cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Personalized exercise for adolescents with diabetes or obesity.

Objective:This study examined adherence to a personalized, community-based exercise intervention by sedentary adolescents with type 1 or type 2 diabetes or those with obesity.Research design and Me...
Dual boot MacBook deployment project

Since 1999, the College Library Instructional Computing Commons (CLICC) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has been lending laptops to the campus community. In the fall of 2007, CLICC deployed 300 dual boot MacBooks to replace its entire laptop lending pool and instructional laptops (247 PCs and 42 Macs). Offering both Windows XP Professional and Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) on one hardware platform allowed CLICC to meet the growing demand to support classes with a video-editing component while maintaining a high level of satisfaction for its mostly Windows user base. Using a customized boot screen was the key to ensuring that users could quickly select their preferred operating system with ease. Each MacBook has 131 Windows and 83 Mac applications available for use. A survey showed 93% of users rated their MacBook experience a 4 or 5 out of 5. Since deployment, utilization of the laptop lending service has surged. In the first year after deployment, loans increased by 59% from the year before (77,439 in 2006-2007 to 123,082 in 2007-2008).
Intense FDG uptake in an intra-articular localized giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath (pigmented villonodular synovitis) mimics metastatic melanoma

We describe a patient with metastatic melanoma, one year following a clinical trial of VEGF.
Investigation of the AP composite solid- propellant deflagration mechanism by means of experimental analog techniques.

The composite solid-propellant deflagration mechanism has been studied experimentally by means of two laboratory burner techniques. The techniques allow experimental parameter variations that are impossible with the propellants (due to their structural pecularities) . The "loose-granule" burner is composed of oxidant and fuel granules and has deflagration characteristics that are almost perfectly analogous to those of actual ammonium perchlorate (AP) propellants. The "porous-plug" burner involves a bonded, porous AP bed that burns at the surface with emerging fuel gas passed up through the bed; similarly, porous fuel beds are burned with oxidant gas. The close analogy of the loose-granule burner is destroyed (by interstitial flame penetration) at combustion pressures greater than about 50 psia. The porous-plug burner surface emits burning AP crystals at methane throughputs greater than approximately that calculated to yield stoichiometrically correct combustion, thus limiting the analogy as well as suggesting reexamination of the work of others who used such burners to infer the stoichiometry of AP systems. Results from the analog techniques indicate that the propellant deflagration rate is sensitive to fuel-pocket size (which sets the scale of "granularity") and details of the fuel combustion process (in addition to over-all energy release).
Lipoprotein(a) and venous thromboembolism.

October 3, 2007 Joseph S. Alpert, MD Editor-in-Chief The American Journal of Medicine 1840 East River Road, Suite 120 Tucson, AZ 85718 To the Editor: Sofi et al. recently reported a meta-analysis of six case-control studies suggesting that high lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] levels (>300 mg/L compared with <300 mg/L) were associated in a random effects model with a 1.77 fold (95% CI, 1.14–2.75) increased risk of venous thromboembolism.1 That report overlooked a cohort study, our Longitudinal Investigation of Thromboembolism Etiology (LITE),2 which found no such association over eight years. Our study may have been overlooked because the units were mislabeled mg/dL rather than mg/L, and values were 1/3 of conventional values because they reflected only the protein part of Lp(a).2 For comparison with the meta-analysis, we report here LITE findings for four more years of follow-up using conventional Lp(a) units. The LITE investigators pooled the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).3 Participants were whites and African Americans ≥ 45 years from six US communities at baseline in the late 1980s. Lp(a) was measured at baseline as previously described,2 and dichotomized for this analysis at 300 mg/L. Venous thromboembolism events were identified through 2001 and validated via physician review of hospital records. Because of the large difference in Lp(a) distributions between whites and African Americans, race-specific Cox proportional hazards regressions were run. The LITE sample included 19,921 participants who at baseline had no venous thromboembolism history, were not taking warfarin, and had Lp(a) measured. The percentage of Lp(a) values >300 mg/L was 2.7% in whites and 11.5% in African Americans. 327 venous thromboembolism events occurred over 187,044 person-years of follow-up in whites, and 83 events in 57,246 person-years in African Americans. The age and sex-adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI) for Lp(a) >300 mg/L versus ≤300 mg/L was 1.12 (0.55–2.27) for whites and 1.31 (0.69–2.47) for African Americans. These were little changed after further adjustment for body mass index, diabetes, and factor VIIIc. When pooled and adjusted also for race, the hazard ratio was 1.21 (0.75–1.94). We found a much smaller hazard ratio of venous thromboembolism in relation to elevated Lp(a) than the pooled odds ratio estimate of Sofi et al.1 Sofi et al. identified statistically significant heterogeneity among studies; two of the six prior case-control studies had odds ratios similar to our estimates.1 Although Lp(a) in our study was measured well before most venous thromboembolism events, this should not bias our results because the Lp(a) level is quite stable within individuals. Thus, based on all current evidence, any association between elevated Lp(a) and venous thromboembolism is likely modest, at best. Sincerely, Aaron R. Folsom, MD Alanna Chamberlain, MPH for the LITE Investigators /lk
The ISPD-2011 routability-driven placement contest and benchmark suite

The last few years have seen significant advances in the quality of placement algorithms. This is in part due to the availability of large, challenging testcases by way of the ISPD-2005 [17] and ISPD-2006 [16] placement contests. These contests primarily evaluated the placers based on the half-perimeter wire length metric. Although wire length is an important metric, it still does not address a fundamental requirement for placement algorithms, namely, the ability to produce routable placements.This paper describes the ISPD-2011 routability-driven placement contest, and a new benchmark suite that is being released in conjunction with the contest. All designs in the new benchmark suite are derived from industrial ASIC designs, and can be used to perform both placement and global routing. By way of the contest and the associated benchmark suite, we hope to provide a standard, publicly available framework to help advance research in the area of routability-driven placement.
Spherical Indentation on an Elastic Coating/Substrate System: Determining Substrate Modulus

A vast amount of indentation studies on coating/substrate systems focused on extracting the mechanical properties of the film, by either avoiding or subtracting off the substrate effect. However, in engineering and biomedical applications, very often the substrate properties, in particular the substrate modulus, need to be measured from an indentation test and the protective layer cannot be removed. For the model system of an elastic film deposited on an elastic substrate, we establish the general approach of spherical indentation focusing on the substrate property determination. Indentation data are taken from different indentation depths which reflect different degrees of film and substrate effects. An effective reverse analysis algorithm is established such that, from an indentation test if either the film modulus or film thickness is known, the other variable can be measured along with the substrate modulus. Error sensitivity of the proposed formulation is analyzed in a systematic way.
Blood metabolites, meat quality and muscle calpain–calpastatin activities in goats treated with low doses of recombinant bovine somatotropin

Growing female Alpine goats (n = 14; 6 month of age; BW of 18 ± 2.7 kg) were used in a 10-week experiment to assess the effect of daily injection of a low dose (40 μg/kg of BW) of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) on blood metabolite concentrations, mass of the visceral organs, the calpain system, and chevon quality. Goats were randomly assigned to either a control (0.9% saline; n = 7) or a treatment group (n = 7) receiving a daily dose of rbST. All animals were fed a 16% CP and 2.9 Mcal/kg DE alfalfa based-diet ad libitum. Blood samples were collected every 2 weeks for a 10-week period and analyzed for glucose, NEFA, and PUN. At the end of the 10-week period, animals were sacrificed and processed. A portion of the loin muscle was removed, trimmed of fat, denuded and homogenized in an extraction buffer for determination of the calpain–calpastatin system. Components of the viscera were separated and individually weighed. The carcass was chilled for 24 h at 2 °C. Before cooking the loin/rib chops, instrumental color measurements were done after 45 min bloom. Shear values were determined on cooked chops. Plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations were influenced by treatment (P < 0.01), sampling time (P < 0.01), and treatment × sampling time interaction (P < 0.01). Plasma glucose and PUN concentrations increased over sampling time (P < 0.01). At the end of the 10-week treatment period, PUN was higher in goats treated with rbST than in controls. Body weight change, carcass weight, visceral mass, and loin eye area were not influenced by rbST treatment. Mean m-calpain, μ-calpain, and calpastatin activities (caseinolytic units per 50 g of tissue), as well as pre-aging instrumental color (L*, a*, b*, chroma and Hue) values were also not affected by rbST injections. While treatment or treatment × aging time interaction did not influence cooking loss, aging decreased (P < 0.01) shear value but without significant improvement beyond 7 days. There was a positive correlation between longissimus muscle final pH and m-calpain activities in both bST-treated and control goats (P < 0.05), although the relationship between final pH and calpastatin activities was much stronger (P < 0.02). Daily injection of a low dose of rbST did not alter the meat quality, muscle calpain system, or weights of visceral organs.
Commentary on: Effectiveness of Prophylactic Antibiotics in Outpatient Plastic Surgery

Surgical site infections (SSI) remain the second most common type of hospital-acquired infection (after urinary tract infections). Prophylactic antimicrobial use has been demonstrated to reduce SSI rates for many surgical procedures. Prevention of SSI remains a Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal.1,2 The indications, efficacy, and proper utilization of systemic prophylactic antimicrobial agents to reduce SSI incidence have been debated in the surgical literature for many years. The appropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics in plastic surgery has been discussed by others in this journal and elsewhere.2⇓⇓-5 With this interesting article evaluating prophylactic antimicrobial use in outpatient plastic surgical procedures, Anigian and colleagues6 contribute to this ongoing conversation. A significant limitation of available literature on antimicrobial prophylaxis is the difficulty in establishing statistically significant differences in efficacy between the prophylactic agent(s) utilized and control groups due to study design issues, as well as a low SSI rate for most surgical procedures. Ideally, a study should be placebo controlled and randomized with a sufficient sample size in each group to avoid type II error. Such publications are uncommon. Furthermore, based on “expert opinion,” antimicrobial prophylaxis is occasionally recommended …
lac Messenger RNA in lac Z gene mutants of Escherichia coli caused by insertion of bacteriophage Mu

Abstract The messenger RNA made under conditions of induction of the lac operon has been studied in various lac mutants in which the mutation was caused by integration of bacteriophage Mu into the Z gene. The percentage of RNA hybridizing specifically to lac DNA is proportional to the distance from the beginning of the gene at which a given mutation is located. It thus appears that only lac RNA proximal to the site of insertion is transcribed in these mutants. This may account for the complete polarity of Mu-induced lac Z mutants.
On the convergence of Newton iterations to non-stationary points

We study conditions under which line search Newton methods for nonlinear systems of equations and optimization fail due to the presence of singular non-stationary points. These points are not solutions of the problem and are characterized by the fact that Jacobian or Hessian matrices are singular. It is shown that, for systems of nonlinear equations, the interaction between the Newton direction and the merit function can prevent the iterates from escaping such non-stationary points. The unconstrained minimization problem is also studied, and conditions under which false convergence cannot occur are presented. Several examples illustrating failure of Newton iterations for constrained optimization are also presented. The paper also shows that a class of line search feasible interior methods cannot exhibit convergence to non-stationary points.
Quantitation of Indoleacetic Acid Conjugates in Bean Seeds by Direct Tissue Hydrolysis

Gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectral analysis using [13C6]indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) as an internal standard provides an effective means for quantitation of IAA liberated during direct strong basic hydrolysis of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) seed powder, provided that extra precautions are undertaken to exclude oxygen from the reaction vial. Direct seed powder hydrolysis revealed that the major portion of amide IAA conjugates in bean seeds are not extractable by aqueous acetone, the solvent used commonly for IAA conjugate extraction from seeds and other plant tissues. Strong basic hydrolysis of plant tissue can be used to provide new information on IAA content.
Breast cancer. What the Department of Defense should do with its $210 million.

HOW IN the world did the Department of Defense (DOD) end up with $210 million for breast cancer research? In January 1991, women across the United States organized the National Breast Cancer Coalition, one of the most effective medical lobbying groups ever. By the spring of 1992, approximately 600 000 letters urging federal attention to the breast cancer epidemic flooded Capitol Hill. Scientific hearings established the need for additional research dollars, and the DOD became the incidental recipient of "earmarked" or "reprogrammed" money, more than doubling the previous federal funding for breast cancer research. This is just the beginning of the battle. The women and men who care about breast cancer across the country and who fought so hard for this money are very concerned that it be well spent. 1 Last year, the DOD was appropriated $25 million for breast cancer research. Funds were quickly expended for high-technology stereotaxic
Building and supporting a massive data infrastructure for the masses

On a typical university campus, the words "massive data storage" (MDS) usually bring to mind technology high-end, high performance computing (HPC) users might use. This is because academic supercomputer sites have traditionally provided a tightly interwoven HPC and high performance, MDS fabric to their users for decades. However, a new paradigm in data storage is now emerging where large, central, hierarchical storage management (HSM) services may play an increasingly important role in the non-HPC, general, academic user environment. For this user segment, information technology (particularly storage) is beginning to play a vital role in research. Personal computers or departmental storage systems are no longer adequate to store or to back up data. In fact, data volumes today are growing exponentially, without a concomitant increase in the human resources required to manage them. At Indiana University (IU), with around 100,000 users distributed geographically over eight campuses throughout the state of Indiana, we have started tackling these issues head on. Considerable thought, planning, and recent experiences lead us to conclude that extending a traditionally high-end, MDS system to "the masses" is a viable model for a large, research institution. Using the High Performance Storage System (HPSS) HSM software at IU, we have built a scalable storage infrastructure with a current capacity of 500 terabytes (TB hereafter; 1 TB = 1,000 gigabytes). Using a combination of secure, file system interface to HPSS and gateway software, we have extended the reach of this high-end HSM system over the network to all eight campuses of IU. It is now possible for a user at IU to easily and securely store and to retrieve terabytes of data from their Unix, Linux, Windows, Macintosh desktops or via the Web from anywhere. We have also developed a geographically distributed storage system that operates over a wide area network (WAN) between our Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses, located nearly fifty miles apart. We have recently implemented remote mirroring of data across this WAN for disaster recovery.In this paper, we provide an overview of Indiana University's distributed, massive data storage service infrastructure. We also discuss how it is being used and supported today at IU and how it is making an impact in research areas that have been poorly represented or un-represented among high-end information technology (IT) users in the past.
DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION OF A CORONAL STREAMER – FLUX ROPE SYSTEM – II. A Self-Consistent Non-Planar Magnetohydrodynamic Simulation

The dynamical response of a helmet streamer to a flux-rope escape from the sub-photosphere is examined in a physically self-consistent manner within the approximation of axisymmetric three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (i.e., so-called ‘2\(\frac{1}{2}\) D’). In contrast to the previous planar analyses of Paper I (Wu, Guo, and Wang, 1995), the present study shows, with the inclusion of out-of-plane components of magnetic and velocity fields, that the magnetic configuration represents a helical flux rope instead of a planar bubble as shown in Paper I. Because of this more physically realistic configuration, we are able to examine the dynamical evolution of the helical flux rope's interaction with the helmet streamer. This process leads to the formation of two parts of the solar mass ejection; (i) the expulsion of the helmet dome due to eruption of this flux rope, and (ii) the flux rope's eruption itself. When this two-part feature propagates out to the interplanetary space, it exhibits all the physical characteristics of observed interplanetary magnetic clouds. These numerical simulations also show that the dynamical behavior of the streamer – flux rope system has three distinct states: (i) quasi-equilibrium, (ii) non-equilibrium, and (iii) eruptive state depending on the energy level of the flux rope.
A convolution method for constructing primary beam profiles in the presence of beam modifiers

Empirical functions that describe primary beam profiles for radiotherapytreatment planning systems generally account for finite source size only on beams unmodified by blocks, wedges, or compensating filters. To incorporate the effects of extended sources on such modified beams and to treat the effect of an extended source consistent with the manner in which the unmodified beam is treated, the unmodified beam profile can be written as a convolution of an unknown source function with a collimator transmission profile. Using Fourier transforms, one can then solve for the source function. This source function is then convolved with a beam transmission function that has been modified by blocks, wedges, or compensating filters to obtain a primary beam profile. A number of examples are presented that demonstrate the calculations of the effects of beam modifiers on primary beam profiles.
Reproductive cycles of the domestic bitch

Domestic dogs are monoestrous, typically non-seasonal, polytocous, spontaneous ovulators and have a spontaneous luteal phase slightly longer (by approx 5 day) than the 64±1day luteal phases of a 65±1day pregnancy, a phase followed by an obligate anestrus before the next 2-3 week "heat" (proestrus-estrus). The resulting inter-estrus intervals of 5-12 months are variable among bitches, commonly 6-7 months, and range from highly variable to regular (to perhaps within±5-10 day of sequential 7 month cycle, for instance) within bitches, and across studies and do not vary significantly between pregnant and non-pregnant cycles. Hormone levels reported are those observed in this laboratory using previously reported assays and canine gonadotropin standards unless stated otherwise. Endocrine sequences for dog cycles are not unlike those of many other mammals, including selection of ovulatory follicles by increased LH pulsatility, the occurrence of estrus behavior and LH surge during a decline in the estrogen: progestin ratio, a pronounced preovulatory luteinization as in humans and rodents, and luteotrophic roles for both LH and prolactin. Non-pregnant bitches have a spontaneously prolonged luteal phase, often longer and with a more protracted decline in serum progesterone than in pregnancy as there is no uterine luteolytic mechanism. The obligate anestrus of 8-40 weeks is terminated by poorly understood interactions of environment (e.g. pheromones, possibly photoperiod) and a potential endogenous circannual cycle in sensitivities of hypothalamic dopaminergic, serotonergic and/or opioid pathways.
The lemon principle, democratic politics, and Frank Knight's First Law of Talk

In a recent analysis of Frank Knight's classic work Risk, Uncertainty, and Profit (1921), Stephen LeRoy and Larry Singell (1987: 394) claim, among other things, that Knight's analysis of the firm anticipated the modern notion of moral hazard and asymmetric information, and thus 'was in many respects a remarkable anticipation of the modern literature.' On the other hand their commentary raises certain doubts about Knight's treatment of the principalagent problem. LeRoy and Singell are puzzled by Knight's failure to include discussion of the principal-agent problem in his treatment of the role of the salaried manager. Thus they (1987: 405) are of the opinion that these and other difficulties lead to the conclusion that 'it would be an exaggeration to credit him with the first modern analysis of asymmetric information.' It is certainly true that Knight's presentation of the idea of asymmetric information is presented informally in comparison with its modern version. Given the undeveloped state of Risk, Uncertainty and Profit it would seem an exaggeration to give Knight credit for these ideas. However, I think that there is evidence that the use of these ideas by Knight is more prevalent and important in his work than the authors contend. Further, Knight's application of these ideas is more modern than is supposed in that Knight extended the concepts to an evaluation of the problem associated with the selection of political leaders, thus taking a 'Public Choice' perspective on the issue. The evidence also suggests that Knight felt that the political arena was the most important instance of the principal-agent problem and therefore perhaps partly explains Knight's relative inattention to the problem in the capitalist firm upon which LeRoy and Singell have focused their analysis. Thus, though I wish to affirm much of their generous and objective evaluations of Knight's performance, I would take issue with the claim that 'Knight did not follow up the market
Prophylactic neuroprotection against stroke: low-dose, prolonged treatment with deferoxamine or deferasirox establishes prolonged neuroprotection independent of HIF-1 function

Prophylactic neuroprotection against stroke could reduce stroke burden in thousands of patients at high risk of stroke, including those with recent transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). Prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHIs), such as deferoxamine (DFO), reduce stroke volume when administered at high doses in the peristroke period, which is largely mediated by the hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF-1). Yet, in vitro experiments suggest that PHIs may also induce neuroprotection independent of HIF-1. In this study, we examine chronic, prophylactic, low-dose treatment with DFO, or another iron chelator deferasirox (DFR), to determine whether they are neuroprotective with this paradigm and mediate their effects through a HIF-1-dependent mechanism. In fact, prophylactic administration of low-dose DFO or DFR significantly reduces stroke volume. Surprisingly, DFO remained neuroprotective in mice haploinsufficient for HIF-1 (HIF-1+/−) and transgenic mice with conditional loss of HIF-1 function in neurons and astrocytes. Similarly, DFR was neuroprotective in HIF-1+/− mice. Neither DFO nor DFR induced expression of HIF-1 targets. Thus, low-dose chronic administration of DFO or DFR induced a prolonged neuroprotective state independent of HIF-1 function. As DFR is an orally administered and well-tolerated medication in clinical use, it has promise for prophylaxis against stroke in patients at high risk of stroke.
Decision analysis in fire safety inspection for high-rise buildings

The firesafety inspection program is put into proper focus by a rational approach to decision analysis. In examples, the consequences of the decision and the outcome are expressed in monetary units to concur with the general engineering practice.
A problem with consumer surplus measures of the cost of practice variations

Abstract Estimates of the surplus loss due to physician practice variation measure the area under the ‘shifted’ demand curve. This method is valid only if the unshifted demand curve is derived from the distribution of true (ex post) values of care. If the unshifted demand curve does not reflect the true value of care, then the traditional methods of measuring surplus loss can be seriously biased.
Religion and Core Values: A Reformulation of the Funnel of Causality

This study reformulates the classic funnel of causality proposed in The American Voter. where The American Voter suggests that group aftiliation and values are equally influential in candidate choice, the foundational sociological literature suggest that values are derived from group aflliation, and therefore The American Voter has misconceptualized the ordering of these influences. We concur with the sociological literature, which suggests that values are more proximate to that decision than is group affiliation. Examining data from a 2002 statewide survey of Florida residents, and using religious aftiliation as a measure of group aftiliation, we explore the effects of political core values, such as egalitarianism and moral traditionalism, and religious affiliation on support for Florida Governor Jeb Bush and vote intentions. We employ ordered logistical models to test our Proximity Hypothesis, finding support for the contention that in the process offorming an attitude about a political candidate, core values are more proximate to the final attitude than is group aftiliation. This finding is an important contribution to the debate in political behavior over the relative influence of individual belief systems and groups.
Obesity Educational Interventions in U.S. Medical Schools: A Systematic Review and Identified Gaps

Background: Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States. However, physicians feel poorly trained to address the obesity epidemic. This article examines effective training methods for overweight and obesity intervention in undergraduate medical education. Using indexing terms related to overweight, obesity, and medical student education, we conducted a literature searched PubMed PsycINFO, Cochrane, and ERIC for relevant articles in English. References from articles identified were also reviewed to located additional articles. Summary: We included all studies that incorporated process or outcome evaluations of obesity educational interventions for U.S. medical students. Of an initial 168 citations, 40 abstracts were retrieved; 11 studies were found to be pertinent to medical student obesity education, but only 5 included intervention and evaluation elements. Quality criteria for inclusion consisted of explicit evaluation of the educational methods used. Data extraction iden...
Kinematics, ground reaction force, and muscle balance produced by backward running.

Backward running (BR) is employed for conditioning and for rehabilitation in sports, orthopaedics, and neurology. Our purposes were to compare kinematics and training effects of BR to forward running (FR). Ten runners (6 males, 4 females, ages 20–34 years) were assigned to a backward running (BRG) or control (FRG) group. Subject isokinetic muscular torque production (IMTP) and biomechanics during FR and BR at 3.58 m/sec were studied at the beginning and after 8 weeks of training. Stance time was significantly shorter during BR. The peak vertical component of the ground reaction force (Fz) and Fz impulse were significantly less during BR. After training, knee extensor IMTP of the BRG increased significantly at 75 and 120°/sec. We concluded that BR produced lower Fz stress than FR and improved knee extensor torque at low speeds. Backward running may be clinically useful for reducing stress to injured joints and for increasing knee extensor strength.
Quisqualate-sensitive, chloride-dependent transport of glutamate into rat brain synaptosomes

A chloride-dependent transport process for glutamate has been identified in partially purified rat brain synaptosomes. This process shares many characteristics with the chloride-dependent sequestration process for glutamate in brain sonicates, which was previously thought to represent a quisqualate receptor, such as sensitivity to specific inhibitors and regulation by anions. Increases the concentrations of chloride led to and increase in the apparent Vmax without affecting the KT. Synaptosomes preincubated with [3H]-L-glutamate exhibit an efflux of the radiolabel, which was stimulated by a substrate for the carrier in the incubating medium, indicating the bidirectional nature of the transport. The chloride-dependent transfer process is restricted to the brain, and regional and developmental profiles clearly distinguish it from the sodium-dependent high-affinity uptake process for glutamate. Nevertheless, the effects of excitotoxic lesions strongly suggest a neuronal localization of the chloride-dependent transport.
Basic cause of a magnetospheric substorm

Abstract A magnetospheric substorm is found to be caused by the electron precipitation that produces the aurora during substorm expansion, where the resulting increase in current of the substorm current wedge causes the accompanying dipolarization of the Earth's magnetic field. This model, which explains the basic features of a substorm, predicts that the incoming electron precipitation during a substorm has to be the basic cause of a magnetospheric substorm.
Binary image processing by polynomial approach

Abstract In this paper we describe a polynomial environment for binary image processing. A data structure in the form of a quadtree is proposed. We develop algebraic operators to do contour determination, approximation and thinning.
The global distribution of largest, deepest, and most intense precipitation systems

By grouping the contiguous precipitating area detected by the precipitation radar on board the Global Precipitation Mission (GPM) core satellite, snapshots of precipitation systems are summarized as precipitation features (PFs), and their properties are cataloged from 1 year GPM observations. These PFs are categorized by their area and depth and convective intensity based on the 20 and 40 dBZ radar echo tops, respectively. The largest PFs are found mainly over ocean at the mid-high latitudes, especially over southern ocean. The deepest PFs are mainly over tropical land, the West Pacific Warm Pool, and the Great Plains of the United States and Argentina. The most convectively intense PFs are dominant over land regions, including midlatitude and high latitude. The zonal precipitation contribution from extremely large precipitation systems is greater in midlatitude and high latitude than in the tropics. These extreme precipitation systems are rare but contribute significantly to the global precipitation. It is important to include their impacts in global climate models to correctly describe the global water cycle.
Central Amygdala Lesions Block Ultrasonic Vocalization and Freezing as Conditional But Not Unconditional Responses

Bilateral amygdala (AM) lesions prevent the acquisition of fear-related conditional responses (CRs) in rats, a result that is most commonly concluded to reflect a learning or memory deficit. An alternative hypothesis is that AM-lesioned animals fail to acquire certain fear CRs simply because they cannot perform these behaviors. This performance-deficit hypothesis is usually invoked in regard to studies in which the CR is freezing, the most commonly measured behavior. Here we explore this interpretation by measuring two different behaviors [freezing and 22 kHz ultrasonic vocalization (USV)] elicited under three conditions (during context conditioning, during subsequent retention testing, and after ejaculation) in experimental rats [that received electrolytic lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala (ACe)] and control animals (that received a sham operation). If ACe damage produces a discrete motor deficit that specifically renders the animal unable to remain immobile, then freezing should be blocked or impaired when elicited under all three conditions, whereas USV should be spared. Alternatively, if ACe damage selectively interferes with CR formation, maintenance, or expression, then both freezing and USV should be blocked or impaired when elicited as CRs during acquisition and retention testing but spared when evoked as unconditional responses (URs) to ejaculation. ACe damage blocked or severely impaired both freezing and USV elicited as CRs but had no effect on either behavior elicited as URs. We reject the motor-deficit hypothesis and discuss some viable alternatives.
A simple technique for minimization of ABC-induced error in the FDTD analysis of microstrip discontinuities

Imperfectly absorbing truncation boundaries in the simulation of microstrip circuits by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method necessitate large computational domains, imposing a significant burden on the resources. Residual boundary reflection sometimes causes serious degradation of the computed parameters (e.g. oscillatory behaviour). We introduce a simple modification of the FDTD implementation for microstrip discontinuities, wherein two sub-problems whose domains are reduced by bringing the absorbing boundary close to the circuit, are superposed to cancel the dominant boundary reflection. Computed results on transmission line and resonant type discontinuities demonstrate that significant computational savings can be achieved without compromising accuracy. >
A Wind-Tunnel Investigation of Wind-Turbine Wakes: Boundary-Layer Turbulence Effects

Wind-tunnel experiments were performed to study turbulence in the wake of a model wind turbine placed in a boundary layer developed over rough and smooth surfaces. Hot-wire anemometry was used to characterize the cross-sectional distribution of mean velocity, turbulence intensity and kinematic shear stress at different locations downwind of the turbine for both surface roughness cases. Special emphasis was placed on the spatial distribution of the velocity deficit and the turbulence intensity, which are important factors affecting turbine power generation and fatigue loads in wind energy parks. Non-axisymmetric behaviour of the wake is observed over both roughness types in response to the non-uniform incoming boundary-layer flow and the effect of the surface. Nonetheless, the velocity deficit with respect to the incoming velocity profile is nearly axisymmetric, except near the ground in the far wake where the wake interacts with the surface. It is found that the wind turbine induces a large enhancement of turbulence levels (positive added turbulence intensity) in the upper part of the wake. This is due to the effect of relatively large velocity fluctuations associated with helicoidal tip vortices near the wake edge, where the mean shear is strong. In the lower part of the wake, the mean shear and turbulence intensity are reduced with respect to the incoming flow. The non-axisymmetry of the turbulence intensity distribution of the wake is found to be stronger over the rough surface, where the incoming flow is less uniform at the turbine level. In the far wake the added turbulent intensity, its positive and negative contributions and its local maximum decay as a power law of downwind distance (with an exponent ranging from −0.3 to −0.5 for the rough surface, and with a wider variation for the smooth surface). Nevertheless, the effect of the turbine on the velocity defect and added turbulence intensity is not negligible even in the very far wake, at a distance of fifteen times the rotor diameter.
Discipline by Parents and Child Psychopathology

There is wide consensus that parental discipline can have important affects on the psycho­ logical well-being of children, but there is little consensus on what constitutes discipline. For many parents, 'discipline' is a euphemism for spanking and other legal and culturally approved tonns ofcorporal punishment. At the other extreme, for many professionals, 'dis­ cipline' is anything done to raise a well-adjusted child. The first of these conceptualizations of discipline is too narrow because spanking is only one of many modes of correcting mis­ behavior. The second conceptualization is too broad. It covers almost everything done as a parent. This chapter addresses how the topic ofdiscipline is handled in psychiatric and other professional sources and presents a definition that avoids the two extremes. The chapter emphasizes research on a specific form of discipline, corporal punishment, because there is sufficient research to support an evidence-based analysis and because it is an aspect of discipline that has been the focus of controversy and legislation in many nations.
Gatekeeper reflux repair system; a mechanistic hypothesis

The Gatekeeper reflux repair system is the fifth endoluminal therapy for GORD to gain regulatory approval and, akin to its predecessors, still faces many questions regarding its place in clinical practice Although there can clearly be an argument regarding the threshold at which it becomes a disease, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is ultimately the result of excessive gastro-oesophageal reflux and the associated consequences of that. It then seems rather straightforward that therapeutic interventions should seek to reduce or eliminate gastro-oesophageal reflux. The paradox is that the dominant medical interventions do not; rather, they alter the content of the refluxate (by inhibiting gastric acid secretion) so as to make it less noxious to the oesophageal epithelium. This, in a nutshell, summarises the decades old argument regarding the relative merits of medical verses surgical therapy for GORD. Or so it was, until the dawn of the era of endoluminal therapies for GORD a few short years ago. Now it seems that physicians have assumed some attributes of their surgical colleagues as they experiment with therapies that target the reflux itself. The Gatekeeper reflux repair system is the fifth endoluminal therapy for GORD to gain regulatory approval either in the European …
Cocaine locomotor activation, sensitization and place preference in six inbred strains of mice

Background The expanding set of genomics tools available for inbred mouse strains has renewed interest in phenotyping larger sets of strains. The present study aims to explore phenotypic variability among six commonly-used inbred mouse strains to both the rewarding and locomotor stimulating effects of cocaine in a place conditioning task, including several strains or substrains that have not yet been characterized for some or all of these behaviors.
Analysis of Connector Springs with Complex Geometry

Reliable and easy-to-use methods for the mechanical analysis of complex connector springs are described. The springs are classified according to their aspect ratio of length over thickness. Normal contact forces, insertion forces, and maximum stress are calculated for typical examples of low- and high-aspect-ratio springs. Experimental data are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. Friction can increase contact and insertion forces significantly. The contact force in insulation displacment connectors is not related to the third power of the beam length as predicted by elementary beam analysis. Correct analysis of the mechanical behavior of springs at the design stage reduces product development time and cost and helps to optimize connector performance.
Ophthalmic artery occlusion immediately following placement of a flow diverter without clinical sequelae

Branch vessel occlusion is a potential consequence following flow diverter placement for intracranial aneurysms, but the frequency and clinical impact has not been completely elucidated. In this case of a 45-year-old woman with a large left internal carotid artery aneurysm, the ophthalmic artery was covered by two flow diverters and was acutely occluded along with the aneurysm. Common carotid injections failed to demonstrate collateral flow to the ophthalmic artery via the external carotid artery. Nonetheless, the patient woke from anesthesia with objectively stable and subjectively improved vision. This case demonstrates that an acute occlusion of the ophthalmic artery without external carotid artery collaterals can be tolerated clinically.
Joint Pricing and Inventory Decisions for Constant Priced Items

This paper develops an algorithm for determining the pricing and ordering decisions for a firm that produces one product for which there is a deterministic demand curve that differs from period to period. It is assumed that the firm wants to maintain the same price for the product throughout the season. There is a fixed cost associated with each order placed or alternatively, each batch produced in addition to per unit ordering and storage costs for carrying inventory over time.
A hybrid system for emotion extraction from suicide notes.

Abstract: The reasons that drive someone to commit suicide are complex and their study has attracted the attention of scientists in different domains. Analyzing this phenomenon could significantly improve the preventive efforts. In this paper we present a method for sentiment analysis of suicide notes submitted to the i2b2/VA/Cincinnati Shared Task 2011. In this task the sentences of 900 suicide notes were labeled with the possible emotions that they reflect. In order to label the sentence with emotions, we propose a hybrid approach which utilizes both rule based and machine learning techniques. To solve the multi class problem a rule-based engine and an SVM model is used for each category. A set of syntactic and semantic features are selected for each sentence to build the rules and train the classifier. The rules are generated manually based on a set of lexical and emotional clues. We propose a new approach to extract the sentence's clauses and constitutive grammatical elements and to use them in syntactic and semantic feature generation. The method utilizes a novel method to measure the polarity of the sentence based on the extracted grammatical elements, reaching precision of 41.79 with recall of 55.03 for an f-measure of 47.50. The overall mean f-measure of all submissions was 48.75% with a standard deviation of 7%.
Low-noise microwave oven magnetrons with fast start-oscillation by azimuthally varying axial magnetic fields

A technique has been proven to significantly reduce the noise and to hasten the startup in microwave signals from dc operating oven magnetrons. The technique is based on imposition of an azimuthally varying axial magnetic field in magnetrons. For an N-cavity magnetron operating in pi-mode, the optimal number of periods of azimuthal variations in the axial magnetic field is N/2. This technique demonstrates the fastest startup and lowest start-oscillation current by prebunching the electrons. Measurements show dramatic reduction in noise of 600-800 W oven magnetrons operating dc near 2.45 GHz. The sidebands are eliminated (*30 dB) and the noise within 50 MHz from the carrier is reduced by 30 dB. Noise reduction is observed at low (up to 60 mA), medium (60-200 mA) and high currents (200-300 mA), for both aged and fresh oven magnetrons. The reduction in power and in electronic efficiency is of order of 10%, in this low-noise, fast startup operation.
Circumcision and HIV prevention research: an ethical analysis

A large randomised controlled trial in 3274 men between the ages of 18 and 24 years showed that circumcision resulted in a significant 60% reduction in HIV infection. If these results were to be confirmed by two continuing (unpublished) trials there would be grounds to advocate circumcision as a public health intervention in high prevalence areas. Several ethical issues arose in relation to this trial such as the decision not to disclose participants HIV status to them during the trial the decision to pay participants and early termination at the request of the trials monitoring board. We address the ethical implications for future HIV prevention research both for biological interventions such as vaccine and microbicide trials and for behavioural interventions such as counselling. First is there an ethical obligation to provide all male participants in future trials of HIV vaccines and other preventive methods with circumcision (as well as counselling and access to condoms)? Second should future prevention trials select or stratify participants by circumcision status? Third should the design of such trials be altered in light of the established effectiveness of circumcision--eg by requiring circumcision for the control groups? (excerpt)
Brief A convex parametrization of risk-adjusted stabilizing controllers

The focal point of this paper is the synthesis of controllers under risk-specifications. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the development of techniques for controller design where, instead of requiring that the performance specifications are met for every possible value of admissible uncertainty, it is required that the risk of performance violation is below a small well-defined risk level. In contrast to previous work, where the search for the controller gains is done using randomized algorithms, the results in this paper show that for a class of uncertain linear time invariant systems, the search for the ''risk-adjusted'' controller can be done efficiently using deterministic algorithms. More precisely, for the case when the characteristic polynomial of the closed loop system depends affinely on the uncertainty, we provide a convex parametrization of ''risk-adjusted'' stabilizing controllers.
The use of azide–alkyne click chemistry in recent syntheses and applications of polytriazole-based nanostructured polymers

The rapid development of efficient organic click coupling reactions has significantly facilitated the construction of synthetic polymers with sophisticated branched nanostructures. This Feature Article summarizes the recent progress in the application of efficient copper-catalyzed and copper-free azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC and CuFAAC) reactions in the syntheses of dendrimers, hyperbranched polymers, star polymers, graft polymers, molecular brushes, and cyclic graft polymers. Literature reports on the interesting properties and functions of these polytriazole-based nanostructured polymers are also discussed to illustrate their potential applications as self-healing polymers, adhesives, polymer catalysts, opto-electronic polymer materials and polymer carriers for drug and imaging molecules.