cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Range Limited Coverage Control using Air-Ground Multi-Robot Teams

In this paper, we investigate how heterogeneous multi-robot systems with different sensing capabilities can observe a domain with an a priori unknown density function. Common coverage control techniques are targeted towards homogeneous teams of robots and do not consider what happens when the sensing capabilities of the robots are vastly different. This work proposes an extension to Lloyd’s algorithm that fuses coverage information from heterogeneous robots with differing sensing capabilities to effectively observe a domain. Namely, we study a bimodal team of robots consisting of aerial and ground agents. In our problem formulation we use aerial robots with coarse domain sensors to approximate the number of ground robots needed within their sensing region to effectively cover it. This information is relayed to ground robots, who perform an extension to Lloyd’s algorithm that balances a locally focused coverage controller with a globally focused distribution controller. The stability of the Lloyd’s algorithm extension is proven and its performance is evaluated through simulation and experiments using the Robotarium, a remotely-accessible, multi-robot testbed.
Mechanical design of a precision linear flexural stage for 3D x-ray diffraction microscope at the Advanced Photon Source

The 3-D X-ray diffraction microscope is a new nondestructive tool for the three-dimensional characterization of mesoscopic materials structure. A flexural-pivot-based precision linear stage has been designed to perform a wire scan as a differential aperture for the 3-D diffraction microscope at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. The mechanical design and finite element analyses of the flexural stage, as well as its initial mechanical test results with laser interferometer are described in this paper.
Actinide-Specific Interfacial Chemistry of Monolayer Coated Mesoporous Ceramics

The objective of this program was to design, synthesize, and evaluate high-efficiency, high-capacity sorbent materials capable of selectively sequestering actinides and other radionuclides from complex aqueous mixtures. One of the central goals of this project was to understand the fundamental interfacial science required to develop novel mesoporous materials coated with organized monolayers of rationally designed ligands, custom-tailored for binding specific actinide cations. This capability addresses waste management by separation of actinides, a central concern of high-level waste (HLW) management at several DOE sites.
Models for predicting damage evolution in metal matrix composites subjected to cyclic loading

A thermomechanical analysis of a continuous fiber metal matrix composite (MMC) subjected to cyclic loading is performed herein. The analysis includes the effects of processing induced residual thermal stresses, matrix inelasticity, and interface cracking. Due to these complexities, the analysis is performed computationally using the finite element method. Matrix inelasticity is modelled with a rate dependent viscoplasticity model. Interface fracture is modelled by the use of a nonlinear interface constitutive model. The problem formulation is summarized, and results are given for a four-ply unidirectional SCS-6/{beta}21S titanium composite under high temperature isothermal mechanical fatigue. Results indicate rate dependent viscoplasticity can be a significant mechanism for dissipating the energy available for damage propagation, thus contributing to improved ductility of the composite. Results also indicate that the model may be useful for inclusion in life prediction methodologies for MMC`s.
Thermal relaxation in exchange coupled ferromagnet/antiferromagnet bilayers

Summary form only given. Stability of exchange-coupled F/AF bilayers is a very important issue for magnetoresistive (MR) read head for high density magnetic recording. Many different effects, such as training effect, sweeping-rate dependent coercivity, thermally-assisted switching of AF spins and annealing effect through atomic diffusion at F/AF interface, are involved in this issue. Strong thermal effect was observed in Py(10nm)/IrMn(xnm) bilayer system, for example, in sample with x=5, the easy-axis hysteresis loop changed drastically after putting the sample at a hard-direction remanent state for several months at room temperature. It implies that the pinned directions of some parts of the sample reversed during the waiting period. This can be ascribed to thermally-assisted switching of the AF surface spins driven by the interface F/AF exchange coupling in the regions (magnetic domains) with the F moment antiparallel to the initial pinned direction. Dependence of switching field on the waiting time at the saturation state was measured to probe the switching mechanism of the AF surface spins. The switching field first shows a linear dependence on the logarithm of the waiting time and then tends to saturate. The linear part, extending three decades, indicates a wide distribution of activation energy. Thermal dynamics of the AF spins was studied by measuring the samples with different AF layer thickness at different temperatures. The domain structures at different magnetizing states were observed using magnetic force microscope.
Brain Blood Flow and Control of Breathing

The sections in this article are: 1 Control of Brain Blood Flow 1.1 Brain Blood Flow and Metabolism 1.2 Brain Blood Flow Responses to Hypoxia 1.3 Brain Blood Flow Responses to Alterations of CO2 Tension 1.4 Neural Control of Brain Blood Flow 1.5 Pressure-Flow Autoregulation 2 Ventilatory Effects of Brain Hypoxia 2.1 Ventilatory Depression 2.2 Ventilatory Stimulation 2.3 Effects of Brain Hypoxia on Respiratory Reflexes 3 Role of Brain Blood Flow in Ventilatory Response to Hypercapnia 4 Brain Ischemia 5 Brain Blood Flow and Sleep 6 Brain Blood Flow and Anesthesia
Historical Overview of Antenatal Steroid Use

In a field moving as fast as this one, history could be defined as everything that appeared through last month9s publications; however, I chose to focus on events that occurred mostly before 1985. The important and ever-accelerating basic science supports the fact that giving antenatal glucocorticoids in the event of preterm labor could be considered a physiologic rather than a pharmacologic intervention, in as much as one role of the fetal adrenal cortex is to increase the cortisol levels in the weeks before term birth. In fact the adrenal gland at birth is 10 to 20 times larger than in the adult, relative to body weight.1
Participatory Action Research as Pedagogy: Boundaries in Syracuse

This paper explores the potential of participatory action research (PAR) as 21 pedagogy in urban university classrooms. We address models and ideals of service 22 learning, participatory action research, and critical pedagogy. We then explain the 23 design, implementation, and outcomes of a recent class co-taught in the departments of geography, women’s studies, and architecture at Syracuse 1 University called ‘Boundaries in Syracuse’. The class was organized conceptually 2 and practically around the objective of documenting the boundaries at work in the 3 daily lives of city residents. We find that principles of critical pedagogy 4 substantiate the basis of participatory action research as an approach that addresses 5 some of the shortcomings of service learning. We reflect on the class to assess the 6 opportunities that accompany PAR in the urban classroom as well as the 7 challenges, including (among others) the resources required and the gendering of 8 community-engaged work at universities.
The Corporate Income Tax and the Competitiveness of U.S. Industries

Hit hard by the financial crisis and recession, U.S. auto producers are seeking a massive bailout from the U.S. Congress. Many reasons are given for the U.S. auto industry's lack of competitiveness including the U.S. corporate income tax. Although it is regularly asserted that there is a direct connection between the corporate income tax and competitiveness, what that connection is has not been carefully spelled out. In this essay, I describe how the corporate income tax directly harms the competitiveness of U.S. industries. I show that the mechanism differs depending upon whether the U.S. industry is defined as the global production of U.S.-based corporations or as all productive activities undertaken in the United States regardless of where the corporations undertaking those activities are based. I also examine the impact on competitiveness of various possible replacements for the corporate income tax, including a value added tax (VAT), formulary apportionment, a cost of capital allowance (COCA), and preset "in lieu of tax" payments.
Constructive evaluation of computer architectures: A CAD approach

Abstract Specification and evaluation are significant steps in developing computer systems. In the last decade essential CAD methods and tools have been evolved supporting design automation of VLSI chips and dedicated electronic systems. Nowadays software engineering, compiler design and scheduling techniques seem to be sufficiently understood to be fit together with hardware design technologies. This paper presents a CAD methodology to specify parallel computer architectures using a stripped-off hardware description language. Based on a compact hardware specification a corresponding compiler and simulator are generated to evaluate the architecture specified. Using these architecture specific compilers and simulators the modelled hard- and software system can be evaluated indicating optimization potential. Both compilers and simulators are generated making use of a central libraryof CPUs, busses and memory models.
The influence of copper exposure on predator-prey interactions in aquatic insect communities

SUMMARY. 1. Vulnerability of two species of net-spinning caddisflies (Chimarra sp. and Hydropsyche morosa) to predation by the stonefly, Paragnetina media, was significantly greater in experimental streams dosed with copper (target concentration=6 μg 1-1) than in control streams. 2. Results of stomach analyses showed that Hydropsychidae was the major component of stonefly diets in experimental streams and that the number of Hydropsychidae per stonefly gut was significantly greater in dosed streams than controls. 3. Since these results could not be predicted using single species bioassays, we suggest that such simple tests be supplemented with more environmentally realistic procedures that account for species interactions.
Dual-isotope autoradiographic measurement of regional blood flow and benzodiazepine receptor availability following unilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion

Single-photon emission tomography (SPET) imaging in patients with complex partial epilepsy has shown that the seizure focus is characterized by both decreased interictal blood flow and decreased uptake of the benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor tracer iodine-123 iomazenil. The purpose of this study was to examine the confounding effect of decreased flow on iomazenil uptake. The left middle cerebral artery of four rats was occluded, and the animals were simultaneously injected with 25 μCi of iodine-125 iomazenil and 500 μCi of the blood flow tracer [123I]iofetamine (N-isopropyl-p-iodoamphetamine). All rats, including two sham, were sacrificed 1 h after injection, a time when uptake of both agents is nearly maximal. Control experiments showed that arterial occlusion for 1 h did not affect the total number of BZ binding sites. Using a dual autoradiographic technique, the uptake of both [123I]iofetamine and [125I]iomazenil was measured in more than 200 regions showing variable levels of reduced flow and expressed as a percentage of the contralateral homotypic area. The straight line fit of % [125I]iomazenil (y axis) versus % [123I]iofetamine (x axis) in all 200 regions had a slope of 0.74. Insofar as the rat is an accurate model of human subjects with epilepsy, these studies suggest that decreased flow to the epileptogenic focus will linearly exacerbate the decrease in uptake secondary to neuropathologic loss of BZ receptors. Thus, for localization of seizure focus, a single SPET image of [123I]iomazenil in an epileptic patient may have greater sensitivity than a comparable blood flow image, because the former is enhanced by both decreased flow and a loss of BZ receptors.
Three-dimensional optical tomography based on even-parity finite-element formulation of the equation of radiative transfer

In this work we present the first fully three-dimensional image reconstruction scheme for optical tomography that is based on the equation of radiative transfer. This scheme builds on the previously introduced concept of model-based iterative image reconstruction, in which a forward model provides prediction of detector readings, and a gradient-based updating scheme minimizes an objective function, which is defined as the difference between predicted and measured data. The forward model is solved by using an even-parity approach to reduce the time-independent radiative transfer equation to an elliptic self-adjoint equation of second order. This equation is discretized using a finite element method, in which we apply a preconditioned conjugate gradient method with a multigrid-based preconditioner to solve the arising linear algebraic system. The gradient of the objective function is found by employing an adjoint differentiation method to the forward solver. Initial tests on synthetic data have shown robustness and good convergence of the algorithm.
Specular Highlight Removal for Image-Based Dietary Assessment

Traditional dietary assessment methods, consisting of written and orally reported methods, are not widely acceptable or feasible for everyday monitoring. The development of built-in cameras for mobile devices provides a new way of collecting dietary information by acquiring images of foods and beverages. The ability of image analysis techniques to automatically segment and identify food items from food images becomes imperative. Food images, usually consisting of plates, bowls and glasses, are often affected by lighting and specular highlights which present difficulties for image analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel single-image specular highlight removal method to detect and remove specular highlights in food images. We use independent components analysis (ICA) to separate the specular and diffuse components from the original image using only one image. This paper describes the details of the proposed model and also presents experimental results on food images to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Heartwood/sapwood variation of western redcedar as influenced by cultural treatments and position in tree.

Abstract We studied heartwood and sapwood variation in western redcedar (Thuja plicata) at three sites, including a 95-year-old naturally regenerated, unmanaged stand, a 35-year-old planted spacing trial, and a 30-year-old naturally regenerated stand to which thinning and fertilization treatments had been applied. In the 95-year-old stand, we studied within-tree variation in heartwood and sapwood. In the thinning/fertilization trial and the planted spacing trial, we studied effects of cultural practices and growth rate on heartwood and sapwood. In the trees that we studied, sapwood width was generally fairly narrow, rarely exceeding 3.5 cm. Heartwood formation in western redcedar appeared to begin at a relatively small stem diameter (7 cm) and at a young age, probably 10–15 years. The amount and proportion of heartwood increased with distance downward from the top of the tree, with the implication that older trees will contain a greater proportion of heartwood than younger trees. For any given age, it appears that cultural treatments that favor rapid growth will result in stems with greater amounts of both sapwood and heartwood, and a greater proportion of heartwood.
Nuclease activation by double-stranded RNA and by 2',5'-oligoadenylate in extracts of interferon-treated chick cells.

Abstract Cell-free extracts were prepared from primary chick embryo cells that had been pretreated overnight with chick interferon or with mock preparations of interferon. After the addition of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to these extracts, the synthesis of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) messenger RNA and its corresponding proteins was measured under conditions of coupled transcription and translation directed by purified virus. The addition of dsRNA to extracts of mock interferon-treated cells did not affect VSV-directed transcription or translation. However, in extracts of interferon-treated cells, the rate of RNA accumulation was inhibited by about 50% and that of the viral proteins by about 95% relative to the rates in control extracts. Furthermore, no intact VSV mRNA was detectable among the transcription products made in extracts of interferon-treated cells under these conditions. These results contrasted with those obtained in the absence of dsRNA, where the interferon-mediated inhibition of protein synthesis was less extreme, and where both sets of transcription products were intact and fully functional. The differences could be ascribed, at least in part, to a dsRNA-mediated increase in the rate of mRNA degradation that occurred only in extracts of interferon-treated cells. Enhancement of mRNA breakdown was also observed when protein synthesis was inhibited by the addition of pppA 2′ p 5′ A 2′ p 5′ A and higher oligomers (2′,5′-oligoadenylate) to extracts of either interferon-treated or mock interferon-treated cells. (These novel oligonucleotides are synthesized in interferon-treated cell extracts by an enzyme that requires dsRNA for activation.) Under a variety of conditions, enhanced mRNA degradation correlated with the inhibition of protein synthesis mediated by 2′,5′-oligoadenylate but not by other inhibitors. Thus, the data suggest that the inhibition of protein synthesis by dsRNA in extracts of interferon-treated chick cells is due, at least in part, to mRNA breakdown catalyzed by a nuclease that is activated by 2′,5′-oligoadenylate.
Synthesis and enzymatic hydrolysis of a light-emitting substrate for phosphotriesterase

The diethylphosphate derivative of 4-methoxy-4-(3-hydroxyphenyl)spiro[1,2-dioxetane-3,2′-adamantane] was synthesized. The Km and Vmax values for the enzymatic hydrolysis by phosphotriesterase were 0.091 mM and 0.15 sec−1, respectively. The enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis was accompanied by the emission of visible light.
The Effect of Teacher Certification on Middle Grades Achievement in an Urban District

Fewer than 20 states require middle grades certification; in most states, credentials overlap so that both elementary and secondary certified teachers may teach in the middle grades. Moreover, in m...
Screening New Drugs for Immunotoxic Potential: I. Assessment of the Effects of Conventional Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Selective COX-2 Inhibitors on In Vitro and In Vivo Phagocytic Activity

Although both experimental and clinical literature contain reports suggestive of associations between enhanced susceptibility to soft tissue infections and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, the immunotoxicological potential of this class of therapeutic agents has not been thoroughly investigated. In consideration of the widespread clinical use of these agents, we have initiated studies of the interaction between NSAIDs (both nonselective and selective COX-2 inhibitors) and the immune system. This communication describes the conduct and results of assessments of the effects of NSAIDs on the in vitro phagocytic activity of rat macrophages and canine neutrophils and on the functional activity of the intact murine mononuclear phagocytic system. During in vitro experiments 0.1 to 10 muM concentrations of naproxen, indomethacin, and experimental selective COX-2 inhibitors, SC-236, SC-245 and SC-791, caused marginal, but statistically significant, reductions in phagocytic activity of resident rat peritoneal macrophages. The effects were consistently small and there was no evidence of concentration-response relationships. An in vitro concentration of 10 muM of either SC-236 or SC-791 was required to decrease phagocytosis by dog neutrophils. Repeated oral doses of either naproxen or SC-236 (3, 10, or 30 mg/kg twice daily for 3 days) were without effect on the intact phagocytic system of the mouse. A potential immunotoxicologic effect based on direct impairment of phagocytic processes seems an unlikely explanation for drug-induced susceptibility to infection reported earlier. However, the results of these experiments do not support an unequivocal conclusion relative to immunotoxicological potential of either conventional NSAIDs or selective COX-2 inhibitors. Further studies on other components of the immune system are needed to fully explore possible immunomodulatory effects of NSAIDs.
Effective single-particle order- N scheme for the dynamics of open noninteracting many-body systems

Quantum master equations are common tools to describe the dynamics of many-body systems open to an environment. Due to the interaction with the latter, even for the case of noninteracting electrons, the computational cost to solve these equations increases exponentially with the particle number. We propose a simple scheme, which allows to study the dynamics of $N$ noninteracting electrons taking into account both dissipation effects and Fermi statistics, with a computational cost that scales linearly with $N$. Our method is based on a mapping of the many-body system to a specific set of effective single-particle systems. We provide detailed numerical results showing excellent agreement between the effective single-particle scheme and the exact many-body one, as obtained from studying the dynamics of two different systems. In the first, we study optically-induced currents in quantum rings at zero temperature, and in the second we study a linear chain coupled at its ends to two thermal baths with different (finite) temperatures. In addition, we give an analytical justification for our method, based on an exact averaging over the many-body states of the original master equations.
Executive functioning and self-reported depressive symptoms within an adolescent inpatient population.

Although the relationship between executive dysfunction and depressive disorders has been well established in the adult population, research within the adolescent population has produced mixed results. The present study examined executive-functioning subdomains in varying levels of self-reported depression within an adolescent inpatient sample diagnosed with primary mood disorders. Via retrospective chart review, the sample consisted of those adolescents (ages 13–18 years) who completed a combined psychological/neuropsychological assessment during hospitalization (N = 105). When the sample was divided into adolescents with mood disorders with self-reported depressive symptoms and adolescents with mood disorders without self-reported depressive symptoms, no differences in various executive functions were identified. There were also no correlations between overall self-reported depressive symptoms and overall executive functioning. However, there were negative correlations between select executive subdomain...
Radio Photospheres of Long-Period Variable Stars

We report the detection of centimeter-wavelength emission from a sample of nearby long-period (Mira and semiregular) variables using the VLA. Six of the eight stars in the sample were detected. We find the continuum emission in the radio band to have a spectral index near 2.0, as expected for optically thick blackbody emission. The flux densities are a factor of ≈ 2 above the level expected from the optical photospheres of the stars. We monitored three stars over a period of nearly 2 yr and find flux density variations of less than ±15%. We partially resolved the stellar disk of W Hya and find an average diameter of 0080 ± 0015 and a brightness temperature of 1500 ± 570 K. Our observations suggest that long-period variables have a "radio photosphere" near 2R*, where R* is the stellar radius (defined by line-free regions of the optical spectrum). For the physical conditions expected in the radio photosphere, free electrons, obtained predominantly from the ionization of potassium and sodium, provide the dominant opacity through free-free interactions with neutral H and H2. A simple model with a single set of physical parameters can approximate all of our centimeter-wavelength data, as well as providing plausible sizes and brightness temperatures at far-IR wavelengths. At centimeter wavelengths, unity optical depth is achieved at a radius of about 4.8 × 1013 cm, where the density and temperature are ≈ 1.5 × 1012 cm-3 and ≈ 1630 K, respectively. The lack of variability of the centimeter-wavelength flux density for stars like o Ceti, R Leo, and W Hya limits variations of the temperature and/or radius of the radio photosphere to less than ±150 K and ±4 × 1012 cm. Also, any periodic shocks or disturbances near 2R* probably propagate outward at less than ≈ 5 km s-1 and/or are mostly damped. The radio photosphere lies just outside of a "molecular photosphere," seen optically in strong absorption lines of metallic oxides, and just inside of the SiO maser shell and the dust formation zone. Indeed, the inner boundary of the SiO maser emission region may be determined by continuum opacity in the radio photosphere. Our study suggests that the density and temperature in the SiO shell are ≈ 5 × 1010 cm-3 and ≈ 1300 K, respectively. Extrapolating our model outward to 1014 cm radius, where significant dust is detected at 10 μm wavelength and H2O masers are found, gives densities 3 × 109 cm-3 and temperatures 1100 K. Based on the sample of stars we observed, it appears that the flux density at radio frequencies from long-period variables can be modeled with a simple formula. Given the excellent agreement between measured and modeled flux densities, it is possible that distances can be estimated from a flux density measurement with a precision of about 10%. Since the radio-frequency emission from long-period variables has a well-defined spectrum, is very compact, and is relatively constant in time, we suggest these stars can be used to determine the absolute flux density scale for millimeter- and submillimeter-wavelength interferometers.
Progress on the Development of a Simulation Environment for Optical Communications

This paper was presented at the SPIE conference indicated above and has been withdrawn from publication at the request of the authors.
Flame spread in an opposed flow with a linear velocity gradient

Abstract A theoretical model is developed for estimating the rate of flame spread under conditions of heat-transfer control with account taken of the fact that the gas velocity is not uniform. It is shown that the functional dependence of the spread rate on parameters such as the external gas velocity is modified from that obtained in the classical study of deRis. The modified formula is capable of lending interpretation to previously anomalous experimental observations.
Mivacurium infusion requirements following vecuronium: different response between adults and children

The mivacurium infusion requirements following vecuronium were evaluated in 15 adults and 15 children in an open prospective clinical study. This study was undertaken to elucidate whether potentiation of effect occurred when a mivacurium infusion was administered after vecuronium was used for the facilitation of tracheal intubation. The adult patients were anaesthetized with N2O:O2, propofol and fentanyl, the children with halothane (1%) N2O:O2 Vecuronium 100 μg · kg−1 was administered during stimulation of the ulnar nerve with train-of-four stimuli at 0.1 Hz. The force of contraction of the adductor pollicis was recorded. Upon recovery of the twitch response from vecuronium, a mivacurium infusion was started at 4 μg · kg−1 · min−1, thereafter adjustments were made to maintain the first twitch of the train-of-four (T1 at 1–10% of control. The mean (±SE) initial infusion requirements in children of mivacurium was 4.3 (0.4) μg · kg−1 · min−1 which increased linearly (P 20 min), seven adults required reversal with 15–70 μg · kg−1 neostigmine. Mivacurium infusion requirements following vecuronium are higher in children than adults. Potentiation of the effects of mivacurium were seen when vecuronium preceeded mivacurium. This potentiation of effect lasted longer in adults than in children.
Geometrical properties of clusters, percolation transitions and Ising singularity

We use the analogue of the cluster theory of Ursell and Mayer1 for a ferromagnetic Ising model in the presence of a magnetic field to describe the Ising singularity. In this cluster theory, the Ising model is described by a set of diagrams, which resemble branched polymers, characterized by the total number of bonds B and the total number of odd vertices V.
Transpacific Displacement: Ethnography, Translation, and Intertextual Travel in Twentieth-Century American Literature

Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Ethnographers-Out-There: Percival Lowell, Ernest Fenollosa, and Florence Ayscough 2. Ezra Pound: An Ideographer or Ethnographer? 3. The Intertextual Travel of Amy Lowell 4. The Multifarious Faces of the Chinese Language 5. Maxine Hong Kingston and the Making of an "American" Myth 6. Translation as Ethnography: Problems in American Translations of Contemporary Chinese Poetry Conclusion Bibliography Index
Susceptibility discontinuity in single crystal C60

Magnetization of a large single ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ crystal was measured as functions of applied field and temperature. At $T=260$ K, a discontinuity in susceptibility was observed. The relative change in total moment is 1.2%, independent of applied field to within experimental accuracy. This discontinuity is attributed to the change in the intramolecular geometry at the orientational order-disorder transition. This is the first experimental demonstration that the cooperative phase transition affects the magnetic susceptibility of a single molecule.
Monitoring ibuprofen release from multiparticulates: in situ fiber-optic technique versus the HPLC method: a technical note.

The results from the linearity test showed that the automated FOPS method was linear and reproducible in predicting ibuprofen concentrations, as was shown by a high R2 and low %RSD over a range of concentrations. Second-derivative treatment of the UV spectrum makes it possible to remove the effects of the sloping baseline often encountered in spectra of highly turbid samples. The dissolution profiles obtained by FOPS were more accurate with lower and consistent %RSD as compared with the HPLC method, particularly in the case of immediate-release multiparticulates. The FOPS method was also faster and less labor intensive.
EFFICACY OF A MOTIVATIONAL BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION TO PROMOTE CHLAMYDIA AND GONORRHEA SCREENING IN YOUNG WOMEN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Background Seeking screening and treatment for chlamydia (CT) and gonorrhea (GC) by young women is critical to reduction of asymptomatic cervicitis and its complications.
Currents in the cometary atmosphere

If the structure of the magnetic field and electric current in the cometary type I tail can be represented by an electric current circuit, disruption of the cross-tail current system may lead to a current discharging through the cometary ionosphere, and the dissipation of the magnetic energy stored in the tail. From the point of view of energy budget, a tail-aligned magnetic field on the order of 10 gamma will be sufficient to produce a strong ionization effect of the cometary atmosphere.
Differential thermal analysis and reaction kinetics for nth-order reaction

Relationships are derived for determining the three kinetic parameters from a single DTA curve for a general nth-order reaction, and for predicting the DTA curves from the known kinetic parameters. Gorbachev's approximation for the integral of the Arrhenius exponential function is used. The relationships have been applied to a solid-gas reaction and decomposition reactions in solid-state and in aqueous solution. Fair agreement between the rather simple theories and the experimental data was obtained.
Comparative genomic hybridization and molecular cytogenetic characterization of two prostate cancer xenografts

Conventional cytogenetic analysis of two prostate tumor xenografts, LuCaP 23.1 and RP22090, was unsatisfactory for comprehensive genetic evaluation of the cell lines. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosome enumeration and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) for numerical imbalance detection were performed and resulted in a more complete molecular cytogenetic characterization of these lines. Both xenografts were hypertriploid and had significant numerical imbalances. For example, LuCaP 23.1 had gain of all or part of chromosomes 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12 and the X chromosome and loss of all or part of chromosomes 2, 3 6, 8, 9, 10, 17, and 18. In RP22090, gain of all or part of chromosomes 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, and 15 was seen, whereas loss was seen for all or part of chromosomes 4, 6, 8, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, and 22. Both xenografts reflect the high frequency of chromosomal changes seen in some late-stage prostate cancers, including many novel changes and some changes such as the loss of 8p and gain of 8q, which have been reported previously in primary and metastatic prostate cancers. Consistent changes in both lines, such as loss of chromosomes 6 and chromosome arm 8p and gain of chromosome 7 and chromosome arm 8q, may represent genetic events specific for prostate cancer development, but imbalances on other chromosomes such as 3, 9, 19, and 20, not frequently reported in prostate cancers, may reflect potentially important changes that should also be examined.
Ischemia contributes to adverse effects of cocaine on brain development: suppression of ornithine decarboxylase activity in neonatal rat.

Abstract Exposure to cocaine during development has been shown to cause structural and functional alterations in the nervous system. In the current study, the mechanisms underlying these effects were examined in neonatal rats through measurement of ornithine decarboxylase activity, a key regulatory enzyme in the control of neural cell differentiation. Animals were given cocaine (30 mg/kg SC) and ornithine decarboxylase measured 1 and 4 h later in midbrain + brainstem, cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Cocaine caused inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase activity that was not secondary to local anesthesia, as lidocaine was ineffective. The effect of cocaine was independent of direct central actions, as introduction of the drug into the central compartment via intracisternal injection failed to inhibit ornithine decarboxylase. In contrast, prevention of cocaine-induced ischemia by peripheral α-adrenergic blockade (phenoxybenzamine) reversed the ornithine decarboxylase inhibition caused by cocaine, and actually unmasked potential stimulatory actions. These data indicate that cocaine-induced ischemia is a major contributor to the net effect of the drug on central nervous system cellular development.
Neutral sphingomyelinase: Localization in rat liver nuclei and involvement in regeneration/proliferation

We have studied the localization of neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) in rat liver nuclei. The levels of neutral sphingomyelinase in regenerating liver nuclei were also assessed. We found that rat liver nuclei contain a sphingomyelinase having a pH optima of 7.2 and a kDa of 92. In intact nuclei, neutral sphingomyelinase was associated predominantly with the nuclear envelope. In regenerating/proliferating rat liver (during DNA synthesis), neutral sphingomyelinase was translocated from the nuclear envelope to the nuclear matrix. The levels of sphingomyelin in whole nuclei decreased in reverse proportion to an increase in the levels of neutral sphingomyelinase. By contrast, there was a corresponding increase in the levels of ceramide and sphingosine during cell regeneration/proliferation. Thus, endogenous nuclear neutral sphingomyelinase may play a role in the regulation of sphingomyelin levels and in relevant signal transduction reactions involving cell regeneration/proliferation. The potential significance of ceramide generation may be aimed at programmed cell death to allow the regeneration of liver mediated via target proteins such as, ceramide activated protein kinases/phospholipases or other unknown mechanisms.
Effect of Heparin on Mortality Rate in Septicemia with Associated Diffuse Intravascular Coagulation

That diffuse intravascular coagulation (DIG) occurs in septicemia has been well documented and reported ot occur almost exclusively in patients with hypotension. Heparin has been shown to effectively correct this coagulation defect but the efficacy of this agent in changing the high mortality rate in this group of patients has not been reported. The purposes of this investigation were to determine the frequency of DIC and to evaluate the effect of anticoagulation on the mortality rate in this group. Twenty-six children with septicimia and systolic blood pressures below 80 mm Hg had detailed coagulation studies performed and 24 were anticoagulated with heparin. Therapy also consisted of antibiotics, plasma expanders, IV fluids, transfusions and Isuprcl. Two patients were given corticosteroids. No complications secondary to heparin occured. The studies showed that all patients had abnormally long partial thromboplastin and prothrombin times, and all but one had thrombocytopenia. classical DIC (thrombocytopenia with reduced factors II, V, VIII and fibrinogen, positive fibrin split products and normal euglobulin lysis time) was clearly present in 40% and highly probable in 96% of the cases. The overall mortality rate was 62%. Although 72% of the fatal cases had severe hypofibrinogenemia as compared to 25% who eventually survived, no correlation could be shown between the severity of the DIC and the mortality rate. These data again suggest that most, if not all, patients with sepsis and low blood pressure have DIC. Even though anticoagulation could correct the coagulation defect in most of the cases, heparin did not appear to significantly affect the mortality rate.
Transient localizations of messenger RNA in Xenopus laevis oocytes

Abstract The distribution of poly(A)-containing RNA [poly(A) + RNA] was examined in sections of oocytes, mature eggs, and early embryos of Xenopus laevis by in situ hybridization with [ 3 H]poly(U). Poly(A) + RNA was uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm of previtellogenic oocytes. In contrast, distinct cytoplasmic regions exhibiting high concentrations of poly(A) + RNA were detected in vitellogenic and full-grown oocytes. These regions include a perinuclear area located between the germinal vesicle (GV) and the cortex of stage 3 oocytes, a cortical area in stage 4 oocytes, a vegetal subcortical area and a subnuclear zone in stage 5 oocytes, and a vegetal subcortical area in stage 6 oocytes. No selective accumulations of poly(A) + RNA were observed in the mitochondrial mass of previtellogenic oocytes or in the GV at any time during oogenesis. The poly(A) + RNA localizations in the peripheral regions of full-grown oocytes disappeared during the first maturation division leading to a uniform poly(A) + RNA distribution in the mature egg and did not reappear during early embryogenesis. The results suggest that transient localizations of poly(A) + RNA are present in the oocyte cytoplasm during oogenesis of Xenopus laevis .
Clinicopathologic characteristics of high expression of Bmi-1 in esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma

Background High expression of Bmi-1, a key regulatory component of the polycomb repressive complex-1, has been associated with many solid and hematologic malignancies including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. However, little is known about the role of Bmi-1 in esophageal adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study is to investigate the amplification and high expression of Bmi-1 and the associated clinicopathologic characteristics in esophageal adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
Evidence that long-term estrogen treatment disrupts opioid involvement in the induction of pituitary LH surge.

Recent evidence suggests that a decrease in the inhibitory opioid influence is a necessary hypothalamic neural event in the preovulatory and ovarian steroid-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. Whether shifts in ovarian steroidal milieu disrupts this neural event is not known. Therefore, the effects of short-term (3 days) and long-term (13 or 17 days) estradiol 17β (E2) exposure on spontaneous, naloxone (NAL) and progesterone (P)-induced LH surges were assessed in ovariectomized (ovx) rats. Two weeks after ovariectomy, rats received subcutaneous Silastic capsules filled with crystalline E2. In rats exposed to E2 for 3 days and infused with saline intravenously between 11.00–14.00 h, plasma LH rose significantly at 17.00 h. NAL infusion between 11.00–14.00 h in these rats to decrease the inhibitory opioid influence, advanced both the onset of LH rise and amplified the secretion of LH in the afternoon. Continuation of E2 exposure for 13 days produced no deleterious effects on either the spontaneous or NAL-induced augmentation in LH responses. However, uninterrupted E2 exposure for 17 days abolished the spontaneous afternoon LH rise and drastically diminished the ability of NAL to advance and amplify the LH response. In the next experiment, we evaluated the effect of P injection (2 mg/rat) at 11.00 h on the afternoon LH release in rats similarly exposed to E2 for either 3 or 17 days. In rats exposed to E2 for 3 days, the P-induced LH release was significantly greater than that observed after saline or NAL infusion. In marked contrast to the abolition of spontaneous and diminution of NAL-induced LH response in rats exposed to E2 for 17 days, P injection elicited an undiminished LH response. These findings show that the neural circuitry involved in elicitation of LH surge in ovx rats fails to operate after uninterrupted E2 exposure for longer than 13 days, but it can be readily reactivated by P and not by opiate receptor antagonism with NAL infusion. These observations demonstrate that expression of the hypothalamic opioid link necessary for induction of LH surge is disrupted by prolonged E2 exposure.
Vietnam-Era Military Service: A Test of the Class-Bias Thesis

In this study, the thesis that the burden of the Vietnam War disproportionately fell on poor Americans is tested with national survey data. It is found that the Vietnam era was not an equal-opportu...
XBRL awareness in auditing: a sleeping giant?

EXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is a revolutionary digital language that “tags” information for business reporting since it represents a universal standard for global business reporting. XBRL usage has a significant impact on auditors – both external and internal and is seen as a tool to implement the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (AICPA) new reporting model. The model calls for real‐time, or continuous, reporting of company information. In order to do so reliably, continuous assurance on the data would need to be performed by external auditors. XBRL General Ledger (GL) is a taxonomy incorporating all ledger functions into XBRL. Thus, company information that typically takes days to create could be available in real‐time, anywhere in the world. This article reports on an XBRL survey conducted using accountants and auditors. Results indicate many accountants and auditors have low (if any) knowledge or experience with XBRL and do not perceive the intended benefits XBRL usage provides.
Control design for chained-form systems with bounded inputs

Discontinuous, time-invariant controllers have been recently proposed in the literature as an alternative method to stabilize nonholonomic systems. These control laws are not continuous at the origin and although they provide exponential rates of convergence, they may use significant amount of control effort, especially if the initial conditions are close to an equilibrium manifold. We seek to remedy this situation by constructing bounded controllers (with exponential convergence rates) for nonholonomic systems in chained form.
Solid-state NMR characterization of copolymers of nylon 11 and nylon 12

Solid-state 13C and 15N NMR spectroscopy, in conjunction with differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy, were used to characterize a series of nylon 11 and 12 copolymers with mole percentages of nylon 12 monomer of 0, 15, 35, 50, 65, 85, and 100%. Monotonic melting point (Tm) and heat of fusion depressions were observed for the copolymer series with the 65 mol% nylon 12 copolymer having the lowest apparent crystallinity and Tm at 148 degrees C. Solid-state 15N NMR spectra showed a smooth shift of the main peak position for the as-prepared copolymers from 84 ppm for the alpha-form of pure nylon 11 to 89 ppm for the gamma-form of pure nylon 12. Similar behavior was seen for FTIR amide V and VI modes which are also sensitive to the alpha- and gamma-crystal forms. 13C NMR T1 measurements showed that the overall most mobile sample was the 65:35 copolymer. The amide group of the 1:1 copolymer was labelled using 15N-labelled amino acids available through the Gabriel synthesis; an annealed, solution-cast film of this sample showed a T1N value of 349 s, similar to values seen for annealed nylon 11 and nylon 12 homopolymers. The WAXS pattern for the 65 mol% nylon 12 sample showed a sharp peak at 2 theta = 21.3, overlapping a broad peak centered at 2 theta = 21.0. These are consistent with the values seen for gamma-form nylon 12. The 1:1 copolymer (15N labelled) was shown to be polymorphic, like the homopolymers after specific treatments, with a gamma-like phase formed upon solvent casting, and an alpha-like phase dominating for as-polymerized material and precipitated flakes.
Bare below elbows: does this policy affect handwashing efficacy and reduce bacterial colonisation?

INTRODUCTIONUK Department of Health guidelines recommend that clinical staff are ‘bare below the elbows’. There is a paucity of evidence to support this policy. One may hypothesise that absence of clothing around wrists facilitates more effective handwashing: this study aims to establish whether dress code affects bacterial colonisation before and after handwashing. SUBJECTS AND METHODSSixty-six clinical staff volunteered to take part in the study, noting whether they were bare below the elbows (BBE) or not bare (NB). Using a standardised technique, imprints of left and right fingers, palms, wrists and forearms were taken onto mini agar plates. Imprints were repeated after handwashing. After incubation, colonies per plate were counted, and subcultures taken. RESULTSThirty-eight staff were BBE and 28 were not. A total of 1112 plates were cultured. Before handwashing there was no significant difference in number of colonies between BBE and NB groups (Mann–Whitney, P < 0.05). Handwashing reduced the colony c...