cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative paleoclimatology: Micropaleontologic data from deep-sea cores

Abstract Adequate sampling and quantitative faunal techniques are prerequisites for solving paleoecological problems. Utilization of sieves with aperatures greater than 63 μm may result in loss of up to 99% of the adult planktonic foraminiferal population. The coiling direction of temperature-indicator Globigerina pachyderma , within the same assemblage, varies with specimen size. Our computer experiment shows that counts of about 4400 planktonic foraminifers are generally necessary to ascertain with 95% confidence the “homogeneity” of a sample when using an Otto Microsplitter. An equation for calculating the sample size required to insure the presence of rare species is given. Laboratory procedures and statistical techniques utilized to date are not sufficiently precise to be useful for paleotemperature reconstruction when accuracy greater than 2–3°C is sought.
Emergency aeromedical transport of patients with acute myocardial infarction

Traditional medical treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) calls for immediate admission and observation in a special care unit and prohibits early interhospital transfer of patients. If persons with AMI are to benefit from emergency thrombolytic therapy, angioplasty, and other interventions, they may require emergency transfer within hours to one of the 10% of hospitals that provide these services. We report our experience with the emergency aeromedical treatment and transfer for acute intervention of 104 consecutive patients with suspected AMI. Between May 1983 and December 1984, 104 patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction were transported by an aeromedical team, including a physician and nurse, for emergency cardiac evaluation. AMI was confirmed in 94 (90%), and emergency intervention was carried out in 75 of 104 (72%). Ninety patients (87%) survived to be discharged from the hospital. There were no deaths during transport. Complications requiring treatment occurred in 13 (12%) of the patients during transport; physician skill or judgment was exercised in 27 of 104 transports (26%) and did not correlate with the Killip classification of physical findings. We conclude that emergency transfer of patients with AMI, traditionally considered hazardous, can be carried out safely using an aeromedical team. Physicians appear to play an important role in safe transport.
An NMR study of hindered internal rotation in N,N-dialkyl amides

Abstract Free energies of activation at 25°C for rotation about the CN bond are determined from proton magnetic resonance line shapes as follows: N,N -diethylformamide (DEF) 19.6 kcal/mole, N,N -diethylacetamide (DEA) 16.9 kcal/mole, N,N -diethylacetoacetamide (DEAA) 16.8 kcal/mole, N,N -di-n-propylacetamide (DNPA) 17.0 kcal/mole, N,N -di-isopropylacetamida (DIPA), 15.7 kcal/mole. Conformations for the N -alkyl protons are proposed based on chemical shift differences between alkyl protons cis and trans to the carbonyl group. N,N -diethylacetoacetamide is shown to be a keto-enol mixture which is 67% keto tautomer at 25°C. The thermodynamic functions for the tautomerization are reported. The enol tautomer is thought to have its OH group cis to carbonyl oxygen and form an intramolecular hydrogen bond with the carbonyl oxygen.
Solvation and Friction in Supercritical Fluids: Simulation−Experiment Comparisons in Diphenyl Polyene/CO2 Systems

Computer simulations of realistic models of the two solutes diphenylbutadiene (“DPB”) and hydroxymethylstilbene (“HMS”) in supercritical CO2 (310 K, 0.25−2.0ρc) are used to explore the interplay between local density augmentation and friction in supercritical solvents. Good agreement is found between the extent of local density augmentation observed in these simulations and that deduced from experimental measurements of electronic spectral shifts (also reported here). To test the accuracy of the solvent model for treating solute friction, the viscosity and self-diffusion constants of the neat solvent were simulated and compared to experiment and good agreement was also found. The rotation times of these solutes are compared to results of prior experimental measurements made by Anderton and Kauffman (J. Phys. Chem. 1995, 99, 13 759). In the case of DPB, the simulated times are larger than experimental estimates by as much as 30% at higher densities (ρ ≈ 1.8ρc). The origins of this disagreement are presentl...
Hall mobility in dielectrically isolated single-crystal silicon films defined by electrochemical etching

Abstract The majority-carrier Hall mobility has been measured in thin, single-crystal silicon films defined by electrochemical etching. Both n-type and p -type films with dopant concentrations of about 10 15 cm −3 were studied. The mobilities observed in p- type thin films and in epitaxial control samples were almost identical while the mobilities measured in n- type films were markedly less than those in epitaxial control samples. This apparent anomaly is attributed to the presence of an n -type surface-charge layer with lower carrier mobility near the bottom of the thin films, although it may possibly be related to voids formed in the n -type films. Measurements on very thin samples indicated that an t -type surface layer is left on the top surface of p -type films immediately after electrochemical etching.
Potentials and problems of the classification space method

A technique for representing human knowledge and judgments developed by Ossorio 1 is described. A matrix of judgments obtained from human experts is factor analyzed, and the resulting factors are used to define an n-dimensional space. Items may be assigned positions in the space by a weighted sum of their component factors. Items close to one another geometrically should be close conceptually. Is a significant amount of information lost in the factor analysis? How stable is the technique? Does the factor analysis extract "conceptually significant" factors? The technique is "humanistic" in approach, and there are ways to determine how well objects are represented in the space. Systems using this method have been promising in information retrieval and medical diagnosis.
Electro-chemical transduction in elastic protein-based polymers: a model for an energy conversion step of oxidative phosphorylation.

A pair of functional moieties, the carboxyl of an aspartic acid (Asp, D) residue and an N-methyl nicotinamide (NMeN) formed on amide linkage to the ϵ-amino group of the lysine (Lys, K) residue, are coupled to perform energy conversion by means of controlling the transition temperature, Tt, of a common hydrophobic folding and assembly domain within the polytricosapeptide, poly[GDGFP GVGVP GVGVP GFGVP GVGVP GVGK{NMeN}P]. The input of electrochemical energy in the form of the reduction of nicotinamide results in a reduction-induced increase in pKa by 2.5 pH units which represents the performance of the chemical work of picking up a proton. The primary structure and the structures of the oxidized and reduced states are verified by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance. Thus electrochemical transduction, the conversion of electro-chemical energy into chemical energy, has been demonstrated for the first time in a designed, synthetic protein-based polymer.
Xenopus importin beta validates human importin beta as a cell cycle negative regulator

Human importin beta has been used in all Xenopus laevis in vitro nuclear assembly and spindle assembly studies. This disconnect between species raised the question for us as to whether importin beta was an authentic negative regulator of cell cycle events, or a dominant negative regulator due to a difference between the human and Xenopus importin beta sequences. No Xenopus importin beta gene was yet identified at the time of those studies. Thus, we first cloned, identified, and tested the Xenopus importin beta gene to address this important mechanistic difference. If human importin beta is an authentic negative regulator then we would expect human and Xenopus importin beta to have identical negative regulatory effects on nuclear membrane fusion and pore assembly. If human importin beta acts instead as a dominant negative mutant inhibitor, we should then see no inhibitory effect when we added the Xenopus homologue. We found that Xenopus importin beta acts identically to its human counterpart. It negatively regulates both nuclear membrane fusion and pore assembly. Human importin beta inhibition was previously found to be reversible by Ran for mitotic spindle assembly and nuclear membrane fusion, but not nuclear pore assembly. During the present study, we observed that this differing reversibility varied depending on the presence or absence of a tag on importin beta. Indeed, when untagged importin beta, either human or Xenopus, was used, inhibition of nuclear pore assembly proved to be Ran-reversible. We conclude that importin beta, human or Xenopus, is an authentic negative regulator of nuclear assembly and, presumably, spindle assembly. A difference in the Ran sensitivity between tagged and untagged importin beta in pore assembly gives us mechanistic insight into nuclear pore formation.
P300 habituation from visual stimuli

The P3(00) event-related brain potential (ERP) was elicited with visual stimuli using an oddball task in which the subject indicated with a finger tap response the occurrence of a target stimulus that occurred randomly on 20% of the trials and refrained from responding to a standard stimulus. A total of six trial blocks were collected, with an equal number of artifact-free epochs averaged for both stimulus types. P3 amplitude from the target stimuli did not decrease across trial blocks; P3 amplitude from the standard stimuli did decrease across trial blocks. P3 latency from both the target and standard stimuli increased across trial blocks. No changes in amplitude or latency independent of the P3 effects were obtained for the other ERP components with trial block. The results suggest that P3 components elicited by visual stimuli do not readily habituate for actively discriminated target stimuli. The theoretical implications are discussed in the context of previous findings.
Does Prior Exposure to Stimulants in Children with ADHD Impact Cardiovascular Parameters from Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate

AbstractObjective: To evaluate the safety profile, based on cardiovascular measurements, of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) in children with and without prior exposure to stimulant medication in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: This single-blind, modified laboratory school study used open-label dose optimization of children aged 6 to 12 years. Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate, initiated at 30 mg, was dose titrated in 20-mg weekly increments to a possible 70 mg over 4 to 5 weeks. Safety outcomes presented in this study were assessed using vital signs (blood pressure and pulse) and electrocardiograms, conducted at baseline and following LDX treatment. Analyses were performed across all subjects, as well as post hoc based on prior treatment status. In addition, hematologic and blood biochemistry analyses were conducted at baseline but not following treatment. Results: Twenty-eight subjects enrolled in the study, with 27 safety protocol completers (n = 14 prior stimulant...
Delivering International Management Education in China Using Tutored-Video Instruction Technology

ABSTRACT This paper presents the results of a study of classroom performance and student attitudes of (on-site vs. the off-site) students enrolled in a distance education international management program leading to a MBA degree. The program was developed by the McLaren School of Business at the University of San Francisco and involves two large Hong Kong-based Chinese corporations. The off-site students of this distance education took classes at Hong Kong, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou via Tutored-Video Instruction methodology. The students were highly satisfied with the program and its delivery. However, their performance was less than anticipated.
Improved Procedure for Assessing Acnegenicity (Comedogenicity) in the Rabbit Ear Model

AbstractThe various procedures for assessing the comedogenicity of cosmetics, toiletries, and drugs using the rabbit ear model have produced conflicting results. The relevance and value of the rabbit ear model have been seriously questioned.This paper describes a method based on histopathologic evaluation of the ear skin of male rabbits, treated once daily for 3 weeks. Identifying substances capable of creating follicular horny impactions (comedones) is not the only goal of the test. It is equally important to be able to detect irritating formulations that can provoke an inflammatory folliculitis. These can cause papulopustular, acneform eruptions in humans.
THEOREMS IN LINEAR ELASTOSTATICS FOR EXTERIOR DOMAINS

Abstract : Conventional proofs of fundamental theorems in three-dimensional classical elastostatics such as the traditional proofs of the uniqueness and reciprocal theorems or of the minimum e ergy principles are generaliz d to unbounded domains exterior to a finite number of closed surfaces.
Preparation, reactions, and infrared spectra of fac-(CO)3(P-P) Mn—Z complexes (P-P = DEPE, DPPE, DPPP; Z = H, OTs, OMe, OC(O) OMe, NCO, Cl, Br, N3)

Abstract A series of new octahedral Mn(I) complexes fac -(CO) 3 (depe)Mn—Z (depe = 1,2-bis(diethylphosphino)ethane, Z = H, OTs, OMe, OC(O)OMe, NCO, Cl, Br, N 3 ) have been prepared and characterized, particularly with respect to their infrared spectra. The variations observed in the carbonyl stretching frequencies associated with the coordinated carbon monoxides are a function of the Z groups. Comparison of these spectra with similar spectra of the analogous dppp, 1,3-bis(diphenylphosphino)propane and dppe, 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane complexes shows the effect of substituting phenyl groups for ethyl groups on the phosphorus atom. The depe azido complex (Z = N 3 ) reacts with alkynes to give a triazolato complex which on hydrolysis with HCl liberates the triazole and regenerates the chloro complex from which the azido complex is made.
Crystal structure of a five-finger GLI-DNA complex: new perspectives on zinc fingers

Zinc finger proteins, of the type first discovered in transcription factor IIIA (TFIIIA), are one of the largest and most important families of DNA-binding proteins. The crystal structure of a complex containing the five Zn fingers from the human GLI oncogene and a high-affinity DNA binding site has been determined at 2.6 A resolution. Finger one does not contact the DNA. Fingers two through five bind in the major groove and wrap around the DNA, but lack the simple, strictly periodic arrangement observed in the Zif268 complex. Fingers four and five of GLI make extensive base contacts in a conserved nine base-pair region, and this section of the DNA has a conformation intermediate between B-DNA and A-DNA. Analyzing the GLI complex and comparing it with Zif268 offers new perspectives on Zn finger-DNA recognition.
Parallel algorithms for algebraic Riccati equations

The matrix sign function is the basis of a parallel algorithm for solving the generalized algebraic Riccati equation. Three forms of the algorithm were implemented and tested on a distributed memory hypercube multiprocessor. Performance results indicate that the method is an excellent means of solving large-scale problems on a parallel computer.
Monte Carlo study of x-ray cross talk in a variable resolution x-ray detector

A variable resolution x-ray (VRX) detector provides a great increase in the spatial resolution of a CT scanner. An important factor that limits the spatial resolution of the detector is x-ray cross-talk. A theoretical study of the x-ray cross-talk is presented in this paper. In the study, two types of the x-ray cross-talk were considered: inter-cell and inter-arm cross-talk. Both types of the x-ray cross-talk were simulated, using the Monte Carlo method, as functions of the detector field of view (FOV). The simulation was repeated for lead and tungsten separators between detector cells. The inter-cell x-ray cross-talk was maximum at the 34-36 cm FOV, but it was low at small and the maximum FOVs. The inter-arm x-ray cross-talk was high at small and medium FOVs, but it was greatly reduced when variable width collimators were placed on the front surfaces of the detector. The inter-cell, but not inter-arm, x-ray cross-talk was lower for tungsten than for lead separators. From the results, x-ray cross-talk in a VRX detector can be minimized by imaging all objects between 24 cm and 40 cm in diameter with the 40 cm FOV, using tungsten separators, and placing variable width collimators in front of the detector.
Using Picture Books to Support Young Children's Literacy

(2007). Using Picture Books to Support Young Children's Literacy. Childhood Education: Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 219-224.
Individual energetic state can prevail over social regulation of foraging in honeybees

The energetic state of an individual is a fundamental driver of its behavior. However, an individual in a eusocial group such as the honeybees is subject to the influence of both the individual and the colony energetic states. As these two states are normally coupled, it has led to the predominant view that behaviors, such as foraging, are dictated by the colony state acting through social regulatory mechanisms. Uncoupling the energetic state of an individual honeybee from its colony by feeding it with a non-nutritious sugar, we show that energetically stressed bees in a colony with full food stores do not consume this food to meet their energetic shortfall but instead compensate by first reducing their activity level and then by increasing their foraging rate. This suggests that foraging in eusocial groups is still partly under the regulatory control of the energetic state of the individual and supports the notion that regulatory mechanisms in solitary insects have been co-opted to drive altruistic behavior in eusocial insects. The observation that energetically stressed bees also experience higher mortality during foraging also suggests that energetic stress mediated by a variety of factors can be a common mechanism that underlies the recent observation of bees disappearing from their colonies. We also discuss how nutritional imbalance in a social insect individual can alter its behavior to influence colony life history.
Differential Expression of Leptin Receptor in High‐ and Low‐Fat‐Fed Osborne‐Mendel and S5B/Pl Rats

Objective: The regulation of body weight and body composition involves input from genes and the environment. This interaction is demonstrated by the different susceptibility of Osborne-Mendel (OM) and S5B/P1 rat strains to obesity when offered a high-fat diet. In animals and humans, diet-induced obesity has been characterized by hyperleptinemia, which has been interpreted as evidence for leptin resistance. This investigation determined if altered expression of leptin receptors (ObR) in the hypothalamus could potentially contribute to altered sensitivity to diet-induced obesity between OM and S5B/Pl rats. Research Methods and Procedures: OM and S5B/Pl rats were fed high-fat (HF) or low-fat (LF) diets for 14 days. Ribonuclease protection assays and Western blotting were used to assay the levels of mRNA and protein, respectively, for short (ObR-S) and long (ObR-L) forms of the leptin receptor in the hypothalamus. Results: The mRNA encoding ObR-L, the predominant signaling form of the receptor, was higher in OM rats than in S5B/P1 rats (p < 0.01) both on HF and LF diets. No changes in ObR-L mRNA expression were observed in OM rats with diet, but, S5B/P1 rats showed a slight increase in the ObR-L on the LF diet. On the contrary, there were no changes in ObR-S mRNA expression due to diet or strain. Western blots showed that both the short and long forms of the receptor were increased on the LF diet, but there were no strain differences. OM and S5B/Pl rats had comparable leptin levels after maintenance on a LF diet (6.20 ± 0.63 and 4.81 ± 0.82 ng/mL, respectively). Serum leptin levels in OM rats were increased by the HF diet and were elevated 2-fold over those of their S5B/Pl counterparts. Discussion: These results suggest that a decrease in the levels of both the long form and short form of the receptor may contribute to the leptin resistance seen in HF-fed rats. These effects appear to be post-transcriptional, because equivalent changes were not observed in the expression of ObR-L and ObR-S mRNAs. They may be related to the increase in circulating leptin levels, suggesting that high serum leptin levels contribute to increased leptin resistance and subsequently lead to obesity. We conclude that down-regulation of receptor protein levels is associated with hypothalamic leptin resistance of HF-fed rats.
Modeling the texture evolution of Cu/Nb layered composites during rolling

Abstract Metallic based multi-layered nano-composites are recognized for their increased plastic flow strength and indentation hardness, increased ductility, improved radiation damage resistance, improved electrical and magnetic properties, and enhanced fatigue failure resistance compared to conventional metallic materials. One of the ways in which these classes of materials are manufactured is through accumulated roll bonding where the material is produced by several rolling and heat treatment steps during which the layer thickness is reduced through severe plastic deformation. In this article, a single rolling pass of the accumulated roll bonding process in which a Cu/Nb layered composite with an initial average layer thickness of 24 μm subjected to a 50% height reduction is examined. Experimental morphological and crystallographic texture data is presented and used to initialize numerical models for these layered material systems. This study focuses on the Cu/Nb combination of fcc/bcc materials for incoherent material interfaces. A single crystal model based upon thermally activated dislocation motion is used and the evaluation of material parameters is presented. Since the initial state of the composite is not in a fully annealed condition, nano hardness tests for both the Cu and Nb layers are used to initialize the model for each of the two materials. EBSD data of the heat treated material is used to characterize the initial state of the composite and used to produce 40 combined morphological and crystallographic numerical model realizations of the material. Each of the models is then imposed to a plane strain compression deformation height reduction of 50%. Numerical data from the 40 simulations was then combined to arrive at the statistically comparable crystallographic texture for each of the Cu and Nb materials. This data was compared with the experimental data and the results suggest very good agreement between the predicted and experimental textures for both the materials. Selected stress profile predictions for two realizations are presented and demonstrate a strong difference in stress state between the Cu and Nb layers.
Regioselective Peroxo-Dependent Heme Alkylation in P450BM3-F87G by Aromatic Aldehydes: Effects of Alkylation on Catalysis

Cytochrome P450(BM3)-F87G reacts with aromatic aldehydes and hydrogen peroxide to generate covalent heme adducts in a reaction that may involve the formation of a stable isoporphyrin intermediate [Raner, G. M., Hatchell, A. J., Morton, P. E., Ballou, D. P., and Coon, M. J. (2000) J. Inorg. Biochem. 81, 153-160]. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra for the proposed isoporphyrin intermediates generated using two different aromatic aldehydes suggest that, in each case, the heme remained coordinated to the apoenzyme via the cysteine thiolate, the metal center remained ferric low spin, and a slight distortion in the geometry of the pyrrole nitrogens occurred. Characterization of the resulting heme adducts via 1D and 2D NMR showed conclusively that the heme was modified at the gamma-meso position alone, and mass spectral analysis indicated loss of formate from the aldehyde prior to alkylation. The enzyme derivatives in which the hemes were covalently altered retained the characteristic UV/vis and EPR spectral properties of a P450, indicating that the heme was properly ligated in the active site. The modified enzymes were able to accept electrons from NADPH in the presence of lauric acid at a rate comparable to that of the unmodified forms, although oxidation of the lauric acid was not observed with either modified enzyme. Oxidation of 4-nitrophenol and 4-nitrocatechol was observed for both derivatives. However, 4-nitrocatechol oxidation was completely quenched in the presence of superoxide dismutase. The results are consistent with heme modification occurring through a peroxo-dependent pathway and also suggest that modification results in altered catalytic activity, rather than complete inactivation of the P450.
Urban path dependency theory and the living wage: Were cities that passed ordinances destined to do so?

Abstract Most accounts of why cities pass living wage ordinances stress the importance of grassroots coalitions that have successfully mobilized bias out of concerns for justice and fairness. On the basis of data from the Integrated Public Micro-Use Data Series (IPUMS) for the years 1950–1990, this paper argues that cities that passed ordinances had labor market characteristics that may have predisposed them to do so. These cities were also more likely to pass ordinances because of transformations in their labor markets that were occurring over several decades. It is these transformations that constitute a form of path dependence. Consequently, it is this path dependence that may account for why some cities were more conducive to the development of grassroots organizations and coalitions that were able to capitalize on changes over a 40-year period as a basis for mobilizing bias. Although the story of post-World War II economic transformations is nothing new, this paper seeks to make a systematic attempt to quantify the extent to which they may have made certain cities more likely to pass ordinances.
The duration of maternal cigarette smoking, fetal and placental disorders

Abstract Data from a large prospective study of pregnancy were used to determine whether the number of years a mother had smoked cigarettes influenced the development of common fetal and placental disorders. Three disorders increased in frequency when mothers had smoked for more than 6 yr: placenta previa +143%, abruptio placentae +72% and large placental infarcts +37% (all P
Aerobic-anaerobic gene regulation in Escherichia coli: control by the ArcAB and Fnr regulons

A variety of pathways for carbon and electron flow in the bacterium Escherichia coli and in other enteric bacteria are differentially expressed depending on whether molecular oxygen is present in the cell environment. This review briefly summarizes the metabolic pathways operative during aerobic versus anaerobic cell growth, and provides a regulatory overview for how the cell controls expression of the many genes involved in these processes. The cell has two distinctly different transcriptional regulators, consisting of the Fnr and the ArcA/ArcB regulatory proteins to accomplish this task. Together, they coordinate gene expression to adjust carbon flow with electron flow and energy generation so that cells can balance growth in an efficiently coupled manner.
BIG Science: A Collaborative Framework for Large Scale Research

Large-scale research projects that involve multiple investigators from many disciplines and many universities face challenges that affect collaboration and cohesion of the project. In this poster, we propose a "Big Science" collaboration system that uses Human Computer Interaction, Artificial Intelligence and Big Data methods to identify project cohesion and create effective collaborative connections.
Vibration tailoring of heterogeneous beams and annular plates

Abstract In this study, it is demonstrated that clamped–clamped heterogeneous Bernoulli–Euler beams and the Kirchhoff–Love annular plate that is clamped along both inner and outer perimeters possess the common fundamental mode shape that is a fourth-order polynomial. This remarkable finding leads to the possibility of vibration tailoring, namely, the analytical design of annular heterogeneous plate with a pre-specified natural frequency.
Primatology: Advanced Ape Technology

New findings from African rainforests show chimpanzees to have impressively advanced technology. They make tools of vegetation to harvest termites as in East and West Africa, but some apes in Central Africa show different techniques and tool sets geared for different tasks.
Treatment of autoimmune disease by adoptive cellular gene therapy.

: Autoimmune disorders represent inappropriate immune responses directed at self-tissue. Antigen-specific CD4+ T cells and antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) are important mediators in the pathogenesis of auto-immune disease and thus are ideal candidates for adoptive cellular gene therapy, an ex vivo approach to therapeutic gene transfer. Using retrovirally transduced cells and luciferase bioluminescence, we have demonstrated that primary T cells, T cell hybridomas, and DCs rapidly and preferentially home to the sites of inflammation in animal models of multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and diabetes. These cells, transduced with retroviral vectors to drive expression of various “regulatory proteins” such as IL-4, IL-10, IL-12p40, and anti-TNF scFv, deliver these immunoregulatory proteins to the inflamed lesions, providing therapy for experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE), collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), and nonobese diabetic mice (NOD).
Building the case for distributed global multicast monitoring

Key to the utility of multicast is the correct operation of the various protocols. More importantly, these protocols must operate infrastructure-wide. Infrastructure-wide monitoring is necessary for effectively monitoring protocol operation. Consequently, monitoring is needed for efficient management and troubleshooting of multicast networks. In this paper we present results based on the analysis and comparison of multicast routing and source announcement data collected by our global monitoring system. This system, called Mantra, collects data from various important locations in the Internet multicast topology. Our final conclusion, and not one that can be drawn by looking at any individual router, is that there exists a fair amount of inconsistency between routers in what should be consistent global state.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Myopia and models and mechanisms of refractive error control

Myopia represents a failure of the normal process of emmetropization, which is essentially endogenous to the eye. Emmetropization involves defocus detection at the level of the amacrine and bipolar cells of the outer retina, diffusion of a signal or signals across the retinal pigment epithelium and choroid, and alteration of the scleral matrix, likely through modulation of proteoglycan synthesis. Elucidating and effectively bolstering the deficient steps in this regulatory pathway would mark a significant advance given myopia's tremendous impact. Clinical experience, longitudinal studies, epidemiological data and numerous animal experiments have enhanced our understanding of myopia. Interpretation of the epidemiological data is often complicated by the difficulties of distinguishing environmental from genetic influences, especially those pertaining to slow developmental changes. Likewise, it is important that the animal models be interpreted with an appreciation that the human eye varies structurally and developmentally from that of other species. Studies of the chick eye have formed the basis for several hypotheses of myopic development, but the chick does not possess a fovea or retinal blood supply. It is unclear whether these differences alter the pathways of emmetropization. Even closely related primate species can exhibit different responses to form deprivation conditions, suggesting differing mechanisms of eye growth control. Monocular occlusion of the rhesus macaque, for instance, results in myopia when the ciliary muscle is paralyzed or the optic nerve cut, but does not in the stumptailed macaque, suggesting a role of excessive accommodation in the development of myopia in the stumptail but not the rhesus [36]. Given such variability in the models a persisting element of continued myopia research must be an evaluation of the relevance of any given model to the human condition. In this regard, the study of changing patterns of gene expression within and among species during emmetropization and myopic progression may offer a productive avenue for future research.
LSD and fixed-interval responding in the rat

A series of 6 doses of lysergic acid diethylamide-25 (LSD) altered the bar-pressing behavior of 6 rats maintained on a fixed-interval, 5 min (FI 5) schedule of reinforcement. High doses of LSD (0.16, 0.32 mg/kg) depressed overall rates of responding. Low response rates, which occurred during the first half of the interval between successive reinforcements, were increased by low (0.01, 0.02 mg/kg), moderate (0.04, 0.08 mg/kg), and high doses of LSD; high rates of responding which occurred during the final half of the interval were decreased only by high doses of LSD. All doses (except the lowest) decreased the Index of Curvature, a statistic describing the temporal distribution of responses. The results were discussed in terms of baseline rate of responding and the presence or absence of timing behavior.
Left Ventricular Systolic Function Following Alcohol Septal Ablation for Symptomatic Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Because alcohol septal ablation (ASA) for the treatment of symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) with left ventricular (LV) outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction results in a myocardial infarct of up to 10% of ventricular mass, LV systolic function could decline over time. We evaluated LV function during longitudinal follow-up in a cohort of patients who underwent ASA. We studied 145 consecutive patients with HC that underwent 167 ASA procedures from 2002 to 2011. Echocardiographic follow-up was available in 139 patients (96%). Echocardiographic indexes included LV ejection fraction (LVEF), mitral regurgitation severity, systolic anterior motion of the anterior mitral leaflet, and resting and provoked LVOT gradients. All patients had a baseline LVEF of >55%. LVEF was preserved in 97.1% of patients over a mean follow-up time of 3.1 ± 2.3 years (maximum 9.7). Mild LV systolic dysfunction was observed (LVEF range 44% to 54%) in only 4 patients. Mitral regurgitation severity improved in 67% (n = 112 of 138 with complete data). Resting LVOT gradient declined from a mean of 75 to 19 mm Hg (p
Satellite measurements of the Earth's crustal magnetic field

The literature associated with the Magsat mission has evaluated the capabilities and limitations of satellite measurements of the earth's crustal magnetic field, and demonstrated that there exists a 300-3000 km magnetic field, related to major features in the earth's crust, which is primarily caused by induction. Due to its scale and sensitivity, satellite data have been useful in the development of models for such large crustal features as subduction zones, submarine platforms, continental accretion boundaries, and rifts. Attention is presently given to the lack of agreement between laboratory and satellite estimates of lower crustal magnetization.
BioMeSensi: a wearable multi-sensing platform for bio-medical applications

Living in an era characterized by the rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT), people can now easily access information about anything at anytime and anywhere. Still today, what is missing is that people cannot get relatively basic information of their own health without visiting a physician. Moreover, there is no generally acceptable system to provide vital health information such as heart rate, skin/core body temperature, respiratory rate, blood pressure, etc. In BioMeSensi, we propose an implementation of a wearable system which will be connected with the cloud infrastructure to collect valuable health related data to fill the current technological void.
Tenofovir-Associated Acute and Chronic Kidney Disease: A Case of Multiple Drug Interactions

Tenofovir therapy in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been associated with acute renal failure (ARF) and Fanconi syndrome. In the past 2 years, we diagnosed tenofovir-associated ARF in 5 HIV-infected patients who were receiving tenofovir therapy and who had classic findings of acute tubular necrosis, and we compared findings for our patients with data on 22 patients described in the literature. The mean serum creatinine level increased from 0.9 to 3.9 mg/dL, and it decreased to 1.2 mg/dL during recovery. ARF resolved in 22 of 27 patients after discontinuation of tenofovir therapy. The most common drugs given with tenofovir were ritonavir or lopinavir-ritonavir (21 of 27 patients), atazanavir (5 of 27 patients), and didanosine (9 of 27 patients). Tenofovir-associated ARF manifests as acute tubular necrosis that may not resolve with tenofovir withdrawal. Tenofovir is associated with multiple drug interactions, leading to an increased risk of ARF. Frequent monitoring of renal function is warranted for any patient receiving these combinations.
Systolic and diastolic function of the univentricular heart

Abstract Current surgical palliation for the patient with functional single ventricle provides long-term survival for the majority of patients. Nevertheless, because of the increased hemodynamic load, cardiac reserve is intrinsically reduced by these interventions. Preservation of ventricular systolic and diastolic function is therefore particularly important for this patient population. This article reviews the published data concerning ventricular systolic and diastolic function in patients after early palliation with pulmonary artery banding or aortopulmonary shunts and after superior and total cavopulmonary anastomoses. There are significant intrinsic limitations to the applicability of these data, since they are invariably limited to descriptive studies of the outcome for a constantly evolving treatment strategy. The majority of these studies involve patients managed according to a management scheme that has now been abandoned. Until the pulmonary and systemic circulations are separated, a volume load is imposed on the ventricle that carries a long-term risk of progressive loss of myocardial contractility. As in the case with other forms of ventricular volume loading, the risk for and the pace of deterioration is proportional to the magnitude of the volume overload. This observation, coupled with the demonstration that the superior cavopulmonary anastomosis can be successfully performed by 6 months of age, has resulted in dramatic reduction in the duration of volume overload to which these patients are generally exposed. Despite the reduced incidence of impaired myocardial contractility that has been realized, the total cavopulmonary anastomosis circulation still imposes an increased workload on the single ventricle. Data on late outcome in patients managed with early volume-reduction therapy are not yet available. Although there is considerable concern about the relative durability of single ventricles of right ventricular morphology, the available data on this issue are contradictory. The energy requirements to fill the heart are particularly critical in patients who have previously undergone a Fontan operation because of the absence of a pulmonary pumping chamber. Compared to systolic function, the diastolic ventricular and myocardial outcome in these patients has been evaluated much less frequently and generally by less reliable methodologies. The utility of noninvasive techniques in the measurement of relaxation and compliance in single ventricle hearts is unproven and highly suspect, particularly when compounded by chronic volume overload or acute preload reduction. The available data do not document a verifiable impairment in ventricular or myocardial compliance, although there are suggestive data indicating that impaired relaxation may be present. Again, late outcome with regard to diastolic function are not yet available in the patients who have been treated according to present day management practices.
Comparison of Trained and Untrained Teachers of Gifted Students

Leaders in the field of gifted education have presented models for both instructional programs for gifted students and correlated teacher training, but research on or evaluation of the effects of t...
Misperceptions of non-medical prescription drug use: a web survey of college students.

Abstract Objectives This study compared undergraduate students' perceived versus actual prevalence rates of non-medical use of marijuana, prescription opioids and prescription stimulants. Methods In 2005, a randomly selected sample of 3639 college students self-administered a Web survey regarding their substance use behaviors and attitudes (68% response rate). Results The majority of undergraduate students overestimated the prevalence of non-medical use of prescription stimulants (70.2%) and prescription opioids (69.9%) and marijuana use (50.5%) among peers on their campus. The mean difference between perceived versus actual past-year use was considerably greater for non-medical use of prescription stimulants (mean difference = 12.2, 95% CI = 11.7–12.7) and prescription opioids (mean difference = 8.8, 95% CI = 8.3–9.2) than marijuana (mean difference = 2.9, 95% CI = 2.2–3.6). Multivariate regression analysis revealed overestimation of non-medical use of prescription drugs was significantly associated with gender and medical use of prescription drugs. Conclusions The findings provided strong evidence of misperception of non-medical prescription drug use among college students. Future research and prevention efforts should assess the impact of correcting misperceived norms on reducing non-medical prescription drug use.
The Effect of Temperature on the Etch Rate and Roughness of Surfaces Etched With XEF2

In this work we present results from a pulsed etching system with XeF2 for an expanded temperature range while at the same time determining the roughness of the substrate left behind. The experimental apparatus used for the work presented in this paper is capable of temperature ranges from approximately 100 to 800 K. Data was taken at a constant etching pressure of 1.2 Torr so the effect of temperature on roughness and etch rate could be studied. Etch rates and surface roughnesses were characterized using a vertical scanning and phase shifting interferometer, respectively.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
1,3,4-Thiadiazole-2-carboxylate esters: new synthetic methodology for the preparation of an elusive family of self-organizing materials

A series of alkyl 5-(4-octyloxyphenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-carboxylates has been prepared via a novel chemoselective ring-closure of appropriate tricarbonyl precursors. This paper represents the first report of a general and reproducible synthetic methodology for the preparation of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-carboxylate esters. The 1,3,4-thiadiazole esters synthesized were designed to evaluate the feasibility of this new core unit for potential ferroelectric applications. The core unit was found to promote strongly the formation of tilted smectic phases (the smectic C phase in particular). The 1,3,4-thiadiazole ester was found to be a stronger promoter of the smectic C phase than its phenyl-based counterpart.
Medical rationalization, cultural lag, and the malpractice crisis.

The theses of this paper are that (1) the practice of medicine has become more formally rationalized in the past century; (2) this rationalization process has been retarded by the professional aspects of medical practice, e.g., the service ethic and the medical profession's exclusive jurisdiction over medicine; (3) this retardation is evident in cultural lag between the development of medical knowledge and how medicine is practiced; and (4) the "malpractice crisis" is a particular force which is accelerating the rationalization process and is overcoming lag. Data from physician surveys and interviews are presented which show the utility of a rationalization-cultural lag model in generating a number of substantive questions pertinent to the quality of rationalized medical care.
P3E-5 Attenuation Estimations from B-Mode Image Data Derived using Bandpass Filtering

Frequency-dependent ultrasound attenuation in soft tissue is an important parameter for discriminating normal from diseased tissues. A previously described video signal analysis method computes the ratio of mean echo intensities from a sample to that from a reference phantom scanned using identical transducer settings. The relative echogenicity versus depth yields information on the attenuation of the sample. A problem with VSA, however, is that the relative echogenicity versus depth curves derived in this manner are distorted when broadband pulses common in pulse-echo ultrasound systems are utilized. In this paper, we present results that show the accuracy of attenuation estimates computed from image data derived after narrowband bandpass filtering of the backscattered radiofrequency echo signals at different center frequencies around the center frequency of the broadband echo signal. Envelope or B-mode signals derived from the narrow bandpass filtered radiofrequency data are processed to estimate attenuation using the video signal analysis method. Since higher frequency components are more severely attenuated than lower frequencies, even with a 1 MHz bandwidth filter, narrow band video signal analysis data for center frequencies above the center frequency of the pulse yielded significant underestimation of the attenuation, particularly at large depths. On the other band, filtered signals with center frequencies lower than or at the center frequency of the broadband pulse produced unbiased attenuation estimates. Local attenuation coefficient estimates using the video signal analysis method with narrow bandpass filtering demonstrate comparable results to other existing estimation methods, while maintaining computational efficiency for real-time implementation
Search Parameters for the Small World Problem

In "small world" studies successive men each send on a postcard packet to an acquaintance who may know a designated target person on a first-name basis. In this analysis the likelihood of discarding the packet is separated from the chance the packet if sent reaches a man who knows the target. The former probability is assumed to be independent of the previous number of persons in the chain. The assumption is satisfied by the three extant sets of aggregate data. Then the latter probability is found to rise from zero to a modest plateau with the number of steps in the chain. Refinements and variants of the model are suggested. Funneling of chains through a few persons near the target is discussed. Social processes shape and are shaped by 1966). Snowballing effects however make it networks of particular ties linking individvery difficult to trace networks through many uals in populations. Even in the field of links; so the long-range structure and intermass media Katz and Lazarsfeld (1955) 1oi:g locking of such networks in large population~ ago emphasized this truth as a balance to remains unclear. Rapoport and Horvath conventional pictures of attitudes being broad(1961) extended classical sociometry to larger cast direct to categories of people. Studies of groups and provide some insight into condiffusion-of rumors, fads, disease, or innonectivity properties. A second empirical apvations-were a natural first approach to the proach to networks has focused on how links empirical study of networks (Coleman et al., of different affective quality tend to fit together in balanced groupings among small sets af * Stanley Milgram suggested this analysis and I people (e.g., Bott, 1957; White, 1961)am indebted to him, Jeff Travers and Charles again the overall topology of networks remains Korte for explainhi their ideas and data. Financial support was received from ?he National obscure, although ties are made between netScience Foundation under Grant GS-448. work study and classical ideas of role theory.