cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electron-like quasiparticles drive the superconductor-insulator transition in homogeneously disordered thin films

Abstract Transport data on Bi, MoGe and PbBi/Ge homogeneously disordered thin films demonstrate that the critical resistivity Rc at the nominal insulator-superconductor transition is linearly proportional to the normal sheet resistance RN. In addition, the critical magnetic field scales linearly with the superconducting energy gap and is well approximated by Hc2 Because RN is determined at high temperatures and Hc2 is the pair-breaking field, the two immediate consequences are that electron-like quasiparticles populate the insulating side of the transition and that standard phase-only models are incapable of describing the destruction of the superconducting state. As gapless electronic excitations populate the insulating state, the universality class is no longer the three-dimensional XY model, thereby relaxing the constraints that this model imposes on the critical exponents as well as on the critical resistance, namely Rc = RQ = h/4e2. The lack of a unique critical resistance in homogeneously disordered...
Many districts left behind: An individual change analysis of inequity in the Kenyan primary educational opportunities (2001–2007)

Abstract The study examined variations in district performance in KCPE national examination in Kenya between 2001 and 2007. The individual change model revealed that district poverty rate was not a significant predictor of either the initial district performance (2001) or the rate of change over the seven-year period. The regional context of North Eastern Province had the lowest initial KCPE performance rates followed by the Gusii districts of Nyanza. However, the model revealed that the KCPE performance rates among districts located in the North Eastern Province are predicted to improve at an annual rate of 10.31 percentage points. The study recommends that educators and policy makers seek ways to address educational under-performance and low participation rates in Kenya without over-reliance on poverty reduction programs alone.
Immunizations, neonatal jaundice and animal-induced injuries.

Purpose of review To review the literature published within the last year on three topics essential to clinical pediatrics: immunizations, neonatal jaundice, and animal-induced injuries. Recent findings New vaccines that protect against meningococcus, pertussis and rotavirus are safe, effective and recommended for routine immunization. Young children remain a high priority for influenza vaccination while the world awaits further developments of avian influenza. Pneumococcal and varicella vaccinations have benefited many. Debate exists on how to screen for hyperbilirubinemia in neonates and new strategies are emerging to prevent it. There seems to be no link between hyperbilirubinemia and autism spectrum disorders. We have learned that rabies can be transmitted by transplantation; it remains a global public health problem and its incidence is frequently underestimated in developing nations. Lastly, brown recluse spider bites are often misdiagnosed. Summary The face of pediatric infectious disease is changing as we incorporate new vaccines into our routine practice. Rotavirus vaccine has significant implications for the health of children across the globe. The management strategy for neonatal jaundice continues to focus on screening and prevention. We need to devote more energy to combating rabies in countries where it is endemic.
Effects of integrating wind power for representative load scenarios in a us electric power system: Operational costs and environmental impacts

Integrating wind energy requires careful operational and market practices. The effect of wind power production can only be calculated by comparing operational costs, Locational Marginal Pricing (LMP), and emission rates in two power integration scenarios: Added-Wind case and No Added-Wind case scenarios. This paper presents operational impacts of wind power for both scenarios applied to Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) US equivalent electric power system. We consider seasonal wind and load power patterns by simulating a 10-minute constrained economic dispatch optimization model (CEDOM) for three days in January, July and September. We observe that the effects of large scale wind power on system operations and emission reductions vary due to seasonal system load variations and consequent variations in dispatched power. Next, we study the effects of policies on the wind power plants revenues (taking into account prediction costs) in particular, the Production Tax Credit (PTC) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proposed. It appears that the FERC policy would result in higher revenues to wind power producers.
Neurological recovery after cardiac arrest: clinical feasibility trial of calcium blockers.

Abstract In order to determine whether the calcium blockers verapamil and/or magnesium sulfate decrease neurological morbidity after cardiac arrest, all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (290) occurring during a nine-month period in five participating hospitals were retrospectively studied. Twenty-nine patients met the criteria for inclusion in this study. Each had an unwitnessed, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and was comatose (no purposeful response to pain) 20 minutes after the restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Eighteen patients (calcium blocker group) received verapamil and/or magnesium sulfate at some point after ROSC, while eleven patients received standard ACLS therapy (control group). Age, arrest time, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) time, and cerebral ischemic time were comparable in the two groups. In the calcium blocker group, seven of 18 patients regained consciousness, and six of these seven survived. All six surivors appeared neurologically normal upon discharge and at three and six months of follow-up. While no demonstrably adverse effects were seen after the administration of magnesium sulfate, 56% of the patients who received verapamil had a significant drop in blood pressure. In the control group, three of 11 patients regained consciousness and two of the three left the hospital alive. Both survivors were disabled—one severely and one moderately. Follow-up after three and six months revealed no significant improvement in their disabillity. Overall, six of 18 patients experienced clinically complete neurological recovery in the calcium blocker group, while none of the 11 patients in the control group made a complete neurological recovery ( P = 0.06).
Bivalent transition-state analogue inhibitors of human glyoxalase I.

A new class of competitive inhibitors of homodimeric human glyoxalase I has been created by cross-linking two molecules of the transition-state analogue S-(N-4-chlorophenyl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)gluta...
1391 EFFECTS OF LEUKOTRIENE ANTAGONIST FPL57231 ON THE A EARLY HEMODYNAMIC MANIFESTATIONS OF GROUP B BETA STREPTOCOCCAL SEPSIS (GBS) IN PIGLETS

To evaluate the cardiovascular effects of FPL57231 on the early phase of GBS, paralyzed, mechanically ventilated piglets received a continuous IV infusion of GBS (4×108 org/kg/min) while aortic (AoP) and pulmonary artery pressures (Ppa) were measured q 15 min ('). Cardiac output (CO) was measured by thermodilution. Control animals (C) (n=3) (X+SD;wt, 3026±385g;age 10±2d) received only GBS. Treatment aninals (T) (n=4) (wt, 2646±493g;age 11±3d) received 1 mg/kg/min × 120′ of FPL57231, begining 15′ after infusion of GBS began. (*p<.05; **p,<.001) AoP was not statistically different during this period for (C) or (T). Calculated pulmonary and systemic (SVR) vascular resistences were both lower in (T) (p<.03) from 30′ - 60′. SVR was not statistically different for (C) or (T) when base was compared to 60′. pH deteriorate (p<.01) by 60′ in (C), while there were no significant pH change in (T). (C) survived 113±26′ vs 187±50′ (p=.07) for (T). These data suggest that leukotrienes may affect the early cardiovascular manifestations of GBS.
Ancient repeated sequences in the pea and mung bean genomes and implications for genome evolution

Essentially all of the sequences in the pea (Pisum sativum) genome which reassociate with single copy kinetics at standard (Tm -25°C) criterion follow repetitive kinetics at lower temperatures (about Tm-35°C). Analysis of thermal stability profiles for presumptive single copy duplexes show that they contain substantial mismatch even when formed at standard criterion. Thus most of the sequences in the pea genome which are conventionally defined as “single copy” are actually “fossil repeats” — that is, they are members of extensively diverged (mutuated) and thus presumably ancient families of repeated sequences. Coding sequences as represented by a cDNA probe prepared from poly-somal poly(A) + mRNA reassociate with single copy kinetics regardless of criterion and do not form mismatched duplexes. The coding regions thus appear to be composed of true single copy sequences but they cannot represent more than a few percent of the pea genome. Ancient diverged repeats are present, but not a prominent feature of the smaller mung bean (Vigna radiata) genome. An extension of a simple evolutionary model is proposed in which these and other differences in genome organization are considered to reflect different rates of sequence amplification or genome turnover during evolution. The model accounts for some of the differences between typical plant and animal genomes.
The Dual-Current-Loop Controlled Doubly Fed Induction Motor for EV/HEV Applications

With the proposed dual-current-loop control algorithm, the torque and air-gap flux of a doubly fed induction motor are controlled directly. Compared to the singly fed permanent magnet and induction motors, the torque-speed operation region for electric vehicle/hybrid electric vehicle applications is nearly doubled with the proposed dual-current-loop control algorithm for a given battery voltage. Computer simulations and experimental results are provided to verify the proposed control algorithm.
Code status and resuscitation options in the electronic health record

Abstract Aim The advance discussion and documentation of code-status is important in preventing undesired cardiopulmonary resuscitation and related end of life interventions. Code-status documentation remains infrequent and paper-based, which limits its usefulness. This study evaluates a tool to document code-status in the electronic health records at a large teaching hospital, and analyzes the corresponding data. Methods Encounter data for patients admitted to the Medical Center were collected over a period of 12 months (01-APR-2012–31-MAR-2013) and the code-status attribute was tracked for individual patients. The code-status data were analyzed separately for adult and pediatric patient populations. We considered 131,399 encounters for 83,248 adult patients and 80,778 encounters for 55,656 pediatric patients in this study. Results 71% of the adult patients and 30% of the pediatric patients studied had a documented code-status. Age and severity of illness influenced the decision to document code-status. Demographics such as gender, race, ethnicity, and proximity of primary residence were also associated with the documentation of code-status. Conclusion Absence of a recorded code-status may result in unnecessary interventions. Code-status in paper charts may be difficult to access in cardiopulmonary arrest situations and may result in unnecessary and unwanted interventions and procedures. Documentation of code-status in electronic records creates a readily available reference for care providers.
COMPUTER-BASED ARABIC MANUSCRIPT MANAGEMENT

filming an interim 352-page bilingual finding aid was generated for the 937 records involved. Following corrections to that finding aid in the field and additions to the collection during the 1988/89 year, indices in Arabic and English will be generated from the program. The rapidity with which this collection has thus become accessible for researchers is fairly dramatic, and the program developed for the project may well point to ways in which other comparable data sets may be efficiently managed. This description will focus on the objectives of the finding aid, the technical outline of its development, the experience to date with its application, and possible future uses for the system. The library which forms the core of this microfilm collection dates from the
A joint chance-constrained programming model with row dependence

Abstract Joint chance-constrained stochastic programming models typically require random row vector independence. A joint model is developed that incorporates not only within-constraint covariance as is usually the case, but also admits dependence between constraints, that is, row dependence. The objective function of the associated chance-constrained deterministic equivalent is a multivariate normal distribution with dimension equal to the number of chance constraints in the original problem. We discuss methods to solve this multinormal integral and evaluate its derivatives. The model is implemented in portable Fortran and applied to two 9-D test problems.
Simulations of brittle solids using smooth particle hydrodynamics

Abstract We describe a version of the smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method suitable for modeling solids. The model includes strength and implements a von Mises yielding relation for stresses beyond the Hugoniot elastic limit. At lower stresses associated with brittle failure we use a rate-dependent strength based on the nucleation and growth of explicit Weibull flaws. We illustrate the capabilities of our fracture model by examining the propagation of cracks in a simple tensile rod, and by comparing simulations with laboratory experiments for high speed impacts and cratering.
Drugs that may exacerbate myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis is an uncommon disease. The emergency physician should be cautious when prescribing medications to myasthenics for problems not related to myasthenia gravis. We have discussed some of those agents (Figure 3) that are recognized to cause exacerbation of MG or that may have the potential to exacerbate MG. We recommend that management of any medical or surgical problem of the myasthenic be done in consultation with a managing neurologist, and that either early follow-up or admission is necessary when these agents are used in the patient with myasthenia gravis.
The Impact of Traffic Stops on Calling the Police for Help

Using data from the Police—Public Contact Survey (PPCS), the current study examined how experiencing traffic stops affect the likelihood that Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics will contact the police for services. First, experiencing one or more traffic stops in the past year significantly decreased the likelihood of contacting the police for assistance and to report a neighborhood problem, net of other demographic characteristics. Second, traffic stop experiences had similar effects on Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, each group less likely to have contacted the police for assistance and to report neighborhood problems if they had experienced one or more traffic stops in the past year. This study also discusses the reasons why experiencing traffic stops are related to contacting the police for help and provides some implications for police— community relationships.
Natural Gas Desulfurization by Adsorption: Feasibility and Multiplicity of Cyclic Steady States

The feasibility of simultaneous removal and concentration of H[sub 2]S from natural gas by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is established. The predried feed contains 1,000 ppm H[sub 2]S and 5% CO[sub 2]. The purified adsorption product contains below 1 ppm H[sub 2]S at methane product recoveries above 95%. At the same time a desorption product with 2% H[sub 2]S is obtained which can be readily converted into sulfur by known processes. In the PSA system, there is a region of feed velocities where two stable cyclic steady states and an unstable steady state exist. Under the same PSA conditions considered, the product impurities in the two stable steady states are approximately 100 and 1 ppm H[sub 2]S, depending on the initial bed conditions. Upon examining the differences between the H[sub 2]S concentration profiles in the bed at the two steady states, the lower steady state is described by a single wave kept short from breaking through the bed, while the upper steady state is described by a combined wave with transfer zones at each end of the bed, connected by a middle constant zone.
Validation of the structural scales of the CPI for predicting the performance of junior officers in the U. S. Coast Guard

This article applies the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) to the prediction of the rated performance of junior officers in the U. S. Coast Guard. The study uses Harrison Gough's recently published structural scales or “vectors” for the CPI and contrasts the predictive validity of the structural scales with that of the original scales based on “folk concepts.” For 85 graduates of the U. S. Coast Guard Academy's class of 1986, performance during the first two years following graduation was summarized in an overall rating derived from regular, semi-annual effectiveness reports. CPI vectors calculated from data that had been gathered during the summer of 1982 effectively predicted leadership performance and provided some support for Gough's typological “cuboid” model of personality. While the structural scales offered a relatively compact description of personality, several of the individual folk scales, notablyDominance, performed as well as or better than the structural scales as predictors of the performance criterion. The implications of the results, both for the use of the CPI and for the utility of the higher-order personality constructs represented by the structural scales, are discussed.
Gene Therapy: Design and Prospects for Craniofacial Regeneration

Gene therapy is defined as the treatment of disease by transfer of genetic material into cells. This review will explore methods available for gene transfer as well as current and potential applications for craniofacial regeneration, with emphasis on future development and design. Though non-viral gene delivery methods are limited by low gene transfer efficiency, they benefit from relative safety, low immunogenicity, ease of manufacture, and lack of DNA insert size limitation. In contrast, viral vectors are nature's gene delivery machines that can be optimized to allow for tissue-specific targeting, site-specific chromosomal integration, and efficient long-term infection of dividing and non-dividing cells. In contrast to traditional replacement gene therapy, craniofacial regeneration seeks to use genetic vectors as supplemental building blocks for tissue growth and repair. Synergistic combination of viral gene therapy with craniofacial tissue engineering will significantly enhance our ability to repair and replace tissues in vivo.
DNA solution conformation via infrared circular dichroism: experimental and theoretical results for B-family polymers.

Infrared (vibrational) circular dichroism (VCD) has been observed for the DNA models d(CG)5, poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC), poly(dG).poly(dC), poly(dA-dT).poly(dA-dT), and poly(dA).poly(dT) in the B-conformation in buffered, aqueous solution. The observed results are quantitatively interpreted in terms of the exciton model for coupled carbonyl stretching vibrational states.
Characterization of oxidase(s) associated with the sex pheromone gland in Manduca sexta (L.) females

An oxidase that converts primary aliphatic alcohols into aldehydes was discovered in the cuticle of the sex pheromone gland and in the papillae anales on the tip of the abdomen of Manduca sexta females. Oxidase activity was not found in the epidermal cells of the pheromone gland where fatty acid precursors of the pheromonal aldehydes are found. This oxidase requires oxygen and water to function and appears to have a rather broad substrate specificity. The activity of the oxidase is reduced by the application of piperonyl butoxide, which also interferes with the PBAN induced production of the natural pheromone aldehydes. However, endogenous alcohols cannot be found in the pheromone gland. Thus, it is not yet clear whether or not the oxidase is involved in the terminal step of biosynthesis of the pheromone aldehydes in M. sexta females. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.1
Pattern regulation and transdetermination in Drosophila imaginal leg disk reaggregates

WHEN Drosophila imaginal disk tissue is cultured in vivo1, the proliferating cells can adopt new fates within the limits of a single disk (‘pattern regulation’2,3) or may even produce structures normally derived from a different disk (‘transdetermination’4). Much of the pattern regulation occurring in imaginal disk fragments may be controlled by interactions between cells that come together during wound healing3,5. I report here further studies on the role of cell interactions in pattern regulation and transdetermination, by means of dissociation and reaggregation of specific disk parts. The data confirm the importance of cell interactions for pattern regulation, and suggest that interactions between cells with large positional disparities may also be crucial for the stimulation of transdetermination.
Oral delivery of antisense oligonucleotides in man

Treatment of systemic disease with phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotides (PS ASOs) has been accomplished using local or parenteral routes of administration to date. This report describes, for the first time, the effective oral delivery of a second generation oligonucleotide where significant milligram amounts of intact drug are absorbed in human subjects. In this study, a variety of oral solid dosage formulations were evaluated and it was determined that pulsing the delivery of sodium caprate (C10), a well-known permeation enhancer, in a novel manner may provide optimal ASO plasma bioavailability. Further, these dosage forms, containing C10 and ASO, were well tolerated in both fasted and fed volunteers. Oral absorption of the 2'-O-(2-methoxyethyl) modified antisense oligonucleotide (2'-MOE ASO), ISIS 104838, was demonstrated in healthy volunteers with an average 9.5% plasma bioavailability across four formulations tested. The greatest average performance achieved in this study for a single formulation was 12.0% bioavailability within an individual dose and subject range of 1.96-27.5%. The totality of the data suggests that formulations can be devised that allow oral administration of oligonucleotides that maintain systemic concentrations associated with inhibition of targeted human mRNA.
Adsorption kinetics of proteins in plastic microfluidic channels: Real-time monitoring of lysozyme adsorption by pulsed streaming potentials

A proof-of-concept study is presented illustrating the real-time monitoring of lysozyme (Ly) adsorption on the surface of microchannels made with cyclic olefin copolymer (COC). The signal arises from changes in the surface charge upon adsorption of Ly which is monitored by pulsed streaming potentials. Because streaming potentials are electrochemical potentials resulting from the pressure-driven flow of the liquid and the surface charge of the microchannel, this approach is ideal for microfluidics. Initial adsorption rates showed a linear correlation with the bulk concentration of [Ly] in the range between 7.0 and 350 nM. Fitting of the adsorption isotherms allowed the estimation of equilibrium and rate constants of adsorption. The influence of phosphate ions on the adsorption kinetics of Ly was also investigated. Unlike the steady flow used in conventional streaming potential measurements, the present approach incorporates pulsed flow and the ability to inject finite samples into the microfluidic stream. The pulsed flow allows the use of non-reference electrodes which removes the need for special electrolytes to stabilize the electrode potentials. Likewise, the injection permits monitoring of adsorption and desorption events in real time. The label-free monitoring of these events and the high sensitivity of the adsorption kinetics of Ly to solution species found in this work indicates that this method could be applicable to study protein-protein interactions.
In vivo gene delivery of glial cell line–derived neurotrophic factor for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects approximately 1,000,000 Americans. The cause of the disease remains unknown. The histopathological hallmarks of the disease are dopaminergic striatal insufficiency secondary to a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and intracellular inclusion called Lewy bodies. Currently, only symptomatic treatment for PD is available. Although some treatments are efficacious for many years, all have significant limitations and new therapeutic approaches are needed. Gene therapy is ideal for delivering therapeutic molecules to site-specific regions of the central nervous system. Via gene therapy, a piece or pieces of DNA placed into a carrying vector encoding for a substance of interest can be introduced into specific cells. Although there are several ways that gene therapy can be applied for PD, this review focuses on in vivo gene delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) as a neuroprotective strategy for PD.
Analysis of a Delta Wing with Leading-Edge Flaps

THE effect of a leading-edge flap on the aerodynamic characteristics of a low-aspect-ratio delta wing has been studied using vortex-feeding-sheets singularity systems to represent the separated flow. The analysis was performed in the crossflow plane using the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation. Particular attention was paid to the influence of flap deflection on lift and drag. It was found that both lift and drag decrease during flap deflection, while the lift-to-drag ratio increases. The main reason for lift reduction is the partial suppression of the vortex system from the leading edge as a result of flap deflection, while drag reduction originates in a propulsive component of the pressure force acting on the deflected flaps.
Free spectral range measurement of a fiberized Fabry–Perot etalon with sub-Hz accuracy

In this work a narrow linewidth (1 kHz) laser source is used to measure the free spectral range of a fiberized Fabry-Perot etalon with sub-Hz accuracy (10−8). A previously demonstrated technique based on the Pound-Drever-Hall error signal is improved in accuracy by the use of a narrow linewidth laser swept in frequency via an acousto-optic modulator, or single sideband generation. The sub-Hz (10−8) accuracy attained enables the characterization of both the long-term drift and the polarization dependence of the free spectral range of the fiberized etalon.
Shortcut ‘Input-Output’ Multipliers, Alive and Well: Response to Jensen and Hewings

Jensen and Hewings have devoted most of their comments to our work as presented in a number of papers dated between 1977 and 1982. It might be noted that the tone and content of their current paper is quite different from that adopted in an earlier paper by Jensen. In the present paper we attempt to respond to their major criticisms and reservations one by one and to clarify a number of points where there appears to be some confusion about our purposes and our approach.
Mutational analysis of barley stripe mosaic virus rna β

Abstract Barley stripe mosaic virus (BSMV), the type member of the hordeivirus group, has a plus-stranded genome comprising RNA species designated α, β and γ Although RNA β is essential for infection of whole plants, it is dispensable for infection of barley protoplasts. We have used a full-length cDNA clone of RNA β from which infectious in vitro transcripts can be derived to construct a number of mutations in its four genes. Mutations introduced into the βb βc or βd genes eliminated infectivity of the RNA. The coat protein and the RNA sequences encoding the coat protein were completely dispensable for infection of barley plants by BSMV, and no detrimental effect on systemic movement of the virus was observed. However, besides eliminating coat protein expression in vivo , mutations within the coat protein gene and the first intercistronic region affected a number of other phenotypes: (1) expression of a downstream gene (βb), (2) stability of the genomic RNA during virus multiplication in planta , (3) the requirement for a trans -acting BSMV protein (γb), (4) symptomatology and disease development in infected barley plants, and (5) host range.
Periodic Breathing Triggered by Hypoxia in Normal Awake Adults* Modification by Naloxone

Breathing patterns in six normal awake subjects were monitored noninvasively during progressive hypoxia accomplished with the administration of nitrogen at 2, 4, 6, and 8 L/min by nasal cannula. The lowest value of arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) of 88±4 percent (mean±SD) was achieved with nitrogen at 8 L/min. At baseline, tidal volume (VT) and frequency were fairly regular; with nitrogen at 2 and 4 L/min, some subjects showed minor fluctuations of VT. At 6 and 8 L/min, periodic breathing with marked oscillations of VT, apneas, hypopneas, and intermittent large tidal breaths were consistently observed. Inspired oxygen concentration fluctuated because of the variations of tidal breaths provoked when periodic breathing took place and enhanced fluctuation in SaO2. A randomized, double-blind crossover design was used to assess the effect of pretreatment with naloxone on this periodicity. In contrast to the irregular breathing pattern observed with pretreatment with placebo, the breathing pattern after pretreatment with naloxone was regular during nasal administration of nitrogen except at 8 L/min, when minor fluctuations in VT with occasional hypopneas and large tidal breaths occurred. On another day, irregular and periodic breathing with apneas or hypopneas (or both) produced by nasal nitrogen at 8 L/min was eliminated or blunted by short-term intravenous administration of naloxone. On another day, electroencephalographic monitoring corroborated visual observations made in the previous studies that the hypoxic subjects were awake during the breathing alterations. Thus, awake adults develop irregular and periodic breathing during induction of mild hypoxia produced by nasal administration of nitrogen. The irregularity in breathing appears to be mediated through release of endorphins, since the effect is blunted or eliminated by pretreatment or short-term treatment with naloxone.
A quantitative test of the ability of models based on the equation of radiative transfer to predict the bidirectional reflectance of a well-characterized medium

Predictions of two widely-used regolith reflectance models, a numerically exact computer code and an approximate analytic equation, based on the equation of radiative transfer were tested against the measured reflectance of a medium of close-packed spheres, whose properties supposedly can be well-characterized. Surprisingly, the approximate analytic model was a better match to the experimental data than the numerically exact computer solution. Other approximate regolith models were tested briefly with similar results. Discrepancies between the two models and between models and experiment can be explained if the phase functions and albedos of the spheres are not the same as when the particles are isolated. Differences include the absence of the Fraunhoffer diffraction peak, which is an intrinsic assumption of the approximate analytical model but not the exact numerical model, and increased scattering in the mid-range of phase angles, which the approximate analytic model fortuitously describes more accurately than the exact numerical model. These changes may be caused by the close proximity of surrounding particles. If they are taken into account, models based on the radiative transfer equation appear able to quantitatively predict the reflectances of regoliths and other particulate media. Interparticle perturbations are also predicted to cause a coherent backscatter opposition effect in the backward direction that was observed, but its angular width was found to be much larger than predicted by theories for sparsely-packed media.
Intraclass correlation among measures related to tobacco use by adolescents: estimates, correlates, and applications in intervention studies.

Abstract Tobacco intervention studies that employ a community trial design require adjustment to the usual analytic methods to account for the allocation of intact social groups to study conditions and the positive intraclass correlation (ϱ) that is inevitable in such a design. In the absence of valid estimates of the relevant ϱ, investigators seeking to establish an appropriate sample size could only guess about the magnitude of the problem. We recently published estimates of ϱ for common measures of adolescent tobacco use, but those estimates were unadjusted for potential covariates and so represented an upper limit on the magnitude of ϱ. This report demonstrates how estimates of intraclass correlation may be substantially reduced through regression adjustment for easily measured covariates. Results show that both the ϱ and the residual variance can be reduced, by an average of 20 and 11%, respectively, offering greater efficiency for investigators who plan future studies and who are able to measure those covariates in their studies. Future work should seek both to replicate this work and to extend it: for example, to cohort designs where the improvements might be even greater.
Monocytes Harboring Cytomegalovirus: Interactions With Endothelial Cells, Smooth Muscle Cells, and Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein: Possible Mechanisms for Activating Virus Delivered by Monocytes to Sites of Vascular Injury

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and its periodic reactivation from latency may contribute to atherogenesis and restenosis. It is unknown how CMV is delivered to the vessel wall and is reactivated. We examined the following hypothesis: CMV, present in monocytes recruited to sites of vascular injury, is activated by endothelial cell (EC) or smooth muscle cell (SMC) contact and by oxidized low-density lipoproteins (oxLDLs). The CMV major immediate-early promoter (MIEP) controls immediate-early (IE) gene expression, and thereby viral replication. To determine whether elements of the vessel wall can activate CMV present in monocytes, we transiently transfected the promonocytic cell line HL-60 with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene construct driven by MIEP. MIEP activity increased 1.7 +/- 0.5-fold (P = .02) when the transfected HL-60 cells were cocultured with ECs, 4.5 +/- 1.5-fold when cocultured with SMCs (P = .03), and 2.0 +/- 0.5-fold (P = .01) when exposed to oxLDL. The combination of oxLDL and EC coculture increased MIEP activity over 7-fold. We also found that freshly isolated human monocytes, infected with endothelium-passaged CMV, were capable of transmitting infectious virus to cocultured ECs or SMCs. CMV-related progression of atherosclerosis or restenosis may, at least in part, involve monocyte delivery of the virus to the site of vascular injury, where the vascular milieu, ie, contact with ECs, SMCs, and oxLDL, can contribute to viral reactivation and/or replication by enhancing CMV IE gene expression. The virus may then infect neighboring ECs or SMCs, initiating a cascade of events predisposing to the development of atherogenesis-related processes.
Effect of feed energy intake on collagen characteristics and muscle quality of mature cows

Samples from mature cows fed a high-energy and maintenance-energy diet for 84 days prior to slaughter were used to compare collagen solubility and palatability traits. Cows fed a high-energy diet prior to slaughter had increased percentage heat-labile collagen, less sensory panel detectable connective tissue and lower shear force values than cows fed a maintenance-energy diet. Mature cows fed a high-energy diet were fatter and had more marbling than cows fed a maintenance-energy diet. The increased collagen solubility from feeding a high-energy diet to mature cows resulted in palatability and shear force ratings similar to those expected from young animals.
Engineered diffusers for UV litography

Engineered diffusers are proposed for homogenization and shaping of pupil and field illumination distributions for UV lithography applications. Capabilities include arbitrary control of diffusion angle, arbitrary spatial distribution of scattered light (square, circular, rectangular, quadrupole, etc.), high transmission, and polarization conservation, without issues such as zero order or speckle.
URINARY TRACT INFECTION CAUSED BY ANAEROBIC BACTERIA IN CHILDREN

Anaerobic bacteria were recovered from 5 children with urinary tract infection (UTI). Three had pyelonephritis and 2 cystitis. Two of the patients had a history of prior recurrent UTI. Urine samples were collected using suprapubic aspiration. The anaerobic organism recovered were 3 isolates of Bacteroides fragilis and one each of B. melaninogenicus, Peptococcus asaccharolyticus, and Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Mixed infection was present in 3 children. In 2 cases B. fragilis were present with Escherichia coli, and in the other case two anaerobes were present. All patients were treated with antimicrobial agents for ten to fourteen days and responded well to therapy. Two of the children had a recurrence of UTI with aerobic organisms recovered from their urine within six to eight months. This report demonstrates the association of anaerobic organisms with UTI in children. It is suggested that cultures for anaerobic organisms be performed in symptomatic children whose aerobic cultures show no bacterial growth.
Immune regulation of myeloma cells

Abstract MM is a B-cell neoplasm that is accompanied by a variety of qualitative and quantitative alterations in immunoregulatory cells. Interactions between myeloma cells and immunoregulatory cells may relate both to disease progression and to some of the complications of MM, including hypogammaglobulinemia. Of particular interest is the relationship between stable-phase or plateau-phase myeloma and increased numbers of T-suppressor cells. In addition, the more recent discovery of production of certain interleukins and the presence of interleukin receptors on the plasma membranes of myeloma cells suggest that these cytokines may be involved in oncogenesis in MM. Because these cytokines may also be produced by immunoregulatory cells, further work needs to be done to determine the relative contribution of cytokines to the growth and regulation of myeloma cells. Finally, it is also possible that certain interleukins may be efficacious in the treatment of patients with MM.
Responses to cyclic AMP is impaired in the twitcher Schwann cells in vitro.

Abstract Twitcher (twi/twi) is a murine model of genetic demyelinating disease globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD). Available data suggest that demyelination in GLD is caused by degeneration or dysfunction of myelin-forming cells resulting from an accumulation of psychosine, a toxic substrate of galactosylceramidase and a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C (PKC). We investigated proliferation and differentiation of twi/twi Schwann cells in response to forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator. In twi/twi Schwann cells isolated at the postnatal day (P) 10 prior to the onset of demyelination, proliferation and an expression of the surface galactocerebroside (galC) in response to forskolin were similar to those of +/+ mice. However, in twi/twi Schwann cells isolated from demyelinating sciatic nerves at P20 or P30, fewer numbers of cells expressed surface galC compared to age matched control (+/+) Schwann cells. In all Schwann cells, surface galC expression was lost after 3 days in vitro (DIV). However, with an administration of 50 μM forskolin in the media containing 1% fetal bovine serum (FBS) on the 4 DIV, surface galC could be reexpressed in all +/+ and P10 twi/twi Schwann cells but not in P20 or P30 twi/twi cells. In the media containing 10% FBS, forskolin also stimulated proliferation of Schwann cells from P10 twi/twi, and P10 and P30+/+ mice but not those from P30 twi/twi mice. These results are consistent with a metabolic perturbation of twi/twi Schwann cells that may be reflecting cellular dysfunctions by inhibition of the PKC.
Using static capacity modeling techniques in semiconductor manufacturing

In the capital intensive semiconductor industry, the ability to understand and communicate manufacturing capacity can mean the difference between profit and loss. Companies can make informed decisions on what, when, and how much equipment is needed to meet market demand only when their manufacturing capacity is understood. The use of static capacity modeling can provide a cost effective means for understanding and communicating manufacturing capability, while at the same time forming a foundation to build towards more sophisticated modeling techniques. Static capacity analysis can provide valid insight into some basic questions about manufacturing capability. In addition, static capacity modeling can simplify the data collection and validation effort, making capacity modeling an easier pill to swallow by front line manufacturing organizations that must maintain the model. This paper describes how Harris Semiconductor has implemented static capacity modeling analysis for strategic capital planning and enterprise wide production planning.
A modular extended resonance transmit phased array with improved scan angle

A new circuit for designing phased arrays based on the extended resonance technique is proposed. Extended resonance is a power dividing structure that allows construction of low complexity and cost phased arrays. Achievable phase shift between adjacent nodes of the phased array is studied and a new circuit structure to maximize the scan angle is investigated. Furthermore a modular approach for designing transmit phased arrays with large number of antennas is proposed. As a proof of principle, a 2 GHz seven-element transmit phased array with a scan angle of approximately 60 degrees has been demonstrated.
Mining for Implications in Medical Data

Accruing patients for clinical trials has been a tedious and time consuming task for clinicians. It requires extensive knowledge of the specific criteria for all available clinical trials. Through interviews with clinicians, implications were discovered which reduced the number of required questions/answers to determine eligibility. After gathering and recording data on past breast cancer patients, the answers to the questions asked by an expert system were extracted. An association rule learner, was used to generate implication rules such as: male => not pregnant. It was determined that all current implication rules could be recovered with 100% confidence. Further searching for additional rules resulted in the discovery of several which provided an improvement in the clinical ease of use of the Web-based clinical trial assignment expert system
Visual hierarchical dimension reduction for exploration of high dimensional datasets

Traditional visualization techniques for multidimensional data sets, such as parallel coordinates, glyphs, and scatterplot matrices, do not scale well to high numbers of dimensions. A common approach to solving this problem is dimensionality reduction. Existing dimensionality reduction techniques usually generate lower dimensional spaces that have little intuitive meaning to users and allow little user interaction. In this paper we propose a new approach to handling high dimensional data, named Visual Hierarchical Dimension Reduction (VHDR), that addresses these drawbacks. VHDR not only generates lower dimensional spaces that are meaningful to users, but also allows user interactions in most steps of the process. In VHDR, dimensions are grouped into a hierarchy, and lower dimensional spaces are constructed using clusters of the hierarchy. We have implemented the VHDR approach into XmdvTool, and extended several traditional multidimensional visualization methods to convey dimension cluster characteristics when visualizing the data set in lower dimensional spaces. Our case study of applying VHDR to a real data set supports our belief that this approach is effective in supporting the exploration of high dimensional data sets.
Perceived Slant: A Dissociation between Perception and Action

Perceived slant is grossly overestimated, such that 5° hills look to be about 20°. However, overestimation is found only in visual and verbal measures of apparent slant; action measures are accurate. This dissociation is consistent with several lines of research that suggest that there exist two perceptual processes, one for visually guided actions and another for explicit awareness. However, studies in other contexts have shown that analogous effects can be the result of differences in the task demands associated with the responses themselves as opposed to the processes underlying the responses. Two experiments are reported in which these alternatives were tested. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that two perceptual processes underlie the dissociation between explicit awareness and visuomotor assessments of perceived slant.
Clinical responses to intramammary endotoxin infusion in dairy cows subjected to feed restriction.

Nonpregnant, midlactation primiparous Holstein cows were fed ad libitum (n = 12) or at 80% of maintenance energy requirements (n = 12) to determine whether feed restriction influences clinical response to endotoxin-induced mastitis. After 2 wk of ad libitum or restricted feeding, one mammary quarter per cow was infused with 100 μg of endotoxin. Within 3 to 6 h of intramammary infusion, endotoxin increased mean rectal temperature, heart rate, and milk somatic cell count and immunoglobulin (IgG) concentration; and decreased blood leukocyte count and rumen motility in both restricted and ad libitum-fed cows. Mean serum and milk tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) concentrations showed only modest increases following endotoxin infusion. Restricted fed cows had slightly different acute fever responses and significantly increased heart and respiration rates than ad libitum fed cows. However, feed restriction did not influence mean total leukocyte count, rumen motility, serum TNF-α concentrations or milk IgG and TNF-α concentrations. Thus, results of this study suggest that energy balance does not significantly alter clinical symptoms following acute endotoxin-induced mastitis, at least in midlactation cows. As such, negative energy balance may not underlie the increases in severe coliform mastitis commonly observed in periparturient dairy cows.
A Long-term Study on the Expansion Effects of the Cervical-pull Facebow With and Without Rapid Maxillary Expansion

This study evaluates the long-term stability of maxillary expansion achieved by widening the inner bow of a facebow, with or without concurrent rapid maxillary expansion (RME) (Haas type), followed by treatment with fixed edgewise appliances. The parent sample included 154 nonextraction patients who started their orthodontic treatment during a defined time period. The exclusion criteria reduced the number of patients to 61 in the cervical-pull facebow group (CFB) and 41 in the RME-CFB group. All subjects were in the late-mixed to early-permanent dentition stage at the start of treatment. Dental casts were measured using a digital imaging system at four different times: start of treatment (T 1), end of active treatment (T2), end of retention (T3), and postretention follow up (T4). The RME-CFB protocol produced a greater increase in maxillary arch width (6.1 mm) than did the CFB protocol (4 mm). The RME-CFB protocol provided greater net maxillary arch perimeter increase than did expansion with an inner bow of a cervical facebow. The RME-CFB group had three mm more arch perimeter 10 years after treatment completion than did the CFB group. The stability of expansion achieved with an inner bow of a facebow was equal to that achieved with a Haas-type RME appliance. Both expansion protocols retained 90% of the initial intermolar expansion 15 years after expansion. ( Angle Orthod 2004;74:439-449.)