cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adrenal plasma levels of corticosterone and deoxycorticosterone in methylandrostenediol-salt induced hypertension (1)

Abstract Uninephrectomized rats given 10 mg methylandrostenediol (MAD)/day parenterally and only 1% saline to drink developed hypertension in 28 days, while controls receiving only saline did not. Initially and every 7 days for 5 weeks, 6 or more animals in each group had their adrenal veins cannulated and blood collected for 30 minutes. Corticosterone levels in adrenal plasma were significantly less (P
Some Polarization Measurements of the Reflected Sunlight from Desert Terrain near Tucson, Ariz.

Abstract Measurements were taken of the polarization of solar radiation reflected from the desert terrain 18 mi SW of Tucson. The polarimeter was mounted in an aircraft and flown from 1000–2000 ft above the surface. Results showed the plane of polarization to be approximately 90° to the scattering plane, while the degree of polarization ranged from about 3% to 18%, increasing as the scattering angle varied from 180° (back-scattering) to 90°.
Weeding Considerations for an Academic Music Collection

Weeding, or deselection, is an important but sometimes-overlooked collection development responsibility. Most existing library standards mention weeding but do not give specifics. This article explains how to weed an academic library music collection, covering the important considerations in planning and executing a successful weeding project.
A study on the biophysical characteristics of the cat labyrinth.

An investigation was made of the biophysical dimensions of the cat labyrinth. In each semicircular canal the diameter of both membranous and osseous canals and their radii of curvature were measured. From these measurements the length of the canal and its volume were calculated. The volume of sacculus, utriculus, endolymph and perilymph were also calculated after measuring their areas in histological serial sections. Distances between canals were also measured and the angles between them were determined. The data were used for calculating the constants of the fundamental differential equation of the cupula-endo-lymph system.
Exploring the troubling temporalities produced by fetal personhood

This paper integrates queer and psychoanalytic theories of temporality to explore the raft of new laws and resulting cases that imbue the fetus with status as a person. The laws increasingly result in women being depicted as in a liminal state of “could be pregnant,” thus, as objects of heightened medical and social surveillance. Exploring the affective dynamics of the culture, I show that fetuses embody displaced anxieties and vulnerabilities such that fetal protection functions to reinforce dissociation. It becomes clear that fetal personhood laws reflect a form of temporally-based affect regulation in which the fetus comes to embody the promise of an otherwise tenuous future. Regulation is enacted through a criminal-justice–based form of future-oriented risk management that takes poor women and women of color as its main targets.
The observation of oscillations in secondary electron emission during the growth of GaAs by MBE

Abstract The use of RHEED oscillations to determine growth rates and alloy compositions in MBE film growth is now in widespread use. Similar oscillations have also been observed in the intensity of the absorbed current at the substrate. We report here the first observation of intensity oscillations in the secondary electron emission from the substrate during the growth of GaAs and AlAs by MBE. The apparatus used in these experiments consisted of the RHEED gun mounted in its conventional position in the MBE growth chamber and a secondary electron detector mounted in one of the effusion cell ports. The RHEED beam was positioned on the sample as would be done for normal viewing of the diffraction pattern. Upon the initiation of film growth, oscillations in secondary electron intensity were observed with a decay envelope very similar to that observed for RHEED oscillations and were sustained for as long as 5.5 min or about 220 cycles. Oscillation frequency varied with the Ga or Al oven temperature and was synchronous with the RHEED oscillations. This technique offers the possibility of monitoring monolayer oscillations for use in establishing growths rates with a relatively simple in situ detector.
“CRIME AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ON PRIME-TIME TELEVISION

During the unrest of the late 196os considerable attention focused on crime and law enforcement in the United States. Viewers of network newscasts witnessed confrontations between police and demonstrators culminating in the 1968 Democratic convention. Popular reaction ranged from an increased demand for law and order to a diminished respect for law enforcement, especially among young people. In the midst of this polarization, social scientists became more interested in the cultural norms related to crime and law enforcement. Obviously, the evolution of these norms takes place amid a variety of influences. The family, school, friends, siblings, and actual contact with crime and police all interact to form an individual's attitude. One potential source of influence, however, received only minimal attention from researchers: mass media in general, and television entertainment shows in particular. The present study uses content analysis to describe the way in which TV entertainment shows portray crime, criminals, victims, and law enforcement.
UNCERTAINTY AND THE ORGANIZATION OF STREET VENDING BUSINESSES

This paper reports preliminary findings about how households organize street vending businesses in response to varying sources and degrees of uncertainty. The thesis is that households organize themselves in different ways in response to different types of uncertainty associated with 1) earning different types of income and 2) differences as well as changes in intra‐household relationships. The important findings are twofold: first, that household members earn income from both “formal” and “informal” sources BOTH sequentially and simultaneously. The second finding is that people coordinate the efforts of household members with respect to (un)certainty to keep income flowing from the income‐earning activities the members are practicing. I review some empirical work on the informal economy and follow this discussion with data from Chicago's Maxwell Street Market.
The economics of urban size

An aggregative economic approach to the theory of city size is presented along with some empirical findings which suggest that even the largest cities have not yet reached excessive sizes from the point of view of growth and productivity. Urban magnitude is no simple 1 dimensional phenomenon. Modern urban centers are surrounded by very large diffuse zonal boundaries within which there are marked variations in the proportion of firms and people associated with that center and in the intensity of the association. In sum population does not constitute a conventional countable set. In general population will be considered as the basic magnitude and as a conventionally definable number. Most approaches to city size have emphasized the presumed diseconomy of urban scale and have sought to establish that population at which costs per capita are least regarding this as optimal. It is argued here that both the logic and the factual basis of this approach are faulty. The argument of minimum costs is insufficient in its own terms. Such an objective is reasonable only if output per capita is constant but it appears that output per capita is an increasing function of urban size. In that case a more sensible objective of public policy would deal with the relation of outputs and inputs rather than only with inputs. In every country for which evidence was found local product per capita (or some index for it such as income or wages) rises with urban size and where comparable figures on cost are available these rise far more slowly if at all. Although all of the data desirable are not available for any single country the overall pattern is clear. Possibly the most surprising element in the data is the marked decline with increasing density in Social Overhead Captial Stocks (SOCS) per capita. This runs counter to common belief that the bigger the city the more infrastructure per capita is needed and may be the result of such effects as the greater linear quantities of roads per capita necessary in low density areas. Since it appears that the biggest cities are not too big from the perspective of economic efficiency it may be that higher average incomes of bigger cities do not mask sharper inequalities among their citizens so that efficiency is gained at the cost of equity. This does not appear to be the case at least for the US. On the contrary some studies indicate that there is less poverty and a more equal distribution of incomes in big cities than in smaller cities. There are some weak indications of a downturn in the product curve at the largest urban sizes but even should the downturn be real this would not be inconsistent with the efficiency of those larger sizes in a hierarchical system of cities.
Bayesian Estimation and Prediction for Pareto Data

Abstract Data from a classical Pareto distribution are to be used to make inferences about the inequality and precision parameters. In addition, it is desired to predict the behavior of further observations from the distribution. Three typical data configurations are considered (iid and two types of censoring). Dependent conjugate prior analyses are reviewed and are compared with an analysis involving independent priors for the inequality and precision parameters. It is argued that mathematical tractability should be, perhaps, a minor consideration in the choice of priors. A comparative example is included.
Renal allograft and patient outcome after transplantation pancreas-kidney versus kidney-alone transplants in type 1 diabetic patients versus kidney-alone transplants in nondiabetic patients

Despite recent advances and improved outcome, pancreas transplantation remains controversial. The purpose of this review was to study renal allograft outcome after simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants (SPK, n = 61), kidney-alone transplants in type I diabetic patients (KA-D, n = 63), and kidney-alone transplants in nondiabetic patients (KA-ND, n = 80). Patients were matched for donor age, donor gender, donor race, interval from donor admission to procurement, DR mismatch, and recipient gender. The mean renal allograft cold ischemic time and recipient age were lower in the SPK group. Patient survival was highest in the KA-ND group (99% and 86% at 1 and 5 years, respectively), intermediate in the SPK group (90% and 78% at 1 and 5 years, respectively), and lowest in the KA-D group (89% and 66% at 1 and 5 years, respectively) (P = 0.004). similarly, renal allograft survival was higher in the KA-ND (89% and 63% at 1 and 5 years, respectively) and SPK (82% and 69% at 1 and 5 years, respectively) groups compared with the KA-D group (76% and 49% at 1 and 5 years, respectively) (P = 0.07). This difference disappeared when renal graft survival was censored for death, which probably reflects the selection bias. Actuarial pancreas graft survival was 76% and 62% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. Acute rejection (AR) was more frequent in the SPK group than in the KA-D and KA-ND groups (41% v 16% v 29%; P = 0.007). Delayed graft function (DGF), on the other hand, occurred more frequently in the KA-D group than in the KA-ND and SPK groups (66% v 55% v 38%; P = 0.08). Death as a result of a cardiovascular event occurred more frequently in the KA-D group. Cardiovascular death and renal graft failure occurred earlier in the SPK group. Cox regression analysis revealed a 1.6 and 1.8 times higher risk of renal graft failure in the SPK group when the donor was > or = 40 years old or female and a five times higher risk of graft failure in the KA-ND group in the presence of AR. Graft survival in patients with AR/DGF was lower than that in patients with no AR/no DGF in both the KA-D (71% and 63% v 100% and 100% at 1 and 5 years, respectively; P = 0.03) and KA-ND (90% and 56% v 100% and 100% at 1 and 5 years, respectively; P = 0.001) groups. Acute rejection did not affect graft survival in the SPK group. In the absence of AR, DGF had no effect on graft survival in any of the groups. Although the selection bias in favor of pancreas transplantation does not allow for definitive conclusions, our results show that outcome after SPK transplantation is acceptable and factors that influence the outcome after this procedure may be different from the ones affecting KA-D recipients.
The Big Snowy Group: Subsurface Extent and Character in the Northwest Great Plains: ABSTRACT

The Big Snowy group, as defined by Scott, consists of an upper and middle Mississippian series of shales, limestones, and sandstones with some evaporites. Recently drilled deep wells and new interpretations of older wells in eastern Montana and the Dakotas yield information which makes possible further considerations on the eastward extension of Big Snowy sediments. An isopach map of the group indicates that an east-west depositional basin in Montana fingered over the northern portion of a widespread area of lower Mississippian (Madison) deposition. South of a narrow peninsula which occupied the approximate End_Page 910------------------------------ position of the Montana-Wyoming state line, a more restricted basin was the site of nearly simultaneous deposition of the Sacajawea formation of Wyoming. Sediments of the Big Snowy group in eastern Montana differ from those of the type (surface) section in the diminution of coarse sandstone and green shale and the notable increase in red shale and anhydrite. The ease of divisibility of the Big Snowy group into its component formations rapidly decreases eastward, and, moreover, there appears to be a gradational transition from Madison into Big Snowy deposition in contrast to the presence of a hiatus between the two groups in central Montana. End_of_Article - Last_Page 911------------
Spinal hemangioblastomas: evaluation and operative treatment

Abstract Hemangioblastomas are highly vascular tumors that can mimic arteriovenous malformations in their vascularity. These tumors are often curable lesions that can be treated by a multimodality approach that includes interventional neuroradiology and microneurosurgery. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment of hemangioblastomas that affect the spinal cord.
Cost modelling for appropriate building and planning standards in Kenya

Abstract Prohibitively high building and planning standards are often considered as one of the main obstacles to low-cost housing provision in Kenya. Therefore, several agencies advocate the relaxation of these standards. The main motivation is the anticipated initial cost reduction. In this paper we argue that the extent to which global resource use will be affected has never been adequately quantified. This, apparently, can be attributed to a great extent to the multitude, complexity and interwoven nature of the parameters involved. It is found that the lack of tools available to adequately address this critical question aggravates the problem. Based on literature review and project analysis, the paper proposes a way of systematising the parameters that constitute the impact of revised standards on global cost. It further elaborates a simulation model that facilitates balancing of investment and recurrent costs for a shelter project in a Kenyan secondary town. It is suggested that this cost-modelling method can contribute significantly to better decision making for projects where building and planning standards are questioned, both in the region and beyond.
Relationship between leaf development, carboxylase enzyme activities and photorespiration in the C4-plant Portulaca oleracea L.

Ribulose diphosphate (RuDP) and (PEP) phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase enzyme activities were studied in young, mature, and senescent Portulaca oleracea leaves. While the absolute amount of both the C3 (RuDP) and C4 (PEP) carboxylase is less in senescent leaves than in mature leaves, RuDP carboxylase activity is reduced to a lesser degree. In senescent leaves, PEP carboxylase activity equals 10% of that in mature tissue, but RuDP carboxylase is 27% of that in mature leaves. The same ontogenetic series was also used to determine photorespiration rates and responses to several gas treatments. Young and mature leaves were unaffected by changes in the light regime or oxygen concentrations, and exhibited typical C4-plant light/dark 14CO2 evolution ratios. Senescent leaves, on the other hand, have photorespiration ratios similar to C3-plants. In addition, senescent leaves were affected by minus CO2, 100% O2 and N2 in a manner expected of C3-plants, but not C4-plants. These results are discussed in terms of a relative increase in activity of the C3 cycle in later developmental stages in this plant.
Landscape, Social, and Spatial Influences on Perceptions of Human–Black Bear Interactions in the Adirondack Park, NY

Effective methods to identify areas and people prone to human–wildlife conflicts help wildlife and land managers develop strategies that minimize unwanted human–wildlife interactions. We combined landscape variables (i.e., housing density, habitat quality) with data on local land use practices and sociodemographics from a mail survey of 730 landowners to anticipate perceptions of human–black bear (Ursus americanus) interactions in the Adirondack Park in Northern New York, USA. Generalized linear models indicated that specific experiences (e.g., bears approaching people), general concerns about wildlife, and actual property damage were most closely related to perceiving a negative interaction with bears. Similar perceptions of human–bear interactions were spatially clustered. Negative and indifferent perceptions of bear interactions were associated with less support for wildlife protection programs. Strategies fostering information exchange between wildlife managers and land use planners may be effective i...
Plasma Growth Hormone and Insulin During Early Lactation in Cows Fed Silage Based Diets

Peripheral plasma insulin, growth hormone, and blood glucose were determined in 24 dairy cows during early lactation. Blood samples were obtained at 4-day intervals during the first 56 days of experimental lactations 1 and 3 of a 3-lactation experiment. The cows were divided equally among three groups and fed one of the following forage rations for three consecutive lactations: corn silage (18.2 kg/day) plus alfalfa-timothy hay ad libitum; corn silage (18.2 kg/day) plus alfalfa-timothy silage ad libitum; or corn silage ad libitum. These diets were continued throughout the intervening dry periods except in the latter group where corn silage intake was limited if individual animals exhibited excessive body weight gain. Four animals in each group received prepartum supplemental concentrates. The remaining four animals received no prepartum concentrate supplementation. Following parturition, concentrates were fed in increasing amounts to a maximum of 14.6 kg/day during the first 56 days of lactation. Plasma insulin, growth hormone, and blood glucose were not affected by forage diet or prepartum supplemental concentrate feeding. Plasma insulin and blood glucose increased and plasma growth hormone decreased with time after parturition. These changes were correlated with nutrient intake which increased during the experiment. Changes in plasma insulin and growth hormone are related to metabolic adjustments during early lactation.
Monte-Carlo simulation of carbon nanotube devices

A Monte-Carlo (MC) simulator to model transport in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has been developed. It can self-consistently simulate both metallic and semiconducting CNTs, assuming a coaxially gated geometry.
The Picard group of a structural matrix algebra

Abstract We investigate the Picard group of a structural matrix (or incidence) algebra A of a finite preordered set P over a field and we consider five interrelated problems. Our main technique involves establishing a connection between the group of outer automorphisms Out( A ) of A and the group of outer automorphisms of the basic algebra A which is an incidence algebra of the associated partially ordered set P of P . We discuss necessary and sufficient conditions for Out( A ) to be a natural invariant for the Morita equivalence class of A , and necessary and sufficient conditions for M n ( K ) to be strongly graded by a group G and coefficient ring A containing n primitive, orthogonal idempotents.
‘By the Evidence of This City’: Enclosing Land and Memory in Fifteenth-century Coventry

Enclosures of common lands were a contentious issue in fifteenth-century England receiving much opposition throughout society. Yet ultimately enclosing succeeded. In Coventry during the fifteenth century the disputes over enclosures were wedded to the process of cementing authority by the oligarchy over memory and record-keeping, as well as over the land. Once authority passed from custom to law as declared by the city council, control over the commons passed from the hands of the common craftsmen. The series of disputes over commons enclosures in Coventry between William Bristowe and the city leadership provide a detailed example of the process of enclosing authority over land and memory.
Crystallographic and mutational studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis recA mini-inteins suggest a pivotal role for a highly conserved aspartate residue.

The 440 amino acid Mtu recA intein consists of independent protein-splicing and endonuclease domains. Previously, removal of the central endonuclease domain of the intein, and selection for function, generated a 168 residue mini-intein, {Delta}I-SM, that had splicing activity similar to that of the full-length, wild-type protein. A D422G mutation ({Delta}I-CM) increased C-terminal cleavage activity. Using the {Delta}I-SM mini-intein structure (presented here) as a guide, we previously generated a highly active 139 residue mini-intein, {Delta}{Delta}I{sub hh}-SM, by replacing 36 amino acid residues in the residual endonuclease loop with a seven-residue {beta}-turn from the autoprocessing domain of Hedgehog protein. The three-dimensional structures of {Delta}I-SM, {Delta}{Delta}I{sub hh}-SM, and two variants, {Delta}{Delta}I{sub hh}-CM and {Delta}{Delta}I{sub hh}, have been determined to evaluate the effects of the minimization on intein integrity and to investigate the structural and functional consequences of the D422G mutation. These structural studies show that Asp422 is capable of interacting with both the N and C termini. These interactions are lacking in the CM variant, but are replaced by contacts with water molecules. Accordingly, additional mutagenesis of residue 422, combined with mutations that isolate N-terminal and C-terminal cleavage, showed that the side-chain of Asp422 plays a role in both N and C-terminal cleavage,more » thereby suggesting that this highly conserved residue regulates the balance between the two reactions.« less
Problems with edges: tree lines as indicators of climate change (or not)

Elevational tree lines are commonly seen as particularly important ecological ‘ecotones’ that should, according to models, respond sensitively to climate change. In this issue, Mathisen et al. report empirical analyses of two tree lines that fail to show expected upward movement. This study points up both methodological and conceptual challenges in understanding ecological edges and in connecting general expectations to specific cases.
Lateral interactions among membrane proteins. Valid estimates based on freeze-fracture electron microscopy

We consider the lateral distribution of intrinsic membrane proteins from the viewpoint of the statistical-mechanical theory of liquids. We connect the information in freeze-fracture electron micrographs--positions of proteins but not lipids or aqueous species--to a well developed theory of liquid mixtures. An algorithm, based on the Born-Green-Yvon integral equation, is presented for deducing forces between proteins from correlations among protein positions that are observed in micrographs. The algorithm is tested on simulated micrographs, obtained by Monte-Carlo methods, where forces between proteins are known analytically. We conclude that valid estimates of such forces, both attractions and repulsions, can be obtained from the positions of a few thousand proteins.
Voltage robust stability in microgrid power management

Voltage stability is of essential importance for power grids. The emergence of distributed energy generators, controllable loads, and local-area energy storage capabilities will introduce new scenarios for distribution networks in which classical frameworks for voltage stability may be inadequate. This paper introduces a control-theoretic framework for studying voltage stability and its robustness, as well as optimal power management in distribution systems composed of networked microgrids. The framework involves descriptions of the loads and generators by nonlinear state space models and the network connections by a set of topology-based algebraic equations. The combined system leads to a general nonlinear state space model for the microgrid systems. Four stability margins are introduced to capture different scenarios in microgrid power management capabilities and load disturbances. LMI (linear matrix inequality) methods are employed for computing stability margins. Illustrative examples are used to demonstrate the methods.
Heterogeneous mutations in the β subunit common to the LFA-1, Mac-1, and p150,95 glycoproteins cause leukocyte adhesion deficiency

Abstract Leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) is a heritable disease involving deficient expression of three related leukocyte adhesion glycoproteins: LFA-1, Mac-1, and p150,95. These proteins are αβ heterodimers containing identical 95,000 dalton β subunits. Here we demonstrate that the primary defect in LAD is in the β subunit gene. We identified five distinct β subunit phenotypes in LAD patients: undetectable β subunit mRNA and protein precursor; low levels of β subunit mRNA and precursor; an aberrantly large β subunit precursor, probably due to an extra glycosylation site; an aberrantly small precursor; and a grossly normal precursor. Mutant β subunit precursors from LAD patients failed to associate with the LFA-1 α subunit. In family studies, inheritance of the aberrant precursors correlates with the known inheritance of the LAD defect.
Markov speckle for efficient random bit generation

Optical speckle is commonly observed in measurements using coherent radiation. While lacking experimental validation, previous work has often assumed that speckle’s random spatial pattern follows a Markov process. Here, we present a derivation and experimental confirmation of conditions under which this assumption holds true. We demonstrate that a detected speckle field can be designed to obey the first-order Markov property by using a Cauchy attenuation mask to modulate scattered light. Creating Markov speckle enables the development of more accurate and efficient image post-processing algorithms, with applications including improved de-noising, segmentation and super-resolution. To show its versatility, we use the Cauchy mask to maximize the entropy of a detected speckle field with fixed average speckle size, allowing cryptographic applications to extract a maximum number of useful random bits from speckle images.
The calculation of in situ growth rates of phytoplankton populations from fractions of cells undergoing mitosis: A clarification1

A review of existing approaches used to calculate phytoplankton population growth rates from fractions of cells undergoing mitosis (mitotic index) has revealed inconsistencies in their content and underlying assumptions. The appropriate expressions are derived for populations in exponential growth and those which exhibit phased cell division. Growth rate estimates calculated from the maximum mitotic index in phased populations are shown to be accurate when the duration of the mitotic stage is greater than the interval during which the increase in cell number occurs. This characteristic is manifested in a plateau-shaped curve of mitotic index vs. time. The alternative approach of averaging sequential observations is also considered, and the conditions for which one can obtain exact results are defined. The magnitude of uncertainties is examined as a function of the frequency of sampling.
Phenylalanine metabolism in uremic and normal man

The metabolism of phenylalanine and tyrosine was evaluated in six normal men, five chronically uremic men, and three men undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and 13 acidic metabolites of those amino acids were measured in plasma postabsorptively and in plasma and urine after a phenylalanine load of 100 mg/kg. In addition, five normal subjects and five dialysis patients ingested L-[14C]-phenylalanine (uniformly labeled) with the load. In uremic and dialysis patients, plasma phenylalanine rose higher and fell more gradually after the load, and tyrosine rose more slowly. The 24-hr urinary concentrations of phenylalanine and tyrosine were similar in the three groups. At 24 hr, cumulative expiration of 14CO2 was 20.2% in the dialysis patients and 28.4% in the normal subjects. Plasma phenylalanine levels and 14CO2 expiration varied with protein intake in normal subjects. In uremic and dialysis patients, plasma phenyllactic acid, p-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, and p-hydroxybenzoic acid were elevated, the last one markedly so. Moreover, plasma phenylpyruvic acid (PPA) and mandelic acid were detected only in dialysis patients. After the phenylalanine load, plasma conjugated phenylacetic acid rose in uremic patients, and PPA increased transiently in some dialysis patients. In urine of dialysis patients, concentrations of benzoic acid and conjugated o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid were decreased, and PPA was sometimes increased. The data suggest a mild impairment in the hydroxylation of phenylalanine which does not result in marked changes in plasma or in urinary metabolites after a phenylalanine load.
Nuclear Winter Revisited

A “major nuclear exchange” between the United States and the Soviet Union could inject enough smoke and dust into the atmosphere to cause significant temperature drops over the northern temperate zone that could last from weeks to months, according to a new study by the National Research Council (NRC). The results of the NRC study are “consistent with the results that came out of the TTAPS study” released late in 1983, according to George Carrier, chairman of the NRC study committee. The TTAPS study—named for authors R. P. Turco, O. B. Toon, T. P. Ackerman, J. B. Pollack, and Carl Sagan—investigated the potential global atmospheric and climatic consequences of nuclear war.
A lighting model for general participating media

Efficient and visually compelling reproduction of effects due to multiple scattering in participating media remains one of the most difficult tasks in computer graphics. Although several fast techniques were recently developed, most of them work only for special types of media (for example, uniform or sufficiently dense) or require extensive precomputation. In this paper we present a lighting model for the general case of inhomogeneous medium and demonstrate its implementation on programmable graphics hardware. It is capable of producing high quality imagery at interactive frame rates with only mild assumptions about medium scattering properties and a moderate amount of simple precomputation.
Influence of P and K fertilization on Phytophthora root rot or excess soil water injury of alfalfa cultivars

Abstract Phytophthora root rot (PRR) is an important disease of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in wet soils. Excess soil water (ESW) stress is required for the successful infection and development of PRR. The effects of P at 0, 40, and 80 μg.g‐1 soil and K at 0, 120, and 240 μg.g‐1 soil (in factorial combinations) on the severity of PRR or ESW stress was investigated on a PRR‐susceptible (Iroquois) and a resistant (Oneida) alfalfa cultivar in a greenhouse trial. P and K applications significantly increased the dry weight of tops prior to imposition of PRR or ESW stress. However, plants subjected to PRR or ESW stress did not respond significantly to P or K and there was no significant effect of P or K on the severity of PRR or ESW injury. The plants subjected to PRR or ESW stress had lower tissue P concentration than those under stress‐free conditions. Increasing P additions resulted in a significant increase in P concentration of Iroquois plants, while in Oneida the response was non‐significant. The respons...
Effect of octanoate injection on rat blood-brain barrier

Abstract Serum concentrations of short and medium chain fatty acids, including octanoate, are elevated in hepatic encephalopathy and Reye syndrome. Injection of octanoate into animals produces features reminiscent of Reye syndrome, but the mechanisms are unknown. To evaluate the effect of octanoate on blood-brain barrier permeability, three techniques were used. Entry of horseradish peroxidase and trypan blue into brain was not observed after octanoate injection. Brain uptake of tryptamine, tyrosine and methionine was increased significantly by octanoate, while uptake of inulin was unchanged. This study suggests that octanoate may produce central nervous system alterations by facilitating entry of certain low molecular weight compounds into brain. This may represent one mechanism for the development of encephalopathy in liver disease and Reye syndrome.
Do you Want to Watch? A Study of the Visual Rhetoric of the Postmodern Horror Film

This article explores the psychological and social effects of horror (slasher) movies, focusing on the 2003 thriller feardotcom. The question, “Why do we watch?” is investigated, using narrative and philosophical theories to analyze this and slasher films' far-reaching cultural implications. The visual rhetoric of the postmodern horror movie is also analyzed in relation to its value as a social text, specifically questioning the validity of the Final Girl as an archetype for feminine power. Slasher film critics such as Carol Clover, Daniel Linz, Edward Donnerstein, Fred Molitor and Barry Sapolsky disagree about whether or not slasher films are primarily misogynistic texts and if the most recent depictions of the Final Girl can be read as a step towards feminine empowerment. This article uses narrative theory to interrogate the construction and grammer of the slasher film, among other things, investigating who the male and female audiences are encouraged to identify with while watching.
Familial gastric cancer and immunologic abnormalities.

Stomach cancer developed in 12 members of an inbred kindred over 4 generations. The family resided in a rural county where the reported mortality from this cancer has been significantly higher than in the surrounding region, but no specific environmental influence could be identified. A battery of laboratory studies applied to 16 family members, including 1 recently diagnosed with stomach cancer, revealed a high frequency of cases with antibody to gastric parietal cells and cell-mediated immune defects. These observations suggest that mechanisms of autoimmunity and immunodeficiency, consistent with a genetic defect of T-lymphocytes, are involved in this family's susceptibility to stomach cancer.
The New minimal standard model

We construct the New Minimal Standard Model that incorporates the new discoveries of physics beyond the Minimal Standard Model (MSM): Dark Energy, non-baryonic Dark Matter, neutrino masses, as well as baryon asymmetry and cosmic inflation, adopting the principle of minimal particle content and the most general renormalizable Lagrangian. We base the model purely on empirical facts rather than aesthetics. We need only six new degrees of freedom beyond the MSM. It is free from excessive flavor-changing effects, CP violation, too-rapid proton decay, problems with electroweak precision data, and unwanted cosmological relics. Any model of physics beyond the MSM should be measured against the phenomenological success of this model.
Unsteady two- and three-dimensional Navier-Stokes simulations of multistage turbomachinery flows

The flow-field within an axial flow turbomachine, such as a turbine or compressor, is extremely complex because of three-dimensional features such as hub-corner stall, tip-leakage flows, and airfoil wakes. These flow features interact with each other and with rotor and stator airfoils inducing time-varying forces on the airfoils. These complicated rotor-stator interactions must be understood in order to design turbomachines that are light and compact as well as reliable and efficient. Two codes, STAGE-2 and STAGE-3, have been developed to compute these unsteady rotor-stator interaction flows in multistage turbomachines. An implicit, thin-layer Euler/Navier-Stokes zonal algorithm is used to compute the unsteady flow-field within both turbine and compressor configurations. Results include surface pressures and wake profiles for two-dimensional turbine and compressor configurations and surface pressures for a three-dimensional single-stage turbine configuration. The results compare well with experimental data and other unsteady computations.
Ethnicity and scholastic achievement.

Scores on tests in 8 areas of scholastic achievement were “predicted” by multiple regression from 7 nonscholastic tests of ability, a personality inventory, and items of personal background data in...
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy fOr Clinical Pain Control: A 15-Year Update and its Relationship to Hypnosis

Abstract Since Tan's (1982) review of cognitive and cognitive-behavioral methods for pain control was published 15 years ago, sigruficant advances have been made in cognitive-behavioral therapy for pain. The scientific evidence for its efficacy for clinical pain attenuation is now much more substantial and is briefly reviewed. In particular, cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic pain was recently listed as one of 25 empirically validated or supported psychological treatments available for various disorders. A number of emerging issues are further discussed in light of recent developments and research findings. The relationship of cognitive-behavioral therapy to hypnosis for pain control is briefly addressed, with suggestions for integrating hypnotic and cognitive-behavioral techniques.
The effect of nitroglycerin on the IUD insertion experience in nulliparous women: a pilot study.

Abstract Objective Concern about pain during placement of an intrauterine device (IUD) represents a barrier to use, especially among nulliparous women. We hypothesized that nitroglycerin gel applied vaginally 30 min prior to IUD placement would reduce insertion-related pain. Study design We designed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of 0.5-mg nitroglycerin gel (1 mL) or identical placebo gel applied vaginally in nulliparous women 30 min prior to IUD placement. The study was limited to women who opted for the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system. Subjects completed a series of 100-mm visual analogue scales at several time points. The primary outcome was subject-reported pain with passage of the IUD through the cervix. Secondary outcomes included subject-reported pain at other time points, provider-reported ease of insertion, side effects, adverse events and need for additional dilation. Results A total of 24 women were randomized. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. The mean pain score with IUD deployment was 55.0 mm [standard deviation (SD) = 29.7 mm] in the placebo group and 57.4 mm (SD 22.1 mm) in the nitroglycerin group (p=.82). There was no difference in ease of insertion reported by providers. Two subjects required dilation, one in each group. Conclusion Vaginal administration of 0.5-mg nitroglycerin gel 30 min prior to IUD placement does not appear to decrease patient-reported procedural pain among nulliparous women or ease of insertion for providers.
First measurements of electron-beam transit times and micropulse elongation in a photoelectric injector at the high-brightness accelerator FEL (HIBAF)

Abstract Key aspects of the dynamics of a photoelectric injector (PEI) on the Los Alamos high-brightness accelerator FEL (HIBAF) facility have been investigated using a synchroscan streak camera. By phase-locking the streak camera sweep to the reference 108.3 MHz rf signal, the variations of micropulse temporal elongations (30 to 80% over the drive-laser pulse length) and of transit times (25 ps for a 16° phase change) were observed for the first time. These results were in good agreement with PARMELA simulations.
Simple applications of McWilliams' “A note on a consistent quasigeostrophic model in a multiply connected domain”

Abstract We have solved several linear quasigeostrophic problems in singly and multiply connected domains to illustrate the use and effects of correct boundary conditions which balance circulation changes with forcing along each boundary. The results with these boundary conditions differ markedly from those obtained by setting the streamfunction to zero on the walls either when the fluid is forced by a time-dependent wind stress curl or when the fluid oscillates in a free basin mode in a domain which contains interior islands.
Rapid Signaling Actions of Environmental Estrogens in Developing Granule Cell Neurons Are Mediated by Estrogen Receptor β

Estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) constitute a diverse group of man-made chemicals and natural compounds derived from plants and microbial metabolism. Estrogen-like actions are mediated via the nuclear hormone receptor activity of estrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ and rapid regulation of intracellular signaling cascades. Previous study defined cerebellar granule cell neurons as estrogen responsive and that granule cell precursor viability was developmentally sensitive to estrogens. In this study experiments using Western blot analysis and pharmacological approaches have characterized the receptor and signaling modes of action of selective and nonselective estrogen ligands in developing cerebellar granule cells. Estrogen treatments were found to briefly increase ERK1/2-phosphorylation and then cause prolonged depression of ERK1/2 activity. The sensitivity of granule cell precursors to estrogen-induced cell death was found to require the integrated activation of membrane and intracellular ER signaling pathways. The sensitivity of granule cells to selective and nonselective ER agonists and a variety of estrogenic and nonestrogenic EDCs was also examined. The ERβ selective agonist DPN, but not the ERα selective agonist 4,4′,4′-(4-propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl) trisphenol or other ERα-specific ligands, stimulated cell death. Only EDCs with selective or nonselective ERβ activities like daidzein, equol, diethylstilbestrol, and bisphenol A were observed to induce E2-like neurotoxicity supporting the conclusion that estrogen sensitivity in granule cells is mediated via ERβ. The presented results also demonstrate the utility of estrogen sensitive developing granule cells as an in vitro assay for elucidating rapid estrogen-signaling mechanisms and to detect EDCs that act at ERβ to rapidly regulate intracellular signaling.
Military Wives' Transition and Coping: Deployment and the Return Home

The objective of this qualitative study is to explore the experiences of wives of deployed soldiers. Semistructured interviews were used to answer the research questions. Meleis' Transitions Theory was used to guide the understanding of the wives' experiences. Phase One: news of deployment, property of awareness, themes of emotional chaos and making preparations. Phase Two: during deployment, property of engagement, themes of taking the reins and placing focus elsewhere, along with the property of change and difference, with themes of emotional and physical turmoil, staying strong, and reaching out. Phase Three: after deployment, property of time span, themes of absence makes the heart grow fonder and reestablishing roles. The study concluded that the wife often feels forgotten during deployment. Nurses can give better care by understanding how the different phases of deployment and separation affect the wife's coping ability and her physical and emotional health.
Esophageal perforation in children: a review of one institution's experience.

Background The current approach to esophageal perforation treatment in children has shifted towards conservative management. However, the consensus of what constitutes conservative management is unclear, with various therapies and protocols described, including the need for various decompression and drainage procedures. Our institution utilizes conservative management with minimal intervention guided by the patient's clinical course. The purpose of this study is to report our management and add to the growing evidence for conservative management of esophageal perforation in children. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients with an ICD-9 diagnosis of esophageal perforation from January 1995 to July 2009. Patients with postoperative anastomotic leaks with drains in place were excluded, although patients with anastomotic leaks that were not controlled by drains were included. Data collected included patient demographics, etiology, diagnosis, treatment, complications, and outcome. Results Eight patients were identified who met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 28 mo (1 d–10 y), and the average time from causative event to diagnosis was 1.4 d (0–2 d). The etiology for esophageal perforation included esophagoscopy with dilation (n = 4), button battery ingestion (n = 1), coin ingestion (n = 1), nasogastric tube placement (n = 1), and leak after stricture resection (n = 1). All the patients were treated conservatively without primary surgery or thoracic drainage, and the mean time to perforation healing was 10.2 d (1–24 d). The average length of antibiotic therapy was 10 d (0–26 d). Enteral nutrition was utilized in five patients, and total parenteral nutrition (TPN) was utilized in five patients. No patient developed a new-onset esophageal stricture. Conclusion Conservative management, guided by the patient's clinical course, with antibiotics and nutritional support is a safe and effective treatment for esophageal perforations in children.
Text dependent speaker recognition using shifted MFCC

In the past decade, interest in using biometric technologies for person authentication in security systems has grown rapidly. Voice is one of the most promising and mature biometric modalities for secured access control. In this paper, we present a novel approach to recognize/identify speakers by including a new set of features and using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs). In this research, the concept of shifted MFCC is introduced so as to incorporate accent information in the recognition algorithm. The algorithm was evaluated using TIDIGIT dataset and the results showed improvements over the performance of our previous work [1].
Analytic Partial Derivatives for Estimating Low-Thrust Parameters

Analytic partial derivatives for estimating orbital low-thrust parameters via differential correction are developed and compared with two different numerical methods. The formulation is independent of the particular thrust model used and is applicable to all physically possible elliptic orbits. The starting point for the development is the set of variational equations of the elliptic orbital elements in the form due to Lagrange. The first time derivatives of the elements are transformed to derivatives with respect to the space variable, true anomaly, and integrated to first order in closed form in a straightforward general perturbations approach, with one exception: particular attention is given to the mean anomaly as influenced by thrust perturbations in the semimajor axis so that the complete first-order effect is included. The partials of the elements are then taken with respect to any given thrust parameter. Two comparisons are made with numerical methods for computing these thrust partials: numerical quotients and numerical integration of the variational equations for thrust.