 10% dilution of glycotaurocholic acid. In the latter 3 dilutions, sporozoites within the sporocysts of intact oocysts disintegrated. Excystation levels above 90% were observed in the 50% and 10% dilutions of fresh bovine bile, and in the 5% dilution of lyophilized bovine bile. Lower levels of excystation occurred in greater dilutions of both kinds of bile. No excystation occurred when any of the bile acids, fresh bovine bile or lyophilized bile were used without trypsin, except for fresh bile that contained a heavy suspension of bacteria and fungi. In a medium containing trypsin and heat-treated bile, heat-treated bile acids, or no bile, 2.5–8% of the oocysts excysted. The findings indicate that satisfactory excystation can be obtained with a treatment medium containing tris-maleate at pH 7.5–8.5, 0.25% trypsin, and 1% of one of the bile acids.
Empowerment and organizational commitment of chiropractic faculty.

Abstract Background Professionals in chiropractic education retain much of the authority over their work. Their work is impacted, negatively or positively, by their perceptions of their organization’s value for their skills and knowledge. Specifically, empowerment and organizational commitment are 2 psychological constructs that may mediate work circumstances and therefore are the focus of this study. Objective The purpose of this study is to explore associations between empowerment and organizational commitment among chiropractic faculty. Study design Full faculty survey utilizing descriptive statistics and multivariable analysis. Methods Surveys were distributed to full- and part-time faculty working in the United States and Canada. The survey included Spreitzer’s multidimensional measure of psychological empowerment, Meyer and Allen’s multidimensional measure of organizational commitment, and additional survey items focusing on faculty demographics and workplace variables including sex, age, academic rank, employment status, and primary area of work assignment. Results More than 54% of the study population (N = 609) completed and returned the instrument. A general profile of a chiropractic faculty member emerges as a middle-aged male employed full-time as a teacher in the academic program. Regression analyses suggest that the observed faculty characteristics and the workplace variables are not associated with fit between the faculty member’s work role and his/her own beliefs, norms, and behaviors regarding the value of the work-related tasks. Conclusions The level of institutional commitment experienced by the faculty member was associated with the fit between the task, goal or purpose of the job, and the internal standards held by the individual.
Digital Signal Procession for Optical Nyquist WDM Signal in Coherent Detection Systems

Two different digital signal procession schemes are proposed for optical Nyquist WDM signal. Based on constant-modulus processing, a post-filter by receiver-side duobinary shaping and MLSE are used to release ISI impact in the first scheme.
The Value of Supplemental Biotin for Increasing Hatchability of Turkey Eggs

Two experiments were conducted with Large White Turkey hens in individual cages to determine the value of supplemental biotin for increasing hatchability. No differences were observed for 7-day embryo deaths between treatments in both experiments. In the last two-thirds of the production cycle in both experiments, eggs from hens fed 520 micrograms and 623 micrograms/kg had the fewest embryonic deaths during Days 7 to 28 of incubation. Concentrations of biotin in egg albumen increased with incremental dietary biotin levels, but egg yolk concentrations were stable. About 38 micrograms of biotin per egg (82 g) produced highest embryo survival. Regression analysis, based on average percentage hatchability at the treatment levels for both experiments, revealed no hatchability response for Period 1 (first third of production cycle) from biotin. However, the dietary biotin level for hatchability increased with maternal age, which ranged from 500 to 800 micrograms/kg for Periods 2 (second third of production cycle) and 3 (last third of production cycle), respectively.
Androgen Suppression Strategies for Prostate Cancer: Is There an Ideal Approach?

Androgen suppression therapy (AST) was first described in 1941 as a treatment of prostate cancer (PCa) and remains the mainstay of therapy in patients with hormone-naive metastatic disease. It also is used in locally advanced or recurrent disease and in combination with radiation therapy in patients with higher-risk features. Several approaches to AST have been developed as a result of increased understanding of the pathways controlling testosterone production. Increased recognition of the side effects has resulted in strategies to minimize complications associated with AST. Attempts to reduce AST adverse effects include intermittent hormonal therapy and methods to reduce amount of intracellular androgens without reducing the circulating testosterone levels.
Grouped Coefficients to Reduce Bias in Heterogeneous Dynamic Panel Models with Small T

We propose the grouped coefficients estimator to reduce bias in dynamic panels with small T that have a multilevel structure to the coefficient and factor loading heterogeneity. If groups are chosen such that the within-group heterogeneity is small, then the grouped coefficients estimator can lead to substantial bias reduction compared to pooled GMM dynamic panel estimators. We also propose using a Wald test that can be used to assess whether pooled estimators suffer from heterogeneity bias. We illustrate the usefulness of grouped coefficients with an application to labour demand in which the coefficients are grouped by sub-sector. Our results suggest that the standard pooled estimates are substantially biased.
ESTIMATION OF TRUE RED CELL VOLUME FROM RISA RED CELL VOLUME

Red cell volumes computed from the radioiodinated serum albumin technique and the peripheral venous hematocrit almost always result in values that are high compared to those of the Cr51 red cell method because of the phenomenon of plasma skimming.A formula for the calculation of a correction factor is derived, and values of the factor as a function of venous hematocrit for an assumed ratio of body hematocrit/venous hematocrit=0.87 are presented.Application of the correction factor to the RISA red cell volume in 58 patients resulted in an extraordinarily high degree of correlation (r=.970) with the Cr51 red cell method, and the regression line and the line of identity were nearly indistinguishable; there was neither a statistical nor practical difference between results of both methods.The corrected RISA red cell volume may therefore be used as a good estimate of the true red cell volume in calculating red cell deficits or transfusion requirements when the Cr51 red cell technique is either unavailable or i...
The Hydrogen Peroxide Reactivity of Peptidylglycine Monooxygenase Supports a Cu(II)-Superoxo Catalytic Intermediate

We have investigated the reaction of peptidylglycine monooxygenase with hydrogen peroxide to determine whether Cu(II)-peroxo is a likely intermediate. When the oxidized enzyme was reacted with the dansyl-YVG substrate and H2O2, the α-hydroxyglycine product was formed. The reaction was catalytic and did not require the presence of additional reductant. When 18O-labeled H2O2 was reacted with peptidylglycine monooxygenase and substrate anaerobically, oxygen in the product was labeled with 18O and must therefore be derived from H2O2. However, when the reaction was carried out with H 162O2 in the presence of 18O2, 60% of the product contained the 18O label. Therefore, the reaction must proceed via an intermediate that can react directly with dioxygen and thus scramble the label. Under strictly anaerobic conditions (in the presence of glucose and glucose oxidase, where no oxygen was released into the medium from nonenzymatic peroxide decomposition), product formation and peroxide consumption were tightly coupled, and the rate of product formation was identical to that measured under aerobic conditions. Peroxide reactivity was eliminated by a mutation at the CuH center, which should not be involved in the peroxide shunt. Our data lend support to recent proposals that Cu(II)-superoxide is the active species.
Role of electron microscopy of sperm in the evaluation of male infertility during the era of assisted reproduction.

Objectives. To determine whether there are indications for and benefits from electron microscopy (EM) of sperm during the era of assisted reproductive technology. Methods. The medical history, semen analyses, and EM findings of 55 patients with pure male-factor infertility were reviewed to determine: (1) which semen characteristics (seminal volume, sperm concentration, percent motility, and percent normal morphology) were associated with normal or abnormal ultrastructure as determined by EM, (2) whether EM findings correlated with success or failure of in vitro fertilization (IVF), and (3) whether EM could screen for potentially inheritable genetic disorders. Results. Principal EM diagnoses were normal sperm ultrastructure (11 of 55; 20%), tail abnormalities (21 of 55; 38%), necrospermia (12 of 55; 22%), acrosomal defects (9 of 55; 16%), neck abnormalities (1 of 55; 2%), and incomplete maturation (1 of 55; 2%). Every patient with an abnormal EM study had impaired motility (33% or below) and abnormal morphology (13% or lower normal forms by World Health Organization criteria). The percentage of normal sperm morphology differed significantly across EM diagnoses (P < 0.0001). Differences in motility across the groups could not be detected because EM was only performed on patients with impaired motility. Although the partner of 1 patient with a normal EM study who underwent IVF achieved pregnancy, 11 with abnormal EM studies failed to establish a pregnancy by IVF. Finally, 5 (11%) of 44 patients with abnormal EM findings were diagnosed with primary ciliary dyskinesia directly as a result of EM. In addition, 3 (6.8%) of the 44 patients with abnormal EM findings were diagnosed with complete acrosomal loss. Conclusions. Patients with severely abnormal motility and morphology on routine semen analysis may benefit from EM study of sperm. Our data indicate that EM findings correlate with success or failure of IVF, and that EM can screen for potentially inheritable genetic disorders.
Computed Tomography-Guided Central Venous Catheter Placement in a Patient with Superior Vena Cava and Inferior Vena Cava Occlusion

An 18-year-old man with a gastrointestinal hypomotility syndrome required lifelong parenteral nutrition. Both the superior and inferior vena cava were occluded. Computed tomography guidance was used to place a long-term central venous catheter via a large tributary to the azygos vein.
An immunologically detectable change in the egg white of chicken eggs following pre-incubation storage.

Veranderungen des Huhnereiweisses durch Lagerung konnen in der Immunprazipitation (Ouchterlony-Test) erfasst werden.
Characterization of a pressurized C5-C16 hydrocarbon gas calibration standard for air analysis.

A compressed gas standard containing parts-per-billion (ppb) amounts of the volatile hydrocarbons methylpentadiene (isoprene, 540 ppb) and isooctane (259 ppb) and a series of less volatile C12−C16 n-alkanes (n-dodecane, 349 ppb; n-tridecane, 340 ppb; n-tetradecane, 202 ppb; n-pentadecane, 271 ppb; and n-hexadecane, 308 ppb) was prepared by a one-step (no further gas dilution) microgravimetric method. The gravimetric mixing ratios were confirmed by referencing to a capillary diffusion method. The cylinder was heated to 75 °C to minimize condensation losses of analytes to the cylinder walls. Mixing ratios were monitored over a 2.5-year period. Some initial analyte losses (∼3 to 20%) were observed for the heavier C14−C16 n-alkanes. Subsequently, analyte loss rates were found to be in the range of <1.0% per year for n-dodecane to n-hexadecane. The developed guidelines for preparation, storage, and retrieval of these semivolatile analytes enable the use of compressed gas standards for calibration and method de...
Tris-induced K+-efflux from Chlorella sorokiniana

Abstract Tris induces K+ leakage from Chlorella sorokiniana under conditions of high pH and low osmolarity, in the absence of external K+. Using a cation specific electrode, two phases of K+ efflux were observed, an initial exponential leakage rate (0–30 min) and a steady-state leakage rate (30–200 min). The initial exponential efflux of K+ was inhibited by 0.6 M mannitol or 10 mM CaCl2 and did not obey Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to Tris concentration. The steady-state efflux was not inhibited by mannitol, CO, or N2, required only 3 mM CaCl2 for inhibition, and obeyed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an apparent half-saturation constant of 6 mM.