cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inflammation and intracranial aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE: An intracranial aneurysm is an important acquired cerebrovascular disease that can cause a catastrophic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Despite modern therapy, most patients die or are left disabled as a direct result of a severe initial hemorrhage. The development of more effective treatment strategies depends on understanding the fundamental biology of cerebral aneurysms. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether inflammation or immunological reaction occurs in cerebral aneurysms. METHODS: Aneurysm tissue was collected at the time of microsurgical repair from 23 unruptured and 2 ruptured aneurysms (25 patients) and compared with 11 control basilar arteries harvested at autopsy. Immunohistochemistry was used to localize complement (C3c, C9), immunoglobulins (IgG, IgM), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, macrophages and monocytes (CD68), T lymphocytes (CD3), and B lymphocytes (CD20). RESULTS: Complement (C3c, P < 0.0001; C9, P = 0.0017), immunoglobulin (IgG, P = 0.0013; IgM, P = 0.031), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (P = 0.0022), macrophages (CD68, P = 0.004), and T lymphocytes (CD3, P = 0.0004) were all frequently present in the wall of aneurysm tissue but were rarely identified in control basilar arteries. A few B lymphocytes (CD20, P = 0.41) were found in aneurysm tissue, but none were found in the basilar arteries. CONCLUSION: Extensive inflammatory and immunological reactions are common in unruptured intracranial aneurysms and may be related to aneurysm formation and rupture.
A Generalized Numerical Approach for Modeling Multiphase Flow and Transport in Fractured Porous Media

A physically based numerical approach is presented for modeling multiphase flow and transport processes in fractured rock. In particular, a general framework model is discussed for dealing with fracture-matrix interactions, which is applicable to both continuum and discrete fracture conceptualization. The numerical modeling approach is based on a general multiple-continuum concept, suitable for modeling any types of fractured reservoirs, including double-, triple-, and other multiplecontinuum conceptualmodels. In addition, a new, physically correct numerical scheme is discussed to calculatemultiphase flow between fractures and thematrix, using continuity of capillary pressure at the fracture-matrix interface. The proposed general modeling methodology is verified in special cases using analytical solutions and laboratory experimental data, and demonstrated for its application inmodeling flow through fractured vuggy reservoirs. AMS subject classifications: 76S05
Economic Feasibility of Irrigated Agricultural Land Use Buffers to Reduce Groundwater Nitrate in Rural Drinking Water Sources

Agricultural irrigation leachate is often the largest source for aquifer recharge in semi-arid groundwater basins, but contamination from fertilizers and other agro-chemicals may degrade the quality of groundwater. Affected communities are frequently economically disadvantaged, and water supply alternatives may be too costly. This study aimed to demonstrate that, when addressing these issues, environmental sustainability and market profitability are not incompatible. We investigated the viability of two low impact crops, alfalfa and vineyards, and new recharge basins as an alternative land use in recharge buffer zones around affected communities using an integrated hydrologic, socio-geographic, and economic analysis. In the southern Central Valley, California, study area, alfalfa and vineyards currently constitute 30% of all buffer zone cropland. Economic analyses of alternative land use scenarios indicate a wide range of revenue outcomes. Sector output gains and potential cost saving through land use conversion and resulting flood control result in gains of at least $2.3 billion, as compared to costs of $0.3 to $0.7 billion for treatment options over a 20 year period. Buffer zones would maintain the economic integrity of the region and concur with prevailing policy options. Thus, managed agricultural recharge buffer zones are a potentially attractive option for communities facing financial constraint and needing to diversify their portfolio of policy and infrastructure approaches to meet drinking water quality objectives.
Bones of corals made: ecology and war in Gunesekara's Reef

This essay explores the environmental aesthetic of Romesh Gunesekara's Reef and analyses its unique commentary on the conflation of political and ecological violence in Sri Lanka. The essay examines the ways in which aesthetic works circumscribe the temporal dislocation and conceptual difficulties attributed to slowly evolving environmental degradation. Reef is a novel about the ‘process’ of environmental damage rather than a direct engagement with the causality of such irreversible transformation. Its reticence about a scopic elaboration of environmental destruction mirrors the political and geographical ‘invisibility’ of the despoilation of Sri Lanka's coral reefs.
Decreased mortality by normalizing blood glucose after acute ischemic stroke.

Objectives: Hyperglycemia after cerebral ischemia exacerbates brain injury and worsens the outcome of stroke patients. The authors sought to examine the effect of glycemic control on mortality after acute stroke. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients discharged with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke during a 40-month period from a large urban U.S. health system. Patients were compared by initial blood glucose (BG) levels and by glycemic control during the first 48 hours of hospitalization. Results: Of 960 patients with thromboembolic stroke, 373 (38.9%) were hyperglycemic (BG ≥130 mg/dL) on hospital admission. Admission hyperglycemia was associated with a higher mortality rate than was euglycemia (odds ratio [OR] = 3.15; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.45 to 6.85; p = 0.004). Persistent hyperglycemia (PerHyp) during 48 hours of hospitalization was associated with even higher mortality rate (unadjusted logistic regression, OR = 6.54; 95% CI = 2.41 to 17.87; p < 0.001). Glycemic control (normalization of BG to < 130 mg/dL) was associated with a 4.6-fold decrease in mortality risk as compared with the case of patients with PerHyp (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regression showed glycemic control to be a strong independent determinant of survival (OR = 5.95; 95% CI = 1.24 to 28.6; p = 0.026) after acute stroke even after adjustment for age, gender, concomitant hypertension and diabetes, and stroke severity. Conclusions: Admission hyperglycemia is associated with a worse outcome after stroke than is euglycemia. Normalization of blood glucose during the first 48 hours of hospitalization appears to confer a potent survival benefit in patients with thromboembolic stroke.
Control of Discrete-Time Nonlinear Stochastic Systems with Incomplete State Information

In this paper, a method is given for stabilizing compensation design for a large class of discrete time nonlinear stochastic systems with incomplete state information. The nonlinearity is contained either in the state or the output equation and it involves a zero mean white noise sequence. The proposed compensator is a constant gain observer together with a constant feedback control gain. The stabilizability conditions depend on characteristics of system parameters and are for both mean square and almost surely stochastic stability of the controlled system.
On the use of semantic constraints in guiding syntactic analysis

It is argued that in natural language comprehension, the degree of sensibleness of the possible interpretations of sentences and parts of sentences is used to guide syntactic analysis by assisting in making the decisions about which interpretations should continue to be processed. Continuous sensibleness information is shown to be necessary for the successful resolution of many syntactically ambiguous sentences, that is, to obtain the meaning that is most likely to have been intended by the speaker. The computation of the degree of sensibleness of each interpretation is hypothesized to take place in parallel with the analysis of its syntactic structure and to be performed through the use of semantic constraints that may be more or less satisfled. A formulation of continuous semantic constraints is proposed and characteristics of such constraints are examined including how such semantic constraints may be derived directly from knowledge in a fuzzy propositional semantic memory.
The effect of hydrogen bonding on oligoleucine structure in water: A molecular dynamics simulation study

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted in order to improve our understanding of the forces that determine polyleucine chains conformations and govern polyleucine self-assembly in aqueous solutions. Simulations of 10 repeat unit oligoleucine in aqueous solution were performed using the optimized potential for liquid simulations (OPLS) – all atom force field using the canonical ensemble for a minimum of 1.3 ns. These simulations provided information on conformations, chain collapse and intermolecular aggregation. Simulations indicate that single isotactic oligoleucine chains in dilute solution assume tightly packed, regular hairpin conformations while atactic oligoleucine assumes a much less regular and less compact structure. The regular, compact collapsed isotactic chain exhibited a greater degree of intramolecular hydrogen bonding and an increased level of hydrophobic t -butyl functional group aggregation compared to the atactic chain. This occurs at the expense of reduced leucine–water hydrogen bonding.
Cortical blindness after left internal mammary artery to left anterior descending coronary artery graft angiography.

We describe a case of transient cortical blindness following internal mammary artery to left anterior descending coronary artery graft angiography. This dramatic, infrequent, and self-limiting complication so far has not been described in the cardiovascular literature In the present era of internal mammary artery use for the left coronary artery grafting, the angiographer should be familiar with the diagnosis, prevention, and management of complications previously seen mostly during the posterior cerebral circulation angiography.
Secular changes in the short-term preventive, positive, and temperature checks to population growth in Europe, 1460 to 1909.

Annual variations in births, marriages, deaths, grain prices, and quarterly temperature series in England, France, Prussia, and Sweden are analyzed using a distributed lag model. The results provide support for the existence of the shortterm preventive, positive and temperature checks to population growth. Decreases in fertility and nuptiality are generally associated with increases in grain prices. Increases in mortality appear to be associated with high grain prices, cold winters and hot summers. Changes in these responses over time are examined within the context of economic development.
Near-infrared fluorescence sensor technology

Fluorescence spectroscopy has been used extensively to solve environmental problems (including biological, water quality, separation and etc.). Despite its numerous applications, long wavelength, near- infrared (NIR) fluorescence has been the subject of very few studies. This wavelength region is advantageous, if we wish to minimize the effect of background interference. Lowering the background interference is especially advantageous in environmental monitoring applications where very little or no preseparation is necessary to achieve selective measurements. The applications of NIR absorbing fluorophores which usually have high molar absorptivities and good quantum yields can be especially advantageous when laser diodes are employed as the excitation source. This paper will focus on several general practical analytical applications of NIR fluorescence spectroscopy for solving environmental related analytical problems, including but not limited to: use of NIR fluorophores as labels (in conjunction with immunosensor technology) and the use of NIR chromophores as direct probes (pH, metal ion, etc.). Additionally the use of laser diodes and semiconductor detectors (silicon photodiodes and avalanche photodiodes) as light sources and detectors will be discussed.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Diversity Waveform Signal Processing for Delay–Doppler Measurement and Imaging

Abstract Bell, M. R., and Monrocq, S., Diversity Waveform Signal Processing for Delay–Doppler Measurement and Imaging, Digital Signal Processing12 (2002) 329–346 Coherent pulse–Doppler radar systems, whether used for synthetic aperture imaging or surveillance purposes, generally transmit a coherent pulse train made up of identical pulses. While these pulses may contain complex modulation—for example, linear FM chirps or frequency and phase coding—the fact remains that these pulses are usually identical. In this paper, we consider the potential advantages of pulse trains made up of pulses that are distinctly different from pulse-to-pulse. In particular, we investigate a signal processing algorithm that provides increased resolution and discrimination through delay–Doppler sidelobe suppression in the region surrounding the mainlobe of the delay–Doppler response.
Nonlinear modeling of magnetic saturation and hysteresis in an electromagnetic device

Abstract The cores of most electromagnetic devices, in their normal operating regions, enter saturation by design or otherwise. Some devices, such as ferroresonant transformers, utilize the saturating properties of their core materials to perform their intended tasks. In other devices, such as power transformers, saturation is an undesirable phenomenon imperative to their economically competitive designs. A second phenomenon, known as hysteresis, associated with the operation of electromagnetic devices is the non-uniqueness of the core magnetic flux for a given excitation. That is, core flux is a multivalued function depending on the excitation as well as its own previous states. Computer simulation of a saturable electromagnetic device requires mathematical models for the device saturation and hysteresis characteristics. A general approach to modeling saturation and hysteresis is proposed in this paper. A model which is nonlinear in a parameter is proposed; however, a linearizing transformation is used to allow the estimation of the model parameters by linear estimators. The results of modeling saturation and hysteresis for a two-winding ferroresonant transformer are given. The hysteresis loop obtained from simulation is compared with the actual loop for a given operating condition. These results indicate that accurate modeling of the hysteresis loop is possible with the proposed technique.
Structural Analyses of gp45 Sliding Clamp Interactions during Assembly of the Bacteriophage T4 DNA Polymerase Holoenzyme II. THE gp44/62 CLAMP LOADER INTERACTS WITH A SINGLE DEFINED FACE OF THE SLIDING CLAMP RING

Abstract The phage T4 gp45 sliding clamp is a ring-shaped replication accessory protein that is mounted onto DNA in an ATP-dependent manner by the gp44/62 clamp loader. In the preceding paper (Pietroni, P., Young, M. C., Latham, G. J., and von Hippel, P. H. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 31666–31676), two gp45 mutants were exploited to probe interactions of the sliding clamp ring with the gp44/62 loading machinery at various steps during the clamp loading process. In this report, these studies are extended to examine the polarity of the binding interaction between gp45 and gp44/62. Three different gp45 mutants containing a single cysteine in three topographically distinct positions were used. Several different reporter groups, including extrinsic fluorophores, a photo-cross-linker, and a biotin linker for use in a novel “streptavidin interference assay,” were covalently attached to these cysteine residues. Since gp45 is a trimeric protein, these three different mutations allowed us to probe up to nine distinct local environments along the surface of the sliding clamp in the presence and absence of other replication proteins. The results show that the gp44/62-ATP clamp loader complex binds exclusively to the C-terminal (S19C) face of the gp45 ring.
The untold story of acupuncture

Keywords: Acupuncture; bloodletting; Chinese medicine; consumerism; medical astrology; meridians; New Age medicine; orientalism
Parental Discipline Mistakes

their families or society. We assume that most children learn (i.e., are taught) to behave appropriately (and inappropriately). Such teaching is one aspect of child rearing, and par ents play a key role in disciplining or teaching their children to behave ac cording to a wide range of rules. Although parental rules vary across families, children's ages, cul tures, and historical periods, most people know a rule when they hear one. Common rules for children in American families today include these: Don't hurt other people; do what your parents tell you to do; don't ask loudly in the grocery store, "Why is that man so fat, Mommy?"; don't play with the telephone; don't lie; come home on time; do your homework before you watch televi sion; and don't pester your sister. When children do not behave ac cording to the rules, we say they have misbehaved. When parents use ineffective strategies to manage mis behavior, we say they have made discipline mistakes. Parents are undoubtedly not the only people who significantly influ ence children's misbehavior. Sib lings, day-care providers, teachers, baby-sitters, grandparents, and peers are participants in child rear
Routine pelvic drainage not required after open or robotic radical prostatectomy.

OBJECTIVES To determine whether radical prostatectomy requires urinary drainage. METHODS All patients with clinically localized prostate cancer had complete clinical and pathologic information recorded prospectively in a database. The criteria for omission of pelvic drainage were successful bladder neck preservation; urethrovesical anastomosis performed using 6 interrupted sutures in open cases or 12 continuous sutures in robotic cases; and a watertight urethrovesical anastomosis on irrigation. Most patients were discharged on the first or second postoperative day. The catheters were removed routinely on postoperative day 9. RESULTS A pelvic drain was not placed in 78% of 325 consecutive patients. A drain was omitted in 73% of 225 open cases and 90% of 100 robotic cases. The recovery of continence and the complication rates were similar between the two groups with and without pelvic drainage. Complications occurred in 11% of the group with pelvic drainage and 6% in the group without pelvic drainage. In the past 2 years, 17 of 126 patients required pelvic drainage. The frequency of complications in robotic versus open procedures was similar (chi-square test, P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS Pelvic drainage may be omitted after radical prostatectomy when the urethrovesical anastomosis is performed well. Drainage omission could contribute to shortened hospital stays and reduced costs, without added complications. These benefits can be extended safely to patients undergoing open or robotic radical prostatectomy.
Thermally induced changes in the focal distance of composite mirrors - Composites with a zero coefficient of thermal expansion of the radius of curvature

Calculations are presented of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the radius of curvature of the reflector face sheets made of a quasi-isotropic composite. It is shown that, upon cooling, the change of the CTE of the focal distance of the mirror is equal to that of the radius of the curvature of the reflector face sheet. The CTE of the radius of the curvature of a quasi-isotropic composite face sheet depends on both the in-plane and the out-of-plane CTEs. The zero in-plane CTE of a face sheet does not guarantee mirrors with no focal length changes.
The Fluid Dynamic Effects Within the 12cc Penn State Pediatric Ventricular Assist Device When Altering the End Diastolic Delay

Congenital heart disease is the most common and leading cause of birth-defect related deaths [1]. While many of these patients have damaged or deformed hearts that require transplantation, recovery may be possible for a select population [2]. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation or ventricular assist devices are often used in a bridge-to-recovery situation to sustain a patient with the expectation of recovery of natural ventricular function [3].© 2009 ASME
Changes in the relative occupancy of metal-binding sites in the profile structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane induced by phosphorylation of the Ca2+ATPase enzyme in the presence of terbium: a time-resolved, resonance x-ray diffraction study

Time-resolved, terbium resonance x-ray diffraction experiments have provided the locations of three different high-affinity metal-binding/transport sites on the Ca2+ATPase enzyme in the profile structure of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) membrane. By considering these results in conjunction with the known, moderate-resolution profile structure of the SR membrane (derived from nonresonance x-ray and neutron diffraction studies), it was determined that the three metal-binding sites are located at the "headpiece/stalk" junction in the Ca2+ATPase profile structure, in the "transbilayer" portion of the enzyme profile near the center of the membrane phospholipid bilayer, and at the intravesicular surface of the membrane profile. All three metal-binding sites so identified are simultaneously occupied in the unphosphorylated enzyme conformation. Phosphorylation of the ATPase causes a redistribution of metal density among the sites, resulting in a net movement of metal density toward the intravesicular side of the membrane, i.e., in the direction of calcium active transport. We propose that this redistribution of metal density is caused by changes in the relative binding affinities of the three sites, mediated by local structural changes at the sites resulting from the large-scale (i.e., long-range) changes in the profile structure of the Ca2+ATPase induced by phosphorylation, as reported in an accompanying paper. The implications of these results for the mechanism of calcium active transport by the SR Ca2+ATPase are discussed briefly.
Exchanging expertise : Learning from the workplace and educating it, too

Administrators and teachers for professional communication programs often are anxious to develop curricula that will teach real world practices of workplace practitioners. Many connections can and have been established in response to that concern. However, both practitioners and educators may mistakenly see such connections as a one-way exchange: practitioners with privileged knowledge sharing as a professional courtesy and with hopes of hiring graduates who may need less training on the job. However, the growth and sophistication of scholarship in professional communication, along with changes in the workplace that have led to more professional development needs among practitioners, have created new opportunities for two-way exchanges of expertise. Academics from professional communication programs now can and should use their programs' connections with the workplace to influence practices in the field. This article suggests ways to create more bi-directional educational exchanges.
Package Tilt Prediction Using Surface Evolver

In board level package mounting process, many parameters will influence the final joint shape including the package stand-off height. If the stand-off height of solder joints at opposite ends does not equal, package tilting will occur. As a proactive measure to ascertain no tilting issues for newly develop packages, a methodology of predicting package tilting for BGA is developed using an energybased simulation model with surface evolver. The solder joint prediction model developed by Brakke proved to be very useful in predicting solder joint geometry after reflow and it will also be used to predict package tilting for BGA during board level mounting. This paper will discuss the capability of Surface Evolver in predicting solder joint geometry like solder ball height and diameter, and solder joint height. Then it moves on to discuss the methodology in using the same tool in predicting package tilting in board mounting process. It will be shown that the result of the surface evolver is well within the experimental data. Surface evolver program requires a command line input programming which is not very user-friendly, so a user interface was created using Visual Basic® 6 so that the engineer will only need to input relevant parameters into the program and command encoding is done automatically.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Vlastos's Socrates

This is a long-awaited book, and our expectations are not disappointed*. It is also, as it turns out, the author's last work. Gregory Vlastos died in October, 1991, only a few months after the book appeared. So here we meet Vlastos for the last time, and in splendid form: the writing was never more vigorous, the reasoning never more carefully worked out. It is a dazzling performance for an author in his eighties. In this work the most influential and beloved Plato scholar of our generation brought a lifetime of learning to bear on a topic long dear to his heart, and he produced a magnificent book. It is at once a major interpretation of Plato's earlier works, and perhaps the fullest reconstruction of the philosophy of Socrates that has ever been attempted. (The closest parallel is Heinrich Maier's Sokrates, published in 1913 and now quite out of date.) The genesis of the book, as the author tells us in the Introduction, goes back to 1953, with a manuscript on Plato's Socratic dialogues which Vlastos never published, but out of which emerged his classic introduction to the Protagoras and his paper "The paradox of Socrates" (1958). Vlastos returned to Socrates in earnest in 1978 when he was invited to give the Gifford Lectures. It is these lectures on Socrates, delivered in 1981, that form the basis for the present book. The intricate argumentative structure of the book and the rich documentation that supports it bear witness to the fact that for a decade Vlastos had been trying out his theses on various audiences and was refining and reinforcing his views in response to criticism. Those parts of the book that appeared earlier in article form often bear the mark of substantial rethinking. At the time of his death Vlastos was preparing a second volume to include revised versions of two major pieces, "The Socratic Elenchus" (1983) and "Socrates' Disavowal of Knowledge" (1985), both of which are frequently referred to in the present work. The book also includes 70 pages of "Additional Notes" on detailed problems of interpretation. What Vlastos offers us is essentially his own solution to the age-old
Implementing computer-aided manufacturing in electronics

One of the many methods of implementation of a Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) philosophy is to distribute the various computers and separate Applications into fields of focus. The objectives, implementation planning, systems concepts, organizational leverage and role of management are described in the paper. By illustrating examples of CAM implemented at Hewlett Packard's facilities, various benefits will be described.
Three viruses found in the braconid parasitoid Microplitis croceipes and their implications in biological control programs

Abstract Productivity and longevity decreased in a laboratory colony of the parasitoid wasp Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Using light microscopy, it was determined that the colony was free of microsporidia. However, samples of the colony examined for pathogens by electron microscopy revealed three types of viruses: a nonpathogenic polydnavirus which is produced by all female wasps; a nonoccluded baculovirus which is pathogenic to late-stage pupae and adults; and a picorna-like virus which is present in larvae, pupae, and adults. The nonoccluded baculovirus was eliminated from the laboratory colony of M. croceipes by selection of progeny from wasps which had oviposited within 2 to 3 days after emergence from the cocoons and which had lived for at least 14 days post-emergence. Upon death, the wasps were examined by negative stain electron microscopy and only progeny from baculovirus-free wasps were retained. Parasitoid colonies should be systematically examined for pathogenic viruses that may reduce their productivity and efficacy as biological control agents. In addition, exotic parasitoids and predators should be evaluated for viruses and other pathogens while in quarantine.
Analysis of long-term behavior of ultraviolet radiation measured by Robertson-Berger meters at 14 sites in the United States

Surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation measurements from the Robertson-Berger (RB) meter network and existing documentation of these data were examined to determine long-term variations of UV. RB meter data from 14 sites in the United States were analyzed for trends over the period 1974–1991. A more in-depth analysis of the RB meter data, including the use of supporting geophysical data, was carried out for four of the locations. Results based on analysis of data from the 14 sites show a significant negative trend of the order of −6% per decade overall, reasonably consistent with annual trends obtained by Scotto et al. [1988] using similar data for the period 1974–1985. However, when allowance is made for mean level shifts in the data for several of the stations around 1979, which may be due to calibration and other instrument-related problems, the resulting overall trend is found to be of the order of +2% per decade and not statistically significant. An additional trend analysis using only RB meter data since 1979 at the 14 sites is also performed and leads to overall trend results similar to those from the analysis which allows for mean level shifts in the data. The more detailed analysis of data from four of the stations for the period 1979–1991 is performed to investigate the extent to which the trend behavior in the RB meter measurements can be explained by the behavior of other geophysical quantities such as cloudiness and total ozone. In particular, radiative transfer model-based calculations of ultraviolet irradiance based on satellite data from the total ozone mapping spectrometer are compared with the RB meter measurements to help explain their behavior. Generally, inconsistencies are found between the trend behavior in RB meter measurements and radiative transfer calculations, with the RB data showing substantial downward movement relative to the calculations for three of the four sites. Significant evidence exists to indicate that problems with the network render the existing RB meter measurements unreliable for long-term trend detection. Different reasonable treatments of the data result in dramatically different trend results. Without further information, the data, by themselves, do not allow for definitive trend analysis results.
Dose-related effects of fentanyl on autonomic and behavioral responses in performance horses

The dose-related effects of intravenously administered fentanyl (0.010, 0.005, 0.0025 mg/kg) and saline were studied in mature performance horses using a rigorous experimental protocol. Fentanyl produced a dose-related prolongation of the skin twitch reflex latency but did not increase the hoof withdrawal reflex latency. Dose related increases in stepping frequency, cardiac and respiratory rats were observed following fentanyl, while changes in rectal temperature and pupil area were not. These data indicate that fentanyl, a prototypic mu-agonist, produces a syndrome characterized by analgesia, locomotor and sympathetic stimulation in the horse.
Using smooth sheets to describe groundfish habitat in Alaskan waters, with specific application to two flatfishes

Abstract In this analysis we demonstrate how preferred fish habitat can be predicted and mapped for juveniles of two Alaskan groundfish species – Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) – at five sites (Kiliuda Bay, Izhut Bay, Port Dick, Aialik Bay, and the Barren Islands) in the central Gulf of Alaska. The method involves using geographic information system (GIS) software to extract appropriate information from National Ocean Service (NOS) smooth sheets that are available from NGDC (the National Geophysical Data Center). These smooth sheets are highly detailed charts that include more soundings, substrates, shoreline and feature information than the more commonly-known navigational charts. By bringing the information from smooth sheets into a GIS, a variety of surfaces, such as depth, slope, rugosity and mean grain size were interpolated into raster surfaces. Other measurements such as site openness, shoreline length, proportion of bay that is near shore, areas of rocky reefs and kelp beds, water volumes, surface areas and vertical cross-sections were also made in order to quantify differences between the study sites. Proper GIS processing also allows linking the smooth sheets to other data sets, such as orthographic satellite photographs, topographic maps and precipitation estimates from which watersheds and runoff can be derived. This same methodology can be applied to larger areas, taking advantage of these free data sets to describe predicted groundfish essential fish habitat (EFH) in Alaskan waters.
Investigation of the use of high-performance computing for multiscale color image smoothing using mathematical morphology

The use of mathematical morphology in low- and mid-level image processing and computer vision applications has allowed the development of a class of techniques for analyzing shape information in color images. These techniques have shown to be useful in image enhancement, segmentation, and analysis. In this paper, we develop and test scalable parallel algorithms necessary to implement a class of morphological filters on a parallel computer, specifically, the MasPar MP-1. We examine the issues relative to the parallel implementation of the algorithms and show that real-time enhancement of high resolution color images is possible.
From the Cold War to Internet Cathedral

The Cold War is the reason the Internet was invented. The Internet was born as a military wide area network called ARPANET. During the 1980s, it was split into separate military and civilian networks. The latter became the Internet, and it has evolved from the contributions of many people. One contributor, Paul Baran, pioneered distributed topology and packet switching principles at RAND (1959-1964) which became the foundation of the evolving Internet. There are plenty of other contributors who provided incremental improvements to this network. Their work can be considered â€œbricksâ€ of the Internet Cathedral, since it takes many years and many priests, architects, and builders to build a cathedral.
Interconversion of estrone and estradiol-17β in lung slices of the adult human

Abstract The metabolism of tritium-labeled estrone and estradiol-17β in slices of lung tissue obtained from an adult human was studied: estrone was identified as the only metabolite of estradiol-17β and estradiol-17β as the exclusive product of estrone metabolism. Product formation remained linear as a function of time of incubation up to 3 h and of wet lung tissue mass up to 300 mg/ml. At equimolar substrate concentrations, the rates of estrone formation were at least 2-fold greater than those of estradiol-17β. The apparent K M of 17β-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase for estrone was 11 μM and that for estradiol-17β was 10 μM. These results are suggestive that the human lung enzyme binds estrone and estradiol-17β with similar affinities; however, the oxidative pathway is favored as indicated by the greater V max attained in the formation of estrone. It is possible that, in vivo , the human lung constitutes a site for estradiol-17β inactivation to estrone as well as a site for the conversion of estrone to estradiol-17β. This last process may become particularly important in instances in which the ovaries have ceased to function and secrete estradiol-17β, e.g. the postmenopausal women.
Visual-neural correlate of speechreading ability in normal-hearing adults.

In 1977, Shepherd and colleagues reported significant correlations (–.90, –.91) between speechreading scores and the latency of a selected negative peak (VN130 measure) on the averaged visual elect...
Biased Agonism at Opioid Receptors: Insights from Analysis of Structural Interaction Fingerprints

Biased agonism, that is the ligand-dependent selectivity for specific signaling pathways in a G protein coupled receptor (GPCR), is an emerging, promising strategy for the development of safer drugs. In the case of the kappa opioid receptor (KOPr), its preferential activation of G-protein versus β-arrestin has been proposed to provide a more direct route to discovering non-addictive opioid therapeutics with reduced side effects. In fact, the KOPr-mediated dysphoria that usually accompanies the beneficial analgesic effect of KOPr agonists has recently been attributed to the activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, which is believed to follow arrestin recruitment to the activated KOPr. This observation suggests that KOPr agonists that selectively activate the G protein, but do not recruit arrestin, may be more effective analgesics since they would not exhibit the adverse effects triggered by the arrestin pathway.Based on the above, understanding the structural and chemical determinants of biased agonism at the KOPr is highly desirable as it can guide the discovery/design of improved therapeutics. Here, we employ flexible docking of a set of recently characterized functionally selective KOPr ligands to establish a predictive model for G protein-biased agonism at this receptor based on characteristics of modes of interaction between the ligand and the KOPr. We apply the resulting classifier to a large set of established KOPr agonists to assess their ability to preferentially promote G protein coupling, arrestin recruitment, or both.
Future Directions in ADHD Etiology Research

Reviews salient emerging themes in the scientific literature related to identifying etiology and pathophysiology of ADHD. While bypassing the need for new treatment research, the review highlights three themes. First, recognition of the epigenetic effects is expected to revitalize the search for and mapping of early environmental influences on the development of ADHD. Second, neurobiological findings will have limited impact if not examined in the context of significant race and cultural variation in ADHD-related developmental processes, and in the context of rapidly changing social and technological contexts of children's development worldwide. Third, further examination of the phenotype and characterization of its dimensional and categorical structure remains a major need. Overall, the coming decades of etiology research on ADHD will be expected to capitalize on new scientific tools. The hope in the field is that new insights into fundamental prevention can emerge.
What Happened to Socialism and Does It Matter

sense of creating mass parties, with opportunities to govern, in the other major industrial societies and English-speaking democracies. (Since I am discussing this book in the context of a discussion of Lipset's involvement with this problem through his entire professional life, I hope Gary Marks will forgive me if I use the shorthand referring to the book as Lipset's, with the understanding that of course Marks is a full co-author. There is no indica tion in the book how the responsibility, for research and writing, was divided.) The book conveniently lists all of Lipset's other books, and we can see that from the beginning the failure of socialism has been a central issue, perhaps the central issue, in his intellectual life. Thus his first book, Agrarian Socialism, asks, how come a socialist government was able to take power in a Canadian province?and by direct implication, how come no socialist party has ever won election to head an American state? (Socialists did govern for a time a few American cities.) His second book, Union Democracy, with Martin Trow and James Coleman, took up a central theme in the problem of the failure of socialism?the difficulty of maintaining democracy in socialist parties and unions against the power of bureaucracy, a theme first raised by Robert Michels. This is an issue that troubled many young socialists of Lipset's generation. And his third, with Reinhard Bendix, Social Mobility in Industrial Society, took up one major thesis in the attempt to explain the failure of socialism in the United States: the argument that because of the greater opportunities for individual social mobility available in the United States, socialism?with its promise of raising the position of the entire working class?had less appeal in the United States than in other industrial democracies. The comparison with Canada that was initiated in the study of the relative success of socialism in Canada has been pursued in other articles and books, most recently Continental Divide and Distinctive Cultures: Canada and the United States. A major theme in these books
Symmetrically linearised charge-sheet model for extended temperature range

The symmetrically linearised charge-sheet model, which forms the core of the industry standard compact MOSFET model is extended to a wide temperature range by including partial impurity freeze-out. The new model is verified by comparison with the exact results and includes the original formulation as a special case corresponding to complete impurity ionisation.
An Efficient Method for a Category of Contact/Impact Problems in Multibody Systems: Tree Topologies

This paper presents an algorithm for the efficient numerical analysis and simulation of a category of contact/impact problems in multi-rigid-body dynamic systems with tree topologies. The algorithm can accommodate the jumps in structure which occur in the equations of motion of general multi-rigid-body systems due to a contact/impact event between bodies, or due to the locking of joints as long as the resulting system is a tree topology. The presented method uses a generalized momentum balance approach to determine the velocity jumps which take place across impacts in such multibody dynamic systems where event constraint forces are of the “non-working” category. The presented method does not suffer from the performance (speed) penalty encountered by most other momentum balance methods given its O(n) overall cost, and exact direct embedded consideration of all the constraints. Due to these characteristics, the presented algorithm offers superior computing performance relative to other methods in situations involving both large n and potentially many unilateral constraints.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
2A10 - Laser experiments for determining satellite orbits

The results from a series of experiments at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observing Station, Organ Pass, N. Mex., indicate how lasers may be used to supplement the worldwide network of Baker-Nunn cameras in obtaining precise satellite orbits for geodesy and other purposes. A pulsed ruby laser and photoelectric receiver were located at the observing station. Laser returns were obtained from the three satellites equipped with retroreflectors. The problem of aiming the laser so that its narrow beam reaches the satellite is discussed for the cases of the satellite in sunlight and in shadow. The value of the limiting range obtained experimentally is compared with that calculated from the range equation and from measurements and estimates of the background noise. Range measurements made with the laser system are compared with values determined from the orbit computations based on observations from the Baker-Nunn network. The effects of the earth's atmosphere are discussed.
Using Roll Call Estimates to Test Models of Politics

Measuring the preferences of political elites is critically important for analyzing the determinants and consequences of elite behavior. The decisions that elites make when casting roll call votes seem to provide an ideal opportunity for measuring elite preferences and testing theories of the political process. The fact that the resulting ideal points are a consequence of applying a statistical model to a model of individual choice, however, may affect their usefulness for measuring elite preferences and testing predictions regarding individual and collective decision making. When analyzing roll call votes, scholars should be mindful of how their decisions may affect the estimates from their analyses. I use simulations to illustrate how the nonrandom selection of roll calls may affect the ability to estimate ideal points that accurately reflect the preferences responsible for generating the observed votes, and I discuss work integrating the many models involved in the production and consumption of roll call estimates.
Compound Lotteries; Call Option Spreads in Black-Scholes Markets

From the earliest days of risky utility theory decision, theorists have elicited information from decision makers by analyzing their reaction to elementary lotteries, or gambles. The Purpose of the process was to define a mathematical function which could yield an ordering on a set of risky objects of choice. The information processing demands on the DM were minimal; everyone has an intuitive feel for endpoints such as $0 and $100. The purpose of this paper is to develop a reliable means of ordering compound lotteries in which the unaided decision maker does not even know the endpoints. Since the ordering will occur in several dimensions, several concepts from multiple criteria decision making will be used.
Peer Tutoring to Prevent Firearm Play: Acquisition, Generalization, and Long-Term Maintenance of Safety Skills.

Hundreds of accidental injuries and deaths to children occur annually in the United States as a result of firearm play. Behavioral skills training (BST) and in situ training have been found to be effective in teaching children the skills to use if they find a firearm, but training requires substantial time and effort. The current study examined the use of peers as tutors as a potential way to decrease the time and resources needed to teach these safety skills to youngsters. Peer trainers conducted BST and in situ training with other children. Children taught by the peer trainers acquired the safety skills and demonstrated them in naturalistic situations in which the skills were needed. Furthermore, all of the peer trainers acquired and maintained the skills. These results support the use of peer tutoring for teaching safety skills to other children.
Ethical issues in risk communication: continuing the discussion.

Proposed in this article is one possible framework for classifying multiple types of ethical issues in risk communication research and practice to help continue a discussion initiated in 1990 by Morgan and Lave. Some of the questions that each stage of the process for planning risk communication strategies appears to pose for ethics are discussed (e.g., selecting issues to be communicated, knowing the issue, dealing with constraints). Also discussed briefly are some issues raised by the possibility that risk communicators aspire to the status of a profession. The purpose is to foster discussion rather than issue a conclusive statement on the topic, because its very nature makes a definitive pronouncement indefensible.