cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrograph sensitivity to estimates of map impervious cover: a WinHSPF BASINS case study

The BASINS geographic information system hydrologic toolkit was designed to compute total maximum daily loads, which are often derived by combining water quantity estimates with pollutant concentration estimates. In this paper the BASINS toolkit PLOAD and WinHSPF sub-models are briefly described, and then a 0.45 km 2 headwater watershed in the New York Croton River area is used for a case study illustrating a full WinHSPF implementation. The goal of the Croton study was to determine the sensitivity of WinHSPF hydrographs to changes in land cover map inputs. This scenario occurs when scaling the WinHSPF model from the smaller 0.45 km 2 watershed to the larger 1000 km 2 management basin of the entire Croton area. Methods used to test model sensitivity include first calibrating the WinHSPF hydrograph using research-monitored precipitation and discharge data together with high spatial resolution and accuracy land cover data of impervious and pervious areas, and then swapping three separate land cover files, known as GIRAS, MRLC, and DOQQ data, into the calibrated model. Research results indicated that the WinHSPF land cover swapping had peak flow sensitivity in December 2001 hydrographs between 35% underestimation and 20% overestimation, and that errors in land-cover-derived runoff ratios for storm totals and peak flows tracked with the land cover data estimates of impervious area.
Drug therapy during pregnancy

A randomized prospective trial has shown that folic acid started before conception and continued for the first trimester reduces the risk of recurrence of neural tube defects by 72% in women with a previously affected child. Carbamazepine exposure in utero is associated with a 1% risk of spina bifida. Long-term follow-up of antenatal exposure to phenobarbital and carbamazepine in two groups of infants shows no neurologic differences between the two groups. Magnesium sulfate is more effective in prevention of recurrent eclamptic seizures than phenytoin. During pregnancy, the need for thyroxine increases in many women. Vitamin B6 and ginger are both effective for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy. Low-dose aspirin does not change the course of preeclampsia when it is started after the diagnosis is made. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors cause significant disturbances of fetal and neonatal renal function. Prophylactic beta-adrenergic agents fail to prevent prematurity in twins. Oral tocolysis with magnesium chloride or ritodrine is no more effective than observation alone. The risk of primary pulmonary hypertension in the newborn after indomethacin tocolysis is increased with prolonged therapy. Lithium causes polyhydramnios from fetal diabetes insipidus in utero. Treatment of Ureaplasma urealyticum infection with erythromycin during pregnancy does not eliminate the organism from the lower genital tract and does not improve perinatal outcome.
ASSESSING ORGANIZATIONAL KNOWLEDGE CREATION THEORY IN COLLABORATIVE R&D PROJECTS

The paper describes research from an intensive study of technological innovation in collaborative research and development (R&D) projects. Specifically, the factors of organizational knowledge creation presented by Nonaka and Takeuchi are extended into the inter-organizational realm by examining survey results of 25 collaborative R&D projects. A case study is also presented from a set of six in-depth cases from the study's population of projects. It was found that specification of goals and scanning of relevant environment factors were significant positive factors in successful technological innovation in this context. In general, the results presented in this paper indicate that inter-organizational collaboration in R&D may require different technical knowledge-creating factors or enabling conditions from the single organization situation. Practical and theoretical implications regarding the use of such managerial devices in successful technical knowledge creation strategies are also discussed.
A stochastic collocation approach for efficient integrated gear health prognosis

Uncertainty quantification in damage growth is critical in equipment health prognosis and condition based maintenance. Integrated health prognostics has recently drawn growing attention due to its capability to produce more accurate predictions through integrating physical models and real-time condition monitoring data. In the existing literature, simulation is commonly used to account for the uncertainty in prognostics, which is inefficient. In this paper, instead of using simulation, a stochastic collocation approach is developed for efficient integrated gear health prognosis. Based on generalized polynomial chaos expansion, the approach is utilized to evaluate the uncertainty in gear remaining useful life prediction as well as the likelihood function in Bayesian inference. The collected condition monitoring data are incorporated into prognostics via Bayesian inference to update the distributions of uncertainties at given inspection times. Accordingly, the distribution of the remaining useful life is updated. Compared to conventional simulation methods, the stochastic collocation approach is much more efficient, and is capable of dealing with high dimensional probability space. An example is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach.
Reproducibility, efficacy and methodology of mitogen-induced lymphocyte transformations by the whole blood assay.

Abstract For the past few years, the whole blood culture method has been scrutinized for its usefulness and reproducibility in evaluating the immunologic status of patients. This method, used in our laboratory mainly screening specimens for evidence of immunodeficiencies, has been systematically evaluated for reproducibility, and factors affecting normal response through testing specimens from over 70 normal persons. Three mitogens (phytohemagglutinin, Concanavalin A, and pokeweed) were studied; peak time responses occurred later than in the separated cell culture method, and they were different for each mitogen. The dose response curves also depended on the mitogen tested, with pokeweed giving a sharp curve and the others a broad plateau. The harvesting procedure was studied by varying reagents and was optimized for speed and efficiency. The mononuclear cell count of the specimen had little effect on the results as long as it remained less than 3.5 × 10 6 /ml. The results for all mitogens followed a similar distribution curve irrespective of whether the results were expressed as cpm or cpm divided by the mononuclear cell count. The use of the stimulation ratio method to express results was less satisfactory. The mean coefficient of variation for all triplicate samples remained 20% or less and for all conditions tested. In evaluating the immunodeficient patient, the whole blood culture method was found to be equally as informative and easier to perform than the separated cell method.
Considerations for the Design of Solar-Thermal Chemical Processes

A methodology is presented for the design of solar thermal chemical processes. The solar receiver efficiency for the high temperature step, defined herein as the ratio of the enthalpy change resulting from the process occurring in the receiver to the solar energy input, is limited by the solar energy absorption efficiency. When using this definition of receiver efficiency both the optimal reactor temperature for a given solar concentration ratio and the solar concentration required to achieve a given temperature and efficiency shift to lower values than those dictated by the Carnot limitation on the system efficiency for the conversion of heat to work. Process and solar field design considerations were investigated for ZnO and NiFe 2 O 4 "ferrite" spinel water splitting cycles with concentration ratios of roughly 2000, 4000, and 8000 suns to assess the implications of using reduced solar concentration. Solar field design and determination of field efficiency were accomplished using ray trace modeling of the optical components. Annual solar efficiency increased while heliostat area decreased with increasing concentration due to shading and blocking effects. The hel i ostat fields designed using system efficiency for the conversion of heat to work were found to be overdesigned by up to 21 % compared with those designed using the receiver efficiency alone. Overall efficiencies of 13―20% were determined for a "ferrite" based water splitting process with thermal reduction conversions in the range of 35―100%.
Applications of systems modeling in aquaculture

Abstract This paper deals with the applications of systems modeling in aquaculture. Different types of biological models and techniques of economic analysis such as optimization and simulation are discussed in the context of aquaculture production. Emphasis is on the applicability of such modeling techniques for production system design and operation management. Past modeling efforts for several aquatic species are reviewed and surveyed with a special discussion on an on-going modeling effort of prawn production in Hawaii.
Minimum-time collision-free trajectory planning for dual-robot systems

Collision-free multirobot motion planning can be achieved in two steps: path planning and trajectory planning. Path planning finds for the robots geometric paths to avoid collision with static obstacles and trajectory planning determines how fast each robot must move along its geometric path to avoid collision with other moving robots. For a dual-robot system, a simple trajectory planning strategy is to let each robot move along its path as fast as possible and delay one robot at its initial position to avoid collision with the other robot. A sufficient condition under which this simple (thus easy to implement) strategy for dual-robot systems can achieve time optimality as well as collision avoidance, i.e., the two robots reach their final positions without colliding with each other in the minimum amount of time, is derived. A demonstrative example is presented, showing how this strategy can be used for loading and unloading applications. >
Assessment of student performance and perceptions of learning in a medication use evaluation project.

Objective. To describe and assess student perceptions and performance on a medication use evaluation (MUE) team project.Design. Following a 1-hour MUE lecture in a 62-student patient safety course, student teams (n=14) were assigned a medication safety or quality issue. Teams worked with a mentor to design an MUE to address the issue. The deliverable was a verbal presentation recorded as a webinar.Assessment. Presentations were assessed by 2 reviewers for content and style. Mean score was 45.0 +/- 2.7 of 50 points. Students rated level of agreement that they could perform MUE-related skills pre- and postproject (n=35 and 34, respectively) on a 5-point Likert scale. Students perceived improved ability to design an MUE after project completion (median 3 vs 4; p=0.003). Student comfort with sample determination, data, collaborators, study limitations, and potential project impact also improved.Conclusion. Teams achieved the objective of successfully designing an MUE, and related enabling outcomes (ie, suppor...
Henry's law constants of some environmentally important aldehydes

The Henry’s law constants of seven aldehydes have been determined as a function of temperature by bubble-column and by head-space techniques. The compounds were chosen for their potential importance in the polluted troposphere and to allow structure-reactivity patterns to be investigated. The results (at 25 oC) are as follows (in units of M atm^(-1)): chloral, 3.44 X 10^5; glyoxal, ≥ 13 X 10^5; methylglyoxal, 3.71 X 10^3; formaldehyde, 2.97 X 10^3; benzaldehyde, 3.74 X 10^1; hydroxyacetaldehyde, 4.14 X 10^4; acetaldehyde, 1.14 X 10^1. A plot of Taft’s parameter, ∑σ^*, vs log H^* (the apparent Henry’s law constant) gives a straight line with a slope of 1.72. H^* for formaldehyde is anomalously high, as expected, but the extremely high value for hydroxyacetaldehyde was unexpected and may indicate that α-hydroxy-substituted aldehydes could have an unusually high affinity for the aqueous phase. The intrinsic Henry’s law constants, H, corrected for hydration, do not show a clear structure-reactivity pattern for this series of aldehydes.
Ocular Movements in Essential Blepharospasm

In essential blepharospasm histopathologic and electrophysiologic evidence supports the existence of lesions in proximity to brainstem nuclei controlling ocular movements. We studied horizontal ocular movements in eight patients who had been treated previously with surgery or botulinum toxin injection to control essential blepharospasm (mean age, 58 years) and compared these with seven control subjects who did not have blepharospasm (mean age, 68 years). We examined fixation stability, saccades, the vestibulo-ocular reflex, visual enhancement and suppression of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, optokinetic nystagmus, and pursuit by using digitally sampled, direct current electro-oculography. Patients with blepharospasm exhibited no ocular movement abnormalities. Since quantitative aspects of ocular movements are sensitive to nonspecific brainstem lesions, the absence of abnormal ocular movements suggests that the lesion in blepharospasm is specifically limited to neurons regulating the facial muscles.
The Rear Window A Project for a Screenplay on the Welcoming of Roma Families

The article analyzes the use of qualitative research for the construction of a professional vision within specific organizational contexts. Using the metaphor of the screenplay, it describes the mo...
Comparison of ray and Fourier methods for modeling monostatic ground-penetrating radar profiles

With increasing emphasis on shallow, high‐resolution geophysical techniques for environmental and engineering applications, it has become important to implement and evaluate tools for quantitative interpretation of ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) data. Both ray and Fourier algorithms are viable for numerical simulation of 2-D monostatic GPR data, but they have different characteristics. The ray algorithm uses geometrically complicated layers, where within each the dielectric permittivity and attenuation are constant. The algorithm produces accurate amplitudes for reflection but does not include wave effects such as diffractions from layer truncations. The Fourier algorithm uses a gridded parameterization in which reflections are constructed by superposition of diffractions in a background of constant dielectric permittivity and constant attenuation. This technique includes all wave effects, but it does not contain the antenna directivities. Both algorithms are able to simulate the main features in two repr...
Emigration nations: policies and ideologies of emigrant engagement

The state and its migration policies are major fields of study for migration scholars, but most of the attention to policies has been on states' efforts to control immigration and the implications ...
Effect of gestational age on cord blood plasma copper, zinc, magnesium and albumin

Background: The transport of essential trace elements from mother to fetus varies throughout gestation, and the role of transport proteins in the neonate and the mother may change during pregnancy. Magnesium, often used as tocolytic agent, may reach the fetus and appear in cord blood at higher than normal concentrations. Aims: To determine cord blood plasma zinc, copper and magnesium concentrations, as well as plasma albumin in premature and full-term newborns, and correlate these values with those of maternal blood plasma at birth. Also, to examine whether cord blood plasma concentration of these elements varies with gestational age. Subjects: The 35 mother– infant pairs included: 11 in the 38–42-week gestational age (GA), 9 in the 34–37-week GA, 11 in the 29–33-week GA group and 4 in the 24–28-week GA. Magnesium for tocolysis was given to five of the mothers in the 29–33-week GA cohort and two of the women giving birth at 24–28-week GA. Results: Trend analysis showed that while cord plasma zinc decreased with GA at birth, the reverse was observed for copper. There were no differences with GA either in maternal plasma zinc or copper. However, maternal ceruloplasmin tended to decrease with GA (P=0.0174). Maternal and cord blood plasma magnesium exhibited a strong correlation (r=0.942, P<0.001), as well as between cord plasma magnesium and zinc (r=0.448, P<0.01). Conclusions: While the vigorous mother-to-fetus uphill zinc transfer is clear throughout the last trimester, copper remains in cord blood plasma at much lower concentrations than in the mother, suggesting that prematurity may
Phycomycetes and mast cells in hypependymal cysts of the area postrema in Macaca arotoïdes

The stumptailed monkey (Macaca arctoides) was found to have, in and next to the area postrema, hypependymal cysts, which in one animal harbored a fungus belonging to the Phycomycetes. Invasion of the brain by such a fungus has not previously been described in primates. The predominantly non-septate hyphae were appended to mast cells, which occur in large number in the area postrema of this animal species. While arterial thrombosis with scattered hyphae and mast cells had developed in the tela of the third ventricle, the brain was free of necrosis or granulomatous reaction. Site of origin and predisposing factors were not disclosed.
Theory of Microphase Separation in Graft and Star Copolymers

Calcul des criteres de stabilite de phase et de facteurs de structure statique pour des copolymeres AB simples greffes, pour des copolymeres etoile avec un nombre eg-l de bras A et B et pour des copolymeres bisequences, en etoile a n-bras
Image Based Localization in Urban Environments

In this paper we present a prototype system for image based localization in urban environments. Given a database of views of city street scenes tagged by GPS locations, the system computes the GPS location of a novel query view. We first use a wide-baseline matching technique based on SIFT features to select the closest views in the database. Often due to a large change of viewpoint and presence of repetitive structures, a large percentage of matches (> 50%) are not correct correspondences. The subsequent motion estimation between the query view and the reference view, is then handled by a novel and efficient robust estimation technique capable of dealing with large percentage of outliers. This stage is also accompanied by a model selection step among the fundamental matrix and the homography. Once the motion between the closest reference views is estimated, the location of the query view is then obtained by triangulation of translation directions. Approximate solutions for cases when triangulation cannot be obtained reliably are also described. The presented system is tested on the dataset used in ICCV 2005 Computer Vision Contest and is shown to have higher accuracy than previous reported results.
The Impact of Perceived Physical Environments on Customers' Satisfaction and Return Intentions

ABSTRACT The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of physical environments on customer satisfaction and their subsequent return intentions within a service industry. Drawing from data collected from spectators at three Midwestern Conference ice hockey arenas, the effects of physical environment on customer satisfaction, the effect of customer satisfaction on their return intentions, and the direct relationship between the perceptions of physical environments and customers' return intentions were investigated. Structural equation modeling (e.g., LISREL) was employed to test the causal relationships among the hypothesized relationships. Based on customer surveys, the findings are that physical environments had a significant effect on customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction, in turn, plays a significant role in determining customer's return intentions. Physical environments, however, did not have a significant effect on customers' return intentions.
Carcass proximate composition of juvenile white sturgeon (acipenser transmontanus)

Abstract 1. 1. Body wt, carcass wt, liver wt, gonad wt, total length, and carcass proximate compositions of 8- to 32-month-old cultured sturgeon were significantly affected ( P 2. 2. Correlation coefficients were significant between age and body wt ( r = 0.96), carcass wt ( r = 0.96), total length ( r = 0.92), liver wt ( r = 0.88), gonad wt ( r = 0.76), gonadosomatic index ( r = 0.52), carcass moisture ( r = −0.93), crude protein ( r = 0.62) and lipid ( r = 0.57). 3. 3. The carcass proximate compositions of cultured sturgeon were 72.1–79.4% moisture, 13.5–17.5% crude protein, 3.4–7.4% crude lipid, and 4.2–5.0% ash. 4. 4. A high variability in the body measurements and carcass proximate compositions of some cultured sturgeon suggested high potential for genetic and nutrition improvements in culturing these fish in hatcheries.
Phosphorus Deficiency in Lupinus albus (Altered Lateral Root Development and Enhanced Expression of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase)

The development of clustered tertiary lateral roots (proteoid roots) and the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC, EC 4.1.1.31) in roots were studied in white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) grown with either 1 mM P (+P-treated) or without P (-P-treated). The +P-treated plants initiated fewer clustered tertiary meristems and the emergence of these meristems was delayed compared with -P-treated plants. Proteoid root zones could be identified 9 d after emergence in both P treatments. Amounts of PEPC mRNA, PEPC specific activity, and enzyme protein were greater in proteoid roots than in normal roots beginning at 10, 12, and 14 d after emergence, respectively. The increases in PEPC mRNA, PEPC enzyme, and PEPC specific activity suggest that this enzyme is in part under transcriptional regulation. Recovery of organic acids from root exudates coincided with the increases in PEPC specific activity. The -P-treated plants exuded 40-, 20-, and 5-fold more citrate, malate, and succinate, respectively, than did +P-treated plants. Data presented support the hypothesis that white lupin has concerted regulation of proteoid root development, transcriptional regulation of PEPC, and biosynthesis of organic acids for exudation in response to P deficiency.
SPARC-induced increase in glioma matrix and decrease in vascularity are associated with reduced VEGF expression and secretion

Glioblastomas are heterogeneous tumors displaying regions of necrosis, proliferation, angiogenesis, apoptosis and invasion. SPARC, a matricellular protein that negatively regulates angiogenesis and cell proliferation, but enhances cell deadhesion from matrix, is upregulated in gliomas (Grades II–IV). We previously demonstrated that SPARC promotes invasion while concomitantly decreasing tumor growth, in part by decreasing proliferation of the tumor cells. In other cancer types, SPARC has been shown to influence tumor growth by altering matrix production, and by decreasing angiogenesis via interfering with the VEGF-VEGFR1 signaling pathway. We therefore examined whether the SPARC-induced decrease in glioma tumor growth was also, in part, due to alterations in matrix and/or decreased vascularity, and assessed SPARC-VEGF interactions. The data demonstrate that SPARC upregulates glioma matrix, collagen I is a constituent of the matrix and SPARC promotes collagen fibrillogenesis. Furthermore, SPARC suppressed glioma vascularity, and this was accompanied by decreased VEGF expression and secretion, which was, in part, due to reduced VEGF165 transcript abundance. These data indicate that SPARC modulates glioma growth by altering the tumor microenvironment and by suppressing tumor vascularity through suppression of VEGF expression and secretion. These experiments implicate a novel mechanism, whereby SPARC regulates VEGF function by limiting the available growth factor. Because SPARC is considered to be a therapeutic target for gliomas, a further understanding of its complex signaling mechanisms is important, as targeting SPARC to decrease invasion could undesirably lead to the growth of more vascular and proliferative tumors. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Hybrid biasing approaches for global variance reduction.

Abstract A new variant of Monte Carlo—deterministic (DT) hybrid variance reduction approach based on Gaussian process theory is presented for accelerating convergence of Monte Carlo simulation and compared with Forward-Weighted Consistent Adjoint Driven Importance Sampling (FW-CADIS) approach implemented in the SCALE package from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The new approach, denoted the Gaussian process approach, treats the responses of interest as normally distributed random processes. The Gaussian process approach improves the selection of the weight windows of simulated particles by identifying a subspace that captures the dominant sources of statistical response variations. Like the FW-CADIS approach, the Gaussian process approach utilizes particle importance maps obtained from deterministic adjoint models to derive weight window biasing. In contrast to the FW-CADIS approach, the Gaussian process approach identifies the response correlations (via a covariance matrix) and employs them to reduce the computational overhead required for global variance reduction (GVR) purpose. The effective rank of the covariance matrix identifies the minimum number of uncorrelated pseudo response s, which are employed to bias simulated particles. Numerical experiments, serving as a proof of principle, are presented to compare the Gaussian process and FW-CADIS approaches in terms of the global reduction in standard deviation of the estimated responses.
Some Input on the Easy/Difficult Grammar Question: An Empirical Study

The purpose of this study was to determine whether it is possible to distinguish between “difficult” and “easy” constructions for second language (L2) learners by examining characteristics of the structures as they occur in aural input. In a multidimensional analysis of 3 English structures with different acquisition profiles—the simple past, possessive determiners his/her, and the progressive aspect—we examined the phonological, morphosyntactic, and lexicosemantic characteristics of the forms as they occurred in a 110,000-word corpus of instructional talk to L2 learners. We analyzed the type/token distributions of the forms, their lexical properties, and their perceptual salience. Our findings revealed key input factors that distinguished between the early-acquired progressive, on the one hand, and the later-acquired past and his/her determiners, on the other hand. These results lend support to theoretical accounts of the input–acquisition relationship and also generate hypotheses for manipulating instructional input to increase the salience of opaque constructions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Ultrasound elastography as a tool for imaging guidance during prostatectomy: Initial experience

BACKGROUND During laparoscopic or robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy, the surgeon lacks tactile feedback which can help him tailor the size of the excision. Ultrasound elastography (USE) is an emerging imaging technology which maps the stiffness of tissue. In the paper we are evaluating USE as a palpation equivalent tool for intraoperative image guided robotic assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy. MATERIAL/METHODS Two studies were performed: 1) A laparoscopic ultrasound probe was used in a comparative study of manual palpation versus USE in detecting tumor surrogates in synthetic and ex-vivo tissue phantoms; N=25 participants (students) were asked to provide the presence, size and depth of these simulated lesions, and 2) A standard ultrasound probe was used for the evaluation of USE on ex-vivo human prostate specimens (N=10 lesions in N=6 specimens) to differentiate hard versus soft lesions with pathology correlation. Results were validated by pathology findings, and also by in-vivo and ex-vivo MR imaging correlation. RESULTS In the comparative study, USE displayed higher accuracy and specificity in tumor detection (sensitivity=84%, specificity=74%). Tumor diameters and depths were better estimated using USE versus with manual palpation. USE also proved consistent in identification of lesions in ex-vivo prostate specimens; hard and soft, malignant and benign, central and peripheral. CONCLUSIONS USE is a strong candidate for assisting surgeons by providing palpation equivalent evaluation of the tumor location, boundaries and extra-capsular extension. The results encourage us to pursue further testing in the robotic laparoscopic environment.
Capsaicin and sensory neuropeptide stimulation of goblet cell secretion in guinea-pig trachea.

1. We studied the effect of capsaicin and sensory neuropeptides on tracheal goblet cell secretion in anaesthetized guinea-pigs using a semi-quantitative morphometric technique whereby the magnitude of discharge of stained intracellular mucus, expressed as a mucus score (MS), was related inversely to discharge. 2. Capsaicin (i.v.) induced goblet cell secretion: a decrease of 50% in MS below control (indicative of increased secretion) was maximal at 3.3 x 10(-9) mol/kg. 3. Capsaicin-induced secretion was unaffected either by prior vagus nerve section or by pre-treatment with atropine, propranolol and phentolamine which suggests that local axon reflexes with release of sensory neuropeptides are involved in the response. 4. Intravenous substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), neurokinin B (NKB), and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) produced dose-related increases in goblet cell secretion, with SP the most potent. Doses (mol/kg) causing a 50% decrease in MS from control were 3.5 x 10(-12) for SP; 72 x 10(-10) for NKA; 1.6 x 10(-9) for NKB; and 1.2 x 10(-8) for CGRP. The maximal increase in goblet cell secretion was 75% of control and occurred with SP at 10(-10) mol/kg. 5. SP-induced mucus discharge was not inhibited by atropine or the histamine receptor antagonists mepyramine or cimetidine. 6. We conclude that in guinea-pig trachea, goblet cell secretion is under the control of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves and release of neuropeptides from these nerves may induce mucus discharge via tachykinin receptors of the NK-1 subtype (indicated by an order of potency of SP greater than NKA greater than NKB).
Ab initio calculations of spin-orbit coupling in the Group 13 and 17 atoms

Spin‐orbit splitting energies are presented for the lowest doublet states of the atoms in Groups 13 and 17 of the Periodic Table. The splittings are computed in procedures involving the use of spin‐orbit operators derived from relativistic effective core potentials (REP) and from separate calculations of the individual states in j–j coupling using REP’s. Comparison with experiment and with results due to all electron numerical Dirac–Fock calculations show that using the spin‐orbit operator as a first‐order perturbation to calculations carried out in LS coupling leads to an error of up to 7% in comparison to Dirac–Fock results. The indirect effect on the results due to orbital relaxation in the presence of the spin‐orbit operator recovers about one‐half of this error. The REP‐based spin‐orbit operator is shown to be quite accurate both for light and for heavy atoms. This is contrasted to the use of the spin‐orbit operator comprised of one‐ and two‐electron terms due to the Breit–Pauli approximation and Hartree–Fock wave functions, where the results degrade severely as the atomic mass increases. The nature of the spin‐orbit interaction in fluorine is discussed.
Structural Health Monitoring of CFRP Strengthened Bridge Decks Using Ambient Vibrations

In order to localize and quantify the effects of externally bonded carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites on a deteriorating reinforced concrete (RC) bridge structure, a vibration based ...
Complications of allergic rhinitis: Implications for sinusitis and asthma

The relationship between infectious rhinitis and sinusitis is so clear that the suggestion has been made that the term “rhinosinusitis” might more precisely define the disease state.1 Several considerations support this contention. Rhinitis typically precedes sinusitis, and sinusitis without rhinitis is rare. The mucosae of the nasal and sinus tissues are contiguous, and the symptoms of nasal obstruction and nasal discharge are prominent in sinusitis. In certain clinical situations, either rhinitis (i.e., allergic rhinitis) or sinusitis (i.e., acute frontal sinusitis) may occur alone, but in most instances there is some involvement of the contiguous secondary site. A recent study, using computerized tomography (CT), documented that radiographic changes do occur in the sinuses of otherwise healthy patients with uncomplicated viral upper respiratory infections of brief duration.2 It is therefore clear that infectious rhinitis will predispose to the development of sinusitis. Before discussing the possibility that allergic rhinitis is associated with or is a cause of sinusitis, we will review some basic aspects of sinus anatomy and physiology.
Partitioning of the orbital overlap matrix and the localization criteria

A new molecular orbital localization procedure is proposed. The approach is based on partitioning of the overlap matrix into atomic contributions in accordance with Bader's topological theory of atoms in molecules. The new procedure has several advantages over other schemes. It preserves the 6/7c-separability in planar systems and allows for a straightforward interpretation of the localized orbitals in terms of their localization indices and atomic occupancies. The new procedure is tested on the H2O, LiF, N2, CO, BH3 · CO and Li2 molecules.
The role of broken homes in the development of self-control: A propensity score matching approach

Abstract Criminologists have frequently identified broken homes as a risk factor for involvement in crime and delinquency. The association between broken homes and antisocial behavior has been replicated in numerous studies, and despite being entrenched within the study of delinquency, there is a lack of research examining its impact on the development of self-control. This is somewhat surprising given that low self-control has been shown to be a robust and consistent predictor of antisocial behavior. We address this void in the literature by examining the role of broken homes in the development of self-control in early childhood using propensity score matching. Analysis of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study revealed a statistically significant association between broken homes and the development of self-control prior to matching. After matching on six key maternal and paternal covariates, the association between broken homes and levels of self-control was no longer statistically significant. We discuss what these findings mean for criminological theories.
Considerations for a Better Definition of Male Orgasmic Disorder in DSM V

ABSTRACT Introduction All of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Ed., text revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria for sexual disorders have been criticized on multiple grounds, including that the criteria lack precision, that the requirement of marked distress is inappropriate, and that the specification of etiological subtypes should be deleted. Aim The goal of this article is to review evidence relevant to diagnostic criteria for male orgasmic disorder published since 1990. Methods Medline searches from 1990 forward were conducted using the terms male orgasmic disorder, anorgasmia, delayed ejaculation, retarded ejaculation, ejaculatory delay, and ejaculatory disorder. Early drafts of proposed alterations in diagnostic criteria were submitted to advisors. Main Outcome Measure Evidence reviewed was judged by current usage of terminology, evidence allowing precise definition of the syndrome, and evidence concerning separation of the syndrome from distress. Results The literature search indicated minimal use of the term male orgasmic disorder and minimal knowledge concerning psychogenic ejaculatory problems. Conclusions It is recommended that the term male orgasmic disorder be replaced with the term delayed ejaculation. Duration and severity criteria are recommended. Since many ejaculatory problems are idiopathic, it is recommended that the etiological subtypes due to psychological or due to combined factors be eliminated. Segraves RT. Considerations for a better definition of male orgasmic disorder in DSM V.
Effects of analogy to prior knowledge on memory for new information

Two experiments explored how memory for new information is affected by awareness of parallels to pre-experimental knowledge. In one experiment, subjects studied brief biographies of fictional characters analogous to famous people. Best recognition resulted with the analogous famous person identified at Study and Test; identification at Study or Test alone interfered relative to no identification. A second experiment rejected accounts relying on simple matching between Study and Test contexts: A famous person's name was beneficial only when facts in the biography were true of that famous person. Our data suggest that the benefit of prior knowledge derives from the more elaborate encodings that analogy promotes. Implications for schema and depth-of-processing theories of memory are considered.
The future of B physics at hadron machines

Abstract The current situation for B physics and for our understanding of CP violation is highlighted, as it follows from the establishment of a large CP-violating effect in the neutral B system. The future physics questions are outlined and form an introduction to the panel discussion that follows on the prospects for doing B physics at hadron colliders in the future.
Radiologic assessment of tumor and the carotid artery: Correlation of magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, and computed tomography with surgical findings

Carotid artery fixation is an extremely poor prognostic sign in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Methods more precise than physical exam are necessary to determine whether a neck dissection is sufficient, to exclude patients from surgery, or to plan a carotid artery resection. Thirty-three patients with a suspicion of carotid wall attachment by physical examination or computed tomography (CT) were further evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US). The criterion for possible carotid involvement on CT was effacement of greater than 25% of the circumference of the artery. On MRI, the criterion that we proposed was any loss of the fascial plane around the internal or common carotid artery. This was considered effacement of the carotid artery wall. For US, the criterion we used was the loss of the echogeneity along the carotid wall. Histopathological correlation was available in 23 patients (24 necks) who either underwent surgery or necropsy (1 patient); 11 patients were felt not to be surgical candidates or declined surgery, though 1 of these 11 patients did undergo surgical resection after radiotherapy. MRI accurately predicted an uninvolved carotid artery in 13 of 15 cases; US accurately predicted an uninvolved carotid artery in 15 of 20 cases. Demonstration by either MRI or US that the carotid artery is free of tumor had a high degree of reliability. Both US and MRI appear superior to CT and physical examination in assessing the carotid wall in suspicious cases. Individually and in combination, MRI and US offer advantages in selecting patients for possible surgery when the issue of carotid artery fixation is raised.
Object modelling by registration of multiple range images

We study the problem of creating a complete model of a physical object. Although this may be possible using intensity images, we here use images which directly provide access to three dimensional information. The first problem that we need to solve is to find the transformation between the different views. Previous approaches either assume this transformation to be known (which is extremely difficult for a complete model), or compute it with feature matching (which is not accurate enough for integration). In this paper, we propose a new approach which works on range data directly and registers successive views with enough overlapping area to get an accurate transformation between views. This is performed by minimizing a functional which does not require point-to-point matches. We give the details of the registration method and modelling procedure and illustrate them on real range images of complex objects.
Formins filter modified actin subunits during processive elongation.

Abstract Fission yeast cells reject actin subunits tagged with a fluorescent protein from the cytokinetic contractile ring, so cytokinesis fails and the cells die when the native actin gene is replaced by GFP–actin. The lack of a fluorescent actin probe has prevented a detailed study of actin filament dynamics in contractile rings, and left open questions regarding the mechanism of cytokinesis. To incorporate fluorescent actin into the contractile ring to study its dynamics, we introduced the coding sequence for a tetracysteine motif (FLNCCPGCCMEP) at 10 locations in the fission yeast actin gene and expressed the mutant proteins from the native actin locus in diploid cells with wild-type actin on the other chromosome. We labeled these tagged actins inside live cells with the FlAsH reagent. Cells incorporated some of these labeled actins into actin patches at sites of endocytosis, where Arp2/3 complex nucleates all of the actin filaments. However, the cells did not incorporate any of the FlAsH-actins into the contractile ring. Therefore, formin Cdc12p rejects actin subunits with a tag of ∼2 kDa, illustrating the stringent structural requirements for this formin to promote the elongation of actin filament barbed ends as it moves processively along the end of a growing filament.
A lightweight approach to mobile multicasting in Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) are envisioned to have significant impacts on many applications. In scenarios such as first responder systems and administrative applications, data sinks are frequently being mobile. In this research, we study one-to-many and many-to-many data communications from stationary sensors to mobile sinks, which is defined as mobile multicasting here. We firstly propose Track and Transmit (TNT), a simple lightweight approach to providing mobile multicasting service in WSN. Its rationale is based on the fact that the mobile sinks will stamp their movement traces in the networks while moving continuously from one location to another. Then we propose Priced TNT (PTNT), which improves the forwarding efficiency of TNT. Compared to Very Lightweight Mobile Multicasting (VLM2), simulations show that both TNT and PTNT are able to dramatically suppress the control overheads, as well as achieve better data delivery-ratio and acceptable delay performances.
Small ribosomal RNA content in marine Proteobacteria during non-steady-state growth.

Nine strains of marine Proteobacteria were assayed for nucleic acid content during non-steady-state growth to assess whether a species-specific growth rate based on rRNA content is feasible for environmental samples. The large and small ribosomal subunits and genomic DNA were quantified using image analysis. It was found that the maximal intracellular concentration of 16S rRNA during batch growth for the bacteria averaged 155 fg±60 (S.D.) per cell for eight of the nine marine bacteria in the exponential phase (with the exception of one strain, Pac 218). The dilution/decay of 16S rRNA/cell was rapid with a return to pre-shift up values within 6–12 h for all strains except Vibrio fisherii. An overall relationship between the RNA:DNA ratio and the specific growth rate for non-steady-state growth for all bacterial strains was not observed as previously described for other Proteobacteria during steady-state growth. However, a predictable relationship between rRNA content and growth rate for many isolates during batch growth was observed. Furthermore, the rapid kinetics of intracellular rRNA levels indicates it will be feasible to assess whether specific bacteria are in steady state or non-steady state in the marine environment. If the condition of steady state is met for a specific Proteobacterial group in an environmental sample, it will be possible to estimate species-specific growth rates by measuring rRNA content.
E. coli RNAase P has a required RNA component in vivo

Abstract RNAase P has been partially purified from three thermosensitive strains of E. coli and the thermal inactivation characteristics of each preparation have been determined. The RNAase P preparations from two of these mutant strains, ts241 and ts709, and the wild-type strain have been separated into RNA and protein components. Various mixtures of the reconstituted components have been checked in vitro for complementation of their thermal sensitivity properties. The protein component of RNAase P from ts241 and the RNA component of RNAase P from ts709, respectively, account for the thermal sensitivity of the RNAase P from the two strains. The amount of the RNA component of RNAase P is lower in ts709 than in ts241 or the wild-type parent, 4273. RNAase P partially purified from a revertant of the third mutant strain, A49, which maps at or near the ts241 mutation, has an altered charge when compared to the RNAase P from the parent strain, BF265. We conclude that mutations which affect either the protein or RNA component of RNAase P can confer thermal sensitivity on the enzyme both in vivo and in vitro.
Identification of age‐structured models: Cell cycle phase transitions

A methodology is developed that determines age-specific transition rates between cell cycle phases during balanced growth by utilizing age-structured population balance equations. Age-distributed models are the simplest way to account for varied behavior of individual cells. However, this simplicity is offset by difficulties in making observations of age distributions, so age-distributed models are difficult to fit to experimental data. Herein, the proposed methodology is implemented to identify an age-structured model for human leukemia cells (Jurkat) based only on measurements of the total number density after the addition of bromodeoxyuridine partitions the total cell population into two subpopulations. Each of the subpopulations will temporarily undergo a period of unbalanced growth, which provides sufficient information to extract age-dependent transition rates, while the total cell population remains in balanced growth. The stipulation of initial balanced growth permits the derivation of age densities based on only age-dependent transition rates. In fitting the experimental data, a flexible transition rate representation, utilizing a series of cubic spline nodes, finds a bimodal G0/G1 transition age probability distribution best fits the experimental data. This resolution may be unnecessary as convex combinations of more restricted transition rates derived from normalized Gaussian, lognormal, or skewed lognormal transition-age probability distributions corroborate the spline predictions, but require fewer parameters. The fit of data with a single log normal distribution is somewhat inferior suggesting the bimodal result as more likely. Regardless of the choice of basis functions, this methodology can identify age distributions, age-specific transition rates, and transition-age distributions during balanced growth conditions. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;99: 960–974. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.