cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EPR measurements in Cd1−xMnxTe under extreme line broadening using microwave Faraday rotation

Abstract Microwave Faraday rotation (35 GHz) is used to determine the dynamic magnetic susceptibility of the diluted magnetic semiconductor Cd 1− x Mn x Te (0.17 x -12 s, and resonance shifts equivalent g -factor changes from 2.0 to 5.0 are observed. These measurements also provide a conclusive test for the modifications of the Bloch equations required by extreme line broadening.
Metabolism of β-alanyl-l-tyrosine in Sarcophaga bullata☆☆☆

Abstract Soluble enzymes have been demonstrated in extracts of Sarcophaga bullata larvae and pupae which both synthesize and hydrolyze the dipeptide β-alanyl- l -tyrosine (β-AT). In vitro assays for the synthesis and hydrolysis of β-AT were developed using thin-layer chromatography and (1-14C)β-alanine. The fat body was identified as the tissue origin of both the synthetase and hydrolase enzymes. The specific activity of β-AT synthetase in fat body extracts was constant throughout larval development, whereas hydrolytic activity in fat body extracts rose sharply after completion of the white puparium, reached a maximum in 12 to 18 hr, and then fell to its initial level. The role of the two enzymic activities in the formation of the puparium of S. bullata is discussed.
Impact of atmospheric stability on wind resource estimates off North Carolina

Large spatial changes in average sea surface temperature offshore of North Carolina due to the poleward flow of the Gulf Stream and equatorward flow on the mid-Atlantic shelf produce strong variations in static stability of the overlying lower atmosphere. The dependence of turbine-height winds (80–100 m above sea level) off North Carolina on atmospheric stability was examined using historical buoy observations as input to a variety of one-dimensional (vertical) extrapolation schemes. Stable stability conditions were common at buoy locations on the shelf north of Cape Hatteras and within roughly 10 km of the shoreline south of Cape Hatteras. Unstable conditions were more common on the mid- and outer shelf south of Cape Hatteras and in the Sargasso Sea. Monin-Obukhov similarity scaling was used to estimate winds during non-neutral conditions based on a modified version of the TOGA COARE 2.0 algorithms. Unstable conditions reduced extrapolated turbine height wind speeds relative to neutral stability conditions by as much as 5%. A power-law representation of wind speed using an exponent of 0.07, empirically determined in previous work, was consistent with the winds estimated for neutral conditions under a number of assumptions; variations between schemes were less than 2%. Stable conditions led to larger extrapolated winds relative to neutral conditions, sometimes by more than 10%. The vertical extent of stable conditions is unclear and could impact the validity of the estimated winds. Of particular concern are locations near the coastline where an internal boundary layer (IBL) would form in response to cool underlying sea surface temperatures. A correction for distortion of the wind field measured from buoys by surface waves led to a 2–3% increase in turbine height winds regardless of extrapolation scheme. Satellite winds at 10m elevation have been used to develop a more highly resolved spatial depiction of the wind field, both on the shelf, over the Gulf Stream and in the western Sargasso Sea. Winds from the QuikSCAT and ASCAT missions were used, each with 25 km resolution. Comparison of the two satellite wind products during an 18-month overlap time period found the QuikSCAT winds to be stronger by 0.2 to 0.9 m/s where unstable conditions dominate over the Gulf Stream and on the shelf immediately south of Cape Hatteras. Buoy-based winds were found to be most consistent with ASCAT winds. Both wind products suggest strongest winds at 10m elevation on the shelf lie between Cape Hatteras and Cape Fear. Strongest winds were observed in deep water over the Gulf Stream north of Cape Hatteras. Wind speeds increase moving offshore, making the shelfbreak the region of greatest wind resource where water depths are less than 50 m.
The Arab Basic Personality: A Critical Survey of The Literature

A substantial number of social-psychological studies dealing with the Arab world purport to explain the ‘Arab basic personality’, or ‘the Arab mind’. The alleged purpose of these studies is to understand the ‘psychology of the Arabs’ the underlying motivations of their behavior, and the reasons for their underdevelopment. Most of these studies emphasize the use of projective analyses of the Arab personality on the basis of supposedly dominant childrearing practices. The personality pattern which emerges from this research includes characteristics such as free-floating hostility, rigidity, the lack of reality testing, and suspiciousness6 which are said to explain the nature of Arab political behavior.
Endoscopic endonasal resection of a synchronous pituitary adenoma and a tuberculum sellae meningioma: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE: The presence of a sellar macroadenoma with a concomitant tuberculum sellae meningioma typically requires a craniotomy for extirpation of the meningioma. We describe a single endoscopic approach for resection of both lesions. PRESENTATION: A 52-year-old woman with complaints of continuous headache and right temporal visual field loss was found to have a 1.9 X 2.1 X 1.7-cm enhancing sellar mass on magnetic resonance imaging scans associated with a second enhancing extra-axial lesion at the planum sphenoidale measuring 1.0 X 0.6 cm and encroaching on the right optic nerve. INTERVENTION: After the endoscopic transnasal resection of the pituitary tumor, the planum sphenoidale was drilled and the underlying dura was incised. The suprasellar tumor was identified and completely resected. Histological evaluation confirmed the concomitant presence of a meningioma and pituitary adenoma. CONCLUSION: With advances in endoscopic and image-guidance technology and increasing understanding of the endoscopic anatomy of the sellar region, surgeons are capable of reaching both intrasellar and suprasellar/ anterior cranial base region tumors through a single endoscopic approach. The use of endoscopes in transsphenoidal approaches may obviate the need for additional craniotomies in properly selected patients.
A comprehensive method for preliminary design optimization of axial gas turbine stages

A method is presented that performs a rapid, reasonably accurate preliminary pitchline optimization of axial gas turbine annular flowpath geometry, as well as an initial estimate of blade profile shapes, given only a minimum of thermodynamic cycle requirements. No geometric parameters need be specified. The following preliminary design data are determined: (1) the optimum flowpath geometry, within mechanical stress limits; (2) initial estimates of cascade blade shapes; (3) predictions of expected turbine performance. The method uses an inverse calculation technique whereby blade profiles are generated by designing channels to yield a specified velocity distribution on the two walls. Velocity distributions are then used to calculate the cascade loss parameters. Calculated blade shapes are used primarily to determine whether the assumed velocity loadings are physically realistic. Model verification is accomplished by comparison of predicted turbine geometry and performance with four existing single stage turbines.
Effects of exogenous equine somatotropin on mineral balance in two-year-old horses in race training

Summary This study examined the effects of exogenous equinesomatotropin (eST — Equigen) administration on mineral absorption and retention in two-year-old horses in race training. Sixteen Quarter Horse geldings were paired by age (ave.age=794 d), and one horse from each pair was assigned at random to either the eST treatment group or the control. The experiment was conducted over 112 days during which the horses were gentled to ride and trained on a dirt track in a regimen typical for race horses in training. At 28-day intervals, collections of total fecal and urinary output were made to determine effects on Ca, inorganic P, Mg, Cu and Zn mineral balance. Due to marginal and slightly deficient amounts (P .05) by treatment. The eST-treated horses increased (P
Effect of a Dissonance-Based Prevention Program on Risk for Eating Disorder Onset in the Context of Eating Disorder Risk Factors

Test (a) whether a dissonance-based eating disorder prevention program that reduces thin-ideal internalization mitigates the effects of risk factors for eating disorder onset and (b) whether the risk factors moderate the effects of this intervention on risk for eating disorder onset, to place the effects of this intervention within the context of established risk factors. Female adolescents (N=481) with body image concerns were randomized to the dissonance-based program, healthy weight control program, expressive writing control condition, or assessment-only control condition. Denial of costs of pursuing the thin-ideal was the most potent risk factor for eating disorder onset during the 3-year follow-up (OR=5.0). The dissonance program mitigated the effect of this risk factor. For participants who did not deny costs of pursuing the thin-ideal, emotional eating and externalizing symptoms increased risk for eating disorder onset. Negative affect attenuated the effects of each of the active interventions in this trial. Results imply that this brief prevention program offsets the risk conveyed by the most potent risk factor for eating disorder onset in this sample, implicate three vulnerability pathways to eating pathology involving thin-ideal pursuit, emotional eating, and externalizing symptoms, and suggest that negative affect mitigates the effects of eating disorder prevention programs.
Wilson parameters for the system H2, N2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2S, CH3OH, and H2O

Abstract Parameters for the Wilson equation have been determined for 24 of the 28 binary pairs in the system: H 2 , N 2 , CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , H 2 S, CH 3 OH, and H 2 O. The data for eleven pairs were fit using the symmetric convention, with the remaining pairs satisfying the unsymmetric convention. Coefficients for the missing pairs could be estimated from Henry's Law constants. References have been included for the heat capacities of liquid methanol and carbon dioxide. Heats of mixing were also found in the literature. This information, plus readily available gas heat capacities, provides sufficient information to calculate multicomponent material and energy balances for the columns used in the separation of H 2 S and CO 2 by cold methanol absorption.
Characteristics of the Large Neutral Amino Acid Transport System of Bovine Brain Microvessel Endothelial Cell Monolayers

The large neutral amino acid (LNAA) transport system, or L (leucine) system, in primary cultures of bovine brain microvessel endothelial cell monolayers has been characterized. The transendothelial transport of leucine in this in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB) model was determined to be bidirectional and time, temperature, and concentration dependent. Leucine transport was saturable, and the apparent Km and Vmax were determined to be 0.18 mM and 6.3 nmol/mg/min, respectively. Transendothelial transport of leucine was resistant to inhibition by ouabain and sodium azide. Other LNAAs, including the centrally acting drugs alpha-methyl-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (alpha-methyldopa), L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA), alpha-methyltyrosine, and baclofen, inhibited leucine transport. The leucine carrier system was also found to be stereospecific. Sucrose, used as a diffusion marker, moved across the monolayers slowly, and its concentration was not significant for at least 30 min.
Synthesis and Characterization of Four Consecutive Members of the Five-Member [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](n)()(+) (n = 0-4) Cluster Electron Transfer Series.

The clusters [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](+,2+) have been shown by other investigators to be formed by the reaction of [Fe(OH(2))(6)](2+) and H(2)S, to contain face-capped octahedral Fe(6)S(8) cores, and to be components of the five-membered electron transfer series [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](n)()(+) (n = 0-4) estalished electrochemically. We have prepared two additional series members. Reaction of [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](2+) with iodine in dichloromethane affords [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](3+), isolated as the perchlorate salt (48%). Reduction of [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](2+) with Na(Ph(2)CO) in acetonitrile/THF produces the neutral cluster [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)] (65%). The structures of the four clusters with n = 0, 1+, 2+, 3+ were determined at 223 K. The compounds [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](ClO(4))(3), [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)] crystallize in trigonal space group Rtc with a = 21.691(4), 16.951(4) A, c = 23.235(6), 19.369(4) A, and Z = 6, 3. The compounds [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](BF(4))(2), [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](BF(4)).2MeCN were obtained in monoclinic space groups P2(1)/c, C2/c with a = 11.673(3), 16.371(4) A, b = 20.810(5), 16.796(4) A, c = 12.438(4), 23.617(7) A, beta = 96.10(2), 97.98(2) degrees, and Z = 2, 4. [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](BPh(4))(2) occurred in trigonal space group Po with a = 11.792(4) A, b = 14.350(5) A, c = 15.536(6) A, alpha = 115.33(3) degrees, beta = 90.34(3) degrees, gamma = 104.49(3) degrees, and Z = 1. Changes in metric features across the series are slight but indicate increasing population of antibonding Fe(6)S(8) core orbitals upon reduction. Zero-field Mossbauer spectra are consistent with this result, isomer shifts increasing by ca. 0.05 mm/s for each electron added, and indicate a delocalized electronic structure. Magnetic susceptibility measurements together with previously reported results established the ground states S = (3)/(2) (3+), 3 (2+), (7)/(2) (1+), 3 (0). The clusters [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](n)()(+) possess the structural and electronic features requisite to multisequential electron transfer reactions. This work provides the first example of a cluster type isolated over four consecutive oxidation states. Note is also made of the significance of the [Fe(6)S(8)(PEt(3))(6)](n)()(+) cluster type in the development of iron-sulfur-phosphine cluster chemistry.
Blocking bleeding: reversing anticoagulant therapy.

A new generation of target-specific inhibitors of the coagulation enzymes thrombin and factor Xa has been approved for a number of indications, but the clinical use of these drugs is hindered by the lack of a way to reverse bleeding, should it occur. An antidote to these new oral anticoagulants has now been designed and shows promise in small-animal models of blood loss (pages 446–451).
Stability of thin lamellar eutectic growth

We have performed a stability analysis for the Jackson-Hunt model of a directionally solidifying, thin-film, lamellar eutectic. Allowed perturbations include displacements of the solid-solid-liquid triple points in directions both parallel and perpendicular to the direction of growth. These displacements are coupled in such a way that growth of each lamella is always perpendicular to the local orientation of the solidification front. The discrete approach adopted here allows us to compute a full spectrum of stability eigenmodes, including modes whose periodicities are of the order of the lamellar spacing. We find that for all values of melt composition or temperature gradient, there is a long-wavelength instability at lamellar spacings less than a critical value which corresponds to minimum undercooling. Thus, minimum undercooling coincides exactly with marginal instability in this model. At sufficiently off-eutectic melt compositions there occurs a second, oscillatory instability with a wavelength equal to twice the lamellar spacing. There is experimental evidence for the existence of such modes.
Lymphokines secreted from sodium periodate-treated lymphocytes

Abstract This study was designed to determine if sodium metaperiodate (NaIO 4 )-treated lymphocytes secrete lymphokines and if these lymphokines are similar to those obtained from mitogen- or antigen-stimulated lymphocytes. A brief exposure of CBA spleen cells to NaIO 4 induced the secretion of significant amounts of migration inhibitory factor (MIF). This MIF had a molecular weight range between 30,000 and 58,000, and was stable when heated at 56 °C for 30 min, but unstable at 80 °C. These characteristics are similar to those previously reported for mitogen- and antigen-induced MIF. In addition, NaIO 4 induced the secretion of lymphotoxin (LT) from CBA and Balb/c spleen cells, as well as from guinea pig lymph node cells. NaIO 4 was compared to the other inducers in regard to the quantity of LT secreted. Supernatant derived from NaIO 4 -treated mouse spleen cells contained less LT than supernatants derived from concanavalin A- or phytohemagglutinin-treated cells, but contained more activity than those supernatants derived from lipopolysaccharide-treated cells. CBA spleen cells secreted significantly more LT than Balb/c spleen cells after NaIO 4 stimulation. NaIO 4 -stimulated CBA spleen cells secreted LT in cultures with or without serum, but stimulated Balb/c spleen cells secreted LT only in serum-containing cultures. The advantages of NaIO 4 as an inducer of lymphokines, as opposed to other mitogens or antigens, is the brief exposure of this agent to the cells after which the NaIO 4 is removed, and the lymphokines can be obtained free from the inducer.
Improved Estimation of Solute Diffusivity Through Numerical Analysis of FRAP Experiments

Accurate determination of solute diffusivities from fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) experiments is often hindered by limitations of existing analytical models. This study describes the development and validation of a finite-element-based direct diffusion simulation parameter estimation (DDSPE) method for determining solute diffusivities from FRAP data. The DDSPE method improves on other models by accounting for experimentally measured post-bleaching fluorescence profiles and time-varying boundary conditions, and includes a reaction term to account for the detrimental effects of low level photobleaching produced by image acquisition during recovery. Analyses of simulated FRAP data demonstrate the advantages of this method over common analytical approaches, including a low sensitivity to variations in the spot radius and to the effects of photobleaching during scanning. As an example application, the effects of gel density and dextran size on the diffusivities of fluorescently labeled dextrans (10–250 kDa) in agarose gels (2–6%) were measured via FRAP. As with the simulated data, the DDSPE method was insensitive to spot radius while analytical models were strongly dependent on this experimental parameter. The diffusivities determined by the DDSPE method decreased with increasing solute size and gel density and were in excellent agreement with reference values based on a recent empirical model.
Impact of tiotropium on the course of moderate-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the UPLIFT trial.

The Understanding Potential Long-term Improvements in Function with Tiotropium (UPLIFT®) trial was a global 4-year randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial that evaluated the long-term impact of tiotropium bromide 18 µg once daily on the accelerated age-related decline in pre- and post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1; co-primary end points). Secondary end points included lung function at serial clinic visits, health-related quality of life, exacerbations, exacerbation-related hospitalizations, mortality, safety and tolerability. The study was carried out in 5992 patients (75% male, mean age 65 years, 30% current smokers) with moderate-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were permitted to receive prescribed treatment with long-acting β2-agonists and/or inhaled corticosteroids in addition to the study drug. While the results failed to show an effect of tiotropium on the primary end points (rate of decline in pre- and post-bronchodilator FEV1), they did show impr...
Anti-psychologism about Necessity: Friedrich Albert Lange on Objective Inference

In the nineteenth century, the separation of naturalist or psychological accounts of validity from normative validity came into question. In his 1877 Logical Studies (Logische Studien), Friedrich Albert Lange argues that the basis for necessary inference is demonstration, which takes place by spatially delimiting the extension of concepts using imagined or physical diagrams. These diagrams are signs or indications of concepts’ extension, but do not represent their content. Only the inference as a whole captures the objective content of the proof. Thus, Lange argues, the necessity of an inference is independent of psychological accounts of how we grasp the content of a proposition.
Solitons and the regularized long wave equation: A nonexistence theorem

Abstract We prove that the regularized long wave equation (RLW) has no analytic two-soliton solutions. The proof is based on a superposition algorithm used for constructing multisoliton solutions of the Korteweg-de Vries equation (KdV) and is obtained by analytically continuing the algorithm from the KdV to the RLW.
Signatures of flux erosion from the dayside magnetosphere

The rate of merging and the strength of the region 1 Birkeland currents increase during periods of southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Fringe fields of the Birkeland currents depress dayside magnetospheric magnetic field strengths and remove magnetic flux from the dayside magnetophere, thereby allowing the dayside magnetopause to move inward and the cusp equatorward. We use previously derived fits to the magnetospause location as a function of IMF B(sub z), the condition of pressure balance at the magnetopause, and an idealized model of region 1 Birkeland currents to estimate that strong southward IMF turnings will produce approximately 13- to 26-nT depressions in the geosynchronous magnetic field strength over periods of 30-60 min. We then present three case studies of geosynchronous magnetic field strength variations during periods of nearly constant solar wind dynamic pressure and southward IMF. The dayside magnetospheric magnetic field strength was depressed approximately 10 nT during a period of strongly southward IMF (B(sub z) = -6 nT), but only approximately 5 nT during two more typical periods of slightly southward IMF (B(sub z) = -2 to -3 nT). The depressions correspond to periods of enhanced AL index, which we interpret as evidence for directly driven solar wind-magnetosphere interaction rather than the unloading of energy stored within the magnetotail. Dayside geosynchronous magnetic field strengths are weakly correlated with IMF B(sub z).
Up-regulation of A-type potassium currents protects neurons against cerebral ischemia

Excitotoxicity is the major cause of many neurologic disorders including stroke. Potassium currents modulate neuronal excitability and therefore influence the pathological process. A-type potassium current (IA) is one of the major voltage-dependent potassium currents, yet its roles in excitotoxic cell death are not well understood. We report that, following ischemic insults, the IA increases significantly in large aspiny (LA) neurons but not medium spiny (MS) neurons in the striatum, which correlates with the higher resistance of LA neurons to ischemia. Activation of protein kinase Cα increases IA in LA neurons after ischemia. Cultured neurons from transgenic mice lacking both Kv1.4 and Kv4.2 subunits exhibit an increased vulnerability to ischemic insults. Increase of IA by recombinant expression of Kv1.4 or Kv4.2 is sufficient in improving the survival of MS neurons against ischemic insults both in vitro and in vivo. These results, taken together, provide compelling evidence for a protective role of IA against ischemia.
Investigation of Missile Control Surface Effects on F-16 Limit-Cycle Oscillation

Tactical aircraft with thin wings and heavy external wing stores are susceptible to aeroelastic limit-cycle oscillations. This investigation applies both frequency-domain and time-domain solutions using aeroelastic computational models to predict limit-cycle oscillation onset, frequency, and amplitude on an F-16. The test configuration uses missile shapes with reconfigurable aerodynamic and mass properties. Statistical analysis of flight-test results identifies significant experimental variables of missile aerodynamic configuration, flight condition, and aircraft fuel state. Furthermore, statistical analysis permits the normalization of flight-test results for direct comparison to aeroelastic models. Results of the comparison show that flight-test data analysis mostly supports the prediction trends, but the magnitude of the aerodynamic effects due to the canards and fins is much less significant in the test data.
Meeting an unmet need in glaucoma: continuous 24-h monitoring of intraocular pressure

Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for glaucoma and lowering IOP remains the mainstay of glaucoma treatment. Current glaucoma management usually relies on single IOP measurements during clinic hours despite the fact that the majority of glaucoma patients have their highest IOP levels outside clinic hours. The fact that these IOP peaks go largely undetected may explain why certain patients have progressive disease despite treatment. The search for devices to facilitate continuous 24-h IOP monitoring started over 50 years ago, but only recently have technological advances provided clinicians with a device for continuous IOP monitoring. We discuss the shortcomings of Goldmann Applanation Tonometry, the current gold standard for tonometry, and our experience with the SENSIMED Triggerfish®, a telemetric contact lens sensor for 24-h IOP monitoring. It may be possible to integrate 24-h continuous IOP monitoring into clinical practice, and this has the potential to contribute to the reduction of glaucoma-related vision loss.
Module-based breast cancer classification

The reliability and reproducibility of gene biomarkers for classification of cancer patients has been challenged due to measurement noise and biological heterogeneity among patients. In this paper, we propose a novel module-based feature selection framework, which integrates biological network information and gene expression data to identify biomarkers not as individual genes but as functional modules. Results from four breast cancer studies demonstrate that the identified module biomarkers 1 achieve higher classification accuracy in independent validation datasets; 2 are more reproducible than individual gene markers; 3 improve the biological interpretability of results; 4 are enriched in cancer 'disease drivers'.
New atmospheric pCO2 estimates from palesols during the late Paleocene/early Eocene global warming interval

Abstract The late Paleocene to early Eocene was one of the warmest intervals in Earth's history. Superimposed on this long-term warming was an abrupt short-term extreme warm event at or near the Paleocene/Eocene boundary and centered in the higher latitudes. This short-term climate warming was associated with a major benthic foraminiferal extinction and a dramatic 3–4% drop in the ocean's carbon isotopic composition. It has been suggested that the late paleocene/early Eocene global warming was caused by an enhanced greenhouse effect associated with higher levels of atmospheric CO2 relative to present levels. We present carbon isotopic data from the co-existing paleosols organic matter and carbonates from a terrestrial sequence in the Paris Basin, France that contradict the notion that an increase in atmospheric CO2 level was the cause of extreme warming for this time interval. Atmospheric pCO2 estimates for the Late Paleocene/early Eocene estimated from the terrestrial carbon isotopic record spanning the Paleocene/Eocene transition, are indistinguishable from each other and were generally between 300 and 700 ppm.
Getting a grip on O-acetyl-ADP-ribose.

Members of the sirtuin protein family link gene silencing and heterochromatin formation to NAD+-dependent histone deacetylation. Two papers now implicate O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, the metabolite produced by this reaction, as a small-molecule effector that binds to heterochromatic proteins.
Effects of an alcohol diet on locomotor activity and the acquisition of brain self-stimulation in rats

Male rats (n = 45), implanted with stimulating electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus for intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS), were allocated to three groups equalized for body weights. One group was given an alcohol liquid diet (Lieber-DeCarli diet) as the sole source of food; a second group was given a control liquid diet in which carbohydrates were substituted for alcohol; and a third group was maintained on standard laboratory chow and water. After four weeks on these diets, all animals were tested during the fifth week of the diets for locomotor activity in five daily 15-min sessions, and their reactivity to handling was also measured. During the sixth and seventh weeks of the diets, animals were allowed to self-train for ICSS during daily 15-min sessions. In the eighth week blood alcohol levels were measured. There were no differences between groups in locomotor activity or reactivity to handling. However, when tested for the acquisition of ICSS, animals on the diet containing alcohol made fewer responses than did those receiving the two control diets ( p
Applications of ultrasound in NAPL remediation: sonochemical degradation of TCE in aqueous surfactant solutions.

Surfactant-enhanced pump-and-treat technologies increase the efficiency of nonaqueous-phase liquids (NAPLs) removal from soils. However, high concentrations of surfactants in groundwater impose severe limitations to water treatment. In this paper, we explore the applicability of ultrasonic irradiation as an alternative method for surfactant recovery and contaminant degradation. The combined effects of temperature, initial substrate concentration, and concentration of added surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) were analyzed for the sonolysis of trichloroethylene (TCE) in batch experiments at an ultrasonic frequency of 500 kHz and 77 W/L applied power density. In the range of 5−30 °C, TCE sonolysis becomes faster at higher temperatures, both in the absence and in the presence of surfactant. This indicates that gas-phase pyrolysis prevails over other chemical reactions in the liquid phase. Inhibition of TCE sonolysis was observed in the presence of surfactant at all SDS concentrations. Changes in the initial TCE concentration (from 250 μM to 1.2 mM) showed no effect on the degradation rates in the presence of SDS. For surfactant levels below its critical micelle concentration (cmc), the inhibition of TCE sonolysis exhibited a highly nonlinear dependence with increasing SDS concentration. A correlation was observed in this range between the relative inhibition of sonolysis and the decreasing surface tension of the solutions. Above the cmc up to an SDS concentration of 5%, the reaction rate decreased less markedly. Micellar sequestration of the contaminant seems to be the main reason for this additional inhibition. Bubble growth prior to collapse may incorporate some of the TCE dissolved in the micelles through their adsorption in the expanding bubble walls, thus partially overcoming the scavenging effect due to micellar entrapment of the contaminant.
Effects of Diagenesis on Reservoir Properties and Log Response, Upper Jurassic Taylor Sandstone, Cotton Valley Group: ABSTRACT

The Taylor Sandstone in Terryville field, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, is one of many tight gas-bearing sandstones of the Upper Jurassic Schuler Formation, Cotton Valley Group. This coastal strand-plain sandstone is fine to very fine grained, well sorted, with grains that are subrounded to well rounded. It is highly quartzose with an abundance of carbonate cement and lesser concentrations of quartz cement, clay precipitates, and pyrite. Mechanical compaction has caused a 10% reduction in primary porosity with increasing overburden. Chemical diagenesis has altered the texture and composition of the sandstone and has affected porosity and permeability through cementation, dissolution, and authigenic clay precipitation. Early stages of diagenesis included pyritization, mechanical compaction, and hinderance of compaction by precipitation of quartz cement at grain contacts. The middle stages were dominated by carbonate cementation, which replaced large amounts of detritus and quartz cement and reduced primary porosity to irreducible limits. Finally, the latest stages of diagenesis included development of secondary porosity by localized dissolution of replacive and interstitial carbonate and reduction of porosity by precip tation of pore-lining and pore-filling illite and illite/smectite clays. Poor permeabilities in the sandstone are a direct consequence of incomplete dissolution of carbonate in pore throats and the obstruction of voids by the late clay precipitates. The conductive property of authigenic pyrite has affected the response of the deep induction resistivity log, consequently causing abnormally high calculated water-saturation values in the Taylor Sandstone. The effect pyrite has on formation resistivity can be clearly seen on Rt-^phgr plots (Pickett method). Formation resistivity is affected even at low percentages of pyrite, and shows an exponential decrease with increasing pyrite concentration. A correction of resistivity was made possible by determining End_Page 1430------------------------------ pyrite concentrations in the laboratory. Furthermore, the Rt-^phgr plot may confirm the presence of pyrite in a sandstone where core samples are not available. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1431------------
The impact of a national program to provide free mammograms to low-income, uninsured women on breast cancer mortality rates

BACKGROUND: The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) provides free or low-cost breast and cervical cancer screening to low-income, uninsured or underinsured women. The authors analyzed the impact of the NBCCEDP on breast cancer mortality rates. METHODS: The data consisted of observations for each state and year for the period from 1990 through 2004. The outcome variable was the breast cancer mortality rate for women ages 40 to 64 years. Independent variables included the proportion of women ages 40 to 64 years screened under NBCCEDP. The impact of screening intensity was estimated using least-squares regression with state and year fixed effects. RESULTS: In 2004, 1.2% of women ages 40 to 64 years were screened under NBCCEDP. The NBCCEDP screening rate was related significantly and negatively to breast cancer mortality in the same year. Results indicate that, for every 1000 women screened, there were 0.6 fewer deaths because of breast cancer among women ages 40 to 64 years. Changes in screening rates were unrelated to breast cancer mortality ≥2 years in the future. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, there was some evidence suggesting that the NBCCEDP led to a reduction in breast cancer mortality rates. However, the failure to detect an impact of screening on mortality rates in subsequent years suggests that caution is needed in interpreting these results as strong evidence in favor of the effectiveness of the NBCCEDP in reducing breast cancer mortality. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
The production of mullite fibers via inviscid melt-spinning (IMS)

Abstract Short fibers with diameters ranging from 400 to 450 μm were produced directly from a 3:2 mullite melt (M.P.=1830°C) via inviscid melt-spinning (IMS). These short fibers are shown through XRF compositional analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and SEM–EDS to be predominantly crystalline mullite. SEM photomicrographs indicate that the fibers are coated with a 5–10 μm thick carbon film. Some needle shape structures along the c-axis of the fiber are formed on the longitudinal surface.
Becoming an expert in the musical domain: It takes more than just practice

Previous research has supported the theory that acquisition of expertise in any domain is possible for healthy individuals with sufficient deliberate practice, but such an extreme environmental position brings the existence of innate talent into question. The present study investigates the effects of both environmental factors and talent on expert performance in both high school and conservatory-level musicians. Audition scores and accumulated practice time were recorded, and correlated with scores on Gordon's Advanced Measures of Music Audiation and Raven's Progressive Matrices. Higher-level musicians report significantly higher mean levels on innate characteristics such as general intelligence and music audiation, in addition to higher levels of accumulated practice time. These factors together accounted for more of the variance in music performance than practice alone. A multi-factor view is thus shown to be the best explanation for the acquisition of musical expertise.
Digital voltage feed-forward control for isolated DC/DC converters

For an isolated DC/DC converter with a controller located on secondary side, fast primary input voltage sensing and feed-forward control are desirable features to minimize output voltage disturbance at large input voltage step change. This paper presents a new method by using digital control loop's error ADC (EADC) and Control Law Accelerator (CLA) to implement these features. The EADC measures primary voltage each switching cycle and compares it with a reference value programmed to the DAC. The difference is digitized and fed to the downstream CLA, which is configured as a nonlinear amplifier. The CLA's output is used to scale DPWM duty cycle, to maintain the same voltage*second (V·S) at transformer output and to minimize output voltage disturbance. A 240W 48V/12V 1/8th brick module was built for the control validation. Large input voltage surge and primary voltage sensing accuracy test data are provided.
Navajo minettes in the Cerros de las Mujeres, New Mexico

Abstract The Cerros de las Mujeres in west-central New Mexico are three mafic minette plugs that should be considered part of the Navajo volcanic fields on the central Colorado Plateau. This newly recognized occurrence extends the Navajo volcanic fields to the southeastern margin of the Colorado Plateau, within 45 km of the extensional tectonic setting in which the Mogollon ash-flow tuff cauldrons occur. The Cerros de las Mujeres provide additional evidence for contemporaneous sodic and potassic volcanism within the Navajo volcanic fields.
Whole body acid-base and fluid-electrolyte balance: a mathematical model

A cellular compartment was added to our previous mathematical model of steady-state acid-base and fluid-electrolyte chemistry to gain further understanding and aid diagnosis of complex disorders in...
Architectonic Subdivisions of Neocortex in the Tree Shrew (Tupaia belangeri)

Tree shrews are small mammals that bear some semblance to squirrels, but are actually close relatives of primates. Thus, they have been extensively studied as a model for the early stages of primate evolution. In this study, subdivisions of cortex were reconstructed from brain sections cut in the coronal, sagittal, or horizontal planes, and processed for parvalbumin, SMI-32-immunopositive neurofilament protein epitopes, vesicle glutamate transporter 2 (VGluT2), free ionic zinc, myelin, cytochrome oxidase, and Nissl substance. These different procedures revealed similar boundaries between areas, suggesting the detection of functionally relevant borders and allowed a more precise demarcation of cortical areal boundaries. Primary cortical areas were most clearly revealed by the zinc stain, because of the poor staining of layer 4, as thalamocortical terminations lack free ionic zinc. Area 17 (V1) was especially prominent, as the broad layer 4 was nearly free of zinc stain. However, this feature was less pronounced in primary auditory and somatosensory cortex. In primary sensory areas, thalamocortical terminations in layer 4 densely express VGluT2. Auditory cortex consists of two architectonically distinct subdivisions, a primary core region (Ac), surrounded by a belt region (Ab) that had a slightly less developed koniocellular appearance. Primary motor cortex (M1) was identified by the absence of VGluT2 staining in the poorly developed granular layer 4 and the presence of SMI-32-labeled pyramidal cells in layers 3 and 5. The presence of well-differentiated cortical areas in tree shrews indicates their usefulness in studies of cortical organization and function.
Pharmacologic Management of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Objective:To provide an overview of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF), as well as its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and clinical evidence regarding its pharmacologic management.Data Sources:Peer-reviewed articles were identified from MEDLINE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, and Current Contents (all 1966-August 2010) using the search terms heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, diastolic dysfunction, diastolic heart failure, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), digoxin, β-blockers, calcium-channel blockers, and vasodilators. Citations from available articles were also reviewed for additional references.Study Selection and Data Extraction:Fourteen published manuscripts relating to pharmacologic management of HFPEF were identified.Data Synthesis:The prevalence of HFPEF has continued to increase. Compared to heart failure with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, HFPEF has been largely understudied. Unlike in the managemen...
Using a Mandatory Reporting Database to Recruit Persons Living With HIV/AIDS to Study Access to Care in Mississippi

Using funds provided by the Ryan White Care Act, we conducted a statewide needs assessment of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Mississippi as required by provisions of the Act. Most published research addressing access to care for PLWHA is based on convenience samples of persons already accessing care in specified clinic locations. For this study of a single state with a well-established mandatory reporting system, we conducted a cross-sectional study interviewing a random sample of PLWHA across the state of Mississippi. The Mississippi State Department of Health has maintained the Mississippi HIV/AIDS Reporting System since its inception in 1980. The database tracks all reported cases of HIV+ cases and includes name, age, last-known address, and other contact information. The sample was selected from a frame of all recorded PLWHA in Mississippi at that time, regardless of their association with care facilities. The purpose of this article is to describe the design and methodology of this study, di...
Probabilistic diagnosis of performance faults in large-scale parallel applications

Debugging large-scale parallel applications is challenging. Most existing techniques provide mechanisms for process control but little information about the causes of failures. Most debuggers also scale poorly despite continued growth in supercomputer core counts. Our novel, highly scalable tool helps developers to understand and to fix performance failures and correctness problems at scale. Our tool probabilistically infers the least progressed task in MPI programs using Markov models of execution history and dependence analysis. This analysis guides program slicing to find code that may have caused a failure. In a blind study, we demonstrate that our tool can isolate the root cause of a particularly perplexing bug encountered at scale in a molecular dynamics simulation. Further, we perform fault injections into two benchmark codes and measure the scalability of the tool. Our results show that it accurately detects the least progressed task in most cases and can perform the diagnosis in a fraction of a second with thousands of tasks.
Best of both worlds: improving gmail labels with the affordances of folders

Gmail's filing system for email conversations is based around labels, which are more flexible and powerful than folders. With its original user interface, many users did not discover labels, and wondered why Gmail had no folders. The Gmail team redesigned the user interface for labeling to make it more discoverable and understandable, and to add the most useful functionality of folders. The new design works for the simple use case (a conversation with only one label), while still making the more complex use case (multiple labels) easily available. It has been launched to millions of users worldwide and has resulted in much higher adoption of labels, especially by new users of Gmail.
The stroke-thrombolytic predictive instrument provides valid quantitative estimates of outcome probabilities and aids clinical decision-making.

Computerized clinical decision support systems are increasingly popular in health sciences and have been demonstrated to improve practitioner performance.1 For an emergency closely related to ischemic stroke, acute myocardial infarction, a thrombolytic predictive instrument was developed for real-time use in emergency medical-service settings to identify patients likely to benefit from thrombolysis and to facilitate the earliest possible use of this therapy.2,3 A similar instrument, designed for ischemic stroke, could also prove to be useful. Thrombolysis for ischemic stroke remains underused even under ideal circumstances. Approximately 40% of emergency physicians in a national survey report that they would not use recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for stroke, citing the risk of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and relative lack of benefit.4 Similar results were reported by Bobrow et al in a survey of the Arizona chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Only 52% of the emergency physicians who responded to the survey indicated that they would endorse rt-PA use for stroke under ideal conditions.5 Physicians’ perceptions of risks and benefits of rt-PA for stroke are not uniformly accurate.6 Merino et al reported that only 11% (95% CI, 0 to 22) of surveyed emergency medicine physicians and neurologists could correctly convey the expected magnitude of beneficial effect of rt-PA, and that only 39% (95% CI, 21 to 57) could accurately report the expected rate of symptomatic and fatal intracranial hemorrhage of rt-PA.6 This misperception may interfere with their willingness to endorse this treatment. It would be helpful to draw a distinction between true and perceived efficacy and between true and perceived harm associated with rt-PA for stroke. In this issue of Stroke, Kent et al7 developed a Stroke-Thrombolytic Predictive Instrument (TPI) to aid physicians considering thrombolysis for a patient with acute ischemic stroke. The authors …
Mystical experiences occasioned by the hallucinogen psilocybin lead to increases in the personality domain of openness

A large body of evidence, including longitudinal analyses of personality change, suggests that core personality traits are predominantly stable after age 30. To our knowledge, no study has demonstrated changes in personality in healthy adults after an experimentally manipulated discrete event. Intriguingly, double-blind controlled studies have shown that the classic hallucinogen psilocybin occasions personally and spiritually significant mystical experiences that predict long-term changes in behaviors, attitudes and values. In the present report we assessed the effect of psilocybin on changes in the five broad domains of personality - Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. Consistent with participant claims of hallucinogen-occasioned increases in aesthetic appreciation, imagination, and creativity, we found significant increase si n Openness following a high-dose psilocybin session. In participants who had mystical experiences during their psilocybin session, Openness remained significantly higher than baseline more than 1 year after the session. The findings suggest a specific role for psilocybin and mystical-type experiences in adult personality change.