cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecules, maps and synapse specificity.

A striking feature of the mature central nervous system is the precision of the synaptic circuitry. In contemplating the mature circuitry, it is impossible to imagine how more than 20 billion neurons in the human brain become precisely connected through trillions of synapses. Remarkably, much of the final wiring can be established in the absence of neural activity or experience; so the algorithms that allow precise connectivity must be encoded largely by the genetic programme. This programme, honed over nearly one billion years of evolution, generates networks with the flexibility to respond to a wide range of physiological challenges. There are several contemporary models of how synapse specificity is achieved, many of them proposed before the identification of guidance or recognition molecules. Here we review a selection of models as frameworks for defining the nature and complexity of synaptogenesis, and evaluate their validity in view of progress made in identifying the molecular underpinnings of axon guidance, targeting and synapse formation.
Digital analysis of light microscope immunofluorescence: high-resolution co-localization of synaptic proteins in cultured neurons.

A protocol is presented for determining the subcellular distribution of fluorescently labeled proteins in neurons using deconvolved images gathered with a wide-field microscope. The protocol includes optimal settings for the numerical algorithm used to deconvolve the images and an objective method for thresholding the deconvolved images to retain only high-intensity, specific labeling. The effectiveness of the protocol is demonstrated using a fluorescent antibody stain directed towards the α1 subunit of the GABAA receptor in cultured neurons. We also show, using an antibody against the presynaptic vesicular protein synaptophysin, that the technique can detect presumptive regions of synaptic contact between neurons. Double-labeling with the anti-α1 and anti-synaptophysin antibodies in a cultured neuron reveals regions of both synaptic and non-synaptic α1 labeling. Thus, numerical postprocessing of wide-field images can be used to efficiently locate receptor proteins in neurons in relation to functionally important structures. This confocal-like functionality is attained without the excessive bleaching and phototoxicity associated with the intense laser excitation light used in confocal techniques.
Percutaneous absorption of triadimefon in the adult and young male and female rat.

The percutaneous absorption of /sup 14/C-phenoxy ring labeled triadimefon was studied in adult and young male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Triadimefon was applied (41.1 to 46.4 micrograms/cm2) in 0.2 ml of acetone to areas comprising 3% of the body surface (7.0 to 14.5 cm2). Thirty-six animals were treated at the initiation of each study. Groups of three animals were subsequently killed at 1, 4, 8, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, and 192 hr after treatment. Skin from the treated area as well as blood, heart, liver, kidneys, remaining carcass, urine, and feces were analyzed for /sup 14/C by scintillation counting techniques. Based on /sup 14/C counts, triadimefon was lost more rapidly from the skin of young animals (t 1/2, 20 to 25 hr) than from the skin of adult animals (t 1/2, 29 to 53 hr). Recovery studies indicated that adult males, adult females, young males, and young females, respectively, absorbed 53, 82, 57, and 52% of the dose. The rest of the dose based on material balance was presumably lost by evaporation. Approximately 2.5 to 3.9% of the dose penetrated the skin in one hour and was available for absorption. The rate of entry triadimefon intomore » blood was 2 to 2.5 times faster for young than that observed in adult animals. Elimination of it from blood was faster in the case of the young animals. Triadimefon was absorbed through the skins of the adult male, adult female, young male, and young female rats, respectively, at rates of 0.20, 0.50, 0.58, and 0.48 micrograms/hr/cm2 of skin.« less
Why Are Whites and Blacks Averse to Black Neighbors

Abstract Much research finds that both Blacks and Whites prefer to live in neighborhoods that have few Black residents. The explanation usually offered for White aversion to Black neighbors is racism. Black aversion to Black neighbors, however, is often viewed as resulting from a taste for integration or as a proxy for the desire to live in affluent, safe neighborhoods with good schools. In this article I use 1990–1993 data from the Chicago Area Survey Project to revisit the issue of neighborhood racial preferences. My analysis suggests that there are few differences in the reasons why Blacks and Whites are averse to Black neighbors. Each group prefers White neighbors because neighborhoods with many Black residents tend to have high levels of poverty, crime, and other social problems. Thus, my work is consistent with the racial proxy hypothesis and serves as a challenge to the widely held pure race hypothesis.
Maternal Depression and the Quality of Early Attachment: An Examination of Infants, Preschoolers, and Their Mothers.

Relations between maternal depression and attachment security among 50 infant-mother and 54 preschool child-mother dyads were examined using the classification system of M.D.S. Ainsworth, M.C. Blehar, E. Waters, and S. Wall (1979) and M. Main and J. Solomon (1990) for infants and the Preschool Assessment (P.M. Crittenden, 1992b) for preschoolers. Attachment insecurity was significantly associated with maternal depression among infants and preschoolers. Futhermore, children without unitary, coherent attachment strategies tended to have more chronically impaired mothers than did children with coherent, organzed attachment strategies. Results stress the importance of severity-chronicity of parental illness in the study of depression and early attachment relations, and that differences between children with and without coherent, organized attachment strategies are as clinically informative as are differences between secure and insecure children
Svf1 inhibits reactive oxygen species generation and promotes survival under conditions of oxidative stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Aberrant regulation of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, contributes to the aetiology of several diseases, including cancers, immunodeficiencies and neurodegenerative illnesses. We hypothesized that key features of mammalian cell death regulation may be conserved in single celled organisms such as the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We previously identified the yeast gene SVF1 in a screen for mutations that could be functionally complemented by exogenous expression of the human anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-xL. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members have been shown to promote redox stability through upregulation of antioxidant pathways in mammalian cells. Here we demonstrate that the Svf1 protein is required for yeast survival under conditions of oxidative stress, including cold stress. Cells lacking SVF1 are hypersensitive to conditions associated with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and to direct chemical precursors of ROS, and demonstrate increased levels of ROS under these conditions. Hypersensitivity to oxidative stress can be reversed by treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine or expression of exogenous SVF1, although exogenous expression of Bcl-xL did not protect cells from cold stress. Exogenous SVF1 expression in mammalian cells confers resistance to H2O2 exposure. Our data are consistent with previous observations suggesting a key role of oxidative stress response in mammalian apoptotic regulation and validate the use of S. cerevisiae as a model for studying programmed cell death. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Implementing Innovative Models of Dementia Care: The Healthy Aging Brain Center

Background: Recent randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of the collaborative dementia care model targeting both the patients suffering from dementia and their informal caregivers. Objective: To implement a sustainable collaborative dementia care program in a public health care system in Indianapolis. Methods: We used the framework of Complex Adaptive System and the tool of the Reflective Adaptive Process to translate the results of the dementia care trial into the Healthy Aging Brain Center (HABC). Results: Within its first year of operation, the HABC delivered 528 visits to serve 208 patients and 176 informal caregivers. The mean age of HABC patients was 73.8 (standard deviation, SD 9.5), 40% were African-Americans, 42% had less than high school education, 14% had normal cognitive status, 39% received a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, and 46% were diagnosed with dementia. Within 12 months of the initial HABC visit, 28% of patients had at least one visit to an emergency...
Formation of sulfate, ammonium and nitrate in an oil-fired power plant plume

Abstract A series of experiments was performed at the oil-fired Anclote power plant of the Florida Power Corp., Tarpon Springs, Florida. Plume samples at varying downwind locations were obtained by means of a high-volume filter pack. Operational oxygen levels during fuel combustion were varied experimentally; particulate sulfate and sulfuric acid concentrations in both flue gas and plumes increased directly with excess O2 levels. Plume dropout of paniculate sulfate was found to occur during some experiments. A generalized trend toward increasing ammonium content of plume particulates with time was observed. Particulate nitrate formation did not indicate a similar trend. Oxidation of SO2 to sulfate within a time frame of up to 100 min and 50 km ranged within 1–3 %, with but two runs exceeding 3 %. No correlation was found between any individual meteorological parameter and extent of oxidation. A significant difference between conversions during summer and winter runs was observed, conceivably attributable to differences in the vanadium content of the fuel oils and to some extent the combination of higher temperature, relative humidity, water partial pressure and unstable weather during the summer.
Further aspects of the influence of electron-hole separation on the recombination probability in photochromic glasses

Abstract It is shown, from a consideration of its definition, that the Fermi level must vary as a photochromic glass darkens and fades. This phenomenon is shown to be responsible for the large effect that the concentration of copper exerts on the fading rate. It is postulated that the interaction of the emptied copper levels and the silver speck give rise to an image potential. It is further postulated that hole trapping is not probable unless the image potential of the copper lies above the Fermi level. This phenomenon coupled with the varying Fermi level explains why increased copper concentrations cause photochromic glasses to become darker at low temperatures but lighter at high temperature. It also explains why the level of darkening at steady state varies in a superlinear manner with the intensity of ultraviolet excitation.
In safe hands

This article reviews how the effectiveness (i.e., the ability to perform an intended function) of electrical systems can in be analyzed using the technique of layer of protection analysis (LOPA). It is a process currently in use to determine if instrumented systems are effective in reducing possible risks from the release of hazardous chemicals. This technique can be used to evaluate mandatory protection of electrical systems, nonmandatory protection of electrical systems, alternate system designs, and intervals of maintenance on electrical systems in terms of their potential reliability risks or personnel risks.
Infrared and Molecular Dynamics Study of D2O Rotational Relaxation in Supercritical CO2 and Xe

In this work, we examine the rotational relaxation of D{sub 2}O in two supercritical fluid solvents: Xe and CO{sub 2}. In the former case, there are no electrostatic interactions between the solute and solvent. Since the nonelectrostatic interactions of D{sub 2}O are very nearly centrosymmetric about the center of mass, Xe is expected to exert little torque on the rotating solute until liquid densities are reached. For D{sub 2}O dissolved in CO{sub 2}, the dipole-quadrupole interaction can exert torque on the rotating D{sub 2}O, thereby hindering its rotation. Infrared spectra for this band were obtained in both solvents at 110.0{degree}C as a function of density. In Xe, the experimental and simulated correlation functions indicated that the solute was free to rotate, even at the highest densities examined. In CO{sub 2}, however, the rotation of D{sub 2}O was increasingly hindered as the solvent density was increased from gaslike to liquidlike densities. At low densities the correlation functions had negative minima, indicating a partial reversal in the direction of the average transition dipole moment vector as the molecules freely rotated. In CO{sub 2}, at high densities the functions exhibited simple, monotonic decay, indicating a persistence in the direction of the vector withmore » time and substantially hindered rotation. 40 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.« less
HVDC transmission line computations using finite element and characteristics method

Abstract A self-consistent theoretical model is described for the computation of space charge density and electric field under a HVDC transmission line in coruna discharge above a ground plane. The model is based upon iterative calculation of potential structure for a known charge density distribution using the finite element method, and charge density distribution for a known potential structure using the method of characteristics. Application of the finite element “ballooning” technique permits a description in which boundaries above and to the sides of the conductor are effectively at infinity. The model makes neither explicit nor implicit use of the first Deutsch assumption, whereby space charge is considered to affect the magnitude, but not the direction, of the electric field. The nature of the first Deutsch assumption is clarified through a comparison of results of the model with those based upon the assumption. Results are compared with several prior experimental and theoretical results, with generally good agreement with experimental data. Inclusion of an imposed wind profile yields questionable agreement with limited experimental data.
Experimental infection of chimpanzees with human rhinovirus types 14 and 43.

SummaryIn three serial experiments, chimpanzees free of specific neutralizing antibody were infected with rhinovirus types 14 or 43. Although infected animals shed virus from 6 to 21 days and produced high levels of specific antibody, clinical illness was not discernible. Providing serum neutralizing antibody was still present, chimpanzees rechallenged with the same agent shed virus for less than 5 hours. To the author's knowledge this is the first report of successful experimental infection by human rhinoviruses of species other than man.
Optical modeling activities for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): VI. secondary mirror figure compensation using primary mirror segment motions

This is part six of a series describing the ongoing optical modeling activities for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The first two discussed modeling JWST on-orbit performance using wavefront sensitivities to predict line of sight motion induced blur and stability during thermal transients. The third investigates the aberrations resulting from alignment and figure errors after compensation of the controllable degrees of freedom of the observatory (i.e. primary and secondary mirrors). This paper follows the theme of the third, but considers the highly unlikely case where a gross figure error occurs on the secondary mirror. We then compensate for this error using figure control on the primary mirror. The level of compensation as well as the total motions required are evaluated and reported. Impact to image quality over the full field of the observatory is also discussed.
Optimal control without solving the Bellman equation

Abstract This paper recommends an alternative to solving the Bellman partial differential equation for the value function in optimal control problems involving stochastic differential or difference equations. It recommends solving for the vector Lagrange multiplier associated with a first-order condition for maximum. The method is preferable to Bellman's in exploiting this first-order condition and in solving only algebraic equations in the control variable and Lagrange multiplier and its derivatives rather than a functional equation. The solution requires no global approximation of the value function and is likely to be more accurate than methods which are based on global approximations.
A Study of the Effects of Altitude on Thermal Ice Protection System Performance

Thermal ice protection systems use heat energy to prevent a dangerous buildup of ice on an aircraft. As aircraft become more efficient, less heat energy is available to operate a thermal ice protections system. This requires that thermal ice protection systems be designed to more exacting standards so as to more efficiently prevent a dangerous ice buildup without adversely affecting aircraft safety. While the effects of altitude have always beeing taked into account in the design of thermal ice protection systems, a better understanding of these effects is needed so as to enable more exact design, testing, and evaluation of these systems.
Influence of external steady source structure on particle distributions and kinetics of diffusion-limited reactions. II. A + B -+ 0 simulations

Monte Carlo simulations were performed to study the effect of a steady external source structure (i.e., particle correlation and vertical reactions) on diffusion-limited A+B-+O reactions at steady state. Several methods were developed to describe the spatial organization of the system. They are the distributions of aggregates and inter-particle distance (“gap”), and a parameter based on the number of boundaries between A-rich and B-rich domains. The correlation of the particles in the steady external source reduces the local fluctuation in the particle landing process. The vertical reaction restrains the organization of particles, and does not allow it to reach total segregation. The degree of segregation affects the steady state kinetic behavior. The simulation results are consistent with existing theoretical predictions for the reaction order, the correlation length, and the segregation size.
Correlations and predictions of pKa values of fluorophenols and bromophenols using hydrogen-bonded complexes with ammonia.

Density functional theory calculations have been preformed on a series of the hydrogen-bonded fluorophenol-ammonia and bromophenol-ammonia complexes. Intermolecular and intramolecular properties, particularly those related to hydrogen bonding, have been carefully analyzed. Several properties, such as the bond length and stretching frequency of the hydroxyl group, the hydrogen bond length and binding energy, are shown to be highly correlated with each other and are linearly correlated with known experimental pK a values of the halogenated phenols. The linear correlations have been used to predict the pK a values of all fluorophenols and bromophenols in the series. The predicted pK a values are shown to be consistent from different molecular properties and are in good agreement with available experimental values. This study suggests that calculated molecular properties of hydrogen-bonded complexes allow the effective and systematic prediction of pK a values for a large range of organic acids using the established linear correlations.
Climate, Econiche, and Sexuality : Influences on Sonority in Language

Previous cross-cultural research by Robert Munroe and colleagues has linked two features of language to warm climates—a higher proportion of consonant-vowel syllables and a higher proportion of sonorous (more audible) sounds. The underlying theory is that people in warmer climates communicate at a distance more often than people in colder climates, and it is adaptive to use syllables and sounds that are more easily heard and recognized at a distance. However, there is considerable variability in warm as opposed to cold climates, which needs to be explained. In the present research report, we show that additional factors increase the predictability of sonority. We find that more specific features of the environment—such as type of plant cover and degree of mountainous terrain—help to predict sonority. And, consistent with previous research on folk-song style, measures of sexual restrictiveness also predict low sonority.
Some Clay-Water Properties of Certain Clay Minerals

Computed values are given for the thickness of the water film adsorbed on the surfaces of the various clay minerals when clays composed of such minerals develop specific plastic characteristics. Based on such values, the following concept of clay-water relationships is presented: The dominant factor determining the plastic properties of clays is the rigidity of the water held on the surfaces of the clay minerals, and the point of beginning of the transition of completely rigid water to liquid water is marked by great changes in such properties. Each type of clay mineral seems to have a characteristic ability to stabilize water, and the exchangeable ions also exert an influence. The reaction between water and kaolinite or halloysite may require considerable time so that there is frequently a time lag after mixing clays composed of such minerals before the plastic properties are fully developed. Application of the foregoing concept in the fields of geology, ceramics, and soil mechanics are suggested.
An implicit maxwell solver

In this work, we present progress towards the develop of a Lagrangian method which can be implemented as a semi-implicit or a fully implicit scheme for the Vlasov Maxwell system aimed at bridging the time scale gap between electron plasma oscillations and the speed of light. At the heart of the proposed method is the development of an implicit Maxwell solver that recovers the Darwin limit of electromagnetics as c →∞. The proposed implicit Maxwell solver differs from others in that the method will first discretize the time operator and then invert the resulting semi-discreet wave operator using a free space Greens function. We refer to the approach of first discretizing in time as the Method of Lines Transpose (MOLT), but this work departs from other MOLt methods in that we work directly with high order time derivatives. A major advantage of the new method over purely using the Darwin limit is that the new method can incorporate dielectric layers, which is not possible if the strict Darwin limit is used.
Preliminary evaluation of a sensory and psychomotor functional test battery for carpal tunnel syndrome: Part 2--Industrial subjects.

This study evaluated the Wisconsin functional sensory and psychomotor test battery for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Subjects were 27 employees recruited from a food processing plant. Both hands of all subjects were examined and categorized by presence or absence of symptoms and nerve conduction study (NCS) findings (Symptom−/NCS−, Symptom+/NCS−, Symptom−/NCS+, and Symptom+/NCS+). Symptom−/NCS− category hands had significantly better performance (15–60%) for most of the functional test battery variables than Symptom+/NCS+ category hands. A significant gap detection threshold difference (32%) was observed between NCS+ and NCS− hands regardless of symptoms, with NCS− having impaired performance. No significant effect of CTS symptoms on performance was observed. Stepwise discriminant analysis was used to select the best variables to differentiate between groups. The ratio of the change in pinch rate with respect to required pinch force differentiated NCS+ from NCS− hands, with a sensitivity of 0.71 and a spe...
Deamidation as a Consequence of β-Elimination of Phosphopeptides

β-Elimination procedures often precede mass spectrometric analyses of phosphorylated peptides. Unfortunately, the commonly employed reaction conditions facilitate the deamidation of amide-containing residues. In addition to being 1 Da heavier than their amide counterparts, the newly created acidic residues greatly influence peptide tandem mass spectra. The effects of deamidation are investigated for five different amide-containing synthetic peptides exposed to β-elimination conditions. MALDI-generated ions are analyzed with a tandem TOF mass analyzer. Methodologies for estimating the degree of deamidation from peptide mass spectra are presented, the influence that adjacent residues exert on the rate of deamidation is catalogued, and the impact that deamidation can have on peptide tandem mass spectra is demonstrated. The complications this side reaction can cause for automated data interpretation are also noted.
Coloboma of Iris, Choroid and Optic Disc with Detachment of the Retina

In two cases reported here one eye of each was almost or quite blind with retinal detachment. In one patient the other eye was quite normal, but in the other both eyes presented colobomas and the second eye was beginning to fail. The literature of cases to some extent similar has been reviewed and references thereto appended.
Effect of buoyancy on fuel containment in an open-cycle gas-core nuclear rocket engine.

Analysis aimed at determining the scaling laws for the buoyancy effect on fuel containment in an open-cycle gas-core nuclear rocket engine, so conducted that experimental conditions can be related to engine conditions. The fuel volume fraction in a short coaxial flow cavity is calculated with a programmed numerical solution of the steady Navier-Stokes equations for isothermal, variable density fluid mixing. A dimensionless parameter B, called the Buoyancy number, was found to correlate the fuel volume fraction for large accelerations and various density ratios. This parameter has the value B = 0 for zero acceleration, and B = 350 for typical engine conditions.
Otolith Daily Increment Deposition in Age-0 Smallmouth Bass Reared in Constant and Fluctuating Water Temperatures

AbstractWe reared embryos and larvae of Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu in constant and diel fluctuating water temperatures (mean of 20°C) to clarify when otolith first daily increments were deposited and the periodicity of increment formation. Unlike the results of previously published studies, we found that first-increment formation began at hatching rather than 7–11 d later at swim-up. We confirmed that increment deposition was daily and extended the daily increment validation period from 21 d to 30 d posthatch. Accurate and precise age estimation was possible for Smallmouth Bass reared in both constant and fluctuating temperature environments, as age estimates rarely varied more than 1 d from true age. We also found consistent estimated ages using either left or right sagittae and showed relationships for Smallmouth Bass total length as a function of age, and otolith diameter as a function of total length. Otolith daily increment counts allow accurate and precise estimates of Smallmouth Bass age,...
Electrostatic cross-talk to define the density limit of aligned-array phase-change-memory with carbon nanotube electrodes

We find that electrostatic cross-talk may define the ultimate density limit of SWNT-PCM memory, by making co-programming of neighboring cells difficult. Scaling of the nanogap or structures free of broken tubes promise denser arrays, but the practical and economic viability of these approaches remain a concern.
Novel pseudostationary phase for micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography

A novel, highly stable pseudostationary phase for use in micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography has been synthesized and evaluated. Sodium-10-undecylenate has been oligomerized to form a micelle-like structure following the procedure of Durairaj et al. [1]. The effective critial micelle concentration of this new pseudostationary phase is zero, permitting electrokinetic chromatography to be performed at lower ionic strength than is possible with the corresponding free surfactant. The structural stability of this pseudostationary phase permits its use with relatively high percentages of organic modifiers in the buffer medium, allowing the separation and detection of hydrophobic analytes such as alkyl phthalates which are difficult to analyze by conventional micellar electrokinetic chromatography.
Queueing analysis of a canonical model of real-time multiprocessors

Multiprocessors are beginning to be regarded increasingly favorably as candidates for controllers in critical real-time control applications such as aircraft. Their considerable tolerance of component failures together with their great potential for high throughput are contributory factors.In this paper, we present first a logical classification of multiprocessor structures with control applications in mind. We point out that one important subclass has hitherto been neglected by the analysts. This is a class of systems with a common memory, minimal interprocessor communication and perfect processor symmetry.The performance characteristic of the greatest importance in real-time applications is the response time distribution. Indeed, we have shown in a separate paper [2] how it is possible to characterize rigorously and objectively the performance of a real-time multiprocessor given the application and the multiprocessor response time distribution and component failure characteristics. We therefore present here a computation of the response time distribution for a canonical model of real-time multiprocessor.To do so, we approximate the multiprocessor by a blocking model and present a means for efficient analysis. Two separate models are derived: one created from the system's point of view, and the other from the point of view of an incoming task. The former model is analyzed along largely conventional lines. For the latter model, an artificial server is used, and the system is transformed into a queueing network.
No Priest Shortage in the Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD)

There is a common misconception in the Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD), especially among vicariate members, that there is a priest shortage when in fact there is not. Sociologists call this a ‘‘mythic fact,’’ myth in the sense of statistically not true. When the vicariate planning process began in the mid-1990s, to be sure, ‘‘priest shortage’’ may have been a more accurate description of the situation here in Detroit. Beginning in 2001, however, the USCCB asked dioceses to stop using ‘‘priest shortage’’ to describe the church’s situation and to begin using the phrase ‘‘fewer priests,’’ mainly because catholics per priest worldwide statistics show North America is priest rich (e.g., South America the ratio is 7,094:1 and in North America it is 1,229:1). In the AOD, however, the mythic fact grew because for a number of years we were only considering the ‘‘number of priests IN PARISHES’’ rather than the total number of priests. For example, in 2010 there are 293 priests in 273 parishes. Given the average age of priests is 63.4, these numbers have been interpreted (reasonably we might add) as indicative of a priest shortage because many priests will soon be retiring. But if one examines the total number of priests in the AOD, at this same time, one discovers there are 644 priests, which raises some eyebrows. First of all, with 644 priests, the AOD could assign two priests to every parish with some to spare. But clearly some of these priests are retired (143) and others are in ministries that supposedly make these priests unavailable for parish work (147—which includes bishops, provincial work, campus ministers, teachers, sabbatical, etc.), leaving the AOD with 354 priests. Nevertheless, there are 354 priests, raising the question that if there are only 273 parishes, then what are the other 81 priests doing? Obviously, they are doing something other than being pastors/associate pastors. It seems obvious to conclude therefore that parishes are
Reactions of M(N-2,6-i-Pr2C6H3)(CHR)(CH2R‘)2 (M = Mo, W) Complexes with Alcohols To Give Olefin Metathesis Catalysts of the Type M(N-2,6-i-Pr2C6H3)(CHR)(CH2R‘)(OR‘ ‘)

The reaction between M(NAr)(CH-t-Bu)(CH2-t-Bu)2 (M = Mo, W, Ar = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3) and various alcohols (1-adamantyl-OH, t-BuOH, ArOH, (CF3)2CHOH, (CF3)2MeCOH, CF3Me2COH, (CF3)3COH, C6F5OH) in pentane...
Statistical fractal border features for mammographic breast mass analysis

We present preliminary results of a study in which Fractal Interpolation Function Models (FIFM) are used to generate a fractal dimension (fd) feature to discriminate between benign and malignant masses on digitized mammograms. The FIFM method identifies boundary segments that are approximately self-affine and can be accurately modeled with multiple fractal interpolation functions (FIF). The fd of a segment is estimated to be the mean of the fds from the FIF models of that segment. An overall fd feature is computed as the mean of multiple segment fds. The statistical approach provides a stability to the overall fd feature. The FIFM feature may be useful in improving the performance of computer-assisted-diagnosis systems.
Evaluation of Columbia, USMARC-Composite, Suffolk, and Texel rams as terminal sires in an extensive rangeland production system: IV. Postfabrication carcass component weights.

Postfabrication carcass component weights of 517 crossbred wether lambs were analyzed to evaluate 4 terminal-sire breeds. Wethers were produced over 3 yr from single-sire matings of 22 Columbia, 22 USMARC-Composite (Composite), 21 Suffolk, and 17 Texel rams to adult Rambouillet ewes. Lambs were reared to weaning in an extensive western rangeland production system and finished in a feedlot on a high-energy finishing diet. When wethers reached a mean BW of 54.4, 61.2, or 68.0 kg, they were transported to The Ohio State University abattoir for harvest. After refrigeration for approximately 24 h, chilled carcass weight (CCW) was measured, carcasses were fabricated according to Style A of Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications, and postfabrication weights were recorded. At comparable numbers of days on feed, Suffolk-sired lambs had heavier (P 0.06) flank weight. Data adjusted to comparable CCW reduced the number of significant sire-breed effects and changed sire-breed rankings of carcass component weights, for which sire breeds differed. After adjusting, Suffolk-sired lambs had lighter (P < 0.05) loins than Columbia- and Composite-sired lambs, Composite-sired lambs had heavier (P < 0.05) high-value cuts than Suffolk-sired lambs, and Suffolk- and Columbia-sired lambs had heavier (P < 0.05) necks than Texel-sired lambs. At predicted backfat thickness of 6.6 mm, Composite-sired lambs had a greater (P < 0.05) percentage of high-value cuts than Suffolk-sired lambs before but not after trimming. Producers can use these results to select terminal-sire breeds that will complement their production system and improve lamb value.
Quantitative analysis of EEG in boys with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder: Controlled study with clinical implications

Sixteen-channel topographic brain mapping of electroencephalograms of 25 right-handed males, 9-12 years of age, with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder revealed increased theta (4-7.75 Hz) and decreased beta 1 (12.75-21 Hz) when compared with 27 controls matched for age and grade level. The differences were greater when patients were tested for reading and drawing skills, but were decreased when they were at rest during visual fixation. Although the differences in patients with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder were generalized, increased theta was more prominent in frontal regions, while beta 1 was significantly decreased in temporal regions. Principal component analysis was used to combine the variables into 2 components which accounted for 82% of the total variance. A discriminant function analysis using these components was able to predict group membership for attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder patients 80% of the time and 74% for controls. These findings support the use of topographic electroencephalography for further elucidation of the neurophysiology of attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder.
Escherichia coli Isolates That Carry vat, fyuA, chuA, and yfcV Efficiently Colonize the Urinary Tract

ABSTRACT Extraintestinal Escherichia coli (ExPEC), a heterogeneous group of pathogens, encompasses avian, neonatal meningitis, and uropathogenic E. coli strains. While several virulence factors are associated with ExPEC, there is no core set of virulence factors that can be used to definitively differentiate these pathotypes. Here we describe a multiplex of four virulence factor-encoding genes, yfcV, vat, fyuA, and chuA, highly associated with uropathogenic E. coli strains that can distinguish three groups of E. coli: diarrheagenic and animal-associated E. coli strains, human commensal and avian pathogenic E. coli strains, and uropathogenic and neonatal meningitis E. coli strains. Furthermore, human intestinal isolates that encode all four predictor genes express them during exponential growth in human urine and colonize the bladder in the mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection in higher numbers than human commensal strains that do not encode the four predictor genes (P = 0.02), suggesting that the presence of the predictors correlates with uropathogenic potential.
Integrated elastomeric components for autonomous regulation of sequential and oscillatory flow switching in microfluidic devices

A critical need for enhancing usability and capabilities of microfluidic technologies is the development of standardized, scalable, and versatile control systems1,2. Electronically controlled valves and pumps typically used for dynamic flow regulation, although useful, can limit convenience, scalability, and robustness3-5. This shortcoming has motivated development of device-embedded non-electrical flow-control systems. Existing approaches to regulate operation timing on-chip, however, still require external signals such as timed generation of fluid flow, bubbles, liquid plugs or droplets, or an alteration of chemical compositions or temperature6-16. Here, we describe a strategy to provide device-embedded flow switching and clocking functions. Physical gaps and cavities interconnected by holes are fabricated into a three-layer elastomer structure to form networks of fluidic gates that can spontaneously generate cascading and oscillatory flow output using only a constant flow of Newtonian fluids as the device input. The resulting microfluidic substrate architecture is simple, scalable, and should be applicable to various materials. This flow-powered fluidic gating scheme brings the autonomous signal processing ability of microelectronic circuits to microfluidics where there is the added diversity in current information of having distinct chemical or particulate species and richness in current operation of having chemical reactions and physical interactions.
Lossy compression of active sources

In computer vision, an active vision source is a sensor that explores its environment in an active way, deciding to investigate parts of the environment in greater depth based on what it currently sees. We study the problem of determining the rate required to compress the output of an active vision source to within a desired fidelity. In order to make the problem analytically tractable, we assume that the environment is memoryless and gain insights into the distinction between compression of passive and active sources. We show that modelling of the sources is crucial by considering two extreme cases: adversarially active sources and helpful active sources. The theory of arbitrarily varying sources is useful for these purposes and we expand on it by allowing the party controlling the variation in the source to have partial or noisy observations of the environment. We give several examples showing that there is a large difference in the rate required to compress active sources that are adversarially modelled and active sources that are jointly optimized with the coding system. The results suggest that when active sources are part of a networked system where rate comes at a premium, large savings can be reaped by jointly optimizing the coding system with the computer vision system.
Lipid and stress dependence of amphotericin B ion selective channels in sterol-free membranes.

The idea that amphotericin B (AmB) may not require sterols to form ion selective channels has recently been criticized on the grounds that egg phospholipids commonly used in experiments may contain small amounts of sterol which associate with AmB to form AmB/sterol pore channel structures. It was recently shown in this laboratory that modest osmotic stress can enhance the formation of AmB channels in sterol-free egg phosphatidylcholine (eggPC) membranes. We have tested AmB’s ability to form ion channels/defects in synthetic palmitoyl oleoyl (POPC), dieicosenyl (DEPC) and natural eggPC osmotically stressed large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) using pyranine fluorescence detected ion/H a exchange. These sterol-free POPC LUV exhibit greatly increased sensitivity to cation selective AmB channel formation when osmotically stressed ; even more than eggPC. Under these stressed conditions, AmB activity was observed at [AmB]/POPC ratios as low as 3.5U10 34 , corresponding to about 34 AmB molecules/vesicle. DEPC vesicles were almost completely unresponsive, demonstrating a strong bilayer thickness dependence. These results prove conclusively that AmB can form sterol-free channels and do so within therapeutic concentration ranges (s 0.5^10U10 36 M) in a stress-dependent manner. This phenomenon may allow us to use osmotic stress changes in simple model systems to spectroscopically isolate and characterize the thus-far elusive AmB channel forming aggregate. In addition, this stress dependence may be responsible for the potentiation of renal toxicity of AmB in the ascending branch of the loop of Henle which is under greatest osmotic stress. fl 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Promoting or Perturbing Success The Effects of Aid on Timing to Latino Students’ First Departure from College

Using event history modeling, this study explored to what extent loans, grants, institutional aid, and work-study affect timing to first departure for Latino college students. The goal is to unders...
Learning Policies for Contextual Submodular Prediction

Many prediction domains, such as ad placement, recommendation, trajectory prediction, and document summarization, require predicting a set or list of options. Such lists are often evaluated using submodular reward functions that measure both quality and diversity. We propose a simple, efficient, and provably near-optimal approach to optimizing such prediction problems based on noregret learning. Our method leverages a surprising result from online submodular optimization: a single no-regret online learner can compete with an optimal sequence of predictions. Compared to previous work, which either learn a sequence of classifiers or rely on stronger assumptions such as realizability, we ensure both data-efficiency as well as performance guarantees in the fully agnostic setting. Experiments validate the efficiency and applicability of the approach on a wide range of problems including manipulator trajectory optimization, news recommendation and document summarization.
Does Childhood Executive Function Predict Adolescent Functional Outcomes in Girls with ADHD

We prospectively followed an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of preadolescent girls with ADHD (n = 140) and matched comparison girls (n = 88) over a period of 5 years, from middle childhood through early/mid-adolescence. Our aim was to examine the ability of measures of childhood executive function (EF) to predict functional outcomes in adolescence. Measures of neuropsychological functioning comprised the childhood predictors, with academic, social, and global functioning serving as adolescent criterion measures. Results indicated that childhood EF predicted (a) academic achievement and social functioning across our entire sample (independent of diagnostic group status) and (b) global functioning only in girls with ADHD (independent of IQ). These results highlight the non-specificity of EF deficits and suggest the importance of assessing and developing interventions that target EF impairments, particularly in those at high-risk for negative outcomes, in order to prevent long-term difficulties across a range of important functional domains.
Interface Breakdown During High-Power Microwave Transmission

The major limiting factor in the transmission of narrowband high-power microwaves (HPM) has been the interface between vacuum-vacuum or even more severely between vacuum-air if HPM are to be radiated into the atmosphere. Extensive studies have identified the physical mechanisms associated with vacuum/dielectric flashover, as opposed to the mechanisms associated with dielectric/air flashover, which are not as well known. Due to the high electron collision frequencies (in the terahertz range) with the background gas molecules, established mitigation methods and concepts of vacuum/dielectric flashover will have to be re-evaluated. The primarily limiting factors of HPM transmission through a dielectric/air interface are presented based on recent experiments at 2.85 GHz. The physics of the involved mechanisms and their practical ramifications are discussed. The potential of surface roughness/geometry for flashover mitigation is addressed as well
American and European Monopolization Law: A Doctrinal and Empirical Comparison

This paper focuses on the differences between Article 82 and Section 2, reflecting largely on the American experience. We start with a discussion of the American experience and use that as a background from which to examine the European law on monopolies. American law is more conservative (less interventionist), reflecting the error cost analysis that is increasingly common in American courts. The second half of this paper provides an empirical comparison of the American and European regimes. Although a preliminary empirical examination suggests that the scope of a country’s monopolization law is inversely related to its degree of trade dependence, the actual relationship between trade dependence and the scope of monopolization law appears to be an inverted U.
Partitioning of Mercury Among Solid, Liquid and Gas Phases Following Anaerobic Decomposition of a Simulated Solid Waste

The purpose of this study was to determine the partitioning of Hg among solid, liquid, and gas phases following anaerobicdecomposition of a simulated solid waste. A simulated solid waste was spiked with Hg(NO3)2, placed in anaerobic, leachbed reactors, and allowed to undergo anaerobicdecomposition. Methane yields, volatile fatty acidproduction, and pH indicated that the reactors wereperforming as expected for anaerobic decompositionin a leachbed reactor operated in batch mode. Afteranaerobic digestion, the bulk of the Hg that wasadded to the reactors was recovered in the solidwaste. Essentially no Hg was found in the leachate.Some Hg volatilized during anaerobic decomposition.The percentage of Hg volatilized ranged from about 2to 48% of the Hg added, with the higher percentagesbeing associated with the lower Hg levels. Thepresence of Hg in tubing that connected the reactorsto carbon traps indicated that organic forms of Hgmay have volatilized, most likely dimethylmercury.These results indicate that landfills are apotential source of atmospheric Hg pollution.