cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heat Equations with Fractional White Noise Potentials

This paper is concerned with the following stochastic heat equations: $$\frac{{\partial u_t (x)}} {{\partial t}} = \frac{1} {2}\Delta u_t (x) + w^H \cdot u_t (x), x \in \mathbb{R}^d , t > 0,$$ where w H is a time independent fractional white noise with Hurst parameter H=(h 1 , h 2 ,..., h d ) , or a time dependent fractional white noise with Hurst parameter H=(h 0 , h 1 ,..., h d ) . Denote |H|=h 1 +h 2 +...+h d . When the noise is time independent, it is shown that if ½ <h i d-1 , then the solution is in L 2 and the L 2 -Lyapunov exponent of the solution is estimated. When the noise is time dependent, it is shown that if ½ <h i d- 2 /( 2h 0 -1 ) , the solution is in L 2 and the L 2 -Lyapunov exponent of the solution is also estimated. A family of distribution spaces S ρ , ρ∈ \RR , is introduced so that every chaos of an element in S ρ is in L 2 . The Lyapunov exponents in S ρ of the solution are also estimated.
Development and validation of a model for wall-flow type selective catalytic reduction system

The two-way diesel particulate filter (DPF)/selective catalytic reduction (SCR) emissions-reduction system has recently been extensively studied due to its potential cost savings and packing flexibility. Unlike a conventional emissions-reduction system that consists of a DPF and an SCR for reduction of both particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx), this two-way system incorporates SCR function into a wall-flow DPF as a single device by coating SCR catalysts into the filter wall of the DPF. Such a combinatorial system has the advantage of lower system volume and cost, since exhaust gas undergoes soot filtering and NOx reduction reaction simultaneously as it passes through the channels and filter wall. In this work, the mathematical formulations which govern the physical and chemical phenomena in the two-way DPF/SCR are derived and a computer simulation model is developed based on these formulations. The model has been validated and tested with experimental data from a reactor flow bench in a systematic...
Mean Wind Loading on Parabolic-Trough Solar Collectors

Two wind-tunnel force and moment tests have been conducted on parabolic-trough solar collector configurations. The two tests were conducted in different flow field environments, one a uniform flow infinite airstream, the second a simulated atmospheric boundary layer flow with the models simulating a ground-mounted installation. 4 refs.
Has the nuclear power industry risen and fallen or will it rise again

Abstract This paper is a critical commentary on the book by K.F. McCallion, Shoreham and the Rise and Fall of the Nuclear Power Industry , Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT (1995). The author also addresses briefly the current status of nuclear power and the nuclear industry.
Induction of phencyclidine-like behavior in rats by dextrorphan but not dextromethorphan.

The behavioral effects of dextromethorphan (DM), dextrorphan (DO) and phencyclidine (PCP) were compared in rats. DO (15-120 mg/kg) was similar to PCP (1.25-20 mg/kg) in inducing dose-dependent locomotor hyperactivity, stereotypy and ataxia. DM (15-120 mg/kg) induced moderate hyperactivity only at the higher doses about 45 min after treatment. DM and DO modified the locomotor facilitation induced by 10 mg/kg PCP in opposite directions. Pretreatment with DO facilitated, whereas DM dose-dependently inhibited PCP-elicited hyperactivity. Although the metabolism of DM in rats is unknown, the recently reported abuse of DM in humans may occur by its conversion to DO in the organism, i.e., to a metabolite which produces PCP-like effects.
Self-Assembly of Lamellar Microphases in Linear Gradient Copolymer Melts

We investigate lamellar microphases in linear gradient copolymer melts by a combination of techniques, including numerical solutions of self-consistent field equations, scaling theory, and analysis of the strong-segregation limit. In particular, we construct a Flory theory to predict the scaling of the equilibrium lamellar width Leq as a function of comonomer incompatibility measured by χN. The Flory theory balances chain stretching with increased monomer repulsive interactions resulting from conformational fluctuations about a state of uniformly stretched chains, that obtains in the strong-segregation limit. We find Leq/Rg ∼ (χN)1/6, which agrees well with numerical results. Remarkably, this is the same result as for symmetric diblock copolymers, although for quite different physical reasons.
Controlling Oxidized Flavors in High-Fat Sterilized Creams

Abstract Creams containing approximately 50% fat have been sterilized at 155C with no holding time, canned aseptically, and stored for more than six months with excellent results. Flavor scores were 38 or more immediately after processing for most creams to which concentrated milk, ascorbic acid, and α-tocopherol had been added. Flavor scores were as high as 37 after eight months' storage at 4C. These creams were homogenized after sterilization at not more than 35 kg/cm 2 in the second stage of a two-stage homogenizer or 35 kg/cm 2 in the first and 21 kg/cm 2 in the second stage. Most large globules retained their original size. Peroxide values decreased to near zero in three to five weeks of storage in creams containing added ascorbic acid. Reduced ascorbic acid decreased at a faster rate in creams without added solids-not-fat than in creams with the added solids. The presence or absence of added α-tocopherol made no difference. The rate of decrease of ascorbic acid was greater than had been reported in enriched commercial evaporated milk. Ice creams made with sterilized cream containing added ascorbic acid and tocopherol retained good flavor for more than a year after they were frozen.
Automatic environmental noise source classification model using fuzzy logic

Noise classification is very important nowadays. Fuzzy logic has been applied to many interesting problems in different areas including noise identification/recognition. With this study, we propose an automatic environmental noise source classifier based on fuzzy logic. The proposed classifier uses the feature parameters that are extracted using short-time auto-correlation function. Six commonly encountered non-stationary noise sources are chosen to recognize. These are subway, airport, inside car, inside train, restaurant, and rain. Classification accuracy of the proposed classifier ranged from 62% to 90% rates.
Suprapontine control of respiration

Despite focus on brainstem areas in central respiratory control, regions rostral to the medulla and pons are now recognized as being important in modulating respiratory outflow during various physiological states. The focus of this review is to highlight the role that suprapontine areas of the mammalian brain play in ventilatory control mechanisms. New imaging techniques have become invaluable in confirming and broadening our understanding of the manner in which the cerebral cortex of humans contributes to respiratory control during volitional breathing. In the diencephalon, the integration of respiratory output in relation to changes in homeostasis occurs in the caudal hypothalamic region of mammals. Most importantly, neurons in this region are strongly sensitive to perturbations in oxygen tension which modulates their level of excitation. In addition, the caudal hypothalamus is a major site for ‘central command’, or the parallel activation of locomotion and respiration. Furthermore, midbrain regions such as the periaqueductal gray and mesencephalic locomotor region function in similar fashion as the caudal hypothalamus with regard to locomotion and more especially the defense reaction. Together these suprapontine regions exert a strong modulation upon the basic respiratory drive generated in the brainstem.
Photodynamic therapy for predominantly hemorrhagic lesions in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose To evaluate the response of eyes treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) for predominantly hemorrhagic lesions in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NVAMD). Design Consecutive, interventional case series. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of eyes with NVAMD that were treated with PDT for predominantly hemorrhagic subfoveal lesions. Baseline data recorded were patient age, use of aspirin or warfarin, history of previous PDT treatment, visual acuity (VA), extent of subretinal hemorrhage (SRH), and central foveal thickness (CFT) and total macular volume (TMV) measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Follow-up VA, SRH status, and complications were recorded. Results Twenty-one eyes of 21 patients were identified with a mean posttreatment follow-up of 9.4 months. Mean pretreatment VA was 20/210, and mean SRH size was 16 disk areas. The SRH resolved in 18 eyes (86%) after a mean of six months, with a mean VA of 20/210. Mean VA for all eyes at most recent follow-up was 20/250. Thirteen (62%) of 21 eyes exhibited stable or improved VA at the most recent follow-up. VA one year after PDT inversely correlated with patient age (P = .045) and initial SRH size (P = .04) and positively correlated with pretreatment VA (P = .01). Previous PDT treatment, use of aspirin or warfarin, and OCT data did not significantly correlate with VA or SRH resolution. Conclusions PDT may be an effective treatment for minimizing visual loss in eyes with NVAMD and predominantly hemorrhagic lesions. Further study is warranted to detail the risk-benefit ratio and compare PDT with other treatment modalities.
Cardiac surgical implications of calcium dyshomeostasis in the heart

The prevalence of coronary artery disease renders myocardial ischemia a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Both cardiac bypass operations and cardiac transplantation cause myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. Intracellular calcium transport and regulation are of paramount importance in both normal and pathologic myocardial states. Calcium regulation is integral to nearly every myocyte function, from early development to senescence. Normal intracellular calcium-mediated excitation-contraction coupling and abnormal patterns of calcium regulation leading to systolic/diastolic dysfunction are now therapeutically accessible to the cardiac surgeon. Additionally, altered Ca2+ transport protein gene expression is a mechanism of myocardial dysfunction. Therapeutic strategies involve receptor-mediated transduction of signals to intracellular metabolic sites. Evidence implicates protein kinase C as well as a potential therapeutic role for Ca2+. The potential for pharmacologic access to this protective state has abundant clinical appeal. The protective state (cardiac "preconditioning") is transient but is amenable as therapy against operation-related ischemic events.
Isomer ratios for the 41K(α, n)44,44mSc and 55Mn(α, n)58,58mCo reactions

Cross-section ratios for the isomeric pairs 44,44mSc and 58,58mCo produced from the 41K(α, n) and 55Mn(α, n) reactions, respectively, were measured as a function of alpha-particle energy. since the alpha particles were produced in a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator, the energy scale was well established. The experimental results were compared with calculations based on different nuclear models in order to study the spin dependence of the nuclear level density. With a level density parameter a = 5 MeV−1, calculations based on a superconductor model agree very well with the experimental data for 44Sc, while calculations with a Fermi-gas model require a moment of inertia at lower excitation energies of about 23 the rigid-body value. On the other hand, Fermi-gas calculations for another odd nucleus 58Co require a rigid-body moment of inertia at low excitation energies. Modified Fermi-gas and superconductor calculations predict a decrease in 44,44mSc isomer ratios from the 41K(α, n) reaction at very high bombarding energies. This result is qualitatively similar to the observed behaviour.
An enantioselective fluorescence sensing assay for quantitative analysis of chiral carboxylic acids and amino acid derivatives.

A chiral 1,8-diacridylnaphthalene-derived fluorosensor exhibiting a C2-symmetric cleft designed for stereoselective interactions with hydrogen bond donors has been used for the determination of both concentration and enantiomeric composition of carboxylic acids and amino acid derivatives.
The concept of addiction in law and regulatory policy related to pain management: a critical review.

OBJECTIVE: To present a critical appraisal of the present definitions of addiction-related terminology that appear in US laws and regulatory policies that apply to the prescription of controlled substances for pain management. METHODS: To establish an appropriate context for existing policy definitions, a historical review was conducted of reports from the World Health Organization expert committees on addiction-related concepts, beginning in 1950. In addition, current World Health Organization and American Psychiatric Association diagnostic classification nomenclature were examined. RESULTS from recent criteria-based evaluations of federal and state laws and regulatory policies containing addiction-related terminology also were referenced. RESULTS: Numerous examples are provided to clarify how inaccurate understandings of the nature of addiction, which can be corroborated by archaic definitions in some states' laws, can impact treatment decisions and patient care. Finally, this article discusses terminological and treatment implications of such concepts as "risk mitigation" and "responsible prescribing", which are goals currently emphasized in the pain management field as principal means to reduce addiction to or abuse of prescription opioid medications. DISCUSSION: Although notable improvement has been achieved, policy content in some states has not kept pace with advancements in medical and scientific knowledge about the interface between pain management and addictive disease. Effective translation of addiction-related concepts into clinical practice remains an important objective for promoting public health related to treating pain and reducing non-medical use of opioids. Language: en
Restoration, Not Preservation, of General Surgery Residency

Is there a problem with surgical training? What is broken and what needs fixing? In considering these questions, I should state at the outset that my thoughts, while shaped by deliberations and debates within the American Board of Surgery (ABS), do not state the position of the Board, which has yet to formulate its position. My concern is that although we are successful in providing excellent general surgical training, we may need a new mechanism for providing further special training to general surgeons. Certification in surgery requires a broad training in the basic science of surgery and documented experience and skill in the nine primary components of surgery, as defined by the ABS. It also demands significant exposure to the four secondary components and an understanding of the management of common problems in other areas related to surgery (Table 1). The breadth and scope of the educational task is formidable
CONTROLLED MULTICENTER CLINICAL TRIAL OF BOVINE SURFACTANT (SF-RI 1) FOR PREVENTION RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME IN VERY PREMATURE INFANTS

CONTROLLED MULTICENTER CLINICAL TRIAL OF BOVINE SURFACTANT (SF-RI 1) FOR PREVENTION RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME IN VERY PREMATURE INFANTS
Representing and clustering electromyographic gait patterns with multivariate techniques

The population distribution of the electromyographic patterns from several muscles in 25 normal subjects walking at free speed was investigated. The utility and sufficiency of Karhunen-Loeve expansions for reducing the dimension of electromyographic patterns was demonstrated. Cluster analysis was used to separate the constituent patterns into major groups.
Comparison of glycoproteins by two-dimensional mapping of glycosylated peptides

Abstract We describe here a two-dimensional mapping procedure which is capable of resolving glycopeptides isolated by lectin affinity chromatography from radioiodinated tryptic digests of glycoproteins. Glycopeptide maps were successfully produced for the model proteins α1-acid glycoprotein and fetuin, as well as for the two surface glycoproteins gp90 and gp45 from equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV). Differences were detected in the glycopeptide maps obtained for the gp90 and gp45 components from two antigenically distinct strains of EIAV, demonstrating the ability of this procedure to detect variations in glycosylation in closely related glycoproteins. Thus this glycopeptide mapping technique provides a simple, rapid method to study changes in glycopeptides requiring only micrograms of glycoprotein.
Components of the model of the clinical practice of emergency medicine: a survey of American Board of Emergency Medicine diplomates.

Abstract Background The Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine is the basis for the content specifications of all American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) examinations. This study describes the frequency with which ABEM diplomates diagnose and manage the conditions and components listed in the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine. Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency with which ABEM diplomates diagnose and manage the conditions and components described in the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine. Methods The listing of conditions and components of the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine were sent to 16,230 randomly selected ABEM diplomates. One of five surveys was sent to each diplomate. Each condition and component was assessed by participants for the frequency that emergency physicians diagnose (D) and manage (M) that condition, as seen in their practice of Emergency Medicine. Results Of the 16,230 surveys sent, 5006 were returned (30.8% response rate). The genders of the respondents were 75% male and 24% female. The ages of the respondents were primarily in the age 40–49 years, and 30–39 years age groups. All categories of the listing of conditions and components of the Model of the Clinical Practice of Emergency Medicine were encountered frequently in the practice of Emergency Medicine, as indicated by study participants. Conclusions A survey of practicing ABEM diplomates was useful in defining the frequency with which specific conditions and components are diagnosed and managed in the practice of Emergency Medicine.
The Protein Kinase/Endoribonuclease IRE1α That Signals the Unfolded Protein Response Has a Luminal N-terminal Ligand-independent Dimerization Domain

In response to accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cells activate an intracellular signal transduction pathway called the unfolded protein response (UPR). IRE and PERK are the two type-I ER transmembrane protein kinase receptors that signal the UPR. The N-terminal luminal domains (NLDs) of IRE1 and PERK sense ER stress conditions by a common mechanism and transmit the signal to regulate the cytoplasmic domains of these receptors. To provide an experimental system amenable to detailed biochemical and structural analysis to elucidate the mechanism of ER-transmembrane signaling mechanism mediated by the NLD, we overexpressed the soluble luminal domain of human IRE1α in COS-1 cells by transient DNA transfection. Here we report the expression, purification, and characterization of the soluble NLD. The biological function of the NLD was confirmed by its ability to associate with itself and to interact with both the membrane-bound full-length IRE1α receptor and the ER chaperone BiP. Functional and spectral studies suggested that the highly conserved N-linked glycosylation site is not required for proper protein folding and self-association. Interestingly, we demonstrated that the NLD forms stable dimers linked by intermolecular disulfide bridges. Our data support that the luminal domain represents a novel ligand-independent dimerization domain.
Measuring complexity in structured vs unstructured cobol programs

Abstract Measuring programmer productivity and estimating programming time and costs are among the most worrisome and persistent problems facing the programming manager. A key element in both problem areas is program complexity. It has been demonstrated in practice that a measure of program complexity is an indispensable aid in evaluating a programming effort. The purpose of this paper is to present a prototype for a composite measure of program complexity. The paper presents a basis for a technique upon which an objective quantitative evaluation for any program or programming effort could be made. This index of complexity would give the manager a tool for a quantitative assessment of programming efforts so that judgments about the relative merits of programs and programmers can be based on objective data and an objective measure. The measure is applied against a reference group of COBOL programs, several of which were written in a structured programming environment. The index of complexity and the data from which it is derived are used to evaluate the complexity of structured vs unstructured COBOL programming styles.
Endodontic success--who's reading the radiograph?

Abstract Success and failure in 253 cases selected at random were determined by mounting the films and having six examiners read them, independently and without consulting one another. They agreed on fewer than half of the cases. When the question was only one of determining whether or not an area of rarefaction was present on one film, the agreement was still less than half. Upper molars gave the greatest percentage of disagreement, but all the other teeth gave large percentages of disagreement also.
Considerations of symmetry in the cortical integration of tetrahymena doublets.

Homopolar doublets of syngen 1, T. pyriformis, may be induced by treatment of conjugating pairs with immobilizing antiserum. These doublets have geometric properties and basal body populations generally indicative of separate autonomous integrative systems in the two halves. The duplex system, though metastable, is transformed through a process of “simplification” back to the simplex state. The transformation is not a single event, but a series involving changes at different times for different structures and processes; for the micronuclei and the macronuclei; for the capacity to generate two oral apparatuses through stomatogenesis and the capacity to develop them through oral replacement; for the structures at the anterior and posterior ends of the cell; for the numbers of ciliary rows and for the numbers of basal bodies which make up the rows. Although the two semicells composing a doublet are in important respects independent of each other, they are coordinated in significant ways. The positions of the contractile vacuole pores and their numbers depend not only on the number of ciliary rows in a semicell, but also on the number of ciliary rows in the opposing twin. Most notably, the probability for dual stomatogenesis, and hence the perpetuation of the doubled oral apparatus, depends on the symmetry of the semicells. The cell as a whole is maintained as an integrated unit over a prolonged interval as various aspects of duplex structure and function are progressively consolidated.
DNA sequence variation in human apolipoprotein C4 gene and its effect on plasma lipid profile

Human apolipoprotein C-IV (apoC-IV, protein; APOC4, gene) is a new member of the APO E/C1/C2 gene cluster. In transgenic mice, human apoC-IV is predominantly associated with very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) and thus may play an important role in lipid metabolism. To our knowledge, the extent and nature of APOC4 genetic variation and its role in lipid metabolism are unknown. In this study we have assessed the presence of genetic variation in all three exons of APOC4 and their flanking intronic sequence by SSCP and DNA sequencing. A total of five point mutations were observed, including two in the non-coding part of exon 1 (A609G and G620A), two in exon 2 (codons 36 and 52) and one in exon 3 (codon 96). The three mutations in exons 2 and 3 predict amino acid substitutions, Leu36Pro, Gly52Asp, and Leu96Arg. The frequencies of the variant alleles were: 0.010 for 609G, 0.039 for 620A, 0.502 for Pro36, 0.003 for Asp52 and 0.357 for Arg96. Significant pairwise linkage disequilibrium was observed between five of the ten APOC4 pairs, including nt. 620/codon 36, nt. 620/codon 96, codon 36/codon 52, codon 36/codon 96 and codon 52/codon 96. A general linear model analysis reveled a significant association of the Leu36Pro and the Leu96Arg polymorphisms with triglyceride levels in women. This is consistent with the proposed role of apoC-IV in triglyceride metabolism. The characterization of APOC4 genetic variation may lead to the identification of a specific role of apoC-IV in lipid metabolism or in other physiologic pathways.
Trust-Based Task Assignment in Autonomous Service-Oriented Ad Hoc Networks

We propose and analyze a trust management protocol for autonomous service-oriented mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) populated with service providers (SPs) and service requesters (SRs). We demonstrate the resiliency and convergence properties of our trust protocol design for service-oriented MANETs in the presence of malicious nodes performing opportunistic service attacks and slandering attacks. Further, we consider a situation in which a mission comprising dynamically arriving tasks must achieve multiple conflicting objectives, including maximizing the mission reliability, minimizing the utilization variance, and minimizing the delay to task completion. We devise a trust-based heuristic algorithm to solve this multi-objective optimization problem with a linear runtime complexity, thus allowing dynamic node-to-task assignment to be performed at runtime. Through extensive simulation, we demonstrate that our trust-based node-to-task assignment algorithm outperforms a non-trust-based counterpart using blacklisting techniques while performing close to the ideal solution quality with perfect knowledge of node reliability over a wide range of environmental conditions.
Foraging patterns of juvenile walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) in a system consisting of a single predator and two prey species: testing model predictions

We tested the hypothesis that the presence of a large number of energetically inferior prey (Daphnia pulex) in the environment with energetically superior prey (larval carp, Cyprinus carpio) interf...
Anorectal function is not always normal after surgery in Hirschsprung’s disease

Arshad and colleagues highlight that, although rare, late presenting Hirschsprung’s disease in children can result in serious morbidity.1 However, their statement that most patients with …
Finding Religion in Everyday Life

This address is a contribution to the study of “lived religion,” that is, the embodied and enacted forms of spirituality that occur in everyday life. Like the children’s books that ask “where’s Waldo,” sociologists are invited to think about the many ways in which we need to refocus our work in order to see the religion that often appears in unexpected places. As the discipline has broadened its geographical and cultural vision, it also must broaden its understanding of what religion is. Religion is neither an all-ornothing category nor a phenomenon that is confined to a single institutional sphere. Understanding the multilayered nature of everyday reality and the permeability of all social boundaries makes a more nuanced study of religion possible. Using data from the “Spiritual Narratives in Everyday Life” project, it is suggested that religion can be found in the conversational spaces—both in religious organizations and beyond—where sacred and mundane dimensions of life are produced and negotiated.
Technique for dual transducer echocardiography

Circuitry for simultaneous recording from dual transducers on a single echocardiogram is presented. The technique may be used to compare the motion pattern and time intervals of separate intracardiac structures. The technique may be difficult, is limited by the size of the cardiac window, and may be most useful for research purposes.
Ambient air pollution exposure and blood pressure changes during pregnancy

Abstract Background Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with adverse birth outcomes such as preterm delivery. However, only one study to date has linked air pollution to blood pressure changes during pregnancy, a period of dramatic cardiovascular function changes. Objectives: We examined whether maternal exposures to criteria air pollutants, including particles of less than 10 μm (PM10) or 2.5 μm diameter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3), in each trimester of pregnancy are associated with magnitude of rise of blood pressure between the first 20 weeks of gestation and late pregnancy in a prospectively followed cohort of 1684 pregnant women in Allegheny County, PA. Methods Air pollution measures for maternal ZIP code areas were derived using Kriging interpolation. Using logistic regression analysis, we evaluated the associations between air pollution exposures and blood pressure changes between the first 20 weeks of gestation and late pregnancy. Results First trimester PM10 and ozone exposures were associated with blood pressure changes between the first 20 weeks of gestation and late pregnancy, most strongly in non-smokers. Per interquartile increases in first trimester PM10 and O3 concentrations were associated with mean increases in systolic blood pressure of 1.88 mmHg (95% CI=0.84 to 2.93) and 1.84 (95% CI=1.05 to 4.63), respectively, and in diastolic blood pressure of 0.63 mmHg (95% CI=−0.50 to 1.76) and 1.13 (95% CI=−0.46 to 2.71) in non-smokers. Conclusions Our novel finding suggests that first trimester PM10 and O3 air pollution exposures increase blood pressure in the later stages of pregnancy. These changes may play a role in mediating the relationships between air pollution and adverse birth outcomes.
PITFALLS IN DIFFERENTIAL HEAT INACTIVATION OF HEXOSAMJNIDASE FOR HETEROZYGOTE DETECTION FOR TAY-SACHS DISEASE (TSD)

Serum hexosaminidase A (hex A) activity is reduced in obligate carriers of the TSD gene. The heat lability of hex A when exposed to 50-52°C under standard conditions has been employed for carrier detection in mass screening programs. Our experience with a program involving tests on more than 3,500 persons has revealed more than 50% false positives on retesting by independent and more sensitive methods. Moreover, thermal lability tests of serum ‘rom obligate heterozygotes have shown at least a 15% overlap with normals. Assay of leukocyte hex A also lacks sufficient precision because hex B in white cell extracts is significantly less heat stable than in serum. Application of DEAE ion exchange chromatography for separation and quantitation of hex A yields better discrimination of heterozygotes from noncarriers (noncarrier 10.0 ± 1.22; obligate heterozygotes 4. 6 ± 1.20; newly identified carriers 5.1 ± 0.95 in nM/ml/min). A large “I” component can be separated from serum and tissues from TSD patients, and intermediate levels are observed in carriers. The “I” fraction is indistinguishable from hex B by kinetic or thermal stability properties, and resembles the “P” fraction observed during pregnancy. Our studies suggest that hex A deficiency in TSD may reflect an abnormality in “enzyme realization” - i.e. conversion of hex A from a precursor protein.
Homology detection via family pairwise search.

ABSTRACT The function of an unknown biological sequence can often be accurately inferred by identifying sequences homologous to the original sequence. Given a query set of known homologs, there exist at least three general classes of techniques for finding additional homologs: pairwise sequence comparisons, motif analysis, and hidden Markov modeling. Pairwise sequence comparisons are typically employed when only a single query sequence is known. Hidden Markov models (HMMs), on the other hand, are usually trained with sets of more than 100 sequences. Motif-based methods fall in between these two extremes. The current work introduces a straightforward generalization of pairwise sequence comparison algorithms to the case when multiple query sequences are available. This algorithm, called Family Pairwise Search (FPS), combines pairwise sequence comparison scores from each query sequence. A BLAST implementation of FPS is compared to representative examples of hidden Markov modeling (HMMER) and motif modeling (...
Determining a Role for Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex in Encoding Action-Based Value Signals During Reward-Related Decision Making

Considerable evidence has emerged to implicate ventromedial prefrontal cortex in encoding expectations of future reward during value-based decision making. However, the nature of the learned associations upon which such representations depend is much less clear. Here, we aimed to determine whether expected reward representations in this region could be driven by action–outcome associations, rather than being dependent on the associative value assigned to particular discriminative stimuli. Subjects were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing 2 variants of a simple reward-related decision task. In one version, subjects made choices between 2 different physical motor responses in the absence of discriminative stimuli, whereas in the other version, subjects chose between 2 different stimuli that were randomly assigned to different responses on a trial-by-trial basis. Using an extension of a reinforcement learning algorithm, we found activity in ventromedial prefrontal cortex tracked expected future reward during the action-based task as well as during the stimulus-based task, indicating that value representations in this region can be driven by action–outcome associations. These findings suggest that ventromedial prefrontal cortex may play a role in encoding the value of chosen actions irrespective of whether those actions denote physical motor responses or more abstract decision options.
An Animal Model for Hybrid Stage I Palliation of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Hybrid palliation has evolved as an important alternative treatment strategy for patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). The procedural cooperation between cardiothoracic surgeon and interventional cardiologist is not intuitive and there is an increasing demand to avoid mistakes of the ‘early learning curve,’ through in vivo teaching using an animal model. We describe a unique experience of developing a piglet model that can be used to teach the procedural technique of hybrid Stage I palliation. The model has been used in about 140 piglets and consists of percutaneous patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) balloon angioplasty using a 6-mm balloon in piglets with a weight of 2–2.5 kg, followed within 4–7 days by bilateral PA banding as well as PDA stent placement in a hybrid procedure through a midline sternotomy.
Magneto-oscillations in AsF5-intercalated graphite

Abstract We have observed quantum oscillations in low stage (1–3) samples of HOPG graphite intercalated with AsF 5 . An inductive technique is described which allows simultaneous observation of both Shubnikov-de Haas (resistivity) and de Haas-van Alphen (magnetization) oscillations. The oscillations are interpreted in terms of a tight-binding model for the band structure, and good agreement with both band parameters and effective masses is found. The fractional charge transfer is found to be f = 0.37 for stage 1 and 0.41 for stage 2, in approximate agreement with previous determinations. As the stage 2 samples age under N 2 a new, low frequency oscillation appears in the magnetoresistance. C --axis X-ray reflections show that these samples are still of second stage, but an analysis of the X-ray intensities suggests that the amount of intercalant decreases with time. Neither the d.c. conductivity nor the period of the high-frequency oscillations charge significantly as the samples age. The analysis of X-ray reflection intensities provides a chemical charge transfer (fraction of AsF 5 converted to AsF 6 − ) in good agreement with the electronic charge transfer measured above, while the changes with aging are associated with loss of unconverted AsF 5 .
HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY, MANUFACTURING, AND THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: AN ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVE ON SCHMENNER'S HYPOTHESES

Two simultaneous developments took place during the so-called Industrial Revolution (1760–1830): the industrialization of Britain and other countries in Europe and the deindustrialization of a number of non-European countries, including India. I identify international relations as a major driver of the three components—demand, innovations, and capital formation—of the Industrial Revolution. I also offer an alternate perspective on hypotheses proposed by Schmenner in the preceding article in this issue.
Oxytocin-stimulated inositol phosphate turnover in endometrium of ewes is influenced by stage of the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and intrauterine infusion of ovine conceptus secretory proteins.

Three experiments (Exp) assessed the influence of stage of the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and intrauterine infusion of ovine conceptus secretory proteins (oCSP) on turnover of inositol trisphosphate (the putative second-messenger for oxytocin-stimulated secretion of prostaglandin F2 alpha) in ovine endometrium during luteolysis and maternal recognition of pregnancy. In Exp 1, endometrium was collected from 5 cyclic (Cy) and 6 pregnant (P) ewes on Day 16 after onset of estrus. In Exp 2, endometrium was collected from Day 12 Cy (n = 5), Day 12 P (n = 3), Day 16 Cy (n = 4), and Day 16 P (n = 3) ewes. In Exp 3, 12 Cy ewes were allotted randomly, in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, to receive serum protein (SP), or oCSP and estradiol-17 beta (E2), or vehicle treatments. Ewes were injected i.v. with 0.5 mg E2 or vehicle on Day 12 and received twice-daily infusions of 1.5 mg SP or oCSP (containing 25 micrograms ovine trophoblast protein-1 by radioimmunoassay [RIA]) + SP (1.5 mg total protein) into each uterine horn on Days 12, 13, and 14. Blood samples for RIA of plasma progesterone were collected on Days 10-15 (before treatment on each day) and endometrium was collected on Day 15. For each Exp, 100 mg endometrium was incubated, in duplicate, for 2 h with 10 microCi [3H] inositol and treated with 0 or 100 nM oxytocin (OT) for 20 min, then [3H]inositol mono-, bis-, and trisphosphates (IP1, IP2, and IP3, respectively) were quantified.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Application of Gibbs' rule and a simple pathway method to microbial stoichiometry

The power of metabolic pathway stoichiometry for applications in bioreactor monitoring and control, in terms of the degrees of freedom, the calculation of reaction rates, and the validity of pathway models, is analyzed by using Gibbs' rule of stoichiometry. The pathway stoichiometry has significant advantages over the macroscopic balance methods when the number of independent reactions is not at its maximum. When the number of reactions is at the maximum, the power of the pathway stoichiometry is very much limited, and it should be used with caution. A simple method is also proposed to derive all possible independent stoichiometric constraints from the metabolic pathways. For most practical fermentations, the proposed method is much easier to use than the existing methods in the literature.
PC-OPT: optimal offline prefetching and caching for parallel I/O systems

We address the problem of prefetching and caching in a parallel I/O system and present a new algorithm for parallel disk scheduling. Traditional buffer management algorithms that minimize the number of block misses are substantially suboptimal in a parallel I/O system where multiple I/Os can proceed simultaneously. We show that in the off line case, where a priori knowledge of all the requests is available, PC-OPT performs the minimum number of I/Os to service the given I/O requests. This is the first parallel I/O scheduling algorithm that is provably offline optimal in the parallel disk model. In the online case, we study the context of global L-block lookahead, which gives the buffer management algorithm a lookahead consisting of L distinct requests. We show that the competitive ratio of PC-OPT, with global L-block lookahead, is /spl Theta/(M - L + D), when L /spl les/ M, and /spl Theta/(MD/L), when L > M, where the number of disks is D and buffer size is M.
Effect of ewe restraint on the libido and serving capacity of rams

Abstract The following study examines the effect of ewe restraint when assessing the libido and serving capacity of rams. Twenty-five domestic rams were exposed to both unrestrained and restrained estrous ewes under circumstances in which copulations were permitted and prevented. Ewe restraint did not affect the rate of ejaculation or measures of precopulatory behavior when copulation was permitted. When rams were exposed to ewes whose perinea had been covered to prevent copulations (libido tests), bouts of leg-kicking and anogenital sniffing were not affected by female restraint but mounting occurred more frequently when ewes were unrestrained. The latter measures of libido correlated with ejaculation rates (serving capacity) observed in tests permitting copulation and, in four out of six cases, were slightly higher when covered females were restrained. Rams were particularly aggressive (butts and vigorous pawing) toward ewes that were covered and restrained. It was concluded that the advantages of ewe restraint are not great enough to justify its use when assessing the libido and mating potential of rams with estrous ewes.
Sneddon’s Syndrome With Granulomatous Leptomeningeal Infiltration

Background There is limited neuropathologic information available from cases of Sneddon’s syndrome in which strokes are associated with livedo reticularis. Pathogenesis of the syndrome is controversial, although current opinion favors a coagulopathy, often with antiphospholipid antibodies. We describe a case lacking antiphospholipid antibodies but having a granulomatous infiltration of the leptomeninges. Case Description The patient presented at age 29 with stroke, livedo reticularis, essential hypertension, and Raynaud’s phenomenon. Assessment uncovered no underlying disease, including absent antiphospholipid antibodies. A leptomeningeal biopsy showed granulomatous infiltration. Conclusions The findings suggest that an inflammatory process plays a role in at least some cases of Sneddon’s syndrome.
OLIGOSACCHARIDES OF BIRCH SAP

Fractionation of concentrated fresh sap from white birch (Betula papyrifera) yielded polysaccharide material (mainly arabinogalactan), oligosaccharides, and D-glucose and D-fructose. Separation of the oligosaccharides by a combination of charcoal column and filter paper chromatography yielded seven sugars (I–VII). These were identified as sucrose (I); 6G-fructosylsucrose (II); a F-glucosylsucrose (III); gentiobiose (IV); melibiose (V); manninotriose (VI); and verbascotetraose (VII). The small amount of sucrose found in the sap and the absence of raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose indicated that enzymic hydrolysis by a β-fructofuranosidase had occurred in the cells or vessels of the tree. The oligosaccharides are not related in either structure or composition to the polysaccharides present in the sap and wood.
Variational Interconnect Delay Metrics for Statistical Timing Analysis

For statistical timing analysis and physical design optimization, interconnect delay metrics that model the delay as a function of the metal process variations are very important. Accurate linear or at most second order delay models in terms of the process variables are necessary to efficiently propagate uncertainty in the state-of-the-art VLSI designs with millions of transistors and on chip interconnects. In this paper, we develop a method to extend the traditional moment based delay analysis of interconnects to consider the impact of Gaussian metal process variations and obtain mean-square optimal linear delay models for interconnects. We consider linear models for the variations in the conductance and capacitance of interconnects and represent the moments (m/sub 0/, m/sub 1/, m/sub 2/) of the interconnect impulse response as a first order orthogonal polynomial series expansion in the process variables. We obtain the coefficients of the expansion by using the Galerkin residual error minimization method on the recursive equations that relate the interconnect moments (m/sub 0/, m/sub 1/, m/sub 2/). We compare the accuracy of our approach against SPICE based Monte Carlo simulations and demonstrate a good match.
XKCM1: A Xenopus Kinesin-Related Protein That Regulates Microtubule Dynamics during Mitotic Spindle Assembly

We isolated a cDNA clone encoding a kinesin-related protein, which we named XKCM1. Antibodies to XKCM1 stain mitotic centromeres and spindle poles. Immunodepletion and antibody addition experiments in an in vitro spindle assembly assay show that XKCM1 is required for both establishment and maintenance of mitotic spindles. The structures that form in the absence of XKCM1 contain abnormally long microtubules. This long microtubule defect can be rescued by the addition of purified XKCM1 protein. Analysis of microtubule dynamics in a clarified mitotic extract reveals that loss of XKCM1 function causes a 4-fold suppression in the catastrophe frequency. XKCM1 thus exhibits a novel activity for a kinesin-related protein by promoting microtubule depolymerization during mitotic spindle assembly.
Evolution of an elemental theory of Pavlovian conditioning.

Kenneth Spence (1936, 1937) formalized a quantitative, elemental approach to association theory that has had a broad and dominating influence on learning theory for many years. A set of challenges to the basic approach has spurred the subsequent evolution of elemental theory in various ways. Four of the challenges and some resulting theoretical accommodations are described in the context of Pavlovian conditioning. The evolution involves departures from important specifics of Spence’s theory, but is viewed as demonstrating the utility of the basic, elemental approach that is one of his legacies.
High-Level Factors Affecting Global Availability of Online Government Services

The purpose of this research is to develop and test a parsimonious theory of the drivers of global level e- government. Specifically, we compare individual and business usage of online government services both as direct antecedents and as indirect factors mediated by government development of an ICT regulatory environment. Using 2006 data from the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Government Information Technology Report (GITR), we develop and test our theory using data on 122 countries. Our findings indicate that business rather than individual usage of e-government services has greater explanatory value as an antecedent to the availability of those services, and that the ICT legal environment mediates both relationships.