cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Choosing nonuniform tap spacings for a tapped-delay-line filter

The family of frequency responses that can be generated by adjusting the weights on a tapped-delay-line filter with nonuniformly spaced taps is just the span of a basis set whose elements are arbitrary (as long as linear independence is preserved) frequency shifts of the characterizing function of the set of delays. The characterizing function is just the frequency response that results when uniform weights are applied at those delays. If the delays are chosen to provide a unimodal characterizing function with low sidelobes (probability theory provides one approach), then it tends to be easy to approximate a desired frequency response from linear combinations of various frequency shifts of the characterizing function. If the characterizing function is severely multimodal, it is relatively difficult to get the linear combination of the characterizing-function shifts to approximate a desired response. Though this intuition about what is possible comes from visualizing the manual construction of the desired response, the conclusions reached generally also predict the degree of success that will be obtained from an optimal design of the filter weights. Further and most importantly, the characterizing-function idea offers guidance in the choice of the delays themselves.
Characterization of hyperspectral imaging and analysis via microarray printing of dyes

The application of hyperspectral imaging requires rigorous characterization of the spatial and spectral imaging domains of the system. We present a microarray printing methodology for the testing of absorption or reflectance microscopy measurements. This controlled system can serve as a platform for inter-system calibration and provides a common framework for the development of post-processing algorithms. Calibration of the illumination at the objective plane using a transfer standard spectroradiometer allows comparison of light levels regardless of the illumination used, different apertures, and different microscopes. The method uses standard commercial optomechanical components. Printed dyes enable multiplexed testing of the spectral capability of a hyperspectral instrument. The spectral signatures of individual or blended dyes can be analyzed and applied to the testing of spectral image processing tools. Customized programming of the microarrayer allows for arbitrary patterning of dye samples onto the substrate, allowing for the testing of image processing algorithms involving the spatial distribution of spectral features.
Urban middle school parent perspectives: the vaccines they are willing to have their children receive using school-based immunization programs.

Abstract Purpose With new vaccination recommendations for adolescents, school-based immunization programs become a valuable alternative site for immunization. This study seeks to determine factors associated with parental willingness to utilize school-based programs for immunizations. Methods A questionnaire was distributed to the parents of 11–14-year-olds attending 7 middle schools in a large, urban public school district. Participants were asked multiple questions including medical home enrollment, primary language spoken at home, site of last immunization, and comfort with their child receiving specific vaccines during school hours. Frequencies, chi-square analyses, and logistic regression analyses were performed using SPSS 17.0. Results A total of 615 parent questionnaires were included in the analyses; 81% of parents were Hispanic, 16% black, 39% spoke primarily English at home, and 77% indicated that they had a medical home for their child. Regarding specific vaccines, the largest percentage of parents were willing to have their child receive influenza vaccine (57%) and the smallest percentage were willing to have the human papillomavirus vaccine (27%) at school during school hours. Parents who had used a school-based clinic for their child's last immunization were more willing to receive each vaccine at school. Conclusions This study indicates that there is significant interest and willingness among predominantly lower income, Hispanic middle school parents to have their children receive specific vaccines during school hours through school-based immunization programs. More study is needed among a more diverse population of parents to help target the various needs of parents and adolescents and ultimately increase adolescent immunization rates.
The PsyScope experiment-building system

PsyScope is a system for building behavioral experiments on the Apple Macintosh computer using a graphic user interface that requires no computer programming. The program supports a wide variety of experimental designs, multimedia formats, and stimulus control. A freeware version is available at the author's web site.
Physical properties of low molecular weight triglycerides for the development of bio-diesel fuel models

To aid the improvement of fuel properties of oils, basic physical and combustion-related properties of low molecular weight triglycerides are described. These properties include density, viscosity, heat capacity, surface tension and vapor pressure. Fuel injection atomization factors were determined for these triglycerides. Properties of tributyrin (C4:0), tricaproin (C6:0), tricaprylin (C8:0) and tricaprin (C10:0) indicate that these triglycerides are potential components in future diesel fuels derived from plant oils.
Immunoprophylaxis and immunotherapy of respiratory syncytial virus infection in the cotton rat.

Abstract Human convalescent antiserum to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) administered intraperitoneally to cotton rats prior to RSV challenge provided near-complete protection from pulmonary infection. Antiserum given subsequent to viral challenge reduced pulmonary viral titers 100-fold or greater within 24 h. Sandoglobulin, a preparation of purified human IgG with high titer of anti-RSV neutralizing activity, produced the same effects as convalescent antiserum. Sandoglobulin was absorbed rapidly and produced a significant therapeutic reduction in virus titer within 3 h. The level of virus reduction in pulmonary and nasal tissues was directly proportional to the neutralizing antibody titer in the cotton rat serum, and was always greater in the lungs than the nose. Animals treated therapeutically with Sandoglobulin had a depressed primary antibody response to infection, but were completely resistant to reinfection with RSV. Histologie examination of pulmonary tissues from Sandoglobulin-treated animals showed no pathologic changes.
Some nonstandard methods in combinatorial number theory

A combinatorial result about internal subsets of *N is proved using the Lebesgue Density Theorem. This result is then used to prove a standard theorem about difference sets of natural numbers which provides a partial answer to a question posed by Erdos and Graham.
Microstructural engineering of solders

The reliability of solders, especially under service conditions, is strongly influenced by their behavior under creep, thermomechanical fatigue, creep-fatigue interactions and the effects of aging on these properties. Stabilization of the solder microstructure during service will also significantly help in reliability prediction modeling. Among the various methods used to improve reliability and microstructure stabilization, one that holds significant promise, is the incorporation of compatible reinforcements by in-situ methods. The composite solder produced by utilizing this strategy exhibits improved properties that are likely to enhance service performance.
A human breast stromal sarcoma cell line with features of malignant cystosarcoma phyllodes

A cell line was established from a portion of a 25-cm stromal sarcoma of the left breast of a 65-year-old woman. The clinical course was rapid with tumor recurrence on the chest wall less than 1 month after mastectomy. Other cutaneous and abdominal metastases occurred shortly thereafter, and death followed within 3 months despite chemotherapy. The cultured cells, designated RW-972, produced large amounts of acid mucopolysaccharides (hyaluronic acid) and mimicked the aggressive growth characteristics seen in the patient. After injection into nude mice, the tumor grew rapidly and occasionally produced metastases. This unique cell line, RW-972, presumably derived from the stromal component of a human malignant cystosarcoma phyllodes, might be useful in studies of experimental therapy of this rare tumor type and of lobular stromal cells of breast. It may also be used to investigate hyaluronic acid production by tumor cells.
Secure Data Collection Scheme in Wireless Sensor Network with Mobile Sink

Wireless sensor networks that use a mobile sink to collect sensor data along a predetermined path raise a new security challenge: without verifying the source of the data request message, the network will become vulnerable to attacks. We propose an efficient security scheme, which divides the sinkpsilas data collection path into grids, sensors in each grid, uses secret keying in-formation and collision-resistant hash functions to authenticate the source of beacons. Through probabilistic analysis and definitive simulation, the proposed scheme shows with 60% of the grids under wormhole attacks, the probability that a node reply to a malicious beacon is 0.1.
Fever induced in marine arthropods by prostaglandin E1.

Abstract Injections of prostaglandin E1 into the haemocoel of the marine arthropods Limulus polyphemus , Homarus americanus and Penaeus duorarum induced a behaviorally mediated fever (increase in preferred temperature, resulting in increased body temperature). The finding that PGE1 is pyorgenic to arthropods as well as to mammals suggests that arthropods can be used as simple experimental models for further investigations of the neuropharmacological role of prostaglandins in fever.
Cost-reducing horizontal mergers that leave prices unchanged in models of spatial competition

Abstract Horizontal mergers between two (or more) adjacent firms may leave prices unchanged. In the simplest cases, this happens if each of two merging firms has a marginal cost decrease equal to 1/( n −1) times the pre-merger price markup, if each store has n nearest neighbors.
High IQ children at midlife: An investigation into the generalizability of Terman's genetic studies of genius

Hunter College Elementary School has been a laboratory school for intellectually gifted children since 1941. One hundred fifty‐six men and women from the first 12 graduating classes completed a slightly modified version of Terman and Oden's midlife questionnaire. This study compares the responses by Terman subjects and the Hunter subjects to items describing occupational, marital, health, and political status, as well as what they find satisfying and important. The authors acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Brondi Borer, the Parents Association of Hunter College Elementary School, Paula Diamond, Donna Shalala, the Schuster Foundation, the University Computing Center and the Inter‐University Consortium for Political and Social Research.
Organizing for computer science education

With the exception of Dr. Finerman, the participants will be recognized as the moderators of the 3 previous sessions, where "what" was discussed. Now "how" is the topic, prefaced by some remarks of Prof. Schweppe on goals of computer science education.
Quantification of Modulated Spray Dynamics by Time-Resolved DPIV

This effort presents the application of an experimental high frequency and time-resolved global optical flow diagnostics for the characterization of pulsed spray flows. Such flows are encountered during active control of thermoacoustic instabilities, where high-bandwidth fuel modulation is often utilized to disrupt the combustor acoustic and unsteady heat release coupling. The understanding of spray dynamics is thus of paramount importance for these active control methodologies in order to achieve optimum control authority. A novel time-resolved Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (TRDPIV) implementation is employed for the dynamic investigation of the modulated spray. The method can measure both the droplet velocities as well as the droplet size distribution, from the same recorded images. The method provides planar image based droplet sizing using Mie scattering from DPIV measurements, with >5KHz sampling rate. Thus, eliminating complicated experimental approaches based on interferometer or fluorescence-Mie ratio. This paper presents the results of drop size characterization. Data processing is performed using different particle size evaluation schemes. The results are compared with measurements acquired from Phase Doppler Anemometry (PDA), conducted under same the experimental conditions. Experiments are conducted in non-reacting quiescent conditions, using an industrial simplex nozzle. The proportional spray modulation is obtained using a throttle valve-piezoelectric stack actuation system. The measurements for the current DPIV work are obtained under different pulsing amplitudes and frequencies. The results indicate that time-resolved DPIV can be a valuable tool in investigating dynamic response of modulated sprays.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Synthesis of Monomer and Polymer‐Bound Photosensitizers

A series of electron‐transfer photosensitizers covalently bound to cationically polymerizable epoxy groups through siloxane spacer moieties were prepared. Novel synthetic methodology was employed for the preparation of these compounds that involves conducting a regioselective hydrosilation reaction at one end of a α, ω‐difunctional Si–H terminated siloxane to introduce an epoxide group. Thereafter, the resulting adduct is further reacted with an electron‐transfer photosensitizer, such as N‐vinyl carbazole or N‐allyl carbazole (ACZ) or 9‐vinyl anthracene, to produce the monomer‐bound photosensitizer. Using this method, three monomer‐bound photosensitizers were prepared. Ring‐opening photopolymerizations of the monomer‐bound photosensitizers were carried out to generate polymer‐bound photosensitizers. The reactivities of both the monomer‐ and polymer‐bound photosensitizers were investigated in various ring‐opening cationic photopolymerizations using Fourier transform real‐time infrared (FT‐RTIR) spectroscop...
Solution of a set of nonlinear algebraic equations for general-purpose CAD programs

A method is described for solving sets of nonlinear algebraic equations that arise in computer-aided circuit (CAD) programs in the steady-state mode of analysis. The method discriminates among different circuit elements in their contribution to the circuit equations. A logarithmic mapping is used on a subset of the correction vector involved in updating nonlinear current and voltage elements and their partial derivative contribution to the circuit equations. The values of nonlinear resistors, conductors, inductors, and capacitors are updated at every iterative step and then treated as though they were linear elements. However, in the steady-state mode, the values of capacitors and inductors are transformed into conductors and resistors, respectively. The values of these elements are made functions of the Newton iteration. The functional relation depends on the convergence behavior of the solution vector.
Shear viscosity of a superfluid Fermi gas in the unitarity limit

We compute the shear viscosity of a superfluid atomic Fermi gas in the unitarity limit. The unitarity limit is characterized by a divergent scattering length between the atoms, and it has been argued that this will result in a very small viscosity. We show that in the low temperature $T$ limit the shear viscosity scales as ${\ensuremath{\xi}}^{5}∕{T}^{5}$, where the universal parameter $\ensuremath{\xi}$ relates the chemical potential and the Fermi energy, $\ensuremath{\mu}=\ensuremath{\xi}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}_{F}$. Combined with the high temperature expansions of the viscosity our results suggest that the viscosity has a minimum near the critical temperature ${T}_{c}$. A na\"{\i}ve extrapolation indicates that the minimum value of the ratio of viscosity over entropy density is within a factor of $\ensuremath{\sim}5$ of the proposed bound $\ensuremath{\eta}∕s\ensuremath{\ge}\ensuremath{\hbar}∕(4\ensuremath{\pi}{k}_{B})$.
Microbiology and Geochemistry of Smith Creek and Grass Valley Hot Springs: Emerging Evidence for Wide Distribution of Novel Thermophilic Lineages in the US Great Basin

INTRODUCTION The endorheic Great Basin (GB) region in the western US is host to a variety of non-acidic geothermal spring systems. Heating of the majority of these systems is due to their association with range-front faults, in contrast to caldera-associated hot springs in systems such as Yellowstone National Park and Kamchatka (Faulds et al., 2006). Previous characterization of two geothermal systems in the GB, Great Boiling/Mud Hot springs (Costa et al., 2009) and Little Hot Creek (Vick et al., 2010), indicated that they host several novel deep lineages of potentially abundant Bacteria and Archaea. To expand the knowledge base of the microbiology and geochemistry of GB hot springs and facilitate their comparison to other terrestrial geothermal systems worldwide, we present here the characterization of Smith Creek (SC1) and Grass Valley (GVS1) hot springs in central Nevada, US.
Interstitial deletion of 4p15.32p16.3 in a boy with minor anomalies, hearing loss, borderline intelligence, and oligodontia.

We describe an 11-year-old boy of Saudi origin with an interstitial deletion in the short arm of chromosome 4 (p15.32p16.3) as determined by G-banding and fluorescent in situ hybridization. His clinical manifestations were similar but not identical to previously reported cases of interstitial deletion in the same chromosomal region, and were not those associated with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. The boy had normal facial characteristics, short stature, minor anomalies of hands and feet, amblyopia of the right eye, bilateral hearing loss, and hypotonia. On developmental testing, he had borderline intelligence, with a severe sensory integration and motor planning disorder, and severe deficits in the communication domain. In addition, he had severe oligodontia affecting his secondary dentition. This finding supports the presence of one or more genes involved in dentition in this chromosomal region.
5,6-Dihydroxytryptamine: suppression of the anorexigenic action of fenfluramine.

Abstract The anorexigenic effect of fenfluramine in rats was inhibited by a preceding intraventricular (i. vent.) injection of 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine (5,6-DHT). 5,6-DHT also attenuated the suppressant action of fenfluramine on motor activity. Brains removed from rats after administration of both 5,6-DHT and fenfluramine showed a 35% reduction in serotonin and a 10% decrease in norepinephrine and dopamine compared with brains from rats receiving ascorbate (i.vent.) plus fenfluramine. Pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine had no effect on the reduction in food intake elicited by fenfluramine. These findings suggest that, in addition to serotonin, other indoleamines may be involved in the pharmacological actions of fenfluramine.
Potentiating Effect of Acetylcholine on Stimulation by Isoproterenol of L‐Type Ca2+ Current and Arrhythmogenic Triggered Activity in Guinea Pig Ventricular Myocytes

ACh Facilitation of Triggered Activity. Introduction: The objective of this study was to determine whether the effect of isoproterenol (Iso) to increase L-type Ca2+ current [Ica(L)] and action potential duration (APD) was potentiated in ventricular myocytes following termination of an exposure of these cells to acetylcholine (ACh), and whether this potentiating effect of Ach could he arrhythmogenic. Methods and Results: Transmembrane currents and potentials of guinea pig Isolated ventricular myocytes were measured using the whole cell, patch clamp technique. Stimulation of Ica(L) and prolongation of APD caused by Iso (10 nmol/L) were attenuated in the presence of Ach (10 μ mol/L), but were transiently enhanced by 111%± 20% and 214%± 44%, respectively, following termination of a 2- to 4-minute exposure of myocytes to ACh. No changes were observed in the absence of Iso. Both the amplitude and incidence of isoinduced transient inward current, afterdepolarizations, and sustained triggered activity were greater immediately after termination of exposure to ACh than before application of ACh. Conclusion: Stimulation by Iso of Ica(L) is transiently enhanced in guinea pig ventricular myocytes following termination of exposure of these cells to ACh. The rebound increase of Iso-stimulated Ica(L) is associated with an increase of APD and induction of arrhythmogenic triggered activity.
Contributions that epidemiological studies can make to the search for a mechanistic basis for the health effects of ultrafine and larger particles

Epidemiology is a rather blunt tool for elucidating biological mechanisms that can account for the increased mortality and morbidity associated with population exposures to ambient air particulate matter (PM). However, it has an essential role to play. Recent studies indicate that three readily measurable ambient air PM concentration indices can be significantly associated with one or more elevations of rates of specific disease or dysfunction categories. These three indices, i.e. ultrafine particle number, fine particle mass (PM 2.5 ) and thoracic coarse mass (PM 10–2.5 ) differ not only in size range, but also in terms of their sources, deposition patterns, and chemical reactivities, factors that may account for their different associations with human health effects. Further epidemiological studies employing a wider array of air quality and health effects variables should enable us to resolve some of the outstanding questions related to causal relationships for PM components or, at the minimum, to pose some better questions.
The lateral growth strain accompanying the formation of a thermally grown oxide

Abstract The high-temperature oxidation of alloys produces an oxide that grows laterally as well as thickening with time. Constrained by the underlying alloy being oxidized, the lateral strain produces a compressive stress in the growing oxide. The lateral growth strain is modeled using a dislocation climb process in which “unlucky” counter-diffusing cations and anions are trapped at cores of dislocations. The model predicts that at a fixed oxidation temperature the lateral growth strain rate increases linearly with the oxide thickening rate in accord with observations.
Lumbosacral plexus neuritis

We studied four patients with neurologic disorders of the lumbosacral plexus. Except for location of symptoms, the disorder confirmed to criteria established for the clinical diagnosis of brachial plexus neuritis. Acute onset of pain in one or both legs was followed by weakness, loss of stretch reflexes, and sometimes atrophy of affected muscles. The disorder affected in individual nerves or parts of the plexus. Gradual recovery occurred in all four patients.
Deep resequencing of Trichinella spiralis reveals previously un-described single nucleotide polymorphisms and intra-isolate variation within the mitochondrial genome

The phylogeny and historical dispersal of Trichinella spp. have been studied, in part, by sequencing portions of the mitochondrial genome. Such studies rely on two untested beliefs: that variation in a portion is representative of the entire mitochondrial genome, and that each isolate is characterized by only one mitochondrial haplotype. We have used next generation DNA sequencing technology to obtain the complete mitochondrial genome sequence from a second isolate of T. spiralis. By aligning it to the only previously sequenced genome, we sought to establish whether the exceptionally deep sequencing coverage provided by such an approach could detect regions of the genome which had been misassembled, or nucleotide positions which may vary within an isolate. The new data broadly confirm the gene order and sequence assembly for protein-coding regions. However, in the repetitive non-coding region, alignment to the previously published genome sequence proved difficult. Such discrepancies may represent true biological variation, but may rather result from methodological or algorithmic sources. Within the 13,902 bp protein-coding region, 7 polymorphisms were identified. Six of these polymorphisms occurred within protein-coding genes and three alter an amino acid sequence, one occurred in a tRNA-Ile sequence, and four were found to vary within our isolate. Thus, comparing only two isolates of T. spiralis has enabled the discovery of previously unrecognized variation within the species. Characterizing diversity within and among the mitochondrial genomes of additional species of Trichinella would undoubtedly yield further insights into the diversification history of the genus. Our study affirms that next generation DNA sequencing technology can reliably characterize a complete mitochondrial genome.
Induction of sonic hedgehog and patched by retinoic acid in the developing rat lung in vitro . • 292

Induction of sonic hedgehog and patched by retinoic acid in the developing rat lung in vitro . • 292
Use of Nested Orthogonal Contrasts in Analyzing Rank Data

Abstract A data set consisting of 143 rankings of 10 occupations from a survey of Goldberg has been analyzed in a number of recent papers. The purpose of this paper is to use so-called “nested orthogonal contrasts” of the occupations to gain further insight into the data. A contrast is a comparison of subsets of the occupations based on their relative ranks; contrasts are orthogonal if the comparisons they represent are not confounded. Various models based on sets of orthogonal contrasts—including contingency table models, models analogous to those of Fligner and Verducci, and latent class models—are applied to the data. It is found that there are three main groups of occupations based on overall prestige, and within each group are distinctions between managerial and technical occupations.
Utility of Biomarkers in Prediction of Response to Ablative Therapy in Barrett’s Esophagus

Background & Aims: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to be effective in the treatment of high-grade dysplasia (HGD)/mucosal carcinoma in Barrett's esophagus (BE). Substantial proportions of patients do not respond to PDT or progress to carcinoma despite PDT. The role of biomarkers in predicting response to PDT is unknown. We aimed to determine if biomarkers known to be associated with neoplasia in BE can predict loss of dysplasia in patients treated with ablative therapy for HGD/intramucosal cancer. Methods: Patients with BE and HGD/intramucosal cancer were studied prospectively from 2002 to 2006. Biomarkers were assessed using fluorescence in situ hybridization performed on cytology specimens, for region-specific and centromeric probes. Patients were treated with PDT using cylindric diffusing fibers (wavelength, 630 nm; energy, 200 J/cm fiber). Univariate and multiple variable logistic regression was performed to determine predictors of response to PDT. Results: A total of 126 consecutive patients (71 who underwent PDT and 55 patients who did not undergo PDT and were under surveillance, to adjust for the natural history of HGD), were included in this study. Fifty (40%) patients were responders (no dysplasia or carcinoma) at 3 months after PDT. On multiple variable analysis, P16 allelic loss (odds ratio [OR], 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.10–0.96) predicted decreased response to PDT. BE segment length (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59–0.85), and performance of PDT (OR, 7.17; 95% CI, 2.50–20.53) were other independent predictors of loss of dysplasia. Conclusions: p16 loss detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization can help predict loss of dysplasia in patients with BE and HGD/mucosal cancer. Biomarkers may help in the selection of appropriate therapy for patients and improve treatment outcomes.
ON IONOSPHERIC AERODYNAMICS

Abstract This paper presents theoretical methods to determine the gas dynamic and the electrostatic effects due to the interaction caused by a rapidly moving body in the ionosphere. The principles of the methods are derived from the kinetic theory of collision-free plasma. It is shown that the collective behavior of the collision-free plasma makes it possible to use the fluid approach to treat the problems of ionospheric aerodynamics. Various solutions to the system of fluid and field equations that have direct bearing on the ionospheric aerodynamics are presented and discussed. Physical significances of the mathematical results are stressed. Some outstanding unsolved problems in ionospheric aerodynamics are elaborated and discussed.
Alteration of Al-rich inclusions inside amoeboid olivine aggregates in the Allende meteorite

The primary phases of Al-rich inclusions in amoeboid olivine aggregates have undergone alteration reactions with the solar nebular gas. The simplest interpretation of the present observations is that melilite was the first primary phase to disappear with falling temperature, and was replaced by grossular + anorthite + feldspathoids, followed by fassaite; spinel was the last phase to be altered. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that Na-rich phlogopite could have formed at about 470 K and chlorite at about 328 K at a water fugacity of 0.000001, which is that of a gas of solar composition in this temperature range. The olivine around Al-rich inclusions is not serpentized, indicating the cessation of gas-solid equilibrium above 274 K.
Carbon dioxide reforming with Rh and Pt–Re catalysts dispersed on ceramic foam supports

Abstract Considerable research over the past decade has indicated that supported rhodium is the best overall catalyst, in terms of activity and stability, for dry reforming of methane with carbon dioxide. An alternative catalyst is Pt–Re with a mass Pt/Re ratio of 0.25 supported on γ-Al2O3 that gives equivalent stability although with less activity. This paper describes the loading of this catalysts onto washcoated α-Al2O3 and the advantages arising from the unique properties of the foams as catalyst supports. Procedures are given for adding high surface area washcoats of γ-Al2O3 to 20- and 30-pores per inch (PPI) α-Al2O3 foams and for impregnating them with precursor solutions to obtain uniform deposits of Rh or Pt–Re complexes. Comparison with similar commercial catalysts indicate equivalent rates using foams and crushed catalysts, thereby showing that intrinsic activities displayed by the crushed catalysts were successfully reproduced with the foams. In the case of Rh, comparison with 3.2-mm pellets show a large enhancement in rate, since the pellets and foam exhibited low and high effectiveness factors, respectively. Measured power law rate equations for foams demonstrated a positive CO2 order with Rh and but a negative order for Pt–Re, consistent with a mechanism which ascribed the activity enhancement of Pt–Re to strong chemisorption of CO2 on the Re sites. Long-term stability is observed for both systems, except that deactivation below 700 °C occurs for Pt–Re due to CO2 poisoning of the sites. The results a 1-D mathematical model confirm that improved heat transfer gives more uniform temperature distribution during reaction in the foam. This research confirms that, while Rh is the best overall catalyst, Pt–Re is an attractive alternative for purely dry reforming.
Randomized controlled trial of a scoring aid to improve Glasgow Coma Scale scoring by emergency medical services providers

Study objective Emergency medical services (EMS) personnel frequently use the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) to assess injured and critically ill patients. This study assesses the accuracy of EMS providers' GCS scoring, as well as the improvement in GCS score assessment with the use of a scoring aid. Methods This randomized, controlled study was conducted in the emergency department (ED) of an urban academic trauma center. Emergency medical technicians or paramedics who transported a patient to the ED were randomly assigned one of 9 written scenarios, either with or without a GCS scoring aid. Scenarios were created by consensus of expert attending emergency medicine, EMS, and neurocritical care physicians, with universal consensus agreement on GCS scores. χ 2 And Student's t tests were used to compare groups. Results Of 180 participants, 178 completed the study. Overall, 73 of 178 participants (41%) gave a GCS score that matched the expert consensus score. GCS score was correct in 22 of 88 (25%) cases without the scoring aid. GCS was correct in 51 of 90 (57%) cases with the scoring aid. Most (69%) of the total GCS scores fell within 1 point of the expert consensus GCS score. Differences in accuracy were most pronounced in scenarios with a correct GCS score of 12 or below. Subcomponent accuracy was eye 62%, verbal 70%, and motor 51%. Conclusion In this study, 60% of EMS participants provided inaccurate GCS score estimates. Use of a GCS scoring aid improved accuracy of EMS GCS score assessments.
Specific binding of the glucocorticoid-receptor complex to the mouse mammary tumor proviral promoter region

To elucidate the molecular mechanism by which steroid hormones exert their regulatory function, we investigated the interaction of a glucocorticoid-receptor complex with purified DNA fragments from cloned mouse mammary tumor (MMTV) proviral DNA. With a DNA-cellulose binding assay, rat and mouse glucocorticoid receptors were found to interact with a high affinity site or sites in or near the promoter region of the MMTV proviral DNA. The assay allowed the use of unpurified as well as purified receptor, and therefore made it possible to investigate the binding properties of mutant receptors. Two nuclear-transfer-deficient receptors have a decreased affinity for specific as well as unspecific DNA, but are still capable of distinguishing between the two types of DNA. The existence of specific DNA binding sites for steroid-receptor complexes is discussed in the context of a general model of steroid hormone action.
(Re)Defining disability in the ‘genetic age’: behavioral genetics, ‘new’ eugenics and the future of impairment

In this article I explore the intersections among behavioral genetics, ‘new’ eugenics, and disability and their implications for future conceptualizations of impairment and its perceived role in socially deviant behavior and societal ‘reform’. Critics from a number of different backgrounds have pointed out the shortcomings of behavioral genetics, most notably that it has not yielded any meaningful findings. Missing from most discussions, however, is a critical assessment of the degree to which genetic research remains reliant upon socially constructed notions of impairment. In this article I offer an initial foray into this often neglected thread in an otherwise powerful critique of behavioral genetics. I contend that any future discussions of the intersection of behavioral genetics, ‘new’ eugenics and disability must contain a critical analysis of the psychiatric and psychological ‘disorders’, ‘defects’, ‘illnesses’ and ‘conditions’ at the center of most research programs.
Analysis of the Insertion Loss and Extinction Ratio of Two-Mode Fiber Interferometric Devices

Abstract The insertion loss and extinction ratio of an amplitude modulator and a 2×2 switch based on a two-mode fiber (TMF) interferometer butt coupled to one or two offset single-mode fibers are analyzed theoretically. Performance is shown to be limited by the asymmetric shape and small secondary lobe of the TMF mode pattern, which prevent full coupling to the single-mode fiber. For an amplitude modulator using a circular (elliptical) core TMF, applying a suitable offset between fibers and optimizing the fiber parameters, the loss can be minimized to 0.39 dB (0.23 dB); the extinction ratio is then 14.4 dB (16.9 dB). With a different offset, the extinction ratio can be made infinite, but the loss is then 0.95 dB (0.47 dB). Comparable figures are derived for a switch.
From therapeutic jurisprudence...to jurisprudent therapy.

For nearly a decade, “therapeutic jurisprudence” (TJ) has provided a theoretical framework within which legal rules, legal procedure, and legal roles are analyzed in terms of their therapeutic, neutral, or antitherapeutic effects. This article proposed “jurisprudent therapy” (JT), an extension of the TJ model, as a context for analyzing mental health science, mental health practice, and mental health roles in terms of their “jurisprudent,” neutral, or “antijurisprudent” effects. The JT perspective neither supplants nor supersedes TJ; rather, it mirrors and augments an established process for interdisciplinary contrast, comparison, and integration. Just as an empathic and evolving legal system provides psychological benefits, so does a legally informed and juridically compatible progression of social science promote principles of justice and human freedom. Consideration of these two complementary models in tandem yields an array of brainstorming devices, to synergistic effect, with heuristic implications for teaching, research, and service delivery. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differential regulation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases by pathogenic and nonpathogenic mycobacteria.

Mycobacteria are the etiologic agents of numerous diseases which account for significant morbidity and mortality in humans and other animal species. Many mycobacteria are intramacrophage pathogens and therefore the macrophage response to infection, which includes synthesis of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and production of nitric oxide, has important consequences for host immunity. However, very little is known about the macrophage cell signaling pathways initiated upon infection or how pathogenic mycobacteria may modulate the macrophage responses. Using primary murine bone marrow macrophages, we established that p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are activated upon infection with different species of mycobacteria. However, we observed decreased MAPK activity over time in macrophages infected with pathogenic Mycobacterium avium strains relative to infections with nonpathogenic mycobacteria. Furthermore, macrophages infected with M. avium produced lower levels of TNF-α, interleukin 1β, and inducible nitric oxide synthase 2 than macrophages infected with nonpathogenic species. Inhibitor studies indicate that the MAPKs are required for the Mycobacterium-mediated induction of these effector proteins. Our data indicate that MAPKs are activated in macrophages upon invasion by mycobacteria and that this activation is diminished in macrophages infected with pathogenic strains of M. avium, resulting in decreased production of important immune effector proteins. The decreased MAPK activation associated with M. avium infections suggests a novel point of immune intervention by this mycobacterial species.
RESEARCH: "Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Allport and Ross Religious Orientation Scale With a Polish Sample"

Using a sample of 303 Catholic Polish university students, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to assess the goodness of fit of two- (Intrinsic and Extrinsic) and three-factor (Intrinsic, Personal Extrinsic, and Social Extrinsic) conceptual models to the Allport and Ross Religious Orientation Scale (ROS). Although the results of the CFA appear to provide general support for the unitary nature of the intrinsic construct, the superiority of the two-factor conceptualization of extrinsicness over the original one-factor formulation, and the overall adequacy of the three-dimensional structure of the ROS, the pattern of item cross-loadings revealed that the factorial structure of the ROS is complex and suggests that the constructs purportedly assessed by the instrument may not be invariant across cultures. The present findings may be seen as falling in line with previously made arguments (e.g., Byrne & Watkins, 2003) concerning the inherent limitations of establishing the cross-cultural validity of ...
A Multibit Dual-Feedback CT $\Delta\Sigma$ Modulator With Lowpass Signal Transfer Function

This paper presents a dual-feedback continuous-time delta-sigma modulator that features a signal transfer function with low sensitivity to coefficient variations. The anti-aliasing of this topology is similar to that of the feedback architecture while using only two feedback paths for modulators of any order. The proposed architecture is a good candidate for low-power applications as it shows relaxed amplifier gain-bandwidth requirements for the first integrator. As a proof of concept, a third-order delta-sigma modulator has been implemented and tested which achieves 76 dB dynamic range over 5 MHz signal bandwidth while consuming 6 mW from a 1.2 V supply. The prototype chip, fabricated in a 130 nm CMOS process, provides 70 dB anti-aliasing with no out-of-band peaking in the signal transfer function.
SU-E-I-45: The Human Imaging Research Office (HIRO): Advancing the Role of Imaging in Clinical Research

Purpose: The clinical imaging infrastructure has been designed for the consistent execution of standard‐of‐care imaging examinations. Many imaging protocols for clinical research, however, have unique requirements that may burden the established infrastructure. Our purpose was to develop a solution to the many imaging demands and challenges presented by clinical research.Methods: We have created the Human Imaging Research Office (HIRO) at our institution. The HIRO is responsible for coordinating the acquisition, collection, analysis, and maintenance of images and related data associated with clinical research studies involving human subjects. The purpose of the HIRO is to coordinate, harmonize, and streamline the imaging aspects of clinical research, so that these non‐standard examinations can be performed as required by the study protocol. In effect, the HIRO is becoming the institutional resource for a broad spectrum of research imaging needs. The activities and services of the HIRO include site validation and image quality verification, development of standardized research‐specific requisition and reporting forms, scheduling, implementation of research billing codes, study‐specific image‐basedmeasurements, collection of customized imagedatabases, and distribution of anonymized images to researchers and study sponsors.Results: The HIRO has helped facilitate the acquisition of images for clinical research for 117 active, pending, or recently closed clinical research studies. These clinical research studies are being conducted by 60 unique principal investigators across 14 different sections and departments within the Medical Center. The HIRO has filled over 650 requests for de‐identified images, accounting for over 42.3 million images Conclusions: Imaging for clinical research often has requirements that differ substantially from those of clinical imaging. The complex infrastructure for standard‐of‐care imaging typically is stressed by the unique technical and administrative needs of a research protocol. The HIRO is able to respond effectively to the dynamic imaging needs of clinical research. SGA, HM, and MLG receive royalties and licensing fees through the University of Chicago related to computer‐aided diagnosis. HM is a consultant for Riverain Medical.
Protection of chickens against overt clinical disease and determination of viral shedding following vaccination with commercially available Newcastle disease virus vaccines upon challenge with highly virulent virus from the California 2002 exotic Newcastle disease outbreak.

During 2002–2003, exotic Newcastle disease (END) virus caused a major outbreak among commercial and backyard poultry in southern California and adjacent states. The outbreak raised concerns regarding the protective immunity of commercially available vaccines for prevention and control of this virus in poultry. We sought to determine if existing commercial live and inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccines could provide protection against the 2002–2003 END virus, and whether current commercial NDV-vaccination programs for broiler-breeders (BB) and broilers (Br) would protect against END-challenge. In the first experiment, birds received a single dose of either inactivated or live B1-type vaccine at 2 weeks-of-age and were challenged 2 weeks post-vaccination with a lethal dose of END. In the second experiment, a high (10 6.9 EID50/bird) or low (10 3.9 EID50/bird) dose of live B1 was applied to 8-week-old chickens, followed by lethal END challenge. In the third experiment, NDV field-vaccinated commercial BB (65 weeks-of-age) and Br (36 days-of-age) were challenged against END virus. Results indicated that both the live and inactivated vaccines protected against morbidity and mortality and significantly reduced the incidence and viral titers shed from chickens in comparison with sham controls, but did not prevent infection and virus shedding. In addition, both doses of live vaccine protected birds and significantly decreased the number of birds shedding virus. All unvaccinated control chickens challenged with END died within 6 days post-challenge (pc). Protection from disease correlated with the presence of antibody titers (determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or hemagglutination inhibition (HI)) at day of challenge. Commercial BB were protected from disease and exhibited low incidence and titer of challenge virus shed. In contrast, commercial Br exhibited 66% mortality and shed significantly more virus than the BB birds. These results underscore the need to develop new NDV vaccines and vaccine strategies for use during outbreak situations to protect birds from both disease and infection to reduce virus shedding. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Application of wavelet-domain adaptive filtering to spread-spectrum communications

Frequency domain signal processing has been used for some time to suppress narrowband interference in spread spectrum signals. Essentially, narrowband interference energy appears in only a few of the transform bins whereas the wideband spread spectrum signal energy appears in most, if not all, of the bins. A simple exciser, which sets bins that are primarily interference to zero, can then remove most of the interference energy while removing only a small portion of the spread spectrum signal energy. Recently, this concept has been extended to include wavelet transform domain excision where the time-frequency localization properties of the wavelet transform are utilized to improve the effectiveness of the excision process. This paper generalizes this work by considering wavelet-based linear transforms and multirate filterbanks and replacing the simple exciser with continuously variable adaptive tap weights on each transform bin. These tap weights can be derived using a transform domain adaptive filter structure wherein the weights are adapted to optimize the detection performance in the mean- square sense, effectively producing a transform domain decision-directed equalizer. The paper presents an analytical result for bit-error-rate (BER) performance that is applicable for arbitrary linear transforms and generic multirate filterbank analysis/synthesis structures. Both adaptive weighting and simple exciser schemes are considered. Through both analytical and Monte-Carlo simulation results, the adaptive filter is shown to provide significantly better performance than the simple exciser for tone interference.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.