cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Analysis of the Bilateral Brainstem Projections from the Whisker and Forepaw Regions in Rat Primary Motor Cortex

The whisker region in rat primary motor (MI) cortex projects to several brainstem regions, but the relative strength of these projections has not been characterized. We recently quantified the MI projections to bilateral targets in the forebrain (Alloway et al. [2009] J Comp Neurol 515:548–564), and the present study extends those findings by quantifying the MI projections to bilateral targets in the brainstem. We found that both the whisker and forepaw regions in MI project most strongly to the basal pons and superior colliculus. While the MI forepaw region projects mainly to the ipsilateral basilar pons, the MI whisker region has significantly more connections with the contralateral side. This bilateral difference suggests that corticopontine projections from the MI whisker region may have a role in coordinating bilateral whisker movements. Anterograde tracer injections in MI did not reveal any direct projections to the facial nucleus, but retrograde tracer injections in the facial nucleus revealed some labeled neurons in MI cortex. The number of retrogradely labeled neurons in MI, however, was dwarfed by a much larger number of labeled neurons in the superior colliculus and other brainstem regions. Together, our anterograde and retrograde tracing results indicate that the superior colliculus provides the most effective route for transmitting information from MI to the facial nucleus. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:4546–4566, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Equilibrium partitioning behavior of naphthalene and phenanthrene with axenic microplantlets of the temperate green seaweed Acrosiphonia coalita.

Abstract The partitioning behavior of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds naphthalene and phenanthrene with the temperate green seaweed Acrosiphonia coalita was characterized. The uptake and partitioning experiments were designed to prevent PAH volatilization, and the PAH concentration was measured in both the seawater liquid medium and in the algal biomass. Axenic microplantlets of A. coalita were used in all experiments to eliminate the possibility of microbial PAH biotransformation. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis did not reveal any putative metabolites of phenanthrene oxidative biotransformation in either the seawater medium or the algal biomass, but did show that dissolved organic matter from algal biomass constituents were in the liquid medium. The algal biomass grew by 30% over the 114 h duration of the partitioning experiments, suggesting PAH compounds did not harm the organism. Both living and heat-killed microplantlets partitioned PAH compounds into the biomass. Naphthalene and phenanthrene reversibly partitioned into the lipid fraction of the algal biomass with equilibrium partitioning constants of 0.130 ± 0.007 and 1.58 ± 0.03 L g −1 dry cell mass, respectively, which scaled proportionally to their octanol–water partitioning constants. The PAH material balance for the partitioning process closed between 86% and 100% for naphthalene adsorption and phenanthrene desorption, but closed at 52% for phenanthrene adsorption. To account for the loss, it was proposed that phenanthrene interacted with dissolved organic matter released by the living algal biomass. This study has provided fundamental information needed to assess how seaweeds can play a role in the bioaccumulation and bioremediation of PAH compounds in the marine environment.
Morphological technique for clutter suppression in ATR

This paper presents a morphological filtering technique that can be used for clutter suppression or target feature extraction. By using a special ring-shaped structuring element, the proposed morphological filter can either preserve or eliminate objects in sensor imagery based on size and shape characteristics. The ring-shaped structuring element makes the filter invariant to target rotation. Thus, detection performance is substantially improved for cases where the target width information is either inaccurate or insufficient for successful differentiation between targets and image clutter.
Why I Like Being an Academic Psychiatrist: Why I Am a Clinician-Educator

of seeker, writer, and reader described by Roberts and Termuehlen (1) is reduced to a less-personal dyadic relationship of writer and reader. Also, the institution asking for the LOR usually assures the writer of confidentiality of her/his letter. Most frequently, the privately-spoken suggested solution is. . . . to decline to write the LOR if one cannot write a positive one. It is certainly easier and politically less challenging than writing a laborious evaluation; yet, is it right and ethical? Should the committee keep trying to get positive letters until it gets some? What is the point of writing only “positive” LOR? Don’t we have the responsibility and obligation to the profession and the society to write the “objective” evaluation we are asked for? I suggest that it is ethical and that it goes directly to the honesty of letter-writing suggested by Roberts and Termuehlen (1) and Larkin and Marco (4) to write an objective, noninflated LOR, rather than refuse to write one because it would not be positive. Richard Balon, M.D.
Epidemiologic and Clinical Aspects of Animal Bite Injuries

During 1975, 332 animal bite injuries accounted for 1.2% of all surgical problems treated at the UCLA Hospital Emergency Department. Data on 307 bite injuries were available and analyzed for environmental, animal, human, interaction, and clinical factors. More than half of the dog bites and almost three fourths of the cat bites-scratches happened at or near the victims' homes. Dog bites were almost twice as common among men, while cat bites-scratches were twice as common among women. Of the incidents in which ownership information was available, 85% of dog bites and 80% of cat bites-scratches were from an animal belonging to the victim, his family or friends, or another known person. Forty-three percent of dog bites, and 52% of cat bites-scratches were provoked, that is, happened while the victim was interacting with the animal. Of bites of the head and/or neck, 38% injured the upper lip; 17% of dog bites injured the eye or adjacent tissues; 48% were in children less than ten-years-old. One fifth of cat bites-scratches involved the head and/or neck, 60% of these injured orbital or periorbital tissues. Over 2% of patients were hospitalized. Five percent of dog bite victims and 29% of cat bite-scratch victims returned with complications, mostly cellulitis or lymphangitis. Pasteurella multocida was the most common pathogen cultured, as evidenced by the 50% and 80% culture-positive rates for dog and cat bite-scratches respectively in this series.
Equalization of intensity in a train of pulses using passive optical limiting in a thin film

We examine the effects of multiple incident pulses and determine that for closely spaced pulses adjacent pulse interactions lead to pulse coalescence resulting in increased peak energy and greater absorption. Furthermore, trailing pulses reach a reduced transmission level.
What Drives Charter School Diffusion at the Local Level: Educational Needs or Political and Institutional Forces?

While the number of charter schools has increased rapidly in the United States, few studies have examined whether charter schools are implemented in response to real and perceived educational needs or to political and institutional factors in the education policy arena. Unlike traditional policy adoption and diffusion studies that focus on the state level and use a dichotomous dependent variable—adoption or not—this article focuses on local school districts and uses the number of operating charter schools as the dependent variable. Accordingly, instead of applying event history analysis, this article conducts generalized event count regression to estimate models. Based on a data set that consists of Florida's 67 school districts across a six-year time period, the results suggest that charter school diffusion is more heavily driven by political and institutional factors than by educational needs. The results also demonstrate a dynamic trend of charter school diffusion over time.
Dietary lipid sources and levels for weanling pigs

Collaborative studies comprising growth performance and metabolism experiments were conducted to reevaluate growth performance and nutrient and energy utilization responses of nursery pigs to dietary lipid sources and levels. Two lipid sources (soybean oil or tallow) were included at the rate of 1%, 3%, or 5% at the expense of cornstarch in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement for 6 diets, and Lys was added to maintain a constant calorie:Lys ratio. A growth performance experiment (d 0 to 7, d 7 to 21, and d 21 to 35 postweaning) involving a total of 822 crossbred pigs was conducted at 9 research stations. Each station contributed 2 to 7 replicate pens with 4 to 6 pigs per pen, resulting in a total of 28 replicate pens per diet. The initial BW ranged from 5.9 to 7.3 kg, and the final BW ranged from 20.9 to 28.9 kg. Diets fed during d 7 to 21 and d 21 to 35 were evaluated with 120 barrows in 2 metabolism experiments with 10 individually fed barrows per diet to determine digestibility and retention of nutrients and energy. Lipid source and the interaction between lipid level and source did not affect growth performance. Lipid did not affect growth performance from d 0 to 7. There was a quadratic decrease (P < 0.05) in ADG with increasing level of added lipid only during d 7 to 21 postweaning. The ADFI was decreased (P < 0.01) both during d 7 to 21 and d 21 to 35 postweaning with increasing level of lipid supplementation. A linear improvement (P < 0.001) in G:F with increasing level of lipid supplementation occurred during both d 21 to 35 and d 0 to 35 postweaning. There was a linear increase in DE, ME, and nitrogen-corrected ME (MEn) of diets fed during d 7 to 21 postweaning with increasing lipid level regardless of lipid source. For diets fed during d 21 to 35 postweaning, there were interactions (P < 0.05) between lipid source and level for digestibility of DM, N, lipid, and energy and for DE, ME, and MEn of diets. The improved feed efficiency was, perhaps, partly attributable to the increase in ME content of the diets with added lipids. There were interactions (P < 0.05) between lipid source and level for efficiency of energy use for BW gain for diets fed during d 21 to 35. The efficiencies of use of DE, ME, and NE for BW gain were not affected in pigs fed diets containing increasing levels of soybean oil; however, there were linear increases in these response criteria for pigs fed diets containing increasing levels of tallow. These results indicate that the energy values of soybean oil from the 2012 NRC study used in formulating these diets were fairly accurate.
Stability and melting kinetics of structural domains in the myosin rod.

Abstract The thermal stability and melting kinetics of the α-helical conformation within several regions of the rabbit myosin rod have been investigated. Cyanogen bromide cleavage of long myosin subfragment-2 produced one coiled-coil α-helical fragment corresponding to short subfragment-2 with molecular weight 90,000 (Mr = 45,000) and two fragments from the hinge region with molecular weights of 32,000 to 34,000 (Mr = 16,000 to 17,000) and 24,000 to 26,000 (Mr = 12,000 to 13,000). Optical rotation melting experiments and temperature-jump kinetic studies of long subfragment-2 and its cyanogen bromide fragments show that the hinge and the short subfragment-2 domains melt as quasi-independent co-operative units. The α-helical structure within the hinge has an appreciably lower thermal stability than the flanking short subfragment-2 and light meromyosin regions of the myosin rod. Two relaxation processes for helix-melting, one in the submillisecond range (τf) and the other in the millisecond range (τs), are observed in the light meromyosin and short subfragment-2 regions of the rod, but melting in the hinge domain is dominated by the fast (τf) process. Results suggest that the hinge domain of the subfragment-2 link may be the locus of force generation in a cycling cross-bridge.
Role of Cell Contact in Phenotype Stability and Modification: Studies on Retina Cells

This article summarizes the role of cell contact in regulation of gene expression in the neural retina. It reviews evidence that contact-dependent communication between Muller glia cells and neurons, mediated by cell-membrane molecules, plays an important role in the expression and stability of the phenotype of Muller glia cells. Disruption of glia-neuron cell contacts and continued cell separation elicit changes in the glia cells that lead to their transformation into lens-like (lentoidal) cell type. It is proposed that, deprivation of normal contacts with neurons brings about changes in the cell membrane of the glia cell which are signalled internally and result in altered gene expression and phenotype modification.
WE-D-224A-09: Proposed Pass/fail Criteria for IMRT Patient Specific QA

Purpose: To establish an acceptable quality assurance (QA) criteria for IMRT patient specific QA. There are no established criteria regarding agreement between patient's planned dose distributions versus QA measurements. Method and Materials: A series of MLC QA test patterns were run to detect/correct MLC leaf positional inaccuracies for a Varian 2100C and Elekta Synergy (both with 80 leaf MLC). MapCheck, a 2D diode array system, was used to determine optimal correctional parameter, Dosimetric Leaf Gap (DLG), used in the Varian Eclipse/Helios treatment planning system (TPS) (accounts for effect of MLC rounded‐leaf end geometry). Patient's IMRT plan was checked by resetting all fields to a fixed gantry angle (beam down), delivering summed dose of each beam, measuring with MapCheck, then comparing with TPS calculated dose distribution. QA results for a total of 48 segmented MLC (SMLC) IMRT cases (37 prostate, 9 head and neck, 1 pelvis, and 1 brain) were reviewed. Results:MLC position uncertainties were reduced from 0.3–0.4 mm to 0.1–0.2 mm by a careful calibration. An optimal DLG of 2 mm was determined for Elekta Synergy. Using criteria of ±3% dose agreement or ±3mm distance to agreement (DTA), measured absolute dose distributions agreed with planned dose distributions as follows: prostate: mean 98%, 2.3% S.D.; HN pelvis: mean 90.5%; brain: mean 91.1%; for the total 48 cases, mean 96%, S.D. 5.4%. Conclusion:MLC positional accuracy and having optimal correctional parameter within the TPS are two key factors to ensure IMRT delivered dose in good agreement with calculated dose distribution. Using MapCheck as described, we have implemented the following pass/fail criteria for patient specific QA measurement results: 85% of points within ±3% and ±3 mm DTA in absolute dose. Our clinical experience shows that this is achievable even with the most complicated H&N cases.
Stimulation of tyrosine hydroxylase activity by cyclic amp in synaptosomes and in soluble striatal enzyme preparations

Dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dB-cAMP) elicits a concentration-dependent stimulation of tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the striatal and mesolimbic synaptosomes. The percent of stimulation is significantly higher in the mesolimbic synaptosomes than in the striatal synaptosomes. dB-cAMP and depolarizing agents (ouabain or veratridine) have an additive effect on synaptosomal tyrosine hydroxylase activity, indicating that they stimulate tyrosine hydroxylase activity by different mechanisms. cAMP does not stimulate soluble striatal tyrosine hydroxylase activity unless it is added in combination with ATP and Mg2+, compounds required for the activity of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The cAMP elicited per cent stimulation of soluble tyrosine hydroxylase activity is dependent upon the concentration of added protein kinase and upon the pH of the reaction. dB-cAMP has the same effect on the kinetic state of tyrosine hydroxylase in synaptosomes as cAMP on the soluble tyrosine hydroxylase. The nucleotieds does not alter tpparent Km for tyrosine, reduces the Km for the pteridine cofactor and increases the Ki for dopamine. Thus, cAMP increases the affinity of tyrosine hydroxylase for the pteridine cofactor and concomitantly decreases the affinity for the end-product inhibition.
Spatial and space–time correlations in ecological models

Abstract Space–time autoregressive moving average (STARMA) processes can be used to represent a wide range of theoretical models of ecological variation and statistical models for analyzing ecological data. Many discrete-time, discrete-space ecological processes can be analyzed using STARMA theorems. As an example, one focus is on population genetic models, and using STARMA we obtain not only the usual spatial variance and correlations, but also the space–time correlations. Examples show how this allows one to characterize general space–time population genetic processes in a new and more detailed way. STARMA processes include migration-drift models with general patterns of migration among populations. They also include processes with features that are more realistic for many natural population systems, including various forms of stochastic migration. The space–time correlations are particularly important because they allow us to connect data to theoretical processes, and they can be used for estimating migration rates, model-fitting, testing, and forecasting the future behavior of real systems. The space–time correlations also specify the relationship between spatial correlations at different spatial distances, thus bridging gaps between observations on spatial correlations and inferences about dispersal and selection, and other aspects of the underlying space–time process.
A new instrument for patients' ratings of physician performance in the hospital setting.

A new instrument to elicit patients’ appraisals of physician performance has been developed from a previously-derived taxonomy of desired physician attitudes and behavior. The instrument allows patients to give ratings for their physicians’ discrete, observable items of behavior, and also for complex, multidimensional attributes. When the instrument was administered to 131 randomly chosen medical inpatients, the results showed that technical competence and interpersonal (or humanistic) qualities were equally valued, and that physicians received high ratings for most features of performance. Except for less satisfaction in younger patients, clinical and demographic characteristics had little impact on the ratings. The performance characteristics of the instrument appear satisfactory, and its potential applications and proposals for further research are discussed.
Convective heat transfer from small cylinders to mercury

Abstract External heat transfer coefficients from short quartz-coated cylindrical hot-film anemometer probes in mercury were evaluated by subtracting the thermal impedance of the quartz coatings from the overall thermal impedance of the sensors. The results are compared with those by Sajben for long enamelcoated wires and with available theory for infinite cylinders, and correlation equations are given. The low sensitivity of finite cylinders may be qualitatively explained by the persistence of end losses, i.e. by two-tauches conduction in the velocity-potential surfaces at arbitrary velocities. For comparison, results are also given for heat transfer to water.
Oral rehydration, emergency physicians, and practice parameters: a national survey.

Background/Objective. Treatment of dehydrating gastroenteritis, a major cause of morbidity in children, remains controversial. Practice parameters issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend oral rehydration therapy (ORT) as the preferred treatment for losses from both mild and moderate dehydration. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that awareness of the AAP practice parameters would be associated with a higher rate of use of ORT among emergency physicians. Methods. A national random survey of emergency physicians selected from the mailing list of the AAP Section on Emergency Medicine was conducted. Respondents were asked about level of awareness of AAP guidelines and preferred route of rehydration for scenarios representing mild (≤5%), moderate (6%–9%), and severe (≥10%) dehydration. Respondents who were very familiar with the AAP practice parameters were designated as the familiar group; those who were less familiar were designated as the unfamiliar group. Differences in proportions of dichotomous variables were tested by χ2 or Fisher exact test as appropriate. Univariate logistic regression modeling was used to determine the independent influence of awareness of AAP guidelines on the use of ORT. Results. A total of 176 physicians responded (73% response rate). Most were board certified in 1 or more specialties: pediatrics (89%), pediatric emergency medicine (84%), and adult emergency medicine (63%). Median duration of practice was 16 years. Thirty-seven percent of respondents were very familiar with the AAP practice parameters. In contrast to the unfamiliar group, the familiar group was more likely to use ORT in scenarios of mild dehydration (81% vs 66%) and moderate dehydration (25% vs 10%). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that this familiar group overall was nearly 3 times more likely to use ORT (odds ratio: 2.85; 95% confidence interval: 2.46–3.24). Conclusions. This is the first national study to establish a relationship between awareness of the AAP practice parameters and physician practices in the treatment of dehydration. Emergency medicine physicians who were very familiar with the AAP parameters were significantly more likely to use ORT. These findings may have important implications for future efforts directed at increasing the rate of ORT use and for the evaluation of practice parameters in general.
Parent and Child Anxiety Sensitivity: Relationship in a Nonclinical Sample

Little is known about the relationship between parent and child anxiety sensitivity (AS), particularly in nonclinical samples. The present study examined this association in 207 healthy parent-child pairs including 244 children (mean age = 12.3 years, 103 girls) and 226 parent figures (175 mothers). Sequential multiple linear regression revealed that parent AS was significantly associated with child AS in girls, but not in boys. Parent AS accounted for 9% of incremental variance in child AS, after controlling for child age, parent depression, and parent anxiety. Analyses of parent AS dimensions indicated that the social concerns dimension accounted for 14% of incremental variance in child AS in girls only. Parent anxiety and depression showed no association with child AS, once parent AS was taken into account. The findings indicate that parent AS, especially AS social concerns, demonstrates a significant relationship with child AS in this nonclinical sample of girls.
The petrology of chondrules in the sharps meteorite

Correlated petrographic and microprobe studies of 96 chondrules in the Sharps (H-3) chondrite indicate that chondritic material had a highly varied pre-accumulation history. Some chondrules, chiefly excentroradial and barred types, appear to be quenched droplets. Others, including most of the metal poor microporphyritic type, appear to have crystallized more slowly and are thought to be fragments of pre-existing rock. Although chondrules of all types show various effects similar to those produced by shock, such effects are most conspicuous in metal-rich chondrules and least conspicuous in spherical chondrules. It is concluded that shock was involved in the origin of chondrules and not simply a secondary effect.
The Role of the t-PA I/D and PAI-1 4G/5G Polymorphisms in African-American Adults With a Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction or Venous Thromboembolism

To determine whether or not the PAI-1 4G/5G and t-PA I/D polymorphisms in African-Americans were linked to cardiovascular disease, the association of these polymorphisms to disease expression was analyzed in a recently completed case-control study of myocardial infarction or venous thromboembolism among African-Americans. All African-Americans patients with a history of venous thromboembolism attending an anticoagulant clinic, and patients with a history of a MI attending a cardiology clinic at a large local urban public hospital were eligible for inclusion as cases in the study. In this study it was observed that there was a statistically significant association between the D allele of the t-PA I/D polymorphism and venous thromboembolism and a nonsignificant association between the D allele and myocardial infarction among African-Americans. t-PA antigen levels were statistically significantly higher among both myocardial infarction and venous thromboembolism cases compared with control subjects. The genotypes were unrelated to t-PA plasma levels. There was no association between either myocardial infarction or venous thromboembolism and the 4G/5G PAI-1 genotype. It was also found that genotype frequencies for both PAI-1 4G/5G and t-PA I/D polymorphisms in African-American adults were different from those reported for both U.S. Causcians and Europeans.
Postsurgical acrylic ear splints for keloids.

. It is generally acknowledged that earlobe keloids are best surgically resected and repaired while attempting to leave a residual skeletal cartilaginous soft-tissue framework, oftentimes composed of keloidal tissue itself. Whether grafts, flaps, or primary incision and closure are performed, the success of each procedure may require the adjuvant use of pressure to the involved ear-lobes for at least a year. Where gross deformity has existed, the use of an “oyster splint” seems to act as a pressure remolding device.
Regulatory change in YABBY-like transcription factor led to evolution of extreme fruit size during tomato domestication

Plant domestication represents an accelerated form of evolution, resulting in exaggerated changes in the tissues and organs of greatest interest to humans (for example, seeds, roots and tubers). One of the most extreme cases has been the evolution of tomato fruit. Cultivated tomato plants produce fruit as much as 1,000 times larger than those of their wild progenitors. Quantitative trait mapping studies have shown that a relatively small number of genes were involved in this dramatic transition, and these genes control two processes: cell cycle and organ number determination. The key gene in the first process has been isolated and corresponds to fw2.2, a negative regulator of cell division. However, until now, nothing was known about the molecular basis of the second process. Here, we show that the second major step in the evolution of extreme fruit size was the result of a regulatory change of a YABBY-like transcription factor (fasciated) that controls carpel number during flower and/or fruit development.
Design, Fabrication, and Characterization of Metal Embedded Microphotonic Sensors

Recent developments in integrated microphotonics have led to unprecedented potential toward robust sensor enhancements for manufacturing systems. These micron-sized sub-wavelength structured photonic sensors could allow critical thermomechanical phenomena in manufacturing processes to be monitored while offering immunity to electromagnetic interference, resistance to hostile environments, multiplexing capabilities, and high rates of data collection. To implement these novel sensors into real manufacturing processes, the microphotonic sensors can be embedded at critical locations in metallic structures, which are heavily used in hostile manufacturing environments. This paper presents the study of design, fabrication, and characterization of integrated microring sensors. Various thin film optical materials were studied and single ring resonators were designed. A new approach to fabricate metal embedded microring sensors was developed. Metal embedded optical microring temperature sensors were characterized. The Q factor of the metal embedded microring sensors was measured to be around 2000, while the free spectral range was about 5.2 nm. The temperature sensitivity of the metal embedded microring sensor was 24.2 pml °C.
Mechanical Impedence of Adult Pecan Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Emergence Related to Soil Moisture and Penetration Resistance

Emergence of adult pecan weevils from orchard soils in Texas and South Carolina was delayed and reduced at low soil moistures. Regression models relating soil moisture and penetration resistance readings (kg/cm2) at 10- to 13-cm soil depths showed that impeded emergence was related to the resistance of dry soils to penetration by adult weevils ( R2 = 0.99). Adult emergence at various levels of penetration resistance induced by water treatment was strikingly similar for both locations.
Porphyrin films — 5: Strong fluorescence

Abstract Films of tetra(perfluorophenyl)porphyrin (TFPP) show comparable strong host fluorescence whether deposited on room temperature or heated (135°C) mica substrates. Films of tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) show only 9% as much fluorescence when deposited on unheated mica but 60% as much fluorescence when deposited on heated mica; moreover, the latter films show enhanced fluorescence from impurity guests. Octaethylporphyrin (OEP) behaves like tetraphenylporphyrin. It is observed that crystallite size is larger for films deposited on heated as compared to unheated mica. Larger crystallites could explain increased host and guest fluorescence in films of TPP and OEP prepared on heated substrates if grain boundaries serve as sites both for quenching and for trapping host excitons. The strong host fluorescence of films of TFPP can be explained either (a) by very slow exciton diffusion rates or (b) very few host quenching sites and very few guest trapping sites.
Determining Statistical Characteristics of a Vehicle Emissions Audit Procedure

The Environmental Protection Agency currently audits automobiles for emissions compliance at assembly plants with multiple attribute multiple staged sampling plans. This paper summarizes the auditing procedure and develops methods for determining its statistical characteristics. Specifically, we consider how to evaluate a multiple attribute multiple staged sampling plan, give a procedure that efficiently estimates attribute-type probabilities from multivariate variables-type data, and quantify the effect of tightening the acceptable quality level of the sampling plan. A key technique for this analysis is the multivariate version of the Box-Cox power transformation. All procedures are illustrated with data from a typical vehicle configuration.
Experiments on the Tracking Control of a Flexible One-Link Manipulator

Experimental study on the tracking control of a flexible one-link manipulator is reported in this paper. A tracking control scheme is developed based on the system transfer function. In the proposed control scheme, the desired control input for a given end-point trajectory is obtained by using a command feedforward controller instead of solving the inverse dynamic equations of the system. The proposed control scheme regqures small amount of computations and can be easily implemented for real time control. The experimental results are presented, which shows very good tracking performance
Carbon-13 chemical shift anisotropy in DNA bases from field dependence of solution NMR relaxation rates

Knowledge of 13C chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) in nucleotide bases is important for the interpretation of solution-state NMR relaxation data in terms of local dynamic properties of DNA and RNA. Accurate knowledge of the CSA becomes particularly important at high magnetic fields, prerequisite for adequate spectral resolution in larger oligonucleotides. Measurement of 13C relaxation rates of protonated carbons in the bases of the so-called Dickerson dodecamer, d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2, at 500 and 800 MHz 1H frequency, together with the previously characterized structure and diffusion tensor yields CSA values for C5 in C, C6 in C and T, C8 in A and G, and C2 in A that are closest to values previously reported on the basis of solid-state FIREMAT NMR measurements, and mostly larger than values obtained by in vacuo DFT calculations. Owing to the noncollinearity of dipolar and CSA interactions, interpretation of the NMR relaxation rates is particularly sensitive to anisotropy of rotational diffusion, and use of isotropic diffusion models can result in considerable errors. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gas-liquid reactions in well-mixed reactors—A fresh perspective

Abstract Classification of gas-liquid reactions in the past has been based on comparison of characteristic times for diffusional mass transfer and chemical reaction in liquid film near the gas-liquid interface. The fast chemical reactions occur almost entirely in liquid film and the very slow reactions are confined to bulk liquid. Gas-liquid reactions that do not belong to either class have received less attention and have been in general assumed to be confined to either liquid film or bulk liquid for simplification of modeling and design of reactors. A unified approach for modeling of gas-liquid reactors is provided here considering a single reaction occurring over the entire liquid phase, with at least the reactant or the product being volatile. The two-way linkages between liquid film and bulk liquid, largely ignored previously, are properly accounted for in the present approach. The dispositions of concentration profiles for reactant and product in the liquid film are presented and discussed. A first-order reaction is considered as a specific example. Numerical illustrations for a perfectly mixed reactor demonstrate that an unwarranted confinement of liquid-phase reaction to either liquid film or bulk liquid can lead to incorrect design of and erroneous prediction of performance of gas-liquid reactors. Variation in relative importance of reaction in liquid film with respect to reaction in bulk liquid with variations in process parameters is investigated. The effectiveness of the liquid-phase reaction in the presence of mass transfer resistances is examined.
A scalable web-based real-time information distribution service for industrial applications

In this paper we discuss a web-based content distribution service for wide-area distributed embedded systems to allow remote monitoring of their state using web browsers, servers, and caches. The service allows browsing the real-time state of remote devices, industrial processes, controllers, appliances, agents, and other entities that may publish their state. For a remote monitoring application, it creates the illusion that all monitored entities are available locally in real-time, as opposed to scattered across a wide-area network with unpredictable backbone delays. The main difficulty is to achieve this in a scalable manner without wide-area network support for real-time communication while simultaneously reducing the amount of backbone traffic (which carries process state updates). Another challenge is to achieve this without significant modifications to the existing web infrastructure. We provide timely response and bounded consistency for the monitored data. We have built a prototypical service architecture based on freely available web servers/proxy caches and shown its basic applicability to industrial applications by the experimental results.
Wavelength dependent characteristics of high-speed metamorphic photodiodes

Double-heterojunction photodiodes based on GaAs metamorphic growth technology are described. The effect of the large bandgap InAlAs layer incorporated in the device heterostructure was examined by measuring wavelength dependent responsivities and bandwidths at 0.85-, 1.33-, and 1.55-/spl mu/m illumination. The photodiodes exhibited 0.4 A/W responsivity and over 50-GHz bandwidth for 1.55-/spl mu/m laser illumination. The bias voltage required to achieve the maximum bandwidth was measured to be less than -1 V.
Assisted Musical/Learning Device (AMLD)

The Assisted Musical/Learning Device (AMLD) is an electronic device that combines musical creativity and educational applications into one. The AMLD affords a person with cerebral palsy to play a musical instrument; and makes learning basic hand and eye coordination skills through a unique control panel an enjoyable experience.
Racial Microaggressions Against African American Clients in Cross-Racial Counseling Relationships

This study examined the relationships among African American clients’ perceptions of their White counselors with respect to (a) perceived racial microaggressions in cross-racial counseling relationships, (b) the counseling working alliance, (c) their counselors’ general and multicultural counseling competence, and (d) their counseling satisfaction. Findings revealed that greater perceived racial microaggressions by African American clients were predictive of a weaker therapeutic alliance with White therapists, which, in turn, predicted lower ratings of general and multicultural counseling competence. Greater perceived racial microaggressions also were predictive of lower counseling satisfaction ratings. In addition, African American clients’ perceptions of racial microaggressions had a significant indirect effect on these clients’ ratings of White counselors’ general and multicultural counseling competence through the therapeutic working alliance.
Btu tax as a revenue option: Its impact on agriculture in the USA

The paper investigates the impact of the imposition of a broadly based energy tax on the US economy in general and the agricultural sectors in particular. The analytical approach used in the analysis consisted of a general equilibrium model composed of 12 producing sectors, 13 consuming sectors, six household categories, classified by income, and the government. The effects of a 10 cents per million Btu tax on energy on prices and quantities are examined. The results are revealing. For example, a 10 cents per million Btu tax on energy imposed at the point of production would result in lower output by the producing sectors (by about $9.154 billion), an increase in the consumption of goods and services (by about $20.292 billion), and a reduction in welfare (by about $4.30 billion). The government would realize an increase in revenue of about $6.356 billion. If the Btu tax were imposed at the point of consumption, there would be lower output by the producing sectors (by about $5.88 billion), an expansion in the consumption of goods and services (by about $19.830 billion), and a reduction in welfare (by about $7.066 billion). The government would realize an increase in revenue of $6.688 billion. The agricultural sectors would be minimally impacted. For example, if a 10 cents per million Btu tax were imposed at the point of production, output in the program crops sector would rise (by $8.3 million), output in the livestock sector would decline (by $83 million), output in the all-other-agriculture-commodities sector would be reduced (by $118 million), and output in the forestry sector would rise (by $34.7 million). If the Btu tax were imposed at the point of consumption, output in the program crops sector would fall (by $38 million), output in the livestock sector would decline (by $42 million), output in the all other agriculture commodities sector would be reduced (by $94 million), and output in the forestry sector would rise (by $221 million).
Anomalous transport of hydrocarbons in polystyrene

The transport kinetics and equilibrium concentrations of n-pentane at high penetrant activities in cast, annealed polystyrene were determined and compared with similar measurements in biaxially-oriented polystyrene. The rate of Case II (relaxation-controlled) sorption in biaxially-oriented polystyrene is three to four times faster than the sorption rate in cast, annealed polystyrene. The Case II sorption process in biaxially-oriented polystyrene is more highly temperature dependent than in cast, annealed film. The higher activation energies coupled with the larger relaxation-controlled sorption rates in biaxially-oriented polystyrene imply the involvement of larger polymer segments in the rate controlling polymer relaxations. The sorption in cast, annealed polystyrene was a position-dependent relaxation controlled transport process; in contrast the sorption in biaxially oriented polystyrene, albeit relaxation-controlled, was not position dependent. The position dependence of the Case II sorption appears to be a consequence of the presence of residual benzene in the film which accelerates the rate-determining relaxations. Desorption measurements at very low penetrant activities were quite similar for both biaxially oriented and cast, annealed polystyrene. The desorption kinetics were Fickian and were only a weak function of polymer orientation at these low activities.
A Method for Realizing Software Architecture Design

A software architecture design provides a high-level abstraction of system topology, functionality, and/or behavior; which provides the basis for early system understanding and analysis as well as the foundation for subsequent detailed design and implementation. However, research on software architecture in the past decade primarily focused on architecture description languages and their analysis techniques and less progress was made on automatically realizing software architecture designs. In this paper, we present a method for automatically generating an implementation from a software architectural description. The implementation not only captures the functionality of the given architecture description, but also contains additional monitoring code for ensuring desirable behavior properties through run-time verification. Our method takes a software description written in SAM, a software architecture model integrating dual formal methods Petri nets and temporal logic, and generates Java code. More specifically, the structure of a SAM architecture description produces Arch- Java code the behavior models of components/connectors represented in Petri nets lead to plain Java code, and the property specifications defined in temporal logic generates AspectJ code; the above code segments are then integrated into Java code.
The Perils of Partialling: Cautionary Tales From Aggression and Psychopathy

Although a powerful technique, the partialling of independent variables from one another in the context of multiple regression analysis poses certain perils. The present article argues that the most important and underappreciated peril is the difficulty in knowing what construct an independent variable represents once the variance shared with other independent variables is removed. The present article presents illustrative analyses in a large sample of inmates (n = 696) using three measures from the psychopathy and aggression fields. Results indicate that in terms of relations among items on a single scale and relations between scales, the raw and residualized scores bore little resemblance to one another. It is argued that researchers must decide to which construct—the one represented by the original scale or the one represented by the residualized scale—conclusions are meant to apply. Difficulties in applying the conclusions to the residualized scale are highlighted and best practices suggested.
Longitudinal Melonychia: Clinical Evaluation and Biopsy Technique

Longitudinal melonychia is a brown streaking of the nailbed. It is often benign but can be a subungual melanoma. Subungual melanoma is a rare malignancy. Diagnosis is often delayed, resulting in a higher staging and poorer prognosis than other cutaneous melanomas. We provide an update on the evaluation of longitudinal melonychia and biopsy technique.
Examining the relationship between brain function and structure on voxel-by-voxel-basis

In neuroimaging studies, several imaging modalities are commonly used together, but the images are often analyzed separately for different modalities. To address this, I present two massively univariate statistical methods to analyze functional and structural brain imaging data together on voxel-by-voxel basis. In the first example, a permutation-based nonparametric method is used on imaging data from Alzheimer's disease patients. In the second example, a multi-modal cross-correlation analysis is performed in a dyslexia study. Finally I outline voxel-based network analysis as a potential future direction in analyzing multi-modal brain imaging data.
The dynamics of two- and three-way sexual conflicts over mating

We consider mathematical models describing the evolutionary consequences of antagonistic interactions between male offence, male defence and female reproductive tract and physiology in controlling female mating rate. Overall, the models support previous verbal arguments about the possibility of continuous coevolutionary chase between the sexes driven by two-way (e.g. between male offence and female traits) and three-way (e.g. between male offence, male defence and female traits) inter-sexual antagonistic interactions. At the same time, the models clarify these arguments by identifying various additional potential evolutionary dynamics and important parameters (e.g. genetic variances, female optimum mating rates, strength of selection in females and the relative contributions of first and second males into offspring) and emphasizing the importance of initial conditions. Models also show that sexual conflict can result in the evolution of monandry in an initially polyandrous species and in the evolution of random mating in a population initially exhibiting non-random mating.
Differences in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Anti-p24 Reactivities in Serum of HIV-1-Infected and Uninfected Subjects: Analysis of Indeterminate Western Blot Reactions

Anti-p24 reactions in sera from 42 human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)-infected and 36 uninfected people with indeterminate Western blot antibody tests for HIV-1 were studied. Anti-p24 reactivity in HIV-1-infected people was completely blocked by HIV-1 recombinant p24 antigen, whereas the reaction in uninfected individuals with indeterminate patterns was inhibited partly or not at all. In contrast to infected individuals, anti-p24 reactivity from uninfected individuals could not be detected by an inhibition ELISA for HIV-1 p24 antibody. These results suggest a practical way to distinguish anti-p24 reactivity in sera from patients with HIV-1 infection from that seen in uninfected patients with indeterminate Western blot reactions.
Basic Residues in the Nucleocapsid Domain of Gag Are Critical for Late Events of HIV-1 Budding

The p6 region of HIV-1 Gag contains two late (L) domains, PTAP and LYPXnL, that bind the cellular proteins Tsg101 and Alix, respectively. These interactions are thought to recruit members of the host fission machinery (ESCRT) to facilitate HIV-1 release. Here we report a new role for the p6-adjacent nucleocapsid (NC) domain in HIV-1 release. The mutation of basic residues in NC caused a pronounced decrease in virus release from 293T cells, although NC mutant Gag proteins retained the ability to interact with cellular membranes and RNAs. Remarkably, electron microscopy analyses of these mutants revealed arrested budding particles at the plasma membrane, analogous to those seen following the disruption of the PTAP motif. This result indicated that the basic residues in NC are important for virus budding. When analyzed in physiologically more relevant T-cell lines (Jurkat and CEM), NC mutant viruses remained tethered to the plasma membrane or to each other by a membranous stalk, suggesting membrane fission impairment. Remarkably, NC mutant release defects were alleviated by the coexpression of a Gag protein carrying a wild-type (WT) NC domain but devoid of all L domain motifs and by providing alternative access to the ESCRT pathway, through the in trans expression of the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4.2s. Since NC mutant Gag proteins retained the interaction with Tsg101, we concluded that NC mutant budding arrests might have resulted from the inability of Gag to recruit or utilize members of the host ESCRT machinery that act downstream of Tsg101. Together, these data support a model in which NC plays a critical role in HIV-1 budding.