cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relationship of singular value stability robustness bounds to spectral radius for discrete systems with application to digital filters

This paper presents additional results and an application for recently obtained stability robustness bounds on linear time-varying perturbations of an asymptotically stable linear timeinvariant discrete-time system. The bounds were developed using Lyapunov theory and singular value decomposition, and provide sufficient conditions for maintaining asymptotic stability for both unstructured and structured perturbations in the state-space discrete system model. A derivation is presented for the relationship between the unstructured perturbation bound and the spectral radius of the system model matrix, showing that the normal form realisation of the system gives the largest unstructured perturbation bound. Both the unstructured and structured perturbation bounds are applied to a recursive digital filter and to coefficient truncation as time-invariant examples to illustrate the use of these relations.
Distributed parameterized model predictive control of networked multi-agent systems

When considering a distributed control framework for a multi-agent system, care has to be taken to respect the limited information available to each agent as well as the amount of possible communication in the network. This presents difficulties in performing distributed model predictive control as an agent must typically be able to simulate its neighbors dynamics into the future. We present a framework based on parameterized feedback control laws which will allow a multi-agent system to perform distributed model predictive control. It enables both the simulation of neighbors' states as well as the ability to minimize a collective cost in a distributed fashion. Moreover, given cost and dynamic dependencies between agents, we characterize the information that is needed by each agent to evaluate whether the optimization is feasible in a given network.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae High Affinity Phosphate Transporter Encoded by PHO84 Also Functions in Manganese Homeostasis

In the bakers' yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, high affinity manganese uptake and intracellular distribution involve two members of the Nramp family of genes, SMF1 and SMF2. In a search for other genes involved in manganese homeostasis, PHO84 was identified. The PHO84 gene encodes a high affinity inorganic phosphate transporter, and we find that its disruption results in a manganese-resistant phenotype. Resistance to zinc, cobalt, and copper ions was also demonstrated for pho84Δ yeast. When challenged with high concentrations of metals, pho84Δ yeast have reduced metal ion accumulation, suggesting that resistance is due to reduced uptake of metal ions. Pho84p accounted for virtually all the manganese accumulated under metal surplus conditions, demonstrating that this transporter is the major source of excess manganese accumulation. The manganese taken in via Pho84p is indeed biologically active and can not only cause toxicity but can also be incorporated into manganese-requiring enzymes. Pho84p is essential for activating manganese enzymes in smf2Δ mutants that rely on low affinity manganese transport systems. A role for Pho84p in manganese accumulation was also identified in a standard laboratory growth medium when high affinity manganese uptake is active. Under these conditions, cells lacking both Pho84p and the high affinity Smf1p transporter accumulated low levels of manganese, although there was no major effect on activity of manganese-requiring enzymes. We conclude that Pho84p plays a role in manganese homeostasis predominantly under manganese surplus conditions and appears to be functioning as a low affinity metal transporter.
A strategy to define the role of the primary care physician in occupational and environmental medicine

Although occupational medicine has its own unique knowledge, skills, and organizational base, it exists in a cultural, social, and organizational environment that is common to other institutions in our culture.24 It is therefore possible that the task of introducing the practice of occupational medicine into primary care can be made easier by examining the experience of those who have already attempted to introduce preventive cardiology activities into primary care. The Preventive Cardiology Academic Award provides a potential paradigm for enlisting a cadre of 10 to 25 innovative primary care physicians who would begin to develop actual practice models and disseminate their findings about the implementation of occupational medicine in primary care. Introducing preventive cardiology into primary care has required that multiple barriers be overcome; it is not unreasonable to expect that occupational medicine will face many of the same barriers. However, if these barriers can be successfully overcome at the experimental sites, the result will be a group of primary care practices that can be used as models for the expansion of occupational medicine to primary care in general.
The Power of Examples: Illustrative Examples Enhance Conceptual Learning of Declarative Concepts

Declarative concepts (i.e., key terms with short definitions of the abstract concepts denoted by those terms) are a common kind of information that students are expected to learn in many domains. A common pedagogical approach for supporting learning of declarative concepts involves presenting students with concrete examples that illustrate how the abstract concepts can be instantiated in real-world situations. However, minimal prior research has examined whether illustrative examples actually enhance declarative concept learning, and the available outcomes provide weak evidence at best. In the three experiments reported here, students studied definitions of declarative concepts followed either by illustrative examples of those concepts or by additional study of the definitions. On a subsequent classification test in which learners were presented with examples and were asked to identify which concept the example illustrated, performance was greater for students who had studied illustrative examples during learning than for students who only studied definitions (ds from 0.74 to 1.67). However, the effects of illustrative examples on declarative concept learning depended in part on the conditions under which those examples were presented. Although performance was similar when examples were presented after versus before concept definitions (Experiments 1a–1b), classification accuracy depended on the extent to which examples of different concepts were interleaved and whether definitions were presented along with the examples (Experiment 2).
Rotation of a Cylinder in a Casing at Zero Reynolds Number

A finite solid cylinder rotates inside a larger, fluid-filled cylindrical casing. The Stokes equation is solved by an efficient method using domain decomposition, eigenfunction expansion, and collocation. The resistive torque is found as a function of the geometric parameters. The torque due to the rotation of a finite cylinder in an infinite fluid is extrapolated.
Selective antilipolytic effect of bacitracin in the isolated fat cell.

Abstract Bacitracin, an antibiotic which decreases extracellular degradation, has been used to study peptide hormone degradation in vitro . The biologic effectiveness of these hormones in the presence of bacitracin has received minimal attention. This study demonstrates inhibition of lipolysis induced by both epinephrine and glucagon in the isolated fat cell (IFC). IFC from epididymal tissue were incubated with 0.5 μM epinephrine and increasing concentrations of bacitracin. Lipolysis was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion, with a concentration of 5.7 × 10 −4 M bacitracin suppressing lipolysis 50%. Increasing the concentration of epinephrine in the presence of a constant dose of bacitracin overcame the antilipolytic effect. Bacitracin did not increase oxidation of glucose-U-C 14 over basal. In the perifusion system, acute exposure to 5.7 × 10 −4 M bacitracin plus 5 × 10 −9 M glucagon suppressed lipolysis below unstimulated basal levels. Constant bacitracin perifusion produced no change in basal lipolysis but blunted the response to glucagon. 125 I-glucagon degradation was decreased in the presence of bacitracin. Additional studies with dibutyryl cyclic AMP demonstrated that the antilipolytic effect of bacitracin is exerted at a step beyon the second messenger. Bacitracin exerts a direct antilipolytic effect in isolated fat cells without stimulating glucose uptake and may afford a means of studying antilipolysis in the absence of other insulin-like effects.
Subconductance states in OmpF gating.

Discrepancies were noted in the published conductance of the Escherichia coli porin OmpF. Results from various papers are hard to compare because of the use of different channel preparations, salt types and concentrations, and electrophysiological techniques (black lipid membrane (BLM) vs. patch clamp). To reconcile these data, we present a side-by-side comparison of OmpF activity studied with the two techniques on the same preparation of pure protein, and in the same low salt concentrations (150 mM KCl). The novel aspect of OmpF porin behavior revealed by this comparison is the ubiquitous existence of states of smaller conductance than the monomeric conductance (subconductance states), regardless of the techniques or experimental conditions used, and the drastic enhancement of subconductance gating by polyamines. Transitions to subconductance states have received little attention in previous publications, in particular when BLM electrophysiology was used. Monomeric closures are rare in recordings at clamped potentials, at least at voltages lower than f100–120 mV. Most closing activity is in the form of subconductance gating, which becomes more dominant in the presence of spermine, with a more frequent and prolonged occupation of these substates. A discussion of the molecular basis for this hallmark behavior of porin is presented. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Ibuprofen: an inhibitor of alveolar bone resorption in beagles

The effect of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, on the progression of periodontal disease was studied in 22 beagle dogs over a 13-month period. Standardized radiographs were used to measure the rate of bone loss. Following a 6-month pretreatment baseline period. 6 dogs were treated daily with 4 mg/kg ibuprofen, 5 dogs were treated with 4 mg/kg ibuprofen in a sustained release preparation, 5 dogs were treated with 0.4 mg/kg ibuprofen and 6 untreated dogs served as controls. In the untreated control dogs the rate of bone loss in the treatment period did not change significantly from baseline, although the rate was increased. In both the 4.0 mg/kg and sustained release 4.0 mg/kg ibuprofen-treated dogs the rate of bone loss in the treatment period was significantly less than the pretreatment period rate. In the 0.4 mg/kg ibuprofen-treated dogs the rate of bone loss, although reduced, was not significantly less than the pretreatment rate. When the rate of bone loss in the control dogs was compared with the rate of bone loss in the ibuprofen-treated dogs, all three ibuprofen-treated groups of dogs had significantly less bone loss than the control dogs. The untreated control dogs lost 10 teeth during the treatment period, whereas the 4.0 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg ibuprofen-treated dogs lost 6 teeth and the sustained release 4.0 mg/kg ibuprofen-treated dogs lost 2 teeth during the treatment period. The data indicate that a propionic acid derivative, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, ibuprofen, can significantly inhibit alveolar bone loss in beagles. Sustained release ibuprofen. which gave consistently greater blood levels over 24 h, was overall more effective.
Two types of ball-effector interaction and their relative contribution to soccer kicking

Abstract The study attempts a closer examination of the ball-foot interaction at the instant of soccer kicking using high speed videotaping. This allows a detailed biomechanical analysis of the collision. A central question is whether the ball-foot interaction can be modeled as an elastic impact, or as a mixture of ‘impact-like’ and ‘throwing-like’ patterns. The findings prove that the theory of conservation of momentum alone is not adequate for modeling kicking: additional momentum and mechanical energy is supplied to the system during the collision phase because of the muscle work. This is due to the relatively long duration of collision (about 16 ms) and the large ball-foot displacement (about 26.0 cm). More than 50% of the ball's speed and at least 30% of its kinetic energy is imparted to the ball without any contribution of the potential energy of the ball deformation.
Endocranial volumes of early African hominids, and the role of the brain in human mosaic evolution

Abstract Volumetric data are presented for 16 of the early hominids from both South and East Africa. Although the sample sizes are small, the statistical data support the conclusion that at least three taxa are represented; Australopithecus africanus, A. robustus , and Homo habilis . These data, plus certain morphological attributes, indicate that the brains of early hominids were reorganized to a human pattern, regardless of their small endocranial capacities. Some speculative suggestions are made regarding the possible relationship between brain and body weights, as well as Stephan's (1972) “progression indices”. If the speculations are correct, they provide additional support for the idea that brain reorganization occurred early in human evolution, and that concepts which regard the brain as having a more terminal role in human mosaic evolution are incorrect, as all of the fossil encephalization or “progression indices” are in the range of modern Homo sapiens .
Electron testbeam results for the ATLAS liquid argon forward calorimeter prototype

Abstract A novel liquid argon calorimeter concept with thin cylindrical shell gaps, meeting the required physics performance for the forward region (/ vbη / vb > 3) in a high energy, high luminosity hadron collider experiment such as ATLAS, is described. A prototype for the electromagnetic section was built and tested in two electron testbeam runs at the Brookhaven AGS and at the CERN North Area in 1993, covering a total energy range from 2 to 200 GeV. Dependences of the signal on the impact angle and varying inactive material in front of the calorimeter have been studied. Important performance requirements such as signal linearity better than 2%, a sufficient energy resolution with a constant term of about 4% and a very good space resolution of about 0.6 mm have been demonstrated.
Communicating science: Reflections of an AGU public affairs intern

This past summer, I read a biography of the geologist and anthropologist John Wesley Powell. Among his many important accomplishments, Powell was a legendary explorer of the then largely unknown American West, a leader in the founding of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its second director, and the founder of the Cosmos Club in Washington, D. C. He was a student of the Earth from an early age, fought and lost an arm for the Union during the Civil War, advanced to the rank of major, led the first successful expedition down the entirety of the Grand Canyon, and then spent the rest of his life coupling scientific knowledge with public policy.
Abnormally malicious autonomous systems and their internet connectivity

While many attacks are distributed across botnets, investigators and network operators have recently identified malicious networks through high profile autonomous system (AS) depeerings and network shutdowns. In this paper, we explore whether some ASs indeed are safe havens for malicious activity. We look for ISPs and ASs that exhibit disproportionately high malicious behavior using 10 popular blacklists, plus local spam data, and extensive DNS resolutions based on the contents of the blacklists. We find that some ASs have over 80% of their routable IP address space blacklisted. Yet others account for large fractions of blacklisted IP addresses. Several ASs regularly peer with ASs associated with significant malicious activity. We also find that malicious ASs as a whole differ from benign ones in other properties not obviously related to their malicious activities, such as more frequent connectivity changes with their BGP peers. Overall, we conclude that examining malicious activity at AS granularity can unearth networks with lax security or those that harbor cybercrime.
Computing life and global technologies (abstract only)

The view “Biology is an informational science” is now widely accepted—certainly catalyzed in part by the success of the Human Genome Project. There are three levels of biological information: 1-dimensional information of DNA, the 3-dimensional information of proteins, and the 4-dimensional (time variant) information of biological systems and networks. The key to deciphering biological information at each of these levels are the global technologies which analyze many genes, DNAs or proteins at one time. I will discuss several new and pioneering global technologies for genomics and proteomics. Information at each of these levels poses striking computational challenges, which will be discussed. The importance of the need for intimate interactions between biologists, computer scientists and mathematicians will also be discussed, as well as a new approach for teaching biology that may be effective for cross-disciplinary communication.
The effects of estradiol on plasma calcium and femoral bone structure in alligators (Alligator mississippiensis).

Abstract 1. 1. The effects of exogenous estradiol on plasma calcium and femoral bone structure were studied in young male and female alligators. 2. 2. Males and females responded in the same manner to estrogen treatment. 3. 3. Eight days after the initial injection, plasma calcium was significantly greater in experimentals than in controls. 4. 4. No changes in femoral bone structure were observed.
Cannabinoid signaling in rat cerebellar granule cells: G-protein activation, inhibition of glutamate release and endogenous cannabinoids

Previous studies have indicated that cannabinoids inhibit presynaptic neurotransmitter release in brain through CB1 receptors. To examine this issue in a primary neuronal culture system, rat cerebellar granule cells (CGCs) were prepared. [35S]GTPgammaS binding assays in saponin-permeabilized CGCs showed that G-protein activation by the CB1 agonist, WIN55212-2, and adenosine A1 agonist, phenylisopropyladenosine, was maximal during the second week in culture. Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS binding to a lesser degree than WIN55212-2, and the antagonists SR141716A and AM281 acted as inverse agonists in intact CGCs, but not in CGC membrane preparations. Ten micromolar WIN55212-2 and Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol decreased depolarization-evoked efflux of [3H]-D-aspartate from CGCs by 32% and 13%, respectively. SR141716A and AM281 increased [3H]-D-aspartate release by 28%. The fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and the anandamide uptake inhibitor AM404 inhibited transmitter release, implying that the antagonist effects were mediated by blockade of endocannabinoid activity. Levels of endocannabinoids (both anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glycerol [2-AG]) in extracts of the cells and cell incubation buffer were increased by PMSF pre-treatment. Depolarization with KCl significantly decreased the amount of anandamide and 2-AG in PMSF-treated CGCs. These results suggest that endogenous cannabinoids inhibit neurotransmitter release in CGCs, which may also release endocannabioids upon neural stimulation.
Biosynthesis of asparagine and taurine in the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De man)

Abstract 1. 1. Injection of [U-14C]aspartic acid into juvenile Macrobrachium rosenbergii resulted in no label being incorporated into asparagine. 2. 2. Labelled taurine was observed 24 hr post injection of [U-14C]serine. Radioactivity was also detected in glycine. 3. 3. The turnover rate of injected [U-14C]taurine suggests a half-life of greater than 28 days in the prawn. 4. 4. Results suggest that a dietary requirement for asparagine may exist in the prawn. In addition, the prawn's nutritional requirement of taurine may be fulfilled by its biosynthesis.
Tracing early structure formation with massive starburst galaxies and their implications for reionization

Cosmological hydrodynamic simulations have significantly improved over the past several years, and we have already shown that the observed properties of Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs) at z = 3 can be explained well by the massive galaxies in the simulations. Here, we extend our study to z = 6 and show that we obtain good agreement for the LBGs at the bright-end of the luminosity function (LF). Our simulations also suggest that the cosmic star formation rate density has a peak at z = 5–6, and that the current LBG surveys at z = 6 are missing a significant number of faint galaxies that are dimmer than the current magnitude limit. Together, our results suggest that the universe could be reionized at z = 6 by the Pop II stars in ordinary galaxies. We also estimate the LF of Lyman-α emitters (LAEs) at z = 6 by relating the star formation rate in the simulation to the Lyα luminosity. We find that the simulated LAE LFs agree with the observed data provided that the net escape fraction of Lyα photon is f_(Lyα) ≤ 0.1. We investigate two possible scenarios for this effect: (1) all sources in the simulation are uniformly dimmer by a factor of 10 through attenuation, and (2) one out of 10 LAEs randomly lights up at a given moment. We show that the correlation strength of the LAE spatial distribution can possibly distinguish the two scenarios.
Effect of anti-DR5 and chemotherapy on basal-like breast cancer

The purpose is to evaluate sensitivity of basal-like breast cancer to treatment with anti-DR5 alone and in combination with chemotherapy. Cytotoxicity of TRA-8 anti-DR5 alone and in combination with doxorubicin or paclitaxel was examined. The role of a DR5-associated molecule (DDX3) in the regulation of apoptosis by recruitment of cIAP1 to the DR5/DDX3 complex was studied. SUM159 and 2LMP orthotopic xenografts were treated with TRA-8 alone and in combination with Abraxane or doxorubicin, and tumor growth inhibition determined. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to monitor early tumor response. The majority (12/15) of basal-like cell lines were very sensitive to TRA-8-induced cytotoxicity (IC50 values of 1.0–49 ng/ml). In contrast, 8/11 luminal or HER2-positive cell lines were resistant (IC50 > 1,000 ng/ml). Enhanced killing of basal-like cell lines was produced by combination treatment with TRA-8 and doxorubicin. Majority of basal cell lines expressed lower levels of DR5-associated DDX3 and cIAP1 than luminal and HER2-positive cell lines. TRA-8 inhibited growth of basal xenografts and produced 20% complete 2LMP tumor regressions. TRA-8 and chemotherapy produced greater 2LMP growth inhibition than either alone. An increase in apparent diffusion coefficient in 2LMP tumors was measured in a week of therapy with TRA-8 and Abraxane. Basal-like cell lines were more sensitive to TRA-8-mediated cytotoxicity than HER2-over-expressing and luminal cell lines, and chemotherapy enhanced cytotoxicity. High sensitivity of basal cells to TRA-8 correlated with low expression of DR5/DDX3/cIAP1 complex. Treatment with TRA-8 and chemotherapy may be an effective therapy for basal-like breast cancer.
Painting as Exploration: Visualizing Nature in Eighteenth-Century Colonial Science*

This essay discusses the production of botanical illustrations by Spain's Royal Botanical Expedition to the New Kingdom of Granada (1783–1810), directed by the Spanish physician Jose Celestino Muti...
Levels of 52Fe studied with the (p, t) reaction

The 54Fe(p, t)52Fe reaction at 45 MeV has been used to study states of 52Fe. Characteristic L-transfers in the angular distributions were used to assign ≈ 40 spins and parities. An f72 shell model, with admixtures calculated in first-order perturbation theory, successfully accounts for both the location and strength of many of the observed levels.
Spectres of Marx in Thomas Pynchon's Vineland

ABSTRACT Thomas Pynchon's Vineland (1990) examines how political demonology forges consensus in America. Tracking the manipulative deployment of a conspiratorial enemy, Vineland envisions American history as repetition. The novel examines the traumatic consequences of the paranoid fantasies constructing American social reality in the history of the Traverse-Becker family and the Thanatoids. By making use of the rival theories of spectrality proposed by Derrida and Žižek, I demonstrate how Vineland explores the victims of a countersubversive tradition that repeatedly exploits political paranoia to secure the status quo in changing historical circumstances. Moreover, the novel presents an alternative to official history in what Walter Benjamin calls “revolutionary nostalgia.”
The use of ultrasound in the detection of intrauterine growth retardation: A review

This review discusses the problem of detecting intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) with ultrasound. A new procedure for standardizing the reporting of such studies is presented. Using this standard format, the results obtained by various investigators using a variety of parameters are summarized, compared and evaluated. Suggestions for standardizing such investigations are presented.
Three-dimensional flow visualization experiment of an RTM injection for a GFRP cuff mold

This work presents a three-dimensional flow visualization of the injection process for a glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) beam-column connection also known as a GFRP cuff. Previous work on flow visualization is extended by highlighting the stage-wise process of the injection and the dependence on three-dimensional qualities. The work also provides finite element model adaptations suggested by three physical flow experiments performed in a GFRP cuff mold. The first experiment revealed the nature of the injection in the actual GFRP cuff mold; the second explored the effects of varying the size of void spaces and cutting channels in the fibers; the last experiment shows that small deflections of the mold allow the resin to flow freely to channels which distribute resin into the fibers. The final section of this paper provides the results of a finite element model of the injection process. The results reveal that including the adaptations suggested by the experiments greatly increases the accuracy of the numerical simulation.
(−)-Cryptocaryalactone and (−)-deacetylcryptocaryalactone-germination inhibitors from Cryptocarya moschata seeds

Abstract (−)-Cryptocaryalactone (6-[2-acetoxy-4-phenyl-3-butenyl]-5,6-dihydro-2-pyranone) and (−)-deacetylcryptocaryalactone (6-[2-hydroxy-4-phenyl-3-butenyl]-5,6-dihydro-2-pyranone) isolated from Cryptocarya moschata seeds are natural germination inhibitors. Applied at 0.004 M, the second compound completely arrested germination of velvetleaf ( Abutilon theophrasti ) and decreased the germination rate of soybeans, but did not appear to affect corn. The first compound was not as effective; 0.004 M reduced velvetleaf germination 50%.
Polarimetry in Wideband Interferometric Sensing and Imaging

"WISIP: Wideband (/spl mu/Hz-PHz) Interferometric Sensing and Imaging Polarimetry" has become an indispensable tool in wide area environmental surveillance of the terrestrial and planetary covers. It allows dynamic optimal image feature extraction of significant characteristics of desirable target and/or target sections with simultaneous suppression of undesirable background clutter/speckle at hitherto unknown clarity and of never achieved quality. "WISIP" may be adopted to the detection, recognition, and identification (DRI) of any stationary, moving, or vibrating target versus arbitrary stationary, dynamically changing or moving geophysical environments. A comprehensive overview is presented on how these modern high resolution/precision complete polarimetric coregistered signature sensing and interferometric POL-SAR imaging techniques, complemented by 111 integration of novel navigational electronic tools, such as DGPS, will advance electromagnetic vector wave sensing and imaging towards limits of physical realizability. Various examples utilizing NASA-JPL/AIR-SAR, NAWC/P3-POL-SAR, DLR-OPH/DO-POL-SAR airborne, ERS-1, JERS-1 satellite and SIR-C/X-SAR shuttle imaging data sets dealing with the recent Mississippi-Missouri/USA 1993 and Werra/FRG floods and various earthquake surface deformation events will be presented for demonstrating the utility of WISIP. >
Not for Novices: Printer Control Revisited

In the last issue, we explored several techniques for transmitting printer control commands from an IBM PC/XT or M300 Workstation to the system printer. These commands are simply sequences of characters that turn special print modes—compressed, emphasized, etc.,—on and off. Recently, an additional technique, which works on Epson, IBM, and Epson‐compatible dot matrix printers, has come to light. If you have some other type of printer, you may also want to try it to see what happens.
Inhibition of serotonin-mediated cardiovascular reflexes by cimetidine in the rabbit.

Abstract 1. 1. Cimetidine inhibits serotonin-mediated cardiovascular autonomic chemoreflexes in the rabbit.
Arsenopyrite in the bank deposits of the Whitewood Creek-Belle Fourche-Cheyenne River-Lake Oahe system, South Dakota, U.S.A.

Abstract Mining, milling, and processing wastes containing quantities of arsenopyrite were produced around Lead, South Dakota, from 1875 to 1977. Much of this material was discharged into Whitewood Creek, and from there portions of the waste were transported to the Belle Fourche River, thence to the Cheyenne River, and finally to the Missouri River. In 1958, the Missouri River was dammed at Pierre, forming Lake Oahe. Analyses of cores collected from the lake bottom showed the presence of arsenic-rich layers in the bed sediments; substantial portions of the arsenic are due to arsenopyrite in the 8–16 and 16–32 μm size fractions of the sediments. In addition, suspended-sediment samples collected from the Cheyenne River above Lake Oahe contain detectable quantities of arsenopyrite in the 8–16 and 16–32 μm fractions. Solid material collected from the banks and floodplains of the Belle Fourche River and Whitewood Creek contains reduced and oxidized phases. The reduced phases have arsenic maxima in the 16–32 and 32–63 μm size ranges. These fractions also contribute the most arsenic to the samples; the major source being arsenopyrite. The oxidized segments have arsenic maxima in the 63 μm size ranges. The 63 μm fractions contribute the most arsenic to the oxidized samples. This arsenic, despite the oxidized nature of the samples, is associated with arsenopyrite coated with thin iron oxide rinds. It has been calculated that 80% of the arsenic in these deposits is associated with sulfides (in the form of arsenopyrite), while 20% is associated with iron oxides. The arsenopyrite found in the banks and floodplains of Whitewood Creek and the Belle Fourche River are the likely source of the arsenopyrite found in the suspended sediments of the Cheyenne River and in the bed sediment of Lake Oahe.
Dose equivalence of the anti-psychotic drugs

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the dose equivalence of the antipsychotic drugs. The pharmacologic effects of drugs provide a major tool for investigation of biochemical theories of mental illness such as the dopamine theory of schizophrenia. The dose necessary to produce a given pharmacologic effect is determined from biochemical pharmacologic investigation that is based on empirically determined data. The dose of the drug, which is marketed, often is taken as the dose that produces the human antipsychotic effect. A great many factors other than empirical evidence enter into the determination of a dose at which a drug is marketed. This involves commercial decisions by the drug company, medical legal decisions by their legal department, pressures from the food and drug administration, and historical accident in the early drug trials of a given drug. In double blind studies using flexible doses, physicians adjust the dose given to patients by their clinical response not knowing as to which medication was actually administered by adjusting the number of tablets. The physician generally knows that they are administering numbers of tablets that could be one of several medications or one of several medications and/or placebo. They adjust the number of tablets to obtain the maximum clinical response.
Interface contract enforcement for improvement of computational quality of service (CQoS) for scientific components

This paper describes recent investigations into improving the quality and performance of component-based scientific software. Our approach merges work on Computational Quality of Service (CQoS) with enforceable semantic annotations, in the form of interface contracts, to facilitate the adaptivity of component-based applications and improve the usability of CQoS components. Component interfaces, as advanced by the Common Component Architecture, enable easy access to complex software packages for high-performance scientific computing. However, many challenges remain in ensuring that components are configured and used correctly in long-running simulations. Interface contracts have proven to be helpful for ensuring correct usage. Additional work on CQoS exploits component automation, including capabilities for plugging and unplugging components during execution, to help application scientists choose among alternative algorithmic implementations and parameters, thereby creating new opportunities to enhance the performance of CCA applications. This paper describes the integration of CQoS capabilities and interface contracts and presents two application use cases involving nonlinear solver components.
Was Saddam Hussein Like Adolf Hitler? A Personality Disorder Investigation

The present study used an informant method of psychiatric assessment to evaluate Saddam Hussein, and these results were compared to a posthumous assessment of Adolf Hitler. Eleven Iraqi adults who lived under Hussein’s influence for a median of 24 years completed the Coolidge Axis II Inventory, a measure of 14 personality disorders. The mean consensus among the 11 raters was r = .57. It revealed that Hussein probably reached diagnostic threshold for the sadistic (T score M= 81.0), paranoid (T score M= 79.3), antisocial (T score M= 77.4), and narcissistic (T score M= 74.2) personality disorders. The correlation between the consensus profile for Hussein and a consensus profile of 5 Hitler experts was r = .79, indicating a very strong similarity between the two profiles. It was concluded that Saddam Hussein had many of the same personality disorders or their features as Adolf Hitler, although sadistic features were stronger in Hussein than Hitler. It appeared that a “Big Four” personality disorders constellation emerged for these two dictators, and they were sadistic, antisocial, paranoid, and narcissistic. It was also found that Hussein might have had some traits or features of paranoid schizophrenia. Implications for diplomacy and negotiations with persons with similar personality profiles are proffered.
Factors Associated With Sleep Quality Among Operating Engineers

Blue collar workers generally report high job stress and are exposed to loud noises at work and engage in many of risky health behavioral factors, all of which have been associated with poor sleep quality. However, sleep quality of blue collar workers has not been studied extensively, and no studies have focused Operating Engineers (heavy equipment operators) among whom daytime fatigue would place them at high risk for accidents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine variables associated with sleep quality among Operating Engineers. This was a cross-sectional survey design with a dependent variable of sleep quality and independent variables of personal and related health behavioral factors. A convenience sample of 498 Operating Engineers was recruited from approximately 16,000 Operating Engineers from entire State of Michigan in 2008. Linear regression was used to determine personal and related health behavior factors associated with sleep quality. Multivariate analyses showed that personal factors related to poor sleep quality were younger age, female sex, higher pain, more medical comorbidities and depressive symptoms and behavioral factors related to poor sleep quality were nicotine dependence. While sleep scores were similar to population norms, approximately 34 % (n = 143) showed interest in health services for sleep problems. While many personal factors are not changeable, interventions to improve sleep hygiene as well as interventions to treat pain, depression and smoking may improve sleep quality resulting in less absenteeism, fatal work accidents, use of sick leave, work disability, medical comorbidities, as well as subsequent mortality.
Communications: Management Cybernetics: Artificial Intelligence Defined

Holds the belief that the development of artificial intelligence (AI) systems requires the growth of the analysis processes, from electronic data processing (EDP) to management information systems (MIS) and through expert systems (ES). Discusses the background to AI developments, and the current trends in the different development patterns. Examines the steps necessary to build an effective AI system.
A unified algorithm for sorting on multidimensional mesh-connected processors

The algorithm, dubbed MeshSort, is significant in that it is a general algorithm that unifies two well known algorithms that operate on special cases of the multidimensional mesh: Bitonic sort on the binary hypercube, and Shearsort on the two-dimensional mesh.
Angiotensin II: hemodynamic regulator or growth factor?

Abstract The evolution of our understanding of the actions of Ang II can be described in terms of 3 paradigms that also characterize the development of our knowledge of cardiovascular regulation [ 1 ]. The first paradigm, organ physiology , described the variable performance of the heart in terms of length-dependent changes in myocardial contractile function (Starling's Law), and Ang II as a pressor factor that elevated blood pressure. With the shift to the second paradigm, cell biochemistry and biophysics , regulation of cardiac performance came to be explained by altered calcium fluxes and changing myocardial contractility, while the clinical effects of Ang II were understood in terms of changes in the calcium fluxes that control smooth muscle contraction. The third paradigm, gene expression (molecular biology), probably describes the most primitive—and complex—of these regulatory mechanisms. Altered gene expression in response to a variety of chemical and physical forces can explain several aspects of the long-term regulation of cardiac performance in terms of adaptative changes in the architecture and composition of a heterogeneous population of myocardial cells [ 1, 35 ]. This third paradigm also describes important effects of Ang II to increase protein synthesis and promote cell growth that appear able both to ameliorate and exacerbate human disease. It is, therefore, probably inappropriate to view Ang II mainly as a vasoconstrictor with secondary effects to induce cell hypertrophy. Instead, Ang II may have been derived from a primitive growth factor that, because it utilized Ca 2+ to mediate its effects on gene expression, later in evolution acquired the ability to increase smooth muscle tone and myocardial contractility. This view, that Ang II may have been derived from a growth factor, provides a clearer understanding of the effects of the CEI in patients with cardiovascular disease, as the effects of these drugs may be due as much to altered smooth muscle and myocardial cell hypertrophy as to changes in blood pressure and smooth muscle tone.
Conformationally constrained analogues of diacylglycerol. 6. Changes in PK-C binding affinity for 3-O-acyl-2-deoxy-L-ribonolactones bearing different acyl chains.

Abstract Several 3-O-acyl-2-deoxy-L-ribonolactones with various acyl chains were synthesized and evaluated for their ability to compete with [ 3 H]phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate in a PK-C binding assay. A parabolic correlation between log 1/K i and log water solubility [log (WS)] revealed the importance of branching of the acyl chain as a means to increase affinity. As in the case of the diacylglycerols, this effect possibly is related to the de-stabilization of the lipid bilayer induced by the presence of a “kink” in the modified acyl chains.
A set of one-to-one two-dimensional biquadratic transformations

Abstract It is proved that a simple constraint on the parameters of the biquadratic form will produce a set of geometrical transformations that are one-to-one over a rectangular region of the plane. The transformations are treated as interpolations from discrete mappings specified at a finite set of points within the region. The constraint, which is less stringent than a previously proposed constraint of the same form, is shown to be minimal. Because of their polynomial form, these transformations are continuous, smooth, and computationally simple. Comparisons with transformations of other forms are made and applications are discussed.
Impacts of climate warming on hybrid zone movement: Geographically diffuse and biologically porous “species borders”

The ecology and evolutionary biology of insect–plant associations has realized extensive attention, especially during the past 60 years. The classifications (categorical designations) of continuous variation in biodiversity, ranging from global patterns (e.g., latitudinal gradients in species richness/diversity and degree of herbivore feeding specialization) to localized insect–plant associations that span the biospectrum from polyphenisms, polymorphisms, biotypes, demes, host races, to cryptic species, remain academically contentious. Semantic and biosystematic (taxonomical) disagreements sometimes detract from more important ecological and evolutionary processes that drive diversification, the dynamics of gene flow and local extinctions. This review addresses several aspects of insect specialization, host-associated divergence and ecological (including “hybrid”) speciation, with special reference to the climate warming impacts on species borders of hybridizing swallowtail butterflies (Papilionidae). Interspecific hybrid introgression may result in collapse of multi-species communities or increase species numbers via homoploid hybrid speciation. We may see diverging, merging, or emerging genotypes across hybrid zones, all part of the ongoing processes of evolution. Molecular analyses of genetic mosaics and genomic dynamics with “divergence hitchhiking”, combined with ecological, ethological and physiological studies of “species porosity”, have already begun to unveil some answers for some important ecological/evolutionary questions. (i) How rapidly can host-associated divergence lead to new species (and why doesn't it always do so, e.g., resulting in “incomplete” speciation)? (ii) How might “speciation genes” function, and how/where would we find them? (iii) Can oscillations from specialists to generalists and back to specialists help explain global diversity in herbivorous insects? (iv) How could recombinant interspecific hybridization lead to divergence and speciation? From ancient phytochemically defined angiosperm affiliations to recent and very local geographical mosaics, the Papilionidae (swallowtail butterflies) have provided a model for enhanced understanding of ecological patterns and evolutionary processes, including host-associated genetic divergence, genomic mosaics, genetic hitchhiking and sex-linked speciation genes. Apparent homoploid hybrid speciation in Papilio appears to have been catalyzed by climate warming-induced interspecific introgression of some, but not all, species diagnostic traits, reflecting strong divergent selection (discordant), especially on the Z (= X) chromosome. Reproductive isolation of these novel recombinant hybrid genotypes appears to be accomplished via a delayed post-diapause emergence or temporal isolation, and is perhaps aided by the thermal landscape. Changing thermal landscapes appear to have created (and may destroy) novel recombinant hybrid genotypes and hybrid species.
A brief faculty development program for family medicine chief residents

A minority of programs in family medicine have an educationally sound training and evaluation system for chief residents. We have developed a brief faculty development intervention for family medicine chief residents aimed at improving administrative and education skills. The workshop addresses six important areas in administration, management, and education: job descriptions, style differences in teacher and learner, managing the morning report and small‐group learning, administrative model for leadership, performance evaluation and feedback, and dealing with the learner in need. Residents rated the quality and relevance of the workshop components on 5‐point Likert scales as 4.25 and 4.13, respectively. They rated their perceived knowledge gain on a 5‐point Likert scale as 4.13. The mean objective test scores of knowledge, before and after the workshop, were 53.9 and 77.4 (p = .0001). Thus, it was concluded that a brief workshop for chief residents can have a favorable impact on resident knowledge concer...
Neocartilage integration in temporomandibular joint discs: physical and enzymatic methods

Integration of engineered musculoskeletal tissues with adjacent native tissues presents a significant challenge to the field. Specifically, the avascularity and low cellularity of cartilage elicit the need for additional efforts in improving integration of neocartilage within native cartilage. Self-assembled neocartilage holds significant potential in replacing degenerated cartilage, though its stabilization and integration in native cartilage require further efforts. Physical and enzymatic stabilization methods were investigated in an in vitro model for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc degeneration. First, in phase 1, suture, glue and press-fit constructs were compared in TMJ disc intermediate zone defects. In phase 1, suturing enhanced interfacial shear stiffness and strength immediately; after four weeks, a 15-fold increase in stiffness and a ninefold increase in strength persisted over press-fit. Neither suture nor glue significantly altered neocartilage properties. In phase 2, the effects of the enzymatic stabilization regimen composed of lysyl oxidase, CuSO4 and hydroxylysine were investigated. A full factorial design was employed, carrying forward the best physical method from phase 1, suturing. Enzymatic stabilization significantly increased interfacial shear stiffness after eight weeks. Combined enzymatic stabilization and suturing led to a fourfold increase in shear stiffness and threefold increase in strength over press-fit. Histological analysis confirmed the presence of a collagen-rich interface. Enzymatic treatment additionally enhanced neocartilage mechanical properties, yielding a tensile modulus over 6 MPa and compressive instantaneous modulus over 1200 kPa at eight weeks. Suturing enhances stabilization of neocartilage, and enzymatic treatment enhances functional properties and integration of neocartilage in the TMJ disc. Methods developed here are applicable to other orthopaedic soft tissues, including knee meniscus and hyaline articular cartilage.