cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analytical study of cumulus onset

A slab model of the well-mixed daytime boundary layer is combined with a surface-layer parametrization based on Monin-Obukhov similarity to investigate analytically basic aspects of cumulus onset. Cumulus clouds are defined to occur when the equilibrium height of surface-layer air equals or exceeds its lifting condensation level (LCL). For a linearized version of the model, a closed solution of onset time is derived as a function of atmospheric and surface parameters. It is found that the effect of the various parameters on the timing of cumulus onset can be encompassed by two non-dimensional 'cumulus' numbers, which describe the relationship between differential variations of equilibrium height and LCL, one for the mixed layer and one for the surface layer. The most important parameter, appearing in both these numbers, is the ratio between the potential-temperature gradient above the mixed layer and the dry-adiabatic lapse rate of dew-point depression ( 0.008 K m -1 ). Results from both the linearized and the nonlinear model indicate that cumulus onset is delayed by increasing the Bowen ratio in cases of moderate-to-high stability, whereas the opposite is found for less stable conditions. Qualitative aspects of the model results are discussed with reference to observed relations between cumulus formation and surface characteristics.
Transport of a passive scalar in a turbulent channel flow

Turbulent flow through a channel in which one wall is heated and the other is cooled is considered. Temperature profiles for Prandtl numbers equal to 0.1, 0.7, 1, 3, 10, 100, 500 and 2400 are calculated, by considering the walls to be series of sources and sinks. The spatial variation of eddy conductivity for Pr = 1 is interpreted in terms of the time dependency of diffusion from single sources. Support is provided for experimental studies which show that the dimensionless mass transfer coefficient varies as Sc−0.704 at large Sc.
Selection for Cry3Bb1 Resistance in a Genetically Diverse Population of Nondiapausing Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Five short-diapause laboratory lines of western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were selected for resistance to MON863, a variety of corn genetically modified with the Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) transgene that expresses the Cry3Bb1 delta-endotoxin. Three of the selected lines were developed by incremental increase in the duration of exposure to MON863 over 11 generations (moderate selected lines). Two selected lines were developed from a control group by constant exposure to MON863 for at least 14 d posthatch over seven generations (intense selected lines). At the end of the experiment, survivorship, as measured by adult emergence, was approximately 4 times higher in each of the selected lines reared on MON863 compared with control lines. Estimates of realized heritabilities (h2) were 0.16 and 0.15 for the moderate and intense selected lines, respectively, and are consistent with h2 estimates reported previously from a variety of pest insects. These lines provide data necessary for evaluating the potential for Bt resistance within diabroticite beetles and will be useful for developing improved insect resistance management strategies.
New approach to quantum corrections in synchrotron radiation

Abstract Owing to a recent controversy over the importance of the second-order quantum corrections to the power spectrum of synchrotron radiation, we here reexamine this question by using a proper time method to calculate the forward Compton scattering of a real photon on a spin-0 charged particle in external magnetic fields. This approach, aside from being the simplest method found so far, has the feature that it resembles the classical procedure so that the quantum corrections can be identified at every stage of the computation. The option of being able to perform first the angular integration before doing the proper time integral enables us to simplify the calculation and to obtain the quantum corrections unambiguously. We find that the criterion for the quantum corrections to be important is the same as that found more than two decades ago.
Retuning the misfiring brain

The past 20 years have witnessed enormous advances in our understanding of the structure and function of the cerebral cortex. Paramount among these advances is the realization that the detailed structural and functional organization of the cerebral cortex is maintained dynamically throughout life, shaped continually by experience and acutely by central or peripheral injury (1, 2). For example, the primary somatosensory cortex, located in the postcentral gyrus, contains an orderly ``map'' of the cutaneous receptor distribution. The various skin surfaces are represented in the cortex in a topographic fashion, with the surfaces of the feet located medially, and the hands and face more laterally. Several studies have now shown that this orderly topographic map is altered by repetitive tactile stimulation, such as takes place during the learning of a new sensorimotor skill (e.g., learning a new arpeggio on a guitar) (3–6). Cortical representations of the skin surfaces used in a skilled sensorimotor task become enlarged with practice, and cortical receptive fields become smaller. Only the representations of the most highly stimulated and trained digits are enlarged. Because somatosensory map enlargement has consistently been associated with improved behavioral performance, this dynamic process is considered adaptive. The network, cellular, and synaptic events that underlie cortical map plasticity are now beginning to be understood, as investigators in related fields, such as developmental biology, membrane biophysics, and genetic analysis, begin to address more mechanistic questions. Although it is now well accepted that training-dependent enlargements of cortical representations occur, it has also been demonstrated that unusual sensorimotor experiences can result in unusual patterns of cortical organization. For example, in a study in nonhuman primates, Clark and colleagues (7, 8) surgically connected the skin surfaces of two adjacent fingers in a so-called digital syndactly preparation. Several months later, the normal somatotopic boundary …
Linking mRNA turnover and translation: assessing the polyribosomal association of mRNA decay factors and degradative intermediates.

mRNA decay is a multistep process, often dependent on the active translation of an mRNA and on components of the translation apparatus. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, several trans-acting factors required for mRNA decay associate with polyribosomes. We have explored the specificity of the interactions of these factors with polyribosomes, using sucrose gradient sedimentation analysis of the yeast UPF1 protein to test whether such interactions are altered when polyribosomes are disrupted by treatment with EDTA, digestion with micrococcal nuclease, or shifting of cells containing a temperature-sensitive eIF3 mutation to the nonpermissive temperature. These experiments, as well as others assaying the strength of factor association in high-salt sucrose gradients, lead us to conclude that Upf1p is tightly bound to the smallest polyribosomes, but not to the 40S or 60S ribosomal subunits. Similar experimental approaches were used to determine whether mRNA decay initiates prior to mRNA release from polyribosomes. Using sucrose gradient fractionation and Northern blotting, we can detect the polysomal association of a PGK1 mRNA decay intermediate and conclude that mRNA decay commences while an mRNA is still being translated.
Profound systemic hypothermia inhibits the release of neurotransmitter amino acids in spinal cord ischemia

Profound hypothermia induced with cardiopulmonary bypass has a protective effect on spinal cord function during operations on the thoracoabdominal aorta. The mechanism of this protection remains unknown. It has been proposed that the release of excitatory amino acids in the extracellular space plays a causal role in irreversible neuronal damage. We investigated the changes in extracellular neurotransmitter amino acid concentrations with the use of in vivo microdialysis in a swine model of spinal cord ischemia. All animals underwent left thoracotomy and right atrium-femoral artery cardio-pulmonary bypass with additional aortic arch perfusion. Lumbar laminectomies were then done and microdialysis probes were inserted stereotactically in the anterior horn of the second and fourth segments of the lumbar spinal cord. The probes were perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid at a rate of 2 μl/min and 15-minute samples were assayed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Group 1 animals ( n =6) underwent aortic clamping distal to the left subclavian artery and proximal to the renal arteries for 60 minutes at normothermia (37°C) and group 2 animals ( n =5) were cooled to a rectal temperature of 20°C before application of aortic clamps, maintained at this level during cardiopulmonary bypass until the aorta was unclamped, and then slowly rewarmed to 37°C. Seven amino acids were studied, including two excitatory neurotransmitters (glutamate and aspartate) and five putative inhibitory neurotransmitters (glycine, γ-aminobutyric acid, serine, adenosine, and taurine). Glutamate exhibited a threefold increase in extracellular concentration during normothermic ischemia compared with baseline values and remained elevated until 60 minutes after reperfusion. The increase in aspartate concentration was not significant. The extracellular concentrations of glycine and γ-aminobutyric acid also increased significantly during ischemia and reperfusion. Hypothermia uniformly prevented the release of amino acids in the extracellular space. Glutamate levels remained significantly decreased even after rewarming to normothermia whereas glycine levels returned to baseline values. These results are consistent with a role for excitatory amino acids in the production of ischemic spinal cord injury and suggest that the mechanism of hypothermic protection may be related to decreased release of these amino acids in the ischemic spinal cord.
STUDIES ON MUTANTS OF BACILLUS SUBTILIS REQUIRING D-GLUTAMIC ACID

To produce D-glutamic acid-requiring mutants, spores of Bacillus subtilis K were exposed to X-rays. The mutants were selected by the replica plating method following the penicillin screening. Using a medium enriched with D-glutamate in stead of the so-called complete medium, five D-glutamate dependent mutants were isolated. They were classified into three groups in terms of the growth response pattern (Table 2). Mutant 3d grows in minimal medium when it is supplemented with either D-glutamic acid, D-aspartic acid, or D-alanine. Meanwhile the mutant does not grow in the media when L-aspartic acid or L-glutamic acid coexists.
Detection of subtle abnormalities of serum β- and pre-β-lipoproteins in “normal” individuals by turbidimetric and electrophoretic methods

Abstract A simple method is described for use in screening “normal” individuals for lipid abnormalities. The method is reproducible and consists of turbidimetric measurement of cholesterol of serum β-lipoproteins (β and pre-β) by use of heparin, Ca2+, without elaborate equipment. When this method is combined with estimation of the proportion of β- and pre-β-lipoproteins (by agar gel electrophoresis), a very good and practical assessment of serum lipids can be made. Subtle lipid abnormalities in presumably healthy individuals can be detected by these methods. A relationship between the pre-β-lipoproteins and β-lipoproteins was made which can easily be related to the phenotyping of hyperlipoproteinemias, as described by Fredrickson and Lees. An evaluation of serum lipids in 69 clinically “normal” individuals is presented, showing that these lipid studies are very useful in the screening of “presumably normal” individuals and should be used for routine clinical observations. The procedures are adaptable for clinical purposes and should offer better evaluations than by total cholesterol and/or triglyceride determinations alone.
Usefulness of PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Typing of the Coagulase Gene To Discriminate Arbekacin-Resistant Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains

We compared the results of two typing methods for 678 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism typing of the coagulase gene was a more reliable method than coagulase serotyping from the viewpoint of arbekacin resistance.
Correlated noise in networks of gravitational-wave detectors: subtraction and mitigation

One of the key science goals of advanced gravitational-wave detectors is to observe a stochastic gravitational-wave background. However, recent work demonstrates that correlated magnetic fields from Schumann resonances can produce correlated strain noise over global distances, potentially limiting the sensitivity of stochastic background searches with advanced detectors. In this paper, we estimate the correlated noise budget for the worldwide advanced detector network and conclude that correlated noise may affect upcoming measurements. We investigate the possibility of a Wiener filtering scheme to subtract correlated noise from Advanced LIGO searches, and estimate the required specifications. We also consider the possibility that residual correlated noise remains following subtraction, and we devise an optimal strategy for measuring astronomical parameters in the presence of correlated noise. Using this new formalism, we estimate the loss of sensitivity for a broadband, isotropic stochastic background search using 1 yr of LIGO data at design sensitivity. Given our current noise budget, the uncertainty with which LIGO can estimate energy density will likely increase by a factor of ≈12 —if it is impossible to achieve significant subtraction. Additionally, narrow band cross-correlation searches may be severely affected at low frequencies f≲70 Hz without effective subtraction.
Copy number variation signature to predict human ancestry

Background Copy number variations (CNVs) are genomic structural variants that are found in healthy populations and have been observed to be associated with disease susceptibility. Existing methods for CNV detection are often performed on a sample-by-sample basis, which is not ideal for large datasets where common CNVs must be estimated by comparing the frequency of CNVs in the individual samples. Here we describe a simple and novel approach to locate genome-wide CNVs common to a specific population, using human ancestry as the phenotype.
SU‐E‐T‐434: Improvements in Step‐And‐Shoot Dose Delivery Accuracy on Varian TrueBeam

Purpose: To investigate the impact of monitor units (MUs) per segment and dose rate on the dose delivery accuracy of step‐and‐shoot intensity modulated radiation (SS‐IMRT) fields on a TrueBeam LINAC.Methods: A step‐and‐shoot multi‐leaf collimator(MLC) sequence was created consisting of 10 identical 10×10cm segments with identical MUs. Beam holding between segments was achieved by moving one out‐of‐field MLC leaf pair. Measurements were repeated for various combinations of MU/segment ranging from 2–40 and dose rates of either 300 or 600MU/min. All measurements were made with a Farmer (0.6cc) ionization chamber placed at the isocenter in a SolidWater phantom at 10cm depth. The measurements were performed on two Varian LINACs: Trilogy and TrueBeam. Each sequence was delivered three times and the charge readings for the corresponding segments were averaged. The effects of MU/segment, dose rate, and LINAC type on the relative dose variation (Delta_i) was compared using F‐tests.Results: On the Trilogy, large Delta_i was observed in small MU segments: at 2MU/segment, the maximum Delta_i was 20.0%/26.2% at 300/600MU/min, respectively. Also, the first segment of each sequence consistently over‐shot(Delta_i>0), while the last segment consistently under‐shot(Delta_i 10 MU/segment) MU segments Conclusions: Earlier generations of Varian LINACs exhibited large dose variations for small MU segments in SS‐IMRT delivery. Our results appeared to confirm these findings. The dose delivery accuracy in small MU segments and at high dose rate for SS‐IMRT is significantly improved on TrueBeam compared to Trilogy, likely due to the faster sampling rate (100Hz vs. 20Hz).
Identification and purification of a novel G protein from neutrophils.

Abstract A novel G protein which appears to couple chemotactic peptide receptors to a polyphosphoinositide phospholipase C has been purified from rabbit neutrophils. Neutrophil membranes were solubilized with sodium cholate and fractionated by successive anion exchange, gel filtration and hydrophobic chromatography. Guanosine-5′-(3- O -thio)triphosphate binding activity was purified 170-fold from the soluble extract. The α-subunit of the purified G protein was identified by pertussis toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation, and found to have an M r of 40 000. The β-subunit ( M r 36 000) comigrated on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with the β-subunits of bovine brain Gi and Go. The neutrophil pertussis toxin substrate is highly unstable in cholate solution unless 30% ethylene glycol is added. Structural and functional analysis of this novel G protein will advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of coupling of receptors to phospholipase C.
Was There a Social Transformation of Urban Neighbourhoods in the 1980s? A Decade of Worsening Social Conditions in Cleveland, Ohio, USA

One central thesis in recent urban poverty research, that social context has further disadvantaged poor residents of central-city neighbourhoods, has not been tested empirically. This analysis examines the strength of relationships among adverse social conditions in neighbourhoods in one North American industrial city. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the hypothesis that negative social conditions have become increasingly intertwined in the 1980s was supported. Neighbourhoods could be distinguished along several important dimensions in the early 1980s. At the end of the decade, a single dimension of interconnected adverse conditions predominates. While the explanation for these trends is structural, the conditions themselves must be addressed if efforts to revitalise neighbourhoods and prevent the spread of poverty are to succeed.
A method of including switching loss in electro-thermal simulations

Often, power electronics systems are simulated with ideal switching elements, perhaps augmented with conduction loss models. A behavioral model is proposed that also includes switching loss and is independent of switching frequency. Therefore, it is suitable for variable frequency control methods, including hysteresis, delta modulation, and random PWM. Models have been realized in Dymola using voltage-controlled voltage sources, current sources, logic, and additional ideal switches. Thermal ports are included to facilitate electro-thermal simulation. A method for parameter extraction is demonstrated using experimental data from standard PWM.
TETRACAIME, PROPRANOLOL AND TRIFLUOPERAZINE INHIBIT THYROTROPIN RELEASING HORMONE-INDUCED PROLACTIN SECRETION FROM GH3 CELLS BY DISPLACING MEMBRANE CALCIUM: FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT TRH ACTS TO MOBILIZE CELLULAR CALCIUM

TRH stimulation of prolactin release from GH3 cells is associated with loss of cellular Ca2+. Chlortetracycline (CTC), a fluorescent probe of Ca2+ in biological membranes, was previously employed to monitor indirectly changes in membrane Ca2+ in GH3 cells. Tetracaine, propranolol and trifluoperazine, agents that are known to displace Ca2+ from biological membranes, were utilized to demonstrate more rigorously that TRH affects cellular membrane Ca2+ in GH3 cells. Tetracaine (1 mM), propranolol (1 mM], and trifluoperazine(0.03mM) inhibited basal and TRH-stimulated prolactin release, decreased cellular 4 5Ca2+ content and decreased cell-associated CTC fluorescence. Most importantly, these agents abolished the decrease in CTC fluorescence induced by TRH. These data suggest that tetracaine, propranolol and trifluoperazine displace membrane Ca2+ in intact GH3 cells and offer further evidence that TRH acts to mobilize cellular Ca2+ from a membranebound pool(s) during stimulation of GH3 cells.
Noise-coupled continuous-time ΔΣ ADCs

The noise-coupling technique successfully used in discrete-time delta-sigma ADCs is extended to the realization of continuous-time delta-sigma ADCs, resulting in improved quantization noise shaping. The operation and design of these circuits is discussed in detail. To verify the proposed design methodology, a second-order continuous-time delta-sigma modulator with noise coupling was designed and simulated.
Impaired coronary microvascular reactivity in women with apical ballooning syndrome (Takotsubo/stress cardiomyopathy):

Aims:The pathophysiology of apical ballooning syndrome (ABS) remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the coronary vascular reactivity of patients who were previously diagnosed with ABS.Methods and results:A total of 228 cases of ABS were prospectively identified, and of these, 10 patients (median age 61 years (IQR 48–75); all females) who underwent coronary vasomotion testing were included in the study. Coronary epicardial and microvascular responses to intracoronary acetylcholine (ACH; % change in diameter and % change in blood flow at doses of 10−6–10−4 mol/l), nitroglycerin (200–300 mg), and adenosine (36–60 µg) were evaluated. The median change in diameter with ACH was –9.3% (IQR –36.4, 3.2) with six patients (60%) demonstrating epicardial coronary constriction. The median increase in peak coronary blood flow in response to ACH was 13.1% (IQR –18.6, 55.0). This was markedly lower than the blood flow response seen in a reference group of 211 women from our laboratory (mean age 6...
ELASTIC EQUILIBRIUM OF A PLATE WITH A REINFORCED ELLIPTICAL HOLE

Abstract : An infinite thin plate with an elliptical hole reinforced by a confocal elliptical ring is subjected to loads in the plane. A solution to the generalized plane stress problem is obtained using the complex variable techniques of Muskhelishvili. The result is presented in a form wellsuited to evaluation by digital computers. Specialization to a circular hole with a negligibly thin reinforcement is shown to be in agreement with results obtained by other authors. (Author)
Work in progress - assessment of an engineering ethics video: Incident at Morales

A new engineering ethics video, Incident at Morales, was assessed with two different instruments: the standard defining issues test and a short ad hoc survey. According to the pre-tests and post-tests with the defining issues test, viewers of the video increased the sophistication of their moral reasoning skills. According to the survey, viewers changed their opinions about the most important responsibilities of engineers and about meeting environmental regulations when working overseas. From these results, it appears that the video is effective in teaching engineering ethics
The Communications Computer Hardware of the MERIT Computer Network

Three Michigan universities are currently working on a project to evolve a network that will link their educational and research computing centers. This project requires the concurrent development of several interrelated technical activities, the most important of which are the network's specialized hardware, software for the network's communications computers, and support software for each of the host computers. The specific topic of this paper is the network's unique hardware configuration, its general design, and the rationale behind its particular specifications. Also included are descriptions of special interfaces developed for the system's synchronous data sets, and the IBM system 360 and Control Data 6000 series computers.
Global mapping of upper mantle reflectors from long-period SS precursors

SUMMARY Long-period precursors to SS resulting from underside reflections off upper mantle discontinuities (SdS where d is the discontinuity depth) can be used to map the global distribution and depth of these reflectors. We analyse 5,884 long-period seismograms from the Global Digital Seismograph Network (1976-1987, shallow sources, transverse component) in order to identify SdS arrivals. Corrections for velocity dispersion, topography and crustal thickness at the SS bounce point, and lateral variation in mantle velocity are critical for obtaining accurate estimates of discontinuity depths. The 410 and 660 km discontinuities are observed at average depths of 413 and 653 km, and exhibit large-scale coherent patterns of topography with depth variations up to 40 km. These patterns are roughly correlated with recent tomographic models, with fast anomalies in the transition zone associated with highs in the 410 km discontinuity and lows in the 660 km discontinuity, a result consistent with laboratory measurements of Clapeyron slopes for the appropriate phase changes. The best resolved feature in these maps is a trough in the 660km discontinuity in the northwest Pacific, which appears to be associated with the subduction zones in this region. Amplitude variations in SdS arrivals are not correlated with discontinuity depths and probably result from focusing and defocusing effects along the ray paths. The SdS arrivals suggest the presence of regional reflectors in the upper mantle above 400 km. However, only the strongest of these features are above probable noise levels due to sampling inadequacies.
Health Associations of Drug-Involved and Criminal-Justice-Involved Adults in the United States

A burgeoning criminological literature has identified important intersections between public health, crime, and antisocial behavior. This study is based on public-use data collected between 2006 and 2010 as part of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and an analytical sample of men (N = 84,054) and women (N = 95,308) between the ages of 18 and 64. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified three classes: a large normative group, a small drug-involved group, and a criminal-justice-involved group. Chronic health conditions that are more closely associated with longer term medical problems and perhaps cumulative stress such as heart disease and diabetes are not linked to criminal-justice-system-involved or drug-involved offenders. Medical problems that are more closely related to an antisocial lifestyle such as sexually transmitted diseases, pancreatitis, and hepatitis were found to be more prevalent among antisocial subgroups in this sample.
Morphological responses to simulated wind in the genus Brassica (Brassicaceae): allopolyploids and their parental species

Thigmomorphogenesis refers to the widespread ability of sessile organisms to modify their morphology in response to a variety of mechanical stimulations, from direct contact with the stem by insects or other plants to flexure caused by wind, water, or snow. In this paper we investigated the differences in the reaction norms to wind exposure of seven species of the Brassicaceae that constitute a well-studied complex of known phylogenetic relationships. The goals included the characterization of differences between allopolyploids and their parental species and the comparison of wild and fast-cycling accessions within each species. We found statistically significant variation for plasticity among species or accessions for several characters, but the majority of the phenotypic variance was accounted for by overall (across-environment) differences among species and accessions and not by variation in plasticity. Allopolyploids displayed an array of behaviors when compared to their parents, from co-dominance to complete dominance to exceeding both parental means. Furthermore, fast-cycling plants showed distinct features from their wild relatives, suggesting that wild populations should be included with artificially selected lines in ecological studies. We proposed further steps to gain a more comprehensive understanding of thigmomorphogenetic responses, by integrating current research on the molecular bases of thigmomorphogenesis with insights into the ecology and evolution of plants exposed to wind.
The mechanisms of tumor suppressor effect of glucocorticoid receptor in skin

Glucocorticoid hormones exert a tumor suppressor effect in different experimental models, including mouse skin carcinogenesis. The glucocorticoid control of cellular functions is mediated via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), a well-known transcription factor that regulates genes by DNA-binding dependent transactivation, and DNA-binding independent transrepression through negative interaction with other transcription factors. In this perspective, we analyze known mechanisms that underlie the anticancer effect of GR signaling, including effects on cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis. We also discuss a novel mechanism for the tumor suppressor effect of the GR in skin: through the regulation of the number and status of follicular epithelial stem cells (SC), which are a target cell population for skin carcinogenesis. Our studies on keratin5.GR transgenic animals that are resistant to skin carcinogenesis, demonstrated that the GR diminishes the number of follicular epithelial SCs, reduces their proliferative and survival potential and affects the expression of follicular SC "signature" genes. The analysis of global effect of the GR on gene expression in follicular epithelial SCs, basal keratinocytes, and mouse skin tumors provided an unexpected evidence that gene transrepression by GR plays an important role in the maintenance of SC and in inhibition of skin carcinogenesis by this steroid hormone receptor. It is known that antiinflammatory effect of glucocorticoids is chiefly mediated by GR transrepression. Thus, our findings suggest the similarity between the mechanisms of antiinflammatory and anticancer effects of the GR signaling. We discuss the potential clinical applications of our findings in light of drug discovery programs focused on the development of selective GR modulators that preferentially induce GR transrepression.
Magnetic resonance imaging of guinea pig cochlea after vasopressin-induced or surgically induced endolymphatic hydrops.

Abstract Objective To investigate the ability to detect the in vivo cochlear changes associated with vasopressin-induced and surgically induced endolymphatic hydrops using MRI at 3 tesla (T). Study Design Prospective, animal model. Setting Animal laboratory. Subjects and Methods In group 1, five guinea pigs underwent post–gadolinium temporal bone MRI before and after seven and 14 days of chronic systemic administration of vasopressin by osmotic pump. In group 2, five guinea pigs underwent temporal bone MRI eight weeks after unilateral surgical ablation of the endolymphatic sac. Three-tesla high-resolution T1-weighted sequences were acquired pre- and postcontrast administration. Region of interest signal intensities of the perilymph and endolymph were analyzed manually. Quantitative evaluation of hydrops was measured histologically. Results Gadolinium preferentially concentrated in the perilymph, allowing for distinction of cochlear compartments on 3.0-T MRI. The T1-weighted contrast MRI of vasopressin-induced hydropic cochlea showed significant increases in signal intensity of the endolymph and perilymph. Surgically induced unilateral hydropic cochlea also showed increased signal intensity, compared with the control cochlea of the same animal, but less of an increase than the vasopressin group. The histological degree of hydrops induced in the vasopressin group was comparable to previous studies. Conclusions In vivo postcontrast MRI of the inner ear demonstrated cochlear changes associated with chronic systemic administration of vasopressin and surgical ablation of the endolymphatic sac. Understanding the MRI appearance of endolymphatic hydrops induced by various methods contributes to the future use of MRI as a possible tool in the diagnosis and treatment of Meniere's disease.
UNIQUENESS FOR SINGULAR SEMILINEAR ELLIPTIC BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS II

We prove uniqueness of positive solutions for the boundary value problem \begin{equation*} \left\{ \begin{array}{l} -\Delta u=\lambda f(u)\text{ in }\Omega , \\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ u=0\text{ on }\partial \Omega , \end{array} \right. \end{equation*} where Ω is a bounded domain in n with smooth boundary ∂ Ω, λ is a large positive parameter, f:(0,∞) → [0,∞) is nonincreasing for large t and is allowed to be singular at 0.
Covariation between predation risk, body size and fin elaboration in the green swordtail, Xiphophorus helleri

Natural and sexual selection can have either opposing or synergistic effects on the evolution of traits. In the green swordtail Xiphophorus helleri, sexual selection arising from female choice is known to favour larger males and males with longer swords. We examined variation in male and female size and fin morphology among 15 populations that varied in their predation environments. Males and females from populations in which piscivorous fishes were present had longer and deeper bodies than did males and females from populations in which piscivorous fishes were absent. Controlling for a positive effect of body size on sword length, males from populations in which piscivores were present had relatively shorter swords than did males from populations in which piscivores were absent. The associations between morphology and predation environment may be due to direct effects of predation, indirect effects of predation, other sources of selection that covary with predator presence, or other environmental effects on trait expression. These results suggest that while sexual selection favours longer swords, natural selection may have an opposing effect on sword length in populations with predators. Natural selection on body size, however, may act synergistically with sexual selection in populations with predators; both may favour the evolution of larger body size. The body size results for X. helleri contrast with related taxa that have become model systems for the study of life history evolution. © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2004, 83, 87‐100.
Quantifying Uncertainty in Modeling Snow Microwave Radiance for a Mountain Snowpack at the Point-Scale, Including Stratigraphic Effects

Merging microwave radiances and modeled estimates of snowpack states in a data assimilation scheme is a potential method for snowpack characterization. A radiance assimilation scheme for snow requires a land surface model (LSM) coupled to a radiative transfer model (RTM). In this paper, we explore the degree of model fidelity required in order for radiance assimilation to yield benefits for snowpack characterization. Specifically, we characterize the uncertainty of Microwave Emission Model for Layered Snowpacks (MEMLS) radiance predictions by quantifying model accuracy and sensitivity to the following: (1) the LSM snowpack layering scheme and (2) the properties of the snow layers, including melt-refreeze ice layers. MEMLS was consistent with the measured brightness temperatures at 18.7 and 36.5 GHz with a bias (mean absolute error) of 0.1 K (3.1 K) for the vertical polarization and 3.4 K (9.3 K) for the horizontal polarization. An error in the predictions at horizontal polarization is due to uncertainty in ice-layer properties. It was found that in order for predicted brightness temperatures from the coupled LSM and RTM to be adequate for radiance assimilation purposes, the following must be satisfied: (1) the LSM snowpack layering scheme must accurately represent the stratigraphic snowpack layers; (2) dynamics of melt-refreeze ice layers must be modeled explicitly, and the predicted density of melt-refreeze layers must be accurate within ; and (3) the MEMLS correlation length must be predicted within 0.016 mm, or effective optical grain diameter must be predicted within 0.045 mm. Recommendations for future field measurements are made.
Fiber type and metabolic dependence of T2 increases in stimulated rat muscles.

This study examined the relationships between muscle fiber type, metabolism, and blood flow vs. the increase in skeletal muscle 1H-NMR transverse relaxation time (T2) after stimulation. Triceps sur...
How hard is it to control an election

Some voting schemes that are in principle susceptible to control are nevertheless resistant in practice due to excessive computational costs; others are vulnerable. We illustrate this in detail for plurality voting and for Condorcet voting.
Shock due to protamine hypersensitivity

A 56-year-old man developed shock and skin flush minutes after the slow administration of 25 mg of protamine sulfate. Prior protamine exposure from treatment of his diabetes with isophane insulin (NPH insulin) was believed to have sensitized this patient to protamine. A review of three other cases of reaction to low doses of protamine revealed that in each, the patient had previously been exposed to protamine. If heparin is used in a patient with a history of treatment of diabetes with isophane insulin, the heparin should be allowed to spontaneously reverse, without pharmacological assistance if possible. If protamine must be used, the patient should be pretreated with glucocorticoid and vasopressors should be immediately available.
A field examination of system life cycle techniques and methodologies

There is a myriad of system development methodologies, techniques, and tools that have been developed ever since businesses started using computers for information processing. However, there is no real consensus on the aptness or applicability of these methods. There are proponents and critics of each method, and different organizations use different methods. This article identifies many of the system development methods in use today. It, then, empirically assesses these methods on a comprehensive set of attributes. It also makes a contingency analysis of the applicability of the methods based on system life cycle stage, system type, and problem structure. These results should serve as a valuable set of inputs in method selection for system development.
Deadwood Report Update: Pick Your Own Weight

In the teaching component of the forthcoming Deadwood Report (see 11 Green Bag 2d 139), we plan to give substantial extra weight to required courses. That is, a professor will receive more credit for teaching a required course than she will for teaching a non-required (aka "elective") course. The basic reason is that required courses are the most important ones. Why else would a law school force all of its students to take them? And if a course is important enough to be compulsory, then presumably it is important enough for a school to assign one or more of its better teachers to teach it. To do otherwise would be inefficient, unkind, and maybe even a breach of warranty - assuming that the school (a) promises applicants who enroll a good education and (b) treats production of well-educated graduates as one of its core functions. Where does this leave elective courses? In our efforts to measure roughly just how much law professors are contributing to their schools' core functions, should we treat all elective courses the same way? Or are there some that merit intermediate weighting (less than required courses but more than run-of the-mill elective courses)? Are some electives of greater importance than most to the broad educational and narrower pre-professional and social missions of the law school? Do some impose heavier burdens on instructors? For example, should Evidence or Individual Tax be given the same weight as The Law of the Horse or Directed Readings in Legal History? More weight? Less? There is, it seems to us, one simple answer to all of these questions: Each law school should have some opportunity to take its own stand. And so we are going to invite them to do so, via a survey (reproduced below) we plan to send to the deans at the 25 "Best Law Schools" according to U.S. News & World Report - Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, Boalt, Chicago, Penn, Northwestern, Michigan, UVA, Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Vanderbilt, UCLA, Texas, USC, Wash U (St. Louis), George Washington, Boston U, Emory, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and Washington & Lee. Why those 25? Because the Green Bag's puny resources preclude studying more than a few schools in our first year (we will get to the rest eventually), and starting with the cream of the crop will let the rest of the schools know where the high and mighty stand. Besides, schools with big reputations and big budgets will recover relatively easily from whatever (probably inconsequential) harms might result if the Deadwood Report turns out to be bad medicine.
Quantitative Study of Laser Cooling in a Penning Trap

Penning traps are currently being studied at our laboratory [1,2] and elsewhere [3,4] for use in atomic frequency standards. A Penning trap confines ions by a combination of a static, uniform magnetic field and a static, nonuniform electric field. The fact that the fields are static makes it feasible to laser cool more than 104 ions to low temperatures [5]. In contrast, the radio-frequency (Paul) ion trap uses oscillating electric fields, which, in combination with the non­linear Coulomb coupling between ions, cause heating and make it difficult to laser cool large numbers of ions [6]. For either trap, large numbers increase the signal-to-noise ratio; low temperatures reduce the second-order Doppler shift [7].
Quality assurance in health care: a mission for action

Quality assurance in health care can only be met by an effective system for total quality control. For the medical laboratory a 6 phase system can be outlined: Phase I Design control: Proper laboratory and staff design for assay systems. Phase II Incoming material control: Selection of patient samples, reagents, methods and instruments for each assay system. Phase III Process control: An internal programme to calibrate and control the process and an external programme to monitor and refine its proficiency. Phase IV Output control: Present results in a medically meaningful way. Phase V Reliability control: Assuring assay procedures utilized correlate with health care needs. Phase VI Verification control: Inspection and accreditation, workload and productivity studies, cost analysis system. Review of goals of existing quality control programmes, tools and activities related to this 6 phase system indicates problems for individuals and organizations and laboratory professionals need to define special plans for action. The mission of quality assurance can be effective if laboratory professionals will create the atmosphere of a collegium where physicians and scientists communicate across disciplines. There must also be communication to assure cost effective medically significant assay results for the broad spectrum of health care necessary for the sick, and well.
Long- and short-term flooding effects on survival and sink-source relationships of swamp-adapted tree species.

About 95% of swamp tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora (Walt.) Sarg.) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.) seedlings survived continuous root flooding for more than two years, whereas none of the swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii Nutt.) and cherrybark oak (Q. falcata var. pagodifolia Ell.) seedlings survived one year of flooding. Death of oak seedlings occurred in phases associated with periods of major vegetative growth, e.g., after bud burst in spring, after summer stem elongation, and during the winter deciduous stage, suggesting that stored reserves and sources were inadequate to maintain the seedlings when vegetative sinks were forming. Additional evidence that flooding induced a source deficiency in oak was that leaves of flooded oak were 65 to 75% smaller than leaves of nonflooded oak. Flooded swamp tupelo seedlings had a normal leaf size and patchy stomatal opening compared with nonflooded seedlings. Flooding caused increases in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) specific activity in taproot cambial tissues and increases in starch concentrations of swamp tupelo seedlings that were reversed when seedlings were removed from flooding. Flooding had little effect on soluble sugar concentrations in swamp tupelo or sweetgum. In the long-term flood-dry-flood treatment, in which all species had survivors, upper canopy leaf photosynthetic rates were higher in all species during the dry period than in nonflooded controls, whereas their starch and soluble sugars concentrations were similar to those of nonflooded controls. Based on seedling survival and the sink-source relationships, the order of flood tolerance was: swamp tupelo > sweetgum > swamp chestnut oak > cherrybark oak.
L-FUNCTIONS OF FUNCTION FIELDS

This is a short expository paper on L-functions of function fields, based on the author’s lecture given at the fourth China-Japan number theory conference held in Weihai.
Gas-Phase Acidity Studies of Dual Hydrogen-Bonding Organic Silanols and Organocatalysts

The fundamental properties of a series of organic monosilanols, silanediols, disiloxanediols, and known hydrogen-bonding organocatalysts have been examined in the gas phase using computational and experimental mass spectrometry methods. The organosilicon diol molecules contain dual hydrogen-bonding groups that were designed as potential hosts and hydrogen-bonding catalysts. Newly measured acidities are reported, and implications regarding solvent effects, catalysis, and molecular recognition are discussed.
When Patients Hemorrhage at Delivery

Abruptio placentae, other placental separations, and amniotic fluid embolism can produce shock from uncontrollable bleeding. Local clot formation and diffuse microcoagulation seem to exhaust fibrinogen, making further clotting impossible.
ZrO_2+MgS Auxiliary Electrode Coating Prepared by Laser Cladding

The ZrO 2 + MgS auxiliary electrode coating w as prepared on the surface of the MgO stabilized zirconia-based solid electrolyte by laser cladding. The surface morphology and phase composition w ere analyzed w ith the scanning electronic microscope( SEM) and X-ray diffractometer( XRD). The factors influenced the stability of ZrO 2 + MgS coatings w ere also analyzed. The research results show ed that the cladding layer w as combined w ell w ith the substrate. MgS pow der w ere not fully decomposed and oxidized. From this w ork,it show ed that laser cladding w as an effective method to prepare ZrO 2 + MgS coating on the surface of the MgO stabilized zirconia-based solid electrolyte. At 1 600 ℃,if the sulfur partial pressure w as higher than 10- 4. 95Pa,MgS phase did not decompose; if the oxygen pressure w as 10- 55. 78Pa and sulfur partial pressure w as higher than 10- 46. 36Pa,MgS phase did not oxidize.
Detecting Warming Hiatus Periods in CMIP5 Climate Model Projections

The observed slow-down in the global-mean surface temperature (GST) warming from 1998 to 2012 has been called a “warming hiatus.” Certain climate models, operating under experiments which simulate warming by increasing radiative forcing, have been shown to reproduce periods which resemble the observed hiatus. The present study provides a comprehensive analysis of 38 CMIP5 climate models to provide further evidence that models produce warming hiatus periods during warming experiments. GST rates are simulated in each model for the 21st century using two experiments: a moderate warming scenario (RCP4.5) and high-end scenario (RCP8.5). Warming hiatus periods are identified in model simulations by detecting (1) ≥15-year periods lacking a statistically meaningful trend and (2) rapid changes in the GST rate which resemble the observed 1998–2012 hiatus. Under the RCP4.5 experiment, all tested models produce warming hiatus periods. However, once radiative forcing exceeds 5 W/m2—about 2°C GST increase—as simulated in the RCP8.5 experiment after 2050, nearly all models produce only positive warming trends. All models show evidence of rapid changes in the GST rate resembling the observed hiatus, showing that the climate variations associated with warming hiatus periods are still evident in the models, even under accelerated warming conditions.