cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peripartum cardiomyopathy: Current therapeutic perspectives

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare condition of unclear etiology that accounts for an important percentage of pregnancy-related deaths. Deaths from peripartum cardiomyopathy can be attributed to profound left ventricular failure, thromboembolic events, or arrhythmia. Prompt recognition of the condition, initiation of appropriate medical management, collaboration with perinatology for delivery management, referral to cardiac transplant centers when necessary, and counseling regarding future pregnancies is required for a successful outcome. Patients should be diagnosed by clinical evaluation and echocardiography. After establishing left ventricular dysfunction, a standard heart failure medical regimen should be instituted. Hospitalization should be considered for patients with class III or greater symptoms, or for those patients not responding to outpatient management. If the diagnosis is made in the antepartum period, delivery should be strongly considered. Endomyocardial biopsy has low yield in this situation and should not be considered standard care, especially because controversy exists over the effectiveness of immunosuppressive therapy for myocarditis. Selenium, pentoxifylline, and immune globulin have all been shown to have a beneficial effect in small series of patients. The addition of these agents to standard therapy, however, should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Anticoagulation should be considered in patients with ejection fractions less than 35%. Transplantation results in survival comparable to women with idiopathic-dilated cardiomyopathy, and should be pursued in the appropriate setting. Future pregnancies should be discouraged, even if the left ventricular function recovers. Significant improvement in ventricular function can be expected in up to 50% of patients.
Cartesian optics and the mastery of nature

Descartes's Dioptrics is more than a mere technical treatise on optics; it is an essay in the "practical philosophy" that he claimed could render us "masters and possessors of nature." Descartes's practical intent is indicated first by the instrumentalist character of his derivation of the sine law of refraction, which is based on a heuristic and readily mathematizable model that requires no consideration of light's "true nature." Descartes's subsequent discussion of human vision is an extended critique of nature's workmanship that grounds the possibility of improving vision by artificial means. I suggest that this critique is the source of Descartes's doctrine that the purpose of sensory perception is to preserve the mind-body composite, not to provide knowledge of the essential nature of things. Accordingly, the ultimate goal of the Dioptrics is to "master" human vision by raising it from a mere means of self-preservation to an instrument of scientific knowledge.
Lorentz scattering of interplanetary dust

Charged dust grains in a turbulent magnetic field will see a Lorentz force due to the convection of the solar magnetic field past them at the solar wind velocity. Since the sign of this magnetic field is randomly varying, the direction of the force will be random, and the net effect will be to randomly scatter the orbital elements of these particles. The square roots of the mean square change in semimajor axis, inclination, and eccentricity are determined as a function of the particles' original orbital elements. Particles 3 microns in radius and smaller will have their motions strongly perturbed or dominated by Lorentz scattering. This scattering will have an effect comparable to, or greater than, the Poynting-Robertson effect on these particles for time scales comparable to their Poynting-Robertson lifetimes.
Productivity Scheduling Method Compared to Linear and Repetitive Project Scheduling Methods

The analysis of project schedules is among the central tasks of construction managers. Parallel to the well-known critical path method, linear scheduling techniques have been researched. The two most fully developed existing methods, the linear scheduling model and the repetitive scheduling method, are reviewed. Based on a discussion of a published example, the new mathematical analysis method for linear and repetitive schedules is introduced. The productivity scheduling method is based on singularity functions that provide a flexible and powerful mathematical model for construction activities and their buffers that are characterized by their linear or repetitive nature. The steps of formulating initial equations, stacking and consolidating them, and deriving information about their criticality are described in detail. The mathematical approach of the new method allows an integrated treatment of activities regardless of the number of changes in productivity within them and does not depend on the graphical representation of the schedule.
An Exploratory Study of Local Organizations' Conference Choice Factors

This study empirically investigates the choice factors used by local organizations in selecting a conference facility for meetings and/or events. The sample consisted of 105 local organizations that belong to a regional chamber of commerce in Central Virginia. Of 12 choice criterion items, 4 major factors were identified in an exploratory factor analysis. Facility quality was determined to be the most important choice factor for local organizations. Based on the findings, marketing implications and recommendations for future research are provided.
Stereotyped and variable growth of redirected Mauthner axons

Abstract To assay the axon tract organizing capabilities of different regions of the vertebrate CNS, Mauthner axons were redirected by grafting supernumerary hindbrains in Xenopus embryos. The 63 redirected Mauthner axons thus produced included donor axons projecting into the host CNS and host axons that grew through the graft or that were redirected in the host CNS. Two major phenomena were observed. Caudal to the optic chiasm, the Mauthner axons followed a single ipsilateral stereotyped route—the basal substrate pathway—extending in the ventral and ventrolateral marginal zone from the diencephalon to the caudal spinal cord. In contrast, rostral to the optic chiasm, these same Mauthner axons followed variable ipsilateral and contralateral routes. Even pairs of Mauthner axons entering the optic chiasm side-by-side eventually followed different routes in normal forebrains. The contrasting behaviors of the Mauthner axons growing in the rostral diencephalon and telencephalon and of the same Mauthner axons growing elsewhere suggest that there are differences in the effective guidance cues between these two regions of the developing brain. This is consistent with other types of neuroanatomical and neuroembryological evidence indicating a fundamental division between the rostral and the caudal diencephalon.
Oligoclonal Expansions of CD4+ and CD8+ T-Cells in the Target Organ of Patients With Biliary Atresia

Background & Aims: Biliary atresia is an inflammatory, fibrosclerosing neonatal cholangiopathy, characterized by a periductal infiltrate composed of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. The pathogenesis of this disease has been proposed to involve a virus-induced, subsequent autoreactive T cell-mediated bile duct injury. Antigen-specific T-cell immunity involves clonal expansion of T cells expressing similar T-cell receptor (TCR) variable regions of the β-chain (Vβ). We hypothesized that the T cells in biliary atresia tissue expressed related TCRs, suggesting that the expansion was in direct response to antigenic stimulation. Methods: The TCR Vβ repertoire of T cells from the liver, extrahepatic bile duct remnants, and peripheral blood of biliary atresia and other cholestatic disease controls were characterized by fluorescent-activated cell sorter analysis, and TCR junctional region nucleotide sequencing was performed on expanded TCR Vβ regions to confirm oligoclonality. Results: FACS analysis revealed Vβ subset expansions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells from the liver or bile duct remnant in all patients with biliary atresia and only 1 control. The CD4+ TCR expansions were limited to Vβ3, -5, -9, and -12 T-cell subsets and the CD8+ TCR Vβ expansions were predominantly Vβ20. Each Vβ subset expansion was composed of oligoclonal populations of T cells. Conclusions: Biliary atresia is associated with oligoclonal expansions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells within liver and extrahepatic bile duct remnant tissues, indicating the presence of activated T cells reacting to specific antigenic stimulation. Future studies entail identifying the specific antigen(s) responsible for T-cell activation and bile duct injury.
Resistência carnavalesca ao espetáculo global

Este artigo apresenta uma proposta de aplicacao critica pos-moderna do "espetaculo" de Debord e do "carnaval" de Bakhtin as encenacoes que tem acontecido nas ruas das cidades, nos campi de universidades e na Internet resistindo a nova economia globalizada. Na ultima decada, a Administracao Publica passou por uma virada pos-moderna, ficando presa as encenacoes conflitantes de um espetaculo corporativo orquestrado pela midia e ao carnaval de resistencia do discurso de globalizacao. Pretende-se neste artigo teorizar a interacao do espetaculo e do carnaval como construcoes teatrais de poder e resistencia empresarial e estatal. Sao analisados o crescimento do espetaculo da industria de monitoramento, que atesta codigos corporativos de conduta em narrativas de progresso, e os carnavais anti-sweatshop1 e anti-globalizacao, que desempenham um roteiro de entrega no teatro de rua, nos shows de moda anti-sweatshop e no ativismo cibernetico.
Testing models of non-kin cooperation: mutualism and the Prisoner's Dilemma

Abstract Since 1981, the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma has dominated studies of non-kin cooperation. Alternative models have received relatively little attention. The simplest alternative is mutualism, in which mutual cooperation always pays best. The behaviour of three pairs of blue jays,Cyanocitta cristata, was tested in precisely controlled iterated mutualism and Prisoner's Dilemma games. Although the jays readily cooperated in the mutualism game, cooperation neither developed nor persisted in a Prisoner's Dilemma. No empirical justification was found for the status of the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma as the basic paradigm of non-kin cooperation.
Actuator tuning for nonlinear truss structures - A neural network approach

The optimal actuator placement problem encompasses finding their best locations and best gains. The latter is referred to as tuning the actuators. This paper deals with tuning a given set of actuators in presence of known structural nonlinearities arising from gaps at some joints. For this purpose, an efficient neural network-based algorithm is proposed and illustrated using numerical simulations.
A resource management system for interference mitigation in enterprise OFDMA femtocells

To meet the capacity demands from ever-increasing mobile data usage, mobile network operators are moving toward smaller cell structures. These small cells, called femtocells, use sophisticated air interface technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). While femtocells are expected to provide numerous benefits such as energy efficiency and better throughput, the interference resulting from their dense deployments prevents such benefits from being harnessed in practice. Thus, there is an evident need for a resource management solution to mitigate the interference that occurs between collocated femtocells. In this paper, we design and implement one of the first resource management systems, FERMI, for OFDMA-based femtocell networks. As part of its design, FERMI: 1) provides resource isolation in the frequency domain (as opposed to time) to leverage power pooling across cells to improve capacity; 2) uses measurement-driven triggers to intelligently distinguish clients that require just link adaptation from those that require resource isolation; 3) incorporates mechanisms that enable the joint scheduling of both types of clients in the same frame; and 4) employs efficient, scalable algorithms to determine a fair resource allocation across the entire network with high utilization and low overhead. We implement FERMI on a prototype four-cell WiMAX femtocell testbed and show that it yields significant gains over conventional approaches.
Benchmarking Explicit State Parallel Model Checkers

This paper presents a set of benchmarks and metrics for performance reporting in explicit state parallel model checking algorithms. The benchmarks are selected for controllability, and the metrics are chosen to measure speedup and communication overhead. The benchmarks and metrics are used to compare two parallel model checking algorithms: partition and random walk. Implementations of the partition algorithm using synchronous and asynchronous communication are used. Metrics are reported for each benchmark and algorithm for up to 128 workstations using a network of dynamically loaded workstations. Empirical results show that load balancing becomes an issue for more than 32 workstations in the partition algorithm and that random walk is a reasonable, low overhead, approach for finding errors in large models. The synchronous implementation is consistently faster than the asynchronous. The benchmarks, metrics and results given here are intended to be a starting point for a larger discussion of performance reporting in parallel explicit state model checking.
LDPC encoder identification in time-varying flat-fading channels

This paper tackles the low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder identification problem encountered in the time-varying flat-fading channels which are modeled as finite-state Markov chains. The in-phase and quadrature-phase components of the channel coefficients are both represented by a number of states. To greatly simplify the computation of the channel observation probabilities, each channel-state region is further quantized to an interior point. Based on our proposed finite-state Markov model, the Viterbi algorithm is thus invoked to blindly estimate the unknown channel-state sequence from each received signal segment. To mitigate the phase ambiguity which is inherent in the channel-state estimation process, the pilot-aided channel estimation method is also proposed here. The LDPC encoder is finally identified in the framework of the log-likelihood ratio of syndrome a posteriori probability. The performance of our proposed LDPC identification scheme is investigated for different normalized Doppler rates and different mechanisms to reconstruct the channel-state information. Monte Carlo simulation results suggest that pilot symbols are necessary for leading to a satisfactory identification performance for time-varying flat-fading channels.
Risk for marijuana-related problems among college students: an application of zero-inflated negative binomial regression.

Method: This study examined the association between marijuana-related problems and social norms, impulsivity, and perceived use utility among 292 college students. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to simultaneously predict expected nonusers as well as predict counts of reported marijuana-related problems among expected users. Gender, social norms, impulsivity, and perceived use utility were used to predict expected nonusers as well as number of marijuana-related problems among expected users. Results: Only social norms were associated with the prediction of zero-values. In contrast, only perceived use utility was associated with the prediction of number of marijuana-related problems. Conclusions: Results generally are consistent with theories of the differential association of social-environmental and biopsychological variables with use and problems, respectively. Zero-inflated regression models are a useful strategy to examine risk behaviors with low base rates.
Precise tailoring of longitudinal acoustic property of optical fibers by a hydrogen-loading technique

We have demonstrated for the first time a post-processing technique using hydrogen loading and subsequent UV exposure to implement precise longitudinally-tailored acoustic property along a fiber for optimal SBS suppression. Local acoustic velocity can be modified by ~3%, leading to ~500MHz change in Brillouin frequency at ~1μm, equivalent to ~10dB SBS suppression.
Restriction in IgM expression--VI. Affinity analysis of monoclonal anti-dansyl antibodies.

Abstract Affinity restriction in the IgM response to the 5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl (dansyl) group was studied with 56 monoclonal IgG and IgM affinity-purified antibodies. These were generated by immunization with dansyl-Ficoll or dansyl-B-γG. Association constants for N ϵ -dansyllysine were determined by fluorescence titration based on resonance energy transfer. The antibodies were also characterized with respect to the emission maximum of the antibody-ligand complex. The distribution of binding constants covered a 100,000-fold range, demonstrating thereby a restriction in IgM affinity relative to IgG affinity. In the secondary response the IgG affinity exhibited a ceiling of about 1 × 10 10 M −1 , a value in accord with the size and hydrophobic nature of the dansyl group. In the case of IgM, with one exception, the value of 1 × 10 7 M −1 was not exceeded with IgM antibodies isolated from 28 hybridomas. This system, therefore, provides further evidence for the restriction in expression of IgM as a general feature of the immune response.
Can We Talk

The negotiation of meaning, the process whereby speakers work with each others' messages to achieve understanding, is currently regarded as an important factor in second language development. This article discusses the negotiation process and presents selected findings from a study of learner-to-learner talk found during systematic observation of a Spanish conversation course at the college level. The findings suggest that an interview-type speaking activity does not necessarily provide opportunities for negotiation work to take place. An example is provided for a speaking activity that promotes negotiation work among learners of foreign languages. Using this example as a guide, similar tasks can be created.
Effects of catalase inhibitors on the ultrastructure and peroxidase activity of proliferating microbodies.

The relationship between the formation of microbodies and catalase synthesis in the hepatic cells of male rats was examined with conventional electron microscopy and with the peroxidase staining technic for demonstrating catalase. Daily intraperitoneal injections of ethyl-α-p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate (CPIB) for 5 days caused a profound increase in microbody numbers without markedly affecting the appearance of the matrix material and all microbodies retained peroxidase activity. A single injection 5 days before sacrifice of 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (AT), an inhibitor of catalase activity but not catalase synthesis, did not affect their numbers, appearance of matrix material or peroxidase staining. Twice daily injection for 5 days of allylisopropylacetamide (AIA), an inhibitor of catalase synthesis, also did not affect microbody numbers but lowered the electron-density of the microbody matrix and abolished peroxidase staining. After combined administration of these drugs, the number of hepatic microbodies increased but they did not contain peroxidase activity. The results suggest strongly that microbody proliferation is dependent not on catalase synthesis but on synthesis of non-enzymatic protein.
Carbon dioxide efflux from long-term grazing management systems in a semiarid region

Abstract Grazing management can affect grassland carbon (C) dynamics, yet limited information is available documenting management effects on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) efflux. A study was conducted to quantify the role of long-term grazing management to affect CO 2 efflux within the semiarid northern Great Plains of North America. Grazing management systems evaluated in the study included two native vegetation pastures differing in stocking rate [moderately grazed pasture (MGP), heavily grazed pasture (HGP)] and a fertilized, grazed crested wheatgrass [ Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex. Link) Schult.] pasture (CWP) near Mandan, ND, USA. Carbon dioxide efflux was measured on 1–2 week intervals for three years using static chamber methodology. Supplemental assessments of soil temperature and water content, aboveground live biomass, root biomass, and soil microbial biomass C were conducted during each growing season. Carbon dioxide efflux did not differ between native vegetation pastures differing in stocking rate. However, mean hourly CO 2 efflux was greater in CWP (100.1 mg C m −2 h −1 ) than HGP (81.1 mg C m −2 h −1 ) ( P = 0.03), a result attributed to prevalence of cool-season grass and high available N in CWP. Carbon dioxide efflux differed among grazing treatments during spring (March–May) and fall (September–November), but not winter (December–February) and summer (June–August). Associations between CO 2 efflux and abiotic factors were seasonally dependent, with positive associations between efflux and soil temperature during spring ( r = 0.71, P ≤ 0.01) and fall ( r = 0.45, P ≤ 0.01) and efflux and water-filled pore space (WFPS) during summer ( r = 0.46, P ≤ 0.01). In this study, increased stocking rate did not contribute to elevated CO 2 efflux within native vegetation pastures. Given strong weather-dependence on grassland productivity, long-term monitoring is necessary to confidently discern grazing management effects on C dynamics.
A review of rapid solidification studies of intermetallic compounds

A review of rapid solidification studies of high-temperature ordered intermetallic compounds is presented. Emphasis is on the nickel - and iron- aluminides which are of potential interest as structural materials. The nickel-base aluminides which have been rapidly solidified exhibit changes in grain size, compositional segregation, and degree of long range order (as reflected in APB size and distribution) which markedly affect mechanical properties. Some experiments indicate the formation of a metastable L1(2) phase in rapidly solidified Fe-(Ni,Mn)-Al-C alloys, while other work observes only a metastable fcc phase in the same composition range. The metastable phases and/or microstructures in both nickel and iron aluminides are destroyed by annealing at temperatures above 750 K, with subsequent degradation of mechanical properties. Rapid solidification studies of several other intermetallic compounds are briefly noted.
Online forums supporting grassroots participation in emergency preparedness and response

"When danger arises, the rule in normal situations is for people to help those next to them before they help themselves."
The oxidation resistance of Nb-20Mo-15Si-5B-20Cr up to 1,300°C

Nb-20Mo-15Si-5B-20Cr alloy has been oxidized in air in a range of temperatures from 700 to 1,300°C. A 24 hour exposure to air shows a minimum in weight gain per unit area at 900 and 1,000°C. Below and above this temperature the alloy has an oxide scale composed of oxide-metal interface which has been characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and x-ray mapping. Formation of CrNbO4 appears to be beneficial for the oxidation resistance while another Cr oxide, Cr2O3, may form mainly at temperatures below 1,000°C. SiO2 formation has been restricted to temperatures above 1,000°C. Long term oxidation consisting of seven successive 24 hour cycles of heating shows better oxidation resistance at 1,300°C for times longer than 96 hours but below that usual lower weight gain per unit area at lower temperature has been observed.
Effects of glyceryl trinitrate and pentaerythritol tetranitrate on forelimb, renal, mesenteric, and total peripheral resistances

Abstract 1.1. The systemic and regional hemodynamic effects of glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were observed in 48 dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital. 2.2. After intravenous injection of these drugs (10 μg per kilogram), cardiac output, venous pressure, and heart rate remained unchanged, but systemic and brachial arterial perfusion pressures decreased. The decrease in total peripheral and forelimb resistances were observed 1.5 minutes after each agent; forelimb vasodilation persisted for 5 minutes after PETN. 3.3. Dose-response curves were obtained with each agent after local infusion into the constantly perfused forelimb, mesenteric, and renal circulations. Dilation was always observed with GTN, whereas PETN produced dilation only in the forelimb circulation.
Pain sensitivity and coping strategies among dysmenorrheic women: Much ado about nothing

Abstract Samples of spasmodic, congestive and combined dysmenorrheic women and non-dysmenorrheic women were subjected to an ischemic pain procedure to measure their pain threshold, pain tolerance and self-reported pain. Cognitive and behavioral strategies that subjects had spontaneously used during the pain procedure were later assessed. A classification system was derived for categorizing subjects' responses to the interview and questionnaire used in this assessment. Contrary to previous claims that dysmenorrheic women may be hypersensitive to pain, no differences in pain sensitivity were discovered among the four groups of subjects. A few differences in cognitive and behavioral strategies did emerge, but these were of insufficient magnitude to contend that dysmenorrheic women are disadvantaged in their strategies for coping with pain.
LC−MS/MS Method for Confirmation of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin and Darbepoetin α in Equine Plasma

Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) and darbepoetin α (DPO) are protein-based drugs for the treatment of anemia by stimulating red blood cell production. Consequently, they are abused in human and equine sports. To deter their abuse in the horse racing industry, a sensitive and reliable method for confirmation of these agents in equine plasma has been in urgent need. Such a method by LC−MS/MS is described in this paper. The method involved analyte enrichment by immunoaffinity separation using anti-rhEPO antibody linked to magnetic beads, digestion by trypsin, and analysis by LC−MS/MS. Two specific proteotypic peptides, 46VNFYAWK52 and 144VYSNFLR150 from rhEPO and DPO were employed for confirmation of the analytes based on chromatographic retention times and major product ions. The limit of confirmation of this method was 0.2 ng/mL, and the limit of detection was 0.1 ng/mL for rhEPO and DPO in equine plasma. This method was successful in confirming the presence of rhEPO and DPO in plasma samples colle...
History, coordination and optimality: some policy lessons

Within a two-sector dynamic framework with external economies in one sector (which give rise to the possibility of multiple equilibria) and convex adjustment costs, this paper provides a welfare ranlung of movements towards the two stable equilibria, solves for the optimal speed of industrialization and derives the shape of the social planner's optimal resource allocation path. These results show that one should be cautious in drawing policy implications from static models of coordination failures. Moreover, this paper also argues that a reduction in adjustment costs (e.g. through the provision of public education facilities) is an essential precondition for industrialization when the existing industrial base is thin.
The incidence of urinary tract infection after open anti-reflux surgery for primary vesicoureteral reflux: early and long-term follow up.

Abstract Objectives Controversy exists regarding the benefit of open anti-reflux surgery (OS) in reducing the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI). We, therefore, reviewed our short and long term data in children who have undergone OS. Methods 153 children (131F, 22M; ages 2–16 yrs, mean 8 yrs) underwent OS from 1990 to 2008. Reasons for presentation were UTI-131; sibling survey-19; prenatal hydronephrosis-3. Major reasons for OS were: breakthrough UTI-74 (48%), high grade (IV or V)-49 (32%), poor compliance with prophylaxis-15 (10%). Of 153 pre-operative DMSA scans, 60 (39%) had defects. Post-operative studies were performed 6 months after surgery and 151 (99%) had negative voiding cystourethrograms (VCUG's). All underwent urine cultures 6 months post-op and prophylaxis was stopped. 56 (37%) were later contacted at an average 7 yrs post-op (range: 2–13 yrs). Results 23 (15% of 153 followed short term, 40% of 56 followed long term)–20F, 3M–had non-febrile UTI's (nfUTI's) and one girl (0.6%) had a febrile UTI (fUTI). Of those who had nfUTI's 7 (30%) had high grade reflux and 16 (70%) had pre-op breakthrough UTI's. 11 (48%) had DMSA scans with defects. 2 had UTI's within 1 year after a negative VCUG and 21 had UTI's later (1–8 yrs). 1 girl had a fUTI 1 month after a negative VCUG. Conclusions Successful OS effectively eliminates fUTI. Families should be counseled that nfUTI may occur many years after surgery, especially in girls with a history of breakthrough UTI and renal scarring.
Small-scale variability in surface moisture on a fine-grained beach: implications for modeling aeolian transport

Small-scale variations in surface moisture content were measured on a fine-grained beach using a Delta-T Theta probe. The resulting data set was used to examine the implications of small-scale variability for estimating aeolian transport potential. Surface moisture measurements were collected on a 40 cm × 40 cm grid at 10 cm intervals, providing a total of 25 measurements for each grid data set. A total of 44 grid data sets were obtained from a representative set of beach sub-environments. Measured moisture contents ranged from about 0% (dry) to 25% (saturated), by weight. The moisture content range within a grid data set was found to vary from less than 1% to almost 15%. The magnitude of within-grid variability varied consistently with the mean moisture content of the grid sets, following an approximately normal distribution. Both very wet and very dry grid data sets exhibited little internal variability in moisture content, while intermediate moisture contents were associated with higher levels of variability. Thus, at intermediate moisture contents it was apparent that some portions of the beach surface could be dry enough to allow aeolian transport (i.e. moisture content is below the critical threshold), while adjacent portions are too wet for transport to occur. To examine the implications of this finding, cumulative distribution functions were calculated to model the relative proportions of beach surface area expected to be above or below specified threshold moisture levels (4%, 7%, and 14%). It was found that the implicit inclusion of small-scale variability in surface moisture levels typically resulted in changes of less than 1% in the beach area available for transport, suggesting that this parameter can be ignored at larger spatial scales. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A poset framework to model decentralized control problems

In a previous paper [10], these authors showed that posets provide a useful modeling framework for a reasonably large class of decentralized control problems. In this paper we show more connections between posets and decentralized control. Firstly, we show that previously known results about systems with time delays follow naturally using the poset framework. We also mention extensions of this to infinite-dimensional spatio-temporal systems. Secondly, we study conditions under which the properly known as quadratic invariance and poset structure are equivalent. Through this paper, we hope to convince the reader of the important role that posets seem to play in much of the current theory of decentralized control.
Olive Growing in Australia

Olives (Olea europaea L.) were introduced to Australia many years ago. Trees were first planted at Parramatta, near Sydney, New South Wales, in 1805. In 1844, olives were brought to South Australia from Sicilv by Sir Samuel Davenport, an early Australian pioneer agriculturist. These trees were planted at Beaumiont. a few miles from Adelaide. Later, about 1890. the Chaffey brothers. who initiated the irrigation develoments along the Murray river in Victoria, were responsible for brinzing olives to that area.. At thWagga Experiment Farm. Wagga. N. S. W.. an olive variety collection was established in 1895 by the New South Wales Departmlent of Agriculture. This was added to later. resulting in a rather extensive collection of both oil and pickling varieties (18). Most interest was shown in olives in South Avqf-uvla. ceveral oil mills being eonstruoted. with limited amounts of olive oil produced, as far hnek ag 1850. However. desnite vigorous efforts by several enthusiastic supporters. particularly Sir Snmuel Davenport, and the apparent ada-ptability nf the olive to certain areas in Australia, an olive industry did not develoD to anv apDreeiable qir'o. A few smiall commercial plantines. ehieflv oil varieties, were established. princinallv around Adelaide and Renmark in South Australia. Small plantings, often as roadside windbreaks. were also made at scattered places in Victoria and New South Wales. Sevoral small oil extraction plants were built throughout this area. During this period, the South Australian Denartment of Agriculture established a rather extensive olive variety eolleetion at Blaokwood. near Adelaide. Little interest was shown, however, in developing an extensive industry. This probably could be attributed to the Australian's British anepstry, a peonle not noted for their consumption
The Truth of the Market

This article argues for a discourse-analytical approach to the market. Using the archaeological method developed by Michel Foucault, it presents an analysis of the figure of the market within the publications of the International Monetary Fund. The market is deciphered as a discursive strategy to monopolize the representation of economic reality. Governed by a “will to truth”, contemporary economic discourse establishes the market as the subject of knowledge, which is authorized to speak the truth about the economy. This truth-regime effectively hides its own hierarchical structures and denounces alternative political choices about the organization of socio-economic order as untruthful, thereby shielding economic discourse from political contestation. The findings of this archaeological analysis are embedded in a critical discussion of the view of the market in the governmentality approach. This approach, commenced by Foucault, is committed to an anti-essentialist perspective on the market. While this pap...
Performance of a Chase-type decoding algorithm for Reed–Solomon codes on perpendicular magnetic recording channels

Abstract Algebraic soft-decision Reed–Solomon (RS) decoding algorithms with improved error-correcting capability and comparable complexity to standard algebraic hard-decision algorithms could be very attractive for possible implementation in the next generation of read channels. In this work, we investigate the performance of a low-complexity Chase (LCC)-type soft-decision RS decoding algorithm, recently proposed by Bellorado and Kavcic, on perpendicular magnetic recording channels for sector-long RS codes of practical interest. Previous results for additive white Gaussian noise channels have shown that for a moderately long high-rate code, the LCC algorithm can achieve a coding gain comparable to the Koetter–Vardy algorithm with much lower complexity. We present a set of numerical results that show that this algorithm provides small coding gains, on the order of a fraction of a dB, with similar complexity to the hard-decision algorithms currently used, and that larger coding gains can be obtained if we use more test patterns, which significantly increases its computational complexity.
Electroconvulsive therapy and the elderly

Abstract The efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the elderly was examined by review of the charts of all patients age 60 and over receiving ECT over a nine-month period (n = 30). Eighty-three percent of all patients improved; ninety-two percent of those with major affective disorder or schizoaffective disorder improved. One-third of the patients experienced an adverse event during the course of ECT; these events were concentrated in the oldest patients in the sample (P ≤ 0.001). ECT was found to be efficacious but should be used with caution, particularly in those over the age of 75 years with cardiovascular disease.
Unusual occurrence of aldehydes and ketones in the defensive secretion of the tenebrionid beetle, Eleodes beameri

The defensive secretion of the tenebrionid beetle, Eleodes beameri, is quite unlike the benzoquinone and 1-alkene secretion of other species of Eleodes and Tenebrionidae. Twenty-three compounds were isolated from the secretion by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) and 13 of these were identified by infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, ultraviolet, and mass spectroscopy. Identified compounds were: 1-nonene (3·2%), 1-undecene (<0·5%), n-hexanal (15·6%), n-heptanal (0·9%), n-octanal (4·5%), trans-2-hexenal (2·0%), trans-2-heptenal (1·5%), trans-2-nonenal (28·6%), trans-2-decenal (3·4%), n-3-nonanone (0·5%), n-1-nonen-3-one (16·8%), methyl-1,4-benzoquinone (22·0%), and 1-hexanol (<0·5%). 1-Nonen-3-one is unique to E. beameri. A number of minor components remain unidentified. The morphology and ultrastructure of the glands were similar to other species of Eleodes. The gland reservoirs are a pair of strongly bilobed sacs with narrow exit ducts opening between abdominal sternites 7 and 8. There are two types of secretory cell units: Type 1 consisting of cells closely attached to the reservoir intima, with large, central vesicles drained by highly convoluted tubules. Type 2 units are composed of a pair of cells functioning together, the cuticular organelle from the microvilli-filled vesicle of the distal cell (2a) passing through the vesicle of the proximal one (2b) and then draining more or less directly into the reservoir via a cuticular tubule.
Changes in collagen phenotypes during progression and regression of cardiac hypertrophy

Objective : Excessive deposition of collagen has been implied to be responsible for abnormal stiffness and altered cardiac function during hypertrophy and heart failure. In the present paper we studied the changes in collagen and their phenotypes during development of cardiac hypertrophy in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared to age- and sex-matched Wistar Kyoto (WKY). We also studied the changes in collagen after regression of hypertrophy, with antihypertensive therapy with ACE inhibitors, captopril (C) and lisinopril (L). Method : Collagen was extracted from the heart tissue by cyanogen bromide (CNBr) digestion. Collagen phenotypes were separated and quantified by SDS–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The transcript levels (mRNA) of collagen phenotypes were determined by Northern analysis. Results : Our studies showed that the ventricular collagen and their phenotypes did not alter in SHR during the first 6 months of progression of hypertrophy when compared to WKY. After 40 weeks, however, in SHR there was an unexpected rise in collagen content and the distribution of collagen phenotype differs compared to WKY, especially during the chronic phase of hypertrophy (65 weeks of age). In WKY during the aging process there was a gradual increase in type III collagen, whereas in SHR it plateaus after 40 weeks of age. Treatment with antihypertensive drugs captopril and lisinopril showed a similar degree of reduction in blood pressure ( p <0.001), regressed hypertrophy ( p <0.001), and reduced collagen, whereas decrease in type I to III ratio was found with captopril only, but not with lisinopril. This decrease in type I to III ratio due to captopril treatment is primarily due to an increase in type III collagen (both protein and transcript level) in SHR. Conclusion : Our data showed, for the first time, that during the chronic phase of hypertrophy in SHR there is a gradual reduction in type I to III ratio, primarily due to a lack of increase in type III collagen during chronic phase of hypertrophy. This suggests that quality of collagen is an important factor in determining the degree of cardiac stiffness. Our data also showed that not all ACE inhibitors have similar actions on collagen phenotype production. This suggests that perhaps the mechanism of action of ACE inhibitors on collagen are independent of its effect on angiotensin II formation.
Discovery of a Novel Molecule that Regulates Tumor Growth and Metastasis

The heparan sulfate proteoglycan, Glypican-1 (GPC1), significantly impacts the growth of pancreatic cancer cells in vivo and markedly attenuates tumor angiogenesis and metastasis in athymic mice. Interestingly, both cancer cell–derived and host-derived GPC1 play an important role in tumor development and spread. These data suggest that GPC1 may be a valid therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer.
Hyperglycemia and development of glomerular pathology: Diabetes compared with galactosemia

Hyperglycemia and development of glomerular pathology: Diabetes compared with galactosemia. Dogs were randomly assigned to experimental galactosemia or diabetes, or to a normal untreated group, and diabetic animals were then randomly assigned to either poor or good glycemic control. At five years duration, kidneys from the animals were compared by quantitative stereology. Glomerulopathy appeared in the poor control diabetes group, and the thickness of glomerular capillary basement membrane, the glomerular tuft volume, and the fraction of glomerulus occupied by mesangium were each significantly greater than normal. The capillary filtering surface area per glomerulus was supra-normal also, but nonetheless was subnormal relative to glomerular volume. The development of glomerulopathy was significantly inhibited in dogs assigned to good glycemic control. In galactosemic animals, the basement membrane thickness was greater than normal, but the glomerular volume, fractional and absolute volumes of mesangium, and capillary filtering surface area remained normal. The polyol concentration in renal cortex seemed elevated by galactosemia no less than by diabetes, and was highest in galactosemia. The galactosemic animals are known to have developed a retinopathy morphologically comparable to that of diabetic patients and diabetic dogs. Thus, sequelae of hyperglycemia sufficient to produce glomerular basement membrane thickening and retinopathy proved not necessarily sufficient to produce the mesangial expansion and glomerular hypertrophy typical of diabetes.
A Comparative Study of Set Associative Memory Mapping Algorithms and Their Use for Cache and Main Memory

Set associative page mapping algorithms have become widespread for the operation of cache memories for reasons of cost and efficiency. We show how to calculate analytically the effectiveness of standard bit-selection set associative page mapping or random mapping relative to fully associative (unconstrained mapping) paging. For two miss ratio models, Saltzer's linear model and a mixed geometric model, we are able to obtain simple, closed-form expressions for the relative LRU fault rates. We also experiment with two (infeasible to implement) dynamic mapping algorithms, in which pages are assigned to sets either in an LRU or FIFO manner at fault times, and find that they often yield significantly lower miss ratios than static algorithms such as bit selection. Trace driven simulations are used to generate experimental results and to verify the accuracy of our calculations. We suggest that as electronically accessed third-level memories composed of electron-beam tubes, magnetic bubbles, or charge-coupled devices become available, algorithms currently used only for cache paging will be applied to main memory, for the same reasons of efficiency, implementation ease, and cost.
Variations of Winds and Turbulence Seen by the 50-MHz Radar at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

Abstract The mean vertical profiles of the winds from about 5 to 20 km at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, are described. The variability of wind speed, spectral width, volume reflectivity calibrated as CN2, and vertical wind shear are documented as functions of season and of time of day using observations taken from 1991 through April 1994 with the 50-MHz profiling radar. The mean meridional winds are from the south at about 1-3 m s−1 during every season except autumn, and mean zonal winds have a broad jet near the tropopause with maximum speed over 30 m s−1 during the winter. The mean vertical velocity is downward at about 5 cm s−1 in the troposphere and is weakly upward in the lower stratosphere. The shear of the mean wind and the mean wind shear have small interseasonal variability. The variance over 1-h periods of all three wind components, the spectral width, and CN2 have lognormal frequency distributions. The variance of the meridional wind speed is greater than that of the zonal wind speed i...
Three-Dimensional Effects Near a Crack Tip in a Ductile Three-Point Bend Specimen: Part II—An Experimental Investigation Using Interferometry and Caustics

An experimental investigation is undertaken to assess three-dimensional effects near a crack front in a ductile three-point bend specimen. The possibility of using the optical method of caustics for the measurement of the J -integral in the presence of large-scale yielding and three-dimensional fields is also investigated. Experiments using the optical methods of caustics by reflection and Twyman-Green interferometry are performed simultaneously on either side of the test specimen. The load and load-point displacement are also measured. The experimental results are compared with very good agreement to the results of a finite element simulation of the experiment. The caustics experiments are used to obtain a calibration relation between the value of the J -integral and the caustic diameter for load levels up to fracture initiation. It is proposed that such a calibration be used in dynamic fracture initiation experiments for the measurement of the time history of the dynamic J -integral.
Self-Reconfiguration Using Graph Grammars for Modular Robotics

Abstract In this paper, we apply graph grammars to self-reconfigurable modular robots and present a method to reconfigure arbitrary initial configurations into prespecified target configurations thus connecting the motions of modules to formal assembly rules. We present an approach for centralized reconfiguration planning and decentralized, rule-based reconfiguration execution for three-dimensional modular structures. The reconfiguration is done in two stages. In the first stage, paths are planned for each module and then rewritten into production rules as defined for graph grammars. In stage two, these rules are applied in a decentralized fashion by each node individually.We show that our approach yields a unique reconfiguration sequence and a graph grammar that results in the target configuration being the only reachable stable configuration.
THE LYSIS OF GROUP A HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI BY EXTRACELLULAR ENZYMES OF STREPTOMYCES ALBUS : II. NATURE OF THE CELLULAR SUBSTRATE ATTACKED BY THE LYTIC ENZYMES

Cell wall preparations of uniform chemical constitution have been obtained from several strains of group A streptococci. The isolated cell walls are dissolved by the same fractions of the Streptomyces albus enzymes that are effective in the lysis of intact cells, and it is likely that enzymatic lysis of group A streptococci is effected by an attack on the cell wall. The streptococcal cell wall, as prepared in this study, consists of approximately two-thirds carbohydrate and one-third protein. Small amounts of other components may be present. The carbohydrate component, which is composed primarily of N-acetyl-glucosamine and rhamnose, is the group-specific C carbohydrate. The evidence indicates that one of the streptomyces enzymes is directed toward the carbohydrate component of the cell wall.