cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mult-wavelength radar performance modeling during an extreme clear air propagation event over the Persian Gulf

Non-standard radio frequency (RF) propagation extends for hundreds of kilometers over the water when surface ducts are formed due to offshore flow of warm and dry air over colder sea surfaces [1]. Surface ducts are created when the vertical gradient of modified refractivity (dM/dz) is less than zero. The vertical gradient of M is dependent on the vertical gradient of potential temperature {dθ/dz) and the vertical gradient of water vapor mixing ratio (dw/dz) as shown in equation 1. Depending on temperature and relative humidity, the w gradient term can be two to six times the θ gradient term.
The tensor product of two codes is not necessarily robustly testable

There has been significant interest lately in the task of constructing codes that are testable with a small number of random probes. Ben-Sasson and Sudan show that the repeated tensor product of codes leads to a general class of locally testable codes. One question that is not settled by their work is the local testability of a code generated by a single application of the tensor product. Special cases of this question have been studied in the literature in the form of “tests for bivariate polynomials”, where the tensor product has been shown to be locally testable for certain families of codes. However the question remained open for the tensor product of generic families of codes. Here we resolve the question negatively, giving families of codes whose tensor product does not have good local testability properties.
Localization of methanol dehydrogenase in two strains of methylotrophic bacteria detected by immunogold labeling.

Antibodies to methanol dehydrogenase purified from Methylobacterium sp. strain AM1 and Methylomonas sp. strain A4 were raised. The antibody preparations were used in indirect immunogold labeling studies. With this approach, methanol dehydrogenase was found to be preferentially localized to the periplasmic region of the methylotroph Methylobacterium sp. strain AM1 and to the intracytoplasmic membrane of the methanotroph Methylomonas sp. strain A4. Antibody cross-reactivity to other methylotrophic bacteria was detected. Images
2-Deoxyribose Gene-Enzyme Complex in Salmonella typhimurium I. Isolation and Enzymatic Characterization of 2-Deoxyribose-Negative Mutants

Salmonella typhimurium was found to utilize 2-deoxyribose as a sole carbon and energy source. Cells grown in the presence of deoxyribose contained increased levels of deoxyribose kinase, thymidine phosphorylase, and two forms of deoxyribose-5-phosphate aldolase (DR5P aldolase). One form of DR5P aldolase was induced by deoxyribose and coordinately regulated with deoxyribose kinase. The second form of DR5P aldolase was induced by deoxyribose-5-phosphate and coordinately regulated with thymidine phosphorylase. Mutants unable to ferment deoxyribose have been isolated and shown to be lacking either deoxyribose kinase or deoxyribose permease, but none has been found from which DR5P aldolase is missing. Thymine-requiring mutants which are able to grow on low levels of thymine have been isolated and shown, in some cases, to be lacking one or both DR5P aldolases.
How important are hand images for conveying gestures in virtial design tasks

Hand gestures are a rich source of information in communication, particularly in communication of spatial concepts which are fundamental to engineering design tasks. However, there are many ways to convey gestures. For example, cursors can be used make simple gestures, so are hand images really necessary, or are simpler approaches sufficient? The work described in this paper is an evaluation comparing collaboration for a spatial design/drawing when users collaborate by three different methods: face-to-face, virtual sketching, and virtual sketching with the hand gestures of the virtual collaborators projected on the drawing surface. We found that users' performance in the face-to-face collaboration was almost identical to virtual collaboration with hand images. Virtual collaboration without hand images was significantly more difficult. These results suggest that rich hand gestures conveyed with the hands in face-to-face settings are important in joint spatial tasks; their loss reduces effectiveness in virtual collaboration on such tasks, but the addition of hand images projected on a joint work surface can restore effectiveness to levels similar to that of face-to-face collaboration.
Too quietly into the night

As dying people aren’t able to make more noise about the poor state of end of life care, it is up to doctors to improve prognosis in this highly vulnerable group
An Atmospheric Water Balance over a Mountain Barrier

A common characteristic of mid-latitude mountain ranges is that more precipitation falls on the upwind slopes than falls either on the upwind or downwind plains as recorded, for example, by Barry (1981) and as illustrated in Figure 1. At least two factors are responsible for this characteristic. First, the ranges enhance precipitation from synoptic-scale systems. That is, less precipitation would have fallen if the mountain range were not present. The enhanced precipitation is referred to as the orographic component of synoptic-scale precipitation. Second, the ranges trigger precipitation where none would have occurred otherwise. This phenomenon is called mountain-induced precipitation. According to Grant and Kahan (1974) the mountain-induced or orographic precipitation provides more than 90% of the annual runoff in most sections of the western USA.
Variational Methods for Compressive Sampling

ABSTRACT We consider two natural extensions of the standard 1 minimization framework for compressive sampling. Thetwo methods, one based on penalizing second-order derivatives and one based on the redundant wavelet transform,can also be viewed as variational methods which extend the basic total-variation recovery program. A numericalexample illustrates that these methods tend to produce smoother images than the standard recovery programs.Keywords: Compressive sampling, compressed sensing, total-variation regularization 1. INTRODUCTION In recent years, a theory of compressive sampling (or compressed sensing ) has emerged. 13 The general themeof this theory can be stated succinctly: signals which are sparse can be acquired with a small number of linearmeasurements. This theory is particularly applicable in imaging, as a large body of work has been produced inthe last two decades on constructing sparse representations for interesting classes of images. 4,5 We briey summarize the main results of compressive sampling; for a full treatment, see the references.
Using Nanoparticle Optics Assay for Direct Observation of the Function of Antimicrobial Agents in Single Live Bacterial Cells

Multidrug resistance (MDR) has been reported in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, underscoring the challenge of design and screening of more efficacious new drugs. For instance, the efflux pump of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (gram-negative bacteria) can extrude a variety of structurally and functionally diverse substrates, which leads to MDR. In this study, we present a new platform that studies modes of action of antibiotics in living bacterial cells (P. aeruginosa), in real-time, at nanometer scale and single-cell resolution using nanoparticle optics and single living cell imaging. The color index of silver (Ag) nanoparticles (violet, blue, green, and red) is used as the sized index (30 +/- 10, 50 +/- 10, 70 +/- 10, and 90 +/- 10 nm) for real-time measurement of sized transformation of the cell wall and membrane permeability at the nanometer scale. We have demonstrated that the number of Ag nanoparticles accumulated in cells increases as the aztreonam (AZT) concentration increases and as incubation time increases, showing that AZT induces the sized transformation of membrane permeability and the disruption of the cell wall. The results demonstrate that nanoparticle optics assay can be used as a new powerful tool for real-time characterization of modes of action of antimicrobial agents in living cells at the nanometer scale. Furthermore, studies of mutants of WT bacteria (nalB-1 and DeltaABM), suggest that an efflux pump (MexA-MexB-OprM) effectively extrudes substrates (nanoparticles) out of the cells, indicating that the MDR mechanism involves the induction of changes in membrane permeability and the intrinsic pump machinery.
The effects of water soluble fraction of crude oil on larvae of the decapod crustacean Neopanope texana (Sayi)

Abstract The effect of a water-extract, made from artificial seawater polluted with crude oil at a concentration of 10 ml/litre, was tested on the survival of larvae of the decapod crustacean Neopanope texana to the megalopal stage, under laboratory conditions. High mortality occurred in zoea exposed from the day of hatching. There were indications that the pollutant had a retarding effect on the moulting process. It is suggested that more rigorous studies be conducted to determine fully the effects of oil pollution on these organisms.
Brief Cognition-Focused Group Therapy for Depressive Symptoms in Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT A growing literature supports the inclusion of cognitive therapy components in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and, in many cases, concomitant depression. However, further research is needed to examine whether cognitive therapies may serve as an effective approach to emotional regulation in cases of chronic treatment-resistant PTSD (e.g., combat veterans who have been in treatment for 20 or more years). This article outlines a brief outpatient cognitive emotion-management group with a present focus. The intervention, based on cognitive appraisal theory, is designed to reduce negative cognitive appraisals and depressive symptoms among individuals with treatment-resistant PTSD. Participants were 21 men and women (4 male cohorts and 1 female cohort) in a VA treatment program for trauma-related distress who met screening criteria for high depressive symptoms and evidenced maladaptive cognitive appraisals of stress. For 14 participants with complete data, the treatment yielded pa...
Gender Performance in the NCAA Rifle Championships: Where is the Gap?

The current study aimed to compare shooting performance between male and female athletes during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Rifle Championship from the 2007 to 2013 seasons. This sport is distinct from most competitive sports as it requires little physical exertion, so physiological/ biomechanical differences between the genders that generally bring about superior performance by males relative to females may have only minimal effect on shooting performance. NCAA competitions, unlike Olympic shooting events today, allow male and female shooters to compete against each other. Using archival data covering a period of 7 years from both the team and individual tournaments, 555 scores of the best 149 shooters among mostly U.S. collegiate athletes (the best of whom went on to compete in the Olympics) were analyzed using a generalized estimating equation (GEE) model. We found no differences in performance between the genders both during team and individual competitions. The results suggest that Olympic shooting is exercising a “separate and (un)equal” policy which should be reconsidered.
Pica as an adaptive response: Kaolin consumption helps rats recover from chemotherapy-induced illness

Clay consumption can occur during illness but there has been little work to understand why. To investigate whether consuming clay confers an advantage to the sick animal, we compared the recovery from illness of adult male rats with or without access to kaolin. Illness was induced by injection of 6 mg/kg, ip, cisplatin, a toxic chemotherapy agent, and recovery was assessed by changes in daily food intake, water intake, and body weight. Relative to saline-injected controls, cisplatin-injected rats reduced food and water intake and lost weight. However, those with access to kaolin ate more food and lost less body weight than did those without access to kaolin. Thus, clay consumption appeared beneficial in that it either protected the rats from illness or enhanced recovery and might prove useful as an adjunct therapy for other animals, including humans, experiencing visceral malaise.
Women who kill in drug market situations

Recent studies of women and homicide have shown that lethal violence by women is a more complex phenomenon than merely self-defense against abusive partners. In this paper we examine cases of homicide by women who killed in drug market situations to explore the ways in which changing drug markets may have influenced women's involvement in lethal violence. From open-ended and semistructured interviews with 215 women sentenced to prison in New York State for homicide, we identified 19 women whose cases involved a drug market situation. Through qualitative analysis of the narratives offered by these women to explain their involvement in the killing, we found evidence that women will use violence, as will men, to protect or augment an economic interest in a drug market. From further analysis, however, we concluded that even in a clearly economic context in which women are able to acquire their own economic interest, some women will kill or participate in a killing in connection with their relationship with a ...
Modeling of eating pathology and social reinforcement of the thin-ideal predict onset of bulimic symptoms

Although social influences are thought to promote bulimic pathology, little research has examined the effects of multiple socialization agents, or considered both modeling and social reinforcement processes. Accordingly, these two studies tested whether social reinforcement of the thin-ideal, and modeling of abnormal eating behavior by family, peers, and the media, (i) correlated with bulimic symptoms in a sample of young adult female (N = 114) and (ii) predicted the onset of bulimic behavior in a sample of adolescent females (N = 218). Social reinforcement of the thin-ideal by family, peers, and media was correlated with bulimic symptoms; family and peer social reinforcement prospectively predicted the onset of binge eating and purging. Family and peer, but not media, modeling of abnormal eating behavior was associated with concurrent bulimic symptoms, and predicted the onset of binge eating and purging. Results suggest that both social reinforcement and modeling processes may promote bulimic pathology, but imply that the effects are limited to family and peer influences.
Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous quantitation of the lactone and carboxylate forms of the novel natural product anticancer agent 10-hydroxycamptothecin in biological fluids and tissues.

Camptothecins are indole alkaloids isolated from a Chinese tree, Camptotheca acuminata, and have a wide spectrum of anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. A novel camptothecin congener 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) has been shown to be more active and less toxic than camptothecin, and the lactone HCPT is believed to be responsible for its anticancer activity. In the present study, a reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection was developed and validated for the simulataneous analysis of HCPT for lactone form (I) and carboxylate form (II) in plasma, urine and feces and tissues. Biological samples were prepared by a liquid-liquid extraction method using ice-cold methanol-acetonitrile (1:1, v/v). This method was shown to be reproducible and reliable, with intra- and inter-day variations being less than 7%, and accuracy being 94.3%–102.7%. The limits of determination were 2 ng/ml, 2 ng/ml, 2 ng/g, and 10 ng/ml for HCPT forms I and II in rat plasma, urine, feces, and tissues, respectively. The assay was liner over the range 2–2000 ng/ml (r=0.999, P<0.001) with recoveries of greater than 90% for plasma and urine and approximately 70–80% for feces and tissues homogenates through the extraction procedure. This analytic procedure has been successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study of HCPT in experimental animals and should be useful in the future human studies.
Coarse bed material patch evolution in low-order, ephemeral channels

Abstract In river channel beds composed of a wide range of grain sizes, the bed material is often arranged in discrete patches discernable by relative texture. These bed material patches are the primary source of entrainable coarse sediment within the channel system and their composition and size have been found to influence the composition and rate of sediment transport. Twelve coarse (gravel–cobble) sediment patches distributed throughout the channel network within a 4.53 ha watershed in southeastern Arizona were monitored for 2 years. Changes in patch area and grain size were measured and painted patch grains were monitored to confirm that patch grains were mobilized during flow. Individual coarse bed material patches exhibited variable persistence during flows with return frequencies ranging from approximately 1 year to 4.6 years. While no patch fully dispersed during the study period, two new patches formed. Most coarse patches remained relatively stable in area and grain-size distribution despite the entrainment of patch grains as lost grains were sufficiently replaced with sediment from upstream. Because of the grain replacement process and the effect of other sediment supply dynamics, the changes in patch area and grain-size distribution display a complex relationship with the magnitude of predicted grain mobilization within each patch. Results indicate that relative stability varies from patch to patch, influenced by the balance of patch grains transported out of the patch and the deposition of new grains into the patch. Predictive models of coarse sediment transport and yield that assume the channel bed is a fixed source of sediment supply may not adequately capture the sediment dynamics within patchy channel beds and should be used with caution when applied to these environments due to the possibility of patch instability as documented in this study.
Selective tolerance to the hypothermic and anticataleptic effects of a neurotensin analog that crosses the blood-brain barrier.

Abstract NT69L, a neurotensin analog that crosses the blood–brain barrier, reduces body temperature, reverses apomorphine-induced climbing, haloperidol-induced catalepsy, and d -amphetamine- and cocaine-induced locomotor activity in rats. In this study we tested the development of tolerance to these effects of NT69L in rats. The blockade of apomorphine-induced climbing behavior and d -amphetamine- and cocaine-induced hyperactivity seen after a single acute injection did not show significant change with repeated daily injections of NT69L. Thus, for example, NT69L after five daily injections at a fixed dosage was as effective at reversing cocaine-induced hyperactivity as after the first injection. On the other hand, repeated daily injections of NT69L resulted in a diminished hypothermic response and a diminished anticataleptic effect against haloperidol. The effect of NT69L on blood glucose, cortisol, and thyroxine (T4) were all back to control levels after five daily injections. Thus, tolerance developed to NT69L after the first injection, when it was tested for causing hypothermia, blockade of haloperidol-induced catalepsy, and change in blood glucose, cortisol and T4 levels. Since tolerance did not develop to the effects of drugs acting as direct (apomorphine) or indirect ( d -amphetamine and cocaine) agonists at dopamine receptors over the course of 5 days, these findings suggest a selective role of neurotensin in the modulation of dopamine neurotransmission. Furthermore, due to the lack of development of tolerance, NT69L or similar analogs might be useful in modulating certain behavioral effects of psychostimulants or have potential use as an antipsychotic drug in humans.
Source of variation on lingual vibrotactile thresholds: I. The influence of experimenter experience

Ascending lingual vibrotactile thresholds were obtained from the anterior midline of the tongue for three groups of normal speaking adults. Each group was tested by a different experimenter, with varying degrees of exposure to threshold assessment techniques. The purpose of the study was to identify a potential source of variation in threshold assessment resulting from the use of the different experimenters. Results of statistical analysis revealed that different thresholds were obtained, depending on the experimenter in question. Implications of these results are discussed in reference to adequate experimenter training.
Emerging treatments for Tourette's disorder.

Tourette’s disorder is a childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics. Many children with Tourette’s disorder improve throughout adolescence. However, some adults with Tourette’s disorder still experience severe symptoms and significant disability. This article examines the evidence base for current treatments for Tourette’s disorder. Emerging treatments such as deep brain stimulation, habit reversal therapy, and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation are also discussed.
Non-Stationary Responses in Externally Excited Two-Degrees-of-Freedom Nonlinear Systems with 1: 2 Internal Resonance

The dynamics of two-degrees-of-freedom dynamical systems with weak quadratic nonlinearities is analyzed in the neighborhood of bifurcation points when the excitation frequency varies slowly through the region of primary resonance. The two modes of vibration are in 1: 2 subharmonic internal resonance. The slowly evolving averaged equations are numerically studied for motions initiated in the vicinity of stationary responses, and observations are made about the nature of responses of the system near the transition from single-mode to coupled-mode solutions (pitchfork points), and near jump and Hopf bifurcations in the coupled-mode solutions. An analytical technique based on the dynamic bifurcation theory is developed to explain the numerical observations for passage through the bifurcations. A numerical study is carried out to determine the effects of system parameters on the dynamics near the pitchfork bifurcation points and results are compared with analytical and numerical descriptions of dynamics.
Formation of Apex Natural Arch, Apex, Kentucky

ABSTRACT Apex Natural Arch located in northeastern Christian County, Kentucky, is the result of surface water infiltration along parallel joints, basal erosion along a weaker section of the outcrop extending to existing joints, removal of basal support, and collapse of sandstone slabs. The arch is formally named here for the village of Apex, Kentucky.
A method of determining unbiased distribution in the latin square

The paper describes a method of constructing Latin-square designs in which treatment sequences are unbiased with regard to serial order as well as position of treatment. The procedure is useful for those Latin squares in which the number of cells in each column (or row) is an even number, which, when written in ascending and descending series, contain corresponding ordered numbers prime to each other. Such numbers are 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 18, 22, 28, 30, 36, etc.
The clinical impact of preoperative percutaneous drainage of abdominopelvic abscesses in patients with Crohn’s disease

Purpose Although image-guided percutaneous drainage is increasingly being used to treat Crohn’s disease-related abdominopelvic abscesses, surgery is seldom avoided. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes following the treatment of intra-abdominal Crohn’s abscesses with percutaneous drainage followed by surgery to those after surgery alone.
Consumer sensory perception of cheese depends on context: A study using comment analysis and linear mixed models

This study examines the effects of information and personal context on consumers’ hedonic liking and sensory description of Vermont artisan cheeses. Four representative Vermont cheeses (unripened goat’s cheese, bloomy-rind, cheddar, and blue) were presented to 182 different consumers in 2 different information conditions: socially and contextually relevant production information (informed) or generic information about the cheese category from dairy science manuals (blind). Consumers reported their liking using a hedonic line scale and, subsequently, provided free-text comments describing what they liked or disliked about the cheeses. Consumers also reported their familiarity with each cheese and completed the food involvement scale (FIS). Hedonic liking was modeled as a function of cheese type, information condition, familiarity, and FIS score using linear mixed-effect modeling; positive and negative consumer comments were tabulated using textual analysis and descriptive maps were generated using correspondence analysis (CA). The linear mixed-effect models demonstrated that consumer liking was significantly affected by cheese type, information, familiarity, and the consumer’s FIS score. Analysis of consumer comments by CA produced empirically sensible, consumer-derived sensory profiles of each cheese; in addition, stable and significant sensory differences were found between sensory descriptions in the informed and blind conditions. Thus, this research demonstrates that information and extrinsic consumer attributes are important for understanding both consumer liking and consumer sensory perception. In addition, textual analysis by CA of free-text consumer comments is presented as an expeditious method for producing sensory profiles, and the advantages of this method are discussed.
Toxicant extraction efficiency and branchial NaCl fluxes in lampreys exposed to Kepone.

Freshwater fish (larval lampreysPetromyzon marinus) occupied plastic tubes and ventilated aqueous solutions (around 1.0 mg/L) of the organochlorine pesticide Kepone® at 13°C. The efficiency with which Kepone was extracted from solution during a single pass through the pharynx, and the effect of Kepone on fluxes of Na+ and Cl− across the gills were measured. The efficiency with which lampreys extracted Kepone from local tap water averaged 55–66%, confirmed by measuring Kepone accumulation within the lampreys (as14C-equivalents), using a mass-balance approach. The extraction efficiency matches predictions based on studies using teleosts. Extraction efficiencies declined slowly throughout the exposure period and related inversely to ventilatory rates. In ion-flux measurements, Kepone produced a 40% decline in the rate of influx of Cl− across the pharynx. Effluxes of Na+ and Cl− were not affected, nor was influx of Na+. These latter findings are difficult to reconciliate with accepted theories of Kepone's toxic action; they may relate to the fact that lampreys are unusually tolerant to Kepone poisoning.
An alternative method to load modeling for obtaining end-use load profiles

Since the mid-1990s, large scale end-use electricity consumption studies for the residential sector have nearly disappeared. This dirge of information has introduced additional difficulty for researchers seeking to model and analyze loads at the distribution level. In lieu of using collected data, some researchers have developed load models to serve as the source of end-use information. An alternative to this practice is presented in this paper. In addition to a discussion of pertinent end-use load profile data sources, a methodology for updating earlier case study results is presented. Actual residential electrical load profiles are presented and findings indicate method suitability.
Staining of the adenohypophysis with acid and basic dyes.

IN THE seventy years since Flesch (1884) and Dostoiewsky (1886) first distinguished chromophobes from chromophiles, the application of different cytological techniques under a variety of experimental conditions had led to an increasingly complex separation of the cell types of the adenohypophysis. The first clear division of the chromophiles was by von Schonemann (1892), who distinguished between eosinophiles, which stained with eosin, and cyanophiles, which stained with hematoxylin. It was Thorn (1901) who substituted basophile for cyanophile, thereby establishing the terminology which has been employed by the majority of investigators of pituitary cytology. Thus there has been recognized a main division of pituitary cells into chromophobes, and the two types of chromophiles, namely acidophiles and basophiles. In recent years this classification has been criticised as being inaccurate because the cells are amphoteric, and, more important, because the basophiles are usually identified by staining with the...
Charge-transfer derivatization in fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry

Abstract The formation of charge-transfer complexes as derivatization reactions for fast-atom- bombardment (f.a.b.) mass spectrometry has been investigated. The donor N , N , N′ , N′ - tetramethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine (TMPD) and the acceptor 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanobenzoquinone (DDQ) were studied. The f.a.b, spectrum of this complex in glycerol first yielded the cation radical, TMPD + at m/z 164. However, with time the dominant ion becomes (TMPD+H) + . Results suggest that although a strong charge-transfer complex is formed, protonation of the donor molecule occurs whenever possible. In dimethylsulfoxide, initial f.a.b, spectra contain (TMPD+H) + , but as solvent evaporates, this ion is supplanted by the cation radical. Increased abundances of the cation radicals for charge- transfer complexes are observed in the absence of solvent or with the use of aprotic solvents. Characteristic ultraviolet/visible spectra of charge-transfer complexes clarify the competing processes of electron and proton transfer, and their time dependence. Charge- transfer derivatization is used to increase signals for the donor cation radicals of anthracene/picric acid, pyrene/picric acid, and indole/trinitrofluorenone.
A Cooperative MIMO Framework for Wireless Sensor Networks

We explore the use of cooperative multi-input multi-output (MIMO) communications to prolong the lifetime of a wireless sensor network (WSN). Single-antenna sensor nodes are clustered into virtual antenna arrays that can act as virtual MIMO (VMIMO) nodes. We design a distributed cooperative clustering protocol (CCP), which exploits VMIMO's diversity gain by optimally selecting the cooperating nodes (CNs) within each cluster and balancing their energy consumption. The problem of optimal CN selection at the transmit and receive clusters is formulated as a nonlinear binary program. Aiming at minimizing the imbalance in the residual energy at various nodes, we decompose this problem into two subproblems: finding the optimal number of CNs (ONC) in a cluster and the CN assignment problem. For the ONC problem, we first analyze the energy efficiency of two widely used VMIMO methods: distributed Space Time Block Code (DSTBC) and distributed Vertical-Bell Laboratories-Layered-Space-Time (DVBLAST). Our analysis provides an upper bound on the optimal number of CN nodes, which greatly reduces the computational complexity of the ONC problem. The second subproblem is addressed by assigning CNs based on the residual battery energy. To make CCP scalable to large WSNs, we propose a multihop energy-balanced routing mechanism for clustered WSNs (C-EBR) with a novel cost metric. Finally, we derive sufficient conditions on the intra- and intercluster ranges, under which CCP guarantees connectivity of the intercluster topology. Extensive simulations show that the proposed approach dramatically improves the network lifetime.
A generalized algorithm for CMOS circuit delay, power, and area optimization

Abstract A generalized algorithm for CMOS driver inverter chain optimization is described. In this optimization algorithm, the inverter circuit model is refined by including not only all the involved currents, but also takes into account high field mobility degradation. The calculated delay times agree very well with ASTAP simulations for a wide range of capacitances and input slew rates. The power-delay product and the area factor are also calculated in the circuit delay optimization procedure. Inclusion of these two factors allows interactive optimization for the number of stages and the transistor sizes of the circuits.
X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopic study of uranium nitrides

Uranium mononitride (UN), sesquinitride (U2N3) and dinitride (UN2) were characterized by extended X-Ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Analysis on UN indicate the presence of three uranium shells at distances of 3.46(3), 4.89(5) and 6.01(6) A and a nitrogen shell at a distance of 2.46(2) A. For U2N3, two absorbing uranium atoms at different crystallographic positions are present in the structure. One of the uranium atoms is surrounded by nitrogen atoms at 2.28(2) A and by uranium atoms at 3.66(4) and 3.95(4) A. The second type of uranium atom is surrounded by nitrogen atoms at 2.33(2) and 2.64(3) A and by uranium atoms at 3.66(4), 3.95(4) and 5.31(5) A. Results on UN2 indicate two uranium shells at 3.71(4) and 5.32(5) A and two nitrogen shells at 2.28(2) and 4.34(4) A. The lattice parameters of UN, U2N3 and UN2 unit cells were respectively determined to be 4.89(5), 10.62(10) and 5.32(5) A. Those results are well in agreement with those obtained by X-Ray diffraction analysis.
A Successful Retention Program for Suspended Students

Traditionally at Mississippi State University (MSU), students who are placed on academic suspension are required to stay out of school one regular semester. As an alternative, the university designed a program for early readmission for suspended students who agree to follow the requirements outlined in the Learning Skills Support Program (LSSP). This program requires students to enroll in a specified learning skills course, to meet frequently with the program coordinator and their advisor, and to maintain a 2.0 GPA for the semester of participation. The purpose of the study was to determine the success of the LSSP participants in completing the LSSP requirements and to compare the retention of the LSSP participants with the nonparticipant suspended students. The LSSP has successfully enhanced the academic performance of its participants and aided in the retention of at-risk students. Since its inception, 75% of the LSSP students have successfully completed the program, maintaining a minimum 2.0 GPA. In ad...
Echocardiographic measures of diastolic function in pediatric heart disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The past year has seen a continued evolution in the echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function in children. This paper reviews published studies from the past year that have helped characterize diastolic function using echocardiography in children. RECENT FINDINGS Characterization of diastolic function using Doppler and Doppler tissue imaging in the normal infant and child was a primary focus of pediatric echocardiographic investigation. These technologies appear to hold significant promise as tools to improve understanding of diastolic function in the normal child as the heart matures. Diastolic function in children with congenital heart disease has also been better characterized using these tools, specifically in patients with atrial septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, single ventricle physiology, and following cardiac transplantation. Finally, diastolic function in acquired heart disease or with systemic disease in the child has been evaluated using echocardiography, with recent reports describing findings in children with dilated cardiomyopathy, chronic renal disease, obesity, type I diabetes, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, obstructive sleep apnea, and after anthracycline exposure for childhood cancer. SUMMARY Pediatric echocardiography has clearly become the primary tool for describing and characterizing diastolic function in infants and children both with and without heart disease. It is becoming an important noninvasive diastolic monitoring tool that allows serial assessment of pathologic diastolic disease in both primary myocardial and systemic disease states.
A contribution to the pharmacology of 5-nitroguaiacol.

In vitro tests on mercurated 5-nitroguaiacol indicate that it may be an effective antiseptic, both in its solid form and in solution as the sodium salt. The results of toxicity studies are reported.
Characteristics of the induction of aldehyde dehydrogenase in rat liver.

Abstract The activity of rat liver supernatant aldehyde dehydrogenase is increased by phenobarbital treatment in one selected strain (RR) but not in another strain (rr) of animals derived from randomally bred populations (Deitrich, Collins, and Erwin (1972) J. Biol. Chem., 247, 7232) . Before 14 days of age, increased enzyme activity after phenobarbital treatment is minimal but between 30 and 60 days of age there is a maximal increase in activity after phenobarbital treatment. Using animals of this age, it was shown that both cycloheximide and actinomycin D block this response to phenobarbital. Phenobarbital treatment decreases heat stability of crude preparations of the enzyme from RR rats, but increases heat stability of the enzyme from rr animals.
Aggregation and the Coexistence of Competing Parasitoid Species

In nature, many insect species are attacked by more than one specialized species of parasitoid. We examine whether parasitoid aggregation among patches containing hosts can promote the coexistence of specialized parasitoids on the same host species. We construct models to analyze the effects of three types of parasitoid aggregation: direct density-dependent, inverse density-dependent, and density-independent aggregation. All three types of aggregation may facilitate coexistence, provided the parasitoid species show behavioral differences that produce different patterns of aggregation. By deriving general conditions of coexistence of parasitoids, we show that all three types of aggregation act to facilitate coexistence in the same way--by increasing the covariance between the distributions of susceptible hosts and the least common parasitoid. Although they act in the same way, in general the effect of density-independent aggregation in facilitating coexistence is greater than either direct or inverse density-dependent aggregation. This suggests that density-independent aggregation may have the greatest potential to facilitate the coexistence of specialize parasitoids using the same host.
Cancer incidence rate and mortality rate in sickle cell disease patients at Howard University Hospital: 1986-1995.

The incidence of cancer in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is not known. The 10-year follow-up data on 696 patients with SCD was analyzed at our institution in order to determine the cancer incidence and cancer mortality rates. The age range was 18 to 79 years, with a mean age of 28.8 years. There were 377 females and 319 males. The median follow-up was 3 years. Five patients developed cancer during this period. The cancer incidence rate was 5/2,864 or 1.74 per 1,000 patient years. The 95% CI was 0.64 to 4.32 per 1,000 patient years. There were 68 deaths with 3 being due to cancer. The cancer mortality rate was 3/2,873 or 1.04 cases per 1,000 patient years. Our data represent the first published paper that the authors are aware of, where the cancer incidence and mortality rates have been calculated for any group of patients with SCD. Am. J. Hematol. 55:188–192, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effects of Cardioplegic Solution on Human Contractile Element Velocity

Abstract A technique for measuring the maximum contractile element velocity (V pm ) of the myocardium was developed, verified, and employed in patients to allow accurate intraoperative assessment of the adequacy of myocardial protection. Four groups of patients were studied. Ten patients had coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) with cardioplegia; 13 had CABG with coronary perfusion, ventricular fibrillation at 28°, and aortic clamping for distal anastamoses; 6 had aortic valve replacement (AVR) with cardioplegia; and 7 had AVR with coronary perfusion to the beating heart. For cardioplegia, a solution of 5% dextrose in 0.2% saline at 4° with 25 mEq of potassium chloride and 12.5 gm of mannitol was infused initially, followed by 500 ml every 30 minutes. Clinically all patients did well, and there were no deaths. Patients having CABG with intermittent coronary perfusion during ventricular fibrillation had significant ( p pm from 38.3 to 30.8 sec -1 while V pm in patients having CABG with cardioplegia was unchanged. Patients having AVR with continuous coronary perfusion or with cardioplegia (average anoxia time, 70.4 minutes) had no significant change in V pm . We conclude that this cardioplegic solution provided adequate protection of myocardial function for up to 105 minutes of continuous aortic clamping in humans. The depression in V pm observed following CABG with intermittent coronary perfusion is consistent with previous suggestions that this combination is detrimental because of maldistribution of coronary blood flow during ventricular fibrillation.
Effects of heterocyclic aromatic substituents on binding affinities at two distinct sites of somatostatin receptors. Correlation with the electrostatic potential of the substituents.

In our continuing program exploring glucose-based peptidomimetics of somatostatin (SRIF-14), we sought to improve the water solubility of our glycosides. This led to insights into the nature of the ligand binding sites at the SRIF receptor. Replacement of the C4 benzyl substituent in glucoside (+)-2 with pyridinylmethyl or pyrazin-2-ylmethyl congeners increased water solubility and enhanced affinity for the human SRIF subtype receptor 4 (sst4). We attribute this effect to hydrogen bond formation. The pyridin-3-ylmethyl substituent at C4, when combined with the imidazol-4-ylmethyl group at C2, generated (−)-19, which has the highest affinity of a glucose-based peptidomimetic at a human SRIF receptor to date (Ki 53 ± 23 nM, n = 6 at sst4). The C4 heterocyclic congeners of glucosides bearing a 1-methoxy substituent rather than an indole side chain at the anomeric carbon, such as (+)-16, also provided information about the Trp8 binding pocket. We correlated the SARs at both the C4 and the Trp8 binding pockets...
Hemorrhagic Syndrome in Chicks Fed Normal Rations Supplemented With Sulfaquinoxaline.

Summary1. Feeding of 0.1% sulfaquin-oxaline in the presence of 3-5% alfalfa and 5 nig of menadione per lb. of feed resulted in occurrence of a hemorrhagic syndrome in chicks. Hemorrhages closely resembled those encountered in field cases of hemorrhagic disease and, in many cases were accompanied by reduced hematocrits. In some groups blood clotting time was increased by feeding sulfa-quinoxaline. A higher incidence of hemorrhages was observed in chicks fed sulfa-quinoxaline in broiler rations than in chicks fed starter rations containing this drug. Feeding of iodinated casein as a stress factor increased the toxic effect of sulfaquinoxaline. The toxic effect of sulfaquinoxaline was slight in chicks fed the drug starting at day-old or at 2 weeks of age but was more pronounced in chicks fed the drug at 3, 4 or 5 weeks of age. Dietary penicillin appeared to increase the toxicity of sulfaquinoxaline. 2. The adverse effects of sulfaquinoxaline in these experiments are not to be interpreted to mean that sulfaqu...
Fat metabolism in higher plants. The determination of acyl-acyl carrier protein and acyl coenzyme A in a complex lipid mixture 1,2.

Abstract A method has been developed that permits the quantitative analysis of [14C]acyl-acyl carrier proteins and [14C]acyl CoAs from a typical reaction mixture. The method is based on (a) the initial extraction of free fatty acids and the less polar lipids into petroleum ether from aqueous isopropanol; (b) the precipitation of [14C]acyl-acyl carrier proteins in the presence of ammonium sulfate and chloroform-methanol; and (c) the final separation of acyl CoAs from the more polar lipids by selective adsorption on neutral alumina gel. All fractions can then be analyzed for the composition of complex lipids and 14C-labeled fatty acids by the usual methods.
Estrogen receptor beta splice variant mRNAs are differentially altered during breast carcinogenesis

We previously identified 10 exon deletion ERβ variant mRNAs in various human tissues [FEBS Lett. 516 (2002) 133]. In the current study, we have investigated the expression of these variant mRNAs in normal breast tissues and their alterations in cancer tissues. A total of 43 cancer tissues in comparison with their matched normal tissues were analyzed by RT PCR using the newly developed ‘Splice Targeted Primer Approach’. The data presented here show that normal breast tissues express 9 of the 10 identified variant mRNAs. Of the nine variants, the mRNAs with exons 5–6 deletions were significantly decreased (∼80%) in a large majority of cancer tissues (two-sided paired t-test, n=43 patients, P<0.00001). The expression of ERβ exon 5Δ, that could potentially have transactivating property in the absence of hormone, was changed differently among different grade tumors (analysis of variance F-test, n=43 patients, P=0.0452; Kruskal–Wallis test, n=43 patients, P=0.0356). When change in expression of ERβ exon 5Δ mRNA levels was used as a categorical variable, a significant association was found between the change status (increase, no change, decrease) of this variant and grade of the tumor (Fischer’s exact test, n=43 patients, P=0.0129). In particular, it was significantly increased in grade III tumors and decreased in grade II tumors. This variant was also changed differently in pre- and post-menopausal women. Its expression levels were increased in the tumors of post-menopausal women (mean change=3.6685), while they were decreased in pre-menopausal women (mean change=−24.3662). Thus a significant association was observed between the expression of this variant and menopausal status (a two-sided paired t-test, n=43 patients, P=0.03). Other variants were either expressed at very low frequency or not significantly altered.
Cerebellopontine Angle Chondroid Meningioma Apoplexy Complicating a Third Trimester Pregnancy: Case Report and Review of the Literature

We review a case of tumor apoplexy complicating third trimester pregnancy in order to highlight management of a rare complication of meningiomas during pregnancy. This case illustration along with a review of literature is presented for recognition of this unusual case. Although intratumoral hemorrhage in meningioma is not uncommon, life threatening apoplexy can occur during periods of rapid tumor growth, such as during pregnancy. Prompt recognition and obstetrical and neurosurgical coordination are required to achieve excellent outcomes for both patient and child. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4021/jcgo138w
The Online Marketing of Food to Children: Is It Just Fun and Games?

Abstract The alarming increase in childhood obesity has captured the attention of a broad set of citizens and institutions, with calls for action becoming increasingly powerful. Particular questions are being raised about the impacts of food marketing on children. The Internet has become an important marketing communications tool and is being used by advertisers to target children. This has prompted calls for a review of online marketing practices from public health officials, policy makers, consumer advocates, and industry groups. The objectives of this study are to inform decision makers about the nature of online marketing to children and to identify practices that may raise policy concerns. The authors report results of the first systematic content analysis of food marketers' Web sites that either target children directly or contain content of interest to them. The authors identify 11 online marketing practices of public policy relevance. They discuss the empirical findings in terms of these issues an...