cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Superplastic Alumina Ceramics with Grain Growth Inhibitors

Superplastic deformation of alumina ceramics was studied at 1400° to 1450°C and at a strain rate of 4 × 10−5 to 5 × 10−4 s−1. MgO and ZrO2 were introduced to suppress dynamic grain growth. The latter was especially effective; grain growth was minimal in 10-vol%-ZrO2-containing material. Both materials were superplastically stretched under biaxial tension to 100% engineering strain with good surface finishing, demonstrating the feasibility of superplastic forming for alumina ceramics.
Assessment of lower extremity nerve block: reprise of the Four P's acronym.

Background and Objectives Successful performance of lower-extremity regional anesthesia includes sensory and/or motor block assessment of up to 4 major peripheral nerves. This brief report describes a methodology for the rapid evaluation of lower-extremity anesthesia before surgical incision. Methods Illustrations highlight the techniques for evaluation of sciatic, obturator, lateral femoral cutaneous, and femoral nerve anesthesia. This methodology is based on a Four P’s acronym: push, pull, pinch, punt. Conclusions Accurate assessment of lower-extremity regional anesthesia can be achieved rapidly using The Four Ps evaluation tool.
VI.—On the Occurrence of a Trilobite in the Skiddaw Slates of the Isle of Man

The series of slates, schists, and grits, of the Isle of Man, which are regarded as identical with the Skiddaw Slates of the Lake District, have hitherto yielded no traces of fossils, if we except the rare worm-like markings known as Palasochorda. The writer during the month of August last, took the opportunity of a visit to the island (in connection with the geological mapping by Professor Dawkins) to search very closely the least altered slates of the series along their northern outcrop.
Cardiac valve replacement in patients on dialysis: influence of prosthesis on survival

Abstract Background . Mechanical valves have been recommended for patients on dialysis because of purported accelerated bioprosthesis degeneration. This study was undertaken to determine time-related outcomes in dialysis patients requiring cardiac valve replacement. Methods . From 1986 to 1998, 42 patients on chronic preoperative dialysis underwent valve replacement; 17 received mechanical valves and 25 received bioprostheses. Age was similar in both groups: 54 ± 18.5 years (mechanical) and 59 ± 15.5 years (bioprosthetic, p = 0.4). Sites of valve replacement were aortic (27), mitral (11), and aortic and mitral (4). Follow-up was 100% complete. Results . Survival at 3 and 5 years was 50% and 33% after mechanical valve replacement, and 36% and 27% after bioprosthetic valve replacement ( p = 0.3). Four patients with bioprostheses required reoperation: 3 for allograft endocarditis and 1 at 10 months for mitral bioprosthesis degeneration. One patient who received a mechanical valve required reoperation. Conclusions . Prosthetic valve-related complications in patients on dialysis were similar for both mechanical and bioprosthetic valves. Because of the limited life expectancy of patients on dialysis, bioprosthesis degeneration will be uncommon. Therefore, surgeons should not hesitate to implant bioprosthetic valves in these patients.
Effectiveness of the 7-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Children With Sickle Cell Disease in the First Decade of Life

BACKGROUND. The incidence of and mortality from invasive pneumococcal disease are significantly higher in children with sickle cell disease than in the general pediatric population. The objective of this population-based study was to assess the effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on rates of invasive pneumococcal disease among children with sickle cell disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS. Records, including the history of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine administration, of 1247 children born after 1983 residing in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia, with confirmed hemoglobinopathies were linked to an active surveillance database for invasive pneumococcal disease for the period of January 1, 1995, through January 1, 2003. The incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease and the percentage of rate reduction were estimated before and after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine licensure. Survival analysis was used to estimate the effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on invasive pneumococcal disease rates while accounting for herd immunity. RESULTS. A significant decline in invasive pneumococcal disease in children with sickle cell disease ≤10 years of age was noted after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine licensure, from 1.7 infections per 100 person-years (1995–2000) to 0.5 infections per 100 person-years (2001–2002), which represents a 68% reduction. The effectiveness of ≥1 dose of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was estimated by crude analysis to be 84.5% and by stratified survival analysis to be 81.4% when controlling for the presence of herd immunity in the 2 years after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine licensure. Serotype 6A invasive pneumococcal disease represented 36% of invasive pneumococcal disease before pneumococcal conjugate vaccine licensure and 0% after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine licensure, suggesting a protective effect against this pneumococcal conjugate vaccine-related serotype. CONCLUSIONS. Invasive pneumococcal disease significantly decreased in children with sickle cell disease ≤10 years of age after pneumococcal conjugate vaccine licensure. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was effective even when controlling for herd immunity. Extending guideline recommendations for catch-up vaccination beyond 4 years of age should be considered.
Studies on the conversion of 1,1,1-trichlorotrifluoroethane, chloro-2,2,2-trifluoroethane, and 1,1,1-trifluoroethane by catalytic oxidation, hydrolysis and ammonolysis

Catalytic hydrolysis and ammonolysis of CF3CCl3 (CFC-113a) and CF3CH2Cl (HCFC-133a) and oxidation of CF3CH3 (HFC-143a) were studied as possible routes to produce trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), trifluoroethanol (TFE) or trifluoroethylamine (TFEA), respectively. Catalysts employed in this study included oxides/halides of Fe, Pd, Cs, Cu, Sn, supported on carbon, Al2O3, ZrO2, TiO2, sulfated zirconia and fluoride supports like β-AlF3, and MgF2, as well as modified lanthanum phosphates. The reaction temperatures were varied from 100 to 450 °C, under these conditions CF3CCl3 and CF3CH2Cl could be hydrolysed giving trifluoroacetic acid or trifluoroethanol, respectively, in moderate yields, however all other reactions yielded predominantly CF2CHCl. Optimum conditions were identified for obtaining TFA over Fe/C catalyst by hydrolysis of CFC-113a, and for TFE by hydrolysis of HCFC-133a over alkaline modified lanthanum phosphate.
Efficient local checkpointing for software fault tolerance

The Recovery Block (RB) concept proposed by Randell [1] for implementing software fault tolerance involves the establishment of local checkpoints (LCP) whenever a process enters a RB. In order for the scheme to be practical, it is important that the overhead of this checkpointing be small both in time and storage. Therefore, we must look into alternatives to simply caching the complete process state at the point of entry to a RB. Since the checkpointing mechanism need be concerned with only those variables that are modified within a RB, an obvious approach is to keep only the previous (i.e. unmodified) values of these variables. In this note, we examine some implementation difficulties with this approach and then propose a somewhat unusual scheme which saves only the modified values at the end of a RB execution.
Historical perspectives in cell physiology: looking back to help the discipline move forward

the spanish philosopher and essayist, George Santayana (1863–1952), noted that “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That idea has led the Editors of American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology to initiate a new type of article, “Historical Perspectives.”
Isotopic exchange in mineral-fluid systems. II. Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic investigation of the experimental basalt-seawater system

Abstract Oxygen and hydrogen isotopic exchange reactions between basalt and seawater at T = 300° to 500°C were investigated, using oceanic tholeiitic basalt ( δ 18 O = ∼5.7%.; δD = ∼−70%. ), natural seawater ( δ 18 O = 1.2%.; δD = + 5%. ) and artificial seawater ( δ 18 O = −5.3%. ) as starting materials. The starting basalts varied in the crystallinity (from holocrystalline to glass) but were ground to approximately the same grain size (−100 mesh). The water/rock mass ratios ranged from 1 to 3 and the duration of the experiments ranged from 167 to 576 days. In general, depletion of 18O and enrichment of D in basalts occur at all temperatures, with the magnitudes of change being greater as temperature, time and to a lesser degree, glass content increases. The trends in isotopic shifts are directly related to changes in the style and intensity of mineralogic alterations in the basalt (e.g., smectite at 300°C, talc-actinoiite at 400°–500°C). The changes in the δ 18 O values of basalts and seawater in the experimental systems were observed to follow closely with those expected from a first-order rate law. Rate constants for the oxygen isotopic exchange between rock and water range from 10−9.5 to 10−8.0 moles oxygen/m2 of solid surface/sec for temperatures of 300° to 500°C. The activation energy for the isotopic exchange reaction was calculated to be 11.5 Kcal/ mol. An application of our experimental rate data to natural systems suggests that the oxygen isotope equilibrium between basalt and seawater in the mid-oceanic ridge may take place within approximately 1000 years at 350°C. Our experimental data also suggest the equilibrium oxygen isotopic fractionation factors between the altered basalt and seawater to be 3.5 ± 0.5%. at 300°C, 2.0 ± 0.4%. at 400°C and 0.5 ± 0.25%. at 500°C. The observed hydrogen isotopic fractionation factors between the altered basalts and seawater in our experimental systems were about −74%. at 300°C. about −62%. at 400°C and about −48%. at 500°C. These fractionation factors are probably attributable to the equilibrium fractionation between Fe-rich secondary phases and seawater.
Facility provision in elementary schools: correlates with physical education, recess, and obesity.

Objectives The objectives were to: (1) document correlations among facility provision (availability and adequacy) in elementary schools, child sociodemographic factors, and school characteristics nationwide; and (2) investigate whether facility provision is associated with physical education (PE) time, recess time, and obesity trajectory.
Fear as a discriminative stimulus for an appetitive instrumental response

Abstract Two experiments tested the hypothesis that anticipation of shock could be established as a discriminative stimulus for an appetitive instrumental response. In multiphase experiments, bar pressing for food was brought under the discriminative control of intermittent and gradually increasing electric shock. In a second phase, tones were estalished as either a CS+, or CS− for shock. Subsequently, the CSs were introduced on to the operant baseline. Animals trained with shock as the S D showed an increase in responding to the CS+ and a slight decrease to the CS−. Conversely, animals trained with shock as the S Δ showed decreased responding to the CS+ and slight increase to the CS−. These findings are seen as supportive of the Discriminative Stimulus hypothesis of learned resistance to punishment.
Cell adhesion molecules

It has been proposed that cell-cell recognition occurs by means of local cell surface modulation of a small number of proteins rather than by expression of large numbers of different cell surface markers. Several different cell adhesion molecules (CAM's) have now been found in a number of vertebrate species in different tissues such as liver and striated muscle and even in a single complex structure such as the brain, where different molecules specific for neurons and glia have been identified. The neuron-specific molecule is involved in early embryonic events but also mediates neurite fasciculation, neuromuscular interaction, and orderly layering of neural tissue. It undergoes local surface modulation with loss of sialic acid during development. A failure of this process is closely correlated with connectional disorders in the staggerer mutant of the mouse. The accumulated data on this and other CAM's favor modulation theories rather than strict chemoaffinity theories of cell-cell recognition.
BPEL orchestration of secure webmail

WebMail proposes to migrate existing SMTP-based mail systems to Web-Services. We show how a verifiably-correct, generic mail service that enables extensions of SMTP-based standard mail use cases that avoids known misuse cases can be specified using WSDL and orchestrated using BPEL.
Field Design of the Main-Ring Bending Magnets of the NAL 200-GeV Synchrotron

Two types of bending magnets are used to match the beam width in the separated-function FODO lattice of the main ring of the NAL 200-GeV accelerator. Bending magnet B1 has an aperture of 5 in × 1.5 in, an overall dimension of 25 in × 16 in and a 12-turn coil; bending magnet B2 has an aperture of 4 in × 2 in, an overall dimension of 25 in × 14 in, and a 16-turn coil. With proper geometry and a small amount of pole-face crenellation, the good-field regions of these magnets extend over ~80% qf the aperture to beyond 20 kG. At 18 kG which corresponds to 400 GeV the saturation is only 3.7% and the excitation current is 4746 A. The magnetic -field design is performed using computer program TRIM. The factors of consideration and techniques involved in the design will be discussed.
The Parent-Child Relationship and the Development of Physical Symptoms:

Correlations of responses to two questionnaires indicated for 50 college males a direct positive relation between presence of physical symptoms and neglect, rejection, or punishment by mothers and also by fathers for 29 college males. Fewer symptoms were experienced by those whose fathers were seen as affectionate and approving.
A Patient with Mevalonic Aciduria Presenting with Hepatosplenomegaly, Congenital Anaemia, Thrombocytopenia and Leukocytosis

Mevalonic aciduria is an inborn error in cholesterol biosynthesis, due to a deficiency of mevalonate kinase (EC 2.7.1.36), which has recently been discovered. So far two patients have been reported (Berger et al., 1985; Hoffmann et al., 1986).
Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against Naja naja atra cobrotoxin.

Abstract B. G. Stiles , B. C. Lidgerding , F. W. Sexton and S. B. Guest . Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against Naja naja atra cobrotoxin. Toxicon29, 1195–1204, 1991.—Twelve monoclonal antibodies against cobrotoxin from Naja naja atra venom were tested for cross-reactivity with eight different snake toxins, binding to linear epitopes, prevention of cobrotoxin binding to acetylcholine receptor (AchR) in vitro, and protection in mice concomitantly given a lethal dose of cobrotoxin. The antibodies were highly specific, as evidenced by little reactivity with other snake toxins. None of the monoclonal antibodies bound to reduced cobrotoxin or synthesized 8-mer regions spanning the whole molecule, thus suggesting the recognition of conformational epitopes. The in vitro binding of toxin to AchR was competitively inhibited (23–79%) with a 1.66 : 1 mole ratio of antibody : AchR. Preincubation of monoclonal antibody with toxin before adding AchR (3 : 1 mole ratio of AchR : antibody) inhibited the in vitro binding of toxin to AchR by 20–80%. Monoclonal antibodies added after the preincubation of toxin with AchR did not dissociate the toxin-AchR complex. An antibody : toxin mole ratio of 2.5 : 1, with 6 μg of cobrotoxin, delayed the time to death of mice 3.7–23.8-fold over control mice. The monoclonal antibodies that most effectively prevented in vitro binding of toxin to AchR also provided the longest delay in time to death in mice.
Some Thoughts on Research

T H O M A S H. J O H N S O N , Chairman of the English Department at The Lawrenceville Schooly taught English at Rutgers and at Williams {his alma mater) before going to Lawrenceville in IQ3J. He has also taught at Columbia, Harvard, and the University of Copenhagen. His active scholarship has produced books on Jonathan Edwards and the Puritans. He is Co-editor of Literary History of the United States, and prepared the bibliographical volume of that work. His most recent publication is the definitive edition of the text of The Poems of Emily Dickinson.
A Model for the X-Ray Luminosity of Pulsar Nebulae

A one-zone, shocked wind model is developed for the X-ray luminosity of pulsar nebulae. If the electrons and positrons cool rapidly by synchrotron radiation and the initial particle spectrum is similar to that of the Crab Nebula, the X-ray luminosity is produced from the pulsar power with high efficiency and is insensitive to the model parameters. If the electrons are not in the cooling regime, the X-ray luminosity is produced with lower efficiency, as appears to be the case for the compact nebula around the Vela pulsar. The observed X-ray spectral index is an indicator for which case applies and thus plays a role in estimating the pulsar power needed to produce an observed X-ray luminosity.
A decrease in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and mRNA is an early event in phorbol ester-induced differentiation of THP-1 promonocytic leukemia cells

Redox modification of regulatory proteins implicates the glutathione redox system (GRS) in the control of gene expression. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) provides reducing equivalents for the GRS, and it has been suggested that high levels of G6PD in preneoplastic lesions are directly related to neoplastic transformation. We have used THP-1 human promonocytic leukemia cells, an established model of induced macrophage differentiation, to test an important corollary of this hypothesis, viz., that a decrease in G6PD activity should accompany the loss of the transformed phenotype. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) arrests the constitutive cycling of THP-1 and induces a phenotype that approaches normalcy. We measured the specific activities of the GRS enzymes, G6PD, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase during the early stages of phorbol ester-induced differentiation of THP-1 cells. We observed an 80% decrease in G6PD activity and an increase in the apparent KM for glucose 6-phosphate. In contrast, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity increased, while glutathione reductase (GR) activity remained essentially constant. The reduction in G6PD activity, preceding the loss of the transformed phenotype, is accompanied by a fourfold decrease in steady-state levels of G6PD mRNA. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that high levels of G6PD are causally related to neoplastic transformations.
Children of Mothers with Borderline Personality Disorder: Identifying Parenting Behaviors as Potential Targets for Intervention

Children of mothers with BPD should be considered a high-risk group given the wide array of poor psychosocial outcomes that have been found in these children. This paper describes the parenting strategies that might explain the transmission of vulnerability from mothers with BPD to their offspring, from infancy through adolescence. We conclude that oscillations between extreme forms of hostile control and passive aloofness in their interactions with their children may be unique to mothers with BPD. We provide an overview of interventions that are currently recommended for mothers and family members with BPD, namely attachment therapy and psychoeducational approaches. Based on an integration of the empirical findings on parenting and child outcomes as well as from the review of current approaches to intervention, we conclude with recommendations for treatment targets. We argue that mothers with BPD need psychoeducation regarding child development and recommended parenting practices and skills for providing consistent warmth and monitoring, including mindfulness-based parenting strategies.
A modeling language for vehicle motion control behavioral specification

Error-free engineering of high integrity applications such as vehicle motion control (VMC) requires unambiguous behavioral specification. As system engineering progresses from requirements modeling to functional design, to system implementation on a distributed platform, the specifications of the system artifacts and work products must be transferred across different engineering environments and stages in models without loss of semantics. Modeling environments currently available for industrial use, with their native modeling languages, do not provide the capability of unambiguous behavior modeling across tools and engineering stages. In this paper, we identify certain fundamental requirements for high integrity systems and show that these requirements are not satisfied in current and proposed international standards, and two commercial modeling tools. A modeling language for VMC behavioral specification, eFSM, is proposed as a candidate for standardization and for adoption by the community in this domain. The language is based on a general mathematical modeling framework and an extended finite state machine paradigm. It adds unambiguous semantics essential to the VMC behavioral specification. An experimental prototype of the eFSM has been developed and evaluated relative to the requirements for modeling high integrity systems.
An Experimental Study of Gas Solubility in Oil-Based Drilling Fluids

Gas contamination of an oil-base drilling fluid during drilling operations, whether it be by the uncontrolled flow of formation gas into the well bore (gas kick) or by the drilling of gas bearing formations (drilled gas), poses a potential hazard to the drilling equipment, environment, and personnel. This danger is the greatest when bottom hole conditions are such that the gas will completely dissolve into the drilling fluid and rapidly evolve as the gas cut drilling fluid is circulated up the well. Before this phenomenon can be well understood and modelled, the solubility of natural gases in a wide variety of oil-base drilling fluids must be known as a function of temperature and pressure. Previous authors have presented experimental work on the solubility of methane in diesel oil, and a limited amount of experimental data has also been presented on the solubility of methane in an unweighted diesel oil drilling fluid system. In this study, previous experimental work has been extended to include other base oils (low toxicity systems) and other gases (methane, ethane, carbon dioxide, and a representative natural gas mixture). In addition, the solubility of natural gases in other chemicals used in oil-base drilling fluids were studied. Finally,more » data on the solubility of these gases in oil-base drilling fluids was measured for a wide range of mud densities. A greater temperature range was included in the study than had been done previously for methane in diesel oil and oil-base drilling fluids.« less
Improved cutting algorithm

The cutting algorithm allows computation of bounds on signal probabilities and detection probabilities in combinational networks. These bounds can be used to determine the necessary pseudorandom test length needed to test a network. One of the problems with the cutting algorithm is that it may compute loose bounds which translate into unnecessarily long test lengths. The object of this paper is to improve the cutting algorithm so that the computed bounds become satisfactory. The improved cutting algorithm is a careful combination of the original cutting algorithm and the Parker—McCluskey algorithm. The tightness of the computed bounds may vary depending on which portion of the circuit is handled with the cutting algorithm and which with the Parker—McCluskey algorithm. Thus, the user of the improved cutting algorithm can actually control and trade off the accuracy of the results against the computational effort needed to achieve them.
Accelerated 20-year sunlight exposure simulation of a photochromic foldable intraocular lens in a rabbit model

Purpose To assess the long-term biocompatibility and photochromic stability of a new photochromic hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) under extended ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. Setting John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Design Experimental study. Methods A Matrix Aurium photochromic IOL was implanted in right eyes and a Matrix Acrylic IOL without photochromic properties (n = 6) or a single-piece AcrySof Natural SN60AT IOL (n = 5) in left eyes of 11 New Zealand rabbits. The rabbits were exposed to a UV light source of 5 mW/cm 2 for 3 hours during every 8-hour period, equivalent to 9 hours a day, and followed for up to 12 months. The photochromic changes were evaluated during slitlamp examination by shining a penlight UV source in the right eye. After the rabbits were humanely killed and the eyes enucleated, study and control IOLs were explanted and evaluated in vitro on UV exposure and studied histopathologically. Results The photochromic IOL was as biocompatible as the control IOLs after 12 months under conditions simulating at least 20 years of UV exposure. In vitro evaluation confirmed the retained optical properties, with photochromic changes observed within 7 seconds of UV exposure. The rabbit eyes had clinical and histopathological changes expected in this model with a 12-month follow-up. Conclusions The new photochromic IOL turned yellow only on exposure to UV light. The photochromic changes were reversible, reproducible, and stable over time. The IOL was biocompatible with up to 12 months of accelerated UV exposure simulation. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Additional financial disclosures are found in the footnotes.
Patterns of adrenergic and peptidergic innervation in human olfactory mucosa: Age-related trends

The distribution and targets of nerves containing the adrenergic markers tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine β-hydroxylase, and neuropeptide Y in the human olfactory mucosa were investigated by immunohistochemistry. Tissue was obtained at autopsy from the nasal cleft of 16 adults ranging in age from 24 to 90 years, and from one spontaneously aborted 16-week-old fetus. The presence of olfactory receptor neurons in nasal mucosa was confirmed by staining with the antibody to olfactory marker protein. Targets of adrenergic innervation were blood vessels, including the vasa nervorum within the sheaths of olfactory nerve bundles, and Bowman's glands in the lamina propria. Adrenergic fibers penetrated the adventitia of blood vessels and terminated near the media, and were in close proximity to Bowman's glands but did not enter the acini. In the fetal tissue, the vasa nervorum were the major targets of adrenergic fibers. Age-related differences in the pattern and statistically significant differences in the density of innervation of blood vessels were noted between adults under and over 60 years of age. In the younger group, plexuses of nerve fibers containing colocalized dopamine β-hydroxylase and neuropeptide Y occurred adjacent to arterioles and large bundles of fibers adjacent to venules; in older individuals, few fiber plexuses occurred adjacent to arterioles and thin bundles of fibers adjacent to venules. The distribution of adrenergic innervation suggests that vasomotor tone and secretion are regulated by adrenergic nerves. The decrease in adrenergic innervation in older individuals, with resultant effects on perireceptor processes, may be associated with age-related declines in olfactory function. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Functional calculus in the theory of nonlinear systems with stochastic signals

Connections between the theorems of Bussgang, Price, McMahon, Novikov, and Wiener are established, and new theorems are introduced for nonlinear functionals of Gaussian random processes by the use of functional calculus. In particular, Novikov's formula is extended to obtain an expression for the Wiener-Hermite kernels of a functional in terms of its functional derivatives.
The Efficacy of Three Commercial Mycoplasma gallisepticum Vaccines in Laying Hens

The efficacy of three commercial Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) immunizing agents-a bacterin, a recombinant fowlpox-MG vaccine, and a live F-strain vaccine-was compared in specific-pathogen-free hens in egg production. Three groups of 25 chickens were vaccinated with one of the vaccines at 10 wk of age and 25 birds were not vaccinated. At 25 wk of age (and approximately 50% egg production), 20 birds from each of the three vaccinated groups and 15 nonvaccinated controls were challenged with virulent R-strain via aerosol; the birds were necropsied and evaluated at 10 days post-challenge. The MG bacterin and live F-strain vaccinations were both protective and resulted in significant differences in air sac lesions, tracheal lesions, and ovarian regression compared to the nonvaccinated controls and the recombinant fowlpox-MG vaccine (P < or = 0.05). The evaluation of ovarian regression is a useful method of testing the efficacy of MG vaccines in laying hens.
Surface temperature measurement of dielectric materials heated by pulsed laser radiation

Abstract The temperature of a dielectric surface irradiated by a laser pulse can be measured by recording the time-resolved resistance change of a thin platinum stripe vapor-deposited on this surface. Results are reported for quartz and glass surfaces exposed to a pulsed CO 2 laser, showing heating rates in excess of 10 8 K/s.
Quantitatively merging GPR and magnetic gradiometry data for enhanced interpretation of archaeological geophysics surveys

The development of methods for quantitatively merging different types of archaeogeophysics data will allow for the enhancement of structures and features in the data through S/N enhancement of features detectible through more than one technique. While geophysicists may be well trained at detecting subtle anomalies in geophysical data, archaeologists are not; thus, by improving visualization methods of the data, the interpretations may be seen more clearly and will be more convincing to the archaeologist. Current methods of merging interpretations are qualitative; most rely on simply overlaying interpretations from different tools onto one map for display. The process of merging different geophysical data is not easy since data usually have different resolutions and amplitude distributions that need to be accounted for and may prohibit successful merging of data. We present here preliminary results of quantitatively merging (1) the “best” GPR time slice with magnetic gradiometry data, and (2) various GPR time slices with each other. Both techniques successfully enhance interpretation by improving S/N; however, in the GPR/magnetics case there is an overall reduction in the total number of interpretable
Generation of conditional Hoxc8 loss-of-function and Hoxc8-->Hoxc9 replacement alleles in mice.

The Hox family of transcription factors are expressed at different domains along the rostrocaudal (R-C) body axis during development. To examine the function of Hoxc8 and Hoxc9 in specific cell types and at different developmental times, we have generated and characterized loxP flanked (floxed) Hoxc8 and Hoxc8Hoxc9 replacement alleles of mice, with either GFP or LacZ reporters. Although all four alleles of mice behave like wild-type controls in motor behavioral testing, slight differences in endogenous Hox gene expression were observed among these alleles depending on the type of reporters used and the presence of Hoxc9 cDNA in the targeting constructs. The efficiency of Cre-mediated recombination was evaluated by crossing these mice with the Nestin-cre and Isl1-cre mice, and the loss of Hoxc8 expression with or without Hoxc9 misexpression was confirmed in embryonic spinal cord. In addition, an upregulation of reporter gene expression was observed after Cre-mediated recombination. These mice will be useful tools to analyze Hox gene function in a cell type-specific manner. genesis 47:680–687, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Risk factors for unscheduled delivery in patients with placenta accreta

Objective Patients with suspected placenta accreta have improved outcomes with scheduled delivery. Our objective was to identify risk factors for unscheduled delivery in patients with suspected placenta accreta. Study Design This was a cohort study of women with antenatally suspected placenta accreta. Women who delivered prior to a planned delivery date were compared with women who had a scheduled delivery. Data were analyzed using a Student t test, χ 2 , logistic regression, and survival analyses. Variables included in the analyses were episodes of antenatal vaginal bleeding, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), uterine contractions, prior cesarean deliveries, interpregnancy interval, parity, and patient demographic factors. A value of P Results Seventy-seven women with antenatal suspicion for placenta accreta were identified. Thirty-eight (49.4%) had an unscheduled delivery. Demographics were similar between groups. Unscheduled patients delivered earlier (mean 32.3 vs 35.7 weeks, P P P P Conclusion Among women with suspected placenta accreta, those with antenatal vaginal bleeding were more likely to require unscheduled delivery. This risk increases further in the setting of PPROM and/or uterine contractions. These clinical factors should be considered when determining the optimal delivery gestational age for women with placental accreta.
First-principles relativistic calculations of the fine-structure intervals and magnetic dipole transition probabilities in the 1 s 2 2 p configuration of the lithium isoelectric sequence

We present the results of our first-principles relativistic calculations of the fine-structure intervals and magnetic dipole transition probabilities for the 1{ital s}{sup 2}2{ital p} configuration of the lithium isoelectronic sequence using a variational approach. The contributions of the Breit interaction and approximate Lamb-shift corrections are incorporated via first-order perturbation theory. Our results of the fine-structure intervals are in good agreement with experiment, but experimental data for the magnetic dipole transition probabilities are not available for comparison with our calculations.
Spinal bone marrow necrosis with vertebral compression fracture: differentiation of BMN from AVN

Bone marrow necrosis (BMN) is a rare malignancy-associated hematologic disorder characterized by necrosis of myeloid and stromal marrow elements with preservation of cortical bone. Overlap between the imaging appearances of BMN and avascular necrosis (AVN) raises the potential for diagnostic confusion. We report a case of BMN presenting with a traumatic multi-level vertebral body collapse, and finding that may potentially confound distinction between the two entities. We discuss important pathophysiologic, clinical, and radiologic differences between BMN and AVN with emphasis on features important in the differential diagnosis.
Flow development in a tube with injection of a light or heavy gas

Abstract Laminar isothermal entrance flows in ducts of circular cross section with uniform rate of mass injection at the wall are calculated from the boundary-layer equations by an implicit finite-difference technique. Results are reported for systems with constant molecular weight, for injection of a light gas into a heavy gas, and for injection of a heavy gas into a light gas, with special emphasis on helium-nitrogen mixtures. Dependence of density and viscosity on composition is properly taken into account. The effect of molecular weight on flow development and mixing is discussed.
The Impact of Right Ventricular Dysfunction on the Prognosis and Therapy of Normotensive Patients With Pulmonary Embolism

The prognosis and optimal therapy of patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) are strongly influenced by the presence or absence of associated hemodynamic derangements. Patients with normal systemic arterial pressure have a relatively low risk of recurrent PE and death when treated promptly with therapeutic anticoagulation. Those who present with hypotension, shock, or cardiac arrest, however, have a much higher mortality rate and often receive thrombolytic therapy. Recent evidence indicates that the presence of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction identifies a subgroup of normotensive patients with a much more guarded prognosis who may benefit from more intensive therapy with thrombolytic agents. This article reviews our current understanding of the pathophysiology and diagnosis of RV dysfunction and its impact on the prognosis and therapy of normotensive patients with PE.
A vision based method to automate map processing

Abstract This paper presents a method for the digitization, vectorization and storage of land record maps. Map data is input into a vision system via a CCD camera as raw data to be digitized. The digitized data is accompanied by various types of noise mainly due to the map's symbols and the binarization process. This data is passed to an intelligent program for noise removal. The processed data is converted to vector data by an efficient algorithm. This point data that presents the key points can be stored on peripheral storage devices for future reconstruction and modification of the map. Experimental results for a test map have been presented. This method has been implemented on an IBM-PC compatible machine vision system keeping in mind its office related applicability.
Intensive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety Disorders in School-aged Children with Autism: A Preliminary Comparison with Treatment-as-Usual

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) frequently present with a comorbid anxiety disorder that can cause significant functional impairment, particularly at school. An intensive modular cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) program was delivered to address anxiety, self-regulation, and social engagement in school and in the community. A particular emphasis was placed on increasing generalizability of coping skills and positive social behavior by involving school personnel in the treatment process. Children (7–11 years old) were randomly assigned to an immediate treatment condition (IT) that included 32 sessions of CBT (n = 7) or a 16-week treatment-as-usual (TAU) condition (n = 5). The CBT sessions emphasized behavioral experimentation and emotion regulation training as well as social coaching on increasing positive peer interactions. School observations and consultations were included in the treatment model. Independent evaluators blind to treatment condition conducted structured diagnostic interviews at baseline and post-IT/post-TAU. Post-treatment analyses showed that 71.4 % of the IT group had remitted from their primary anxiety disorder diagnosis as compared with none of the TAU group. In addition, an ANCOVA analysis conducted with baseline anxiety scores included as a covariate revealed a statistically significant difference by treatment group in anxiety severity favoring the IT group at post-treatment. The 32-session CBT program is an intensive approach for children with ASD and moderate-to-severe anxiety disorders that appears to yield a clinically significant impact on anxiety symptoms. The generalizability of coping skills may be enhanced by the inclusion of school-based treatment components due to the consistency of supports this permits across the child’s daily settings.
A numerical study on hydrological impacts of forest restoration in the southern United States

Landscape in the southern United States changed dramatically during the 1930s and the following decades when massive agricultural and abandoned logging lands were converted to forest lands through natural restoration and silviculture. The impacts of this forest restoration on hydrology were investigated in this study by conducting numerical experiments with a regional climate model. Climatic and hydrological conditions for the months of January and July during an 8-year period were simulated with prior and post forest conversion land cover, respectively. The assembled results of the simulations and experiments during the period indicate that overall precipitation decreases in July and increases in January in the restoration region (RR) in response to the restoration, mainly caused by the reduction in the corresponding prevailing winds due to increased surface roughness. Evapotranspiration and root-layer soil moisture increase in both months, mainly caused by the changes in vegetation and soil properties. Solar radiation increases due to smaller albedo, most of which is used to increase sensible heat. Large increases in July precipitation, evapotranspiration, and runoff in the remote central Midwest are found, resulting from the change in the large-scale atmospheric circulation. The implications of the results for the projected vegetation changes due to the climate change and the silviculture project in the Southeast in the future are discussed. Published 2010. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Hydrogen chemical shieldings in small molecules: a magnetic field density functional approach

Abstract Three approximations to the isotropic chemical shielding functional are used to calculate isotropic hydrogen chemical shieldings in small molecules. The approximations, at most, require the electron density and its angular derivative at the hydrogen nucleus. Results are compared to a variety of theoretical calculations and/or experiments. Deviations from these calculations are at worst off by 40%, and at best off by a few percent.
Adenocarcinomas of stomach, pancreas, liver, and biliary tracts. Survival of 328 patients treated with fluoropyrimidine therapy.

A series of 328 patients with advanced cancers of the stomach, pancreas, liver, and biliary tract were treated with intensive fluoropyrimidine therapy, including 5-FU, 5-FUDR, intra-arterial infusions of 5-FU, and 5-FU plus radiotherapy. Survival patterns were analyzed with particular emphasis on survival over 1 year after treatment was begun. Patients with stomach cancer had median survivals of 5–7 1/2 months; over-all survival of more than a year was seen in 22%. Radiation therapy plus 5-FU was associated with slightly longer survival, as was prior resection of the primary tumor. Patients with pancreatic cancer survived four months median, with 12.5% surviving longer than 1 year. Survial was most dependent on extent of disease at the onset of therapy. Hepatobiliary cancer continued to present a very bleak prognosis. However, excellent responses occurred in 3/31 patients with liver cell or bile duct carcinoma. Intra-arterial infusions for liver involvement in these patients appeared to contribute little benefit to over-all survival, although dramatic responses were observed in two patients with primary liver tumors. It would appear that fluoropyrimidine therapy may modestly increase over-all survival in advanced stomach cancer. Survival in pancreatic cancer does not seem to be favorably influenced by this therapy.
Implementation of a real-time software-only image smoothing filter for a block-transform video codec

The JPEG compression standard is a popular image format. However, at high compression ratios JPEG compression, which uses block-transform coding, can produce blocking artifacts, or artificially introduced edges within the image. Several post-processing algorithms have been developed to remove these artifacts. This paper describes an implementation of a post-processing algorithm developed by Ramchandran, Chou, and Crouse (RCC) which is fast enough for real-time software-only video applications. The original implementation of the RCC algorithm involved calculating thresholds to identify artificial edges. These calculations proved too expensive for use in real-time software-only applications. We replaced these calculations with a linear scale approximating ideal threshold values based on a combination of peak signal-to-noise ratio calculations and subjective visual quality. The resulting filter implementation is available in the widely-deployed Open Mash streaming media toolkit.
On the nonlinear-flexural response of piezoelectrically driven microcantilever sensors

Abstract This paper undertakes a comprehensive analysis and detailed comparative study of two types of microcantilever sensors (MCS). The first configuration is actuated using a piezoelectric stack embedded under the sensor base yielding a base-type actuation while the second is actuated via a piezoelectric ZnO layer deposited on the surface of the sensor. Along these lines, a comprehensive distributed-parameters nonlinear model that includes both geometric and material nonlinearities is developed. The method of multiple scales is then implemented to study the asymptotic behavior of the sensors’ response. Results demonstrate that each of the aforedescribed sensors exhibits a completely different nonlinear behavior. More specifically, similar to a base-excited macrocantilever, the first mode of a base-excited MCS has a hardening-type behavior. On the other hand, the first vibration mode of the piezoelectrically actuated MCS has a softening-type response. This softening behavior can be attributed to the presence of quadratic material nonlinearities in the piezoelectric layer (ZnO here). Such nonlinearities, which describe the nonlinear relation between the stress and strain in some piezoelectric materials are usually neglected in the modeling of piezoelectrically actuated macrocantilever beams. Here, we demonstrate by extensive theoretical development and experimental results that material nonlinearities associated with ZnO materials are large and have a considerable effect altering the response from the commonly expected hardening to the softening type. As such, it becomes evident that such detailed and comprehensive-nonlinear modeling effort is a key step towards the design and development of practical MCS.
When a ‘non-issue’ becomes an issue in discourse surrounding LGBT communities

This paper uses the theory of intertextuality to examine the discourse surrounding California’s Proposition 8, the statewide ballot measure to reverse legalization of same-sex marriage. More specifically, this paper analyzes the newspaper reports that surfaced in February 2010, concerned with the fact that the judge deciding the case is a gay man. The initial story, which claimed that this should be a “non-issue,” sparked a multitude of articles aimed at different readerships over the following week, therein making the “non-issue” an issue. I analyze how intertextuality is used by three types of news sources (LGBT, mainstream, and Religious Right) to report the same issue but in ways specifically aimed at the ideal reader of each. I argue that the way intertextuality occurs in constructed dialogue, lexical choice, and semantic presupposition creates an ideological message meant for and decodable by each publication’s ideal reader, therein reinforcing group ideologies about LGBT issues.