cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of selective exposure radiography

The concept of selective exposure radiography encompasses those techniques which spatially modulate the incident x-ray field to produce a more uniform exit field arising from the patient. The resulting reduction in the dynamic range of the exposure field offers several advantages. In conventional radiography, selective exposure techniques allow all areas of the image to be placed in the linear portion of the film characteristic curve so that local contrast is maximized. With video systems, the reduction in dynamic range minimizes the impact of electronic noise behind the least transmissive regions of the patient. With both electronic and photographic detectors, selective exposure radiography is characterized by uniform quantum statistics and uniform scatter across the image. Several selective exposure techniques currently are being investigated. They include compensating filters placed manually in the x-ray field as well as fan-beam geometries in which the x-ray tube output is modulated with a feedback circuit to maintain constant exposure to the image receptor. At the University of Wisconsin, we have been investigating a digital system which uses an initial low-dose patient image to design an attenuator with transmission complimentary to that of the patient. The attenuator is fabricated for each patient and is positioned automatically in the x-ray beam prior to the acquisition of the final compensated image. The possible applications of this device include chest radiography, coronary angiography, subtraction angiography, and accurate digital videodensitometry.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The impact of insulin pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics on the closed-loop artificial pancreas

This paper investigates the expected clinical performance and robustness envelope (e.g., postprandial blood glucose peak and low blood glucose condition risk) of an artificial pancreas (AP) with respect to the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) characteristics of different insulin delivery options (i.e., combinations of insulin formulations and routes). Specifically, an insulin PK/PD based design method that enables the investigation of the clinical performance and robustness envelope using the internal model control methodology is introduced. The controller based on the proposed method was evaluated on the Universities of Virginia and Padova FDA-accepted metabolic simulator. The robustness analyses suggest that the controller can achieve safe glucose regulation over a wide range of insulin PK/PD characteristics. The simulation results suggest that the controller with only two parameters (the pharmacokinetic time constant and the controller time constant) can achieve satisfactory performance (meal disturbance rejection within 3.5 h) over the PK/PD range, demonstrating that a faster acting insulin delivery option achieves superior meal disturbance rejection without inducing a dangerous overshoot (i.e., low blood glucose condition). Additionally, two sample clinical results using fast acting insulin delivery options (inhaled and intraperitoneal) are given to illustrate the benefit of improving PK/PD characteristics.
Potency of rat ejaculations varies with their order and with male age.

Abstract In one session, a male rat may ejaculate 6 or 7 times, preceding each ejaculation with multiple intromissions. The potency of each successive ejaculation was investigated by examining the number of sperm later recovered from the genital tracts in one group of females and determining the number of embryos which were developing in another group of females. In nine older males (223–402 days), sperm and embryo number reached a peak at the third ejaculation; in fewer than 25% of mating sessions were these numbers maximal at the first ejaculation. In four younger males (103–172 days), two consistently showed maximal sperm output at the first ejaculation and two consistently peaked beyond it. However, despite these variations in sperm output, embryo counts in younger males were uniformly above 10 until the seventh ejaculation. Both age and ejaculation number had demonstrable effects on fertility.
Comparison analysis of primary ligand-binding sites in seven-helix membrane proteins.

Seven-helix transmembrane proteins, including the G-protein coupled receptors, mediate a broad range of fundamental cellular activities through binding to a wide range of ligands. Understanding the structural basis for the ligand-binding selectivity of these proteins is of significance to their structure-based drug design. Comparison analysis of proteins’ ligand binding sites provides a useful way to study their structure-activity relationships. Various computational methods have been developed for the binding site comparison of soluble proteins. In this work, we applied this approach to the analysis of the primary ligand-binding sites of 92 seven-helix transmembrane proteins. Results of the studies confirmed that the binding site of bacterial rhodopsins is indeed different from all G-protein coupled receptors. In the latter group, further comparison of the binding sites indicated a group of residues that could be responsible for ligand-binding selectivity and important for structure-based drug design. Further, unexpected binding site dissimilarities were observed among adrenergic and adenosine receptors, suggesting that the percentage of the overall sequence identity between a target protein and a template protein alone is not sufficient for selecting the best template for homology modeling of seven-helix membrane proteins. These results provided novel insight into the structural basis of ligand-binding selectivity of seven-helix membrane proteins and are of practical use to the computational modeling of these proteins.
CO oxidation on single and multilayer Pd oxides on Pd(111): mechanistic insights from RAIRS

We investigated the oxidation of CO on the Pd5O4 surface oxide and a multilayer PdO(101) film on Pd(111) using direct, isothermal rate measurements, reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and density functional theory calculations. Our results show that the PdO(101) film is intrinsically more reactive than the surface oxide toward CO oxidation, and that the reaction kinetics occurs autocatalytically on both oxides, with the rate of CO2 production increasing as the oxides are reduced. The RAIRS measurements reveal that self-accelerating reaction kinetics occurs on PdO(101) because oxide reduction generates both oxygen vacancies within PdO(101) domains as well as Pd(111) domains. These reduced structures bind CO more strongly than the pristine PdO(101) surface, causing the CO surface concentration and thus the reaction rate to increase as the oxide is progressively reduced by reaction. In contrast, we find that reduction of the surface oxide generates only Pd(111) domains which bind CO strongly and sustain reaction.
Modelling the rate of transfer of uranyl ions onto microbial cells

Abstract It has been observed that microbial cells can adsorb uranium ions from dilute aqueous solutions. Data collected from such experiments can be used to estimate correlative mass transfer coefficients. Physical observations bear out several inadequacies, however, of using an adsorption mass transfer model with a constant transfer coefficient relating the rate of transfer to the concentration gradient. By itself, the mass transfer model contains no provision to include (1) the initial transient, (2) the curvature in the later time rate curve, and (3) the non-linear curve relating initial levels of uranium concentration in solution to final residual uranium concentration for a set of batch experiments. It is found that a better match to observed data can be achieved by utilizing an intermediate state adsorption model analogous to a kinetic model based on an enzyme - substrate coupling scheme.
The internal clock of drunken isopods

Dilute solutions of ethyl alcohol lengthen the free-running period of the endogenous tidal rhythmicity of the isopod, Excirolana chiltoni. One-half percent alcohol increases the period, on the average, by about an hour, and the dosage dependence is apparently linear up to 1% alcohol. Since alcohol has also been shown to slow the circadian leaf-movement rhythm of the bean plant, Phaseolus, to about the same extent, the effects of this substance on endogenous biological clocks may represent a general phenomenon. Both this influence of alcohol, and previously reported effects of D2O on biological clocks are consistent with the hypothesis that the fundamental and general process underlying these endogenous rhythms involves an oscillation in cellular electrochemistry.
Mitochondrial mechanisms of neural cell apoptosis

The importance of calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, and free radical generation to neuropathological processes has been recognized for many years. Only more recently has evidence accumulated that the programmed cell death process of apoptosis plays an integral role not only in the development of the nervous system, but in the loss of cells following acute neurological insults and chronic disease. In 1996 came the landmark discovery that cytochrome c, an evolutionary old and essential component of the respiratory chain, has a second and deadly function when it escapes the mitochondrion: triggering the cell death cascade. A flurry of activity has since ensued in an effort to understand the mechanistic events associated with mitochondrial permeabilization during apoptosis and regulation by an enigmatic family of proteins characterized by homology to the proto-oncogene Bcl-2. This review discusses the evidence for various release mechanisms of apoptotic proteins (e.g. cytochrome c) from neural cell mitochondria, focusing particularly on roles for calcium, Bax, p53, and oxidative stress. The need for new drugs that act at the level of the mitochondrion to prevent apoptosis is also highlighted.
Compositions of four unusual CM or CM-related Antarctic chondrites

Abstract To identify chemical group affinities and infer the occurrence of thermal metamorphism or aqueous alteration in their histories, we quantified 43 trace elements in the CM or CM-related Antarctic carbonaceous chondrites EET 96010, LAP 02277, MET 01070, and WIS 91600. We also analyzed LAP 02206, a CV chondrite, to add to our comparison database. We present whole-rock oxygen isotope data for LAP 02206, LAP 02277, and MET 01070 to complement our trace element results. With these data, we confirm the CV classification of LAP 02206 and CM or CM-like classification for the other four chondrites in this study. On the basis of moderately volatile element content, our results show that EET 96010 experienced open-system heating, while any heating LAP 02277 and MET 01070 may have experienced was in a chemically closed-system. WIS 91600, on a trace element basis, appears to be CM-like material. Our analyses support the idea that CM material has experienced a wide variety of post-accretionary processing.
Alginate based 3D hydrogels as an in vitro co-culture model platform for the toxicity screening of new chemical entities.

Abstract Prediction of human response to potential therapeutic drugs is through conventional methods of in vitro cell culture assays and expensive in vivo animal testing. Alternatives to animal testing require sophisticated in vitro model systems that must replicate in vivo like function for reliable testing applications. Advancements in biomaterials have enabled the development of three-dimensional (3D) cell encapsulated hydrogels as in vitro drug screening tissue model systems. In this study, we have developed an in vitro platform to enable high density 3D culture of liver cells combined with a monolayer growth of target breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) in a static environment as a representative example of screening drug compounds for hepatotoxicity and drug efficacy. Alginate hydrogels encapsulated with serial cell densities of HepG2 cells (10 5 –10 8 cells/ml) are supported by a porous poly-carbonate disc platform and co-cultured with MCF-7 cells within standard cell culture plates during a 3 day study period. The clearance rates of drug transformation by HepG2 cells are measured using a coumarin based pro-drug. The platform was used to test for HepG2 cytotoxicity 50% (CT 50 ) using commercially available drugs which further correlated well with published in vivo LD 50 values. The developed test platform allowed us to evaluate drug dose concentrations to predict hepatotoxicity and its effect on the target cells. The in vitro 3D co-culture platform provides a scalable and flexible approach to test multiple-cell types in a hybrid setting within standard cell culture plates which may open up novel 3D in vitro culture techniques to screen new chemical entity compounds.
Optimal interplanetary trajectories using constant radial thrust and gravitational assists

method does not depend on the parameter estimate for its propagation, parameter estimates can be computed at a reduced rate or by another process without loosing numerical accuracy. This is illustrated in Fig. 2, where the estimates for a five-element parameter vector are shown for the various TLS methods. The crosses at the right-hand side mark the results from an SVD-based batch TLS estimation that includes 40 samples; the solid lines indicate the recursive TLS solution that approaches the batch solution with each additional sample that is included. The circles indicate selected estimates with the proposed sequential method, in this case once every five samples. It is clear that sequential TLS provides the same parameter estimates as recursive TLS and that both converge towards the batch solution.
Production of methanethiol and volatile sulfur compounds by the archaeon “Ferroplasma acidarmanus”

Acidophiles are typically isolated from sulfate-rich ecological niches yet the role of sulfur metabolism in their growth and survival is poorly defined. Studies of heterotrophically grown “Ferroplasma acidarmanus” showed that its growth requires a minimum of 100 mM of a sulfate-containing salt. Headspace gas analyses by GC/MS determined that the volatile sulfur compound emitted by active “F. acidarmanus” cultures is methanethiol. In “F. acidarmanus” cultures grown either heterotrophically or chemolithotrophically, methanethiol was produced constitutively. Radiotracer studies with 35S-labeled methionine, cysteine, and sulfate showed that all three were used in methanethiol production. Additionally, 3H-labeled methionine was incorporated into methanethiol and was probably used as a methyl-group donor. Methanethiol production in whole cell lysates supplied with SO 3 2− indicated that NADPH-dependant sulfite reductase and methyltransferase activities were present. Cell lysates also contained enzymatic activity for methionine-γ-lyase that cleaved the side chain of either methionine to form methanethiol or cysteine to produce H2S. Since methanethiol was detected from the degradation of cysteine, it is likely that sulfide was methylated by a thiol methyltransferase. Collectively, these data demonstrate that “F. acidarmanus” produces methanethiol through the metabolism of methionine, cysteine, or sulfate. This is the first report of a methanethiol-producing acidophile, thus identifying a new contributor to the global sulfur cycle.
Zero-flux planes and flux reversals in multicomponent diffusion

The development of zero-flux planes (ZFP) and flux reversals of individual components is a phenomenon commonly encountered during isothermal diffusion in multicomponent systems. At a zero-flux plane, the interdiffusion flux of a component goes to zero and exhibits a flux reversal from one side of the plane to the other. The identification of ZFP’s is based on the determination of interdiffusion fluxes directly from the concentration profiles of diffusion couples without the knowledge or use of interdiffusion coefficients. The development of ZFP and flux reversals is reviewed and presented for both single-phase and multiphase isothermal diffusion couples in selected Cu-base multicomponent systems. The significance of ZFP is discussed with the aid of diffusion paths and thermodynamic data.
What is the optimal management of high risk, clinically localized prostate cancer?

Abstract Objectives To summarize the presentations and debate regarding the optimal treatment of localized high-risk prostate cancer as presented at the 2009 Spring Meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology. Materials and methods The debate was centered on presentations arguing for radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy as the optimal treatment for this condition. The meeting presentations are summarized by their respective presenters herein. Results Dr. James Eastham presents the varied definitions for “high-risk” prostate cancer as strongly influencing which patients end up in this cohort. Based upon this, between 3% and 38% of patients with high-risk features could be defined as “high-risk”. Despite that, these men do not have a uniformly poor prognosis after RP, and attention to surgical principles as outlined improve outcomes. Disease-specific survival at 12 years is excellent and up to one-half of these men may not need adjuvant or salvage therapies, depending on their specific disease characteristics. Adjuvant or salvage radiotherapies improve outcomes and are part of a sequential approach to treating these patients. Dr. Anthony Zietman presented radiotherapy as the gold-standard based upon large, randomized clinical trials of intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer patients. Compared with androgen deprivation alone, the addition of radiotherapy provided a 12% cancer-specific survival advantage and 10% overall survival advantage. Dose escalation seems to confer further improvements in cancer control without significant escalation of toxicities, with more data forthcoming. Conclusions There are no randomized trials comparing RP to radiotherapy for any risk category. In high-risk prostate cancer patients, both approaches have potential benefits and cumulative toxicities that must be matched to disease characteristics and patient expectations in selecting a treatment course.
Linguistic indicators of wives' attachment security and communal orientation during military deployment.

Military deployment affects thousands of families each year, yet little is known about its impact on nondeployed spouses (NDSs) and romantic relationships. This report examines two factors-attachment security and a communal orientation with respect to the deployment-that may be crucial to successful dyadic adjustment by the NDS. Thirty-seven female NDSs reported on their relationship satisfaction before and during their partner's deployment, and 20 also did so 2 weeks following their partner's return. Participants provided a stream-of-consciousness speech sample regarding their relationship during the deployment; linguistic coding of sample transcripts provided measures of each participant's (a) narrative coherence, hypothesized to reflect attachment security with respect to their deployed spouse; and (b) frequency of first person plural pronoun use (we-talk), hypothesized to reflect a communal orientation to coping. More frequent first person plural pronounuse-we-talk-was uniquely associated with higher relationship satisfaction during the deployment, and greater narrative coherence was uniquely associated with higher relationship satisfaction during postdeployment. Discussion centers on the value of relationship security and communal orientations in predicting how couples cope with deployment and other types of relationship stressors. Language: en
Kenneth and John B. Rayner and the Limits of Southern Dissent

In this fascinating story of two nineteenth-century southern political mavericks, Gregg Cantrell details their fate as dissenters, telling a human story at once heroic and shameful, hopeful and tragic. The two mavericks were the slaveholding congressman and planter Kenneth Rayner of North Carolina and his illegitimate mulatto son, John B. Rayner of Texas. Born in 1808, Kenneth served in the North Carolina legislature for twenty years and in Congress for six as a Whig. In 1854 he became a major leader of the American (Know-Nothing) party. His staunch Unionism and a willingness to cooperate with Republicans incurred the wrath of his fellow southerners. After supporting secession, working for a peace settlement during the war, writing a biography of Andrew Johnson, and going broke in a grandiose cotton-planting venture, he joined the Republican parry and held federal offices in the Grant, Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur administrations. Kenneth Rayner's son, John, was born in 1850. His mother was a slave. The elder Rayner acknowledged his paternity and provided a college education. John held local offices in North Carolina during Reconstruction, then led a migration of black farmworkers to Texas in 1880. There he preached, taught school, and took part in his adopted state's prohibition battles. A master orator, he joined the Populist party in 1892 and soon became its preeminent black leader. After the turn of the century blacks were disfranchised and Rayner, like his father before him, found his political career in ruins. He spent the rest of his days working for black education and trying to preserve some voice for blacks in southern politics. Both men were out of step with the rapidlychanging politics of their time. Each eventually compromised his principles and personal dignity in futile efforts to salvage a way of life that earlier actions had jeopardized. Both were devoted to traditional republican principles, which estranged them from the South's major politica
Effect of temperature on the contact chemoreceptors of the blowfly

Abstract The effect of temperature on the contact chemoreceptors of the blowfly has been studied by five methods: (a) determination of median acceptance thresholds of tarsal receptors for sucrose; (b) determination of median acceptance thresholds of labellar receptors for sucrose; (c) measurement of reaction times to various concentrations of unacceptable compounds in 0·1M sucrose; (d) observation of changes of the total pattern of electrical activity in the tarsus and labellum with changes of temperature in the absence of chemical stimulation; (e) observation of changes in the frequency of electrical activity in chemoreceptive fibres as temperature was altered. In the first three series of experiments the flies were held at room temperature, and the temperature of the test solution was varied. Thresholds of response to tarsal stimulation by sucrose are lowest at room temperature (22–26°C). As the temperature of the test solution deviates from this range in either direction the threshold increases. When a fly is stimulated on the tarsi by mixtures of sucrose and such unacceptable solutions as HCl, KCl, NaCl, BaCl 2 , acetic acid, propanol, ethanol, and ethanediol, it first extends its proboscis in response to the sucrose and then withdraws in response to the unacceptable compound. The period of latency decreases as the concentration of the unacceptable compound increases. At temperatures above and below room temperature the latency suggests the presence of tarsal thermoreceptors. The threshold of response to stimulation of the labellum is unaffected by changes in the temperature of the test solution. Electrophysiological study of the tarsus revealed the presence of a large fibre and one or more small fibres discharging regularly at room temperature. The large fibre was inhibited when the preparation was warmed. Removal of stimulation resulted in a marked off-effect. Discharge in the small fibre was not similarly affected by heat. No temperature receptors were detected in the labellum. No marked changes in the frequency of impulses with change in temperature of the preparation or stimulus could be unequivocally ascribed to the chemoreceptor fibres themselves. The action of chemical stimuli at the tip of tarsal and labellar hairs is temperature-independent over a very wide range.
Truth Commissions and Intergroup Forgiveness: The Case of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission

This article considers the experience of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in promoting intergroup forgiveness and reconciliation focusing on the participation of victims in the TRC process and their response. It utilizes a variety of sources of empirical data collected during a 6-year collaborative project between the Science and Human Rights Program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Centre for the Studyof Violence and Reconciliation for which I served as the project director. The article analyzes transcripts of the TRC human rights violations hearings and amnesty hearings and follow-up focus groups with participants conducted as part of the project. These data show the limitations of the TRC in promoting forgiveness and reconciliation in a meaningful way. The TRC had difficulties in conceptualizing forgiveness and reconciliation on an intergroup level and concentrated instead on relationships between individual victims and perpetrators. Former v...
Audience Satisfaction Among Tivo and Replaytv Users

ABSTRACTThis study explores how early adopters of DVRs are using them as functional replacements for VCRs and as tools for enhanced viewing of live television. Two national samples totaling 198 users completed an online survey that measured TV uses and gratifications, viewing satisfaction, and attitudes toward DVR functions. DVR owners reported watching television, live and recorded, with more enjoyment and greater control. TiVo owners in the second sample noted a higher degree of satisfaction than in the first sample.
Contact Hypersensitivity to Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and Diisopropylcarbodiimide in Female B6C3F1 Mice

Dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCC) and diisopropylcarbodiimide (DIC) are two commonly used coupling reagents in protein synthesis resulting in exposure of individuals in chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as research laboratories involved in protein synthesis and recombinant DNA techniques. The objectives of these studies were to determine the irritation and sensitizing potential of these two compounds when applied topically to B6C3F1 mice. Sensitization potential was assessed by the Mouse Ear Swelling Test (MEST) and the murine Local Lymph Node Assay (LLNA). Concentrations used in the contact hypersensitivity assays were determined by primary irritancy studies. DCC and DIC were identified as both irritants and contact sensitizers with the MEST being a more sensitive indicator of sensitization potential. The MEST identified DCC as a sensitizer at concentrations as low as 0.006% (w/v) 24 hr and 48 hr post challenge and DIC at 0.3% (w/v) and 1.5% (w/v) 24 and 48 hr post challenge, respectively. In the LLNA, the lowest concentrations yielding a significant response were 0.06% (w/v) for DCC and 10% (w/v) for DIC.
Self-Report Measure of Low Back-Related Biomechanical Exposures: Clinical Validation

Low back pain and symptoms are major contributors to ambulatory visits, economic burden, and reduced readiness among military personnel and employers in the civilian workplace as well. While a link between low back pain and biomechanical exposures has been established, efficient surveillance methods of such exposures are still needed. Furthermore, the utility of self-report measures for biomechanical exposures has not been examined extensively. The present cross-sectional study analyzed questionnaire data from US Army soldiers (n = 279) working in previously identified occupational specialties that were associated with high risk for low back pain and/or low back pain disability. Demographic characteristics, physical workload, health behaviors, and psychosocial factors were assessed in addition to self-reported workplace biomechanical exposures using the Job Related Physical Demands (JRPDs). Outcomes included self-reported low back pain severity, low back symptoms, functional limitations, and general physical health. The results indicated that the self-report measure of biomechanical exposure had a high degree of internal consistency (Cronbach alpha, 0.95). The JRPD index correlated with low back symptoms, pain intensity, function, and perceived work load using the Borg scale. Regression analyses indicated statistically significant associations between the JRPD and back pain specific pain severity and physical function, but not for general physical health (SF-12) after controlling for age, gender, educational level, job type, and reported exercise and work stress. Specifically, higher JRPD scores (representing greater biomechanical exposure) were associated with higher levels of pain intensity and functional limitations. Higher JRPD scores were found to place an individual at a greater likelihood for being a case with low back pain within the past 12 months (OR = 1.01 per point increase in scale-95%; range 38–152; CI = 1.00–1.02, p ≤ 0.05). While future longitudinal studies of the JRPD determining the predictive validity of the measure are needed, the present study provides evidence of the utility of the JRPD for assessing biomechanical exposures associated with low back pain within high-risk jobs. The findings suggest that the JRPD may assist with surveillance efforts and be useful as a process and/or outcome measure in research related to occupational rehabilitation.
Recent Developments in Oral Appliance Therapy of Sleep Disordered Breathing.

Oral appliances are increasingly gaining a place in the treatment of sleep disordered breathing caused by upper airway obstruction. This review of publications since 1995 documents substantial progress in the scientific basis for this therapy. Imaging by several techniques has shown that mandibular advancing oral appliances open the airway in awake and anaesthetized subjects, creating the presumption that this effect is maintained in sleep. Three controlled cross-over treatment trials have shown that patients consistently prefer oral appliance over continuous positive airway pressure therapy, especially when the treatment effect is strong. Appliance design and use indicates a preference for adjustable mandibular advancing appliances. Complications of therapy appear to be infrequent, but evidence for safety of long-term use is still limited. Oral appliance therapy can be an effective therapy for sleep disorders caused by upper airway obstruction. Considering the accumulated evidence, it is no longer tenable to label oral appliance therapy an ⊚experimentalO procedure.
Deborah and Moses

Deborah, a respected leader, judge, and prophet who gives orders to Barak, a military commander, is similar in many ways to Moses—indeed, far more similar than either traditional or modern commenta...
A reverse multi-Regge bootstrap

Abstract We derive an integral equation for the generating function of partial cross sections in the context of a factorizable Regge-Mueller model of inclusive reactions. With suitable approximations we show how our work can reproduce the results of the Chew-Pignotti model and of the recent model of Lee. We discuss this latter model on the basis of our more general viewpoint. We formulate a reverse bootstrap in which the input Regge singularities are the ones that enter in the total cross section and the output singularities are the ones that appear in the partial cross sections.
A test paper for the detection of galactose and certain galactose-containing sugars.

Abstract A procedure is described for the preparation of crude freeze-dried galactose oxidase from the growth medium of the fungus Polyporus circinatus Fr. The crude and stable dry enzyme preparation is used for making test papers that are specific for galactose and certain galactose-containing sugars. The enzyme galactose oxidase catalyzes the oxidation of carbon-6 of galactose or the galactose moiety of certain oligosaccharides from an alcohol to an aldehyde. The test papers are useful for semiquantitative screening procedures for galactose, raffinose, and stachyose. Solutions containing as little as 0.01% galactose or 0.04% raffinose can be detected in less than 10 min. Ion-exchange methods are described for the elimination of the interfering compounds-ascorbic acid, chlorides, and fluorides.
Posterior cricoarytenoid muscle dynamics in canines and humans

Objectives/Hypothesis: The posterior cricoarytenoid (PCA) muscle is the sole abductor of the glottis and serves impor-tant functions during respiration, phonation, cough, and sniff. The present study examines vocal fold abduction dynamics dur-ing PCA muscle activation.Study Design: Basic science study using an in vivo canine model and human subjects.Methods: In four canines and five healthy humans vocal fold abduction time was measured using high-speed videorecording. In the canines, PCA muscle activation was achieved using graded stimulation of the PCA nerve branch. The humansubjects performed coughing and sniffing tasks. High-speed video and audio signals were concurrently recorded.Results: In the canines, the vocal fold moved posteriorly, laterally, and superiorly during abduction. Average time toreach 10%, 50%, and 90% abduction was 23, 50, and 100 ms with low stimulation; 24, 58, and 129 ms with medium stimu-lation; and 21, 49, and 117 ms with high-level stimulation, respectively. In the humans, 100% abduction times for coughingand sniffing tasks were 79 and 193 ms, respectively.Conclusions: The PCA abduction times in canines are within the range in humans. The results also further support thenotion that PCA muscles are fully active during cough.Key Words: Posterior cricoarytenoid muscle, cough, sniff, vocal fold abduction, high-speed videoendoscopy, voiceproduction.Level of Evidence: NALaryngoscope, 124:2363–2367, 2014
Commentary on Spielberg at al., "Exciting fear in adolescence: does pubertal development alter threat processing?".

64 The adolescent brain has become somewhat of a “media arling,” in part because of our voyeuristic opportunity o look under the hood to see its workings with recent dvances in brain imaging, and in part because of the many eeming contradictions in teen behavior (Casey, 2013). At a ime when teenagers may possibly be healthier than ever, e see a 200% increase in mortality (Dahl, 2001). Likewise, t a time when sensation seeking is at an all-time high Steinberg et al., 2008), we see a peak in the internalizng disorders of anxiety and depression (Merikangas et al., 010). Dahl and colleagues offer a provocative account for hese conundrums in adolescent behavior for which they uggest there is supporting neuroimaging evidence. Their remise – teens find threatening situations exciting. In support of their theory, the authors present hormonal nd neuroimaging data from a longitudinal sample of adoescents who were scanned shortly before and after the nset of puberty. They report that pubertal increases in estosterone are associated with increased activity in both he amygdala and ventral striatum to threat cues (i.e., angry aces). The authors provide these imaging results as conistent with their theory given that amygdala activity is ften seen in response to fearful stimuli, and ventral striatal ctivity is often seen in response to rewarding or “exciting” timuli. On the surface, thinking of adolescence as one big oller coaster ride of thrills in the face of potential dan-
Multi-scale point and line range data algorithms for mapping and localization

This paper presents a multi-scale point and line based representation of two-dimensional range scan data. The techniques are based on a multi-scale Hough transform and a tree representation of the environment's features. The multi-scale representation can lead to improved robustness and computational efficiencies in basic operations, such as matching and correspondence, that commonly arise in many localization and mapping procedures. For multi-scale matching and correspondence we introduce a chi2 criterion that is calculated from the estimated variance in position of each detected line segment or point. This improved correspondence method can be used as the basis for simple scan-matching displacement estimation, as a part of a SLAM implementation, or as the basis for solutions to the kidnapped robot problem. Experimental results (using a Sick LMS-200 range scanner) show the effectiveness of our methods
Optimal sampling times for pharmacokinetic experiments

A sequential estimation procedure is presented which uses optimal sampling times to estimate the parameters of a model from data obtained from a group of subjects. This optimal sampling sequential estimation procedure utilizes parameter estimates from previous subjects in the group to determine the optimal sampling times for the next subject. Parameter estimates obtained from the optimal sampling procedure are compared to those obtained from a conventional sampling scheme by using Monte Carlo simulations which include noise terms for both assay error and intersubject variability. The results of these numerical experiments, for the two examples considered here, show that the parameter estimates obtained from data collected at optimal sampling times have significantly less variability than those generated using the conventional sampling procedure. We conclude that optimal sampling and preexperiment simulation may be useful tools for designing informative pharmacokinetic experiments.
A Constraint Generation Integer Programming Approach to Information Theoretic Sensor Resource Management

Many estimation problems involve sensors which can be actively controlled to alter the information received and utilized in the underlying inference task. In this paper, we discuss a novel integer programming method which exploits the submodularity of information theoretic estimation criterion to find an efficient solution to constructing an open loop plan for sensor resource management problems involving many independent objects. The integer programming formulation solves a sequence of simplified problems; the solution of each forms an upper bound to the full complexity problem. The updates performed between iterations may be viewed as steps in a constraint generation process, ensuring that the bound is successively tightened. An auxiliary problem also provides a lower bound to the optimal solution, and a solution attaining that bound, enabling early termination with a guaranteed near-optimal solution. Computational experiments demonstrate the benefit that the algorithm can provide in various planning problems.
Activity of an interleukin 1 receptor antagonist in rabbit models of uveitis.

• Interleukin 1 has been implicated in intraocular inflammation. The availability of a cloned, recombinant interleukin 1 receptor antagonist has enabled us to test the role of interleukin 1 in specific models of uveitis in New Zealand white rabbits. Seventy-five micrograms of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist injected intravitreally resulted in a 97% reduction in aqueous humor cells present 6 hours after intravitreal injection of 10 ng of human interleukin 1 α. Disruption of the blood aqueous barrier was prevented by the receptor antagonist (mean SD aqueous humor protein of 0.6±0.1 g/L in rabbits treated with interleukin 1 receptor antagonist vs 32.2±9.9 g/L in controls). Lower doses of interleukin 1 produced more modest but significant inhibition. Despite the activity of interleukin 1 receptor antagonist in inhibiting interleukin 1-induced inflammation, interleukin 1 receptor antagonist did not produce significant reduction in inflammation subsequent to an active Arthus reaction or subsequent to the intravitreal injection of 125 ng of endotoxin. A potential explanation of these observations is that cytokines in addition to interleukin 1 may be present in sufficient quantities to produce intraocular inflammation or that the effects of interleukin 1 may be primarily intracellular (intracrine) and therefore resistant to the activity of exogenously administered receptor antagonist.
Observation of rates and products in the reaction of NO3 with submicron squalane and squalene aerosol

The reactive uptake coefficients γ, for nitrate radical, NO3, on ∼100 nm diameter squalane and squalene aerosol were measured (1 atm pressure of N2 and 293 K). For squalane, a branched alkane, γNO3 of 2.8 × 10−3 was estimated. For squalene which contains 6 double bonds, γNO3 was found to be a function of degree of oxidation with an initial value of 0.18 ± 0.03 on fresh particles increasing to 0.82 ± 0.11 on average of over 3 NO3 reactions per squalene molecule in the aerosol. Synchrotron VUV-ionization aerosol mass spectrometry was used to detect the particle phase oxidation products that include as many as 3 NO3 subunits added to the squalene backbone. The fraction of squalene remaining in the aerosol follows first order kinetics under oxidation, even at very high oxidation equivalents, which suggests that the matrix remains a liquid upon oxidation. Our calculation indicates a much shorter chemical lifetime for squalene-like particle with respect to NO3 than its atmospheric lifetime to deposition or wet removal.
Algebraic software testing in vector spaces of functions

The problem of determining whether two programs compute the same function is undecidable. We restrict the class of functions that a program can compute to be a finite dimensional vector space, enabling the problem to become tractable. We prove a theorem showing that the number of test points needed to distinguish any such programs is equal to the dimension of the vector space of functions which they compute, thus generalizing previous results of Howden. Our result unifies certain existing software testing theory and explains the successes and failures of one existing method for selecting test data called perturbation testing. We apply the theorem to obtain three results on the number of test points required to test in vector spaces of Boolean functions and polynomials. First, the Vandermonde matrix used together with our theorem yields the classical result that a polynomial of degree at most n is determined by n+1 points. Second, in vector spaces of Boolean functions we obtain useful results when the degree of the Boolean function is less than the number of inputs to the function. Third, we apply our theorem to describe a technique for testing nonpolynomial, real valued functions.
The science of corporate social responsibility (CSR): Contamination and conflict in a mining project in the southern Ecuadorian Andes

Abstract In this article, I explain the role that scientific studies play in shaping collaboration and conflict over mining exploration in the Ecuadorian highlands. Toronto-based IAMGOLD conducted water quality studies to simultaneously fulfill legal obligations and secure support for drilling in an environmentally sensitive zone. With these studies, IAMGOLD generated collaborative relations with local authorities and university scientists. However, water quality studies were also used by dairy farmers to establish new connections for an opposition movement. The scientific studies enabled IAMGOLD and the dairy farmers to make competing claims about the responsibility for contamination of an important watershed. This article analyzes the conflict that resulted and challenges conventional wisdom that distinguishes a corporation's legal obligations from its voluntary CSR programs.
Assessing the limits of the Modified Gaussian Model for remote spectroscopic studies of pyroxenes on Mars

Abstract We investigate the ability to refine pyroxene composition and modal abundance from laboratory and remotely acquired spectra. Laboratory data including the martian meteorites, Shergotty, Zagami, MIL03346, and ALH84001 as well as additional pyroxene-rich spectra obtained from the OMEGA (Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activite) spectrometer for Mars are characterized using the Modified Gaussian Model (MGM), a spectral deconvolution method developed by Sunshine et al. [Sunshine, J.M., Pieters, C.M., Pratt, S., 1990. J. Geophys. Res. 95, 6955–6966]. We develop two sensitivity tests to assess the extent to which the MGM can consistently predict (1) pyroxene composition and (2) modal abundance for a compositionally diverse suite of pyroxene spectra. Results of the sensitivity tests indicate that the MGM can be appropriately applied to remote spectroscopic measurements of extraterrestrial surfaces and can estimate pyroxene composition and relative abundance within a derived uncertainty. Deconvolved band positions for laboratory spectra of the meteorites Shergotty and Zagami are determined within ±17 nm while remotely acquired OMEGA spectra are defined within ±50 nm. These results suggest that absolute compositions can be uniquely derived from laboratory pyroxene-rich spectra and non-uniquely derived from the remote measurements of OMEGA at this time. While relative pyroxene chemistries are not assessed from OMEGA measurements at this time, relative pyroxene abundances are estimated using a normalized band strength ratio between the low-calcium (LCP) and high-calcium (HCP) endmember components and are constrained to ± 10 % . The fraction of LCP in a two-pyroxene mixture is the derived value from the normalized band strength ratio, LCP/(LCP + HCP). This calculation for relative abundance is robust in the presence of up to 10–15% olivine. Deconvolution results from the OMEGA spectra indicate that the ancient terrain in the Syrtis Major region is uniquely enriched in LCP ( 59 ± 10 % LCP) relative to HCP while the volcanics of Syrtis Major are uniquely enriched in HCP ( 39 ± 10 % LCP).
Structure and Diagnostic Benefits of a Normative Subtest Taxonomy Developed from the WISC-III Standardization Sample.

Abstract The structure and composition of profile types most representative of the 2,200 children (6 years 0 months to 16 years 11 months) comprising the normative sample for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition (WISC-III) are identified. Profiles from the 10 mandatory WISC-III subtests are sorted according to similar shape and level using multistage cluster analysis with independent replications. The final solution of eight most common (or core) profile types fulfills all formal heuristic and statistical criteria, including complete coverage, satisfactory within-type homogeneity, between-type dissimilarity, and replicability. Profile types are described according to population prevalence, ability level, subtest configuration; and each type is examined for membership trends by child demography, family characteristics, and unusual IQ discrepancies. Two methods are given for determining the relative uniqueness of WISC-III profile patterns in future research and clinical work. The article concludes with a case example using the method recommended for “everyday” decision making.
A concurrency control mechanism based on extendible hashing for main memory database systems

A non-preemptive deadlock-free concurrency control mechanism based on extendible hashing has been presented for main memory database system. The algorithm makes use of the verification process of the optimistic concurrency control algorithm and two-phase locking policy to manage concurrent operations on sharable data. We also present a comparison of our algorithm with other two-phase locking mechanisms and show that our algorithm is more robust, easier to implement and provides a higher degree of concurrency than other algorithms on extendible hash file.
Natural Convection from a Horizontal Tube Heat Exchanger Immersed in a Tilted Enclosure

Heat transfer rates of a single horizontal tube immersed in a water-filled enclosure tilted at 30 degrees are measured. The results serve as a baseline case for a solar water heating system with a heat exchanger immersed in an integral collector storage. Experiments are conducted for isothermal and stratified enclosures with both adiabatic and uniform heat flux boundary conditions. Natural convection flow in the enclosure is interpreted from measured water temperature distributions. Formation of an appropriate temperature difference that drives natural convection is determined. Correlations for the overall heat transfer coefficient in terms of the Nusselt and Rayleigh numbers are reduced to the form NuD = 0.675RaD 0.25 for 106 ≤ RaD ≤ 108 .Copyright © 2002 by ASME