cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Photon Counting Detector Spectral Response on Dual Energy Techniques

Photon counting detectors with energy discriminating capabilities offer the exciting prospect of dose efficient dual energy x-ray imaging. Several techniques have been proposed to form the energy-dependent detector measurements needed for dual energy. However, their performance depends on the limitations of the detectors, an important one being the detector's spectral response. Therefore, in this paper, we study the effect of a detector's spectral response on several dual energy techniques with photon counting detectors. We use a two-parameter model to characterize realistic spectral response functions, which exhibit a Gaussian photopeak trailed by a lower energy tail. The dual energy techniques compared all reduce the spectral data into two measurements using the following methods: (1) binning with an optimally chosen energy threshold; (2) a hybrid photon counting/energy integrating detector; (3) μ-weights, which have been shown to be optimal for ideal detectors. Their performances for different spectral responses are compared by evaluating the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) for estimating the unknown material thicknesses. We show that as the spectral response worsens, μ-weights rapidly deteriorate in performance while a hybrid detector's relative performance improves and consistently outperforms binning. Although the weighting functions are highly sensitive to a detector's spectral response, numerical optimization techniques can find two sets of weights whose performance is close to that of measuring the full detected spectrum.
Antigenic purity and plaque properties of the prototype strains of ECHO virus types 7 to 11, and 17 and 18

The properties of plaques produced by ECHO 7, 8, 11, 17, and 18 prototype viruses are described. Rabbit antisera prepared against virus stocks obtained after 2 plaque purification steps (ECHO 7, 8, 11, 17) or 2 terminal dilution passages (ECHO 9, 10) and monkey serum prepared against ECHO 18 virus after 2 terminal dilution passages showed equal neutralization titers vs. original and purified virus of the same type, thus indicating the antigenic purity of the original prototype strains. ECHO reference monkey sera of the corresponding type also showed equal neutralization of the purified and original prototype strains.
Opiate effects on isolation stress in domestic fowl.

In an attempt to examine the role of opioid system functioning in social attachment and isolation stress in young domestic fowl, the effects of morphine (5.0 mg/kg) and naloxone (5.0 mg/kg) were evaluated on distress vocalizations, thermal nociception, thermoregulation, and respiration following 15 min of isolation in 7-day-old White-Leghorn cockerels. Morphine decreased and naloxone increased distress vocalizations in isolated chicks. Isolation produced an increase in jump response latencies (i.e., hypoalgesia) on a standard hot-plate test. In general, morphine decreased and naloxone increased mean jump latencies in both isolated and nonisolated chicks. Isolation produced an increase in core body temperature (i.e., hyperthermia); morphine decreased and naloxone increased core body temperatures independent of the isolation manipulation. Social isolation did not affect respiration. However, morphine depressed respiration in both isolated and nonisolated chicks. These results support the notion that opioid systems modulate social attachment and isolation stress.
Applications of an Auxiliary Resonant Commutated Pole Converter

The Auxiliary Resonant Commutated Pole Converter (ARCP) utilizes an auxiliary resonance circuit to enable zero voltage turn on in the main circuit and maintain zero current turn off in the auxiliary circuit. The ARCP converter can therefore be designed with snubbers that are undersized for the power rating of the switches. Another advantage of the ARCP converter is that it can be driven by a PWM control source. This paper discusses some concepts that need consideration in order to operate an ARCP converter with undersized snubber circuits and standard PWM sources. It also discusses the need to coordinate the voltage supply and the load current for successful commutation. Test data is presented related to these issues.
Nonmonotone adaptive trust region method

In this paper, we propose a nonmonotone adaptive trust region method for unconstrained optimization problems. This method can produce an adaptive trust region radius automatically at each iteration and allow the functional value of iterates to increase within finite iterations and finally decrease after such finite iterations. This nonmonotone approach and adaptive trust region radius can reduce the number of solving trust region subproblems when reaching the same precision. The global convergence and convergence rate of this method are analyzed under some mild conditions. Numerical results show that the proposed method is effective in practical computation.
Sexual Deception as a Social-Exchange Process: Development of a Behavior-Based Sexual Deception Scale

The use of deception in association with sexual encounters may take many forms, ranging from outright lies to more subtle, evasive manipulations. To address such deceptions, a behavior-based sexual deception scale was developed utilizing social exchange theory. Participants were 267 individuals associated with two large universities who were surveyed regarding different aspects of their sexual deceptive behaviors. In addition, items addressing sexually related behaviors and attitudes were assessed for validation purposes. Principal components analysis identified three components of sexual deception, labeled Blatant Lying, Self-Serving, and Avoiding Confrontation. Confirmatory factor analysis verified the resulting structure, and promising validity was noted. In general, those using any of these deceptions reported more sexual partners and one-night stands. Those telling blatant lies to have sex were more likely to report greater needs for sex, while those using self-serving lies or having sex to avoid confrontation experienced greater worry about partner loss. Men were more likely to use blatant lies to have sex, while women were more likely to have sex to avoid confrontation. Results support sexual deception as an exchange process, with sex for pleasure and positive relationship outcomes acting as rewards, and unwanted sex and deception consequences as costs. Implications for health interventions and primary prevention applications are discussed.
Buried Strandline Deposits on the Central Florida Inner Continental Shelf

Accumulations of the intertidal clam Donax variabilis (Say) have been recovered from the Cape Kennedy inner-shelf subbottom. Depth of the shell deposits correlates with a marked, widespread sonic horizon that underlies the entire central Florida inner shelf. Composition, texture, and radiocarbon ages of the shelf deposits correlate with available data on adjacent onshore beach ridges and with established sea-level curves. The occurrence and location of these deposits are considered significant for four reasons: (1) accumulations of D. variabilis may provide a definitive marker in some areas for relict submerged beach deposits; (2) the restricted depth range of these mollusks makes them suitable for refining portions of the sea-level curve that are based on less well defined criteria; (3) shoals and ridges on the inner shelf have often been interpreted as relict barriers, yet off Cape Kennedy these present-day bottom morphologic features (shoals) appear to be unrelated to the relict beach deposits described herein. This suggests that modern shoal formation must be unrelated to relict strand topography; and (4) the rare occurrence of buried Strandline deposits on the shelf in the vicinity of Canaveral Peninsula, which is an area of well-documented beach-ridge accretion, suggests a large-scale planing or truncating of the surface by the last transgression, which has removed all but trace remnants of the previous Strandline morphology. In other shelf areas where beach ridge accretion has been less dominant, therefore, all traces of former strandlines may have been removed.
Executive function and appetitive processes in the self-control of alcohol use: The moderational role of drinking restraint

BACKGROUND: Dual process models characterize hazardous drinking as a function of appetitive processes and executive processes that enable self-control. Although central to a number of models (e.g., Hofmann et al., 2009a,b), little empirical research has examined how drinking restraint may influence the effects of these processes on alcohol use. The current study examined whether drinking restraint influenced the predictive value of appetitive responses to alcohol cues and executive functioning on typical drinking behavior. It was hypothesized that the interaction between appetitive responses and executive functioning would only be observed among those who had stronger drinking restraint goals. METHODS: Sixty-nine hazardous drinking young adults (ages 21-30) completed the Trail Making Test and then were exposed to the sight and smell of an alcoholic beverage that they anticipated they would consume. Urge and anticipated stimulant effects of alcohol (A-BAES) were measured following the exposure. RESULTS: The interaction between Trails B and each of the appetitive response ratings (i.e., urge rating and A-BAES) was predictive of drinking behavior (TLFB) only among those high in drinking restraint. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the importance of incorporating the role of motivational constructs such as restraint goals in current dual process models of alcohol-related self-control. Language: en
Noradrenergic sympathetic innervation of lymphoid tissue in the rabbit appendix: Further evidence for a link between the nervous and immune systems

The rabbit appendix, a region of gut with well organized zones of lymphoid tissue, was examined with the glyoxylic acid histofluorescence technique for the localization of noradrenergic fibers, with high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (LCEC) for the quantitation of norepinephrine and serotonin, with Bielshowski and Giemsa stains for additional information about neural supply, and with acetylcholinesterase histochemistry for the localization of this hydrolytic enzyme. Fluorescent plexuses entered the serosal surface of the appendix associated with blood vessels, traveled longitudinally inside the muscularis interna, mainly in association with blood vessels but adjacent to enteric smooth muscle, and branched into long, linear, varicose plexuses that ran inward in a radial orientation towards the lumen in the internodular septa. As these fibers approached the interdomal regions near the epithelial surface, they passed through thymus-dependent cell zones, and arborized extensively throughout the interdomal region. A high density of varicosities was found in the subepithelial region where immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells are found. These varicosities were sparse at 21 days of age, but were increased in number at 42 days of age. They were even further increased in number and density in adults. These fibers were further identified with a Bielshowski silver stain, and also demonstrated acetylcholinesterase activity. The noradrenergic varicosities in the interdomal regions of the adult rabbit appendix were closely associated with numerous yellow fluorescent cells of 25-40 microns diameter, which sometimes demonstrated fine varicose processes. The adult rabbit appendix contained a moderate concentration of norepinephrine (163.0 +/- 22.9 ng/g wet weight) and a very high concentration of serotonin (3981 +/- 283 ng/g wet weight). Levels in neonates were considerably lower, suggesting that the yellow fluorescent cells may contain serotonin. Acetylcholinesterase was associated with neural fibers and with non-neural regions of the lymph nodules and the domes, perhaps playing a protective role for these regions of the cellular immune system. The rabbit appendix is a well organized region of lymphoid tissue with specific zones of noradrenergic innervation and possible "paraneuronal" activity, with a readily accessible lumen for the isolation and collections of secretions. We propose this model as an excellent structure for further exploration of interactions between the nervous and immune systems.
Supersymmetric charged clouds in AdS 5

We consider supersymmetric holographic flows that involve background gauge fields dual to chemical potentials in the boundary field theory. We use a consistent truncation of gauged \( \mathcal{N} = 8 \) supergravity in five dimensions and we give a complete analysis of the supersymmetry conditions for a large family of flows. We examine how the well-known supersymmetric flow between two fixed points is modified by the presence of the chemical potentials and this yields a new, completely smooth, solution that interpolates between two global AdS spaces of different radii and with different values of the chemical potential. We also examine some black-hole-like singular flows and a new non-supersymmetric black hole solution. We comment on the interpretation of our new solutions in terms of giant gravitons and discuss the implications of our work for finding black-hole solutions in AdS geometries.
Liver X receptor and retinoid X receptor agonists inhibit inflammatory responses of microglia and astrocytes

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are nuclear receptors previously identified to be important in lipid metabolism. Recent reports suggest that LXR agonists also exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in mouse models of atherosclerosis and contact dermatitis. In the present study, we investigated the effects of LXR agonists on mouse microglia and astrocytes. When chronically activated, these resident-CNS glia have been implicated in the pathology of neuroinflammatory disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS). Our studies demonstrated for the first time that LXR agonists inhibited the production of nitric oxide, the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 and the chemokine MCP-1 from LPS-stimulated microglia and astrocytes. Furthermore, LXR agonists inhibited LPS-induction of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) DNA-binding activity. These agonists also blocked LPS-induction of IκB-α protein degradation in microglia, suggesting a mechanism by which these agonists modulate NF-κB DNA-binding activity. These studies suggest that LXR agonists suppress the production of pro-inflammatory molecules by CNS glia, at least in part, by modulating NF-κB-signaling pathways. Retinoid X receptors (RXRs) physically interact with LXR receptors, and the resulting obligate heterodimer regulates the expression of LXR-responsive genes. Interestingly, a combination of LXR and RXR agonists additively suppressed the production of NO by microglia and astrocytes. Collectively, these studies suggest that LXR agonists may be effective in the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases including MS.
A kinetic assay for cellulases

Abstract Research on the mechanism of action of cellulases has been hampered by the lack of a rapid, continuous, or kinetic assay. A linked assay system that uses glucose oxidase and horseradish peroxidase has been coupled with β-glucosidase to yield an assay system that can be used for kinetic assays for cellobiase-producing enzymes as well as a measure of cellobiose degradation by β-glucosidases. This assay shows a 20-fold increase in sensitivity over the traditional reducing sugar assay.
Psychoanalysis and ethics: An issue for our time

Abstract Freud's disdain of ethics, which he equated with religious commands, inhibited psychoanalysts from writing on this topic for many years. He proposed the internalization of parental commands as the genesis of superego, the agency responsible for conscience, and the internalization of the Deity (through the Second Commandment), as the genesis of a spiritualized religion. Both ideas were consequences of Freud's biblical exegesis, his identification with Moses, and his conflictual feelings regarding his own Jewish identity. It is the view of this paper that Freud overlooked the true roots of the Judaic ethic, which appeared only after defeat by the Babylonians had dismantled the Jewish State, and disempowered the monarchy and theocracy, providing room for more democratic ideas, incorporating concepts of social justice. A review of the writings of cognitive theorists finds that they emphasize freedom as the prerequisite for ethical thinking, an origin which the current paper finds as parallel with the...
Resource partitioning among forest owls in the River of No Return Wilderness, Idaho

We studied resource partitioning among the forest owls in the River of No Return Wilderness, Idaho, during the winter and spring of 1980 and 1981. The owl assemblage consisted of five abundant species: pygmy (Glaucidium gnoma), saw-whet (Aegolius acadicus), boreal (A. funereus), western screech (Otus kennicottii), and great-horned (Bubo virginianus). Long-eared (Asio otus) and flammulated (O. flammeolus) owls were rarely observed. Information from the literature supplemented our data to describe the pattern of resource partitioning. Stepwise discriminant function analysis and multivariate analysis of variance revealed differences in macrohabitat and microhabitat. The saw-whet, boreal, western screech, and great-horned owls all preferred mammalian prey but exhibited habitat differences. They also differed in activity periods and food habits. The pygmy owl, a food and habitat generalist, foraged diurnally more than the other species and took a higher proportion of brids. The flammulated owl used areas within the territories of other owl species but specialized on forest insects. The observed pattern of resource use was interpreted to result from environmental factors, morphological limitations and interspecific competition. Differences in food and activity time, we suggest, result from environmental factors and differences in owl morphology, while present-day interspecific competition may be important in shaping habitat use. Experiments will be necessary to determine the causal factors responsible for segregation among the forest owls.
A Logarithmic Safety Staffing Rule for Contact Centers with Call Blending

We consider large contact centers that handle two types of jobs-inbound and outbound-simultaneously, a process commonly referred to as call blending. Inbound work arrives to the system according to an exogenous arrival process, whereas outbound work is generated by the contact center. We assume that there is an infinite supply of outbound work to process, and that inbound calls are prioritized over the outbound calls. We propose a logarithmic safety staffing rule, combined with a threshold control policy, ensuring that agents' utilization is very close to one at all times, but that there are practically always idle agents present. Specifically, we prove that it is possible to have almost all inbound calls answered immediately upon their arrival, in addition to satisfying a target long-run throughput rate of outbound calls, with at most a negligible proportion of those calls dropped. Simulation experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and accuracy of our analysis. This paper was accepted by Assaf Zeevi, stochastic models and simulation.
Hep G2 cell line as a human model for sulphate conjugation of drugs.

1. The objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of the hepatoma cell line Hep G2 as a model for human sulphoconjugation of drugs, in particular stereoselective conjugation.2. Using the substrates p-nitrophenol and dopamine, we found sulphation activities consistent with the presence of both the phenol (P) and the monoamine (M) form of the human phenolsulphotransferases in these cells.3. The Kmapp was 3.0γM for the sulphation of p-nitrophenol. This activity was inhibited selectively by 2,6-dichloro-4-nitrophenol, IC50 6γM. The Kmapp was 39 γM for the sulphation of dopamine. This activity was selectively inhibited by elevated temperature.4. The chiral adrenergic drugs (±)-terbutaline and (±)-4-hydroxypropranolol were both sulphated stereoselectively with Kmapp and Fmaxapp values for each enantiomer virtually identical to previous observations with human liver cytosol.5. In a direct comparison, the estimated activity of the P form of phenolsulphotrans-ferase in the Hep G2 cell line was 30% of th...
Emergence of quinolone resistance among viridans group streptococci isolated from the oropharynx of neutropenic peripheral blood stem cell transplant patients receiving quinolone antimicrobial prophylaxis

In neutropenic patients receiving quinolone prophylaxis, bacteremia with viridans group streptococci resistant to quinolones is a known complication. The frequency of occurrence of quinolone-resistant organisms colonizing the oropharynx during antibacterial prophylaxis with a quinolone is not well defined. In 48 patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the prevalence of quinolone resistance in viridans group streptococci colonizing the oropharynx before and during antibacterial prophylaxis with gatifloxacin or moxifloxacin (most with concomitant penicillin) was determined. For quinolone-resistant isolates, mutations in the genes gyrA and parC, which confer resistance to quinolones, were analyzed. Seventy-four isolates before and 27 isolates during quinolone use were recovered from patients' oropharynxes. The numbers of susceptible isolates recovered before versus during quinolone use were as follows: 52 (70%) versus three (11%) for ciprofloxacin, 66 (89%) versus eight (30%) for levofloxacin, 66 (89%) versus ten (37%) for gatifloxacin, and 67 (91%) versus 11 (41%) for moxifloxacin (p<0.0001). Mutations in gyrA and/or parC were detected in quinolone-resistant isolates. Quinolone-resistant viridans group streptococci are frequently found in the oropharynx of neutropenic patients after a brief (median, 8 days) exposure to gatifloxacin or moxifloxacin.
Homeostatic Control of Presynaptic Release Is Triggered by Postsynaptic Membrane Depolarization

Abstract Homeostatic mechanisms regulate synaptic function to maintain nerve and muscle excitation within reasonable physiological limits. The mechanisms that initiate homeostasic changes to synaptic function are not known. We specifically impaired cellular depolarization by expressing the Kir2.1 potassium channel in Drosophila muscle. In Kir2.1-expressing muscle there is a persistent outward potassium current (∼10 nA), decreased muscle input resistance (50-fold), and a hyperpolarized resting potential. Despite impaired muscle excitability, synaptic depolarization of muscle achieves wild-type levels. A quantal analysis demonstrates that increased presynaptic release (quantal content), without a change in quantal size (mEPSC amplitude), compensates for altered muscle excitation. Because morphological synaptic growth is normal, we conclude that a homeostatic increase in presynaptic release compensates for impaired muscle excitability. These data demonstrate that a monitor of muscle membrane depolarization is sufficient to initiate synaptic homeostatic compensation.
Surface Geometry of Charged Rotating Black Holes

Invariant measures of the surface geometry of a charged rotating (Kerr-Newman) black hole are examined. It is shown that as the rotation rate of the black hole increases, the equatorial circumference increases while the polar circumference decreases. This is analogous to effects in material rotating bodies. The number of parameters describing a charged Kerr black hole drops from three to two on its surface. It is found that a scale parameter $\ensuremath{\eta}$ and a distortion parameter $\ensuremath{\beta}$ describe this geometry very simply. There emerge two classes of Kerr metrics separated by $\ensuremath{\beta}=\frac{1}{2}$. For larger $\ensuremath{\beta}$ the Gaussian curvature becomes negative on two polar-cap regions and the surface cannot be globally embedded in Euclidean 3-space. Possible physical effects are briefly discussed.
Mobile technology at the frontlines of patient care: Understanding fit and human drives in utilization decisions and performance

Mobile information communication technologies (MICTs) have considerable promise in patient care settings. But that promise can only be realized if the MICT applications are used by the medical staff. This paper reports on a study examining nurses' decisions to utilize MICTs. A mixed-methods approach is used, consisting of both qualitative and quantitative elements, that reveals and empirically tests the significance of novel constellations of fit (i.e., identification, information, patient interaction, physical, time criticality, user comfort, and workflow fit) and individual characteristics, presented as basic human drives (i.e., drive to acquire, bond, defend, and learn). Findings indicate that fit is a multi-faceted construct and that archetypical human drives have an influence on these various notions, which in turn, impact technology adoption in the healthcare context.
The Influence of Irrigation on Slope Movements, Ventura County, California, USA

Ancient landslides at two locations in Ventura County, California, USA, that have morphology consistent with thousands of years of stability were reactivated in 1988 and 1992–1994. The timing of reactivation was assisted by the burial or destruction of oil wells that penetrated through the landslides and had operated continuously since at least 1948. Slope movement at Grimes Canyon began during a period of lower-than-normal rainfall (compared to average precipitation since 1948), which suggests that irrigation triggered instability. At South Mountain, landsliding initiation overlapped a period of intense rainfall; however, the influence of irrigation, which may have contributed antecedent groundwater conditions conducive to slope failure, may not be ruled out. These case studies illustrate the complexity of identifying landslide triggering mechanisms, and they show that triggering of deep-seated landslides may be aided by climatic conditions or irrigation.
2D modeling of Silicon Heterojunction Interdigitated Back Contact solar cells

Silicon Heterojunction Interdigitated Back Contact (SHJ-IBC) solar cells were studied by two dimensional modeling using Sentaurus TCAD tools. It was shown that low fill factor caused by the S-shape behavior of experimental J-V curves of standard interdigitated back contact cells can be recovered by making small openings in the intrinsic buffer layer. The small openings in the buffer layer also substantially reduce the influence of the relative dimensions of the silicon strips as when compared to cells with a continuous buffer layer.
Examining the Influences over Roll Call Voting in Multiple Issue Areas: A Comparative US State Analysis

Examinations of roll call voting have found that issue salience affects the influences over roll call voting in different issue areas. However, it is unclear whether these findings can be extended to legislatures generally as studies have focused only on the US congress or one US state legislature. This article examines the influences over roll call voting in 15 issue areas in five legislative chambers in four US states. The results show the influences over roll call voting vary based on issue salience, but chamber variations suggest that features in the political environment, such as party competition and the resources available to legislators, are just as important in understanding the factors that influence roll call voting.
Physical irrigation of relict burrows: Implications for sediment chemistry

Abstract Relict biogenic structures are common in some areas of the sea floor, particularly the deep-sea, and are potentially irrigated by flow induced by overlying water currents. Such physically induced irrigation could have major effects on sedimentary solutes and influence interpretation of their measured distributions. Experiments show that the rate of flow through these uninhabited burrow structures is in some cases comparable to irrigation rates by animals. Even at the very low mean current velocities expected in the deep-sea boundary layer, induced irrigation is often sufficient to hold the concentrations of solutes in the burrow water close to that of the overlying water. As a result, these relict structures may in some ways be functionally equivalent to inhabited burrows with respect to modification of sediment chemistry.
Downwash for joined-wing airframe with control surface deflections

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the downwash effects for a joined-wing aircraft was conducted. The investigation included the development of an analytical technique using control surface deflections of both the fore and aft wings instead of the usual tail deflection classical approach. Modifications to the basic equations are presented followed by a comparison with experimental data to validate the procedure. The results indicate differences between experiment and the resulting semiempirical method of less than 12%.
Plane-wave-time-domain-enhanced marching-on-in-time scheme for analyzing scattering from homogeneous dielectric structures.

A novel and fast integral-equation-based scheme is presented for analyzing transient electromagnetic scattering from homogeneous, isotropic, and nondispersive bodies. The computational complexity of classical marching-on-in-time (MOT) methods for solving time-domain integral equations governing electromagnetic scattering phenomena involving homogeneous penetrable bodies scales as O(NtNs2). Here, Nt represents the number of time steps in the analysis, and Ns denotes the number of spatial degrees of freedom of the discretized electric and magnetic currents on the body’s surface. In contrast, the computational complexity of the proposed plane-wave–time-domain-enhanced MOT solver scales as O(NtNs log2 Ns). Numerical results that demonstrate the accuracy and the efficacy of the scheme are presented.
Parent and Child Cognitive Representations of Social Situations and Children's Social Competence

The current study examines the relations among parent and child social information processing components and their links to children's social competence. Ninety-seven kindergarten children and their mothers and fathers responded to open-ended vignettes that involved conflict with a peer. Goals and strategies for both parents and children were assessed. Results show that there is some consistency between parents and children in the types of goals and strategies that are provided. Further, fathers’ and children's goals and strategies were related to children's social competence but only limited support for children's cognitions as a mediator between parental cognitions and peer competence was found. The implications for the role of social information processing in the development of children's social competence are noted.
A Case for Global Corporate Governance Rules: An Auditor's Perspective

This paper reflects on the premise that there is a need for global corporate governance rules. In coming to this premise, the views of various authors regarding the need for harmonisation of financial reporting systems are considered. If, in the view of these authors, there is a need for a uniform set of international accounting standards and international auditing standards, then it is reasoned that there is also a need for global corporate governance standards. The paper considers the importance of corporate governance and, particularly, the auditor's involvement in the governance process, including new rules issued by the International Auditing Practices Committee on communicating matters of governance interest to those in an entity charged with governance. The paper also considers the new initiative of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Bank, and the use of Global Shares by global business enterprises as further compelling reasons to start a movement for global governance rules. The paper concludes with a recommendation for the international securities regulators to seriously consider the formation and implementation of such rules.
Model for predicting and phenotyping at normal weight the long-term propensity for obesity in Sprague-Dawley rats

Tests were conducted to determine whether weight gain or nutrient intake measures during the first week of exposure to a macronutrient diet can accurately predict an animal's long-term propensity towards obesity. In multiple groups of normal-weight Sprague-Dawley rats (n=35-70/group), daily weight gain during the first 5 days on a high-fat diet (45-60% fat) was found to be strongly, positively correlated (r=+0.71 to r=+0.82) with accumulated body fat in 4 dissected depots after 4-6 weeks on the diet. This measure consistently identified obesity-prone (OP) rats which, relative to the obesity-resistant (OR) rats, were only slightly heavier (+15 g, 4%) and hyperphagic (+9 kcal, 8%) after 5 days but markedly heavier (+70g) with up to 2-fold greater fat mass after several weeks on the diet. Other dietary conditions and measures revealed weaker relationships to ultimate body fat accrual. The OP rats identified by their 5-day weight-gain score exhibited at this early stage clear disturbances characteristic of markedly obese rats. These included elevated leptin, insulin, triglycerides and glucose, along with increased lipoprotein lipase activity (LPL) in adipose tissue and galanin expression in the paraventricular nucleus. Most notable were significant reductions in muscle of LPL activity and ratio of beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase to citrate synthase activity, indicating a decline in lipid transport and capacity of muscle to metabolize lipids. By occurring early with initial weight gain, these hypothalamic and metabolic disturbances in OP rats, favoring fat storage in adipose tissue over fat oxidation in muscle, may have causal relationships to long-term accumulation of body fat.
Atypical Posture and Movement Findings in High-Risk Pre-Term Infants

Quality of movement was observed and compared during functional motor skills in samples of 40 high-risk premature infants and 24 normal full-term infants in the first year of life. All infants in t...
FLAN: a web server for influenza virus genome annotation

FLAN (short for FLu ANnotation), the NCBI web server for genome annotation of influenza virus (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/FLU/Database/annotation.cgi) is a tool for user-provided influenza A virus or influenza B virus sequences. It can validate and predict protein sequences encoded by an input flu sequence. The input sequence is BLASTed against a database containing influenza sequences to determine the virus type (A or B), segment (1 through 8) and subtype for the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase segments of influenza A virus. For each segment/subtype of the viruses, a set of sample protein sequences is maintained. The input sequence is then aligned against the corresponding protein set with a 'Protein to nucleotide alignment tool' (ProSplign). The translated product from the best alignment to the sample protein sequence is used as the predicted protein encoded by the input sequence. The output can be a feature table that can be used for sequence submission to GenBank (by Sequin or tbl2asn), a GenBank flat file, or the predicted protein sequences in FASTA format. A message showing the length of the input sequence, the predicted virus type, segment and subtype for the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase segments of Influenza A virus will also be displayed.
Apolipoprotein CIII in Apolipoprotein B Lipoproteins Enhances the Adhesion of Human Monocytic Cells to Endothelial Cells

Background— Lipoproteins containing apolipoprotein (apo) CIII predict coronary heart disease and associate with components of the metabolic syndrome. ApoCIII inhibits lipoprotein catabolism in plas...
Detection of Common Disease-Causing Mutations in Mitochondrial DNA (Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis with Stroke-Like Episodes MTTL1 3243 A>G and Myoclonic Epilepsy Associated with Ragged-Red Fibers MTTK 8344A>G) by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

The 3243A>G mutation in the MTTL1 (tRNALeu) gene and the 8344A>G mutation in the MTTK (tRNALys) gene are the most common mutations found in mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis with stroke-like episodes and myoclonic epilepsy associated with ragged-red fibers, respectively. These mitochondrial DNA mutations are usually detected by conventional polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis. We developed a LightCycler real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to detect these two mutations based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer technology and melting curve analysis. Primers and fluorescence-labeled hybridization probes were designed so that the sensor probe spans the mutation site. The observed melting temperatures differed in the mutant and wild-type DNA by 9°C for the MTTL1 gene and 6°C for the MTTK gene. This method correctly identified all 10 samples that were 3243A>G mutation-positive, all 4 samples that were 8344A>G mutation-positive, and all 30 samples that were negative for both mutations, as previously identified by traditional gel-based methods. This LightCycler assay is a rapid and reliable technique for molecular diagnosis of these mitochondrial gene mutations.
Pump-slowly, fetch-quickly (PSFQ): a reliable transport protocol for sensor networks

There is a growing need to support reliable data communications in sensor networks that are capable of supporting new applications, such as, assured delivery of high-priority events to sinks, reliable control and management of sensor networks, and remotely programming/retasking sensor nodes over-the-air. We present the design, implementation, and evaluation of pump slowly, fetch quickly (PSFQ), a simple, scalable, and robust transport protocol that is customizable to meet the needs of emerging reliable data applications in sensor networks. PSFQ represents a simple approach because it makes minimum assumptions about the underlying routing infrastructure, it is scalable and energy- efficient because it supports minimum signaling, thereby reducing the communication cost for data reliability, and importantly, it is robust because it is responsive to a wide range of operational error conditions found in sensor network, allowing for the successful operation of the protocol even under highly error-prone conditions. The key idea that underpins the design of PSFQ is to distribute data from a source node by pacing data at a relatively slow speed ("pump slowly"), but allowing nodes that experience data loss to fetch (i.e., recover) any missing segments from their local immediate neighbors aggressively ("fetch quickly"). We present the design and implementation of PSFQ, and evaluate the protocol using the ns-2 simulator and an experimental wireless sensor testbed based on Berkeley motes and the TinyOS operating system. We show that PSFQ can outperform existing related techniques and is highly responsive to the various error conditions experienced in sensor networks. The source code for PSFQ is freely available for experimentation.
Architecture and evaluation of a high-speed networking subsystem for distributed-memory systems

Achieving high-speed network I/O on distributed-memory systems is difficult because their architecture is in general ill-suited for communication processing. Some of the common problems are: inability to do protocol processing, inefficient handling of data distribution, and poor management of the I/O. In this paper we present an I/O architecture that addresses these problems and supports high-speed network I/O on distributed-memory systems. The key to good performance is to partition the work appropriately between the system and the network interface. We perform some communication tasks on the distributed-memory parallel system since it is more powerful, and less likely to become a bottleneck than the network interface. Tasks that do not parallelize well are performed on the network interface and hardware support is provided for the most time-critical operations. We emphasize the use of simple I/O mechanisms that can be used by programming tools that map applications on the distributed-memory system to implement efficient I/O for the class of applications they support.This architecture has been implemented for the iWarp distributed-memory system. We describe this implementation and present performance results.
Imaging cerebral function

The Scan Analysis and Visualization Processor (Scan/VP), a flexible, portable, Unix-based software package for visualizing and analyzing positron emission tomography (PET) images in a clinical-research setting, is described. PET systems are compared to computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems. The imaging and software aspects of Scan/VP, and procedures devoted specifically to functional PET imaging, including mathematical modeling, image registration, regional thresholding, and derivation of regional covariation patterns, are discussed. Basic surface display, animation, and stereo techniques for visualizing variations in metabolic topology and underlying disease patterns are also discussed. >
Fudging the Numbers: Distributing Chocolate Influences Student Evaluations of an Undergraduate Course.

Student evaluations provide important information about teaching effectiveness. Research has shown that student evaluations can be mediated by unintended aspects of a course. In this study, we examined whether an event unrelated to a course would increase student evaluations. Six discussion sections completed course evaluations administered by an independent experimenter. The experimenter offered chocolate to 3 sections before they completed the evaluations. Overall, students offered chocolate gave more positive evaluations than students not offered chocolate. This result highlights the need to standardize evaluation procedures to control for the influence of external factors on student evaluations.
Data from Explorer 17 on composition of the upper atmosphere

Introduction. The Explorer 17 aeronomy satellite carried two double-focusing magnetic mass spectrometers designed [Meadows, 1960; Hall et al., 1960; Spencer and Reber, 1962] to measure the concentrations of the major neutral-particle constituents of the earth's upper atmosphere. The ambient densities of helium, oxygen, and nitrogen were obtained between north and south latitudes of 58° and from the perigee altitude of 257 km to an altitude in excess of 700 km. Data for various local times, altitudes, and geographic locations have been combined to provide a broader altitude coverage than could have been experienced at any single location.
Effect of meal frequency and spaced crystalline lysine ingestion on the utilization of dietary lysine by chickens

Abstract Four chick growth trials were conducted using a lysine-deficient corn-sesame meal diet to ascertain whether meal feeding (1- or 2-hour meal twice daily) would reduce the efficiency of lysine utilization relative to ad libitum feeding and whether spacing the crystalline lysine supplement would likewise affect lysine utilization for weight gain. Based upon slope-ratio methodology, the efficiency of crystalline lysine utilization was virtually the same whether chicks were meal fed or ad libitum fed. In the linear response surface of the growth curve, lysine was utilized similarly whether the crystalline lysine supplement was ad libitum fed constantly or whether it was ad libitum fed at double the dose for 12 hours and then followed by ad libitum feeding of no supplemental lysine for the remaining 12 hours each day. The same was true in meal-fed chicks which were given two 2-hour meals each day. In the curvilinear response area of the growth curve, spacing the crystalline lysine supplement caused a small reduction in dietary lysine utilization in both ad libitum-fed and meal-fed chicks. The results of these trials support the view that lysine is conserved in tissue pools during periods of lysine deprivation.
Chronic kidney disease as a potent risk modifier for CAD in diabetics.

With the demographic shift in the U.S. to an older and heavier population, there has been a well-documented increase in the incidence of diabetes mellitus ([1][1]). Paralleling this rise in diabetes has been a growth in the number of Americans with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Estimates of the
Electrodeposition of Cu on Ta-Based Layer II: Cu Electrodeposition on Cu ∕ Ta Bilayers

Ta substrates covered with nominal thicknesses of 1, 2.5, and 5 nm physical vapor deposited (PVD) Cu seed were employed as substrates for Cu electrodeposition. Electroplating a thin, uniform Cu film on Cu seed less than 5 nm in thickness is problematic using a typical acid electrolyte. A basic electrolyte was seen to be successful in electrodepositing a thin, continuous Cu film on all these substrates. Polarization curves show the nucleation of Cu from this electrolyte is influenced by the PVD Cu seed thickness, with the 5 nm Cu seed exhibiting behavior similar to that obtained on thick PVD Cu seed. Chronoamperometry and SEM suggest that the presence of the PVD Cu on the Ta surface significantly affects the Cu nucleation process. High electrodeposited particle densities are achievable with the basic electrolyte on Cu PVD seeds <5 nm in nominal thickness.
A NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF JET LIP GEOMETRY ON MIXING

The influence of jet lip geometry on mixing in a supersonic underexpanded jet is investigated numerically. Time accurate numerical simulation of a supersonic underexpanded jet is performed by solving the two dimensional Navier-Stokes equations on nonuniform grids using the second-order explicit MacCormack scheme. Nonreflecting boundary conditions are applied at the outflow and far-field boundaries. Three jet lip shapes are tested. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the results show a measurable change in mixing among the three cases. The observed difference in the jet pressure radiation indicates that modification in the jet lip shape may cause a change in the noise production and propagation. The study indicates that certain modifications in the jet lip could effectively enhance mixing and alter the jet acoustic radiatioa The results also show the capacity of the present formulation to resolve the complex features of high Reynolds number supersonic jets. Nomenclature
Can Faradaic Processes in Residual Iron Catalyst Help Overcome Intrinsic EDLC Limits of Carbon Nanotubes

The promise of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) for supercapacitor electrodes remains unfulfilled due to their poor energy density, which is limited by their redox inactivity. Here, we show a simple, alternative path to achieve Faradaic charge storage by harnessing intrinsic heterogeneity (e.g., Fe catalyst) of as-synthesized MWNTs, obviating the challenges of combining disparate materials in hybrid composite electrodes. In acidic solutions, MWNTs are ruptured by voltammetric cycling beyond the electrolysis limit, thereby exposing residual catalyst nanoparticles. The addition of Faradaic charge storage associated with the Fe2+/Fe3+ transition, results in a 4-fold increase in peak capacitance of MWNT electrodes (290 F/g) compared to purified MWNT electrodes (70 F/g), along with a 60% increase in charge capacity.