cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liver-spleen scan in Hodgkin's disease.

The liver-spleen scans were reviewed from 108 patients with Hodgkin's disease, including 71 not previously treated. The results were correlated with clinical and pathologic findings in 122 liver biopsies and 50 spleens. Splenomegaly on scan was associated with advancing stage and tumor involvement of the spleen and liver. All 13 spleens measuring over 15 cm on scan and all 7 with filling defects were positive for tumor. In combination with the physical examination and lymphangiogram, the scan enabled accurate prediction of splenic tumor in 43% of the cases. Mean size of the right and left hepatic lobes was greatest in patients with tumor in the liver, but this finding was attributable to the advanced stage of these cases. Filling defects were not a reliable sign of liver involvement. The combination of the lymphangiogram, physical examination, and liver scan proved useful in selecting groups with very high and very low probability of liver involvement.
The design of a rotating associative memory for relational database applications

The design and motivation for a rotating associative relational store (RARES) is described. RARES is designed to enhance the performance of an optimizing relational query interface by supporting important high level optimization techniques. In particular, it can perform tuple selection operations at the storage device and also can provide a mechanism for efficient sorting. Like other designs for rotating associative stores, RARES contains search logic which is attached to the heads of a rotating head-per-track storage device. RARES is distinct from other designs in that it utilizes a novel “orthogonal” storage layout. This layout allows a high output rate of selected tuples even when a sort order in the stored relation must be preserved. As in certain other designs, RARES can usually output a tuple as soon as it is found to satisfy the selection criteria. However, relative to these designs, the orthogonal layout allows an order of magnitude reduction in the capacity of storage local to the search logic.
Wide-band frequency-modulation system using optical techniques

A modified (frequency-shifted) Michelson interferometer uses a laser, an acoustooptic cell, and a movable mirror to produce a wide-band FM signal having a center frequency of 80 MHz. The basic concepts are reviewed, and a report of an operating system is given. The angle modulation scheme may be used to produce very wide-band FM or PM. Systems configurations are explored that allow several communication channels in a frequency-division multiplexing arrangement.
Natural convection within a porous medium cavity: Predicting tools for flow regime and heat transfer

Abstract A thorough analytical study is performed to identify the range of influence of each term of the general equations for flow within a fluid saturated porous medium. The first part of the analysis results into a set of algebraic equations useful in identifying the most appropriate flow regime for a given configuration (e.g. physical properties, geometry, etc.). In the second part, a unique heat transfer correlation for the general time dependent flow is obtained. This new correlation is successfully compared against theoretical and empirical results from the literature for the asymptotic flow regimes of Darcy and clean fluid, and for the Forchheimer regime. Predictions from the theoretical correlation for other (intermediate) flow regimes are also compared against numerical results available in the literature.
Investigation of the influence of orientation on critical heat flux for flow boiling with two-phase inlet

This study explores the mechanism of flow boiling critical heat flux (CHF) for FC-72 in a rectangular channel fitted along one side with a heated wall. The flow is supplied as a two-phase mixture and the channel is tested at different orientations relative to Earth’s gravity. High-speed video imaging is used to identify the CHF trigger mechanism for different orientations, mass velocities and inlet qualities. It is shown that orientation has a significant influence on CHF for low mass velocities and small inlet qualities, with the orientations surrounding horizontal flow with downward-facing heated wall causing stratification of the vapor towards the heated wall and yielding very small CHF values. High mass velocities cause appreciable diminution in the influence of orientation on CHF, which is evidenced by similar flow patterns and CHF trigger mechanism regardless of orientation. The interfacial lift-off model is shown to predict the influence of orientation on CHF with good accuracy. Overall, this study points to the effectiveness of high mass velocities at combating buoyancy effects and helping produce CHF values insensitive to orientation.
Plan curvature and landslide probability in regions dominated by earth flows and earth slides

Damaging landslides in the Appalachian Plateau and scattered regions within the Midcontinent of North America highlight the need for landslide-hazard mapping and a better understanding of the geomorphic development of landslide terrains. The Plateau and Midcontinent have the necessary ingredients for landslides including sufficient relief, steep slope gradients, Pennsylvanian and Permian cyclothems that weather into fine-grained soils containing considerable clay, and adequate precipitation. One commonly used parameter in landslide-hazard analysis that is in need of further investigation is plan curvature. Plan curvature is the curvature of the hillside in a horizontal plane or the curvature of the contours on a topographic map. Hillsides can be subdivided into regions of concave outward plan curvature called hollows, convex outward plan curvature called noses, and straight contours called planar regions. Statistical analysis of plan-curvature and landslide datasets indicate that hillsides with planar plan curvature have the highest probability for landslides in regions dominated by earth flows and earth slides in clayey soils (CH and CL). The probability of landslides decreases as the hillsides become more concave or convex. Hollows have a slightly higher probability for landslides than noses. In hollows landslide material converges into the narrow region at the base of the slope. The convergence combined with the cohesive nature of fine-grained soils creates a buttressing effect that slows soil movement and increases the stability of the hillside within the hollow. Statistical approaches that attempt to determine landslide hazard need to account for the complex relationship between plan curvature, type of landslide, and landslide susceptibility.
"Constructive" enumeration by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) on a computerized task.

Two chimpanzees used a joystick to collect dots, one at a time, on a computer monitor (see video-clip in the electronic supplementary material), and then ended a trial when the number of dots collected was equal to the Arabic numeral presented for the trial. Both chimpanzees performed substantially and reliably above chance in collecting a quantity of dots equal to the target numeral, one chimpanzee for the numerals 1–7, and the second chimpanzee for the numerals 1–6. Errors that were made were seldom discrepant from the target by more than one dot quantity, and the perceptual process subitization was ruled out as an explanation for the performance. Additionally, analyses of trial duration data indicated that the chimpanzees were responding based on the numerosity of the constructed set rather than on the basis of temporal cues. The chimpanzees' decreasing performance with successively larger target numerals, however, appeared to be based on a continuous representation of magnitude rather than a discrete representation of number. Therefore, chimpanzee counting in this type of experimental task may be a process that represents magnitudes with scalar variability in that the memory for magnitudes associated with each numeral is imperfect and the variability of responses increases as a function of the numeral's value.
Absorption of infrared radiation by D 2 O and HDO mixed with montmorillonite

The frequency, u, for O-D stretching in D20 films between the superimposed layers of different micas and montmorillonites was measured at several film thicknesses and temperatures of 2 ~ and 25~ by infrared spectroscopy. The molar absorptivity, E, for O-D stretching in HDO films between the mont- morillonite layers was also measured at different film thicknesses and 25~ It was found that v is related to mw/mm, the mass ratio of D20 to mica or montmorillonite, by the equation u = u ~ exp/3/(mw/mm) where u ~ is the O-D stretching frequency in pure DeO and fl is a constant. Since mwlmm is proportional to a, the area under the absorption peak, mw/mm can be replaced by a in this equation. It was also found that decreased dramatically as the thickness of the water film between the montmorillonite layers decreased. These results were interpreted to mean that the structure of the interlayer water is perturbed by the inter- layer cations and/or silicate surfaces.
Miniaturized Laser Heterodyne Radiometer for Measurements of CO2 in the Atmospheric Column

We have developed a low-cost, miniaturized laser heterodyne radiometer for highly sensitive measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmospheric column. In this passive design, sunlight that has undergone absorption by CO2 in the atmosphere is collected and mixed with continuous wave laser light that is step-scanned across the absorption feature centered at 1,573.6 nm. The resulting radio frequency beat signal is collected as a function of laser wavelength, from which the total column mole fraction can be de-convolved. We are expanding this technique to include methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO), and with minor modifications, this technique can be expanded to include species such as water vapor (H2O) and nitrous oxide (N2O).
The Robyn Barst Memorial Lecture: Differences between the fetal, newborn, and adult pulmonary circulations: relevance for age-specific therapies (2013 Grover Conference series)

AbstractPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) contributes to poor outcomes in diverse diseases in newborns, infants, and children. Many aspects of pediatric PAH parallel the pathophysiology and disease courses observed in adult patients; however, critical maturational differences exist that contribute to distinct outcomes and therapeutic responses in children. In comparison with adult PAH, disruption of lung vascular growth and development, or angiogenesis, plays an especially prominent role in the pathobiology of pediatric PAH. In children, abnormalities of lung vascular development have consequences well beyond the adverse hemodynamic effects of PAH alone. The developing endothelium also plays critical roles in development of the distal airspace, establishing lung surface area for gas exchange and maintenance of lung structure throughout postnatal life through angiocrine signaling. Impaired functional and structural adaptations of the pulmonary circulation during the transition from fetal to postnatal l...
A sexual aggregating pheromone system in the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio (hamilton‐buchanan)

Zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio, when placed in a T-maze demonstrated preference for, or avoidance of, donor water produced when specified numbers of conspecifics of either sex were kept in holding systems for specific lengths of time. Inter- and intrasexual attractions were found to occur in different ranges of concentration of the attractant material(s). Insufficient or excessive concentrations of the attractant(s) failed to elicit the attractant response. The proposed pheromone attractant was shown to be removable from the aquatic environment. Its possible role in the behavioral aspects of schooling and spawning is discussed.
Deposition of transparent and electroconductive chalcogenide films at near-room temperatures

Abstract An economic and pollution-free technique for electroless chemical deposition of transparent and electrically conductive sub-micron films on the surfaces of glass, ceramics, transparent polyester films, metal, and ferroelectric thin films has been developed. The technique is based on hydrolytic decomposition of metal-thiosulfate or metal-selenosulfate complexes in aqueous solutions, and has been successfully used for deposition of transparent and electroconductive copper sulfide and copper selenide thin films of a variable composition. The basic optical and electrical characteristics of the as-deposited and annealed films are also reported. The Cu2S films were highly transparent (≥ 80 %) throughout the visible and near-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum (0.5 to 2.5 μm wavelength), while the rest of the films exhibited stoichiometrically adjustable absorbance in the near-infrared region (0.7 to 2.5 μm wavelength). The sheet resistivities of the films were found to be between 15 and 120...
Attempt to Identify the Agent for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease by CF Antibody Relationship to Known Viruses

CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB disease (C-J disease), a subacute spongiform virus encephalopathy responsible for a fatal presenile dementia of man, has been experimentally transmitted to the chimpanzee and passed serially from chimpanzee to chimpanzee1,2. The disease may be caused by the activation of a common virus which had remained latent after primary infection or by the development in vivo of a neurotropic variant of a common virus previously acquired. We have attempted to identify the agent of C-J disease by searching for serum antibodies to known viruses in thirteen patients and ten experimentally infected chimpanzees. Although we have failed to identify the causative agent, there is strong evidence against a serological relationship with any of the viruses tested.
Reduced blood supply to the uterus as a cause for early embryonic death in the mouse.

Limitation of blood supply to the developing embryo of the mouse was accomplished by electrocoagulation of the blood within the vessels supplying one horn of the uterus. When blockage of both the uterine artery and vein and the secondary vessels was performed before mating, 35.6% of the ova, as represented by corpora lutea (CL), were present as implantation sites at autopsy, ten days post coitum (ten days); 91.1% of the ova (CL) were present as implantation sites on the control side. During the time between electrocoagulation and mating (average, 8.3 days), some reestablishment of circulation had usually occurred. When unilateral coagulation was performed at one day and at five days, 2.6% and 14.6% of the ova, respectively, subsequently formed implantation sites. When alternate secondary branches of the uterine blood supply to one horn were coagulated at one day, 40.6% of the ova resulted in implantation sites at ten days. Tertiary arborizations of undisturbed branches appear to revascularize portions of the horn to which the blood supply had been coagulated. When blood supply to the ovarian, middle or cervical portions of the uterus was blocked at one day, 6.3%, 42.9% and 14.3% of the ova, respectively, formed implantation sites. It is suggested that the blood supply to the ovarian portion of the uterus is critical to the descending embryo. There was a significant correlation between the number of secondary vessels and the number of implantation sites in all intact uterine horns.
Fatty Acid Compositions of Bovine Subcutaneous Fat Depots Determined by Gas-Liquid Chromatography

SUMMARY— Among sites and acids analyzed, the outer subcutaneous fat over the triceps brachii (OSTB) had a larger percentage of C14:1 (at 5% level) and C16:1 (at 1% level) than the seam fat sampled between the semimembranosus and biceps femoris (SEAM). The SEAM had a larger percentage of Cl8 than the inner subcutaneous fat over the semitendinosus (INST) (at 5% level). Depot site differences have been discussed in regard to metabolic activity of adipose tissue. In general, the outer layers of subcutaneous fat were more unsaturated than the inner layers. The mean percentages of unsaturated esters were lower in cooked subcutaneous fat depots while a small (nonsignificant) increase in the mean percentages of C16 and C18 saturates was observed in the uncooked samples. The presence of n odd-chain acids C9, C11, C13, C15, and C17 was confirmed by comparing the results of hydrogenated samples with those of the original sample. Trace amounts of C12:OBr, C16:OBr, and C16:2 or C17:1 were tentatively identified from logarithmic plots of retention times.
Valerian for Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Insomnia affects approximately one-third of the adult population and contributes to increased rates of absenteeism, health care use, and social disability. Extracts of the roots of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) are widely used for inducing sleep and improving sleep quality. A systematic review of randomized, placebo-controlled trials of valerian for improving sleep quality is presented. An extensive literature search identified 16 eligible studies examining a total of 1093 patients. Most studies had significant methodologic problems, and the valerian doses, preparations, and length of treatment varied considerably. A dichotomous outcome of sleep quality (improved or not) was reported by 6 studies and showed a statistically significant benefit (relative risk of improved sleep = 1.8, 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.9), but there was evidence of publication bias in this summary measure. The available evidence suggests that valerian might improve sleep quality without producing side effects. Future studies should assess a range of doses of standardized preparations of valerian and include standard measures of sleep quality and safety.
Efficacy of sucralfate and cimetidine in protection of the human gastric mucosa against alcohol injury

In order to study whether sucralfate or cimetidine may protect human gastric mucosa against alcohol injury, 28 healthy volunteers were pretreated with either: (1) placebo 1 g; (2) cimetidine (Tagamet) 300 mg; or (3) sucralfate (Carafate) 1 g. One hour later, 100 ml of 40 percent ethanol was sprayed directly on the gastric mucosa of the greater curvature during an endoscopic examination. Gastric mucosal changes were assessed by endoscopic appearance (according to grading scale) and by histology. In placebo-pretreated subjects, alcohol produced prominent mucosal damage (endoscopic score, 3.9 +/- 0.3, histologic score, 4.0 +/- 1.1 at 30 minutes). Cimetidine alkalinized gastric pH but did not prevent alcohol-induced damage (endoscopic score, 4.0 +/- 0.6; histologic score, 3.8 +/- 1.1, at 30 minutes). Sucralfate reduced endoscopic and histologic features of alcohol injury (endoscopic score, 1.8 +/- 0.6; histologic score, 1.8 +/- 1.1, at 30 minutes) without affecting gastric luminal pH. Reduction of alcohol-induced injury of the human gastric mucosa by sucralfate but not cimetidine demonstrates that effective protection of the gastric mucosa can be achieved without neutralization or inhibition of gastric acid secretion and points out another clinical application for sucralfate.
Focal plane arrays based on quantum dot infrared photodetectors

Here we report the first demonstrations of infrared focal plane array (FPA) based on GaAs and InP based quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs). QDIPs are extension of quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs) and are predicted to outperform QWIPs due to their potential advantages including normally incident absorption, higher responsivity and high temperature operation. Two material systems have been studied: InGaAs/InGaP QDIPs on GaAs substrates and InAs QDIP on InP substrates. An InGaAs/InGaP QDIP has been grown on GaAs substrate by LP-MOCVD. Photoresponse was observed at temperatures up to 200 K with a peak wavelength of 4.7 μm and cutoff wavelength of 5.2 μm. A detectivity of 1.2x10 11 cmHz 1/2 /W was obtained at T=77 K and bias of -0.9 V, which is the highest for QDIPs grown by MOCVD. An InAs QDIP structure has also been grown on InP substrate by LP-MOCVD. Photoresponse of normal incidence was observed at temperature up to 160K with a peak wavelength of 6.4 μm and cutoff wavelength of 6.6 μm. A detectivity of 1.0x10 10 cmHz 1/2 /W was obtained at 77K at biases of -1.1 V, which is the first and highest detectivity reported for QDIP on InP substrate. 256×256 detector arrays were fabricated first time in the world for both the GaAs and InP based QDIPs. Dry etching and indium bump bonding were used to hybridize the arrays to a Litton readout integrated circuit. For the InGaAs/InGaP QDIP FPA, thermal imaging was achieved at temperatures up to 120 K. At T=77K, the noise equivalent temperature difference (NEDT) was measured as 0.509K with a 300K background and f/2.3 optics. For the InP based QDIPs, thermal imaging was achieved at 77 K.
Evidence for solid-state effects in the electronic structure of C60 films: a resonance-Raman study

Abstract The Raman excitation profiles for C 60 films grown on silicon reveal the existence of optical transitions near 2.4 eV, well below the lowest dipole-allowed absorption line predicted for isolated icosahedral molecules. These transitions are not observed in C 60 dissolved in CS 2 . We propose an explanation in terms of a breakdown of the icosahedral inversion symmetry in C 60 crystals.
Modeling porous shape memory alloys using micromechanical averaging techniques

Abstract A model for the macroscopic mechanical behavior of porous shape memory alloys (SMAs) is presented in this work. The derivation of the model is presented for the general case of a composite with phases undergoing rate-independent inelastic deformations. Micromechanical averaging techniques are used to establish the effective elastic and inelastic behavior based on information about the mechanical response of the individual phases and shape and volume fraction of the inhomogeneities. An explicit expression for the effective tangent stiffness and an evolution equation for the effective inelastic strain are derived. The results for porous SMAs are obtained using a constitutive model with internal variables for dense SMAs and assuming zero stiffness for the inhomogeneities. A detailed study on the choice of the pore shape is also performed for a random distribution of pores. Finally, the numerical results are compared with experimental data for porous NiTi SMA processed from elemental powders with 42% porosity.
Dimensional interactions in vibrotactile information processing

The effect of irrelevant dimensional variation on the processing of vibrotactile stimuli was measured. Six observers performed a speeded classification task with stimuli varying along the dimensions of pitch and loudness. Choice reaction times were obtained for stimuli differing on one dimension alone, on two correlated dimensions, or on two orthogonally varied dimensions. Compared to one-dimension performance, reaction times were faster in the correlated condition and slower in the orthogonal condition. In general, these findings agreed with similar experiments in other modalities, with the exception that the effects in this study tended to be stronger for cases in which loudness, rather than pitch, was the relevant dimension. The results are explained in terms of the integrality of pitch and loudness and of the relative discriminability of dimensions.
Development of an alexithymia instrument to measure the diminished communication of affect

Although scholars recognize the importance of the communication of affect to the study of communication, no valid operationalization of the motivation and / or ability to communicate affect exists. This study describes alexithymia—an individual variable reflecting the reticence to communicate affect—and reports the reliability and validity of an instrument to measure alexithymia.
WE-D-BRB-05: Novel Post-Lumpectomy Breast Cancer Brachytherapy with the Capability of Simultaneous Focal Lymph Node Irradiation

Purpose: A new technique of post‐lumpectomy breast cancerbrachytherapy using beta‐emitting therapeutic radionuclides, rhenium‐188 (Re‐188) and rhenium‐186 (Re‐186), carried within lipidnanoparticles(liposomes) was investigated. This therapy strategy is advantageous regarding: 1) mm‐range focal radiation by beta‐particles ensures localized brachytherapy; 2) sustained high local retention within the lumpectomy cavity and accumulation in associated lymph nodes enables simultaneous cavity and lymph node focal radiation therapy; and 3) ease and flexibility of this modality to treat various locations and cavity shapes in the breast with minimal invasiveness. Method and Materials: Breast cancer surgical model in nude rats, gamma camera imaging, and animal organ dissection were used to study local and lymph node retention of radioactive liposomes. EGSnrc Monte Carlo code system was used to compare dose point kernels (DPK) for Re‐188 and Re‐186 in breast tissue, water, and other soft tissues. The DPK were then used for dose calculations of uniformly distributed liposomal Re‐188 or Re‐186 injected to the lumpectomy site within ellipsoid and spherical cavities. The dose calculation for lymph nodes modeled as a disk shape with exponentially decreased activity from the cortex was also performed. Results: High and sustained intracavitary retention of radioactive liposomes accompanied by lymph node accumulation was observed. Different human tissues showed very similar dose curves for Re‐188 and Re‐186. The therapeutic ranges in the cavity could be about 5 and 2.5 mm with Re‐188 and Re‐186, respectively, while radiationdoses beyond 1 cm sharply dropped to minimal. Also, the entire lymph node could receive therapeuticdose.Conclusion: The promise of a new post‐lumpectomy breast cancerbrachytherapy technique is presented. A rapid fall‐off in radiationdose with distance allows this treatment modality to spare substantial healthy tissue with reduced complications. It is also favorable through simultaneous focal treatment of microscopic tumor cells spreading to downstream lymphatics.
Acetylcholine reduces net outward currents measured in vivo with single electrode voltage clamp techniques in neurons of the motor cortex of cats

Abstract Effects of acetylcholine (ACh) on membrane currents of cells of the motor cortex were measured directly, in vivo, in awake cats using single electode voltage clamp (SEVC) techniques. Extracellular applications (90–95 nA) of 2 M ACh for periods of 30 s or less produced significant decreases in net outward currents by depolarizing commands whereas applications of saline did not. Reductions of net outward currents were also obtained after intracellular pressure injections of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP)-dependent protein kinase (cGPK) mixed with 10 μM cyclic GMP.
Characteristics and Survival of Patients with the Total Artificial Heart Implanted for Indications Other Than Biventricular Failure

Purpose Total heart replacement with the artificial heart (TAH) is an effective bridge to transplant for patients with primary biventricular heart failure (BiVHF). We sought to characterize our experience with the TAH in patients with alternate indications (ALT) other than BiVHF. Methods and Materials We conducted a single-center retrospective study of 66 patients who received the TAH from 2006-2012. The baseline characteristics of patients in each group are analyzed with a chi-squares and two-sample independent t-test. Survival to transplant is evaluated with a Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results 26 of the 66 patients (39%) received the TAH for ALT, which included: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n=2), refractory arrhythmias (n=8), acute shock (n=6), ventricular rupture (n=2), LVAD failure (n=3) and cardiac allograft failure (n=5). Though the ALT patients trended toward INTERMACS profile 1 (50% vs 35%, p= 0.2), we found no statistically significant difference in baseline characteristics or laboratory values between ALT vs BiVHF. There was no statistical difference in survival between the 2 groups by KM analysis (77% vs 93%, log rank test p=0.2) and Cox regression analysis (HR of BiVHF 0.42 [CI: 0.1, 1.7], p=0.2). Of the 6 patients in the ALT group that died, 2 were implanted for acute allograft rejection, 2 had refractory shock after myocardial infarction bridged from ECMO, 1 had LVAD failure and 1 was in refractory shock with acute heart failure. Conclusions The TAH is effective therapy for indications beyond BiVHF, although conditions such as cardiac allograft failure and refractory shock may be associated with higher risk. Variable BiVHF ALT p-value Male 80.8% 90% 0.3 Ischemic 23.1% 20% 0.8 Age (years) 48.8 48.7 0.8 BMI (kg/m²) 29.1 29.0 0.9 Hgb (g/dL) 10.9 10.4 0.4 Creatinine (mg/dL) 1.7 1.6 0.7 AST (IU/L) 148.2 494.2 0.2 Total bilirubin (mg/dL) 1.8 1.5 0.2 INR 1.4 1.5 0.5 Mean RA (mm Hg) 19.3 15.9 0.2 Mean PAP (mm Hg) 39.8 31.9 0.07 PCWP (mm Hg) 28.8 23.6 0.08 INTERMACS 1 35% 50% 0.2
How elections matter: A study of U.S. senators

Policy representation implies not only congruence between constituent and representative preferences, but also the ability of representatives to perceive and adjust to changing constituent preferences. This paper examines the extent of such representation among U.S. senators. It shows that a senator's voting behavior strongly affects his chances of election, but that senators demonstrate only a limited ability to adapt to changing constituent preferences.
juthaa in Trinidad: food, pollution, and hierarchy in a Caribbean diaspora community

Focusing on the Hindi term juthaa—food and drink that have become “polluted” by being partially consumed—this article explores pollution ideology and its implications for social relations and the construction of identity among Hindu and Muslim East Indians in Trinidad. It suggests that in this overseas community the salience of the concept of juthaa, though caste derived, is indicative of an egalitarian morality at work in concert with hierarchical principles. This, in turn, has implications for the way we understand cultural reproduction and change, ritual, and stratification among diaspora populations. [pollution ideology, social stratification, South Asian diaspora, transnational identities, Trinidad]
Effect of ribosome treatment on sensitivity to ricin A chain

Abstract Rat liver ribosomes treated with catalytic amounts (30 ng/ml) of ricin A chain are inhibited about 80% when assayed immediately. However, the same ribosomes assayed after separation from A chain by centrifugation have partially recovered their activity in the translation of polyuridylic acid. The extent of recovery is dependent on magnesium ion concentration. Even though the activity of A chain-treated ribosomes is increased after centrifugation, they are not sensitive to further treatment with ricin A chain. Except for impure ribosomes, isolated by centrifugation of crude homogenate, the overall sensitivity of ribosomes after different treatments was the same.
Orthostatic Headaches in the Syndrome of the Trephined: Resolution Following Cranioplasty

Objective.— To draw attention to the syndrome of the trephined as a potential cause for orthostatic headaches without cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. Background.— Orthostatic headaches typically result from CSF leaks but sometimes may occur in conditions without any evidence of CSF leakage. Methods.— A 37-year-old right-handed woman became comatose after a motor vehicle accident with cerebral contusions and massive left cerebral edema. A large frontoparietal craniectomy was carried out. In 5 months, she made good neurologic recovery. Freeze-preserved bone flap was placed back. In several weeks she was functionally near normal. Two years later, she began to complain of orthostatic headache and gradually additional manifestations appeared including progressive gait unsteadiness, imprecise speech, cognitive difficulties, and an increasing left hemiparesis along with progressive sinking of the skull defect and shift of the midline and ventricular distortion. She underwent removal of resorptive sinking bone flap and construction of an acrylic cranioplasty. Results.— At 6-month follow-up, there was complete resolution of the orthostatic headaches, remarkable neurologic improvement along with resolution of midline shift and ventricular distortion. Conclusion.— The syndrome of the trephined is yet another cause of orthostatic headaches without CSF leak.
Nocodazole pretreatment in anaphase selectively reduces anaphase B in PtK1 cells

During early anaphase PtK1 cells were briefly treated with the rapidly reversible microtubule (MT) poison nocodazole. This treatment abruptly stopped chromosome motion and effected a large decrease in spindle birefringence. On removal of the drug, chromosome to pole motion (anaphase A) returned, though at a lesser rate but not extent than untreated cells. In most cases elongation of the pole-pole distance (anaphase B) also occurred, at both a rate and to an extent less than in untreated cells. During the recovery period following drug arrest spindle birefringence did not return to pretreatment levels. Electron microscopic analysis of nocodazole arrested, or arrested and released, cells revealed extensive disassembly of the nonkinetochore class of MTs (nkMTs), particularly evident in the astral region. Microtubules seen in the interzone region were largely fragments of midbody precursors. Kinetochore MTs (kMTs) appeared to be unaffected by the brief drug treatment chosen for these experiments. Analysis of MT profiles seen in transverse sections of the interzone region indicated in treated and released cells approximately 60% fewer MTs. This may suggest that chromosome motion during anaphase is not dependent on interactions between kMTs and nkMTs and separation of the spindle poles can occur in the presence of disrupted interzonal MTs.
Hemodynamic effects of prazosin in chronic heart failure

Three series of investigations were carried out with prazosin (PZN) hydrochloride. In the first, hemodynamic effects of PZN were compared with those of hydralazine (HDZ) in 11 patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF). In doses up to 5 mg, PZN increased cardiac output (CO) 20% accompanied by a 20% decrease in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (LVFP). HDZ increased CO by 50% with little or no effect on LVFP. An additional 12 patients were given multiple 5 mg doses of PZN at 6-hour intervals with measurements of hemodynamic and plasma blood levels. Results suggested an attenuation of the effects of PZN on increasing CO but not on decreasing LVFP. This attenuation of CO was not due to inadequate plasma levels. Acute exercise studies (supine bicycle) were performed in 10 patients with severe CHF before and after the administration of several doses of PZN. There appeared to be a greater effect of PZN during exercise than at rest, with a beneficial increase in CO and reduction in LVFP. These data suggest that, despite hemodynamic attenuation of its effects on CO at rest, PZN may still be beneficial to active patients with CHF. In vitro studies with various vasodilators were performed to evaluate potential intropic effects. Isometric force (cat papillary muscle) increased 2% with 10-4M and 31% with 10-3M HDZ. PZN increased force 4% at 10-6M and 18% at 10-4M. Captopril did not increase force development at any dose level. The doses of HDZ and PZN that increased force development were higher than usual clinical doses.
Alprazolam but not diazepam protects hamsters with heart disease from the medical consequences of stress

We have previously shown that subjecting cardiomyopathic hamsters in the lesion-developing period of their heart disease to cold-immobilization stress had lethal consequences which could be blocked by alprazolam treatment. This experiment replicated that finding and also examined the efficacy of diazepam in this paradigm. In contrast to alprazolam, diazepam did not prevent the cardiomyopathic subjects from succumbing to the stressor. Thus, the effect of alprazolam in reducing stress-induced mortality did not reflect a generic benzodiazepine action.
Securing wireless network coding against pollution attack at the physical layer

We take a physical layer perspective in detecting the falsely injected vector (pollution attack) and removing it from the polluted packet to restore the true coded packet in wireless network coding system. The proposed scheme builds on the maximum likelihood detection principle which is optimal in the sense of minimizing the probability of detection error. It discards only the faulty information and keeps the true coded packet, thereby making the retransmission of new coded packets unnecessary. This allows uninterrupted communication even under the attack. The proposed scheme is shown to provide a significant reliability gain over the cryptographic solution.
Food restriction dissociates sexual motivation, sexual performance, and the rewarding consequences of copulation in female Syrian hamsters.

Abstract Animals can switch their behavioral priorities from ingestive to sex behaviors to optimize reproductive success in environments where energy fluctuates. We hypothesized that energy availability differentially affects the appetitive (motivation), consummatory (performance), and learned (rewarding) components of behavior. In Experiment 1, appetitive and consummatory aspects of sex behavior were dissociated in the majority of female Syrian hamsters restricted to 75% of their ad libitum food intake for between 8 and 11 days. Food restriction significantly inhibited vaginal scent marking, decreased the preference for spending time with male hamsters vs. spending time with food, and increased food hoarding with no significant effect on consummatory behaviors such as the incidence of lordosis or food intake. In Experiments 2 and 3, we attempted to use a similar level of food restriction to dissociate sexual appetite from sexual reward. In hamsters, formation of a conditioned place preference (CPP) for copulatory reward is reflected in increased nucleus accumbens (NAc) neural activation, measured as immunocytochemical staining for c-Fos, the protein product of the immediate-early gene, c-fos. In Experiment 2, neural activation increased 1 h after copulation in the NAc, and did not differ significantly between 10-day food-restricted and ad libitum-fed females in any brain area examined. In Experiment 3, females were either food-restricted or fed ad libitum over 8–30 days of conditioning with copulatory stimuli. Food-restricted females showed significantly fewer appetitive behaviors, but no difference in formation of a CPP compared to females fed ad libitum. Together these data are consistent with the idea that mild levels of food restriction that inhibit appetitive behaviors fail to attenuate consummatory behaviors and the rewarding consequences of copulation. Thus, appetitive sex behaviors are, at least partially, neuroanatomically and behaviorally distinct from both consummatory behaviors and copulatory reward.
Long-term temperature and precipitation trends at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, Otto, North Carolina, USA

Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, located in western North Carolina, USA, is a 2,185 ha basin wherein forest climate monitoring and watershed experimentation began in the early 1930s. An extensive climate and hydrologic network has facilitated research for over 75 years. Our objectives in this paper were to describe the monitoring network, present long-term air temperature and precipitation data, and analyze the temporal variation in the long-term temperature and precipitation record. We found that over the period of record: (1) air temperatures have been increasing significantly since the late 1970s, (2) drought severity and frequency have increased with time, and (3) the precipitation distribution has become more extreme over time. We discuss the implications of these trends within the context of regional and global climate change and forest health.
Within/Without: Awareness and the Practice of Seeing

My practice seeks to give visual expression to the experience of an inner world as it relates to the outer world. This experience has been explored through parallel practices of contemplation, including art making, meditation, and yoga asana. In this article, I describe art making as recording the experience of movement through space and time. I explore the themes of impermanence and interdependence as they have surfaced through contemplation. I also briefly discuss ethical implications and social responsibility as they relate to the notions of impermanence and interdependence.
Effect of high-temperature inside-outside spray on survival of campylobacter jejuni attached to prechill chicken carcasses

Prechill chicken carcasses, inoculated with Campylobacter jejuni, were sprayed in an inside-outside birdwasher at 20, 55, or 60 C, with or without 50 ppm chlorine, in a poultry processing pilot plant. Carcasses were sprayed for 12 s at 80 pounds per square inch (psi). Next, carcasses were placed in a chiller filled with 50 ppm chlorinated ice water at 4 C for 50 min. Most probable numbers of C. jejuni were determined based on chicken carcass wash water before and after the spray treatment. The skin color of chicken carcasses was measured. The results of this study showed that the 55 and 60 C water spray treatments significantly reduced C. jejuni by more than 0.78 log cfu/carcass compared with the 20 C water spray treatment. However, all of the 50 ppm chlorine spray treatments at three different temperatures were not significantly different. The skin color of chicken carcasses did not change significantly after the spray treatments at temperatures less than 60 C. The chilling process with 50 ppm chlorinated ice water at 4 C further reduced more C. jejuni (approximately 1 log cfu/carcass) among the water spray treatments but did not result in greater reduction of C. jejuni among the chlorine spray treatments.
The Story of Allis-Chalmers, Caremark, and Stone: Directors’ Evolving Duty to Monitor

This chapter explores the evolution in Delaware's approach to director oversight of legal compliance. The transformation of Delaware's duty to monitor is, in part, a story of how the dramatic increase in the scope and magnitude of federal corporate criminal liability pushed the Delaware state courts to treat compliance with federal criminal law as an important corporate governance issue. It also is the story of the struggle between the Delaware Chancery Court and the Delaware Supreme Court over the standard of conduct and standard of review to govern directors' oversight duties. In the seminal opinion on this issue, In re Caremark International Inc. Derivative Litigation, Chancellor William T. Allen challenged two different facets of Delaware Supreme Court precedent. First, he in effect reversed Allis-Chalmers by holding that directors have a duty to ensure that the firm establishes an effective compliance program, where no duty previously existed. Second, he pushed back against Smith v. Van Gorkom by holding that (i) the proper standard of review to govern director liability for breach of this monitoring duty was good faith, not gross negligence (irrespective of 102(b)(7)), and (ii) that bad faith required a conscious neglect of duty, not merely objectively (excessively) unreasonable conduct. Chancellor Allen's approach in Caremark arises from his twin convictions that (1) directors will satisfy judicially imposed duties even without the threat of liability and (2) judges do not have the expertise to assess the objective reasonableness of directors' actions. Caremark succeeded in moving the Delaware Supreme Court to Chancellor Allen's approach, as evident from Stone v. Ritter. Yet, as became evident following WorldCom and Enron, Caremark did not induce directors to focus adequately on compliance. Caremark specifies a general oversight duty, without specific content. Directors have latitude to adopt a loose interpretation of their oversight duties, largely insulated from liability by the good faith standard of review. In response, federal authorities and the stock exchanges intervened with more precise rules relating to corporate oversight of compliance.
Past and present of sediment and carbon biogeochemical cycling models

Abstract. The global carbon cycle is part of the much more extensive sedimentary cycle that involves large masses of carbon in the Earth's inner and outer spheres. Studies of the carbon cycle generally followed a progression in knowledge of the natural biological, then chemical, and finally geological processes involved, culminating in a more or less integrated picture of the biogeochemical carbon cycle by the 1920s. However, knowledge of the ocean's carbon cycle behavior has only within the last few decades progressed to a stage where meaningful discussion of carbon processes on an annual to millennial time scale can take place. In geologically older and pre-industrial time, the ocean was generally a net source of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere owing to the mineralization of land-derived organic matter in addition to that produced in situ and to the process of CaCO3 precipitation. Due to rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations because of fossil fuel combustion and land use changes, the direction of the air-sea CO2 flux has reversed, leading to the ocean as a whole being a net sink of anthropogenic CO2. The present thickness of the surface ocean layer, where part of the anthropogenic CO2 emissions are stored, is estimated as of the order of a few hundred meters. The oceanic coastal zone net air-sea CO2 exchange flux has also probably changed during industrial time. Model projections indicate that in pre-industrial times, the coastal zone may have been net heterotrophic, releasing CO2 to the atmosphere from the imbalance between gross photosynthesis and total respiration. This, coupled with extensive CaCO3 precipitation in coastal zone environments, led to a net flux of CO2 out of the system. During industrial time the coastal zone ocean has tended to reverse its trophic status toward a non-steady state situation of net autotrophy, resulting in net uptake of anthropogenic CO2 and storage of carbon in the coastal ocean, despite the significant calcification that still occurs in this region. Furthermore, evidence from the inorganic carbon cycle indicates that deposition and net storage of CaCO3 in sediments exceed inflow of inorganic carbon from land and produce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. In the shallow-water coastal zone, increase in atmospheric CO2 during the last 300 years of industrial time may have reduced the rate of calcification, and continuation of this trend is an issue of serious environmental concern in the global carbon balance.
Bistable Switching Node for Optical Packet Switched Networks

We demonstrate a 2times2 semiconductor optical amplifier based switch element with robustness to optical routing glitch errors. This improvement is achieved using Schmitt trigger comparators in the routing decision logic
Perfectly matched layers for transient elastodynamics of unbounded domains

One approach to the numerical solution of a wave equation on an unbounded domain uses a bounded domain surrounded by an absorbing boundary or layer that absorbs waves propagating outward from the bounded domain. A perfectly matched layer (PML) is an unphysical absorbing layer model for linear wave equations that absorbs, almost perfectly, outgoing waves of all non-tangential angles-of-incidence and of all non-zero frequencies. In a recent work [Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 2003; 192:1337-1375], the authors presented, inter alia, time-harmonic governing equations of PMLs for anti-plane and for plane-strain motion of (visco-)elastic media. This paper presents (a) corresponding time-domain, displacement-based governing equations of these PMLs and (b) displacement-based finite element implementations of these equations, suitable for direct transient analysis. The finite element implementation of the anti-plane PML is found to be symmetric, whereas that of the plane-strain PML is not. Numerical results are presented for the anti-plane motion of a semi-infinite layer on a rigid base, and for the classical soil-structure interaction problems of a rigid strip-footing on (i) a half-plane, (ii) a layer on a half-plane, and (iii) a layer on a rigid base. These results demonstrate the high accuracy achievable by PML models even with small bounded domains.