cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of heating and cooling methods for assembly of steel fulcra in bascule bridges

Assembly procedures for assembling steel fulcra of simple-trunnion bascule bridges by heating the girder with heating coils instead of dipping an already stressed trunnion-hub assembly in liquid nitrogen are studied for decreasing the likelihood of failure by cracking and yielding. In the assembly procedure called AP3-A, only the girder is heated to shrink-fit the trunnion-hub assembly in the girder. This assembly procedure AP3-A is found to be infeasible because the girder fails by yielding if heating is expected to be completed in a reasonable amount of time. An alternative assembly procedure called AP3-B is suggested for shrink-fitting where the heating of the girder is combined with cooling the trunnion-hub assembly in dry-ice/alcohol mixture. This assembly procedure AP3-B is found to be feasible. A complete design of experiments study is conducted on AP3-B to find the influence of parameters like hub radial thickness, and radial interference at trunnion-hub interface on the design parameter of critical crack length-a measure of likelihood of fracture. Critical crack lengths during the assembly procedure AP3-B are quantitatively compared with currently used assembly procedures. The results of this work suggest that increasing the hub radial thickness decreases the likelihood of fracture significantly. For hubs with large radial thickness, heating the girder combined with cooling the trunnion-hub in dry-ice/alcohol mixture (AP3-B) is recommended but for hubs with high radial thickness, multistage cooling of the trunnion-hub assembly in dry-ice/alcohol mixture followed by dipping in liquid nitrogen (AP1- multistage cooling) is recommended.
Aeromagnetic map compilation: procedures for merging and an example from Washington

Rocks in Antarctica and offshore have widely diverse magnetic properties. Consequently, aeromagnetic data collected there can improve knowledge of the geologic, tectonic and geothermal characteristics of the region. Aeromagnetic data can map concealed structures such as faults, folds and dikes, ascertain basin thickness and locate buried volcanic, as well as some intrusive and metamorphic rocks. Gridded, composite data sets allow a view of continental-scale trends that individual data sets do not provide and link widely-separated areas of outcrop and disparate geologic studies. Individual magnetic surveys must be processed so that they match adjacent surveys prior to merging. A consistent representation of the Earth's magnetic field (International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF)) must be removed from each data set. All data sets need to be analytically continued to the same flight elevation with their datums shifted to match adjacent data. I advocate minimal processing to best represent the individual surveys in the merged compilation. An example of a compilation of aeromagnetic surveys from Washington illustrates the utility of aeromagnetic maps for providing synoptic views of regional tectonic features.
A proposed architecture for a satellite-based mobile communications network - The lowest three layers

Architecture for a commercial mobile satellite network is proposed. The mobile satellite system (MSS) is composed of a network management center, mobile terminals, base stations, and gateways; the functions of each component are described. The satellite is a 'bent pipe' that performs frequency translations, and it has multiple UHF beams. The development of the MSS design based on the seven-layer open system interconnection model is examined. Consideration is given to the functions of the physical, data link, and network layers and the integrated adaptive mobile access protocol.
Police support for community problem-solving and broken windows policing.

This paper explores overall police officer acceptance of tactics and tenets of broken windows and community problem-solving policing. It assesses differential support for each by police officer characteristics (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender, rank, education level, years of service, and assignment). This study presents the findings of a survey of 227 sworn police personnel from two urban police departments. Univariate analyses reveal the levels of support that police have for certain police tactics and tenets of broken windows and community problem-solving policing. Regression analyses examine the relationship between key officer characteristics and support for these tactics and tenets as measured by respondents’ agreement with various items and indices. Findings include support for community problem-solving (and also a reliance on traditional policing methods); a lag in investigators’ acceptance of community problem-solving; and differences by officer race/ethnicity, education, rank, and assignment in indices related to broken windows and rapid response policing. The differential acceptance of broken windows and rapid response tactics by race/ethnicity suggests interesting implications for future studies of race/ethnicity and broken windows policing. The greater acceptance of certain tactics by patrol officers supports current moves toward innovating in police investigations’ bureaus.
Imagining the truth and the moon: an electrophysiological study of abstract and concrete word processing

Previous event-related potential studies have indicated that both a widespread N400 and an anterior N700 index differential processing of concrete and abstract words, but the nature of these components in relation to concreteness and imagery has been unclear. Here, we separated the effects of word concreteness and task demands on the N400 and N700 in a single word processing paradigm with a within-subjects, between-tasks design and carefully controlled word stimuli. The N400 was larger to concrete words than to abstract words, and larger in the visualization task condition than in the surface task condition, with no interaction. A marked anterior N700 was elicited only by concrete words in the visualization task condition, suggesting that this component indexes imagery. These findings are consistent with a revised or extended dual coding theory according to which concrete words benefit from greater activation in both verbal and imagistic systems.
Multiple kernel active learning for robust geo-spatial image analysis

Exploiting disparate features from potentially different data sources with multiple-kernel based machine learning is a promising approach for analyzing geo-spatial data. A mixture-of-kernel approach can facilitate construction of a more effective training data pool with Active Learning (AL). In addition, this could alleviate the computational burden in AL implementations. Kernel based learning requires hyperparameter tuning for model selection. Further, an optimal function is required to integrate different features or data sources appropriately in the kernel induced space. Both kernel parameters and kernel combination functions may need to be tuned at each AL learning step, which is potentially very time-consuming. In this paper, a novel multiple kernel active learning algorithm is proposed that promises enhanced classification, improved AL performance, and a mechanism for automatic selection of kernel weights in the mixture-of-kernels. We demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed framework with results for both feature fusion and sensor fusion tasks.
Robust reduced-order controller of laminar boundary layer transitions

A framework to derive optimal and robust reduced-order controllers of fluid mechanics and plasma physics flows using linear-quadratic-Gaussian design, or, in modern terms, ${\mathcal{H}}_{2}$ design, is presented. As a test case, two-dimensional channel flow is considered. A reduced model is derived, and a controller is designed based upon this model. Initial conditions creating transient growth of wall-shear stress are constructed. The controller is tested on a 32 wave number simulation. A wall-shear stress reduction, up to 90%, is obtained. The potential transferability of the controller to engineering applications is discussed.
Microwave Spectrum of TeCS and Masses of the Stable Tellurium Isotopes

The microwave spectrum of TeCS has been examined in the rotational transitions $J=6\ensuremath{\leftarrow}5$, $J=7\ensuremath{\leftarrow}6$, and $J=8\ensuremath{\leftarrow}7$. Seven isotopes were observed and from their absorption frequencies mass ratios have been calculated. The mass values are compared with mass spectrographic data and with the recent mass surfaces of Green. The odd-even mass variation is 1.5 milli-mass-units for both ${\mathrm{Te}}^{123}$ and ${\mathrm{Te}}^{125}$. The Te-C bond distance is 1.904 A and the C-S distance 1.557 A. The molecular dipole moment was measured as 0.172\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.002 Debye unit.
Cell-mediated Immunity in Chronically Diabetic Mice

A radioisotopic ear assay for delayed hypersensitivity (DH) to 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was used to investigate cellular immune function in chronic alloxan- diabetic C57BI/6 mice. The specific migration of 5-( 125 I)Iodo-29-deoxyuridine-labeled monocytes to the site of antigenic challenge was employed to quantitatively measure the OH response. Although both normal and diabetic sensitized mice had a significantly greater DH response than nonsensitized controls, the response of diabetic mice was severely attenuated (23% of normal) The effect of the delayed hypersensitivity response on spleen size was also investigated. In the nonsensitized state the spleens of diabetic mice were approximately 30% smaller than the spleens of normal mice. After sensitization with DNFB, and up to the time of antigenic challenge, the spleens from both diabetic and normal mice increased 2.1-fold in weight. After challenge, however, the diabetic spleen maintained its prechallenged size while the normal spleen increased an additional 30% in weight. When either sensitized normal or diabetic spleen cells were passively transferred to nonsensitized normal recipient mice, a significant DH response was evoked after challenge with DNFB. This response was of equal magnitude after transfer of either the sensitized diabetic or normal spleen cells. The DH response after the passive transfer of spleencells from either normal or diabetic sensitized donors to diabetic recipients was very markedly attenuated and in fact questionably significant when compared with the nonspecific inflammatory response to DNFB. These results indicate that an intact population of DNFB-sensitized cells exists in the diabetic, but that an inhibition of T-lymphocyte or monocyte activity is occurring during the secondary challenge. The chronic hypoinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and catabolic metabolism of the alloxan-diabetic mouse does not qualitatively alter the immune cellular processes associated with primary sensitization but significantly attenuates the secondary response.
Motherhood and power: the production of a women's culture of politics in a Mexican community.

This article examines women's conversations and speeches in political groups as demonstrating how they understand the fit between their role as mothers and their emerging role in the political arena in a Mexican community. In the late 1970s Buena Vistan women organized their own political groups. Images of the mother as redeemer channeled their demands for political authority in a time of political and economic crisis. This article argues that by drawing on traditional constructions of gender relationships, women's organizations produced an alternative definition of legitimate politics and established their own place in the public political arena. [Mexico, gender, politics, social movements, ideology]
Planform effects for low-fineness-ratio multibody configurations at supersonic speeds

An experimental and theoretical investigation of planform effects on a low-fineness ratio multibody configuration has been conducted in NASA Langley Research Center's Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at Mach numbers 1.6, 1.8, 2.0, and 2.16. Experimental and theoretical values of lift, drag, and pitching moment were obtained on three configurations which varied in outboard panel planform only. The three variations were at 65 deg delta, a 70/66 deg cranked arrow, and a 20 deg trapezoidal planform . The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of wing planform on the supersonic aerodynamics and to evaluate the ability of two existing linearized-theory aerodynamic methods to predict these effects. Experimental data showed that the planforms produced the lift, drag-due-to-lift, and pitching-moment characteristics typically found on single-body configurations. However, the data also showed that planform has a minimal influence on zero-lift drag, which is not typical of single-body configurations. Theoretical aerodynamic analysis indicated that codes based on linearized theory adequately predicted the effect of planform on the supersonic aerodynamics.
Predissociation of HCN/DCN in Two Lowest-Lying Singlet Excited States: Effect of Fermi Resonances on Spectra and Dynamics

The three-dimensional potential energy surfaces of the 11A‘‘ and 21A‘ states and the corresponding transition dipole surfaces from the ground electronic (11A‘) state of HCN have been obtained from high-level ab initio calculations. Using these surfaces, we investigate the predissociation dynamics of HCN and DCN with a recursive quantum mechanical method. Whereas the perpendicular transition to the 11A‘‘ state leads to narrow predissociative resonances, the absorption spectrum of the parallel 21A‘ ← 11A‘ transition is dominated by relatively broad peaks associated with rapid fragmentation. Detailed analysis suggests that the 11A‘‘ spectrum of DCN is affected by a 1:2 Fermi resonance between the C−N stretching and bending modes. Both theoretical and experimental evidence suggests that the so-called β band should be reassigned to the 11A‘‘ absorption. In the 21A‘ state, a strong isotopic effect is found in the fragment internal state distribution and attributed to a Fermi resonance between the H−C and C−N vi...
Collagen synthesis and accumulation in long-term rabbit aortic smooth muscle cell cultures

This study describes the ability of aortic smooth muscle cells to synthesize and accumulate collagen with time in culture. Inasmuch as smooth muscle cell cultures multilayer and continue to divide, albeit slowly, and can be maintained in the same vessels where seeded for extended periods of time, a long-term aging study from a single subcultivated population of cells was carried out. This is different from the usual cell-culture aging achieved by an increase in cell population doublings obtained by repeated subcultivations. The latter process, which is trypsin induced, involves a changing cellular environment including the extracellular matrix that is produced by the cells in culture. Second subcultures of weanling rabbit, aortic media, smooth muscle cells maintained for different periods of time up to 14 wk displayed decreasing hydroxyproline formation with time. Proline hydroxylation was determined by pulsing these second-passage cells with [14C]proline for 24 h at various times during the 14 wk period. The cell layer and medium were evaluated separately for radioactive proline and hydroxyproline and the medium for bacterial collagenase-susceptible protein as well. The percent of hydroxylation in the medium decreased from >31% within 1 wk after plating to 15.2% after 14 wk in culture. The percent of collagenase-susceptible protein in the medium decreased in a comparable manner. The DNA levels increased during the entire period although initially somewhat more rapidly. Accumulation of protein in the extracellular matrix continued during the 14-wk span. The accumulation of hydroxyproline in the extracellular matrix also continued to increase throughout the culture period, but it did slow down significantly. Yet the cells appear not to have lost their ability to accumulate connective tissue and protein in the insoluble cell layer. The data suggest clearly that the percent collagen synthesis relative to total protein synthesis decreases in the older cultures; total protein synthesis also decreases as expected.
High-pressure liquid chromatography of autoxidized lipids: I. Methyl oleate and linoleate

Autoxidized methyl oleate and linoleate were reduced with NaBH4 and fractionated with a preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) reverse phase column. Products characterized from reduced-oxidized oleate included monohydroxy- and dihydroxyotadecenoates, dihydroxy- and epoxyoctadecanoates. Products characterized from reduced-oxidized linoleate included hydroxy-cis,trans- andtrans,trans-octadecadienoates, monohydroxy-, dihydroxy-, trihydroxy-, epoxyhydroxy-, and epoxyoctadecenoates. Quantitation of oxidation products by HPLC was in agreement with gas chromatography of trimethylsilyl ether derivative. Epoxyoctadecanoate in oleate and epoxy- and epoxyhydroxyoctadecenoates in linoleate were the most abundant secondary oxidation products. Some mechanisms are discussed to explain formation of these secondary products.
Synthetic Analogs of Peptide-Binding Antibiotics

The vancomycin family of antibiotics offers an attractive target in synthetic host-guest chemistry. Vancomycin (1) has been shown by 1H nmr toform discreet complexes with the -D-Ala-D-Ala fragment found in bacterial cell walls. The structure of the active complex (2) involves six hydrogen bonds between the antibiotic and dipeptide substrate. The complexation is strongly substrate- and stereoselective due to the concave nature of the cavity formed by the biphenyl and triphenyl diether components. Our interest lies in designing synthetic analogs of vancomycin both as novel receptors for peptide carboxylate substrates and as potentially interesting antibiotics.
Concentrations of prioritized pharmaceuticals in effluents from 50 large wastewater treatment plants in the US and implications for risk estimation

We measured concentrations of 56 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in effluent samples from 50 large wastewater treatment plants across the US. Hydrochlorothiazide was found in every sample. Metoprolol, atenolol, and carbamazepine were found in over 90% of the samples. Valsartan had the highest concentration (5300 ng/L), and also had the highest average concentration (1600 ng/L) across all 50 samples. Estimates of potential risks to healthy human adults were greatest for six anti-hypertensive APIs (lisinopril, hydrochlorothiazide, valsartan, atenolol, enalaprilat, and metoprolol), but nevertheless suggest risks of exposure to individual APIs as well as their mixtures are generally very low. Estimates of potential risks to aquatic life were also low for most APIs, but suggest more detailed study of potential ecological impacts from four analytes (sertraline, propranolol, desmethylsertraline, and valsartan).
Tectonic episodes of cratons: conflicting North American concepts

Over the past one hundred years North American geologists have been influenced by concepts of Earth history based on periodic events involving marked (‘Neocatastrophic’) changes and competing concepts involving steady-state (‘Uniformitanan’) behaviour. T.C. Chamberlin, a late 19th-/early 20th-Century exponent of a nonuniformitarian scenario of earth history, proclaimed ‘diastrophism as the ultimate basis of correlation’ - meaning that geological history is punctuated by orogenic paroxysms causing retreat of epicontinental waters to oceanic basins, creating segmentation of the stratigraphic and chronological record. At mid-Century James Gilluly gained wide support for the proposition that orogeny has followed a Uniformitarian, near-steady-state course. Accordingly, episodic diastrophism is a myth and cannot be the basis for periodic eustatic sea-level change, interregional unconformities, etc. In more recent decades two powerful new influences on geological thought have emerged. The global tectonic paradigm has forced upon us the realization that rearrangements of lithospheric plates are capable of changing the freeboard of continents. At the same time technological advances in the acquisition and processing of seismic-reflection data have been seized by receptive minds to organize the newly available stratigraphic imagery for application to the discipline of seismic stratigraphy which emphasizes the identification and correlation of unconformity-bounded successions of strata. Expansion of the methodology to the outcrop, beyond the limitations of seismic resolution, has brought about the flowering of the New Sequence Stratigraphy, doctrine that has deservedlyachieved wide application and acclaim. Practitioners of sequence stratigraphy, impressed by the distances over which unconformity-bounded stratal units can be correlated, hew to the belief that eustatic (commonly glacially engendered) sea-level change is the control. This paper examines evidence of tectonic episodes affecting cratons and their margins. These offer promise of a more satisfactory understanding of stratigraphic sequences and of the Earth history they represent. Consideration of these matters makes it inescapable that the elevation and subsidence of cratons (and their component basins and arches) reflect tectonic phenomena of the continental lithosphere quite independent of eustatic events.
Mutagenicity and DNA- modifying activity: A comparison of two microbial assays

Abstract Aspects of the Salmonella mutagenesis and Escherichia coli DNA polymerase deficient (pol A1 − ) assay procedures for detecting environmental mutagens are discussed. The chief limitation of the pol A1 −1 - assay involves substances that do not diffuse rapidly in agar. This problem can be overcome by performing the test in suspension. A simple procedure for accomplishing this is described. Although the Salmonella assay is more flexible, under routine conditions it does not respond to several classes of substances which give positive responses in the pol A1 −1 system. For optimal testing, it is recommended that the two microbial assays be used in tandem. The DNA-modifying properties of povidone-iodine for eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are described. Even though this substance does not display mutagenic properties in the standard Salmonella assay, it does so in suspension culture. The basis of the mutagenic and DNA-modifying properties of povidone-iodine appears to involve the iodination of the cystosine residue of DNA.
Brown pelican eggshells: X-Ray diffraction studies

X-ray diffraction studies of Brown Pelican eggshells from various localities in North America have shown that the crystalline shell material consists of three calcium carbonate polymorphs, calcite, aragonite and vaterite. The data suggest that thin eggshells show a high calcite to vaterite ratio compared with thicker Florida shells.
The atmospheric Cherenkov technique in Very High Energy Gamma-Ray Astronomy

The role of the atmospheric Cherenkov technique in the development of Very High Energy Gamma Ray Astronomy is described; it is shown that the Crab Nebula has played a critical role in this development. The ability of a TeV telescope to see a 5 sigma signal from a source in an hour of observation is now a reality. Sources as weak as 1/20th the strength of the Crab are detectable in principle now at TeV energies.
The Predictive Validity of Each of Ten Measures of Self-Concept Relative to Teachers' Ratings of Achievement in Mathematics and Reading of Vietnamese Children and of those from Five other Ethnic Groups

For subsamples of fourth- and sixth-grade Vietnamese, Caucasian, Negro, Mexican-American, Asian (non-Vietnamese) pupils as well as for a sample of pupils of mixed ethnicity and for a resulting total sample, differences in mean standing on each of 10 self-concept measures and on each of two criterion measures of school achievement were examined for statistical significance. In addition to the determination of intercorrelations among the 10 self-concept measures reflecting in part different perceptual frames of reference, validity coefficients were obtained for each subsample between scores on each of the 10 self-concept scales and teachers' ratings of pupil achievement in mathematics and reading. In general, pupil self-reports about self-concept revealed negligible relationships with teacher ratings of pupil achievement, although teacher observations of pupil self-concepts yielded modest correlations with achievement ratings.
The job generation impacts of expanding industrial cogeneration

Sustainable economic development requires the efficient production and use of energy. Combined heat and power (CHP) offers a promising technological approach to achieving both goals. While a recent U.S. executive order set a national goal of 40 GW of new industrial CHP by 2020, the deployment of CHP is challenged by financial, regulatory, and workforce barriers. Discrepancies between private and public interests can be minimized by policies promoting energy-based economic development. In this context, a great deal of rhetoric has addressed the ambiguous goal of growing “green jobs.” Our research provides a systematic evaluation of the job impacts of an investment tax credit that would subsidize industrial CHP deployment. We introduce a hybrid analysis approach combining simulations using the National Energy Modeling System with Input–output modeling. NEMS simulates general-equilibrium effects including supply- and demand-side resources. We identify first-order employment impacts by creating “bill of goods” expenditures for the installation and operation of industrial CHP systems. Second-order impacts are then estimated based on the redirection of energy-bill savings accruing to consumers; these include jobs across the economy created by the lower electricity prices that would result from increased reliance on energy-efficient CHP systems. On a jobs-per-GWh basis, we find that the second-order impacts are approximately twice as large as the first-order impacts.
Controversies in new antibiotic therapy for ambulatory patients

The care of the febrile neutropenic patient has undergone a shift in the last 10 years with the realization that neutropenic patients presenting with fever do not constitute a homogeneous group. Strategies of risk assessment have allowed the testing of novel therapies including oupatient treatment with oral and intravenous antibiotics, either in combination regimens or as monotherapy; the addition of growth factors to hasten the return of the absolute neutrophil count; and the possibility of self-initiation of antibiotics by cancer patients when they develop fever. The clinical trials data regarding these new approaches will be reviewed, and areas requiring further research will be discussed.
Fluid flow enhances the effectiveness of toxin export by aquatic microorganisms: a first-passage perspective on microvilli and the concentration boundary layer.

A central challenge for organisms during development is determining a means to efficiently export toxic molecules from inside the developing embryo. For aquatic microorganisms, the strategies employed should be robust with respect to the variable ocean environment and limit the chances that exported toxins are reabsorbed. As a result, the problem of toxin export is closely related to the physics of mass transport in a fluid. In this paper, we consider a model first-passage problem for the uptake of exported toxins by a spherical embryo. By considering how macroscale fluid turbulence manifests itself on the microscale of the embryo, we determine that fluid flow enhances the effectiveness of toxin export as compared to the case of diffusion-limited transport. In the regime of a large Peclet number, a perturbative solution of the advection-diffusion equation reveals that a concentration boundary layer forms at the surface of the embryo. The model results suggest a functional role for cell surface roughness in the export process, with the thickness of the concentration boundary layer setting the length scale for cell membrane protrusions known as microvilli. We highlight connections between the model results and experiments on the development of sea urchin embryos.
Measurement of antimicrobial agents in cerebrospinal fluid using the Abbott TDx analyzer.

Occasionally, requests are made by our physicians for the measurement of gentamicin, tobramycin, or vancomycin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens during the course of treating patients for bacterial meningitis. We evaluated CSF as a specimen type for the measurement of amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin, and vancomycin on the Abbott TDx analyzer. Coefficients of variation for CSF spiked with these antimicrobial agents ranged from 0.8% to 6.5% for intra-assay values and from 2.1% to 2.3% for inter-assay values. Serum and CSF specimens were spiked at various levels with equal amounts of the antibiotics. Correlation coefficients for serum vs. CSF for these agents were 0.999. Recoveries ranged from 86% to 134%. Sensitivity for these assays is about fourfold better for CSF than for serum. CSF appears to be an acceptable specimen type for the measurement of these antibiotics using the Abbott TDx analyzer. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Algebraic Dimensional Reduction for Microfluidic Simulation

Microfluidic devices exhibit a high-aspect ratio in that their channel-widths are much smaller than their overall lengths. High-aspect geometry leads to an unduly large finite element mesh, making the (otherwise popular) finite element method (FEM) a poor choice for modeling microfluidic devices. An alternate computational strategy is to exploit well-known analytical solutions for fluid flow over the narrow channels of a device, and then either (a) assume the same analytical solutions for the cross-flow regions, or (b) exploit these solutions to set-up artificial boundary conditions over the cross-flow regions. Such simplified models are computationally far superior to brute-force FEM, but do not support the generality or flexibility of FEM. In this paper, we propose a third strategy for exploiting the analytical solutions: (c) directly incorporate them into standard FE-based analysis via algebraic reduction techniques. The advantages of the proposed strategy are (1) designers can use standard computer-aided design/computer-aided engineering (CAD/CAE) environments to model, analyze, and postprocess microfluidic simulation; (2) well-established dual-weighted residuals can be used to estimate modeling errors; and (3), if desired, one can eliminate the dependency on analytical solutions over selected regions, and instead revert to brute-force FEM. The simplicity and generality of the proposed method is inherited from the model reduction process, so are its theoretical properties, while simultaneously its computational efficiency is inherited from the use of analytical solutions.
Effects of hypoxia on the complexity of respiratory patterns during maturation.

Abstract During hypoxic gasping, the hypoxic neurogram has a steeper rate of rise, an augmented amplitude, and a shorter duration than is seen during eupnea. Because hypoxia reduces neural activity, we hypothesized that gasping would be characterized by low complexity (irregularity) values compared with eupnea in piglets. In this study, we define and quantify changes in the complexity of the phrenic neurogram, the output of the respiratory neural network in piglets using the approximate entropy (ApEn) method which provides a model independent measure of the complexity of the phrenic neurogram. The phrenic neurogram in vagotomized, peripherally chemodenervated, decerebrated piglets was recorded from the C5 phrenic nerve during eupnea and gasping at four postnatal ages; 3–6 days of age ( n =8), 7–13 days of age ( n =3), 15–21 days of age ( n =4), 29–35 days of age ( n =10). Nonlinear dynamical analysis of the phrenic neurogram was performed using the approximate entropy method. The mean approximate entropy values for a recording of 5 consecutive breaths during eupnea and 6–29 consecutive breaths during gasping for each piglet in each group during eupnea was calculated. Our results suggested that the mean approximate entropy values for the 3–6 days age group were 1.46±0.003 during eupnea and 0.85±0.001 during hypoxic gasping. For the 7–13 days age group, the mean approximate entropy values were 1.35±0.009 during eupnea and 1.00±0.001 during hypoxic gasping. For the 15–21 days age group, they were 1.33±0.005 during eupnea and 0.94±0.001 during hypoxic gasping. Finally, for the 29–35 days age group, they were 1.38±0.002 during eupnea and 0.93±0.001 during hypoxic gasping. The shift from eupnea to gasping caused a drastic drop in the mean values of the approximate entropy values at each of these four age groups. These differences in the complexity values of the phrenic neurogram between eupnea and gasping are statistically different at each age group ( p These findings suggest that during hypoxic gasping, regardless of degree of development, the output of the central pattern generator becomes less complex probably because hypoxia reduces the neural activity.
Determinants of Geographic Differentials in the Voter Participation Rate

Voter participation rates vary widely across the 50 states. This empirical study seeks, within the context of a broadened version of the ‘rational voter model,’ to identify determinants of this interstate variation. Using the 2004 general election as the study period, it is found that the voter participation rate in a state is positively related to the percent of the state's adult population with at least a high school education, the state's unemployment rate, the percent of the state's population age 65 and older, and the female labor force participation rate in the state. In addition, it is found that voter turnout in a state is negatively related to the state's median family income and the percentage of its population that is Hispanic.
Structure/function analysis of four core ESCRT-III proteins reveals common regulatory role for extreme C-terminal domain.

Endosomal sorting complex required for transport-III (ESCRT-III) is a large complex built from related ESCRT-III proteins involved in multivesicular body biogenesis. Little is known about the structure and function of this complex. Here, we compare four human ESCRT-III proteins – hVps2-1/CHMP2a, hVps24/CHMP3, hVps20/CHMP6, and hSnf7-1/CHMP4a – to each other, studying the effects of deleting predicted α-helical domains on their behavior in transfected cells. Surprisingly, removing ∼40 amino acids from the C-terminus of each protein unmasks a common ability to associate with endosomal membranes and assemble into large polymeric complexes. Expressing these truncated ESCRT-III proteins in cultured cells causes ubiquitinated cargo to accumulate on enlarged endosomes and inhibits viral budding, while expressing full-length proteins does not. hVps2-1/CHMP2a lacking its C-terminal 42 amino acids further fails to bind to the AAA+ adenosine triphosphatase VPS4B/SKD1, indicating that C-terminal sequences are important for interaction of ESCRT-III proteins with VPS4. Overall, our study supports a model in which ESCRT-III proteins cycle between a default ‘closed’ state and an activated ‘open’ state under control of sequences at their C-terminus and associated factors.
Structural Properties and Mechanisms That Govern Association of C Kinase Adapter 1 with Protein Kinase C3 and the Cell Periphery

Association of an atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) with an adapter protein can affect the location, activity, substrate specificity, and physiological role of the phosphotransferase. Knowledge of mechanisms that govern formation and intracellular targeting of aPKC·adapter protein complexes is limited.Caenorhabditis elegans protein kinase C adapter proteins (CKA1 and CKA1S) bind and target aPKCs and provide prototypes for mechanistic analysis. CKA1 binds an aPKC (PKC3) via a phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain. A distinct, Arg/Lys-rich N-terminal region targets CKA1 to the cell periphery. We discovered that a short segment (212GGIDNGAFHEHEI224) of the V2 (linker) region of PKC3 creates a binding surface that interacts with the PTB domain of CKA1/CKA1S. The docking domain of PKC3 differs from classical PTB ligands by the absence of Tyr and Pro. Substitution of Ile214, Asn216, or Phe219 with Ala abrogates binding of PKC3 with CKA1; these residues cooperatively configure a docking site that complements an apolar surface of the CKA1 PTB domain. Phosphorylation site domains (PSD1, residues 11–25; PSD2, residues 61–77) in CKA1 route the adapter (and tethered PKC3) to the cell periphery. Phosphorylation of Ser17 and Ser65 in PSDs 1 and 2 elicits translocation of CKA1 from the cell surface to cytoplasm. Activities of DAG-stimulated PKCs and opposing protein Ser/Thr phosphatases can dynamically regulate the distribution of adapter protein between the cell periphery and cytoplasm.
Opioid actions on neurons of rat lateral amygdala in vitro

Intracellular recordings were made from neurons in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala, in a slice of rat brain that was superfused in vitro. [Met5]enkephalin (3-30 microM) and the mu receptor selective agonist DAMGO (Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-MePhe-Gly-ol; 0.3-3 microM) hyperpolarized about 50% of cells; this was blocked by naloxone and by the mu receptor antagonist CTOP (D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2). The pA2s for naloxone and CTOP were 8.3 and 7.7, respectively. DPDPE (Tyr-D-Pen-Gly-Phe-D-Pen: delta receptor selective) and U50488 (trans-(+-)-3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)cyclohexyl] benzeneacetamide methane sulfonate; kappa receptor selective) had no effect. Synaptic potentials mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) acting at GABAA receptors were elicited by focal stimulation of the slice in a combination of 6-cyano-2,3-dihydroxy-7-nitroquinoxaline (10 microM) and 4-aminophosphonovaleric acid (30 microM). They were inhibited by up to 60% by DAMGO and by DPDPE. The action of DAMGO was blocked by CTOP but not by the delta-selective antagonist ICI174864 (N,N-bisallyl-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH, Aib = aminoisobutyrate). The action of DPDPE was blocked by ICI174864 but not by CTOP. Depolarizations elicited by addition of GABA to the superfusing solution were not affected by opioids. It is concluded that activation of mu opioid receptors hyperpolarizes about 50% of lateral amygdala neurons. Activation of either mu or delta receptors also inhibits presynaptically the release of GABA.
Use of tissue plasminogen activator for rapid dissolution of fibrin and blood clots in the eye after surgery for glaucoma and cataract in humans

We treated 10 patients with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for complications that threatened the successful outcome of anterior segment surgery for glaucoma and/or cataract, and that endangered the structural and functional integrity of the eye. Eight patients who had developed massive fibrin or blood clots in the anterior chamber each received 10–20 μg of tPA intracamerally, and two patients who had and extensive subconjunctival blood clot that blocked the filtration site received 25 or 30 μg of tPA subconjunctivally. The clots dissolved within 30 min to a few hours in all patients. Except in one patient who developed a 10% hyphema after the tPA injection, we observed no ocular complications in any of our patients during a follow-up period that ranged from 2–22 months. Our preliminary investigations show that intracameral injection of tPA is highly effective and safe for the rapid dissolution of fibrin and blood clots in the anterior chamber that obstruct the visual axis, obscure the view of the fundus, or cause failure of filtering blebs, and for lysis of synechiae of 2 to 3 days duration. Optimal results were obtained with intracameral injection of ≥ 10 μg tPA at 4 to 10 days after surgery. However, tPA should be regarded as an acute therapy and adjunctive modality for the treatment of fibrin and blood clots in the anterior segment of the eye. To avoid possible drug-induced complications, we advocate titration of the dose and repeat injection rather than a single large bolus of the drug. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Exciton dynamics and device performance in polythiophene heterojunctions for photovoltaics

We present time-resolved photoluminescence studies in conjunction with device characterization of a variety of heterojunctions with poly-(3-hexylthiophene), or P3HT, as a means to understand how exciton dynamics affect device performance. We find that blends of P3HT with the electron-transporting polymer CN-ether-PPV and with the fullerene derivative PCBM result in ~4-fold and ~15-fold improvements in short-circuit currents, respectively, over neat-film P3HT on TiO2 solgel. Despite efficient charge-transfer in P3HT:PCBM films, as evidenced by enhanced device performance and quenched steady-state luminescence, we observe only moderate reduction of the excited state lifetime, due to the already efficient non-radiative pathways in P3HT. We observe evidence for a new state that we assign to an exciplex in blends of P3HT with the electron-transporting polymer CN-ether-PPV. The exciplex state, which confirms the existence of charge-transfer between the two polymers, may account for the enhanced device performance of these blends by acting as a scavenger for excitons that would otherwise decay rapidly via non-radiative pathways. The longrange order of P3HT is disrupted when spin-cast on rough TiO2 nanoparticles, and this results in a blueshift of the PL spectrum and a new long-lived decay component that we attribute to long-lived intrachain polarons. P3HT on smooth TiO2 solgel films shows little or no quenching of the excited state, despite known charge transfer from P3HT to TiO2.
Contextual media aesthetics as the basis for media literacy

The essay is an attempt to build a theoretical base that will help us understand what media literacy is and how it functions. The major argument is that contextual media aesthetics is the necessary foundation of media literacy and that we need to know how the basic aesthetic building blocks are used to create and shape our cognitive and affective mental maps. The media literacy model proffered here attempts to show the hierarchical relationship of four levels: (a) the basic aesthetic image elements and their aesthetic fields, (b) how they are structured for specific purposes, how we perceive them and how they affect us, and (d) how they fit into the various intellectual and cultural frameworks for media analysis.
Robert Koch and the ‘golden age’ of bacteriology

Robert Koch's discovery of the anthrax bacillus in 1876 launched the field of medical bacteriology. A 'golden age' of scientific discovery ensued. A century after Koch's death, we remember his life and work.
Risk factors for TIA and TIA as a risk factor for stroke.

TIA is a well-recognized risk factor for stroke and is associated with some of the same vascular risk factors as ischemic stroke. Few studies have enumerated the risk factors for TIA compared to the number of studies that have been done on outcomes after TIA. Epidemiologic studies of TIAs are difficult because of the varying criteria clinicians use to define and identify TIA, definitions that make it more difficult to count, measure, and know precisely who really has a TIA and who does not. Reaching a definition that will enable us to make such accurate estimates is part of the aim of this supplementary issue of Neurology . This section of the supplement reviews both sides of the risk factor/TIA issue while focusing on such questions as (a) what the risk of stroke is after a TIA, (b) whether TIA frequency differs in terms of stroke subtype, (c) what we know about the prevalence of TIA from certain study populations, and (d) whether patients with TIA respond differently than stroke patients who have not had TIA to such standard stroke therapies as carotid endarterectomy and antiplatelet agents. In lieu of a standard redefinition of TIA, what do we know about this cerebrovascular event in terms of outcomes? What is the risk for a stroke after a TIA? The annual risk for stroke after a TIA is between 1% and 15%, with a relative risk (RR) ranging between two- and fivefold. The risk for stroke depends on the timing and duration of TIA symptoms and possibly on the type of TIA, e.g., whether it is transient monocular blindness (TMB) and whether there is coexistent disease such as carotid stenosis.1,2⇓ Transient ischemic attack is a potent risk factor compared to other risk factors such as atrial fibrillation, which may have …
Skin manifestations of athletes competing in the summer olympics: what a sports medicine physician should know.

Olympic athletes are vulnerable to traumatic, environmental and infectious skin manifestations. Although dermatological complaints are frequent among Olympians, there is a scarcity of literature that reviews sports-related dermatoses among Olympic athletes. A comprehensive review of PREMEDLINE and MEDLINE searches of all available literature through to January 2011 was conducted, focusing on sports-related dermatological presentations as well as the key words ‘Olympic athletes’ and ‘skin diseases’. Common skin conditions can be harmful and even prohibitive for competition.
Annotating a Multi-Topic Corpus for Arabic Natural Language Processing

Abstract Human-annotated data is an important resource for most natural language processing (NLP) systems. Most linguistically annotated text for Arabic NLP is in the news domain, but systems that rely on this data do not generalize well to other domains. We describe ongoing efforts to compile a dataset of 28 Arabic Wikipedia articles spanning four topical domains—sports, history, technology, and science. Each article in the dataset is annotated with three types of linguistic structure: named entities, syntax and lexical semantics. We adapted traditional approaches to linguistic annotation in order to make them accessible to our annotators (undergraduate native speakers of Arabic) and to better represent the important characteristics of the chosen domains. For the named entity (NE) annotation, we start with the task of marking boundaries of expressions in the traditional Person, Location and Organization classes. However, these categories do not fully capture the important entities discussed in domains li...
Harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) in the North Atlantic: Abundance, removals, and sustainability of removals

The status of harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ) populations in the North Atlantic has raised numerous concerns. Although a number of factors that may be adversely affecting harbour porpoise populations have been identified, focus has been on the impact of removals, primarily due to incidental catches in fishing gear. As a result, considerable efforts have been made to determine the levels and/or impact of bycatch in a number of areas. Unfortunately, many areas remain little studied. Currently, harbour porpoise are listed as threatened or vulnerable in many parts of their range. In order to determine if the current levels of removals are sustainable, information on stock identity and seasonal movements, population parameters, abundance, and the magnitude of removals is required. Although substantial progress has been made to improve our knowledge of these parameters in the last decade, significant gaps still exist. After reviewing the available data for each sub-population in the North Atlantic, it is clear that the information required to assess the status of harbour porpoise populations is still not available for most areas. Attempts have been made to assess the status of harbour porpoise based on trends in sightings or, in areas where information on abundance and bycatch are available, on models using arbitrary criteria and/or theoretical estimates of potential population growth. Detailed case-specific population models have been proposed but are not yet available.