cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reduced Complexity Implementation of Passband Adaptive Equalizers

High-speed modems typically employ quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) so that two signal paths, in-phase and quadrature, are simultaneously being used. The standard receiver structure has, in effect, four adaptive equalizers, one for each of the two signal paths and two to correct for cross coupling between signal paths. As a result, equalization normally requires 8N multiplications per baud interval, where N is the number of taps, to perform the needed signal processing including adaptive updating of the weights., In this correspondence, we present a new signal processing algorithm which requires only 6N multiplications per baud interval. For fractionally spaced equalization and adaptive cancellation, N is quite large so that this saving can be of practical value in improwng throughput capability of custom chips, or depending on the architecture, with programmable signal processor chips. Specifically, the algorithm is advantageous for implementations where multiplications require a longer execution time than additions.
Designing fuzzy logic controllers using a multiresolutional search paradigm

A multiresolutional search paradigm is employed to design optimal fuzzy logic controllers in a variable structure simulation environment. The initial search space is evaluated with a coarse resolution and some of the subspaces are selected as candidate regions for global optimum. New optimization processes are then created to investigate the candidate search spaces in detail, a process which continues until a solution is found. This search paradigm was implemented using hierarchical distributed genetic algorithms (HDGAs)-search agents solving different degrees of abstracted problems. Creation/destruction of agents is executed dynamically during the operation based on their performance. In the application to fuzzy systems, the HDGA investigates design alternatives such as different types of membership functions and the number of the fuzzy labels, as well as their optimal parameter settings, all at the same time. This paradigm is demonstrated with an application to the design of a fuzzy controller for an inverted pendulum.
Averaging error in NMR slice profile measurements

Slice thickness is a primary operational parameter in the evaluation of the performance of an MRI system with regard to providing accurate imaging of a slice of tissue. Of the various methods that have been utilized to evaluate slice thickness, a continuous high-signal ramp has gained the most support as the method of choice. However, problems with the accuracy of the measurement method have been associated with the finite thickness of the ramp. This report considers the accuracy of the measurement method as a function of ramp width. © 1988 Academic Press, Inc.
Performance evaluation of a hybrid spread spectrum system in a hostile land mobile radio channel

A performance evaluation is presented for a hybrid (direct-sequence frequency-hopped) spread-spectrum (SS) operating in a hostile jamming cellular mobile radio environment. The effects of a barrage jammer, Rayleigh fading, and log-normal shadowing on the system performance are discussed. Probability of error expressions for a hybrid BDPSK (binary differential phase shift keying) SS are derived in terms of the channel parameters. The results are compared to those obtained for the same system without fading and shadowing. For a given probability of error, the performance is worse for the case of Rayleigh fading compared to the case of additive white Gaussian noise only. Severe performance degradation is also observed, primarily as a result of fading in a mobile radio channel. Consequently, in order to achieve a high performance level, diversity should be used to reduce the effect of shadowing and fast fading. >
Estimating perception of scene layout properties from global image features.

The relationship between image features and scene structure is central to the study of human visual perception and computer vision, but many of the specifics of real-world layout perception remain unknown. We do not know which image features are relevant to perceiving layout properties, or whether those features provide the same information for every type of image. Furthermore, we do not know the spatial resolutions required for perceiving different properties. This paper describes an experiment and a computational model that provides new insights on these issues. Humans perceive the global spatial layout properties such as dominant depth, openness, and perspective, from a single image. This work describes an algorithm that reliably predicts human layout judgments. This model’s predictions are general, not specifi ct o the observers it trained on. Analysis reveals that the optimal spatial resolutions for determining layout vary with the content of the space and the property being estimated. Openness is best estimated at high resolution, depth is best estimated at medium resolution, and perspective is best estimated at low resolution. Given the reliability and simplicity of estimating the global layout of real-world environments, this model could help resolve perceptual ambiguities encountered by more detailed scene reconstruction schemas.
The rapid development of the glucose transport system in the excysted metacestode of Hymenolepis diminuta

Temporal changes in glucose transport capacity in excysted scoleces of Hymenolepis diminuta were examined. Assays involved incubation for 1 min in [3H]glucose after pre-incubation for 1 min to 8 h in saline. There were two abrupt increases in uptake velocity, a relatively small one between 15 and 75 min, and a large one between 5 and 6 h, during which the Vmax increased from 0.36 to 2.49 nmol/25 larvae/h. The second increase was unaffected when the pre-incubation saline contained 5 mM glucose, but it was completely blocked when the excysted larvae were pre-incubated in Ca(2+)-free saline. Abrupt glucose transport changes did not occur in intact cysticercoids or in scoleces when the substrate was [3H]leucine or [3H]uracil. Arrhenius plots (log V versus 1/temperature, 10-42 degrees C) were linear for intact cysticercoids, but were biphasic for both scoleces and adults with discontinuities at 20 +/- 1 degrees C. Thus, 'activation' of the excysted scolex seemed to involve a specific, Ca(2+)-dependent increase in number of glucose transporters functioning in the worm surface. The Arrhenius plots indicated that development in the final host does not involve a major change in lipid composition of the parasite's membranes.
A simulation study of mutual influences of engineering change management process and new product development process

This paper presents a simulation model for assessing the mutual impacts of Engineering Change Management (ECM) process and New Product Development (NPD) process on each other. The discrete-event simulation model incorporates ECM into an NPD environment by allowing Engineering Changes (EC) to compete for limited resources with regular NPD activities. The goal is to examine how the relative size and frequency of NPD as well as ECM, NPD process structure (in terms of overlapping and departmental interaction), and the operational policy of resource using priority that one organization employs affect lead time and productivity of both NPD and ECM. Decision-making suggestions considering EC impacts are drawn from an overall enterprise system-level perspective based on the simulation results.
A simple rule for mitigating initialization bias in simulation output: comparative results

Results are presented for experiments with four heuristics for determining the number of observations to truncate from the beginning of an output sequence generated by a steady-state, discrete-event simulation, with arbitrary initial conditions. The performance of the marginal confidence rule (MCR) developed by White and Minnox (1994) is compared with that of enhanced implementations of practical heuristics proposed by Conway, Gafarian et al. (1978), and Fishman (1972). All rules are applied to output sequences generated by ten runs each of four representative queuing simulations. Results confirm the significance of the start-up problem. Results also demonstrate that simple truncation heuristics can solve this problem, if carefully designed and applied. While all four heuristics are shown to provide improved accuracy without undue loss of precision, in all of the experiments the performance of the MCR dominated that of the other rules.
The Compositional Far Side of Image Computation

Symbolic image computation is the most fundamental computation in BDD-based sequential system optimization and formal verification. In this paper, we explore the use of over-approximation and BDD minimization with don't cares during image computation. Our new method, based on the partitioned representation of the transition relation, consists of three phases: First, the model is treated as a set of loosely coupled components, and over-approximate images are computed to minimize the transition relation of each component. A refined overall image is then computed using the simplified transition relation. Finally, the exact image is obtained by a clipping operation that recovers all previous over-approximations. Since BDD minimization employs constraints on the next-state variables of the transition relation, instead of the customary constraints on the present-state variables, we call the resulting method far side image computation. The new method can be implemented on top of any image computation algorithm that is based on the partitioned transition relation. (For example, IWLS95, MLP, and Fine-Grain.) We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by experiments on models ranging from easy to hard: The new method wins significantly over the best known algorithms so far in both CPU time and memory usage, especially on the hard models.
Attitudes Toward Red Light Camera Enforcement in Cities With Camera Programs

Objective: To obtain information on attitudes and experiences related to red light camera enforcement in cities with camera programs and in Houston, Texas, where cameras were removed after voters rejected the program in November 2010. Methods: Telephone surveys were conducted with 3111 drivers in 14 large cities (population greater than 200,000) with long-standing red light camera programs and 300 drivers in Houston, using random samples of landline and cell phone numbers in each city. For analyses combining responses from the 14 cities, cases were weighted to reflect each city's share of the total population for the 14 cities. Results: Among drivers in the 14 cities with red light camera programs, two thirds favor the use of cameras for red light enforcement and 42 percent strongly favor it. The chief reasons for opposing cameras were the perceptions that cameras make mistakes and that the motivation for installing them is revenue, not safety. Forty-one percent of drivers favor using cameras to enforce r...
Growth of the peritrich Opercularia coarctata in axenic culture.

SYNOPSIS A synthetic medium for Opercularia coarctata was developed that contains 20 amino acids, 10 vitamins, an 8-component balanced salt solution, Fe2(SO4)3·(NH4)2SO4·24H2O, Tween 80, stigmasterol, a 7-component nucleic acid mixture, phenol red as an indicator, and 2,500 U.S.P. units/ml penicillin to maintain sterility. This medium supported axenic survival for 96 hr. Multiple supplements of thioctic acid, niacin, niacinamide, inositol, PABA, oleic acid, and Fe(NO3)2·9H2O instead of Fe2(SO4)3·(NH4)2SO4·24H2O coverted the survival medium into a growth medium, which permitted 36–45 days continuous cultivation of populations in excess of 4 × 103 cells/3.0 ml final volume. Five generations were produced during the 48 hr logarithmic growth period. Serial transfers at 72 hr and during periods of greatest cell density produced a maximum of 8 generations 96 hr after initiation but the medium failed to sustain growth through more than 6 serial transfers. Extension of this investigation to formulating a minimal axenic medium is discussed.
A Numerical Study of Traveling Microbursts

Abstract An analysis of traveling microbursts in unidirectionally sheared environments is undertaken using a three-dimensional numerical model with 50-m resolution in a 19 × 12 × 4 km domain. For each run, the cooling source is centered at a height of 2 km and travels in an eastward direction of Cm, where Cm = 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 m s−1. Environmental winds above 2 km are equal to Cm and decay linearly to 0 m s−1 below 2 km. The authors examine the kinetic energy budget of each run, focusing on the dynamic features that are not found in a static microburst simulation. As the source speed Cm increases from 0 to 9 m s−1, the magnitude of the surface horizontal winds increase in the direction of source movement. An examination of the dynamic pressure equation shows that rotationally induced pressure work forces are primarily responsible for increasing surface horizontal winds for the moving-source microbursts. In a similar form to previous studies of vertical perturbations in a sheared environment, elevated h...
Acetophenone hydrogenation on Rh/Al2O3 catalyst: Intrinsic reaction kinetics and effects of internal diffusion

Abstract Acetophenone hydrogenation on 1% Rh/Al 2 O 3 catalyst was conducted using various support sizes to study intrinsic kinetics and internal diffusion effects. In the first part of this work, results from different noble metals and supports were compared, and the 1% Rh/Al 2 O 3 was selected. From experiments at 60–100 °C, 1.1–4.1 MPa P H 2 and 0.04–0.4 M C AP.o using powder catalysts, intrinsic reaction kinetic modeling with the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism was conducted. The selected kinetic model included dissociative and non-competitive hydrogen adsorption, along with saturated active sites for organic species, and surface reaction as the rate determining step. With the obtained intrinsic reaction kinetics, internal diffusion effects were investigated using two catalyst particle sizes and diffusion–reaction models. The properties of the egg-shell type catalyst particles, including metal dispersion, were characterized and utilized in the models. The concentration–time profiles calculated from models developed in this work correspond well with the experimental results, explaining the effects of internal diffusion inside catalyst particles on reaction rates and selectivity, and are suitable for future use in trickle-bed reactor modeling studies.
Carbonate forms in Residual Horizons of Limestone Derived Soils in Northern Arizona

Abstract Soils of the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona have been derived from the in-situ weathering of the parent rock. The underlying carbonate strata, part of the Kaibab Formation, are a complex limestone-dolomite-chert marine sediment of Permian age. In the more permeable limestones, Haplustalfs forming in residuum are able to decalcify and form argillic horizons. Both pedogenic and lithogenic carbonate forms have been identified in Bk/Cr horizons. Micro-morphological data indicate that pedogenic calcite occurs as micrite and microspar oriented around pores and channels. Based upon their similarity to the underlying unweathered parent rock, clustered sand-sized dolomite crystals are considered lithogenic. Also, argillans, which are not preserved in the Bt horizons due to the high montmorillonite content, are present in Cr horizons as ferriargillans around chert grains and in rhombohedral chert pores. Calciustolls have formed from the harder, more resistant limestones. Carbonate occurs in these soils as vertical pendants on the underside of large limestone cobbles and as laminar caps on top of the bedrock.
Empowering and Inviting Parents of College Students with Actionable Mail: A Randomized Controlled Experiment at a Four-Year Public University

Inviting and empowering parents via low-cost, light-touch mail-based interventions can have large effects in K-12 schools; we implement a similar intervention to increase second-year retention at a public four-year university. We find that the treatment did not noticeably affect second year retention rate or student academic performance, though the intervention may have changed parental beliefs in promising ways. In order for similar projects to be effective, we recommend that they target the parents of students who are academically qualified to return for their second year; focus the intervention on the spring and summer semesters before second year; communicate content that is exclusively relevant to re-enrollment to deliver focal messaging before parents habituate to the mailings; and, ideally, increase sample size by facilitating consent procedures consistent with FERPA regulations.
Biotechnological Strategies for Advanced Biofuel Production: Enhancing Tolerance Phenotypes Through Genome-Scale Modifications

Cost-effective production of commodity chemicals by microorganisms relies on the ability to convert recalcitrant plant material into fuel or material precursors at high rates, titers, and yields. Bioconversion is often hampered by the types of feedstock components that microbes naturally metabolize as well as the susceptibility of biological devices to industrial-scale fermentation conditions and chemical toxicity. Therefore, a major goal for industrial microbiology is to increase production by enhancing tolerance phenotypes. Because the genetic modifications necessary for eliciting tolerance are difficult to predict, techniques involving genome-scale modifications and adaptive evolution are frequently used. In this chapter, we provide an overview of processes for producing biofuels, discuss production limitations that result from toxicity and cultivation conditions, and describe methods for enhancing tolerance and productivity through genome-scale modifications.
“Tell me what you are thinking”: An investigation of five Latina LTELs constructing meaning with academic texts

Abstract Although low English reading test scores play an important role in long-term English learners (LTELs) continued classification as English learners (ELs), limited research exists on how these students actually construct meaning with academic texts in English. This article uses a literacy-as-social-practice perspective to examine the reading practices that five high school LTELs vocalized during think-alouds with biology and English language arts texts. The findings document the focal students’ detailed understandings of the texts and identify four categories of meaning-making practices in which students engaged to differing extents during think-alouds: summarizing and identifying important information; making connections to background knowledge; going beyond the text; and recognizing limitations. These findings are significant because they provide a much-needed depiction of the actual reading practices of students who have remained classified as ELs for all or most of their academic trajectory.
Influence of Rapid Thermal Annealing on Shallow BF2 Implantation into Pre-Amorphized Silicon

Low energy, shallow BF 2 + implants were carried out at room or liquid nitrogen temperature into deep pre-amorphized (100) Si for better control of the dopant profile and post-annealing structural defects. Cross sectional and angle polished plan view transmission electron microscopy were used to study the structural quality of the implanted layer, while SIMS provided a chemical profile. Four types of structural defects were observed in BF 2 + implanted, pre-amorphized samples following rapid thermal annealing with a halogen lamp. An in-situ ion beam annealing and the presence of F in the Si lattice were related to the creation of the defects. Good correlations between F gettering and TEM observed defects were found to exist. Implantation of B + into a pre-amorphized Si surface and subsequent rapid thermal annealing was found to produce a wide defect-free surface layer.
Comments on the Suburban Revolution

L'A. envisage de maniere critique un certain nombre d'analyses de l'evolution des banlieues. Il souligne que l'etude de B. Lindstrom concernant le developpement des banlieues autour de Chicago offre un paradigme qui permet de comprendre les processus de croissance de ce type de zone d'habitation. Il examine les resultats des deux enquetes realisees respectivement par J. R. Logan et R. D. Alba et par E. Fong et K. Shibuya qui mettent en lumiere les facteurs qui determinent les differences ethniques et raciales en matiere de peuplement des banlieues. Il presente l'analyse de M. Baldassare et G. Wilson-Doenges. Ceux-ci ont etudie les changements d'attitudes individuelles, dans les banlieues, en matiere de relation interraciale et de relation interethnique
Flow and heat transfer in convectively unstable turbulent channel flow with solid-wall heat conduction

Most turbulent coherent structures in a convectively unstable atmospheric boundary layer are caused by or manifested in ascending warm fluid and descending cold fluids. These structures not only cause ramps in the air temperature timeseries, but also imprint on the underlying solid surface as surface temperature fluctuations. The coupled flow and heat transport mechanism was examined through direct numerical simulation (DNS) of a channel flow allowing for realistic solid–fluid thermal coupling. The thermal activity ratio ( TAR ; the ratio of thermal inertias of fluid and solid), and the thickness of the solid domain were found to affect the solid–fluid interfacial temperature variations. The solid–fluid interface with large (small) thermal activity ration behaves as an isoflux (isothermal) boundary. For the range of parameters considered here (Grashof number, $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\mathit{Gr} = 3\times 10^5\text {--} 325\times 10^5$ ; $\textit {TAR} = 0.01\text {--}1$ ; solid thickness normalized by heat penetration $\text {depth} = 0.1\text {--}10$ ), the solid thermal properties and thickness influence the fluid temperature only in the viscous or conduction region while the convective forcing influences the turbulent flow. Flow structures influence the interfacial temperature more effectively with increasing TAR and solid thickness compared with a constant temperature boundary condition. The change of channel flow structures with increasing convective instability is examined and the concomitant change of thermal patterns is quantified. Despite large differences in friction Reynolds and Richardson number between the DNS and atmospheric observations, similarities in the flow features were observed.
Structure and Properties of Powder Metallurgy Ni3Al Alloys

A Ni3AI + B base composition and derivatives containing Hf, Zr, Nb, or Nb + Hf substitutions for Al were processed by powder metallurgy, consolidated by compaction + extrusion, and evaluated for mechanical properties. The mechanical property evaluation consisted of tensile tests performed in air and vacuum, and fatigue crack growth tests performed in air. Microstructures, test specimen fracture morphologies, and tensile and fatigue deformation features were also studied. Some of the substitutions improved certain properties, but none improved ductility. The discussion considers property-fracture morphology-deformation structure relationships.
The variety of explanations in the Higgs sector

This paper argues that there is no single universal conception of scientific explanation that is consistently employed throughout the whole domain of Higgs physics—ranging from the successful experimental search for a standard model (SM) Higgs particle and the hitherto unsuccessful searches for any particles beyond the standard model (BSM), to phenomenological model builders in the Higgs sector and theoretical physicists interested in how the core principles of quantum field theory apply to spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Higgs mechanism. Yet the coexistence of deductive-statistical, unificationist, model-based, and statistical-relevance explanations does not amount to a fragmentation of the discipline, but allows elementary particle physicists to simultaneously pursue a plurality of research strategies and keep the field together by joint convictions about the SM and shared explanatory ideals. These convictions include that the SM both represents a successful explanation of the available particle data and contains aspects in need of further explanation. Especially in the domain of BSM physics, explanatory ideals typically appear as stories (in Hartmann’s sense) motivating the different models and linking them to the whole of the discipline.
Chapter 6 – Hormones of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Publisher Summary The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract) is the largest and most complex endocrine organ in the body. Through a combination of hormonal and neuronal mechanisms, the GI tract adjusts its own activities, alerts the body to the impending influx of nutrients and informs the brain of the need to initiate or terminate feeding. This chapter provides an overview of the neuroendocrine regulation of the GI tract, which is extensively innervated with afferent and efferent sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. Many of the GI hormones have overlapping functions, and their actions may be additive or synergistic. Because of the similarities in their structures, many of the GI hormones can be grouped into families; the gastrin/cholecystokinin family, the secretin/ glucagon superfamily, the pancreatic polypeptide family, and the motilin/ghrelin family. The redundancy of control mechanisms, absence of discrete aggregates of endocrine cells that can be excised and studied, or eliminated, and wide species differences make the study of human gastrointestinal endocrinology enormously challenging; yet, an impressive progress is underway with respect to understanding gastrointestinal regulation and its relationship to overall energy balance.
Georges Feydeau and the Belle Epoque

Georges Feydeau was born in 1862, the year Labiche produced La Station Champbaudet. His first theatrical success, Tailleur pour dames (Lady’s Tailor, A Gown for his Mistress) was performed in 1886, two years before the older dramatist’s death. That same year saw revivals of five of Labiche’s important plays, for, although he had ceased writing almost a decade earlier, he was still a force in the comic theatre. Feydeau was later to acknowledge his debt to the author of Un Chapeau de paille, who created the particular form of vaudeville Feydeau would carry to a zenith of geometrical perfection.
The Weakness in English Historical Writing

By the middle of the eighteenth century, Englishmen had complained for over two centuries about the quality of their historical writing.1 They cared passionately about their past and were almost overwhelmed by the quantity and variety of historical works they produced, and yet the English elite insisted that it had almost no history worthy of the name, no narrative history of England written to the Olympian standards of the inventors of ‘history,’ the ancient historians of Greece and Rome — Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus.2 While France and Italy possessed historians comparable to those of antiquity, it was ‘a general observation among learned men,’ according to the Earl of Orrery, that England ‘still remains defective in excellent historians … [W]e have had a Locke, a Newton, and a Dryden; but we cannot boast a Livy, a Thucydides, or a Tacitus.’3 Whatever twentieth-century assessments of English historiography may be, leading men of letters and political figures of the day, native as well as foreign, perceived a chronic defect in English historical writing.
Jews and Cosmopolitanism: An Arc of European Thought

Isaac Deutscher, raised in his youth to be a Talmudic scholar, instead became a communist. In 1958, he addressed the World Jewish Congress on the topic of “The Non-Jewish Jew.” There was a Jewish tradition – Deutscher began, citing Spinoza and Marx, Freud and Luxemburg and Trotsky – of breaking with Jewish tradition. Jews had always been restless and rootless, always lived on the borders of various heritages, languages, and cultures, at once in and apart from society. Victimized by religious intolerance and nationalist sentiments, Jews longed for a universalist Weltanschauung. It is true that “non-Jewish Jews” played a disproportionate role in the history of European Marxism. Yet Jews’ contributions to Marxism might be understood in a larger context: namely, that “non-Jewish Jews” have played a disproportionate role in the intellectual history of modern Europe much more broadly. This essay is an attempt to place the relationship between Jews and Marxism in a larger context – less the larger sociological context than the larger intellectual context of European modernity.
Influence of Extracurricular Activities on Attachment, Emotion Regulation and Career Aspirations in Adolescents

The term extracurricular activities are defined as any structured activity supervised by one or more adults outside regular school hours or the home. Attachment is an enduring emotional bond which an individual forms to another person. Emotion regulation refers to how we try to influence which emotions we have, when we have them, and how we experience and express these emotions. Career aspirations are defined as long-term individual work related goals. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 230 adolescents aged 12 to 16 years. They were divided into three groups: not involved, moderately involved and highly involved in extracurricular activities. The study adopts a factorial design to determine whether there are any main and interactional effects of the level of involvement in extracurricular activities and gender on attachment, emotion regulation and career aspirations in adolescents. The study also adopts a correlational design to determine if the dimensions of attachment and emotion regulation predict career aspirations among adolescents who are not involved, moderately involved and highly involved in extracurricular activities The results showed an influence of involvement in extracurricular activities on adolescents’ mother attachment, father attachment and peer attachment, and career aspirations. Further, adolescents who are highly involved in extracurricular activities were found to be high on alienation. The predictors for career aspirations and its dimension among adolescents who are not involved and moderately involved were found to be peer attachment and its dimensions. However, for those who are highly involved in extracurricular activities, the predictors for career aspirations were found to be mother and father attachment dimensions. The study recommends encouraging adolescents’ participation in extracurricular activities for positive youth development.
Evaluating Clinical Effectiveness and Pharmacokinetic Profile of Atomized Intranasal Midazolam in Children Undergoing Laceration Repair

Abstract Background Atomized intranasal midazolam is a common adjunct in pediatrics for procedural anxiolysis. There are no previous studies of validated anxiety scores with pharmacokinetic data to support optimal procedure timing. Objectives We describe the clinical and pharmacokinetic profile of atomized intranasal midazolam in children presenting for laceration repair. Methods Children 11 months to 7 years of age and weighing Results Sixty-two subjects were enrolled, with a mean age of 3.3 years. The median time to peak midazolam concentration was 10.1 min (interquartile range 9.7–10.8 min), and the median time to the procedure was 26 min (interquartile range 21–34 min). There was a trend in higher Observational Scale of Behavioral Distress scores during the procedure. We observed a total of 2 adverse events, 1 episode of vomiting (1.6%) and 1 paradoxical reaction (1.6%). Procedural completion was successful in 97% of patients. Conclusions Atomized intranasal midazolam is a safe and effective anxiolytic to facilitate laceration repair. The plasma concentration was >90% of the maximum from 5 to 17 min, suggesting this as an ideal procedural timeframe after intranasal midazolam administration.
Follow-up status during the first 5 years of life for metabolic disorders on the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel

To investigate the 5-year follow-up status for newborns diagnosed with metabolic disorders designated as “primary disorders” on the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP). Follow-up status and demographic characteristics are described for 426 newborns diagnosed with one of 20 primary metabolic disorders on the RUSP between 2005 and 2009. Newborn screening program data were linked to birth certificate data. Follow-up status is described for each year through age 5 and by disorder type. Maternal characteristics of those who stayed in active care were compared with those who did not. Of 426 diagnosed newborns, by the end of 5 years of follow-up 55.2% stayed in active care, 20.4% became lost to follow-up, 8.7% moved out of state, 6.3% were determined to require no further follow-up, 4.7% refused follow-up, and 4.7% died. Among the initial group of disorders with more than 10 diagnosed cases, phenylketonuria (90%) had the highest percentage of patients still in active care after 5 years. Patients in active care had similar characteristics to patients not in active care when maternal age, race/ethnicity, completed education years, and expected source of payment for delivery were compared. Staying in active care may associate with disorder type but not maternal characteristics.
In-Hospital Morbidity and Postoperative Revisions After Direct Anterior vs Posterior Total Hip Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND The direct anterior approach (DAA) offers the potential for less soft tissue insult, improved early recovery, and reduced dislocation rates. However, complications are associated with the DAA, particularly during the learning curve. We compare the DAA learning curve experience with the posterior approach regarding in-hospital complications and revision rate. METHODS We evaluated systemic and local in-hospital complications associated with primary unilateral cementless THAs from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2012 in 4249 patients through a posterior approach and 289 patients through a DAA. All procedures were performed consecutively by high-volume surgeons who use a single approach in a nonselective manner. The DAA was performed by surgeon transitioning from the posterior approach, thus incorporating the learning curve. Demographics were comparable. Revision procedures were captured through a minimum 4-year follow-up. Analyses compared complication and revision rates. RESULTS The DAA group demonstrated shorter length of stay, procedure time, lower blood transfusion rate, and increased discharge to home rate. Local and major systemic in-hospital complications were rare and comparable between groups. The minor systemic complication rate was significantly greater for the posterior group (10.9% posterior vs 6.2% DAA, P < .05). Revision rate was significantly greater for the posterior group (2.7% posterior vs 0.7% DAA, P < .032). The incidence of revision for dislocation was 1.5% for the posterior approach vs 0.4% for the DAA. CONCLUSION There was an increased rate of in-hospital minor systemic complications and overall revision, predominantly due to instability, after THA by the posterior approach, in comparison with the DAA.
The Current Status of Etiological Theories in Intrafamilial Child Maltreatment

Child maltreatment is a major social problem affecting over a million children and their families each year (National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1992). Effective treatment development for both perpetrators and victims of this problem rests on the availability of wellarticulated and validated theories of etiology. Such theories allow for empirical documentation of causal factors and ultimately, more precisely targeted interventions. The goal of this chapter is to assess progress in the development of etiological models of intrafamilial child maltreatment. The chapter begins with a historical overview of the forces that operated to slow theory building in early phases of this field and ones that are now more fostering of theory development. We then examine the foundations of current theories about each form of child maltreatment, highlighting the definitions and assumptions that models have adopted and the basic dimensions on which they differ. The chapter ends with a preliminary attempt to integrate current theorizing into a metamodel that would be useful in treatment development.
Boundary-Layer Tripping with Emphasis on Hypersonic Flows

Experiments on the effect of trip geometry, size, and location on the position of transition at local Mach numbers up to 8.5 are presented. The pressure drag of the trip is investigated at local Mach numbers of 4.7 and 5.5. Based on test results, a flow model was constructed which includes trip-produced multiple vortex filaments similar to those found at supersonic speeds that are assumed to be responsible for introducing the disturbances that lead to transition. The Reynolds number based on the distance from the leading edge to the roughness position as well as Mach number and wall-to-total temperature ratio should be considered in choosing the smallest effective trip size. The effect of trip shape on the position of transition at hypersonic speeds is small; however, certain shapes exhibit the advantageous characteristic of having drag coefficients which were relatively independent of roughness height over a restricted range of the variables tested.
Microcirculatory Actions of Polypeptides and Their Use in the Treatment of Experimental Shock

In the normal regulation of the microcirculation it is generally accepted that the catecholamines serve as the undifferential tonic constrictor influence on the muscular microvessels(1). To achieve appropriate local vasomotor behavior, which must be adjusted from moment to moment, the unselective constrictor influence of the catecholamines is thought to be modulated by a host of local tissue mediators such as serotonin, histamine, acetylcholine, glucocorticoids, and metabolic by-products as well as by the ratio of alpha to beta adrenergic receptors in different vessel s (1–5). These local tissue mediators probably also include low molecular weight polypeptides. Until recently, most interest in these tissue vasoactive polypeptides has focused on the kinin class of compounds which are thought to essentially dilate vessels and/or depress vasomotor activity(6). But there is little question that these locally acting substances also include polypeptides which are essentially excitor such as angiotensin and the neurohypophyseal polypeptide hormones (NHPH). Ever since the classic work of August Krogh and Sir Henry Dale with pituitrine, it has been repeatedly suggested by many workers that the posterior pituitary hormones lend fine adjustment to the tonic constrictor action of the catecholamines (see ref.7 for citations).
40-OR: DIFFERENTIAL DOSE-DEPENDENT EFFECTS OF BELATACEPT AND MYCOPHENOLIC ACID ON REGULATORY T CELL GENERATION IN MLR

Aim Belatacept (BLT) has recently been approved in renal transplantation so as to avoid side effects of CNI. However, the effect of BLT alone or in combination with other maintenance agents on regulatory T cells is not clear. Methods We tested BLT and Mycophenolic Acid (MPA; active form of Cellcept or Myfortic being used clinically together with BLT), either singly or in combinations in vitro in healthy volunteers using (a) 3 H-TdR incorporation to measure inhibition of lymphoproliferation, and (b) flow cytometry to estimate newly generated CD4 + CD25 High FOXP3 + Tregs in CFSE labeled MLR responders. Results In comparison to medium controls, BLT dose-dependently inhibited both proliferation and Treg generation in MLRs (n = 9). MPA, when tested singly in MLR, inhibited lymphoproliferation but enhanced Treg generation at sub-therapeutic (p Table 1 ]. However, purified CD4 + CD127 − cells generated in MLR in presence of 1 or 10 μ g/ml MPA and then tested as third component modulators in fresh MLR, significantly enhanced newly developed Tregs in the proliferating responder cells, vs. BLT or medium controls (n = 3). Conclusions BLT and MPA had opposite effects on Treg generation in MLR. Combinations of the two may have positive overall Treg generating effects. Mathew: Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Grant Research. Miller: Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Grant Research. Levitsky: Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Grant Research.
bcl-2 Protein expression in the Barrett's metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence

The bcl-2 proto-oncogene encodes a protein that blocks programmed cell death (apoptosis). Although bcl-2 has been shown to be involved in the development of follicular lymphoma via a chromosomal translocation t(14;18), little is known about its function in non-hematolymphoid neoplasms. The bcl-2 protein is normally expressed in the regenerative crypt compartment of the colon, small intestine, and stomach, and has been found to be abnormally overexpressed as an early event in the dysplasia-carcinoma sequences of both ulcerative colitis-related and gastric neoplasias. This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of bcl-2 in the Barrett's metaplasia-dysplasia-carcinoma sequence. Thirty-six esophageal resection specimens were studied, using a monoclonal antibody to the bcl-2 protein on fixed paraffin-embedded specimens. Barrett's mucosa was present in each specimen: low-grade dysplasia in 35, high-grade dysplasia in 34, intramucosal carcinoma (IMC) in 23, and submucosal carcinoma in 13. In addition, a section of the gastric resection margin was evaluated for bcl-2 immunoreactivity in each case. In all cases, the regenerative compartment of the gastric mucosa in the resection margins stained for bcl-2; however, no immunoreactivity was seen in any of the cases of Barrett's mucosa with or without dysplasia or carcinoma. We conclude that, in contrast to its role in gastric neoplasia, bcl-2 alterations are not an important molecular marker in the neoplastic progression of Barrett's mucosa.
Characterization of somatic embryogenesis-related cDNAs from alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

Messenger RNAs from cultures of embryogenic and non-embryogenic alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) genotypes were used to differentially screen a cDNA library prepared from embryogenic cell masses of somatic embryo cultures to identify early-stage embryo transcripts. The three alfalfa somatic embryogenesis-specific transcripts cDNAs (ASET1, ASET2 and ASET3) identified by this screen were enriched in RNA samples from embryogenic tissues of the embryogenic genotype but were absent from petioles or mature embryos of an embryogenic genotype as well from tissue cultures of a nonembryogenic genotype. The ASET clones did not cross-hybridize and showed different patterns of expression in northerns of RNA from various fractions of alfalfa somatic embryo cultures. The ASET clones did not hybridize with the soybean embryogenesis-specific clone (Sbh1) which was shown to be expressed in embryogenic and non-embryogenic alfalfa tissue cultures. Sequencing showed ASET1 to be a partial transcript 595 nucleotides long. ASET2 was a complete transcript of 1193 nucleotides. From a comparison of the predicted open reading frame with the GenBank protein database it was concluded that ASET2 was a novel transcript. The protein predicted by the ASET2 sequence has several potential membrane-spanning domains and a potential phosphorylation site. In addition, the ASET2 cDNA had a long 5′ region that contained two upstream reading frames (URFs) which could potentially code for 30 and 6 amino acid polypeptides.
Central oxytocin and ANP receptors mediate osmotic inhibition of salt appetite in rats

These studies evaluated the involvement of central oxytocin (OT) and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) receptors in the osmotic inhibition of hypovolemia-induced salt appetite. Rats were pretreated centrally with the A chain of the cytotoxin ricin conjugated to OT (rAOT) or ANP (rAANP) to selectively inactivate cells bearing these respective receptors, or rats were pretreated with the unconjugated A chain (rA) as a control. Hypovolemia was induced with subcutaneous colloid injections, and rats then were given either 2 M mannitol, which raises plasma osmolality but lowers plasma sodium, or 1 M NaCl, which raises both. Hypertonic mannitol inhibited saline ingestion in rA-treated control rats but stimulated ingestion in rAOT- and rAANP-treated rats, whereas hypertonic NaCl blunted saline ingestion in rA- and rAOT-treated rats but stimulated ingestion in rAANP-treated rats. Angiotensin II-induced saline intake was similarly potentiated in rAOT- and rAANP-treated rats, indicating that this treatment also activates central inhibitory OT and ANP pathways. These data suggest that central ANP receptors mediate both Na(+)- and osmolality-induced inhibition of NaCl ingestion, whereas central OT receptors primarily mediate osmolality-induced inhibition of NaCl ingestion in rats.
Further comparison of 5-trial adjusting delay and probability loss tasks over a wide range of amounts.

Abstract Researchers have recently developed brief methods to measure discounting. One brief method uses 5-trial adjusting-delay or -probability tasks. These tasks have provided similar rates of discounting to traditional tasks with monetary gains, but the accuracy with losses have been mixed. Differences in loss discounting across tasks may have been due to the amounts used in previous experiments. Therefore, we had undergraduate students (N = 93) complete two types of discounting tasks across losses ranging from $10 to $10 million. Consistent with previous research using traditional measures, discounting did not differ between tasks or across amounts used. 5-trial discounting tasks of losses provide similar rates of discounting compared to traditional adjusting amount tasks for both probability and delay.
Absence of natriuretic peptide clearance receptor attenuates TGF-β1-induced selective atrial fibrosis and atrial fibrillation.

Aims TGF-β1 plays an important role in atrial fibrosis and atrial fibrillation (AF); previous studies have shown that the atria are more susceptible to TGF-β1 mediated fibrosis than the ventricles. Natriuretic peptides (NPs) play an important role in cardiac remodelling and fibrosis, but the role of natriuretic peptide clearance (NPR-C) receptor is largely unknown. We investigated the role of NPR-C in modulating TGF-β1 signalling in the atria. Methods and results MHC-TGF-β1 transgenic (TGF-β1-Tx) mice, which develop isolated atrial fibrosis and AF, were cross-bred with NPR-C knock-out mice (NPR-C-KO). Transverse aortic constriction (TAC) was performed in wild type (Wt) and NPR-C knockout mice to study. Atrial fibrosis and AF inducibility in a pathophysiologic model. Electrophysiology, molecular, and histologic studies were performed in adult mice. siRNA was used to interrogate the interaction between TGF-β1 and NP signalling pathways in isolated atrial and ventricular fibroblasts/myofibroblasts. NPR-C expression level was 17 ± 5.8-fold higher in the atria compared with the ventricle in Wt mice (P = 0.009). Cross-bred mice demonstrated markedly decreased pSmad2 and collagen expression, atrial fibrosis, and AF compared with TGF-β1-Tx mice with intact NPR-C. There was a marked reduction in atrial fibrosis gene expression and AF inducibility in the NPR-C-KO-TAC mice compared with Wt-TAC. In isolated fibroblasts, knockdown of NPR-C resulted in a marked reduction of pSmad2 (56 ± 4% and 24 ± 14% reduction in atrial and ventricular fibroblasts, respectively) and collagen (76 ± 15% and 35 ± 23% reduction in atrial and ventricular fibroblasts/myofibroblasts, respectively) in response to TGF-β1 stimulation. This effect was reversed by simultaneously knocking down NPR-A but not with simultaneous knock down of PKG-1. Conclusion The differential response to TGF-β1 stimulated fibrosis between the atria and ventricle are in part mediated by the abundance of NPR-C receptors in the atria.