cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mercury Distribution in the Gulf Stream

Measurements of reactive mercury in ocean water in the Gulf Stream at depths from 250 to 4460 meters revealed lower and more consistent concentrations than have been reported in the western Atlantic. The mean and standard deviation of 24 values in a vertical profile were 4.1 +/- 1.0 nanograms per liter. A correlation was found between variations in mercury and silicate, suggesting a common link in their marine geochemistry.
Measurement of electron-transfer cross sections for H(3l) in intermediate-energy H + -He collisions

Cross sections have been measured for the production of H(3l) atoms via electron transfer in proton-helium collisions from 25 to 100 keV. In the experiment, the intensity of Balmer-\ensuremath{\alpha} radiation is measured as a function of proton energy. These measurements are combined with previously measured density matrices for the same collision to produce relative cross sections. Our relative electron-transfer results, accurate to 3--7 %, are normalized to the absolute ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{3\mathit{s}}$ cross-section measurement of Brower and Pipkin [Phys. Rev. A 39, 3323 (1989)] at 60 keV. Comparison of our ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{3\mathit{l}}$ cross-section measurements with other experimental measurements shows general agreement to within 20%, with larger differences for older results. The recent calculation of Shingal and Lin [J. Phys. B (to be published)] agrees to within 13% of our measurement of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{3\mathit{s}}$ above 30 keV, but predicts a low-energy oscillatory behavior of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{3\mathit{p}}$ and ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{3\mathit{d}}$ not present in experimental results.
Total electron scattering cross sections of He, Ne and Ar at intermediate electron energies

Abstract Total electron scattering cross sections are reported for Ne and Ar for 300–4500 eV and He for 300–2000 eV electrons by measurement of the electron-beam intensity attenuation through a gas cell. These cross sections are compared with the previous experimental measurements and the predictions by theoretical and semi-empirical models.
Herodotus and an Egyptian mirage: the genealogies of the Theban priests*

This article re-evaluates the significance attributed to Hecataeus? encounter with the Theban priests described by Herodotus (2.143) by setting it against the evidence of Late Period Egyptian representations of the past. In the first part a critique is offered of various approaches Classicists have taken to this episode and its impact on Greek historiography. Classicists have generally imagined this as an encounter in which the young, dynamic and creative Greeks construct an image of the static, ossified and incredibly old culture of the Egyptians, a move which reveals deeper assumptions in the scholarly discourse on Greeks and ?other? cultures in the Mediterranean world. But the civilization that Herodotus confronted in his long excursus on Egypt was not an abstract, eternal Egypt. Rather, it was the Egypt of his own day, at a specific historical moment ? a culture with a particular understanding of its own long history. The second part presents evidence of lengthy Late Period priestly genealogies, and more general archaizing tendencies. Remarkable examples survive of the sort of visual genealogy which would have impressed upon the travelling Greek historians the long continuum of the Egyptian past. These include statues with genealogical inscriptions and relief sculptures representing generations of priests succeeding to their fathers? office. These priestly evocations of a present firmly anchored in the Egyptian past are part of a wider pattern of cultivating links with the historical past in the Late Period of Egyptian history. Thus, it is not simply the marvel of a massive expanse of time which Herodotus encountered in Egypt, but a mediated cultural awareness of that time. The third part of the essay argues that Herodotus used this long human past presented by the Egyptian priests in order to criticize genealogical and mythical representations of the past and develop the notion of an historical past. On the basis of this example, the article concludes by urging a reconsideration of the scholarly paradigm for imagining the encounter between Greeks and ?others? in ethnographic discourse in order to recognize the agency of the Egyptian priests, and other non-Greek ?informants?.
Human and Drosophila Homeodomain Proteins That Enhance the DNA-Binding Activity of Serum Response Factor

Cells with distinct developmental histories can respond differentially to identical signals, suggesting that signals are interpreted in a fashion that reflects a cell's identity. How this might occur is suggested by the observation that proteins of the homeodomain family, including a newly identified human protein, enhance the DNA-binding activity of serum response factor, a protein required for the induction of genes by growth and differentiation factors. Interaction with proteins of the serum response factor family may allow homeodomain proteins to specify the transcriptional response to inductive signals. Moreover, because the ability to enhance the binding of serum response factor to DNA residues within the homeodomain but is independent of homeodomain DNA-binding activity, this additional activity of the homeodomain may account for some of specificity of action of homeodomain proteins in development.
EEG low-voltage alpha and alpha power in African American young adults: relation to family history of alcoholism.

Background: Several studies support an association between having a low-voltage EEG and alcohol dependence; however, it is not clear whether this measure represents a risk marker or is a result of years of heavy drinking. The present study's aims were to investigate the prevalence of low-voltage alpha EEG variants in African American young adults who have not yet developed alcohol dependence and to test for associations between low-voltage alpha (LVA) EEG, alpha power, and a family history of alcohol dependence. Methods: Clinical ratings and spectral characteristics of the EEG, collected using bipolar recordings, were investigated in 81 African American young adult men and women (18–25 years old) who had no personal history of alcohol dependence. Information on psychiatric diagnoses, personality features, personal drinking and drug use history, and family history (FH) of alcoholism was obtained. Results: Thirty-two percent (n= 26) of the participants had an LVA EEG variant, and an additional 22% (n= 18) had borderline LVA. The presence of an LVA variant was not associated with drinking status, a family history of alcoholism, or a personal history of anxiety disorders but was associated with significantly higher extroversion scores. Participants who had an FH of alcoholism had significantly higher spectral power in the slow alpha frequencies (7.5–9 Hz). FH was not associated with any significant differences in any other EEG frequency band. Conclusions: These findings suggest that considerable ethic variation may exist in the prevalence of LVA EEG variants. In addition, like findings in other populations of non-African descent, having an FH of alcohol dependence may be associated with significantly higher voltage in the alpha frequency ranges.
Inflammation and Cancer: A Comparative View

Rudolph Virchow first speculated on a relationship between inflammation and cancer more than 150 years ago. Subsequently, chronic inflammation and associated reactive free radical overload and some types of bacterial, viral, and parasite infections that cause inflammation were recognized as important risk factors for cancer development and account for one in four of all human cancers worldwide. Even viruses that do not directly cause inflammation can cause cancer when they act in conjunction with proinflammatory cofactors or when they initiate or promote cancer via the same signaling pathways utilized in inflammation. Whatever its origin, inflammation in the tumor microenvironment has many cancer-promoting effects and aids in the proliferation and survival of malignant cells and promotes angiogenesis and metastasis. Mediators of inflammation such as cytokines, free radicals, prostaglandins, and growth factors can induce DNA damage in tumor suppressor genes and post-translational modifications of proteins involved in essential cellular processes including apoptosis, DNA repair, and cell cycle checkpoints that can lead to initiation and progression of cancer.
Vibrational relaxation of hydrogen fluorides: HF(ν = 1) + F → HF(ν = 0) + F

Abstract The deexcitation rate constant of HF(ν = 1) + F → HF(ν = 0) + F is calculated over the temperature range 100–3000 K based on the collision model of FH + F in an operator calculus approach. At temperatures above 1500 K, the rate constant is very large with the magnitude of 1013 cm3/mol s. From 100 to 1500 K, the rate constant increases by two orders of magnitude.
Disruptive developmental effects of benzyl-1,3-benzodioxole derivatives on unparasitized and parasitized Manduca sexta larvae

Abstract Treatment of tobacco hornworm larvae with the benzyl-1,3-benzodioxole derivative J-2710 immediately after ecdysis to the fourth instar disrupted development either during the moult to the fifth instar or shortly thereafter. Larvae given topical applications of 100 μg J-2710 in 1 μl acetone suffered 100% mortality, often after secreting moulting fluid in large pockets between the epidermis and the cuticle later in the fourth instar. Larvae that successfully ecdysed had abnormalities of the mouthparts and cervix that interfered with normal feeding, inhibiting growth in the fifth instar. Larvae of the gregarious endoparasitic wasp Cotesia congregata (=Apanteles congregatus) frequently failed to emerge from host Manduca sexta larvae treated with high doses of J-2710, particularly when the host failed to feed normally. Less potent disruptive effects on Manduca and Cotesia were seen after treatment of larvae with the derivatives J-3370 and J-2581. No anti-juvenile hormone action of J-2710 was observed. J-2710-treated M. sexta larvae showed no precocious metamorphosis and the developmental effects of J-2710 were not prevented by co-application of the juvenile hormone analogue methoprene in doses ranging from 1 to 100 μg/larva. Moreover, J-2710 had no effect on the action of methoprene in the black larval assay for juvenile hormone-like activity, unlike results reported to occur using the Galleria wax wound assay.
The internal structure and the functional representation of capital-adjustment costs

Abstract In this essay, we state the theoretical difficulties that characterize the functional representations of costs of capital adjustments. These difficulties are removed by analysing the internal structure of such functional representations. A general function is presented where its possible curvatures and economic conditions that give rise to them are stated and analysed for a control-theoretic choice. A general cost of capital function is derived. An example is given to illustrate its industrial, engineering and economic applications.
Finite-temperature modeling of nanoscale spin-transfer oscillators

Magnetization dynamics induced by spin-polarized currents in magnetic nanodevices have been numerically simulated using a single-domain model proposed by Slonczewski extended to include temperature effects. For currents with a spin polarization antiparallel to the device easy axis and for fields above the magnetostatic anisotropy field, transfer of spin momentum from one layer to an adjacent layer can cause the layers to undergo sustained oscillations. Here we numerically calculate the expected excitation spectra and linewidths of spin-transfer oscillators and explain observed variations in excitation linewidths. The linewidth arises from thermal excitations that give rise to disorder in the orbits and, in certain regimes, hopping between nearly degenerate orbits. The excitation spectra for a device show transitions from thermally activated elliptical motion, at zero and low currents, to a bent elliptical motion at intermediate currents, and finally to tilted out-of-plane orbits. At the transition between in-plane and out-of-plane orbits, there is a region of low-frequency noise due to thermal hopping between degenerate orbits and a shift in the spectral behavior. The linewidth arising from thermal interactions is a sensitive function of the device volume and varies from for devices to for devices. The modeling explains the difference in linewidths observed for nanopillar and point-contact geometries as a natural consequence of inherent thermal fluctuations and the difference in excitation volumes.
Time variant analysis of large scale constrained rotorcraft systems dynamics - An exploitation of IBM-3090 vector-processor's pipe-lining feature

A generalized algorithmic procedure is presented for handling the constraints in transmissions, which are treated as a multibody system of interconnected rigid/flexible bodies. The type of constraints are classified based on the interconnection of the bodies, assuming one or more points of contact to exist between them. The method is explained through flow charts and configuration/interaction tables. A significant increase in speed of execution is achieved by vectorizing the developed code in computationally intensive areas. The study of an example consisting of two meshing disks rotating at high angular velocity is carried out. The dynamic behavior of the constraint forces associated with the generalized coordinates of the system are plotted by selecting various modes. Applications are intended for the study of dynamic and subsequent prediction of constraint forces at the gear teeth contacting points in helicopter transmissions with the aim of improving performance dependability.
The transformation of fiscal reform: reciprocity, modernization, and the fiscal debate within the business community in early twentieth century Britain

The debate over Free Trade was central to modern British history. This essay shifts attention from party politics to the changing discourse and perception of state and economy within the business community. It distinguishes three phases in the erosion of liberal political economy: reciprocity, defensive tariff reform, and modernizing protectionism. An analysis of the changing argument for protection points to the emergency of a new politico-economic settlement in the age of war and coordinated capitalism. The Free Trade culture of individualism and market was displaced by a new economic vision of combination and regulation. In political culture, however, state and economy continued to be viewed as separate spheres. Instead of a corporatist system, the new settlement between state and business was marked by a dissociation of economic from political pluralism.
Laboratory and Field Evaluation of a SAW Microsensor Array for Measuring Perchloroethylene in Breath

This article describes the laboratory and field performance evaluation of a small prototype instrument employing an array of six polymer-coated surface acoustic wave (SAW) sensors and a thermal desorption preconcentration unit for rapid analysis of perchloroethylene in breath. Laboratory calibrations were performed using breath samples spiked with perchloroethylene to prepare calibration standards spanning a concentration range of 0.1–10 ppm. A sample volume of 250 mL was preconcentrated on 40 mg of Tenax® GR at a flow rate of 100 mL/min, followed by a dry air purge and thermal desorption at a temperature of 200°C. The resulting pulse of vapor was passed over the sensor array at a flow rate of 20 mL/min and sensor responses were recorded and displayed using a laptop computer. The total time per analysis was 4.5 min. SAW sensor responses were linear, and the instrument's limit of detection was estimated to be 50 ppb based on the criterion that four of the six sensors show a detectable response. Field perfo...
Multifocal acquired demyelinating sensory and motor neuropathy

A 54-year-old man presented with a 10-year history of progressive weakness, tingling, and pain involving the left lower and right upper extremities. Examination revealed moderate weakness of right radial, median, ulnar, and left tibial-innervated muscles with sensory loss in right hand digits 4/5
Biochemical Changes in The Skin of Mink With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: Increased Collagen Biosynthesis in The Dermis of Affected Mink

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (ED-S) are a group of connective tissue diseases which occur in humans and other mammals. Mink inherit an autosomal dominant form of ED-S which is characterized by laxity and decreased tensile strength of the skin. We wish to report some of the biochemical changes in the skin of affected mink as compared to age-matched, nonaffected mink. There was a 39% increase in acetic acid extractable collagen per wet weight of tissue of the skins of the affected mink. This was accompanied by a 260% increase in prolyl hydroxylase specific activity, a 179% increase in lysyl hydroxylase specific activity, and a 118% increase in lysyl oxidase specific activity in the skins of affected mink. [3H1-Hydroxyproline formation was increased 133% when skin tissue minces were incubated with [3H]-proline. This was accompanied by a 77% increase of [3H]-proline incorporation into protein and a 93% increase of [14C]-glycine incorporation into protein. Noncollagen protein synthesis, evaluated by measuring [3H]-tryptophane incorporation into protein, revealed a 40% increase in noncollagen protein synthesis. The increased collagen synthesis rate in the skins of the ED-S affected mink may represent either the absence of the control of collagen metabolism which contributes to the molecular defect of the ED-S in the affected mink, or a response to the damaged skin caused by the ED-S in the affected mink, or both.
Biochemical changes after surgical stress in rabbits.

Biochemical changes in blood, i.e. glucose, ketone bodies, lactate, protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and free alanine before and after surgical stress were measured in normal and diabetic rabbits. Both the normal and diabetic rabbits were divided into two groups; the acute phase (0 to 180 minutes after surgery) and the subacute phase (1 to 3 postoperative days). Surgical stress was induced by performing laparotomy under anesthesia. Glucose, ketones, lactate, BUN, and alanine were higher in diabetic than normal animals. Protein level was lower in the diabetics. In the acute phase, normal and diabetic animals showed a similar reaction. In the subacute phase, ketone bodies and BUN increased predominantly in normal animals with no change of glucose levels. In two of the diabetics, an increase in glucose, lactate and alanine was seen. These phenomena support Bessman's postulation of stress which has two phases, the catecholamine phase and the pituitary-adrenal phase. It is considered that this reaction to surgical stress in the acute phase is due to glycogenolysis i.e., glucose from glycogen and lipolysis i.e., ketones from fat induced by catecholamine, and that increased ketone bodies and glucose levels in the subacute phase are due to ketogenesis i.e., ketones from protein and gluconeogenesis i.e., glucose from protein. In both phases ketonemia is predominant in normal rabbits after surgical stress, suggesting that insulin does not reduce directly lipolysis in the acute phase and ketogenesis in the subacute phase, under conditions of stress.
Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics

creased by 0.47 SDs under active learning (n = 158 studies), and that the odds ratio for failing was 1.95 under traditional lecturing (n = 67 studies). These results indicate that average examination scores improved by about 6% in active learning sections, and that students in classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than were students in classes with active learning. Heterogeneity analyses indicated that both results hold across the STEM disciplines, that active learning increases scores on concept inventories more than on course examinations, and that active learning appears effective across all class sizes—although the greatest effects are in small (n ≤ 50) classes. Trim and fill analyses and fail-safe n calculations suggest that the results are not due to publication bias. The results also appear robust to variation in the methodological rigor of the included studies, based on the quality of controls over student quality and instructor identity. This is the largest and most comprehensive metaanalysis of undergraduate STEM education published to date. The results raise questions about the continued use of traditional lecturing as a control in research studies, and support active learning as the preferred, empirically validated teaching practice in regular classrooms.
Export-led Growth in Bangladesh: A Time Series Analysis

This article examines time series evidence to investigate the link between exports and economic growth in Bangladesh. Using quarterly data for a period from 1976 to 2003 the article finds that industrial production and exports are cointegrated. The results of an error correction model (ECM) suggest that there is a long-run unidirectional causality from exports to growth in Bangladesh.
Contaminated Smog Chambers in Air Pollution Research

Abstract Interlaboratory comparisons of various smog chambers have shown poor quantitative agreement in the results of the irradiation of simple model systems. A “dirty” chamber may be responsible for the observed disagreement. The effects of contaminated chamber walls were evidenced in the photooxidation of biacetyl and tetramethylethylene. Ozone was observed when biacetyl was irradiated in the presence of oxides of nitrogen or when irradiated in a dirty chamber. When photodissociated in a clean borosilicate flask, with no oxides of nitrogen present, ozone was not observed. Tetramethylethylene when irradiated in a dirty borosilicate flask underwent reaction. No reaction occurred in a clean flask. As long as chamber walls are not cleaned between runs, contaminants will be liberated and the problem of agreement in results from various smog chambers will remain.
Do Social Conditions Affect Capuchin Monkeys' (Cebus apella) Choices in a Quantity Judgment Task?

Beran et al. (2012) reported that capuchin monkeys closely matched the performance of humans in a quantity judgment test in which information was incomplete but a judgment still had to be made. In each test session, subjects first made quantity judgments between two known options. Then, they made choices where only one option was visible. Both humans and capuchin monkeys were guided by past outcomes, as they shifted from selecting a known option to selecting an unknown option at the point at which the known option went from being more than the average rate of return to less than the average rate of return from earlier choices in the test session. Here, we expanded this assessment of what guides quantity judgment choice behavior in the face of incomplete information to include manipulations to the unselected quantity. We manipulated the unchosen set in two ways: first, we showed the monkeys what they did not get (the unchosen set), anticipating that “losses” would weigh heavily on subsequent trials in which the same known quantity was presented. Second, we sometimes gave the unchosen set to another monkey, anticipating that this social manipulation might influence the risk-taking responses of the focal monkey when faced with incomplete information. However, neither manipulation caused difficulty for the monkeys who instead continued to use the rational strategy of choosing known sets when they were as large as or larger than the average rate of return in the session, and choosing the unknown (riskier) set when the known set was not sufficiently large. As in past experiments, this was true across a variety of daily ranges of quantities, indicating that monkeys were not using some absolute quantity as a threshold for selecting (or not) the known set, but instead continued to use the daily average rate of return to determine when to choose the known versus the unknown quantity.
Deletion mapping of the ilvGOEDAC genes of Escherichia coli K-12.

A set of λdilv phage has been examined that carry overlapping segments of isoleucine-valine structural and regulatory genes derived from the ilv cluster at 83 min on the Escherichia coli K-12 chromosome. The ilv genes present in these phage, and their order, have been determined by transduction of auxotrophs, escape synthesis, and deletion mapping. The order of ilv genes in the phage, and hence the order in the host chromosome, was found to be ilvG-ilvO-ilvEDA-ilvC. Lysogens containing λdilv phage were constructed for dominance analysis of regulatory mutations in the ilvO and ilvA genes. The ilvO671 allele is cis-dominant to ilvO+, while the ilvA538 allele is trans-recessive to ilvA+. Thus, the ilvO gene, that is identified by cis-dominant regulatory mutations that result in increased ilvG and ilvEDA expression, is situated between and may be contiguous with ilvG and ilvEDA.
Frequency-Dependent Inhibition of Sodium Channels by the General Anesthetic Isoflurane

Voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav) are important for initiation and propagation of the action potential in excitable cells, thus contributing to cell-to-cell communication via neurotransmitter release at the synapse. Nav are potential presynaptic targets for inhaled volatile anaesthetics (VAs), which despite their widespread use have poorly understood mechanisms of action. Many drugs that act on Nav, including local anesthetics, show state-dependent effects, that is affinity of the drug depends on whether the channel is open, closed or inactivated. Upon action potential firing, Nav open and rapidly transition into a non-conducting, inactivated state. During high-frequency firing, inactivated channels accumulate as there is insufficient time to return to a closed state before subsequent action potential firing, resulting in frequency-dependent reduction of INa. Therefore, drugs that affect the rates of channel state transitions can have a profound effect on neurotransmitter release and neuronal communication. We investigated the state-dependent effects of the prototypical VA isoflurane on recombinant and native Nav during high-frequency firing. We expressed Nav1.2a, a major isoform found in the central nervous system, in the neuronal mammalian cell line ND7/23 and found that isoflurane enhanced frequency-dependent reduction of INa by enhancing apparent inactivation. To confirm these results in a more physiological preparation we studied the effects of isoflurane on native Nav in rat neurohypophysial nerve terminals and show similar frequency-dependent findings. These data led us to propose a simple pharmacological model of open channel block to account for the effects of isoflurane on Nav1.2. Our data indicate that high-frequency neuronal firing potentiates isoflurane effects, which might contribute to selective modulation of fast firing neuronal networks.Supported by NIH grant GM 58055.
Enhanced computer reliability for nuclear power applications

Abstract Reactor operator assistance and augmentation by on-line digital computers will improve power reactor safety. To function in this expanded role, the computers must be both extremely reliable and failsafe. Topics in computer and software reliability are discussed, and it is pointed out that all of these error-extinguishing characteristics are available today in general-purpose equipment built for the military. Tactical military computers, peripheral equipment, and high-order languages have the refinements necessary for safety-related reactor control room operations.
On the expected capacity of binomial and random concentrators

Masson and Morris [G.M. Masson and S.B. Morris IEEE Trans. Comput. C-32 (1983), pp. 649–657] introduced the notion of expected capacity of a concentrator and explicitly computed the expected capacity of $\left( {\begin{array}{*{20}c} n \\ 2 \\ \end{array} } \right)$-concentrators for values of n up to 15. In this article, tools from random graph theory are employed to find asymptotic expressions for the expected capacity for this class of concentrators. It is shown that the same results can be obtained by concentrators that are constructed at random. It also is shown that the expected capacity of random concentrators is slightly inferior to the expected capacity of Pippenger’s modular concentrators [N. Pippenger, Expected capacity of modular concentrators, preprint], and that random concentrators have certain advantages over deterministic designs. Finally, it is shown that expected capacity of a concentrator is actually a useful performance measure because the capacity of almost all input sets is very nea...
Mutagenesis Of Charged Residues In The N-terminal α-helix Of Connexin37 Reveals An Essential Lysine Residue

Connexins are transmembrane protein subunits that combine to form cell surface hexameric hemichannels and intercellular gap junction channels. They contain a short cytoplasmic N-terminus that has been implicated in channel gating and oligomerization. Using NMR, we previously showed that the N-terminus of human connexin37 (CX37) is α-helical between amino acids 5 and 16. The α-helical region has a hydrophilic face with three aligned negatively charged residues (E8, D12 and E16) and one positively charged residue (K9). To test their function, these charged amino acid residues were mutated individually to alanines or to other neutral amino acids. The CX37 mutants were tested for formation of gap junction plaques by fluorescence microscopy after transient transfection of HeLa cells and for formation of functional hemichannels by two-microelectrode voltage clamp after expression in single Xenopus oocytes. Each of the negatively charged amino acid alanine substitution (E8A, D12A, or E16A) or charge neutralization (E8Q, D12N, or E16Q) mutants formed gap junction plaques. These mutants all formed conducting hemichannels; ionic currents were of comparable magnitude to those in oocytes expressing wild-type CX37 when measured without divalent cations and were blocked by 2 mM external calcium. While gap junction plaques were observed in HeLa cells transfected with K9A, this construct did not form conducting hemichannels in Xenopus oocytes. No plaques were detected in a charge reversal mutant at this position (K9E). These results suggest that the negatively charged residues within the N-terminal α-helix are not individually required for formation of functional channels. In contrast, the positively charged residue, K9, is required for hemichannel opening and influences formation of gap junction plaques.
Neumann-type expansion of Coulomb functions

An expansion is derived for the regular (power series) part of the Coulomb function, G0(η, ρ), in terms of Whittaker functions, which are closely related to the regular Coulomb functions F1 (η, ρ). The expansion coefficients are given as a sum of three terms; each of the terms obeys a simple three-term recurrence relation. In conjunction with the downward recurrence method for the regular functions (which is also discussed), this expansion is very useful for computing the irregular Coulomb functions G1(η, ρ), in particular for an attractive potential (η < 0) and for small or moderately large values of ρ
Closure of lacerations and incisions with octylcyanoacrylate: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background. Most lacerations and surgical incisions are closed with sutures or staples. Octylcyanoacrylate tissue adhesive (OCA) was recently approved for use in the United States. We compared the cosmetic appearance of lacerations and incisions repaired with OCA versus standard wound closure methods (SWC). Methods. A multicenter randomized clinical trial including patients with simple lacerations or surgical incisions was conducted at 10 clinical sites. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment with OCA or SWC. Follow-up was performed at 1 week and at 3 months to determine infection rates and cosmetic outcome. Results. Eight hundred fourteen patients with 924 wounds (383 traumatic lacerations, 235 excisions of skin lesions or scar revisions, 208 minimally invasive surgeries, and 98 general surgical procedures) were enrolled. Groups were similar in baseline characteristics. Wound closure with OCA was faster than with SWC (2.9 vs 5.2 minutes, P
Fractal Dimensions of Model Particle Packings Having Multiple Generations of Agglomerates

We examine a simple model for a powder having multiple generations of agglomerates. Over the size range over which the generations span, this structure is shown to be fractal. An equation expressing the fractal dimension for any Euclidean dimension is derived.
Melanin: dietary mucosal immune modulator from Echinacea and other botanical supplements.

The agents responsible for the therapeutic effects of many botanical supplements have not been established in spite of their popularity. Here we show that melanin is a previously unrecognized immunostimulatory compound that is a major component of botanicals traditionally used to enhance immune function. While melanin is present in commonly consumed vegetables, its specific activity is several orders of magnitude less than melanin extracted from these botanicals. The major reason that this agent has eluded detection is its solvent-specific requirement for extraction/solubility. Melanin activates NF-kappa B in monocytes in vitro through a toll-like receptor 2-dependent process. Ingestion of melanin by mice for four days increases production ex vivo of interferon-γ by spleen cells and IgA and interleukin-6 by Peyer's patch cells. The identification of this new class of mucosal immune stimulants will allow further characterization of botanical products and advances our understanding of the basis for their traditional use.
Attentional bias toward cigarette cues in active smokers

Rationale While it is well documented that substance users exhibit attentional bias toward addiction-related stimuli, the exact mechanism remains unclear.
Correlation of geographical distribution of mycobacteriophages with genomic clusters and genome distance

Background Mycobacterium smegmatis is a soil bacterium. Over 448 mycobacteriophages specific for M. smegmatis have been sequenced and grouped into clusters of related genomes based on the similarity of their products and genome organization. The phagesdb.org database contains not only the sequence information, but also the geographic locations of the sampling sites for each of these mycobacteriophages. From these data we addressed two questions in this study: one to determine if the mycobacteriophage clusters are randomly distributed geographically, the second to determine the correlation between geographic distance and genetic distance within each cluster.
Intrinsic cutoff and acausality for massive spin 2 fields coupled to electromagnetism

Abstract We couple a massive spin 2 particle to electromagnetism. By introducing new, redundant degrees of freedom using the Stuckelberg formalism, we extract an intrinsic, model independent UV cutoff of the effective field theory describing this system. The cutoff signals both the onset of a strongly interacting dynamical regime and a finite size for the spin 2 particle. We show that the existence of a cutoff is strictly connected to other pathologies of interacting high-spin fields, such as the Velo–Zwanziger acausality. We also briefly comment on implications of this result for the detection of high spin states and on its possible generalization to arbitrary spin.
Interactions between pharmacodynamic and placebo effects in drug evaluations in man.

IN the course of the development of a method sufficiently sensitive to evaluate the effects of small doses of tranquillizers in man, evidence of interactions between pharmacodynamic and placebo effects of drugs was adduced. Since placebo action (that is, the response to the act of taking medication as distinguished from the pharmacodynamic action of the medicament) must be taken into account in analysing human reactions to drugs, we feel that our findings have implications of general interest as well as of practical importance in designing methods for observing and evaluating the effects of drugs in man.
Transparent back contacts and interconnect junctions for CdTe top cells

The development of a good, low resistance transparent back contact (TBC) to the superstrate type CdS/CdTe or Cd1-xMgxTe, Cd1-xZnxTe, or Cd1-xMnxTe alloy solar cell is crucial for achieving the best possible four-terminal or two-terminal polycrystalline thin-film tandem solar cell. We find that ZnTe:N/ITO serves as a good TBC to CdS/CdTe solar cell yielding 9.1% power conversion efficiency even without the use of intentional copper at the back contact. A transparent back contact permits device measurements with light incident from the contact side. Such contact-side J-V measurements show that the short-circuit current of ~2 mum thick cells with this TBC is reduced to almost half when measured from the contact side. This difference in current matches quite well with the integrated current calculated from QE done under weak DC white light bias. Similar experiments performed on 0.68 mum cells showed little difference in current between glass-side and contact-side illumination consistent with a stronger collection field in the thin cells
POSTCRITICAL RELIGION AND THE LATENT FREUD

Abstract. Although Freud launches a devastating critique of religion, he makes significant contributions to religious maturity. On the “manifest” level, he attacks religion as illusion; on the “latent” level, however, he is preoccupied with religion as mystery deep in the psyche. This difference is between religion as “critical” or as “postcritical” (Polanyi)—as dualistically split from, or emergent within, the psyche. Postcritical religion appears in Freud as mystery, unity, feeling, meaning, and creative agency. We see why, for Freud, the mother as matrix keeps disappearing and what religious maturity is for “honest smallholders on this earth” who live within matrix as mystery.
The Origins of Infant Baptism — Child Believers' Baptism?

Baptism has been placed firmly on the agenda of ecumenical theology by the Lima Report, Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry. It makes no attempt to resolve the question of baptismal origins, but judiciously summarizes the state of the debate: ‘While the possibility that infant baptism was practised in the apostolic age cannot be excluded, baptism upon personal profession of faith is the most clearly attested pattern in the New Testament documents’. The paucity of recent discussion of the beginnings of infant baptism may suggest that they are deemed insoluble, short of the discovery of new evidence. Theology, at any rate, may neither be able nor need to wait until historians of primitive Christianity reach a consensus. The possibility that infant baptism was practised relatively early, perhaps even in the New Testament Churches themselves, was no deterrent to Karl Barth's regarding it as theologically indefensible. Nevertheless, he could not ignore what he called ‘the brute fact of a baptismal practice which has become the rule in churches in all countries and in almost all confessions’, and he ventured his own explanation of the triumph of infant baptism and of the New Testament passages to which its advocates customarily appeal. His sharp critique of the tradition provoked a greater stir on the continent of Europe than in the English-speaking world. A fresh look at the historical question is certainly overdue, although its starting-point is bound to be the celebrated exchange between Joachim Jeremias and Kurt Aland of two decades ago. Ecumenical discussion, and in some Churches, ecumenical reality, call on both paedobaptists and credobaptists to examine the others' Practice with a new seriousness. In such a context the beginnings of the dominant tradition cannot healthily be left unscrutinised or treated as inscrutable.
Practice management skills for the nurse practitioner

The faculties of three schools of nursing involved in a collaborative family nurse practitioner (FNP) program designed a study to address issues involved in preparing the nurse practitioner for the challenges of practice management in the clinical environment. The purposes of the study were to (1) identify business concepts necessary to successfully manage a primary care practice; (2) determine which of these concepts should be incorporated into an FNP curriculum; and (3) clarify information to be taught regarding each identified concept. Fifty-four business concepts related to primary care were identified from a literature review. A survey was then developed to assess the extent to which the identified concepts were necessary for an FNP to effectively manage a practice. Seven experts and five FNP faculty responded to the survey. The Content Validity Index (CVI) defined by Lynn (1986) was applied and 20 concepts necessary for an FNP to effectively manage a practice were identified. A focus group that included nurse practitioners (both faculty and nonfaculty) from the three collaborative sites connected by interactive telecommunications determined that all 20 of the identified concepts should be included in an FNP curriculum. Additionally, the focus group clarified relevant information to be taught regarding each identified concept.
Boundary-layer flow and heat transfer in porous beds

Abstract This paper describes the transport phenomenon for boundary-layer flow and heat transfer in packed beds. It focuses on both natural and forced convection studies, and also emphasizes boundary-layer applications for chemical reactors. Transport in porous beds often involves non-Darcian flow effects such as the solid-boundary resistance, high flow rate inertial losses, near-wall porosity variation, and thermal anomalies such as dispersion or inter-pore mixing. These effects significantly alter velocity and temperature profiles in boundary-layer and confined flows. This work discusses these effects and demonstrates the variation in heat transfer predictions found when using theoretical models which include these non-Darcian effects.
The calculation of anisotropic extinction coefficients for radiation diffusion in rigid fibrous ceramic insulations

Abstract The specific anisotropic extinction coefficient ρ ∗ couples the effective radiative properties of a fibrous insulation into the radiation diffusion equation. This coefficient can be calculated using electromagnetic scattering theory if fiber diameters, refractive indices and fiber orientation distributions are known. In general, fiber orientation distributions are not readily accessible and past calculations have considered fibers as either randomly distributed or normal to the heat flow direction. In certain rigid fibrous ceramic insulations neither of these cases apply well, and a simple procedure is described for approximating ρ ∗ from values calculated for the random and normal orientation cases. The intrinsic error associated with this scaling procedure is investigated. Numerical computations for several test structures and fiber materials show the average error to be less than 5% for net heat flux and radiation conductivity calculations.
Design and Analysis of Techniques for Detection of Malicious Activities in Database Systems

Existing host-based Intrusion Detection Systems use the operating system log or the application log to detect misuse or anomaly activities. These methods are not sufficient for detecting intrusion in the database systems. In this paper, we describe a method for detecting malicious activities in a database management system by using data dependency relationships. Typically, before a data item is updated in the database, some other data items are read or written. And after the update, other data items may also be written. These data items read or written in the course of update of a data item construct the read set, prewrite set, and the postwrite set for this data item. The proposed method identifies malicious transactions by comparing these sets with data items read or written in user transactions. We have provided mechanisms for finding data dependency relationships among transactions and use Petri-Nets to model normal data update patterns at user task level. Using this method, we ascertain more hidden anomalies in the database log. Our simulation on synthetic data reveals that the proposed model can achieve desirable performance when both transaction and user task level intrusion detection methods are employed.
Search for a giant resonance built on the 16. 6-MeV state in /sup 8/Be

The yield curve for proton capture on /sup 7/Li, leading to the region of the isospin-mixed pair of states at E/sub x/ = 16.63 and 16.92 MeV in /sup 8/Be, has been measured as a function of bombarding energy from 4 to 30 MeV. A direct capture model provides a good description of the data.
The Red Alert Program for Life-threatening Asthma

Objective. To design a program to prevent death in children with life-threatening asthma. Methods. Using published guidelines to identify patients with life-threatening asthma, we developed a comprehensive medical network involving emergency medical services, school workers, extended family members, local physicians, emergency rooms, and a referral center. The network was designed to provide early, aggressive medical attention and rapid access to care for patients enrolled in the program. Results. In 8 years of operation, 75 patients have been enrolled. There have been 270 hospitalizations, with life-threatening asthma occurring in 25 admissions in 15 patients. Three patients have died; of these, two did not use the services provided by the program. Conclusions. The Red Alert Program has been successful in assuring more aggressive and timely intervention for asthma attacks and seems to have prevented deaths. Patients and their families express a high degree of satisfaction with the services. The Red Alert Program may serve as a model for other programs for children with life-threatening asthma.
Transfection of caspase-3 in the caspase-3–deficient Hodgkin's disease cell line, KMH2, results in enhanced sensitivity to CD95-, TRAIL-, and ARA-C–induced apoptosis

Abstract Background CD95(Fas/apo-1) is a cell surface protein member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor family that serves an important role in the induction of apoptosis in several cell types. Although expression of CD95 has been detected on Hodgkin/Reed Sternberg (HRS) cells in situ, our understanding of the biological significance of this molecule in Hodgkin's disease (HD) is limited. Design We analyzed both CD95-related apoptotic signaling and its effects on the expression of several factors involved in the regulation of apoptotic mechanisms including: caspase-3, caspase-8, bcl -2, bcl -x, and Bax in HD cell lines (L-428, L-540, HDLM-2, HS-445, and KM-H2). Results HD cell lines showed similar expression levels of CD95 and all but KM-H2 demonstrated variable increases in apoptosis after CD95 stimulation by the agonistic monoclonal antibody, CH11. There was no significant correlation between CD95 sensitivity and constitutive expression levels of caspase-8, bcl -2, bcl -x, and Bax. Caspase-3 transcript was demonstrated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in all cell lines but protein was at low to nearly undetectable levels in KM-H2 cells. Transfection of KM-H2 cells with pro–caspase-3 resulted in a markedly enhanced apoptotic response to CD95 stimulation that was blocked by pretreatment with the caspase-3 inhibitor, DEVD-FMK. In addition, pro–caspase-3–transfected KM-H2 cells showed significantly increased sensitivity to other caspase-3–dependent apoptotic stimuli, including the death-inducing ligand, TRAIL, and the chemotherapeutic agent, Ara-C. Conclusion These data demonstrate that caspase-3 expression plays an important role in CD95-mediated apoptosis in HD cell lines. Furthermore, lack of or decreased expression of caspase-3 in HD cells impairs their apoptotic response not only to CD95 but also to other caspase-3–dependent apoptotic stimuli.