cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amniotic fluid collagenase inhibitor: correlation with gestational age and fetal lung maturity.

Abstract Concentrations of collagenase inhibitor in amniotic fluid correlated with gestational age and with indices of fetal lung maturity such as the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio and the presence of phosphatidylglycerol. Possible sources of amniotic fluid collagenase inhibitor were sought, and a number of tissues and fluids, both maternal and fetal in origin, were found to contain or synthesize this glycoprotein in significant quantities. The highest concentrations were achieved in cultures of lung fibroblasts implicating the fetal lung as a major source. Although collagenase inhibitor is largely present in a free or available state, its specific role, other than that of a general antiproteinase, has not been determined in amniotic fluid. However, the quantitation of amniotic fluid collagenase inhibitor provides and index of the maturation of the connective tissue of the fetal lung and may reflect the ability of the extracellular matrix to meet neonatal demands.
University Science Teachers as Researchers: Blurring the Scholarship Boundaries

In this paper I examine the phenomenon of university teachers as researchers in their own classrooms. I use examples of three research teams in which we studied: (1) student response to a science and society course; (2) teacher and student perceptions of inquiry in a physics course; and (3) teaching and learning about the nature of science in an elementary science pedagogy course. In addition to describing each study, I compare their purposes, researcher roles, and actions taken. I use these comparisons to address the ideological clashes and dilemmas of ownership, action, and quality that arise in this kind of research. Finally, I comment upon the significance of university teachers as researchers for themselves, their institutions, and the research community.
Calmodulin and the philosopher's stone: Changing Ca2+ into arrhythmias.

Calmodulin and the Philosopher's Stone. It has been recognized for some time that intracellular Ca 2 + ([Ca 2 + ] i ) can contribute to the genesis of cardiac arrhythmias, but understanding of the molecular signaling machinery that links disordered [Ca 2 + ] i to arrhythmias has been lacking. Exciting recent work has focused on the ubiquitous intracellular Ca 2 + -binding protein calmodulin. Calmodulin is a molecular sensor that can translate increases in [Ca 2 + ] i into modulatory signals for ion channels and activate other Ca 2 + -dependent signaling molecules. This article will examine the implications of these recent findings for arrhythmogenesis and the development of new antiarrhythmic therapies.
Phosphorescent Emission from Polymeric Light-Emitting Diodes Doped with Chrysene-d12

We present electroluminescence studies of chrysene-d12 which has both high phosphorescence (Ph=25%) and high fluorescence quantum yields (Fl=40%) (at 77 K). Light-emitting diodes were fabricated utilizing a simple single layer device structure consisting of a hole-transporting polymer matrix poly(methylphenylsilane) doped with chrysene-d12. We show that the spectrum, temperature dependence and temporal characteristics of the electroluminescence emission indicate that it originates from the triplet excited state of chrysene-d12.
Rescue of the colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1)-nullizygous mouse (Csf1op/Csf1op) phenotype with a CSF-1 transgene and identification of sites of local CSF-1 synthesis

Colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) regulates the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of mononuclear phagocytes. It is expressed as a secreted glycoprotein or proteoglycan found in the circulation or as a biologically active cell-surface glycoprotein. To investigate tissue CSF-1 regulation, CSF-1-null Csf1(op)/Csf1(op) mice expressing transgenes encoding the full-length membrane-spanning CSF-1 precursor driven by 3.13 kilobases of the mouse CSF-1 promoter and first intron were characterized. Transgene expression corrected the gross osteopetrotic, neurologic, weight, tooth, and reproductive defects of Csf1(op)/Csf1(op) mice. Detailed analysis of one transgenic line revealed that circulating CSF-1, tissue macrophage numbers, hematopoietic tissue cellularity, and hematopoietic parameters were normalized. Tissue CSF-1 levels were normal except for elevations in 4 secretory tissues. Skin fibroblasts from the transgenic mice secreted normal amounts of CSF-1 but also expressed some cell-surface CSF-1. Also, lacZ driven by the same promoter/first intron revealed beta-galactosidase expression in hematopoietic, reproductive, and other tissue locations proximal to CSF-1 cellular targets, consistent with local regulation by CSF-1 at these sites. These studies indicate that the 3.13-kilobase promoter/first intron confers essentially normal CSF-1 expression. They also pinpoint new cellular sites of CSF-1 expression, including ovarian granulosa cells, mammary ductal epithelium, testicular Leydig cells, serous acinar cells of salivary gland, Paneth cells of the small intestine, as well as local sites in several other tissues.
Thomas-Fermi model: The leading correction

The correct treatment of strongly bound electrons is grafted smoothly onto the Thomas-Fermi computation of the total binding energy of neutral atoms. This provides a clearcut demonstration of the leading correction of relative order ${Z}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{3}}$ which, with effects of relative order ${Z}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{2}{3}}$, gives an accurate account of the binding energy over a wide range of $Z$ values. There is a brief discussion of relativistic corrections, with results that are somewhat at variance with previous numerical estimates.
High performance 660 nm InGaP/AIGaInP quantum well metal cladding ridge waveguide laser diode

A high performance 660 nm metal cladding ridge waveguide laser diode was fabricated from a compressively strained In/sub 0.6/Ga/sub 0.4/P/(Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/)/sub 0.5/In/sub 0.5/P single quantum well laser structure. The 4 /spl mu/m wide ridge waveguide diode had a threshold current of 31 mA with a differential quantum efficiency of 45%/facet (slope efficiency of 0.85 W/A) under CW operation. The characteristic temperature was 120 K from 20 to 75/spl deg/C. The diode operated in a single transverse mode up to 22 mW/facet.
THE MEANING AND EFFICACY OF SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL AS A STRATEGY FOR COPING WITH CHRONIC RESIDENTIAL CROWDING

Two studies examined whether the previously documented coping strategy of social withdrawal in response to chronic crowding is related to changes in social information processing. In both studies we found evidence that individuals residing in crowded homes in comparison to uncrowded homes were less cognizant of personal information about strangers in an incidental encounter under naturalistic, uncrowded conditions as well as under highly crowded conditions, occurring in the laboratory. Furthermore, we show in the experimental study that interference with this social withdrawal process has significant effects on social information processing. In study 2 we also demonstrate that social withdrawal in response to acute crowding is an effective coping strategy for reducing short-term stress for those who have learned to employ this strategy while living under chronically crowded conditions. All of these results occur independently of income levels.
A certain mixed boundary value problem for a bimaterial interface

Abstract This paper presents the solution of a certain mixed problem for a bimaterial interfacecontaining a cut. In the plane, elastostatic analysis displacements are prescribed on the lower edge of the cut and external stresses are applied on its upper edge. Using complex variable techniques, analytical expressions are derived for all physical quantities, including the compliance of the anchor, the stress field, and the stress singularities at its edges. Selected numerical values are presented for these quantities as functions of elastic mismatch. The developed solution can be used to model a vertically loaded rigid anchor, unbonded on one side, embedded along the interface between two elastic materials.
A quantitative comparison of vector magnetic field measurement and analysis techniques

We make a quantitative comparison between spectral vs filter measurement and analysis techniques for extraction of solar vector magnetic fields from polarimetric data using as a basis the accurately calibrated, high angular resolution Stokes profile data from the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter. It is shown that filter-based measurements deliver qualitative images of the field alignment for sunspots that are visually similar to images derived from the more detailed analysis of the Stokes profiles. However, quantitative comparison with least-squares fits to the full Stokes profiles show that both the strength of the field predicted by the filter-based analysis and its orientation contain substantial errors. These errors are largest for plage regions outside of sunspots, where the field strengths are inferred to be only a fraction of their true values, and errors in the orientation of 40–50° are common. Within sunspots, errors of 20° are commonplace. The greatest source of these errors is the inability of the filter-based measurements to account for the small fill fraction of magnetic fields or, equivalently, scattered light in the instrument, which reduce the degree of polarization. The uncertainties of the full profile fitting methods are also discussed, along with the errors introduced by coarser wavelength sampling of the observed Stokes profiles. The least-squares fitting procedure operates best when the profiles are sampled at least as frequently as one Doppler width of the line.
Recruitment of the Eastern Oyster in Coastal Georgia: Patterns and Recommendations

Abstract The recruitment levels of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica were monitored during 1991–1994 to investigate the feasibility of collecting natural spat for conservation or maricultural purposes in coastal Georgia. Recruitment levels were measured on three temporal (biweekly, monthly, and seasonally) and three spatial scales (subtidally, at mean low water, and intertidally), at three sites (House Creek, Skidaway River, and Priest Landing) from April through November in each year. Recruitment generally commenced in May and continued through October, usually peaking in August. Recruitment was highest at the House Creek site and varied greatly among the sites. Distinct differences in recruitment patterns occurred among the temporal scales sampled. For the biweekly collectors, recruitment was highest on the subtidal collectors. On the monthly collectors, low-water and subtidal returns tended to be similar and were higher than the intertidal returns. For the seasonal collectors, intertidal collect...
Do-it-yourself guide: How to use the modern single molecule toolkit

Single-molecule microscopy has evolved into the ultimate-sensitivity toolkit to study systems from small molecules to living cells, with the prospect of revolutionizing the modern biosciences. Here we survey the current state of the art in single-molecule tools including fluorescence spectroscopy, tethered particle microscopy, optical and magnetic tweezers, and atomic force microscopy. We also provide guidelines for choosing the right approach from the available single-molecule toolkit for applications as diverse as structural biology, enzymology, nanotechnology and systems biology.
Cost effectiveness of dalteparin for preventing venous thromboembolism in abdominal surgery.

Introduction: Patients undergoing abdominal surgeries face substantial risk of experiencing venous thromboembolic events in the perioperative period. The low-molecular-weight heparin dalteparin sodium is clinically effective in reducing the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in these patients. Dalteparin may be used in low (2500 units [U]) and high (5000U) once-daily doses for this indication. However, the cost effectiveness of dalteparin 5000U compared with dalteparin 2500U and unfractionated heparin (UFH) for this indication has not been studied. Objective: To conduct a cost-utility analysis to evaluate the cost effectiveness of dalteparin compared with UFH for preventing VTE in patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery. Methods: A Markov model, from a healthcare perspective, was constructed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of dalteparin 5000U and dalteparin 2500U compared with UFH. A 69-year-old mixed sex patient population was studied using pooled probabilities of clinical outcomes from randomised, controlled trials. Cost data were mostly derived from Medicare reimbursement, in year 2002–03 values. Cost effectiveness was measured as cost per QALY gained over the patient’s lifetime. Results: Total costs for patients given UFH, dalteparin 2500U and dalteparin 5000U were $US45 855, $US45 882 and $US46 308, respectively, while QALYs were 9.5603, 9.5632 and 9.5811, respectively. Hence, the incremental cost effectiveness of dalteparin 5000U over dalteparin 2500U and UFH was $US23 799/QALY and $US21 779/QALY gained, respectively. Similarly, cost effectiveness for dalteparin 2500U over UFH was $US9310/QALY gained. Univariate sensitivity analysis showed that dalteparin 5000U maintained its cost effectiveness (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio [ICER] <$US50 000/QALY gained) over the other two regimens for a wide range of cost and effectiveness estimates. Acceptability curves based on the results of Monte Carlo simulation (50 000 patients) showed that dalteparin 5000U would achieve cost effectiveness for 90% of patients at values close to $US230 000/QALY. Dalteparin 2500U was less effective than UFH for patients aged <63 years. Conclusion: Even though our base-case analysis seems to show that dalteparin 5000U is cost effective compared with dalteparin 2500U and UFH for prophylaxis of VTE in patients undergoing abdominal surgery, Monte Carlo simulation demonstrated that this was the case for only about 50% of the patients if the threshold for cost effectiveness is set at $US50 000 per QALY gained. Furthermore, there was substantial uncertainty in the cost-effectiveness results. To ensure that ≥90% patients receive the benefit of the medication, policy makers would need to commit substantially more resources than suggested by the baseline ICERs.
The effect of seawater exposure on mode I interlaminar fracture and crack growth in graphite/epoxy

The effects of seawater exposure on the mechanics of Mode I fracture and crack growth in unidirectional AS-4/3501 graphite/epoxy were investigated utilizing the previously developed compliant load-frame (CLF) technique. Mode I double-cantilever- beam (DCB) specimens were exposed to fresh flowing seawater under both static and fa tigue loading conditions. Long-term fatigue loading in air resulted in extensive bridging of reinforcing fibers across the crack tip, increasing the apparent fracture resistance of the material. The primary effect of seawater was to weaken the fiber-to-matrix bond in the composite, causing an increase in the number of bridged fibers. Fiber bridging increased the fracture resistance of the DCB test specimens and reduced the rate of crack growth to near zero. An increase in the fracture resistance of specimens soaked in seawater but not loaded was also attributed to a weakened fiber-to-matrix bond. The compliant load-frame (CLF) technique was found to be a simple and cost-effective ...
Hall effect measurements in thin films of Tl2Ba2CaCu2Ox

Abstract Hall effect measurements are one of the primary methods for determining the sign and magnitude of the carrier density in the high-temperature superconductors. Although for La2−xSrxCuO4, Yba2Cu3O7 and Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox, the positive Hall coefficients predict hole conduction, Nd2−xCexCuO4 has been reported to be an electron-doped superconductor based on Hall and Seebeck measurements. Our results for sputtered thin films of Tl2Ba2CaCu2Ox are substantially similar to the former, indicating this material also exhibits hole conduction.
Differential effects of androgens and glucocorticoids on regulation of androgen receptor concentrations and cell growth

This report describes androgen induced up-regulation of intracellular androgen receptor concentrations in the DDT1MF-2 cell line derived from the hamster ductus deferens and the R3327H-G8-A1 line derived from the Dunning prostate adenocarcinoma. Within 6 h of exposure to androgens the receptor concentration is increased approximately 2-fold. Incorporation of dense amino-acids and subsequent analysis by sucrose density gradient centrifugation indicates that the observed increase in receptors is possibly due to de novo androgen receptor synthesis. In both cell lines this increase is inhibited by 30-50% within 6 h and completely during a subsequent 18 h period by the potent glucocorticoid triamcinolone acetonide (TA). TA also inhibits the growth of both cell lines and antagonizes the stimulatory effect of androgens. Flow cell cytometry studies indicate that TA blocks the cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. This event may be associated with regulation of androgen receptor concentrations.
Low-dimensional physics: Magnetic lattice surprise

Transport measurements point to spontaneous formation of an array of local magnetic moments in a two-dimensional electron system tuned to low density.
Nitric oxide, interleukin and prostaglandin interactions affecting the magnocellular system.

Abstract Magnocellular neurons are innervated by an excitatory histaminergic pathway. They also express neuronal NO synthase, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and cyclo-oxygenase (COX). In normally hydrated rats when NO synthase activity is inhibited with N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME), administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), OT concentration in plasma increases. In the present study, the increase in hormone after l -NAME is attenuated by indomethacin, an inhibitor of COX, as well as by antagonists of histamine receptors at H1 (pyrilamine) and H2 (cimetidine) subtypes injected i.c.v. Moreover, enhanced OT secretion induced by centrally administered IL-1β, but not naloxone (opiate receptor antagonist), is prevented by indomethacin. PGE2 and PGD2 (i.c.v.) stimulate OT release, but only PGD2 affects circulating vasopressin levels. Thus, NO inhibits release of OT stimulated by: (1) a COX-dependent mechanism, i.e. NO→−(COX→+PG→+OT release); (2) histamine, i.e. NO→−(histamine→H1 and H2 receptors→+OT release); and possibly (3) IL-1β, i.e. NO→−(IL-1β→+COX→+PG→+OT release). These interactions of NO, cytokine and histamine may be important for management of stress-induced activation of neuroendocrine systems.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Studies of a Flapping Wing Nano Air Vehicle (NAV)

Abstract : The goal of this project is to develop a Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) with a wing span of 7.5 cm. The computational fluid dynamics study is focused on the aerodynamic efficiency of the wings. The primary focus of the computational study is on the aerodynamic performance of the wings in order to obtain a near optimal kinematics of the wing while the NAV is in a hover mode. The secondary effort was of a more fundamental nature, in order to understand the differences between a rotating helicopter blade and a similarly designed wing undergoing a flapping motion.
Acclimation capacity underlies susceptibility to climate change.

Recent reports have presented meta-analyses of global biological impacts of climate change ( [1][1], [2][2] ). However, there is debate as to the level of confidence ascribed to the certainty that global climate change has caused the observed biological changes ( [3][3] ). Two important
Arrangement of Cellulose Microfibrils in Walls of Elongating Parenchyma Cells

The arrangement of cellulose microfibrils in walls of elongating parenchyma cells of Avena coleoptiles, onion roots, and celery petioles was studied in polarizing and electron microscopes by examining whole cell walls and sections. Walls of these cells consist firstly of regions containing the primary pit fields and composed of microfibrils oriented predominantly transversely. The transverse microfibrils show a progressive disorientation from the inside to the outside of the wall which is consistent with the multinet model of wall growth. Between the pit-field regions and running the length of the cells are ribs composed of longitudinally oriented microfibrils. Two types of rib have been found at all stages of cell elongation. In some regions, the wall appears to consist entirely of longitudinal microfibrils so that the rib forms an integral part of the wall. At the edges of such ribs the microfibrils can be seen to change direction from longitudinal in the rib to transverse in the pit-field region. Often, however, the rib appears to consist of an extra separate layer of longitudinal microfibrils outside a continuous wall of transverse microfibrils. These ribs are quite distinct from secondary wall, which consists of longitudinal microfibrils deposited within the primary wall after elongation has ceased. It is evident that the arrangement of cellulose microfibrils in a primary wall can be complex and is probably an expression of specific cellular differentiation.
In vitro activities of telavancin and six comparator agents against anaerobic bacterial isolates.

The antimicrobial activities of telavancin and six comparators were evaluated against 460 isolates of anaerobic bacteria. Telavancin demonstrated excellent activity against gram-positive anaerobes (MIC90, 2 μg/ml) and was the most potent agent tested against Clostridium difficile (MIC90, 0.25 μg/ml). As expected, gram-negative isolates were not inhibited by telavancin.
LAPAROSCOPIC PARTIAL NEPHRECTOMY: EFFECT OF WARM ISCHEMIA ON SERUM CREATININE

ABSTRACTPurpose: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) has been shown to be a safe and effective option for small renal tumors. However, limited data are available regarding the effect of warm ischemic time on postoperative renal function. We assessed the effect of variable durations of warm ischemia on long-term renal function in patients undergoing LPN.Materials and Methods: A total of 118 patients with a single, unilateral, sporadic renal tumor and normal contralateral kidney underwent LPN from August 1998 to November 2002. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on warm ischemic time, namely group 1—no renal occlusion in 42, group 2—warm ischemia less than 30 minutes in 48 and group 3—warm ischemia greater than 30 minutes in 28. All 3 groups were assessed for changes in serum creatinine 6 months after LPN. Additionally, renal remnants were examined with cross-sectional imaging.Results: At a median followup of 28 months (range 6 to 56) median creatinine had not statistically increased postoperativel...
Stanford, the IBM 650, and the First Trials of Computer Date Matching

In 1959, two Stanford undergraduate electrical engineering students enrolled in Math 139, theory and operation of computing machines, and as a final class project, devised the "Happy Families Planning Service". They used the IBM model 650 computer, pairing up 49 men and 49 women, for the first known computer-date-matched party
Strikes and Wages: A Test of an Asymmetric Information Model

This paper describes a simple model of labor disputes based on the hypothesis that unions use strikes to infer the profitability of the firm. The model posits the existence of a negatively sloped resistance curve between wages and strike duration. In addition, it offer a series of predictions relating wage and strike outcomes to changes in the expected profitability of the firm and changes in the alternative opportunities of striking workers. These implications are tested using data on wage outcomes, strike probabilities, and strike durations for a large sample of collective bargaining agreements.
Managing the Inventory of an Item with a Replacement Warranty

In this paper, we study a firm that faces demand from two sources: demand for new items and demand to replace failed items under warranty. We model this setting as a multiperiod single-product inventory problem where the demands for new items in different periods are independent and the demands for replacing failed items depend on the number and ages of the items under warranty. We consider backlogging and emergency supply cases, and study both discounted cost and average cost criteria. We prove the optimality of the w-dependent base-stock ordering policy where the base-stock level is a function of w, the vector representing the number of items at different ages currently under warranty. For the special case where the demand for new products is identically distributed, we prove the optimality of a stationary w-dependent base stock policy for the finite-horizon discounted and the infinite-horizon discounted and average cost cases. In our computational study, we find that an optimal w-dependent policy can lead to 69% average improvement in expected costs when compared to a policy that neglects demands from items under warranty.
Using markov models to compute probability of failed dangerous when repair times are not exponentially distributed

Members of standards committees for safety instrumented systems (SIS) are debating the relative merits of different modeling techniques for assessing the appropriateness of safety system design. One argument against the use of Markov models is that they represent repair times by exponential densities but that repair times are not exponentially distributed. In this paper, we use a simple Markov model with typical non-exponential repair times and calculate, by simulation methods, both the transient and steady state probabilities of the failed dangerous detected (FDD) state over a range of values for failure rates. We compare these results to those obtained using two different Markov models that assume exponentially distributed repair times. We show that the steady state probabilities from all three models are identical though the transients show some differences. We conclude that, to the extent that steady state probability of the FDD state is considered an appropriate measure of system safety, simple Markov models with exponential repair-time densities can be used and will give the same results as more complicated non-exponential repair-time densities
Effectiveness of dynamic bandwidth management mechanisms in ATM networks

The leaky bucket, a credit management system that allows cells to enter the network only if sufficient credit is available, is considered. Motivation for an in-depth study of dynamic control algorithms, to avoid congestion in high-speed networks under time varying traffic statistics, is provided. The need for real-time traffic measurements and dynamic control actions for long-lived connections is demonstrated. In particular, it is shown through simulations that implementing access control algorithms based on the bandwidth allocation procedures only at connection setup is not sufficient for congestion-free operation of the network. It is further shown that if the bandwidth allocation and the leaky bucket parameters are not dynamically adjusted, the performances of the connections depend on their initial parameters and can be very undesirable as the traffic parameters change over time. Moreover, if corrective actions are not taken, congestion may build up in the network even in the presence of leaky buckets. The simple dynamic approach proposed limits the congestion periods in the network to the time scales of the connection-level controls. Therefore, the probability of many connections sending excess traffic into the network at the same time is greatly reduced, alleviating the congestion problem. >
Vascular risk factors in late onset mania.

Background. Previous researches have suggested that late onset mania is a distinct subtype associated with medical and neurological disorders. Few studies, however, have focused on vascular risk factors. Methods. Records of 366 bipolar patients were reviewed and age of first psychiatric hospitalization determined. Late-onset cases were determined empirically from a distribution histogram. Late onset cases were matched to early onset cases and histories of vascular disease}risks and current cholesterol levels compared. Results. The distribution of age of first psychiatric hospitalization was bimodal with an intermode at age 47. Using that threshold, 6‐3% of the cohort was classified as having late onset mania. Vascular risks factors were greater and current cholesterol levels higher in the late onset group. Conclusions. Late onset mania is associated with greater vascular risk factors. The bimodal appearance of age of first psychiatric hospitalization in this study provides further support of late onset mania as a distinct manic subtype with possibly a dierent, vascular aetiology. Control of these vascular risks may impact on the incidence of late onset mania, as well as on its clinical management.
Strength Induction in a Haskell Program Verifier

Haskell employs a melange of strict and non-strict evaluation semantics, hence a Haskell verifier should be capable of checking assumptions that program variables may or may not denote well-defined values. The paper introduces a new strategy, called strength induction, that supports automatic checking of definedness assumptions. Strength induction has been implemented in Plover, an automated property-verifier for Haskell programs that has been under development for the past three years as a component of the Programatica project. In Programatica, predicate definitions and property assertions written in P-logic, a programming logic for Haskell, can be embedded in the text of a Haskell program module. Properties refine the type system of Haskell but cannot be verified by type-checking alone; a more powerful logical verifier is required. Plover codes the proof rules of P-logic, and additionally, embeds strategies and decision procedures for their application and discharge. It integrates a reduction system that implements a rewriting semantics for Haskell terms with a congruence-closure algorithm that supports reasoning with equality.
Vitamin D and all-cause mortality among adults in USA: findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Linked Mortality Study

BACKGROUND Whether concentrations of vitamin D are related to mortality remains unresolved. Our objective was to examine the relationship between serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and all-cause mortality in a national sample of US adults. METHODS We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Mortality Study from 2001 to 2004 with mortality compiled through 2006. Mortality status was established through a match to the National Death Index. RESULTS Of the 7531 participants, 347 died. Median follow-up was 3.8 years. The mean unadjusted concentrations of vitamin D were 54.1 nmol/l (21.7 ng/ml) among participants who died and 60.7 nmol/l (24.3 ng/ml) among participants who survived (P = 0.002). After adjustment for socio-demographic factors, the hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause mortality were 1.65 [95% confidence interval (CI): 95% CI: 1.13-2.40] for participants with a concentration <50 nmol/l (<20 ng/ml) and 1.02 (95% CI: 0.74-1.41) for participants with a concentration of 50 to <75 nmol/l (20 to <30 ng/ml) compared with participants who had a concentration of ≥ 75 nmol/l (≥ 30 ng/ml). After more extensive adjustment, the HRs were 1.28 (95% CI: 0.86-1.90) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.63-1.33), respectively. The fully adjusted HR per 10 nmol/l of vitamin D was 0.93 (95% CI: 0.86-1.01). The HRs did not vary by gender (P = 0.80) or among the three major racial or ethnic groups (P = 0.46). CONCLUSIONS Concentrations of vitamin D were weakly and inversely related to all-cause mortality in this sample of US adults.
The effects of acculturative variables on Asian American parent–child relationships

This study investigated acculturation and the perceived parent–child acculturative gap as predictors of the quality of parent–child relationships among 172 Asian American college students and their parents. It was expected that both acculturation level and perceived parent–child acculturative gap would play significant roles. The results showed that only perceived parent–child acculturative gap was significant across all assessed dimensions of the mother–child relationship (depth, support, conflict, and satisfaction), whereas both acculturation level and perceived parent–child acculturative gap were significant in only two dimensions of the father–child relationship (conflict and satisfaction). Overall, perceived parent–child acculturative gap was a stronger predictor than was acculturation level. Findings from this study provide implications for future research and intervention approaches with Asian American families.
Comments on ``Optimizing Models of Social Systems''

It is argued that deterministic models of social values are just as valid as deterministic models of social processes. The appropriateness of using deterministic optimization techniques in conjunction with deterministic models of social values and processes is defended on the basis of its expediency as an analytic tool which contributes to an understanding of 1) the model and 2) strategies for controlling that model. The entire process of building models of social processes and using them to test the implications of operations approximations of various value systems is perceived as a supplement to, not a replacement for, more conventional intuitive or hueristic approaches for dealing with social systems.
Systems Engineering in a Cyber Security Engineering Program

George Mason University Volgenau School of Engineering (VSE) introduced a new undergraduate degree in Cyber Security Engineering (BS/CYSE) starting in Spring 2015. This program, the first cyber security engineering program in the country, prepares graduates for a successful career in cyber security engineering. Cyber security engineering is the proactive engineering design of physical systems with cyber security incorporated from the beginning of system development, creating cyber-resilient systems. Cyber security engineering is an important quantitative design methodology to be used in all industries. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of cyber security engineering, systems engineering principles played an important role in the formulation of the BS/CYSE curriculum. Cyber security engineers must become part of the solution by developing appropriate, effective, and affordable systems with security engineered in from the concept phase, through design, and into implementation and deployment. There is the need for giving a strong background in engineering and providing extensive communication skills. Such background and skills allow ready consultation with colleagues either in engineering or in the given application domain. This paper will discuss the new BS/CYSE and the systems engineering influence on the program.
Increased cellular immune responses and CD4+ T-cell proliferation correlate with reduced plasma viral load in SIV challenged recombinant simian varicella virus - simian immunodeficiency virus (rSVV-SIV) vaccinated rhesus macaques

An effective AIDS vaccine remains one of the highest priorities in HIV-research. Our recent study showed that vaccination of rhesus macaques with recombinant simian varicella virus (rSVV) vector – simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) envelope and gag genes, induced neutralizing antibodies and cellular immune responses to SIV and also significantly reduced plasma viral loads following intravenous pathogenic challenge with SIVMAC251/CX1. The purpose of this study was to define cellular immunological correlates of protection in rSVV-SIV vaccinated and SIV challenged animals. Immunofluorescent staining and multifunctional assessment of SIV-specific T-cell responses were evaluated in both Experimental and Control vaccinated animal groups. Significant increases in the proliferating CD4+ T-cell population and polyfunctional T-cell responses were observed in all Experimental-vaccinated animals compared with the Control-vaccinated animals. Increased CD4+ T-cell proliferation was significantly and inversely correlated with plasma viral load. Increased SIV-specific polyfunctional cytokine responses and increased proliferation of CD4+ T-cell may be crucial to control plasma viral loads in vaccinated and SIVMAC251/CX1 challenged macaques.
Between-course targeting of methotrexate exposure using pharmacokinetically guided dosage adjustments

Purpose It is advantageous to individualize high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) to maintain adequate exposure while minimizing toxicities. Previously, we accomplished this through within-course dose adjustments.
Universal Decoding of Watermarks Under Geometric Attacks

Designing watermarking codes that can with stand geometric and other desynchronization attacks is a notoriously difficult problem. One may ask whether these difficulties are due to limitations of current codes, or rather to fundamental limitations on achievable performance. We model the attack channel as the cascade of a memoryless channel and a smooth, invertible mapping Tthetas, thetas isin thetasn, representing the geometric attack. The decoder does not known the value of thetas. We show that under regularity conditions, there exists a universal decoder for this problem, and we explicitly identify it
Origins of regioselectivity and alkene-directing effects in nickel-catalyzed reductive couplings of alkynes and aldehydes.

Origins of regioselectivity and alkene-directing effects in nickel-catalyzed reductive coupling reactions were investigated by density functional calculations. Regioselectivity of simple alkynes is controlled by steric effects, while conjugated enynes and diynes are predicted to have increased reactivity and very high regioselectivities, placing alkenyl or alkynyl groups distal to the forming C– C bond. The reactions of enynes and diynes involve 1,4-attack on the conjugated enyne of the Nicarbonyl complex on the conjugated enyne or diyne.
Extraordinary thermal conductivity of graphene: Possibility of thermal management applications

We review the results of our investigation of the thermal conductivity of the suspended single-layer graphene. Using an original non-contact optical technique we discovered experimentally that the thermal conductivity of suspended graphene flakes with low coupling to the substrate is extremely high and can exceeds that of bulk graphite and carbon nanotubes. The high values of the thermal conductivity of graphene and their dependence on the graphene flake size were explained within the framework of Klemens theory. Superior thermal properties of graphene benefit all proposed graphene device applications and may lead to new high-heat flux thermal management solutions for advanced electronics.
The angiotensin II receptor (Agtr1a): functional regulatory polymorphisms in a locus genetically linked to blood pressure variation in the mouse.

Hypertension is a complex trait with multiple genetic determinants. A previous genome-wide linkage study of systolic blood pressure in a mouse genetic backcross implicated a region of chromosome 13...
Interpreting complete blood counts soon after birth in newborns at risk for sepsis.

BACKGROUND: A complete blood count (CBC) with white blood cell differential is commonly ordered to evaluate newborns at risk for sepsis. OBJECTIVES: To quantify how well components of the CBC predict sepsis in the first 72 hours after birth. METHODS: For this retrospective cross-sectional study we identified 67 623 term and late-preterm (≥34 weeks gestation) newborns from 12 northern California Kaiser hospitals and 1 Boston, Massachusetts hospital who had a CBC and blood culture within 1 hour of each other at RESULTS: Blood cultures of 245 infants (3.6 of 1000 tested newborns) were positive. Mean white blood cell (WBC) counts and mean absolute neutrophil counts (ANCs) were lower, and mean proportions of immature neutrophils were higher in newborns with infection; platelet counts did not differ. Discrimination improved with age in the first few hours, especially for WBC counts and ANCs (eg, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for WBC counts was 0.52 at CONCLUSION: Optimal interpretation of the CBC requires using interval likelihood ratios for the newborn9s age in hours.
Broker's lounge-an environment for multi-dimensional user-adaptive knowledge management

The Broker's Lounge is a shell for knowledge structuring and dynamic user interface generation which supports the personalisation of both information structures and user interfaces, emphasising options for context change and multi-dimensional constraint propagation. Two major applications have been developed so far: ELFI, an advisor that manages knowledge about research programs in Germany such that proposers can identify appropriate funding schemes; and MarketMonitor, a tool that helps companies monitor the web pages of competitors, suppliers, and customers for early detection of changes in the market situation.
Justifying the Use of Economic Insights in Ordinary Decisions

The benefit-cost approach to economic choices turns out to require only four basic rules, though they imply also a principle, namely that only the future really matters, not the past. The four rules are: (1) convert all values to the present times; (2) reduce all values for uncertainty; (3) all values must be aftertax; (4) non-money costs and benefits should be considered. These rules are explained, and illustrated by working through the most difficult of economic choices: deciding how much to save.
Examination of Anthropometric Databases for Aircraft Design

Presently there is no prescribed anthropometric database provided or specified in the Federal Aviation Regulations, hence aircraft designs often utilize legacy anthropometric databases that may not reflect the target pilot population. This study was an information synthesis of anthropometric databases for aircraft design. The findings indicated that, although most current aviation designs have utilized legacy anthropometric data, there are a sufficient number of valid existing and emerging anthropometric databases that include body dimension measurements and weight/mass measurements compiled from data sets gathered either through large surveys, or statistically derived, that are representative of the target pilot population. Furthermore, new scanning technologies, along with more sophisticated statistical techniques for matching/forecasting target populations from legacy anthropometric databases, have enhanced the ability to effectively and efficiently gather these data on a periodic basis, hence anthropometric data that are not representative of the pilot population should no longer be accepted as a limitation in aircraft design. The one area that demands further study are current data for human-strength/control force measurements. Although there have been some recent small-scale surveys conducted to gather these data, there is a paucity of any current large-scale comprehensive human strength/control force data applicable to aircraft design. Language: en
Initial Flow Testing of the Phase II Reservoir, Redrilling of EE-2, and Static Reservoir Pressure Testing

The demonstration of flow connectivity between the redrilled EE-3A wellbore and the EE-2 reservoir zone (Expts. 2059 and 2062) made it clear that a viable HDR system had finally been established, although that stage of the Fenton Hill HDR Project took about 5 years (1980–1985)—much longer than originally anticipated. Throughout that period, Germany and Japan contributed both funds and manpower to the effort. The Germans withdrew from the Project at the end of 1985, but the Japanese maintained a presence through the following year. In early 1986, they began pressing strongly for the thermal and flow characteristics of the HDR system to be evaluated.
A renaissance for Freud's Papers on Technique.

The analyst depicted in Freud's Papers on Technique (1911-1915) struggles to split the patient's stubborn desire by reframing it as memory. In contrast, after the structural theory was adopted, analysts could picture themselves as liberating rather than struggling with patients, since their design was to show that the patient's fears are unrealistic. But North American analysts have come to doubt their ability to rule on what is and isn't realistic. They thus find themselves again struggling with stubborn desires, not just easing fears. Their solution has been to emphasize-and thus detach from -enactments. These analysts would seem to be even more in need of the old ideals of procedure than were "classical" analysts, who thought they could use "reality " as a standard.
Automated real-time active sonar decision making by exploiting massive parallelism

Multibeam active sonar systems acquire huge amounts of data on each ping. For example a 24 beam system in the 20 kyd search mode, which was used in the demonstration of the real-time automated system, would have to perform nearly a million FFTs per ping cycle just to do matched filtering. In order to accomplish real-time decision making the algorithms were developed on a massive parallel computer. The actual computer utilized was MASPAR's MP-2 with 4096 parallel elements. System development utilized Fortran-90 and MP-2 library routines. The paper discusses the real-time decision making requirement for a 24 beam active sonar system, describes the sequential detection algorithm and the sequential classifier algorithm, the parallel array mapping algorithm that was the key to achieving real-time throughput. In the search mode of an active sonar system all possible range and bearing locations are processed for targets for each ping. A decision making algorithm then decides if the target is of interest. It was demonstrated that a sequential detection algorithm and a sequential classifier algorithm could process data in real-time that automatically detects and classifies targets by integrating over several pings. However on each ping decisions can also be made. Both the sequential detector and classifier can be designed to look for low SNR targets or high SNR targets. These design settings affect the performance of the algorithm. The purpose of this paper is to describe the automated algorithms and the parallel array mapping algorithm for a 24 beam active sonar system operating in a 20 kyd range mode.
Inactivated Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis Vaccine Propagated in Rolling-Bottle Cultures of Chick Embryo Cells

A method was developed for the production of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis vaccine from virus grown in rolling-bottle cultures (840 cm(2) growth area) of chick embryo cells. The PE-6 strain of virus was propagated in chick embryo cell roller cultures maintained on serum-free medium 199 containing 0.25% human serum albumin and antibiotics (MM). A multiplicity of inoculum of 0.005 yielded acceptable titers of virus at a convenient harvest time of 18 to 24 hr and reduced the carry-over of extraneous material from the virus seed. Growth studies in which 100, 200, or 300 ml of MM was used showed that use of 300 ml of MM offered two advantages: (i) cytopathic effects were less at the 18- to 24-hr harvest time, thereby decreasing cellular material in the final product, and (ii) total virus yield was not substantially reduced, thus permitting large-scale production of virus for further processing. Studies on formalin inactivation at 37 C indicated that the virus was inactivated by 0.05% formalin within 12 to 16 hr and with 0.1% formalin within 6 to 8 hr. Antigen extinction tests in hamsters revealed excellent potency (e.g., median-effective-dose values of 0.069 to 0.012 ml) for both fluid and freeze-dried products. The advantages of the roller-bottle technique in vaccine production are discussed.