cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Post-Glacial Lead Dynamics in a Forest Soil

The use of alkyl-Pb additives in gasoline during the 20th century resulted in widespread Pb pollution. The objective of this study was to determine the relative importance of atmospherically deposited Pb and Pb released through weathering to soil Pb pools at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. We employed a selective extraction method to estimate the amount of Pb that was: water-soluble + exchangeable (EX); inorganically bound (IB); organically bound (ORG); bound to amorphous oxides (AMOX); and bound in crystalline minerals (RES). After normalizing crystalline-Pb concentrations to the immobile element Ti, we estimated that 14.1 kg ha−1 of Pb has been weathered from Hubbard Brook soils in the 12,000–14,000 yr since deglaciation - a long-term average release of 1.0–1.2 g ha−1 a−1. Analysis of Ti-normalized total Pb concentrations indicated a net post-glacial decrease of 7.2 kg ha−1 in the total Pb pool - consisting of a net accumulation of 4.9 kg ha−1 in the O horizon, and a net loss of 12.1 kg ha−1 from mineral soil. Atmospheric deposition of Pb between 1926 and 1989 (estimated as 8.7 kg ha−1) was a major source of Pb in the post-glacial period. Together, long-term weathering release and 20th century atmospheric deposition could account for all of the Pb in the EX, IB, ORG, and AMOX fractions. Lead from gasoline appears to constitute a major fraction of the total Pb burden in Hubbard Brook soils. Periodic analysis of soil Pb fractions may be useful in monitoring the fate of Pb in forest soils.
Transforming growth factor-β inhibits the production of IgG, IgM, and IgA in human lymphocyte cultures

Abstract Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) has potent immunoregulatory effects acting on both T and B cells. It strongly inhibits secretion of IgG and IgM in human and murine B cell cultures, but has been shown to have an enhancing effect on IgA production in the mouse. We have studied the effect of TGFβ on the production of IgA in human lymphocyte cultures. The addition of TGFβ to pokeweed-stimulated peripheral blood lymphocytes resulted in a suppression of IgA production of both subclasses, similar in magnitude to the suppression of IgG and IgM production. Membrane IgA expression was not increased by culturing tonsillar lymphocytes with TGFβ. In conclusion, we find no evidence for a selective enhancing effect of TGFβ on IgA synthesis in humans, in contrast to the findings reported in mice.
Diversification attempts by electric utilities A comparison of potential v achieved diversification achieved diversification

Abstract Recently, many electric utility firms have attempted to diversify into businesses outside the traditional generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Several articles have discussed the advantages and disadvantages of diversification, and other articles have investigated the financial performance of firms that are reported to have diversified. This paper takes a different approach by specifying the conditions that are necessary to achieve any benefits from diversification and demonstrates the upper limits for diversification in the efficient sense. The performance of sample groups of diversified and non-diversified electric utility firms is then measured relative to the efficient frontier. Statistical analysis indicates there is no significant difference between the diversified and non-diversified electric utilities with respect to the diversification measure. This finding suggests that there is some misunderstanding concerning the requirements for diversification as opposed to the process of merely ‘going into other lines of business’, and it raises the question of the appropriateness of the direction being taken by utility firms.
Role of the Renal Innervation in Kidney Function

OBSERVATIONS have been made on the role of the renal innervation in kidney function. A dog's kidney was transplanted to the inguinal region by end-to-end anastomosis of the renal vessels to the femoral; the bladder and distal ureteral orifices were exteriorized. Convalescence was uneventful and both kidneys gave every tested physiological evidence of normal function. During antidiuretic, that is, normal, urine flows, the rate of urine flow and of glomerular filtration is greater in the transplanted kidney than in the untransplanted kidney of the same animal. Following administration of a large quantity of water or of a small dose of adrenalin, the above differences become strikingly reversed; this strongly suggests that the transplanted kidney has continued to be effectively denervated. It was demonstrated that phenol red, water and chloride secretion are practically identical in both kidneys per unit volume of glomerular filtrate. Cogent evidence is presented indicating that adrenalin normally acts indirectly on the vas efferens of the glomerular vascular tufts, that is, only by way of the renal nerve supply, and that “pituitrin” acts directly on the tubules. The work will shortly be published in full.
Answers, Questions, and Deceptions: What Is the Role of Games in Business Education?

Those who teach in colleges and universities are often faced with large class sizes and a diverse student population. To reach this diverse student population, educators are finding it necessary to incorporate new teaching practices. In this article, the authors examine the use of a television game show, Jeopardy, as a means of enhancing learning. The researchers discovered that games motivate students to actively participate in the learning process, encourage teamwork, and are as good as traditional means for reviewing management theories and vocabulary. Students reported that the use of games was an appropriate method of instruction that facilitated their learning. Students also indicated an overall preference for a participatory course and viewed other students as actively participating when games were used in courses.
Effectiveness of Steel Slag Powder on Suppressing Alkali Aggregate Reaction of Concrete

Concrete properties can be greatly improved with the advanced mineral admixtures such as steel slag powder. Used in combination with Super-plasticizer admixture, steel slag powder can lead to economical high performance concrete with enhanced durability and reduced cement content. The effectiveness of steel slag powder on suppressing Alkali Aggregate Reaction is analyzed. The effectiveness of steel slag powder on suppressing AAR expansion was assessed using the method of ASTM C441 and accelerated test method. Results show that mineral admixtures with steel slag powder as partial replacement for Portland cement in concrete is an effective means for controlling expansion due to AAR. At most a 50% decrease in expansion rate of mortar bars can be found.
Effect of dietary carbohydrates and ethanol on expression of genes encoding sn-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, aldolase, and phosphoglycerate kinase in Drosophila larvae.

The genes encoding glycolytic enzymes inDrosophila form a group of functionally related genes that may be coordinately regulated and thus controlled by common factors. We have examined the effect of dietary carbohydrates and ethanol on expression of the genes encoding glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH), aldolase (ALD), and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) inD. melanogaster larvae. GPDH activity and transcript abundance increased in response to ethanol and additional amounts of several different carbohydrates. In addition, the levels of two alternatively processedGpdh transcripts were differentially regulated by the treatments. The nutritional conditions tested had little or no effect on the activities and transcript levels of ALD and PGK. These results indicate that changes in dietary conditions affect expression of specific genes and do not evoke a general response from genes involved in cellular metabolism. The observation that dietary carbohydrates and ethanol increaseGpdh expression without affecting expression ofAld andPgk reinforces previous suggestions that dietary carbon can be diverted by GPDH from glycolytic catabolism into lipid biosynthesis.
Modeling of shear wall buildings

Abstract Many nuclear power plant buildings, for example, the auxiliary building, have reinforced concrete shear walls as the primary lateral load resisting system. Typically, these walls have low height to length ratio, often less than unity. Such walls exhibit marked shear lag phenomenon which would affect their bending stiffness and the overall stress distribution in the building. The deformation and the stress distribution in walls have been studied which is applicable to both the short and the tall buildings. The behavior of the wall is divided into two parts: the symmetric flange action and the antisymmetric web action. The latter has two parts: the web shear and the web bending. Appropriate stiffness equations have been derived for all the three actions. These actions can be synthesized to solve any nonlineal cross-section. Two specific problems that of lateral and torisonal loadings of a rectangular box have been studied. It is found that in short buildings shear lag plays a very important role. Any beam type formulation which either ignores shear lag or includes it in an idealized form is likely to lead to erroneous results. On the other hand a rigidity type approach with some modifications to the standard procedures would yield nearly accurate answers.
Duopoly information exchange: The case of unknown slope

Abstract We model information exchange between duopolists facing a common random demand. The slope of the common demand curve facing the firms is assumed unknown, and firms observe private signals about this slope. We show that, for sufficiently large variation in the demand slope, firms earn strictly higher profit when they share their information rather than keeping it private-even with constant marginal costs and homogeneous goods. In this case, it is a Nash equilibrium for the duopolists to share their information in a quid pro quo information exchange. Consistent with earlier models, information exchange raises welfare.
Ultra-high temperature effects on selected Bacillus species.

Abstract The effect of ultra-high temperatures of 104.5, 121, and 137.8C for approximately 1sec on bacterial spores added to milk was determined on the following Bacillus species. B. licheniformis, B. pumilus, B. circulans, B. sphaericus, B. coagulans, B. laterosporous, B. megaterium, B. cereus , and B. cereus var. mycoides . The lower temperature (104.5C) produced destruction percentages ranging from none for B. laterosporus to approximately 50% for B. pumilus , with values of 16% for B. licheniformis , 25% for B. cereus , and 45% for B. coagulans and B. sphaericus . The temperatures of 121 and 137.8C produced destruction percentages for the spores of all species greater than 97.7 and 99.99%, respectively. The outgrowth of all surviving spores was more rapid in the milk heat-treated at 121 and 137.8 than in the milk heat-treated at 104.5C, as evidenced by increases in the number of new generations during 6 hr of incubation at 35C. The percentage increase in outgrowth of spores heated at 121C as compared to 104.5C ranged from 27% for B. licheniformis to 400% for B. pumilus , with an average increase for all species of 110%. Increases in outgrowth of surviving spores heated at 137.8C were 8, 24, 45, and 39% for B. sphaericus, B. circulans, B. Laterosporus , and B. megaterium , respectively, as compared to outgrowth of these spores after heating at 121C. This effect was not evident with the other species studied.
Relay node placement in structurally damaged wireless sensor networks via triangular steiner tree approximation

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have many applications which operate in hostile environments. Due to the harsh surroundings, WSNs may suffer from a large scale damage that causes many nodes to fail simultaneously and the network to get partitioned into multiple disjoint segments. In such a case, restoring the network connectivity is very important in order to avoid negative effects on the applications. In this paper, we pursue the placement of the least number of relay nodes to re-establish a strongly connected network topology. The problem of finding the minimum count and the position of relay nodes is NP-hard and hence we pursue heuristics. We present a novel three-step algorithm called FeSTA which is based on steinerizing appropriate triangles. Each segment is represented by a terminal. Each subset of 3 terminals forms a triangle. Finding the optimal solution for a triangle (i.e. connecting 3 segments) is a relatively easier problem. In the first step, FeSTA finds the best triangles and form islands of segments by establishing intra-triangle connectivity. Then in the second, disjoint islands of segment are federated. In the final step, the steinerized edges are optimized. The performance of FeSTA is validated through simulation.
Cereal Production in Africa with the Focus on South Africa

Abstract Cereal production in Africa, compared to the rest of the world, is very low and the wheat crop being grown is less then 2 percent of all wheat being grown in the developing world. About 80 percent of the wheat crop is produced by the Republic of South Africa and Ethiopia. Wheat and barley are grown in South Africa as grain crops but most of the other cereal crops are pasture crops. The South African production environment is very variable and wheat is grown as a spring as well as a winter crop under dryland and irrigation. Wheat production has dropped during the past few years mostly because of the effect of market deregulation but focus on new varieties and better production circumstances have improved yield per hectare. The seed trade in South Africa is highly commercialized, regulated and protected by law. Success can mainly be attributed to cultivar releases, the introgression of marketable traits into new varieties and the existence of a market structure for the seed business. South Africa c...
Effects of a volunteer tutoring model on the early literacy development of struggling first grade students

Abstract This study examines the effectiveness of a one‐on‐one reading intervention using trained tutors. Participants were 49 first‐grade students at risk for reading failure. The three‐step tutoring model included repeated reading of familiar text, explicit coaching in decoding and word‐solving strategies, and reading new books during each 15‐minute session. Pretest and posttest data were collected on measures of phonological awareness, sight word knowledge, and decoding. Analyses revealed significant group differences in each beginning reading area assessed. This tutoring model is a promising intervention for struggling beginning readers and is particularly appropriate for implementation by classroom volunteers.
Engraftment of serotonergic precursors enhances locomotor function and attenuates chronic central pain behavior following spinal hemisection injury in the rat.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results in abnormal locomotor and pain syndromes in humans. T13 spinal hemisection in the rat results in development of permanent mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia partially due to interruption of descending inhibitory modulators such as serotonin (5-HT). We hypothesize that lumbar transplantation of nonmitotic cells that tonically secrete antinociceptive and trophic compounds will reduce the pain-like behavior and enhance locomotor recovery after SCI. We used RN46A-B14 cells, a conditionally immortalized (SV40tsTag) rat neuronal cell line derived from E13 raphe bioengineered to secrete both 5-HT and BDNF in vitro at both permissive (33°C) and nonpermissive (39°C) temperatures. Three groups (n = 72) of 30-day-old male Sprague–Dawley rats were spinally hemisected at T13 and allowed 4 weeks for adequate recovery of locomotor function and development of allodynia and hyperalgesia. Immunosuppressed animals received either lumbar RN46A-B14 (n = 24) or control RN46A-V1 (n = 24) empty-vector transplants or no cell (n = 24) transplant. HPLC analysis of media and CSF demonstrated increases of both in vitro and in vivo 5-HT levels at 28 days in RN46A-B14 animals. ELISA demonstrated BDNF secretion in vitro and in vivo by RNA46A-B14 cells. Locomotor function (BBB scale) and nociceptive behaviors measured by paw withdrawals to von Frey filaments, radiant heat, and noxious pin stimuli were tested for 4 weeks posttransplant. Animals receiving RN46A-B14 cells demonstrated significantly improved locomotor function and reductions in both fore- and hindlimb mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia compared to controls receiving RN46A-V1 or no transplants. These effects were modulated by the 5-HT antagonist methysergide and reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine. Bromodeoxyuridine and 5-HT immunoreactivity confirmed cell survival and graft location 4 weeks posttransplantation. These results support the therapeutic potential of bioengineered serotonin-secreting cell lines in reducing chronic central pain following spinal cord injury.
The theory of deadlock avoidance via discrete control

Deadlock in multithreaded programs is an increasingly important problem as ubiquitous multicore architectures force parallelization upon an ever wider range of software. This paper presents a theoretical foundation for dynamic deadlock avoidance in concurrent programs that employ conventional mutual exclusion and synchronization primitives (e.g., multithreaded C/Pthreads programs). Beginning with control flow graphs extracted from program source code, we construct a formal model of the program and then apply Discrete Control Theory to automatically synthesize deadlock-avoidance control logic that is implemented by program instrumentation. At run time, the control logic avoids deadlocks by postponing lock acquisitions. Discrete Control Theory guarantees that the program instrumented with our synthesized control logic cannot deadlock. Our method furthermore guarantees that the control logic is maximally permissive: it postpones lock acquisitions only when necessary to prevent deadlocks, and therefore permits maximal runtime concurrency. Our prototype for C/Pthreads scales to real software including Apache, OpenLDAP, and two kinds of benchmarks, automatically avoiding both injected and naturally occurring deadlocks while imposing modest runtime overheads.
Electric field measurements of directly converted lower hybrid waves at a density striation

Previous experiments at the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA provide evidence that whistler waves incident on a field-aligned density striation will produce lower hybrid waves via a linear mode-coupling mechanism [Bamber, et. al, 1994; Bamber, et. al, 1995]. These experiments were limited in that only the magnetic fields of the waves were measured. Recent experiments at the LAPD directly measure the whistler and lower hybrid wave electric fields. The lower hybrid wave electric field amplitude is 0.8 times the incident electric field. These measurements are well within theory and allow us to make some estimates about the conversion efficiency of the linear conversion mechanism.
A dosimetric comparison of conventional vs conformal external beam irradiation of a stented coronary artery utilizing a new fluoroscopic imaging detector system.

Abstract Purpose. To determine whether conformal external photon beam irradiation may prevent or reduce the rate of restenosis of a stented coronary artery following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). Optimal conformal external beam irradiation with limited cardiac dose requires adequate visualization of the stented vascular segment. With existing image intensifiers, identification of a coronary stent is poorly localized. We propose using an amorphous silicon panel detector to observe the movement of the stent during the cardiac cycle. Background. Long-term radiation-induced coronary complications can be minimized by: (a) reducing the radiation field sizes, (b) fractionating the total dose over several days, and (c) applying multiple treatment beams. Localization of the movement of the stent during the cardiac cycle may allow for the design of radiation fields that conform to the stented vessel segment. This scheme may permit gating the radiation beam on or off relative to movement of the stent within or outside the radiation fields, respectively. Methods. Using a new solid-state amorphous silicon planar detector, with a dynamic range of 12 bits, fluoroscopic images of a Palmaz–Schatz coronary stent were obtained. The stent was centered in a polystyrene phantom 20 cm thick and imaged using a 90-kVp, 3.5-ma, source-detector and source stent distances of 114 and 100 cm, respectively. With the solid-state silicon detector, the stent was identified in a single video frame (1/30 s). This fast image acquisition should allow for mapping the motion of the stent during the cardiac cycle. The stent movement during the cardiac cycle may then be correlated with the QRS complex in the electrocardiogram. Conclusions. The localization of a coronary stent during the cardiac cycle under fluoroscopy permits delivery of small conformal external radiation fields to treat stented coronary arteries, while minimizing radiation dose to surrounding normal cardiac tissue and vasculature. The best selection of treatment beam angles will be provided by high resolution fluoroscopic images of the stented region obtained from different beam directions. The three-dimensional movement of the stent, indexed in time with the QRS complex, will provide an important measure for gating radiation beams for conformal treatment delivery.
Prenatal zidovudine use and congenital anomalies in a medicaid population.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of prescribed zidovudine (ZDV) during pregnancy with congenital anomalies in a population-based cohort. METHODS: Medicaid claims were used to assess prescribed ZDV and children's major congenital anomalies in 1932 liveborn deliveries from 1993 to 1996 to HIV-infected women in the state of New York (NYS), U.S.A. Prevalence of anomalies in the cohort was compared with that of a general NYS population. Within the cohort, adjusted odds of any anomaly were compared by receipt of ZDV and by trimester of first prescription. RESULTS: The adjusted prevalence of any anomaly in the study cohort was 2.76 times greater than in the general population (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.36-3. 17). Children of study women who were prescribed ZDV had increased adjusted odds of any anomaly (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.55; 95% CI, 1.01-2.29). Adjusted ORs (with CIs) by trimester of first prescription were 1.20 (0.58-2.51), 1.47 (0.85-2.55), and 1.84 (1. 04-3.25) for the first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. CONCLUSION: Children of HIV-infected women in this cohort had a greater prevalence of major anomalies than did the general NYS population. An increased risk of major anomalies was not evident for first trimester exposure when the association would have been most biologically plausible.
Interaction of enantiomeric pairs of opiates with phencyclidine binding sites in rat brain: Identification of (+) pentazocine as a ligand potentially suitable for imaging sigma binding sites using positron emission tomography

Some unnatural opiates, which do not interact with classical opiate receptors, interact with phencyclidine (PCP) receptors. Among their many pharmacological actions, drugs which bind to the PCP receptor antagonize the actions of glutamic acid mediated via the NMDA excitatory amino acid receptor, leading to their potential use as anti-ischemic and anticonvulsant agents. Despite an enormous effort, identification of a PCP receptor antagonist, which would be useful for research and therapeutics, has not yet been reported. Chemical modification of unnatural opiates as a means to produce a PCP antagonist, or PCP agonists with properties different than PCP, has not been fully explored. Towards this end, we determined the equilibrium dissociation constants of eight enantiomeric pairs of opiates for the rat brain PCP receptor.
Frequency Response Characteristics of an Active Heat Flux Gage

The transient response and frequency response of a constant-temperature platinum film gage are computationally modeled for application to heat flux measurement. The probe consists of a thin platinum film (sensor) deposited on a Pyrex substrate, and coated with aluminum oxide. The probe is exposed to a convective environment, and the power required to maintain the sensor at a constant temperature is a direct indication of the local, instantaneous heat transfer rate. In application, the probe is mounted in a heated, high thermal conductivity material, creating an isothermal heat transfer surface. A two-dimensional numerical model was developed to represent the sensor, the Pyrex substrate and the coating. Ideally, the probe would be operated with the platinum at identically the same temperature as the isothermal surface. In the present study, the effects of non-ideal operating conditions, resulting in differences between the sensor and surface temperature, are examined. Frequency response characteristics are presented in a nondimensional form. The results of this modeling effort clearly indicate the importance of precise control over the sensor temperature in employing the present method for heat flux measurement. With the sensor temperature equal to the isothermal surface temperature, the probe calibration is insensitive to the heat transfer rate over a wide range of heat transfer coefficients. However, a 0.5°C difference between the sensor and surface temperatures yields a change in the calibration of approximately 20 percent over a range of heat transfer coefficient of 500 W/m2 K. At an input frequency of 10 Hz and an average heat transfer coefficient of 175 W/m2 K, amplitude errors increase from 3 percent to 35 percent as the temperature difference changes from zero to 1°C. These results are useful guide to calibration, operation, and data reduction in active heat flux measurement.
An equivalence relation between parallel calibration and principal component regression

Multivariate calibration and prediction, when there are few observations and many variables, is an important and unresolved problem in chemometrics. Recently a technique called paralle calibration was introduced as a new and easy to understand calibation method. In this paper we show that parallel calibration is equivalent to a form of principal component regression and to generalized inverse regression. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Epididymal fat depot lipoprotein lipase activity is lower in animals with high endogenous fat preferences

Adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is a key enzyme responsible for the clearance of circulating triglycerides and has been linked to certain pathologic states such as obesity. In order to investigate whether an animal's endogenous fat-preference is associated with differences in adipose tissue LPL, we measured enzyme activity in epididymal fat from high- and low-fat preferring rats. Utilizing a 24h ad libitum feeding paradigm, four groups of outbred adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were screened separately for their macronutrient preferences. Animals exhibiting high- or low-fat preferences were identified and placed back on standard chow. LPL activity was measured in epididymal fat under chow fed or fasted conditions. Epididymal fat LPL activity was significantly less in the high-fat-preferring animals relative to the low-fat-preferring, in both the standard chow-fed state (p = 0.014) and fasted (p = 0.0007) state. LPL activity in heart ventricle and brown adipose tissue was also measured from the same animals. Activity in heart ventricle and brown adipose tissue was significantly lower in the high-fat-preferring group as compared with the low-fat-preferring only following a 24h fast (p = 0.0012 for heart and p = 0.0085 for brown adipose, high- versus low-fat preferring). The data indicate that differences in tissue LPL activity exist between animals with inherent differences in fat preference. Future comparative studies between the two groups of fat-preferring animals could lead to important clues to the regulation of the LPL.
Neuroimaging study of sex differences in the neuropathology of cocaine abuse.

Abstract Background Female and male substance abusers differ in their disease patterns and clinical outcomes. An important question in addiction neuroscience thus concerns the neural substrates underlying these sex differences. Objective This article aims to examine what is known of the neural mechanisms involved in the sex differences between substance abusers. Methods We reviewed neuroimaging studies that addressed sex differences in cerebral perfusion deficits after chronic cocaine use and in regional brain activation during pharmacologic challenge and cue-induced craving. We also present results from a preliminary study in which cocaine-dependent men and women participated in script-guided imagery of stress- and drug cue-related situations while blood oxygenation level-dependent signals of their brain were acquired in a 1.5T scanner. Spatial pre-processing and statistical analysis of brain images were performed. Regional brain activation was compared between stress and drug cue trials in men versus women. Results The results of our study showed greater activation in the left uncus and right claustrum (both, statistical threshold of P = 0.01, uncorrected; extent = 10 voxels) in men (n = 5) during drug cue trials compared with stress trials. No brain regions showed greater activation during stress trials compared with drug cue trials. In contrast, women (n = 6) showed greater activation in the right medial and superior frontal gyri during stress trials compared with drug cue trials at the same statistical threshold. No brain regions showed more activation during drug cue trials than during stress trials. Conclusions The studies reviewed underscore the need to consider sex-related factors in examining the neuropathology of cocaine addiction. Our preliminary results also suggest important sex differences in the effect of stress- and drug cue-associated brain activation in individuals with cocaine use disorder.
High-Accuracy Range Measurements To The Moon

The lunar ranging station at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory has made more than 1800 range measurements to the four lunar retroreflectors during the first six years of its operation. Each range consists of a normal point constructed of from 5 to 20 single photoelectron returns. Normal point accuracies to about four parts in 10 to the tenth plus or minus 10 cm have become routine. The availability of excellent commercial timing equipment means that the error for such a measurement is primarily dependent on the width of the transmitted laser pulse. Second generation systems using mode-locked subnanosecond lasers can probably achieve routine normal point accuracies approaching one part in 10 to the tenth plus or minus 2 cm. High speed pockel cells may permit such accuracies to be realized with conventional Q-switched lasers.
Neuro-adaptive control method for antilock braking systems

The braking effectiveness of antilock braking system (ABS) could be degraded for rough road conditions (e.g., icy/snowy roads). In this work, a neuro-adaptive control design method is proposed for improving the performance of ABS. A neuro-adaptive unit is constructed to compensate external disturbances and uncertain dynamics due to road condition variation. This method does not involve analytical estimation of the upper bound on the reconstruction error and lumped uncertainties of the system, simplifying the design process and online computation. The performance of the developed control scheme is verified via simulation.
RETHINKING THE BOUNDARIES AND BURDENS OF PARENTAL AUTHORITY OVER EDUCATION: A RESPONSE TO ROB REICH’S CASE STUDY OF HOMESCHOOLING

Rob Reich’s claim that fruitful discussions about the balance among state, parental, and children’s educational interests would benefit by contemplating the widespread phenomenon of homeschooling is a welcome suggestion. His policy recommendations, however, place an unjustified burden on parents to show the adequacy of homeschooling arrangements instead of placing the burden on the state to clarify commonly agreed-upon outcome measures. In this essay, Perry Glanzer argues that Reich places the burden on parents by overstating the threat that the freedom given to homeschooling parents represents to the interests of liberal democratic states and children. Reich, Glanzer contends, also underestimates the state’s tendency to use regulation to weaken the civil society essential for liberal democracy. To counter Reich’s proposal, Glanzer offers recommendations regarding the proper limits of parental authority in education in general and in the case of homeschooling in particular.
Case study: visualization of particle track data

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) experiment at the Brookhaven National Lab is designed to study how the universe came into being. It is believed that after the Big Bang, the universe expanded and cooled, consisting of a soup of quarks, gluons, electrons and neutrinos. As the temperature lowered, electrons combined with protons and formed neutral atoms. Later, clouds of atoms contracted into stars. In this paper, we describe how techniques of volume rendering and information visualization are used to visualize the large particle track data set generated from this high energy physics experiment. The system, called TrackVis, is based on our earlier work of VolVis - Volume Visualization software. Example images of real particle collision data are shown, which are helpful to physicists in investigating the behavior of strongly interacting matter at high energy density.
DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS: ADVANTAGES IN CONSUMER MARKETING SETTINGS

Information technology has made possible the recognition, acquisition, organization, and controlled retention of data from sources virtually unavailable in the past. Terms such as “the information society” and “information glut” have become commonplace. High‐level corporate positions with titles such as Chief Information Officer are being created in an attempt to efficiently and effectively use information for the benefit of the organization and the society it serves. A major challenge in the 1980s is to gain and maintain the ability to use this information for competitive advantage. Decision Support Systems (DSS) enable marketing managers to integrate internal and external information environments within a decision‐making context. Useful features available within Marketing Information Systems can be incorporated with the potentials of DSS. Together the two systems can provide marketing managers with opportunities to anticipate, identify, and creatively respond to changing consumer demand.
Characteristics of body-mounted antennas for personal radio sets

The development of a multiturn loop antenna for a police officer's personal radio set is described. The antenna is small, low profile, lightweight, with dimensions of 2.7 \times 2.7 \times 0.7 in high ( 1.06 \times 1.06 \times 0.28 cm), and is tunable over the 150- to 170-MHz band. VSWR and radiation patterns are presented with the antenna mounted on a man's shoulder. The shoulder-mounted antenna characteristics are described with conditions where the man is in standing, stooping, and prone positions, with various head and arm movements, and with light and heavy clothing. Radiation patterns are referenced to a 6-in helical whip commonly used by police officers. Radiation patterns also indicate body absorption loss for loop and whip antennas mounted at waist level as compared with shoulder levels. The instantaneous bandwidth is 1.4 MHz for a VSWR \leq 3:1 . A dual-frequency model for use in a two-frequency push-to-talk mode, is also shown to be practical.
Interpolator methods for efficient computation of layered media Green's functions

Layered media appear in a wide variety of applications. For integral equation formulations involving layered media, the mixed potential approach of Michalski for layered media problems is usually adopted. It expresses fields in terms of a superposition of equivalent transmission line solutions in which the characteristic impedances are the wave impedances of TE and TM plane waves supported by the media, and the propagation constants are the longitudinal wave numbers. Here we briefly review both the non-periodic and periodic problems and focus on recent methods for accelerating computation of the associated Green's functions and on efficiently interpolating them to further speed their calculation for moment methods. Results are presented to illustrate interpolation approaches for both periodic and non-periodic problems.
Right ventricular apical pacing-induced left ventricular dyssynchrony is associated with a subsequent decline in ejection fraction.

Background In patients with normal left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), the interposition of chronic, high-dose right ventricular apical (RVA) pacing may produce late EF decline. Objective To test the hypothesis that LV dyssynchrony, defined echocardiographically and apparent early after interposition of pacing, would be greater in patients who subsequently demonstrated EF decline. Methods Ninety-one patients with normal prepacing EF who underwent atrioventricular node ablation and subsequent high-dose RVA pacing were studied. Transthoracic echocardiograms were performed early (median 4 months) and late (median 28 months) after interposition of pacing, with a significant decline in EF between these studies defined as ≥5%. Speckle-tracking longitudinal strain analysis of the early echocardiogram was performed to quantify dyssynchrony. In addition to standard dyssynchrony indices, a novel index of apex-to-base mechanical propagation delay (MPD) was used. Results Multivariable analysis determined that MPD of the septum correlated with a significant decline in EF, independent of all other dyssynchrony, clinical, or pacing variables. A septal MPD value exceeding 50 ms was associated with EF decline at 81% sensitivity and 88% specificity. Conclusions Dyssynchrony, in particular septal MPD, measured early after interposition of high-dose RVA pacing predicted a significant late decline in EF in patients who had normal prepacing EF.
Electrical properties of Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 thin film capacitors with modified RuO2 bottom electrodes

Abstract Growth of Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 (PZT) thin films on RuO2 electrodes by the sol-gel process is usually accompanied by the formation of second phases. The resulting RuO2/PZT/RuO2 capacitors are fatigue-free up to nearly 1011 switching cycles, but they have high leakage currents (J∼10−3 A/cm2 at 1 volt) and large property variation. We have developed several modifications of the RuO2 bottom electrode which enhance nucleation of the perovskite phase, eliminate or reduce the second phases, and control film orientation and properties. The PZT films deposited on the modified RuO2 electrodes have leakage current densities which are two to four orders of magnitude lower than those of PZT films deposited on the unmodified RuO2 electrodes. In most cases, the excellent resistance to polarization fatigue which is characteristic of the RuO2/PZT/RuO2 capacitors, is maintained.
Genetically Diverse Group A Streptococci from Children in Far-Western Nepal Share High Genetic Relatedness with Isolates from Other Countries

The genetic diversity of group A streptococci (GAS) throughout much of the world has not been adequately explored. To assess genetic variation among GAS in western Nepal, 120 noninvasive GAS, collected from eight different villages, were genetically characterized using emm typing, sof sequencing, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). A high level of genetic diversity was observed among these isolates, with 51 genotypes based upon 51 multilocus sequence types (STs), 45 emm sequence types, and 28 sof sequence types. On the basis of shared ST-emm and sof-emm associations, 40 of the 51 genotypes were identical or highly related to genotypes characterized from locations outside of Nepal, even though most of the emm sequence and clonal types are rare among GAS within the United States. When analyzing all known STs highly related to Nepal STs, only one example of similar STs shared between a sof PCR-positive strain and a sof PCR-negative strain was observed. Since previous data indicate free exchange of MLST loci between sof-positive and sof-negative strains, there is possibly selection against the expansion of subclones resulting from horizontal transfers of sof or emm genes between sof-positive and sof-negative strains. All 45 emm types encountered in Nepal have also been documented from other countries. These data, together with data encompassing the past decade of emm type surveillance, support the possibility that most existing GAS emm types have been discovered. Similarly, since most (40/51) strain types were highly related to strains found elsewhere, it is likely that a major fraction of the existing GAS clonal complexes have been discovered.
Human Na+ channel fast and slow inactivation in paramyotonia congenita mutants expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes

1. Paramyotonia congenita (PC) is a human hereditary disease caused by one or more amino acid substitutions in skeletal muscle sodium channels. Using macropatches, the effect of PC mutations R1448C and T1313M were compared with wild-type (WT) in Xenopus oocytes coinjected with both alpha- and beta-subunits of human skeletal muscle (SkM1) sodium channels. 2. Slow inactivation in either T1313M or R1448C was not different from WT. Fast inactivation in both PC mutants, however, was significantly altered. 3. Commonly used biophysical protocols (such as I-V curves, steady-state inactivation curves, and measurements of inactivation rates) did not uniformly indicate that hyperexcitability should result from T1313M or R1448C. In fact, the only alteration of fast inactivation common to T1313M and R1448C that predicted cellular hyperexcitability was slowed open-state inactivation, compared with WT. 4. To test whether this alteration was sufficient to cause the phenotypic hyperexcitability, we used a novel voltage command that simulated muscle membrane activity. With this protocol, we found that R1448C and T1313M were similar in that they maintained a significantly higher channel availability during high frequency activity, compared with WT.
Interstitial-matrix edema in burns: mechanistic insights from subatmospheric pressure treatment in vivo.

Thermal injury disrupts fluid homeostasis and hydration, affecting hemodynamics and local interstitial fluid-driving forces, leading rapidly to edema. This study explores local mechanisms in vivo, after deep partial-thickness burns in the dermal matrix. Heat-damaged skin was obtained from pig corpses, byproducts of unrelated burn treatment protocols approved by the Institutional Animal-Care-and-Use Committee. Hydration potential and flow rates were measured by osmotic stress techniques at 4 and 37 °C, and collagen folding/unfolding was examined by differential scanning calorimetry and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging. Kinetic and equilibrium hydration parameters differed in heat-damaged and undamaged skin; the mean hydration potential and initial flow rates of damaged skin were negative at 37 but positive at 4 °C, in contrast to the positive mean at either temperature of explants taken from undamaged skin sites on the same animals. After subatmospheric pressure treatment (125 mmHg), parameters in damaged reversed to values similar to those of undamaged, whereas the proportion of folded collagen and unidirectional resistance to water diffusion increased. Together, results support interfacial rather than colloidosmotic fluid transfer mechanisms in burns and confirm in vivo the relevance of collagen folding/unfolding, further suggesting collagen structural transitions as potential therapeutic targets and models for engineered biomimetic materials.
Locally ϕp-optimal designs for generalized linear models with a single-variable quadratic polynomial predictor

Finding optimal designs for generalized linear models is a challenging problem. Recent research has identified the structure of optimal designs for generalized linear models with single or multiple unrelated explanatory variables that appear as first-order terms in the predictor. We consider generalized linear models with a single-variable quadratic polynomial as the predictor under a popular family of optimality criteria. When the design region is unrestricted, our results establish that optimal designs can be found within a subclass of designs based on a small support with symmetric structure. We show that the same conclusion holds with certain restrictions on the design region, but in other cases a larger subclass may have to be considered. In addition, we derive explicit expressions for some D-optimal designs.
ONE NEW SPECIES AND ONE NEW COMBINATION IN NETECHMA RAZOWSKI (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE: EULIINI)

Netechma similis, new species, from Costa Rica, is described and illustrated, and Netechma caesiata (Clarke), new combination, from Venezuela, is redescribed and illustrated. Netechma Razowski belongs to a group of genera in Euliini characterized by one or more sparganothine-like features of the male genitalia, including a spiny transtilla; a long, slender, hooklike uncus; and densely scaled socii. Adults of the two treated species are superficially most similar to species of Icteralaria Razowski, with a forewing that features a broad, dark, medial band on a pale yellow ground color.
A major segment of the neurofibromatosis type 1 gene: cDNA sequence, genomic structure, and point mutations.

Abstract Overlapping cDNA clones from the translocation break-point region (TBR) gene, recently discovered at the neurofibromatosis type 1 locus and found to be interrupted by deletions and a t(17;22) translocation, have been sequenced. A 4 kb sequence of the transcript of the TBR gene has been compared with sequences of genomic DNA, identifying a number of small exons. Identification of splice junctions and a large open reading frame indicates that the gene is oriented with its 5′ end toward the centromere, in opposition to the three known active genes in the region. PCR amplification of a subset of the exons, followed by electrophoresis of denatured product on native gels, identified six variant conformers specific to NF1 patients, indicating base pair changes in the gene. Sequencing revealed that one mutant allele contains a T→C transition changing a leucine to a proline; another NF1 allele harbors a C→T transition changing an arginine to a stop codon. These results establish the TBR gene as the NF1 gene and provide a description of a major segment of the gene.
Experimental petrology applied to volcanic processes

Interest in volcanism has been stimulated by recent eruptions at Mount St. Helens, Kilauea, Pinatubo, and in the Aleutians, and by intrusive activity in Long Valley, Calif. The improved scientific understanding of magma systems and volcanic processes that has developed from theoretical modeling and field and analytical studies of these and other volcanic centers has been complemented by recent results from experimental petrology. The experiments make it possible to determine the conditions (for example, pressure [P], temperature [T], oxidation state [fO2], and the volatile content [fH2O, fCO2]) of the pre-eruption magma. This information provides an estimate of the magma storage region depth, the potential role of volatiles in the eruption process, and compositional zoning in the subvolcanic magma.