cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Volumetric capnography for assessing ventilation inhomogeneity in infants with BPD

Background: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is characterized by structural lung changes which may affect ventilation distribution. Volumetric capnography (VC) has been used in adults to provide information on ventilation homogeneity and ventilation-over-perfusion status. The aim of this study was to assess the value of VC in assessing ventilation homogeneity in infants with BPD. Methods: Lung function (tidal breathing - multiple breath washout) parameters from 132 healthy infants (94 term, 38 preterm) and 66 infants with moderate or severe BPD were compared. Expiratory capnograms were obtained by mainstream capnography over 100 tidal breaths. The slopes of phases II (SII) and III (SIII) were calculated by linear regression on emprirically chosen intervals as follows: For SII between 5 and 60% of the end-expiratory CO2 fraction and for SIII between 40, 50, or 60 and 95% of the expiratory volume. The correlation between these indices and lung clearence index (LCI) was also assessed. Results: Both SIII and SII were steeper in BPD infants. The SIII40-95% was associated with the higher between-groups difference (Healthy 65 [49-80], BPD 108 [69-171]; P Conclusions: VC might be used as a simpler and faster alternative to the inert gas washout techniques for assessing ventilation inhomogeneity in infants with BPD.
Making informed policy decisions about newborn hearing screening.

From theDepartment of Pediatrics, DukeUniversity School of Medicine, Durham,NC (Dr. Kemper); andChildren’s Health ServicesResearch, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Ind (Dr. Downs) Address correspondence to Alex R. Kemper,MD,MPH,MS, DukeClinical Research Institute andDepartment of Pediatrics, 2400 Pratt Street, Room 0311 Terrace Level, Durham, NC 27705 (e-mail: alex.kemper@duke.edu).
Interpleural analgesia for the treatment of severe cancer pain in terminally ill patients

Interpleural analgesia was used to alleviate acute, severe exacerbations of chronic pain unrelieved by pharmacologic therapy in ten terminally ill cancer patients. Pain from metastatic disease to the neck, arms, chest, brachial plexus, thorax, or abdomen was effectively eliminated between 7 hr and 40 days in nine patients, who died with minimal or no pain. The technique was performed primarily using bupivacaine. No side effects were detected. Interpleural analgesia appears to be effective in rapidly controlling acute exacerbations of cancer pain in terminally ill patients. Moreover, it may also be a suitable therapy for moribund patients when used as a continuous-infusion technique.
A note on the multi-α solutions of the upper bounding problem for thermal convection

Abstract The transition to “multi-α” solutions of the upper bounding problem for thermal convection is discussed. For convection in a fluid contained between parallel stress-free perfectly conducting boundaries, the “single-α” solutions of Straus (1973) are used to determine the Rayleigh number R at which the first transition occurs. Two upper bounding problems are treated: one valid for all values of the Prandtl number and one valid only for large Prandtl numbers. A significant difference between the two problems is noted. The former has a transition at R ∼ 28200; the latter has no transition within the range of Rayleigh numbers treated here: R ⩽ 2.3 · 105.
Growth Morphology of Vicinal Hillocks on the {101} Face of KH2PO4: Evidence of Surface Diffusion

The growth morphologies of vicinal hillocks on KH2PO4 {101} surfaces have been investigated using atomic force microscopy. Both 2D and spiral dislocation growth hillocks are observed on the same crystal surface at supersaturations of ∼5 %. Growth occurs on monomolecular 5 A steps both by step-flow and through layer-by-layer growth. The distribution of islands on the terraces demonstrate that surface diffusion is an important factor during growth. Terraces that are less than the diffusion length do not contain any islands. This, together with the length scale of the inter island spacing and the denuded zones provide an estimate of the diffusion length. In situ experiments at very low supersaturation (∼0.1 %) show that growth is a discontinuous process due to step pinning. In addition, in situ images allow for the direct determination of the fundamental growth parameters a, the step edge energy, and β, the kinetic coefficient.
Asymptotic and generating relations for the q-Jacobi and 4φ3 polynomials

Abstract Generating functions, explicit representations, and uniform asymptotic formulas are derived for the little q -Jacobi polynomials, the big q -Jacobi polynomials, and the 4 φ 3 polynomials.
Hippocampal Network Connectivity and Activation Differentiates Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder From Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety disorders are a diverse group of clinical states. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), eg, share elevated anxiety symptoms, but differ with respect to fear-related memory dysregulation. As the hippocampus is implicated in both general anxiety and fear memory, it may be an important brain locus for mapping the similarities and differences among anxiety disorders. Anxiety and fear also functionally associate with different subdivisions of the hippocampus along its longitudinal axis: the human posterior (rodent dorsal) hippocampus is involved in memory, through connectivity with the medial prefrontal-medial parietal default-mode network, whereas the anterior (rodent ventral) hippocampus is involved in anxiety, through connectivity with limbic-prefrontal circuits. We examined whether differential hippocampal network functioning may help account for similarities and differences in symptoms in PTSD and GAD. Network-sensitive functional magnetic resonance imaging-based resting-state intrinsic connectivity methods, along with task-based assessment of posterior hippocampal/default-mode network function, were used. As predicted, in healthy subjects resting-state connectivity dissociated between posterior hippocampal connectivity with the default-mode network, and anterior hippocampal connectivity to limbic-prefrontal circuitry. The posterior hippocampus and the associated default-mode network, across both resting-state connectivity and task-based measures, were perturbed in PTSD relative to each of the other groups. By contrast, we found only modest support for similarly blunted anterior hippocampal connectivity across both patient groups. These findings provide new insights into the neural circuit-level dysfunctions that account for similar vs different features of two major anxiety disorders, through a translational framework built on animal work and carefully selected clinical disorders.
Dating Violence and Interpersonal Victimization Among a National Sample of Latino Youth

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this analysis was (1) to provide the rates of dating violence victimization among a national sample of Latino adolescents, (2) to determine the degree to which different forms of dating violence victimization co-occurred for this sample, and (3) to determine how much dating violence victimization overlapped with other forms of non–partner-perpetrated victimization. Method This analysis used data from the Dating Violence Among Latinos Study, which surveyed 1,525 Latino adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years about past-year dating violence and non–partner-perpetrated victimization. We calculated victimization rates and relative risk ratios to evaluate the co-occurrence among different forms of dating violence victimization as well as the co-occurrence of dating violence and other forms of victimization. Results Results show elevated rates of dating violence victimization compared with previous studies, which is primarily accounted for by psychological dating violence. The rate of dating violence appears to precipitously increase starting around ages 13 and 14 years and is consistently higher for boys. Each type of dating violence was significantly associated with other forms of dating violence (e.g., physical and psychological). Dating violence was significantly associated with experiencing conventional crime, peer or sibling victimization, and nonpartner sexual victimization as well as being a polyvictim. Conclusions The results support the importance of early prevention efforts with Latino youth and addressing dating violence with both sexes. Furthermore, dating violence should be seen as a potential risk marker for youth who are experiencing multiple forms of victimization.
A more general algorithm for computing closed semiring costs between vertices of a directed graph

This note describes a generalization of an algorithm given by Aho, Hopcroft, and Ullman [1], originally derived from the work of Kleene [2] and McNaughton and Yamada [3]. The algorithm is used to compute the total cost of all paths between each pair of vertices in a directed graph when the cost of each edge is known. The cost of a path is defined as the product of the costs of the edges forming it, and the total cost of a set of paths is the sum of their individual costs. If there are n vertices labeled 1 through n and E[i, j] is the cost of the edge from vertex i to vertex j (or is zero when there is no such edge), then the total cost T[i, j] of all paths from i to j is the solution of the equation T[i, j] = d[i, j] + ∑nk-1E[i, k]·T[k, j], (1) where d[i, i] = 1 (the cost of the path of no edges from i to i) and d[i, j] = 0 if i ≠ j. To assure that T [i, j] is always well-defined, costs are required to be elements from an algebraic structure called a closed semiring.
The von Hippel–Lindau tumour suppressor protein: new perspectives

von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is a hereditary cancer syndrome caused by germline mutations of the VHL tumour suppressor gene. The VHL gene product, pVHL, forms multiprotein complexes that contain elongin B, elongin C and Cul-2, and negatively regulates hypoxia-inducible mRNAs. pVHL is suspected to play a role in ubiquitination given the similarity of elongin C and Cul-2 with Skp1 and Cdc53, respectively. pVHL can also interact with fibronectin and is required for the assembly of a fibronectin matrix. Finally, pVHL, at least indirectly, plays a role in the ability of cells to exit the cell cycle. Thus, pVHL is a tumour suppressor protein that regulates angiogenesis, extracellular matrix formation and the cell cycle.
Annular dark-field image simulation of the YBa2Cu3O7−δ/BaF2 interface

Abstract Scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) images of the interface of a YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7−δ (YBCO)/BaF 2 thin film bilayer show a relatively wide (≈40 A) contrasting band at the interface when viewed edge-on. Simulation of annular dark-field (ADF) images of this interface reveal that a significant contribution to this wide band of contrast is due to strain from dislocations oriented perpendicular to the incident beam direction and this contrast cannot be explained using solely a Z -contrast interpretation of ADF images. We believe that these are the first such calculations which predict that the presence of a misfit dislocation network can contribute a significant amount of contrast to cross-section ADF images of an interface.
Serum Is Chemotactic for Retinal-Derived Glial Cells

• Retinal glial cells participate in nearly all proliferative retinopathies. Little is known about factors that can stimulate these cells to migrate from the retina and proliferate. We cultured retinal glial cells from immature rats and observed the migratory and proliferative responses to serum (0% to 10%) and two of its components, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (0 to 30 ng/mL) and fibronectin (0 to 20 mg/L). We found that 1% serum causes a fivefold increase in migration of the retinal glia and a 170% increase in proliferation over baseline. Fibronectin caused a threefold increase in migration at 30 mg/L, and PDGF caused a fourfold increase at 20 ng/mL, but only PDGF caused an increase in proliferation (300% at 10 ng/mL).
Leveraging Processor Performance Counters for Security and Performance

Modern processors come equipped with hundreds of hardware performance counters, which count variety of events in the processor, anything from floating point operations retired to cache misses. In recent years researchers have begun to use these performance counters to characterize and detect malicious software. In parallel, researchers have also explored using the performance counter data for performance and energy usage optimizations. Prior research has done quite well at detecting malware, but most of the efforts have not explored proactive schemes where the system is actually able to react to the potentially suspicious behavior in real time. Also, security and performance work has been done separately. In this talk we introduce our recent research project dealing with leveraging processor performance counters to characterize program behavior, predict upcoming program phases, and schedule applications based on the predicted behavior in order to improve both security and performance. The project leverages machine learning and resulting prototype runs in real-time on commodity hardware in a modified Linux scheduler. This is joint work with Junaid Nomani.
Amino acid precursors in lunar samples

The use of hot water to extract lunar samples, followed by the hydrolysis of the aqueous extract, appears to be the method of choice for identification and quantitation of amino acid precursors in extraterrestrial sources. The net inferences from the analyses to date are (1) that amino acid precursors are verifiably present in lunar dust, and (2) that they are quite certainly not the consequence of contamination by terrestrial organisms, including man. It is suggested that prebiotic evolutionary pathways such as have been traversed on the earth were terminated on the moon for lack of sufficient water. Although some or all of the amino acid precursors may be indigenous, the low level observed suggests that they may also result from onfall of organic compounds from interstellar matter, comets, tails, solar wind, or meteorites.
A rapid method to produce anti-gentamicin antibody.

The aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin, was conjugated to erythrocytes or bovine serum albumin (BSA) by a simple procedure in which ECDI was employed as the coupling reagent. When rabbits were immunized by injecting gentamicin-goat erythrocyte conjugates, three kinds of antibody were produced: 1. anti-gentamicin antibody, 2. anti-ECDI antibody, 3. goat erythrocyte agglutinins. The interfering anti-ECDI antibody was easily neutralized by adding acidified LCDI solution to the immune serum. Goat agglutinins were avoided by employing rabbit erythrocytes as the carrier cell in the hemagglutination titration. Highly specific anti-gentamicin antiserum was produced in rabbits by first injecting an initial dose of gentamicin-BSA conjugate as an emulsion in incomplete Freund's adjuvant via the foot pad, followed by multiple intravenous injections of gentamicin-erythrocyte conjugates. The immunization took approximately 21 days. High titered anti-gentamicin antibody was also produced by foot pad inoculation of gentamicin-BSA conjugates; however, the time necessary to achieve comparable titers was considerably longer (55 days). The antibodies produced by both immunization procedures were mainly of the IgG class.
Improved method for the isolation and purification of human islets of langerhans using Liberase enzyme blend.

Abstract To determine the effects of procedural modifications, 23 human islet isolations were analyzed. Isolations were divided into two groups based on the enzyme used. The influence of Liberase™, with an improved method of mechanical disassociation of pancreas, was compared to an automated method using Sevac collagenase. Pancreases were processed within 10 h of cross clamping. Following ductal injection of the enzyme, tissue was placed in the digestion chamber for disassociation. Purification was accomplished using a COBE 2991 cell processor and continuous gradients of Hypaque EuroFicoll. Isolations in Group I (Sevac) had an average yield of 138,602 ± 128,364 islet equivalents (IE) (2083 ± 1679 IE/g) with a purity of 85 ± 11%. Group II (Liberase) showed an average yield of 389,586 ± 191,161 IE (5,958 ± 3,083 IE/g) with a purity of 90 ± 6.8%. Viability was confirmed by fluorescein diacetate and propidium iodide staining, static incubations, and perifusions. In conclusion, the combination of the enzyme blend, Liberase, and a more gentle system of disassociation has proven to be a more productive method of islet isolation with higher purity than the previously published methods.
Simultaneous and staggered dichotic word and digit tests with stutterers and nonstutterers

Abstract The present study compared the performance of stuttering adults and matched controls on the Staggered Spondaic Word (SSW) test and three experimental digit tests—Two Pair Digit—TPD, Staggered Digits Simultaneous—SDS, and Staggered Digits Offset—SDO. Results indicated differences between stuttering and nonstuttering group mean values on the left ear scores of the TPD test, and on the numbers of reversals on both the SDS and SDO tests. The SSW, SDS, and SDO tests were all found to produce similar results in both stutteres and nonstutterers. However, the numbers of reversals on the SDS and SDO tests were significantly greater than those observed on the SSW test for both groups. Finally, the TPD test was found to be significantly more difficult for both groups than either of the other two experimental tests (i.e., SDS and SDO). These results are discussed in terms of similarity and differences with other dichotic listening studies. Limitations of the study and implications for further research are also presented.
Hazards and Risks in the Romanian Agriculture Due to Climate Changes

Abstract The climate changes represent one of the major challenges of our century-a complex area in which we must improve our knowledge and understanding in order to take immediate and correct action to address efficiently, in terms of costs, the challenges of the climate changes. The processes and the natural phenomena, though cyclic are accidental. Even though they appear as a necessity in the evolution of the system, they manifest themselves at random, undergoing, from this point of view, the hazard, the unpredictible. The agriculture is a major user of the agrometeorological information, their capitalization in connection to other types of specialized information (agricultural, technologic, economic. etc.) is achieved in order to prevent and reduce the risk generated by meteorological phenomena and to set strategies for sustainable development.
Deformation processes in [112¯0]-textured nanocrystalline Mg by molecular dynamics simulation

Abstract Plastic deformation of nanocrystalline Mg is studied using molecular dynamics simulation. In a [ 1 1 2 ¯ 0 ] -textured structure, slip and twinning behaviors are observed during tensile loading. Various twinning and slip process are identified, with basal slip and tensile { 1 0 1 ¯ 2 } 〈 1 0 1 ¯ 1 〉 twinning being dominant. For grain sizes larger than ∼30 nm, basal slip occurs at a lower strain than twinning; for smaller grain sizes, twinning takes place at a lower strain than slip. For small grain sizes, the system generates partial dislocations; extended or full type dislocations are generated at high stress and large grain sizes. As the external stress increases, pyramidal 〈c + a〉 dislocations are also frequently generated, leading to a reduction in twinning activity. Whereas, under low stresses only the tensile twin is created at the grain boundaries, under high stress compressive twins are created at grain boundaries and in the interior of grains.
Splicing of the Petunia cytochrome oxidase subunit II intron.

A comparative analysis of the plant introncontaining mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II (coxII) genes provides an indication that four conserved sequence motifs, present in exon 1 (intron-binding sequences; IBS), and complementary motifs (exon-binding sequences; EBS), present in domain I of the group II intron, may be involved in splicing of the intron. Two of these potential IBS motifs (IBS1 and IBS2) have been previously discussed. Two further potential IBS motifs (IBSa and IBSb), which occur twice within exon 1, could be involved in specification of the 5′ splice site and of a 5′ cryptic splice site. Nuclease-proection experiments and DNA sequence analysis of a spliced coxII cDNA have confirmed the predicted positions of the petunia coxII 5′ and 3′ splice sites. Evidence for the occurrence of splicing in vivo at the putative 5′ cryptic splice site in petunia is provided by the detection of a nuclease-protected fragment corresponding to the size which is predicted if splicing at the proposed cryptic splice site occurs. The existence and location of a cryptic splice site, upstream of the normal coxII 5′ splice site, is consistent with the proposed derivation of the cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS)-associated pcf gene from an abnormally spliced coxII transcript (Pruitt and Hanson 1989).
Molecular configuration in the heterogeneous nucleation p-dihalobenzenes on cleaved alkali halide crystals

Abstract The heterogeneous nucleation of molten p-dibromo-, p-bromochloro- and p-dichlorobenzene on cleaved alkali halide surfaces has been examined. Critical supercooling is rather insensitive to the particular substrate used, showing an average of 3.5, 9.5 and 13.5°C respectively for the three p-halobenzenes. Despite the fact that the lattice dimensions of the substrate were in no case similar to those of the nucleating phase, the above supercoolings demonstrate considerable nucleation catalysis. Furthermore, vapor deposited crystals show strong epitaxy which is predominately 〈100〉 for small substrate lattice dimensions and 〈110〉 for large substrate dimensions. Nucleation sites, examined by etching, appear to be most favorable in the region of low angle grain boundaries. Computer calculations of the minimum potential configuration for molecules of the halobenzenes, conforming with the substrate lattice net show satisfactory agreement with observed crystal orientation, seemingly indicating that it is the molecule - substrate interaction which plays the major role in epitaxial development rather than lattice distortion. A simple and approximate nucleation model is developed which shows that the critical supercooling can also be phrased in terms of molecular interphase potentials. The secondary effect of lattice distortion becomes important when specific substrate sites, which can minimize this distortion, are considered. It is shown that one such favorable site is the low-angle grain boundary, in accord with experimental observation.
Zirconium complexes incorporating diaryldiamidoferrocene ligands: generation of cationic derivatives and polymerization activity towards ethylene and 1-hexene

Abstract Palladium-catalyzed coupling of ArX (ArX=MesBr, 2,6-dichloroiodobenzene and 9-bromonaphtalene) with 1,1′-diaminoferrocene afforded a series of substituted diamide ligands Fc(NHAr) 2 ( 1 ). A Zr-dibenzyl complex 2 of the mesityl-substituted ligand was synthesized using ZrBn 4 , and its ability to act as precatalyst for olefin polymerization was investigated. Abstraction of one benzyl group using B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 resulted in the zwitterionic species [LZrBn][BnB(C 6 F 5 ) 3 ] ( 3 ), which reacted slowly (approximately 30 min) with ethylene to afford the monoinsertion product [LZrCH 2 CH 2 CH 2 Ph][BnB(C 6 F 5 ) 3 ]. Further insertions of ethylene were slower and led, after 2 h, to the di- and tri-insertion products. Use of [Ph 3 C][B(C 6 F 5 ) 4 ] as an activator resulted in a competent 1-hexene polymerization catalyst affording high molecular weight poly-1-hexene with a PDI of 1.3–1.4.
Thermal analysis of styrene–alkyl methacrylate polymers. II. Thermogravimetric kinetics

The thermal stability and degradation kinetics of several polystyrenes and styrene–alkyl methacrylate copolymers and terpolymers with a number-average molecular weight (Mn) of 6000–250,000 g/mole have been studied using dynamic thermogravimetry (TG). The degradation kinetics of each polymer sample have been successfully attributed to a sample first-order reaction expression. The results indicate that the thermal stability and degradation kinetics of the polymers are independent of the size of the molecules within the molecular weight range investigated. The steric hindrance effects of the pendent groups appear to be responsible for the improved thermal stability and resistance of CC bond scission in the styrene–alkyl methacrylate copolymers and terpolymers.
Selective α7-nicotinic agonists normalize inhibition of auditory response in DBA mice

Abnormal sensory inhibition is a measurable indicator of a sensory processing deficit which is observed in schizophrenia, and other disorders, and which may be heritable. This deficit has also been observed in certain inbred mouse strains where the intensity of the deficit has been correlated with reduction in the number of hippocampal α-bungarotoxin-sensitive nicotinic receptors. Nicotine and certain nicotinic agonists produce brief periods of normal sensory inhibition in these mice. Similarly, nicotine also transiently normalizes sensory inhibition in schizophrenics. The present study assessed the effects of a novel nicotinic partial agonist (GTS-21), selective for the α-bungarotoxin site, on sensory inhibition in DBA mice, a strain with no sensory inhibition under routine experimental conditions. GTS-21 produced a dose-dependent normalization of sensory inhibition which was blocked by α-bungarotoxin but not mecamylamine. In contrast to other nicotinic agonists, normalization of sensory inhibition by GTS-21 and two related anabaseine compounds, DMAB-anabaseine and DMAC-anabaseine, was observed when administered a second time to the animal, after a 40-min delay. Our results indicated that the anabaseine compounds increase sensory inhibition through α7 nicotinic receptors, and that their ability to act repeatedly on these receptors may be less affected by desensitization.
A novel technology to screen for cognitive impairment in the elderly.

BACKGROUND Traditional evaluation of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be costly, time consuming, and impractical for widespread screening. DETECT is a portable device developed to rapidly perform cognitive testing in diverse settings. This study compares DETECT with formal clinical assessment. METHODS A prospective cross-sectional comparison of the DETECT device versus an expert neuropsychologist's assessment (NPA). A total of 405 participants ≥65 years old, recruited from geriatric clinics and retirement facilities, completed both DETECT and NPA. Multivariable logistic regression methods were used to evaluate the degree of correlation between DETECT testing and the NPA diagnosis. RESULTS Predictive modeling demonstrated very good ability to discriminate between normal, MCI, and dementia per the NPA reference standard using DETECT subtests (c = 0.85 for any impairment; c = 0.99 for dementia). CONCLUSION DETECT scores closely correlate with NPA. DETECT can identify and discriminate between normal, MCI, and dementia and could be incorporated as a screener for MCI.
Reproductive patterns of bats from Caatingas and Cerrado biomes in Northeast Brazil

Current ecological hypotheses suggest that annual reproductive patterns in tropical bats are related to rainfall such that individuals avoid weaning their young during the most stressful season of the year. The reproductive status of bats within well delineated populations from Caatingas and Cerrado biomes of Northeast Brazil were monitored over a 20-month period; seven species were captured in sufficient numbers to determine annual reproductive patterns with confidence. Noctilio leporinus exhibited seasonal monestry. Glossophaga soricina, Carollia perspicillata, Vampyrops lineatus, Artibeus jamaicensis , and A. lituratus exhibited seasonal bimodal polyestry. Desmodus rotundus exhibited asynchronous polyestry. Major differences were not detected between Caatingas and Cerrado populations of any species, even though the predictability and total amount of precipitation was different in the two biomes. Most species ( N. leporinus, V. lineatus, A. jamaicensis, A. lituratus, C. perspicillata ) wean their young primarily during the wet season, whereas G. soricina weans its first litter during the dry season and its second litter during the wet season.
Chloro{2,2′-[(1S,2S)-1,2-di­phenyl-1,2-ethanediyl­bis­(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]­diphenolato-κ4O,N,N′,O′}(ethanol-κO)­manganese(III)

The crystal structure of the title compound, [MnCl-(C 28 H 22 N 2 O 2 )(C 2 H 6 O)], has been determined at 173 (2) K in the non-centrosymmetric space group P2 1 2 1 2 1 . The asymmetric unit contains two molecular units. An intermolecular O-H...Cl hydrogen bond is formed between the OH group of an ethanol molecule coordinated to the Mn atom and the coordinated Cl- anion, and so polymeric chains of Mn-containing fragments are formed [O-H...Cl = 3.1281 (16) and 3.1282 (15) A]. The Mn atoms have a pseudo-octahedral coordination sphere, with the four donor atoms of the Schiff base forming an equatorial plane [Mn-O distances are 1.8740 (13), 1.8717 (13), 1.8749 (13) and 1.8823 (13) A, and Mn-N distances are 1.9868 (15), 1.9910 (14), 1.9828 (15) and 1.9979 (14) A]. The axial positions are occupied by an ethanol molecule [Mn-O distances of 2.3069 (15) and 2.3130 (15) A] and a Cl- ligand [Mn-Cl distances of 2.5732 (6) and 2.5509 (6) A].
Human interferon production: superinduction by 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole

Polyinosinic.polycytidylic acid [poly(I.C)] induced production of interferon by a strain of diploid human fibroblasts (FS-4), measured between 5 and 24 hours from induction, is enhanced up to 128-fold by 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB), a reversible inhibitor of nuclear heterogeneous RNA synthesis. A normalized dose-effect plot shows a close correlation between the superinducing effect of DRB and inhibition of RNA synthesis. Cultures that contained DRB continue to produce interferon for up to 4 days. Removal of the drug at any time during this period leads to a prompt shutoff of interferon production.
Friction controlled material wear testing and selection under starved lubrication

Abstract Due to the ever increasing number of engineering materials, in particular thermal spray coatings, a means of ranking the tribological behaviour under starved lubrication becomes a necessity. The aim of this paper is to introduce a new wear test technique using a pin-on-disc tribometer (wear machine). The test method introduced allows ranking of materials in sliding contact under partial elastohydrodynamic (EHL) and/or boundary conditions. The ranking is based on the determination of transition pressures from mild to severe wear. These can be determined in short testing times under starved lubrication in the temperature range 20–250 °C. The test procedure, simulated wear mechanisms, contact pressure description and frictional effects with the inclusion of relevant test results and corresponding applications for which the technique has been used are discussed. It is demonstrated that a value known as the critical coefficient of friction μ c is obtained at transition pressures, which is indicative of the material's behaviour in a lubricated system. It is also shown that for a given pair of materials, the same test technique can be utilised to determine the influence of different lubricant formulations on transition pressure. Furthermore, it is indicated that the critical coefficient of friction determined for any given material is a crucial parameter in finding its wear rate using a lubricated constant load pin-on-disc test method.
A stochastic analysis of the graded excitatory response of nerve membrane.

The experimental data of Cole, Guttman & Bezanilla (1970) on the graded excitatory response of a small patch of squid membrane at temperatures greater than 15°C is analyzed from a stochastic viewpoint. The Bonhoeffer-van der Pol (BVP) model of nerve membrane ( Fitzhugh, 1961 ) is used for the analysis, since it is a simple two-variable model which also exhibits graded excitation. The effects of thermal noise on membrane voltage are included in the model for near-threshold stimuli. The result is a significant difference between the average response-stimulus curve calculated from the BVP equations with noise terms included and the response stimulus curve calculated from the same equations without noise terms. This result offers an explanation for the differences between the experimental response-stimulus data of Cole et al. (1970) and theoretical curves calculated from the “noise-free” Hodgkin-Huxley equations.
High resolution investigation of resonances in 19F

Abstract The 18 O( p , p ) 18 O and 18 O( p , α ) 15 N excitation functions were investigated in the energy range E p = 1.39 to 3.20 MeV by simultaneous observation of protons and α-particles at 135°. Only twelve prominent elastic scattering levels were observed at this angle and at 45°, despite the high experimental resolution (less than 400 eV energy spread). Only one resonance was observed for the proton interaction with 16 O under the same conditions. R -matrix expressions for multichannel multilevel cross sections were programmed and used to analyze these data. Three of the resonances were determined to be s -wave and seven d -wave, while only two were found to have odd parity. Spins were assigned to each of these twelve resonances except for one d -wave.
Determination of coincidence-circuit efficiency by varying the input signal delay

Abstract The efficiency of a twofold coincidence circuit for counting simultaneous events is considered in terms of the jitter in the relative timing of its input pulses. Two methods are suggested for analysis of empirical delayed-coincidence curves to infer coincidence efficiency. The first uses no assumptions concerning the detailed form of the jitter distribution. It requires comparison of the maximum coincidence rate with that observed at relative delays twice the resolving time on either side of the optimum. The second method assumes normal jitter distributions and employs as the determinative shape parameter the normalized derivative of the observed delayed-coincidence curve at the sides of the curve near efficiency one-half. Graphs relate this parameter to the efficiency and to the breadth of the jitter distribution. An example is used to illustrate the second method.
Ask Marilyn in the Mathematics Classroom: Probability Questions

Since 1986, Marilyn Vos Savant, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records Hall of Fame for the highest IQ, has had a weekly column that is published in Parade Magazine. In this column, she answers readers’ questions on a wide variety of subjects including mathematics and particularly probability. Many of the mathematically oriented questions are directly relevant to high school and undergraduate college level mathematics courses. For nearly 20 years, I have incorporated many of these questions into a variety of mathematics courses that I teach. In this note, I will discuss some of the questions that I use dealing with probability.
The Wisconsin Tamoxifen Study: toxicity in node-negative postmenopausal women.

AbstractI would like to share some thoughts about where we are going in our tamoxifen research program at Wisconsin. We are looking toward the possibility of long-term use of tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy and, as a chemosuppressive agent in healthy women who do not have breast cancer, but are at increased risk for this disease. With these possibilities in mind, we are carefully assessing the biological effects of tamoxifen.
Aluminum ion in biological systems.

Abstract Aluminum ion has been proposed to be a factor contributing to the toxicity of aquatic acidification caused by acid rain, and to the etiology of a variety of neurological and skeletal disorders in man. The biological processes and molecular mechanisms that underlie these pathological processes are beginning to be identified. This review outlines the current state of our knowledge concerning the significant factors associated with aluminum ion in biological systems.
Coherent Raman Spectroscopic Monitoring of Pulsed Radio Frequency PECVD of Silicon Nitride Thin Films

During pulsed plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, (PECVD), of silicon nitride thin films, depletion of silane reactant was measured by coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, (CARS), spectroscopy as a function of radio frequency pulse width, peak power, and delay time after the rf pulse. The results were correlated with
Novel views of performance data to analyze large-scale adaptive applications

Performance analysis of parallel scientific codes is becoming increasingly difficult due to the rapidly growing complexity of applications and architectures. Existing tools fall short in providing intuitive views that facilitate the process of performance debugging and tuning. In this paper, we extend recent ideas of projecting and visualizing performance data for faster, more intuitive analysis of applications. We collect detailed per-level and per-phase measurements for a dynamically load-balanced, structured AMR library and project per-core data collected in the hardware domain on to the application's communication topology. We show how our projections and visualizations lead to a rapid diagnosis of and mitigation strategy for a previously elusive scaling bottleneck in the library that is hard to detect using conventional tools. Our new insights have resulted in a 22% performance improvement for a 65,536-core run of the AMR library on an IBM Blue Gene/P system.
A Method For Orthogonal Cutting Experiments With Diamond Tools

This paper describes an experimental set-up to perform cutting tests on different materials using single-crystal diamond tools. The method uses a plunge cut into the edge of a rotating disk to approach two-dimensional or orthogonal cutting at realistic cutting speeds. Preliminary results of this method are reported.
Operating temperature of extrinsic Si photoconductive detectors

Abstract Extrinsic Si photoconductive detectors require a lower operating temperature than do intrinsic photoconductors of the same activation energy. This paper compares D λ ∗, as a function of operating temperature, for extrinsic and intrinsic detectors based on established theoretical relations and measured data. The effects of such parameters as impurity concentration, free-carrier lifetime and capture cross section (σ c ) are evaluated. The activation energy dominates the alterable physical parameters of D λ ∗( T ). The larger σ c of extrinsic Si is shown to be directly related to extrinsic photoconductors requiring lower operating temperatures than intrinsic materials. Of the extrinsic Si temperature-limiting parameters, only σ c shows any promise as a controllable parameter. This study shows that extrinsic Si will remain limited by lower operating temperatures unless its σ c is decreased substantially. Materials with small σ c , measured as having longer lifetimes, would operate at higher temperatures.
Biochemical, molecular and behavioral phenotypes of Rab3A mutations in the mouse

Ras-associated binding (Rab) protein 3A is a neuronal guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding protein that binds synaptic vesicles and regulates synaptic transmission. A mouse mutant, earlybird (Ebd), with a point mutation in the GTP-binding domain of Rab3A (D77G), exhibits anomalies in circadian behavior and homeostatic response to sleep loss. Here, we show that the D77G substitution in the Ebd allele causes reduced GTP and GDP binding, whereas GTPase activity remains intact, leading to reduced protein levels of both Rab3A and rabphilin3A. Expression profiling of the cortex and hippocampus of Ebd and Rab3a-deficient mice revealed subtle differences between wild-type and mutant mice. Although mice were backcrossed for three generations to a C57BL/6J background, the most robust changes at the transcriptional level between Rab3a−/− and Rab3a+/+ mice were represented by genes from the 129/Sv-derived chromosomal region surrounding the Rab3a gene. These results showed that differences in genetic background have a stronger effect on gene expression than the mutations in the Rab3a gene. In behavioral tests, the Ebd/Ebd mice showed a more pronounced mutant phenotype than the null mice; Ebd/Ebd have reduced anxiety-like behavior in the elevated zero-maze test, reduced response to stress in the forced swim test and a deficit in cued fear conditioning (FC), whereas Rab3a−/− showed only a deficit in cued FC. Our data implicate Rab3A in learning and memory as well as in the regulation of emotion. A combination of forward and reverse genetics has provided multiple alleles of the Rab3a gene; our studies illustrate the power and complexities of the parallel analysis of these alleles at the biochemical, molecular and behavioral levels.
Examining flux distributions in ferrite magnetic structures

Abstract The increased availability and power of scientific visualization tools in recent years has made it possible to construct useful tools for examining complex physical phenomena. This paper illustrates how such visualization tools can be used to examine the influence that geometrical shape and material characteristics can have on the distribution of magnetic flux in some example ferrite cores.
STUDIES ON THE FORMATION AND IONIZATION OF THE COMPOUNDS OF CASEIN WITH ALKALI : II. THE CONDUCTIVITIES OF ALKALI CASEINATE SOLUTIONS.

1. The results of conductivity experiments with alkali caseinate solutions are given and a graphical method of extrapolation, which gives a straight line, is described. The results of the conductivity experiments are shown to be in accord with the results of the previous transference experiments. 2. The change of conductivity of the alkali caseinate solutions with temperature is shown to follow a straight line relationship. 3. The high value of the mobility which was obtained for the casein ion and the high temperature gradient are discussed in relation to McBain's theory of colloidal electrolytes.
A Class Of Reconfiguration Schemes For Fault-Tolerant Processor Arrays

A class of reconfiguration schemes for fault-tolerant processor arrays is proposed and studied. According to these schemes, a processor array that is inoperative due to presence of faulty processors is restructured by logically "spreading" faulty processors as evenly as possible throughout the array. From the characteristics of the proposed reconfiguration schemes and the processor array structures for which they are intended, closed form expressions for processor interconnection requirements are derived and implementation issues are discussed. Next, a special case of the proposed reconfiguration schemes is studied and simulated assuming two different array structures. For one of the array structures, simulation results show that the probability of survival achieved by the reconfiguration scheme is close to 1 for up to a number of faults that equals 50% of the total number of spare processors. For a larger number of faults the probability of survival degrades rapidly. On the other hand, for the other array structure, simulation results show that the probability of survival is lower than that of the first structure when the number of faults is less than 90% of the total number of spares; it is higher otherwise.
Ewing' Sarcoma with Epithelial Differentiation: Fine Structural and Immunocytochemical Study

A femoral Ewing' sarcoma from a 13 1/2-year-old girl with otherwise typical clinical and pathological features showed epithelial differentiation by electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry. The expression of keratin and the presence of tonofila-ments in cells of this Ewing' sarcoma may enforce the hypothesis that Ewing' sarcoma derives from a multipotential primitive stem cell.
Quasi-riemannian theories of gravitation in more than four dimensions

Abstract We explore the possibility that in N > 4 spacetime dimensions, gravitation is described by a theory based on a modified Principle of Equivalence, according to which the field equations in locally inertial frames obey a “tangent space” group G T other than the Lorentz group O( N − 1, 1). It is found that such theories are severely restricted by the requirement that G T have a subgroup which acts on four inertial coordinates as O(3,1) and leaves the others invariant. Theories of this sort can have chiral fermions in four dimensions even without non-gravitational gauhe fields.
Operating system support for distributed multimedia

We have been investigating an end system architecture to support networking with quality of service guarantees. For user level protocol code in our architecture to access the network, we have designed a kernel-user interface. The interface targets three areas for improvement: reduced copying, reduced reliance on explicit kernel-user interactions, and provision of rate-based flow control. In this paper, we present the concept of input-output efficient buffers for reduced copying, the concept of fast system calls for low-latency network access, and the concept of kernel threads for flow control. Also included is a concept called direct media streaming which is suitable for applications that require limited user processing of media data. These concepts have been implemented as an extension to SunOS 5.3 (the operating system component of Solaris 2.3). We report some experimental results on the performance of our current system.
The Role of the Dynamic Ocean-Atmosphere Interactions in Tropical Seasonal Cycle

Abstract The role of dynamic ocean-atmosphere interactions on the evolution of the tropical seasonal cycle is explored using a simple coupled model. It is shown that the seasonal cycle in the coupled system can be divided into two parts-a forced part that is a direct response to seasonal changes in the solar radiation and a coupled part that involves dynamic feedbacks between the oceans and atmosphere. The latter part contributes significantly to the pronounced annual cycle in the eastern equatorial Pacific, but is less influential in the western Pacific, owing to the different climate mean conditions. The study further suggests that the ocean-atmosphere interactions in the meridional and zonal direction play different roles in the evolution of the tropical annual cycle. The former is crucial to the development of the strong annual cycle in the near-coastal zone of the eastern Pacific (eastward of 100°W), whereas the latter is instrumental in the westward expansion of the annual cycle along the equator. T...
Effects of diagenetic recrystallization on 18 O/ 16 O values of deep-sea sediments

The oxygen isotopic record in deep-sea sediments is a chief source of information on ocean and climate history of the Tertiary period. Traditionally interpretations have focused on the relative importance of temperature change and of polar ice buildup as dominant generating factors1–6. Effects of diagenesis have been largely ignored. Here I show that recrystallization must not be neglected: with reasonable assumptions it can account for much of the familiar Cenozoic trend in the oxygen isotopic composition of foraminifera. Recent studies7,8 indicate that there may be considerable recrystallization of Tertiary carbonates with very significant effects on isotopic compositions. Specifically, the work of Baker et al.7 suggests that there could be total recrystallization in sediments deposited as recently as the early Tertiary.
Hydrid assumed mode solution of non-linear partial differential equations

Economical solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) is necessary for the solution of many pressing optimization, identification, design and simulation problems involving spatially continuous systems. The hybrid computer with its parallel organization promises to provide this necessary economy through a combination of increased solution speed and reduced equipment cost with respect to stand alone digital computer methods. This paper presents a hybrid computer oriented assumed mode solution method for non-linear PDEs which are initial value problems in a time-like independent variable. (To facilitate discussion, PDEs with these characteristics are referred to as Dynamic PDEs.) Several examples illustrating the efficiency of the method are included.