cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serotonin Relationships of Autistic Probands and Their First-Degree Relatives

Thirty autistic children and 84 of their first-degree relatives were examined for serotonin blood levels and platelet counts. Among the autistic children, boys have higher serotonin blood levels than girls. Furthermore, autistic boys have higher levels than fathers, but have levels resembling those of their siblings. Autistic girls have lower blood serotonin levels than male siblings. Despite these differences, autistic children and their families have a strong familial resemblance when serotonin blood levels are adjusted for age, sex, and platelet counts.
Perioperative beta-blockade and late cardiac outcomes: a complementary hypothesis.

c C H HE PROBLEM OF perioperative cardiac morbidity has been studied for more than a century.1,2 Now, with approxmately one third of the 40 million annual inpatient procedures eing performed on patients at risk for coronary artery disease CAD),3 estimates are that up to 50,000 patients per year ustain a perioperative myocardial infarction and that, of those, substantial percentage will die.4 A variety of pharmacologic nterventions have been tested in efforts to limit perioperative ardiac morbidity that is caused by CAD including beta-blockng agents, alpha2-agonists, calcium channel blockers, and niroglycerin. Of these, beta-blockers have shown the most conistent and well-documented efficacy for decreasing adverse erioperative cardiac events.5 Although clinicians traditionally onsider that effects on myocardial oxygen supply and demand rovide the primary benefit of beta-blocking drugs for this atient population, the complexity of the interactions among he sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the heart, and the innate nflammatory immune response may provide other explanaions for the benefit of perioperative beta-blockade. Until the middle of the last decade, most clinical studies of erioperative cardiac morbidity studied early postoperative cariac events including ischemia, infarction, or heart failure. In 996, Mangano and colleagues6 published their results from a arefully conducted randomized clinical trial suggesting that a eta1-adrenergic receptor blocking drug, atenolol, decreased he incidence of fatal cardiac events and improved survival for p to 2 years after surgery. The study population included atients with known or suspected CAD who were scheduled for ajor surgery under general anesthesia. After randomization, atients received either placebo or atenolol immediately before nd for up to 7 postoperative days. For those patients who eceived atenolol, the length of time between surgery and a first ardiac advent (congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, nstable angina, cardiac surgery) or death was significantly ncreased leading to a survival benefit that was not immediately pparent but that evolved over the first 6 to 8 months after urgery. More recently, Poldermans et al7 published their reults from a similar clinical trial that was conducted exclusively n vascular surgical patients who had preoperative evidence of AD (assessed by stress echocardiography). Patients randomly eceived either “standard care” or standard care plus the beta1eceptor blocker, bisoprolol, for 30 days after surgery with isoprolol administration beginning at least 1 week before urgery. During the first 30 days after surgery, 18 patients in the tandard care group had a myocardial infarction or cardiac eath compared with 2 in the bisoprolol-treated group (p .001), suggesting an immediate benefit from perioperative eta1-blockade. However, during long-term follow-up, with b
The effects of cadmium in vitro on adenosine triphosphatase system and protection by thiol reagents in rat brain microsomes.

Cadmium (Cd) inhibited the activities of Na+-K+ ATPase (IC50=5.0×10−5 M), K+-p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (PNPPase) (IC50=4.0×10−5 M) and 3H-ouabain binding (IC50=7.5×10−5 M) in rat brain microsomes. Monothiols (cysteine but not glutathione and D-pencillamine) and dithiols (dimercaprol, dimercaptosuccinic acid and dithiothreitol) offered varied levels of protection against Cd-inhibition of Na+-K+ ATPase. Protection of Na+-K+ ATPase by these sulfhydryl (SH) agents was higher at 7.5 as compared to 8.5 pH. The present data suggest that Cd-inhibited Na+-K+ ATPase, by interfering with phosphorylation of enzyme molecule and dephosphorylation of the enzyme-phosphoryl complex and exerts a similar effect to that of SH-blocking agents.
Disagreement in Scientific Ontologies

The aim of this article is to discuss the nature of disagreement in scientific ontologies in the light of case studies from biology and cognitive science. I argue that disagreements in scientific ontologies are usually not about purely factual issues but involve both verbal and normative aspects. Furthermore, I try to show that this partly non-factual character of disagreement in scientific ontologies does not lead to a radical deflationism but is compatible with a “normative ontological realism.” Finally, I argue that the case studies from the empirical sciences challenge contemporary metaontological accounts that insist on exactly one true way of “carving nature at its joints.”
Trypanosoma brucei: biochemical and morphological changes during in vitro transformation of bloodstream- to procyclic-trypomastigotes.

Trypanosoma brucei brucei in whole rat blood inoculated into a semidefined medium undergoes complete morphological transformation (observed by light microscopy) in 72 hr. This reproducible system permits the biochemical and physiological study of transformation from bloodstream to procyclic trypomastigotes and mitochondrial biogenesis in these organisms. Infectivity for mice is lost after 6 days. Proline stimulates cell growth after transformation. High levels of glucose adversely affect the growth of transforming cells. Respiration during transformation is by an α-glycerophosphate oxidase although a cyanide-sensitive pathway is present after 24–48 hr but does not become fully functional with respect to procyclic trypomastigotes until 20–24 days in culture. The success of this system will permit the biochemical characterization of African trypanosomes as the development of the cytochrome system occurs.
Franck-Condon breakdown as a probe of continuum coupling in molecular photoionization.

Abstract We have measured vibrational branching ratios for 4σ −1 photoionization of CO in order to characterize continuum channel coupling. The results indicate that the shape resonance in the 5σ→ϵσ channel influences vibrational branching ratios of the 4σ −1 channel via continuum coupling, and the data illustrate how continuum channel coupling affects molecular photoionization dynamics.
“Supercharging” the rectus abdominis muscle to provide a single flap for cover of large mediastinal wound defects

Mediastinitis continues to be a devastating complication of open heart surgery. Supercharging the rectus abdominis muscle through revascularisation of the deep inferior epigastric vessels in the neck adds another safety factor in the management of these difficult problems. Large mediastinal wound defects that would usually require more than one muscle for cover can be covered adequately with this technique. Viability of the entire rectus abdominis is assured and permits use in its entirety. Details of the technique are presented as well as a review of the reconstructive options for mediastinal wound infections.
Repeated electroconvulsive shock does not change [3H]-paroxetine binding to the 5-HT uptake site in rat cortical membranes.

The effects of repeated electroconvulsive shock on the 5-HT uptake site were studied in rat cortex using [3H]-paroxetine binding. This ligand was used because it is thought to directly label the 5-HT uptake site, whereas [3H]-imipramine may bind to a presynaptic recognition site different from the uptake site. No changes were found in the maximum number of [3H]-paroxetine binding sites and equilibrium dissociation constant after repeated electroconvulsive shock, whereas a parallel investigation of β-adrenoceptor binding showed the expected decrease in receptor number.
The use and abuse of executive powers in warding off corporate raiders

As corporate raids become more prevalent, top corporate executives have asked for and often received additional executive power to ward off raiders or “sharks”. For example, they have been given the use of “shark repellents” such as staggered elections for board members, cumulative voting, super majority voting requirements, and the power to sell off the firm's “crown jewels”. Are they abusing these powers as they attempt to save their jobs, at the expense of stockholders, by driving off the corporate raiders who might unseat ineffective management? In this article the practices being used by entrenched managers to make their firms less attractive to raiders and the defense tactics they are using in corporate takeover battles are examined from an ethical viewpoint.
Factors Common to Motives and Personality Traits

Summary.--The study was done to establish the dimensions common to two inventories devoted to assessing interpersonal patterns and motivational styles. The inventories were administered to a sample of 96 college students. The 27 scores were intercorrelated and subjected to a principal components analysis, and the five factors isolated were subjected to an oblique transforrnation. These higher-order factors were interpreted as Interpersonal Involvement, Self-control, Level of Socialization, Achievement Motivation, and Approval Seeking. The findings support the value of a combined use of personality and motivational measures in clarifying theory and in further understanding of individual personality profiles. Motives arouse, energize, and give direction to an individual's activities. Because of these dynamic characteristics, motives have long been of special interest to clinicians, counselors, and theorists. Complex motivational theories have been offered by Freud, Lewin, Murray, McClelland, and others. Patterns of interpersonal behavior in social situations also carry motivational chatacteristics. Stagner ( 15 ) , for example, conceives of personality traits as schemas or cognitive rules that guide behavior in a variecy of situations that are perceived as belonging to the schema. Interpersonal traits determine which situations people will approach and which they will avoid. For these reasons it is of value to relate established interpersonal patterns to characteristic motivational structures. The aim of this study was to relate a set of well-established personality measures to a set of measures designed to assess preferred ways people exhibit in responding and thinking about work, play, property, people, and new experiences. More specifically the study will determine the number and nature of higher-order dimeosions common to the Interpersonal Style Inventory (8) and the Orientation and Motivational Inventory (16). The first inventory represents personality characteristics while the second assesses a broad range of motives. It is reasonable to expect that the emerging higher-level factors will provide an integration of these two domains and enrich our understanding of personality.
Antiretroviral treatment is associated with increased attentional load-dependent brain activation in HIV patients.

Objective The purpose of this paper was to determine whether antiretroviral medications, especially the nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors, lead to altered brain activation due to their potential neurotoxic effects in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.
On-Orbit Degradation of Silver Mirrors Exposed to Ultraviolet Radiation

Silver mirrors on the Suomi-NPP spacecraft exhibited significant degradation during early orbit operations. This paper describes the investigation that identified the source of the loss as a UV-sensitive contaminant deposited during manufacturing.
Theory of Phase Transitions in the β-Tungsten Structure Induced by the Band Jahn-Teller Effect

A dynamic theory of the cubic-to-tetragonal transformation in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-tungsten structure is presented starting with a Hamiltonian describing the interaction between static strain and acoustic phonons with the electrons in the triply degenerate $d$ bands. For this model the elastic constants are strongly temperature dependent in the low-frequency limit. However, for frequencies in the neighborhood of the Debye frequency, they are nearly temperature independent.
A TaqMan-based multiplex real-time PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia malayi

With the Global Program for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis continuing to make strides towards disease eradication, many locations endemic for the causative parasites of lymphatic filariasis are realizing a substantial decrease in levels of infection and rates of disease transmission. However, with measures of disease continuing to decline, the need for time-saving and economical molecular diagnostic assays capable of detecting low levels of parasite presence is increasing. This need is greatest in locations co-endemic for both Wuchereria bancrofti and Brugia parasites because testing for both causative agents individually results in significant increases in labor and reagent costs. Here we describe a multiplex, TaqMan-based, real-time PCR assay capable of simultaneously detecting W. bancrofti and Brugia malayi DNA extracted from human bloodspots or vector mosquito pools. With comparable sensitivity to established singleplex assays, this assay provides significant cost and labor savings for disease monitoring efforts in co-endemic locations.
Automated wafer transport in the wafer Fab

Through simulations with models, HP's Inkjet Supplies Business Unit has determined that intrabay material transport with automated delivery of wafers directly to process tools substantially increases the throughput of our semiconductor manufacturing facility (Fab). To fully utilize limited Fab space, an architecture using overhead track and vehicles has been selected. HP cooperated with a Supplier of automated material handling systems (AMHS) to develop this "zero footprint" solution. The experiences learned from a first-generation prototype system have been incorporated into a second generation prototype, which is currently being characterized at HP's Corvallis site. Due to the long AMHS development cycle, the new Corvallis Fab started its operation with manual material transport, using SMIF pods as carrying containers. All process tools have been equipped with SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface) load ports. Applying AEC (Automated Equipment Control) station controllers manage lot identification, WIP tracking and recipe selection. The SMIF industry standard for load port design, and AEC have proven to be valuable enablers to achieve AMHS with automated pod delivery and pick-up to and from process tools.
A simple and accurate method to predict offset voltage in dynamic comparators

In a dynamic comparator, it's always challenging to analytically predict the input offset voltage due to the existence of the internal positive feedback and transient process. In this paper, a simple method is presented to accurately estimate input offset voltages caused by process variations in dynamic comparators. The "Lewis-Gray" comparator implemented in TSMC0.25mum process is applied as an example to verify the effectiveness of the analytical method. Based on the SPICE level 1 model, the method shows good agreements with Monte Carlo transient simulation based on the sophisticated BSEVI3V3 model. The analytical results allow the circuit designers to fully explore the tradeoffs in comparator design, such as offset voltage, area and speed. To illustrate the potential, the analytical method was used to re-size the "Lewis-Gray" structure to reduce its random offset while maintaining a constant total area. After the optimization, input offset voltage has been reduced by 41% compared with its original sizing.
Energy resolution limiting factors of multi-pixel events in 3D position sensitive CZT gamma-ray spectrometer

The energy resolution limiting factors of a prototype 3D position-sensitive CZT gamma-ray spectrometer are investigated with both single and multi-pixel events from 662 keV gamma rays. The spectrometer was developed using a 10x10x10 mm3 CZT detector with 8×8 pixellated anode and a RENA-3 readout system from NOVA R&D. The RENA-3 system has energy and timing readout channels for the cathode and each individual pixel that enable the reconstruction of the energy depositions and interaction locations for both single and multi-interaction events in the detector by either C/A ratio or electron drift time. So 3D correction of detector response non-uniformity can be applied to all interaction events to optimize the overall energy resolution of the detector. For single interaction events in the detector, the energy resolution at 662 keV after 3D correction is ∼1% FWHM, which is mainly limited by the electronic noise of the readout system. For multi-pixel events from either multi-interaction or charge sharing in the detector, weighting potential crosstalk among multiple collecting pixels and electronic crosstalk between different ASIC channels turn out to have a big impact on energy resolution. Investigation shows that the weighting potential and electronic crosstalk could account for ≫2% FWHM energy resolution degradation at 662 keV for adjacent-pixel events. These effects are verified with 3D weighting potential modeling and electronic crosstalk measurement using test pulses. It is also demonstrated that the energy resolution of adjacent-pixel events can be improved to 1.8∼1.9% FWHM at 662 keV with proper calibration and correction.
A COMPARISON OF THE ACCURACY OF OBJECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR FORECASTING TYPHOON MOVEMENT DURING 1967

In the past, many objective techniques have been evaluated for severe tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, but little has been done along this line in the Pacific. A computer program was developed at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, to verify 10 separate 24-hr. forecast techniques. During the course of the 1967 season, a total of 14 different techniques were tested on 27 tropical cyclones. All techniques were adjusted to facilitate direct comparisons with the official Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) forecasts. Most methods were tested on an operational basis. All forecasts initially used operational positions with final verifications made against the tropical cyclone's best track. Although direct comparisons between the methods are difficult due to inhomogenity of sample size and differences in storms tested, all statistics and comparison figures are made against the official forecast using the same cyclones in the sample. After several storms, it became apparent that superior results were being obtained from computer steering predictions received from Fleet Numerical Weather Facility (FN WF), Monterey, Calif. After concentrating on these steering predictions and modifying them following a technique developed by Professor R. J. Renard, a final operational technique was developed called the Monterey 700-mb. A Modified. This forecasting method has shown far superior results to any other operational objective technique tested and is comparable in accuracy to the official JTWC forecast.
Damage Assessment of Rectangular Concrete-Filled Steel Tubes for Performance-Based Design

Abstract Damage evolution of rectangular concrete-filled steel tube (RCFT) column and beam-column members as documented in experimental tests is presented in this paper. An experimental database was first constructed that included RCFT tests that were reported in detail in the worldwide literature. Based on the experimental data, appropriate damage states for RCFT members, connections, and frames were defined at different levels of loading. For each damage state, the performance of the specimens was documented quantitatively with the use of deformation-based damage functions, energy-based damage functions, and ductility functions developed in this work. The paper then documents how to use these damage measures to assess capacity of RCFT columns and beam-columns within the context of a performance-based design methodology.
Distributed simulation of snowcover mass- and energy-balance in the boreal forest

The accurate distributed simulation of snowpack deposition and ablation beneath forest canopies is complicated by the fact that vegetation canopies strongly aAect the snow surface energy balance. The canopy alters the radiation balance of the snowcover and reduces the wind speed at the snow surface. Simple canopy adjustment algorithms for solar and thermal radiation and wind speed are used in conjunction with commonly available land cover classifications to spatially distribute sub-canopy solar and thermal radiation, air and soil temperature, humidity, wind speed, and precipitation. The distributed climate surfaces are used to drive a twolayer coupled energy- and mass-balance snowmelt model over two areas within the BOREAS study region for the 1994‐1995 snow season. Model results are validated using both automatic and manually collected snow depth data. The simulated timing and rate of snowpack development and ablation at both study areas are well represented beneath the canopy types where validation data are present. Rigorous evaluation of model performance beneath the full range of canopy types requires information regarding the spatial distribution of snow covered area during the ablation period. This study demonstrates that given basic landcover parameters, relatively simple canopy adjustments coupled with an energy balance model can be used to estimate climate conditions and snowcover processes across a range of boreal forest covers. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Oxidation and crystallization of an amorphous Zr60Al15Ni25 alloy

The amorphous ternary metallic alloy Zr60Al15Ni25 was oxidized in dry oxygen in the temperature range 310 ±C to 410 ±C. Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies suggest that during this treatment an amorphous layer of zirconium-aluminum-oxide is formed at the surface. Nickel was depleted in the oxide and enriched in the amorphous alloy near the interface. The oxide layer thickness grows parabolically with annealing duration, with a transport constant of 2.8 x 10^-5 m^2/s x exp(-1.7 eV/kT). The oxidation rate may be controlled by the diffusion of Ni in the amorphous alloy. At later stages of the oxidation process, precipitates of nanocrystalline ZrO2 appear in the oxide near the interface. Finally, two intermetallic phases nucleate and grow simultaneously in the alloy, one at the interface and one within the alloy. An explanation involving preferential oxidation is proposed.
In utero measurement of ultrasonically induced fetal mouse temperature increases

The temperature increase in the murine fetus, exposed in vivo to 1 MHz ultrasound in the spatial-peak temporal-average intensity range 0.5 to 10 W/cm2 for durations of 30 to 400 s, was determined with implanted thermocouples at 9, 12 and 15 days of gestation by a method that preserved the normal uterine environment. The results show that the temperature increase is related approximately linearly to the energy flux It, where I is the acoustic intensity and t is the exposure duration. The temperature increase was observed to be nearly the same for the 9- and 12-day fetuses but less for day-15 specimens, possibly due to the smaller size in early gestation and increased vascularization in later gestation. The results are compared with calculations based on a model of a pair of nested parallelpipeds for which the properties of the outer body remain unchanged, the dimensions and absorption coefficient of the inner body increase with gestational age and the perfusion constant varies with gestational age.
Nuclear magnetic resonance energy harvesting for ultra-low power biomedical implants

A selective wirelessly-adjustable multiple-frequency probe (SWAMP) system allows for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) imaging and spectroscopy with increased signal sensitivity through the coupling of the NMR surface coil with an implanted system capable of selectively resonating at multiple NMR frequencies. The ability to wirelessly recharge the biomedical implant in the NMR environment allows for long term in vivo operation without the need for surgery to replace the depleted secondary power source. This paper explores the capability of wirelessly recharging and powering the implanted electronics by leveraging the readily available energy from the transmitted RF pulses used for NMR measurements. The wireless power transfer between the NMR and the SWAMP systems are studied and relevant results are reported.
The cortical projections of the mediodorsal nucleus and adjacent thalamic nuclei in the rat

The mediodorsal nucleus of the rat thalamus has been divided into medial, central and lateral segments on the basis of its structure and axonal connections, and these segments have been shown by experiments using the autoradiographic method of demonstrating axonal connections to project to seven distinct cortical areas covering most of the frontal pole of the hemisphere. The position and cytoarchitectonic characteristics of these areas are described. The medial segment of the nucleus projects to the prelimbic area (32) on the medial surface of the hemisphere, and to the dorsal agranular insular area, dorsal to the rhinal sulcus on the lateral surface. The lateral segment projects to the anterior cingulate area (area 24) and the medial precentral area on the dorsomedial shoulder of the hemisphere, while the central segment projects to the ventral agranular insular area in the dorsal bank of the rhinal sulcus, and to a lateral part of the orbital cortex further rostrally. (The term "orbital" is used to refer to the cortex on the ventral surface of the frontal pole of the hemisphere.) A ventral part of this orbital cortex also receives fibers from the mediodorsal nucleus, possibly its lateral segment, but the medial part of the orbital cortex, and the ventrolateral orbital area in the fundus of the rhinal sulcus receive projections from the paratenial nucleus and the submedial nucleus, respectively. All of these thalamocortical projections end in layer III, and in the outer part of layer I. The basal nucleus of the ventromedial complex (the thalamic taste relay) has been shown to have a similar laminar projection (layer I and layers III/IV) to the granular insular area immediately dorsal to, but not overlapping, the mediodorsal projection field. However, the principal nucleus of the ventromedial complex appears to project to layer I, and possibly layer VI, of the entire frontal pole of the hemisphere. The anteromedial nucleus does not appear to project to layer III of the projection field of the mediodorsal nucleus, although it may project to layers I and VI, especially in the anterior cingulate and medial precentral areas. A thalamoamygdaloid projection from the medial segment of the mediodorsal nucleus to the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala has also been demonstrated, which reciprocates an amygdalothalamic projection from the basolateral nucleus to the medial segment. The habenular nuclei also appear to project to the central nucleus of the amygdala. These results are discussed in relation to the delineation and subdivision of the prefrontal cortex in the rat, and to amygdalothalamic and amygdalocortical projections which are described in a subsequent paper (Krettek and Price, '77).
Anticipated and Actual Reactions to Receiving HIV Positive Results Through Self-Testing Among Gay and Bisexual Men

We explored anticipated and actual reactions to receiving HIV positive results through self-testing with a diverse group of 84 gay and bisexual men in New York City. Grounded Theory was used to investigate these reactions in a two-phase study, one hypothetical, followed by a practical phase in which self-tests were distributed and used. Three major themes emerged when participants were asked about their anticipated reactions to an HIV positive self-test result: managing emotional distress, obtaining HIV medical care, and postponing sexual activity. When participants were asked about their anticipated reactions to a partner's HIV positive self-test result, five themes emerged: provide emotional support; refrain from engaging in sex with casual partner; avoid high-risk sexual activity with both main and casual partners; seek medical services; and obtain a confirmatory test result. Although none of the participants tested positive, seven of their partners did. Participants provided emotional support and linked their partners to support services. The availability of HIV self-testing kits offers potential opportunities to tackle HIV infection among individuals with high-risk practices.
Multiple scattering of seismic waves, variable gas saturation and ZODs: theoretical considerations and an observational methodology

Summary. Deterioration of seismic signals in the subsurface is often ascribed to variable gas saturation, micro-fracturing of sedimentary strata, density and elastic constant variations as a result of cementation/dissolution and/or facies changes, as well as to irregularities in the bedding plane surfaces. In order to glean some information from deteriorated seismic signals, use of the correlated wave behaviour between pairs of receivers has recently been suggested as a possible method for extracting information. In this paper we use variable gas saturation in the subsurface as a vehicle to illustrate the behaviour of a solution to the equation which describes the correlated behaviour of two wave amplitudes at two different spatial locations at two different wavenumbers. The solution is valid for waves from a common source passing through a medium containing spatially variable amounts of gas, being multiply scattered by the variable gas saturation, and with the spatial fluctuations in gas concentration around a mean value described by a Gaussian correlation spectrum. The solution also allows for finite bandwidth effects in the receivers. It is shown that (a) the spatial scale of the correlated behaviour of two waves, as well as the shape of the correlation function, and (b) the shape of the bandwidth-smeared autocorrelation function at zero separation, provide a means of determining both the depth range and the level of fluctuations in gas saturation. An observational prescription is provided to show how to extract, from seismic data, the relevant quantities for comparison with the theoretical results. We also present a simple physical picture of the basic process, as well as some rough order of magnitudes, to show that the parameters quantifying the size of the scattering effect fall squarely in the middle of the seismic band.
Arachidonate metabolites in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from horses with and without COPD

Arachidonate metabolites were measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from horses with (N = 4) and without (N = 7) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Prostaglandin (PG) D2, leukotriene (LT) B4 and LTC4 were present in highest concentrations in BALF from clinically normal horses. Concentrations of PGE2 and PGF were significantly higher in BALF from horses with COPD than in BALF from normal horses, but no differences were detected in thromboxane B2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, PGD2, LTB4 or LTC4.
Determination of stability using return ratios in balanced fully differential feedback circuits

This paper describes SPICE simulation techniques that can be used to find the return ratios for the differential and common-mode feedback loops in balanced, fully differential circuits. Since each of these loops may contain multiple feedback paths, conditions under which these two return ratios are sufficient for determining stability of the balanced feedback circuit are described. To allow the use of these techniques with switched-capacitor common-mode feedback circuits, a special simulation technique is presented that finds the dc bias for the return-ratio simulations.
Differentiation between Phycobiliprotein and Colorless Linker Polypeptides by Fluorescence in the Presence of ZnSO4

Microcystis aeruginosa , a unicellular cyanobacterium, contains small phycobilisomes consisting of C-phycocyanin, allophycocyanin, and linker polypeptides. SDS-polyacrylamide gels of the phycobilisomes were examined for fluorescent bands before and after spraying with a solution of ZnSO 4 , followed by Coomassie brilliant blue staining for protein. This procedure provides a rapid and sensitive method for detecting small amounts of phycobilin-containing polypeptides and distinguishing them from other tetrapyrrole-containing polypeptides and from `colorless9 ones. Three polypeptide bands, in addition to the α and β phycobiliprotein subunits, have been detected under these conditions. An 85 kilodalton polypeptide was identified as a phycobiliprotein due to its enhanced fluorescence in the presence of ZnSO 4 . The other polypeptides do not contain chromophores and are colorless. They are approximately 34.5 and 30 kilodaltons in size.
Suboptimal Triangular Controller Design Method for 2 × 2 Systems

This paper presents a sequential procedure to design a suboptimal triangular controller for 2times2 (TITO) discrete time stable plant models. The procedure is based on a convenient rewriting of a standard quadratic performance index that reveals that the first column of the Youla parameter associated to triangular controllers can be (almost) independently chosen
Importance of “Significant Others” in Predicting Cooperation with Diabetic Regimen

Patients' cooperation with their medical regimen is of prime importance in the treatment of a chronic illness such as diabetes. A psychosocial model of behavioral prediction developed by Fishbein w...
Pathogen Exposure Patterns among Sympatric Populations of Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer and Cattle

We sampled sympatric bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis, n = 31), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus, n = 38), and domestic cattle (n = 26) in the San Bernadino Mountains of southern California (USA) for the presence of Psoroptes spp. mites and for serologic evidence of exposure to bluetongue virus (BTV) and Babesia spp. From 1991 through 1994, Psoroptes spp. infestations were found on 12 (44%) of 27 bighorn sheep. No mites were found on mule deer or cattle. The BTV serum antibody prevalence in a cohort of 26 cattle ranged from 17 to 89%. There was no evidence of exposure to BTV in the bighorn sheep or mule deer. The cumulative serum antibody prevalence of Babesia spp. during the study was 35% in 26 bighorn sheep and 85% in 20 mule deer, while antibodies were not detected in a cohort of cattle when they were sampled in May (n = 23) and December (n = 22) of 1992. Based on these results, we concluded that infestation with Psoroptes spp. and exposure to BTV was limited to bighorn sheep and cattle, respectively. In contrast, Babesia spp. infections appeared to be common in both mule deer and bighorn sheep while there was no evidence of exposure in cattle.
Applying the Habitat Conservation Model to Fisheries Management: A Proposal for a Modified Fisheries Planning Requirement

This note advocates improving the structure of the fisheries planning regime under the Magnuson Act based on a comparison to the habitat conservation program under the Endangered Species Act. Such improvements demand the maintenance of the basic Magnuson structure and the rejection of an exclusive tradable permitting scheme. The note proposes that the Magnuson planning structure modified according to the habitat conservation model could work toward alleviating overfishing. Specifically, one recommendation is for a further regional shift in the balance of power in fisheries management. The Commerce Department should delegate to the regional National Marine Fisheries Service offices the final authority to approve fishery management plans and to make substantive science and policy decisions. The Service's headquarters should retain a narrow oversight role, but should expand its role as the synthesizer of regional experiences and information. A second recommendation is for the promulgation of regulations that require a comprehensive ecosystem approach in developing fishery management plans. Such regulations would require that: biological goals are formulated and followed, targeted fish are used as an indicator species for the ecosystem, and a set percentage of scientists are included on each regional council. Finally, the note recommends the adoption of adaptive management for anticipated scientific changes, and of broad-based plan review and modification for unexpected changes in ecosystem conditions. Adaptive management allows for planning gaps due to scientific uncertainty and promotes comfort with planning in the face of scientific uncertainty. Plan review and modification, which would be implemented only by amendment, should apply when new species are identified as overfished and when new circumstances or scientific discoveries point to ecosystem harm.
Travaux Préparatoires: Online Advances and Uncommon Sources

This article provides an overview of the online availability of the travaux preparatoires, or negotiating history, of international treaties. It also discusses research methods to be used when investigating travaux preparatoires.
Observations on the temperature dependence of the tension developed by the frog muscle.

In a previous paper the temperature dependence of the contraction of the Frog musculus sartorius was described. It was found that the tension developed by the electrically excited muscle increased with increasing temprsature from 0-150 C. Having reached a flat maximum at 15, the tension decreased upon raising the temperature further. These experiments were performed in Winter (Dec. and Jan.). They were repeated later in June. Their result was at variance with the earlier measurements. The shape of the curve of the temperature dependence was the same as before, but was shifted on the temperature axis towards the higher temperatures by 50 C, the maximum now being found at 20oC. This seemed to indicate that the difference was due to the adaptation of the animals to the higher Summer temperatures. In order to establish whether the difference observed was actually due to an adaptation, on July 2nd a number of Frogs were placed into a refrigerator the temperature of which varied between 5 and 70 C. Six weeks later the Frogs were removed from the refrigerator and the tensions developed were measured. At the same time similar measurements were made on Frogs belonging to the same group (Rana pipiens) which were kept outside the refrigerator.
Energy Efficient Data Center in Cloud Computing

In fact, Gartner projected global revenue for cloud computing to reach almost $150 billion by 2014. However, the 2011 market is already approximately $68 billion globally. With increase in web technologies and internet, a proportional increase in cloud computing technologies has been cited. Cloud computing has been emerging as a flexible and powerful computational architecture to offer ubiquitous services to users. A variety of hardware and software resources are integrated together as a resource pool, the software is no longer resided in a single hardware environment, it is utilized according to the schedule of the resource pool for optimized resource utilization. The optimization of energy consumption in the cloud computing environment is the question how to use various energy conservation strategies to efficiently allocate resources. The need of different resources in cloud environment is unpredictable. It is observed that load management in cloud is utmost needed in order to provide QoS (Quality of Service). The jobs on over-loaded physical machine are shifted to under-loaded physical machine and turning the idle machine off, in order to provide green cloud. For energy optimization, DVFS and Power-Nap are good strategies. As good amount of this energy is wasted in idle systems: in typical deployments, server utilization is below 30%, but idle servers still consume 60% of their peak power. In this paper, we have proposed an algorithm for energy optimization having the constraint QoS and SLA.
Fax Surveys: Return Patterns and Comparison with Mail Surveys:

The authors investigate response patterns to fax surveys in comparison with mail surveys and explore the relative advantages and disadvantages of the two methods. The results of two studies show th...
Backtracking due to residual structure in the unfolded state changes the folding of the third fibronectin type III domain from tenascin-C.

Residual structure in the unfolded state of a protein may play a crucial role in folding and stability. In the present study, using an all (heavy)-atom structure based model and replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations, we explored the folding landscape of the third fibronectin type III domain from tenascin-C (TNfn3). Specifically, both the wild type (WT) and a variant with two additional amino acids, Gly-Leu (GL), at the C-terminus (WT+GL) were studied. We found that, although both domains of TNfn3 are topologically frustrated, the early formation of the native contacts from the C-terminal end of WT+GL causes more “backtracking” than in the WT. As a result, the WT exhibits a two-state folding behavior with a broad transition-state ensemble, whereas the WT+GL folds through a metastable intermediate state. Furthermore, our study confirmed that the core of both proteins is conformationally heterogeneous and noncompact, and folds late mainly due to backtracking of the part of the core. Finally, in agr...
Mirrors of Memory: Freud, Photography, and the History of Art: Mary Bergstein

(2011). Mirrors of Memory: Freud, Photography, and the History of Art: Mary Bergstein. Photography and Culture: Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 243-247.
Analysis of Anomalous Peak Heights in DlTS of MBE-Grown Aluminum Gallium Arsenide

DLTS data taken on MBE grown AlGaAs films show peak heights which increase, maximize, and then decrease with increasing sample temperature. This behavior is difficult to explain within the context of conventional DLTS analysis. We suggest that the data can be accounted for by a trap with a temperature dependent capture cross section in conjunction with a model described by Lee and Borrego in which electron and hole emission rates are comparable. Using this analysis, we obtain an effective trap depth Eeff of 0.35 eV and a capture cross section activation energy Eo 0.25 eV.
Ultrahigh phase-stable swept-source optical coherence tomography as a cardiac imaging platform (Conference Presentation)

Functional extensions to optical coherence tomography (OCT) provide useful imaging contrasts that are complementary to conventional OCT. Our goal is to characterize tissue types within the myocardial due to remodeling and therapy. High-speed imaging is necessary to extract mechanical properties and dynamics of fiber orientation changes in a beating heart. Functional extensions of OCT such as polarization sensitive and optical coherence elastography (OCE) require high phase stability of the system, which is a drawback of current mechanically tuned swept source OCT systems. Here we present a high-speed functional imaging platform, which includes an ultrahigh-phase-stable swept source equipped with KTN deflector from NTT-AT. The swept source does not require mechanical movements during the wavelength sweeping; it is electrically tuned. The inter-sweep phase variance of the system was measured to be less than 300 ps at a path length difference of ~2 mm. The axial resolution of the system is 20 µm and the -10 dB fall-off depth is about 3.2 mm. The sample arm has an 8 mmx8 mm field of view with a lateral resolution of approximately 18 µm. The sample arm uses a two-axis MEMS mirror, which is programmable and capable of scanning arbitrary patterns at a sampling rate of 50 kHz. Preliminary imaging results showed differences in polarization properties and image penetration in ablated and normal myocardium. In the future, we will conduct dynamic stretching experiments with strips of human myocardial tissue to characterize mechanical properties using OCE. With high speed imaging of 200 kHz and an all-fiber design, we will work towards catheter-based functional imaging.
Investigation and analysis of geohelminthes infection in Jinchengjiang district

Objective:To investigate human geohelminthes infection in Jinchengjiang district and evaluate effect of years′ prevention and control to develop control strategies and provide a scientific basis.Methods: To examine helminth eggs with Kato-katz,and examine pinworm eggs with anal swab method for 3～9 years′ children,then statistics and analysis were done on the results.Results: The infection rates of roundworm,hookworm,whipworm and pinworm were 12.2%,15%,0.26% and 0.46% respectively.The infection rate of pinworm in 3～9 years′ children was 5%.Conclusion: There exist geohelminthes infection among the people in Jinchengjiang district.
Bringing Order to Legal Documents - An Issue-based Recommendation System Via Cluster Association

The task of recommending content to professionals (such as attorneys or brokers) differs greatly from the task of recommending news to casual readers. A casual reader may be satisfied with a couple of good recommendations, whereas an attorney will demand precise and comprehensive recommendations from various content sources when conducting legal research. Legal documents are intrinsically complex and multi-topical, contain carefully crafted, professional, domain specific language, and possess a broad and unevenly distributed coverage of issues. Consequently, a high quality content recommendation system for legal documents requires the ability to detect significant topics from a document and recommend high quality content accordingly. Moreover, a litigation attorney preparing for a case needs to be thoroughly familiar the principal arguments associated with various supporting opinions, but also with the secondary and tertiary arguments as well. This paper introduces an issue-based content recommendation system with a built-in topic detection/segmentation algorithm for the legal domain. The system leverages existing legal document metadata such as topical classifications, document citations, and click stream data from user behavior databases, to produce an accurate topic detection algorithm. It then links each individual topic to a comprehensive pre-defined topic (cluster) repository via an association process. A cluster labeling algorithm is designed and applied to provide a precise, meaningful label for each of the clusters in the repository, where each cluster is also populated with member documents from across different content types. This system has been applied successfully to very large collections of legal documents, O(100M), which include judicial opinions, statutes, regulations, court briefs, and analytical documents. Extensive evaluations were conducted to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of the algorithms in topic detection, cluster association, and cluster labeling. Subsequent evaluations conducted by legal domain experts have demonstrated that the quality of the resulting recommendations across different content types is close to those created by human experts.