cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Exergy or the entropic drive: waste heat and free heat

The dissipation of exergy is conventionally held to be the inference of the entropy growth. In this conventional perspective, the universe is running down towards equilibrium or heat death. Recent cosmological findings of 1998–2000 give empirical evidence that the universe is instead moving away from equilibrium while its entropy increases. We can better comprehend this non–equilibrium world by thinking in terms of the entropic drive - which, unlike exergy as it is conventionally understood, can be and are being created. Entropy is connected to both (unmanaged) dissipation and managed drive: this paper also introduces the concept of free heat, which is a measure of the departure of managed processes from their spontaneous natural limits including ones of Ongoing Entropy Production (OEP) processes such as solar–infrared radiant exchanges. OEP processes may speed up or slow down. What matters is the maintenance of non–equilibrium existence as a result of managing OEP processes.
Multiplicative errors in the galaxy power spectrum: self-calibration of unknown photometric systematics for precision cosmology

We develop a general method to "self-calibrate" observations of galaxy clustering with respect to systematics associated with photometric calibration errors. We first point out the danger posed by the multiplicative effect of calibration errors, where large-angle error propagates to small scales and may be significant even if the large-scale information is cleaned or not used in the cosmological analysis. We then propose a method to measure the arbitrary large-scale calibration errors and use these measurements to correct the small-scale (high-multipole) power which is most useful for constraining the majority of cosmological parameters. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach on synthetic examples and briefly discuss how it may be applied to real data.
Drug effects on repeated acquisition: comparison of cumulative and non-cumulative dosing

Pigeons acquired a different four-response chain each session by responding sequentially on three keys in the presence of a sequence of four colors. The response chain was maintained by food presentation under a fixed-ratio schedule. Errors produced a brief timeout but did not reset the chain. Each day there were four 15-minute sessions, with a 10-minute inter-session interval. Cumulative dose-effect curves for phencyclidine, pentobarbital, and d-amphetamine were obtained by giving an injection before each of the four sessions; successive injections increased the cumulative dose in equally spaced logarithmic steps. For comparison, non-cumulative doses of each drug (i.e., doses not preceded by other doses on the same day) were also tested. As the cumulative dose of each drug increased, the overall response rate decreased, the percent errors increased, and there was less within-session error reduction (acquisition). With phencyclidine and pentobarbital, the rate-decreasing and error-increasing effects tended to be greater with a non-cumulative dose than with the corresponding cumulative dose. In contrast, with d-amphetamine, the effects were considerably greater with the cumulative doses. The results indicate that although the cumulative-dosing procedure saved a substantial amount of time in determining dose-effect curves, there were quantitative differences in effects between cumulative and non-cumulative doses.
The Kantian Liberal Peace (Revisited)

Democratic peace studies have traditionally identified Kantian “republicanism” with procedural democracy and largely ignored liberalism and constitutionalism, which are even more fundamental for Kant's reasoning behind the liberal peace. A closer look into his major political works reveals that peaceful relations are expected from states with the protection of individual freedoms (liberalism), the rule of law and legal equality (constitutionalism), and representative government (democracy). Only when all three constitutive elements are jointly considered can we uncover the multifaceted nature of Kant's approach to the domestic sources of international peace. In this way, we not only find that monadic and dyadic expectations are consistent with Kant's theory, but also that both normative and interest-based explanations for international peace can equally draw on Kant as their theoretical precursor. We further demonstrate that it is plausible to infer that the Kantian legacy is related to civil peace as well. The propositions we derive from our theoretical reexamination of the Kantian legacy are strongly supported in our quantitative empirical test. Moreover, constitutional liberalism, rather than democracy, shows to be both more central for Kant's theory and empirically more robustly related to international as well as domestic peace.
Change in MRI striatal volumes as a biomarker in preclinical Huntington's disease

This article discusses the need for biomarkers and surrogate endpoints for future clinical trials in individuals at risk for Huntington's disease. Definitions and criteria are presented for biomarkers and surrogate endpoints, and data are presented suggesting that striatal volumes, as measured on MRI scans, meet the criteria for a biomarker. Biomarkers can be used in lieu of clinical endpoints in treatment trials if there is evidence that treatment affects the biomarker in a way that is predictive of endpoint status. Because there are currently no effective treatments for Huntington's disease, it is not yet possible to validate whether change in MRI striatal volumes can serve as an effective surrogate endpoint. It is recommended that future clinical trials be designed using MRI striatal volumes to "screen" potential treatments. Those treatments that reduce the rate of striatal atrophy can then be tested with delay of symptom onset as the clinical endpoint. This strategy is essential if efficient and cost-effective clinical trials are to be conducted in the preclinical stage of Huntington's disease.
PERSISTENCE OF ANTIBODY FOLLOWING IMMUNIZATION OF CHILDREN WITH GROUPS A & C MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINES

139 infants who had received 1 or 2 doses of groups A and C meningococcal vaccines between 3 and 12 months of age were given bivalent A/C boosters at 2 years of age. Mean anti-A and anti-C concentrations declined by 58% and 72% from peak levels by 4 years of age. The proportions of 4 year old children with >2 μg/ml of anti-A and anti-C (a level correlated with protection) were 51% and 14%. 120 children 6-8 years of age, received 1 dose of A or C vaccine. One month post-immunization, anti-A and anti-C levels were 9.4 and 9.1 μg/ml of antibody. Four years later, anti-A and anti-C concentrations were 3.6 and 1.5 μg/ml; the proportions with >2.0 μg/ml were 81% and 40% respectively. Anti-A concentration in 16 children who had received 2 doses of A vaccine 3 years apart declined 40% from the peak within 2 years post-booster; no further decline occurred in the subsequent year. All the children had >2 μg/ml of anti-A 3 years after the booster. These data suggest that protective antibody concentrations may be induced and maintained against group A disease by a schedule of A vaccine at 3 and 6 months followed by booster at 1½ and 5 years of age. Protective anti-C levels are not achieved in infants under 18 months of age and may not persist for more than a few years in older children with presently available C vaccines.
Antibodies against small nuclear ribonucleoproteins immunoprecipitate complexes containing ts110 moloney murine sarcoma virus genomic and messenger RNAs

Abstract Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) are believed to play a role in processing premessenger RNAs. In this study, snRNPs were immunoprecipitated from extracts of cells infected with ts110 Moloney murine sarcoma virus (ts110 MoMuSV). Both the unspliced 4.0 kb and the spliced 3.5-kb ts110 MoMuSV specific RNA species were found in the immunoprecipitates obtained with monoclonal antibody anti-Sm and polyclonal anti-Sm, anti-(U1) RNP and anti-La sera. Although only a portion of the total ts110 RNAs was present in these immunoprecipitates, immune recognition by the anti-snRNPs w as specific and not due to contaminating anti-RNA (at least for the anti-Sm sera) or, to anti-viral protein activities. Genomic 8.3-kb RNA and subgenomic 3.0-kb spliced env mRNA from Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV) infected cells as well as the cellular actin mRNA were also detected in immunoprecipitates obtained with the same antisera. The fact that pre-mRNAs and mature mRNAs of different origin can be recovered from immunoprecipitates formed with anti-snRNP sera establishes their tight association and confirms the role of snRNPs in mRNA processing.
Modeling and test generation for worst-case performance evaluation of MAC protocols for wireless ad hoc networks

We propose a novel framework to critically analyze a given MAC protocol for wireless ad hoc networks with respect to its correctness criteria and performance metrics. The framework is composed of wanted state generation and test scenario generation algorithms. The wanted state generation algorithm generates a set of conditions that meet our study objective. The test generation algorithm then generates complete test scenarios that satisfy our objective, e.g., minimize the value of a particular performance metric. The core of our search engine utilizes novel algorithms that use combinations of goal-oriented backward and forward search and implications as well as heuristics that enable the generation of worst case scenarios in manageable complexity for our practical purposes. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by using our framework to analyze the worst case performance, in terms of throughput and fairness of IEEE 802.11 for ad hoc networks. For all topologies, the worst case scenarios generated by our framework show the worst performance among all scenarios that we generate. The scenarios generated by our framework include the scenarios typically used for performance evaluation of IEEE 802.11 protocol. The case study of IEEE 802.11 shows that the complexity of our novel algorithms are quite practical.
β2 and γ3 laminins are critical cortical basement membrane components: Ablation of Lamb2 and Lamc3 genes disrupts cortical lamination and produces dysplasia

Cortical development is dependent on the timely production and migration of neurons from neurogenic sites to their mature positions. Mutations in several receptors for extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules and their downstream signaling cascades produce dysplasia in brain. Although mutation of a critical binding site in the gene that encodes the ECM molecule laminin γ1 (Lamc1) disrupts cortical lamination, the ECM ligand(s) for many ECM receptors have not been demonstrated directly in the cortex. Several isoforms of the heterotrimeric laminins, all containing the β2 and γ3 chain, have been isolated from the brain, suggesting they are important for CNS function. Here, we report that mice homozygous null for the laminin β2 and γ3 chains exhibit cortical laminar disorganization. Mice lacking both of these laminin chains exhibit hallmarks of human cobblestone lissencephaly (type II, nonclassical): they demonstrate severe laminar disruption; midline fusion; perturbation of Cajal-Retzius cell distribution; altered radial glial cell morphology; and ectopic germinal zones. Surprisingly, heterozygous mice also exhibit laminar disruption of cortical neurons, albeit with lesser severity. In compound null mice, the pial basement membrane is fractured, and the distribution of a key laminin receptor, dystroglycan, is altered. These data suggest that β2 and γ3-containing laminins play an important dose-dependent role in development of the cortical pial basement membrane, which serves as an attachment site for Cajal-Retzius and radial glial cells, thereby guiding neural development.
Relativity solution for “Twin paradox”: a comprehensive solution

We have provided a complete and realistic solution to the problem of Twin Paradox, for the first time, in the frame work of general relativity. Some of the inspiration for this paper has come from the well known papers by Linet and Teyssandier (Phys Rev D 66:024045, 2002) discussing objects moving on geodesics for more general metrics than Schwarzschild. The subject of the “Twin paradox” is encountered frequently in relativity classes but a complete solution in the general relativity framework is not being taught. Our approaches have covered all the cases, starting with inertial motion in flat space time, going through hyperbolic motion in flat space time and ending with the treatment for curved space time.
Microtubule Treadmilling in Vitro Investigated by Fluorescence Speckle and Confocal Microscopy

Whether polarized treadmilling is an intrinsic property of microtubules assembled from pure tubulin has been controversial. We have tested this possibility by imaging the polymerization dynamics of individual microtubules in samples assembled to steady-state in vitro from porcine brain tubulin, using a 2% glycerol buffer to reduce dynamic instability. Fluorescence speckled microtubules were bound to the cover-glass surface by kinesin motors, and the assembly dynamics of plus and minus ends were recorded with a spinning-disk confocal fluorescence microscopy system. At steady-state assembly, 19% of the observed microtubules (n = 89) achieved treadmilling in a plus-to-minus direction, 34% in a minus-to-plus direction, 37% grew at both ends, and 10% just shortened. For the population of measured microtubules, the distribution of lengths remained unchanged while a 20% loss of original and 27% gain of new polymer occurred over the 20-min period of observation. The lack of polarity in the observed treadmilling indicates that stochastic differences in dynamic instability between plus and minus ends are responsible for polymer turnover at steady-state assembly, not unidirectional treadmilling. A Monte Carlo simulation of plus and minus end dynamics using measured dynamic instability parameters reproduces our experimental results and the amount of steady-state polymer turnover reported by previous biochemical assays.
Reproductive organ DNA and RNA of male and female rats from birth to 100 days of age.

Male and female rats were adjusted to six pups per litter and weaned at 20 days of age. Groups of ten males were killed at five- to ten-day intervals between one and 100 days of age and groups of 12 to 45 females were killed between ten and 100 days. Accumulation with age of gonadal, seminal vesicular, and uterine weight, DNA, and RNA, were compared with body growth in relative growth analyses to delimit puberty and quantify reproductive growth. Males and females possessed similar body growth to 40 days, after which age females grew more slowly while males continued rapid growth to 60 days. Relative to body growth, testes grew more rapidly from ten days whereas ovarian growth generally paralleled body growth until 50 days of age. A shift in gonadal RNA/DNA ratio from less than to greater than unity occurred early in puberty in both sexes. Nucleic acid contents of accessory reproductive organs indicated that effective levels of gonadal steroids promote pubertal growth beginning at about 40 days in males and about 33 days of age in females. These marked pubertal growths ended at 70 days in males and 60 days of age in females.
Running the Blockade: Information Technology, Terrorism, and the Transformation of Islamic Mass Culture

Arab media is no longer limited to state-sponsored sources, opening a door of opportunity to the Muslim world. Islamic terrorist groups leverage information technology to form resilient, networked organizations that influence how many Muslims perceive events and U.S. political goals. This article looks at the connection between information technology and cultural transformation in the Middle East. It focuses on how information technology—as the major weapon system in the battle of ideas—has been used effectively by Islamic extremists and less so by the U.S. Important conclusions are drawn regarding the necessity of culturally-attuned uses of information technology.
Pesticide residue controls to ensure food safety.

(1992). Pesticide residue controls to ensure food safety. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition: Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 191-203.
Laser Tissue Welding in Lung and Tracheobronchial Repair: An Animal Model

Background: Violation of the integrity of the airway (pulmonary parenchymal air leak or tracheobronchial injury) remains a challenging problem in chest medicine and thoracic surgery. Tissue sealants such as figlue have been suggested to improve outcomes but they are still associated with signifi cant failure rates. Laser tissue welding (LTW) is an alternative method that produces wound repairs that are signifi cantly stronger than those of figlue and may be used to repair air leaks. Methods: We used an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees-approved New Zealand white rabbit model of lung parenchymal and tracheal injury. Lung wounds (n 5 8 per condition) were created and either left open or repaired using fi brin glue or LTW. Tracheal wounds (n 5 5 per condition) were created using incisions in the membranous and cartilaginous portions or by removing a tracheal ring, and were repaired using LTW. Within each tissue type, the burst strength of the wounds was measured using a digital manometer and were compared with one another using a two-tailed, paired Student t test. Results: Among the lung injuries, the burst strength of the LTW repair (19.95 6 4.98 mm Hg) was signifi cantly stronger than that of the fi brin glue repair or open wound (10.53 6 5.01 mm Hg, P 5 .001, and 7.61 6 2.64 mm Hg, P , .001, respectively). Among the tracheal injuries, the burst strength of the membranous incision (101.00 6 20.25 mm Hg) was signifi cantly higher than that of the cartilaginous incision (75.08 6 10.50 mm Hg, P 5 .03) but not that of the cartilaginous defect (77.34 6 12.35 mm Hg). Conclusions: LTW is capable of sealing wounds in the tracheobronchial tree and can produce bonds that are twice as strong as figlue in lung parenchyma. LTW may be a better alternative than fi brin glue in the repair of injuries to the airway.
Quantum optics: Spins charge ahead

The spin of the nitrogen–vacancy centre in diamond is a powerful resource for quantum control. However, control over its charge state lags far behind. Appropriating electrical gating techniques used in quantum-dot devices could bridge this gap.
Adaptive clock synchronization in sensor networks

Recent advances in technology have made low cost, low power wireless sensors a reality. Clock synchronization is an important service in any distributed system, including sensor network systems. Applications of clock synchronization in sensor networks include data integration in sensors, sensor reading fusion, TDMA medium access scheduling, and power mode energy saving. However, for a number of reasons, standard clock synchronization protocols are unsuitable for direct application in sensor networks. In this paper, we introduce the concept of adaptive clock synchronization based on the need of the application and the resource constraint in the sensor networks. We describe a probabilistic method for clock synchronization that uses the higher precision of receiver-to-receiver synchronization, as described in Reference Broadcast Synchronization (RBS) protocol. This deterministic protocol is extended to provide a probabilistic bound on the accuracy of the clock synchronization, allowing for a tradeo between accuracy and resource requirement. Expressions to convert service specifications (maximum clock synchronization error and confidence probability) to actual protocol parameters (minimum number of messages and synchronization overhead) are derived. Further, we extend this protocol for maintaining clock synchronization in a multihop network.
Frequency and Characteristics of Pediatric and Adolescent Visits in Naturopathic Medical Practice

OBJECTIVES: This work sought to identify naturopathic physicians in Washington State who frequently provide pediatric care and to describe the conditions treated and therapies recommended for children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A mailed survey of licensed naturopathic physicians residing in Washington State collected demographic information and practice descriptions. For naturopathic physicians treating > or = 5 pediatric patients per week, data were collected on the conditions seen and treatments provided to children during a 2-week period. RESULTS: Of 499 surveys delivered to providers, 251 surveys were returned (response rate: 50.3%). Among the 204 naturopathic physicians currently practicing, only 31 (15%) saw > or = 5 children per week. For these pediatric naturopathic physicians, pediatric visits constituted 28% of their office practice. Pediatric naturopathic physicians were more likely to be licensed midwives (19.4% vs 0.6%) and treated significantly more patients per week (41.6 vs 20.2) than naturopathic physicians who provided less pediatric care. Eighteen of the 31 pediatric naturopathic physicians returned data on 354 pediatric visits; 30.5% of the visits were by children < 2 years old, and 58.5% were by those < 6 years old. The most common purpose for presentation included health supervision visits (27.4%), infectious disease (20.6%), and mental health conditions (12.7%). Pediatric naturopathic physicians provided immunizations during 18.6% of health supervision visits by children < 2 years old and 27.3% of visits by children between the ages of 2 and 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Although most naturopathic physicians in Washington treat few children, a group of naturopathic physicians provide pediatric care as a substantial part of their practice. Based on the ages of children seen and the conditions treated, pediatric naturopathic physicians may provide the majority of care for some children. Efforts should be made to enhance collaboration between naturopathic physicians and conventional providers so that optimal care can be provided to children.
Ventilatory effects on pulmonary vascular inflow and outflow patterns

Ventilation of an isolated lung lobe modifies the rate of inflow into its pulmonary artery (Murao and Rodbard, 1971). The present studies show that ventilation also influences the rate of outflow from the pulmonary vein in a manner which differs significantly from the effects on the rate of inflow into the pulmonary artery. Since this difference between instantaneous inflow and outflow rates affects the calculation of vascular conductance (resistance) and its interpretation we have compared and analysed the effects of ventilation on simultaneous flow patterns in the pulmonary artery and vein.
AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF SPERMATID DIFFERENTIATION IN THE TOAD, BUFO ARENARUM HENSEL

The differentiation of the spermatids of Bufo arenarum has been described from a study of electron micrographs of thin sections of testis. The development of the acrosome from the Golgi complex takes place in much the same manner as in mammalian spermatogenesis but no acrosome granule is formed. A perforatorium is described for the first time in this species. It is formed by a convergence of dense filaments that arise between the nuclear membrane and the head cap. During maturation of the spermatid the chromatin undergoes striking physicochemical alterations. Fine chromatin granules uniformly dispersed in the karyoplasm are replaced by larger and larger aggregates and these ultimately coalesce to form a very dense sperm head. Two centrioles of cylindrical form are situated very near the base of the sperm head. The longitudinal fibrils of the tail flagellum take origin from one, and the dense fibrous substance of the undulating membrane is closely related to the other. Phase contrast cinematographic observations on the swimming movements of living toad sperm, when considered in relation to the fine structural components of the tail, suggest that there is a contractile component in the undulating membrane as well as in the axial fibrils. The differences in the structure of mammalian and amphibian sperm tails are discussed in relation to differences in the character of their movements.
The uppermost mantle shear wave velocity structure of eastern Africa from Rayleigh wave tomography: constraints on rift evolution

SUMMARY An expanded model of the 3-D shear wave velocity structure of the uppermost mantle beneath easternAfricahasbeendevelopedusingearthquakesrecordedbytheAfricaArrayEastAfrican SeismicExperimentinconjunctionwithdatafrompermanentstationsandpreviouslydeployed temporary stations. The combined data set comprises 331 earthquakes recorded on a total of 95 seismic stations spanning Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. In this study, data from 149 earthquakes were used to determine fundamental-mode Rayleigh wave phase velocities at periods ranging from 20 to 182s using the two-plane wave method, and then combined with the similarly processed published measurements and inverted for a 3-D shear wave velocity model of the uppermost mantle. New features in the model include (1) a low-velocity region in western Zambia, (2) a high-velocity region in eastern Zambia, (3) a low-velocity region in eastern Tanzania and (4) low-velocity regions beneath the Lake Malawi rift. When considered in conjunction with mapped seismicity, these results support a secondarywesternriftbranchstrikingsouthwestwardsfromLakeTanganyika,likelyexploiting therelatively weak lithosphere ofthesouthernKibaran Beltbetween theBangweulu Blockand the Congo Craton. We estimate a lithospheric thickness of ∼150–200km for the substantial fast shear wave anomaly imaged in eastern Zambia, which may be a southward subsurface extension of the Bangweulu Block. The low-velocity region in eastern Tanzania suggests that the eastern rift branch trends southeastwards offshore eastern Tanzania coincident with the purported location of the northern margin of the proposed Ruvuma microplate. Pronounced velocity lows along the Lake Malawi rift are found beneath the northern and southern ends of the lake, but not beneath the central portion of the lake.
Heart size matters: lessons with MRI.

‘Relatively new and powerful noninvasive imaging tests are increasingly being applied to the study of diseases of the heart, with dramatic results.’ Cardiac enlargement is a common clinical scenario. Subtle enlargement with no or only mild symptoms may be incidentally discovered by chest x-ray, while symptomatic cardiomegaly is most frequently detected and evaluated by echocardiography. There are multiple causes of cardiomegaly, but the clinical presentation of the patient frequently narrows the range of possibilities for the etiology of heart enlargement. Reasons for cardiomegaly may be intrinsic to structural heart abnormalities, such as valvular disorders [1]. However, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and other conditions may also result in increased size of the left ventricle [2–4]. Relatively new and powerful noninvasive imaging tests are increasingly being applied to the study of diseases of the heart, with dramatic results. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the heart has been performed in research laboratories since the mid-1980s, but its routine use for clinical studies has been much more recent and has accelerated within the past 5 years. MRI has many faces and may be used to evaluate such diverse processes as blood vessel imaging with MR angiography, blood flow/myocardial perfusion and regional myocardial function.
MRI Volume Loss of Subcortical Structures in Unilateral Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Few studies have examined the relative degree of brain volume loss in both the hippocampi and subcortical structures in unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and their association with clinical seizure correlates. In this study, quantitative MRI volumes were measured in the hippocampus, thalamus, caudate, putamen, and corpus callosum in 48 patients with unilateral TLE (26 right, and 22 left) and compared with the volumes of 29 healthy controls. The ipsilateral hippocampus, corpus callosum, and bilateral thalami exhibited the greatest volume loss, reflected by large to moderate effect size differences compared with controls. Bilaterally, the putamen showed the next highest volume reduction. The contralateral hippocampus and bilateral caudate nuclei showed the least volume reduction, characterized by small effect sizes. Furthermore, clinical seizure characteristics (e.g., duration of epilepsy) exhibited different patterns of association with the volume reductions observed across these structures. Findings suggest that distinct neurodevelopmental features may play a role in the volume abnormality observed in these regions.
A New "Kinetic" Method for Enzyme Analysis Suitable for Automation

A method is proposed for automatic instrumentation of enzyme activity determinations which involve spectrophotometric measurements. The procedure utilizes a kinetic method to produce one instrumental reading that is proportional to enzyme concentration. The single spectrophotometric reading can be processed by analog or digital computation, using the known absorptivity constant of the reactant or product measured, to provide a value for enzyme activity expressed in micromoles of substrate consumed or product formed per unit time per unit volume under the specified conditions. Using the spectrophotometric measurement, one can establish enzyme concentrations based on absolute constants yielding results similar to those obtained by conventional kinetic measurements of zero-order reaction rates which are proportional to enzyme concentration.
An on-demand secure routing protocol resilient to byzantine failures

An ad hoc wireless network is an autonomous self-organizing system ofmobile nodes connected by wireless links where nodes not in directrange can communicate via intermediate nodes. A common technique usedin routing protocols for ad hoc wireless networks is to establish therouting paths on-demand, as opposed to continually maintaining acomplete routing table. A significant concern in routing is theability to function in the presence of byzantine failures whichinclude nodes that drop, modify, or mis-route packets in an attempt todisrupt the routing service.We propose an on-demand routing protocol for ad hoc wireless networks that provides resilience to byzantine failures caused by individual or colluding nodes. Our adaptive probing technique detects a malicious link after log n faults have occurred, where n is the length of the path. These links are then avoided by multiplicatively increasing their weights and by using an on-demand route discovery protocol that finds a least weight path to the destination.
“Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.” Really? Is there scientific evidence for “8 × 8”?

Despite the seemingly ubiquitous admonition to “drink at least eight 8-oz glasses of water a day” (with an accompanying reminder that beverages containing caffeine and alcohol do not count), rigoro...
The Assessment and Management of Cancer Treatment–Related Diarrhea

Cancer treatment-induced diarrhea affects a high percentage of patients with cancer that receive chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Widely used criteria for measuring treatment-induced diarrhea, such as the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria, do not account for important characteristics of treatment-induced diarrhea. These characteristics include the assessment of the duration of the diarrhea, coexisting symptoms, abdominal cramping, or the presence of nocturnal diarrhea. Until recently, there were no universally accepted guidelines for the management of diarrhea. An expert panel developed guidelines with recommendations regarding assessment of the patient and treatment. These guidelines stress the importance of a thorough assessment of the patient, and treatment based upon severity of symptoms. By employing these guidelines, the aggressive management of diarrhea may impact the overall morbidity of this symptom. Education regarding the importance of diarrhea is essential. Patients who are informed will better understand their role in managing this side effect and when to contact their health care provider with emergent symptoms. Early recognition and management of diarrhea will be essential to improve control of diarrhea, and in turn will positively impact patients' quality of life.
Closely spaced, aligned grids in vacuum tubes

Closely spaced, fine-mesh, double grid systems were tested in a parallel-plane arrangement for their electrical and electron-optical properties. The grids maintain adequate control of heavy currents with virtually negligible interception. The scattering introduced by the combined grid system is quite low and decreases with closeness of cathode and grid spacings, fineness of mesh, and increase of current. Similar results can be achieved with a single grid coated on the cathode side with a thin insulating layer.
Temporal variation in the arthropod community of desert riparian habitats with varying amounts of saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima)

We used Malaise traps to examine the aerial arthropod community in riparian habitats dominated by native willow, exotic saltcedar, or a mixture of these two tree species in central Arizona, USA. Over the course of three sampling periods per year in 2003 and 2004, native habitats had significantly greater diversity (Shannon–Wiener) and supported different arthropod communities compared to exotic habitats, while mixed habitats were intermediate in terms of diversity and supported an arthropod community statistically indistinguishable from the exotic site. The composition of arthropod communities varied significantly between the two years, and there was an approximately two-fold difference in richness and diversity. Overall, we documented complex interactions indicating that differences among the arthropod communities of riparian habitats may be driven not only by the composition of native and exotic tree species making up these habitats, but also by year and season of arthropod sampling.
APPLICATION OF THE “HYBRID APPROACH” TO CHRONIC TOTAL OCCLUSIONS IN A CONTEMPORARY MULTICENTER US REGISTRY

The “hybrid” approach to coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) crossing was developed to optimize procedural efficacy, efficiency, and safety. We examined the procedural techniques and outcomes of 639 consecutive CTO percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed using the “hybrid”
D2‐like dopamine receptors in amphibian retina: Localization with fluorescent ligands

Dopamine induces several light adaptive changes in amphibian retina via receptors with D2-like pharmacology, but the identity of the primary target cells has not been determined. Using a fluorescent probe consisting of a selective D2 antagonist, N-(p-aminophenethyl)- spiperone (NAPS), derivatized with the fluorophore Bodipy (NAPS-Bodipy), we identified the distribution of dopamine binding sites in the retina of two amphibians, post-metamorphic Xenopus laevis and larval Ambystoma tigrinum. Specific labeling was defined as staining that was displaced by D2 selective ligands (eticlopride or sulpiride), but insensitve to D1 selective drugs (SCH 23390), adrenergic catecholamines (epinephrine or norepinephrine), or serotoninergic analogues (ketanserin). Both rod and cone cells showed specific dopamine D2-like binding sites arranged in clustered arrays on discrete membrane domains of the inner segment. Labeling of photoreceptor outer segments was continuous and was not displaced by competition with D2 selective ligands; this labeling was considered nonspecific. In addition, in both species, clustered binding of the D2-probe was found on Muller cells and on a subset of inner retinal cells with the morphology of amacrine/interplexiform cells. Our data provide direct evidence for D2 receptors on both rods and cones, and suggest that the receptors may be clustered into patches within a discrete cellular domain, the inner segment. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Decisions Near the End of Life: Resources Allocation Implications for Hospitals

CONCLUSION At a time when hospitals are having predictable difficulty accommodating infinite expectations with finite resources, there are still some observers who abhor even the possibility that the cost and volume of hospital services to the terminally ill be scrutinized. However, more assertive attention is justified on the basis of qualitative as well as quantitative evidence. Neither unrestricted medical paternalism nor total patient autonomy should be unequivocally endorsed. Both the physician and the patient have a mutual obligation and incentive to achieve a proper balance. This balance is dynamic rather than static because attitudes and values change, and advance directives are not immutable documents. Hospitals have a moral imperative to create an organizational environment in which a genuine collaborative decision-making process will ultimately benefit all participants.
Active-Passive Shielding for MRI Acoustic Noise Reduction: Network Analysis

We have modeled the effect of passive copper shielding applied to the outside of an actively shielded, axisymmetric z-gradient coil assembly, with the aim of substantially reducing induced eddy currents in the cryostat inner bore that create acoustic noise. For the purpose of calculation, the cylindrical cryostat inner bore and the passive copper shielding are coaxial and are imagined to be sliced into thin ring sections. Each ring section has a finite thickness and is further divided into several concentric layers. The thin cylindrical sections become elements in an electrical network that includes the actively shielded gradient coil. We calculate eddy currents both for single frequency excitations and for time-dependent excitations by modeling a series of trapezoidal pulses. Our results take into account time dependence, diffusion of eddy currents among cylindrical sections and skin depth effects. Two configurations are analyzed. The first is a thin copper layer wrapped around the outer diameter of the gradient assembly, and the second extends the copper over the ends of the gradient assembly. A 2-mm-thick copper layer around the gradient assembly reduces power deposited in the cryostat inner bore by 13.5 dB for a 1 kHz gradient excitation. Extending the passive shield, for the same 2 mm thickness, to cover the ends of the gradient reduces cryostat inner bore power deposition, by 26.7 dB for the same frequency
Detection of an Unknown Frequency Hopping Signal Based on Image Features

This paper presents a new detection method for unknown frequency hopping (FH) signal, this indirect method is base on multiple image features. We first process the time- frequency spectrum of the received signal, extract image features after image segmentation and filtering operations, then establish FH signal verification and joint parameters estimation (FHSV- JPE) mathematical model to describe the detection problem, we propose an optimal solution of the model, and analyze the performance of the algorithm at last. Simulations are carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed algorithm. I. INTRODUCTION Frequency hopping (FH) communication have received ever increasing attention over the past years as numerous applica- tions have adopted this scheme. With this increased use of FH communications, naturally, came the question of detection. This question has given rise to a considerable amount research focused on the detection of FH signals. Those researches can be classified into two kinds: searching detection methods and software detection methods. The former include methods in papers (1)(2)(3) . This kind of methods needs information of many FH parameters. The latter kind of methods includes ex- ponential averaging algorithm (4), algorithm based on wavelet transformation (5) and so on. The signal models in these methods are ideal without considering short-time burst signals in practical environments. This paper presents a new indirect detection method for FH signals. Compared with previous researches, this method has two new ideas. Firstly, it introduces image processing into FH signal detection, which makes the feature extraction more stable and credible. Secondly, it establishes the FH signal verification and joint parameters estimation (FHSV-JPE) model, which can be used to verify the existences of FH signals and analyze detection performance in theory. This paper is organized as follows. In Section II, we describe the receive signal model. The extraction of image features is proposed in Section III. Section IV establishes the FHSV- JPE model and gives out its solution. Performance analysis is presented in section V. The simulation results are illustrated in Section VI. The conclusions are given in the last section.
Municipal Bonds and Tax Arbitrage: A Cointegration Analysis

This article presents a new, cointegration approach to test a tax arbitrage opportunity in holding municipal bonds. Noticing that the variables of interest are nonstationary, two alternative cointegration tests are used to examine the relationship that may exist (1) between the yield on municipal bonds and the after-tax yield on corporate bonds and (2) between the explicit tax rate on corporate bonds and the implicit tax rate on municipal bonds. Previous studies do not take into account the time-series properties of the variables involved, assuming tacitly that they are stationary. Weekly bond yield data together with New Jersey and federal income tax rates are used, and various unit root and cointegration tests are employed to test for stationarity and for cointegration between the variables. The evidence fails to support the tax arbitrage hypothesis.
Lamictal (Lamotrigine) Monotherapy for Typical Absence Seizures in Children

Summary: Purpose: To investigate whether lamotrigine (LTG) monotherapy is effective and safe for newly diagnosed typical absence seizures in children and adolescents (aged 3–15 years, n = 45). Methods: A “responder-enriched” study design was used: open-label dose escalation was followed by placebo-controlled, double-blind testing of LTG. Conventional hyperventilation testing with EEG recording was used to confirm diagnoses and assess treatment success defined as complete freedom from seizures. Ambulatory 24-h EEG recordings provided supporting evidence of effectiveness. Safety was assessed by evaluation of adverse events, vital signs, and physical, neurologic, and laboratory examinations. Plasma samples were taken to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of LTG. Results: During initial open-label dose escalation, 71.4% of patients (intent-to-treat) or 82% (per protocol analysis) became seizure free; individual patients responded at doses ranging from 2 to 15 mg/kg/day (median, 5.0). In the placebo-controlled, double-blind phase of the study, statistically significantly more patients remained seizure free when treated with LTG (62%) than with placebo (21%; p < 0.02; for the intent-to-treat analysis). Mean plasma concentrations of LTG, were linearly related to dose, although there was substantial interindividual variation. No patients were withdrawn from the study for any safety-related reason. Conclusions: LTG monotherapy is effective for typical absence seizures in children and is generally well tolerated.
Coagulopathy in Critically III Patients: Part 2 — Soluble Clotting Factors and Hemostatic Testing

This manuscript provides an overview of how to interpret in vitro clotting studies and how to select studies to evaluate patients with bleeding disorders in the ICU. It provides a practical approach to understanding the complex subject of clotting factor abnormalities, including the most common problems of preanalytical error and anticoagulation therapy. Limitations and pitfalls of diagnostic testing are highlighted.
Honeynet games: a game theoretic approach to defending network monitors

A honeynet is a portion of routed but otherwise unused address space that is instrumented for network traffic monitoring. It is an invaluable tool for understanding unwanted Internet traffic and malicious attacks. We formalize the problem of defending honeynets from systematic mapping (a serious threat to their viability) as a simple two-person game. The objective of the Attacker is to identify a honeynet with a minimum number of probes. The objective of the Defender is to maintain a honeynet for as long as possible before moving it to a new location within a larger address space. Using this game theoretic framework, we describe and prove optimal or near-optimal strategies for both the Attacker and the Defender. This is the first mathematically rigorous study of this increasingly important problem on honeynet defense. Our theoretical ideas provide the first formalism of the honeynet monitoring problem, illustrate the viability of network address shuffling, and inform the design of next generation honeynet defense systems.
New diagnostics and cures for coupled-bunch instabilities

As circular accelerators move towards larger numbers of bunches and higher beam currents, the task of diagnosing and curing coupled-bunch instabilities becomes ever harder. This paper describes the use of phase space tracking, i.e. reconstruction of bunch phase space trajectories, as a comprehensive instability diagnostic. A new instability cure is also presented, based on recent insights into the dynamics of unevenly-filled rings. Data is shown from PEP-II and the ALS, where "optimally shaped" uneven fills have yielded significant increases in instability thresholds.
The Systems SOAP Note: A Systems Learning Tool.

Objective Systems-based practice (SBP) is the only Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competency concerned with public health and is relatively neglected in residency curricula. A tool was developed and pilot-tested to improve SBP learning on inpatient psychiatry rotations.
Neuronal c-Abl activation leads to induction of cell cycle and interferon signaling pathways.

Expression of active c-Abl in adult mouse forebrain neurons in the AblPP/tTA mice resulted in severe neurodegeneration, particularly in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Neuronal loss was preceded and accompanied by substantial microgliosis and astrocytosis. In contrast, expression of constitutively active Arg (Abl-related gene) in mouse forebrain neurons (ArgPP/tTA mice) caused no detectable neuronal loss or gliosis, although protein expression and kinase activity were at similar levels to those in the AblPP/tTA mice. To begin to elucidate the mechanism of c-Abl-induced neuronal loss and gliosis, gene expression analysis of AblPP/tTA mouse forebrain prior to development of overt pathology was performed. Selected results from gene expression studies were validated with quantitative reverse transcription PCR , immunoblotting and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling, and by immunocytochemistry. Two of the top pathways upregulated in AblPP/tTA mice with c-Abl expression for 2 weeks were cell cycle and interferon signaling. However, only the expression of interferon signaling pathway genes remained elevated at 4 weeks of c-Abl induction. BrdU incorporation studies confirm that, while the cell cycle pathway is upregulated in AblPP/tTA mice at 2 weeks of c-Abl induction, the anatomical localization of the pathway is not consistent with previous pathology seen in the AblPP/tTA mice. Increased expression and activation of STAT1, a known component of interferon signaling and interferon-induced neuronal excitotoxicity, is an early consequence of c-Abl activation in AblPP/tTA mice and occurs in the CA1 region of the hippocampus, the same region that goes on to develop severe neurodegenerative pathology and neuroinflammation. Interestingly, no upregulation of gene expression of interferons themselves was detected. Our data suggest that the interferon signaling pathway may play a role in the pathologic processes caused by c-Abl expression in neurons, and that the AblPP/tTA mouse may be an excellent model for studying sterile inflammation and the effects of interferon signaling in the brain.