cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LED flicker pulsing

There is need to replace hazardous radioluminescent light sources with a means of illumination that is environmentally friendly. This paper describes an electronic source that was developed as a potential candidate to replace low intensity tritium in a military system. It employs an LED for illumination and a 3-volt coin cell battery as a power source. This new light source is electronically invisible, requires minimal maintenance, and provides the lowest practical illumination to preclude detection by optical means. The low intensity requires that the LED be driven at DC current levels resulting in poor luminous efficiency. Therefore, in an effort to maximize battery life, the LED is pulsed into a more optically efficient mode of operation. However, conventional pulsing techniques are not employed because of concerns the electronics could be identified by conspicuous power spectral density (PSD) components in the electromagnetic spectrum generated by a pulsed LED. Therefore, flicker noise concepts have been employed to efficiently drive the LED while generating a virtually undetectable spectral signature. Although ideally the pulse durations, magnitudes, and spacings should be random, a significant reduction in conspicuous PSD components can be achieved when imposing practical constraints. The dominant components of the power spectrum are significantly reduced using fixed pulse durations and magnitudes while varying only the pulse spacing. The mean duty cycle is set to provide the same effective illumination as DC operation while generating a PSD normally associated with natural phenomena.
Methods of discovery and techniques to study endophytic fungi producing fuel-related hydrocarbons

Covering: 2008 to 2013 One promising area in the search for renewable bio-fuels is the discovery of microorganisms that produce fuel-related hydrocarbons (mycodiesel) that is in stark contrast to yeast fermentation that utilizes expensive sugars or starch to produce ethanol, which is a proven and useful source of fuel, but by no means is it ideal. Recently, a number of endophytic fungi have been isolated and described that make compounds such as mono- terpenoids, alkanes, cyclohexanes, cyclopentanes, and alkyl alcohols/ketones, benzenes and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Many of these compounds are either identical to or are closely related to those specific classes of molecules that are found in diesel. Most importantly, these organisms make hydrocarbons while utilizing cellulosic polymers found in all plant-based agricultural wastes. Also discussed are some novel methods and techniques to quantitatively and qualitatively study hydrocarbon production by these microbes. Two models are discussed for identifying potential fuel-related compounds, scaling up production of them and advanced engine testing. Finally, it seems possible that endophytic fungi may have an additional attribute of having contributed to the formation of crude oil in the first place and a description of the paleobiosphere, to test this hypothesis, is in this review.
Bypass techniques for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms

Several varieties of extracranial-intracranial bypass procedures are available for the treatment of unclippable giant or fusiform intracranial aneurysms. Parent artery occlusion (or, preferably, trapping) in combination with extracranial-intracranial bypass is an effective strategy for aneurysms that are difficult or impossible to clip while preserving the parent artery. The selection of the type of revascularization procedure is dependent on the bypass-flow demand and anatomy of the vessels distal to the aneurysm. Careful attention to technique provides a very high rate of bypass patency and good clinical results in the majority of patients with giant or fusiform aneurysms.
Recognition of H-2 types in relation to the blocking of pregnancy in mice

Inbred BALB/c females were mated and subsequently exposed in a divided cage to "stimulus" males or females whose H-2 type was similar or dissimilar to the stud male's. The incidence of pregnancy blocking was considerably higher when stud and stimulus males differed in H-2 type than when they did not. Similar results were obtained with urine samples of H-2 identical and nonidentical males. Females exposed after mating to other females whose H-2 type differed from the stud male, under the same experimental conditions, also showed an appreciable incidence of pregnancy block. It is therefore concluded that chemosensory recognition of H-2 types affects the reproductive hormonal status of the pregnant female.
Ossicular abnormality in Larsen's syndrome: A case report

Larsen's syndrome consists of a skeletal dysplasia with multiple joint abnormalities and a characteristic facies. No reports of this syndrome have documented hearing loss due to ossicular joint abnormalities. A 6-year-old girl is presented with the characteristic abnormalities of Larsen's syndrome, a normal otoscopic examination, and significant bilateral conductive hearing loss. Exploratory tympanotomy demonstrated an incudostapedial joint abnormality, as well as a fixed stapes footplate. The possibility of ossicular joint abnormalities, in addition to the other joint abnormalities associated with this syndrome, must be considered.
Halophytophthora fluviatilis sp. nov. from freshwater in Virginia

Halophytophthora fluviatilis, a novel species from inland freshwater in Virginia, is characterized and described in this study. This homothallic species produced ovoid to globose sporangia, which release zoospores directly through exit pores. It grew well in a relatively wide range of salinity from 1.8 to 19.0 parts per thousand. Sequence analysis of the rRNA internal transcribed spacer region placed this new species in the Halophytophthora sensu stricto clade. Description of this new species expanded the habitat to include geographically distinct inland freshwater ecosystems for the genus Halophytophthora, challenging the notion that this genus is marine or brackish. The need to construct a molecular-based taxonomy for the genus Halophytophthora is also discussed.
Reconciling the elemental and Sr isotope composition of Himalayan weathering fluxes: insights from the carbonate geochemistry of stream waters

Determining the relative proportions of silicate vs. carbonate weathering in the Himalaya is important for understanding atmospheric CO2 consumption rates and the temporal evolution of seawater Sr. However, recent studies have shown that major element mass-balance equations attribute less CO2 consumption to silicate weathering than methods utilizing Ca/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr mixing equations. To investigate this problem, we compiled literature data providing elemental and 87Sr/86Sr analyses for stream waters and bedrock from tributary watersheds throughout the Himalaya Mountains. In addition, carbonate system parameters (PCO2, mineral saturation states) were evaluated for a selected suite of stream waters. The apparent discrepancy between the dominant weathering source of dissolved major elements vs. Sr can be reconciled in terms of carbonate mineral equilibria. Himalayan streams are predominantly Ca2+-Mg2+-HCO3− waters derived from calcite and dolomite dissolution, and mass-balance calculations demonstrate that carbonate weathering contributes ∼87% and ∼76% of the dissolved Ca2+ and Sr2+, respectively. However, calculated Ca/Sr ratios for the carbonate weathering flux are much lower than values observed in carbonate bedrock, suggesting that these divalent cations do not behave conservatively during stream mixing over large temperature and PCO2 gradients in the Himalaya. The state of calcite and dolomite saturation was evaluated across these gradients, and the data show that upon descending through the Himalaya, ∼50% of the streams evaluated become highly supersaturated with respect to calcite as waters warm and degas CO2. Stream water Ca/Mg and Ca/Sr ratios decrease as the degree of supersaturation with respect to calcite increases, and Mg2+, Ca2+, and HCO3− mass balances support interpretations of preferential Ca2+ removal by calcite precipitation. On the basis of patterns of saturation state and PCO2 changes, calcite precipitation was estimated to remove up to ∼70% of the Ca2+ originally derived from carbonate weathering. Accounting for the nonconservative behavior of Ca2+ during riverine transport brings the Ca/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr composition of the carbonate weathering flux into agreement with the composition of carbonate bedrock, thereby permitting consistency between elemental and Sr isotope approaches to partitioning stream water solute sources. These results resolve the dissolved Sr2+ budget and suggest that the conventional application of two-component Ca/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr mixing equations has overestimated silicate-derived Sr2+ and HCO3− fluxes from the Himalaya. In addition, these findings demonstrate that integrating stream water carbonate mineral equilibria, divalent cation compositional trends, and Sr isotope inventories provides a powerful approach for examining weathering fluxes.
How Many Times Can You Be Wrong and Still Be Right? T. H. Morgan, Evolution, Chromosomes and the Origins of Modern Genetics

Science textbooks and classes mostly emphasize what are considered by today’s standards the “right” or “correct” interpretations of particular phenomena or processes. When “incorrect” ideas of the past are mentioned at all, it is simply to point out their errors, with little attention as to why the ideas were put forward in the first place, or ever gained a following. A strong case can be made, however, for presenting contrasting or even what are considered today “wrong” hypotheses as a way of not only emphasizing the dynamic nature of science (which is punctuated throughout by controversies and contrasting views), but also as a way of helping students better understand the details and workings of contemporary views. This article will illustrate these claims by examining the work of embryologist-turned-geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan in the early decades of the twentieth century.
Morphological effects in conducting polymer films studied by combined OCM and spectroscopic ellipsometry

Abstract This contribution describes our studies of electrochemically grown conducting polymer (CP) films. We used an instrumental system which enables simultaneous optical (ellipsometric) and microgravimetric (Quartz-Crystal-Microbalance) measurements in situ during CP film growth and during electrochemical cycling. Our paper reviews recent results obtained with this system in the study of films of polyaniline and of polypyrrole in aqueous systems which provides information on film growth mechanisms and on the dependence of film morphology on electrochemical growth conditions and postgrowth treatments. We describe recent measurements of morphological changes in electrochemically grown films of polyaniline induced by the application of electrochemical undoping-redoping cycles.
Mass scales for grand unified theories: Are there testable alternatives to SU(5)?

Abstract We consider the effects of the existence of new interactions consistent with the Weinberg angle, quark masses, and grand unification of all interactions except gravity. With one very specific exception, we find that the mass scales for such new interactions are greater than 107 GeV. We conclude that if proton decay is not found at the SU(5) rate, then experiments at extremely high energies or sensitive to microweak or smaller effects will be necessary to decide among the alternatives. The exceptional case is viable only if new weak interactions exist with a mass scale below 105 GeV.
Sleep disparity, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic position

Sleep represents a set of biological functions necessary for the maintenance of life. Performing these functions, though, requires that an individual engage in behaviors, which are affected by social and environmental factors. Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic position represent categories of factors that likely play a role in the experience of sleep in the community. Previous studies have suggested that racial/ethnic minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged may be more likely to experience sleep patterns that are associated with adverse health outcomes. It is possible that disparities in sleep represent a pathway by which larger disparities in health emerge. This review (1) contextualizes the concept of race/ethnicity in biomedical research, (2) summarizes previous studies that describe patterns of sleep attainment across race/ethnicity groups, (3) discusses several pathways by which race/ethnicity may be associated with sleep, (4) introduces the potential role of socioeconomic position in the patterning of sleep, and (5) proposes future research directions to address this issue.
NOVEL SYNAPSES COMPENSATE FOR A NEURON ABLATED IN EMBRYOS

In leeches, as well as mammals, neuronal death in adults produces lasting deficits, whereas the embryonic nervous system is believed to be more plastic. Killing the single S interneuron in an adult leech ganglion permanently interrupts the chain of S cells linked by electrical synapses along the entire animal. Axons that synapsed with the ablated neuron do not change length in response to cell ablation, but they will grow if another axon of the same neuron is injured. In the present experiments, the S cell and surrounding cells in one ganglion were ablated with a fine pin during embryogenesis (day 8-11). Effects were evaluated 1-4 months later. Cell-specific monoclonal antibody confirmed S cell deletions. Intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase and 6-carboxyfluorescein dye showed that intact S cells' axons projected twice their usual length into the lesioned ganglion and formed electrical synapses with homologues of their usual synaptic targets. Conduction was often restored by these connections, which replaced those of the deleted S cell. Therefore, in both adults and embryos, growing S interneurons respond to loss of a target by greater growth. However, only on the small scale of the embryo is growth sufficient to reach suitable targets.
PRIMARY MACROGLOBULINEMIA IN A CHILD

A four year old girl (consanginous parents) with primary macroglobulinemia was followed for 3 years. She presented with cogenital hypotonia, recurrent infections, splenornegally, eosinophilia and increasing serum IgM to 4 grams percent. The serum protein electrophorectic pattern revealed three distinct gamma spikes, two of which were seen in the concentrated urine. A high molecular weight IgM with both kappa and lambda determinants was isolated from the serum indicating at least a biclonal dyscrasia. More lambda than kappa light chains were associated with the IgM on immunoelectrophoresis. The abnormal IgM has euglobulin, cryoglobulin, absent isohemagglutinins, and high anti-IgG activities with low serum complement levels. The initially normal serum IgA fell to zero. Impaired IgG antibody responses were found. Frogressive cell-mediated immune deficiency is suggested by an uncomplicated smallpox vaccination at one year followed by persistent mucocutanous candidiasis with a negative delayed skin test to Candida and a impaired PHA response of the peripheral lymphocytes at 4 yrs.. This is the first described case of primary macroglobulinemia in a child. The abnormal serum IgM level progressively fell with chlorambucil therapy.
On modular field extensions

Let K be a purely inseparable extension of a field k of characteristic p, v’i , i = l)...) m be k-linear maps p’i : K -+ K, and t be a variable. Denoting by 1 the identity map of K, we call C#J~ = 1 + tvl + *a* + tmrpm an “approximate automorphism” of order m of K/k if G,(d) = (@,a)(@,b) mod tm+l for all a, b E K. If for every a E K with a $ k there is some approximate automorphism @, such that Qlta # a (or equivalently such that some yia # 0), then we shall say that K has “enough” approximate automorphisms. This is analogous to the requirement of normality for a finite separable extension, the latter having “enough” genuine automorphisms. It is reasonable to expect, therefore, that a purely inseparable extension with enough approximate automorphisms has further extraordinary properties, and in fact, Sweedler [2] has shown the following:
Effect of Starvation on Antioxidant Enzymes and Respiratory Mitochondrial Functions in Kidney and Liver from Rats

The influence of the nutritional status on the antioxidant defence system and on the mitochondrial respiratory functions of rat kidney and liver was studied. For that purpose, the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, the total glutathione and the respiration rates of states 3 and 4, the respiratory control ratio, and ADP/O ratio were measured before and after 2 and 4 days of starvation. The behaviour of the enzymes was not uniform. Only the liver glutathione peroxidase decreased by about 18% at second day of starvation, whereas all other enzymes in liver and kidney increased or remained unchanged. All mitochondrial parameters studied remained unaffected by starvation except the moderately reduced state 3 respiration and respiratory control ratio in liver mitochondria. We conclude from our experimental data that the enzymatic antioxidative status is of minor importance for the assumed vulnerability of kidney and liver after short-term starvation.
First-trimester serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, free vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor and uterine artery Doppler in preeclampsia.

First-trimester serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, free vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor and uterine artery Doppler in preeclampsia
Assigning Business Writing to Increase the Learning Potential of Case Courses

Many business instructors use the case method and accompany classroom learning by asking students to write analyses of cases. However, students typically write from an "outsider's" perspective from which they propose unrealistic solutions, spend much of their writing space repeating case details, and fail to see interpersonal and organizational consequences of what appears to them to be a rational solution to a case problem. The article explores the learning potential of asking students to adopt an insider's perspective by assuming the role of a particular character in assigned cases. They then write case analyses, in the form of business documents directed to one of the other characters in each case. This approach has a number of advantages, including (a) increasing students' understanding of the organizational realities of their proposed solutions by putting them in the center of the action, where they experience a more intimate involvement with the characters and realities of the cases; (b) providing s...
Mechanisms of glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in hematologic malignancies: updates.

Purpose of reviewGlucocorticoids remain a central component of the therapeutic armamentarium for a broad spectrum of hematologic malignancies. There is an extensive body of evidence suggesting that the efficacy of glucocorticoids stems from their ability to mediate apoptosis in leukemia, lymphoma, a
On automating atomic force microscopes: an adaptive control approach

The atomic force microscope (AFM) requires the user to manually tune controller gains and scan parameters in a trial and error fashion for different sample cantilever combinations. In this paper, steps towards automating this process are presented. Modeling and experimental results are shown revealing the structure of AFM dynamics and how it is impacted by different choices of scan and controller parameters. A robust adaptive controller is designed to address these issues. The performance of the designed adaptive controller is verified by simulating scanning experiments. The adaptive controller eliminates the need for the user to manually tune controller gains for different sample cantilever combinations and compensates for uncertainties arising from the user choice of different scan parameters. In addition, a substantial reduction in contact force and retrace line setpoint error can be achieved with the adaptive controller in comparison with a well-tuned integral controller.
The lunar regolith: physical characteristics and dynamics

The fine size fraction of the lunar regolith (less than 1 mm mean particle diameter) is composed mostly of particles that owe their origins either directly or indirectly to the impacts of meteoroids on the lunar surface. Comminution of pre-existing rocks and particles is the dominant process affecting the characteristics of the regolith. However, agglutination of pre-existing particles by the glassy, molten spatter and ejecta from small meteoroid impacts is a competing constructive process of low efficiency. Grain size frequency distributions of the less than 1 mm fraction of the regolith tend to be slightly bimodal, with a broad mode in the 1-4$\phi $ size range (500-62.5 $\mu $m) due mostly to agglutination and another mode at approximately 5$\phi $ (31.3 $\mu $m) and finer that appears to be caused by the ballistic influx of fine particles from older (finer) regolith. In general, the size frequency distribution curves are nearly symmetrical and indicate poor to very poor sorting. There is a strong correlation of sample mean grain size (and other size parameters) with the length of time that the regolith has had to accumulate at each landing site. The greater the total length of regolith accumulation time, the greater the comminution by meteoroids, and hence the finer the sample mean grain size and the greater the total agglutinate content. These properties also correlate positively with solar wind implanted carbon and nitrogen contents. Thus, sample mean size, agglutinate content, solar wind nitrogen and carbon, as well as solar particle track densities, can all be used as measures of regolith 'maturity'. Local sample collection site geology, such as proximity to boulders or recent craters, strongly influences sample modal particle type populations and grain size characteristics. Lunar chondrules of several types have been identified in the regolith and rock samples. Many of these chondrules have textures that are identical with many meteoritic chondrules. The chondrules in lunar surface materials appear to result from lunar impact processes. It may be that chondrules have originated in many meteorites by some of the same processes. If true, this occurrence has important implications for the origin and history of chondritic meteorites.
Determinants of Loneliness Among Neglectful and Other Low-Income Mothers

Despite its ubiquity among social work's clients, the problem of loneliness has received scant attention from researchers in our field. The present survey of 306 rural and urban families showed loneliness more common among neglectful mothers than for controls in similar life circumstances. Ecological determinants of loneliness and strategies for coping with it among low-income women were also explored, with implications drawn for practice.
A Boolean action of C(M, U(1)) without a spatial model and a re-examination of the Cameron-Martin Theorem

Abstract We will demonstrate that if M is an uncountable compact metric space, then there is an action of the Polish group of all continuous functions from M to U ( 1 ) on a separable probability algebra which preserves the measure and yet does not admit a point realization in the sense of Mackey. This is achieved by exhibiting a strong form of ergodicity of the Boolean action known as whirliness. This is in contrast with Mackeyʼs point realization theorem, which asserts that any measure preserving Boolean action of a locally compact second countable group on a separable probability algebra can be realized as an action on the points of the associated probability space. In the course of proving the main theorem, we will prove a result concerning the infinite-dimensional Gaussian measure space ( R N , γ ∞ ) which is in contrast with the Cameron–Martin Theorem.
Experiments in the Coordinated Control of an Underwater Arm/Vehicle System

The addition of manipulators to small autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) can pose significant control challenges due to hydrodynamic interactions between the arm and the vehicle. Experiments conducted at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) using the OTTER vehicle have shown that dynamical interactions between an arm and a vehicle can be very significant. For the experiments reported in this paper, a single-link “arm” was mounted on OTTER. Tests showed that for 90-degree, two-second repetitive slews of the arm, the vehicle would move as much as 18 degrees in roll and 14 degrees in yaw when no vehicle control was applied.
Smartphone Energy Drain in the Wild: Analysis and Implications

The limited battery life of modern smartphones remains a leading factor adversely affecting the mobile experience of millions of smartphone users. In order to extend battery life, it is critical to understand where and how is energy drain happening on users' phones under normal usage, for example, in a one-day cycle. In this paper, we conduct the first extensive measurement and modeling of energy drain of 1520 smartphone in the wild. We make two primary contributions. First, we develop a hybrid power model that integrates utilization-based models and FSM-based models for different phone components with a novel technique that estimates the triggers for the FSM-based network power model based on network utilization. Second, through analyzing traces collected on 1520 Galaxy S3 and S4 devices in the wild, we present detailed analysis of where the CPU time and energy are spent across the 1520 devices, inside the 800 apps, as well as along several evolution dimensions, including hardware, Android, cellular, and app updates. Our findings of smartphone energy drain in the wild have significant implications to the various key players of the Android phone eco-system, including phone vendors Samsung, Android developers, app developers, and ultimately millions of smartphone users, towards the common goal of extending smartphone battery life and improving the user mobile experience.
Depression, stress, epilepsy and adult neurogenesis.

Epilepsy and depression share an unusually high coincidence suggestive of a common etiology. Disrupted production of adult-born hippocampal granule cells in both disorders may contribute to this high coincidence. Chronic stress and depression are associated with decreased granule cell neurogenesis. Epilepsy is associated with increased production – but aberrant integration – of new cells early in the disease and decreased production late in the disease. In both cases, the literature suggests these changes in neurogenesis play important roles in their respective diseases. Aberrant integration of adult-generated cells during the development of epilepsy may impair the ability of the dentate gyrus to prevent excess excitatory activity from reaching hippocampal pyramidal cells, thereby promoting seizures. Effective treatment of a subset of depressive symptoms, on the other hand, may require increased granule cell neurogenesis, indicating that adult-generated granule cells can modulate mood and affect. Given the robust changes in adult neurogenesis evident in both disorders, competing effects on brain structure are likely. Changes in relative risk, disease course or response to treatment seem probable, but complex and changing patterns of neurogenesis in both conditions will require sophisticated experimental designs to test these ideas. Despite the challenges, this area of research is critical for understanding and improving treatment for patients suffering from these disorders.
High-Current Lanthanum Hexaboride Hollow Cathode for High-Power Hall Thrusters

NASA is continuing to develop high-power Hall thrusters in the range of 20 to 100 kW for future cargo and manned missions. The cathodes for these thrusters will be required to produce discharge currents in the 50 to 300 A range with lifetimes in excess of 10 kh. A prototype high-current hollow cathode with a 2-cm-diam lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6) insert was previously developed for these applications. The original design featured a graphite cathode tube to interface with the LaB6 insert and an AL2O3 insulated sheath heater capable of heating the higher temperature emitter to ignition temperatures. A new version of this cathode has been designed and built that uses a refractory metal cathode tube and features a robust design similar to the small LaB6 cathode used for the H6 Hall thruster. The new cathode has been successfully tested at steady-state discharge currents from 25 to 300 A. This cathode is intended to be used in an 80 kW nested Hall thruster being built at the University of Michigan at discharge ...
Life on the Internet: portrait of a collaboration

This article was first published in the North American Review, University of Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa in November 1993. The interviews for this article were conducted over the Internet. A review copy of Cardiyakking in manuscript, which Ms. Peterson received over the network from Dr. Phillips, is the source for quoted material in this article.
Fatal postanesthetic complications in two muscular dystrophic patients

Abstract Two instances of acute cardiac failure and death occurred in the immediate postanesthetic period in children suffering from muscular dystrophy. The subject of anesthetic hazards in patients with muscular dystrophy is briefly reviewed.
The unrested resting brain: Sleep deprivation alters activity within the default-mode network

The sleep-deprived brain has principally been characterized by examining dysfunction during cognitive task performance. However, far less attention has been afforded the possibility that sleep deprivation may be as, if not more, accurately characterized on the basis of abnormal resting-state brain activity. Here we report that one night of sleep deprivation significantly disrupts the canonical signature of task-related deactivation, resulting in a double dissociation within anterior as well as posterior midline regions of the default network. Indeed, deactivation within these regions alone discriminated sleep-deprived from sleep-control subjects with a 93% degree of sensitivity and 92% specificity. In addition, the relative balance of deactivation within these default nodes significantly correlated with the amount of prior sleep in the control group (and not extended time awake in the deprivation group). Therefore, the stability and the balance of task-related deactivation in key default-mode regions may be dependent on prior sleep, such that a lack thereof disrupts this signature pattern of brain activity, findings that may offer explanatory insights into conditions associated with sleep loss at both a clinical as well as societal level.
Measurement of nicotine, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in meconium by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Abstract Nicotine (NIC), cotinine (COT) and trans-3′-hydroxycotinine (OHCOT) are the most prevalent and abundant tobacco biomarkers in meconium. We have developed and validated an accurate and precise method for the measurement of these analytes in meconium in which potassium hydroxide is used to digest the meconium sample, followed by solid phase extraction from the liquified sample. The precision of OHCOT, COT and NIC measurements (intra-day and inter-day) were 4.8–10.6%, 3.4–11.6% and 9.3–15.8%, respectively. Evaluation of accuracy indicated bias of −4.0, 2.0 and 0.8% for OHCOT at concentrations of 0.5, 2.5 and 7.5 ng/g. The accuracy estimates for COT at concentrations of 0.5, 2.5 and 7.5 ng/g are 4.0, 4.0 and 5.7%, respectively. For NIC at 2, 10 and 30 ng/g the accuracy was calculated to be 3.0, 5.0 and 5.1%, respectively. The linear range of standard solutions was 0.125–37.5 ng/mL for OHCOT and COT, and 0.75–150 ng/mL for NIC. This method was applied to the analysis of 374 meconium samples from infants of both smoking and nonsmoking mothers. Positive correlations with r 2 ≥ 0.63 were observed between NIC and COT, COT and OHCOT, NIC and OHCOT, and NIC and (OHCOT + COT) in these samples.
Transmission electron microscope study of II–VI/III–V semiconductor interfaces

Abstract Structures of ZnSe/GaAs epitaxial interfaces have been studied by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Narrow dark bands are observed along these interfaces in their bright field and high resolution electron microscope images, suggesting a certain form of modifications of the structure. Despite the appearance of the dark hands, perfect coherent lattice structures are observed in high resolution images of the interfaces. Weak beam dark field images indicate the presence of lattice distortions in the neighborhood of the interfaces. These observations are explained by assuming the existence of a thin interface layer which maintain the coherent lattice relation with matrix crystals. As-grown and annealed ZnSe/GaAs epitaxial interfaces are compared in order to investigate the structural origin of the change of the electrical property of the interface by the post-growth annealing. The observation suggests that the interfacial layer remains after annealing but has changed into a slightly broader one.
Niacin: The Evidence, Clinical Use, and Future Directions

The use of FDA-approved niacin (nicotinic acid or vitamin B3) formulations at therapeutic doses, alone or in combination with statins or other lipid therapies, is safe, improves multiple lipid parameters, and reduces atherosclerosis progression. Niacin is unique as the most potent available lipid therapy to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and it significantly reduces lipoprotein(a). Through its action on the GPR109A receptor, niacin may also exert beneficial pleiotropic effects independent of changes in lipid levels, such as improving endothelial function and attenuating vascular inflammation. Studies evaluating the impact of niacin in statin-naive patients on cardiovascular outcomes, or alone and in combination with statins or other lipid therapies on atherosclerosis progression, have been universally favorable. However, the widespread use of niacin to treat residual lipid abnormalities such as low HDL cholesterol, when used in combination with statins among patients achieving very low (<75 mg/dL) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, is currently not supported by clinical outcome trials.
116 SURGICAL CLOSURE OF PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS IN CRITICALLY ILL PREMATURE INFANTS

Respiratory distress syndrome(RDS) of prematurity can be complicated by patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) kept open by underlying hypoxia. As RDS clears, a large left to right(L-R) shunt may develop adding pulmonary edema to pre-existing respiratory dysfunction. Since 1978, 27 infants required ductal closure when medical management failed to abolish a significant L-R shunt. The mean birthweight of these infants was 1122 gm with a gestational age of 29 weeks. Most required intubation due to RDS around one hour of life. If the pulmonary edema in these infants could not be controlled medically within 5-7 days, surgical closure was done. The average body weight at surgery was 1034 gm. Two operative deaths (7%) occurred in infants with preexisting renal failure; 3 late deaths (11%) occurred in patients with severe broncho-pulmonary dysplasia(BPD). Postoperative problems were common: BPD-12 cases, hydrocephalus-6, retrolental fibroplasia-5, and necrotizing enterocolitis-2. At mean follow-up of 35 months, 12 were felt to have normal growth and development. Persistent abnormalities were present in the remaining survivors: respiratory dysfunction-5, cerebral palsy-2, deafness-2, and blindness-1. In summary, PDA complicating RDS of prematurity can be closed with low mortality (7%). Although postoperative complications were common, 48% of survivors had normal growth and development at mean follow-up of 35 months.
Metal/polypyrrole quasi-reference electrode for voltammetry in nonaqueous and aqueous solutions

As an alternative to the usual commercial reference and quasi-reference electrodes (QREs), we propose metal (Pt, stainless steel) coated with partially oxidized polypyrrole as a QRE. The electrode is easily fabricated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) with the metal electrode in an acetonitrile or CH2Cl2 solution of 10 mM pyrrole containing 0.1 M Bu4NPF6. These QREs were more stable than the widely used metal (e.g., Ag, Pt) wire QRE as demonstrated by testing in several aqueous and organic media, with the stability checked by CV with ferrocenemethanol as the redox species. The results obtained demonstrate good stability of these QREs over a period of 1 day and relatively reproducible potential in a given solvent and supporting electrolyte. This electrode has the advantage that it does not contaminate the test solution with ions or solvent from a usual liquid electrolyte (e.g., the KCl in an Ag/AgCl). It is also simple to fabricate very small electrodes for use in nanocells, e.g., in scanning tunneling and electrochemical microscopy.
Shape design sensitivity analysis with frequency response

Abstract Optimization techniques have recently emerged as useful design tools. Design sensitivity analysis is one of the most important ingredients in structural optimization and has been studied intensively in the literature. However, most efforts have been concentrated on the sizing design variables which have wide applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. Shape optimization, which treats the geometry of the problem as the design variable, forms another important class of optimization problems and has been the main focus in optimization research activities in recent years. This paper concerns the shape design sensitivity analysis with frequency response which is important in designing automotive components. The variational approach which uses the material derivative concept is used for derivation of the analytical eigenvalue sensitivity. The correlation between the continuum and discrete formulations is discussed and the equivalence between them is proved.
Measuring the Environmental Benefits of Wind-Generated Electricity

Production subsidies for renewable energy, such as solar or wind power, are rationalized by their environmental benefits. Subsidizing these projects allows clean, renewable technologies to produce electricity that otherwise would have been produced by dirtier, fossil-fuel power plants. In this paper, I quantify the emissions offset by wind power for a large electricity grid in Texas using the randomness inherent in wind power availability. When accounting for dynamics in the production process, the results indicate that only for high estimates of the social costs of pollution does the value of emissions offset by wind power exceed cost of renewable energy subsidies. (JEL L94, L98, Q42, Q48, Q51, Q53, Q54)
Singular intensity factors at bimaterial anisotropic interfaces

Abstract The singular intensity factors at bimaterial anisotropic interfaces in bonded joints with composite adherends are found by using a hybrid method based on numerical and elasticity solutions. The method is applicable to the solution of problems having complex geometry, loading and boundary conditions, which is the case in typical composite structures. Results are given in terms of the singular intensity factor, which is a generalization of the stress intensity factor commonly used with cracks. Both closed and open wedges, which are found, respectively, in bonded joints with or without adhesive fillets, are considered. Equivalent singular intensity factors in modes I, II and III are defined, and the results indicate that the mode III factor, which arises due to out-of-plane coupling, is negligible in all cases studied. Moreover, use of the Erdogan–Sih failure criterion indicates that the direction of crack propagation in lap joints with fillets remains constant beyond a very small region near the point of singularity, while for joints without fillets crack initiation always occurs in a direction parallel to the adhesive–adherend interface.
Zooplankton induced decrease in inorganic phosphorus uptake by plankton in an oligotrophic lake

Experiments conducted on samples collected from a large oligotrophic lake revealed the following: (1) excretion rates of PO inf4 sup3− by single Daphnia thorata were below detection (5 pmol animal−1 min−1) in 20 ml of oligotrophic lake water over a period of 10 min, (2) experimental addition of D. thorata to 20 ml aliquots of lake water decreased community-wide microbial uptake of PO inf4 sup3− on two occasions (as measured by 32PO inf4 sup3− incorporation), and (3) the presence of D. thorata increased uptake by organisms smaller than 1µm, and decreased uptake by large phytoplankton. The specific mechanism for these responses remains unclear, but the results imply that when phytoplankton larger than 1µm encounter cm scale patches of water recently occupied by Daphnia they may experience decreased PO inf4 sup3− availability rather than elevated concentrations of PO inf4 sup3− caused by excretion. We show that 32P uptake experiments using natural plankton assemblages can be influenced by the presence or absence of large zooplankton, and that neither grazing, turbulence, nor PO inf4 sup3− excretion can account for this influence.
Microbial Immobilization of Nitrogen-15 Labelled Ammonium and Nitrate in an Agricultural Soil

Fertilizer N recovery is sometimes greater for NO 3 –N than for NH 4 –N forms by no-till wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the semiarid northern Great Plains and is perhaps affected by preferential N immobilization. This study was conducted to determine whether fertilizer N immobilization (FNI) was affected by N form (NH 4 –N vs. NO 3 –N) and glucose-C availability. Laboratory incubation (26 d, 10nC) was conducted on a Tamaneen clay loam (fine, smectitic, frigid Typic Agriustolls) collected from a field site where greater recovery of NO 3 –N compared with NH 4 –N fertilizer forms (i.e., NaNO 3 vs. urea) had been previously observed by wheat. Soil (20 g) was treated with 2 mg of N as 15 N-labeled NaNO 3 and (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 in factorial combination with a gradient of 0, 10, or 100 mg of glucose-C. Inorganic N (NH 4 –N + NO 3 –N) concentrations were comparatively stable over the 26-d incubation without C but exhibited a biphasic time response with C, falling rapidly during the first phase to a lower step second phase. Overall, inorganic N concentrations were lower for (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 than NaNO 3 . Fertilizer N immobilization vs. incubation-day relationships conformed to an exponential rise to maximum functions. At 26 d, FNI was equivalent to 0.87, 27.6, and 65.9% for NaNO 3 and 8.8, 41.2, and 65.3% for (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 at 0, 10, and 100 mg glucose-C, respectively. Fertilizer N immobilization ratios, FNI (NH4)2SO4 /FNI NaNO3 , averaged (1–26 d) 10.7, 1.8, and 1.5 for 0, 10, and 100 mg glucose-C, respectively. This study found that NH 4 –N was preferentially immobilized over NO 3 –N where available C was limited and likely contributing to greater fertilizer N recovery of NO 3 –N forms by wheat.
Galileo's French correspondents

Summary This paper examines the correspondence and contacts between Galileo and a number of French intellectuals. It demonstrates that exchanges between Galileo and those Frenchmen did much to stimulate an interest in new scientific ideas in France, especially in astronomy; for example, Galileo provided a number of good telescopic lenses that did much to establish observational astronomy in France. The Frenchmen for their part provided Galileo with considerable useful information. Several were very active in his support after the condemnation of 1633 and in publishing his later works. The paper further demonstrates the extent of the network of intellectuals who corresponded with Galileo and each other across Europe in the early seventeenth century.
Effect of dimethyl sulfoxide on chemotaxis of phagocytic cells.

Abstract : Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been highly publicized as an anti-inflammatory agent but its mechanism of action remains unknown. We hypothesized that DMSO acts by inhibiting influx of phagocytic cells to sites of inflammation and tested this premise by examining the effect of DMSO on the locomotion of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and monocytes (MN) in vivo and in vitro. In the present study, we found that DMSO inhibits influx of PMN and MN into infected pleural spaces and decreases locomotion of PMN and MN in vitro.
On solutions of “equations in symmetric groups”

Abstract Let x ϵ Sn, the symmetric group on n symbols. Let θ ϵ Aut(Sn) and let the automorphim order of x with respect to θ be defined by γθ(x)= min {k:x xθ xθ 2 ⋯ xθ k−1 =1} where xθ is the image of x under θ. Let αg ϵ Aut(Sn) denote conjugation by the element g ϵ Sn. Let b(g; s, k : n) ≡ ∥{x ϵ S n : k γ α g (x) sk }∥ where s and k are positive integers and a b denotes a divides b. Further h(s, k : n) ≡ b(1; s, k : n), where 1 denotes the identity automorphim. If g ϵ Sn let c = f(g, s) denote the number of symbols in g which are in cycles of length not dividing the integer s, and let gs denote the product of all cycles in g whose lengths do not divide s. Then gs moves c symbols. The main results proved are: (1) recursion: if n ⩾ c + 1 and t = n − c − 1 then b(g; s, 1:n)=∑ i s b(g; s, 1:n−1)( t i−1 (i−1)! (2) reduction: b(g; s, 1 : c)h(s, 1 : i) = b(g; s, 1 : i + c); (3) distribution: let D(θ, n) ≡ {(k, b) : k ϵ Z+ and b = b(θ; 1, k : n) ≠ 0}; then D(θ, m) = D(φ, m) ∨ m ⩾ N = N(θ, φ) iff θ is conjugate to φ; (4) evaluation: the number of cycles in gss of any given length is smaller than the smallest prime dividing s iff b(gs; s, 1 : c) = 1. If g = (12 … pm)t and sk p m then b(g;s,k:p m ) { 0 ±1 ( mod p) .
Secretion of Fluid by the Shell Gland of the Laying Hen

ABSTRACT THE shell gland 1 segment of the avian oviduct transfers water to and deposits a shell about the forming egg. Previous studies of shell gland function involved collection of the secreted fluid by catheterizing this organ while it contained a forming egg (Beadle, Conrad and Scott, 1938). This study was undertaken to determine the effect of the functional state of the shell gland (i.e., the stage of egg formation) and the degree of mechanical stimulation (i.e., catheter size) on the rate of secretion. The process of egg formation has recently been reviewed by Sturkie (1954). The rates at which the various processes take pace and the times of their occurrence in the cycle of egg formation have been reported (Bradfield, 1951). A recent description of the histology of the shell gland is available (McCallion, 1953) METHODS Laying White Leghorn hens from the departmental flock were used in these experiments. Housing birds . . .
Widespread Protein Aggregation as an Inherent Part of Aging in C. elegans

Aberrant protein aggregation is a hallmark of many age-related diseases, yet little is known about whether proteins aggregate with age in a non-disease setting. Using a systematic proteomics approach, we identified several hundred proteins that become more insoluble with age in the multicellular organism Caenorhabditis elegans. These proteins are predicted to be significantly enriched in beta-sheets, which promote disease protein aggregation. Strikingly, these insoluble proteins are highly over-represented in aggregates found in human neurodegeneration. We examined several of these proteins in vivo and confirmed their propensity to aggregate with age. Different proteins aggregated in different tissues and cellular compartments. Protein insolubility and aggregation were significantly delayed or even halted by reduced insulin/IGF-1-signaling, which also slows aging. We found a significant overlap between proteins that become insoluble and proteins that influence lifespan and/or polyglutamine-repeat aggregation. Moreover, overexpressing one aggregating protein enhanced polyglutamine-repeat pathology. Together our findings indicate that widespread protein insolubility and aggregation is an inherent part of aging and that it may influence both lifespan and neurodegenerative disease.