cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On Achieving High Performance Wireless Mesh Networks With Data Fusion

Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) supports various types of mesh clients such as sensor networks, cellular; 802.11/e Wireless LAN, etc. In this case, it needs to be suitably organized and adopt well-known or newly proposed algorithm to guarantee high and reliable mesh performance. This paper applies RObust Header Compression (ROHC) originate from cellular data network plus packet aggregation to WMNs when mesh clients generate small-size fusion data, i.e., sensor (delivered by UDP) and voice over IP (VOIP) data. We preliminarily analyze ROHC and packet aggregation improve UDP throughput and the number of supported voice calls. However; the improvement does not include a processor's processing overhead for ROHC and packet aggregation, which is examined by measuring ROHC execution time from Intel Pentium 4 and RouterBOARD, and applying the results into NS-2 simulations. The results indicate UDP and voice performance are seriously affected by the processing overhead. As a solution for the performance degradation, we introduce a hardware design for the two algorithms. By using SystemC Hardware Description Language (HDL), we first design hardware specification composed of 1Ghz master clock and 333Mhz BUS system. Then, we integrate the hardware model into previous NS-2 network model, and propose profile-based network/hardware co-simulation method which gives insight how to investigate real-timing characteristics of the hardware model in the view of network behaviors.
Oxidative Stress and Nerve Function After Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Patients With Diabetes

Background Chronic hyperglycemia has been associated with increased oxidative stress in skeletal muscle and sympathetic nerve dysfunction. We investigated the effect of chronic hyperglycemia on the myocardium of patients with uncontrolled diabetes (UD) compared with patients with well-controlled diabetes (CD) and patients without diabetes (ND) after cardioplegic cardiopulmonary bypass (CP/CPB) with acute intraoperative glycemic control. Methods Atrial tissue and serum were collected from 47 patients (ND=18 with glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] of 5.8 ± 0.2; CD=8 with HbA1c of 6.1 ± 0.1; with UD = 21 with HbA1c = 9.6 ± 0.5) before and after CP/CPB for immunoblotting, protein oxidation assays, immunohistochemical evaluation, and microarray analysis. Results The uncontrolled group had increased total protein oxidation ( p p p p p p p Conclusions CP/CPB led to higher oxidative stress in patients with UD before surgical intervention, even after normal glucose levels were maintained intraoperatively. Thus, controlled HbA1C in addition to acute intraoperative glucose control may be a more suitable end point for patients with diabetes undergoing cardiac operations.
Calculation of finite-size effects and extraction of surface characteristics

We demonstrate a procedure for extracting surface characteristics of a substrate from thermodynamic information obtained from systems adsorbed upon that substrate. To do this we first employ renormalization-group approximations to calculate the specific heat of lattice-gas systems of various finite sizes. Results for the square lattice are in good agreement with exact results of Ferdinand and Fisher. Similar results for a honeycomb lattice are also presented. We then model the substrate as an assembly of platelets with a distribution of sizes. The specific heat from this model substrate is then compared to experimental data to obtain the parameters of the size distribution. Employing this procedure with data taken on the system of helium adsorbed on krypton-plated graphite, we determine that the mean platelet size is 140 \AA{} with a root-mean-square deviation of 106 \AA{}. We further conclude that about 50% of the adsorbed helium does not participate in the order-disorder transition.
Beyond shared decision making: An expanded typology of medical decisions

The most popular current models of medical decision making, identified by names such as shared decision making, informed decision making, and evidence-based patient choice, portray an empowered patient actively involved in his or her medical choices and generally assume that patient and physician reach agreement. These models are limited to a specific type of decision (in which there is more than one choice) and a specific process (in which agreement is reached). The authors extend the model of medical decision making beyond shared decisions in 2 dimensions. First, the authors incorporate a class of medical decisions in which there is only one medically reasonable treatment option, such as the removal of a primary melanoma. Patient preferences are irrelevant to whether or not the melanoma should be removed, so there is no treatment choice in which the patient can share. When there is only one realistic treatment option, the clinician's job is not to offer alternatives but to explain why there is only one viable choice and move the decision-making process forward. The physician does not thereby abridge the patient's autonomy; rather, the disease process itself constrains both patient and physician. Second, the authors include decisions in which patient and physician do not reach agreement. Sometimes the patient insists on a particular treatment and the physician reluctantly yields, sometimes it is the other way around, but disagreement is commonplace in clinical medicine and its presence deserves inclusion in the way we think about medical decisions. Conflict resolution requires acknowledging the potential for conflict.
Analytical and production seeding techniques

In the crystallization of biomolecules two critical steps, the nucleation of the initial seed and the enlargement of this seed, determine the quality of the final crystal. However, the degree of supersaturation required to nucleate crystals is often higher than the optimal concentration necessary for enlargement. Processes such as precipitation and surface denaturation often compete successfully for protein over the long equilibration times that may precede homogeneous nucleation. Thus, even under conditions suitable for crystal growth, kinetic factors may prevent the onset of nucleation and crystal growth. Alternatively spontaneous nucleation may occur at such high frequency that the resulting microcrystalline precipitates are indistinguishable from their amorphous counterparts by inspection alone. In many situations it is essential to decouple crystal growth from nucleation in order to grow large, regular crystals. One must not only control the number of seeds but also reduce the supersaturation level of the protein, and therefore decrease the incorporation of defects detrimental to crystal quality. Seeding techniques provide a preformed, regular crystal surface onto which further molecules may be aggregated in orderly fashion, generally at a lower degree of supersaturation than is required for nucleation. Such techniques are ideally suited to bypass the nucleation step and hence accomplish the decoupling between nucleation and crystal growth. Three aspects of seeding are discussed: (i) pre-equilibration of the protein solution to be seeded, and the determination of the appropriate supersaturation level for seeding; (ii) the environment and the precautions necessary for any seeding method; (iii) the streak seeding technique and how it can be used in conjunction with microseeding and macroseeding. The use of streak seeding, where an animal whisker is used to rapidly transfer microscopic seeds from a seed source to a pre-equilibrated sitting drop, provides a tool for rapidly optimizing and screening many different conditions. It also provides a means for discriminating between microcrystals and precipitates and is a powerful tool for cross-seeding between related macromolecular species, such as genetic variants.
Autarky as a moral baseline

In his account of fairness in international trade, Aaron James distinguishes autarkic gains from the gains of trade. Since the autarkic gains are external to the practice of trade, James's account allows each country to keep these gains. The gains of trade, in contrast, must be distributed equally. This distinction suffers from three problems. First, James's autarkic adjustment not only allows inequalities to persist, but exacerbates and creates new ones. Second, there is no non-morally arbitrary way to determine the autarkic gains. Finally, by favouring his account over more egalitarian options, James does not merely set autarkic gains aside as external to the practice of trade but rather implicitly endorses a moral entitlement to autarkic gains without argumentation.
Wide-band diffraction improved dual-shaped reflectors

Modified dual-shaped reflectors are discussed. These antennas have improved gain and gain over noise temperature (G/T) performance over the conventional uniform illumination design when diffraction effects are considered. A further advantage of the present design approach is its inherent broad-band characteristics. These considerations are vital for ultra-low noise systems as employed in the deep space telemetry service.
NON-USER PREFERENCE FOR IMPROVEMENTS, AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS FUTURE USE OF A BUS SYSTEM

Abstract This study was designed to determine transit non-user preferences towards improvements of the bus system in the Milwaukee area. The study was undertaken at the time when the bus system was still privately owned. Pare increase, reduction of service and decline in ridership has been the path, for the private system, to stay in operation. Public acquisition of the system was being contemplated at the time of the study and was finally consummated in July of 1975, when Milwaukee County acquired the system. A questionnaire was distributed by mail to four study areas in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The study areas all had existing bus service; however, their population constituted a majority of non-users for work trips. The study queried the non-user of the “most desired improvement,” instead of the use of a preference scale to assess the need for improvements, and to measure the impact of improvements on ridership. This study concluded that a potential market does exist amont non-users-approximately 40% being likely to use an improved system. In addition, a systematic relationship does exist between the areas of residence and the respondent's major preference in system improvement, giving rise to a desired improvement profile in each area. The study has also explored the factors which contribute to the willingness of the commuter to change mode and use an improved bus system.
Intrapericardial Ectopic Thyroid Carcinoma in a Cat

A 7-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair feline presented with tachycardia and was later euthanized due to a declining condition. On gross examination, the thoracic cavity contained an expansile, multiloculated mass that displaced the lungs dorsocaudally. The mass, within the pericardial sac, compressed adjacent myocardium. Cut surface revealed variably sized, fluid-filled spaces with multiple foci of hemorrhage and necrosis. Histologically, the mass was composed of solid foci of polygonal cells admixed with colloid-containing follicles. Immunohistochemical staining for thyroglobulin was positive, and staining for calcitonin was negative. Grossly, thyroid glands were normal, and serum thyroxine was within reference intervals.
Universal formulas for counting nodal curves on surfaces

These notes are supplementary to the author’s lectures at the 2010 conference on Current Developments in Mathematics, held on November 19-20 in Cambridge Massachusetts.
The enzymic break-down of cocaine by the rabbit liver.

Since the classical research of the cocaine-hypersensitivity of the rabbit by. Aducco (1) and Richet (2), it has been recognized that the repeated injections of a small dose of cocaine into rabbits resulted in a decrease of the lethal dose, in spite of habituation which was appeared in the other animals including in dogs. We confirmed this phenomenon and demonstrated that such rabbits became sensitive to not only cocaine but also adrenaline and ephedrine; namely, the sensitivity of the sympathetic nerve was increased. On the other hand, the fate of cocaine was studied by many investigators. Some of them [Wiechowski (3), Tatum and Seevers (4), and Woods, Seevers, et al. (5)] reported that cocaine should be detoxified in the body of rabbits, because in which urine none of cocaine administered could be found, whereas 1 to 12 per cent of cocaine administered were excreted in the urine of dogs. Oelker and Raetz (6) observed that the hydrolysis of cocaine was performed in the body under the similar conditions as well as in vitro. And some cocaine destructive substances aside from tie enzymes were found by Suzaki (7), Okagaki (8) and Irizawa (9). Langecker and Lewit (10) suggested that the detoxication might be due to the demethylation of cocaine and indicated that rabbits had much stronger ability to detoxify cocaine than guinea-pigs and cats. Nevertheless, it could not pass unnoticed that Sano (11) suspected the chemical combination of cocaine with the spinal marrow and that Nakazawa (12) pointed out the adsorption of cocaine by various tissues. Basing on the latter experiments, Abe and Takebayashi (13) explained that the habit-forming of cocaine and cocaine-hypersensitivity were due to the alteration of cocaine distribution rate between the central nervous system and blood.As above mentioned the metabolism of cocaine was illustrat ed partly by the break-down and partly by the adsorption of cocaine. A few investigation, therefore, on the detoxication mechanism of cocaine and on the origin of the coca ine-hypersensitivity in rabbits were, made. A) Cocaine-Inactivation by the Rabbit Liver Extract First of all, the factors of cocaine-inactivation by the rabbit liver extract were analyzed by means of the biological estimation of cocaine on the excised intestine of rabbits.
Keep it straight: teaching placement how to better handle designs with datapaths

As technology scales and frequency increases, a new design style is emerging, referred to as hybrid designs, which contain a mixture of random logic and datapath standard cell components. This work begins by demonstrating that conventional Half-Perimeter Wire Length (HPWL)-driven placers under-perform in terms of regularity and Steiner Wire Length (StWL) for such hybrid designs, and the quality gap between manual placement and automatic placers is more pronounced as the designs become more datapath-oriented. Then, a new unified placement flow that simultaneously handles random logic and datapath standard cells is proposed that significantly improves the placement quality of the datapath while leveraging the speed of modern state-of-the-art placement algorithms. The placement flow is built on top of a leading academic force-directed placer. It consists of a series of novel global and detailed placement techniques, collectively called Structure Aware Placement Techniques (SAPT). The techniques effectively integrate alignment constraints into placement, overcoming the deficiencies of the HPWL objective. Experimental results comparing our placement flow with six state-of-the-art placers on the ISPD 2011 Datapath Benchmark Suite show at least a 32% improvement in total StWL with over a 6x improvement in total routing overflow. In addition, the flow demonstrates an 8.25% improvement in total StWL on industrial hybrid designs.
Backscattering enhancement from a dielectric surface

Using the unitary and reciprocal theory of Brown et al. [ Surf. Sci.136, 381 ( 1984)], we calculated numerically the differential reflection coefficient for the scattering of an electromagnetic wave from a weakly corrugated, randomly rough dielectric surface. For a one-dimensional surface we did not see enhanced backscattering except when the contribution from single scattering processes was subtracted. For a two-dimensional surface we clearly saw enhanced backscattering in the cross-polarized scattering.
Phosphorylation of lysophosphatidylinositol by carrot membranes.

sn-1 Palmitoyl lysophosphatidylinositol is found in carrot suspension culture cells and can be phosphorylated to [32P]lysophosphatidylinositol monophosphate (LPIP) when [γ32P]ATP is added to isolated membranes. Based on in vivo labeling studies, [3H]inositol sn-1 palmitoyl LPIP was found predominantly in the plasma membrane-rich fraction or upper phase isolated by aqueous two-phase partitioning and LPI was found in the intracellular membrane-rich fraction or lower phase (Wheeler and Boss, Plant Physiol. 85, 389–392, 1987). While both membrane fractions phosphorylated LPI in vitro, the apparent Km for LPI in the intracellular membrane fraction was 180 μM and for the plasma membrane was 580 μM. When cells were treated with the ionophore, monensin, the percentage of [3H]inositol LPIP increased in the whole cell lipid extract. However, the monensin treatment decreased the amount of [3H]inositol LPIP and PIP recovered in the plasma membrane fraction relative to the sum of the individual lipid, [3H]inositol LPIP or PIP, respectively, recovered in both membrane fractions.
Link allocation, routing and scheduling of FSO augmented RF wireless mesh networks

Wireless Mesh Networks (WMNs) are designed to provide broadband wireless services; however, capacities of WMNs are fundamentally limited in bandwidth because of the scarcity of RF spectral resources. A solution is to design a WMN using multiple wireless technologies. Since the optical spectrum remains unlicensed and under-utilized, we propose to augment RF WMNs with free space optical (FSO) systems. FSO links do not interfere with RF links and have higher capacity than RF links. In this paper, we study the throughput improvement of FSO-augmented RF WMNs. We address two questions. First, given a fixed number of FSO links, where should we install them to achieve the maximum improvement of network throughput for given traffic demands? Second, how do we route and schedule the flows in the hybrid FSO/RF network to achieve this throughput? We jointly formulate the above problems as one mixed integer linear programming problem. The results show that the throughput of the network increases dramatically by properly allocating FSO links. We also provide a computationally efficient algorithm to evaluate upper and lower bounds on the throughput of this hybrid FSO/RF network. The network administrator can use these bounds to determine the tradeoff between the number of FSO links (which are expensive) and the throughput improvement.
Relative and Attributable Risks for Moderate to Profound Bilateral Sensorineural Hearing Impairment Associated With Lower Birth Weight in Children 3 to 10 Years Old

Objective. To determine the prevalence, relative risks, and attributable fractions for congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment in relation to lower birth weight among children born in the 1980s and living in the metropolitan Atlanta area from 1991 through 1993. Methods. We used the population-based, active case ascertainment Metropolitan Atlanta Developmental Disabilities Surveillance Program that conducts surveillance in the five-county metropolitan Atlanta area. Hearing impairment was defined as a bilateral, pure-tone hearing loss at frequencies of 500, 1000, and 2000 Hz averaging 40 dBs or more, unaided, in the better ear. Case children, 3 to 10 years of age, with sensorineural loss of presumed congenital origin were included in these analyses (n = 172). Prevalence rates and relative risks were computed for various birth weight categories by hearing level, sex, race, the presence or absence of coexisting developmental disabilities, and gestational age. Attributable fractions were calculated for low birth weight and very low birth weight children by race. Results. The overall prevalence rate of presumed congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment was 5.3 cases per 10 000 3-year survivors. The prevalence was 4.1 per 10 000 among children weighing ≥4000 g, 3.7 per 10 000 among those weighing 3000 to 3999 g, 6.6 per 10 000 among those 2500 to 2999 g, 12.7 per 10 000 among those 1500 to 2499 g, and 51.0 per 10 000 among those <1500 g. There was virtually no difference in birth weight-specific rates of hearing impairment across three hearing levels. The presence of coexisting developmental disabilities was associated with a much stronger inverse trend with birth weight. Black children weighing <2500 g had much higher rates of hearing impairment than comparable white children. The overall percentage of moderate to profound congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss in the entire study population that was attributable to children weighing <2500 g or <1500 g was estimated to be 18.9% and 9.4%, respectively. Prematurity did not alter the magnitude of risk among children weighing <2500 g. Conclusions. The results presented here provide recent estimates of the rates, relative risks, and attributable fractions for congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing impairment by birth weight among children in the United States. The elevated relative risks among children weighing 2500 to 2999 g and 1500 to 2499 g may have implications for future newborn hearing screening criteria. Pediatrics 1999;104:905-910; birth weight, congenital, sensorineural, hearing impairment, deafness, prevalence, relative risk, attributable risk.
Animal models of neurodegenerative dementing disorders other than Alzheimer's disease

Abstract Neurodegenerative dementias other than Alzheimer's disease (AD) are complex disorders with diverse causes. Recently, there has been tremendous progress in the pathobiology and genetics of several of these diseases, some of which are associated with pathological alterations in tau and α-synuclein. These findings have led to the generation of murine and invertebrate transgenic tau and α-synuclein animal models of these disorders to facilitate elucidation of mechanisms underlying these disorders and for discovery of novel therapeutic interventions to treat them. The focus of this review will be to provide an overview of diseases that have been modeled by these transgenic animals and to highlight the findings of these studies. Overall, transgenic models have supported the notion that tau and α-synuclein play central roles in the pathobiology of many non-AD dementias and have provided important insights into the mechanisms that lead to these disorders thereby setting the stage for identifying novel targets for pharmacological interventions as well as proof of concept studies of compounds with therapeutic potential in patients.
Investigation of a band-pass filter using view-specific image sequences for edge enhancement in quantitative coronary angiography

Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) diameter measurements are important in determining the extent of coronary artery disease progression and course of treatment in a patient. Traditional QCA techniques filter the X-ray angiographic image in order to enhance the edge profiles. We investigated a new method of obtaining an edge enhancement filter based on the power spectrum of an ensemble of view specific background images for X-ray angiographic images. The band-pass filter is obtained from the power spectra of a particular view imaged with (1) background only and (2) contrast filled arteries plus background. We tested our band-pass filter by measuring the diameters of a coronary artery phantom. The angiograms were filtered with a Sobel kernel to highlight the edges. The same angiograms were band-pass filtered and then Sobel filtered to see if our band-pass filter had any effect on the accuracy of the artery diameter measurement. The mean absolute percent error of the diameter measures decreased with the use of the band-pass filter 14.2% plus or minus 16.5% (n equals 57). Two- way analysis of variance was not statistically significant between the diameter measures (0.5 - 5.0 mm) of the Sobel only filtered image compared to the band-pass edge enhancement plus Sobel filtering.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Fourier spectroscopy on planetary missions including Voyager

In the last dozen years spaceborne Fourier transform spectrometers have obtained infrared emission spectra of Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Titan as well as of the Galilean and other Saturnian satellites and Saturn's rings. Intercomparisons of the properties of planetary atmospheres and of the characteristics of solid surfaces are now feasible. The principles of remotely sensing the environment on a planetary body are dicussed. Special consideration is given to the most recent results obtained by the Voyager infrared investigation on the Saturn system.
Structure Determination in Colloidal Crystal Photonic Bandgap Structures

Structure/optical property relationships in photonic bandgap structures are evaluated by a novel combination of sample sectioning, microscopy, and image analysis. Disordered colloidal crystals of solution-derived, monosized SiO 2 particles were sectioned by focused ion beam (FIB) milling and then imaged using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Pair correlation and radial distribution functions of the particulate arrangement were generated directly from a binary color scale rendering of the FE-SEM images, therein defining the level of order or disorder in the structure. These experimentally obtained spatial correlation functions were used to compute the scattering spectral properties in an analogous, although inverse (i.e., solving the inverse scattering problem), method to that used in X-ray diffraction for structure determination. Using a first-order approximation to the scattering from a disordered structure, the bandwidth and midgap values for the colloidal crystal photonic bandgap materials were within 15% of those measured. This new methodology promises to provide a simple and direct approach for quantifying the structure/optical property relationships in ordered and disordered photonic crystals directly from standard microstructural imaging techniques.
QWIP-LED pixelless imaging

This paper discusses issues related to the imaging performance of pixel-less quantum well infrared photodetectors integrated with light emitting diodes. Our latest imaging results are shown. Analytical expressions are derived for evaluating noise equivalent temperature difference. Areas that need improvement are pointed out.
Wells, Fargo & Company: The First Half Year

By the end of 1852, six months after the establishment in San Francisco of the principal office, Wells, Fargo & Company had spread its express and banking services well into California's gold-mining country. The most tangible evidence of the organization's growth was the rise in value of its gold shipments to New York. The first shipment, which left San Francisco on July 31 aboard the Pacific Mail Steamship Oregon , crossed the Isthmus of Panama, and was taken up the eastern coast of the continent aboard the United States Mail Steamship Ohio , amounted to only $21,717. The year's last shipment, almost tripling the first, was $61,615. The largest was sent on December 1 and amounted to $68,735. Total shipments by Wells, Fargo & Company for the five-month period between July 31 and the end of the year were $312,492. San Francisco's largest banking firm, Page, Bacon & Company, shipped during the same period $6,313,986, and Adams & Company, competitor of Wells, Fargo & Company in the express and banking business, $5,542,000.
Acute withdrawal, protracted abstinence and negative affect in alcoholism: Are they linked?

The role of withdrawal-related phenomena in the development and maintenance of alcohol addiction remains under debate. A 'self-medication' framework postulates that emotional changes are induced by a history of alcohol use, persist into abstinence, and are a major factor in maintaining alcoholism. This view initially focused on negative emotional states during early withdrawal: these are pronounced, occur in the vast majority of alcohol-dependent patients, and are characterized by depressed mood and elevated anxiety. This concept lost popularity with the realization that in most patients, these symptoms abate over 3-6 weeks of abstinence, while relapse risk persists long beyond this period. More recently, animal data have established that a prolonged history of alcohol dependence induces more subtle neuroadaptations. These confer altered emotional processing that persists long into protracted abstinence. The resulting behavioral phenotype is characterized by excessive voluntary alcohol intake and increased behavioral sensitivity to stress. Emerging human data support the clinical relevance of negative emotionality for protracted abstinence and relapse. These developments prompt a series of research questions: (1) are processes observed during acute withdrawal, while transient in nature, mechanistically related to those that remain during protracted abstinence?; (2) is susceptibility to negative emotionality in acute withdrawal in part due to heritable factors, similar to what animal models have indicated for susceptibility to physical aspects of withdrawal?; and (3) to what extent is susceptibility to negative affect that persists into protracted abstinence heritable?
Representations of U(2∞) and the Value of the Fine Structure Constant

A relativistic quantum mechanics is formulated in which all of the interactions are in the four-momentum operator and Lorentz transformations are kinematic. Interactions are introduced through vertices, which are bilinear in fermion and antifermion creation and annihilation operators, and linear in boson creation and annihilation operators. The fermion-antifermion operators generate a unitary Lie algebra, whose representations are fixed by a first order Casimir operator (corresponding to baryon number or charge). Eigenvectors and eigenvalues of the four-momentum operator are analyzed and exact solutions in the strong coupling limit are sketched. A simple model shows how the fine structure constant might be determined for the QED vertex.
An exact reanalysis technique for storm surge and tides in a geographic region of interest

Abstract Understanding the effects of storm surge in hurricane-prone regions is necessary for protecting public and lifeline services and improving resilience. While coastal ocean hydrodynamic models like ADCIRC may be used to assess the extent of inundation, the computational cost may be prohibitive since many local changes corresponding to design and failure scenarios would ideally be considered. We present an exact reanalysis technique and corresponding implementation that enable the assessment of local subdomain changes with less computational effort than would be required by a complete resimulation of the full domain. So long as the subdomain is large enough to fully contain the altered hydrodynamics, changes may be made and simulations performed within it without the need to calculate new boundary values. Accurate results are obtained even when subdomain boundary conditions are forced only intermittently, and convergence is demonstrated by progressively increasing the frequency at which they are applied. Descriptions of the overall methodology, performance results, and accuracy, as well as case studies, are presented.
IDENTIFICATION OF A 17-HYDROXYPROGESTERONE-BINDING IMMUNOGLOBULIN IN THE SERUM OF A WOMAN WITH PERIODIC RASHES

A 30-year-old patient with primary infertility had a history of recurrent oral and perineal rashes that appeared just prior to the midcycle rise in basal body temperature and subsided with the onset of menses. The rashes did not appear during periods of treatment with oral contraceptives or danazol, and were suppressed by administration of cortisol. Sera obtained during the follicular and luteal phases of her cycle were found to contain a progestin-binding component with high affinity for 17-hydroxyprogesterone and a somewhat lower affinity for progesterone. Analysis of these sera showed the progestin-binding component to have properties of IgG, with an apparent binding affinity for 17-hydroxyprogesterone of 2 X 10(10) M-1. This report is the first characterization of an antibody to an endogenous steroid in human serum.
Enol esters as potential prodrugs I. Stability and enzyme-mediated hydrolysis of α-acetoxystyrene

Abstract The stability of α-acetoxystyrene, a model enol ester, was evaluated in aqueous buffered solvents and in human and rat plasma and rat tissue homogenates. The compound was found to be a good substrate for endogenous esterases exhibiting a half-life for hydrolysis in human plasma of 1 2 was ~180 h. These results suggest that enol esters may be useful as prodrugs of agents containing an enolizable carbonyl group.
Specifying graceful degradation in distributed systems

Distributed programs must often display graceful degradation, reacting adaptively to changes in the environment. Under ideal circumstances, the program’s behavior satisfies a set of application-dependent constraints. In the presence of failures, timing anomalies, or synchronization conflicts, however, certain constraints may become difficult or impossible to Satisfy, and the application designer may choose to relax them as long as the resulting behavior is sufficiently “close” to the preferred behavior. This paper describes the relaxation lattice method, a new approach to specifying graceful degradation for a large class of highly-concurrent fault-tolerant distributed programs. A relaxation lattice is a lattice of specifications parameterized by a set of constraints, where the stronger the set of constraints, the more restrictive the specification. While a program is able to satisfy its strongest set of constraints, it satisfies its preferred specification, but if changes to the environment force it to satisfy a weaker set, then it will permit additional “weakly consistent” computations which are undesired but tolerated. The use of relaxation lattices is illustrated by specifications for programs that tolerate (1) faults, such as site crashes and network partitions, (2) timing anomalies, such as attempting to read a value “too soon” after it was written, and (3) synchronization conflicts, such as choosing the oldest “unlocked” item from a queue.
Acetate inhibition of chick bone cell proliferation and bone growth in vitro.

A hypothesis has been advanced that parenteral solutions as commonly formulated for use in clinical practice have a toxic effect on cell metabolism. A specific component of these solutions, sodium acetate, has been suggested to disrupt normal bone turnover and therefore to contribute to the osteopenia observed in patients receiving hemodialysis and parenteral nutrition (PN). We developed an in vitro model to test the hypothesis that sodium acetate at concentrations that are infused in PN solutions has a deleterious effect on bone metabolism. Osteoblasts and preosteoblasts from 16- to 17-day-old embryonic chick calvaria, and tibiae and femora from 10-day-old embryonic chicks were grown in BGJb medium (control) or in BGJb medium plus sodium acetate (5, 10, or 20 mM). Calvarial cell proliferation was quantified by direct cell counts as well as by incorporation of [3H]TdR into DNA as an index of cell proliferation. Calvarial cell alkaline phosphatase activity was quantified by the ability of extracts of the cultured cells to hydrolyze p-nitrophenyl phosphate to p-nitrophenol, and bone growth was determined by measuring final dry weight. Calvarial cell counts as well as DNA synthesis showed a dose-dependent decrease in the presence of sodium acetate (5–20 mM) compared with controls. [3H]TdR incorporation was decreased a mean 19% with 5 mM, 38% with 10 mM, and 63% with 20 mM acetate. Alkaline phosphatase activity per cell increased 48% with 5 mM, 140% with 10 mM, and 355% with 20 mM acetate. Cell viability as assessed by trypan blue exclusion was identical for test and control media (>95%). Long bone dry weight was decreased 6% with 5 mM acetate, 15% with 10 mM, and 33% with 20 mM acetate compared with controls. These effects were independent of the presence or absence of fetal bovine serum in the culture medium and could not be accounted for by pH differences between the test and control media. We conclude that sodium acetate inhibits the proliferation of chick osteoblasts and preosteoblasts as well as the growth of chick long bones in vitro and that the potential role of sodium acetate in parenteral solutions as a contributor to abnormal bone metabolism merits further investigation.
Potassium dicyanoargentate(I) 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane.

The crystal structure of the title compound, K[Ag(CN)(2)].C(12)H(24)O(6), conventionally denoted K(18-crown-6)Ag(CN)(2), where 18-crown-6 is 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane, is characterized by closely packed linear chains formed by the coordination of the nitrile N atoms of the [Ag(CN)(2)](-) anions to the K(+) cations. The K atoms lie on centers of inversion and are additionally bound to the six O atoms of the crown ether.
An element‐by‐element method for heat conduction CAE including composite problems

Mechanical computer aided engineering (CAE) implies large finite element problems due to the geometric complexity of the ‘true’ 3D designs. Application of the standard finite element technique is not practical for such problems because the direct solution of the global matrix equations is too costly. This paper considers the element-by-element implicit algorithm for the CAE application of transient heat conduction. The direct solution is avoided by an operator splitting or approximate factorization technique. This results in both the execution time and storage requirements for each time step being linearly proportional to the number of elements while retaining unconditional stability. However, the approximate factorization introduces additional truncation error and incorrect jump conditions at material interfaces. Detailed analyses and numerical experiments are carried out in one dimension to assess the nature and mechanism of these inaccuracies. A three dimensional implementation is then compared with one dimensional results. The need for an additional predictor–corrector element-by-element algorithm for 3D composite problems is also presented.
The First Forbidden Shape Factor and the f n t Products for Beta-Decay

The shape factor used in making Kurie plots for first forbidden beta-decay transitions with maximum spin change is expressed in a form suitable for computation. Graphs of the function for various $Z$ and $W$ are given.Approximations for the ${f}_{n}t$ products of beta-decay are derived enabling one to compute these products for certain types of transitions from the values of the allowed ${f}_{0}$ function. Finally, these results are used to compile a table of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd forbidden transitions exhibiting the unique spectral shapes associated with maximum spin change for the given degree of forbiddenness.
Complete traumatic laryngotracheal disruption—A case report and review

Blunt neck trauma is an infrequent cause of injury in the pediatric population; however, significant injury is possible even with minor trauma to the neck. The authors present the previously unreported case of a combined laryngotracheal and esophageal disruption as well as a severe laryngeal crush injury in a pediatric patient following a blunt, clothesline neck injury. Immediate management of laryngotracheal or esophageal separation is frequently discussed, but little information exists concerning long-term treatment and management of total laryngotracheal disruption and crush injuries in pediatric patients. A review of the literature is presented to address these concerns.
Nanopipette surface modification for biosensing

We have developed a sensitive nanopipette assay for the detection and functional analysis of proteins in a microbial sample. This unique, label-free biosensor is inexpensive, easy to fabricate and versatile. The nanopipette size, geometry, and surface chemistry for attaching a biomarker, antibody or protein probe were previously optimized using both experiments and modeling to provide detectable signals in real time, in a very small reaction volume (attoliters). In this phase, the goal was to modify the surface chemistry procedure so that only a restricted area of the nanopipette tip was functionalized for probe attachment. Preliminary experiments demonstrate the sensitivity and selectivity of the nanopipette with specific protein targets of yeast cells and fungi. We have further developed biophysical and kinetic models that help us to interpret and explain phenomena underlying the current signals obtained from the nanopipette system. These models characterize the physical, chemical, electrical and thermodynamic forces responsible for molecular interactions (ion-surface and probe-target) at the nanopipette tip. The models provide several feedback parameters related to actual experimental conditions, which are used for further improvements of the detection scheme. In the next phase, the functionalized nanopipette will be applied to the study of living cells as a diagnostic tool to detect protein expression.
A quarterly model of the US economy during and after World War I

Abstract This paper develops a small simulation model of the US economy for the period 1915–1922. The focus of the model is to allow monetary and fiscal policy simulations to determine the impacts of alternate policies on total spending, real output, prices, and unemployment. The actual pattern of price-output movements during this period indicates a stable aggregate supply relationship. Thus, policy simulations of this type are appropriate for this period. Both monetary and fiscal policy measures have important impacts on demand, but simulations indicate that monetary disturbances account for the cyclical movements during this period.
Phase I trial of a 72-h continuous-infusion schedule of fazarabine.

Fazarabine (Ara-AC), a structural analog derived from the antitumor nucleoside cytosine arabanoside (Ara-C) and 5-azacytidine (5-AC), was studied in a phase I clinical trial. Doses ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 mg m−2 h−1 were given intravenously over 72 h every 28 days. The maximum tolerated dose (MDT) was 2.00 mg m−2 h−1. The dose-limiting toxicity was myelosuppression, with granulocytopenia being quantitatively more important than thrombocytopenia or anemia. Nonhematologic toxicity was minimal. Associated with the solvent dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) was a bitter taste and a garlic-like odor.
Use of a solid‐state chloride electrode for chloride determinations in soil extracts

Abstract Studies were conducted to evaluate the use of a solid‐state chloride electrode for chloride determinations in soil extracts. The solid‐state chloride ‐electrode was used as an end point detector in the titration of chloride with AgN03 and direct reading of chloride in solution. The solid‐state electrode gave results very similar to those obtained with a silver electrode (r = 0.999) when used as an end point detector. Values obtained using the solid‐state electrode as a direct reading electrode were also well correlated (r = 0.998) but were slightly higher than results obtained by titration with a silver electrode.
RELEVANCE OF VARIABLE NEGATIVE RADIAL VELOCITIES TO MODELS OF SCO X-1.

Westphal, Sandage and Kristian1 reported that the emission line radial velocities of Sco X-1 are variable on a time scale of days or even hours, with an amplitude of perhaps ±50 km s−1, or occasionally somewhat greater. I wish to point out that this has a bearing on possible models for Sco X-1. Naturally, this rapid velocity variation requires the source gas to be in close association with the central physical object and not simply a detached cloud outside its immediate gravitational influence. It must be, then, that the generally negative velocities (mean value ≃ −100 km s−1) are due either to (a) a true approach velocity for the central object, or (b) a preferential direction of motion in the observer's direction for the gas streams causing the lines. I shall now discuss the implication of points (a) and (b).
Earthworms and the Cluster Fly

IN his little book on earthworms and their allies (1912), Beddard expresses the opinion that the northern regions of America possess no indigenous earthworms. This refers to large areas in Canada and the Northern United States. In the mountainous district of Colorado, and the adjacent upland plains, it appears that earthworms were formerly absent. Old settlers assure us that when they first came there were none. This seemed almost incredible, but in recent years Prof. Frank Smith of the University of Illinois has collected earthworms in Colorado, and found only the widespread presumably introduced types. There are indeed a few small native oligochaetes in the mountains, but these (Enchytraeids) are not pertinent to the present discussion. Beddard infers that the earthworms came from the south, but the Lumbricidae are evidently of long standing in the Palaearctic region, and as one species (Eisenia nordenskioldi) extends to the Anadyr region in the extreme north-east of Siberia, it is surprising that we find no endemic genera or species in the far north of America. In the more southern parts of North America, apparently including all of the Eastern United States, there is a rather scanty indigenous fauna of Lumbricidae. These American species are so closely allied to those of the Palaearctic region as to leave no doubt that they are derived from a common source, and we may reasonably assume that their ancestors came by way of Eastern Asia. Thus the present distribution corresponds in a general way with that of certain groups of plants and other organisms which have evidently died out in a large part of North America.
An Efficient, Time-of-Flight-Based Underwater Acoustic Ranging System for Small Robotic Fish

Small (decimeter-scale) robotic fish are promising mobile sensor platforms for aquatic environments. Fine-grained localization for dense networks of such robotic fish presents a challenge because of noisy underwater environment, required submeter accuracy, and constraints on onboard processing power and hardware complexity. In this paper, we present an efficient time-of-flight-based acoustic ranging system for localization of robotic fish with limited onboard resources. The system involves simple hardware: a single pair of monotone buzzer and microphone. The distance between two nodes is determined by the time it takes for an acoustic signal generated by the buzzer on the first node to reach the microphone on the second node. The arrival of the signal is detected with the sliding discrete Fourier transform (SDFT) algorithm, where the rise dynamics of the signal is modeled and used for compensation of detection latency. The algorithm is implemented onboard a small biomimetic robotic fish, and experiments in an indoor pool have shown that the compensated SDFT algorithm results in an underwater ranging error of 1.9 wavelengths (1 m), and is thus promising for localization of dense aquatic networks.
Posttreatment Prostate Specific Antigen Nadir Predicts Prostate Cancer Specific and All Cause Mortality

Purpose: We investigated whether the prostate specific antigen nadir predicts prostate cancer specific and all cause mortality in men treated in a randomized trial of radiation with or without 6 months of androgen deprivation therapy.Materials and Methods: The study included 204 men with cT1b-T2bN0M0 prostate adenocarcinoma and at least 1 unfavorable factor, including prostate specific antigen less than 10 to 40 ng/ml, Gleason 7 or greater, or T3 on magnetic resonance imaging. We performed Fine and Gray regression, and Cox multivariable analysis to determine whether an increasing prostate specific antigen nadir was associated with prostate cancer specific and all cause mortality, adjusting for treatment, age, Adult Comorbidity Evaluation 27 score and cancer prognostic factors.Results: At a 6.9-year median followup median prostate specific antigen nadir was 0.7 ng/ml for radiation alone and 0.1 ng/ml for radiation plus androgen deprivation therapy. The prostate specific antigen nadir (adjusted HR 1.18/ng/m...