cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acute alcohol intoxication, negative affect, and autonomic arousal in women and men.

Abstract The present study tested the hypothesis that acute moderate alcohol intoxication is associated with reductions in experimentally-induced negative affect among 64 moderately drinking adult women and men. The effort incorporated a balanced placebo design, multiple measures of affective responses including cardiovascular and electrodermal activity, and control for phase of the sexual cycle among nonoral contraceptive women. Negative affect and psychophysiological responses to intoxication following stress manipulation were a complex function of beverage, expectancy, and gender. Expectation of a moderate alcohol dose among women at the premenstruum was associated with higher levels of self-reported anxiety, whereas alcohol consumption guised as tonic seemed to be related to tension reduction. Alcohol tended to increase autonomic arousal among men, but there were no significant changes in negative affect. Moderate intoxication was associated with increase heart rate regardless of gender, and alcohol expectancy increased levels of skin conductance for men and women.
A SPECIFIC HOST CELLULAR PROTEIN BINDING ELEMENT NEAR THE 3' END OF MOUSE HEPATITIS VIRUS GENOMIC RNA

A distinct host cellular protein binding element was mapped within a 38-nucleotide (nt) sequence 166-129 nucleotides upstream of the 3' end of the MHV-JHM genome using a RNase T1 protection/gel mobility shift electrophoresis assay. The resultant RNA-protein complex contains six host cellular proteins, one protein of 120-kDa molecular mass, two poorly resolved species approximately 55 kDa in size, a second pair of poorly resolved 40-kDa proteins, and a minor component of 25 kDa. A series of RNA probes containing deletions or clustered transversion mutations were tested for their ability to form complexes with mock- and MHV-JHM-infected cytoplasmic extracts. Three mutant RNA probes (mA, mB, and mC) with deletions at 154-140, 139-129, and 128-118, respectively, expressed 4, 37, and 94% of the host protein binding activity exhibited by the wild-type RNA. Defective interfering (DI) RNAs (DImA, DImB, and DImC) containing corresponding deletions at 154-140, 139-129, 128-118, and another DI RNA (DImD) with a deletion at nucleotides (nts) 112-102, a region which did not affect RNA-protein interactions, were transfected into MHV-JHM-infected 17CL-1 cells to assay the effects of these mutations on DI RNA replication. All of these mutations had an adverse effect on DI RNA replication. However, analysis of negative strand mutant DI RNAs revealed that two mutants (DImC and DImD) carrying deletions having little or no effect on RNA-protein interaction in our RNA-protein binding assays maintained their mutant sequences. In contrast, the other two mutants (DImA and DImB) containing deletions that dramatically decreased RNA-protein binding activity did not maintain their mutations; wild-type sequences were restored in the majority of the progeny negative strand molecules. These data indicate that the 26-nucleotide sequence at positions 154-129 from the 3' end of viral genome is important to both RNA-protein binding and viral replication. This protein binding element contains an 11-nt sequence (UGAGAGAAGUU, positions 139-129) very similar to a more 3' sequence (UGAAUGAAGUU) previously implicated in host protein binding and viral RNA replication (Yu and Leibowitz, 1995a and 1995b).
Impact energy spectra of tumbling mills

Tumbling mills using balls as grinding media are used in a variety of ways to produce fine powders. Mills in this category are ball, planetary and vibratory mills. The fineness of powder produced in such mills depends on the powder strength characteristics as well as the impact energy of the tumbling balls. In order to understand the collision frequency and the collision intensity of the ball media, a numerical simulation tool using the discrete element method (DEM) has been developed. The impact energy spectra of these mills can be modified via suitable choice of operating conditions. The significance of the impact energy spectra of vibratory and planetary mills are discussed.
Evidence for a spin singlet state in the intermetallic semiconductor FeGa 3

${\text{FeGa}}_{3}$ is unusual for an intermetallic compound in displaying a semiconducting gap, on the order of 0.5 eV. Conventional density-functional based electronic-structure calculations in the local-density approximation (LDA) give a similar gap but it is expected that Fe, a $3d$ transition metal, is likely to display an on-site Coulomb repulsion $U$ that should be taken into account, particularly in an insulating compound with some narrow bands. We analyze first-principles LDA calculations for ${\text{FeGa}}_{3}$, and then include on-site Coulomb repulsion in a mean-field way ($\text{LDA}+U$ method) to show that, with the moderate value $U$ on the order of 2 eV, one obtains Fe moments in antialigned ${\text{Fe}}_{2}$ dimers (band theory ``singlets'') with a band gap that still coincides with the observed gap. Counterintuitively, increasing the value of $U$ gradually reduces the gap and finally produces an incorrect metallic state. We suggest that more experimental study should be done to distinguish between the ``${\text{Fe}}_{2}$ singlet'' and nonmagnetic descriptions and provide calculations of the optical properties for comparison with data.
Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine – Harold Bloom

Book reviewed: Jesus and Yahweh: The Names Divine, Harold Bloom, Riverhead Books 2005 (1-57322-322-0), 238 pp., hb $24.95
Kinetic isotope effects: Theoretical prediction of the thermal rate coefficient for the reaction D+O2→OD+O

Quasiclassical trajectory (QCT) and quasiclassical trajectory quantum mechanical threshold (QCT–QMT) calculations are reported for the reaction D+O2→OD+O. The thermal rate coefficient from the QCT–QMT analysis was determined to be k2 = 8.12×1015T−0.659 exp(−15 041/RT) cm3/mol s, for 250<T<2500 K, in excellent agreement with the experimental results available. Comparing with the QCT–QMT result [J. Chem. Phys. 74, 5120 (1981)] for (R1) H+O2→OH+O, the ratio k2/k1 is found to vary from 7.5 at 250 K to 0.8 at 2500 K. The primary isotope effects controlling this difference are the difference in zero‐point vibrational energies of the product diatoms at low temperature and the difference in reactant collision frequencies at high temperature. In addition the calculations show slightly less negative Arrhenius curvature (n2 = −0.659, n1 = −0.816) for R2 than for R1, an effect anticipated from the previous analysis. However, the magnitude of the difference between n1 and n2 is approximately the same as estimates of t...
Regulation of Cyclooxygenase-2 Induction in the Mouse Uterus During Decidualization: AN EVENT OF EARLY PREGNANCY

The infertility phenotype of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2)-deficient female mice establishes the important role of Cox-2 in pregnancy. Cox-2 deficiency results in defective ovulation, fertilization, implantation, and decidualization; the latter of which can be restored in part by the prostacyclin analog carbaprostacyclin. Uterine Cox-2 expression during early pregnancy shows distinct localization and kinetics in the uterine luminal epithelium and underlying stromal cells, suggesting that expression is tightly regulated. Several intracellular signaling cascades including ERK, p38, and JNK are implicated in vitro as critical components of regulated Cox-2 expression in response to mitogens, growth factors, and cytokines. We investigated the involvement of these signaling pathways during Cox-2 induction in vivo by monitoring uterine kinase activity after intraluminal application of a deciduogenic stimulus. Our results show that the ERK and p38 pathways are activated in uterine preparations as early as 5-min post-stimulation. ERK activation was sustained for several hours with a return to baseline levels by 4 h. p38 activation was rapid with a peak at 5-min post-stimulation and returned to near baseline levels after 45 min. Systemic administration of a MEK inhibitor completely inhibited ERK activation, but did not affect early (2 h) luminal epithelial or late (24 h) stromal Cox-2 expression and only modestly affected decidualization. In contrast, administration of a p38 inhibitor modestly inhibited early Cox-2 expression in the luminal epithelium, while dramatically diminishing late stromal expression. In parallel, induced stromal peroxisomal proliferator activated receptor-δ (PPARδ) expression is blunted by p38 inhibition. p38 inhibition also significantly inhibited decidualization. These results suggest that p38, but not ERK, activation is required for induced Cox-2 and PPARδ expression during decidualization. In addition, inhibition of p38 led to decreased decidualization suggesting that an intracrine prostanoid pathway consisting of Cox-2, prostacyclin, and PPARδ is required for maintenance of early pregnancy.
Inhibition of cholesterol-induced vascular lesions by dietary reserpine.

Summary Rabbits fed a diet containing 4 % cholesterol developed fatty aortic intimas and myocardiums in seven weeks. By ten weeks the fat had increased. When animals were given the same diet plus 0.2 mg/100 g reserpine the fatty deposits were smaller. Food consumption and body weight changes for the two experimental groups and for control animals did not differ greatly. In the reserpine group blood pressure was lower than controls throughout the experiment, while in the cholesterol group it was lower during the first and last thirds of the experiment. Tissue calcium content in the aortae of the reserpine group was significantly lower than in control animals. In the cholesterol group calcium was lower but not significantly so. The effect of reserpine may be due either to its hypotensive effect or to its lowering of the calcium content of the aortae.
The postmodern invasion

Book reviewed in this article: Davis, Mike 1990: City of quartz: excavating the future in Los Angeles. Sennett, Richard 1990: The conscience of the eye: the design and social life of cities. Wilson, Elizabeth 1991: The sphinx in the city: urban life, the control of disorder, and women.
Effects of sand aggregate on ultrasonic attenuation in cement-based materials

Ultrasonic wave attenuation measurements have been successfully used to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of inhomogeneous materials; these ultrasonic techniques have the potential to provide for the in-situ characterization of microstructure changes in cement-based materials due to damage. Recent research has applied acoustic scattering models to quantitatively predict ultrasonic attenuation for evaluating the air void content in hardened cement paste. The objective of the current research is to investigate the influence of sand aggregate on the ultrasonic attenuation as a first step towards a full simulation of more realistic microstructures in real concrete. Hardened cement paste samples containing sand aggregate of varying volume fractions are considered. The research employs an independent scattering model and a self-consistent effective medium theory to predict the scattering-induced attenuation of longitudinal ultrasonic waves by the sand inclusions distributed in the cement paste matrix. The predicted attenuation coefficients are compared with measured ones. It is observed that at low volume fractions, both models provide a good estimate of the total attenuation in the specimens. These results indicate that it is possible to use a physics-based model to quantify the effect of sand aggregate on ultrasonic attenuation.
Myocardial contrast echocardiography without significant hemodynamic effects or reactive hyperemia: A major advantage in the imaging of regional myocardial perfusion☆☆☆

All agents used for myocardial contrast echocardiography to date produce adverse hemodynamic effects and alter coronary blood flow. It was hypothesized that because 5% human albumin, when sonicated for use as a contrast agent, is neither hyperosmolar nor a calcium chelator, it would not have significant effects on coronary blood flow, left ventricular function or systemic hemodynamics. Albumin microbubbles of two distinct sizes (mean size 2.9 and 5.8 micron) were produced and compared with nonsonicated albumin, nonsonicated Renografin, sonicated Renografin and hand-agitated Renografin for their effects on hemodynamics, coronary blood flow and regional left ventricular systolic thickening in 15 open chest anesthetized dogs. None of the albumin solutions significantly altered left atrial, left ventricular systolic and end-diastolic and mean aortic pressures. These agents did not cause a coronary hyperemic response or alter left ventricular systolic thickening, but slightly lowered the peak positive left ventricular maximal rate of rise in pressure (dP/dt) (-4.1 +/- 5.4%, p less than 0.01). In contrast, all the Renografin solutions caused significant changes in all these variables (p less than 0.02). In six dogs. albumin solutions did not alter these variables even in the presence of critical coronary stenosis. The contrast opacification produced by 5.8 micron albumin microbubbles was equivalent to that produced by sonicated Renografin. Compared with an equivalent amount of saline and nonsonicated albumin solutions, 10 ml of sonicated albumin did not produce any evidence of infarction, embolization or hemorrhage in the myocardium, brain or kidneys of rabbits.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A Computationally Efficient Planar Rigid Body Velocity Measure

A planar rigid body velocity measure based on the instantaneous velocity of all particles that constitute a rigid body is developed. This measure compares the motion of each particle to an “ideal”, but usually unobtainable, motion. This ideal motion is one that would carry each particle from its current position to its desired position on a straight-line path. Although the ideal motion is not a valid rigid body motion, this does not preclude its use as a reference standard in evaluating valid rigid body motions. The optimal instantaneous planar motions for general rigid bodies in translation and rotation are characterized. Results for an example planar positioning problem are presented.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
On the capacity of channels with Gaussian and non-Gaussian noise

We evaluate the information capacity of channels for which the noise process is a Gaussian measure on a quasi-complete locally convex space. The coding capacity is calculated in this setting and for time-continuous Gaussian channels using the information capacity result. The coding capacity of channels with non-Gaussian noise having finite entropy with respect to Gaussian noise of the same covariance is shown not to exceed the coding capacity of the Gaussian channel. The sensitivity of the information capacity to deviations from normality in the noise process is also investigated.
Interaction of gender and age on post cardiac catheterization contrast-induced acute kidney injury.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative impact of gender and age on the development of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) after cardiac catheterization. CIAKI is a recognized complication of coronary angiography, but the relative impact of age strata and gender is not well understood. We prospectively enrolled 21,489 consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography and stratified patients by age and gender into 4 age categories ( 80 years). Of those 21,489 patients, 13,127 were included in the study. Men and women were compared within each age category for the development of CIAKI in the period after angiography. The incidence of postprocedural CIAKI and mortality rates among groups were compared. Rates of postcatheterization CIAKI were higher for women compared with men in the 65- to 79-year-old (14.5% vs 11.0%, p 80-year-old (18.7% vs 15.1%, p = 0.048) groups, but no differences were seen in the younger cohorts. In conclusion, geriatric women are at greatest risk for the development of CIAKI after angiography.
Second-order spatial accuracy in Lagrangian-Eulerian spray calculations

ABSTRACT The current work establishes the order of accuracy of existing Lagrangian–Eulerian tracking methods and requirements for second-order spatial accuracy. A simple, unconditionally stable method can be used for basic velocity integration, and linear interpolation is required for gas-to-liquid coupling. A theoretical approach is presented for calculating spatial errors in liquid-to-gas coupling, which indicates that a simple “nearest-neighbor” approach is adequate for second-order accuracy. This result is contrary to past observations in the literature, but it is confirmed with convergence tests. Numerical test results include two-phase simulations with a Monte Carlo treatment of particle injection.
Primary Hydroxy-Terminated Polyisobutylene via End-Quenching with a Protected N-(ω-Hydroxyalkyl)pyrrole

N-(2-tert-Butoxyethyl)pyrrole was used to end-quench TiCl4-catalyzed quasiliving isobutylene polymerizations initiated from 2-chloro-2,2,4-trimethylpentane and 5-tert-butyl-1,3-di(2-chloro-2-propyl)benzene at −60 °C in 60/40 (v/v) hexane/methyl chloride. End-capping was near-quantitative except for the formation of <5% exo-olefin chain ends, with alkylation occurring in both the C-3 (57%) and C-2 (38%) position on the pyrrole ring. Coupling was not observed for the monofunctional polymers; however, quenching of difunctional polymers resulted in small amounts of coupling due to dialkylation at the pyrrole ring. The terminal tert-butyl group of the N-(2-tert-butoxyethyl)pyrrole-capped polyisobutylene was rapidly and quantitatively removed in situ by addition of ethylaluminum dichloride and sulfuric acid to the reaction mixture. Furthermore, heating the reaction mixture to reflux (69 °C) forced alkylation by the residual exo-olefin chain ends and induced isomerization of the pyrrole-capped chain ends to yiel...
USE OF SPRAY LECITHIN FOR CONTROL OF GREENING AND GLYCOALKALOID FORMATION OF POTATO TUBERS

Spray treatments with four brands of spray lecithin — PAM®, Mazola No Stick®, Cooking ease® and Griddle Mate®— significantly inhibited light-induced greening and glycoalkaloid formation of potato tubers. Treatment resulted in 93–98% inhibition in chlorophyll formation and 89–98% inhibition in glycoalkaloid formation.
Anomalous light scattering in the glass transition region

Abstract At the 6th Halide Glass Symposium, apparently anomalous results were reported on light scattering of a ZBLAN glass. The scattering intensity passed through a maximum as the sample was heated through the glass transition region. An explanation has been developed for these results and ascribes the anomalous scattering to relaxational effects on density fluctuations. The theory has implications for our understanding of the structural relaxation process in glass-forming liquids.
Late Cretaceous (Santonian-Campanian) stratigraphy of the northern Sacramento Valley, California

The Upper Cretaceous (Coniacian–lower Campanian) Chico Formation of the northeastern Sacramento Valley, California, includes three newly defined members at the type locality: (1) cobble conglomerate of the basal Ponderosa Way Member, (2) coarse-grained conglomeratic sandstone of the overlying Musty Buck Member, and (3) fine-grained silty sandstone of the uppermost Ten Mile Member. Other outcrops of the Chico Formation exhibit the same three members plus an additional unit, the Kingsley Cave Member, composed of mudstone. The Chico Formation resulted from a transgression onto the Sierra Nevada basement in the Late Cretaceous. The Kingsley Cave Member was deposited locally in quiet-water conditions below wave base in an intrashelf basin and may represent a marine connection with regions farther northeast. Macrofossils allow correlation of the Chico Formation with marine deposits of the Great Valley sequence exposed along the western Sacramento Valley. Strata of the Guinda and Forbes Formations represent submarine fan-channel to outer-fan deposits of a shallowing Late Cretaceous fore-arc basin. The Santonian Guinda Formation, a massive sand unit deposited in fan-channel to distal-fan turbidite environments, is correlative with the Musty Buck and Kingsley Cave Members of the Chico Formation. The Dobbins Shale Member of the Forbes Formation, a widespread mudstone unit of hemipelagic outer-fan to basin-plain deposits, is correlative with the Kingsley Cave Member of the Chico Formation and reflects a Santonian transgressive event in the northern fore-arc basin. Mudstones and turbidites of the middle of the Forbes Formation are equivalent to the shallow-marine strata of the Ten Mile Member of the Chico Formation. Correlatives of younger Forbes Formation strata have not been positively identified from the Chico Creek region but may be represented by unfossiliferous, cross-bedded, coarse-grained sandstones found above sections of the Chico Formation.
Computer Controlled Operation Of Reconnaissance Cameras

Reconnaissance Cameras are now controlled by real-time computer/microprocessor systems. The processor may control the camera stabilization and scanning, autofocus, exposure control and data annotation functions. Operator interface may be minimal with a simple control panel or quite extensive with sophisticated display/keypad subsystems. Target selection may be controlled by an operator or the camera may be automatically driven by the processor system using a predetermined mission profile updated by aircraft flight data.
POLYMER MATERIAL COORDINATES FOR MUTUAL DIFFUSION IN POLYMER-PENETRANT SYSTEMS

This paper presents a general framework, for formulating polymer-penetrant mutual diffusion problems using polymer material (Lagrangian) coordinates. The material approach has two advantages over the spatial (Eulerian) framework: it allows a simple specification of boundary conditions and, for systems with negligible excess volume, it obviates the need to solve two continuity equations. We derive in curvilinear polymer material coordinates the field equations needed for multi-dimensional problems: species continuity; species and mixture equations of motion. These enable the analysis of a broad class of diffusion problems by either (a) simultaneously solving the species continuity equations and the equations of motion for the mixture with constitutive equations for the diffusion current and mixture's stress tensor or (b) using the formalism natural in kinetic theory or in modern continuum theories where the species continuity equations and species equations of motion are solved together with relations spec...
The effects of agglomeration on interregional hospital patient flow

Regional economic development has become a key topic of discussion among academics and policymakers. However, a key driver of economic activity is often overlooked. This study examines the importance of hospitals as regional exporters. A county-pair fixed effect spatial interaction model is developed to examine the determinants of the a region’s ability to export hospital services. Results indicate agglomeration plays a large role in determining the flow of hospital patients between South Carolina counties.
Second-sphere interactions between the C93-Y157 cross-link and the substrate-bound Fe site influence the O2 coupling efficiency in mouse cysteine dioxygenase

Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO) is a non-heme iron enzyme that catalyzes the O₂-dependent oxidation of l-cysteine (l-Cys) to produce cysteinesulfinic acid (CSA). Adjacent to the Fe site of CDO is a covalently cross-linked cysteine-tyrosine pair (C93-Y157). While several theories have been proposed for the function of the C93-Y157 pair, the role of this post-translational modification remains unclear. In this work, the steady-state kinetics and O₂/CSA coupling efficiency were measured for wild-type CDO and selected active site variants (Y157F, C93A, and H155A) to probe the influence of second-sphere enzyme-substrate interactions on catalysis. In these experiments, it was observed that both kcat and the O₂/CSA coupling efficiency were highly sensitive to the presence of the C93-Y157 cross-link and its proximity to the substrate carboxylate group. Complementary electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments were performed to obtain a more detailed understanding of the second-sphere interactions identified in O₂/CSA coupling experiments. Samples of the catalytically inactive substrate-bound Fe(III)-CDO species were treated with cyanide, resulting in a low-spin (S = ¹/₂) ternary complex. Remarkably, both the presence of the C93-Y157 pair and interactions with the Cys carboxylate group could be readily identified by perturbations to the rhombic EPR signal. Spectroscopically validated active site quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics and density functional theory computational models are provided to suggest a potential role for Y157 in the positioning of the substrate Cys in the active site and to verify the orientation of the g-tensor relative to the CDO Fe site molecular axis.
Promises and challenges of faith-based AIDS care and support in Mozambique.

Objectives. We sought to examine the role of religious organizations in the provision of HIV/AIDS-related assistance in Africa. Methods. We used data collected from Christian religious organizations in southern Mozambique. Bivariate comparisons and logistic regression analysis of survey data were performed. We conducted an analysis of the qualitative data to complement the quantitative results. Results. Our analysis revealed little involvement of religious organizations in provision of assistance. Most assistance was decentralized and consisted of psychological support and some personal care and household help. Material or financial help was rare. Assistance to nonmembers of congregations was reported more often than to members. Members of larger and better‐secularly connected congregations were more likely to report assistance than were members of smaller and less‐secularly engaged ones. Assistance was reported more in cities than in rural areas. Women were more likely than men to report providing assistance to congregation members, and the reverse was true for assistance provided to nonmembers. The cooperation of religious organizations in provision of assistance was hindered by financial constraints and institutional rivalry. Conclusions. Policy efforts to involve religious organizations in provision of HIV/AIDS-related assistance should take into account that organization’s resources, institutional goals, and social characteristics. (Am J Public Health. 2007;97:362‐366. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2006.085662)
Specifying bivariate distributions by polynomial regressions

Abstract We consider pairs of random variables X,Y with the property that regressions E(X n |Y), E(Y n |X) are polynomial. We show that the leading terms of these polynomials and the marginal distributions determine uniquely the bivariate distribution.
Self-counselling through re-authored photo-self-narratives

Assuming that human beings are necessarily self-healing psychologists who develop their own self adjustment processes, a more systematic means of facilitating the development of these processes is portrayed, re-authored photo-self-narratives. The resolution of intrapersonal conflict is in and through the images describing alterations of the photo-self-narrative. A case study is presented of the auto-counselling process wherein the person recreates the self through images and discovers a non-social comparison concept of the self contrasted with self-esteem-selfappreciation-and reveals an implicit imperative of repeated self-narratives and successive psychotherapy sessions-'to go on'-to continue the life story. Through the medium of reauthored photo-self-narrative, self-wisdom evolves. Self-wisdom = self-knowledge x time.
Power optimization of wireless optical communication with log-square-Ricean fading

It has been important to optimize the transmitter power in wireless optical communication systems. The conventional approach was based on the reciprocal Pareto model. In this paper, the investigation is extended to a more general scenario where the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio follows the log-square-Ricean distribution. Accordingly, the optimization model is established. The conventional model thus becomes a special case of the new model. It is shown that the new model can be analytically solved. The sample solutions clearly show how the optima of transmitter power change when the log-square-Ricean profile changes. These results would provide useful guidelines to system design.
Tunable mid-infrared laser-based gas sensors: new technologies and applications

This work describes the design and performance characteristics of room-temperature mid-infrared diode-pumped sensors capable of either single or multicomponent real-time trace gas detection in ambient air. The difference-frequency-generation based sensor technology employs periodically poled lithium niobate crystals with multiple grating periods pumped by two single-frequency solid-state lasers and a thermoelectrically cooled HgCdTe infrared detector.
A micro gas chromatograph for high-speed determinations of explosive markers

A complete gas chromatographic (μGC) microanalytical system for near-real-time determinations of marker compounds of explosives at low concentrations is demonstrated. This μGC, dubbed INTREPID, uses an adsorbent-packed micromachined DRIE-Si/glass microfocuser, a wall-coated 1 × 1 cm DRIE-Si/glass microcolumn (1-m channel length), and an integrated array of 4 chemiresistors coated with functionalized thiolate-monolayer-protected gold nanoparticle (MPN) interface layers. A high-volume sampler of conventional design is interfaced to the font-end of the microsystem to reduce limits of detection (LOD) and the analytical duty cycle. Instrument control and data acquisition are executed automatically via Labview code run from a laptop computer. The marker compounds consisted of the TNT byproducts, 2,4- and 2,6-dinitrotoluene, and the taggant, 2,3-dimethyl- 2,3-dinitrobutane. n-Tridecane was used as a representative interference. The combination of retention time and response pattern facilitated the identification of each marker. A full analysis was achieved in &#60; 3.5 min with LODs in the low- or sub- parts-per-billion range for a preconcentrated air-sample volume of 1 L.
A gyro-free quaternion-based attitude determination system suitable for implementation using low cost sensors

Attitude determination systems that use inexpensive sensors and are based on computationally efficient and robust algorithms are indispensable for real-time vehicle navigation, guidance and control applications. This paper describes an attitude determination system that is based on two vector measurements of non-zero, non-colinear vectors. The algorithm is based on a quaternion formulation of Wahba's (1966) problem, whereby the error quaternion (q/sub e/) becomes the observed state and can be cast into a standard linear measurement equation. Using the Earth's magnetic field and gravity as the two measured quantities, a low-cost attitude determination system is proposed. An iterated least-squares solution to the attitude determination problem is tested on simulated static cases, and shown to be globally convergent. A time-varying Kalman filter implementation of the same formulation is tested on simulated data and experimental data from a maneuvering aircraft. The time-varying Kalman filter implementation of this algorithm is exercised on simulated and real data collected from an inexpensive triad of accelerometers and magnetometers. The accelerometers in conjunction with the derivative of GPS velocity provided a measure of the gravitation field vector and the magnetometers measured the Earth's magnetic field vector. Tracking errors on experimental data are shown to be less than 1 degree mean and standard deviation of approximately 11 degrees in yaw, and 3 degrees in pitch and roll. Best case performance of the system during maneuvering is shown to improve standard deviations to approximately 3 degrees in yaw, and 1.5 degrees in pitch and roll.
MANET routing protocols vs mobility models: A performance evaluation

The fundamental characteristic which differentiates MANETs from other wireless or wired networks is mobility. Therefore, MANET routing protocols are designed to adaptively cater for dynamic changes in topology while maximizing throughput and packet delivery ratio, and minimizing delay, routing load and energy consumption. A major design issue for an efficient and effective routing protocol for real MANETs is, therefore, to achieve optimum values of performance parameters under network scenarios where nodes are subjected to different types of mobility that dynamically change the network topology. Our simulative study on MANET routing protocols and mobility models aims to determine the performance of current MANET routing protocols with respect to various mobility models implemented in ns-2. We compare a number of reactive and proactive routing protocols including AODV, DSR, DSDV, OLSR and DYMO. The results of our extensive network simulations are tabulated along with a comprehensive analysis. The effort allows a fair comparison of the capabilities and limitations of different types of mobility patterns and their suitability for contemporary MANET routing protocols.
Pioglitazone Induces a Proadipogenic Antitumor Response in Mice with PAX8-PPARγ Fusion Protein Thyroid Carcinoma

Approximately 35% of follicular thyroid carcinomas harbor a chromosomal translocation that results in expression of a paired box gene 8-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ gene (PPARγ) fusion protein (PPFP). To better understand the oncogenic role of PPFP and its relationship to endogenous PPARγ, we generated a transgenic mouse model that combines Cre-dependent PPFP expression (PPFP;Cre) with homozygous deletion of floxed Pten (PtenFF;Cre), both thyroid specific. Although neither PPFP;Cre nor PtenFF;Cre mice develop thyroid tumors, the combined PPFP;PtenFF;Cre mice develop metastatic thyroid cancer, consistent with patient data that PPFP is occasionally found in benign thyroid adenomas and that PPFP carcinomas have increased phosphorylated AKT/protein kinase B. We then tested the effects of the PPARγ agonist pioglitazone in our mouse model. Pioglitazone had no effect on PtenFF;Cre mouse thyroids. However, the thyroids in pioglitazone-fed PPFP;PtenFF;Cre mice decreased 7-fold in size, and metastatic disease was prevented. Remarkably, pioglitazone caused an adipogenic response in the PPFP;PtenFF;Cre thyroids characterized by lipid accumulation and the induction of a broad array of adipocyte PPARγ target genes. These data indicate that, in the presence of pioglitazone, PPFP has PPARγ-like activity that results in trans-differentiation of thyroid carcinoma cells into adipocyte-like cells. Furthermore, the data predict that pioglitazone will be therapeutic in patients with PPFP-positive carcinomas.
Gait initiation by patients with lower-half parkinsonism

Patients with multiple deep cerebral infarcts and white matter degeneration commonly exhibit a hesitant, shuffling gait, with preserved arm swing. This pattern of walking is called lower-half or lower-body parkinsonism. Gait initiation and turning consist of one or more short, hesitant steps in which the feet shuffle across the floor. This abnormality of gait initiation was studied with quantitative motion analysis in five patients, ages 74-87 years. Five men and five women with normal mobility and comparable ages exhibited three key events of gait initiation: (i) activation of tibialis anterior and inactivation of triceps surae produced bilateral ankle dorsiflexion and a sagittal moment of force that propelled the body anteriorly; (ii) abduction of the swing hip occurred simultaneously with event (i); and (iii) abrupt 3-10 degrees flexion of the support hip and knee occurred nearly simultaneously with events (i) and (ii) and produced a transient reduction in vertical force beneath the support foot. Events (ii) and (iii) produced a coronal moment of force about the ankles that propelled the body toward the support foot. Thus, in normal gait initiation, a smooth sequence of postural shifts propels the body anterolaterally toward the support limb, culminating in a forward step. The patients, by comparison, exhibited errant deviations in their postural shifts of gait initiation, and one or more aborted steps frequently preceded the first complete step. Nevertheless, all patients employed the usual three key events in their initial attempt at stepping, consistent with a normal motor strategy of gait initiation. These results and previous clinical observations suggest that the principal locomotor deficit is an impaired generation of postural shifts that mediate changes from one steady-state posture or movement to another.
Pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum: initial management.

Background Outcomes for pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum are suboptimal, while initial management remains controversial. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of catheter-based therapy on the need for early surgical intervention. Methods A single-institution retrospective chart review was made of all 25 neonates with pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum from 1999 to 2005. Results Mean age at first intervention was 3.1 ± 2.2 days, mean weight 3.3 ± 0.5 kg. Right ventricular hypoplasia varied: 20% normal, 16% mild, 28% moderate, 28% moderately severe or severe, 8% not classified. Median tricuspid valve z-score was −2.3 ± 2.6. First intervention was catheter-based therapy in 56% (14 of 25), operative in 36% (9 of 25), and no therapy in 2. Technically adequate valvotomy was achieved in 79% (11 of 14). Serious catheter-related complications occurred in 3 of 14 (21%). Only 5 of 14 (36%) with catheter-based therapy weaned from prostaglandins without surgery. Of these, 2 required surgery for cyanosis at 1 and 3 months. Surgery after catheter-based therapy consisted of right ventricular outflow patch in 36% (4 of 11), systemic to pulmonary shunt in 64% (7 of 11). Median time between catheter-based therapy and surgery was 8.5 days (range, 1 to 89). Only 3 of the 23 treated patients avoided operation during infancy. There was 1 early and 1 late death after operation after initial catheter-based therapy, and 1 late death after primary surgery alone during a mean follow-up of 33 months (range, 1.5 to 79). Conclusions Balloon valvotomy alone for pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum rarely obviates the need for an additional source of pulmonary blood flow—either shunt or ductal stenting.
An Ontological Analysis of Threat and Vulnerability

The overall goal of this paper is to provide a formal ontological analysis of threat. In particular, this paper discusses the formal ontological structure of threats as integrated wholes possessing three inter-related parts: intentions, capabilities and opportunities, and shows how these elements stand to one another, as well as to states of vulnerability. This discussion offers a means for understanding variations of threat conditions such as potential vs. viable threats and dispersed threats. A general, metaphysical, upper-level framework for the development of a formal threat ontology (ThrO) offers a necessary foundation for designing consistent and comprehensive models for threat prediction and mitigation.
Adolescents with ASCUS: Are They a High Risk Group?

Population demographics, risk behaviors, and compliance rates for the management of an ASCUS (atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance) diagnosis are not well studied in the adolescent population. From June 1994 to December 1996, 1175 Papanicalou (pap) smears were performed in an urban adolescent clinic on patients age 12 to 18. Of these, 124 (10.5%) were diagnosed with ASCUS or ASCUS with a qualifying statement. A retrospective chart review (n=83) and telephone interview was performed on patients with ASCUS. Ninety-nine percent of enrollees were African American. Comparisons were made between those patients with normal pap smears and those with ASCUS. No statistically significant difference existed pertaining to age at pap smear, age at menarche, age at first coitus, and education level. A positive association was found in the ASCUS group for the presence of sexually transmitted diseases (P<0.001), number of sexual partners (P<0.0007), and pregnancy (P<0.001). Of the 80% of patients who had a...
Single-Molecule Approach to Bacterial Genomic Comparisons via Optical Mapping

Modern comparative genomics has been established, in part, by the sequencing and annotation of a broad range of microbial species. To gain further insights, new sequencing efforts are now dealing with the variety of strains or isolates that gives a species definition and range; however, this number vastly outstrips our ability to sequence them. Given the availability of a large number of microbial species, new whole genome approaches must be developed to fully leverage this information at the level of strain diversity that maximize discovery. Here, we describe how optical mapping, a single-molecule system, was used to identify and annotate chromosomal alterations between bacterial strains represented by several species. Since whole-genome optical maps are ordered restriction maps, sequenced strains of Shigella flexneri serotype 2a (2457T and 301), Yersinia pestis (CO 92 and KIM), and Escherichia coli were aligned as maps to identify regions of homology and to further characterize them as possible insertions, deletions, inversions, or translocations. Importantly, an unsequenced Shigella flexneri strain (serotype Y strain AMC[328Y]) was optically mapped and aligned with two sequenced ones to reveal one novel locus implicated in serotype conversion and several other loci containing insertion sequence elements or phage-related gene insertions. Our results suggest that genomic rearrangements and chromosomal breakpoints are readily identified and annotated against a prototypic sequenced strain by using the tools of optical mapping.
Embedding fuzzy knowledge into neural networks for control applications

Fuzzy control has recently emerged as a new technique of knowledge-based intelligent control in which precise knowledge of control algorithms is not required. The control knowledge is expressed in terms of membership functions for control parameters and a given rule set which defines the relationship among various parameters. Although this technique is robust, it cannot learn and adapt as parameters change over time. Neural network control uses learning for defining mapping between input and output data. By using fuzzy logic rule/membership knowledge and neural network learning capability, this work proposes a new method for combining the two intelligent control methods. The proposed neuro-fuzzy method embeds fuzzy rule and membership knowledge into a neural network for training via a backpropagation algorithm. Results based on fuzzy control, the Iwata-Machida-Toda method, and this proposed method are given for cart-pole problems. The proposed method has the best response time and the smallest magnitude of oscillations near the setpoint.
Whose DAM account? Attentional learning explains Booth and Waxman

Booth and Waxman (Cognition 84 (2002) B11) have recently shown that linguistic cues to animacy affect children's novel name extensions. They argue that this demonstration contradicts two central tenets of our attentional learning account of object naming, which Booth and Waxman characterize as the "dumb attentional mechanism" or "DAM" account. In the present article, we show that the first of these tenets has never been a feature of the attentional learning account, and that the second tenet, which is central to our account, is not addressed by Booth and Waxman's findings. We suggest that the debate about the nature of children's language and cognition would profit from an increased awareness of the different levels of analysis at which different researchers are working.
Average properties of X-ray burst sources

Total integrated fluxes, maximum fluxes, and spectra of X-ray bursts from 10 sources are analyzed, and a uniformity in observed properties is detected. If it is assumed that the peak luminosity in a burst is a standard candle, the data suggest that (1) the effective black body radius observed in bursts is the same for all burst sources; (2) the tails of X-ray bursts are emitted by cooling surfaces whose size is the same for all burst sources (to within + or - 20%); and (3) the total energy emitted from X-ray bursts is the same for all burst sources (to within + or - 30%). This analysis applies to Type I bursts which are emitted by all burst sources and repeat at comparatively long time intervals. The analysis does not apply to Type II bursts, which repeat on time scales of seconds to minutes.
Note on Large Signal Diode Detection

Several articles have appeared in the last few years on large signal detection, which placed emphasis upon the avoidance or minimizing of distortion. The most serious form of distortion in ordinary diode circuits is due to "nontracking," or the failure of the tube to become conducting for each peak of the impressed voltage. It is shown that the previously derived criterion for just avoiding nontracking is closely connected with the condition for maximum detected signal. Experimental results which revealed the connection are given together with possible explanations for the existing deviations.
The potential of SAR interferometry for oceanographic measurements: a review

In this presentation, the basic physics that governs the use of SAR interferometry for the collection of oceanographic measurements is reviewed using the results of previous measurement campaigns as a guide. This review sets the stage for more specific discussions of the usefulness of INSAR ocean measurements to be presented in other talks in the session on 'SAR interferometry for oceanic applications'.
Automatic generation of equivalent architecture model from functional specification

This paper presents an algorithm for automatic generation of an architecture model from a functional specification, and proves its correctness. The architecture model is generated by distributing the intended system functionality over various components in the platform architecture. We then define simple transformations that preserve the execution semantics of system level models. Finally, the model generation algorithm is proved correct using our transformations. As a result, we have an automated path from a functional model of the system to an architectural one and we need to debug and verify only the functional specification model, which is smaller and simpler than the architecture model. Our experimental results show significant savings in both the modeling and the validation effort.