cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Physiological and pathophysiological pulmonary responses to inhaled nuisance-like or fibrogenic dusts

A short-term bioassay has been developed to assess pulmonary toxicity and predict pathological effects in animals exposed to aerosolized particulates. To test the reliability and predictive value of our bioassay, we have exposed rats to 2 materials with different biological activities. Rats were exposed for 1 or 3 days to selected concentrations of crystalline silica (a known fibrogenic dust), or to carbonyl iron (CI) particles (a material with activity reputedly similar to nuisance dusts). Pulmonary cells and tissues were evaluated at several time points after exposure. In a companion manuscript we reported that brief exposures of silica produced a sustained pulmonary inflammatory response, characterized by increases in biochemical indicators, whereas no significant effects were measured in CI-exposed animals. In the current study, our results showed that although deposition patterns for the 2 dusts were similar (i.e., at alveolar duct bifurcations), brief doses of silica produced a sustained granulocytic inflammatory response at the sites of particle deposition, while CI particles were phagocytized and cleared from the lung by normal pulmonary macrophage mechanisms which included transport via the airway mucociliary escalator. Light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy of silica-exposed lung tissue revealed a chronically active pulmonary inflammatory response characterized by hyperplasia of type II alveolar epithelial cells and the infiltration of pulmonary macrophages and neutrophils into interstitial tissues and alveoli. The lesions were progressive leading to a granulomatous pneumonitis within 2 months postexposure. In contrast to the alterations in pulmonary tissues produced by silica, no CI-related lesions were detected at any time postexposure. The results justify the utility of this bioassay as a reliable approach to evaluating the pulmonary toxicity of inhaled particulates.
Life cycles, standing stocks, and drift of some Megaloptera, Ephemeroptera, and Diptera from streams in Minnesota, U.S.A.

From analyses of monthly length frequency distributions, univoltine life cycles were described for Sialis dreisbachi, Stenonema vicarium, and Dicranota sp. from stream riffles. Stream drift of immature S. dreisbachi and S. vicarium peaked near the ends of their life cycles in the spring. Drift of these two species was not related to standing stocks. Dicranota larvae exhibited negligible drift rates.
Dynamic deformation response of a high-strength, high-toughness Fe–10Ni–0.1C steel

Abstract The results of an investigation of microstructural evolution during quasi-static and dynamic deformation of a Fe–10Ni–0.1C steel containing small amounts of V and Mo are reported. In the as-received condition, the steel has a lath martensite microstructure with a mean lath size of ∼150 nm, and MC carbides dispersed in it with a mean size of ∼20 nm. During dynamic deformation (strain rates of 1 × 103 s−1 to 4 × 103 s−1), depending on strain and strain rate, shear localization occurs and is accompanied by an optically visible shear band (∼20 μm wide). In the situation where the localization process is in its early stages (lower rates, lower global height strains, or both), the microstructure shows severe local deformation within the band but the initial microstructure is still discernible. With progression in severity of localization, there is clear and reproducible evidence for a central region (∼6–8 μm wide) within the shear band composed of ∼300 nm size equiaxed grains. Electron microscopy characterization of these grains confirms the presence of both, austenite, with a low dislocation content, and heavily dislocated and/or twinned ferrite. Composition measurements from the individual grains confirm partitionless transformation. When the test conditions are further intensified, a crack “chases” the shear band, with the crack running either partway or all the way through the band and therefore through the sample. Examination of the resulting fracture surfaces provides evidence for the presence of a thin liquid film layer (perhaps 10–20 nm or less) at various locations within the shear band that presumably has no shear resistance. Together, these observations provide a microstructural footprint for how deformation progressed during shear localization, a sense for the accompanying thermal profile within the shear band, and evidence for the intensity of localization in this alloy in the condition it was examined.
Student and faculty attributions of attrition in high and low-completing doctoral programs in the United States

Sixty doctoral students and 34 faculty members were interviewed in departments identified as having high and low doctoral student completion rates at one institution in the United States in order to examine the cultural contexts and structures that facilitate or hinder doctoral student completion. This paper outlines the differences in understandings of doctoral student attrition by role and by department using attribution theory. Implications for policy, practice, and further research are included.
Reduced length of stay following carotid endarterectomy under general anesthesia

Abstract Background : The widespread use of diagnosis-related groups has led to a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay following many surgical procedures. In light of this, an examination of early discharge following carotid endarterectomy under general anesthesia was undertaken. Patients and methods : A prospective study of 72 patients was conducted, in which the workup was done on an outpatient basis, admission took place on the same day as surgery, and patients were discharged home on the day after carotid endarterectomy. Results : There were no strokes or deaths following carotid endarterectomy, and only two transient ischemic attacks occurred. In 88% of the cases, discharge was possible on the first postoperative day. Conclusions : Early discharge following carotid endarterectomy under general anesthesia is safe and cost effective.
Neuropsychological Advances in Child and Adolescent Mental Health: The Decade of the Brain

As the ‘decade of the brain’ comes to a close, it is clear that the field of neuropsychology has made many vital contributions to evaluation, treatment, and research issues in child and adolescent health care. In the study of brain-behaviour relationships, the neuropsychologist plays a unique role. The practice of child neuropsychology is differentiated from adult work because developmental and environmental influences have a significant impact on practice. The various goals of the child neuropsychologist may include psychoeducational and neuropsychological assessment, the exploration of brain-behaviour relationships, consultation with a variety of professionals ranging from teachers to neurologists, and rehabilitation training. Advances in medical treatment have contributed to an expanding population of children and adolescents with neurological and/or neuropsychiatric concerns. New research in this field has also provided evidence of disordered or dysfunctional neurological systems in a number of childhood disorders and psychiatric conditions. This paper reviews some contributions that neuropsychology has made to the health care of children and adolescents in the past decade.
Effects of nonuniform illumination on implosion asymmetry in direct-drive inertial confinement fusion.

Target areal density ($\ensuremath{\rho}R$) asymmetries in OMEGA direct-drive spherical implosions are studied. The rms variation $⟨\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\rho}R⟩/⟨\ensuremath{\rho}R⟩$ for low-mode-number structure is approximately proportional to the rms variation of on-target laser intensity $⟨\ensuremath{\delta}I⟩/⟨I⟩$ with an amplification factor of $\ensuremath{\sim}1/2({C}_{r}\ensuremath{-}1)$, where ${C}_{r}$ is the capsule convergence ratio. This result has critical implications for future work on the National Ignition Facility as well as OMEGA.
Stability and relapse of mandibular anterior alignment: University of Washington Studies

For more than 40 years, research in the Department of Orthodontics, University of Washington (Seattle, WA) has focused on a growing collection of more than 800 sets of patient records to assess stability and relapse of orthodontic treatment. All patients had completed treatment a decade or more before the last set of data. Evaluation of treated premolar extraction patients, treated lower incisor extraction patients, treated non-extraction cases with generalized spacing, patients treated with arch enlargement strategies, and untreated normals showed similar physiologic changes: (1) Arch length decreases after orthodontic treatment. (2) Arch width measured across the mandibular canine teeth typically reduces posttreatment, whether or not the case was expanded during treatment. (3) Mandibular anterior crowding during the posttreatment phase is a continuing phenomenon well into the 20-to-40 years age bracket and likely beyond. (4) Third molar absence or presence, impacted or fully erupted, seems to have little effect on the occurrence or degree of relapse. (5) The degree of post-retention anterior crowding is both unpredictable and variable and no pretreatment variables either from clinical findings, casts, or cephalometric radiographs before or after treatment seem to be useful predictors.
Italy, the Roman Protocols Bloc, and the Anschluβ Question 1936–1938

Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg signed an agreement with Germany on 11 July 1936, wherein his chief accomplishment was to secure Hitler's recognition of Austria's full sovereignty. The Germans, however, viewed the Abkommen from a different angle: they saw it as the first step down the road to an eventual annexation of Austria. The Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini, in his acceptance of the agreement, seemed ready to abandon Austria as a disagreeable but necessary sacrifice to closer alignment with Germany. Not many would disagree with the aphorism that “The Berlin-Rome axis was the spit on which Austria was roasted.”
The parasite-stress theory may be a general theory of culture and sociality

In the target article, we presented the hypothesis that parasite-stress variation was a causal factor in the variation of in-group assortative sociality, cross-nationally and across the United States, which we indexed with variables that measured different aspects of the strength of family ties and religiosity. We presented evidence supportive of our hypothesis in the form of analyses that controlled for variation in freedom, wealth resources, and wealth inequality across nations and the states of the USA. Here, we respond to criticisms from commentators and attempt to clarify and expand the parasite-stress theory of sociality used to fuel our research presented in the target article.
Subarachnoid Extension of Primary Intracerebral Hemorrhage is Associated With Poor Outcomes

Background and Purpose— Extension of hemorrhage into the subarachnoid space is observed in primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), yet the phenomenon has undergone limited study and is of unknown significance. The objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence, characteristics, and clinical consequences of subarachnoid hemorrhage extension (SAHE) in ICH on functional outcomes. Methods— Patients with primary ICH were enrolled into a prospective registry between December 2006 and June 2012. Patients were managed and serial neuroimaging was obtained per a structured protocol. Presence of any subarachnoid blood on imaging was identified as SAHE by expert reviewers blinded to outcomes. Regression models were developed to test whether the occurrence of SAHE was an independent predictor of functional outcomes as measured with the modified Rankin Scale. Results— Of 234 patients with ICH, 93 (39.7%) had SAHE. Interrater agreement for SAHE was excellent (kappa=0.991). SAHE was associated with lobar hemorrhage location (65% of SAHE vs 19% of non-SAHE cases; P P P =0.005) and seizures (8.6% vs 2.8%; P =0.07) were more common in patients with SAHE. SAHE was a predictor of death by day 14 (odds ratio, 4.45; 95% confidence interval, 1.88–10.53; P =0.001) and of higher (worse) modified Rankin Scale scores at 28 days (odds ratio, 1.76 per mRS point; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–3.05; P =0.012) after adjustment for ICH score. Conclusions— SAHE is associated with worse modified Rankin Scale independent of traditional ICH severity measures. Underlying mechanisms and potential treatments of SAHE require further study.
Advances in management of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Tremendous strides have been made and newer concepts have evolved in the area of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. In these two issues we will try to highlight these changes. Exciting developments are occurring in the area of pediatric hematology/oncology, radiation oncology and surgery to provide ideal care for children with various malignancies. Multidiscipline team approach is the key for success. The potential of cure in childhood cancer is increasing every day. Appropriate staging and institution of required therapy as early as possible needs to be done. Collaborative studies should be undertaken in India by limited number of well equipped institutions to arrive at timely conclusions from different studies. New drugs need to be screened to find effective agents and newer treatment modalities such as bone marrow transplantation need to be established in different parts of the country. The primary care pediatrician needs to be an integral part of this multidiscipline team. He needs to be well informed
Statistical Learning for File-Type Identification

File-type Identification (FTI) is an important problem in digital forensics, intrusion detection, and other related fields. Using state-of-the-art classification techniques to solve FTI problems has begun to receive research attention, however, general conclusions have not been reached due to the lack of thorough evaluations for method comparison. This paper presents a systematic investigation of the problem, algorithmic solutions and an evaluation methodology. Our focus is on performance comparison of statistical classifiers (e.g. SVM and kNN) and knowledge-based approaches, especially COTS (Commercial Off-The-Shelf) solutions which currently dominate FTI applications. We analyze the robustness of different methods in handling damaged files and file segments. We propose two alternative criteria in measuring performance: 1) treating file-name extensions as the true labels, and 2) treating the predictions by knowledge based approaches on intact files, these rely on signature bytes as the true labels (and removing these signature bytes before testing each method). In our experiments with simulated damages in files, SVM and kNN substantially outperform all the COTS solutions we tested, improving classification accuracy very substantially -- some COTS methods cannot identify damaged files at all.
Describing Maize (Zea mays L.) Landrace Persistence in the Bajío of Mexico: A Survey of 1940s and 1950s Collection Locations

Passport data for Mexico's Guanajuato State were used to locate the sites where maize was collected in the 1940s and 1950s in an effort to document and conserve diversity. A map presenting survey points illustrates that collections have occurred repeatedly in the same locations. Observations of these locations reveal that urbanization and industrialization, not high yielding varieties, are displacing traditional varieties. Non-linear principal components analysis was used to assess associations between variables in areas where maize persists. Landraces appear to be associated with mountains and mesas, mixed cropping, little or no access to irrigation and areas classified as having low agricultural capacity; conversely, landraces have more commonly been replaced in areas of high agricultural capacity. The areas of high agriculture capacity, located in the riparian areas and plains, also have been the easiest to develop for urban and industrial use. Increasingly high rates of urbanization and development in areas of high agriculture capacity will impede the conservation of crop diversity in these areas.
A Lotka-Volterra three-species food chain

(2002). A Lotka-Volterra Three-species Food Chain. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 75, No. 4, pp. 243-255.
On Electromagnetic-Field Excitation of Unshielded Multiconductor Cables

Unshielded multiconductor cables are considered to be iliuminated by electromagetic plane-wave fields. A study of the currents that are induced in the terminations is made using quasistatic circuit theory, transmission line theory, and wire antenna theory. Questions of accuracy, ranges of validity, and general trends are addressed.
Cannabinoid receptors in developing rats: detection of mRNA and receptor binding

Despite a large body of research directed at assessing the effects of perinatal cannabinoid exposure, little is known about the development of the cannabinoid receptor. Recent advances, including the cloning of the cannabinoid receptor, have afforded us the opportunity to plot the postnatal ontogeny of the cannabinoid receptor and its mRNA in whole brain using the methods of receptor binding and RNA blot hybridization, respectively. Our results indicate that cannabinoid receptor mRNA is present at adult levels as early as postnatal day 3. The Bmax, on the other hand, increases almost fifty percent with increasing postnatal age, while the affinity does not change. The Hill coefficients for all ages studied were approximately 1. These findings suggest the possibility of a developmental progression for cannabinoid receptor development with receptor mRNA appearing first, followed by a period of rapid proliferation of the receptors themselves.
Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry of microbial nutrient acquisition in tropical soils

The relative activities of soil enzymes involved in mineralizing organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) reveal stoichiometric and energetic constraints on microbial biomass growth. Although tropical forests and grasslands are a major component of the global C cycle, the effects of soil nutrient availability on microbial activity and C dynamics in these ecosystems are poorly understood. To explore potential microbial nutrient limitation in relation to enzyme allocation in low latitude ecosystems, we performed a meta-analysis of acid/alkaline phosphatase (AP), β-1,4-glucosidase (BG), and β-1,4-N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG) activities in tropical soils. We found that BG:AP and NAG:AP ratios in tropical soils are significantly lower than those of temperate ecosystems overall. The lowest BG:AP and NAG:AP ratios were associated with old or acid soils, consistent with greater biological phosphorus demand relative to P availability. Additionally, correlations between enzyme activities and mean annual temperature and precipitation suggest some climatic regulation of microbial enzyme allocation in tropical soils. We used the results of our analysis in conjunction with previously published data on soil and biomass C:N:P stoichiometry to parameterize a biogeochemical equilibrium model that relates microbial growth efficiency to extracellular enzyme activity. The model predicts low microbial growth efficiencies in P-limited soils, indicating that P availability may influence C cycling in the highly weathered soils that underlie many tropical ecosystems. Therefore, we suggest that P availability be included in models that simulate microbial enzyme allocation, biomass growth, and C mineralization.
Non-Academic Assessment in an Accountability World: Achieving More with Less

In this age of accountability and limited funding, community colleges are achieving more with less. Efficiency and effectiveness are keys to innovation. NorthWest Arkansas Community College's Nonacademic Assessment and Improvement Program (NAIP) collects data to study strengths and weaknesses. These efforts culminate in a measurable improvement plan for accountability and funding purposes.
Relationship of day versus night sleep to physician performance and mood

Study objective: To document and analyze the quality and quantity of emergency physicians' sleep as a function of day and night shift work, and to compare cognitive and motor performance and mood during day and night shifts. Design: Six physicians were monitored for two 24-hour periods. One period consisted of daytime work and nocturnal sleep and the second consisted of daytime sleep and nighttime work. Setting: The emergency department of Stanford University Medical Center and physicians' homes. Participants: Six attending emergency physicians. Interventions: Ambulatory polysomnographic recorders continuously gathered EEG, electro-oculogram, and electromyograph data throughout each observation period. Physicians filled out hourly mood ratings and completed a set of two performance tests five times throughout the day. Results: Physicians had significantly less sleep (496.6 minutes versus 328.5 minutes, P =.02) when sleeping during the day as compared with sleeping at night. Significant performance decrements were also found. Physicians working nights were slower at intubating a mannequin (31.56 seconds versus 42.2 seconds, P =.04) and were more likely to commit errors as their shift progressed ( P =.04). Physicians in both conditions were more likely to make errors during a simulated triage test toward the end of their shifts ( P =.02). Subjects also rated themselves significantly less sleepy ( P P P Conclusion: Attending emergency physicians get less sleep and are less effective when performing manual and cognitive tests while working night shifts with day sleep compared with working day shifts with night sleep.
Determining dispersion coefficients and sources of model-dependent scaling

Abstract This paper deals primarily with methods for determining dispersion coefficients in multidimensional dispersion problems. The methods developed are applicable to field and laboratory tracer tests, contamination spills, or long-term contamination histories. The analysis of three-dimensional data from instantaneous sources is simplified by embedding two unknown coefficients into an experimentally determined variable, namely the maximum observed concentration. The analysis of multidimensional continuous point-source data takes advantage of centerline solutions that possess the same form as the simple one-dimensional dispersion-convection problem. Importantly, all coefficients can be determined independently of initial concentration and source volumetric flow rate, two parameters that are seldom known in contamination problems. Finally, some aspects of model-dependent scaling are discussed. Modeling factors found to produce scaling in the measured dispersion coefficients include finite-source influences on pointsource methods and a nonconcurrence between the dimensionality of a particular model and the field dispersion condition it is supposed to represent.
Hologram Recording With A New Photopolymer System

Holography with a new photopolymer system, Polaroid DMP-128, is described. Films of DMP-128 from an aqueous solvent are coated on either solid or flexible substrates. The resulting films, when stored dry, have a shelf life that exceeds nine months. The dry films are inactive and must be incubated for a few minutes in an environment of approximately 50% RH before laser expo-sure. Recording is possible with either blue (442 nm, 488 nm), green (514 nm), or red (633 nm, 647 nm) laser light. Exposure of 5 mJ/cm2 is sufficient for high diffraction efficiency (80% to 95%) transmission holograms, while 30 mJ/cm2 is required for bright reflection holograms. It is not necessary to exclude atmospheric oxygen during hologram recording. Refractive index modulation of 0.03 is routinely achieved. After laser exposure a uniform white-light illumination is used to complete the photopolymerization. A single processing bath yields holograms with good environmental stability. An additional processing bath yields images with exceptional resistance to high humidity.
Theory of stochastic resonance.

The concept of stochastic resonance has been introduced previously to describe a curious phenomenon in bistable systems subject to both periodic and random forcing: an increase in the input noise can result in an improvement in the output signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper we present a detailed theoretical and numerical study of stochastic resonance, based on a rate equation approach. The main result is an equation for the output signal-to-noise ratio as a function of the rate at which noise induces hopping between the two states. The manner in which the input noise strength determines this hopping rate depends on the precise nature of the bistable system. For this reason, the theory is applied to two classes of bistable systems, the double-well (continuous) system and the two-state (discrete) system. The theory is tested in detail against digital simulations.
Static and dynamic responses of renal chemoreceptor neurons to intrapelvic pressure increases in the rat

Abstract Multiunit afferent renal nerve activity (ARNA) and single unit activity from R2 chemoreceptors were recorded in anesthetized male Sprague Dawley rats during rapid and graded increases in intrapelvic pressure. Multiunit ARNA in 9 rats was excited by rapid intrapelvic pressure increases to 20 mmHg with non-diuretic urine (285.5±76.2% above control) but not when isotonic saline was used to fill the pelvis (13.0±9.0%). Similar responses were recorded from 27 single R2 chemoreceptors. Multiunit ARNA showed a direct, linear relationship with ramp increases in intrapelvic pressure between 0 and 20 mmHg at rates of 0.05, 0.15 and 0.3 mmHg/s. The responses were dynamically linked to intrapelvic pressure and maximum activations showed a positive linear relationship with the rate of pressure increase. Individual R2 chemoreceptor activity showed a similar dynamic relationship with intrapelvic pressure. ARNA was also excited by intrapelvic backflow of diuretic urine (10% expansion of extracellular volume) but the response in impulses/s was depressed by 58.6±9% in multiunit preparations and 30.1±10.8% for R2 chemoreceptors. Basal activities were also reduced during diuresis by 49.0±16% and 36.7±12.3% for multiunit and single unit preparations, respectively, and the percent increases over background during urine backflow were not different in non-diuresis and diuresis. Both multiunit ARNA and R2 chemoreceptors were also activated by ramp increases in intrapelvic pressure during diuresis, but the dynamic component was lost and responses to each pressure ramp were not different. The similarity in responses between multiunit ARNA and individual R2 chemoreceptors indicates that the multiunit ARNA activation during intrapelvic pressure increases is largely composed of activity from R2 chemoreceptors.
Distribution, variation, and systematics of the Seychelles treefrog, Tachycnemis seychellensis (Amphibia: Anura: Hyperoliidae)

The endemic Seychelles treefrog, Tachycnemis seychellensis (Dumeril & Bibron), is restricted to four of the granitic islands of the Seychelles: La Digue, Mahe, Praslin and Silhouette. Megalixalus infrarufus Gunther 1869 is a junior synonym of Eucnemis (Tachycnemis) seychellensis Dumeril Bibron, 1841. Significant variation in colour and morphometric characteristics exists within and between island populations. The patterns of geographic variation revealed support the hypothesis that the distribution of Tachycnemis seychellensis in the granitic Seychelles reflects vicariance through fragmentation of the Seychelles Microcontinent 10,000 years B. P. by marine transgression. However, the possibility of low rates of postfragmentation dispersal between islands cannot be ruled out. The close relationship of the nearby Mahe and Silhouette populations probably reflects prefragmentation gene flow over relatively short distances and postfragmentation stasis due to large population size and similar environments. The small body size and colour similarities of the Praslin and La Digue populations may result from prefragmentation gene flow between these close populations, but the relatively great differences in morphometric traits suggest rapid divergence in isolation perhaps as a result of genetic drift and strong selection. It is argued that the four island populations represent a single species and that subspecies should not be named.
The Environmental Kuznets Curve Under a New Framework: The Role of Social Capital in Water Pollution

We advance a case for including social capital in an environmental Kuznets curve analysis using highly disaggregated data of water pollution in Louisiana. We create a social capital index and employ parametric and spatial panel regression models to explain water pollution dynamics.
Fast strong planning for FOND problems with multi-root directed acyclic graphs

Recently, the state-of-the-art AI planners have significantly improved planning efficiency on Fully Observable Nondeterministic planning (FOND) problems with strong cyclic solutions. These strong cyclic solutions are guaranteed to achieve the goal if they terminate, implying that there is a possibility that they may run into indefinite loops. In contrast, strong solutions are guaranteed to achieve the goal, but few planners can effectively handle FOND problems with strong solutions. In this study, we aim to address this difficult, yet under-investigated class of planning problems: FOND planning problems with strong solutions. We present a planner that employs a new data structure, MRDAG (multi-root directed acyclic graph), to define how the solution space should be expanded. Based on the characteristics of MRDAG, we develop heuristics to ensure planning towards the relevant search direction and design optimizations to prune the search space to further improve planning efficiency. We perform extensive expe...
Non-adaptive and adaptive hybrid approaches for enhancing water quality management

Using optimization to help solve groundwater management problems cost-effectively is becoming increasingly important. Hybrid optimization approaches, that combine two or more optimization algorithms, will become valuable and common tools for addressing complex nonlinear hydrologic problems. Hybrid heuristic optimizers have capabilities far beyond those of a simple genetic algorithm (SGA), and are continuously improving. SGAs having only parent selection, crossover, and mutation are inefficient and rarely used for optimizing contaminant transport management. Even an advanced genetic algorithm (AGA) that includes elitism (to emphasize using the best strategies as parents) and healing (to help assure optimal strategy feasibility) is undesirably inefficient. Much more efficient than an AGA is the presented hybrid (AGCT), which adds comprehensive tabu search (TS) features to an AGA. TS mechanisms (TS probability, tabu list size, search coarseness and solution space size, and a TS threshold value) force the optimizer to search portions of the solution space that yield superior pumping strategies, and to avoid reproducing similar or inferior strategies. An AGCT characteristic is that TS control parameters are unchanging during optimization. However, TS parameter values that are ideal for optimization commencement can be undesirable when nearing assumed global optimality. The second presented hybrid, termed global converger (GC), is significantly better than the AGCT. GC includes AGCT plus feedback-driven auto-adaptive control that dynamically changes TS parameters during run-time. Before comparing AGCT and GC, we empirically derived scaled dimensionless TS control parameter guidelines by evaluating 50 sets of parameter values for a hypothetical optimization problem. For the hypothetical area, AGCT optimized both well locations and pumping rates. The parameters are useful starting values because using trial-and-error to identify an ideal combination of control parameter values for a new optimization problem can be time consuming. For comparison, AGA, AGCT, and GC are applied to optimize pumping rates for assumed well locations of a complex large-scale contaminant transport and remediation optimization problem at Blaine Naval Ammunition Depot (NAD). Both hybrid approaches converged more closely to the optimal solution than the non-hybrid AGA. GC averaged 18.79% better convergence than AGCT, and 31.9% than AGA, within the same computation time (12.5 days). AGCT averaged 13.1% better convergence than AGA. The GC can significantly reduce the burden of employing computationally intensive hydrologic simulation models within a limited time period and for real-world optimization problems. Although demonstrated for a groundwater quality problem, it is also applicable to other arenas, such as managing salt water intrusion and surface water contaminant loading.
Thymidylate synthetase of in vitro chemically and virally transformed rat cells.

Abstract Thymidylate synthetase (EC 2.1.1.-) from in vitro 3-methylcholanthrene- or Rauscher leukemia virus-transformed rat embryo cells was studied. The enzyme from control or transformed rat cells exhibited a Km for 2′-deoxyuridylic acid of 4.5 ± 0.2 μM, but the transformants had a higher level of enzyme activity than did control cells. Titration of the enzyme with tritiated 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridylic acid indicated that the increased enzyme activity in the transformants was due to a greater level of cellular enzyme. While the level of enzyme activity in control cells was dependent on both the availability of nutrients in the medium and cell density, the level of enzyme activity in the transformants appeared to depend only on the availability of nutrients.
Transitions in Chronic Illness: Rheumatoid Arthritis in Women

This article describes transition theory as it relates to a qualitative study of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the importance of this theory in nursing practice. Rheumatoid arthritis is prototypical of many chronic illnesses because it has a profound impact on activities of daily living. It frequently occurs during a person's most productive years and continues throughout life. Because a person with RA typically experiences a number of exacerbations and remissions over the course of many years, transition theory was chosen as a framework for this study. The study sample consisted of 30 women with RA, who were interviewed about their experiences of living with this chronic illness. The women described four distinct phases in learning to live with RA, which began with awareness and proceeded to mastery. These findings are consistent with the stages of transition described by other investigators.
One Foot Out of the Nest: How Parents and Friends Influence Social Perceptions in Emerging Adulthood

Attachment theory proposes that representations of attachment figures are transferred between relationships, resulting in stable relational experiences. The current study used a transference paradigm to examine how parental and best friend attachment representations influence perceptions of new relationship partners in emerging adulthood. We discovered that close friendships influenced attachment anxiety and avoidance experienced specifically with friend-like others, while parental relationships affected feelings of anxiety toward a variety of people. Several relationship factors, such as the importance of the friend relationship, moderated the transference process. Our findings suggest that emerging adults’ current relationships have an impact on their reactions toward novel individuals, and emerging adults’ feelings about their existing relationship partners color their future social experiences.
Mapping and characterization of non-polar permanent shadows on the lunar surface

Abstract We present the first globally complete inventory of permanent shadows on the lunar surface that are detectable with the current global instrument datasets, including discovery of regions with persistent shadows over geologic time periods as close to the equator as ±58° of latitude. These results were obtained through application of a ray tracing technique to the latest global topographic datasets from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Our analysis reveals that 13,361 km2 of surface in the northern hemisphere and 17,698 km2 in the southern hemisphere are permanently shadowed. We present maps showing the locations of all the permanent shadows detectable using these datasets then turn our focus toward the permanent shadows farthest from the poles. Each permanent shadow on the equator side of ±65° of latitude is shown in detail. Surface brightness temperature data derived from the Diviner mid-infrared radiometer on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have been analyzed for four of these locations and found to have mid-day temperatures 75–120 K less than nearby comparison locations that experience direct daytime illumination. In some cases the permanently shadowed locations have nighttime temperatures 10–25 K lower than surroundings. The temperature results support our finding that these non-polar craters are permanently shadowed. The surface brightness temperature results also raise interesting questions about their ability to cold trap volatiles. Discovery of these non-polar permanently shadowed regions increases possible locations of water resources and high priority exploration targets on the Moon.
Fast residual computation for sliding window recursive least squares methods

Abstract A new algorithm which directly computes a component of the residual vector without finding the weight (solution) vector is introduced for the recursive least squares (RLS) problem with sliding window method using the QR decomposition. This algorithm uses stabilized hyperbolic rotations for downdating. An algorithm associated with the LINPACK downdating scheme is also presented for comparison. The algorithm based on stabilized hyperbolic rotations is faster than the one based on LINPACK downdating algorithm and achieves at least the same accuracy as the LINPACK algorithm. Moreover, the same systolic array for exponential window method can be used for sliding window method when the downdating is done with stabilized hyperbolic rotations.
Intracellular Lipid Flux and Membrane Microdomains as Organizing Principles in Inflammatory Cell Signaling

Lipid rafts and caveolae play a pivotal role in organization of signaling by TLR4 and several other immune receptors. Beyond the simple cataloguing of signaling events compartmentalized by these membrane microdomains, recent studies have revealed the surprisingly central importance of dynamic remodeling of membrane lipid domains to immune signaling. Simple interventions upon membrane lipid, such as changes in cholesterol loading or crosslinking of raft lipids, are sufficient to induce micrometer-scale reordering of membranes and their protein cargo with consequent signal transduction. In this review, using TLR signaling in the macrophage as a central focus, we discuss emerging evidence that environmental and genetic perturbations of membrane lipid regulate protein signaling, illustrate how homeostatic flow of cholesterol and other lipids through rafts regulates the innate immune response, and highlight recent attempts to harness these insights toward therapeutic development.
Effect of pH and Iron Concentration on Growth of Candida albicans in Human Serum

related to the percentage of iron saturation in the serum. A possible mechanism for the observed linear growth rate of Candida in serum with reduction in pH is a concomitant change in the ability of the transferrin molecule to bind iron. The growth-promoting capacity of human serum can be made commensurate with that of Sabouraud's broth by lowering the pH to 6.3 or by adding iron in excess of the total capacity to bind iron. Thus, it is imperative to evaluate the pH and percentage of iron saturation when studying growth of Candida in serum.
The flow structure during onset and developed states of rotating stall within a vaned diffuser of a centrifugal pump

Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and pressure fluctuation measurements are used for investigating the onset and development of rotating stall within a centrifugal pump having a vaned diffuser. The experiments are performed in a facility that enables measurements between the diffuser vanes, within part of the impeller, in the gap between them and in the volute. The diffuser is also instrumented with pressure transducers that track the circumferential motion of rotating stall in the stator. The timing of low-pass-filtered pressure signals are also used for triggering the acquisition of PIV images. The data include detailed velocity distributions, instantaneous and phase-averaged, at different blade orientations and stall phases, as well as auto- and cross-spectra of pressure fluctuations measured simultaneously in neighboring vane passages. The cross-spectra show that the stall propagation rate is 0.93 Hz, 6.2 percent of the impeller speed, and that the stall travels from the passages located on the exit side of the volute toward the beginning side, crossing the tongue region in the same direction as the impeller, where it diminishes. Under stall conditions the flow in the diffuser passage alternates between outward jetting, when the low-pass-filtered pressure is high, to a reverse flow, when the filtered pressure is low. Being below design conditions, there is a consistent high-speed leakage flow in the gap between the impeller and the diffuser from the exit side to the beginning of the volute. Separation of this leakage flow from the diffuser vane causes the onset of the stall. The magnitude of the leakage and the velocity distribution in the gap depend on the orientation of the impeller blade. Conversely, the flow in a stalled diffuser passage and the occurrence of stall do not vary significantly with blade orientation. With decreasing flow-rate the magnitudes of leakage and reverse flow within a stalled diffuser passage increase, and the stall-cell size extends from one to two diffuser passages. @DOI: 10.1115/1.1374213#
Echocardiographic findings in patients with Wegener granulomatosis.

OBJECTIVE To describe the spectrum and clinical implications of echocardiographic findings associated with Wegener granulomatosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records and echocardiographic data of consecutive patients with confirmed Wegener granulomatosis referred to the echocardiography laboratory during the 21-year period from 1976 through 1997. RESULTS Of the 85 patients identified as having confirmed Wegener granulomatosis, 73 (86%) were found to have echocardiographic abnormalities. In 26 (36%) of these 73 patients, lesions appeared directly related to Wegener granulomatosis. We found regional wall motion abnormalities in 17 (65%) of these 26 patients. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction with decreased ejection fraction was found in 13 patients (50%) and pericardial effusion in 5 patients (19%). Other findings included valvulitis, left ventricular aneurysm, and a large intracardiac mass. A significantly increased mortality rate was observed among patients who had cardiac involvement of Wegener granulomatosis found by echocardiography. CONCLUSIONS We found a high frequency of echocardiographic abnormalities that appear to be related to Wegener granulomatosis and associated with increased mortality. Because cardiac involvement in Wegener granulomatosis often is silent and associated with increased morbidity and worse prognosis, echocardiographic screening of patients with active Wegener granulomatosis may be of clinical value.
Grasp recognition strategies from empirical models

A method for recognizing a part from a set of known parts using a parallel-jaw gripper and a simple sensor that measures the distance between the jaws is described. The authors consider how empirical measurements of part behavior can be used to generate efficient recognition strategies. These strategies are compared to random strategies using physical experiments. It is found that the former cut error rates and recognition times by approximately 50%. >
Eukaryote-Dominated Biofilms in Extreme Environments: Overlooked Sources of Information in the Geologic Record

Our quest to find the earliest forms of microbial life and understand their role in the mediation of surficial processes has focused primarily on bacteria, since they represent the most primitive forms of life and possess the ability to contribute to the precipitation and dissolution of minerals (e.g., Fortin et al., 1997; Little et al., 1997; Nealson and Stahl, 1997) and the formation of biolaminated structures such as stromatolites (e.g., Awramik et al., 1976; Golubic, 1976). Stromatolites are the mineralized counterparts of microbial mats and represent some of the most tangible sources of morphological, biological, and chemical evidence for life on early Earth (e.g., Grotzinger and Knoll, 1999; Hofmann, 2000; Schopf et al., 2007). Stromatolite microstructures preserve paleobiological and paleoenvironmental information that can provide insight on the early evolution of the biosphere, atmosphere, and geosphere. Today, as in the distant past, bacteria are found in a range of environments from oxic to anoxic, thermal to arctic, and acid to alkaline, and they are important in biofilms and in rare, modern stromatolites (Cavicchioli, 2002; Gupta et al., 2004; Edwards et al., 2005). Our understanding of bacteria is, therefore, important in our search for similar life forms in extraterrestrial locations. Our focus on the role of bacteria, however, has created a gap in our understanding of the importance of eukaryotic microorganisms in some of these same environments. Eukaryotes are often overlooked in the study of early Earth since their body fossils are rarely preserved in the geologic record (Knoll, 1985; Schopf, 1999). The origin of eukaryotic cells, however, is considered to be one of the most important evolutionary steps in the history of life (Schopf, 1999), as it led to the evolution of multicellular life (Awramik, 1981). Fossil evidence indicates that eukaryotic microorganisms evolved …
On maximizing algebraic connectivity of networks for various engineering applications

We discuss a simplified version of an open problem in system realization theory which has several important practical applications in complex networks. Particularly, we focus on algebraic connectivity (λ 2 ) of the Laplacian of the network as an objective for maximization. We show that the maximum value of forced response of a linear mechanical (spring-mass) system can be minimized when the λ 2 of the corresponding stiffness matrix is maximized. In the case of motion control problems related to vehicle localization with noisy measurements, we show that the λ 2 plays a vital role to control their positions towards a desired formation. In UAV adhoc infrastructure networks, we show that the λ 2 of the information flow graph governs the stability of the rigid formation with respect to disturbance attenuation. In the context of UAV adhoc communication networks, we also provide a physical interpretation for the maximization of λ 2 via the closely related Cheeger constant or the isoperimetric number. We further discuss a Fiedler vector based mixed-integer linear programing formulation for the problem of maximizing λ 2 and obtain optimal solutions and upper bounds based on cutting plane methods. Computational results corroborate the performance of proposed algorithms.