cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Notes on the Life History of Aleochara taeniata, a Staphylinid Parasite of the House Fly, Musca domestica

Aleochara taeniata Erichson, a staphylinid parasite of the house fly, Musca domestica L., was cultured in California after its introduction from Jamaica. Adults of the species are voracious predators of house fly eggs and young larvae. Eggs hatch in about 4 days in the laboratory, and larvae search actively through the substrate for fly pupae, the parasite-susceptible host stage. Pupae are entered through a hole gnawed in the puparium wall by the young larvae; the hole is closed with what appears to be fecal material. The 3 larval instars are ectoparasitic on the fly pupae within the puparium. Mature larvae emerge into the substrate where pupation occurs. Larval development requires 6-7 days, and pupal development another 14-16 days at 75°F. The total life cycle at this temperature approximates 25 days from egg to adult.
The chemistry of uranium in glass-forming melts: Redox interactions of U(VI)-U(V)-U(V)-U(IV) with cerium in aluminosilicates

Abstract Systematic series of two CaMg-aluminosilicate glasses containing both cerium and uranium simultaneously in various molar ratios have been prepared at 1500°C as a function of imposed oxygen fugacity in order to investigate adjustments via internal redox reactions in the separate cerium and uranium redox equilibria. Cerium does not affect the stability region of U(IV) in the glass. The net internal redox reaction, U(V)+Ce(IV)→U(VI)+Ce(III), does occur but not to completion. Species such as Ce(III)OU(IV) might be viable associates in the microstructure of the uranium-cerium aluminosilicate glasses.
Hadron spectra and potential screening for lattice QCD with dynamical quarks

Abstract Hybrid simulations of lattice QCD with four light quark flavors are made on an 8 3 ×16 lattice. Hadron masses are calculated from the propagators measured on both the 8 3 ×16 and doubled (8 3 ×32) lattices. The screening effects of the dynamical quarks on the interquark potential are observed. The finite temperature phase transition is observed at T c ≃ 110 MeV and its effects on the pion mass and potential screening noted.
Simulation of electronic/ionic mixed conduction in solid ionic memory devices

The electronic/ionic mixed conduction phenomena in solid ionic memory devices are investigated. The steady state distributions of electronic carriers and metal chemical potentials within mixed conductors are obtained by numerically solving the Nernst-Plank-Poisson equations. The results are compared with analytical solutions derived under the fixed ion concentration approximation.
The Disturbance Effect of Largemouth Bass Nesting on a Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community

ABSTRACT Largemouth bass nesting disturbance significantly affected the distribution and abundance of macroinvertebrates in the littoral zone of Lake Wedington, AR. The total average densities and richness of benthic invertebrates were significantly greater outside than inside the nest areas throughout the reproductive period. Chironomidae, Oligochaeta, and Ephemeroptera dominated the samples, and densities of these invertebrates were consistently greater outside nests throughout this period. However, these alterations were transient and the recovery from the disturbance was observed within ten days following completion of largemouth bass nesting. The frequency and predictability of nesting disturbance and nature of disturbed substrate seem to be the factors affecting the persistence of the disturbance effects.
Microbeam analysis of microelectronic circuits

Abstract Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis have been performed on microelectronic circuits with a spatial resolution of approximately 2 μm. Differences in X-ray and RBS yields from various thick targets for 2 MeV He + and 2 MeV H + ion excitation have been studied. Examples of chemical and microstructural analysis are shown.
Rub in high performance turbomachinery, modeling, solution methodology and signature analysis

Abstract This paper presents an analytical modeling and signature analysis procedure which enables the simulation of the non-linear dynamical characteristics associated with rotorblade-seal-casing rub interactions in high performance rotating equipment. The overall methodology includes the handling of the onset, transient and steady responses as well as defining their concomitant signatures. Based on the methodologies developed, special attention will be given to analysing the onset, transient and steady phases of rub bounce events. Attention will also be given to determine the most likely sites to locate sensors so as to enable the proper experimental evaluation of rub events and their associated severity levels.
Success of autologous pubovaginal sling after failed synthetic mid urethral sling.

Purpose: There is no consensus on the management of persistent or recurrent stress incontinence after a failed synthetic mid urethral sling. After a mesh complication or sling failure many women and surgeons prefer to avoid a repeat mesh procedure and choose an autologous pubovaginal sling. However, little empirical work has been performed to assess the efficacy.Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective review of 66 women who underwent autologous pubovaginal sling with rectus fascia after 1 or more failed synthetic mid urethral sling from 2007 to 2012.Results: Mesh removal was performed before autologous pubovaginal sling in 21 patients (31.8%) while 6 (9.1%) had mesh removed simultaneously with autologous pubovaginal sling. Indications for the autologous pubovaginal sling were pure stress urinary incontinence in 16 patients (24.2%) and mixed incontinence in 50 (75.8%), 8 of whom were deemed complex with a prior urethral diverticulum or urethrovaginal fistula/urethral mesh erosion. At a mean of ...
Suicidal behaviours are common among US adolescents and are associated with mental health disorders

Question: What is the prevalence of non-fatal suicidal behaviours among US adolescents and what is their association with mental health disorders? Population: About 6483 adolescents aged 13-18 years and their parents taking part in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Adolescent Supplement (NSC-A). Setting: USA; years of study not reported. Assessment: Data were collected through face-to-face household interviews with adolescents, and parent-completed questionnaires. Non-fatal suicidal behaviours were assessed using a modified suicidal behaviour module of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), which assesses lifetime occurrence of suicidal ideation and age of onset. Among those reporting ideation, suicide plans and attempts were assessed. Diagnoses of mental health disorders were derived using data from a modified version of CIDI, developed for adolescents and administered by trained lay interviewers. Outcomes: Lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts. Assessment was made of the association between suicide behaviours and mental health disorders, which were categorised as fear and anger disorders (specific) phobia, panic disorder/agoraphobia, social phobia, intermittent explosive disorder; distress disorders (separation anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder and/or.... Language: en
Designing and implementing a Malicious 8051 processor

We report our experiences in designing and implementing several hardware Trojans within the framework of the Malicious Processor Design Challenge competition. It was held as part of the Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University in November 2011. A malicious processor provides an attacker the ability to bypass traditional defensive techniques as they occupy a layer below the entire software stack. To show that, we present several attack techniques employing hardware Trojans to compromise the security of an 8051 processor performing RC-5 encryption algorithm implemented on a Digilent ATLYS Spartan-6 FPGA development board. We show three powerful attacks using extra hardware: a back door Trojan allows an attacker dump the whole or partial memory region, a bomb counter Trojan disables/enables special/extra functions, and a power sink Trojan exposes the state of the carry flag by changing the power profile of the system.
A prospective assessment of overactive bladder symptoms in a cohort of elderly women who underwent transvaginal surgery for advanced pelvic organ prolapse

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of transvaginal prolapse surgery on overactive bladder symptoms in elderly women. Study Design Women (≥65 years old) with stage III or IV prolapse who enrolled in a prospective study that compared vaginal reconstructive surgery (n = 39) to obliterative surgery (n = 26) and who underwent preoperative urodynamics are the subjects of this study. The women completed the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory at baseline and again 6 months and 12 months after surgery. Postoperative changes in symptoms of urinary urgency, frequency, and urge urinary incontinence were assessed. The association between a baseline urodynamic diagnosis of detrusor overactivity and pre- and postoperative overactive bladder symptoms was also determined. Results Data were analyzed from 65 subjects with a mean age of 75.3 years (range, 65.5-87.0 years). Detrusor overactivity was documented in 25% of subjects. There was no difference in the proportion of baseline urge incontinence ( P = .38), urinary frequency ( P = .53), or urgency ( P = .76) in comparing women with and without detrusor overactivity. Surgery resulted in a significant reduction of urgency and frequency symptoms 6 months after surgery and a similar significant reduction in urgency and urge incontinence at 1 year after surgery. Overall, a clinically and statistically significant improvement in the irritative subscale of the Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory was noted at 6 months (18.3%; P P P = .48). Likewise, there was no difference in postoperative symptom reduction (urgency, frequency, or urge incontinence) between women who received reconstructive surgery vs women who had obliterative surgery ( P = .84). Conclusion Vaginal surgery for stage III or IV pelvic organ prolapse significantly reduces overactive bladder symptoms in elderly women. In our cohort, symptom reduction was unrelated to the type of vaginal surgery (obliterative vs reconstructive) or the inclusion of a procedure to treat stress incontinence. Furthermore, preoperative urodynamic findings did not correlate with the presence or absence of overactive bladder symptoms.
Falsely elevated urinary Gb3 (globotriaosylceramide, CTH, GL3).

and C17-Gb3 as internal standards. Ten microliters are injected into a UPLC-MS/MS for the simultaneous determination of creatinine and Gb3. Urine of 100 healthy subjects from newborns to 65 years old was analyzed. The concentration of creatinine in urine varied widely due to diet or age: from less then 1 lmol/mL in infants and some adults to higher than 30 lmol/mL in adults. Gb3 in urine is usually expressed as Gb3/creatinine concentration because creatinine is believed to correct for the excretion of more or less concentrated urine [4]. Low creatinine (<4 lmol/mL) led to falsely elevated ratio Gb3/creatinine, especially (but not exclusively) in samples of infants and young children (Fig. 1). High creatinine falsely lowers the ratio Gb3/creatinine. The latter is especially problematic in case of individuals with moderately elevated Gb3, such as heterozygote females. The concentration of Gb3 expressed in lg/ mL of urine, does not correlate with the amount of creatinine
Institutional framework and public enterprise performance

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to derive, on the basis of available literature on successful enterprises, some conjectures-tentative generalizations — with regard to the strategic factors and in particular the characteristics of the decision structure and processes that account for good public enterprise performance in the mining and manufacturing sector. Section 2 deals with the decision framework, and Section 3, with the motivational and inducement mechanisms. The impact of distributional pressures on decision making is discussed in Section 4 and the role of ideology, in Section 5. Some concluding observations are made in Section 6.
Expansion and cell surface Ig isotype switching in the antigen-binding cell population of nunu mice and nu+ littermates

Abstract Swiss-Webster nu nu splenocytes placed in modified Mishell-Dutton culture containing sheep red blood cells (SRC) generated increased numbers of antigen-binding cells (ABC) compared with antigen-free cultures. In constrast Balb/c nu nu cultures did not expand their ABC population in response to SRC, suggesting that strain background may influence the effect of the nu nu gene on T-dependent immune responses. Cell surface Ig isotype analysis indicated that the SRC-induced expanded ABC population exhibited a significant decrease in cell surface IgD and a significant increase in ABC bearing both IgM and IgG. The Swiss-Webster nu /+ littermate cell surface Ig isotype patterns were generally similar to the nu nu ABC patterns, but with different kinetics.
Continuous room-temperature operation of microdisk laser diodes

InGaAs/GaAs/AlGaAs multiquantum well microdisk laser diodes have been realised which operate continuously at room temperature. A threshold current of I/sub th/=1.2 mA has been measured for a R=4.75 /spl mu/m radius disk with lasing emission wavelength near /spl lambda/=1.0 /spl mu/m.
Twelve Years Technology-Enabled Enhancement and Sharing of a Materials Characterization Course by Five Virginia Universities

Course viability requires dealing with issues of adequate class size, diversity of academic background and goals, English fluency, heavy content and more. To this end, for thirteen years a consortium of five Virginia universities, including an HBCU, has shared a first-year graduate course on materials characterization. The journey began with just classroom co-presence. The present state includes common-server availability of materials (presentation slides, background articles, e-books), of content-delivery lectures (“full flip”) and of recorded class sessions (all). The most significant current issue is making effective use of the extensive in-class discussion time now made available by flipping.
A comparison of the performance of statistical quality control charts in a dairy production system through stochastic simulation

Abstract Statistical quality control charts are plots of observations over time applied to a characteristic of a system to distinguish between normal variation, when the system should be left alone, and unexpected true changes, which should be signaled as soon as possible so the cause of the changes can be corrected. In practice, the performance of control charts (measured as the average time to first signal, either when the system has not changed (causing a false alarm) or for a true change of a certain size) is unknown if the variability of the system is not quantified, such as in a dairy production system. Therefore, a Monte Carlo simulation model of a 1000-cow dairy herd was used to compare the performance of various control chart designs for days to first service (DFS) and estrous detection index (EDI) to signal decreases in estrous detection efficiency (EDE). Shewhart and cumulative sum (cusum) control charts were designed for period lengths of seven days. The observed average time between false alarms, measured in days, on Shewhart charts with 3-sigma control limits and three supplementary runs tests was much shorter than expected. In addition, control charts for the variance of DFS (assuming a normal distribution) or the mean of EDI (assuming a binomial distribution) had high false alarm rates. Control limits were then varied such that the observed average time between false alarms on the control charts were similar to the goal of 400 or 800 days. This allowed for a fair comparison to signal true decreases in EDE as soon as possible. Large decreases in EDE were signaled earlier on most control charts than small decreases. Normal cusum control charts applied to the mean of EDI signaled true decreases in EDE the earliest: it took on average 38 days to signal a decrease to 55% EDE, 15 days to 45% EDE, or 10 days to 35% EDE, when the average time between false alarms was 400 days. Control charts designed for lower false alarm rates and those applied to DFS took longer to signal decreases in EDE. The results suggest that stochastic simulation of complex production systems can provide insight in the performance of control charts in practice. Furthermore, a combination of the Shewhart and cusum control charts based on the normal distribution applied to EDI is a good choice when the goal is to signal a decrease in EDE as soon as possible.
Intraamniotic infection with Candida albicans associated with a retained intrauterine contraceptive device: A case report

Intrauterine infection with Candida albicans is a rare occurrence in pregnancy. We report the association of an intrauterine contraceptive device with such an infection in an asymptomatic patient. This infection, discovered incidentally at the time of genetic amniocentesis for advanced maternal age, resulted in a spontaneous abortion at 18 weeks' gestation.
The consequences of the end of the cold war for international security

(1991). The consequences of the end of the cold war for international security. The Adelphi Papers: Vol. 32, New Dimensions in International Security: Part I Papers from the IISS 33rd Annual Conference, pp. 3-17.
Labile products of early carbon dioxide fixation in photosynthesis

1. 1. The total C14O2 fixation by algae has been determined for three different modes of killing the algae. The method of C14 measurement involved the direct plating from an acid medium of the algae suspension, or some fractions thereof, and counting by thin-walled, end-window Geiger counters. 2. 2. When the algae are killed by dropping into acetone at subzero temperatures, a higher count appears on the plate than when they are killed by dropping them into boiling ethanol. 3. 3. The percentage difference is greater the shorter the photosynthesis time. 4. 4. The addition of hydroxylamine to the algae just prior to killing with acetone increases the apparent total plate count as well as that of the acetone-soluble fraction.
A Stroll Through the Gaussian Primes

(1998). A Stroll Through the Gaussian Primes. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 105, No. 4, pp. 327-337.
Influence of manganese concentration in nutrient solution on the growth and elemental content of the 'Katahdin' potato plant

Hoagland’s solutions containing nine levels of manganese ranging from 0 to 100 ppm were applied as a drench tri-weekly to potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Katahdin) growing in perlite. Although no deficiency symptoms were observed during the 48-day growing period, varying degrees of toxicity were associated with concentrations of 25.0 ppm Mn and higher in nutrient solution. The tissue concentration necessary to induce toxicity symptoms in foliage appeared to fall between 134 and 426 ppm Mn. Solution concentrations in excess of 25 ppm Mn caused a significant reduction in dry weight of top, root and rhizome portions, and in rhizome number. Increasing Mn treatments generally influenced elemental tissue content as follows: K and Mn increased, Mg decreased, Al and Ca decreased at and above 50 ppm and 75 ppm Mn, respectively, whereas P increased at 50 ppm Mn and above; B, Cu and Mo were unaffected and although N, Fe and Zn contents were somewhat erratic, they were not significantly different at 100 ppm M...
Heavy-tailed densities

The concept of heavy- or long-tailed densities (or distributions) has attracted much well-deserved attention in the literature. A quick search in Google using the keywords long-tailed statistics retrieves almost 12 million items. The concept has become a pillar of the theory of extremes, and through its connection with outlier-prone distributions, long-tailed distributions also play a central role in the theory of robustness. The concept of tail heaviness is by now ubiquitous, appearing in a diverse set of disciplines that includes: economics, communications, atmospheric sciences, climate modeling, social sciences, physics, modeling of complex systems, etc. Nevertheless, the precise meaning of ‘long-’ or ‘heavy tails’ remains somewhat elusive. Thus, in a substantial portion of the early literature, long-tailedness meant that the underlying distribution was capable of producing anomalous observations in the sense that they were ‘too far’ from the main body of observations. Implicit in these informal definitions was the notion that any distribution that behaved that way had to do so because its tails were longer than those of the normal distribution. This paper discusses tail orderings and several approaches for the classification of probability distributions according to tail heaviness. It is concluded that an approach based on the limiting behavior of the residual life function, and its corresponding characterizations based on functions of regular variation and asymptotic distribution of extreme spacings, provides the more natural and illuminating concepts of tail behavior. WIREs Comput Stat 2013, 5:30–40. doi: 10.1002/wics.1236
Angle-resolved measurements of the photoemission of electrons in the study of solids

Abstract Angle-resolved photoemission is shown to be a very versatile technique which probes electronic structure as well as geometric structure. All quantum numbers of an electronic state can be determined. In particular, energy and momentum of electrons in a solid are probed by measuring energy and momentum of photoelectrons. Thus, energy versus momentum band dispersions can be measured. Since photoelectrons have a small but tunable escape depth, it is possible to see surface and adsorbate states as well as bulk states. A completely different application of angle-resolved photoemission concerns the atomic positions and bond orientations at surfaces. Photoelectrons from a well-defined atom serve as source for an electron diffraction experiment which is localized to a surface. Another type of experiment uses the emission pattern from adsorbed molecules to determine their orientation.
Treatment of Precocious Puberty in the McCune–Albright Syndrome with the Aromatase Inhibitor Testolactone

The McCune-Albright syndrome is characterized by cafe au lait spots, fibrous dysplasia of bones, and sexual precocity. Girls with precocious puberty due to this syndrome have episodic increases in serum estrogen levels together with the formation of large ovarian cysts. The serum gonadotropin levels are typically suppressed, and the precocious puberty has not responded to treatment with long-acting analogues of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH). Encouraged by our initial success in a pilot study of one patient, we have now treated five girls with the McCune-Albright syndrome with the aromatase inhibitor testolactone, which blocks the synthesis of estrogens. Testolactone decreased the levels of circulating estradiol (P less than 0.05) and the ovarian volume (P less than 0.05), and there was a return to pretreatment levels after testolactone was stopped. During treatment, the peak responses of luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone to stimulation by LHRH rose above suppressed pretreatment levels--significantly above pretreatment levels for follicle-stimulating hormone (P less than 0.02)--and then returned to pretreatment levels after testolactone was discontinued. Growth rates fell in three patients during treatment but could not be assessed in the other two because of bone deformities. The mean rate of bone maturation decreased and menses stopped in three of the four girls who were menstruating regularly. We conclude that testolactone is an effective treatment of precocious puberty in the McCune-Albright syndrome.
Changes in baseline cerebral blood flow in humans do not influence regional cerebral blood flow response to photic stimulation.

The effect of changes in baseline regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) values on the cerebral blood flow response during neuronal activation was studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Using a breath-holding challenge as a hypercapnic stimulus, rCBF alterations during photic stimulation under normo- and hypercapnia were determined in nine volunteers. With breath-holding, baseline rCBF in areas corresponding to the visual cortex significantly increased from 54 ± 5 ml/100 g/min to 85 ± 9 ml/100 g/min (P < 0.001). Despite this significant change in baseline flow values, the rCBF increase during visual stimulation was very similar under normo- and hypercapnic conditions (28 ± 8 ml/100 g/min versus 26 ± 8 ml/100 g/min, respectively). This study supports the notion that within wide physiologic variations, task-induced cerebral blood flow changes are independent of baseline rCBF values. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2000;12:757–762. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Mental Health Concerns

This article is part of a collaborative effort by experts in the field of emergency preparedness to complete an overview begun by the late Michael Shannon, MD, MPH, on the current challenges and future directions in pediatric disaster readiness. This particular article, "Mental Health Concerns," will address some of the unique developmental and psychological vulnerabilities of children as disaster victims (or as disaster witnesses) and strategies for timely identification and intervention for mental health concerns in children.
Distribution and orientation of rhodamine-phalloidin bound to thin filaments in skeletal and cardiac myofibrils

Phalloidin staining of muscle does not reflect the known disposition of sarcomeric thin filaments. Quantitative image analysis and steady-state fluorescence polarization microscopy are used to measure the local intensity and orientation of tetramethyl rhodamine-labeled phalloidin (TR-phalloidin) in skinned myofibrils. TR-phalloidin staining of isolated skeletal myofibrils labeled while in rigor reveals fluorescence that is brighter at the pointed ends of the thin filaments and Z lines than it is in the middle of the filaments. In cardiac myofibrils, phalloidin staining is uniform along the lengths of the thin filaments in both relaxed and rigor myofibrils, except in 0.2-micron dark areas on either side of the Z line. Extraction of myosin or tropomyosin-troponin molecules does not change the nonuniform staining. To test whether long-term storage in glycerol changes the binding of phalloidin to thin filaments in myofibrils, minimally permeabilized (briefly skinned) myofibrils, or myofibrils stored in glycerol for at least 7 days (glycerol extraction) were compared. TR-phalloidin was well ordered throughout the sarcomere in briefly skinned skeletal and cardiac myofibrils, but TR-phalloidin bound to the Z line and pointed ends of thin filaments was randomly oriented in glycerol-extracted myofibrils, suggesting that the ends of the thin filaments become disordered after glycerol extraction. In relaxed skeletal myofibrils with sarcomere lengths greater than 3.0 microns, staining was nearly uniform all along the actin filaments. Exogeneous bare actin filaments polymerized from the Z line (Sanger et al., 1984: J. Cell Biol. 98:825-833) in and along the myofibril bind rhodamine phalloidin uniformly. Our results support the hypothesis that nebulin can block the binding of phalloidin to actin in skeletal myofibrils and nebulette can block phalloidin binding to cardiac thin filaments.
A Location-Adaptive, Frequency-Specific Cancellation Algorithm to Improve Optical Brain Functional Imaging

The signal to noise ratio of brain imaging is poor because of the spontaneous noises. An algorithm to cancel two most pronounced noises related to the arterial pulsation and the blood pressure variation was developed.
Evolution of thermal sensors in Intel processors from 90nm to 22nm

Thermal sensors are used in Intel processors in order to measure and regulate the chip's temperature. This is useful to insure that the temperature does not exceed the reliability limit and also to optimize processor performance. Several sensors developed in Intel processes are reviewed and their evolution over different process generations is explained. The design tradeoffs and system requirements for these sensors are discussed.
Skeletal stability following mandibular advancement and rigid fixation

Twenty non-growing subjects underwent sagittal ramus osteotomies and rigid fixation. Cephalograms were analyzed before surgery, immediately after surgery and at least six months following surgery to evaluate skeletal stability. A mean horizontal relapse of 0.42 mm (8%) and a mean vertical increase in lower face height of 0.2 mm were found six months after surgery. Both were statistically insignificant. The mean backward rotation of the mandible of 0.55° found six months after surgery was statistically significant (P < 0.015), but was considered to be clinically insignificant. The results of this study show that surgical mandibular advancement with rigid fixation is a very reliable and stable procedure.
Who's Afraid of a Chicken? Securitization and Avian Flu

Many recent discussions of a potential avian flu pandemic have called the disease a security threat. Without denying the potentially serious implications of such an outbreak, I question the usefulness of securitizing avian flu. I begin by reviewing how scholars and policymakers have securitized avian flu before outlining three main objections: that securitization encourages inappropriate responses, that it diverts attention from other pressing public health concerns, and that it furthers the gap between the First and Third Worlds.
Influence of circadian periodicity on reproducibility of centric relation records for edentulous patients

Abstract Complete dentures were made for 30 edentulous patients. The patients were divided into three groups and the dentures were remounted twice on the same day in a Vericheck instrument. The dentures for 10 patients were remounted twice in the morning ( am group), for 10 patients twice in the afternoon ( pm group), and for 10 patients once in the morning and again in the afternoon ( am-pm group). Changes in position between the interocclusal records were measured on both the right and left horizontal X and Y axes and the sagittal Y and Z axes. No significant changes were noted when horizontal versus sagittal or right versus left positions were compared, but significant changes were noted between the am versus am-pm time groups, and between the pm versus am-pm time groups.
Predation on Lake Whitefish Eggs by Longnose Suckers

In November 1981, we observed intense predation on lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) eggs by longnose suckers (Catostomus catostomus) on lake whitefish spawning grounds in northwestern Lake Huron. Since longnose suckers commonly frequent the same habitat used by spawning lake whitefish, there exists the potential for high losses of eggs due to sucker predation.
Prince Prospero: The Antithesis of “The Beautiful Death”

In Poe's “The Masque of the Red Death,” Prince Prospero engages in an archetypal game of cat and mouse with Death. With the outbreak of the Red Death engulfing his dominions, the prince gathers a t...
Metabolism of peptide reporters in cell lysates and single cells.

The stability of an Abl kinase substrate peptide in a cytosolic lysate and in single cells was characterized. In the cytosolic lysate, the starting peptide was metabolized at an average initial rate of 1.7 ± 0.3 zmol pg−1 s−1 with a t1/2 of 1.3 min. Five different fragments formed over time; however, a dominant cleavage site was identified. Multiple rational design cycles were utilized to develop a lead peptide with a phenylalanine and alanine replaced by an (N-methyl)phenylalanine and isoleucine, respectively, to attain cytosolic peptidase resistance while maintaining Abl substrate efficacy. This lead peptide possessed a 15-fold greater lifetime in the cytosolic lysate while attaining a 7-fold improvement in kcat as an Abl kinase substrate compared to the starting peptide. However, when loaded into single cells, the starting peptide and lead peptide possessed nearly identical degradation rates and an altered pattern of fragmentation relative to that in cell lysates. Preferential accumulation of a fragment with cleavage at an Ala-Ala bond in single cells suggested that dissimilar peptidases act on the peptides in the lysate versus single cells. A design strategy for peptide stabilization, analogous to that demonstrated for the lysate, should be effective for stabilization in single cells.
Scattering of surface waves by rectangular obstacles in waters of finite depth

The scattering of infinitesimal surface waves normally incident on a rectangular obstacle in a channel of finite depth is considered. A variational formulation is used as the basis of numerical computations. Scattering properties for bottom and surface obstacles of various proportions, including thin barriers and surface docks, are presented. Comparison with experimental and theoretical results by other investigators is also made.
A capture-rate model of net-spinning caddisfly communities

Empirical research suggests that net-spinning caddisflies require two basic resources, suspended particulate foods, and the currents which deliver them. I present a theoretical model of caddisfly communities based on quantitative differences in the capture rate produced by different catchnet designs. It assumes that catchnet architecture reflects a tradeoff between water filtration rate (flux through the net) and capture efficiency (the proportion of suspended items retained), and that the marginal resource concentration required by species with different catchnet morphologies should reflect the product of these parameters. The model hypothesizes a) that downstream changes in the physical morphology of the stream channel cause a shift in the relative importance of population limitations imposed by food and current-substrate availability, b) that the interaction of these physical changes with the filtering biota results in a seston resource gradient, and c) that the distribution of each taxon along this resource gradient reflects a marginal resource requirement determined by the functional morphology of its catchnet.
EDTA and HEDTA effects on Cd, Cr, and Ni uptake by Helianthus annuus.

Phytoremediation has shown great potential as an alternative treatment for the remediation of heavy-metal-contaminated soils and groundwater. However, the lack of a clear understanding pertaining to metal uptake/translocation mechanisms, enhancement amendments, and external effects on phytoremediation has hindered its full-scale application. The objective of this research was to investigate the ability of synthetic chelators for enhancing the phytoremediation of cadmium-, chromium- and nickel-contaminated soil. Ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (EDTA) and N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA) were applied to the soil at various dosages to elevate metal mobility. Uptake into and translocation within Helianthus annuus was determined. It was found that EDTA at a rate of 0.5 g/kg significantly increased the shoot concentrations of Cd and Ni from 34 and 15 to 115 and 117 mg/kg, respectively. The total removal efficiency for EDTA was 59 μg/plant. HEDTA at the same application rate resulted in a total metal uptake of 42 μg/plant. These research demonstrated that chelator enhancement is plant- and metal-specific and is subjective to inhibition when multiple heavy metals are present. Results also showed that chelator toxicity reduced the plant's biomass, thereby decreasing the amount of metal accumulation.
Triple drug therapy in testicular tumors.

Thirty-four patients with disseminated choriocarcinoma, embryonal cell carcinoma, and teratocarcinoma of the testis were treated with triple drug therapy—chlorambucil, methotrexate, and actinomycin D as employed by Li et al. Although two-thirds of patients with measurable lesions had at least a 50% regression, reactivation usually occurred within 3 months. Four patients have complete regressions which are being maintained, the longest a seven and a half-year complete remission for a patient with choriocarcinoma. It is recognized that there is a high recurrence rate following orchiectomy even in patients with negative nodes. This fact coupled with the responsiveness of these radioresistant tumors to triple therapy, and without life-threatening toxicity, led us to employ this as adjuvant chemotherapy for one year in 13 patients following orchiectomy. There has been no recurrence in 11 of these patients, with the longest follow-up five and one-half years in a patient with choriocarcinoma. No patient in either series had x-ray therapy.
Practical recommendations to minimize software capability evaluation risks

Many organizations, and, in particular, the US Department of Defense, find the Capability Maturity Model's (CMM) software capability evaluation (SCE) to be a useful tool for evaluating the maturity and capability of a number of competing software contractors and thus selecting a prospective contractor. The evaluation commonly takes place during the acquisition phase of a software project in order to focus on identifying and reducing risks associated with quality, scheduling, and budget. When an unbiased evaluation is performed, the information revealed can help determine potential risks in selecting a particular candidate contractor. However, there are many ways to manipulate the outcome of the SCE by the evaluation team or the candidate contractor. It is important that the potential flaws and shortcomings in the SCE be identified and eliminated to ensure a viable evaluation. This article briefly discusses the concerns associated with and flaws in conducting SCEs and proposes a number of practical recommendations to eliminate or substantially reduce them. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A comparative study of quality of life among the age groups of kidney transplant recipients.

Context—Quality of life and transplant age are 2 major concerns of professionals and researchers. Both variables are contemplated in transplant allocation decisions as a result of longer graft and patient survival and the likelihood of achieving a reasonably good quality of life for patients of all ages. Studies are warranted to understand if quality of life might serve as a moderating variable to balance question of age and transplant allocations.Objective—To determine if there are differences in the pretransplant and posttransplant quality of life of kidney transplant recipients with respect to age.Design, Participants, Setting, and Outcome Measures—This study comparatively examined the differences in pretransplant and posttransplant quality of life of kidney transplant recipients in 5 age groups (18-29 years, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and older than 60). A sample of 293 patients admitted to a midsouthern US transplant center and selected on a convenience-sampling basis were included in the study. Multiple m...
Potential of Agrotis ipsilon Nucleopolyhedrovirus for Suppression of the Black Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Effect of an Optical Brightener on Virus Efficacy

Abstract Studies were performed in the laboratory, greenhouse and field to assess the potential of Agrotis ipsilon multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgipMNPV) and a viral enhancing agent, M2R, for suppression of Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel). In laboratory droplet feeding bioassays, AgipMNPV was shown to be highly active against third-instar A. ipsilon. The optical brightener M2R significantly reduced LD50 estimates by ≈160-fold, but had no direct effect on survival time estimates. In greenhouse trials, spray and bait formulations of AgipMNPV significantly reduced feeding damage to corn seedlings caused by third-instar A. ipsilon. In two sets of replicated field trials, bait formulations of AgipMNPV significantly reduced feeding damage to corn seedlings by third-instar A. ipsilon. However, there were no beneficial effects attributable to the inclusion of M2R in AgipMNPV formulations under greenhouse or field conditions. It seems likely that in an appropriately designed pest management program AgipMNPV could ...
Effect of heparin-induced extracorporeal lipoprotein apheresis on renal function.

During the course of heparin-induced extracorporeal lipoprotein apheresis, a patient with no prior known renal impairment or proteinuria demonstrated sustained improvement in estimated glomerular filtration rate, commensurate with reduction in serum lipids and creatine phosphokinase levels. Causes and implications of this observation, which was not a priori, are discussed. J. Clin. Apheresis, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Parametric timing estimation with Newton–Gregory formulae

This paper presents a novel method for parametric worst-case execution time (WCET) estimation of loops. The method determines a parametric bound on the iteration space size of loops with both affine and nonaffine loop bounds in an efficient manner using a formulation based on Newton–Gregory interpolating polynomials. Parametric WCET formulae are used to support dynamic scheduling decisions at runtime, where the WCET of a scheduled task might not be known statically. To determine worst-case execution time estimates of scientific and multimedia codes, which spent most of the execution time on executing loop iterations, efficient and accurate symbolic loop WCET estimation methods must be capable of analyzing loops with symbolic bounds, non-rectangular loops, zero-trip loops, loops with multiple critical paths, and loops with non-unit strides. Copyright c © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Level of Attention: Mediating Between the Stimulus and Perception

Current conceptions of visual processing make good use of the metaphor of levels of vision. At the very least, there are meaningful distinctions to be made between early vision, mid-level vision, and high-level vision. Without getting too committed to the details, early vision is a level of local processing of simple stimulus attributes like the orientation and motion of line segments. Perhaps these can be considered to be the atoms of vision. If so, then mid-level vision is concerned with the molecules larger pieces put together out of the early vision atoms. Like the "wetness" of water, these mid-level molecules may have properties that are not easy to predict from their early vision precursors. Examples might include Gestalt observations about the whole being greater than the sum of its parts (Kellman, 1998; Rock & Palmer, 1990) or the work of Adelson (refXX this volume), Gilchrist (refXX this volume) and others on the apparent brightness of surfaces. At a still higher level, the molecules of mid-level vision give rise to recognizable objects.
Implications of slab mineralogy for subduction dynamics

Phase relations among mantle minerals are perturbed by the thermal environment of subducting slabs, both under equilibrium and disequilibrium (metastable) conditions. Such perturbations yield anomalies not only in seismic velocities but also in density. The buoyancy forces arising from these density anomalies may exert several important effects. They contribute to the stress field within the slab, in a fashion consistent with observed patterns of seismicity. They may affect subduction rates, both by inducing time-dependent velocity changes under equilibrium conditions and by imposing velocity limits through a thermal feedback loop under disequilibrium conditions. They may affect slab morphology, possibly inhibiting penetration of slabs into the lower mantle and allowing temporary stagnation of deflected or detached slabs. Latent heat release from phase transitions under disequilibrium conditions in slabs can yield isobaric superheating, which may generate adiabatic shear instabilities capable of triggering deep seismicity. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
A digital self-calibration algorithm for ADCs based on histogram test using low-linearity input signals

This paper describes a test-based digital self-calibration algorithm for high-resolution ADC. The algorithm uses low-linearity signals, small number of memory cells, and simple computations in code-density test to characterize an ADC's nonlinearity, determines corresponding correction codes, and digitally calibrates the ADC's output. Simulation results show that INL/sub k/'s of a 16-bit ADC can be tested to 1-LSB accuracy by using 7-bit linear ramp signals and 256 histogram counts. Linearity of the ADC can be improved from 12-bit to 14-bit by using 256 correction codes. The proposed algorithm provides a promising solution to on-chip calibration of high-speed high-precision ADC.
Capra, eupnea, dyspnea, apnea: respiratory rhythms and the pre-Bötzinger complex in the goat.

a central question in the control of breathing is how and where the brain generates respiratory rhythm. No single approach is likely to provide a definitive answer to this question; however, a pair of papers in the present volume of this journal by Wenninger et al. ([18][1], [19][2]) confront this
Body mass index, diabetes, and C-reactive protein among U.S. adults.

OBJECTIVE: The author examined the relationship between C-reactive protein and BMI and diabetes status among 16,573 participants aged > or = 20 years of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The study had a cross-sectional design. RESULTS: Geometric mean concentrations of C-reactive protein were lowest among individuals with a BMI or = 85th percentile of the sex-specific C-reactive protein concentration distribution) among participants with a BMI of 25 to or = 40 kg/m2 were 1.51 (95% CI 1.23-1.86), 3.19 (2.60-3.91), 6.11 (4.67-7.98), and 9.30 (6.43-13.46), respectively, compared with participants with a BMI
Cognitive task analysis of power grid monitors

Power system monitors (or operators) are responsible for viewing and synthesizing data collected from all aspects of the power grids infrastructure. Operators take appropriate action based on incoming data, ensuring that power is available to all entities within their region. Given the volume of information available to operators, it is no surprise that information overload and filtering are common practices. Cognitive task analysis (CTA) is a technique used to identify system aspects that impose large cognitive (mental) demands on the operator. The objective of this effort was to conduct a CTA for three desks within power utility companies in the southeast. Results illustrated that while there were similarities in the tasks and there is a strong interdependency between the desks, operator performance is variable with operators placing emphasis on different informational sources.