cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
National rates of diarrhea-associated ambulatory visits in children.

Objective To estimate national rates of ambulatory healthcare visits due to diarrhea- and rotavirus-associated illness before the introduction of rotavirus vaccine. Study design Annual rates for diarrhea-associated visits in children age Results Annual rates of outpatient and emergency department (ED) visits for 1995-2004 were 955 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 803 to 1107) and 314 (95% CI=278 to 350)/10 000 person-years, respectively. Annual outpatient ( P = .470) and ED ( P = .734) visit rates remained stable from 1995 to 2004. Outpatient visits were less frequent in African Americans than Caucasians (716/10 000 person-years vs 1012/10 000 person-years; P P Conclusions Diarrhea- and rotavirus-associated illness is associated with significant healthcare utilization. Future studies are needed to investigate factors causing differences in healthcare use by race and to explore the impact of the rotavirus vaccine.
Dopaminergic nature of amphetamine-induced pecking in pigeons.

Abstract d-Amphetamine was found to induce a pecking response in pigeons. The pecking response induced by d-amphetamine was antagonized by chlorpromazine, haloperidol or bulbocapnine indicating that this pecking response was caused by dopaminergic receptor stimulation. Pretreatment of pigeons with α-methyltyrosine (α-MT) reduced d-amphetamine-induced pecking, while the combined treatment of pigeons with α-MT and L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA, 100 mg/kg) partially restored the pecking response. d-Amphetamine-induced pecking was not reduced by a dopamine-β-hydroxylase inhibitor, 1-phenyl-3-(2-thiazolyl)-2-thiourea (U-14,624). α-MT reduced brain dopamine but not norepinephrine level, whereas U-14,624 decreased brain norepinephrine but not dopamine. Thus there is a correlation between brain dopamine level and d-amphetamine-induced pecking response. It is concluded that d-amphetamine-induced pecking is mediated indirectly by the release of dopamine.
The differential diagnosis of acute pelvic pain in various stages of the life cycle of women and adolescents: gynecological challenges for the family physician in an outpatient setting

Acute pain is of sudden onset, intense, sharp or severe cramping. It may be described as local or diffuse, and if corrected takes a short course. It is often associated with nausea, emesis, diaphoresis, and anxiety. It may vary in intensity of expression by a woman's cultural worldview of communicating as well as her history of physical, mental, and psychosocial painful experiences. The primary care physician must dissect in an orderly, precise, and rapid manner the true history from the patient experiencing pain, and proceed to diagnose and treat the acute symptoms of a possible life-threatening problem.
Synthesis of (Na2O,PbO)–Nb2O5, (Na2O,BaO)–Nb2O5, and (K2O,SrO)–Nb2O5 thin films using sol–gel method

Abstract Homogeneous pore-free Ba 2 NaNb 5 O 15 , KSr 2 Nb 5 O 15 , and 2·Na 2 O–PbO–6·Nb 2 O 5 thin films were fabricated on sapphire substrates using the sol–gel technique. By controlling the gelation and coating process, thickness of thin films fabricated was controllable from ~ 40 nm to ~ 10 μm. Synthesized thin films possessed highly preferred orientated microstructure. Another advantage of this method is the subsequent heat treatment temperature dramatically decreased compared with other methods. This increases stoichiometry control and makes the large scale fabrication more feasible and efficient.
Detection of toxic metal ions with near-infrared compounds

The determination of toxic metal ions in water using near-infrared compounds synthesized in our laboratories will be reported. Several near-infrared tetrasubstituted chloroaluminum 2,3-naphthalocyanine derivatives with spectral characteristics (absorbance and fluorescence) between 700 nm and 1000 nm have been used in these investigations. In the presence of metal ions the NIR dye's absorbance maximum undergoes a bathochromic shift of about 25 nm accompanied by changes in the fluorescence spectra along with molecular lifetime. The response of the NIR dye in the presence of several concentrations of toxic metal ions will be reported. The fluorescence intensity generated by the complex formed by the metal ion and the dye was monitored by (a) a modified commercially available spectrofluorometer and (b) an NIR instrument developed in our laboratories. The fluorescence intensity changes measured with the probe in the presence of metal ions can be used to construct a calibration curve for the monitoring of contaminants' metal ions in the environment. The effect of metal ions on the lifetime of the NIR dye as compared to the uncomplexed dye will be reported. The NIR instrument consists of a semiconductor laser diode, the NIR dye and a detector. The output wavelength of a 780 nm diode (used as the excitation source) matched the absorbance of these dyes and improved the detection limits of the analytes. Long term stability of the probe was investigated by a week-long period of observation. After one week the intensity varies by only 2%, suggesting suitably for long storage.
Water seepage through soils with a sloping surface

An analytical solution is derived for a two-dimensional soil with a sloping surface under steady and water-saturated flow conditions. The soil was assumed to consist of several layers where each layer was horizontally stratified. Moreover, the lower layer was assumed to be bounded by an impermeable barrier, whereas the soil surface was assumed to be of constant slope (terraced type) or of an arbitrary configuration. Each layer was considered anisotropic in nature where the hydraulic conductivity in the vertical and horizontal directions are dissimilar. Potential and stream functions were obtained and several flow nets are presented for two-layered soils with varying degrees of anisotropy. The results shown illustrate the significance of the degree of anisotropy of each soil layer on the water flow pattern, the relative flow rate as well as the volume of water passing through individual soil layers.
High Frequency of Sequence Polymorphism in Rice MITEs and Application to Efficient Development of PCR-based Markers

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs) are abundant genomic components in many plants including rice. In this study, in order to determine whether rice MITEs are rich in sequence polymorphism and useful for developing PCR-based markers, we compared the genomic sequences of a japonica rice variety, Asominori, and an indica rice variety, IR24, in terms of MITE and MITE-less regions. Fifteen rice loci that had been previously reported to include MITEs (Gaijin, Castaway, Ditto, Wanderer, Explorer and Stowaway) were selected. Genomic sequences including MITEs at the loci were determined and compared between Asominori and IR24. Genomic sequences of Asominori and IR24 for the regions corresponding to seven RFLP markers (C81, R2303, S10019, S10602, S12564, G291 and G2155) were used to provide data for MITE-less regions. It was demonstrated that the degree of sequence polymorphism between the two varieties was much higher in the MITE regions than in the MITE-less regions. Sequence polymorphism was detected in fourteen MITE regions out of the fifteen regions tested. We also selected six rice sequences showing a high homology with a Wanderer family from a public database and surveyed sequence polymorphism between Asominori and IR24 for the regions. Some degree of polymorphism was observed in each of the six family members of Wanderer. As a result, twenty PCR-based markers in total were developed utilizing MITEs in rice and mapped on a linkage map, indicating that PCR-based markers for genetic studies and breeding programs could be developed efficiently by using MITEs.
Absence of circadian and photoperiodic conservation of energy expenditure in three rodent species

According to a traditional homeostatic view, living beings spend metabolic energy at a constant rate, just like a light bulb spends electrical energy, so that energy expenditure can be expressed in units of watts. However, research conducted during the last half-century has evinced pronounced circadian variation in physiological processes, not only demonstrating circadian rhythmicity in energy expenditure but also raising the hypothesis that energy expenditure may be regulated on a daily (circadian) basis rather than on a constant-rate (homeostatic) basis. In the present study, the hypothesis of circadian (and photoperiodic) conservation of energy expenditure was tested in three rodent species: domestic mice, Nile grass rats, and Syrian hamsters. Two correlates of energy expenditure (running-wheel activity and food intake) and a classic index (oxygen consumption) were used. Changes in energy expenditure were studied in animals maintained under light-dark cycles (LDs) with periods shorter or longer than 24 h as well as in animals maintained under 24-h LDs with short and long photophases. In none of the conditions in any of the species was evidence found in support of the hypothesis of circadian (or photoperiodic) conservation of energy expenditure. Energy expenditure was generally conserved on a homeostatic basis.
Thrust Vectoring Design Project at Six Universities: Part I — Project Description and Final Designs

An undergraduate student design and build project has been established by the US Air Force, Air Force Research Laboratory as part of an outreach program. During the 2011–2012 academic year, undergraduate students of six universities participated in designing a thrust vectoring system for a small (20 pound-thrust) jet engine. A description of the project parameters and student designs is given in this paper. It proved to be an extremely successful project, and other professors and students can learn from the different approaches taken by the six different teams and the project itself. Industry will also be interested in the depth and breadth of an undergraduate project that is being used to educate their future engineering workforce.© 2013 ASME
Image guidance: A survey of attitudes and use.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine access to, usage of, and attitudes toward image guidance in endoscopic sinus and anterior skull base surgery.MethodsWe performed a survey of America...
Development and Application of Rapid Antibiotic Resistance Analysis for Microbial Source Tracking in the Black River Watershed, Michigan

Abstract Microbial source tracking (MST) is often a desirable component of water quality monitoring. To enable local health departments to utilize MST regularly, rapid methods need to be developed that can be performed without costly equipment, increased laboratory space, or advanced technical requirements. This paper describes the development, validation, and application of a rapid, small-scale MST method based on antibiotic resistance analysis. An automated plate reader allows for earlier and repeated measurements and can distinguish treatment effects after only six hours of incubation, compared with the overnight incubation for the conventional assay. Using this rapid MST assay, a known-source Escherichia coli (E. coli) antibiotic resistance pattern database was constructed for the Black River watershed in southeastern Michigan. The average rate of correct classification for the known-source database was 70.4% when comparing each of seven specific animal sources, 72.5% when comparing three generic anim...
Vitamin D and chick embryonic yolk calcium mobilization: identification and regulation of expression of vitamin D-dependent Ca2(+)-binding protein, calbindin-D28K, in the yolk sac.

Abstract The developing chick embryo acquires calcium from two sources. Until about Day 10 of incubation, the yolk is the only source; thereafter, calcium is also mobilized from the eggshell. We have previously shown that during normal chick embryonic development, vitamin D is involved in regulating yolk calcium mobilization, whereas vitamin K is required for eggshell calcium translocation by the chorioallantoic membrane. We have studied here the biochemical action of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 in the yolk sac by examining the expression and regulation of the cytosolic vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein, calbindin-D28K. Two types of embryos are used for this study, normal embryos developing in ovo and embryos maintained in long-term shell-less culture ex ovo, the latter being dependent solely on the yolk as their calcium source. Our findings are (1) calbindin-D28K is expressed in the embryonic yolk sac, detectable at incubation Days 9 and 14; (2) the embryonic yolk sac calbindin-D28K resembles that of the adult duodenum in both molecular weight (Mr 28,000) and isoelectric point, as well as the presence of E-F hand Ca2+-binding structural domains; (3) systemic calcium deficiency caused by shell-less culture of chick embryos results in enhanced expression of calbindin-D28K in the yolk sac during late development; (4) yolk sac calbindin-D28K expression is inducible by 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 treatment in vivo and in vitro; and (5) immunohistochemistry revealed that yolk sac calbindin-D28K is localized exclusively to the cytoplasm of the yolk sac endoderm. These findings indicate that the chick embryonic yolk sac is a genuine target tissue of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3.
Recombination in the hydrogen-oxygen reaction: A shock tube study with nitrogen and water vapour as third bodies

Abstract Previous shock tube studies of termolecular recombination in the hydrogen-oxygen reaction have been extended to mixtures containing significant amounts of nitrogen or water vapour. An OH ultra-violet line absorption technique has been used to follow the progress of the overall reaction at temperatures of 1259° to 1912°K and pressures of 1·1 to 3·7 atm. Selective variation of the initial composition, which for the water vapour experiments required the development of a special flow-fill apparatus to introduce up to 7·9 per cent water vapour into the unshocked gas mixtures, has made possible a determination of the effect of both of these species as third bodies on the three important recombination reactions: H + H + M → H 2 + M H + O 2 + M → H O 2 + M H + O H + M → H 2 O + M . Results in mixtures diluted with nitrogen indicate that the rate coefficient of each of these reactions with the third body M = N2 are approximately 1·5 times the values previously reported for M = Ar. Determination of the water vapour coefficients is complicated by the presence of other important third bodies, i.e. argon and hydrogen or oxygen. However, the results show that water vapour is an efficient catalyst in bringing about recombination. The ratio of rate coefficients for M = H2O to those with M = Ar for these three reactions is ⩽ 13.25, and 20, respectively.
Effects of salinity, pH and temperature on the re-establishment of bioluminescence and copper or SDS toxicity in the marine dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula using bioluminescence as an endpoint

Pyrocystis lunula is a unicellular, marine, photoautotrophic, bioluminescent dinoflagellate. This organism is used in the Lumitox((R)) bioassay with inhibition of bioluminescence re-establishment as the endpoint. Experiments determined if acute changes in pH, salinity, or temperature had an effect on the organisms' ability to re-establish bioluminescence, or on the bioassay's potential to detect sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and copper toxicity. The re-establishment of bioluminescence itself was not very sensitive to changes in pH within the pH 6-10 range, though reducing pH from 8 to levels below 6 decreased this capacity. Increasing the pH had little effect on Cu or SDS toxicity, but decreasing the pH below 7 virtually eliminated the toxicity of either compound in the bioassay. Lowering the salinity from 33 to 27parts per thousand or less resulted in a substantial decrease in re-establishment of bioluminescence, while increasing the salinity to 43 or 48 parts per thousand resulted in a small decline. Salinity had little influence on the bioassay's quantification of Cu toxicity, while the data showed a weak negative relationship between SDS toxicity and salinity. Re-establishment of bioluminescence showed a direct dependence on temperature, but only at 10 degreesC did temperature have an obvious effect on the toxicity of Cu. in this bioassay.
Pyridylalkylthiols and derivatives

A series of pyridylalkylthiols and their derivatives have been prepared as potential radiation-protection agents.
The Arizona IDMatcher: A Probabilistic Identity Matching System

Various law enforcement and intelligence tasks require managing identity information in an effective and efficient way. However, the quality issues of identity information make this task non-trivial. Various heuristic based systems have been developed to tackle the identity matching problem. However, deploying such systems may require special expertise in system configuration and customization for optimal system performance. In this paper, we propose an alternative system called the Arizona IDMatcher. The system relies on a machine learning algorithm to automatically generate a decision model for identity matching. Such a system requires minimal human configuration effort. Experiments show that the Arizona IDMatcher is very efficient in detecting matching identity records. Compared to IBM Identity Resolution (a commercial, heuristic-based system), the Arizona IDMatcher achieves better recall and overall F-measures in identifying matching identities in two large-scale real-world datasets.
An asymptotic approximation applied to a simple model

An asymptotic approximation scheme based on a sequence of solutions is applied to a simple model problem of a harmonic oscillator coupled to a scalar field. We evaluate explicitly the evolution of the field off the initial hypersurface and discuss an appropriate choice of the initial data for the field in order for a sequence of solutions to have a Newtonian limit. The study may help to understand the more complicated situation in general relativity. We also discuss an alternative sequence of solutions that may be useful in studying instabilities that occur for large values of the coupling constant.
PI3-kinase activation by GM-CSF in endothelium is upstream of Jak/Stat pathway: Role of αGMR

GM-CSF has been identified as a growth factor for endothelial cells. In this study, we investigated the role of PI3-kinase pathway in mediating GM-CSF induced angiogenesis. GM-CSF induced tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, as examined using Matrigel assay, was inhibited by specific inhibitors of PI3-kinase, wortmannin, and LY294002. The regulatory subunit of PI3-kinase (p85) interacted with alphaGMR via its C-SH2 domain in a GM-CSF-dependent fashion with concomitant phosphorylation of p85 and activation of PI3-kinase pathway. p85 binding site on the alphaGMR was essential to induce GM-CSF receptor-dependent Stat activation. Furthermore, inhibition of PI3-kinase activity also abrogated GM-CSF induced Stat activation. These studies underscore the significance of the GM-CSF mediated PI3-kinase activation and its role in angiogenesis.
Gaussian versus Uniform Distribution for Intrusion Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

In a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), intrusion detection is of significant importance in many applications in detecting malicious or unexpected intruder(s). The intruder can be an enemy in a battlefield, or a malicious moving object in the area of interest. With uniform sensor deployment, the detection probability is the same for any point in a WSN. However, some applications may require different degrees of detection probability at different locations. For example, an intrusion detection application may need improved detection probability around important entities. Gaussian-distributed WSNs can provide differentiated detection capabilities at different locations but related work is limited. This paper analyzes the problem of intrusion detection in a Gaussian-distributed WSN by characterizing the detection probability with respect to the application requirements and the network parameters under both single-sensing detection and multiple-sensing detection scenarios. Effects of different network parameters on the detection probability are examined in detail. Furthermore, performance of Gaussian-distributed WSNs is compared with uniformly distributed WSNs. This work allows us to analytically formulate detection probability in a random WSN and provides guidelines in selecting an appropriate deployment strategy and determining critical network parameters.
Incentives and Commonality in a Decentralized Multiproduct Assembly System

In this paper, we explore the impact of decentralized decision making on the behavior of multiproduct assembly systems. Specifically, we consider a system where three components (two product specific and one common) are used to produce two end products to satisfy stochastic customer demands. We study the system under both centralized and decentralized decision making. In the decentralized system, we prove that for any set of wholesale prices, there exists a unique Pareto-optimal equilibrium in the suppliers' capacity game. We show that the assembler's optimal wholesale prices lie in one of two regions---one leads to capacity imbalance and one does not. We use these results to derive insights regarding the inefficiencies that decentralization can cause in such systems. In particular, several of our findings indicate that outsourcing the management of component supplies may inhibit the use of operational hedging approaches for managing uncertainty.
Hot, congested, crowded and diverse: Emerging research agendas in planning

Abstract This special issue explores emerging research agendas in planning. It brings together scholars from diverse schools working on new areas of research and application in urban design and planning. Emergent research agendas include both novel areas of research and important shifts in the direction of a research area. The challenge for planning schools is to reflect critically on these changes and develop long-term research agendas that can better position our field in society and academia, and provide a basis from which to assess our academic programmes. The chapters presented in this issue reinforce key aspects of planning: multi-scale, and multi-faceted, yet integrative in its intent, stressing the physical, yet inescapably social. At the same time, they identify research areas that respond to major social and environmental changes. Blanco and Alberti focus on the latest findings in climate change science and on planning for adaptation; they highlight the opportunities that planners have to provide leadership in this area. Forsyth, Krizek and Rodriguez take up the issue of non-motorised travel, a topic of increasing interest for urban designers, public health experts and transportation and energy planners. For Talen and Ellis, an emerging challenge is the need to plan for diverse and compact communities. What social factors, policies, programmes and planning processes facilitate compact and diverse communities?
Mitochondrial transcription factor A is increased but expression of ATP synthase β subunit and medium-chain acyl-coa dehydrogenase genes are decreased in hearts of copper-deficient rats

The mechanism(s) by which impaired mitochondrial respiratory function and the accumulation of lipid droplets and mitochondria in hearts of copper-deficient rats occur remains unclear. It is not known whether specific components of the regulatory pathway involved in mitochondrial biogenesis, such as mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) and nuclear respiratory factors 1 and 2 (NRF-1 and NRF-2), are activated in copper deficiency. Little is known about gene expression of enzymes involved in fatty acid oxidation (FAO) in hearts of copper-deficient rats. Male weanling rats were fed copper-adequate (CuA), copper-deficient (CuD) or pair-fed (CuP) diets for 5 wk. Mitochondria and lipid droplet volume densities from electron micrographs were greater and there was an elevation in the mtTFA protein level in hearts of copper-deficient rats. DNA binding activities of NRF-1 and NRF-2 did not differ among the groups. Northern blot analysis of cardiac tissue revealed that transcripts of F(1)F(0)-ATP synthase subunit c were greater, but mRNA levels of ATP synthase beta subunit and the FAO enzyme, medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD), were lower in hearts of copper-deficient rats. Long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) mRNA levels did not differ among treatment groups. These results suggest that certain components of the mitochondrial biogenesis program are activated in hearts of copper-deficient rats. F(1)F(0)-ATP synthase beta subunit and MCAD transcript levels remain low, which may contribute to impaired mitochondrial respiratory function, decreased fatty acid utilization and lipid droplet accumulation in hearts of copper-deficient rats.
The two α-tubulin isotypes in budding yeast have opposing effects on microtubule dynamics in vitro

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has two genes for α-tubulin, TUB1 and TUB3, and one β-tubulin gene, TUB2. The gene product of TUB3, Tub3, represents ∼10% of α-tubulin in the cell. We determined the effects of the two α-tubulin isotypes on microtubule dynamics in vitro. Tubulin was purified from wild-type and deletion strains lacking either Tub1 or Tub3, and parameters of microtubule dynamics were examined. Microtubules containing Tub3 as the only α-tubulin isotype were less dynamic than wild-type microtubules, as shown by a shrinkage rate and catastrophe frequency that were about one-third of that for wild-type microtubules. Conversely, microtubules containing Tub1 as the only α-tubulin isotype were more dynamic than wild-type microtubules, as shown by a shrinkage rate that was 50% higher and a catastrophe frequency that was 30% higher than those of wild-type microtubules. The results suggest that a role of Tub3 in budding yeast is to control microtubule dynamics.
The Effect of Unilateral Injury to the Vas Deferens on the Contralateral Testis in Immature and Adult Rats

AbstractThe relationship between alterations in testicular histology and antisperm antibodies in immature and mature Lewis rats subjected to unilateral vasectomy was studied. Forty percent of immature rats and 90 percent of mature rats (p less than 0.01) demonstrated significant alterations in both the obstructed (vasectomy) testis and the contralateral testis. There were significant changes in antisperm antibodies (ELISA) in the animals which demonstrated histologic changes.
Determinants of basal nitric oxide concentration in the renal medullary microcirculation.

In this study, we modeled the production, transport, and consumption of nitric oxide (NO) in the renal medullary microcirculation under basal conditions. To yield agreement with reported NO concent...
Joseph Hersey Pratt (1872-1956): An early proponent of cognitive-behavioural therapy in America.

The treatment of mild psychoneuroses in America began shifting in the 1950s from Freudian psychoanalysis to various forms of psychotherapy that do not delve into patient's subconscious. Some of the new approaches were termed cognitive, behavioural or cognitive behavioural therapy and in America were practised notably by Joseph Wolpe, Albert Ellis and Aaron T Beck. Modern psychiatric literature makes little mention of two prior innovators in this area - the French neurologist Jules Dejerine and his Boston disciple Joseph H Pratt. In the early 1900s, Dejerine treated patients at La Salpetriere in Paris using techniques adopted subsequently by Pratt during the 1930s and employed by the trio some decades later. This paper revisits the early history of psychotherapy in America and includes a brief summary of Pratt's medical career.
Neuroimaging and the future of personalized treatment in psychiatry.

Amit Etkin, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, and an Investigator in the VA Sierra-Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the Palo Alto VA. Dr. Etkin received his MD/PhD at Columbia University with Nobel laureate Eric Kandel, completed his psychiatry residency and concurrent postdoc at Stanford University with Alan Schatzberg, and joined the faculty at Stanford in 2009. He has been awarded the BRAINS (Biobehavioral Research Award for Innovative New Scientists) R01 Award from the National Institute of Mental Health and a Dana Neuroscience Scholar Award from the Dana Foundation, and is an Associate Editor at Neuropsychopharmacology. Dr. Etkin’s lab currently takes multiple, integrated, approaches to understanding basic affective neuroscience and the neurobiology of mental illnesses, and translating these findings into novel interventions. As a board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Etkin also treats patients with anxiety and depression in the clinic.
Metrics on the space of bounded Keplerian orbits and space situational awareness

A main difficulty for orbit determination of space debris is the correlation of tracks of data belonging to the same physical object. A sequence of optical measurements of an Earth orbiting object over a single track has sufficient information to determine the topocentric angles and angular rates with some degree of precision, but yields no information on the range and range-rate other than the restriction that they lie within some open set containing energetically bound nonimpact orbits. These restrictions constrain the orbit to lie on a two-dimensional submanifold, known as the admissible region, of the six-dimensional phase space that can be computed using the recorded data. Given two measurements, the orbit determination problem is tantamount to finding the “closest” point between two such submanifolds. However, distance itself can be defined in a plethora of different ways in the space of Keplerian orbits. In this paper we construct a natural metric in the four-dimensional space of Keplerian orbits of fixed energy and consider some basic topological questions of mappings from the admissible region to a natural representation of this space. Using the metric presented in this paper, the “shortest distance” between the two admissible regions can be approximated. We present this as a new approach in dealing with one aspect of the space situational awareness problem.
Reliability of Fish Size Estimates Obtained From Multibeam Imaging Sonar

Abstract Multibeam imaging sonars have considerable potential for use in fisheries surveys because the video-like images are easy to interpret, and they contain information about fish size, shape, ...
Dichotic listening deficits in children with dyslexia.

Several auditory processing deficits have been reported in children with dyslexia. In order to assess for the presence of a binaural integration type of auditory processing deficit, dichotic listening tests with digits, words and consonant–vowel (CV) pairs were administered to two groups of right-handed 11-year-old children, one group diagnosed with developmental dyslexia and an age-matched control group. Dyslexic children performed more poorly than controls from their left ears when listening to digits and words and from their right ears when listening to CVs. Direction of ear advantage varied across individuals in both groups when tested with digits and CVs, but ear advantage was stable with words. Several factors that may have contributed to inconsistencies in direction of ear advantage are discussed. When the children were tested in a directed response mode, degree of ear advantage differed significantly between groups with both words and digits. More dyslexic than control children demonstrated clinically significant reductions in dichotic listening performance, but no uniform pattern of deficit emerged. Only the double correct score and the left ear score with CV pairs were predictive of word recognition performance in dyslexic children. Binaural integration deficits are present in some children with dyslexia. Auditory processing disorder assessment may help delineate factors that underlie or are associated with reading impairment in this population. Copyright # 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Solid‐State Nanopore Detection of Protein Complexes: Applications in Healthcare and Protein Kinetics

Protein conjugation provides a unique look into many biological phenomena and has been used for decades for molecular recognition purposes. In this study, the use of solid-state nanopores for the detection of gp120-associated complexes are investigated. They exhibit monovalent and multivalent binding to anti-gp120 antibody monomer and dimers. In order to investigate the feasibility of many practical applications related to nanopores, detection of specific protein complexes is attempted within a heterogeneous protein sample, and the role of voltage on complexed proteins is researched. It is found that the electric field within the pore can result in unbinding of a freely translocating protein complex within the transient event durations measured experimentally. The strong dependence of the unbinding time with voltage can be used to improve the detection capability of the nanopore system by adding an additional level of specificity that can be probed. These data provide a strong framework for future protein-specific detection schemes, which are shown to be feasible in the realm of a 'real-world' sample and an automated multidimensional method of detecting events.
North Carolina macular dystrophy (MCDR1)

The macular degenerations comprise a heterogeneous group of diseases, generally reported in small families. Single, large family studies of North Carolina macular dystrophy have aided in defining the spectrum of the phenotype of this disorder and its relationship to other macular degenerations. North Carolina macular dystrophy has many phenotypic similarities to age-related macular degeneration with the glaring exception of the early age of onset of North Carolina macular dystrophy. The authors initially reported mapping this disease by linkage to the long arm of chromosome 6. They now report additional data on a total of 247 individuals in the original North Carolina macular dystrophy family whom we ascertained for clinical and molecular genetic studies. Standard clinical ophthalmic examination revealed that 96 of these individuals were affected. Molecular genetic studies increased the LOD score to 23 and refined the genomic localization of the disease-causing gene to 6q14-q16.2.
Mutagenesis induced by a single 1,N6-ethenodeoxyadenosine adduct in human cells.

To study the genotoxic properties of 1, N 6 -ethenodeoxyadenosine (edA) in human cells, a novel site-specific mutagenesis approach was developed, in which a single DNA adduct was uniquely placed in either strand of a shuttle plasmid vector. The analysis of progeny plasmid derived from the modified strand shows that edA, when incorporated into the position of the second A of 5′-CAA (codon 61 of the ras gene), is mutagenic in human cells, inducing A→T, A→G, and A→C mutations. The efficient induction of A→T transversions in experiments using modified double- and single-stranded DNA substrates supports the hypothesis that A:T→T:A transversions in human and animal tumors induced by vinyl compounds reflect misinsertion of dAMP opposite this adduct. Mutagenic events were similar when the adduct was incorporated into either the leading or the lagging strand. edA was more mutagenic than 8-oxodeoxyguanosine, which induced targeted G→T transversions in HeLa cells. In Escherichia coli , edA did not significantly miscode (<0.27%) even in the presence of induced SOS functions.
Intrasynaptosomal Sequestration of [3H]Amphetamine and [3H]Methylenedioxyamphetamine: Characterization Suggests the Presence of a Factor Responsible for Maintaining Sequestration

We examined the incorporation of [3H]methylenedioxyamphetamine ([3H]MDA) and [3H]amphetamine into rat brain synaptosomes. Saturation studies, using increasing concentrations of nonradioactive ligand, revealed that [3H]-MDA interacted with two saturable sites that were sensitive to boiling of the tissue. Eadee-Scatchard plots of [3H]MDA saturation data were curvilinear; nonlinear curve-fitting analysis of these data suggested the presence of high- and low-affinity [3H]MDA sites of association: KD high = 295 nM, Bmax high = 32 pmol/mg of protein; KD low = 45 microM, Bmax low = 5.2 nmol/mg of protein. Association of [3H]MDA to the low-affinity site was dependent on the presence of isotonic sucrose in the incubation medium. The high capacities of these sites argue against a bimolecular interaction of [3H]MDA with monovalent protein binding sites. [3H]MDA incorporation was reduced under conditions that disrupt the integrity of plasma membranes, such as sonication, incubation in hypotonic media, and incubation in the presence of the detergent digitonin. These data indicate that [3H]MDA incorporation into synaptosomes may represent an internalization and sequestration phenomenon. [3H]MDA incorporation was also reduced by preincubation of the synaptosomal preparation at 37 degrees C or in hypotonic buffer at 4 degrees C, a result suggesting that this sequestration is maintained by an intrasynaptosomal component that is lost under the preincubation conditions described above. [3H]MDA incorporation was pH dependent (maximal at pH 7.5) and temperature sensitive (maximal incorporation occurred at 21 degrees C and was substantially reduced at 37 degrees C). [3H]Amphetamine was also incorporated into synaptosomes, and this incorporation was sensitive to the same physical manipulations of the tissue preparation as [3H]MDA incorporation. The synaptosomal sequestration of both [3H]MDA and [3H]amphetamine was inhibited by permeant cations, such as sodium and potassium, a result suggesting that the proposed intrasynaptosomal component that maintains the sequestration is anionic. Preliminary pharmacological profiles of [3H]MDA and [3H]amphetamine sequestration were identical. The rank order of inhibitor potencies for the incorporation of both ligands was desipramine greater than amphetamine greater than MDA greater than methylphenidate. This order of potency does not correspond to the lipophilicity of the test drugs. The synaptosomal incorporation and sequestration of [3H]MDA, [3H]methylenedioxymethamphetamine, and [3H]amphetamine described in the present report may be important in the molecular mechanism of action of monoamine release induced by the amphetamines.
Secure in-band wireless pairing

This paper presents the first wireless pairing protocol that works in-band, with no pre-shared keys, and protects against MITM attacks. The main innovation is a new key exchange message constructed in a manner that ensures an adversary can neither hide the fact that a message was transmitted, nor alter its payload without being detected. Thus, any attempt by an adversary to interfere with the key exchange translates into the pairing devices detecting either invalid pairing messages or an unacceptable increase in the number of such messages. We analytically prove that our design is secure against MITM attacks, and show that our protocol is practical by implementing a prototype using off-the-shelf 802.11 cards. An evaluation of our protocol on two busy wireless networks (MIT's campus network and a reproduction of the SIGCOMM 2010 network using traces) shows that it can effectively implement key exchange in a real-world environment.
Stereotypes and Nonstereotypic Judgments The Effects of Gender Role Attitudes on Ratings of Likability, Adjustment, and Occupational Potential

The effects of a target individual's gender role attitudes on nonstereotypic judgments were examined in this research. Male and female subjects judged the likability, adjustment, and occupational potential of targets who were either traditional or nontraditional in their attitudes toward women. The results indicated that whereas female subjects consistently evaluated nontraditional targets more favorably than traditional targets, the ratings of male subjects depended on the target's gender and the evaluation dimension in question. Implications of the readiness with which stereotypic information implicated other evaluative schema are discussed.
Control of Western Tarnished Plant Bug Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera: Miridae) in California Organic Strawberries Using Alfalfa Trap Crops and Tractor-Mounted Vacuums

A key economic pest of strawberries in California is the western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus Knight (Hemiptera:Miridae). Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a highly attractive plant host to western tarnished plant bug, and we hypothesized that it can be successfully managed as a trap crop for pest suppression in strawberries. Completely randomized design trap cropping experiments were established on an organic strawberry farm from 2002 to 2004. Western tarnished plant bug adults and nymphs were significantly more abundant in alfalfa trap crops than in comparable edge strawberry rows. Over 3 experimental yr, twice-weekly summer vacuuming of alfalfa trap crops with a tractor-mounted vacuuming device reduced adult and nymph abundance by 72 and 90%, respectively, in trap crops. This summer vacuuming of alfalfa trap crops also significantly reduced damage caused by western tarnished plant bug in associated unvacuumed organic strawberries (June and July 2002, June 2003, and June and July 2004) compared with either an untreated control (2003) or the organic strawberry grower's standard whole field vacuuming treatment. Vacuuming of alfalfa trap crops reduces an organic grower's costs (tractor, tractor fuel, and driver time) by 78% compared with current whole field vacuuming practices. An economic analysis of a whole hectare model indicates that a positive return from the use of vacuumed trap crops could be realized in 2004. The overall potential positive net return for the 3 mo of vacuumed alfalfa trap crop treatments in 2004 was calculated at +$1,829/ha.
Adjustable Supply in Uniform-Price Auctions: The Value of Non-Commitment

In uniform-price auctions, the seller sometimes retains flexibility to adjust the total quantity sold after receiving the bids, or simply lacks the ability to commit to a schedule of reserve prices (or supply curve). In this paper, I show that the seller raises more revenue in equilibrium given such adjustable supply than by committing to any supply curve.
Origins and Effects of Legal Significs

Legal semiotics in the guise of legal significs was for the first time exposed in the PhD dissertation of De Haan in Amsterdam, 1916. That publication can in hindsight be seen as the first work on legal semiotics, and the same year the first inaugural lecture took place at the University of Amsterdam, as translated in this volume. De Haan underlines that a better language of law contributes to a better law. Legal language is at its best when it articulates the relevant situation in its best legal terms, but there is no such articulation of language if it is not psychologically well founded. De Haan’s signific ideal is that law fits to reality in a one-to-one meaning relation between life facts and legal facts. Significs as developed in the beginning of the 20th century differs from semiotics because the first had to fight seriously for the recognition of the concept of meaning and in particular, as de Haan reports literally, for accepting the question pertaining to the meaning of meaning—long before Ogden & Richards’ 1923 The Meaning of Meaning, which was conceived as a study of the influence of language upon thought, and by no means to significs or to semiotics. We do not know anymore how Lady Welby and the Amsterdam Circle had to fight for the recognition of the meaning issue—in our days it seems not only evident but is also very fashionable in sciences and philosophy. It all pertains to the birthplace of semiotics!
Endothelial Lipid Phosphate Phosphatase-3 Deficiency that Disrupts the Endothelial Barrier Function is a Modifier of Cardiovascular Development

Aims Lipid phosphate phosphatase-3 (LPP3) is expressed at high levels in endothelial cells (ECs). Although LPP3 is known to hydrolyse the phosphate group from lysolipids such as spingosine-1-phosphate and its structural homologues, the function of Lpp3 in ECs is not completely understood. In this study, we investigated how tyrosine-protein kinase receptor ( TEK or Tie2) promoter–dependent deletion of Lpp3 alters EC activities. Methods and results Lpp3fl/fl mice were crossed with the tg.Tie2Cre transgenic line. Vasculogenesis occurred normally in embryos with Tie2Cre -mediated deletion of Lpp3 (called Lpp3ECKO ), but embryonic lethality occurred in two waves, the first wave between E8.5 and E10.5, while the second between E11.5 and E13.5. Lethality in Lpp3ECKO embryos after E11.5 was accompanied by vascular leakage and haemorrhage, which likely resulted in insufficient cardiovascular development. Analyses of haematoxylin- and eosin-stained heart sections from E11.5 Lpp3ECKO embryos showed insufficient heart growth associated with decreased trabeculation, reduced growth of the compact wall, and absence of cardiac cushions. Staining followed by microscopic analyses of Lpp3ECKO embryos revealed the presence of apoptotic ECs. Furthermore, Lpp3 -deficient ECs showed decreased gene expression and protein levels of Cyclin-D1 , VE-cadherin , Fibronectin , Klf2 , and Klf4 . To determine the underlying mechanisms of vascular leakage and barrier disruption, we performed knockdown and rescue experiments in cultured ECs. LPP3 knockdown decreased transendothelial electrical resistance and increased permeability. Re-expression of β-catenin cDNA in LPP3 -knockdown ECs partially restored the effect of the LPP3 loss, whereas re-expression of p120ctn cDNA did not. Conclusion These findings demonstrate the essential roles of LPP3 in the maturation of EC barrier integrity and normal cardiovascular development.
Analysis of Vortex Shedding from Bridge Decks Based on Revised Frozen Turbulence Hypothesis

Periodic Vortex shedding from the structures coincides with the periodic forces on the structures.The vortices in the downstream of the structures can be detected by the method of snapshot proper orthogonal decomposition(POD)whether they can be seen obviously or not.The method in this paper combines the method of snapshot POD and small eddy decomposition methods together with part of the frozen turbulence hypothesis.The vortex shedding frequency can be obtained based on one-single-time velocity map alone through which the Strouhal number of the structure can be derived.Numerical simulation was done based on the examples of the square cylinder and twin box bridge deck.The results show the error is rather small of the strouhal number with that through the Fourier transform of the lift force coefficient,implying that the method is practicable.