cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Standing Wave Induced Field Focusing Transceiver for Wireless Capacitive Power Transfer

Single Contact Wireless Capacitive Power Transfer (CPT) is an emerging technology that offers many useful advantages including high transfer efficiency, enhanced misalignment tolerance, and low fabrication costs. Most contemporary CPT methods rely only on a transmitter/receiver geometry in an attempt to mitigate the stray fields. To reduce the leakage electric flux within a CPT environment, a new technique is presented in this paper that relies on standing wave field patterns to intensify the coupling between the transmitter/receiver, while simultaneously suppressing the leakage flux in the adjacent space around the system.
Threshold-based generic scheme for encrypted and tunneled Voice Flows Detection over IP Networks

VoIP usage is rapidly growing due to its cost effectiveness, dramatic functionality over the traditional telephone network and its compatibility with public switched telephone network (PSTN). In some countries, like Pakistan, the commercial usage of VoIP is prohibited. Internet service providers (ISPs) and telecommunication authorities are interested in detecting VoIP calls to either block or prioritize them. So detection of VoIP calls is important for both types of authorities. Signature-based, port-based, and pattern-based VoIP detection techniques are inefficient due to complex and confidential security and tunneling mechanisms used by VoIP. In this paper, we propose a generic, robust, efficient, and practically implementable statistical analysis-based solution to identify encrypted, non-encrypted, or tunneled VoIP media (voice) flows using threshold values of flow statistical parameters. We have made a comparison with existing techniques and evaluated our system with respect to accuracy and efficiency. Our system has 97.54% direct rate and .00015% false positive rate.
A Review of “Finance: The Basics”

There is no shortage in the marketplace of textbooks providing comprehensive introductions to the subject of finance. With Finance: the Basics, author Erik Banks covers many of the topics one would...
Growth of Pseudotypes of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus with N-Tropic Murine Leukemia Virus Coats in Cells Resistant to N-Tropic Viruses

Formation of pseudotypes between murine RNA tumor viruses and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) has been confirmed. Pseudotypes of VSV genomes coated by the surface envelope from an N-tropic tumor virus grew equally well in cells homozygous for either the Fv-1n or Fv-1b alleles. Therefore, the product of the Fv-1 locus, which restricts growth of murine RNA tumor viruses, must act on an intracellular aspect of tumor virus replication, a step after attachment and penetration.
The application of holographic interferometry to the visualization of flow and temperature profiles in a MOCVD reactor cell

This paper presents the development of a low cost, practical experimental technique for producing holographic interferograms of gas flow and temperature profiles in an air-cooled, vertica, quartz, MOCVD reactor. An experimental set-up modeled after our operating MOCVD system was used. No special optical windows or components were needed. The interferograms produced with a 15 mW HeNe laser qualitatively compare with results obtained in theoretical models [1]. Specifically, there is evidence that isotherms extend far above the susceptor, implying that no thermal boundary layer exists for typical flow rates of 5–10 standard liters per minute of helium. For carrier gases with high viscosity, where flow lines can be observed, a momentum boundary layer was visible, and the flow was turbulent.
A novel classification system for perineural invasion in noncutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: histologic subcategories and patient outcomes.

Objective The aims of this study were to define a novel classification system of tumor perineural invasion (PNI) with respect to tumor/nerve involvement such as intratumoral (IT), peripheral, or extratumoral (ET) and to determine the prognostic significance of each of these histologic subcategories in patients with noncutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Study design This study is a retrospective chart review and histologic analysis of patients with HNSCC in the setting of a tertiary care medical center. Methods A clinical chart review of 142 patients with HNSCC who underwent primary surgical treatment from January 2004 through December 2007 was performed. Clinical information collected included patient age, sex, alcohol and tobacco use, tumor location, TNM stage, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment, and patient outcome. For each case, PNI density, the distance of each PNI focus to the tumor edge, and size of the largest nerve involved were measured. Furthermore, PNI was subcategorized as IT, peripheral, or ET. A Cox regression analysis was performed to determine if PNI was related to regional disease recurrence. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was also performed. Results Among the 142 patients, 37 (26%) had disease progression. The maximum extent of PNI was significantly correlated with disease-free survival on multivariate analysis (P = .019) and was also significantly related to disease-free survival when T stage (P = .017), N stage (P = .021), and T and N stages (P = .02) were added to the Cox regression model. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a trend toward increased disease-free survival of PNI negative and IT/peripheral PNI compared with ET PNI. Conclusion Perineural invasion is correlated with nodal status and T stage and is related to disease-free survival. It can be subcategorized as IT, peripheral, or ET. This novel classification system has important implications with regard to clinical outcome and may help define a cohort of patients that may require more aggressive management.
Inhibition of interleukin-5 mediated eosinophil viability by fluticasone 17-propionate: comparison with other glucocorticoids

Background Inhaled glucocorticoids are commonly employed to treat patients with asthma. Eosinophils are important effector cells in the pathogenesis of asthma, and, in vitro, glucocorticoids modulate eosinophil viability. Objective Using this glucocorticoid inhibition of eosinophil viability, we compared the in vitro potencies of several inhaled glucocorticoids with particular attention to fluticasone 17-propionate. Methods Eosinophils from normal or mildly atopic donors were purified, cultured with cytokines and glucocorticoids, and on day 4, after staining with propidium iodide, analysed by flow cytometry. Results Eosinophil viability was prolonged by interleukin (IL)-5 in a concentration-dependent manner; in contrast, dexamethasone inhibited the IL-5 effect. Fluticasone 17-propionate, 1.0–1000 nM, also inhibited the IL-5 effect in a concentration-dependent manner; interestingly, at 0.1 nM fluticasone 17-propionate modestly, but significantly, enhanced eosinophil survival. High concentrations of IL-5 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor essentially completely overcame the inhibitory effect of 1000 nM fluticasone 17-propionate on eosinophil survival. In contrast, although interferon-γ-mediated eosinophil viability was inhibited by 1.0–1000 nM fluticasone 17-propionate, this inhibition was not overcome by increased concentrations of interferon-γ. Comparison of the glucocorticoid inhibition of eosinophil viability in the presence of 10 pg/mL IL-5 resulted in these drug IC50 values (in nM): fluticasone 17-propionate, 1.3; budesonide, 8.5; triamcinolone acetonide, 25; flunisolide, 32; dexamethasone, 94; beclomethasone 17-monopropionate, 210; beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate, 290; and hydrocortisone, >1000. Conclusion Fluticasone 17-propionate's effect on cytokine-mediated eosinophil viability is similar qualitatively to other glucocorticoid preparations. However, quantitatively, fluticasone 17-propionate has the most potent suppressive effects on IL-5 mediated eosinophil viability among the currently available inhaled glucocorticoids in the United States.
A tribute to Joe Bilotta

Dr. Joseph Bilotta, an eminent scientist in the field of fish visual neurophysiology and psychophysics, died suddenly and unexpectedly on January 2, 2006. A native of Niagara Falls, NY, Joe was born October 21, 1955. His passion for learning took him on a journey from an Associate Degree in Mathematics in 1975 from Niagara County Community College to a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology conferred by the City University of New York in 1987 under the mentorship of Dr. Israel Abramov. Joe continued his training at Vanderbilt University, working as a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Maureen Powers. In 1991, Joe joined the faculty of Western Kentucky University as an assistant professor of Psychology, and quickly moved through the ranks, becoming full professor in 2001.
Optically detected ESR studies of the lowest triplet state of 1-indanone and α-tetralone

Abstract Electron paramagnetic resonance measurements of the lowest n-π * triplet states of 1-indanone and α-tetralone incorporated substitutionally in a single host of durene have been performed using optical detection at 2.0°K with 35 GHz microwaves.
Effects of genealogical relationship and colony age on the dominance hierarchy in the primitively eusocial bee Lasioglossum zephyrum

Abstract Dominance interactions between queens and workers of the primitively eusocial bee Lasioglossum zephyrum (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) were affected by the genealogical relationship between them and by the age of the colony. The tendency of the queen to display certain dominance behaviours toward the workers was unaffected by genealogical relationship, but decreased with time, possibly indicating better colony integration. However, levels of aggression displayed by queens toward workers, and the reproductive status of the latter were higher when levels of genealogical relationship within colonies was low, indicating that kin recognition was important for the evolution of social behaviour in halictine bees.
STIMULATION OF FETAL LUNG PHOSPHATIDYLCHOL INE SYNTHESIS BY CONDITIONED MEDIUM FROM FETAL LUNG EXPLANTS

STIMULATION OF FETAL LUNG PHOSPHATIDYLCHOL INE SYNTHESIS BY CONDITIONED MEDIUM FROM FETAL LUNG EXPLANTS
Developmental shifts in gene expression in the auditory forebrain during the sensitive period for song learning

A male zebra finch begins to learn to sing by memorizing a tutor’s song during a sensitive period in juvenile development. Tutor song memorization requires molecular signaling within the auditory forebrain. Using microarray and in situ hybridizations, we tested whether the auditory forebrain at an age just prior to tutoring expresses a different set of genes compared to later in life after song learning has ceased. Microarray analysis revealed differences in expression of thousands of genes in the male auditory forebrain at posthatch day 20 (P20) compared to adulthood. Further, song playbacks had essentially no impact on gene expression in P20 auditory forebrain, but altered expression of hundreds of genes in adults. Most genes that were song-responsive in adults were expressed at constitutively high levels at P20. Using in situ hybridization with a representative sample of 44 probes, we confirmed these effects and found that birds at P20 and P45 were similar in their gene expression patterns. Additionally, 8 of the probes showed male-female differences in expression. We conclude that the developing auditory forebrain is in a very different molecular state from the adult, despite its relatively mature gross morphology and electrophysiological responsiveness to song stimuli. Developmental gene expression changes may contribute to fine-tuning of cellular and molecular properties necessary for song learning.
Principles and Prescriptions for Improved Experimentation in Precipitation Augmentation Research

Proper field experimentation in precipitation augmentation, or virtually any other topic, is not an easy task. Some general research considerations, i.e., the objectives of research, the quest for believability, and the two principal types of field studies, are discussed. The anatomy and stages of life of an experiment are presented, and the three levels or classes of an experiment (i.e., preliminary, exploratory, and confirmatory) are depicted. A number of prescriptions for improved experimentation are offered in regard to conceptual models, treatment design, treatment selection and allocation, treatment effect models, and analyses for treatment effects. Lastly, a few comments are appended on the role of statisticians in quality field research efforts.
Glucose regulation of glucagon secretion independent of B cell activity.

To investigate whether glucose has an effect on the pancreatic A cell independent of intraislet or paracrine B cell mediation, we have tested the ability of changes in plasma glucose (PG) level to influence the acute glucagon response (AGR) to 5 g of intravenous arginine in 8 C-peptide negative insulin dependent diabetics (IDD). Insulin was infused (1 mU/kg/min) for a 90 min basal period during which PG levels were maintained constant by the glucose clamp technique. Basal AGR was then determined. In 4 of the diabetics, the PG level was subsequently lowered to a new steady state and, in 2 diabetics, PG level was raised. In 2 additional IDDs, two manipulations in PG level were carried out (PG ranges 51–390 mg/dl). The same insulin infusion was continued throughout. The acute glucagon response to arginine was determined at each PG level. The ability of unit changes in PG to influence (modulate) the AGR (MdIRG) was calculated as the difference in AGRs divided by the PG difference. MdIRG was consistent between diabetics (X ± SEM = −2.1 ± 0.2) and was independent of both direction and magnitude of the PG change. Thus, in vivo, in man, glucose has an effect on the pancreatic A cell which is independent of intraislet B cell influences.
Neural networks for bond rating improved by multiple hidden layers

The problem of how best to configure and train a network to rate bonds on the basis of financial parameters which characterize corporations is addressed. 126 bond patterns, each with seven financial ratios, were collected. A spectrum of layered neural networks with single or multiple hidden layers was found to easily outperform a bond rating model based on multivariate discriminant analysis, at least when the task was presented as one of separating two noncontiguous classes. These experiments suggest that networks trained with two hidden layers outperform a network having only one hidden layer containing a comparable number of processing elements. Significant advantages arise even when the layers are ordered so that a smaller number of neurons receive their inputs directly from the inputs. This suggests that, for these bond rating data. the problem of mapping from seven features to two classes may have an inherent dimensionality of five or lower. The mapping of the five elements' (or neurons') output of the first layer down to two layers can be performed first. Then there is still an advantage from the use of a subsequent hidden layer to provide another representation of useful classification information
The behavior of gas inclusions in diamond generated by temperature changes

Abstract Gas inclusions are sometimes sealed into diamond crystals during crystal growth at high temperatures and pressures. The pressure in these inclusions changes as the diamond is lowered to room temperature with additional pressure changes occurring during subsequent reheating and cooling cycles. Liquid-filled inclusions may form from gas inclusions if the critical temperature of the gas exceeds room temperature. Gases that react with carbon follow pressure-temperature curves that are different from those of inert gases. Internal stresses are generated in the diamond which are proportional to the difference between the pressure in the inclusion and the external pressure around the diamond. These stresses increase as the cube of the inclusion diameter and fall off as the cube of the distance from the inclusion. Such stresses can cause plastic flow around the inclusion and residual elastic stresses in the diamond far from the inclusion. When the pressure in the inclusion falls below the diamond-graphite equilibrium line, graphitization can occur on the walls of the inclusion. Because graphite has a molar volume 50% greater than diamond, such graphitization reduces the volume of the inclusion and increases the pressure in the inclusion. Multiple inclusions generate stresses which are proportional to the inclusion concentration and which depend on their spatial distribution in the crystal.
Atomic displacement cross sections for carbon from ENDF/B-III data

Abstract Atomic displacement cross sections have been derived from the data in materials file 1165 (Carbon-12) of the third version of the Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF/B-III), Using the Lindhard theoretical treatment for the stopping cross sections of carbon ions in carbon. A comparison of the differences between previous estimates of the carbon atom displacement functions and the results of these calculations indicate that the use of the atomic displacement cross sections presented herein should improve the correlations of damage production in different irradiation facilities.
The Transport and Deposition of Pyroclastic Material from the 1000 AD Caldera-Forming Eruption of Volcan Ceboruco, Nayarit, Mexico

The complex eruption sequence from the ∼1000 A.D. caldera-forming eruption of Volcan Ceboruco, known as the Jala Pumice, offers an exceptional opportunity to examine how pyroclastic material is transported and deposited from pyroclastic density currents over variable topography. Three main pyroclastic surge deposits (S1, S2, and S3) and two pyroclastic flow deposits (Marquesado and North-Flank PFDs) were emplaced during this eruption. Pyroclastic surge deposits are massive, planar, or cross-bedded, poor-to-well sorted, and display fluctuations in thickness, median diameter, sorting, and lithology as a function of distance, topography, and flow dynamics. Marquesado pyroclastic flow deposits reveal lateral variations from massive, poorly sorted deposits located within 5 km of Ceboruco to planar bedded, moderately well sorted deposits located >15 km away over the nearly horizontal topography to the south of Ceboruco. North-Flank pyroclastic flow deposits also reveal lateral variations from massive, poorly sorted deposits located within 4 km of Ceboruco to planar bedded, moderately well sorted deposits located 8 km away atop an escarpment that steeply rises 230 m from the northern valley floor. Field observations, granulometric analyses, component analyses, and crystal sedimentation calculations along flow-parallel sampling transects all suggest that both surges and flows were density stratified currents, where deposition occurred from a basal region of higher particle concentration that was supplied from an overlying dilute layer that transports particles in suspension. This supports the idea of a transition between “flow” and “surge” end members with variations in particle concentration. Topography greatly affects the transport and depositional capacity of the pyroclastic density currents as a result of “blocking”, either by topographic obstacles or by abrupt breaks at the base of volcano slopes, whereas the origin of Jala Pumice surge deposits (phreatomagmatic versus magmatic) appears to have little impact on their flow dynamics.
Augmentation of specific immune response against syngeneic SV40-induced tumor-associated antigens by splenectomy

Abstract Splenectomy before immunization of mice with syngeneic SV40-transformed cells markedly augmented the specific cell-mediated immune response against the corresponding tumor-associated antigens as measured by an in vitro 51 Cr-release assay and an in vivo tumor-cell neutralization assay. This augmentation was not dependent on the time interval between splenectomy and antigen immunization. By performing reconstitution experiments, it was found that thymus-derived cells in spleens of normal syngeneic mice abolished the splenectomy-induced augmentation of immune response. It is inferred that the resident population which normally operates in spleen-intact mice to suppress the specific immune response against SV40-induced tumor-associated antigens is T-cell.
Patterns of protein synthesis during development in Caulobacter crescentus

Abstract The patterns of protein synthesis during development of the gram-negative bacterium, Caulobacter crescentus, have been studied by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and DNA-cellulose chromatography. The analysis of soluble proteins from cells which had been pulse-labeled with 35S-labeled methionine at different times in the cell cycle showed sequential changes in the proteins synthesized at successive stages of development, and it identified a 20K and a 28K protein which together account for 12% of the protein synthesized in early swarmer cells. Comparison of protein patterns from different stages of development suggested that from 10 to 20% of the genes expressed may be modulated during the life cycle of this organism. The results are consistent with a role of differential gene expression in the temporal control of development in C. crescentus.
The viscoelastic behavior of linear elastic materials with voids

It is shown that the constitutive equations for a linear elastic material with voids imply a viscoelastic stress-strain relation known as the “standard linear solid” in the case of quasi-static, homogeneous deformations in the absence of self-equilibrated body forces. It is noted that, even for deformations that are dynamic and/or inhomogeneous the viscoelastic behavior is still qualitatively similar to that predicted by the standard linear solid model.
Kinetic, equilibrium and spectroscopic studies on cation association at the active center of acetylcholinesterase: topographic distinction between trimethyl and trimethylammonium sites

Abstract This study examines the importance of electrostatic interactions on ligand associations at the active center of acetylcholinesterase (acetylcholine acetylhydrolase, EC 3.1.1.7). The active-center serine was covalently modified with the dimensionally equivalent isosteric β-(trimethylammonium)ethyl and 3,3-dimethylbutyl methylphosphonofluoridates. Reactivation of the 3,3-dimethylbutyl methylphosphono-conjugate by the bis-quaternary mono-oxime HI-6, after accounting for the capacity for spontaneous reactivation, proceeded at a rate that was 20-fold greater than that for the cationic conjugate. Decidium, a fluorescent bisquaternary ligand that binds with its trimethylammonium moiety within the active center, exhibited affinity for the 3,3-dimethylbutyl conjugate that was within 2-fold that for the native enzyme, but 100-fold greater than for the cationic conjugate. Whereas association of n-alkyl mono- and bisquaternary ligands with the uncharged conjugate was virtually unaltered with respect to the native enzyme, the affinities of edrophonium, phenyltrimethylammonium and N-methylacridinium were reduced 100-fold for the uncharged conjugate relative to native enzyme. These results indicate that the orientations of the 3,3-dimethylbutyl and β-(trimethylammonium)ethyl moieties with respect to the surface of the enzyme are not equivalent, that modification of the active center does not preclude cation association of active-center-selective ligands, and that aromatic cations associate at an anionic locus which is unique from that at which decidium and the n-alkyl mono- and bisquaternary cations associate. As such, the results point to the presence of a heterogeneity of cation binding sites within a circumscribed distance from the modified serine, and do not sustain the view proposed by Hasan et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 255 (1980) 3898–3904; 256, (1981) 7781–7785) that electrostatic interactions at the active center are subordinate to steric constraints imposed by a dimensionally restricted trimethyl site.
SympGraph: a framework for mining clinical notes through symptom relation graphs

As an integral part of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), clinical notes pose special challenges for analyzing EHRs due to their unstructured nature. In this paper, we present a general mining framework SympGraph for modeling and analyzing symptom relationships in clinical notes.A SympGraph has symptoms as nodes and co-occurrence relations between symptoms as edges, and can be constructed automatically through extracting symptoms over sequences of clinical notes for a large number of patients. We present an important clinical application of SympGraph: symptom expansion, which can expand a given set of symptoms to other related symptoms by analyzing the underlying SympGraph structure. We further propose a matrix update algorithm which provides a significant computational saving for dynamic updates to the graph. Comprehensive evaluation on 1 million longitudinal clinical notes over 13K patients shows that static symptom expansion can successfully expand a set of known symptoms to a disease with high agreement rate with physician input (average precision 0.46), a 31% improvement over baseline co-occurrence based methods. The experimental results also show that the expanded symptoms can serve as useful features for improving AUC measure for disease diagnosis prediction, thus confirming the potential clinical value of our work.
INTRON REVEALED BY NUCLEOTIDE SEQUENCE OF LARGE SUBUNIT OF RIBULOSE‐1,5‐BISPHOSPHATE CARBOXYLASE/OXYGENASE FROM CODIUM FRAGILE (CHLOROPHYTA): PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS1

The coding sequence for the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (rbcL) from Codium fragile (Suringar) Hariot chloroplast DNA is 1428 bp in length and contains a 1813-bp group II intron. The only other organisms in which introns have been found in the rbcL gene are Euglena and Astasia. The Codium intron likely had a separate origin from the Euglena and Astasia introns, based on comparisons of intron sizes and sequences. Phylogenetic analyses of rbcL nucleotide and amino acid sequences place Codium between Chlorella and two Chlamydomonas spp., indicating that the Chlorophyceae may be polyphyletic.
Histopathological changes induced by malathion in the gills of bluegill Lepomis macrochirus.

Malathion is a widely used broad spectrum organophosphorus insecticide. Its wide use provides many occasions for its entry into aquatic environments. The presence of this chemical in the aquatic environment would adversely affect many non-target species like fish. About 50 to 90% of the absorbed malathion can be eliminated in one to three days by the fish. About 25% of malathion remained in river water after 2 wk, and 10% remained after 4 wk from the time of its entry. Respiratory distress is one of the early symptoms of pesticide poisoning. These toxicants appear to cause a loss of adhesion between the epithelial cells and the underlying pillar cell system, accompanied by a collapse of the structural integrity of the secondary lamellae. Gills are important in respiration as well as osmoregulation of the fish. Therefore it was decided to study the effects of malathion on the gills of bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus. Bluegills were selected for this study due to the following reasons: (1) Bluegills are more sensitive to malathion when compared to fathead minnows and goldfish. (2) They are important both as edible and game fish. (3) They are easily available and easy to maintain in the laboratory.
Binding of 125I-labeled anti-L chain to polysomes of rat spleen in vitro

Abstract The light (L) chain of rat gamma globulin was isolated and injected into rabbits as antigen. Fractionated immune gamma globulin from the rabbits was labeled with 125I and used to indicate the presence of nascent L chains on ribosomes of rat spleen. After centrifugation in a sucrose gradient, the label was found on ribosomes containing 4 to 9 monomeric units, but was not coincident with the optical density profile (OD). The highest specific activity was found between the hexamer and the septamer or between the septamer and octamer. During the first 24 hours of the immune response to sheep erythrocytes, the amount of 125I anti-L chain bound to ribosomes decreased to a minimal value 12 hours after injection of antigen and increased between 12 and 24 hours to a value comparable to that in nonimmunized animals.
The electrocardiographic effects of cetirizine in normal subjects

Objective To establish whether the antihistamine cetirizine has the potential to prolong the QTC interval in normal volunteers at up to six times the usual recommended dose. Methods Twenty-five healthy volunteers were studied in a prospective, double-blind crossover design conducted on inpatients in a Clinical Research Center. The primary end point of the study was QTC prolongation on the surface electrocardiogram (ECG). Plasma concentrations of cetirizine were also measured for pharmacokinetic analysis. The end point for the pharmacokinetic analysis was the dose/area under the concentration-time curve (apparent clearance of an oral dose). The subjects received the following three treatments in random sequence: placebo, 20 mg/day cetirizine, and 60 mg/day cetirizine for 7 consecutive days. A series of baseline ECGs was recorded over 2 days before each treatment, while the subject receiving placebo. ECG effects of the treatments were then compared with the baseline ECGs. Results Analysis of variance showed no difference between the treatment groups (placebo, 20 mg cetirizine, and 60 mg cetirizine every day) in effect on QTC compared with baseline. A paired Student t test showed no difference in dose/area under the concentration-time curve between the 20 mg/day and 60 mg/day dosing groups at steady state. Conclusion In healthy volunteers, cetirizine does not prolong the QTC interval at doses of up to six times the usual recommended dose. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1994) 56, 295–301; doi:10.1038/clpt.1994.140
Residual strains in titanium matrix high-temperature composites

Abstract Residual thermal strains and stresses that developed during cooling of a silicon-carbide-fiber-reinforced titanium matrix high-temperature composite were determined by an experimental neutron diffraction technique. The results were compared with those obtained by finite element analysis. The study was conducted over the temperature range 20–950 °C. As a result of thermal expansion mismatch, compressive residual strains and stresses were generated in the fibers during cool-down. The axial residual strains and stresses were highly tensile in the matrix, and the matrix underwent plastic deformation. Average transverse residual strains in the matrix were compressive. The measured data compare fairly well with finite element method predictions. The effects of fabrication procedures and thermal processing, such as liquid nitrogen dipping and thermal cycling, on the residual strains were also studied.
Generic instabilities in first-order dissipative relativistic fluid theories.

We consider the stability of a general class of first-order dissipative relativistic fluid theories which includes the theories of Eckart and of Landau and Lifshitz as special cases. We show that all of these theories are unstable in the sense that small spatially bounded departures from equilibrium at one instant of time will diverge exponentially with time. The time scales for these instabilities are very short; for example, water at room temperature and pressure has an instability with a growth time scale of about ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}34}$ seconds in these theories. These results provide overwhelming motivation (we believe) for abandoning these theories in favor of the second-order (Israel) theories which are free of these difficulties.
Enrichment of selenium in allium vegetables for cancer prevention

We previously reported that garlic cultivated with selenium fertilization is superior to regular garlic in mammary cancer prevention in the rat 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) model (Nutr. Cancer, 17, 279-286, 1992). A new crop of high-selenium garlic was harvested in 1992 and was used in a dose-response study to confirm the reproducibility of the product and the bioassay. Supplementation of 1 or 2 p.p.m. Se in the diet from the high-selenium garlic produced a 56% or 75% reduction respectively in the total tumor yield. Since both garlic and onion belong to the same allium family of vegetables, we were also interested in finding out whether our experience with garlic could be similarly applied to onion. A high-selenium onion crop was grown in the same season and location and with the same schedule of selenium fertilization. Two distinct differences were noted with the high-selenium onion regarding its capacity to accumulate selenium and its efficacy in cancer prevention. First, the selenium concentration in onion was considerably lower (28 p.p.m. Se dry wt) as compared to that found in garlic (110-150 p.p.m. Se). Second, given the same levels of selenium supplementation, the high-selenium onion was apparently not as powerful as the high-selenium garlic in mammary cancer inhibition. Thus different plants, even those of the same genus, may respond in their unique way to selenium fertilization and the biological benefits of selenium enrichment may vary depending on the species. Additional information from our study indicated that the high-selenium garlic/onion might provide an ideal system for delivering selenium-substituted analogs in a food form for cancer prevention: (i) they expressed a good range of anticancer activity and could be easily adapted for human consumption on a regular basis; (ii) their ingestion did not result in an excessive accumulation of tissue selenium, a concern that is associated with the standard selenium compounds such as selenite and selenomethionine; (iii) no perturbation in the maintenance of functional selenoenzymes were observed even at high levels of supplementation.
Analytical models of combining Banyan networks

We present in this paper an analytical model of a multistage combining Banyan network with output buffered switches, in hot-sport traffic. In a combining network, packets bound for the same destination are combined into one if they meet at a switch; this alleviates the problem of tree-saturation caused by hot-spot traffic. We model the flow processes in the network as Markov chains and recursively approximate the departure processes of each stage of the network in terms of the departure processes of the preceding stage. This model is used to predict the throughput of the combining network, and comparison with simulation results shows the prediction to be accurate.A modified combining scheme based on low priorites for hot packets is proposed and analyzed. It is shown that this scheme yields substantial improvements in throughput over the standard combining scheme.
Computer anxiety in individuals with serious mental illness

This study was designed to compare computer anxiety in individuals with severe mental illness to a normative college sample and to examine whether computer training would be effective in reducing computer anxiety in individuals with severe mental illnesses. The Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS) was used to assess the self-reported computer anxiety of 30 individuals with severe psychiatric disorders enrolled in computer training at a mental health facility's employment training center. The CARS was administered prior to training, after 1 month of training, and after 3 months. Anxiety levels before computer training began were compared to the computer anxiety levels of 35 community college students enrolled in a course providing similar computer training. The individuals with severe mental illness were found to have significantly higher initial computer anxiety scores than the comparison group. Computer anxiety was not significantly reduced by the computer training in either group.
Effects of Layer Waviness on Interlaminar Stresses in Thick Composite Plates

Recent years have witnessed an increase in the popularity of thick-section composites in mission-critical components. However, the manufacturing processes of these composites are known to introduce anomalies and imperfections that are difficult to eliminate, such as layer waviness, i.e., local undulations in the layers. Accordingly, there is a demand for more accurate models to study the effects of such imperfections on the be havior of these structures. The present study shows that layer waviness in thick composites may cause a significant increase in interlaminar normal and shear stresses in its vicinity. For a studied case, maximum interlaminar stresses occur for a waviness with a negative amplitude-to-span ratio, i.e., when the plate is stiffer in the direction of the wave. Results also show that these maximum stresses occur close to the foot of the wave.
Paralysis in Ducks Simulating Neural Lymphomatosis in Chickens

Abstract APARALYTIC disease in ducks that clinically resembled neural lymphomatosis in chickens was brought to our attention in the spring of 1949 by Mr. J. H. Newman of South Lyon, Michigan. The disease was investigated because lymphomatosis in ducks had not been reported previously. Visceral and neural lymphomatosis, as well as other types of tumors, are common in chickens but tumors in ducks are rare. In a study involving 304 ducks Hennepe (1927) found only one tumor; likewise, Eber and Malke (1932) found only one tumor in the 692 ducks they examined. Duran-Reynals (1947) succeeded in producing Rous sarcoma tumors in ducklings and developed several duck variant tumor strains by serial passage, proving that ducks are susceptible to tumor implants. Recently, Lucas and Breitmayer (1949) and Lucas (1950) studied the lymphoid tissue in the pancreas of Mallard and White Pekin ducks. They found that ducks had about the same number of …
Human trials intermedia performance

"Human Trials" is a networked, virtual, intermedia drama with human actors, intelligent agents and smart sets. The drama explores the intersection of virtual reality and embodied performance through an event designed both as an immersive experience for one participant, and as a non-immersive production for a live audience. This structural duality highlights the meta-theatricality potential of virtual reality performance and those outside it.
Immortalization and transformation of human mammary epithelial cells by a tumor-derived Myc mutant

The Myc transcription factor is commonly dysregulated in many human cancers, including breast carcinomas. However, the precise role of Myc in the initiation and maintenance of malignancy is unclear. In this study we compared the ability of wild-type Myc (wt Myc) or Myc phosphorylation deficient mutants (T58A, S62A or T58A/S62A) to immortalize and transform human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs). All Myc constructs promoted cellular immortalization. As previously reported in other cells, the Myc T58A mutant tempered apoptotic responses and increased Myc protein stability in HMEC cells. More importantly, we now show that HMECs overexpressing the Myc T58A mutant acquire a unique cellular phenotype characterized by cell aggregation, detachment from the substrate and growth in liquid suspension. Coincident with these changes, the cells become anchorage-independent for growth in agarose. Previous studies have shown that wt Myc can collaborate with hTERT in inducing HMEC anchorage-independent growth. We have verified this observation and further shown that Myc T58A was a stronger facilitator of such co-transformation. Thus, our findings indicate that differences in Myc protein phosphorylation modulate its biological activity in human breast epithelial cells and specifically that the T58A mutation can facilitate both cellular immortalization and transformation. Finally, we used the isogenic cell lines generated in this study to identify a subset of genes whose expression is greatly altered during the transition from the immortal to the anchorage-independent states.
On translocation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin: Time dependent analysis at the Times Beach experimental site

Abstract The rate of migration and loss of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in contaminated soil has been studied under natural conditions in experimental plots at the Dioxin Research Facility, Times Beach, Missouri. The TCDD concentration profiles of sample cores taken at Times Beach in 1988 are virtually the same as those in cores taken in 1984. The data confirm our earlier work with soil columns exposed to simulated environmental conditions in the laboratory, and lead us to conclude that little movement and essentially no loss of TCDD has occurred in the experimental plots in the four years since the Dioxin Research Facility was established.
Capsule Commentary on Olchanski et al., Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening: How Many Life Years Lost from Underuse of the Medicare Screening Benefit?

This study by Olchanski et al.1 investigated utilization of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening benefit through the Screening Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Very Efficiently (SAAAVE) Act for Medicare beneficiaries, and estimated whether increasing its utilization would increase life expectancy. The authors conclude that screening benefits have been underutilized (< 1 % each year among those newly eligible) and that increasing utilization to 80 % of the eligible population would yield substantial gains in life expectancy. They also note that expanding screening to women with smoking history also has the potential for substantial health benefits. The reported estimates may have been confounded by two factors. First, the current prevalence of AAA and the incidence of AAA rupture are on the decline among men, as the prevalence of smoking has decreased considerably in the past decade, though the prevalence continues to rise among women.2 Second, the data on AAA prevalence and rupture rates and surgical outcomes in women are less robust than for men.3 The authors estimate the numbers indirectly from other available studies, and therefore the projected estimates may not be accurate in that population. The results of the study are important from the preventive and policy viewpoint. Why is AAA screening largely underutilized in the U.S? More studies are needed to further explore the reasons behind the underutilization. The authors cite Medicare’s requirement that screening be conducted within the limited eligibility period, the out of pocket deductible and the physician reimbursement as barriers to screening. Lack of physician awareness may be a larger contributor. As there are currently no quality measures around AAA screening, it may get lost among the myriad other recommended tests. The rates of AAA screening are significantly lower than colon cancer screening among Medicare beneficiaries. These missed opportunities can be corrected by raising awareness of the benefits and eventually linking it as a quality metric. Lastly, as is evident from this study, increasing utilization may yield significant gains in life expectancy among both men and women.
Coherent and incoherent diffractive hadron production in pA collisions and gluon saturation

We study coherent and incoherent diffractive hadron production in high-energy quarkonium―heavy nucleus collisions as a probe of the gluon saturation regime of quantum chromodynamics. Taking this process as a model for pA collisions, we argue that the coherent diffractive gluon production, in which the target nucleus stays intact, exhibits a remarkable sensitivity to the energy, rapidity, and atomic number dependence. The incoherent diffractive gluon production is less sensitive to the details of the low-x dynamics but can serve as a probe of fluctuations in the color glass condensate. As a quantitative measure of the nuclear effects on diffractive hadron production we introduce a new observable―the diffractive nuclear modification factor. We discuss possible signatures of gluon saturation in diffractive gluon production at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, the Large Hadron Collider, and Electron Ion Collider.
The state of play

It's Time to Put Fun Back into Fundamental Ways of Viewing Health and Well-being. Kristin Alexander (Alexander, Miller & Hengst, 2001) has remarked that children's involvement in fictional or oral ...
Multi-wavelength digital holographic tomography based on spectral interferometry

We report a multi-wavelength digital holographic tomography system based on a fiber-based spectral interferometer. Instead of using tunable lasers, a relatively inexpensive broadband source was used as the light source. Hundreds of 2-D "synthesized holograms" (or object wavefields) were obtained by transversal scanning of a probe beam within a few seconds. Holographic images of an object volume were numerically reconstructed from each synthesized hologram and tomographic images were obtained by superposition of all the image volumes.
Analytic constraint solving and interval arithmetic

In this paper we describe the syntax, semantics, and implementation of the constraint logic programming language CLP(F) and we prove that the implementation is sound. A CLP(F) constraint is a conjunction of equations and inequations in a first order theory of analytic univariate functions over the reals. The theory allows vector-valued functions over closed intervals to be constrained in several ways, including specifying functional equations (possibly involving the differentiation operator) that must hold at each point in the domain, arithmetic constraints on the value of a function at a particular point in its domain, and bounds on the range of a function over its domain. After describing the syntax and semantics of the constraint language for CLP(F) and giving several examples, we show how to convert these analytic constraints into a subclass of simpler functional constraints which involve neither differentiation nor evaluation of functions. We then present an algorithm for solving these latter constraints and prove that it is sound. This implies the soundness of the CLP(F) interpreter. We also provide some timing results from an implementation of CLP(F) based on GNU Prolog. The current implementation is able to solve a wide variety of analytic constraints, but on particular classes of constraints (such as initial value problems for autonomous ODEs), it is not competitive with other non-constraint based, interval solvers such as Lohner's AWA system. CLP(F) should be viewed as a first step toward the long term goal of developing a practical, declarative, logic-based approach to numerical analysis.
Beneckea gazogenes sp. nov., a red, facultatively anaerobic, marine bacterium

A red, facultatively anaerobic marine bacterium was isolated from samples of saltwater marsh mud. The Gram-negative microorganism was rod-shaped and possessed a single sheathed polar flagellum. The red pigment that the cells produced was identified as prodigiosin. THe bacteria grew readily on synthetic seawater media containing carbohydrates, amino acids, organic acids, or tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates as sole sources of carbon and energy. Na+ was required for growth. Cells fermented glucose to CO2, H2, ethanol, acetate, succinate, and pyruvate. The guanine-plus-cytosine content of the strain’s DNA was 47.1 mole%. The morphological and physiological characteristics of this bacterium, together with the mole % G+C of its DNA, place it in the genusBeneckea. The main features of this strain are sufficiently different from previously described members of the genus to place it in a new species for which the nameBeneckea gazogenes is proposed.