cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the mechanism of methyl-dopa-induced mydriasis in the cat.

alpha-methyl-Dopa (10–100 mg/kg, i.v.) produced a dose-dependent mydriasis in cats anaesthetized with pentobarbital (30 mg/kg, i.p.). The onset was gradual, reaching a maximum plateau in 2–2.5 h. Intracerebroventricular administration of 1 or 3 mg of alpha-methyl Dopa (MD) also produced pupillary dilation with a similar time course. These dosages were without effect when given intravenously. Pretreatment with the alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist, yohimbine (0.5 mg/kg, i.v.), blocked the pupillary response to MD. The alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist, prazosin (1.0 mg/kg, i.p.), was ineffective. Selective enzymatic blockade with 3-hydroxy-benzyl-hydrazine (NSD-1015; 25 mg/kg, i.p.), a Dopa-decarboxylase enzyme inhibitor, as well as with bis (4-methyl-homopiperazinyl-thiocarbonyl) disulfide (FLA-63; 2.5 mg/kg, i.p.), a dopamine-beta-hydroxylase blocker, prevented the mydriatic effect of MD. These results support the hypothesis that MD produces a clonidine-like, CNS mediated mydriasis in the cat, primarily by action of its metabolite alpha-methyl-noradrenaline acting on alpha2-adrenoceptors.
Detrimental deletions: mitochondria, aging and Parkinson's disease.

As individuals enter their 80s, they are inevitably confronted with the problem of neuronal loss in the brain. The incidence of the common movement disorder ‘mild parkinsonian signs’ (MPS) is approximately 50% over the age of 85 years. It has long been known that the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta is a neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently, two papers1,2 present clear evidence for a high burden of mitochondrial DNA deletions within substantia nigra neurons in aged individuals and individuals with PD, pointing towards a common pathway inevitably leading to neuronal dysfunction and death. BioEssays 28: 963–967, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Unionization and faculty salaries: New evidence from the 1990s

The literature on how unionization affects faculty salaries and compensation is inconclusive. I use the 1993 National Survey of Postsecondary Faculty to investigate how collective bargaining affects faculty salaries. Union representation significantly alters the returns to individual and institutional characteristics, and unionized faculty receive a premium of between 7 and 14 percent, an earnings differential that is substantially larger than those found in most earlier studies.
Racing toward Tragedy?: China's Rise, Military Competition in the Asia Pacific, and the Security Dilemma

In the post–Cold War period, scholars have considered the Asia Pacific to be ripe for military competition and conflict. Developments over the past decade have deepened these expectations. Across the region, rising military spending and efforts of various states to bolster their military capabilities appear to have created an increasingly volatile climate, along with potentially vicious cycles of mutual arming and rearming. In this context, claims that China's rapid economic growth and surging military spending are fomenting destabilizing arms races and security dilemmas are widespread. Such claims make for catchy headlines, yet they are rarely subject to rigorous empirical tests. Whether patterns of military competition in the Asia Pacific are in fact attributable to a security dilemma–based logic has important implications for international relations theory and foreign policy. The answer has direct consequences for how leaders can maximize the likelihood that peace and stability will prevail in this eco...
New examples of imbedded spherical soap bubbles inSN (1)

A. D. Alexandrov proved that the only imbedded soap bubbles in euclidean or hyperbolicn-space are round spheres. This also holds for ann-dimensional hemisphere. In this paper we give many new examples of differentiable (n−1)-spheres imbedded as soap bubbles in sphericaln-space. Thus we show Alexandrov's theorem is false for sphericaln-space even under the added assumption that the soap bubbles are differentiable (n−1)-spheres.
Security analysis for Cyber-Physical Systems against stealthy deception attacks

Security of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) against cyber attacks is an important yet challenging problem. Since most cyber attacks happen in erratic ways, it is difficult to describe them systematically. In this paper, instead of identifying a specific cyber attack model, we are focused on analyzing the system's response during cyber attacks. Deception attacks (or false data injection attacks), which are performed by tampering with system components or data, are not of particular concern if they can be easily detected by the system's monitoring system. However, intelligent cyber attackers can avoid being detected by the monitoring system by carefully design cyber attacks. Our main objective is to investigate the performance of such stealthy deception attacks from the system's perspective. We investigate three kinds of stealthy deception attacks according to the attacker's ability to compromise the system. Based on the information about the dynamics of the system and existing hypothesis testing algorithms, we derive the necessary and sufficient conditions under which the attacker could perform each kind of attack without being detected. In the end, we illustrate the threat of these cyber attacks using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) navigation example.
Connecting loose ends: a unique linear plasmid or a new model system?

Little more than a decade ago the idea that γ-proteobacteria had a single circular chromosome was, for all intents and purposes, dogma. Extrachromosomal elements were well understood by that time but with the exception of some linear bacteriophage, all DNA molecules were expected to exist as closed rings to replicate within Escherichia coli and its cousins. The discovery that Vibrio spp. had two, rather than one, circular chromosomes was grounds for a major paradigm shift [1,2] but the structure (if not the extent) of the γ-proteobacterial genome and its attendant gene pool was otherwise believed to be well understood.
Employing behavioral objectives to design catalog course descriptions

For the principal source of a description of a course he may wish to enroll in, the student turns to the college catalog. Of course, he may ask a teacher about the course, consult a colleague, glance at the semester schedule, or sign up blindly-all methods for choosing courses more frequently used than we wish to acknowledge. Doubtless, most persons connected with higher educational institutions view the catalog's description of courses as serving multiple purposes. All would concur, however, that one purpose focuses on providing the prospective course enrollee with an accurate picture of the course and its level of sophistication. For thousands of courses in hundreds of community colleges, four-year institutions, and universities, catalog descriptions do not reveal relevant, reliable, resourceful information about courses. Consider, for example, the following description-taken from an undergraduate college of a well-known university-of the first semester of freshman English:
Modeling conserved nutrient limited growth: effects of a bound substrate pool

An extension to the model previously presented by Brown et al. (1988) is developed for the case of a conserved substrate that is incorporated into the cell structure. It is shown that the model can predict both an inflection point and a period of essentially linear growth. Effects of the adjustable parameters and the ability to predict experimental results are determined.
Effects of Humidity and Elevated Temperature On the Density and Thermal Conductivity of a Rigid Polyisocyanurate Foam

Measurements of apparent thermal conductivity for specimens of rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam cut from a commercial insulation product and aged in air at 60°C and different humidities are presented. Eight specimens, nominally 600 by 600 mm, were prepared from two boards (1.2 by 2.4 by 0.05 m) of rigid PIR foam blown with trichlorofluoromethane (CCl 3 F) and having permeable organic-inorganic facers. Facers and excess foam were removed by sanding the specimens to a thickness of 27.9 ± 0.1 mm. Four specimens were placed in ambient conditions of 22°C and 40% relative humidity (RH)
A nomogram to predict overall survival and disease-free survival after curative resection of gastric adenocarcinoma.

The American Cancer Society projects there will be over 22,000 new cases, resulting in nearly 11,000 deaths, related to gastric adenocarcinoma in the US in 2014. The aim of the current study was to find clinicopathologic variables associated with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) following curative resection of gastric adenocarcinoma, and create a nomogram for individual risk prediction. A nomogram to predict DFS and OS following surgical resection of gastric adenocarcinoma was constructed using a multi-institutional cohort of patients who underwent surgery for primary gastric adenocarcinoma at seven major institutions in the US between January 2000 and August 2013. Discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were tested by C-statistic, Kaplan–Meier curves, and calibration plots. A total of 719 patients who underwent surgery for primary gastric adenocarcinoma were included in the study. Using the backward selection of clinically relevant variables with Akaike information criteria, age, sex, tumor site, depth of invasion, and lymph node ratio (LNR) were selected as factors predictive of OS, while age, tumor site, depth of invasion, and LNR were incorporated in the prediction of DFS. A nomogram was constructed to predict OS and DFS using these variables. Discrimination and calibration of the nomogram revealed good predictive abilities (C-index, DFS 0.711; OS 0.702). Independent predictors of recurrence and death following surgery for primary gastric adenocarcinoma were used to create a nomogram to predict DFS and OS. The nomogram was able to stratify patients into prognostic groups, and performed well on internal validation.
Rules of engagement in turbulent times: How Verizon Wireless uses a robust HR portal for employee communication

Turbulent times such as these will test the resilience of many companies' communication capabilities, particularly for rapid response with consistent messaging to focus and engage a wary and distracted workforce on the many challenges ahead. The answer may be an HR portal like that at Verizon Wireless, where it is a core part of an engagement strategy that is the envy of the industry. The article discusses the importance of engagement for organizational and business performance; the role communication can play in driving engagement; and five principles for accomplishing this. The article goes on to explore how Verizon Wireless has developed and positioned its HR portal for rapid as well as sustained messaging, personalization, and self-service tools that all help define the employee experience. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
COAGULATION CALCULATIONS OF ICY PLANET FORMATION AROUND 0.1-0.5 M ☉ STARS: SUPER-EARTHS FROM LARGE PLANETESTIMALS

We investigate formation mechanisms for icy super-Earth-mass planets orbiting at 2-20?AU around 0.1-0.5?M ? stars. A large ensemble of coagulation calculations demonstrates a new formation channel: disks composed of large planetesimals with radii of 30-300?km form super-Earths on timescales of ~1?Gyr. In other gas-poor disks, a collisional cascade grinds planetesimals to dust before the largest planets reach super-Earth masses. Once icy Earth-mass planets form, they migrate through the leftover swarm of planetesimals at rates of 0.01-1?AU?Myr?1. On timescales of 10?Myr to 1?Gyr, many of these planets migrate through the disk of leftover planetesimals from semimajor axes of 5-10?AU to 1-2?AU. A few percent of super-Earths might migrate to semimajor axes of 0.1-0.2?AU. When the disk has an initial mass comparable with the minimum-mass solar nebula, scaled to the mass of the central star, the predicted frequency of super-Earths matches the observed frequency.
A multimode fiber-coupled photon-counting optical receiver for the Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration

We designed and successfully demonstrated a multimode fiber-coupled photon-counting optical receiver at 1550 nm for the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration that achieves low coupling loss through atmospheric turbulence without requiring adaptive optics.
Computational experience with dicopt solving MINLP problems in process systems engineering

Abstract This paper discusses an implementation of the outer-approximation/equality-relaxation algorithm for solving MINLP problems that arise in process systems engineering. The computer code DICOPT has been developed utilizing state-of-the-art optimization tools and a powerful modelling language. Computational experience in solving 16 MINLP problems with DICOPT is reported. Applications include design of batch processes, structural flowsheet optimization, column design, utility plant retrofit, planning, flexibility and reliability problems. Results show that DICOPT provides a very efficient tool for solving MINLP problems.
Prediction of single point concentration statistics in a chemically-reactive, turbulent, grid flow

Abstract A model equation is constructed to describe the evolution of concentration statistics downstream of a uniform grid at which two reacting species are introduced, one on each half of the grid. The two species undergo an irreversible reaction to produce a product. It is assumed that the reaction does not alter the density field of the carrying fluid sufficiently to induce buoyancy modification of the turbulence. The model equation is solved numerically for specific initial conditions and reaction kinetics, including the zero-reaction rate case. The latter problem reduces to an analogy with the half-heated grid flow for which there is adequate experimental data. Model predictions are generated for reactive flow cases for which no experimental data exist
Convolutional codes with additional algebraic structure

Abstract Convolutional codes have appeared in the literature endowed with sufficient additional algebraic structure to be considered as (left) ideals of a (code-ambient) automorphism-twisted polynomial ring with coefficients in a (word-ambient) semisimple finite group ring. In this paper we extend the present scope of the theory by considering a code-ambient twisted polynomial ring having, in addition to an automorphism σ , the action of a σ -derivation δ . In addition, we develop the basic theory without any specific restrictions for the semisimple finite word-ambient ring. This second element therefore extends even the original notions of both cyclic and group convolutional codes considered thus far in the literature. Among other results, in this paper we develop a matrix-based approach to the study of our extended notion of group convolutional codes (and therefore of cyclic convolutional codes as well), inspired by the use of circulant matrices by Gluesing-Luerssen and Schmale, and then use it to extend to this level the results on the existence of dual codes that were originally established by those authors for cyclic codes (in the narrower sense without a σ -derivation). Various examples illustrate the potential value of extending the search for good convolutional codes in this direction.
Changing patterns in the neuropathogenesis of HIV during the HAART era.

Rapid progress in the development of highly active antiretroviral therapy has changed the observed patterns in HIV encephalitis and AIDS-related CNS opportunistic infections. Early in the AIDS epidemic, autopsy studies pointed to a high prevalence of these conditions. With the advent of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, the prevalence at autopsy of opportunistic infections, such as toxoplasmosis and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, declined while that of HIV encephalitis increased, After the introduction of protease inhibitors, a decline in both HIV encephalitis and CNS opportunistic infections was observed. However, with the increasing resistance of HIV strains to anti-retrovirals, there has been a resurgence in the frequency of HIV encephalitis and HIV leukoencephalopathy. HIV leukoencephalopathy In AIDS patients failing highly active antiretroviral therapy is characterized by massive infiltration of HIV infected monocytes/macrophages into the brain and extensive white matter destruction. This condition may be attributable to interactions of anti-retro-virals with cerebrovascular endothelium, astroglial cells and white matter of the brain. These interactions may lead to cerebral ischemia, increased blood-brain barrier permeability and demyelination. Potential mechanisms of such interactions include alterations in host cell signaling that may result in trophic factor dysregulation and mitochondrial injury. We conclude that despite the initial success of combined anti-retroviral therapy, more severe forms of HIV encephalitis appear to be emerging as the epidemic matures. Factors that may contribute to this worsening include the prolonged survival of HIV-infected patients, thereby prolonging the brain's exposure to HIV virions and proteins, the use of increasingly toxic combinations of poorly penetrating drugs in highly antiretroviral-experienced AIDS patients, and selection of more virulent HIV strains with higher replication rates and greater virulence in neural tissues.
Theoretical determination of the magnetic properties of diatomic AlH

Abstract The magnetic susceptibility and nuclear magnetic shielding in diatomic AlH are calculated using the coupled Hartree-Fock theory. Because of the similarity in the ground state electronic structure of AlH and BH, experimental verification of the susceptibility of AlH to within a few ppm would be a strong indication that BH is paramagnetic, as previously predicted.
Comparative-Historical Analysis and Scientific Inference: Disfranchisement in the U.S. South as a Test Case

(1997). Comparative-Historical Analysis and Scientific Inference: Disfranchisement in the U.S. South as a Test Case. Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History: Vol. 30, Research in Historical Sociology, pp. 13-27.
Isolated pulmonic regurgitation with intermittent pulmonary artery dilatation.

Abstract A 57 year old, asymptomatic patient with isolated pulmonic insufficiency free of symptoms in the sixth decade is described. A marked change in the cardiac contour and the size of the pulmonary artery segment was noted on routine chest roentgenograms taken minutes apart. This was a result of the collapsing quality of the pulmonary artery pulsation producing variations in the size of the artery during systole and diastole.
The Anxiety of Ambiguity: Nation and Identity in Ōe's Man'en gannen no futtobōru

Ōe's Man'en gannen no futtobōru is a powerful national allegory which affords serious meditation on the difficulties and perils of translating and transcribing the desires for collectivity and national identity in modernity. This essay analyzes the novel's attempt to weave the marginalized indigenous and the hegemonic Western into a ‘unique’ Japanese national identity. The narrative resolution of the identity crisisreveals a reinscription of exclusionary racial conceptualizations and elision of Japan's history of capitalist exploitation both within and outside of its national boundaries.
Circuit design for an electronic self-nulling ellipsometer

Abstract The importance of automating the ellipsometer has been recognized by researchers active in the field and considerable attention has been given to the development of a practical instrument. The present work was motivated by the belief that a more satisfactory automatic ellipsometer could be developed if the all-electronic approach suggested by Winterbottom was used. This approach has resulted in the design and construction of an instrument that is sensitive, stable, relatively inexpensive and which has a response time that is of the order of milliseconds. The electronic circuits will easily lend themselves to duplication by investigators interested in such a device and are of such a configuration that existing instruments need only minor modifications. An automatic gain stage circuit is included to maintain maximum sensitivity where spectral emission and sensitivity variations are encountered, as in continuous wavelength scanning ellipsometric measurements.
D-glucose diphenyl dithioacetal, phenyl 1-thio-α-D-glucopyranoside, phenyl 1-thio-α-D-glucofuranoside, and some related compounds

Abstract D -Glucose diphenyl dithioacetal has been prepared for the first time, in a 71% yield, by the action of benzenethiol and concentrated hydrochloric acid on D -glucose. It has been converted by acid into phenyl 1-thio-α- D -glucopyranoside and by mercuric chloride—mercuric oxide into phenyl 1-thio-α- D -glucofuranoside; the ring structures of these thioglucosides were established by reductive desulfurization. The thioglucoside acetates, upon oxidation with hydrogen peroxide in glacial acetic acid, yielded the corresponding α- D -glucopyranosyl and α- D -glucofuranosyl phenyl sulfones. An α- D -glucofuranosyl phenyl sulfoxide could be obtained only in very small yield. Some infrared data on these compounds are included.
International network research testbed facilities based on OpenFlow: Architecture, services, technologies, and distributed infrastructure

Because communication services are global, to advance the state of the art for communication services along with underlying architecture, technologies, and facilities, network science research communities require world-wide experimental research facilities and testbeds. Previously, designing, implementing, and operating such global research facilities have been complex and fairly costly tasks. However, recently a number of trends have reduced the barriers to creating such large scale testbed facilities. These trends include wider deployments of fiber infrastructure, more flexible ligthpath channel control, new techniques for dynamic networking, lower cost components, and the emergence of highly programmable networking, in part, based on innovative control frameworks. Many emerging testbeds and related techniques are based on OpenFlow, which provides opportunities that enable a high degree of network customization, dynamic provisioning, and edge control. These trends are allowing international research facilities to be deployed and used to create and investigate innovative communication services, architecture, protocols, technologies, and facilities. Currently, network research organizations in a number of countries are collaborating to design and implement a persistent international experimental research facility that can be used to implement multiple testbeds and to prototype, investigate, and test network innovations for next generation global scale communication services, including personal networks. OpenFlow is a key resource that has been integrated into this facility. This international experimental network facility is already being used to support a wide range of experiments and to showcase demonstrations of network innovations.
Assembly of a series of malarial glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor oligosaccharides.

We report an efficient and sides of varying length and pseudo-dis- deprotection was carried out by using convergent synthesis of a series of oli- accharide glycosyl acceptor 11 to readi- sodium in ammonia. The direct connecgosaccharides comprised of the malaria ly access various malarial GPI struc- tion of a thiol group via a phosphate GPI glycan (2a), a promising anti-ma- tures. Phosphorylation was accomplish- diester linkage to the inositol moiety laria vaccine candidate currently in ed by mild and efficient H-phospho- provides a handle for easy conjugation preclinical trials and several related oli- nate chemistry before the final of the GPI glycan to carrier proteins, gosaccharide sequences (3-8) that are immobilization on carbohydrate micro-possible biosynthetic precursors of the arrays and photo-affinity labels identimalarial GPI. A flexible synthetic strat- fication. These synthetic oligosaccharegy is disclosed that relies on a late- ides will serve as molecular probes. stage coupling between oligomanno.
Silanediol Inhibitors of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme. Synthesis and Evaluation of Four Diastereomers of Phe[Si]Ala Dipeptide Analogues

Four stereoisomers of a Phe-Ala silanediol dipeptide mimic have been evaluated as inhibitors of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and compared to ketone-based inhibitors reported by Almquist et al. One stereogenic center of the isomers was derived from the individual enantiomers of methyl 3-hydroxy-2-methylpropionate, with separation of diastereomers after introduction of the second stereogenic center. The diastereomeric identities were established by X-ray crystallography of an intermediate. Inhibition of ACE by three of the silanediol diastereomers (IC50 = 3.8−207 nM) closely paralleled that of the corresponding diastereomeric ketones (IC50 = 1.0−46 nM). The fourth diastereomer, corresponding to the least inhibitory ketone (IC50 = 3200 nM), exhibited an unexpected level of inhibition in the silanediol (IC50 = 72 nM), suggesting an alternative mode of binding to the enzyme.
Cell adhesion molecules as morphoregulators

Many significant advances have been made recently in our understanding of the structure and function of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). The most provocative, however, are those that indicate that CAM-mediated adhesion may lead to changes in gene expression and those that suggest that the expression of CAM genes may be regulated by the products of Hox and related genes.
Evaluation of infrared (3-12μm) wire grid polarizers

We have evaluated wire grid polarizers for the thermal infrared in the 3 to 12μm wavelength range. Wire grid structures are an effective means of producing infrared polarizers with short optical path and having large acceptance angles. Performance of two sets of polarizers manufactured by Moxtek, for the 3-5μm and 8-12μm wavelength ranges, were tested in a Mueller matrix spectropolarimeter and found to have transmission ratios on the order of 1000.
Modified technique for preparing a polyurethane lining for facial prostheses

A simplified technique for preparing, under a vacuum, a polyurethane lining for a facial prosthesis is described. A previously presented technique strengthened the prosthesis and allowed it to be attached with a water-based adhesive. This technique eliminates wrinkling, simplifies bonding, allows multiple linings to be made at the same time, conserves time and cost, and improves predictability of the results.
Experimental evaluation of on-chip microprocessor cache memories

Advances in integrated circuit density are permitting the implementation on a single chip of functions and performance enhancements beyond those of a basic processors. One performance enhancement of proven value is a cache memory; placing a cache on the processor chip can reduce both mean memory access time and bus traffic. In this paper we use trace driven simulation to study design tradeoffs for small (on-chip) caches. Miss ratio and traffic ratio (bus traffic) are the metrics for cache performance. Particular attention is paid to sub-block caches (also known as sector caches), in which address tags are associated with blocks, each of which contains multiple sub-blocks; sub-blocks are the transfer unit. Using traces from two 16-bit architectures (Z8000, PDP-11) and two 32-bit architectures (VAX-11, System/370), we find that general purpose caches of 64 bytes (net size) are marginally useful in some cases, while 1024-byte caches perform fairly well; typical miss and traffic ratios for a 1024 byte (net size) cache, 4-way set associative with 8 byte blocks are: PDP-11: .039, .156, Z8000: .015, .060, VAX 11: .080, .160, Sys/370: .244, .489. (These figures are based on traces of user programs and the performance obtained in practice is likely to be less good.) The use of sub-blocks allows tradeoffs between miss ratio and traffic ratio for a given cache size. Load forward is quite useful. Extensive simulation results are presented.
Influence of Population Reduction on Predator Home Range Size and Spatial Overlap

The increasing populations of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in the Intermountain West have contributed to low waterfowl recruitment in recent decades. This effect prompted the need for predator removal at many waterfowl refuges, such as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge (BRMBR) in the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. Our study examined the effects of the removal of predatory mammals at the BRMBR on the home range size and spatial overlap of the remaining populations of red foxes, raccoons, and striped skunks. The removal of predators through traps, snares, and night-shooting created a lower predator population during the predators' rearing and dispersal seasons. Predator removal did not result in a change of home range size for red foxes, raccoons, or striped skunks. In all species, home ranges were of similar size during the rearing and dispersal seasons and there were no differences among sexes. After predator removal, the proportion of a home range that overlapped with that of another conspecific decreased in foxes but increased in raccoons. However, predator removal did not change the proportion of inter-specific home range overlap between foxes and raccoons. These findings indicate that home range sizes of these mammalian predators were not constrained by their population densities prior to predator management. In this situation, predator control may be only temporarily successful in reducing predator populations. Managers may achieve more permanent reduction in predator population by decreasing food and shelter resources, thereby reducing the carrying capacity of the landscape.
Therapy for Nerve Agent Poisoning

Neurologists need to familiarize themselves with nerve agents, the most toxic of the chemical warfare agents. Their mode of action lies within the nervous system, and nonneurologists will look to neurologists for expert advice on therapy. These agents cause rapid-onset cholinergic crisis amenable to prompt treatment with specific antidotes. Experience on the battlefield and in terrorist attacks demonstrates that therapy saves lives.
Cholesterol-loaded-cyclodextrins and fertility potential of stallions spermatozoa

Irreversible damage occurs to spermatozoal membranes, during the phase transition, when spermatozoa are cooled from room temperature to 5 degrees C. Some of this damage can be ameliorated by adding cholesterol to the membrane, thereby altering membrane lipid composition. Adding cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins (CLCs) to stallion spermatozoa prior to freezing, increases cell cryosurvival. However, the fertilizing potential of CLC-treated stallion spermatozoa is unknown. To address this, experiments were conducted which evaluated the ability of CLC-treated stallion spermatozoa to capacitate, acrosome react, and bind to the zona pellucida in vitro, and to fertilize oocytes in vivo. When CLC-treated cryopreserved stallion spermatozoa were treated with various agents to induce capacitation and the acrosome reaction (AR), dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (PC-12) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) induced the AR in control cells (62% and 55%, respectively) but not in CLC-treated cells (17% and 14%, respectively, P 0.05). Control- and CLC-treated stallion spermatozoa bound to ZP of cattle oocytes equally well (0.44+/-0.16 vs. 0.25+/-0.09, respectively; P>0.05). In addition, the fertility rates of mares inseminated with control- and CLC-treated sperm were similar (P>0.05).
Bereaved Families: A Comparison of Parents' and Grandparents' Reactions to the Death of a Child

Most research has dealt with the bereaved person as an individual and ignored the context in which the person grieves. The occurrence of a death in the family is experienced in various ways, depend...
Primary and secondary negative schizotypal traits in a large non-clinical sample

Abstract The negative symptoms of schizophrenia reflect behavioral and affective deficits and are etiologically heterogeneous, reflecting either “primary” (i.e., apathy) or “secondary” sources (e.g., depression, anxiety, medication side effects). This distinction is critical for understanding treatment response, illness course and a host of neurocognitive, neurobiological and functioning variables in schizophrenia. Negative schizotypy, defined in terms of subclinical negative traits, occurs in a sizeable portion of the adult population and is associated with increased risk for developing schizophrenia-spectrum disorders as well as a host of neurocognitive and functional anomalies. It is, as yet, unclear whether primary and secondary sources characterize negative schizotypy in a similar manner as schizophrenia. The present study contrasted putative “primary” (i.e., apathy) and “secondary” (i.e., depression and anxiety) causes in their relationships to negative schizotypy and quality of life in a sample of 1356 non-clinical adults. Our data suggests that negative schizotypy reflects two distinct “mechanisms”, one involving a putatively primary source (i.e., social anhedonia) and the other reflecting a putatively secondary one (i.e., depression). These primary and secondary mechanisms were separately important for understanding quality of life impoverishments. Implications of a “two-process” model of negative schizotypy are discussed.
Misperceptions in Polarized Politics: The Role of Knowledge, Religiosity, and Media

Many Americans hold distorted views of elected officials and, as our study shows, the blame is due partly to our ideological biases and partly to mass media. Analyzing a nationally representative online survey, we corroborate recent research that found that one in five Americans still believe president Barack Obama is a Muslim and that almost seven in ten mistakenly think Sarah Palin, and not Saturday Night Live ’s Tina Fey, was the first to say “I can see Russia from my house.” Although race, political ideology, and “born-again” or evangelical Christian status were the primary drivers of misperceptions about Obama’s faith, media use had a more crucial role in predicting the more widespread misperception about Palin. Misattribution of the Fey quote to Palin was greatest among heavy viewers of traditional news media and late-night TV comedy, which is suggestive of the “lamestream media” effect often espoused by prominent Republican figures.
Structuring an advanced technology degree program in a developing country

Technology consists of the implementation of scientific principles into tools that allows us to solve problems. As new technology emerges, the capacity to solve harder problems increase. A developing country can choose either to buy technology or develop its own. The latter has the advantage of creating an in-house understanding of both the scientific principles and the creation of new technology process. Nevertheless, it may turn to be a long cycle where the more likely outcome could be a brittle reverse engineered copy of the desired technology. In this document, we present a proposal to structure an academic degree program that may help to create the technology needed to solve problems in industry. In this program, the students courses and thesis work, is related to a problem in industry. Indeed, the curricula are defined both in terms of the student background and a problem in industry. This approach has the advantage of shortening the time between technology conception and application. Under this framework, an industry taking part in the program works with an academic institution in the solution of its specific problems; the academic institution counts with the industry as added research facilities; and researchers have students to work with, ample budget to do their investigations and the possibility to do a great impact with their results. The problems that surge with our approach include how to match existing expertise in academy and the needs in industry, and the inadequacy of the academic periods with the tight time-schedule generally present in industry.
Towards Open Agent Systems: A Book-Trading Study Case

This work presents a multiagent architecture that allows a dynamic participation of external buyer agents into an existing multiagent society devoted to book-trading. This work presents an initial approach for obtaining an open MAS system based on dynamic behaviour loading, in contrast to the traditional mediation architecture solutions. Our infrastructure for dynamic participation tackles the conciliation of a buyer agent into an existing MAS covering three levels: semantics, communication and interaction. The PASSI methodology has been used as base software engineering methodology for leveraging the multiagent architecture.
Ionic conductivity of silver chloride containing cadmium chloridef

Abstract The concentrations of cadmium chloride in single crystals of silver chloride were measured by activation analysis and atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The conductivities of the crystals were measured as a function of temperature from 150 to 372°C. Interpretation of the data has considered the formation of cation Frenkel defects and vacancies with association between Cd ++ and vacancies, and Debye-Huckel interactions between the charged defects. It was shown that DebyeHuckel interaction between intrinsic defects cause the ‘anomalous’ conductivity rise near the melting point. Values of the enthalpy and entropy of formation for a Frenkel defect were 1⋯44eV and 4⋯1 × 10 −4 eV deg . The activation energy for vacancy and interstitial mobility were 0.27 and 0.055 eV respectively, and the binding energy of the cadmium ion vacancy complex was 0⋯47 eV.
An image processing algorithm for the in-vivo quantification and visualization of septum motion in type III B - aortic dissections with cine magnetic resonance imaging

Currently, there is no method to predict outcome of endovascular treatment (EVAR) of type III B aortic dissections (TB-AD). A new image processing algorithm is presented for quantifying IS displacement from cine 2D phase contrast magnetic resonance images (2D pcMRI) towards a new classification of TB-AD based on IS mobility Bulk motion of the true aortic lumen (tAB) center (ALC), maximum, minimum and average displacement of the boundary points composing the IS and tAB excluding the IS were quantified at two locations in one patient. Correlations of the ALC motion and the averaged temporal displacement AD(t) of IS and tAB excluding IS with the aortic flow waveform were calculated. Range of ALC motion was similar in both locations (average 0.56 mm, max 1.37 mm) and correlated with the aortic flow waveform in the abdominal aorta but not the thoracic aorta. Range of displacement of the IS was from 1.27 mm to -1.64 mm (average 0.09 ± 0.07 mm) in the thoracic aorta, and from 0.38 mm to -3.38 mm (average 0.42 ± 0.23 mm) in the abdominal aorta. tAB motion excluding the IS was 1.21 mm to 0.84 mm (thoracic, average 0.13 ± 0.07 mm) and 0.52mm to -1.88 mm (abdominal, average 0.37 ± 0.11 mm). AD(t) for IS and tAB excluding the IS both correlated with aortic flow in the abdominal aorta only.
Myasthenia gravis and hypothyroidism in a dog with meningomyelitis.

A 12-year-old, spayed female miniature poodle was evaluated because of a 4-day history of paraparesis, dysuria, and tenesmus. Neurological assessment suggested peripheral nervous system dysfunction, predominantly pelvic limb weakness with a possible concurrent sixth lumbar (L6) to second sacral (S2) myelopathy. Further studies supported the diagnoses of myasthenia gravis, hypothyroidism, and meningomyelitis. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of concurrent myasthenia gravis and meningomyelitis in the dog. It was unclear whether the identified conditions evolved from a shared etiopathogenesis or were merely coincidental.
A schedular-sensitive global register allocator

Compile-time reordering of machine-level instructions has been very successful at achieving large increases in performance of programs on machines offering fine-grained parallelism. However, because of the interdependences between instruction scheduling and register allocation, it is not clear which of these two phases of the compiler should run first to generate the most efficient final code. The authors describe their investigation into slight modifications to key phases of a successful global register allocator to create a scheduler-sensitive register allocator, which is then followed by an off-the-shelf instruction scheduler. These experimental studies reveal that this approach achieves speedups comparable and increasingly better than previous cooperative approaches with an increasing number of available registers without the complexities of the previous approaches.
Teacher storytelling: A means for creating and learning within a collaborative space

Abstract Research has suggested that collaborative professional communities of teachers support on-going teacher professional development, school reform, and student achievement. Little research has outlined how teachers, especially high school teachers, develop new patterns of interaction to create such communities. This articles focuses on how teacher storytelling fostered collegiality and learning for a cross-disciplinary group of high school teachers. The storytelling helped the teachers create a collaborative learning space, link the personal–private realm of teaching to the public-conceptual realm, reflect on their teaching and see new practical directions, and co-construct a shared understanding of good pedagogy.
Persistent spectral hole burning by simultaneous two-photon absorption

Abstract We show for the first time persistent spectral hole burning by simultaneous absorption of two 1138 nm photons in an inhomogeneously broadened S 1 ← S 0 ( Q y ) transition of unstable photo-tautomer of chlorin in polymer film at low temperature. Spectrally selective hole burning is achieved due to high (10%) quantum efficiency of photo-transformation in that system and high peak intensity (tens of GW/cm2) of near-infrared femtosecond pulses used for excitation. Two-photon absorption cross-section is measured for both stable and unstable photo-tautomers to be σ 2 =(0.5±0.2)×10 −50 cm 4 s photon −1 .
MIL03346, the most oxidized Martian meteorite: A first look at spectroscopy, petrography, and mineral chemistry

[1] Meteorite MIL03346, recovered from Antarctica, is a nakhlite: an augite clinopyroxenite inferred to have originated from Mars' surface. MIL03346 contains ∼70% augite and 3% olivine in a fine-grained mesostasis of basaltic glass, olivine, titanomagnetite, and pyrrhotite. Part of the olivine is altered to fine-grained ferric clays and oxides: “iddingsite” as described in other nakhlites. Chemical compositions of augite and olivine (FeO/MnO and Fe/Mg) are nearly identical to those of other nakhlites and are consistent with a Martian origin. The augite contains significant Fe3+: ∼24% of total iron by Mossbauer spectroscopy and ∼13% by elemental analyses and crystal chemistry. This proportion of Fe3+ in augite is consistent with high-temperature equilibration near the QFM oxygen buffer. Thermal emission spectra are similar to those of other nakhlites. Visible to mid-IR spectra of MIL03346 show the same absorption features as do other nakhlites but at distinctly lower reflectances (which likely represent Fe3+ in augite and magnetite). MIL03346 appears to contain the most Fe3+ of any Martian meteorite studied to date and to have come from the most oxidizing magmatic environment yet reported.
Birth Characteristics Associated With Early Intervention Referral, Evaluation for Eligibility, and Program Eligibility in the First Year of Life

Objectives: The Individual with Disabilities Education Act mandates Early Intervention (EI) services for infants and toddlers with developmental delay. We assessed the percentage of infants at risk for developmental delay due to characteristics present at birth who were referred to Massachusetts EI within 1 year of birth, evaluated for eligibility, and eligible for services. In addition, we identified birth characteristics that independently predicted 0–1 year program referral, evaluation, and eligibility. Methods: The Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal (PELL) data system linked birth certificate, hospital discharge, and EI program data of 219,037 infants born in Massachusetts, 1998–2000. Multivariate logistic regressions identified independent infant predictors of referral, evaluation, and eligibility. Results: Of 219,037 births, 14,852 (6.8%) were referred to EI within 1 year. Birthweight <1200 g (OR=9.7, 95% CI 3.3–12.9) and birthweight 1200–1499 g (OR=7.4, 95% CI 5.8–9.5) strongly predicted referral. Referral was high (88%) among infants with two or more birth risks. Among referrals, 88% were evaluated for eligibility. The strongest predictor of evaluation was triplet birth (OR=4.3, 95% CI 1.6–11.8). Among infants evaluated, 85% were determined to be eligible. Conclusion: EI referral and evaluation are high among infants born at risk for delay in Massachusetts. Some characteristics not included in the state’s high-risk definition (e.g. birthweight 1200–1499 g) were identified that predicted referral. Most referrals were eligible for services. Results demonstrate the value to states of using linked population and program data for program evaluation.
A Systems-Actuarial Method for the Differential Diagnosis of Handicapped Children:

A developing body of research suggests that little, if any, notable consistency is to be found among child diagnosticians in their performance of diagnostic decision-making activities or among the diagnostic decisions that result. This poses a potentially serious dilemma to the extent that, in order for diagnostic decisions to be valid and useful, they must first be consistent. As a measure toward approaching some greater degree of diagnostic reliability and consistency, a system called multidimensional actuarial classification is presented for use in the differential diagnosis of mental retardation, inadequate adaptive behavior, social maladjustment, academic under- and overachievement, learning disabilities, and other disorders in school-children. Each decision in the systems-actuarial method is based on the statistical probability of relationships among a number of dimensions of child characteristics that are derived through standardized procedures for collecting information from the child, the psychol...
The Effects of Source Credibility on Tax Professional Judgment in Consulting Engagements

Tax consulting services are an important growth area for professional accounting firms. However, regulatory and governmental bodies are concerned that consulting service sales may impair professional accountants' judgment. Using source credibility theory, this study examines whether research and review processes in taxconsulting engagements differ when two key factors are varied: source of the planning idea and engagement type. Big 4 seniors and managers reviewed a tax memorandum in which information source (prepared by National Tax Office or local staff member) and engagement type (initiated by a client or by the firm) are manipulated in a 2×2 design. Engagement managers performed the most thorough reviews when involved in a firm‐initiated consulting engagement relying upon a National Tax Office memorandum. Thus, the results of this study are inconsistent with the presumption that objectivity is impaired in highly incentivized consulting engagements.