cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neural regulation of coronary vascular resistance: Role of nitric oxide in reflex cholinergic coronary vasodilation in normal and pathophysiologic states

A number of reflexes participate in the control of coronary vascular resistance through activation of the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. Classically, activation of vagal efferent fibers to the heart results in vasodilation due to the release of acetylcholine and activation of muscarinic receptors. Recently, we have found that activation of a number of reflexes in conscious dogs, the Bezold-Jarisch reflex and the carotid chemoreflex in particular, results in cholinergic coronary vasodilation which is blocked by an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, nitro-L-arginine. After the development of pacing-induced heart failure, the cholinergic dilation subsequent to activation of the Bezold-Jarisch or carotid chemoreflex is essentially abolished, since coronary blood vessels no longer produce nitric oxide. In contrast, after brief exercise training, there is a potentiation of Bezold-Jarisch reflex-induced coronary vasodilation since exercise upregulates nitric oxide production by coronary blood vessels. Since the Bezold-Jarisch reflex may be important as a compensatory mechanism during acute myocardial infarction, and the carotid chemoreflex is the acute mechanisms responsible for ameliorating systemic hypoxemia, the role of nitric oxide in reflex cholinergic coronary vasodilation may be essential in the compensatory vascular adjustments evoked by these and other reflexes.
Hospitalization event notifications and reductions in readmissions of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in the Bronx, New York

Objective Follow-up with a primary care provider after hospital discharge has been associated with a reduced likelihood of readmission. However, primary care providers are frequently unaware of their patients’ hospitalizations. Event notification may be an effective tool for reducing readmissions by notifying primary care providers when their patients have been admitted to and discharged from a hospital. Materials and Methods We examined the effect of an event notification system on 30-day readmissions in the Bronx, New York. The Bronx has among the highest readmission rates in the country and is a particularly challenging setting to improve care due to the low socioeconomic status of the county and high rates of poor health behaviors among its residents. The study cohort included 2559 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries associated with 14 141 hospital admissions over the period January 2010 through June 2014. Linear regression models with beneficiary-level fixed-effects were used to estimate the impact of event notifications on readmissions by comparing the likelihood of rehospitalization for a beneficiary before and after event notifications were active. Results The unadjusted 30-day readmission rate when event notifications were not active was 29.5% compared to 26.5% when alerts were active. Regression estimates indicated that active hospitalization alert services were associated with a 2.9 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of readmission (95% confidence interval: −5.5, −0.4). Conclusions Alerting providers through event notifications may be an effective tool for improving the quality and efficiency of care among high-risk populations.
The Experience of Consciousness

Abstract Advances in cognitive neuroscience have promoted ground-breaking research into the brain-activity correlates of awareness. Stimulated by this work, some have proposed going beyond the measurable features of awareness, like stimulus discrimination, to address how the experience of consciousness—the sensation of things like vision, sound, pain, joy, and thought—arises. Although such work has encouraged other progress in the field, the stated goal of such work is not attainable scientifically. The immeasurability of the experience of consciousness, the inability of science to account for the existence of the phenomena, and the inability to logically account for an experience from within the experience itself (ie, consciousness trying to explain consciousness), each proscribes a scientific theory for the experience of consciousness. This chapter discusses these issues and then provides a perspective on perhaps why, despite the intuitive insolubility of this problem, “scientific” efforts to explain how consciousness arises persist.
Hot Tub Lung: An Intriguing Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease

In pulmonary medicine, identical pathogenesis due to varied etiological agents can present with indistinguishable clinical presentation, and produce similar laboratory and radiological changes. The importance of eliciting detailed occupational and social history from patients cannot be stressed enough when dealing with patients suffering from diffuse parenchymal lung diseases. Hot Tub Lung(HTL) is a perplexing pulmonary disease attributed to the Mycobacterium Avium-intracellulare Complex (MAC). MAC is a ubiquitous atypical mycobacterium present in moist environment, and is not considered pathogenic, without the predisposing conditions like immunosuppression. However, HTL is a unique disease seen in healthy individuals following the exposure to contaminated hot water in spas. The less virulent MAC will, in healthy individual will elicit mild granulomatous inflammation particularly around the peribronchiolar region, which leads to the development of diffuse parenchymal lung. We report a case of HTL to increase the awareness of this rare and enigmatic disease among medical professionals, and to reiterate the importance of eliciting social and occupational details in clinical practice.
Radiation burden of pediatric ultrasound-guided percutaneous central venous access devices: A prospective cohort study.

Abstract Permanent central venous access is essential for the management of many pediatric patients. Knowing the amount of ionizing radiation used during the insertion of these devices is important. Our aim was to identify the radiation used in percutaneous insertion of central venous access devices, and to correlate radiation exposure to patient weight. Methods Data was prospectively collected during a 12-month period from August 2015 to August 2016 on all ultrasound-guided percutaneous central venous access device insertions. An image intensifier was used in all insertions with data on radiation dose and screening time extracted, when available. The total radiation dose was measured in mGym2 and the total radiation time in seconds. A p-value Results A total of 145 central venous access devices were inserted (82 portacaths, 43 double lumen lines, 16 single lumen lines and 4 hemocaths) in 127 patients (Median Age: 5.5years (Range 0–17); Median Weight 21kg (Range 1.9–100)) with 15 patients requiring multiple insertions over the course of the study. Of these, 88 had data captured for total radiation dose and time used and a further 23 had screening time only recorded. Median radiation dose was 0.00599 mGym2 (range 0.000543–0.148) with a median fluoroscopic screening time of 18s (range 2–479). Median dose was higher for children Conclusion The radiation burden to children from percutaneous ultrasound-guided central venous access device insertions is small, in the order of that received during a chest radiograph. Weight Study type Cohort Study (Level of Evidence: II).
Linear Analysis of an Integro-Differential Delay Equation Model

This paper presents a computational study of the stability of the steady state solutions of a biological model with negative feedback and time delay. The motivation behind the construction of our system comes from biological gene networks and the model takes the form of an integro-delay differential equation (IDDE) coupled to a partial differential equation. Linear analysis shows the existence of a critical delay where the stable steady state becomes unstable. Closed form expressions for the critical delay and associated frequency are found and confirmed by approximating the IDDE model with a system of delay differential equations (DDEs) coupled to ordinary differential equations. An example is then given that shows how the critical delay for the DDE system approaches the results for the IDDE model as becomes large.
Integration of Specialized Research Services into Clinical Laboratory Operations

The clinical laboratory can play a useful role in a clinical research program at multiple levels including assistance in developing a laboratory test menu during protocol design, often focused on identifying testing approaches that address specific research questions. Laboratory staff also can provide important input in test performance and test result interpretation in the setting of the specific research questions. In addition, the laboratory can collaborate with investigators in identifying available test methods or developing new testing that will be useful answering specific questions raised in the protocol. Finally, the clinical laboratory can provide important support in translating research questions into new laboratory methods that may not only be useful for the protocol but that may mature into alternative diagnostic or therapeutic applications for patient care. As a model, we outline the approach taken in our laboratory in support of clinical research performed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Center.
Structure of Solids

The structure of solids can be studied by using various instruments. The optical microscope was first used by Sorby in 1863 for studying the microstructure of carefully polished and acid-etched wrought iron.(1)The grains can be observed due to the imperfection of atomic packing at the grain boundaries (Figure 3-l).(2)
Lehigh Design Course.

This paper discusses a two-semester senior design course that combines traditional steady-state economic process design with dynamic plantwide control. This unique course has been taught at Lehigh for more than a decade and has garnered rave reviews from students, industry, and ABET. Each student design group has its own industrial consultant who provides a design project for that group and serves as a mentor/expert for the students. Design projects are begun immediately at the beginning of the fall semester. Lectures are given on overall design principles, design trade-offs, reactor design, distillation column design, simple heuristic optimization methods, and engineering economics. In a computer-aided laboratory the students learn how to use a steady-state simulator. By the end of the first semester, each group has developed an economically optimum flowsheet. During the spring semester the students learn how to use a dynamic simulator, and lectures are given on control of individual units, plantwide control principles, and the interaction/conflict between design and control. The groups develop rigorous dynamic simulations of their multi-unit processes and evaluate alternative plantwide control structures for product quality performance and operability. A major advantage of incorporating dynamic simulation in the design course is that is permits quantitative dynamic studies of process safety issues. Quantitative studies of dynamic reactor runaways and vessel over-pressuring can be made with the dynamic simulations of the process equipment.
2D modeling of fusion ignition conditions for a multilayer plasma liner magneto-inertial fusion target in a cylindrical configuration

A set of 2D time dependent simulations of an imploding cylindrical target and liner is presented. These simulations were performed using an ideal magnetohydrodynamic methodology that augmented the energy equation to account for fusion alpha particle deposition, thermal conduction, and Bremsstrahlung radiation. A reference case of a deuterium and tritium (DT) target compressed by a multilayer liner consisting of an inner layer of DT and an outer layer of argon was evaluated. The reference case was chosen to be within the region of positive fusion heating predicted by the Lindl–Widner power balance model. Analysis of the reference case determined fusion gains of three or greater can be achieved. A sensitivity analysis of four parameters was performed. These parameters were the target: radius, density, temperature, and inner/outer liner thickness ratio. It was found that the Lindl–Widner parameter space accurately predicts regions of positive fusion heating, but over-predicts the effects of mechanical work done by a plasma liner. It was determined that a plasma liner could be used as a confinement mechanism to contain a thermally conditioned target and allow it to ignite and burn. Thermal conduction from the hot fusing target was capable of heating the inner liner layer to fusion ignition conditions and increasing the fusion yield.
Subeschar culture using a punch instrument in unstageable wounds

Background A patient's overall condition sometimes does not allow for the complete removal of a dead eschar or injured slough in cases involving a pressure-injury skin lesion. This frequently occurs in clinical practice, particularly in bedridden and older patients receiving home care or intensive care. Even after debridement, it is also difficult to manage open exudative wounds in these patients. Nevertheless, when a mature or immature eschar is treated without proper debridement, liquefaction necrosis underneath the eschar or slough tends to reveal a large, open wound with infectious exudates. We hypothesized that if the presence of any bacteria under the eschar can be evaluated and the progression of the presumed infection of the subeschar can be halted or delayed without creating an open wound, the final wound can be small, shallow, and uninfected. Methods Using a punch instrument, we performed 34 viable subeschar tissue cultures with a secure junction between the eschar and the normal skin. Results The bacterial study had 29 positive results. Based on these results and the patient's status, appropriate antibiotics could be selected and administered. The use of suitable antibiotics led to relatively shallow and small exposed wounds. Conclusions This procedure could be used to detect potentially pathogenic bacteria hidden under black or yellow eschars. Since subeschar infections are often accompanied by multidrug-resistant bacteria, the early detection of hidden infections and the use of appropriate antibiotics are expected to be helpful to patients.
Driver Reactions to Uphill Grades: Inference from a Stochastic Car-Following Model:

This paper analyzes the impact of uphill grades on the acceleration drivers choose to impose on their vehicles. Statistical inference is made based on the maximum likelihood estimation of a two-reg...
Contrasting effects of adolescent and early-adult ethanol exposure on prelimbic cortical pyramidal neurons.

Abstract Background Adolescence and early-adulthood are vulnerable developmental periods during which binge drinking can have long-lasting effects on brain function. However, little is known about the effects of binge drinking on the pyramidal cells of the prelimbic cortex (PrL) during early and protracted withdrawal periods. Methods In the present study, we performed whole-cell patch clamp recordings and dendritic spine staining to examine the intrinsic excitability, spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents (sEPSCs), and spine morphology of pyramidal cells in the PrL from rats exposed to chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) during adolescence or early-adulthood. Results Compared to chronic intermittent water (CIW)-treated controls, the excitability of PrL-L5 pyramidal neurons was significantly increased 21 days after adolescent CIE but decreased 21 days after early-adult CIE. No changes of excitability in PrL Layer (L) 5 were detected 2 days after either adolescent or early-adulthood CIE. Interestingly, decreases in sEPSC amplitude and increases in thin spines ratio were detected 2 days after adolescent CIE. Furthermore, decreased frequency and amplitude of sEPSCs, accompanied by a decrease in the density of total spines and non-thin spines were observed 21 days after adolescent CIE. In contrast, increased frequency and amplitude of sEPSCs, accompanied by increased densities of total spines and non-thin spines were found 21 days after early adult CIE. Conclusion CIE produced prolonged neuronal and synaptic alterations in PrL-L5, and the developmental stage, i.e., adolescence vs. early-adulthood when subjects receive CIE, is a key factor in determining the direction of these changes.
The Halo Occupation Distribution: Toward an Empirical Determination of the Relation between Galaxies and Mass

We investigate galaxy bias in the framework of the halo occupation distribution (HOD), which defines the bias of a population of galaxies by the conditional probability P(N|M) that a dark matter halo of virial mass M contains N galaxies, together with prescriptions that specify the relative spatial and velocity distributions of galaxies and dark matter within halos. By populating the halos of a cosmological N-body simulation using a variety of HOD models, we examine the sensitivity of different galaxy clustering statistics to properties of the HOD. The galaxy correlation function responds to different aspects of P(N|M) on different scales. Obtaining the observed power-law form of ξg(r) requires rather specific combinations of HOD parameters, implying a strong constraint on the physics of galaxy formation; the success of numerical and semianalytic models in reproducing this form is entirely nontrivial. Other clustering statistics such as the galaxy-mass correlation function, the bispectrum, the void probability function, the pairwise velocity dispersion, and the group multiplicity function are sensitive to different combinations of HOD parameters and thus provide complementary information about galaxy bias. We outline a strategy for determining the HOD empirically from redshift survey data. This method starts from an assumed cosmological model, but we argue that cosmological and HOD parameters will have nondegenerate effects on galaxy clustering, so that a substantially incorrect cosmological model will not reproduce the observations for any choice of HOD. Empirical determinations of the HOD as a function of galaxy type from the Two-Degree Field (2dF) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) redshift surveys will provide a detailed target for theories of galaxy formation, insight into the origin of galaxy properties, and sharper tests of cosmological models.
Variation in behavior drives multiscale responses to habitat conditions in timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus)

Variations in both the behavior of wildlife and the scale at which the environment most influences the space use of wild animals (i.e., scale of effect) are critical, but often overlooked in habitat selection modeling. Ecologists have proposed that biological responses happening over longer time frames are influenced by environmental variables at larger spatial scales, but this has rarely been empirically tested. Here, we hypothesized that long-term patterns of behavior (i.e. lasting multiple weeks to months) would be associated with larger scales of effect than more sporadic behaviors. We predicted site use by 43 radio-telemetered timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) exhibiting four distinct, time-varying behaviors (foraging, digestion, ecdysis, and gestation) using remotely-sensed environmental variables related to forest structure and landscape topography. Among sites used by snakes, warmer temperatures and higher levels of forest disturbance were predictive of behaviors dependent on thermoregulation including gestation and ecdysis while more moderate temperatures and drier, more oak-dominated sites were predictive of foraging. Long-term behaviors were associated with larger spatial scales, supporting our hypothesis that the scale at which habitat selection occurs is linked to the temporal scale of relevant behaviors. Management recommendations based on single-scale models of habitat use that do not account for fine-scale variations in behavior may obscure the importance of potentially limiting habitat features needed for infrequent behaviors that are critically important for growth and reproduction of this and related species.
Recycled Asphalt Pavement as a Base and Sub-Base Material

Laboratory and field investigations were conducted to evaluate the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in roadway base and sub-base applications. The laboratory resilient modulus test results showed RAP has comparable strength with dense graded aggregate base and sub-base material used in the state of New Jersey. Using the spectral-analysis-of-the-surface-waves method (SASW), the field testing program evaluated the elastic modulus of the RAP base in the field and verified the laboratory results. The field test results showed higher modulus and stiffness for RAP than the dense graded aggregate base normally used in state of New Jersey.
How Not to Fall Off a Cliff, or, Using Tipping Points to Improve Environmental Management

Three decades of study have revealed dozens of examples of natural systems crossing biophysical thresholds (or “tipping points”) as a result of human-induced stressors, dramatically altering ecosystem function and services. Environmental management that avoids or reverses such tipping points could prevent severe social, economic, and environmental impacts. Here, we attempt to demonstrate the desirability of, and opportunities for, environmental management using thresholds under U.S. federal law. We find that conceptually, tipping points can and do guide some regulatory decisions. However, explicitly focusing a larger set of environmental rules on avoiding
Comparing Two Review Processes for Determination of Preventability of Maternal Mortality in Illinois

To compare the results of two maternal death review processes conducted from 2002 to 2012 by Illinois regionalized perinatal centers with those conducted by the Illinois Department of Public Health’s (IDPH’s) statewide multidisciplinary external Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC). This is a retrospective record review linking MMRC case assessment forms to the IDPH’s Maternal Mortality Review Form database to compare causes of death and potential preventability as determined by both review processes. MMRC records for 76 maternal death reviews were linked to the IDPH maternal mortality review form database. Most deaths reviewed by the statewide MMRC were due to pregnancy-related causes. The statewide MMRC differed from the regional perinatal centers on cause of death in 55.3 % (n = 42) of cases and on the disposition of potential preventability in 48.7 % (n = 37) of cases. The statewide MMRC judged 69.7 % (n = 53) of cases potentially preventable, compared with 40.8 % (n = 31) for the regional perinatal centers. The MMRC identified more preventable provider and systems factors for potentially preventable deaths compared with regional perinatal centers which identified more preventable patient factors. The statewide MMRC found more potential preventability and determined that preventability was associated with provider and systems factors, not patient factors. Observed discrepancies between regional perinatal center and statewide MMRC reviews were likely due to the complexity of cases selected for review, the multidisciplinary external composition of the review team, and the de-identification of cases. Multidisciplinary statewide expert panels should be implemented in addition to local and regionalized reviews.
The Influence of Federally-Financed R&D

Though a variety of reasons are often given for supporting Federally-financed R&D, the most common justifications have been that it stimulates private-sector innovative activity and that it increases the Nation’s rate of productivity growth.1
Attachment style and self-regulation: How our patterns in relationships reflect broader motivational styles

Abstract Individuals orient themselves in relationships using different goals and preoccupations, often conceptualized as four distinct attachment styles (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). Individuals also orient themselves in the social world more broadly using different motivational preferences and styles. Self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987) and regulatory focus theory (Higgins, 1997) are two frameworks used to conceptualize these motivational styles. In two studies we investigated the extent to which preoccupations in relationships reflected broader life goals. In Study 1, college participants reported attachment style and self-discrepancies (ideal and ought selves). In Study 2, community participants reported attachment style and regulatory focus (promotion and prevention orientations). Across two different samples, using distinct but complementary theoretical frameworks, we found a consistent pattern whereby a more approach-oriented relationship orientation (secure attachment), was related to a more approach-oriented general life orientation (lower actual-ideal discrepancy and greater promotion focus). Interestingly, attachment style was unrelated to avoidance-oriented motivational styles. These results suggest that motivations within relationships may be specifically related to growth motivations in broader aspects of life.
Special study designs: early escape, enrichment, studies in non-responders

In a number of situations, a simple randomized trial in unselected patients may not be possible or efficient. Randomized withdrawal of therapy in patients previously treated, studies that allow early escape/early advance of patients doing poorly, and enrichment of study populations with potential responders may increase the feasibility of a trial and its chances for success.
State Speech and Political Liberalism (Reviewing Books by Jim Fleming and Linda Mcclain, and by Corey Brettschneider)

In their book, Ordered Liberty: Rights, Responsibilities, and Virtues, Jim Fleming and Linda McClain offer, among other things, a thin perfectionist view of state speech, according to which the state may and should use persuasive power to promote citizen autonomy, but not to steer in one direction or another. In his book, When the State Speaks, What Should It Say?, Corey Brettschneider similarly offers a non-directive view of state speech, except that the state should focus on promoting the ideal of free and equal citizenship. In this review essay, Greene suggests that both books offer versions of comprehensive liberalism, that we would be better off developing a conception of state speech that is true to political liberalism, and that such a view would support a more pluralistic view of what the state may say.
Infrared Spectroscopy of Adsorbates on Low-Area Surfaces; The Advantages of a Photons-in Photons-out Technique

Abstract The technique of double modulation infrared spectroscopy permits the simultaneous measurement of (I p - I s ) and (I p + I s ) where I p and I s are the intensities of radiation polarized parallel and perpendicular to the plane of incidence at the sample. This particular technique allows the infrared spectrum of a surface adsorbate to be measured in the presence of substantial quantities of bulk-phase adsorbant. We have used this technique to study the infrared spectra of NO and CO adsorbates on Pt surfaces and of CO adsorbates on a Pt electrode surface in the presence of 1 M H 2 SO 4 . The results of these studies shed new light on the origin of the well established wavenumber shifts which are associated with structural changes in the adlayers formed from simple diatomic molecules.
An empirical test of the social threat phenomenon: Using 1990 census and uniform crime reports

Attempts to understand the impact of criminal conduct and group characteristics on arrest rates have been plagued by inappropriate measures of race specific criminal conduct because previous researchers have been inferring race specific crime participation from arrest rates or victimization. The problem is arrest rates do not reflect all crimes or even all crimes known to the police and victimization data has critical shortcoming. Therefore, a more accurate measure of Black and White actual criminal behavior was constructed to test the conflict related social threat phenomenon. The evidence indicates that there is a significant relationship between proportion Black and arrest differentials and that this relationship may be a reflection of Whites' perceptions of threat relative to the proportion of Blacks in a city's population more so than their criminal conduct.
Asymptotic Behaviour of Ergodic Integrals of 'Renormalizab le' Parabolic Flows

Ten years ago A. Zorich discovered, by computer experiments on interval exchange transformations, some striking new power laws for the ergodic in­ tegrals of generic non-exact Hamiltonian flows on higher genus surfaces. In Zorich's later work and in a joint paper authored by M. Kontsevich, Zorich and Kontsevich were able to explain conjecturally most of Zorich's discoveries by relating them to the ergodic theory of Teichmuller flows on moduli spaces of Abelian differentials. In this article, we outline a generalization of the Kontsevich-Zorich frame­ work to a class of 'renormalizab le' flows on 'pseudo-homog eneous' spaces. We construct for such flows a 'renormalizati on dynamics' on an appropriate 'mod­ uli space', which generalizes the Teichmuller flow. If a flow is renormalizabl e and the space of smooth functions is 'stable', in the sense that the Lie deriva­ tive operator on smooth functions has closed range, the behaviour of ergodic integrals can be analyzed, at least in principle, in terms of an Oseledec's de­ composition for a 'renormalizati on cocycle' over the bundle of 'basic currents' for the orbit foliation of the flow. This approach was suggested by the author's proof of the KontsevichZorich conjectures and it has since been applied, in collaboration with L. Flaminio, to prove that the Zorich phenomenon generalizes to several classi­ cal examples of volume preserving, uniquely ergodic, parabolic flows such as horocycle flows and nilpotent flows on homogeneous 3-manifolds.
Taxonomic positioning of two biological control agents for plant diseases as Lysobacter enzymogenes based on phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA, fatty acid composition and phenotypic characteristics

Aims: To taxonomically position two bacterial strains conferring biological control activity towards plant diseases. Methods and Results: Key phenotypic characteristics, including gliding motility and a high percentage of G + C content, indicated biocontrol strains N4-7 and C3 were essentially identical to those described for Lysobacter enzymogenes. Cellular fatty acid analysis confirmed a close relatedness of strains N4-7 and C3 to L. enzymogenes and a more distant relatedness to L. antibioticus. The 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis revealed a distinct Lysobacter clade that included both strains within the γ-proteobacteria. Conclusions: The combined taxonomic methods provide clear evidence that N4-7 and C3 should be grouped as strains of L. enzymogenes and not Stenotrophomonas maltophilia or a novel taxon. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA formed a Lysobacter clade that included several other environmentally diverse bacterial strains obtained from databases and confirmed relatedness of strains N4-7 and C3 to L. enzymogenes. Significance and Impact of the Study: Inclusion of N4-7 and C3 as strains of L. enzymogenes is among the first description of members of this genus as biocontrol agents of plant diseases. These results suggest that members of the Lysobacter group might provide a new source as plant-associated microbes that display biocontrol activity.
Computational method for remote meter calibration in power systems

Measuring instruments in a power system are numbered in thousands and are dispersed geographically. The readings of those instruments are telemetered to the control centre and then used in a power system state estimation program for further processing. Field technicians calibrate these instruments routinely at great cost. The purpose of remote meter calibration is to determine, using analytical methods in the control centre, which instrument needs calibration and to estimate the calibration error. Results of many runs of the power system state estimation program are used to demonstrate the feasibility of remote meter calibration in a power system. The IEEE 14-bus test system is used for testing. It is shown that the simulated fixed (calibration) errors in all types of power system measurements can be advantageously estimated.
A new algorithm for solving differential equations of Lane-Emden type

In this paper, a reliable algorithm is employed to investigate the differential equations of Lane-Emden type. The algorithm rests mainly on the Adomian decomposition method with an alternate framework designed to overcome the difficulty of the singular point. The proposed framework is applied to a generalization of Lane-Emden equations so that it can be used in differential equations of the same type.
Regulated Trafficking of the MSP/Eph Receptor during Oocyte Meiotic Maturation in C. elegans

Summary Background In C. elegans , a sperm-sensing mechanism regulates oocyte meiotic maturation and ovulation, tightly coordinating sperm availability and embryo production; sperm release the major sperm protein (MSP) signal to trigger meiotic resumption. Meiotic arrest depends on the parallel function of the oocyte VAB-1 MSP/Eph receptor and somatic G protein signaling. MSP promotes meiotic maturation by antagonizing Eph receptor signaling and counteracting inhibitory inputs from the gonadal sheath cells. Results Here, we present evidence suggesting that in the absence of the MSP ligand, the VAB-1 Eph receptor inhibits meiotic maturation while either in or in transit to the endocytic-recycling compartment. VAB-1::GFP localization to the RAB-11-positive endocytic-recycling compartment is independent of ephrins but is antagonized by MSP signaling. Two negative regulators of oocyte meiotic maturation, DAB-1/Disabled and RAN-1, interact with the VAB-1 receptor and are required for its accumulation in the endocytic-recycling compartment in the absence of MSP or sperm (hereafter referred to as MSP/sperm). Inactivation of the endosomal recycling regulators rme-1 or rab-11.1 causes a vab-1 -dependent reduction in the meiotic-maturation rate in the presence of MSP/sperm. Further, we show that Gα s signaling in the gonadal sheath cells, which is required for meiotic maturation in the presence of MSP/sperm, affects VAB-1::GFP trafficking in oocytes. Conclusions Regulated endocytic trafficking of the VAB-1 MSP/Eph receptor contributes to the control of oocyte meiotic maturation in C. elegans . Eph receptor trafficking in other systems may be influenced by the conserved proteins DAB-1/Disabled and RAN-1 and by crosstalk with G protein signaling in neighboring cells.
Christmas surprise: The unnoticed journey of a needle—from bronchus to intestine

We report on a 14-year-old Arabian girl who suddenly developed coughing after having aspirated a needle used for fixing her headscarf. The chest X-ray showed the needle located in the right main bronchus. However, subsequent flexible bronchoscopy could not detect any foreign body. A further X-ray of the abdomen showed the needle now behind the diaphragm. Gastro-oesophageal endoscopy was also uneventful. On the third day, the needle was excreted naturally. Astonishingly, this journey of the wandering needle from bronchus to intestine was not realised by the patient at any time. Our case highlights that children and adolescents should be warned repeatedly about the risks of putting needles between their teeth. It also reminds the physician to diagnose aspirated foreign bodies as early as possible to prevent wandering and migrating, which may induce new risks and unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
XAX: A multi-ton, multi-target detection system for dark matter, double beta decay and pp solar neutrinos

Abstract A multi-target detection system XAX, comprising concentric 10 ton targets of 136 Xe and 129/131 Xe, together with a geometrically similar or larger target of liquid Ar, is described. Each is configured as a two-phase scintillation/ionization TPC detector, enhanced by a full 4π array of ultra-low radioactivity quartz photon intensifying detectors (QUPIDs) replacing the conventional photomultipliers for detection of scintillation light. It is shown that background levels in XAX can be reduced to the level required for dark matter particle (WIMP) mass measurement at a 10 −10 pb WIMP-nucleon cross-section, with single-event sensitivity below 10 −11 pb. The use of multiple target elements allows for confirmation of the A 2 dependence of a coherent cross-section, and the different Xe isotopes provide information on the spin-dependence of the dark matter interaction. The event rates observed by Xe and Ar would modulate annually with opposite phases from each other for WIMP mass >∼100 GeV/c 2 . The large target mass of 136 Xe and high degree of background reduction allow neutrinoless double beta decay to be observed with lifetimes of 10 27 –10 28 years, corresponding to the Majorana neutrino mass range 0.01–0.1 eV, the most likely range from observed neutrino mass differences. The use of a 136 Xe-depleted 129/131 Xe target will also allow measurement of the pp solar neutrino spectrum to a precision of 1–2%.
Rad6-Dependent Ubiquitination of Histone H2B in Yeast

Although ubiquitinated histones are present in substantial levels in vertebrate cells, the roles they play in specific biological processes and the cellular factors that regulate this modification are not well characterized. Ubiquitinated H2B (uH2B) has been identified in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and mutation of the conserved ubiquitination site is shown to confer defects in mitotic cell growth and meiosis. uH2B was not detected in rad6mutants, which are defective for the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Ubc2, thus identifying Rad6 as the major cellular activity that ubiquitinates H2B in yeast.
Simultaneous DNA Binding and Bending by EcoRV Endonuclease Observed by Real-Time Fluorescence †

The complete catalytic cycle of EcoRV endonuclease has been observed by combining fluorescence anisotropy with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements. Binding, bending, and cleavage of substrate oligonucleotides were monitored in real time by rhodamine-x anisotropy and by FRET between rhodamine and fluorescein dyes attached to opposite ends of a 14-mer DNA duplex. For the cognate GATATC site binding and bending are found to be nearly simultaneous, with association and bending rate constants of (1.45-1.6) x 10(8) M(-1) s(-1). On the basis of the measurement of k(off) by a substrate-trapping approach, the equilibrium dissociation constant of the enzyme-DNA complex in the presence of inhibitory calcium ions was calculated as 3.7 x 10(-12) M from the kinetic constants. Further, the entire DNA cleavage reaction can be observed in the presence of catalytic Mg(2+) ions. These measurements reveal that the binding and bending steps occur at equivalent rates in the presence of either Mg(2+) or Ca(2+), while a slow decrease in fluorescence intensity following bending corresponds to k(cat), which is limited by the cleavage and product dissociation steps. Measurement of k(on) and k(off) in the absence of divalent metals shows that the DNA binding affinity is decreased by 5000-fold to 1.4 x 10(-8) M, and no bending could be detected in this case. Together with crystallographic studies, these data suggest a model for the induced-fit conformational change in which the role of divalent metal ions is to stabilize the sharply bent DNA in an orientation suitable for accessing the catalytic transition state.
Surface Properties of Hydroxyl Groups in the Air‐Formed Oxide Film on Titanium

The nature of surface hydroxyls present in the native air‐formed oxide film on titanium has been studied by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), variable angle XPS, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The surface isoelectric point of the oxide film on titanium is 5.0, as determined from XPS measurements; and the concentration of surface hydroxyl groups on oxide‐covered titanium is , as determined by quantitative XPS. © 1999 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.
Ecology of player-to-player contact in boys' youth soccer play

Abstract Introduction Youth soccer (football) injuries occur for a wide range of reasons, but the most frequent cause of injury is via player-to-player contact. This study was designed to study the ecology of collisions between players during youth soccer play. Method Six teams of 11- and 12-year-old male players were followed over the course of a full season. Games were videotaped and reviewed to address three primary questions: how frequently do player-to-player collisions occur; when and where on the field do those collisions occur; and what is the rate of falls and injuries as a result of player-to-player contact. Results A total of 1,279 player-to-player collisions was observed, or an average of 65.59 collisions per game. Nearly half of the observed collisions resulted in one or both players falling to the ground, and about one-tenth resulted in the referee calling a foul, but very few of the collisions (less than 1%) resulted in an injury. Collisions occurred relatively consistently throughout the games, no matter what the score was. They occurred most frequently in the midfield area, when the ball was on or near the ground, and when players were attempting to retrieve a loose, uncontrolled ball. Conclusions Results are discussed with respect to implications for injury prevention.
Innovation, Labor, and Gridlock: The Unbuilt Freight Plan for Manhattan’s Geography of Production

Planning historians seldom examine freight infrastructure proposals as potential interventions into the political economic trajectories of materially productive regions. Combining interpretive approaches from planning history and economic geography, this article discusses one such proposal, the Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan and Recommendations, proposed in 1920, by the New York/New Jersey Port and Harbor Development Commission, as a response to the traffic problems generated by New York City’s innovative, small-batch manufacturing economy. Pointing out some of the limitations of the established explanations for the dramatic decline of this industrial center, the article argues that the nondevelopment of any local freight infrastructure similar to that proposed by the Joint Report closed off the continued development of the city’s materially productive economy as a historical possibility.
Trade, Employment and the Informal Sector: An Agent-based Analysis

This article discusses a multi-agent model of the informal sector. An analytical model is first developed to explore the possible range of relationships between formal and informal employment. Data...
Extremal traces on some group-invariant C∗-algebras

Let U be a UHF-algebra of Glimm type n∞, and {αg: g ϵ G} a strongly continuous group of ∗-automorphisms of product type on U, for G compact. Let Uα be the C∗-subalgebra of fixed elements of U. We show that any extremal normalized trace on Uα arises as the restriction of a symmetric product state ϱ on U of the form ϱ = ⊗k⩾1 ω. As an example we classify the extremal traces on Uα for the case G = SU(n), αg = ⊗k ⩾ 1 Ad(g).
The meanings of silence: Wittgensteinian contextualism and polyphony

Radical feminists have argued that there are normative exclusions that have silenced certain voices and have rendered certain meanings unintelligible. Some Wittgensteinians (including some Wittgensteinian feminists) have argued that these radical feminists fall into a philosophical illusion by appealing to the notions of 'intelligible nonsense' and 'inexpressible meanings', an illusion that calls for philosophical therapy. In this paper I diagnose and criticize the therapeutic dilemmathat results from this interpretation of Wittgenstein's contextualism. According to this dilemma, if something is meaningful, it must be expressible from the perspective of the participantin language-games; and if it is not so expressible, it is not meaningful at all. I argue that this is a false dilemma that rests on the untenable internalist notion of a unified 'participant's perspective'. I propose an alternative contextualist view that underscores the polyphonyof language-games, that is, the irreducible multiplicity of pe...
DENSITY FUNCTIONALS AND SMALL INTERPARTICLE SEPARATIONS IN ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS

We review some recent results concerning the probability that two electrons will be found close together in any interacting electronic system, and why this probability is usually well approximated by local (LSD) and semilocal spin density functional theories. The success of these approximations for the energy in "normal" systems is explained by the usual sum rule arguments on the system- and spherically-averaged exchange-correlation hole density , coupled with the nearly correct, but not exact, behavior of these approximations as the interelectronic separation u → 0. We argue that the accuracy of the LSD on-top hole density in "normal" systems is due to its accuracy in the noninteracting, weakly-interacting, and strongly-interacting limits.
Pooled Platelet Concentrates Prepared in a New Blood Bank Centrifuge

Pools of platelet-rich plasma, prepared by the split-ACD technic at the donor facility, were passed through a special (ADL) centrifuge bowel to continuously trap platelets within the bowl as platelet-poor plasma was removed. The platelets were concentrated in a final volume of 125 to 150 ml. With the bowl used, flow rates of about 50 ml/min at 1,200 × g allowed concentration of 80 per cent of the platelets from the original plasma. Platelet clumping did not occur despite admixture of ABO blood groups. Recovery in vivo was equal to that observed for platelets in conventional concentrates. Divided doses of these platelet concentrates were reserved for multitransfused patients because pooling increases the risk of transmitting hepatitis. This method is a rapid, effective, semiautomated adjunct to blood-component preparation in hospital blood banks.
A dual approach for minimizing false lesion classifications on magnetic resonance images

Segmentation methods based on dual-echo MR images are generally prone to significant false lesion classifications. We have minimized these false classifications by (1) improving the lesion-to-tissue contrast on MR images by developing a fast spin-echo sequence that incorporates both cerebrospinal fluid signal attenuation and magnetization transfer contrast and (2) including information from MR flow images. Studies on patients with multiple sclerosis indicate that this dual approach to tissue segmentation reduces the volume of false lesion classifications by an average of 87%.
Test Anxiety and College Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Test anxiety was examined in college students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Results indicated that, relative to college students without ADHD, college students with ADHD reported higher total test anxiety as well as specific aspects of test anxiety, including worry (i.e., cognitive aspects of test anxiety) and emotionality (i.e., physiological aspects of test anxiety). Effect sizes were large for total test anxiety and the worry aspect of test anxiety. Nearly half of college students with ADHD reported clinically significant levels of the worry aspect of test anxiety. Females with ADHD reported higher levels of the emotionality aspect of test anxiety than did males with ADHD. Those with combined type and inattentive type ADHD did not differ on any aspect of test anxiety. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed.