cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impacts of increased tempering lengths on twenty-four-hour survival of hybrid striped bass fry.

Abstract We evaluated the impacts of different tempering rates on the 24-h survival of 4-d-old palmetto bass (female striped bass Morone saxatilis × male white bass M. chrysops). We used the increase rate of pH as a measure of water quality change. Four tempering rates were conducted concurrently to determine the importance of extended tempering time on the survival of fry following an adjustment to an increase in pH, alkalinity, and hardness. Fry were tempered to increases of 0.6–1.9 pH units over periods from 11 to 330 min, producing pH tempering rates of 11.4–0.02/h. The study produced average tempering rates and average survival rates for a set of controls and four treatment groups. Average fry survival rates ranged from 75% in the control replicates with a pH tempering rate of +0.01/h to 48% for fry subjected to an increase of 1.9 pH units in 10 min or a tempering rate of +11.4 pH/h.
Evidence for the transition from the diffusion-limit in aluminum particle combustion

Abstract This work presents experimental evidence that the transition from gas-phase diffusion-limited combustion for aluminum particles begins to occur at a particle size of 10 μm at a pressure of 8.5 atm. Measurements of the particle temperature by AlO spectroscopy and three-color pyrometry indicate that the peak temperature surrounding a burning particle approaches the aluminum boiling temperature as particle size is decreased to 10 μm when oxygen is the oxidizer. This reduction indicates that reactions are occurring at or near the particle surface rather than in a detached diffusion flame. When CO 2 is the oxidizer, the combustion temperatures remain near the aluminum boiling temperature for particles as large as 40 μm, indicating that the flame is consistently near the surface throughout this size range. Burn time measurements of 10 and 2.8 μm powders indicate that burn time is roughly proportional to particle diameter to the first power. The burn rates of micron- and nano-particles also show strong pressure dependence. These measurements all indicate that the combustion has deviated from the vapor-phase diffusion limit, and that surface or near-surface processes are beginning to affect the rate of burning. Such processes would have to be included in combustion models in order to accurately predict burning characteristics for aluminum with diameter less than 10 μm.
Are Antineutrophil Antibodies (Granulocyte Antibodies) in Children with HIV Infection Causally Related to Neutropenia? ♦ 783

Are Antineutrophil Antibodies (Granulocyte Antibodies) in Children with HIV Infection Causally Related to Neutropenia? ♦ 783
Management of regional lymph nodes in the elderly melanoma patient: Patient selection, accuracy and prognostic implications

Abstract Background Among older melanoma patients, lymphatic mapping failure, lower rates of SLN positivity and poor prognosis are reported reasons for omission of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). We investigated reasons for non-compliance with guidelines, sensitivity and prognostic significance of SLNB and completion lymphadenectomy (CLND) for elderly melanoma patients. Methods Retrospective review of patients ≥65 years with ≥1 mm thick melanoma treated at a single Institution. Wilcoxon, chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for analysis as appropriate. Univariable and multivariable Cox regressions were used to analyze time-to-event variables. Results 72 of 358 patients (20%) did not undergo SLNB. Reasons for omission included selective neck dissection in 26 (7%), patient refusal in 11 (3%), physician recommendation in 15 (4%) and significant comorbidities in 8 (2%). Of the 286 patients undergoing SLNB, only 5 (1.7%) had lymphatic mapping failures. 76 patients (26.6%) were SLN-positive. The sensitivity of SLNB was 90.5%, the negative predictive value was 96.3% and the false negative rate was 3.8%. Sixty-seven (88%) SLN-positive patients underwent CLND and 10 (15%) had positive non-SLNs. Reasons for omission of CLND included patient refusal in 3 (4%), surgeon recommendation in 5 (7%) and postoperative complication in 1 (1%). SLN and non-SLN status were independently associated with disease-free survival. SLN status was independently associated with melanoma-specific survival. Conclusions SLNB was successful in 98.7% of elderly patients with high sensitivity and a low false negative rate. Only 2% of our elderly patients appeared too frail for SLNB. Age alone should not be a contraindication to SLNB and CLND for melanoma.
Fears and Phobias

Definitions Fears and phobias represent a major segment of the psychological distress experienced by children while growing up. It is important to distinguish between the two. Fears are a normal part of life and usually are most vivid and ubiquitous during childhood. Fear is the emotional and physiologic response to an external danger. At their best, fears help keep one safe. The fear of being burned, being accosted by strangers, disappointing parents by doing poorly on an examination, or ending up in jail all can lead to a more healthy and productive life. One could speculate that heights and snakes are among the most common fears among adults because those ancestors who avoided snakes and high places were most likely to live long enough to ensconce these tendencies in the gene pool. The differential diagnosis of fears and phobias is easier during adulthood than it is during childhood. This is because the child9s physical and cognitive immaturity can confound reality testing on developmental and psychopathologic bases. The toddler who is so small, helpless, and unable to understand the forces of physical and human nature accurately often has many normal fears. These typically may include strangers, their parents9 leaving, monsters, the dark, or going to sleep.
Islamic Securitization After the Subprime Crisis

Islamic securitization in the form of sukuk has grown into a notable segment of global structured finance over the last three years. This article surveys the unique structural features of the sukuk market and assesses the potential of conflicts of interest that became apparent in the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis to contaminate the integrity of the securitization process if conducted in compliance with Shari’ah principles. This examination also considers recent regulatory changes to the definition of sukuk and current policy considerations of alternative forms of capital-market-based refinancing techniques, such as covered mortgage bonds, and the way they relate to Islamic securitization. The article concludes with a brief outlook on future challenges and developments in the sukuk market.
Improved approximate method for simulating frequency-dependent friction in transient laminar flow

A new approximation to the weighting function in Zielke's equation is used in an improved implementation of Trikha's method for including frequency dependent friction in transient laminar flow calculations. The new, five-term approximation was fitted to the weighting function using a nonlinear least squares approach. Transient results obtained using the new approximation function are nearly indistinguishable from results obtained using the exact expression for the weighting function.
Latent heat augmentation of thermocline energy storage for concentrating solar power – A system-level assessment

Abstract Molten-salt thermocline tanks are a low-cost energy storage option for concentrating solar power plants. Despite the potential economic advantage, the capacity of thermocline tanks to store sufficient amounts of high-temperature heat is limited by the low energy density of the constituent sensible-heat storage media. A promising design modification replaces conventional rock filler inside the tank with an encapsulated phase-change material (PCM), contributing a latent heat storage mechanism to increase the overall energy density. The current study presents a new finite-volume approach to simulate mass and energy transport inside a latent heat thermocline tank at low computational cost. This storage model is then integrated into a system-level model of a molten-salt power tower plant to inform tank operation with respect to realistic solar collection and power production. With this system model, PCMs with different melting temperatures and heats of fusion are evaluated for their viability in latent heat storage for solar plants. Thermocline tanks filled with a single PCM do not yield a substantial increase in annual storage or plant output over a conventional rock-filled tank of equal size. As the melting temperature and heat of fusion are increased, the ability of the PCM to support steam generation improves but the corresponding ability of the thermocline tank to utilize this available latent heat decreases. This trend results from an inherent deconstruction of the heat-exchange region inside the tank between sensible and latent heat transfer, preventing effective use of the added phase change for daily plant operations. This problem can be circumvented with a cascaded filler structure composed of multiple PCMs with their melting temperatures tuned along the tank height. However, storage benefits with these cascaded tank structures are shown to be highly sensitive to the proper selection of the PCM melting points relative to the thermocline tank operating temperatures.
Cytokines and oncogenes in cellular interactions of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic disorder of unknown etiology. Most of its debilitation sequelae are derived from progressive destruction of joints. The affected joints exhibit inflammation, abnormal immune responses and synovial hyperplasia. Although growth factors and cytokines derived from macrophages and endothelial cells contribute to the perpetuation of the inflammatory process, activated transformed-appearing synovial fibroblasts mediate cartilage and bone destruction. Based on the observation that synovial hyperplasia is associated with a transformed-appearing phenotype and an upregulated expression of protooncogenes and matrix degrading enzymes, the present studies are designed to explore the role of a heretofore unknown (retro)virus-like particle in the pathogenesis of RA.
Public Opinion Toward Gay and Lesbian Teachers Insights for All Public Employees

Public opinion plays a key role in determining what formal and informal protections gay and lesbian teachers have on the job. This study examines 25 years of professional polling data to discern pu...
Techniques for fluoroscopic percutaneous renal access

Purpose: Percutaneous nephrolithotomy has undergone considerable evolution since its introduction in the 1970s, which has been driven by advances in access techniques, instrumentation and endoscopic technology. Recent reports suggest an increase in the number of percutaneous stone treatments being performed. However, despite the increasing use of percutaneous nephrolithotomy a minority of urologists obtain their own access. We reviewed the techniques for performing safe and effective percutaneous renal access.Materials and Methods: A literature search using Entrez PubMed® was performed. All relevant literature concerning techniques for fluoroscopic percutaneous renal access published within the last 20 years was reviewed.Results: The success of percutaneous nephrolithotomy is critically dependent on achieving suitable percutaneous access. The ideal site of percutaneous puncture should be selected to maximize the use of rigid instruments, minimize the risk of complications and attain stone-free status. Fam...
Computer simulations and parametric studies of GFRP bridge deck systems

This research studies the structural behavior of a GFRP bridge deck system. The study develops FEM models of the GFRP bridge deck system using ANSYS 7.0 software package. Data collected from field measurements and laboratory testing is used to validate and calibrate the proposed FEM models. Parametric studies through computer simulations are conducted to investigate the characteristics of the system. Four parameters are considered for service load conditions: (a) presence of diaphragms, (b) girder stiffness, (c) girder spacing, and (d) composite action. In addition, geometric and material nonlinearities are considered in the investigation of the capacity of the new bridge system. The analysis results are discussed and conclusions on the GFRP deck system are presented.
Isotope separation program — present and future

Abstract The availability of a broad spectrum of highly enriched isotopes is vitally important for the fabrication of nuclear targets used in basic and applied research. The Isotope Separation Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory prepares and distributes electromagnetically enriched stable isotopes on a worldwide basis to the scientific community. Topics discussed include: a brief review of the separation facility, a description of each production step, and future enrichment efforts. Current technology being applied in the electromagnetic isotope process to minimize stable isotope depletion rate and methods to achieve specific isotope requirements are emphasized. The availability of the Plasma Separation Process (PSP) equipment to augment the present stable isotope separation capability is addressed. The basic principles of the PSP are discussed, and its applicability to the isotopic enrichment of calutron feed-material and to the selective production of isotopes is examined.
Evaluation of novel Brucella melitensis unmarked deletion mutants for safety and efficacy in the goat model of brucellosis.

Abstract Pregnant goats were employed to assess unmarked deletion mutant vaccine candidates BMΔasp24, BMΔcydBA, and BMΔvirB2, as the target host species naturally infected with Brucella melitensis. Goats were assessed for the degree of pathology associated with the vaccine strains as well as the protective immunity afforded by each strain against abortion and infection after challenge with wild-type Brucella melitensis 16M. Both BMΔasp24 and BMΔvirB2 were considered safe vaccine candidates in the pregnant goat model because they did not cause abortion or colonize fetal tissues. BMΔasp24 was isolated from the maternal tissues only, indicating a slower rate of clearance of the vaccine strain than for BMΔvirB2, which was not isolated from any maternal or fetal tissues. Both strains were protective against abortion and against infection in the majority of pregnant goats, although BMΔasp24 was more efficacious than BMΔvirB2 against challenge infection.
Short-Term Instruction, Testwiseness, and the Scholastic Aptitude Test. A Literature Review with Research Recommendations.

The research literature on short-term instruction (STI) and intermediate-term instruction (ITI) for the SAT-Mathematics and SAT-Verbal was reviewed. Selected studies of STI and ITI for tests other than the SAT-M and SAT-V, and of testwiseness (TW), per se, were included in the survey if they were judged relevant to the question of special instruction for the SAT. The research studies were reviewed and interpreted within the framework of a score components model which posited four content-related and two TW score components, as well as two secondary ones (test-taking confidence and efficiency), that are theoretically subject to STI and ITI effects. In addition, examinee, item, and instructional characteristics were considered, as these relate to the score components model. Basic discrepancies between negative and positive findings were noted for both the SAT-M and the SAT-V. These were generally resolved in favor of recognizing meaningful STI effects for the SAT-M, but remain unresolved for the SAT-V. Recommendations were made for SAT-M and SAT-V research allowing STI effects to be partitioned according to examinee, item, and instructional characteristics, as these apply to selected test score components.
A cooperative lecture style and student learning in an introductory computer programming course

This study examines the impact that a cooperative lecture technique and demographic factors have on student learning in a computer programming class, a college course that students have no or very limited intrinsic knowledge about and found that a cooperative lecture style did not improve learning performance and might deter students from positive learning experiences. This may be due to the time constraints that students faced when doing group work or from the compound confusion when students with limited subject knowledge worked towards an unknown goal. The results also suggested that students' class attendance provided the predictability of performance, while their academic experience negatively influenced group effectiveness.
Design of Floating-Boundary Multi-Zone Scintillation Camera With Pileup Prevention and Misplaced Pileup Suppression (MPS)

Image quality in nuclear medicine is a trade-off between image contrast and resolution, since there are conflicting requirements of crystal thickness and collimator-hole dimensions. The sensitivity, or efficiency, which determines the contrast-to-noise ratio, however, is constrained primarily by pulse-mode operation, in which gamma ray interactions are recorded once every deadtime period. Nuclear images also suffer from image blurring due to gamma rays penetrating the collimator septa and due to misplaced pileup events arising from the coincidence detection of Compton-scattered gamma rays. Multi-zone detector architecture (MZDA) and the use of pileup prevention circuitry (PPC) lead to reduction of the detector's effective deadtime, and hence to significant extension of the count-rate range of the camera. This in turn allows the source activity to be increased to make up for sensitivity that will be lost on changing the detector and collimator-hole dimensions to improve spatial resolution. Misplaced pileup suppression (MPS) circuitry, also described in this paper, enables image blurring from Compton-scattered radiation to be reduced to 1/P of its level in a single zone detector, P being the PMT array size. The paper first develops the theoretical relationships relating to the trade-offs between efficiency and resolution, the distribution of scintillation light from interaction points in the crystal, the share of the light exposure of individual PMTs and of clusters of PMTs, and the cross-talk between clusters of PMTs. The paper then presents an outline of the implementation of an S-zone camera with PPC of order 1, based on hexagonal and rectangular arrays of PMTs. A hexagonal array of 331 1.27-cm PMTs, which will have S ap 35 detector-zones on average, can, for instance, use a 1.7-mm thick and 29-cm diameter NaI(Tl) crystal to design a camera with twice the sensitivity of a single-zone camera of the same array size, which will also provide a spatial resolution of 2.1 mm at the collimator face and 3.4 mm at 10 cm from the collimator face.
Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the BCPT Symptom Checklist with a sample of breast cancer patients before and after adjuvant therapy

Objective—The purpose of this analysis was to provide psychometric information related to the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT) Symptom Checklist in women with breast cancer prior to the initiation of adjuvant therapy and 6 months post-initiation of therapy. Methods—This investigation was a secondary analysis of baseline data from the Anastrozole Use in Menopausal Women (AIM) Study (R01 CA 107408). The data used in this study were obtained from women diagnosed with Stage I, II, and IIIa breast cancer and who received adjuvant therapy that included chemotherapy alone, anastrozole alone, and chemotherapy plus anastrozole. Data were examined before adjuvant therapy (n = 278), and at 6 months post-adjuvant therapy (n = 195). Construct validity was examined through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the internal consistency of each resulting subscale was computed. Discriminant validity evidence was obtained by correlating BCPT subscales with subscales from the MOS SF-36. Results—A seven-factor structure was extracted from the 42 items at baseline; an eight-factor structure was found using 6-month data. CFA was performed to compare the baseline and 6-month models as well as an eight-factor model recommended by Cella et al. Findings revealed that the two eight-factor models best represented the data. Low negative correlations with the subscales of the MOS SF-36 provided discriminant validity evidence. Conclusion—This analysis provides evidence for the reliability, discriminant validity, and factor structure of the BCPT Symptom Checklist. Further testing of this instrument is needed to confirm the factor structure of this measure.
Psychophysical Calibration of Mobile Touch-Screens for Vision Testing in the Field

The now ubiquitous nature of touch-screen displays in cell phones and tablet computers makes them an attractive option for vision testing outside of the laboratory or clinic. Accurate measurement of parameters such as contrast sensitivity, however, requires precise control of absolute and relative screen luminances. The nonlinearity of the display response (gamma) can be measured or checked using a minimum motion technique similar to that developed by Anstis and Cavanagh (1983) for the determination of isoluminance. While the relative luminances of the color primaries vary between subjects (due to factors such as individual differences in pre-retinal pigment densities), the gamma nonlinearity can be checked in the lab using a photometer. Here we compare results obtained using the psychophysical method with physical measurements for a number of different devices. In addition, we present a novel physical method using the device's built-in front-facing camera in conjunction with a mirror to jointly calibrate the camera and display. A high degree of consistency between devices is found, but some departures from ideal performance are observed. In spite of this, the effects of calibration errors and display artifacts on estimates of contrast sensitivity are found to be small.
Structure and properties of uracil and its sulfur analogs: A systematic study of basis set effects in Ab InitioSCF calculations

The calculations for uracil and its three sulfur analogs, 2-thiouracil, 4-thiouracil and 2,4-dithiouracil, were carried out using ab initioLCAO-MO method at the Hartree–Fock level. The molecular structure of uracil was fully optimized using standard 3–21G, 6–31G* and 6–31G** basis sets, while geometry optimizations of the thio- and dithio-uracils were performed at the 3–21G* and 6–31G* levels. The basis set effects on structure optimization and one-electron properties are discussed. The geometrical parameters and dipole moments calculated at different levels are compared with the available experimental data.
Helper T cell anergy: from biochemistry to cancer pathophysiology and therapeutics

Tolerance in vivo and its in vitro counterpart, anergy, are defined as the state in which helper T lymphocytes are alive but incapable of producing IL-2 and expanding in response to optimal antigenic stimulation. Anergy is induced when the T cell receptor (TCR) is engaged by antigen in the absence of costimulation or IL-2. This leads to unique intracellular signaling events that stand in contrast to those triggered by coligation of the TCR and costimulatory receptors. Specifically, anergy is characterized by lack of activation of lck, ZAP 70, Ras, ERK, JNK, AP-1, and NF-AT. In contrast, anergizing stimuli appear to activate the protein tyrosine kinase fyn, increase intracellular calcium levels, and activate Rap1. Moreover, anergizing TCR signals result in increased intracellular concentrations of the second messenger cAMP. This second messenger upregulates the cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor p27kip1, sequestering cyclin D2-cdk4, and cyclin E/cdk2 complexes and preventing progression of T cells through the G1 restriction point of the cell cycle. In contrast, costimulation through CD28 prevents p27kip1 accumulation by decreasing the levels of intracellular cAMP and promotes p27kip1 down-regulation due to direct degradation of the protein via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Subsequent autocrine action of IL-2 leads to further degradation of p27kip1 and entry into S phase. Understanding the biochemical and molecular basis of T cell anergy will allow the development of new assays to evaluate the immune status of patients in a variety of clinical settings in which tolerance has an important role, including cancer, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplantation. Precise understanding of these biochemical and molecular events is necessary in order to develop novel treatment strategies against cancer. One of the mechanisms by which tumors down-regulate the immune system is through the anergizing inactivation of helper T lymphocytes, resulting in the absence of T cell help to tumor-specific CTLs. Although T-cells specific for tumor associated antigens are detected in cancer patients they often are unresponsive. Reversal of the defects that block the cell cycle progression is mandatory for clonal expansion of tumor specific T cells during the administration of tumor vaccines. Reversal of the anergic state of tumor specific T cells is also critical for the sufficient expansion of such T cells ex vivo for adoptive immunotherapy. On the other hand, understanding the molecular mechanisms of anergy will greatly improve our ability to design novel clinical therapeutic approaches to induce antigen-specific tolerance and prevent graft rejection and graft-versus-host disease. Such treatment approaches will allow transplantation of bone marrow and solid organs between individuals with increasing HLA disparity and therefore expand the donor pool, enable reduction in the need for nonspecific immunosuppression, minimize the toxicity of chemotherapy, and reduce the risk of opportunistic infections.
Eradication of Nonnative Fish by Gill Netting from a Small Mountain Lake in California

Nearly all mountain lakes in the western United States were historically fishless, but most now contain introduced trout populations. As a result of the impacts of these introductions on ecosystem structure and func tion, there is increasing interest in restoring some lakes to a fishless condition. To date, however, the only effective method of fish eradication is the application of rotenone, a pesticide that is also toxic to nontar get native species. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of intensi ve gill netting in eradicating the trout population from a small subalpine lake in the Sierra Ne vada, California. We remo ved the resident trout population and a second trout population acci dentally stocked into the study lake within 18 and 15 gill net sets, respectively. Adult trout were highly vulnerable to gill nets, but younger fish were not readily captured until they reached approximately 110 mm. To determine the utility of gill netting as a fish eradication technique in other Sierra Nevada lakes, we used morphometry data from 330 Sier ra Nevada lakes to determine what proportion had characteristics similar to the study lake (i.e., small, isolated lakes with little s p awning hab i t at). We estimated that gill netting would be a viable eradication method in 15-20% of the high mountain lakes in the Sierra Nevada. We conclude that although gill netting is likely to be more expensi ve and time consuming than rotenone application, it is a viable alternati ve under some conditions and should
Project scheduling using state-based probabilistic decision networks

The paper presents probabilistic CPM scheduling using an add-on program to the STROBOSCOPE simulation system that allows dependence and correlation between activity durations as well as control over precedence and the selection of paths. Activity durations and sequencing can be defined in terms of the dynamic information that becomes available as a project evolves and includes the actual start date and duration of activities already started. An example highway project illustrates the modeling power of this approach.
Prostate Specific Antigen: A review

Despite its identification in the 1970s, prostate specific antigen (PSA) has only recently gained widespread utility. In this review, we will describe significant aspects of the biochemistry of PSA, immunohistochemical applications, the effect of prostatic manipulation on the serum level of this analyte, and other considerations in the determination of the level of PSA. In addition, the effect of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on serum PSA will be described. Finally, the application of PSA in the detection, staging and monitoring of patients with prostatic carcinoma will be discussed.
Optimal consensus algorithm integrated with obstacle avoidance

This article proposes a new consensus algorithm for the networked single-integrator systems in an obstacle-laden environment. A novel optimal control approach is utilised to achieve not only multi-agent consensus but also obstacle avoidance capability with minimised control efforts. Three cost functional components are defined to fulfil the respective tasks. In particular, an innovative nonquadratic obstacle avoidance cost function is constructed from an inverse optimal control perspective. The other two components are designed to ensure consensus and constrain the control effort. The asymptotic stability and optimality are proven. In addition, the distributed and analytical optimal control law only requires local information based on the communication topology to guarantee the proposed behaviours, rather than all agents’ information. The consensus and obstacle avoidance are validated through simulations.
Porous cathode optimization for lithium cells: Ionic and electronic conductivity, capacity, and selection of materials

Narrowing the gap between theoretical and actual capacity in key Li-based battery systems can be achieved through improvements in both electronic and ionic conductivities of materials, via addition of conductive species. Additives do, however, penalize both volumetric and gravimetric properties, and also limit liquid transport and high rate performance. In this work, we developed a technique to design and optimize cathode system based directly on the relationships among ionic and electronic conductivities and specific energy, for a range of commercially viable cathode electrochemistries and additives. Our results quantify trade-offs among ionic and electronic conductivity, and conductivity and specific energy. We also provide quantitative relationships for improved utilization and specific power, with higher specific energy. Finally, we provide quantitative guidance for the design of high energy density Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 cells using conductive additives, and also provide guidelines for the design of cathode systems, based directly on solid and liquid phase transport limitations. Future work will focus on higher rates of performance, and will be based on analyses here.
Simultaneous CODAR and OSCR measurements of ocean surface currents in Monterey Bay

Presently, three Coastal Ocean Dynamics Applications Radars, or CODARs, which are ocean surface current measuring radars, are operated around Monterey Bay, California and provide data hourly to an ONR-funded real time environmental monitoring system operated through UC Santa Cruz known as REINAS. CODARs operate using Bragg scatter of high frequency (HF) radio waves from the sea surface to infer radial surface currents. They use direction finding techniques applied to compact, co-located antennae to determine the bearing angle of the measurements. During 4-8 May 1995, a pair of high frequency radar units called Ocean Surface Current Radars, or OSCRs, were deployed within close proximity of two CODAR systems. Unlike the CODAR units, OSCR units rely on standard beam forming techniques using a long (80 m) phased array to determine bearing angle. The purpose of this demonstration was to highlight the capabilities of the OSCR systems. The presence of the CODAR network also provided a unique opportunity to compare measurements from the two types of HF radars to each other and to the suite of in situ instrumentation available in the Monterey Bay area. This study focuses on comparisons of radials measured from each radar system along the corresponding radar baselines and comparisons of radial measurements from each radar site to the near-surface ADCP measurements.
Point representation for local optimization

In the context of stochastic search, once regions of high performance are found, having the property that small changes in the candidate solution correspond to searching nearby neighborhoods provides the ability to perform effective local optimization. To achieve this, Gray Codes are often employed for encoding ordinal points or discretized real numbers. In this paper, we present a method to label similar and/or close points within arbitrary graphs with small Hamming distances. The resultant point labels can be viewed as an approximate high-dimensional variant of Gray Codes. The labeling procedure is useful for any task in which the solution requires the search algorithm to select a small subset of items out of many. A large number of empirical results using these encodings with a combination of genetic algorithms and hill-climbing are presented.
Elastic string based global path planning using neural networks

We present an efficient potential-field based path planning approach for point or higher dimensional objects which avoids effectively any local extreme problems. The approach represents a path by a series of via points connected by elastic strings which are subject to displacement due to collisions with obstacle regions as well as constraints pertaining to the domain to which path planning is applied. Obstacle regions are represented by a potential field created by a multilayered neural network. A fast simulated annealing approach is used for local minima problems from the potential field. The automatic generation and removal of via points is incorporated in the path planning approach to ensure collision-free planning regardless of the complexity of the environment. Local and global bias on the potential field is used to avoid any existing singularities and local minima. Our path planning approach is flexible, efficient and massively parallel.
Thin-film interactions and their relevance to electronic packaging

Thin-film interactions have been increasingly important to various aspects of electronic technologies, including devices and packaging. Extensive outdiffusion and alloy formation, for example, can be detrimental to the yield and reliability of the parts fabricated. Understanding such interactions, and their dependence on various factors, continues to be a challenge to thin-film scientists. Several aspects related to thin-film interactions are described in this paper: a review of the ambient effects that provides an understanding of the basic reaction mechanisms at the interface; an illustration of concerns upon choosing a diffusion barrier layer, and reaction across such a layer; and the effect of undesired outdiffusion on the solder spread related to joining.
Components of Variance for Milk and Fat Yields in Dairy Goats

Abstract Age-season adjusted records from five breeds of dairy goats on Dairy Herd Improvement test from 1965 to 1976 were used to estimate components of variance for milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage. The data were 6,452 Alpine, 1,730 LaMancha, 6,897 Nubian, 2,759 Saanen, and 4,007 Toggenberg lactation records. Components of variance were estimated by Henderson's Method 1 with a four-way model that included random effects of herd, year-season, sire, and doe. Herd effects accounted for 22 to 31% of the total variation in milk and fat yields and 15 to 25% of the variation in fat percentage. These effects were large enough to indicate that they must be considered in genetic evaluations of milk and fat production. Sire components of variance were 8 to 10% of the total variation in milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage. Does accounted for 16 to 25% of total variation in milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage. Repeatabilities of milk yield, fat yield, and fat percentage varied from .39 to .55 whereas heritabil-ities also within herd-year-season ranged from .48 to .62. Heritabilities larger than repeatabilities indicate that confounding may have inflated sire effects. Phenotypic and genetic correlations between milk and fat yields averaged .94 and .86. Milk yield and fat percentage were correlated negatively both phenotypically and genetically, whereas genetic correlations between fat yield and fat percentage averaged .18.
Mammary Analogue Secretory Carcinoma Mimicking Salivary Adenoma

Mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC) is a recently described salivary gland tumor characterized by ETV6 translocation. It appears that prior studies have identified MASC by reviewing salivary gland carcinomas, such as acinic cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, not otherwise specified. To address the possibility of MASC mimicking benign salivary neoplasms we reviewed 12 salivary gland (cyst)adenomas diagnosed prior to the discovery of MASC. One encapsulated (cyst)adenoma of the parotid gland demonstrated features of MASC. The diagnosis was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization with an ETV6 break-apart probe. An unusual complex pattern of ETV6 rearrangement with duplication of the telomeric/distal ETV6 probe was identified. This case illustrates that MASC may mimic salivary (cyst)adenomas. To more accurately assess true clinical and morphologic spectrum of MASC, future studies may have to include review of salivary (cyst)adenomas. The differential diagnosis of MASC may have to be expanded to include cases resembling salivary (cyst)adenomas.
Observation on toxic effects of quinacrine hydrochloride (in rodents).

Abstract The effect of intrauterine instillation of quinacrine hydrochloride solution in white mice was evaluated at autopsy 7 to 28 days later. The treatment caused proliferation, followed by disintegration and necrosis of the epithelial tissue. Toxicity was observed in several species. The lethal dose (intraperitoneal injection) was 200 mg per kg body weight in mice and less than 80 mg per kg body weight in hamsters, gerbils and Peromyscus sp.
Critical assessment of sequence-based protein-protein interaction prediction methods that do not require homologous protein sequences

Protein-protein interactions underlie many important biological processes. Computational prediction methods can nicely complement experimental approaches for identifying protein-protein interactions. Recently, a unique category of sequence-based prediction methods has been put forward - unique in the sense that it does not require homologous protein sequences. This enables it to be universally applicable to all protein sequences unlike many of previous sequence-based prediction methods. If effective as claimed, these new sequence-based, universally applicable prediction methods would have far-reaching utilities in many areas of biology research. Upon close survey, I realized that many of these new methods were ill-tested. In addition, newer methods were often published without performance comparison with previous ones. Thus, it is not clear how good they are and whether there are significant performance differences among them. In this study, I have implemented and thoroughly tested 4 different methods on large-scale, non-redundant data sets. It reveals several important points. First, significant performance differences are noted among different methods. Second, data sets typically used for training prediction methods appear significantly biased, limiting the general applicability of prediction methods trained with them. Third, there is still ample room for further developments. In addition, my analysis illustrates the importance of complementary performance measures coupled with right-sized data sets for meaningful benchmark tests. The current study reveals the potentials and limits of the new category of sequence-based protein-protein interaction prediction methods, which in turn provides a firm ground for future endeavours in this important area of contemporary bioinformatics.
A discrete dynamics model for synchronization of pulse-coupled oscillators

Biological information processing systems employ a variety of feature types. It has been postulated that oscillator synchronization is the mechanism for binding these features together to realize coherent perception. A discrete dynamic model of a coupled system of oscillators is presented. The network of oscillators converges to a state where subpopulations of cells become phase synchronized. It has potential applications to describing biological perception as well as for the construction of multifeature pattern recognition systems. It is shown that this model can be used to detect the presence of short line segments in the boundary contour of an object. The Hough transform, which is the standard method for detecting curve segments of a specified shape in an image was found not to be effective for this application. Implementation of the discrete dynamics model of oscillator synchronization is much easier than the differential equation models that have appeared in the literature. A systematic numerical investigation of the convergence properties of the model has been performed and it is shown that the discrete dynamics model can scale up to large number of oscillators.
Synthesis and SAR of heteroaryl-phenyl-substituted pyrazole derivatives as highly selective and potent canine COX-2 inhibitors.

Abstract The discovery of heteroaryl-phenyl-substituted pyrazole derivatives as canine selective COX-2 inhibitors is described. Structure–activity relationship (SAR) studies of this class of compounds led to the identification of compound 1 which demonstrated a canine whole blood COX-2 inhibitory IC 50 of 12 nM and selectivity ratio of COX-1/COX-2 greater than 4000-fold.
Unprecedented Ultrahigh Resolution FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry and Parts-Per-Billion Mass Accuracy Enable Direct Characterization of Nickel and Vanadyl Porphyrins in Petroleum from Natural Seeps

The most abundant and problematic metal compounds in crude oil exist as organic complexes of vanadium and nickel in porphyrin structures derived from biological molecules (chlorophyll and heme), the first petroleum biomarkers discovered by Alfred Treibs in the early 1930s.1 Detailed characterization of the type and structure of porphyrins is critical for development of petroleum upgrading processes, but also to link crude oil to source rock conditions. Because petroporphyrins concentrate in heavy oils, direct characterization challenges routine analytical techniques due to the increased complexity associated with heavy crudes. Atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) provides ultrahigh resolving power (m/Δm50% > 1 000 000 at m/z 500) and subppm mass error (<50 ppb) to identify nickel porphyrin isotopes for unambiguous elemental composition assignment. We also report the first simultaneous identification and categorization of both v...
The Life Histories of Banasa dimidiata and Banasa calva (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Banasa dimidiata (Say) and Banasa calva (Say) are closely related, but in general they feed on different host plants and their life histories vary in several respects. The study includes a list of host plants, rearing records, and descriptions of immature stages. The eggs and the five nymphal stages of B. dimidiata are illustrated.
On the anodic side oscillations of low pressure DC gas discharges

The more important results available so far in the literature dealing with the anode oscillations are reviewed and the author’s own investigations of the anode oscillations appearing in low-pressure direct current mercury-argon discharges are described. It is found that direct and alternating current heating of the cathode influence the anode oscillations and curves showing the dependence of the amplitude and frequency of the oscillations on the cathode heating current are given. The influence exercised by an external magnetic field on the anode oscillations is also studied.
Transabdominal and transcervical chorionic villus sampling models to teach maternal-fetal medicine fellows.

Objective Many fellowship programs in maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) lack sufficient exposure and training in chorionic villus sampling (CVS). We describe a novel training model of transabdominal and transcervical CVS. Methods A porcine heart simulated a 12-week human uterus with a cervical canal created at the apex of the heart. A piglet was placed within a water-filled condom, which was placed inside the “uterus.” A second water-filled condom simulated a maternal bladder. Fresh human placenta was placed between the condom and uterine wall. A zipper-sealed freezer bag with ultrasonic gel simulated an abdominal wall. Transabdominal ultrasound was utilized with this model to perform CVS. Results The design involved four MFM specialists and three fellows. Twenty-three faculty MFM specialists and eight MFM fellows endorsed the fidelity of both models. One hundred percent of attendees of a procedural workshop agreed that these models could be used to teach proper technique to fellows and faculty. Conclusion We report a novel training model for transabdominal and transcervical CVS to teach proper technique in a nonclinical setting.
Hypoxanthine dehydrogenase in the developing chick embryonic kidney.

SummaryThe activity of hypoxanthine dehydrogenase was determined in mesonephric and metanephric renal tissue of the chicken embryo and related to the amount of soluble protein in these tissues during successive stages of incubation. The period of most rapid increase of specific activity occurred at days 6 and 7 in the mesonephros and at days 13 to 15 in the metanephros. The highest specific activity was obtained on day 14 in the mesonephric tissue which in the subsequent period of incubation exhibited decreasing hypoxanthine dehydrogenase activity. The metanephric tissue, which becomes the functional kidney of the chicken, attained a plateau of hypoxanthine dehydrogenase activity by the 16th day.
Role of Inflammatory Markers C-reactive Protein,High Sensitivity C-reactive Protein in Diabetes and Its Cardiovascular Complications

C-reactive protein(CRP) is the most common acute phase response proteins in the body.As an inflammatory marker for diabetes has been identified as independent predictors of cardiovascular events,and which is closely related to cardiovascular events and diabetes.High sensitivity C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) is more sensitive than the standard CRP for cardiovascular complications of diabetes and its risk analysis,hs-CRP have been proved to be a strong predictor of cardiovascular events by a number of prospective studies.This article will introduce recent studies on the relationship among CRP,hs-CRP,diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases.
Exploiting transaction level models for observability-aware post-silicon test generation

A major challenge in post-silicon debug is to generate efficient tests that activate requisite coverage goals on the target hardware while also producing results that are observable through a given on-chip design-for-debug (DfD) architecture. Unfortunately, such tests cannot be generated by analysis of RTL models, both because of design complexity and since the implementation can be buggy. In this paper, we propose an approach to address this problem by exploiting transaction-level models (TLM). Our approach involves mapping tests and observability requirements between TLM and RTL, enabling TLM analysis to generate post-silicon tests. We provide two case studies to demonstrate the flexibility and effectiveness of our proposed approach.