cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Sex-Linked Feathering Phenotypes of Parents and Progeny Upon Lymphoid Leukosis Virus Infection Status and Egg Production

Data were collected on egg production, livability, lymphoid leukosis virus and antibody incidence, and hemagglutinin response to sheep red blood cells for slow- and fast-feathering female progeny from slow- and fast-feathering dams with known lymphoid leukosis virus infection status. Analyses of these results indicate that when the offspring or the dams are of the slow-feathering type, the offspring experience an increased rate of horizontal infection. This infection seemingly leads to an immunologically tolerant condition with an inability to produce specific lymphoid leukosis virus antibodies, thereby allowing the viremia to persist. This immunologically tolerant condition, which also occurs in the progeny of virus positive dams due to congenital transmission, is associated with depressed egg production performance. However, a hypothesized lack of immunological competence was not found in the hemagglutinin response to sheep red blood cells late in life. Our results suggest that fast-feathering progeny of slow-feathering dams may also be adversely influenced by increased congenital infection from their dams.
Plotting 2-1/2 D figures for general type-2 fuzzy sets by hand or by PowerPoint

Type-2 fuzzy logic systems that use general type-2 fuzzy sets (GT2 FSs) are now receiving renewed attention; hence, it is important to be able to communicate effectively about such fuzzy sets. While it is possible to generate the 3D membership functions (MFs) for these fuzzy sets using computer programs, this is not very useful for real-time on-the-fly discussions. Additionally, for most of us it is very difficult, if not impossible, to sketch or plot 3D MFs by hand. This short educational paper provides detailed instructions on how to plot different kinds of so-called 2 ½ D plots for a GT2 FS. Using such 2 ½ D plots should greatly enhance the communication about GT2 FSs and will therefore make them more accessible to the fuzzy logic community.
High-Rate Atrial Pacing as an Innovative Bridging Therapy in a Neonate with Congenital Long QT Syndrome

Neonatal Long QT Syndrome. Introduction: The neonatal presentation of the long QT syndrome is rare, although it is frequently accompanied by life-threatening arrhythmias. Infants may not survive childhood despite traditional management with beta-adrenergic blockade and pacing. Methods and Results: This case describes a newborn with a long QT interval, T wave alternans, intermittent 2:1 AV block, ventricular arrhythmias, and a family history of sudden death. After failing medical therapy, conventional VVI and DDD pacing were unsuccessful due to prolonged ventricular refractoriness and proarrhythmia. At 2 months of life, the child was treated with high-rate (180 ppm) atrial pacing to produce intentional 2:1 AV block. Following an episode of possible syncope at 16 months of age, an automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) was added. Finally, as recently reported, acutely induced hyperkalemia led to both a marked decrease in QTc and functional improvement in repolarization (consistent 1:1 AV conduction at rates to 180 beats/min). Spironolactone and dietary potassium were added and have produced the same effects chronically. Conclusions: High-rate atrial pacing with 2:1 AV block is presented as a novel and “bridging” therapy for neonatal long QT syndrome and 2:1 AV block with ventricular arrhythmias. Definitive therapy with ICD implantation was then possible when patient size was substantially increased. The electrophysiologic response to intentional elevation of the serum potassium suggests a genetic defect in an inward potassium channel and demonstrates a possible therapy of long QT syndrome in some future patients.
Diffuse reflectivity of selenium

Abstract Diffuse reflectance spectra measured for powdered specimens of monoclinic, amorphous and hexagonal selenium in the region 0.2μ to 2.0μ are compared and discussed in relation to the known absorption spectra of selenium in single crystal, amorphous bulk, vapor and solute forms. In all forms, the Se:Se bond is found to be of dominant importance. Other interactions are always weak, but vary from case to case, with minor effects in the amorphous and monoclinic allotropes and major effects in the hexagonal modification. Selenium is thus best regarded as an organic-type semiconductor. The paper illustrates the usefulness of the diffuse reflectance method, both, for fundamental investigations and for the characterization of defect structure.
A Comparison of Observed and Simulated Properties of Sudden Stratospheric Warmings

Review of observational data and dynamical numerical simulations of stratospheric warmings. Classes of warmings, major and minor (major if poleward movement of planetary-scale thermal systems entails reversal of polar circulation at 10 mb or below), trajectories of warm cells, vertical and horizontal scale of warm-air systems, the time-scale of warming, initial zonal flow conditions prior to a warming, circulation reversals, and details of the energy budget before and after a warming are discussed. The 1963 and 1973 types of warmings are contrasted: the strong baroclinic conversion of eddy potential to eddy kinetic energy was not repeated in the latter, but both events were preceded by very large fluxes from the troposphere. Numerical model simulations by various authors are compared and evaluated.
Low Temperature Processing for Multilevel Interconnection and Packaging

The future high density multilevel interconnection and packaging requires that the combination of the insulator and conductor layers has a low RC value. Thermal stress and diffusion during processing are issues of great concern in the high density multilevel structures. The problem can be alleviated by a proper choice of materials and processes that do not require high temperature. In this paper we propose to use parylene and its derivatives (dielectric constant 2.3–2.6) as the possible interlayer dielectrics and Cu (bulk resistivity ∼1.7 μ Ω-cm) as the conductor. Parylene can be vapor-deposited and cured at room temperature. The metallization of Cu has been achieved at room temperature using the newly developed partially ionized beam deposition technique. This technique has been shown to grow high quality metal films with low resistivity at low substrate temperatures. The interaction between Cu and parylene, including adhesion and diffusion, is also discussed.
Ergonovine provocative testing: Description of a “double catheter technique”

Since coronary arteries should be immediately accessible during ergonovine provocative testing (EPT), a double catheter technique is described. Using the catheter sheath technique from the right and left femoral arteries, right and left Judkins' catheters are introduced into each femoral artery. Selective coronary cineangiography during EPT is thus rapidly performed without the delay of exchanging catheters. Should coronary arterial spasm occur during the test, nitroglycerin can be administered into the coronary artery without delay.
Examining the Effects of Institutional and Cohort Characteristics on Retention Rates.

Despite being criticized as unrepresentative and misleading, retention and graduation rates are an important part of college-search web sites and accountability systems, and they frequently have been used as indicators of institutional quality and effectiveness in educational research. Retention and graduation rates are often compared over time and across institutions. However, such comparisons can be confounded by differences in entering student cohorts and differences among the institutions being compared. This research examined the effects of institutional and cohort characteristics on one-year retention rates using random-effect and fixed-effect regression models for panel data. The use of a fixed-effect model allowed the researchers to account for omitted variables (unobserved heterogeneity) in the analyses. Results indicated that unobserved heterogeneity was a significant issue in the study, and that traditional regression methods may overstate the effects of institutional characteristics on retention rates. Results also indicated that the effects of institutional and cohort characteristics were essentially stable over time and across cohorts.
Assessment of growth by primary health care providers.

Abstract Introduction: Precise measurements of children are critical for accurate growth assessment. Many children are referred to endocrine practices in error because heights are obtained but plotted on length growth charts, giving the appearance that growth has decelerated. Method: In an attempt to evaluate growth assessment in primary care practices (PCPs), we instituted a telephone survey to gather the following data: (a) how often children are measured, (b) the criteria for whether children are measured standing or lying, (c) the methods for measuring children, and (d) whether measurements are plotted on growth charts and by whom. Results: In PCPs, children were reported to be measured at every visit or only at well child visits. The criteria most frequently used to determine when children should be measured standing was “If they can stand, they are measured standing.” Significantly more pediatric practices than family practices measured children standing at the correct age. Heights were most often obtained on a scale with a floppy arm. All but 4 practices reported that measurements on growth charts were plotted by the nurse or physician. Discussion: Many practices had an incorrect policy related to obtaining measurements of length versus height. Children are measured with the correct equipment in only 22% of PCPs for height and 12% of PCPs for length. Most PCPs are diligent about plotting growth data. Clearly, education of personnel in PCPs is crucial so that accurate growth measurements can be obtained, necessary referrals can be made, and unnecessary referrals can be avoided. J Pediatr Health Care. (2000). 14, 166–171.
LDD implant process optimization for high voltage NMOS improvement

In this paper, we demonstrate that high voltage NMOS is very sensitive to LDD implant process conditions. With the same implant energy and dose, high voltage NMOS channel punch through BVDSS tail is strongly toggled by critical implant process parameters such as beam current and beam size. Lower beam current density reduces both implant damage and beam angular divergence. As a result, LDD lateral junction tail under the channel is shortened and the variation of the channel punch-through is reduced. However, lower beam current degrades the throughput and increases the cost of the implant. On the other hand, longer effective channel length reduces HV NMOS sensitivity to LDD implant beam current and enables higher beam current implant without BVDSS tail, but there is trade-off on other device performance and it is limited by design rules. From device point of view, lower beam current implant is often chosen as the final solution with the price for higher implant cost. This study is very important for us to understand that when we optimize the implant process setup, we should not only consider about throughput improvement by pushing up higher beam current, but also closely watch device sensitivity to different implant process setup.
Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Interventionalist: Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided Vacuum-Assisted Breast Biopsy

Magnetic resonance Imaging–guided breast biopsy is an essential component of breast imaging practices offering breast magnetic resonance imaging. Careful planning and preparation allow for an efficient and successful biopsy. Deliberate positioning and controlled compression are keys to a comfortable and cooperative patient. The biopsy is only complete once imaging-histologic correlation has been made by the radiologist.
A Compact Treatment of Singular Impurities Using the Artificial Friedel Resonance (FAIR) Technique

Building on the tools that Friedel introduced in the 1950s, an off-spring of the Friedel resonance is developed, which is called the FAIR approach for “Friedel Artificially Inserted Resonance”. In the FAIR approach, an arbitrary s-electron state $a_{0}^{\dagger}$ is cut out of the conduction band, and the remaining free electron Hamiltonian is orthogonalized, yielding an artificial Friedel resonance. In the presence of a real Friedel d-resonance state d †, one can find an optimal fair state $a_{0}^{\dagger}$ so that the exact n-electron ground state consists of two Slater states, one containing the d-electron and the other the fair state $a_{0}^{\dagger}$ . This separation according to the d-occupation is ideal for impurities with a Coulomb interaction between d-electrons. The wave function of the Friedel–Anderson (FA) impurity in the magnetic state and the singlet state are constructed with the FAIR method using two fair states $a_{0}^{\dagger}$ and $b_{0}^{\dagger}$ . The magnetic state consists of four, and the singlet state consists of eight Slater states. The latter is invariant with respect to the inversion of all spins. The FAIR ground state Ψ SS for the singlet state is composed of two magnetic states Ψ MS with opposite moments which are not orthogonal to each other. The degree of overlap determines the Kondo energy. Because of the compactness of the wave function, a number of properties can be calculated relatively quickly. Comparison with the best previous ground state energy and d-occupation by Gunnarson and Schoenhammer show excellent agreement. A number of physical properties are calculated; among them are (i) the Kondo cloud in a small magnetic field. Two components of polarization are observed (in linear response), an oscillating part and a nonoscillating part. (ii) The fidelity which represents the scalar product between the ground states of the symmetric FA-impurity and the symmetric Friedel impurity is calculated as a function of the number of electron states. (In the literature, this has the somewhat misleading name of fidelity.) This calculation does not show an Anderson orthogonality catastrophe, which indicates that the FA ground state has a phase shift of π/2 at the Fermi energy. (iii) The Friedel oscillations of the FA-impurity. Surprisingly, these oscillations are very similar to the Friedel oscillations of a very narrow Friedel resonance at the Fermi level. The amplitude A(r) is close to zero at short distances and saturates at two for large distances. The inversion point where A(r)=1 correlates with the characteristic energies of the impurities, the half-band width Γ for the Friedel impurity and the Kondo energy for the FA-impurity. This raises the fascinating question how these simple properties are hidden in the multielectron wave function.
Monomer—micellar equilibrium of aqueous surfactant solutions by the use of ultrafiltration

Abstract Ultrafiltration is used to separate the monomer from a solution containing both monomer and micelles. Critical values of the filtration rate, salt concentration, and surfactant hydrocarbon tail length which permit a sharp separation have been identified. These vary depending on the type of membrane used. A system containing two different surfactant molecules has been studied and the composition of mixed micelles has been measured directly for the first time. Mixtures of alkyl benzene sulfonates have been found to exhibit ideal behavior.
EFFECTS OF IN VIVO HYPEROXIA ON ERYTHROCYTES. 1. HEMOLYSIS IN MICE EXPOSED TO HYPERBARIC OXYGENATION.

SummaryIn vivo lytic sensitivity of mouse erythrocytes to hyperbaric oxygenation paralleled their in vitro sensitivity to H2O2. In vitro lysis was associated with lipid peroxide formation. The in vivo and in vitro lysis and in vitro lipid peroxide formation were enhanced by vit. E deficiency and reduced by treatment of animals with a tocopherol acetate. It was suggested that hyperoxic hemolysis in vivo was a direct or indirect result of abnormal lipid peroxidation.
Trends in European engineering education

Traditionally, European engineering education has, in the main, followed the German pattern?a division of educational emphasis producing two streams of graduates: the craftsman-specialists and the scientist-engineers. Until recently, this philosophy remained monolithic in concept. Today, under the prods of industry, the needs of national research, and the example of the United States, European education is beginning to bridge the wide gap between theory and practice. The European technical school curricula are being broadened to provide a general as well as a practical background and the theoretically oriented university that formerly catered exclusively to the mental elite is giving more weight and time to the laboratory and working more closely with industry. In addition, provision is now made for a student to transfer from one type of school to the other later in his career.
Computed tomography for imaging the breast

Despite the success of screening mammography contributing to the reduction of cancer mortality, a number of other imaging techniques are being studied for breast cancer screening. In our laboratory, a dedicated breast computed tomography (CT) system has been developed and is currently undergoing patient testing. The breast CT system is capable of scanning the breast with the woman lying prone on a tabletop, with the breast in the pendant position. A 360° scan currently requires 16.6 s, and a second scanner with a 9-second scan time is nearly operational. Extensive effort was placed on computing the radiation dose to the breast under CT geometry, and the scan parameters are selected to utilize the same radiation dose levels as two-view mammography. A total of 55 women have been scanned, ten healthy volunteers in a Phase I trial, and 45 women with a high likelihood of having breast cancer in a Phase II trial. The breast CT process leads to the production of approximately three hundred 512 × 512 images for each breast. Subjective evaluation of the breast CT images reveals excellent anatomical detail, good depiction of microcalcifications, and exquisite visualization of the soft tissue components of the tumor when contrasted against adipose tissues. The use of iodine contrast injection dramatically enhances the visualization of tumors. While a thorough scientific investigation based upon observer performance studies is in progress, initial breast CT images do appear promising and it is likely that breast CT will play some role in breast cancer imaging.
Spontaneous and RO 15-1788-induced reversal of subsensitivity to GABA following chronic benzodiazepines.

Abstract Chronic daily injections of diazepam (5 mg/kg i.p.) for 21–30 days have previously been shown to cause a selective subsensitivity to microiontophoretically applied GABA in serotonergic dorsal raphe neurons in the rat. Following termination of chronic benzodiazepine treatment, GABAergic sensitivity remained depressed for up to 96 h even though pharmacologically active concentrations of diazepam and its active metabolites could no longer be detected in brain tissue. In contrast, a single injection of the specific benzodiazepine antagonist, Ro 15-1788, given 22 h prior electrophysiological recording, restored GABAergic sensitivity to the control range. Sensitivity of dorsal raphe neurons to serotonin was not altered by either chronic treatment with or withdrawal from diazepam. These results indicate that (1) Ro 15-1788 can accelerate the time course of withdrawal and (2) administration of this benzodiazepin antagonist can induce a persistent change in GABAergic responsiveness.
The preparation of very pure fluorine gas

Abstract A method of purifying fluorine gas from the usual gaseous contaminants has been discovered which depends upon formation and decomposition of Ni(IV) complexes with K. A simple, inexpensive purifier is described.
Wavelet-based learning vector quantization for automatic target recognition

An automatic target recognition classifier is constructed that uses a set of dedicated vector quantizers (VQs). The background pixels in each input image are properly clipped out by a set of aspect windows. The extracted target area for each aspect window is then enlarged to a fixed size, after which a wavelet decomposition splits the enlarged extraction into several subbands. A dedicated VQ codebook is generated for each subband of a particular target class at a specific range of aspects. Thus, each codebook consists of a set of feature templates that are iteratively adapted to represent a particular subband of a given target class at a specific range of aspects. These templates are then further trained by a modified learning vector quantization (LVQ) algorithm that enhances their discriminatory characteristics. A recognition rate of 69.0 percent is achieved on a highly cluttered test set.
Plant Mortality and Natural Selection May Increase Biomass Yield in Switchgrass Swards

Switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.) is an important candidate for bioenergy feedstock production, prompting significant efforts to increase the number of breeding programs and the output of those programs. The objective of this experiment was to determine the potential utility of natural selection for survivorship in switchgrass swards as a tool for improving efficiency of progeny-test-based recurrent selection programs in switchgrass. one h undred random surviving plants were selected from 5-yr-old plots of six cultivars grown at five locations. pro geny of each population were grown in a four-location field experiment in Illinois and Wisconsin in direct comparison to their parent populations. on av erage, natural selection for survivorship increased biomass yield by 6.7%. The northernmost (i.e., coldest) selection location had the greatest response among the five locations (13.2%) while the most genetically diverse cultivar had the greatest response among the cultivars (23.5%). res ults were highly variable among cultivars and selection locations, but there were no significant negative responses, suggesting that the genetic correlation between survivorship and biomass yield in switchgrass ranges from zero to some positive value. Selection for survivorship within switchgrass sward plots has the potential to improve efficiency of family-based selection methods designed to improve biomass yield potential.
Passive filtering of microbial biomass by Spartina alterniflora

Abstract Tidal fluctuations of total microbial biomass (as extractable adenosine triphosphate, ATP) and phytoplankton biomass (as extractable chlorophyll a , CHL) were investigated within a defined tidal basin, the Bly Creek basin, in the North Inlet estuarine ecosystem (South Carolina, U.S.A.). Samples were collected synoptically from a transect across Bly Creek and from a flume covering flats of Spartina alterniflora . The sampling design allowed for water to be sampled as it entered the upper basin and, somewhat later, as it flowed over the grass flats. Tidally induced fluctuations in concentration depended upon tide elevation (spring or neap). During spring tides, ATP and CHL fluctuated out-of-phase with the tide. During neap tides, concentrations of ATP and CHL reached maximum levels on ebbing tide phases. The creek bank area associated with tall Spartina appeared to effectively remove microbial biomass from the water column. The grass flats also appear to be a location where the suspended microbial assemblages may be separated into component populations.
A hybrid sol-gel reverse-mesa waveguide using lanthanide phosphate nanoparticles for optical amplification

Organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel materials have been widely used for the fabrication of optoelectronic devices due to advantages such as low cost, low loss, low temperature fabrication, ease of processing, good thermal and mechanical stability, and large refractive index tunability. However, the residual OH-like groups remaining after low temperature treatment have hindered the development of the erbium doped waveguide amplifiers working at ~1550 nm. A variety of means have been adopted to overcome this problem: (1) low vibration energy deuterated or fluorinated polymers have been applied as matrix materials; (2) erbium ions have been incorporated into organic or inorganic complexes for protection and the ligands of the complexes have been further modified to reduce the vibrational energy or increase the pump energy transfer efficiency; and (3) the erbium ions have been shielded in inorganic nanoparticles or other micro-structures. Doping erbium ions along with ytterbium ions to increase the pumping efficiency in lanthanum phosphate nanoparticles appears to be a very promising approach since (i) the emission lifetime is fairly long; (ii) at ~1550 nm the nanoparticles are transparent and have a refractive index very close to that of standard optical fiber; and (iii) the nanoparticles are highly dispersible in most organic media. Here we demonstrate how Er 3+ /Yb 3+ containing lanthanum phosphate nanoparticles dispersed in an organically modified sol-gel can be used in a reverse mesa waveguide to achieve optical signal enhancement. Er 3+ /Yb 3+ containing lanthanum phosphate nanoparticles have been synthesized with a molar ratio of La:Yb:Er = 76:21:3 and dispersed in cyclopentanone with 30wt% hydrolyzed MAPTMS. The composite has been incorporated into a 4mm reverse mesa waveguide prepared using an organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel material based on MAPTMS and zirconium n-propoxide. An optical signal enhancement of ~2 dB/cm at 1527 nm has been obtained using a 200 mW 980 nm pump laser. Modeling analyses have shown that the overall performance can be further improved. The results indicate that such hybrid sol-gel reverse mesa waveguides using Er 3+ /Yb 3+ containing lanthanum phosphate nanoparticles are very promising for optical amplifiers in integrated optical systems.
Perspectives on selenium anticarcinogenicity

Although the earlier literature regarding selenium stressed its toxicity, especially its role in carcinogenesis, there is an increasingly held view that selenium is an essential trace element with antioxidant, anticarcinogenic (e.g., against colon, liver, and skin cancer in animals) and antimutagenic properties. A variety of malfunctions, heart diseases, and increased cancer risk have been connected with selenium deficiency. The role of selenium as a cofactor of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase as well as in the hepatic mixed function oxidase system is also recognized. The focus of this presentation is to review the role of selenium in the inhibition of both the initiation and promotion phases of chemical carcinogenesis in animals and to assess human epidemiological studies that suggest a link between selenium and the incidence of certain types of human cancer.
Observed “long-term” temperature change in a midlatitude mesopause region in response to external perturbations

Analysis of seven years (1990–1997) of measured temperature profiles in the mesopause region (84 to 102 km) at Fort Collins, CO (41°N, 105°W), shows that, after removing seasonal variations, there was an episoidic temperature excursion with an amplitude ranging from 7 K to 14 K. Observable increases began in 1992, maximum temperatures occurred during the first half of 1993, and the excursion was over by about 1996. Since this excursion followed the Mount Pinatubo eruption by a time scale consistent with published model simulations of the effect of stratospheric aerosol on the mesopause region, we attribute the temperature excursion to that eruption. In addition the data is consistent with a background cooling of roughly 1 K per year, most of which may be attributable to variability in the solar flux. Continued observation towards the coming solar maximum promises to quantify (assess) the “long-term” change in mesopause temperatures resulting from solar variability (anthropogenic effect).
A Wnt/beta-Catenin Pathway Antagonist Chibby Binds Cenexin at the Distal End of Mother Centrioles and Functions in Primary Cilia Formation

The mother centriole of the centrosome is distinguished from immature daughter centrioles by the presence of accessory structures (distal and subdistal appendages), which play an important role in the organization of the primary cilium in quiescent cells. Primary cilia serve as sensory organelles, thus have been implicated in mediating intracellular signal transduction pathways. Here we report that Chibby (Cby), a highly conserved antagonist of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, is a centriolar component specifically located at the distal end of the mother centriole and essential for assembly of the primary cilium. Cby appeared as a discrete dot in the middle of a ring-like structure revealed by staining with a distal appendage component of Cep164. Cby interacted with one of the appendage components, Cenexin (Cnx), which thereby abrogated the inhibitory effect of Cby on β-catenin-mediated transcriptional activation in a dose-dependent manner. Cby and Cnx did not precisely align, as Cby was detected at a more distal position than Cnx. Cnx emerged earlier than Cby during the cell cycle and was required for recruitment of Cby to the mother centriole. However, Cby was dispensable for Cnx localization to the centriole. During massive centriogenesis in in vitro cultured mouse tracheal epithelial cells, Cby and Cnx were expressed in a similar pattern, which was coincident with the expression of Foxj1. Our results suggest that Cby plays an important role in organization of both primary and motile cilia in collaboration with Cnx.
HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and the impact of combination antiretroviral therapies

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are the most common preventable and treatable cause of dementia. While the incidence of the most severe form of HAND, HIV-associated dementia, has decreased since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), the prevalence of less severe forms of HAND has continued to rise. HAND leads to a subcortical dementia consisting of a triad of cognitive, behavior, and motor dysfunction. No single laboratory test can establish HAND, but ancillary studies including neuropsychological testing, neuroimaging studies, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis are useful for supporting or refuting the diagnosis. More recent evidence has suggested that higher central nervous system-penetrating cART may lead to greater suppression of CSF HIV viral loads and improved cognition. Because viral control generally has been successful without eliminating cognitive dysfunction, further clinical studies that assess adjunctive neuroprotective drugs are likely to be required.
Vortices in stationary axisymmetric spacetimes

We develop a model for a generalized fluid vortex in general relativity. The fluid has zero vorticity and constant circulation. The fluid parameters exhibit many properties common to classical vortices. The metric accommodating this fluid as a source is given.
Distribution of slip from 11 Mw > 6 earthquakes in the northern Chile subduction zone

We use interferometric synthetic aperture radar, GPS, and teleseismic data to constrain the relative location of coseismic slip from 11 earthquakes on the subduction interface in northern Chile (23°–25°S) between the years 1993 and 2000. We invert body wave waveforms and geodetic data both jointly and separately for the four largest earthquakes during this time period (1993 M_w 6.8; 1995 M_w 8.1; 1996 M_w 6.7; 1998 M_w 7.1). While the location of slip in the teleseismic-only, geodetic-only, and joint slip inversions is similar for the small earthquakes, there are differences for the 1995 M_w 8.1 event, probably related to nonuniqueness of models that fit the teleseismic data. There is a consistent mislocation of the Harvard centroid moment tensor locations of many of the 6 6 earthquakes, as well as three M_w > 7 events from the 1980s. All of these earthquakes appear to rupture different portions of the fault interface and do not rerupture a limited number of asperities.
Dissociation of high np singlet Rydberg levels of H2 by a pulsed electric field.

We have studied the effects of a pulsed electric field on the decay dynamics of high np, J=1 (ng30) singlet Rydberg levels of ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ We have discovered that pulsed fields of magnitudes much less than the classical value required for ionization induce a significant degree of dissociative character into levels which normally do not dissociate. This induced dissociation appears to occur during the slew of the field pulse and can be explained in terms of adiabatic passage through avoided curve crossings between the stable J=1 levels and the J=0 and 2 levels which predissociate.
Predatory behaviour of the mite Cheyletus aversor.

Predaceous behaviour of the mite Cheyletus aversor was observed using a closed circuit TV system with a Sony AV-3600 videocorder. Responses of C. aversor to its prey or own species are analysed from four behavioural modes: ambushing, moving, feeding and resting. Action associated with the capture of prey was more rapid than releasing movements and reaction time was much shorter for anterior medially applied stimuli than for more laterally and posteriorly applied stimuli. Prey were immobilized when held captive 20 to 32 s. Functional response components such as interference between predators, time exposed, and rate of successful search tended to reduce the number of prey captured. When predator density was high, much time was spent in intraspecific agonistic behaviour.
Innervation of Parasympathetic Postganglionic Neurons and Bladder Detrusor Muscle Directly After Sacral Root Transection and Repair Using Nerve Transfer

Department of Computer & Electrical Engineering, Temple University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaAims: This is a continuation of studies examining the effectiveness of root repairs and nerve transfers for bladderreinnervation. Our previous retrograde ﬂuorogold tracing studies from the bladder to the spinal cord found regrowth ofaxonsfromthespinalcordthroughthenerverepairsitetothebladderwhichwasconﬁrmedelectrophysiologically[Ruggieriet al. J Neurotrauma 25:214–24, 2006]. The current study determines whether the pattern of axonal regrowth from therepaired nerves or roots to the bladder is different between the surgical reanastomosis methods. Methods: The caninebladder was denervated by transection of all nerve roots from the sacral spinal cord mediating bladder contraction.Reinnervation surgeries included end-on-end repair of transected sacral ventral roots, transfer of coccygeal to sacralventralroots(CGNT),ortransferofgenitofemoraltopelvicnerves(GFNT).Results: Postmortemdialkylcarbocyaninedyetracing with Neurotrace DiI from the distal pelvic nerve to the bladder wall, combined with PGP9.5 neuronal immuno-histochemistry, demonstrated innervation by DiI-labeled axons of only parasympathetic postganglionic intramuralgangliainnormalcontrolsandshamoperatedcontrols,butreinnervationofbothintramuralgangliaanddetrusormuscledirectly after repair of sacral ventral roots. GF NT and CG NT also resulted in reinnervation of both intramural gangliaanddetrusormuscle,althoughtoalesserextentthanrepairedroots.Conclusions: Bladderreinnervationwitheitherthesame nerve (orthotopic reinnervation) or with either a primarily somatic nerve (coccygeal) or a primarily sensory nerve(genitofemoral) results in reinnervation of both intramural ganglia as well as direct innervation of detrusor muscle.Neurourol. Urodynam. 30:599–605, 2011. 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: carbocyanines; denervation; nerve regrowth; urinary bladder
American and Indian Conceptualizations of Phishing

Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk, fifty American and sixty-one Indian participants completed a survey that assessed characteristics of phishing attacks, asked participants to describe their previous phishing experiences, and report phishing consequences. The results indicated that almost all participants had been targets, yet Indian participants were twice as likely to be successfully phished as American participants. Part of the reason appears to be that American participants reported more frequent efforts to protect themselves online such as by looking for the padlock icon in their browser. Statistical analyses indicated that American participants agreed more with items for characteristics of phishing, consequences of phishing and the types of media where phishing occurs, suggesting more cautiousness and awareness of phishing.
“People over Profits”: Retailers Who Voluntarily Ended Tobacco Sales

Background: Tobacco retailers are key players in the ongoing tobacco epidemic. Tobacco outlet density is linked to a greater likelihood of youth and adult smoking and greater difficulty quitting. While public policy efforts to address the tobacco problem at the retail level have been limited, some retailers have voluntarily ended tobacco sales. A previous pilot study examined this phenomenon in California, a state with a strong tobacco program focused on denormalizing smoking and the tobacco industry. We sought to learn what motivated retailers in other states to end tobacco sales and how the public and media responded. Methods: We conducted interviews with owners, managers, or representatives of six grocery stores in New York and Ohio that had voluntarily ended tobacco sales since 2007. We also conducted unobtrusive observations at stores and analyzed media coverage of each retailer's decision. Results: Grocery store owners ended tobacco sales for two reasons, alone or in combination: health or ethics-related, including a desire to send a consistent health message to employees and customers, and business-related, including declining tobacco sales or poor fit with the store's image. The decision to end sales often appeared to resolve troubling contradictions between retailers' values and selling deadly products. New York retailers attributed declining sales to high state tobacco taxes. All reported largely positive customer reactions and most received media coverage. Forty-one percent of news items were letters to the editor or editorials; most (69%) supported the decision. Conclusion: Voluntary decisions by retailers to abandon tobacco sales may lay the groundwork for mandatory policies and further denormalize tobacco. Our study also suggests that high tobacco taxes may have both direct and indirect effects on tobacco use. Highlighting the contradictions between being a responsible business and selling deadly products may support voluntary decisions by retailers to end tobacco sales. © 2014 McDaniel, Malone.
Epileptogenesis and Companion Animals

Epileptogenesis is the process by which a normal brain develops into an epileptic brain. There are 3 distinct phases of epileptogenesis—the latent period before seizures occur, the occurrence of recurrent seizures, and in about 30% of patients, the development of refractory epilepsy. Understanding the basic epileptic circuit abnormalities associated with recurrent seizures via aberrations in glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and ligand- and voltage-gated ion channel activity can help the small-animal practitioner understand the mechanism of action of the antiepileptic drugs currently used for dogs and cats for new-onset and refractory epilepsy. Understanding the latest research results and theories about the pathophysiology of the latent period of epileptogenesis, where recurrent seizures have not yet developed, would help the practitioner understand possible target areas for future treatments to treat epilepsy by preventing it rather than just symptomatically preventing recurrent seizures. The current areas of focus of research on the latent period include neurodegeneration, neurogenesis, axonal sprouting, glial cell activation, invasion of inflammatory cells, angiogenesis, and subclinical alteration of ligand- and receptor-gated ion channels.
Unidentifiable Attacks in Electric Power Systems

The electric power grid is a crucial infrastructure in our society and is always a target of malicious users and attackers. In this paper, we first introduce the concept of unidentifiable attack, in which the control center cannot identify the attack even though it detects its presence. Thus, the control center cannot obtain deterministic state estimates, since there may have several feasible cases and the control center cannot simply favor one over the others. Furthermore, we present algorithms to enumerate all feasible cases under an unidentifiable attack, and propose an optimization strategy from the perspective of the control center to deal with an unidentifiable attack. We briefly evaluate and validate our enumerating algorithms and optimization strategy.
Machining and material flow system design for minimum cost production

SUMMARY In many manufacturing organizations, batch production is an everyday occurrence. Usually, the batch size may range from less than ten parts to thousands. The majority of batch manufacturing in the US is in batches of 100 parts or less. Unless adequate control is exercised, potential sources of operational improvements on batch manufacturing systems can be easily overlooked. Two main time consuming activities encountered in batch manufacturing are operations at the workstation level and material handling. Parts can be handled individually or in small lots. In this paper, a methodology for selecting the machining parameters at each workstation and the material flow plan in a multi-stage production system is presented. The model objective is to minimize total production cost. A forward dynamic programming algorithm imbedded within a unidimensional search algorithm is used in seeking a solution to the model. The procedure can be easily computerized for use as a regular shop planning system.
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency is the most common cause of genital ambiguity in the newborn and is present in about 1 in 15,000 live births worldwide. The disease is further characterized in its classic salt-wasting form (-75% of cases) by potentially lethal adrenal insufficiency. A non-salt-wasting form of classic CAH with 21-hydroxylase deficiency is also recognized by genital ambiguity in affected females and by signs of androgen excess in later childhood in males. Nonclassic CAH with 21-hydroxylase deficiency may be detected in 1% to 3% of populations and is often mistaken for idiopathic precocious pubarche in children or polycystic ovary syndrome in young women. This article presents an overview of clinical and genetic aspects of the various forms of CAH with 21hydroxylase deficiency. Other articles in this issue provide a detailed discussion of special topics, including prenatal diagnosis and treatment, neonatal screening, growth, and cognitive, psychosexual, reproductive, and novel treatment aspects of this disease. Table 1 (see Appendix) summarizes the genetic, hormonal, and clinical features of the steroidogenic defects discussed in this issue.
Transit time heterogeneity in canine small intestine: significance for oxygen transport.

We previously found that local O2 extraction efficacy in isolated pump-perfused intestine was enhanced when systemic reflex vasoconstriction was stimulated by hypovolemia (Samsel, R.W., and P.T. Schumacker. 1994. J. Appl. Physiol. 77: 2291-2298). The microvascular mechanism underlying this beneficial effect could involve a redistribution of flow between mucosa and serosa, or an adjustment in the heterogeneity of perfusion within those regions. We measured regional blood flows and distributions of flow and capillary erythrocyte transit times in two segments of small intestine in anesthetized dogs (n = 10). Each vascularly isolated segment of intestine was pump-perfused under high flow (O2 supply-independent VO2) and low flow (O2 supply-dependent) conditions. During the first gut segment, the animal was kept normovolemic using i.v. fluids to minimize reflex vasoconstriction. During the second, the animal was hemorrhaged to augment vasoconstriction (n = 7), or kept normovolemic to control for the effects of time (n = 3). Blood flow distributions were measured using 15 microm radiolabeled microspheres. Tissue blood volume was measured using 99mTc-labeled red blood cells. Capillary volume was determined as the product of tissue blood volume and the histologically derived fraction of vascular volume in the capillaries. Transit times were calculated as the ratio of capillary volume to flow. Each gut segment was fixed and sectioned into 350 approximately 100 mg tissue pieces for analysis. Data revealed significant spatial heterogeneity of blood flow and capillary transit times in both mucosa and muscularis, with relative dispersions (SD/Mean) ranging from 23 to 97%. Hypovolemia caused an increase in flow heterogeneity in muscularis at both high and low flow states, and in mucosa under high flow conditions. However, hypovolemia also elicited changes in capillary volume, such that transit time heterogeneity remained unchanged. Augmentation of vasoconstrictor tone caused a redistribution of flow toward mucosa (P < 0.003) under high and low flow conditions. This redistribution correlated with the improvements in O2 extraction ratio (P = 0.022). Thus, the improvement in gut O2 extraction efficacy seen with increased vasoconstriction may be explained mostly by an intramural redistribution of flow between mucosa and muscularis. Capillary transit time heterogeneity remained unchanged, suggesting that this variable is tightly regulated.
Quantifying cardiovascular flow dynamics during early development

The relationship between developing biologic tissues and their dynamic fluid environments is intimate and complex. Increasing evidence supports the notion that these embryonic flow-structure interactions influence whether development will proceed normally or become pathogenic. Genetic, pharmacological, or surgical manipulations that alter the flow environment can thus profoundly influence morphologic and functional cardiovascular phenotypes. Functionally deficient phenotypes are particularly poorly described as there are few imaging tools with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution to quantify most intra-vital flows. The ability to visualize biofluids flow in vivo would be of great utility in functionally phenotyping model animal systems and for the elucidation of the mechanisms that underlie flow-related mechano-sensation and transduction in living organisms. This review summarizes the major methodological advances that have evolved for the quantitative characterization of intra-vital fluid dynamics with an emphasis on assessing cardiovascular flows in vertebrate model organisms.
Health-risk warning labels on smokeless tobacco products: Are they effective?

This study investigated whether adolescents attend to the health-risk warnings placed on smokeless tobacco products and the impact the warnings have on intentions to use such products. The subjects (86 male and 106 female high school students) viewed illustrations of five consumer products, including a can of oral snuff and a pouch of chewing tobacco displaying one of the three required health warnings or no warning, and then indicated via questionnaire the likelihood that they would use each of the products. Fewer than half of the subjects (43.4%) exposed to the warnings recalled seeing them, and approximately a third of those who saw the warnings (32.2%) recalled the content of the message. Males were significantly better than females (p < .02) at recalling the content. A series of 2 × 4 (Sex x Warning Label) ANOVAs revealed that the warning labels had no significant effect on subjects' ratings of whether they would use smokeless tobacco in the future. These results question the effectiveness of the warning labels for discouraging adolescent smokeless tobacco use.