cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Active Control of Gimballed Rotors Using Swashplate Actuation During Shipboard Engagement Operations

An analysis has been developed to investigate the feedback control of gimballed rotor systems using swashplate actuation during transient shipboard engagement operations. The equations of motion for a rigid, three-bladed gimballed rotor system were derived using a Newtonian force summation method. Aerodynamic forces were simulated with a blade-element linear attached flow model. The resulting equations of motion were time integrated along a specified rotor-speed profile. A time domain linear-quadratic-regulator optimal control technique was applied to the equations of motion to minimize the transient rotor response. The physical limits of collective and cyclic pitch inputs in both magnitude and rate were enforced. The maximum transient gimbal tilt angle was reduced by as much as 56% with full knowledge of the ship air-wake environment and 42% with only partial knowledge of the ship airwake environment. Increasing the physical limits of collective and cyclic pitch inputs achieved up to a 70% reduction in the maximum transient gimbal tilt angle.
The EMMA Main Ring Lattice.

The EMMA experiment will study beam dynamics in a linear non-scaling fixed-field alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerator. I give a brief introduction to the purpose and goals of the EMMA experiment and describe how they will impact the design of the main EMMA ring. I then describe the mathematical model that is used to describe the EMMA lattice. Finally, I show how the different lattice configurations were obtained and list their parameters.
Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix: Analysis of outcome, recurrence pattern and the impact of platinum-based combination chemotherapy.

Abstract Objectives To analyze progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (SCNEC), and to determine whether platinum-based combination chemotherapy is beneficial for this population. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients with SCNEC who were treated at our institution between 1/1990 and 2/2007. Patients were excluded if pathologic diagnosis was not confirmed at our institution. Standard statistical methods were utilized. Results Seventeen patients met inclusion criteria. The estimated 3-year PFS and OS rates for the entire group were 22% and 30%, respectively. Median time to progression was 9.1 months. Extent of disease was the only significant prognostic factor. Median OS for patients with early stage disease (IA1–IB2) was 31.2 months and 6.4 months for patients with advanced stage disease (IIB–IV, P =0.034). In the early-stage disease group, the 3-year distant recurrence-free survival rate was 83% for patients who received chemotherapy and 0% for patients who did not receive chemotherapy as part of their initial treatment ( P =0.025). The estimated 3-year OS rate was 83% for patients who received and 20% for patients who did not receive chemotherapy as part of their initial treatment ( P =0.36). Conclusion Given the rarity of SCNEC this retrospective analysis is limited by a small number of patients. However, the natural history of this rare disease is akin to small cell lung cancer and the prognosis is poor due to the tumor's propensity for distant spread. The treatment should conform to the treatment of small cell lung cancer.
Loss of Outer Membrane Proteins without Inhibition of Lipid Export in an Escherichia coli YaeT Mutant

Escherichia coli yaeT encodes an essential, conserved outer membrane (OM) protein that is an ortholog of Neisseria meningitidis Omp85. Conflicting data with N. meningitidis indicate that Omp85 functions either in assembly of OM proteins or in export of OM lipids. The role of YaeT in E. coli was investigated with a new temperature-sensitive mutant harboring nine amino acid substitutions. The mutant stops growing after 60 min at 44 °C. After 30 min at 44 °C, incorporation of [35S]methionine into newly synthesized OM proteins is selectively inhibited. Synthesis and export of OM phospholipids and lipopolysaccharide are not impaired. OM protein levels are low, even at 30 °C, and the buoyant density of the OM is correspondingly lower. By Western blotting, we show that levels of the major OM protein OmpA are lower in the mutant in whole cells, membranes, and the growth medium. SecA functions as a multicopy suppressor of the temperature-sensitive phenotype and partially restores OM proteins. Our data are consistent with a critical role for YaeT in OM protein assembly in E. coli.
SU‐FF‐T‐47: Phantom Study of Radiation Dose Reduction to the Contralateral Breast Using Lead Shielding When Treating with the MammoSite Applicator

Purpose: Accelerated intracavitary partial breast irradiation can be delivered using an Ir-192 HDR afterloader with a MammoSite™ applicator. Over the course of a 3400 cGy treatment the contralateral breast can receive total radiation doses exceeding 200 cGy. Placing shielding between the breasts might reduce the dose to the contralateral breast. Phantom measurements were performed to investigate the feasibility and benefit of this shielding. Method and Materials: Treatments were simulated using doses of 340 cGy. Dose measurements were performed using an ion chamber in a homogeneous solid water phantom. The ion chamber was calibrated is solid water 5 cm from a known Ir-192 source. The phantom was simulating a geometrically simple patient with 5 cm tissue from the center of the MammoSite balloon to the medial breast surface, 10 cm of air between the breasts, and 1 cm to the measurement point in the contralateral breast. 1.6 mm lead sheets were used in single or double layers. The simulations were repeated in a Rando™ anthropomorphic phantom with simulated breasts created from BolxII™. Results: Contralateral breast shielding is strongly dependant upon the position of the Ir-192 source and the lead shield. Using 1.6 mm and 3.2 mm of lead reduced the contralateral breast dose behind the shield by approximately 45% and 65% respectively. In our Rando™ experiments, using 3.2 mm of lead, the dose 1 cm below the skin would decrease from 190 cGy to 57 cGy and the dose at the center of the breast from 101 cGy to 39 cGy Conclusion: A 3.2 mm lead shield decreases the dose to the contralateral breast by more than 60%. This may be clinically significant for a reduction in the risk of radiation-induced second malignancies. Shielding may be of best use if treating the patient in a prone or sitting position.
Carvedilol improves left ventricular function and symptoms in chronic heart failure: A double-blind randomized study

Objectives. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of carvedilol in patients with heart failure caused by idiopathic or ischemic cardiomyopathy. Background. Carvedilol is a mildly beta 1 -selective betaadrenergic blocking agent with vasodilator properties. Beta-blockade may be beneficial in patients with heart failure, but the effects of carvedilol are not known. Methods. Sixty patients with heart failure (New York Heart Association functional classes II to IV) and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 0.35 were enrolled in the study. All patients tolerated challenge with carvedilol, 3.125 mg twice a day, and were randomized to receive carvedilol (n = 36) versus placebo (n = 24). Study medication was titrated over 1 month from 6.25 to 25 mg twice a day ( 75 kg) and continued for 3 months. One placebo-treated and two carvedilol-treated patients did not complete the study. Results. Carvedilol therapy resulted in a significant reduction in heart rate and mean pulmonary artery and pulmonary capillary wedge pressures and a significant increase in stroke volume and left ventricular stroke work. Left ventricular ejection fraction increased 52% in the carvedilol group (from 0.21 to 0.32, p Conclusions. Long-term carvedilol therapy improves rest cardiac function and lessens symptoms in patients with heart failure.
Association between plasma homocysteine and microalbuminuria in persons without hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease

Microalbuminuria and plasma homocysteine levels are both considered to be markers of endothelial dysfunction and shown to be predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in epidemiological studies. However, previous studies examining the association between plasma homocysteine and microalbuminuria have suggested that this association is explained by confounding factors such as preexisting CVD, diabetes, hypertension, and reduced kidney function. We examined the association between plasma homocysteine and microalbuminuria in a representative sample of US men and women aged ≥20 years, who were free of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and CVD and who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 3,948). Microalbuminuria was defined as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥30 mg/g. Plasma homocysteine levels were positively associated with microalbuminuria in men but not in women (p-interaction 12-fold odds of microalbuminuria compared with men in the lowest homocysteine quartile and age <60 years. In contrast, in women, the multivariable OR (95% CI) comparing the highest to the lowest quartile of homocysteine was 0.96 (0.86–1.07); (p-trend = 0.41). Among relatively healthy adults, plasma homocysteine levels are associated with microalbuminuria only in men.
Dark-ground imaging of high optical thickness atom clouds

Abstract We use resonant dark-ground imaging to obtain in situ images of Bose Einstein condensates with optical thicknesses up to 350. Our technique is easy to implement and the detected signal is large. We discuss the regimes of applicability of this method as well as its limitations.
Robustness of operator quantum error correction with respect to initialization errors

In the theory of operator quantum error correction (OQEC), the notion of correctability is defined under the assumption that states are perfectly initialized inside a particular subspace, a factor of which (a subsystem) contains the protected information. If the initial state of the system does not belong entirely to the subspace in question, the restriction of the state to the otherwise correctable subsystem may not remain invariant after the application of noise and error correction. It is known that in the case of decoherence-free subspaces and subsystems (DFSs) the condition for perfect unitary evolution inside the code imposes more restrictive conditions on the noise process if one allows imperfect initialization. It was believed that these conditions are necessary if DFSs are to be able to protect imperfectly encoded states from subsequent errors. By a similar argument, general operator quantum error-correcting (OQEC) codes would also require more restrictive error-correction conditions for the case of imperfect initialization. In this study, we examine this requirement by looking at the errors on the encoded state. In order to quantitatively analyze the errors in an OQEC code, we introduce a measure of the fidelity between the encoded information in two states for the case of subsystem encoding. A major part of the paper concerns the definition of the measure and the derivation of its properties. In contrast to what was previously believed, we obtain that more restrictive conditions are not necessary for either DFSs or for general OQEC codes. This is because the effective noise that can arise inside the code as a result of imperfect initialization is such that it can only increase the fidelity of an imperfectly encoded state with a perfectly encoded one.
Mechanistic–Empirical Evaluation of Aggregate Base and Granular Subbase Quality Affecting Flexible Pavement Performance in Minnesota

Since high-quality aggregate materials are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, optimizing the use of locally available materials for aggregate bases and granular subbases on the basis of cost and mechanistic properties linked to pavement performance has become an economically viable alternative. This study investigated the effect of quality of unbound aggregate material on conventional flexible pavement performance in Minnesota through a mechanistic-empirical pavement design approach. A comprehensive matrix of conventional flexible pavement layer thicknesses and mechanistic design moduli was carefully designed to conduct mechanistic analyses for the Minnesota Department of Transportation flexible pavement design program (MnPAVE) with the MnPAVE program for pavement sections in two climatic regions in Minnesota. The type and the quality classes of unbound aggregate materials, identified as high, medium, and low, were characterized with stress-dependent resilient modulus (MR) models from a statewide...
Fourier-Domain Analysis of Complex Line Shapes

The development of a method of phase correction is discussed. Previous phase-correction methods have often required the input of an operator in order to extract phase information from the target spectrum. The use of this Fourier-domain phase-correction technique is discussed specifically in terms of its application to coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectra. The extraction of phase information and subsequent phase correction are discussed.
Robust Kalman Filter Design for Discrete Time-Delay Systems

We consider a family of continuous input-output maps representing linear time-invariant systems that take a set of signals into itself. It is shown that this family contains maps whose impulse response is the zero function, but which take certain inputs into nonzero outputs. It is shown also that this family contains members whose input-output properties are not described by their frequency domain response functions, and that the maps considered need not even commute.
Human impairment from living near confined animal (hog) feeding operations.

Problem. To determine whether neighbors around manure lagoons and massive hog confinement buildings who complained of offensive odors and symptoms had impaired brain and lung functions. Method. We compared near hog manure neighbors of lagoons to people living beyond 3 kilometers in Ohio and to unexposed people controls in a nearby state for neurophysiological, cognitive, recall and memory functions, and pulmonary performance. Results. The 25 exposed subjects averaged 4.3 neurobehavioral abnormalities, significantly different from 2.5 for local controls and 2.3 for Tennessee controls. Exposed subjects mean forced vital capacity and expiratory volume in 1 sec were reduced significantly compared to local and regional controls. Conclusions. Near neighbors of hog enclosures and manure lagoon gases had impaired neurobehavioral functions and pulmonary functions and these effects extended to nearby people thought to be controls. Hydrogen sulfide must be abated because people living near lagoons cannot avoid rotten egg gas.
Postsynaptic membrane and spine apparatus: proximity in dendritic spines.

Abstract We have reported previously that at dendritic spine synapses, the spine apparatus is associated with the synaptic spinule. In this report this association is shown, in serial thin sections, to involve intimate physical proximity between the postsynaptic density and membranous structures that are part of, or extend from, the spine apparatus itself. Because of the variegated shapes of synaptic spinules, the spine apparatus-postsynaptic density relation suggests participation in membrane distribution or synaptic remodelling phenomena.
Effect of Mg2+ concentration on Ca2+ uptake kinetics and structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane

Direct measurements of phosphorylation of the Ca2+ ATPase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) have shown that the lifetime of the first phosphorylated intermediate in the Ca2+ transport cycle, E1 approximately P, increases with decreasing [Mg2+] (Dupont, Y. 1980. Eur. J. Biochem. 109:231–238). Previous x-ray diffraction work (Pascolini, D., and J.K. Blasie. 1988. Biophys. J. 54:669–678) under high [Mg2+] conditions (25 mM) indicated that changes in the profile structure of the SR membrane could be responsible for the low-temperature transient trapping of E1 approximately P that occurs at temperatures below 2–3 degrees C, the upper characteristic temperature th for lipid lateral phase separation in the membrane. We now present results of our study of the Ca2+ uptake kinetics and of the structure of the SR membrane at low [Mg2+] (less than or equal to 100 microM). Our results show a slowing in the kinetics of both phases of the Ca2+ uptake process and an increase in the duration of the plateau of the fast phase before the onset of the slow phase, indicating an increase in the lifetime (transient trapping) of E1 approximately P. Calcium uptake kinetics at low [Mg2+] and moderately low temperature (approximately 0 degree C) are similar to those observed at much lower temperatures (approximately -10 degrees C) at high [Mg2+]. The temperature-induced structural changes that we observed at low [Mg2+] are much more pronounced than those found to occur at higher [Mg2+]. Also, at the lower [Mg2+] the upper characteristic temperature th for lipid lateral phase separation was found to be higher, at approximately 8–10 degrees C. Our studies indicate that both temperature and [Mg2+] affect the structure and the functionality (as measured by changes in the kinetics of Ca2+ uptake) of the SR membrane. Membrane lipid phase behavior and changes in the Ca2+ ATPase profile structure seem to be related, and we have found that structural changes are responsible for the slowing of the kinetics of the fast phase of Ca2+ uptake, and could also mediate the effect that [Mg2+] has on E1 approximately P lifetime.
EXPERIMENTAL PRODUCTION OF DIGESTIVE TRACT ULCERATIONS

We have attempted to reproduce in animal experiments a group of pathological findings which we have observed to be associated with shock. In order to simulate the compensatory vasomotor reactions occurring in shock, we have utilized the intraperitoneal injection of adrenalin hydrochloride in dogs, cats, rabbits and guinea pigs. That the effect of adrenalin hydrochloride when injected by this route is of long duration has been shown by the prolonged hyperglycemia which it produces. Our experiments have resulted in the production of a lesion in the digestive tract which is identical in the gross with those which we observed in our human material. The histological changes, however, have been found to differ from those encountered in the latter. These differences have been noted to occur only in the dog and cat, where the initial changes take place in the mucosa, and the alterations in the submucosa appear secondary to these. In the rabbit and guinea pig the histogenesis of the lesions is identical with that observed in man, the lesions first manifesting themselves in changes in the submucosa, congestion, edema and hernorrhage. Only later are similar changes seen in the mucosa, progressing finally to necrosis and ulceration. The cause of the histological differences has been found in the presence of arteriovenous anastomoses which occur in the submucosa in the case of the dog and cat and in the mucosa in the case of the rabbit, guinea pig and man. We have pointed out that variations in blood flow through the intestinal wall may result from the short circuiting of the blood through the arteriovenous anastomoses. This, associated with the vasoconstriction known to occur in shock, may if severe and prolonged, result in necrosis of the intestinal wall. We have experimentally reproduced the same lesion by the injection of adrenalin, which acts in a similar way. The experimentally produced anatomical changes offer additional evidence in support of the clinical occurrence of a vasospasm which is of sufficient severity and duration to cause tissue necrosis.
Liver Fatty Acid-Binding Protein Colocalizes with Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor α and Enhances Ligand Distribution to Nuclei of Living Cells†

Although it is hypothesized that long-chain fatty acyl CoAs (LCFA-CoAs) and long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) regulate transcription in the nucleus, little is known regarding factors that determine the distribution of these ligands to nuclei of living cells. Immunofluorescence colocalization showed that liver fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP; binds LCFA-CoA as well as LCFA) significantly colocalized with PPARα in nuclei of transfected L-cell fibroblasts. Colocalization with a DNA binding dye (SYTO59) revealed that, within the nucleus of control L-cells, the nonhydrolyzable fluorescent LCFA-CoA (BODIPY-C16-S-S-CoA) was distributed primarily in a punctate pattern throughout the nucleoplasm, while nonmetabolizable fluorescent LCFAs (BODIPY-C16 and BODIPY-C12) were localized primarily near the nuclear envelope membranes. L-FABP overexpression selectively increased the targeting of BODIPY-C16-S-S-CoA by 1.9- and 2.7-fold into the nuclear membrane and nucleoplasm, respectively. L-FABP also increased the targetin...
The Politics of Difference and Multicultural Feminism: Reconceptualizing Education for Democracy.

Abstract Contemporary society and social education would benefit by being reconceptualized according to a multicultural feminist theoretical standpoint that asserts a politics of difference in place of the current ideology of universality. Making this case, the author critiques universality as it is used in public discourse and policy and demonstrates how, despite its apparent orientation toward egalitarianism, universality has failed to secure equal rights for marginalized groups. The author posits “equivalent rights” in place of “equal rights” and concludes with a discussion of pedagogical strategies that may best facilitate education for democracy.
Multimodal Network Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment of U.S.-Canadian Trade in Lake Erie Corridor

Canada is the largest trading partner of the United States. Much of the flow of goods between the two countries is focused in the area between Detroit, Michigan, and Buffalo, New York: the Lake Erie corridor. A multimodal network model allows assessment of the vulnerability of these trade flows to disruptions at one or more of the major bridges and tunnels that are the border-crossing points. The model was calibrated against observed freight flows at these major border crossings for 2007 and then used in a series of experiments to assess the impact of various facility disruption scenarios.
Potential impact on birth rates of reforms in laws governing contraceptive marketing.

This article attempts to estimate the potential impact on birth rates of relaxing various legal restrictions on the marketing of contraceptives and to identify countries offering particular potential for such policies. The approach is through a quasi-experimental cross-sectional analysis of various configurations of laws in 82 countries. Results indicate that relaxation of a complex of interrelated restrictions offers the potential to lower birth rates and hence population growth by a full percentage point. The estimates are made in context of an analysis of covariance in which other key determinants of birth rates (measures of economic, demographic and health status) are also considered. While the cross-sectional design does not allow assessment of time frame for the impact of such changes, some guidance is available from the experience of two countries.
Effect of the mammary tumor agent on species other than the mouse.

Virushaltiger Extrakt von Brustdrusentumoren der Maus wurde jungen Kaninchen, Meerschweinchen, Goldhamstern, Ratten, Tieren der SpeciesPeromyscus und «C3H t »-Mausen injiziert.
Racial, Ethnic, and Sociodemographic Differences in the Level of Psychosocial Distress among Older Americans

More than 2 million older Americans suffer from some form of depression. Yet late-life depression is often undiagnosed or underdiagnosed. The aim of this study was to explore the reasons for the observed differences in the level of depressive symptoms between older African Americans, Hispanics, and Whites. The data are from Wave 1 of the Asset and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old survey administered during 1993-1994. Ordinary least-squares regression results indicate that language acculturation, the number of years of education, and the number of years of U.S. residency are significant factors that help to explain differences in self-reported levels of depressive symptoms among this older population. In general, those who are men, are married, have more education, and are in better health have lower levels of depressive symptoms.
Robust classification of variable-length sonar sequences

Two types of artificial neural networks are introduced for the robust classification of spatio- temporal sequences. The first network is the Adaptive Spatio-Temporal Recognizer (ASTER), which adaptively estimates the confidence that a (variable length) signal of a known class is present by continuously monitoring a sequence of feature vectors. If the confidence for any class exceeds a threshold value at some moment, the signal is considered to be detected and classified. The nonlinear behavior of ASTER provides more robust performance than the related dynamic time warping algorithm. ASTER is compared with a more common approach wherein a self-organizing feature map is first used to map a sequence of extracted feature vectors onto a lower dimensional trajectory, which is then identified using a variant of the feedforward time delay neural network. The performance of these two networks is compared using artificial sonograms as well as feature vectors strings obtained from short-duration oceanic signals.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Estimating the Activation Energy of Hydrogen-Abstraction Reactions Involving Hydrocarbons by Thermochemical Properties

Two empirical methods have been developed to estimate the activation energy (Ea) of hydrogen-abstraction reactions involving hydrocarbons by using ground-state thermochemical properties: reaction enthalpy (ΔH), broken bond energy (Db), and formed bond energy (Df). Ea = 12.67 + 2.98Vc + 0.50ΔH + 0.00604ΔH2 kcal/mol (method I); Ea = 54.47 + 4.21Vc − 1.00Df + 0.00581DbDf + 0.00681(Db − Df)2 kcal/mol (method II). The development of the methods is based on a fundamental understanding of the transition state structures (TSSs) and multiple regression analysis of a test set of 71 hydrogen-abstraction reactions involving the abstraction of alkane, allylic, and benzylic hydrogens. There is a significant effect of the π-conjugate TSS on the correlation, which is discussed in terms of quantum chemical understanding. The effect of the π-conjugate TSS is considered by adding an indicator variable Vc into the methods. The average absolute error and standard error are 0.47 and 0.64 kcal/mol for method I and 0.40 and 0.56...
Analysis of the closely linked adult chicken alpha-globin genes in recombinant DNAs

Abstract Recombinant bacteriophage (from a library of chicken chromosomal DNA fragments inserted into lambda Charon 4A) have been isolated which contain the coding information for both of the adult chicken alpha-globin genes, alpha A and alpha D. One of these recombinant phage also contains an as yet unidentified embryonic alpha-like globin gene sequence. The two adult genes are encoded on the same DNA strand and are separated by approximately 2.4 kilobase pairs, with the arrangement of the genes relative to the direction of transcription being 5'-alpha D-alpha A-3'. Electron microscopic R-loop visualization experiments demonstrate that both alpha-globin genes contain two intervening sequences of similar size in a manner analogous to the structure observed in the mouse alpha-globin gene. The linkage of the two highly divergent chicken adult alpha-globin genes further underscores the principle that chromosomal clustering of families of developmentally related genes may be a general phenomenon in higher eukaryotic gene sequence arrangement.
The effects of BCAA and leucine supplementation and lower-body resistance exercise on the ERK 1/2 MAPK pathway signal transduction

Methods 30 males (22.5 yrs; 81.1 kg) ingested either leucine (60 mg/kg/bw), BCAA (120 mg/kg/bw), or placebo. Supplementation was ingested at 3 time points (1/3 of the total dosage at each time point): 30 minutes prior to RE, and immediately preand post-RE. The subjects performed 4 sets of leg press and leg extension at 80% 1 RM to failure. Rest periods between sets and exercises were approx. 150 seconds. Muscle biopsies (via the Bergstrom technique) were obtained from the vastus lateralis at four time points: baseline and 30 min, 2 hrs, and 6 hrs post RE and sampled for MEK1 and ERK1/2 activation (via phosphoELISA kits). Participants were fasted for the duration of the investigational period. Other variables (serum markers and other skeletal muscle proteins) were analyzed as part of a larger investigation, but only MEK1 and ERK1/2 and their activation/phosphorylation state are presented here. Skeletal muscle variables (MEK1 and ERK1/2) were transformed to delta values and analyzed via a 3 (group) × 4 (time points) repeated measures MANOVA. Univariate ANOVAs (Bonferroni adjusted) were conducted as follow-up tests to the MANOVA. Post-hoc tests of the interaction effects demonstrated in the ANOVA were investigated via an independent samples T-test.
Pediatrics: predicting outcomes after perinatal brain injury.

Perinatal brain injury is associated with a substantial risk of long-term disability. A recent study has shown that the severity of injury to the deep nuclear gray matter and brainstem, determined by early MRI, correlates with the risk of death and/or cerebral palsy at 2 years.
Plant size and reproductive state affect the quantity and quality of rewards to animal mutualists

Summary 1. Many plants engage ants in defensive mutualisms by offering extrafloral nectar (EFN). Identifying sources of variation in EFN quantity (amount) and quality (composition) is important because they can affect ant visitation and identity and hence effectiveness of plant defence. 2. I investigated plant size and reproductive state (vegetative or flowering) as sources of variation in EFN quantity and quality. I focused on Opuntia imbricata and two ant partners, Crematogaster opuntiae and Liometopum apiculatum. I tested the influence of plant size and nectary type (vegetative vs. reproductive structure) on the probability and rate of EFN secretion, concentrations of total carbohydrates (CH) and amino acids (AAs), and relative abundances of constituent CH and AAs. I also examined how traits of individual nectaries scaled up to influence total plant-level rewards. Parallel observations documented associations between plant demographic state and ant visitation and species identity. 3. EFN quantity and quality were generally greater for larger, reproductive plants. At the scale of individual nectaries, probability of EFN secretion was positively size-dependent and greater for nectaries on reproductive vs. vegetative structures. Rate of EFN secretion, carbohydrate and amino acid concentrations, and the relative abundance of disaccharide vs. monosaccharide sugars were greater for reproductive nectaries but were unaffected by plant size. 4. Nectary-level traits scaled up to influence rewards at the whole-plant level in ways that corresponded to ant visitation: the probability of ant occupancy increased with plant size and reproduction, as did the likelihood of being tended by the superior guard, L. apiculatum. Variability in EFN traits may contribute to changes in ant occupancy and identity across plant sizes and reproductive states. 5. Synthesis. This study provides a thorough examination of how plant investment in biotic defence varies over the life cycle. Explicit consideration of plant demography may enhance understanding of ant–plant mutualisms. Populations of long-lived plants are demographically heterogeneous, spanning sizes and reproductive states. The rewards offered to animal mutualists can track demographic heterogeneity with consequences for plant defence and the dynamics of multispecies mutualisms.
The magnitude of river flow to the Arctic Ocean : dependence on contributing area

The export of freshwater from the Arctic Ocean (AO) is an important modifier of themohaline circulation in the North Atlantic and ultimately global climate. Arctic river discharge is known to be the most important source of freshwater to the AO but considerable variation about its magnitude exists in the literature. A reanalysis of all available data showed that the major source of variation is differences in the geographical definition of the receiving body. The contributing area to inflow relationship was also found to be remarkably linear for the major spatial definitions of the AO catchment. Precise catchment and receiving area boundaries of the AO need to be properly defined before freshwater components are calculated or compared.
Petri net models of flexible and automated manufacturing systems : a survey

Petri nets (PNs) have recently emerged as a promising approach for modelling flexible and automated manufacturing systems. PNs are a graphical and mathematical modelling technique that is useful for modelling concurrent, asynchronous, distributed, parallel, nondeterministic, and stochastic systems, as attested by a steady stream of papers which appeared throughout the 1980s. Since 1989, there has been an explosion of interest in using PNs to model, simulate, and analyse manufacturing systems. We present an overview of PN theory. We then present a schema for categorizing PN models of manufacturing systems, followed by a survey of PN models of flow lines, automatic transfer lines, job shops, flexible manufacturing systems, and assembly systems. This discussion represents the most comprehensive survey of applications of PNs to manufacturing through 1994. Finally, we present a summary and some conclusions.
Modulation of Mitochondrial Ca2+ Homeostasis by Bcl-2

We have investigated the role of mitochondrial Ca(2+) (Ca(m)) homeostasis in cell survival. Disruption of Ca(m) homeostasis via depletion of the mitochondrial Ca(2+) store was the earliest event that occurred during staurosporine-induced apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y). The decrease of Ca(m) preceded activation of the caspase cascade and DNA fragmentation. Overexpression of the anti-apoptosis protein Bcl-2 led to increased Ca(m) load, increased mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)), and inhibition of staurosporine-induced apoptosis. On the other hand, ectopic expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bik led to decreased Ca(m) load and decreased DeltaPsi(m). Inhibition of calcium uptake into mitochondria by ruthenium red induced a dose-dependent apoptosis as determined by nuclear staining and DNA ladder assay. Similarly, reducing the Ca(m) load by lowering the extracellular calcium concentration also led to apoptosis. We suggest that the anti-apoptotic effect of Bcl-2 is related to its ability to maintain a threshold level of Ca(m) and DeltaPsi(m) while the pro-apoptotic protein Bik has the opposite effect. Furthermore, both ER and mitochondrial Ca(2+) stores are important, and the depletion of either one will result in apoptosis. Thus, our results, for the first time, provide evidence that the maintenance of Ca(m) homeostasis is essential for cell survival.
Unidentified landmark navigation.

Unidentified landmark navigation from orbiting vehicle by computer simulation, noting instrumentation accuracies
The Dependence Effect, Consumption and Happiness: Galbraith Revisited

In his analysis of the affluent society, Galbraith argued that advertising and the sales promotion activities of firms create wants for people, which makes them consume more without making them better off, because their wants were artificially created. Thus, in the affluent society, ever-increasing levels of production (and consumption) do not increase welfare. This paper considers three criticisms of Galbraith's analysis: first, firms cannot ‘create’ wants for consumers without their consent, because consumers are not mere pawns in their hands; second, even if people's wants are created, they may be better off by consuming more; and third, that expansion of consumption can make people better off by expanding aggregate demand. It draws on the recent literature on consumption, income and happiness, and develops a simple model of growth and distribution, to argue that Galbraith's analysis holds up against these criticisms.
The impact of response format on relations among intentions, attitudes, and social norms

This research investigates the response consistency error which may be induced by certain common methodological practices in tests of predictive models such as the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein 1980). Specifically, the physical presence of a questionnaire was expected to provide respondents an inducement and basis for maintaining consistent responses. In addition, the practice of presenting all measures of a given construct together seemed likely to heighten correlations among constructs, resulting in heightened predictions. Two experiments were conducted in which respondents completed measures of the theory of reasoned action for a variety of behaviors using either a paper or computer-administered questionnaire with items in standard or random order. The results of these studies indicate that, contrary to expectations, the degree of attitude-intention consistency across behaviors may be attentuated in standard paper administrations.
Destruction of the auditory thalamus disrupts the production of fear but not the inhibition of fear conditioned to an auditory stimulus.

The auditory thalamus is part of a neural circuit that mediates the expression of fear to auditory stimuli. Bilateral lesions of the auditory thalamus prevent the expression of fear to an auditory stimulus paired with shock. The present study assessed whether bilateral lesions of the auditory thalamus would also disrupt the inhibition of fear to an auditory stimulus paired with the absence of shock. Rats were given bilateral lesions of the auditory thalamus followed by Pavlovian conditioned inhibition training in which a light was paired with shock and a noise and light compound was presented in the absence of shock. Fear and the inhibition of fear were measured with the fear-potentiated startle effect. Lesions of the auditory thalamus did not disrupt the ability of the noise to inhibit the expression of fear to the light. However, these lesions did disrupt the ability of the noise to produce fear-potentiated startle after it had been subsequently paired with shock. These results suggest that although the auditory thalamus is an essential part of a neural circuit that mediates the expression of fear to auditory stimuli, it is not an essential part of the circuit that mediates the inhibition of fear to auditory stimuli.
Behavioral and Electromyographic Characterization of the Local Frequency of Tacrine-induced Tremulous Jaw Movements

Rats were implanted with fine-wire electromyograph (EMG) electrodes and were videotaped to identify the local frequency characteristics and muscle activity associated with tacrine-induced tremulous jaw movements. All rats received intraperitoneal injections of 2.5 mg/kg tacrine. The videotape sessions were played back in slow motion (i.e., one-sixth normal speed), and an observer entered each jaw movement into a computer program that recalculated the interresponse time and the local frequency (in hertz) for each movement within a burst. Analyses of the distribution of frequencies showed that the peak frequency of jaw movements was in the 3- to 5-Hz frequency range, with an average frequency of 4.0 Hz. EMG electrodes were implanted into three jaw muscles: temporalis, anterior belly of digastricus, and masseter. Tremulous jaw movements were not accompanied by consistent changes in masseter activity. The anterior belly of digastricus showed bursts of EMG activity during some jaw movements, although the temporal relation between jaw movements and EMG activity was somewhat inconsistent. The muscle that showed activity most closely related to tremulous jaw movements was the temporalis. During bursts of jaw movements, temporalis muscles across several different rats showed bursts of EMG activity. Sections of videotape corresponding to bursts of EMG activity were reanalyzed by freeze-frame examination of the tape; typically, the temporalis showed a burst for each jaw movement, with the burst of activity occurring during the jaw-closing phase and the transition between jaw closing and opening. These results indicate that the local frequency of tremulous jaw movements is within the 3- to 7-Hz frequency that is typically associated with parkinsonian tremor. Moreover, the EMG data suggest that temporalis is a major contributor to the muscle activity that underlies tremulous jaw movements.
Lymphoma of the thyroid mimicking thyroiditis in a patient with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome

A 35-year-old man with AIDS and a history of a remission from the lymphoma of the right tonsil (previously treated with chemotherapy and radiation) presented with a variety of clinical, laboratory and radiological findings strongly suggestive of subacute thyroiditis. Fine needle aspiration biopsy failed to establish the tissue diagnosis. Pathological examination of the thyroid tissue obtained during an open surgical biopsy revealed a lymphoma. Appropriate chemotherapy produced a rapid clinical and laboratory improvement manifested by the reduction of the goiter and restoration of a euthyroid state. Hypothyroidism subsequently developed, but therapy with thyroid hormone resulted in a rapid normalization of thyroid function tests. The patient expired because of AIDS-related complications.
The prevalence of bleeding disorders among healthy pediatric patients with abnormal preprocedural coagulation studies.

Background We evaluated the prevalence of hemostatic disorders among pediatric patients with abnormal screening coagulation tests. Procedure We analyzed 48 consecutive referrals for abnormal prothrombin times, partial thromboplastin times, or closure times obtained as preprocedural screens. Patients were evaluated by uniform diagnostic testing. Results Seventeen patients (35%) had an isolated nonspecific inhibitor (NSI). Six patients (12.5%) presented with mildly low factor activity with a concomitant NSI. These deficiencies were of unclear clinical significance. One patient (2%) had a lupus anticoagulant. Only 9 patients (19%) had a possible or true mild bleeding disorder: 5 patients (10%) had isolated low von Willebrand factor levels, 2 patients (4%) had possible type I von Willebrand disease, and 2 (4%) had platelet aggregation disorders. In all patients, personal and family bleeding history had a positive predictive value of 45% for hemostatic disorders. Conclusions The most common diagnosis among the patients referred to us for abnormal preoperative coagulation tests was a NSI, which is not associated with an increased risk of operative bleeding complications. Less than 20% had a possible or true mild bleeding disorder. Although certain bleeding disorders can be occult in children and are associated with perioperative bleeding risks, our study demonstrates the inherent limitations in making a laboratory diagnosis of a bleeding disorder in pediatric patients preoperatively. Our findings contribute to existing doubt about the usefulness of prothrombin times, partial thromboplastin times, and closure times to identify occult bleeding disorders in this population.
A network of networks : Quorum-sensing gene regulation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa possesses two N-acyl-homoserine lactone quorum-sensing systems that regulate large, overlapping sets of genes. Recent global transcriptome and proteome analyses provided a wealth of information about the identity of the regulated genes, N-acyl-homoserine lactone signal specificity, timing of induction, and environmental effects on gene expression. Quorum-sensing gene expression in P. aeruginosa is also embedded in a highly interconnected network of other regulatory systems with a high potential for integrating and responding to multiple environmental signals. Such epigenetic complexity may constitute the basis for the exceptional adaptibility of P. aeruginosa to diverse environments.
The effect of a woodstove changeout on ambient levels of PM2.5 and chemical tracers for woodsmoke in Libby, Montana

Residential woodstoves are the single largest source of PM2.5 in Libby, MT, resulting in the community being designated as a nonattainment area for PM2.5. Beginning in 2005, a community-wide woodstove changeout program was implemented that replaced nearly 1200 old stoves with EPA-certified units. In an effort to track the reduction of woodsmoke particles throughout the program, ambient PM2.5 samples were collected before, during, and after the changeout. These samples were analyzed for seven selected woodsmoke tracers, including vanillin, acetovanillone, guaiacol, 4-ethylguaiacol (methoxyphenols), levoglucosan (sugar anhydride), abietic acid, and dehydroabietic acid (resin acids). Results of the changeout showed that PM2.5 levels decreased by 20% during the changeout period, while levels of the seven chosen tracer compounds gave variable responses. Levoglucosan levels decreased by 50% while both resin acids increased after the changeout, suggesting a change in the chemistry of the particles. No trend was observed in the levels of methoxyphenols as a group over the changeout period. The results suggest that the concentrations of woodsmoke related PM2.5 in the Libby airshed have decreased; however, the chemistry of the emitted particles also changed when old woodstoves were replaced with new EPA-certified stoves.
Corrigendum to “Nearest neighbor imputation of species-level, plot-scale forest structure attributes from LiDAR data”[Remote Sensing of Environment, 112: 2232–2245]

The authors regret that an error was discovered in the code within the R software package, yaImpute (Crookston & Finley, 2008), which led to incorrect results reported in the above article. The Most Similar Neighbor (MSN) method computes the distance between reference observations and target observations in a projected space defined using canonical correlation analysis. A coding error caused the MSN and MSN2 (like MSN, but with canonical correlations weighted by their variances) methods to produce the poorest results of the eight imputation methods tested. After correcting the coding error, the MSN and MSN2 methods produced imputation model error distributions as indicated by the Root Mean Squared Difference (RMSD) statistic that were competitive with the other imputation methods tested (Fig. 6). Correction of the error improved the correlation between imputed and observed total basal area from 0.30 to 0.74 in the case of MSN and from 0.41 to 0.77 in the case of MSN2 (Fig. 7). These improved MSN and MSN2 results do not alter our conclusions, including the main conclusion that the nonparametric Random Forests algorithms (RF and RF2methods) aremore robust for imputing species-level structural attributes, than MSN, MSN2, or the other parametric methods tested. Following are the updated Figs. 6 and 7, with the corrected MSN and MSN2 results contained therein, as well as the updated reference for the yaImpute package. The code is fixed in yaImpute v1.0-5 and above or if installing R v2.7 and above.
Toward a reconstruction of a professional medical morality.

Edmund Pellegrino's reconstruction of medical morality has had a lasting impact on medical ethics and the delivery of health care. A reader of “Toward a Reconstruction of Medical Morality” cannot h...