cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of sensory information using artificial neural networks and fuzzy logic

Feeding decisions are made by the insect central nervous system based on neural input from chemoreceptors responding to phytochemical stimuli. A computational model is being developed that simulates feeding decisions by a caterpillar choosing among acceptable and unacceptable plants. Inputs to the model are electrophysiological recordings from the gustatory neurons of the caterpillar. The objectives are to determine which components of the sensory data are important in the decision process, and to elucidate the rules by which these decisions are made. The three-stage model employs: (1) artificial neural networks (ANN) for processing and classifying action potentials; (2) an adaptive algorithm for integrating data from multiple sensory organs; and (3) fuzzy logic for determining the likelihood of feeding. This third "decision module" is "trained" to associate chemosensory data with behavioral responses to the same stimulus. When trained with response to a variety of acceptable and unacceptable plants, the model can be challenged with sensory responses to a untested stimulus and asked to predict the feeding decision. These simulated decisions can then be compared with experimentally derived behavioral data to verify the accuracy of the model. Analysis of the structure (e.g., the "synaptic weights") of a successfully trained ANN provides information about which activities and interactions of the chemosensory neurons shape the decision-making process.
Eye position effects on visual, memory, and saccade-related activity in areas LIP and 7a of macaque

We studied the effect of eye position on the light-sensitive, memory, and saccade-related activities of neurons of the lateral intraparietal area and area 7a in the posterior parietal cortex of rhesus monkeys. A majority of the cells showed significant effects of eye position, for each of the 3 types of response. The direction tuning of the light- sensitive, memory and saccade responses did not change with eye position but the magnitude of the response did. Since previous work showed a similar effect for the light-sensitive response of area 7a neurons (Andersen and Mountcastle, 1983; Andersen et al., 1985b), the present results indicate that this modulating effect of eye position may be a general one, as it is found in 3 types of responses in 2 cortical areas. Gain fields were mapped by measuring the effect of eye position on the magnitude of the response at 9 different eye positions for each neuron. The gain fields were usually planar or largely planar for all 3 types of response in both areas, indicating that the magnitude of the response usually varies linearly with both horizontal and vertical eye position. A similar observation was made previously for the gain fields of the light-sensitive response of area 7a neurons (Andersen et al., 1985b). Although gain fields sloped in all directions for the population of cells, the gain field slopes of the light- sensitive, memory and saccade responses for individual cells were usually similar. It is proposed that these eye position effects play an important role in making coordinate transformations for visually guided movement.
229: Effect of Treatment of Vitamin D Deficency/ Insuffiency (VDDI) on Mineral Metabolism in Non-Dialyzed Patients with CKD (ND-CKD)

EFFECT OF TREATMENT OF VITAMIN D DEFICENCY/ INSUFFIENCY (VDDI) ON MINERAL METABOLISM IN NON-DIALYZED PATIENTS WITH CKD (ND-CKD) Sudheer Sankar, Abdul Abdellatif, Zakaria Hamdan, John Gelfond, Fang-Ying Lin and Waje h Qunibi. Dept of Medicine. University of Texas Health Science Center. San Antonio, TX Vitamin D Deficiency/Insufficiency (VDDI) may be associated with hypocalcemia, increased PTH levels, reduced bone mineral density, and increased rates of hip fractures. We previously reported high prevalence of VDDI in ND-CKD. In this study, we report the effects of calcidiol supplementation on mineral metabolism in these patients. We followed K/DOQI treatment guidelines of VDDI in CKD patients. We obtained intact PTH, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels in 70 ND-CKD before and after treatment with ergocalciferol and reviewed their medical records and laboratory data. GFR was estimated by MDRD equation. CKD patients receiving vitamin D preparations other than ergocalciferol or phosphate binders were excluded. Of 225 ND-CKD patients with VDDI, 70 were treated with ergocalciferol. Mean age 57 years, 42% males. Preand posttreatment laboratory values are presented in table. Percentage achieved target vitamin D: 20%; 16%; 10%; and 30% for CKD stages 1&2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Percentage achieved PTH goal: 22%,17% and 11% for CKD stage 3,4 and 5 respectively. N 70 Pre-Rx Post-Rx P-value eGFR ± SD 29.8±16.6 26.6 ±14.9 0.0025 25OH VitD(ng/mL) ± SD 17.9±10.49 21.3 ±9.85 0.0438
Summing over inequivalent maps in the string theory interpretation of two-dimensional QCD.

Following some recent work by Gross, we consider the partition function for QCD on a two-dimensional torus and study its stringiness. We present strong evidence that the free energy corresponds to a sum over branched surfaces with small handles mapped into the target space. The sum is modded out by all diffeomorphisms on the world sheet. This leaves a sum over disconnected classes of maps. We prove that the free energy gives a consistent result for all smooth maps of the torus into the torus which cover the target space [ital p] times, where [ital p] is prime, and conjecture that this is true for all coverings. Each class can also contain integrations over the positions of branch points and small handles which act as moduli'' on the surface. We show that the free energy is consistent for any number of handles and that the first few leading terms are consistent with contributions from maps with branch points.
From Social Structure and Personality to Life Course Sociology: Glen Elder's Legacy at the University of Minnesota

This article pays tribute to Professor Glen Elder whose ideas provided the intellectual foundation for the establishment of the Life Course Center at the University of Minnesota more than twenty years ago. His principles of accentuation, linked lives, and timing have been particularly useful in interpreting research on the impacts of parents on children's vocational socialization and subsequent occupational attainments, the reciprocal interrelation of values and work experiences, and the pervasive consequences of adolescent work experiences. Elder's life course perspective continues to animate the collaborative Youth Development Study, which is examining the multifaceted objective and subjective transition to adulthood.
Coherent excitation of a two-level atom driven by a far-off-resonant classical field: Analytical solutions

Article on coherent excitation of a two-level atom driven by a far off-resonant classical field.
Dilemmas of Social Democracy in the 1980s The Spanish Socialist Workers Party in Comparative Perspective

Southern European social democratic parties came to power in the early 1980s while northern social democrats were suffering from a severe political and ideological crisis. However, soon after taking power it was apparent that the southern parties had not escaped the crisis and that the political and ideological dilemmas were even greater than in the north. This article examines the record of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) while in government (1982-1987) and attempts to explain its surprising political success during a period in which the Socialists abandoned much of the social democratic content of their 1982 electoral program. It argues that the historical legacy of the PSOE, peculiarities of the post-1982 party system, the internal politics of the Socialist party, and the charisma of party leader Felipe Gonzalez, reduced the political costs associated with dramatic political economic and foreign policy reversals. However, after abandoning its social democratic platform, the PSOE now faces a ...
The effect of an electric field on the solidification of off-eutectic tin-lead composite alloys

The influence of an electric field upon the directional solidification of hypoeutectic and hypereutectic Sn-Pb composite alloys was studied. Equations were derived to account for the effect of electrotransport of solute in the liquid upon the solid composite composition. Experimental results support the theoretical predictions. Mixing in the liquid is more strongly influenced by unstable solute gradients than by current induced convection. Electrotransport shows limited promise as a method for control of the volume fraction fibre phase in the preparation of aligned composites by directional solidification.
English walnut fruit growth and development

Abstract Samples of the ‘Ashley’, ‘Hartley’ and ‘Franquette’ cultivars of English walnut ( Juglans regia L.) were collected at weekly intervals from bloom to harvest, and development of the fruit, embryo and surrounding tissue was followed. The first division of the zygote occurred approximately one week after pollination, by which time the endosperm, nucellus and integument had shown considerable growth. The endosperm first formed cell walls at the 8-celled embryo stage and was completely cellular by the time the embryo contained approximately 64 cells. Rapid growth of the cotyledons started as the shell began to harden at Week 7. Measurement of fruit growth indicated that fresh weight gain in ‘Ashley’ and ‘Hartley’ fruits followed a double sigmoid pattern, characterized by a 3-week period of slowed growth that began approximately 7 weeks after bloom. Rate of increase in total length and diameter also slowed greatly at Week 7. Fresh weight gain in ‘Franquette’ appeared to follow a single sigmoid curve, with no prolonged period of slowed growth corresponding to that in the other cultivars. Kernel growth also described a double sigmoid curve, with its initial, rapid phase nearly coincident with the beginning of Stage III of the whole-fruit, fresh-weight curve at Week 10.
Theory of a multimode quasiequilibrium semiconductor laser.

This paper gives a simple plane-wave multimode semiconductor-laser theory valid near threshold under the quasiequilibrium assumption that the total field envelope varies little in the intraband scattering times. Subject to these limitations, the theory is able to describe the full many-body effects in the semiconductor medium for a variety of field configurations including unidirectional, bidirectional, and two-mirror standing-wave lasers with nonuniform gain distributions. The theory predicts that spatial-hole burning can lead to multimode operation and that bidirectional ring-laser operation cannot occur. Generalization to larger field intensities is discussed within the framework of the quasiequilibrium assumption.
Detection of familial adenomatous polyposis with orthogonal polarized spectroscopy of the oral mucosa vasculature.

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the development of multiple colonic polyps at younger age with a near 100% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer. The determination of FAP is made after extensive clinical evaluation and genetic testing of at risk individuals. We investigated a novel spectro-polarimetric imaging system capable of capturing high-resolution images of the oral mucosa at different wavelengths in an attempt to distinguish patients with FAP from controls. Results of a clinical trial show that the system is capable of separating FAP positive individuals from controls by measuring the individuals’ oral vascular density and complexity.
A diffusion Monte Carlo study of the O-H bond dissociation of phenol.

The homolytic O-H bond dissociation energy (BDE) of phenol was determined from diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) calculations using single determinant trial wave functions. DMC gives an O-H BDE of 87.0 +/- 0.3 kcal/mol when restricted Hartree-Fock orbitals are used and a BDE of 87.5 +/- 0.3 kcal/mol with restricted B3LYP Kohn-Sham orbitals. These results are in good agreement with the extrapolated B3P86 results of Costa Cabral and Canuto (88.3 kcal/mol), the recommended experimental value of Borges dos Santos and Martinho Simoes (88.7 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol), and the G3 (88.2 kcal/mol), CBS-APNO (88.2 kcal/mol), CBS-QB3 (87.1 kcal/mol) results of Mulder.
Atomic-scale analysis of martensitic transformation in titanium alloyed with vanadium Part II: molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract The martensitic phase transformation in Ti-base TiV b.c.c. alloys is studied using the Embedded Atom Method (EAM) interatomic potentials to quantify the atomic interactions and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to determine the temporal evolution of atomic positions. The EAM-based total energy calculations showed, and the MD simulation results confirmed, that the actual b.c.c. → h.c.p. transformation (minimum barrier) path involves a simultaneous operation of the {110}〈 1 10〉 shuffling and the {112}〈11 1 〉 shear processes, and that the transformation is initially dominated by the shuffling. The b.c.c. structure is unstable in Ti, that is there is no energy barrier along the b.c.c. → h.c.p. transformation path, and the transformation is complete. The addition of vanadium, however, stabilizes the b.c.c. structure, causing the b.c.c. → h.c.p. transformation to be incomplete in Ti15V and completely absent in Ti25V. The progress of the transformation is significantly effected by the b.c.c. → h.c.p. mismatch stresses which develop during the transformation. The matrix constraints and free surfaces play an important role in the martensitic transformation, affecting the type of the variant and even the crystal structure of the product phase.
Testing perceptual limits of functional units: Are there "automatic" tendencies to associate tools and objects?

Prior work has demonstrated a unique network involving the insula, temporal cortex, and precuneus in evaluating appropriate relationships between tool-object pairings under instruction [20]. However, are there automatic tendencies to evaluate appropriate tool-object pairings? Using electroencephalography (EEG), we emulated our prior work to identify neural mechanisms that, in the absence of task-related consciousness, differentiate functionally matching from mismatching tool-object pairs. This was compared to any activation consistent with this using environmental image pairs. In addition, based on the paradigm we were able to discern any naive processes that distinguish tools from non-tool environmental images. Results show that without task-related consciousness, the left occipitotemporal gyrus is preferentially active for tools compared to environmental images. Tool-object match and mismatch each versus control images show differences relative to a control image over the left temporal cortex, extending into the insula, yet there was no difference between tool-object match and mismatch. This suggests that there is no clear neural mechanism for continual evaluation of tool matching from mismatching, though there is for broad picture classifications. Taken together with our previous results, this creates a discussion for the role of intention when determining such relationships.
Ethane dissociation dynamics on Pt(111)

Abstract Supersonic molecular beam techniques were used to measure the initial dissociative sticking probability, S0, of ethane on clean Pt(111) as a function of its translational energy, vibrational energy in excited states, incident angle with respect to the surface normal and surface temperature. At incident total translational energies greater than 81 kJ/mol, ethane dissociates on Pt(111) via direct collisional activation. Over the range of energies studied the initial dissociative sticking probability on the clean surface increases smoothly with increasing normal translational energy. Neither changes in the vibrational energy of the incident ethane nor the surface temperature affect ethane dissociation on Pt(111) within the limits of experimental error. The initial dissociative sticking probabilities for the direct collisional activation of methane and ethane on Pt(111) are nearly equal over a similar range of translational energies suggesting that the initial step for ethane dissociation involves C|H bond cleavage.
F2C2-STM: Flux-Based Feedback-Driven Concurrency Control for STMs

Software Transactional Memory (STM) systems provide an easy to use programming model for concurrent code and have been found suitable for parallelizing many applications providing performance gains with minimal programmer effort. With increasing core counts on modern processors one would expect increasing benefits. However, we observe that running STM applications on higher core counts is sometimes, in fact, detrimental to performance. This is due to the larger number of conflicts that arise with a larger number of parallel cores. As the number of cores available on processors steadily rise, a larger number of applications are beginning to exhibit these characteristics. In this paper we propose a novel dynamic concurrency control technique which can significantly improve performance (up to 50%) as well as resource utilization (up to 85%) for these applications at higher core counts. Our technique uses ideas borrowed from TCP's network congestion control algorithm and uses self-induced concurrency fluctuations to dynamically monitor and match varying concurrency levels in applications while minimizing global synchronization. Our flux-based feedback-driven concurrency control technique is capable of fully recovering the performance of the best statically chosen concurrency specification (as chosen by an oracle) regardless of the initial specification for several real world applications. Further, our technique can actually improve upon the performance of the oracle chosen specification by more than 10% for certain applications through dynamic adaptation to available parallelism. We demonstrate our approach on the STAMP benchmark suite while reporting significant performance and resource utilization benefits. We also demonstrate significantly better performance when comparing against state of the art concurrency control and scheduling techniques. Further, our technique is programmer friendly as it requires no changes to application code and no offline phases.
Student perspectives of grading in physical education

Recent state and federal legislations on educational accountability push evaluation and grading to the frontline. This study examined students’ perspectives of grading in physical education. The participants included students (N = 39) from two middle schools. Data were collected through observation, student profile grading sheets and interviews. The grading sheet profiled athletic, participative, popular, knowledgeable and well-behaving students, respectively. Participants were asked to grade the profiles and were interviewed immediately thereafter. The profiles’ grades were analyzed descriptively. The interview data and observation notes were analyzed using constant comparison. Students voiced that being athletic or popular should not earn the highest grade in physical education; they favored the participative, knowledgeable and behaving profiles. A profile analysis showed that the latter three profiles earned significantly higher average grades than the athletic and popular ones (p < .05). Overall, stud...
A micro-debugger for Eclipse computers

A micro-debugger for a Data General Eclipse S/200 computer is described. The Eclipse computer is a microprogrammable device with 56 bits/control word. No software for the WCS option is provided by the manufacturer. Since many microprograms contain errors which announce themselves only by causing the system to crash, and since the microprogrammer can access registers which are invisible to AL programmers, it is difficult to locate errors in microprograms. The micro-debugger is a set of ALGOL, Assembly Language and microcode routines which can ease the task of testing microprograms. It is a major modification of the MSU microassembler which allows setting of micro-breakpoints, display of all registers which are available to the microprogrammer, and interactive modification of these registers and core memory locations. It can be used with the standard symbolic debugger supplied by Data General to provide a powerful tool for checking and testing microprograms.
A new 1-D composite lumped model facilitates the algebraic calculation of local temperatures, mean temperatures, and total heat transfer in simple bodies

Estimates of spatio-temporal temperatures and total heat transfer in simple bodies (large plate, long cylinder and sphere) have been done in the past with the help of charts and recently by way of algebraic correlation equations; both avenues are valid for large times mostly, i.e., dimensionless times or Fourier numbers τ ≥ 0.2. The imposing time restriction comes from the utilization of the truncated ‘one-term series’ because the Fourier infinite series diverge for very short times approaching zero. The central goal of this technical paper is to predict the mean, surface and center temperatures, as well as the total heat transfer in those simple bodies by implementing a 1-D composite lumped analysis united to a sound physics-based computational procedure. The effortless combined methodology is new. It brings forth a handful of compact algebraic equations covering the full gamma of Biot numbers (0 < Bi < 100) and all dimensionless times, 0 < τ < ∞.
Oral proficiency and pragmatic marker use in L2 spoken Spanish: The case of pues and bueno

Abstract This paper presents a corpus-based examination of pragmatic marker use in Spanish as a foreign language. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, it examines the frequency and seven functional differences in the use of pues and bueno in the oral examination of 46 participants using the Computer Assisted Screening Tool (CAST) online test. The participants were adult (average age 22) non-native speaking examinees at two levels of language proficiency. The study investigated whether examinees’ proficiency level would influence the pragmatic markers’ rate of occurrence and variety of functions. Frequency measures of pragmatic markers were obtained from examinees rated at two levels of proficiency: ‘full’ or ‘fail’. 1 A discourse analytic approach was then employed to examine the discursive functions of pragmatic markers. The quantitative results showed that proficiency level was significantly related to the overall frequency of use of the focal markers, with the ‘full’ group tending to use them more frequently than the ‘fail’ group. Qualitatively, the study found that higher proficiency speakers used both pragmatic markers for a wider range of functions than their lower proficiency counterparts. The discussion considers the implications for raising learner awareness of pragmatic marker contributions to perceived oral fluency and pragmatic capacity.
Dark Knights Rising: The Aurora Theater and Newtown School Massacres and Shareholder Wealth

Abstract Purpose This study analyzes the stock price impact of the Aurora theater and Newtown (Sandy Hook) school massacres on both domestic (US) and foreign theater operators and US gun manufacturers in an effort to document the economic effects of these tragedies. Methods The well-established “event study” methodology from the fields of economics and finance is employed to assess the impact of the shootings on the affected companies after controlling for risk and overall market movements. Results The Aurora theater shooting resulted in striking declines for Cinemark (the targeted theater) as well as major US competitors, but had no impact on overseas theater chains. Smith & Wesson (maker of the gun used in Aurora) showed no response, whereas Ruger (a competitor) exhibited large gains. Both Smith & Wesson and Ruger plunged after the Newtown shooting, although neither made the weapons used in the shooting. Conclusions Contrary to prior research on workplace homicides, the results show that random mass shootings have profound effects on targeted companies. In addition, the results suggest the presence of a very strong “contagion effect” (where negative events affecting one company impact others in the same industry). The negative responses of both publicly-traded US firearms manufacturers to the Newtown shooting suggests a “sea-change” in the debate over gun ownership in the US.
The influence of injected cyclic AMP protein kinase catalytic subunit on the sodium efflux in barnacle muscle fibres

1. A study has been made of the response of the Na efflux in single barnacle muscle fibres to the injection of cyclic AMP protein kinase catalytic subunit (CSU). 2. (i) Injected CSU stimulates the Na efflux in unpoisoned and ouabain-poisoned fibres. (ii) Stimulation in both situations is always sustained, and (iii) stimulation of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux is observed with as low a concentration as 10-7 M-CSU. 3. (i) The response to injected CSU depends on [Ca]o but is unaffected by prior external application of verapamil. (ii) An effect fails to occur in fibres cooled to 0 °C. 4. (i) Injection of 5′-guanylylimidodiphosphate (Gpp(NH)p) following peak stimulation by CSU causes a further sustained stimulatory response. (ii) Injection of CSU following peak stimulation by Gpp(NH)p causes a further sustained stimulatory response. (iii) Injection of undialysed cholera toxin following CSU causes little or no effect, whereas injection of dialysed cholera toxin causes a stimulatory effect. Injection of CSU following undialysed cholera toxin causes little or no effect, whereas its injection after dialysed cholera toxin causes a fairly appreciable effect. 5. (i) The response to CSU is reduced by prior injection of protein kinase type 2 regulatory subunit (RII) but not when RII is injected following peak response to CSU. (ii) Injection of protein kinase inhibitor partially reverses the response to CSU. 6. (i) Injection of Mg2+ fully reverses the response to CSU. (ii) Fe and Zn cause only partial reversal. 7. (i) External imipramine but not trifluoperazine reduces the response to CSU. (ii) Diphenylhydantoin is ineffective. 8. These results support the view that CSU behaves as a modulator of the ouabain-insensitive Na efflux and that Mg2+, Fe and Zn are inhibitors of the catalytic reaction.
Directed growth of poly(isobenzofuran) films by chemical vapor deposition on patterned self-assembled monolayers as templates.

This paper describes a method to direct the formation of microstructures of poly(isobenzofuran) (PIBF) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on chemically patterned, reactive, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) prepared on gold substrates. We examined the growth dependence of PIBF by deposition onto several different SAMs each presenting different surface functional groups, including a carboxylic acid, a phenol, an alcohol, an amine, and a methyl group. Interferometry, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and optical microscopy were used to characterize the PIBF films grown on the various SAMs. Based on the kinetic and the spectroscopic analyses, we suggest that the growth of PIBF is surface-dependent and may follow a cationic polymerization mechanism. Using the cationic polymerization mechanism of PIBF growth, we also prepared patterned SAMs of 11-mercapto-1-undecanol (MUO) or 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) by microcont...
Training in psychiatric genomics during residency: a new challenge.

Objective The authors ascertained the amount of training in psychiatric genomics that is provided in North American psychiatric residency programs.
Permeation through five commercially available glove materials by two pentachlorophenol formulations.

Five glove materials were tested for permeation by two commonly used formulations of pentachlorophenol (PCP). Permeation was conducted using the method used in two prior studies by NIOSH. The lower limit of PCP quantitation in the receiving side of the permeation cell was 70 parts per billion (ppb). When challenged with a 4.3% PCP in diesel oil solution, both the Dayton Flexible Products Triflex (PVC) and the Best 64 NFW (natural rubber) gloves exhibited breakthrough times thirty seconds after exposure. The Playtex #835 (latex/neoprene) glove exhibited breakthrough after sixty minutes, but showed a five fold greater rate of permeation than the Dayton and the Best glove. Neither the Edmont Sol-Vex (nitrile rubber) nor the Granet Glo-Gluv (PVC) gloves had been permeated after testing for 8 and 16 hours respectively. Following challenge with a 4.2% sodium pentachlorophenate solution, only the Best (natural rubber) glove allowed breakthrough; this only thirty seconds after exposure. Neither the Dayton (5 hour...
The carbon and nitrogen precursors of bacterial purines

Abstract The synthesis of purines in Aerobacter aerogenes was studied by culturing the organism in a dextrose-ammonium sulfate medium with added isotopically labeled compounds. Glycine is incorporated into the 4, 5, and 7 positions of adenine and guanine of bacterial nucleic acids. Carbon dioxide is incorporated into position 6 of these purine bases, and into positions 2 plus 8 through reduction to formate. Acetate does not play a role in bacterial purine synthesis. Nitrogen atoms in positions 1,3, and 9 arise from the nitrogen of ammonium sulfate either directly or through some donor system. The synthesis of adenine and guanine by the same mechanisms present in animal tissue is indicated.
Large-Signal High-Frequency Electronics of Thermionic Vacuum Tubes

Electronics equations which can be used to analyze the type of signals involved in class C amplifiers and oscillators are completely worked out. There are four possible modes of operation in a space-charge-limited diode, when a pulsive voltage is applied to it. The mode of operation for a fixed wave form of the signal depends upon one normalization constant which is in direct proportion to the magnitude of the voltage and in inverse proportion to the square of the product of the dimension of the tube and the frequency. The method for calculating the performance of the conventional power tube at high frequencies is given and the ultimate limit of the tube is indicated.
Accurate null polarimetry for measuring the refractive index of transparent materials

Simple null polarimetry is introduced to measure the refractive index n of transparent and semitransparent materials. For a linearly polarized incident light, the reflected polarization can be used to determine n with the Fresnel equations. This method is fast, convenient, and versatile enough to provide accurate results on small laboratory samples. Possible errors in experiments are analyzed, and ways to eliminate these errors are given. With our instrument, the uncertainty in the deduced n is ±0.0004. The accuracy is still within 0.1% for materials with high n and with the extinction coefficient of the order of 0.001. The method is also sufficiently accurate for characterizing the homogeneity of transparent materials.
Multiple Inhibitory Actions of Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Agonist on Luteinizing Hormone/Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Receptor-Mediated Ovarian Responses*

The administration to female rats of the LHRH agonist, [des-GlyNH210]LHRH ethylamide, as either a single dose or repeated injections resulted in a decrease in the binding of 125I-labeled hCG to ovarian plasma membranes. An ovarian cell suspension prepared from the agonist-injected group of rats also responded to hCG with a decreased ability to accumulate cAMP and progesterone compared with the saline-treated controls. The receptor loss was due to a decreased number of hormone-binding sites rather than to a change in the affinity of the receptor for the hormone. Preincubation of ovarian cells with the agonistic analog in vitro also caused an inhibition of progesterone synthesis in response to hCG, cholera toxin, and 8-Bromo-cAMP, suggesting a direct inhibitory effect of the analog on ovarian steroidogenesis. Prior exposure to the agonistic analog, however, had no effect on cAMP accumulation by the ovarian cells in response to either hCG or cholera enterotoxin, further suggesting that the site of inhibitory...
Dielectric studies of poly(vinyl chloride)

Measurements of the dielectric constant and loss factor of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been made over a wide range of temperature and frequency. Maxima in dielectric loss were observed at a temperature corresponding to the α or glass transition temperature and secondary β transition temperature. The sensitivity of these maxima to both frequency and thermal pretreatment was investigated. It was found that the position of the β peak on the temperature axis changed markedly with frequency, while the glass transition or α peak showed only small variations. Neither the α nor the β peak were very sensitive to thermal pretreatment, but interesting changes in the minimum between these peaks were observed. In quenched samples a distinct shoulder peak at Tβ < Ts < Tα was observed; it was possible to eliminate it by a slow cooling of the samples. The effect of plasticizer content was also studied.
Towards universal structure-based prediction of class II MHC epitopes for diverse allotypes.

The binding of peptide fragments of antigens to class II MHC proteins is a crucial step in initiating a helper T cell immune response. The discovery of these peptide epitopes is important for understanding the normal immune response and its misregulation in autoimmunity and allergies and also for vaccine design. In spite of their biomedical importance, the high diversity of class II MHC proteins combined with the large number of possible peptide sequences make comprehensive experimental determination of epitopes for all MHC allotypes infeasible. Computational methods can address this need by predicting epitopes for a particular MHC allotype. We present a structure-based method for predicting class II epitopes that combines molecular mechanics docking of a fully flexible peptide into the MHC binding cleft followed by binding affinity prediction using a machine learning classifier trained on interaction energy components calculated from the docking solution. Although the primary advantage of structure-based prediction methods over the commonly employed sequence-based methods is their applicability to essentially any MHC allotype, this has not yet been convincingly demonstrated. In order to test the transferability of the prediction method to different MHC proteins, we trained the scoring method on binding data for DRB1*0101 and used it to make predictions for multiple MHC allotypes with distinct peptide binding specificities including representatives from the other human class II MHC loci, HLA-DP and HLA-DQ, as well as for two murine allotypes. The results showed that the prediction method was able to achieve significant discrimination between epitope and non-epitope peptides for all MHC allotypes examined, based on AUC values in the range 0.632–0.821. We also discuss how accounting for peptide binding in multiple registers to class II MHC largely explains the systematically worse performance of prediction methods for class II MHC compared with those for class I MHC based on quantitative prediction performance estimates for peptide binding to class II MHC in a fixed register.
Effects of treatment in hypertension results of a controlled study

Abstract Morbidity, mortality, and target organ function have been followed in a double-blind study of a predominantly Negro clinic population with mild to moderately severe hypertension over a 2-year period. Patients were placed randomly on either hypotensive drug therapy (reserpine, thiazide, guanethedine) or matched placebos. There were 6 treatment failures among 45 patients in the treatment group and 19 failures among 42 patients in the placebo group. All but one of the failures in the placebo group improved or cleared upon early institution of appropriate hypertensive and supportive therapy. Abnormalities in carbohydrate metabolism and serum uric acid levels were found in patients receiving long-term thiazide therapy. Hypertensive disease in the Negro population of Baltimore is a serious, life-threatening condition. Our study provides evidence of the need for continuous close supervision, and the provision of organized teams devoted to the care, of such a population.
Down-regulation of tumor necrosis factor expression by pentoxifylline in cancer patients: a pilot study.

The wasting syndrome (cachexia) characterized by anorexia, malaise, and weight loss is observed in many patients with cancer or chronic infection. The excessive levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)/cachectin reported in 50% of cancer patients exhibiting clinically active disease may therefore mediate, at least in part, the cachexia associated with malignancy. Pentoxifylline, a substituted methylxanthine approved for treatment of intermittent claudication, has been shown in preclinical studies to down-regulate TNF RNA expression as well as TNF activity. We report that pentoxifylline suppressed TNF RNA levels on all three occasions in patients with initially elevated levels of TNF RNA. Pentoxifylline did not suppress TNF RNA to subnormal levels in all five patients with initially normal TNF RNA levels. Four patients reported an increased sense of well-being, improved appetite and ability to perform the activities of daily living. Two of these five patients with normal TNF levels each had a weight gain of more than 5% after 3 weeks of pentoxifylline therapy suggesting that, although TNF may be important in the pathogenesis of cancer cachexia, other anorexia-producing cytokines that are potentially affected by pentoxifylline may also be involved. No severe adverse effects were observed. Taken together these findings suggest that pentoxifylline can down-regulate TNF expression and improve the sense of well-being in cancer patients. A larger study with a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled design and more sophisticated estimates of quality of life will be needed to confirm these observations.
Lean Six Sigma for Supply Chain Management as Applied to the Army Rapid Fielding Initiative

The Army's rapid fielding initiative (RFI) is the process by which new equipment is distributed to soldiers either at home station or in a theater of operations. Currently, equipment is shipped from over 50 suppliers around the United States to a single central warehouse on the east coast where it is packaged into sets. The sets are then shipped to the end user stationed at one of over 40 locations around the world. It is a process that costs the Army time, money and a great deal of effort to execute. By applying a combination of lean six sigma and the systems decision process, decision makers can make informed decisions and select the most efficient and economical alternatives that improve the RFI process and provide the greatest value to the stakeholder.
Relationship between Clouds and Sea Surface Temperatures in the Western Tropical Pacific.

Analysis of four years of earth radiation budget, cloud, and sea surface temperature data confirms that cloud parameters change dramatically when and where sea surface temperatures increase above approximately 300K. These results are based upon monthly mean values within 2.5 deg x 2.5 deg grid points over the 'warm pool' region of the western tropical Pacific. The question of whether sea surface temperatures are influenced, in turn, by the radiative effects of these clouds (Ramanathan and Collins) is less clear. Such a feedback, if it exists, is weak. The reason why clouds might have so little influence, despite large changes in their longwave and shortwave radiative effects, might be that the sea surface responds to both the longwave heating and the shortwave cooling effects of clouds, and the two effects nearly cancel. There are strong correlations between the rate of change of sea surface temperature and any of the radiation budget parameters that are highly correlated with the incident solar flux-implying that season and latitude are the critical factors determining sea surface temperatures. With the seasonal or both seasonal and latitudinal variations removed, the rate of change of sea surface temperature shows no correlation with cloud-related parameters in the western tropical Pacific.
Compound Poisson processes, as modified by Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes

Abstract Assume that {C(t), 0 ⩽ t < ∞} is a compound Poisson stochastic process, which models a collective risk situation. Let {I(t), 0 ⩽ t < ∞} be a stochastic process describing the investment performance deviations (from the expected) over time. It is assumed that the I(t) process is an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (O.U.) process. Such a process is Gaussian (normal) and Markovian. Its conditional mean function reflects the stabilizing effects needed in a model for an economic process in which excessive movements are rare. Let (t), 0 ⩽ t < ∞ and {L(t), 0 ⩽ t < ∞} be random processes representing the deviations from the operating and lapse expense assumptions. It is assumed that they are O.U. processes, and that the four processes are independent of each other. A risk process (t), 0 ⩽ t < ∞ is formed by a linear combination of the four processes. For the risk process, probabilities of ruin are discussed. A detailed example is provided. References to the recent papers by Harald Bohman, and Olof Thorin are given.
Ethnography of an auto body repair class: Some implications for cultural transmission

Abstract This paper is a study of an ethnography of an auto body repair class in a postsecondary technical school. The class provides the students with the auto body repair skills. The students also learn employer/worker relationships and worker/worker relationships. The students learn their skills by doing them. They learn the role of a worker by being in a situation which simulates an auto body shop situation.
Poster: A virtual sensing framework for mobile phones

This work presents a virtual sensing framework by exploiting operating system events for energy efficient context inference. Specifically, we present a novel set of features that can be extracted from virtual sensors and used to infer the logical status of mobile users, such as isWorking, isSocial, and isStressful. The preliminary results indicate promising inference performance and suggest a wide range of applications of the proposed framework.
Papillary cancer nodal surgery and the advisability of prophylactic central neck dissection: primum, non nocere.

NODAL DISEASE is a centrally important issue for surgeons managing patients with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (PTC). Cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis may be found in the majority of patients with PTC; the incidence rate varies widely depending on the mode of detection and the definition of node positivity. American Thyroid Association 2009 guidelines note ‘‘completeness of surgical resection is an important determinant of outcome. residual metastatic lymph nodes (LN) represent the most common site of disease persistence/recurrence. and adequate surgery is the most important variable influencing prognosis.’’ Hughes et al, in this issue of Surgery, have provided a retrospective, nonrandomized study of 143 patients with PTC greater than 1 cm, treated surgically over a 7-year period. All patients at the time of presentation lacked clinical evidence of nodal disease (ie, N0 status based on negative physical exam, negative preoperative neck ultrasound, and no lymphadenopathy evident at surgery). The decision to offer prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND) was not made prospectively but was determined by surgeon and patient preference and when applied involved bilateral paratracheal dissection. The 2 retrospective groups (one with and one without pCND during total thyroidectomy) were comparable in terms of tumor size, MACIS score, rates of multifocality, and vascular invasion, though the pCND group had a higher rate of extrathyroidal invasion. Hughes et al found no impact on
Temperature Dependence of Electron-Bombardment-Induced Conductivity in MgO. II

Previous measurements of the temperature dependence of the electrical conductivity induced in single crystals of MgO by bombardment with 1.3-Mev electrons over the temperature range 290\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K-600\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K have been extended to 100\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Two crystals from different sources were investigated.The bombardment-induced current, ${I}_{c}$, varies linearly with primary current, ${I}_{p}$, at 298\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K and at 105\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. However, in certain cases measurements of ${I}_{c}$ vs applied voltage, ${V}_{c}$, reveal a deviation from Ohmic behavior which is enhanced at low temperature.The bombardment-induced conductivity exhibits a maximum near 250\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. Both crystals display a temperature dependence at low temperatures which is consistent with the power-law relationship $\frac{{I}_{c}}{{I}_{p}}=k{T}^{m}$, where $m=3.3 \mathrm{and} 3.8$, respectively.A rising non-Ohmic ${I}_{c}$ vs ${V}_{c}$ characteristic appears to be dependent upon the magnitude of the applied field, the onset occurring at 3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{4}$ v/cm. Collision ionization and warm carrier phenomena, rather than surface effects, probably account for the observed results.It is impossible to ascribe the temperature dependence of the bombardment-induced conductivity solely to the temperature variation of the carrier mobility. The results can be explained in terms of change with temperature of both the lifetime and mobility of the charge carriers. A combination of optical mode (polaron), acoustical mode, and ionized impurity scattering is assumed, in addition to a temperature-dependent capture cross section for the carrier. The theoretical curve fits the experimental data satisfactorily, and gives reasonable values for the parameters.
Schedule-induced hours-of-service and speed limit violations among tractor-trailer drivers

Driver fatigue is well recognized as an important causational factor in accidents involving long-distance truck drivers. Drivers may drive while fatigued for a variety of reasons. Important among these is the assignment of difficult or unreasonable delivery schedules. Using self-reported data, the frequency of violation-inducing schedules is estimated during their ongoing movement for a sample of 498 long-distance drivers. Assuming average legal speed limits of 55 MPH, 26% of the drivers were found to have violation-inducing schedules. Solo drivers, drivers hauling refrigerated loads, regular route drivers, and those with longer current trip distances are the most likely to have such schedules. Also estimated were total weekly work hours. Assuming average attained travelling speeds of 50 MPH, the average driver drives 46 hours per week and works a total of 58 hours.