cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water quality change detection: multivariate algorithms

In light of growing concern over the safety and security of our nation's drinking water, increased attention has been focused on advanced monitoring of water distribution systems. The key to these advanced monitoring systems lies in the combination of real time data and robust statistical analysis. Currently available data streams from sensors provide near real time information on water quality. Combining these data streams with change detection algorithms, this project aims to develop automated monitoring techniques that will classify real time data and denote anomalous water types. Here, water quality data in 1 hour increments over 3000 hours at 4 locations are used to test multivariate algorithms to detect anomalous water quality events. The algorithms use all available water quality sensors to measure deviation from expected water quality. Simulated anomalous water quality events are added to the measured data to test three approaches to measure this deviation. These approaches include multivariate distance measures to 1) the previous observation, 2) the closest observation in multivariate space, and 3) the closest cluster of previous water quality observations. Clusters are established using kmeans classification. Each approach uses a moving window of previous water quality measurements to classify the current measurement as normal or anomalous. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves test the ability of each approach to discriminate between normal and anomalous water quality using a variety of thresholds and simulated anomalous events. These analyses result in a better understanding of the deviation from normal water quality that is necessary to sound an alarm.
Measuring gluon condensation

Abstract We argue that the decay of the τ -lepton provides a reasonable basis for the determination of the masses of the light quarks. It also has a direct bearing on the estimates of gluon condensation.
Simple Method for Designing or Analyzing an Optical Communication Link

A simple method is described for determining the performance of a free space optical communication link. The method can be used either in the system design (synthesis) mode, or in the performance evaluation (analysis) mode. Although restricted to photo counting based detection (e.g. photomultiplier tube or equivalent) of pulse position modulated signals, the method is still sufficiently general to accommodate space-based, as well as ground-based, reception.
Insect defoliation and population dynamics in blends of resistant and susceptible soybean cultivars

Phytophagous insects can cause significant economic yield loss in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production areas of the southern United States. Although breeding efforts have resulted in developing insect-resistant cultivars, the yield potential of these cultivars is generally lower than conventional cultivars under conditions of light insect pressure. The objective of this study was to determine if a blend of insect resistant and insect susceptible cultivars affords some degree of insect control while maintaining high yields under high insect pressure environments. Experiments were conducted on a Labelle soil (Oxyaquic Vertic Argiaquolls) near Beaumont, TX, in 1990 to 1992. The 3-yr field study included five population ratios of Maturity Group VIII cultivars Dowling (insect susceptible. S) and Crockett (insect resistant, R): 100 S:0 R, 75 S:25 R, 50 S:50 R, 25 S:75 R, and 0 S:100 R. Plots were sampled weekly for insects and percent leaf defoliation when insect populations began to increase in late summer. Data were analyzed with blend treated as a linear trend. Insect counts of six major pests showed that, of 18 possible year-insect combinations, in only three eases were there significant population differences due to blend. In late season, the percent defoliation of Crockett increased in all 3 yr as the percentage of Crockett in the blend increased. By contrast, as the percentage of Dowling in the blend increased, the percent defoliation of Dowling decreased in 2 of the 3 yr. Therefore, blending Crockett and Dowling did not offer insect defoliation protection for Dowling and may have had an opposite effect. Maximum percent defoliation for Crockett was generally 40 to 50% less than that for Dowling, In 1990 and 1991, blending had no effect on yield or seed quality. In 1992, there was a significant, negative effect on yield (b -4.46) and seed quality (b = 0.01) as the percentage of Crockett increased in the blend. Blends of these cultivars did not improve yield of Dowling under conditions of insect pressure compared with a pure stand of Dowling. A blend of insect resistant and susceptible cultivars did not appear to be a suitable insect control management strategy in soybean.
Vectors allowing amplified expression of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Gal3p-Gal80p-Gal4p transcription switch: applications to galactose-regulated high-level production of proteins.

The Gal4, Gal80, and Gal3 proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae constitute a galactose-responsive regulatory switch for GAL gene promoters. The low cellular levels of these proteins have hampered mechanistic studies and limit the utility of the GAL gene promoters for high-yield production of endogenous and exogenous proteins. We have constructed two new vectors, pMEGA2 and pMEGA2-DeltaURA3, that increase the level of the Gal4p-Gal80p-Gal3p switch proteins under conditions that preserve the Gal3p-Gal80p-Gal4p stoichiometries required for normal switch function. Cells carrying pMEGA2 show 15- to 20-fold more Gal4p and 30- to 40-fold more Gal3p and Gal80p than cells lacking pMEGA2. These high levels of Gal4p, Gal80p, and Gal3p do not perturb the integrity of galactose-inducible regulation. Cells that carry pMEGA2 exhibit normal galactose-induction kinetics for the chromosomal MEL1 gene expression and normal, albeit slower, log-phase growth. Insertion of the MEL1 gene into pMEGA2 provides a 24- to 30-fold increase in the Mel1 protein. Cells carrying a 2-microm-based URA3-selectable plasmid containing a GAL1pro:lacZ reporter gene and a second plasmid, pMEGA2-DeltaURA3, produce 12-fold more beta-galactosidase than cells carrying only the GAL1pro:lacZ reporter plasmid. The performance of the MEGA plasmids in providing amplified production of the Gal3, Gal80, and Gal4 proteins should prove useful in investigations of the mechanistic aspects of these transcription switch proteins and in work aimed at achieving high-level, galactose-regulatable production of proteins in yeast.
Discrete-time Robust Adaptive Control using the Lyapunov-SPR Approach

This paper presents a discrete-time robust model reference adaptive control scheme where the robust adaptive law is designed using the Lyapunov-SPR synthesis approach. A crucial ingredient of the SPR design is the definition of a normalized estimation error, which permits the standard robustness analysis of gradient and least squares algorithms to carry over to this design also. However, unlike adaptive schemes derived using least squares or gradient methods, the normalization of the estimation error here is not carried out pointwise in time. Instead, the signal being normalized is the quasi steady-state value of the estimation error. The result bridges the gap, as it were, between the early ideal case discrete-time results obtained using the Lyapunov-SPR Synthesis Approach and the later discrete-time robustness results obtained using the Gradient and Least Squares methods.
Sweat lactate response between males with high and low aerobic fitness

Sweat lactate indirectly reflects eccrine gland metabolism. However the potential influence of aerobic fitness on sweat lactate is not well-understood. Six males with high aerobic fitness [peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak): 61.6 (2.5) ml·kg−1·min−1] and seven males with low aerobic fitness [VO2peak: 41.8 (6.4) ml·kg−1·min−1] completed a maximal exertion cycling trial followed on a different day by 60 min of cycling (60 rev·min−1) in a 30°C wet bulb globe temperature environment. Intensity was individualized at 90% of the ventilatory threshold (VE/VO2 increase with no concurrent VE/VCO2 increase). Sweat samples were collected from the lumbar region every 10 min and analyzed for lactate concentration. Sweat rate (SR) was significantly greater (p 0.05) between groups for sweat lactate concentration at any time point. Current results show highly fit (vs. low fitness level) males have a greater sweat rate which is consistent with previous literature. However aerobic fitness and subsequent variations in SR do not appear to influence sweat lactate concentrations in males.
Rescue of glaucoma-causing mutant myocilin thermal stability by chemical chaperones.

Mutations in myocilin cause an inherited form of open angle glaucoma, a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder associated with increased intraocular pressure. Myocilin forms part of the trabecular meshwork extracellular matrix presumed to regulate intraocular pressure. Missense mutations, clustered in the olfactomedin (OLF) domain of myocilin, render the protein prone to aggregation in the endoplasmic reticulum of trabecular meshwork cells, causing cell dysfunction and death. Cellular studies have demonstrated temperature-sensitive secretion of myocilin mutants, but difficulties in expression and purification have precluded biophysical characterization of wild-type (wt) myocilin and disease-causing mutants in vitro. We have overcome these limitations by purifying wt and select glaucoma-causing mutant (D380A, I477N, I477S, K423E) forms of the OLF domain (228−504) fused to a maltose binding protein (MBP) from E. coli. Monomeric fusion proteins can be isolated in solution. To determine the relative stability o...
Cultural Relational Leaders: Unraveling, Understanding, and Utilizing Narratives in Leadership Practice.

The arguments for using narratives to organize one's leadership practice are helpful in that they justify and organize many of the activities that go into the leader's professional and personal life. This paper explores the complex nature of narratives in a professional setting and the manner in which leaders can use the therapeutic methodology of cultural relational psychology to address multiple meanings embedded in narratives. People narrate their own subjective and embodied realities and reveal themselves metaphorically and symbolically through the stories they tell. The author outlines methods that leaders can use in the context of giving and sharing narratives; including empathic attunement, contextualization, relationship authenticity, using conflicts and tensions to make relationships stronger, understanding why people feel disconnected or disempowered, and honoring individual differences.
An improved algorithm for the rectangle enclosure problem

Given a set of n rectangles in the plane, with sides parallel to the coordinate axes, the rectangle enclosure problem consists of finding all q pairs of rectangles such that one rectangle of the pair encloses the other. In this note we present an alternative algorithm to the one by Vaishnavi and Wood; while both techniques have worst-case running time O(nlog2 n + q), ours uses optimal storage O(n) rather than O(nlog2 n) of Vaishnavi and Wood. Our algorithm works entirely in-place and uses very conventional data structures.
Restoration of diaphragmatic function following vagophrenic anastomosis in the rat.

Abstract Unilateral vagophrenic anastomosis or phrenicophrenic anastomosis was performed at the brachial plexus level. Five to 8 months later, the initially-paralyzed ipsilateral hemidiaphragm contracted normally in 5 of 8 vagophrenic rats and in all 6 phrenicophrenic controls. Transection of the vagus just below the nodose ganglion abolished the restored diaphragmatic contractions in the vagophrenic rats but not in the phrenicophrenic rats. Motor end-plates appeared normal histologically in both groups. In additional vagophrenic rats, inspiratory action potentials were recorded from the “phrenic” nerve, which now contained regenerated vagal fibers. These inspiratory volleys were unaffected by spinal cord transection above the phrenic motoneurons (C 1), but were abolished by cutting the vagus nerve rostral to the anastomosis. Inspiratory volleys were recorded from the vagus of unoperated rats proximal to the recurrent laryngeal branch and from the recurrent laryngeal nerve itself. No such volleys were found in the vagus nerve distal to the recurrent laryngeal branch. Therefore, recurrent laryngeal fibers of the vagus are presumed to be responsible for the observed return of diaphragmatic function after vagophrenic anastomosis; there is no need to postulate reorganization of intracentral neural pathways.
Enterprise information analysis: cost-benefit analysis and the data-managed system

Enterprise information analysis studies have highlighted a gradual change in the data and information processing environment--a change in systems design and implementation from stand-alone, applica...
906-63 Quantitative Doppler Tissue Imaging for the Noninvasive Assessment of Left Ventricular Contractility

Doppler Tissue Imaging (DTI) is a new noninvasive imaging modality that allows direct quantitation of myocardial velocity. This study was designed to test the correlation of peak systolic myocardial velocities with other measures of left ventricular (LV) systolic function under conditions of varying contractility. Nine patients with mild or moderate mitral regurgitation (MR) and resting LV ejection fraction (EF) 14 to 70% (41.7 ± 22.2) underwent quantitative DTI of the inferoposterior mid-myocardium. LV dP/dt was estimated from the rate of change of MR velocity on continuous wave Doppler. LV EF, dP/dt and DTI peak systolic velocity (Vel) were measured both at rest and during dobutamine (Dobut) infusion (range 30 to 50 mcg/kg/min, mean 34 ± 7l, and evaluated for change (Δ) from baseline: Rest Dobut Δ p EF(%) 41.7 ± 22.2 56.6 ± 27.9 14.9 ± 8.3 0.001 DTI Vel (mm/s) 22.7 ± 4.2 35.3 ± 10.1 12.6 ± 8.7 0.004 dP/dt (mmHg/ms) 1050 ± 322 1766 ± 768 716 ± 622 0.01 Direct relationships existed between LV dP/dt and both EF (R = 0.78, P = 0.004) and DTI Vel (R = 0.81, P = 0.002). The change in dP/dt during dobutamine infusion compared to baseline exhibited a stronger correlation with change in DTI velocity (R = 0.77) than with change in ejection fraction (R = 0.35). We conclude that 1) both EF and peak systolic myocardial velocity are directly related to LV contractility measured by dP/dt, and 2) catecholamineinduced alteration in myocardial contractility is better reflected by changes in myocardial velocity than by changes in EF. Measurement of myocardial velocity using quantitative DTI may be useful in the noninvasive assessment of ventricular contractility, and may be a useful adjunct to echocardiographic wall motion analysis during catecholamine stress testing.
Early Events in Antigen‐Specific Regulatory T Cell Induction via Nasal and Oral Mucosa

Mucosal Tr prevent harmful immune responses to innocuous antigens that are encountered at the mucosae. This unique subset of Tr is adaptive, antigen specific, and suppresses irrespective of cytokine polarization. Here we study the earliest events of mucosal Tr induction and factors that control their differentiation from naive T cells.
Conservation of a novel protein associated with an antibiotic efflux operon in Burkholderia cenocepacia

Burkholderia cenocepacia is a significant problem in individuals with cystic fibrosis and is a member of the B. cepacia complex of closely related antibiotic resistant bacteria. A salicylate-regulated antibiotic efflux operon has been identified in B. cenocepacia and one of its four genes, llpE, is without parallel in previously reported efflux operons. PCR amplification and sequencing of llpE from B. cepacia complex isolates demonstrated the highest prevalence in B. cenocepacia with a high degree of sequence conservation. While at least one non-synonymous mutation was identified between isolates from different genomovars, only synonymous differences were identified within the IIIA and IIIB sub-groups of B. cenocepacia. Structural modeling suggests that LlpE is a member of the α/β hydrolase enzyme family. Identification of strong structural homology to hydrolases and a high degree of conservation in B. cenocepacia suggests an enzymatic function for LlpE, benefiting survival in the cystic fibrosis lung.
Serum levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor in trophoblastic disease.

Abstract Objectives. The aims of this study were to measure levels of colony stimulating factor (CSF-1) in patients with trophoblastic disease, to determine whether such measurement may be useful to supplement measurement of the prognostically reliable human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and to assess whether measurement of CSF-1 may be helpful in predicting requirement for chemotherapy in patients with hydatidiform mole. Methods. Serial weekly serum samples were selected for CSF-1 assay from representative diagnostic groups of patients with trophoblastic disease: hydatidiform-mole with spontaneous resolution, low-risk post-hydatidiform-mole trophoblastic tumor, partial hydatidiform mole, high-risk metastatic gestational trophoblastic tumor, primary ovarian choriocarcinoma, and placental site trophoblastic tumor. hCG was measured by an in-house radioimmunoassay that measures all parts of the hCG molecule. CSF-1 wasmeasured by radioimmunoassay with 125 I-labeled recombinant CSF-1. The upper level of normal CSF-1 was taken as 8 ng/ml. Results. In this study of 45 patients with trophoblastic disease, some very high levels of CSF-1 were encountered. In a few patients there was dramatic correlation with hCG. Generally, however, CSF-1 and hCG did not correlate. CSF-1 was frequently not elevated when hCG was still significantly elevated and conversely CSF-1 was elevated when hCG was negative. Conclusion: The measurement of CSF-1 does not appear to be useful in managing trophoblastic disease as it does not correlate with the level of hCG. Occasionally, high levels of CSF-1 were found in patients with trophoblastic disease.
Public Health Security and Forecasting Economic Trends

Abstract This paper examines the effects of economic and demographic trends upon the costs and provision of health services among countries at different stages of development, and in particular how different financing methods lead to different roles for the Ministry of Health—and the likelihood they create of a public health system crisis. First, the trends in Medical Technology, demographics and national health spending as projected by the OECD, the WHO and the Society of Actuaries is presented. The analysis proceeds to examine divergences between sub-sectors (elderly v. young, poor v. rich, urban v. rural, hospital v. clinic or doctor). Special attention is given to the question of whether a widening gap between groups (urban v. rural, rich v. poor) will cause average per capita expenditures to rise more or less rapidly, and the extent to which it may cause of result from public v. private financing. The ability of financing mechanisms to promote or disrupt harmony in response to two major challenges (1. Rising Costs 2. Biologic Catastrophe) are then discussed. Careful attention is given to the differences in the causes of individual health expenditures and national health expenditures, and the relationship of each to income of the person, or of the national as a whole. This provides a foundation for a typology of Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance responses to (a) Long Term Trends and (B) Public Perceptions. The economics of budgeting is shown to be a task that is both inherently technical, and also political, relying ultimately on public support. It is concluded that it is up to the people and the political process to determine the amount of money in total available to pay for health care costs, and the task of the national health authority to use that funding wisely to obtain the best health outcomes, satisfaction with care, and trust between patients, physicians and hospitals.
A New High-Speed Memory Interconnect Architecture Using Microwave Interconnects and Multicarrier Signaling

A new memory bus concept that has the potential to push double data rate (DDR) memory speed to 30 Gbit/s is presented. We propose to map the conventional DDR bus to a microwave link using a multicarrier frequency division multiplexing scheme. We call this approach multicarrier memory channel architecture (MCMCA). In MCMCA, each memory signal is modulated onto an RF carrier using 64-QAM format. The carriers are then routed using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) interconnects. At the receiver, the memory signals are demodulated and then delivered to SDRAM devices. We present details of our proposal as well as the results of simulations and experiments, which demonstrate the merits of this approach. Experimental characterization of the new channel shows that by using judicious frequency division multiplexing, as few as one SIW is sufficient to transmit the 64 DDR bits. The overall aggregated bus data rate achieves 240 GB data transfer with the error vector magnitude not exceeding 2.26% and phase error of 1.07 degrees or less.
New Concepts in the Pathogenesis and Modalities of the Chemoprophylaxis of Native Valve Endocarditis

Despite the generally accepted concept that such prophylactic approaches are worthy, there are still a number of problematic issues and unanswered questions in the area of BE prevention. These include clinical questions concerning optimal prophylactic regimens, highest risk invasive procedures for BE and highest risk valve lesions for induction of BE, as well as pathogenetic questions concerning the exact mechanisms by which prophylactic antibiotics exert their protective efficacy
Diagnostic assessments in patients with invasive cancer of the cervix : A national patterns of care study of the American college of surgeons

Using a standard collection form designed by a multidisciplinary committee of specialists, cancer registrars at 703 hospitals submitted anonymous data on 11,721 patients with cervical cancer diagnosed during 2 study years, 1984 and 1990. Information concerning the initial use of diagnostic assessments was analyzed with respect to the potential influences of clinical stage, patient age, race/ethnicity, insurance status, and modalities of therapy employed. Estimates of the yield of diagnostic information for each test were correlated with clinical stage and patient age. Judged by the number of procedures performed, the intensity of pretreatment assessment declined between 1984 and 1990. Substantially increased use of the newer body imaging modalities (computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging) with high probabilities of revealing abnormalities attributed to cancer, balanced major declines in utilization of procedures historically important in staging and assessment (cystoscopy, proctoscopy, barium enema, excretory urography (intravenous pyelogram), bone scintography, and lymphangiography). Race/ethnicity and insurance status had no discernible independent impact on the intensity of diagnostic evaluation. Patients with more advanced clinical stages underwent more extensive testing, as did patients treated initially with radiation compared to surgery. Periodic review of assessment strategies would seem prudent to avoid widening discrepancies between sanctioned staging formalisms with endorsed and authorized appraisals and actual clinical practice.
Sprinkler and Fan Cooling System for Dairy Cows in Hot, Humid Climates

Comparisons were made of the performance of cooled and uncooled cows housed under an open-side freestall barn located in a hot, humid environment. The effects of cooling in a nearby holding area were also studied. Average daily milk production for the cows cooled in the freestall barn was 20.2 kg (44.4 lb) versus 18.1 kg (39.8 lb) for uncooled cows (P < 0.01). Feed consumption increased from 17.8 (39.2) to 19.1 kg/day (42.0 lb/day) when cows were cooled in the freestall (P < 0.01) and from 18.3 (40.3) to 18.6 kg/day (40.9 lb/day) when cows were cooled in the holding area (P < 0.05). Milk protein content was increased from 3.39 to 3.51% by cooling in the freestall barn (P < 0.01). An economic analysis indicated that sprinkler and fan cooling systems offer advantages in hot, humid climates.
High-visibility interference in a Bell-inequality experiment for energy and time

We report on a two-photon interference experiment proposed by Franson [Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, 2205 (1989)], in which sinusoidal fringes with visibilities greater than 70.7%, such as those predicted by quantum mechanics, violate a Bell inequality. We observe visibility of 80.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6%, implying a violation of the inequality by 16 standard deviations. Here the elements of reality under consideration are energy and time rather than spin components. Any classical field models describing separate beams in a Franson interferometer are limited to visibilities less than 50%, and hence ruled out as well, without the need for any supplementary assumptions.
Rovibrational spectroscopy of formaldehyde in helium nanodroplets

Abstract Formaldehyde has been characterized in superfluid helium nanodroplets in the region of the symmetric (ν1) and antisymmetric (ν5) stretching bands. The band origins are blue shifted, consistent with a decrease in the dipole moment and polarizability in going from the ground to excited vibrational states, and the lines within each band are homogeneously broadened, with vibrational lifetimes of 26 and 6.2 ps for assigned transitions in the v1 and v5 bands, respectively. The A, B, and C constants are renormalized to 79%, 65%, and 49% of their gas phase values, corresponding to moments of inertia of helium, IHe, of 0.488, 6.88, and 15.3 amu A2, about the inertial a-, b-, and c-axes, respectively. While partial breakdown of the adiabatic approximation is expected for rotations about the b- and c-axes, the small value of IHe about the a-axis is indicative of near complete breakdown. The larger value of IHe about the c-axis in comparison to the b-axis is attributed to the greater anisotropy of the interaction potential in the plane of H2CO [M.D. Wheeler, A.M. Ellis, Chem. Phys. Lett. 374 (2003) 392].
Charging effects on electron-stimulated desorption of cations from gadolinia-doped ceria surfaces

Abstract Electron beam-induced charging and -stimulated desorption have been used to probe the electronic properties of gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) surfaces. The main cationic desorption products resulting from electron bombardment are H+, H3O+ and O+. The dependence of the H+ and H3O+ ion kinetic energies and yields on the surface potentials have been systematically investigated. Positive potentials increase the cation kinetic energies linearly while negative potentials reduce the cation yields dramatically. The charging of GDC by electron beam bombardment is dependent on the incident electron energy: negative at lower energy and positive at higher energy. Irradiation with 400 eV electrons can produce a positive surface potential of several volts while irradiation of the sample with 75 eV electrons can produce a negative sample potential of at least −6 V. The positive charge caused by high-energy electron irradiation can be neutralized by the negative charge generated by low-energy electrons and vice versa. The probable hole traps are sites close to Gd3+, and the abundant presence of defects at oxygen vacancy-rich grain boundaries can serve as very effective electron traps.
Metabolic aspects of the secretion of stored compounds from blood platelets. V. Effect of ionophore A23187 on washed platelets.

1. X537A at concentrations below 10 muM can liberate platelet serotonin from washed human platelets without inducing the platelet release reaction. Up to 100% of serotonin preabsorbed by the platelets can be liberated before initiation of the release reaction. 2. Concentrations of X537A above 10muM initiate the platelet release reaction, with a maximum release of adenine nucleotides and platelet factor 4 antigen comparable to that obtained with 1.25 units thrombin/ml. 3. The changes in ATP metabolism at the concentration necessary for X537A-induced release are more profound than those in platelets exposed to concentrations of thrombin or A23187 giving the same degree of release, and approach those seen with high concentrations of A23187. At concentrations where serotonin is liberated but no adenine nucleotide or platelet factor 4 antigen is released, short time incubation causes no change in the level of metabolic ATP.
Bound states of an electron in a point electric-dipole field: Quantization of a classical solution☆

Abstract The condition for bound classical motion of an electron in a point electric-dipole field is shown to be D > 3 3 p 2 φ 4m e e , and the quantization of the component p φ of angular momentum leads to previously calc ulated minimum values of dipole moment D required for binding in the quantum mechanical motion about a finite or point dipole.
Upper cutoff energy of the electron plasma sheet as a measure of magnetospheric convection strength

[1] The sharp upper edge of the nightside electron plasma sheet energy distribution observed at geosynchronous orbit is shown to provide a measure of the effective strength of the convection electric field that transports plasma sheet material into the inner magnetosphere. This association is statistically supported by the Kp and LT dependence of the observed median cutoff energies and yields inferred field strengths consistent with previous electric field measurements in this region. The temporal profile of convection typically consists of a sequence of bursts, where each convection enhancement lasts no more than a fraction of an hour. Simultaneous multipoint measurements show that these convection enhancements are observed first near midnight and then propagate sunward with speeds of ∼5–30 km/s. They also reveal that the plasma sheet does not penetrate as deeply into the premidnight region as would be expected for a Volland-Stern electric field with a shielding parameter of γ = 2. Routine measurements of the plasma sheet electron cutoff energy by multiple geosynchronous satellites could provide a near-real-time monitor of the effective strength of the global convection electric field.
Predicting the changes of relaxation dynamics with various modifications of the chemical and physical structures of glass-formers

Abstract One merit of the coupling model (CM) is its relevance to experiments as demonstrated by its ability to rationalize, explain, and sometimes predict experimental data, particularly those on dynamics. It also predicts the changes of relaxation dynamics with various modifications of the chemical and physical structures of glass-formers. The modifications considered include application of pressure, nano-confinement, crosslinking, copolymerization, mixing with another glass-former, and various changes including molecular structure, tacticity, and molecular weight. The relaxation dynamics addressed include the secondary Johari–Goldstein β-relaxation, and the primary structural α-relaxation, and also the chain modes in the case of polymers. The changes of these relaxation mechanisms and their relations to each other with modification of chemical and physical structures are predicted and the predictions compare favorably with experimental data.
Collision-induced dissociation of the propane molecular ion

Abstract A crossed-beam tandem hybrid mass spectrometer equipped with a supersonic neutral beam source was used to investigate collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the propane molecular ion at a series of relative collision energies from 1.7–449 eV. The competing processes of elimination of methane and loss of methyl radical were studied using beams of helium and argon neutrals. The dynamics of both dissociation processes change relatively little with increasing collision energy, demonstrating that the CID mechanism does not change with collision energy over a very broad range. The most probable energy transfer into the ion increased only slightly with collision energy. The dynamics are consistent with previous conclusions that internal energy is randomized amongst internl degrees of freedom before dissociation. The intensity maxima at all energies occurred at non-zero scattering angles in the center-of-mass reference frame; scattering angles decrease with increasing collision energy but never decreased to zero. This implies that the CID mechanism for propane ion is dominated by small impact parameter collisions with large angular momentum exchange at all energies.
High-fat hyperphagia in neurotrophin-4 deficient mice reveals potential role of vagal intestinal sensory innervation in long-term controls of food intake

Neurotrophin-4 (NT-4) deficient mice exhibit substantial loss of intestinal vagal afferent innervation and short-term deficits in feeding behavior, suggesting reduced satiation. However, they do not show long-term changes in feeding or body weight because of compensatory behaviors. The present study examined whether high-fat hyperphagia induction would overcome compensation and reveal long-term effects associated with the reduced vagal sensory innervation of NT-4 mutants. First, modifications of a feeding schedule previously developed in rats were examined in wild-type mice to identify the regimen most effective at producing hyperphagia. The most successful schedule, which was run for 26 days, included access to a 43%-fat diet and pelleted chow every other day and access to only powdered chow on the alternate days. On high-fat access days mice consumed 25% more calories than mice with continuous daily access to the same high-fat diet and pelleted chow. This feeding regimen also induced hyperphagia in NT-4 deficient mice and their wild-type controls: on high-fat exposure days mutants consumed 35% more calories relative to continuous-access mutants, and wild types ate 25% more than continuous-access wild types. Moreover, on high-fat access days the alternating NT-4 mutants significantly increased caloric intake by 9% compared to alternating wild types. Thus, high-fat hyperphagia appeared to override compensation, permitting short-term changes in meal consumption by mutants that accrued into long-term changes in total daily food intake. This raises the possibility that intestinal vagal sensory innervation contributes to long-term, as well as to short-term regulation of food intake.
Angle-Dependent magneto-resistance near the pre-martensitic phase of Ni2MnGa

Angle-dependent magneto-resistance measurements in the vicinity of the pre-martensite phase (TPM~219 K) in Ni2MnGa are reported. Magneto-resistance measurements detect a change in slope, from positive to negative near TPM that can be suppressed with a modest magnetic field. Mirroring this change in slope, published ARPES data [Opeil et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 165703 (2008).] show a significant depletion of states (pseudo-gap) forming at 0.3 eV below the Fermi energy.
The Human Microbiome Project: lessons from human genomics

The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) is following in the footsteps of the Human Genome Project (HGP), which will include exciting discoveries, but also potential disappointment and resentment over the lack of medical applications. There is a wiser path for the HMP. This path includes a greater attention to rare variation, an early commitment to an ethical inclusion of indigenous communities, and a recruitment strategy in which medical benefits are de-emphasized.
Longitudinal evaluation of cardiopulmonary performance during exercise after bone marrow transplantation in children

Abstract Objective: Abnormalities in cardiopulmonary performance during exercise have been reported in children after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). We sought to study changes in exercise performance over time in pediatric BMT survivors. Study design: We retrospectively reviewed the results of serial cardiopulmonary exercise tests performed by patients who had undergone BMT at our institution. Four measurements of cardiopulmonary function are reported: maximum cardiac index (MCI), maximal oxygen consumption (Max VO2), oxygen consumption at ventilatory threshold (VO2 at VT), and maximum work (Max Work) performed. A linear mixed-effects model was fitted to assess changes in these parameters over time. Results: Thirty-three patients performed 96 cardiopulmonary exercise tests. MCI and VO2 at VT were depressed at initial testing and did not change over time. Max VO2 increased by 4% per year to 69% predicted, and Max Work increased to 77% predicted at 6 years after BMT. Conclusions: In spite of an impaired cardiovascular response to exercise as indicated by the persistently low MCI, aerobic and physical working capacity increase. Improved Max VO2 suggests that oxygen extraction at the musculoskeletal level becomes more efficient with recovery from BMT. This may represent a compensatory response to an impaired ability to increase cardiac output. (J Pediatr 2000;136:311-7)
Infectious Crystalline Keratopathy Caused by Candida albicans

Two patients developed corneal opacities resembling infectious crystalline keratopathy. Predisposing factors included a recent corneal transplant with suture replacement in one patient and postradiation keratoconjunctivitis with disposable therapeutic contact-lens wear in the other patient. Both patients were using a topically applied corticosteroid and an aminoglycoside antimicrobial. Smears of corneal scrapings showed numerous yeasts without inflammatory cells. Culturing yielded Candida albicans and Staphylococcus haemolyticus in the first case and C. albicans and S. epidermidis in the second case. Combined antifungal and antimicrobial therapy, with initial withdrawal of corticosteroid use, was effective. The microbial cause of pauci-inflammatory keratitis includes not only viridans streptococci and other bacteria but fungi as well.
Surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering spectroscopy applied to phytochrome and its model compounds. 1. Biliverdin photoisomers

The application of surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS) spectroscopy to the analysis of the configuration of biliverdin dimethyl ester (BVDE) is reported. SERRS spectra obtained by adsorption of the compounds onto an electrochemically roughened silver electrode and recorded at 7 K were intense and free of significant photodegradation. The similarity of the SERRS and resonance Raman (RR) spectra obtained under identical conditions suggests that no perturbation of the electronic structure of the BVDE occurs upon interaction with the silver surface, and that the distribution of conformers comprising the BVDE solution is not changed. SERRS spectra of the deuterated and monoprotonated Z,Z,Z isomer are also presented. To investigate the influence of configuration upon the Raman spectrum we have synthesized and purified the E,Z,A, and Z,Z,E isomers of BVDE. Excellent SERRS spectra were obtained from the solutions of the compounds eluted directly from the TLC plates.
MEASUREMENT OF LIKE-SPIN DIPOLE COUPLINGS

Abstract The application of modified Carr-Purcell-type pulse sequences to the measurement of like-spin dipole couplings in solids is reported here. The Meiboom-Gill sequence is shown experimentally to be very sensitive to nutation angle errors. Previously reported modifications of the sequence are significantly more tolerant of pulse errors. Experimental results are reported for two different d4-benzenes.
Respiratory morbidity in workers exposed to dust containing phenolic resin.

Seventy-three men and women exposed to phenolic resin dust and/or processed cotton dust in a factory producing sound-deadening material were studied cross-sectionally. There was a statistically significant acute drop in FEV1 and FVC over the shift in garnett-line workers exposed to dust containing phenolic resin. Pickers, exposed to processed cotton dust only, did not show a significant drop in FEV1 and FVC over the work shift. Thirty-five percent of the workers that had smoked cigarettes and had worked in the plant 5 years or more had an FEV1 less than 80% of predicted. This finding was not entirely explained by duration of cigarette smoking. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the longer the duration of exposure, the lower the ratio of FEV1 to FVC. Respiratory symptoms were related to current cigarette smoking but not to duration of employment. The study suggests that exposure to dust containing phenolic resin had both acute and chronic effects on pulmonary function.
Basic Vascular Access for Hemodialysis

Vascular access for acute or chronic hemodialysis can be relatively simple or present a significant surgical challenge. The patient about to undergo acute dialysis is frequently suffering from multi-system disease and renal failure is just one component of his illness.Hemodialysis may need to be initiated on an emergent basis because of life threatening chemical abnormalities, drug intoxication, or fluid overload. Semi-emergent dialysis may be required when a rising serum creatinine indi cates that renal function is deteriorating at a rapid rate. The acute dialysis patient not uncommonly becomes a candidate for chronic dialysis and consid eration must be given to establishing some form of permanent access. The need for chronic dialysis, however, may often be anticipated and access created many weeks before the first dialysis is actually required allowing sufficient time for maturation of an arterio-venous fistula.
The vector meson mass in the large N limit of QCD

The vector meson mass is computed as a function of quark mass in the large N limit of QCD. We use continuum reduction and directly compute the vector meson propagator in momentum space. Quark momentum is inserted using the quenched momentum prescription.
A model for determination of total body protein synthesis based upon compartmental analysis of the plasma [15N] glycine decay curve.

Abstract A model for whole body glycine nitrogen flux based on the compartmental analysis of plasma [ 15 N] glycine decay curves is described and used for the measurements of (1) total body glycine nitrogen flux and the components of this flux in three healthy young adults and (2) total body protein synthesis based on the conversion of 15 N to excretory products, ie, the sum of urinary [ 15 N] urea and 15 NH 3 and the amount of labeled urea remaining in the body at five hours following administration of [ 15 N] glycine. The mean glycine nitrogen flux was 3.93 ± 0.42 mg N · kg −1 · h −1 (SEM). The major components of this flux are de novo synthesis of glycine, which accounts for 18% to 27%, and release from protein breakdown, which accounts for 62% to 73%. The outward pathways of glycine from the total body free glycine pool are conversion to other amino acids and oxidation to excretory end products (30% to 42%) and incorporation into protein, which accounts for 45% to 61% of glycine N loss from the metabolic pool. The mean rate of total body protein synthesis as determined by compartmental analysis was 3.56 g protein · kg −1 · day −1 . The results that were obtained for protein synthesis and whole body glycine kinetics accord well with previous studies in normal adults, using the stochastic model.
Attitude Scales as Behavior Estimation Devices: Scale Specificity and Prediction Accuracy

Summary It was hypothesized that an attitude scale specifically tailored to predict a behavioral criterion would be more highly correlated with that criterion than a scale not so constructed. Ss were 38 male and 28 female sociology undergraduate students tested in the fall, 1972. Two six-item Thurstone, equal appearing intervals scales were used to measure Ss' attitudes with respect to cheating. The special scale was more closely correlated with behavior (r = .34, p < .01) than was the general scale (r = .09, NS). It was concluded that the tailoring procedures, based on a social learning theory conception of attitude, produced a scale which afforded more efficient estimates of behavior than conventional scales not so tailored. Implications of the findings for attitude research are discussed.
Weir(d) Sex: Representation of Gender-Environment Relations in Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock and Gallipoli

Soft images of pubescent women scaling the dizzy heights of a massive phallic rock in turn-of-the-century rural Victoria, and young men matching physical prowess in the indomitable Western Australian desert as World War I rages in Europe, provide foci for two of Peter Weir's most successful early films, Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) and Gallipoli (1981). In both these films the physical landscape is simultaneously integrated with and contrasted to the passions of young men and women. The result is an aesthetic that takes the viewer beyond the immediate narrative to a place where masculinity and femininity find expression. In this paper, transactional and psychoanalytic perspectives are used to interrogate the gender images which are portrayed in both these movies, linking them to some concepts which find currency in ecofeminism. The concern is with the individual struggle between the powerful, complex, and yet less-than-rational forces that are integral to the nature of our individual beings and the ratio...
The dynamics of old-growth Pseudotsuga forests in the western Cascade Range, Oregon, USA

Size and age structure, spatial analysis, and disturbance history were used to analyse the population structures and regeneration patterns of 8 conifer stands in the central western Cascade Range, Oregon, USA. Variation in forest structure reflected the effects of frequent (20–50 yr) low-intensity fires and treefalls, infrequent (100–200 yr) localised, intense fires, and extensive fires that resulted in stand replacement (every ca 400 yr?). The amount of canopy removed and the size of openings formed by fires and treefalls were important determinants of subsequent forest establishment. Single or several species stands of Pseudotsuga and/or Abies procera, or mixed species stands of Pseudotsuga, Abies procera, Tsuga heterophylla and Abies amabilis established in openings where intense fires had removed most of the canopy trees over several ha. Multi-tiered and multi-aged stands, often containing 400–500 yr-old Pseudotsuga and variously-sized more or less even-aged patches of younger shade tolerant Tsuga heterophylla and/or Abies amabilis, occurred where lower-intensity fires did not kill all overstorey trees or where treefalls occurred after the initial fire. Current regeneration processes are influenced by overstorey composition, the availability and size of canopy openings, and the availability of substrates suitable for regeneration. Tsuga heterophylla and Abies amabilis established under Pseudotsuga menziesii and Abies procera canopies and in small canopy openings (<400 m2) created by windfalls, but rarely under Tsuga. Down logs and stumps were favoured establishment sites for Tsuga. The disturbance regime of fires of low-to moderate-intensity, windfalls, and occasional fires that result in extensive stand replacement contrasts with the pattern of infrequent, catastrophic disturbances proposed for other areas of the Pacific Northwest. Although fires at stand establishment commonly determine much of the composition, structure, and subsequent stand development, canopy replacement by shade tolerant species occurs as the different life histories of the species are expressed in response to various disturbances differing in intensity and frequency. Such a non-equilibrium view of vegetation change is consistent with many other fire-dominated forests of the western United States.