cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Piecing together the past: statistical insights into paleoclimatic reconstructions

Reconstructing a climate process in both space and time from incomplete instrumental and climate proxy time series is a problem with clear societal relevance that poses both scientific and statistical challenges. These challenges, along with the interdisciplinary nature of the reconstruction problem, point to the need for greater cooperation between the earth science and statistics communities – a sentiment echoed in recent parliamentary reports. As a step in this direction, it is prudent to formalize what is meant by the paleoclimate reconstruction problem using the language and tools of modern statistics. This article considers the challenge of inferring, with uncertainties, a climate process through space and time from overlapping instrumental and climate sensitive proxy time series that are assumed to be well dated – an assumption that is likely only reasonable for certain proxies over at most the last few millennia. Within a unifying, hierarchical space–time modeling framework for this problem, the modeling assumptions made by a number of published methods can be understood as special cases, and the distinction between modeling assumptions and analysis or inference choices becomes more transparent. The key aims of this article are to 1) establish a unifying modeling and notational framework for the paleoclimate reconstruction problem that is transparent to both the climate science and statistics communities; 2) describe how currently favored methods fit within this framework; 3) outline and distinguish between scientific and statistical challenges; 4) indicate how recent advances in the statistical modeling of large space–time data sets, as well as advances in statistical computation, can be brought to bear upon the problem; 5) offer, in broad strokes, some suggestions for model construction and how to perform the required statistical inference; and 6) identify issues that are important to both the climate science and applied statistics communities, and encourage greater collaboration between the two.
Photorefractive phased-array-radar processor dynamics

ABSTRACTWe derive, and experimentally verify the dynamic and steady state behavior of a high-bandwidth, large degree-of-freedomadaptive phased-array-radar optical processor. The large number of adaptive weights necessary for processing in a complexradar signal environment with large arrays are computed in the form of dynamic three-dimensional volume holograms in aphotorefractive crystal. The processor computes the angles-of-arrival of multiple interfering narrowband radarjammers andadaptively steers nulls in the antenna pattern in order to extinguish the jammers. The theoretical model developed providesanalytical expressions relating system parameters such as feedback gain and phase to suppression depth and convergence ratesfor multiple narrowband jammers of arbitrary spatial profile. We have obtained experimental verification of the systembehavior showing excellent agreement with the theoretical model and experimental jammer suppression as high as -35 dB.1, INTRODUCTIONLarge adaptive phased-array radar antennas can consist of thousands of antenna elements, have GHz bandwidths, and must beable to steer and adapt the antenna beam rapidly in a dynamic signal environment. This represents an extremely demandingsignal processing task. For example, broad band processing of a 10,000 element array, with 100 time delay samples each, atGHz rates can require 1015 multiplies per second. The calculation and updating of the adaptive, complex weights is wellsuited to three-dimensional optical processing techniques where two of these dimensions are used to represent the topology ofthe antenna array, and the temporal variation of the signals constitutes the third dimension. We are developing optical phased-array radar processors which use three-dimensional volume holograms in photorefractive crystals to time-integrate the adaptiveweights to perform beam-steering and jammer-cancellation signal processing tasks1'2'3. These processors use relativelysimple components requiring only a single photorefractive crystal, two single-channel high-speed detectors, and one or twosingle channel acoustooptic Bragg cells. The bandwidth capabilities of these components approach a GHz, allowing theprocessing of wide-band phased-array signals. The required number of processor components is independent of the number ofelements in the phased-array in contrast to traditional electronic or acousto-optic approaches4'5, where the hardwarecomplexity of the processor scales in proportion to the size of the array.We present experimental results from the first of such processors, an adaptive null-steering processor which computes theangle-of-arrival (AOA) of incoming narrowband jammers and extinguishes them. We begin with an overview of the processor
PDGF and microvessel wall remodeling in adult rat lung: imaging PDGF-AA and PDGF-Rα molecules in progenitor smooth muscle cells developing in experimental pulmonary hypertension

Smooth muscle cells are mostly absent from the walls of microvessels in the adult lung but develop in large numbers as part of the pathology of human and experimental pulmonary hypertensions (PHs). We have previously shown, in an in vivo model of experimental PH, that mesenchymal (interstitial) fibroblasts and intermediate cells are the progenitors of these cells. Although smooth muscle cell development is a defining pathophysiological feature of human PH, little is known about the angiogenic signaling molecules responsible. Here, we report data for platelet-derived growth factor AA (PDGF-AA) and PDGF-Rα, two components of an important signaling pathway for fibroblast and myofibroblast proliferation and migration. Using antibodies linked to protein-A gold and high-resolution imaging techniques, we analyzed the expression of these molecules as smooth muscle cells developed from progenitor cell populations and in endothelial cells of the same microvessels. PDGF-AA was highly expressed by each cell type in control lung. As PH developed, the number of antigenic sites for PDGF-AA decreased with time. PDGF-Rα expression levels in the control lung were low, relative to the ligand, and fell in PH. These data show, for the first time, a marked phenotypic shift in expression levels of the PDGF-AA isoform and its receptor tyrosine kinase in the progenitor smooth muscle cells developing in the microvessels of the adult hypertensive lung.
Rationale for elective modified neck dissection.

A retrospective study was conducted to give surgeons direction in deciding which type of modified neck dissection is proper elective treatment for the patient with a clinically negative neck. The medical records of 428 previously untreated patients (seen between January 1, 1970, and December 31, 1979) whose necks (i.e., NO) were electively dissected and who had had a primary squamous carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx were included. The three major types of modified neck dissections studied were the supraomohyoid, the anterior, and the functional. Sixteen percent (70 of 428) of the patients had multiple positive nodes and 6% (28 of 428) had evidence of extracapsular invasion. A unilateral supraomohyoid dissection was most often used for primaries of the oral cavity. Bilateral anterior dissection was common for cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx, and functional neck dissection was equally distributed among the primary sites. None of the patients with primaries of the larynx or hypopharynx had pathologically positive nodes in the submental or submaxillary triangles. Advanced T-stage was generally associated with a greater incidence of subclinically positive nodes. Thirty percent of the patients received postoperative radiotherapy. The total number of nodes removed, the number of positive nodes with or without extracapsular invasion, and the anatomic location of the positive nodes were correlated with the type of dissection, the stage and site of the primary cancer, the use of postoperative radiotherapy, the regional (neck) failure, and survival.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The excited hyperon and pion-hyperon resonances

Recently Good, in a study of momentum spectra for pi /sup +/ and pi / sup -/ in K/sup -/ + p yields LAMBDA + pi /sup +/ + pi /sup -/ at K/sup -/ lab momentum Bev/c, reported the existence of an excited hyperon Y* in the I = 1 state, strongly produced, and of mass 1370 plus or minus 25 Mev. The Good resonance is discussed qualitatively in terms of zero effective range theory or the so-called scattering length approximation. (T.R.H.)
Rigorous bounds on the fast dynamo growth rate involving topological entropy

The fast dynamo growth rate for aCk+1 map or flow is bounded above by topological entropy plus a 1/k correction. The proof uses techniques of random maps combined with a result of Yomdin relating curve growth to topological entropy. This upper bound implies the following anti-dynamo theorem: inC∞ systems fast dynamo action is not possible without the presence of chaos. In addition topological entropy is used to construct a lower bound for the fast dynamo growth rate in the caseRm=∞.
Regulation of population size: evidence from Columbian ground squirrels.

The hypothesis that food resources regulate population size was tested in Columbian ground squirrels, Spermophilus columbianus, from 1981 to 1986 in southwestern Alberta, Canada. Two replicate populations received supplemental food resources from 1981 to 1983, and were subsequently monitored until 1986. Two reference (unmanipulated) populations were monitored throughout the 6 years. During the experiment, dramatic increases in population size of about 500% occurred. After supplementation, spring populations declined by about 20% per year, under conditions that produced stressful shortages of food (as evidenced by significant decreases in body mass of ground squirrels). The demographic process that contributed most to increasing and decreasing experimental populations was production of yearlings, through changes in reproductive success and survival of young. Changes in migration contributed secondarily to changes in population size, and changes in adult survival were least important. While similarities of demographic processes were evident between replicates during population increases, a dramatic decrease in survival of young contributed to population decline at one replicate, and “normal” levels of reproduction and survival were sufficient to produce a decline in the other replicate. Demographic mechanisms may vary, but population regulation of mammalian populations appears strongly dependent on food resources.
GLYCOGEN BREAKDOWN AND SYNTHESIS IN ANIMAL TISSUES

THE ENZYMES concerned with the breakdown and synthesis of glycogen in liver and muscle play a fundamental role in carbohydrate metabolism. The enzymatic breakdown leads to the formation of blood sugar in liver and of lactic acid in muscle. Various substances (insulin, epinephrin,ergotoxine, adrenccortical and anterior pituitary hormones and others) influence enzyme activity inthe cell. When one investigates changes in liver and muscle glycogen under various experimentalconditions, and there exists a very large literature on this subject, one is really measuring variations in the rate of activity of cellular enzymes. Yet, until recently, information regarding theenzymes which act on glycogen was very scanty. It had not been recognized that in spite of the different end products of glycogen breakdown in liver and muscle the initial stages of glycogen degradation are the same in these two tissues and in other tissues as well.
On the Function of 20α-Hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one During Parturition in the Rat

Subcutaneous administration of 20α-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one (20α-OH-P) in oil to pregnant rats raised the peripheral plasma concentration of this steroid to levels (18–30 μg/100 ml) approximately double those normally found just prior to delivery. Maintenance of such levels during the 16th to 22nd days of gestation was without effect on the normal termination of pregnancy and failed to influence ovarian weight, ovarian 20α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity, fetal weight, or plasma concentrations. Thus, no manifestation of a biological influence of 20α-OH-P was detected on either the ovaries, uteri, or pituitaries of pregnant rats. It is concluded, therefore, that normal parturition is not initiated by increasing plasma levels of 20α-OH-P characteristic of terminal pregnancy but is more probably associated with the related decremental changes in progesterone concentration. (Endocrinology 83: 1181, 1968)
END STAGE POLYCYSTIC KIDNEY DISEASE: INDICATIONS AND TIMING OF NATIVE NEPHRECTOMY RELATIVE TO KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION

ABSTRACTPurpose: We evaluated the indications for and outcome of pre-transplant, concomitant and post-transplant native nephrectomy in patients with end stage polycystic kidney disease (PCKD).Materials and Methods: The records of 32 patients were retrospectively reviewed using the electronic database at our institution.Results: Between January 1992 and December 2002, 171 patients with end stage PCKD received a kidney transplant at University of California-San Francisco. A total of 32 patients (18.7%) underwent pre-transplant (7, group 1), concomitant (16, group 2) or post-transplant (9, group 3) native nephrectomy. Of these patients 25 underwent bilateral nephrectomy. Median followup was 18 months. Indications for nephrectomy were hematuria, a renal mass and chronic pain in group 1, lack of space in group 2 and urinary tract infection in group 3. Mean operative time ± SEM was 231 ± 14, 370 ± 24 and 208 ± 14 minutes in groups 1 to 3, respectively (p = 0.001). Mean intraoperative blood loss was 533 ± 105, 5...
Radioprotective Effects of Reserpine and its N-oxide

CERTAIN amine oxides exert a protective effect against radiation injury1,2. Reserpine has also been shown to have this action3. This suggested a comparison between reserpine and its N-oxide. Groups of 20 CF–1 mice were administered various doses of the two compounds 24 hr. before X-irradiation with 600 r. (Table 1). Radiation conditions were the same as described previously1. Both compounds produced typical reserpine effects, sedation and ptosis, but the N-oxide was less active per dose. All three doses of reserpine N-oxide significantly increased the ST50 day, whereas only one dose of reserpine had this effect (Table 1). On the basis of total survival it requires twice as much reserpine as its N-oxide to decrease mortality by 25 per cent, and neither compound is as effective as quinoxaline di-N-oxide1 or anhydroerythromycin N-oxide2. Mechanisms of action are probably different, since the reserpine compounds exert no antibiotic effects. However, they have the proper chemical structures postulated for removing oxidizing radicals2. Protection might be partially the result of the release of known protective compounds, adrenaline and 5-hydroxytryptamine5. The release of catecholamines and 5-hydroxytryptamine is essentially complete 16 hr. after reserpine administration, and the binding sites, as well as the plasma content, do not begin to contain appreciable amounts of these amines for at least 4 days6–9. Metabolism and excretion are also going on at this time, and in all probability the amount of such amines available for exerting a protective effect is below that necessary for such an action. On the other hand, reserpine has been found in body tissues for at least 48 hr. following a single dose10. Most of the reserpine was found in the tissue cells where, in the present radiation experiment, it could act as a protecting compound. The fact that reserpine and its N-oxide exert only a slight protective effect against lethal X-irradiation points out the need for continuing the search for compounds having low toxicity and greater protective effects at the cellular level.
Consideration of the Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System

The Das-Naglieri Cognitive Assessment System is a new assessment approach now undergoing national standardization that includes four groups of subtests based on Luria's PASS model of cogniive processes. The PASS model subtests of the CAS include tests that measure Planning, Attention, and Simultaneous and Successive Processing. Each of the tests is designed to measure these elementary cognitive processes, none of which is heavily dependent on schooling. Validity of the battery is based on factor analytic studies that show that the sets of subtests replicate the PASS model. Criterion-based and predictive validity studies are still in their exploratory stages, but preliminary evidence indicates that performance on the test improves with age and that there is a significant relationship between performance on the tests and reading.
On flares, substorms, and the theory of impulsive flux transfer events

Solar flares and magnetospheric substorms are discussed in the context of a general theory of impulsive flux transfer events (IFTE). IFTE theory, derived from laboratory observations in the Double Inverse Pinch Device (DIPD), provides a quantitative extension of 'neutral sheet' theories to include nonsteady field line reconnection. Current flow along the reconnection line increases with magnetic flux storage. When flux build-up exceeds the level corresponding to a critical limit on the current, instabilities induce a sudden transition in the mode of conduction. The resulting IFTE, indifferent to the specific modes and instabilities involved, is the more energetic, the lower the initial resistivity. It is the more violent, the greater the resulting resistivity increase and the faster its growth. Violent events can develop very large voltage transients along the reconnection line. Persistent build-up promoting conditions produce relaxation oscillations in the quantity of flux and energy stored (build-up-IFTE cycles). It is difficult to avoid the conclusion: flares and substorms are examples of IFTE.
Occlusion of the sagittal sinus in craniectomized rabbits.

Most attempts at production of hydrocephalus in experimental animals by obstructing the venous sinuses have failed. In adult humans, venous sinus occlusion usually results in the clinical syndrome of pseudotumor cerebri with small or normal sized ventricles. However, in children less than 18 month old with venous sinus hypertension, ventriculomegaly has been reported. We examined the change in ventricular size in craniectomized animals (simulating children with open sutures) with occlusion of the superior sagittal sinus. New Zealand rabbits weighing 1500–1800 g were anesthetized with an intramuscular injection of 2 ml 7:3 ketamine (100 mg/ml): Rompun (xylazine) (20 mg/ml) solution. The scalp was shaved, prepped with Betadine, and infiltrated with 1% lidocaine, and a midline scalp incision made. The periosteum was reflected laterally and a craniectomy performed with microscopic magnification. The dura was exposed overlying both cerebral hemispheres and the superior sagittal sinus from its origin to the torcular. In five control animals, the scalp was then closed. In ten experimental animals, small incisions were made in the dura just lateral to the superior sagittal sinus with a no. 11 scalpel and then with microscopic magnification the sinus was coagulated with bipolar cautery and transected; the scalp was then closed. All animals were allowed 5–7 days to recover, then ultrasound was used to assess ventricular size. We observed a small but statistically significant increase in ventricular size in the experimental group compared to the control group. This model provides evidence that venous sinus occlusion in animals with expandable crania can produce ventriculomegaly.
Desingularization of quasi-excellent schemes in characteristic zero

Grothendieck proved in EGA IV that if any integral scheme of finite type over a locally noetherian scheme X admits a desingularization, then X is quasi-excellent, and conjectured that the converse is probably true. We prove this conjecture for noetherian schemes of characteristic zero. Namely, starting with the resolution of singularities for algebraic varieties of characteristic zero, we prove the resolution of singularities for noetherian quasi-excellent Q-schemes.
Variation among individual butterflies along a generalist–specialist axis: no support for the ‘neural constraint’ hypothesis

1. Degree of host specialisation was a continuous variable in a population of Edith’s checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas editha). A novel host, Collinsia torreyi, had been added to the diet in response to anthropogenic disturbance, and then abandoned prior to the current study. Butterflies either showed no preference or preferred their traditional host, Pedicularis semibarbata. 2. Strength of preference for Pedicularis over Collinsia was measured in the field and used to estimate host specialisation of individual butterflies. Efficiency was estimated from the times taken by each insect to perform two tasks: (i) identification of a Pedicularis plant as a host, and (ii) successful initiation of oviposition after the decision to do so had been made. 3. There was no clear trend for association between host specialisation and either measure of efficiency. Generalists were not slower than specialists at identifying Pedicularis as a host or at handling it after deciding to oviposit. 4. Prior work indicated that generalists paid no detectable cost in terms of reduced discrimination among individuals of their preferred host species. 5. In contrast to other species, generalist E. editha paid in neither time nor accuracy. Why then does the diet not expand? Behavioural adaptations to the traditional host caused maladaptations to the novel host and generated short-term constraints to evolutionary expansion of diet breadth. To date, however, no long-term constraints have been found in this system. In those traits investigated to date, increased adaptation to the novel host has not caused reduced adaptation to the traditional host.
Racial Bias in Women's Collegiate Volleyball

Whites and blacks in team sports tend to be distributed by positions according to stereotyped skills and abilities. This phenomenon of racial stacking has been documented for men's team sports at the professional and collegiate levels. Recently, stacking has also been found in women's collegiate basketball. The present study examines the case of women's collegiate volleyball, a sport where the positions are more likely to be stereotyped by race than basketball because the position of setter is so crucial to team effectiveness. Media guides were requested from all of the Division I schools with women's volleyball (n = 261), and 53 percent of the schools provided useable data. Of the 1,399 athletes, 89 (6 percent) were black. These blacks, as predicted, were underrepresented at the setter position (p<.01). They were also overrepresented at the hitter position (p<.02). No significant differences were found for blockers and defensive specialists. This pattern is the same found for women's basketball and consi...
Early protooncogene expression during hemin-induced differentiation of human erythroleukemic cells.

Abstract In situ hybridization was used to study the effects of hemin on the expression of the oncogenes c- myc , c- fos , and myb , and on the mRNA level of erythroid porphobilinogen deaminase (PBG-D) and α-globin in HEL cells during differentiation. The technique was effective in detecting changes in mRNA levels in small numbers of HEL cells. Hemin stimulation of HEL cells results in an early increase in myb and c- myc expression and a decrease in c- fos mRNA, while increased PBG-D and α-globin expression is not seen until 8 h after hemin treatment. Blast-like cells display expression of c- myc , α-globin and PBG-D, while the more differentiated cells give a positive response to both c- fos and myb . During HEL cell differentiation, the mechanism of hemin stimulation appears to be through the up regulation of myb and c- myc mRNA and down regulation of c- fos . The subsequent expression of PBG-D and α-globin may indicate that early increases in protooncogene expression are first required for the normal progression of erythropoiesis to occur.
THE ROLE OF RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONS IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Success among rural community development corporations (CDCs) was analyzed using limited liability theory and organizational characteristics theory. Data were derived from a survey of 106 CDCs in North Dakota and South Dakota collected in the fall of 1989. Indicators of limited liability included membership, support, and activity variables while organizational indicators included leadership and decision making, organizational structure, and finance variables. Success was measured in terms of net change in businesses and jobs and achievement of the CDC goals. Stepwise regression was used to determine which set of indicators best predicted success. The results indicate that knowledge of the investment atmosphere which surrounds the CDC more effectively predicts the eventual success of a rural CDC than does knowing its organizational structure. Thus, insight into a community's demographic profile and its environment are key to understanding success of rural CDCs.
Biomolecular characterisation of leucocytes by infrared spectroscopy

Over the last 15 years, infrared (IR) spectroscopy has developed into a novel and powerful biomedical tool that has multiple applications in the field of haematology. By revealing subtle alterations in both the conformation and concentration of key macromolecules, such as DNA, protein and lipids, IR spectroscopy has been employed to investigate multiple aspects of leucocyte physiology. IR spectroscopy has been used, for example, to diagnose and prognose leukaemia; to characterise differentiation and apoptotic processes; to predict drug sensitivity and resistance in leukaemic patients undergoing chemotherapy; to monitor the response of leucocytes to chemotherapy and to perform human leucocyte antigen matching for bone marrow transplant patients. Such studies have provided insight into pathogenic mechanisms underlying specific leucocyte disorders, especially leukaemia. While it is likely to be some considerable time before IR spectroscopy is sufficiently developed to displace the established technologies, IR spectroscopy has the potential to become a valuable analytic tool in basic and clinical haematology.
Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor Induced in the Sciatic Nerve after Axotomy is Involved in the Induction of Galanin in Sensory Neurons

Dramatic changes occur in neuropeptide expression in sensory and sympathetic neurons following axonal injury. Based on the finding that the cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) plays an important role in mediating these changes in sympathetic neurons, its participation in triggering changes in sensory neurons was examined. By the use of transgenic mice in which the LIF gene had been knocked out, LIF was found to contribute to the induction of galanin expression in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) after sciatic nerve lesion. On the other hand, two other neuropeptide changes that occur in DRG under these conditions, the reduction of substance P and induction of neuropeptide Y, were independent of LIF expression. In the sympathetic superior cervical ganglion, transection of the postganglionic nerves close to the ganglion resulted in a rapid induction of LIF mRNA in the ganglion and in the lesioned nerve trunk. In contrast, transection of the sciatic nerve close to or distant from the DRG caused a rapid induction of LIF mRNA in the lesioned nerve, but not in the DRG. DRG were capable of making substantial amounts of LIF mRNA when placed in explant cultures, but, in vivo, only a slight induction was found even when both central and peripheral nerve processes of these sensory neurons were transected. These latter observations suggest that, in contrast to the superior cervical ganglia, the DRG environment inhibits the lesion-induced expression of LIF in vivo, and/or explanted DRG produce stimulatory signals not found in vivo., Together with the data on the induction of galanin, these observations provide evidence that LIF, generated at a site at some distance from the ganglion, is involved in triggering part of the cell body reaction in sensory neurons.
Sum rule for thermal conductivity and dynamical thermal transport coefficients in condensed matter

We display an interesting sum rule for the dynamical thermal conductivity for many standard models of condensed matter in terms of the expectation of a thermal operator. We present the thermal operator for several model systems of current interest, which enable an evaluation of the sum rule and the Lorentz number, the thermoelectric figure of merit as well as the thermopower at high frequencies. As a by-product, we present exact formulas for the $T=0$ chemical potential $\ensuremath{\mu}(0)$ for charged many-body systems, including the Hubbard model, in terms of expectation values of extensive operators. Simple estimates are provided for the thermopower of an infinitely correlated band model on the triangular lattice, modeling the physics of the sodium cobalt oxide system. The present result goes beyond the Heikes-Mott formula for the thermopower, and contains an additional transport correction that is sensitive to the lattice topology as well as the sign of hopping.
Bugs versus drugs: what is the pharmacist's challenge?

In this era of escalating bacterial resistance and more challenging and complicated infections, the collaboration among healthcare team members has become extremely important. The necessity for appropriate antimicrobial utilization has grown dramatically, as has the role of the clinical pharmacist
The Lamme medal inscription

The engineer's hopeful attitude toward the hitherto unattainable has been justified by his accomplishment, time and again, of the seemingly impossible. Inasmuch as he is able to achieve such gratifying results in his own field, perhaps his methods could be applied with equal success in the wider field of human relations.
Bibliographic references for numeric social science data files: Suggested guidelines

In the last two decades, private research organizations, government agencies, and foundations have invested heavily in the collection of social science numeric data, contributing to the proliferation of machine-readable data. However, the development of information technology and the ability to produce data have progressed much more rapidly than our capacity to organize, classify, and reference its availability. There is an immediate need for some type of bibliographic control over MRDF, including guidelines on how to create a proper bibliographic reference. The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to outline some of the information components associated with social science numeric data files, and (2) to provide guidelines, examples, and a uniform vocabulary for the creation of a bibliographic reference.
Signal and noise analysis in free-space interconnects

An analysis of free-space interconnect systems based on the propagation of the mutual spectral density function has been developed. The signal intensity at the detector plane as a function of the temporal and spatial coherence of the light source was determined. The spatial coherence of the scattered light was analyzed, and the degree of the spatial coherence at the detector plane was derived as a function of the diffuser parameters. The analytical relationship between the count degeneracy parameter of the scattered field and the photocount signal-to-noise ratio is established.
Photon absorption and the decay of surface excitation on sapphire (1120)-(3x1)

A laser-based two-pulse correlation technique is used to investigate the mechanisms of photon absorption and the decay of surface excitation on Al2O3(1120). The mechanism for emission of positive or neutral particles depends on the wavelength and/or pulsewidth. In our previous study for a pulsewidth of 80 picoseconds at 1064 nm the lifetime of the surface excitation leading to detectable emission and further to optical surface damage was measured to be approximately 200 picoseconds. However, for 800 femtosecond pulses at 616 nm the measured lifetime is a few nanoseconds. In both cases a low-order absorption process is indicated.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
United States private-sector physicians and pharmaceutical contract research: a qualitative study

Background There have been dramatic increases over the past 20 years in the number of nonacademic, private-sector physicians who serve as principal investigators on US clinical trials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. However, there has been little research on the implications of these investigators' role in clinical investigation. Our objective was to study private-sector clinics involved in US pharmaceutical clinical trials to understand the contract research arrangements supporting drug development, and specifically how private-sector physicians engaged in contract research describe their professional identities. Methods and Findings We conducted a qualitative study in 2003–2004 combining observation at 25 private-sector research organizations in the southwestern United States and 63 semi-structured interviews with physicians, research staff, and research participants at those clinics. We used grounded theory to analyze and interpret our data. The 11 private-sector physicians who participated in our study reported becoming principal investigators on industry clinical trials primarily because contract research provides an additional revenue stream. The physicians reported that they saw themselves as trial practitioners and as businesspeople rather than as scientists or researchers. Conclusions Our findings suggest that in addition to having financial motivation to participate in contract research, these US private-sector physicians have a professional identity aligned with an industry-based approach to research ethics. The generalizability of these findings and whether they have changed in the intervening years should be addressed in future studies. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.
Molecular statics calculations for iron oxide and oxyhydroxide minerals: Toward a flexible model of the reactive mineral-water interface

Molecular statics calculations are used to model the major FeOOH polymorphs and hematite. The potentials were taken from a previous investigation of Fe(III) in aqueous solutions which involved the extrapolation of the gas-phase Fe(III)-OH2 potential energy surface to the solvated hexaaqua complex. Using this model for the solid phases, lattice parameters for goethite, akaganeite, lepidocrocite, and hematite are generally within 4% of experiment. Internal energies (at 0 K) were computed for each structure; lepidocrocite is energetically the most stable polymorph, followed by akaganeite, with goethite being the least stable. While the model exhibits some variances with experiment, it performs remarkably well, despite the challenging constraint of being consistent with a dissociating molecular dynamics model for water in its gas, aqueous, and solid phases. Because of this consistency, the model allows qualitative theoretical treatment of previously unapproachable problems in mineral-water interface geochemistry. We apply the model to identify surface species on the solvated (110) surface of goethite.
There and Back Again: Foreigners and the Chinese Revolution

To the uninitiated, the history of China in the 1920s often seems a hopeless muddle of warring factions, roving armies, and changing governments. Even those familiar with the terrain will readily admit that it is difficult to come to grips with what was happening in China and to assess the roles foreigners played there. These books provide four angles of vision for surveying China's early revolutionary era and the ways in which foreigners were caught up in it. When Milly Bennett arrived in China in the fall of 1926, fresh from a failed marriage in Hawaii and hoping to practice her trade as a jour nalist in Shanghai, she spoke no Chinese and knew nothing about Chinese politics. Sitting in a boarding house in Shanghai, broke and desperate for work, a friend telegraphed '"Have got job for you edit ing Chiang Kai-shek's Chung Mei News Agency stop Transportation paid stop Salary 400 Mex. stop Answer immediately'" (p. 73). It was an invitation to publish propaganda for the Goumindang (Kuomintang) cause from Peking, in the heart of territory held by Chiang's enemy, the northern warlord Zhang Zuolin (Chang Tso-lin). With only minor misgivings, Bennett accepted the job and was soon "on her own" as the editor of a news service she did not completely understand in the employ of a cause she barely understood. She plunged into a hectic ten-month odyssey among the people who were
Characterization of Antimicrobial Methylated Tryptophan Retro Lactoferricin Peptides by Solid State NMR and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Lactoferricin B (LfB) is a 25-residue peptide from the N-terminus of bovine lactoferrin with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. A hexapeptide has been found that retains antimicrobial activity (LfB6: RRWQWR-NH2) (Tomita, et al., Acta Paediatr Jpn, 1994, 36:585-91). Previous work in our lab has shown that reversing the sequence (Retro LfB6: RWQWRR-NH2), amino-acylation, or tryptophan-methylation (MeTrp) increase antimicrobial activity. We now compare the effects of Trp-methylation at position 2 (RMeWQWRR-NH2; Retro LfB6 MeTrp2) versus position 4 (RWQMeWRR-NH2; Retro LfB6 MeTrp4), and of N-acylation of each peptide with a C6-fatty acid tail. Selective deuteration of the MeTrp residues permits analysis of the peptides by solid-state 2H NMR spectroscopy in oriented bilayers. We find that the antimicrobial activity of peptides with MeTrp at position 2 is reduced compared to position 4, except in the case C6-Retro MeTrp2 which exhibits greater activity towards E. coli. 31P NMR spectra of oriented samples composed of DMPC and DMPC:DMPG (3:1), to mimic mammalian or bacterial cell membranes, respectively, reveal that the bilayer remains intact when exposed to the peptides. This suggests the mechanism for antimicrobial activity does not involve large scale membrane perturbation. 2H NMR spectra reveals that the MeTrp in the acyl and non-acyl MeTrp2 peptides is less well-aligned on the surface compared to the MeTrp4 peptides. Partitioning assays confirm weaker binding for Retro MeTrp2 peptides compared to MeTrp4. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows that, although the spectra of the Retro MeTrp4 and MeTrp2 peptides are similar, the emission max for the Trp and MeTrp residues in acyl and non-acyl Retro MeTrp2 peptides are blue-shifted (lower max) compared to the Retro MeTrp4 peptides, indicating a less polar environment.
Effect of Subarachnoid Gabapentin on Tactile-Evoked Allodynia in a Surgically Induced Neuropathic Pain Model in the Rat

Background and Objectives Spinal gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors have been shown to modulate post-nerve injury-induced allodynia. This study sought to examine the antiallodynic effects of a GABA analog gabapentin [1-(aminomethyl)cyclohexaneacetic acid], given by subarachnoid injection in a rat neuropathic pain model. Methods The rats were prepared with lumbar subarachnoid catheters, and allodynia was induced in rats by ligation of the L5-6 nerve roots (Chung model). Results Spinal injection of gabapentin resulted in a dose-dependent (10-1,000 μg) antagonism of the allodynia at doses that had no detectable effect on motor function. Subarachnoid injection of either the GABA A antagonist bicuculline (0.3 μg), or the GABA B antagonist CGP 35348 (30 μg) 5 minutes before or 60 minutes after injection of GABA receptor agonist did not reverse the antiallodynic effects produced by gabapentin. Conclusions Gabapentin shows antiallodynic effect, but its mechanism is not known. The failure to reverse this effect by GABA A or B antagonists at doses that reverse the effects of the respective agonists suggests that gabapentin is involved in the modulation of spinal systems by mechanisms that do not involve either a GABA A or a GABA B site.
Clonally related IgA sequences in a vascular cDNA library from a patient with fatal acute Kawasaki Syndrome(KS) † 905

Clonally related IgA sequences in a vascular cDNA library from a patient with fatal acute Kawasaki Syndrome(KS) † 905
A method to estimate the point response function of digital x-ray detectors from edge measurements

Currently, the most accurate measurement of the detector point response can be performed with the pinhole method. The small size of the pinhole however, severely reduces the x-ray intensity output, requiring long exposures, something that can potentially reduce the x-ray tube life-cycle. Even though deriving the 1D Line Response Function (LRF)of the detector using the edge method is much more effcient, the measurement process introduces a convolution with a line, in addition to the common pixel sampling, effectively broadening the LRF. We propose a practical method to recover the detector point response function by removing the effects of the line and the pixel from a set of Edge Response Function (ERF) measurements. We use the imaging equation to study the effects of the edge,line and pixel measurements, and derive an analytical formula for the recovered detector point response function based on a gaussian mixture model. The method allows for limited recovery of asymmetries in the detector response function. We verify the method with pinhole and edge measurements of a digital flat panel detector. Monte Carlo simulations are also performed, using the MANTIS x-ray and optical photon and electron transport simulation package, for comparison. We show that the standard LRF underestimates the detector when compared with the recovered response. Our simulation results suggest that both hole methods for estimating the detector response have limitations in that they cannot completely capture rotational asymmetries or other morphological details smaller than the detector pixel size.
Levels and Patterns of Nucleotide Variation in Domestication QTL Regions on Rice Chromosome 3 Suggest Lineage-Specific Selection

Oryza sativa or Asian cultivated rice is one of the major cereal grass species domesticated for human food use during the Neolithic. Domestication of this species from the wild grass Oryza rufipogon was accompanied by changes in several traits, including seed shattering, percent seed set, tillering, grain weight, and flowering time. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping has identified three genomic regions in chromosome 3 that appear to be associated with these traits. We would like to study whether these regions show signatures of selection and whether the same genetic basis underlies the domestication of different rice varieties. Fragments of 88 genes spanning these three genomic regions were sequenced from multiple accessions of two major varietal groups in O. sativa--indica and tropical japonica--as well as the ancestral wild rice species O. rufipogon. In tropical japonica, the levels of nucleotide variation in these three QTL regions are significantly lower compared to genome-wide levels, and coalescent simulations based on a complex demographic model of rice domestication indicate that these patterns are consistent with selection. In contrast, there is no significant reduction in nucleotide diversity in the homologous regions in indica rice. These results suggest that there are differences in the genetic and selective basis for domestication between these two Asian rice varietal groups.
Fundamental time–domain wind turbine models for wind power studies

Abstract One critical task in any wind power interconnection study involves the modelling of wind turbines. This paper provides the most basic yet comprehensive time–domain wind turbine model upon which more sophisticated models along with their power and speed control mechanisms, can be developed. For this reason, this paper concentrates on the modelling of a fixed-speed wind turbine. The model includes turbine's aerodynamic, mechanical, and electrical components. Data for the rotor, drive-train, and electrical generator are given to allow replication of the model in its entirety. Each of the component-blocks of the wind turbine is modelled separately so that one can easily expand the model to simulate variable-speed wind turbines or customise the model to suit their needs. Then, an aggregate wind turbine model, or wind farm, is developed. This is followed by four case studies to demonstrate how the models can be used to study wind turbine operation and power grid integration issues. Results obtained from the case studies show that the models perform as expected.
The effect of biological soil crusts on throughput of rainwater and N into Lake Michigan sand dune soils

Biological soil crusts composed of cyanobacteria, green algae, bryophytes, and lichens colonize soils in arid and semiarid ecosystems worldwide and are responsible for significant N input to the soils of these ecosystems. Soil crusts also colonize active sand dunes in more humid regions, but studies of structure and function of such sand dune crusts are lacking. We identified the cyanobacterial, algal, and bryophytic constituents and N production and leachates of biological soil crusts that colonize beach dunes at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore along southern Lake Michigan in Indiana, USA. To determine the role of these crusts in this system, we conducted a greenhouse experiment in which intact soil cores with biological crusts were subjected to artificial rainfall over a full growing season. The volume and N content of leachate from the cores were quantified in relation to degree of crust development, taxonomic composition, rainfall volume and intensity, light intensity, and the presence of plant litter. Net N throughput significantly exceeded N inputs to cores in rainwater. Net N outputs from crusts to subsurface soil ranged from 0. 01 to 0.19 g NH 4 + -N m−2 yr−1 and 0.01 to 0.61 g NO 3 – N m−2 yr−1. Thus, total inorganic N inputs associated with biological soil crusts ranged from 0.02 g N m−2 yr−1 to 0.8 g N m−2 yr−1. High volume (≥2 cm) rainfall resulted in more N leaching than low volume events, and plant litter added over the surface of crusted soil cores significantly increased the amount of N in leachate. Exploratory path analysis revealed direct and indirect linkages among environmental factors, crust development, and crust composition in regulating the throughput of H2O and N from these intact soil cores. Biological soil crusts at this site, combined with other properties of the soil surface, substantially increase N inputs to this water- and nutrient-limited sand dune ecosystem.
Displaced femoral neck fractures in children: are complications predictable?

Summary Introduction Serious complications can occur in the management of displaced femoral neck fractures in children. Are there ways to anticipate this risk and better define eventual contributing factors? Patients and methods Twenty-one children (14 boys and 7 girls) were treated between 1999 and 2006 for displaced femoral neck fractures. Nine type II, 10 type III and two type IV fractures were observed according to the Delbet's classification. Anatomical open reduction was performed in 13 patients and closed reduction in eight patients. At a mean follow-up of 26.4 months, the outcome was assessed according to the Ratliff criteria. Postoperative complications were analysed according to the age, fracture type, time-to-surgery and open or closed reduction. Results The mean age was 12.1 years. The final outcome was defined as good in 14 patients (66.66%), fair in one patient (4.76%) and poor in six patients (28.58%). Complications occurred in seven patients (33.33%), avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head being the most frequent one (28.58%). In all cases, necrosis was observed in children older than 12 years ( p p p > 0.05). Only one materialised after closed reduction ( p Discussion Various factors may contribute to the development of complications in children with femoral neck fractures. Our study supports the hypothesis that older age, late surgery and open reduction are definite predictors of avascular necrosis occurrence. Level of evidence Retrospective study, level IV.