cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary manifestations of the pre-engraftment syndrome after umbilical cord blood transplantation

Pre-engraftment syndrome (PES) is a condition occurring after umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT) characterized by fever and erythematous skin rash prior to neutrophil engraftment. We sought to determine the incidence and characterize the pulmonary manifestations of PES. A retrospective review of patients who underwent UCBT at the University of Kansas Medical Center over a 5-year period was performed. Data collected included patient baseline characteristics, presence of PES, pulmonary findings, treatments, and survival. Forty-four patients underwent UCBT with 22 of those patients developing PES. Full-intensity myeloablative conditioning regimen was found to be a risk factor for development of PES. Of those 22 patients, 13 had resting hypoxemia. The most common radiographic findings included diffuse ground glass opacities with pleural effusions. Fifteen patients with PES received corticosteroids, of which 12 had improvement in fevers and rash. These patients had a trend toward worse mortality than those not receiving corticosteroids. There was a nonsignificant trend toward worse survival in patients with PES and hypoxemia compared to those without hypoxemia. PES is a common complication following cord blood transplantation, with hypoxemia being present in over half of patients with PES. Hypoxemia with PES and treatment with corticosteroids may portend a worse prognosis.
Why Incremental Reforms Will Not Solve the Health Care Crisis

The need for major health care reform in the United States is not disputed. Increasing financial barriers to care have impaired health care coverage and access and have resulted in impaired health outcomes for the ever-increasing numbers of Americans who are victims of our unique system that rations
Crack formation in metallized single crystal silicon substrates

Ball bonding of metallized silicon substrates has been simulated by microindentation, with a hemispherical diamond indentor, of (100) silicon wafers that contained aluminum film layers. The indentation loads varied up to 35N and the thickest aluminum film, composed of four layers, was 100 × 10-6 m. The radial cracks in the silicon, beneath the aluminum film, were measured as a function of indentation load and aluminum film thickness, and compared to that of unmetallized silicon. The crack lengths have been used to determine the fracture toughness,K c = 24.4 ± 4.9 MPam0.5, which is twice the value obtained by Vickers indentation experiments. A model describing the relationship between the film thickness versus the radial crack length is presented.
Algal control and destratification at Hanningfield reservoir

In May 1994 an artificial destratification system was installed at the eutrophic 27,200ML Hanningfield raw water reservoir in Essex U.K. The main objective of this installation was to prevent poor raw water quality, which can result from hypolimnetic isolation in the Summer months when thermal stratification often occurs. By adopting an intermittent destratification strategy to constantly change reservoir conditions thus promoting competition amongst algae, it is hoped that an overall decrease in annual phytoplankton biomass at the reservoir will result. This in turn will reduce the pressure on the raw water treatment processes required to produce a potable water supply. This paper evaluates algal, meteorological, and other monitored variables to assess the effect of destratification on Hanningfield Reservoirs phytoplankton community from 1994 to 1996. Although noting the limited data period the results show little dominant phytoplankton type changes, but notes a fall of 66% in mean total biomass in 1996 compared to 1994 values.
Worlds in collision

Origin of the Earth and Moon. By A.E. Ringwood. Pp.295. (Springer: Berlin, Heidelberg and New York, 1979.) DM45, $24.80.
Monolithic QW laser beam steering and wavelength tunability

We demonstrate a monolithic tunable laser on a QW structure by integrating an optical beam steering section with an area-selectively intermixed QW gain section. Wavelength switching is achieved by steering the laser beam over an optical gain medium that consists of two laterally adjacent quantum well regions selectively intermixed to varying extents. The device output had a total of 10 nm wavelength tuning that was controlled by injecting separate electrical current values to each of the steering contacts and the amplifier contact.
Differential Effect of Cognitive Training on Executive Functions and Reading Abilities in Children With ADHD and in Children With ADHD Comorbid With Reading Difficulties

The comorbidity of ADHD and reading difficulties (ADHD + RD) is believed to be a disability distinct from ADHD alone, with unique challenges faced by individuals suffering from one disability versus the other. We aimed to examine the differential effect of 8 weeks of cognitive training on reading abilities and on executive functions, through use of the Wisconsin task, in children with ADHD and in children with ADHD + RD. Greater impairments in reading and executive functions, especially in speed of processing, were found in the comorbid group at baseline. The comorbid group showed greater improvements in most measures after training as well. We propose that the cognitive training used in the present study affected not only the immediate abilities of executive functioning but also the secondary ability of reading, especially in the comorbid group, by improving in particular, speed of processing. We suggest that a differential approach should be taken when treating children with ADHD + RD versus treating ADHD children.
Isolation and characterization of metmyoglobin reductase from yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares).

Abstract 1. 1. The isolation, purification, and characterization of metmyoglobin reductase from yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) is described. The enzyme has been purified 120-fold. 2. 2. Characterization of the enzyme includes molecular weight, isoelectric point, substrate specificity, enzyme kinetics, chromatographic behavior, and sensitivity to inhibitors. 3. 3. The physical and catalytic properties of the tuna enzyme are compared to those of bovine and blue-white dolphin metmyoglobin reductase.
Response to the first Meckel oration by Sewall Wright

It is a pleasure for me to thank Sewall Wright for preparing and delivering the first Meckel oration, and I deeply appreciate the privilege of commenting on Dr. Wright's paper. The implications of Wright's work for clinical developmental genetics might not be completely clear to a nonclinical geneticist and I have therefore taken the liberty of distilling the following three major concepts out of Sewall Wright's writings on developmental genetics from 1923–1960.
Differential development of visual attention skills in school-age children

Children aged 7-17 years and adults aged 18-22 years were tested on three aspects of visual attention: the ability to distribute visual attention across the field to search for a target, the time required for attention to recover from being directed towards a target, and the number of objects to which attention can be simultaneously allocated. The data suggested different developmental trajectories for these components of visual attention within the same set of participants. This suggests that, to some extent, spatial, temporal and object-based attentional processes are subserved by different neural resources which develop at different rate. In addition, participants who played action games showed enhanced performance on all aspects of attention tested as compared to non-gamers. These findings reveal a potential facilitation of development of attentional skills in children who are avid players of action video games. As these games are predominantly drawing a male audience, young girls are at risk of under-performing on such tests, calling for a careful control of video game usage when assessing gender differences in attentional tasks.
Serum luteinizing hormone, prolactin, and thyrotropin and their pituitary subunit mRNA levels during proestrus in the Syrian hamster.

mRNA levels for α, luteinizing hormone β (LHβ), and prolactin (Prl) were examined during the hamster estrous cycle, with sampling most frequent (1-hour intervals) on the afternoon of proestrus. These
Predicting price spikes in electricity markets using a regime-switching model with time-varying parameters

This paper shows that a stochastic regime-switching model can represent the volatile behavior of wholesale electricity prices associated with price spikes effectively. The structure of the model is very flexible because the mean prices in the two regimes and the two transition probabilities are functions of the load and/or the implicit reserve margin. Using price data from the single settlement market in PJM (May 1999 to May 2000), the results show that the estimated switching probability from the low to the high regime predicts price spikes well if the reserve margin is measured accurately.
Esterification and Ether Formation at a Hydroxyl-Terminated Self-Assembled Monolayer Surface Using Low-Energy Collisions of Polyatomic Cations

With the use of a multisector ion/surface scattering mass spectrometer, the benzoyl cation, C6H5CO+, is mass- and energy-selected and then made to collide at hyperthermal energies (i.e., <100 eV) with an HO-terminated self-assembled monolayer (HO−SAM) surface. Fourier transform infrared external reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ERS) indicates that this ion/surface collision results in C−O bond formation at the surface, producing the terminal benzoate. The covalent modification of the hydroxyl surface is further substantiated by subsequent ion/surface scattering experiments, in which 70-eV CF3+ ions are used as projectiles. Chemically sputtered ions resulting from the collision of the CF3+ ion with the ion-modified surface include the reagent ion, C6H5CO+, and its fragments, C6H5+ and C4H3+. The same chemically sputtered ions are observed when a C6H5CO2-terminated self-assembled monolayer surface is similarly analyzed using CF3+. Using collisions of CF3+ to analyze a series of mixed SAM surfaces (prepared fr...
The Arabidopsis REF8 gene encodes the 3-hydroxylase of phenylpropanoid metabolism

The activity of p-coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3H) is thought to be essential for the biosynthesis of lignin and many other phenylpropanoid pathway products in plants; however, no conditions suitable for the unambiguous assay of the enzyme are known. As a result, all attempts to purify the protein and clone its corresponding gene have failed. By screening for plants that accumulate reduced levels of soluble fluorescent phenylpropanoid secondary metabolites, we have identified a number of Arabidopsis mutants that display a reduced epidermal fluorescence (ref) phenotype. Using radiotracer-feeding experiments, we have determined that the ref8 mutant is unable to synthesize caffeic acid, suggesting that the mutant is defective in a gene required for the activity or expression of C3H. We have isolated the REF8 gene using positional cloning methods, and have verified that it encodes C3H by expression of the wild-type gene in yeast. Although many previous reports in the literature have suggested that C3H is a phenolase, the isolation of the REF8 gene demonstrates that the enzyme is actually a cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase. Although the enzyme accepts p-coumarate as a substrate, it also exhibits significant activity towards other p-hydroxylated substrates. These data may explain the previous difficulties in identifying C3H activity in plant extracts and they indicate that the currently accepted version of the lignin biosynthetic pathway is likely to be incorrect.
Classification and assessment of turbulent fluxes above ecosystems in North-America with self-organizing feature map networks

Abstract We determined key environmental and meteorological drivers that influence the magnitude of the fluxes of carbon dioxide, latent heat, and sensible heat using data from different vegetation types at 56 sites of the AmeriFlux network in combination with a self-organizing feature map neural network. The technique was combined with a subsequent k -means clustering procedure to classify the turbulent fluxes. This method is a direct approach to assess the importance of several environmental parameters for the turbulent exchange rates above vegetated areas, based on eddy covariance measurements. The synthesis of the available dataset was achieved by merging 225 pre-clusters of fluxes that were found by the SOFM into 9 final clusters exhibiting mean CO 2 fluxes from −5.8 μmol m −2 s −1 to 3.8 μmol m −2 s −1 . The spatial and temporal comprehensive dataset covering 305 site years, combined with the independence from mechanistic ecological assumptions of the SOFM network approach provides an opportunity to assess the strength of the influence of various environmental parameters on the turbulent fluxes over vegetated areas. After ranking the environmental and meteorological variables according to their cluster separation strength, the pattern of turbulent fluxes turned out to be three times more sensitive to photosynthetic photon flux density and vegetation type than air temperature. Furthermore, the results indicate a strong influence of the water vapor deficit on the magnitude of the turbulent exchange.
Epicuticular wax of Eragrostis curvula

Abstract Epicuticular wax of Eragrostis curvula contains hydrocarbons (6%), esters (13%), acids (3%), alkanols (4%), tritriacontane-12,14-dione (47%), 5(S)-5-hydroxytritriacontane-12,14-dione (14%) as major components. The esters consist of triterpenol esters (42%) as well as alkanol esters. The free alkanols consist principally Of C16C32 components, resembling those of waxes from panicoid, and some other eragrostoid, grasses. Minor components are triterpenols (0.7%), triterpenones (0.5%), triacylglycerols (0.3%), secondary alkanols (0.1%) and 5-oxotritriacontane-12,14-dione (0.1%).
Comparison between Multisphere Light-scattering Calculations: Rigorous Solution and Discrete-Dipole Approximation

We present the comparison of light-scattering calculations between a rigorous solution and the discrete-dipole approximation (DDA) for two-sphere aggregates. We also compare theoretical predictions with laboratory scattering measurements to examine the validity of the numerical solutions. It is found that there are cases in which the DDA solution, while satisfying the validity criterion for interdipole spacing to be small compared with the wavelength of incident radiation, deviates significantly from the rigorous solution and the experimental results. We show that the DDA works reasonably well for small-volume structures and that its validity is challenged, at least as it is currently implemented, when used on larger structures. We also show that, besides its advantages in reliability, the rigorous solution approach is far superior to the approximation method in computing efficiency as well.
Web data mining

A web data mining system using granular computing and ASP programming is proposed. This is a web based application, which allows web users to submit survey data for many different companies. This survey is a collection of questions that will help these companies develop and improve their business and customer service with their clients by analyzing survey data. This web application allows users to submit data anywhere. All the survey data is collected into a database for further analysis. An administrator of this web application can login to the system and view all the data submitted. This web application resides on a web server, and the database resides on the MS SQL server.
Metabolic imaging in the detection of growth hormone-secreting pituitary adenomas.

rowth hormone (GH)esecreting pituitary adenomas are the second most common functional pituitary tumor, G accounting for 20% of surgically removed pituitary tumors, and cause significant morbidity and mortality (5). Patients with acromegaly experience cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrinologic, arthritic, and cerebrovascular diseases, often with irreversible physiologic changes, and have an increased risk for malignancy. Patients with acromegaly have significantly increased risk for premature mortality compared with the normal population (1, 9). Recurrence is rare, with rates of around 2%, after curative surgical resection of tumor. Prompt diagnosis and complete resection when possible are crucial to an optimal outcome. The hormonally active state allows GH-secreting tumors to exert significant clinical phenotypic changeswhile small in size, challenging early anatomic detection despite steadily improving imaging modalities. However, the metabolically active property of GH-secreting tumors can also be leveraged to improve detection rates through use of tagged metabolites.
Maternal Influenza Infection During Pregnancy Impacts Postnatal Brain Development in the Rhesus Monkey

Background Maternal infection with influenza and other pathogens during pregnancy has been associated with increased risk for schizophrenia and neurodevelopmental disorders. In rodent studies, maternal inflammatory responses to influenza affect fetal brain development. However, to verify the relevance of these findings to humans, research is needed in a primate species with more advanced prenatal corticogenesis. Methods Twelve pregnant rhesus monkeys were infected with influenza, A/Sydney/5/97 (H3N2), 1 month before term (early third trimester) and compared with 7 control pregnancies. Nasal swabs and blood samples confirmed viral shedding and immune activation. Structural magnetic resonance imaging was conducted at 1 year; behavioral development and cortisol reactivity were also assessed. Results Maternal infections were mild and self-limiting. At birth, maternally derived influenza-specific immunoglobulin G was present in the neonate, but there was no evidence of direct viral exposure. Birth weight and gestation length were not affected, nor were infant neuromotor, behavioral, and endocrine responses. However, magnetic resonance imaging analyses revealed significant reductions in cortical gray matter in flu-exposed animals. Regional analyses indicated the largest gray matter reductions occurred bilaterally in cingulate and parietal areas; white matter was also reduced significantly in the parietal lobe. Conclusions Influenza infection during pregnancy affects neural development in the monkey, reducing gray matter throughout most of the cortex and decreasing white matter in parietal cortex. These brain alterations are likely to be permanent, given that they were still present at the monkey-equivalent of older childhood and thus might increase the likelihood of later behavioral pathology.
Changes in behavior of hippocampal-lesioned rats across a 6-week postoperative period

The postoperative behavior of rats with one-stage bilateral lesions of the dorso-lateral hippocampus was examined preoperatively and on 15 separate occasions over a 42-day postoperative period. Repeated measures of spontaneous alternation in a T-maze and general activity in an open field were made. The postoperative behavior of the hippocampal-lesioned rats was compared with that of control rats which had sustained one-stage bilateral lesions of the neopallium overlying the hippocampal formation. The effect of the neopallial lesion on both behaviors was transitory; preoperative levels of behavior returned within 72 h postoperatively. For the hippocampal-lesioned group there was a drop in the level of spontaneous alternation on Day 2 postoperatively, a brief return to preoperative levels on Day 3, and then a sustained depression in rate until Day 14, when a return toward preoperative alternation rates occurred. In the open field, the hippocampal-lesioned subjects displayed a 3-4-day period of hypoactivity, followed abruptly by a 7-9-day period of hyperactivity. These subjects then returned to preoperative levels of activity. The nature and time course of these shifts in postoperative behavior were discussed in terms of their possible relationship to findings regarding synaptic reinnervation of the septal nuclei.
Large—scale parallel numerical integration

We present and analyze strategies which can be used for the parallel computation of large numbers of integrals which may be of different levels of difficulty. Parallelization on the integral level, which is generally used for large numbers of integrals, is combined with parallelization on the subregion level, which enables handling local integration difficulties within individual problems. This results in a new, hierarchical algorithm which incorporates load balancing on the integral level and on the subregion level. We report test results of the software and show that the hierarchical approach leads to a scalable integration algorithm.
HIGHLY PARALLEL COMPUTERS: PERSPECTIVES

Abstract Highly parallel machines represent a technology capable of providing superior performance for technical and commercial computing applications. By utilizing technical advances in microsystems, such as the high performance RISC processors, and high speed interconnect, together with progress in algorithms and compilers, massively parallel systems will exceed the limits of performance being approached by traditional vector supercomputers. Prototypes have been built at IBM Research over the past 10 years to test various approaches: YSE, the Yorktown Simulation Engine, was a high performance, special purpose machine for logic simulation. Today, descendants of this machine are in use at nearly every IBM Development Laboratory; the RP3, Research Parallel Processor Prototype, was an innovative shared-memory multi-processor of the multiple instruction multiple data (MIMD) type; GF11, is an enhanced single instruction multiple data (SIMD) machine that currently achieves the highest sustained performance on key applications; and Victor-V256, a distributed memory, fixed-grid interconnect MIMD machine with 256 processors. In this paper we present our views on the influence of personal computing and telecommunication technologies on parallel processing. We will describe where the architecture of future parallel computers is heading and identify several network and hardware design issues which affect parallel machine implementations. We will also describe some of the parallel machines recently built at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, and conclude by projecting the evolving use of parallel computing and the likely route parallel computing will take into the 21st century.
Norms and plans as unification criteria for social collectives

Based on the paradigm of Constructive Descriptions and Situations, we introduce NIC, an ontology of social collectives that includes social agents, plans, norms, and the conceptual relations between them. Norms are distinguished from plans, and their relations are formalized. A typology of social collectives is also proposed, including collection of agents, knowledge community, intentional collective, and normative intentional collective. NIC, represented as a first-order theory as well as a description logic for applications requiring automated reasoning, provides the expressivity to talk about the contexts (social, informational, circumstantial, and conceptual), in which collectives make and produce sense within the interplay of plans and norms.
Adsorptive gossypol removal

Gossypol is extractable from cottonseed by using aqueous ethanol. The equilibrium between undissolved gossypol in cottonseed and that dissolved in the solvent determines the residual gossypol. To move the equilibrium toward extraction from the seeds, the dissolved gossypol needs to be removed from the gossypol-solvent-oil mixture. Gossypol removal from the mixture by adsorption on alumina, silica and molecular sieve 5A was tested. Experimental results indicated that gossypol was more selectively adsorbed than triglycerides by these adsorbents. Alumina and silica had higher gossypol adsorption capacities than molecular sieve 5A.
Comparison of electroretinogram and electromyogram responses to radiant energy stimulation in the moth, Trichoplusia ni

Abstract The responses of cabbage loopers to monochromatic light stimuli have been studied by electroretinogram (ERG) and electromyogram (EMG) techniques. The typical ERG response of the cabbage looper is composed of A, B, C, and D waves. The spectral sensitivity curves for male and female cabbage loopers show a major peak at 540 to 550 nm and a minor peak at 360 nm. The EMG response of the cabbage looper to monochromatic light is indicated by an increased firing of the basalar muscles, often resulting in double spikes on the same side as the light. There is no change in the basalar muscle activity on the side opposite the light, but sometimes an increase in the tergosternal muscle spikes on this side was observed. The turning intensity curves produced by counting the double basalar spikes shows a major peak in the near ultraviolet at 370 to 380 nm and minor peak at 560 to 570 nm.
Bonding geometry of Mn-wires on the Si(100)(2 × 1) surface

Abstract The bonding geometry of monoatomic Mn-wires, which form on the reconstructed Si(100)(2 × 1) surface at room temperature, was investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The Mn-wire structures are always perpendicular to the Si-dimer rows and the images exhibit a strong modulation of their apparent height as a function of bias voltage. The Mn-wire structures appear as depressions in the empty state images for bias voltages around 0.7 V, and as protrusions for all other bias voltages. It is suggested that the wire-images are defined by mixed Mn-Si states, either through a hybridization between the Mn d-states and the Si-p states, or backbonding from Mn-d electrons into the broken Si-dimer bond. The dominant bonding geometry shows that the Mn-wire maxima are positioned in between the Si-dimer rows, and a small percentage of about 20% is in registry with the Si-dimer rows, and might be described as defective wires. The experimental STM images cannot currently be described in a satisfactory manner with theoretical bonding models from the literature.
Production and life cycle of the gastropod Hydrobia truncata, with notes on Spurwinkia salsa in Massachusetts Salt Marsh pools

Two hydrobiid gastropods are important components of the salt marsh pool invertebrate community at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge near Rowley, Massachusetts.Hydrobia truncata was found to be the dominant snail in the two higher salinity pools, withSpurwinkia salsa becoming the more important at lower salinities.H. truncata began to reproduce between May 19 and June 9. Cohorts lasted about 14 months, and 99% of production occurred during the first 12 months. Shell height inH. truncata was greater in pool 2 which had a much lower density than pool 1 on all dates of the 1980 growing season. Snail densities were positively correlated with the presence of floating algal mats of the genusCladophora, but the snails apparently do not graze on this alga.H. truncata production, calculated by four methods, ranged from 41.0 to 78.1 and averaged 60.5 g m−2 cohort−1 for pool 1, but were estimated to be less than 10% of these values in pool 2. In pool 1,H. truncata was estimated to assimilate 55% of net primary production or 28% of total pool energy income when detritus income was included. When found in the same pool asH. truncata, Spurwinkia salsa ordinarily comprised less than 0.5% of the total snail population.S. salsa veligers did not metamorphose into juveniles until July and were partitioned fromH. truncata by size durig their first growing season. The main separation between the two species, however, appeared to be spatial, on a salinity gradient. TheS. salsa cohort lasted about 19 months with a few individuals surviving to 27 months in their third summer.
The why of Y

Did you ever wonder how Y works and how anyone could ever have thought of it? Do you feel like a Lisp weakling when some heavy-duty Scheme hacker kicks sand in your face by admiring Y in public? In this note I'll try to explain to you not only how it works, but how someone could have invented it. I'll use Scheme notation because it is easier to understand when functions passed as arguments are being applied. At the end, I'll show you Common Lisp equivalents of some of the Scheme code.
The effect of orientation during trailer transport on heart rate, cortisol and balance in horses

Abstract Sixteen same-sex pairs of Quarter Horse and Quarter Horse-cross yearlings (eight pairs during each of two trials, 1 year apart) were transported for 17.8 ± 0.52 min over a standard course with one horse facing in the direction of travel and one facing the opposite direction. The orientation of the horses in each trial was alternated with respect to the side of the trailer (float). Heart rates were monitored continuously using a strip chart recorder and were determined for the following events during each trip: (1) after the horses were loaded, but just prior to beginning the trip; (2) immediately after the initial movement of the trailer; (3) during travel over smooth roads near the start and near the end of the trip; (4) before and after an abrupt stop; (5) the mean for the entire trip. During the second trial, plasma concentrations of cortisol and thyroxine (T4) were determined in blood samples taken via jugular puncture in the holding paddock prior to any handling beyond catching, in the trailer prior to hauling and in the trailer immediately after the trip. Observers riding inside the trailer recorded how often the horses impacted the sides and ends of the trailer, lost their balance, pawed, vocalized or defecated. Rear facing horses had fewer side and total impacts and losses of balance(P
Local zero knowledge

We put forward the notion of Local Zero Knowledge and provide its first implementations in a variety of settings under standard complexity assumptions.Whereas the classical notion of Zero Knowledge guarantees the secrecy only of information that is hard to compute, the new one meaningfully guarantees the secrecy of any information (in case of perfect zero-knowledge, and asymptotically in all other cases). Consequently, Local Zero Knowledge remains very meaningful even if DP = NP.
Strong unicity of arbitrary rate

Abstract The concept is introduced of strong unicity with respect to a rate function u, i.e., ∥f − p∥ ⩾ ∥f − pf∥ + γu(∥p − pf∥), in approximating (with constraints) f in a Banach space X from an n-dimensional subspace V (p ϵ V, pf denotes the best approximation to f, and γ denotes a positive constant). Past work has demonstrated examples of monotone approximation in C[a, b], where V is Haar and the best u has polynomial decay of arbitrary even degree (i.e., u(t) = t2m, m = 1,2,…,). In particular, in this same setting examples are demonstrated where the best u decays exponentially (e.g., exp (−c 2 t −2 3 ) ⩽ u(t) ⩽ t −2 3 exp (−c 1 t −2 3 ) for constants 0
ALGORITHM OPTIMIZATION FOR REAL-TIME SIMULATION

The advent of high performance microprocessorbased processing architectures encourages evergreater fidelity and response requirements for man-in-the-loop simulation. In spite of processor clock speeds in the hundreds of megahertz, achieving this level of performance in an affordable system requires the application of highly optimized algorithms. We review specific real-time optimization examples used in the development the F-111 Digital Radar LandMass Simulation (DRLMS), a real-time ground mapping radar simulator written in entirely in Ada 95, and targeted for high-end, general purpose RISC processors. Optimization techniques familiar to circa 1980 avionics programmers, updated to take advantage, or avoid the pitfalls, of modern RISC architectures, are examined. Topics include polynomial approximations of complex functions, the effects of instruction pipelining, and organizing high level code to take advantage of hardwarelevel cache optimization.
Laboratory Colonization of the Horn Fly, Hæmatobia irritans (L.)

THE horn fly is a blood-sucking insect (Haematobia irritans) the only host of which, for all practical purposes, is cattle. The adult remains on cattle almost continuously, leaving momentarily to lay eggs in the freshly dropped faeces. Horn flies have been reared on a caged steer at Kerrville since 1947, but it was only in 1961 that this colony could maintain itself without the addition of field-collected flies. Some attempts at colonization of horn flies away from a bovine host have been briefly reviewed by McLintock and Depner1. Many workers have reared adults from the egg stage and maintained the flies on laboratory diets (citrated bovine blood) but the production of fertile eggs has not been reported. On the theory that micro-organisms in citrated bovine blood were detrimental to the flies and/or that bovine blood did not contain all the essential nutrients for reproduction, a series of laboratory diets was tested. Flies taken as pupae from the caged-steer colony were fed bovine blood containing antibiotics, and attempts were made to fortify the blood with other materials. These experiments led to the establishment of a laboratory colony that reproduced without contact with a host.
Synthetic design and investigation of novel polymeric surfactants

Abstract A library of polymeric amphiphiles was prepared based on a one-pot methodology using reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. These surfactants were then employed to disperse carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within water and an aqueous DMSO solution. All polymeric materials that were soluble in water were used to prepare dispersions of CNT. A range of experimental techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM), fluorescence quenching experiments, UV/Vis absorbance measurements and 1H NOESY NMR spectroscopy were employed to probe the interactions between the CNT and the polymeric surfactant.
Opening the gate in potassium channels

Structural studies of potassium channels suggest that opening of the gate involves large changes in the intracellular pore aperture, leaving a pore diameter >12 A. A recent mechanistic study on eukaryotic voltage-activated potassium channels points to an alternative picture of opening, including a smaller open pore and possibly a unique hinge or swivel point.
Driving Simulation Can Improve Insight into Impaired Driving Skills in Cirrhosis

Background Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is associated with poor driving skills and insight. Increasing insight may improve receptiveness for therapy or driving restrictions.
A chemoselective reduction of alkynes to (E)-alkenes.

The trans reduction of all types of alkynes to give (E)-olefins is achieved through a two-stage trans hydrosilylation and protodesilylation. Reaction of an alkyne and a silane with the ruthenium catalyst [Cp*Ru(MeCN)3]PF6 results in clean hydrosilylation to give only the (Z)-trans addition product at ambient temperature with catalyst loadings of 1−5 mol %. The crude vinylsilane products are then protodesilylated by the action of cuprous iodide and TBAF at rt−35 °C. The reaction is compatible with many sensitive functional groups and provides a general trans-alkyne reduction not possible by other means.
Information based estimation for both linear and nonlinear systems

A new estimation algorithm is derived and appraised for nonlinear systems. The notion and measures of information are defined and this leads to a discussion of the algebraic equivalent of the Kalman filter, the linear information filter. Examples of dynamic systems are simulated to illustrate the algebraic equivalence of the Kalman and information filters. The benefits of information space are also explored. Estimation for systems with nonlinearities is then considered starting with the extended Kalman filter. Linear information space is extended to nonlinear information space by deriving the extended information filter. The advantages of the extended information filter over the extended Kalman filter are demonstrated for systems involving both nonlinear state evolution and nonlinear observations.
Estimating the color of maxillary central incisors based on age and gender.

Statement of problem There is no scientific information regarding the selection of the color of teeth for edentulous patients. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate linear regression models that may be used to predict color parameters for central incisors of edentulous patients based on some characteristics of dentate subjects. Material and methods A spectroradiometer and an external light source were set in a noncontacting 45/0 degree (45-degree illumination and 0-degree observer) optical configuration to measure the color of subjects' vital craniofacial structures (maxillary central incisor, attached gingiva, and facial skin). The subjects (n=120) were stratified into 5 age groups with 4 racial groups and balanced for gender. Linear first-order regression was used to determine the significant factors (α=.05) in the prediction model for each color direction of the color of the maxillary central incisor. Age, gender, and color of the other craniofacial structures were studied as potential predictors. Final predictions in each color direction were based only on the statistically significant factors, and then the color differences between observed and predicted CIELAB values for the central incisors were calculated and summarized. Results The statistically significant predictors of age and gender accounted for 36% of the total variability in L*. The statistically significant predictor of age accounted for 16% of the total variability in a*. The statistically significant predictors of age and gender accounted for 21% of the variability in b*. The mean Δ (SD) between predicted and observed CIELAB values for the central incisor was 5.8 (3.2). Conclusions Age and gender were found to be statistically significant determinants in predicting the natural color of central incisors. Although the precision of these predictions was less than the median color difference found for all pairs of teeth studied, and may be considered an acceptable precision, further study is needed to reduce this precision to the limit of detection. (J Prosthet Dent 2008;100:93-98)
Interaction of immobilized avidin with an aequorin-biotin conjugate: an aequorin-linked assay for biotin

Biotinylated recombinant aequorin was used in the development of a heterogeneous bioluminescence binding assay for biotin. This assay is based on a competition between a biotinylated aequorin conjugate and biotin for the binding sites of avidin immobilized on solid particles. Dose-response curves were obtained that relate solid-phase aequorin activity to the concentration of biotin. Under certain experimental conditions these curves were biphasic; i.e., as the biotin concentration increased, the solid-phase aequorin activity first increased reaching a maximum and then decreased at higher biotin concentrations. This "hook" effect was observed with four different types of immobilization supports. The effect was more pronounced when low concentrations of aequorin-biotin conjugate were used, and diminished at a high conjugate concentration. This behavior indicates a possible positive cooperativity in the interaction between the immobilized avidin and biotin. Scatchard plot analysis was also consistent with a positive cooperativity mechanism. By using the ascending portion of the dose-response curve, the detection limit of the assay for biotin was 1 x 10(-15) M (100 zmol of biotin in the sample).
The Heart of the Matter

Serious questions about the nature of Graham Greene's religious imagination have haunted his fiction for over fifty years. While Greene's personal religious beliefs- orthodox or not- are admitted, the success of his fictional embodiment of theological ideas has often been questioned. Greene's deep concern with the ultimate significance of human affairs is universally acknowledged, but the criticism persists that his imagination is shaped by Manichaean impulses that cause a breach between his portrayed sense of the fallen world on the one hand, and his sense of the powers of redemption at work within that world on the other. The image of a seedy "Greeneland" takes its form from Greene's own statement about the vision of the world that marked his creative sensibility at an early age: "Goodness has only once found a perfect incarnation in a human body and never will again, but evil can always find a home there. Human nature is not black and white but black and grey" (Lost Childhood 16). The sense of pervasive corruption indicated by this statement creates a unique problem for a writer like Greene obsessed with religious matters, because in the creative act itself he must struggle to balance the contending energies of felt life, desire, and belief. Greene's struggle with this problem has been the subject of two particularly penetrating criticisms by William F. Lynch and R.W.B. Lewis, whose observations focus the issue clearly.
Combination of the Bioreductive Drug Tirapazamine with the Chemotherapeutic Prodrug Cyclophosphamide for P450/P450-Reductase-based Cancer Gene Therapy

Tirapazamine (TPZ) is a bioreductive drug that exhibits greatly enhanced cytotoxicity in hypoxic tumor cells, which are frequently radiation-resistant and chemoresistant. TPZ exhibits particularly good activity when combined with alkylating agents such as cyclophosphamide (CPA). The present study examines the potential of combining TPZ with CPA in a cytochrome P450-based prodrug activation gene therapy strategy. Recombinant retroviruses were used to transduce 9L gliosarcoma cells with the genes encoding P450 2B6 and NADPH-P450 reductase. Intratumoral coexpression of P450 2B6 with P450 reductase sensitized 9L tumor cells to CPA equally well under normoxic (19.6% O2) and hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. The P450 2B6/P450 reductase combination also sensitized 9L tumor cells to TPZ under both culture conditions. Interestingly, bystander cytotoxic effects were observed for both CPA and TPZ under hypoxia. Furthermore, TPZ exerted a striking growth-inhibitory effect on CPA-treated 9L/2B6/P450 reductase cells under both normoxia and hypoxia, which suggests the utility of this drug combination for P450-based gene therapy. To evaluate this possibility, 9L tumor cells were transduced in culture with P450 2B6 and P450 reductase and grown as solid tumors in severe combined immune deficient mice in vivo. Although these tumors showed little response to TPZ treatment alone, tumor growth was significantly delayed, by up to approximately four doubling times, when TPZ was combined with CPA. Some toxicity from the drug combination was apparent, however, as indicated by body weight profiles. These findings suggest the potential benefit of incorporating TPZ, and perhaps other bioreductive drugs, into a P450/P450 reductase-based gene therapy strategy for cancer treatment.
Osmotic generation of `anomalous' fluid pressures in geological environments

Osmotic pressures are generated by differences in chemical potential of a solution across a membrane. But whether osmosis can have a significant effect on the pressure of fluids in geological environments has been controversial, because the membrane properties of geological media are poorly understood. 'Anomalous' pressures--large departures from hydrostatic pressure that are not explicable in terms of topographic or fluid-density effects--are widely found in geological settings, and are commonly considered to result from processes that alter the pore or fluid volume, which in turn implies crustal changes happening at a rate too slow to observe directly. Yet if osmosis can explain some anomalies, there is no need to invoke such dynamic geological processes in those cases. Here I report results of a nine-year in situ measurement of fluid pressures and solute concentrations in shale that are consistent with the generation of large (up to 20 MPa) osmotic-pressure anomalies which could persist for tens of millions of years. Osmotic pressures of this magnitude and duration can explain many of the pressure anomalies observed in geological settings. They require, however, small shale porosity and large contrasts in the amount of dissolved solids in the pore waters--criteria that may help to distinguish between osmotic and crustal-dynamic origins of anomalous pressures.
3′-deoxy-3′-18F-fluorothymidine (FLT) Positron Emission Tomography for Early Prediction of Response to Chemoradiotherapy – A Clinical Application Model of Esophageal Cancer

Early detection of response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in esophageal cancer may allow individualization of treatment strategies and avoidance of unnecessary treatment. Although positron emission tomography (PET) with [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) permits detection of changes in tumor proliferation before any change in tumor size is evident, FDG-PET may fail to distinguish between residual tumor and inflammation and between complete response and partial response with substantial residual tumor burden. PET with the nucleoside analogue 3'-deoxy-3'-(18)F-fluorothymidine (FLT) is more accurate than FDG-PET in visualizing early changes in tumor proliferation. In a recent study in experimental models of esophageal cancer, FLT-PET was more accurate than FDG-PET in detecting early changes in proliferation following docetaxel and radiation therapy in human SEG-1 cells and mouse SEG-1 xenografts, including having a much stronger correlation with histologic findings. Clinical studies are needed to determine if FLT-PET can distinguish among degrees of response to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in patients with esophageal cancer. The ability to visualize tumor cell proliferation may also contribute to the ability to improve precision delivery of radiation therapy.
Twin differences in birth weight: The effects of genotype and prenatal environment on neonatal and post-neonatal mortality

There is much evidence to suggest that both genes and prenatal environment influence life chances. However, recent within-twin estimates also raise questions about how the influence of genes and prenatal environment may vary across different subgroups of a population and over time. This paper explores such potential variation within the 1st year of life. Using data on twin births from the 1995‐1997 Matched Multiple Birth Database and an analytic strategy based on the Weinberg assumption, this paper considers how associations between birth weight and infant mortality vary across identical and fraternal twins, gestational age, and time. Results suggest that the influence of genes and prenatal environment vary most significantly by gestational age. In pregnancies that lasted less than 37 weeks, within-twin variation in prenatal environment is able to account for negative associations between birth weight and infant mortality. However, in pregnancies that lasted 37 weeks or longer, underlying genetic variation across fraternal twins appears to be largely responsible for birth weight-mortality associations. Such distinct findings by gestation suggest that genes and prenatal environment may play varying roles in birth weight-mortality associations across different situations. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Relative Shift in Activity from Medial to Lateral Frontal Cortex During Internally Versus Externally Guided Word Generation

Goldberg (1985) hypothesized that as language output changes from internally to externally guided production, activity shifts from supplementary motor area (SMA) to lateral premotor areas, including Broca's area. To test this hypothesis, 15 right-handed native English speakers performed three word generation tasks varying in the amount of internal guidance and a repetition task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Volumes of significant activity for each task versus a resting state were derived using voxel-by-voxel repeated-measures t tests (p < .001) across subjects. Changes in the size of activity volumes for left medial frontal regions (SMA and pre-SMA/BA 32) versus left lateral frontal regions (Broca's area, inferior frontal sulcus) were assessed as internal guidance of word generation decreased and external guidance increased. Comparing SMA to Broca's area, Goldberg's hypothesis was not verified. However, pre-SMA/BA 32 activity volumes decreased significantly and inferior frontal sulcus activity volumes increased significantly as word generation tasks moved from internally to externally guided.