cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved gain and loss factor formulas for a conical horn

The gain and loss factor of the conical horn are revisited based on the spherical and quadratic aperture phase distributions. The gains are compared with the classical data by Gray and Schelkunoff which appeared in the paper by King, in an attempt to confirm their validity and accuracy and to determine whether they were derived based on spherical or quadratic phase distribution. In addition, more accurate loss factors, to account for amplitude and phase tapering over the conical horn aperture, are derived which improve the prediction of the conical horn gain. New formulas for the design of optimum gain conical horns, based on the more accurate spherical aperture phase distribution, are derived and reported, and guidelines are provided for their utility.
Kiowa Ethnonymy of Other Populations

While several studies of Native American place names exist inventories of a particular tribe’s names for other populations are largely lacking. This work presents 121 Kiowa ethnonyms of other Native American and non-Native populations. Data are examined for their qualitative breadth and quantitative semantic bases, shedding insights on Kiowa cultural views and relations with other tribes. Results suggest a number of observations about the basic structure of Kiowa ethnonyms, the nature and use of tribal ethnonyms, and general comparisons with other forms of Kiowa naming practices. Finally, data raise several methodological questions for future research in Native American tribal ethnonymy. All Kiowa lexica are written in the Parker P. McKenzie Kiowa Orthography (Meadows and McKenzie 2001), which is recognized by the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and used in Kiowa language classes at the University of Oklahoma. A pronunciation guide is provided at the end of the article.
Probabilistic Quantum Encoder for Single-Photon Qubits

We describe an experiment in which a physical qubit represented by the polarization state of a single photon was probabilistically encoded in the logical state of two photons. The experiment relied on linear optics, postselection, and three-photon interference effects produced by a parametric down-conversion photon pair and a weak coherent state. An interesting consequence of the encoding operation was the ability to observe entangled three-photon Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states.
Intercalated polymer nanocomposites prepared in supercritical carbon dioxide.

An alternative route to prepare polymer-clay nanocomposites using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) is described. The presence of clay nanoparticles significantly influences the morphology, foaming process and crystallization of a polymer when processed in scCO2. Intercalated structures are successfully produced in the presence of scCO2 even when favorable interactions between the polymer and the clay are not present. The effect of scCO2 on the intercalation process is analyzed for a variety of polymer systems both with modified and unmodified clays. By controlling the hydrophilicity of the polymer and clay systems, specific understanding of the effect of scCO2 on the structure and morphology of the nanocomposites is obtained. Experimental results show significant increases in the clays d-spacings for scCO2-treated samples. This behavior is consistent regardless of the nature of the polymer, showing significant amounts of intercalation even in purely hydrophobic polymers.
Attentional flexibility and aging: you don't need to be 20 years of age to split the beam.

Whether young and old adults were able to selectively attend to noncontiguous locations in the visual field and ignore physically interspersed distractor stimuli was examined. Participants decided whether 2 letters matched or mismatched. Target letter locations were precued by square boxes on an imaginary circle centered on fixation. Distractors were located between the 2 targets. Young and old were unable to ignore the distractors when the targets and distractors were presented as onset stimuli ; however, both young and old were able to ignore the distractors when the target and distractors were presented as non-onset stimuli. The time course of attentional allocation was equivalent for young and old. Results are discussed in terms of models of visual selective attention and the flexibility of attentional control.
Single-event vulnerability of mixed-signal circuit interfaces

The design of high-speed communications devices requires design decisions as to the type of signal best suited for data propagation. Current-mode logic is the industry standard for high-speed CMOS circuit design due to the fast switching speed. However, the outputs do not go rail-to-rail and therefore require a conversion back to full-swing CMOS logic. This interface between current-mode and CMOS logic is found to be vulnerable to single-event effects. A radiation-hardened-by-design solution is proposed for such interfaces.
Academic library home pages: link location and database provision

Abstract This article reports the findings of a survey of 143 home pages of academe and their library home pages. Librarians should advocate for a library home page link on the first page of their parent institution’s home page and provide online databases and free Internet resources through the library’s home page.
An evaluation of the Vincentizing method of forming group-level response time distributions

Vincentizing (quantile averaging) is a popular means of pooling response time distributions across individuals to produce a group average. The benefit of Vincentizing is that the resulting histogram “looks like” an average of the individuals. In this article, we competitively test Vincentizing against the more mundane approach of averaging parameter estimates from fits to individuals. We simulate data from three distributions: the ex-Gaussian, the Weibull, and the shifted-Wald. For the ex-Gaussian and the shifted-Wald, parameter averaging outperforms Vincentizing. There is only an advantage of Vincentizing for the Weibull and only when there are few observations per participant. Overall, we recommend that researchers use Vincentizing only in select circumstances and with the knowledge that Vincentized estimates are often inconsistent estimators of averaged parameters.
Can hotter mantle have a larger viscosity

In the diffusion creep regime which is believed to be appropriate for the lower mantle of the Earth, the viscosity of rocks depends on the grain size. The grain size is normally assumed to be constant in mantle convection models. However, it is controlled by the kinetics of polymorphic phase transformations and post-transformation grain growth and can vary substantially. A simple scaling analysis demonstrates one particular feature of the interaction of rheology, convection and kinetics: the mantle resembles a temperature-dependent viscosity fluid with an extremely unusual apparent activation enthalpy for the viscosity. It can take almost any value including negative so that hotter regions can have a larger viscosity or the averaged viscosity of the mantle can increase during Earth's secular cooling. This affects mantle dynamics and evolution and should also be taken into account in interpretating the viscosity variations in the mantle.
Always on My Mind: Exploring How Frequent, Recent, and Vivid Television Portrayals Are Used in the Formation of Social Reality Judgments

Prior research has found consistent support for the heuristic processing model of cultivation effects, which argues that cultivation effects can be explained by the availability heuristic. The present study represents an experimental test of the heuristic processing model and tests the impact of frequency, recency, and vividness on construct accessibility and social reality beliefs. 213 students participated in a 2 × 2 × 2 prolonged exposure experimental design varying the frequency of exposure to violent television programs, the level of vividness in the programs, and recency of exposure. Dependent measures were accessibility and social reality beliefs. Results showed that reaction times were largely unresponsive to the independent variables. Although there were no main effects for frequency on social reality beliefs, there was a significant interaction between frequency and vividness on beliefs: People watching vivid violent media gave higher estimates of the prevalence of crime and police immorality in...
Effect of technological intensity on the relationships among Six Sigma design, electronic-business, and competitive advantage: A dynamic capabilities model study

Abstract The implementation of Six Sigma programs must take into consideration the level of technological intensity of the organization to determine the relative impact of program design factors and the applications for electronic business on sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). From a Dynamic Capabilities Model perspective, this research studies the moderating effect of technological intensity on the relationships among Six Sigma program design factors, e-business applications, and SCA for sixty-six manufacturing and service organizations. Technological intensity of a firm is defined as the level of research and development (R&D) expenditures as a percentage of corporate sales revenues. Corporations with greater technological intensity invest more heavily in Research and Development to become more competitive. Factor analysis for ten Six Sigma program design items resulted in five program design factors. High technological intensive firms are perceived as attaching a greater importance to certain design factors that are related to electronic-business practices, as compared to other design factors for low technological intensive companies. Similarly, different program design factors are associated with SCA for high-tech than for low-tech companies. Finally only high-tech companies have applications of Six Sigma to electronic-business practices that are correlated with SCA. The recent evolution of Six Sigma programs from manufacturing companies to service organizations suggests competitive opportunities exist for firms to enhance their success, especially in terms of process improvement design factors and applications to electronic-business.
Preparation and Mechanism of Formation of Spherical Submicrometer Zinc Sulfide Powders

Spherical, submicrometer particles of zinc sulfide were homogeneously precipitated by thermal decomposition of thioacetamide in acidic aqueous solutions. The rate of sulfide ion generation, determined by various combinations of temperature, PH, and initial concentrations of zinc ions and of thioacetamide, as related to particle growth rate, had the paramount effect on the particle size distribution. Monosized, bimodal, or narrow size distribution powders were obtained under certain combinations of experimental variables. Particles were porous agglomerates of ∼13-nm sphalerite crystallites. Particle growth proceeded through diffusion-controlled aggregation of crystallites.
Agricultural Biotechnology for Developing Countries: Prospects and Policies

Will the biotechnology revolution improve the living standards of poor rural farmers in developing countries? The Green Revolution showed that the economic and social structures in a society play a...
X-ray scattering from unilamellar lipid vesicles

An improved small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) method for determining asymmetric lipid bilayer structure in unilamellar vesicles is presented. From scattering theory, analytic expressions are derived for the bilayer form factor over flat and spherical geometries, assuming the lipid bilayer electron density to be composed of a series of Gaussian shells. This is in contrast to both classic diffraction and Guinier hard-shell SAXS methods which, respectively, are capable only of ascertaining symmetric bilayer structure and limited-resolution asymmetric structure. Using model fitting and direct calculation of the form factor, using only one equation, an asymmetric electron density profile of the lipid vesicle is obtained with high accuracy, as well as the average radius. The analysis suggests that the inner leaflet of a unilamellar lipid vesicle is `rougher' than the outer one.
Educational Economics: Where Do School Funds Go?

Controlling for inflation, public schools spend twice as much per student as 30 years ago, with few gains in student achievement. This, despite the fact that as my friend Jay Greene (2005) demonstr...
Code-Switching Patterns in the Writing-Related Talk of Young Emergent Bilinguals:

This qualitative study examined code-switching patterns in the writing-related talk of 6 emergent Spanish-English bilingual first-grade children. Audio recordings, field notes, and writing artifacts documenting participant activities and language use in Spanish and English writing workshops were gathered over the course of 6 months and analyzed for code-switching prevalence, form, content, and purpose in relation to the writing process. The percentage distribution of oral code switching across the two linguistic contexts suggests a sociolinguistic imbalance between the two languages, wherein English played a prevalent role in the creation of Spanish texts, but Spanish did not appear to have the same utility in the development of English texts. Four general categories of code-switching functions emerged, indicating emergent bilingual writers’ (a) evaluation and self-regulation skills, (b) sociolinguistic and sociocultural competence, (c) metalinguistic insights, and (d) use of code switching to indicate a ...
Rigorous formulation for fields and currents in superconducting microwave transmission lines

A direct approach is described for obtaining current distribution. power handling capabilities, and propagation characteristics of high T/sub c/ superconductor microwave lines. A rigorous formulation based on coupling a full-wave electromagnetic model with London's equations and the two fluid model for superconducting materials is suggested. The finite-difference scheme is employed to obtain a simplified solution. Calculated results showing current distributions and quality factor of a superconducting microstrip line are presented. >
Wang Notation Tool: Layout independent representation of tables

The Wang Notation Tool (WNT) is a semi-automatic, interactive tool that converts tables to Wang notation - a layout independent representation of tables where all relationships between cells are recorded without relying on the physical structure of tables. WNT requires minimal interaction to select categories from which it deduces relationships. However, if WNT is incorrect, user correction is available to generate correct Wang notation.
A simulation approach to the design of dynamic feedback scheduling algorithms for time-shared computer systems

The goal of a scheduling algorithm for a time-shared computer system is to provide acceptable request response time and resource utilization through effective resource allocation. In order to do this, it is necessary for the algorithm to be capable of adjusting itself to handle the various situations, precipitated by the set of active user requests and the computing system's status, which may occur. An effort is now underway to design the structural framework of a scheduling algorithm which will dynamically formulate its resource allocation policies and adjust its policy formulation depending on the success or failure of those policies. Once designed, the framework will then be used to construct the scheduling algorithm for a given time-shared computer system.The approach chosen for determining the practicability of the algorithm design is the inclusion of the algorithm in the simulation of a swapping time-shared computer system model. The simulation contains four basic activities: processor, input/output, swapper, each of which contains a resource allocation policy for determining a priority ordering among those requests which have asked for the respective resource, and the user activity. User activities follow one of a number of simulated scripts which may be composed of several types of requests. Each request is given behavioral traits dependent on its type.While the complete algorithm is not yet implemented within the simulation, preliminary results suggest that some improvement in response time may be possible.
Amotivation in Schizophrenia: Integrated Assessment With Behavioral, Clinical, and Imaging Measures

Motivational deficits play a central role in disability caused by schizophrenia and constitute a major unmet therapeutic need. Negative symptoms have previously been linked to hypofunction in ventral striatum (VS), a core component of brain motivation circuitry. However, it remains unclear to what extent this relationship holds for specific negative symptoms such as amotivation, and this question has not been addressed with integrated behavioral, clinical, and imaging measures. Here, 41 individuals with schizophrenia and 37 controls performed a brief, computerized progressive ratio task (PRT) that quantifies effort exerted in pursuit of monetary reward. Clinical amotivation was assessed using the recently validated Clinical Assessment Interview for Negative Symptoms (CAINS). VS function was probed during functional magnetic resonance imaging using a monetary guessing paradigm. We found that individuals with schizophrenia had diminished motivation as measured by the PRT, which significantly and selectively related to clinical amotivation as measured by the CAINS. Critically, lower PRT motivation in schizophrenia was also dimensionally related to VS hypofunction. Our results demonstrate robust dimensional associations between behavioral amotivation, clinical amotivation, and VS hypofunction in schizophrenia. Integrating behavioral measures such as the PRT will facilitate translational efforts to identify biomarkers of amotivation and to assess response to novel therapeutic interventions.
Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein: an update on its regulation and mechanism of action.

Abstract Steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein controls the rate-limiting step in steroidogenesis: the transport of cholesterol from the outer to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Early studies indicated that rate of transcription of the StAR gene is a primary determinant of steroidogenesis. The transcription factors that govern basal and cAMP-dependent StAR expression are reviewed, as are new findings regarding chromatin modifications associated with activation of the StAR promoter. Molecular genetic studies of congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia, a rare disease caused by mutations in the StAR gene, and structure-function studies defined two major domains within the StAR protein, the N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence and the C-terminal StAR-related lipid transfer (START) domain, which promotes the translocation of cholesterol between the two mitochondrial membranes. Several models of StAR's mechanism of action have been proposed based on a combination of structure/function studies or on the crystal structure of a related START domain. The models—intermembrane shuttle hypothesis, and cholesterol desorption hypothesis—are discussed with respect to the known biochemical and biophysical events associated with steroidogenesis and the structure of StAR.
Analysis of Nonlinearly Loaded Multiport Antenna Structures Over an Imperfect Ground Plane Using the Volterra-Series Method

Volterra-series analysis is applied to nonlinearly loaded antennas over an imperfect ground plane. The nature of the imperfect ground can be taken into account either exactly by the Sommerfeld formulation or approximately by the reflection-coefficient method. After the electromagnetic-field problem is reduced to a network problem by application of the method of moments, the distributed nonlinear loads are approximated by lumped loads. The nonlinear network problem is then solved using the Volterra technique. A procedure for obtaining a time-domain solution from the frequencydomain solution without using the fast Fourier transform technique is demonstrated.
DNA vaccines delivered by human papillomavirus pseudovirions as a promising approach for generating antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immunity

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) pseudovirions have recently been shown to deliver DNA efficiently in vivo, resulting in the priming of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in vaccinated mice. In the current study, we compare the different preparation methods for the generation of HPV pseudovirions for their ability to efficiently infect cells. We also compare the antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immune responses generated by different DNA delivery methods and several commonly used forms of vaccination with that of HPV pseudovirions. Results: We found that the preparation method of pseudovirions is important for the efficient delivery of encapsidated DNA. We have shown that vaccination with DNA encoding model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) delivered by HPV-16 pseudovirions was capable of generating therapeutic antitumor effects against OVA-expressing tumor. In addition, vaccination with DNA encoding OVA delivered by HPV-16 pseudovirions generated the highest number of OVA-specific CD8+ T cells in mice in our system compared to DNA delivered by other delivery methods. We also found that vaccination with OVA DNA delivered by HPV-16 pseudovirions generated the highest number of OVA-specific CD8+ T cells in mice compared to other forms of antigen-specific vaccines. Furthermore, HPV-16 pseudovirions were capable of carrying DNA vaccine encoding clinically relevant antigen, telomerase reverse transcriptase, to generate antigen-specific CD8+ T cell immune responses. Conclusions: Our data suggest that DNA vaccines delivered by HPV-16 pseudovirions may be advantageous compared to other delivery methods and other forms of antigen-specific vaccines for application to antigenspecific immunotherapy.
Understanding natural language with diagrams

We describe a program, BEATRIX, that can understand textbook physics problems specified by a combination of English text and a diagram. The result of the understanding process is a unified internal model that represents the problem, including information derived from both the English text and the diagram. The system is implemented as two opportunistic coparsers, one for English and one for diagrams, within a blackboard architecture. A central problem is establishing coreference, that is, determining when parts of the text and diagram refer to the same object. Constraints supplied by the text and diagram mutually reduce ambiguity in interpretation of the other modality.
Presidents' perceptions: an historic review of fifty years of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.

Abstract This historic review of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association was written by the Historian charged by the ACPA Executive Council for the purpose of updating the history of the organization in honor of its 50th Anniversary. The data base for this review was the previously published 36-year history by Historian Charlotte Wells, the minutes of ACPA Executive Council meetings from 1979 to 1993, and a questionnaire survey of the 32 living Past Presidents (with a 90% return rate). This review highlights the important issues and critical decisions as recalled by Past Presidents. It also includes the recollection of humorous anecdotes, since the scholarly debate of this interdiscipilnary organization is often brought to a positive interpersonal level through the good natured humor of many of its members.
Effects of Retirement on Marital Conflict Tactics

This study explores whether spouses' retirement influences their use of selected conflict tactics using panel data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 559 couples). The data indicate that husbands but not wives perceive a decline in heated arguments on the wife's retirement. This change is partially due to a decline in disagreements. In addition, husbands' retirement appears to enhance engagement in calm discussions by the husband if either spouse is strongly attached to the marriage, whereas low attachment of either spouse is linked to a decline in calm discussions after the husband's retirement. Retirement-related changes in the use of avoidance tactics are contingent on spouses' dependence on the relationship.
CLIMATE CORRELATES OF 20 YEARS OF TROPHIC CHANGES IN A HIGH‐ELEVATION RIPARIAN SYSTEM

The consequences of climate change for ecosystem structure and function remain largely unknown. Here, I examine the ability of climate variation to explain long-term changes in bird and plant populations, as well as trophic interactions in a high-elevation riparian system in central Arizona, USA, based on 20 years of study. Abundances of dominant deciduous trees have declined dramatically over the 20 years, correlated with a decline in overwinter snowfall. Snowfall can affect overwinter presence of elk, whose browsing can significantly impact deciduous tree abundance. Thus, climate may affect the plant community indirectly through effects on herbivores, but may also act directly by influencing water availability for plants. Seven species of birds were found to initiate earlier breeding associated with an increase in spring temperature across years. The advance in breeding time did not affect starvation of young or clutch size. Earlier breeding also did not increase the length of the breeding season for single-brooded species, but did for multi-brooded species. Yet, none of these phenology-related changes was associated with bird population trends. Climate had much larger consequences for these seven bird species by affecting trophic levels below (plants) and above (predators) the birds. In particular, the climate-related declines in deciduous vegetation led to decreased abundance of preferred bird habitat and increased nest predation rates. In addition, summer precipitation declined over time, and drier summers also were further associated with greater nest predation in all species. The net result was local extinction and severe population declines in some previously common bird species, whereas one species increased strongly in abundance, and two species did not show clear population changes. These data indicate that climate can alter ecosystem structure and function through complex pathways that include direct and indirect effects on abundances and interactions of multiple trophic components.
Functional specificity of Candida albicans Als3p proteins and clade specificity of ALS3 alleles discriminated by the number of copies of the tandem repeat sequence in the central domain

Candida albicans strain SC5314 contains two ALS3 alleles, which differ in sequence with respect to the number of copies of the 108 bp tandem repeat sequence within the central domain of the coding region. One allele (ALS3(12)) has 12 tandem repeat copies while the other (ALS3(9)) has 9 copies. Wild-type C. albicans (ALS3(12)/ALS3(9)) and those containing various ALS3 alleles (ALS3(12)/als3Δ(9), als3Δ(12)/ALS3(9) and als3Δ(12)/als3Δ(9)) were assayed for adhesion to monolayers of cultured vascular endothelial and pharyngeal epithelial cells. These assays showed obvious adhesive function for the larger Als3p protein, compared to a minor contribution to adhesion from the smaller protein. These functional differences in strain SC5314 prompted examination of ALS3 allelic diversity across the five major genetic clades of C. albicans. This analysis focused on the number of copies of the tandem repeat sequence within the central domain of the coding region and showed a range of alleles encoding from 6 to 19 tandem repeat copies. Clades differed with respect to prevalent ALS3 alleles and allele distribution, but were similar for the mean number of tandem repeat copies per ALS3 allele. Analysis of allelic pairing showed clade differences and the tendency for C. albicans strains to encode one longer and one shorter ALS3 allele. The allelic variability observed for ALS3 and its functional consequences observed in strain SC5314 highlight the importance of understanding ALS allelic diversity in order to draw accurate conclusions about Als protein function.
Bisphenol A exposure reduces the estradiol response to gonadotropin stimulation during in vitro fertilization

Objective To investigate associations between serum bisphenol A (BPA) concentrations and follicular response to exogenous ovary stimulation. Design Fasting serum was prospectively collected on the day of oocyte retrieval and assessed for unconjugated BPA using high-performance liquid chromatography with Coularray detection. Multivariable linear regression and negative binomial regression were used to assess associations between concentrations of BPA and outcome measures. Models were adjusted for race/ethnicity, antral follicle count at baseline, and cigarette smoking. Setting A reproductive health center. Patient(s) Forty-four women undergoing IVF. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Peak E 2 level and the number of oocytes retrieved during IVF. Result(s) The median unconjugated serum BPA concentration is 2.53 ng/mL (range = 0.3–67.36 ng/mL). Bisphenol A is inversely associated with E 2 (β = −0.16; 95% confidence interval=−0.32, 0.01), as well as with E 2 normalized to the number of mature-sized follicles at the hCG trigger (β = −0.14; 95% confidence interval=−0.24, −0.03). No association is observed for BPA and the number of oocytes retrieved (adjusted risk ratio=0.95; 95% confidence interval=0.82, 1.10). Conclusion(s) Bisphenol A is associated with a reduced E 2 response during IVF. Although limited by the preliminary nature of this study, these results merit confirmation in a future comprehensive investigation.
A case for further investigating the use of controlled lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage for the control of intracranial pressure.

Objective Increased intracranial pressure (ICP) that is refractory to medical measures and ventriculostomy placement after severe traumatic brain injury or aneurysmal rupture is associated with high mortality. In some recent reports, authors have described the use of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage in these patients. We report the results of a prospective study involving the use of lumbar drainage in 15 patients with elevated ICP that was refractory to medical management and ventriculostomy placement. Methods A prospective study was designed to enroll patients at Loma Linda University Medical Center. Ten patients with traumatic brain injury and five patients with ruptured aneurysms were enrolled. Medical management included maintaining serum Na >150 mEq/L, mild hyperventilation, deep sedation, and maintenance of normothermia. A lumbar drain was placed when ICP was >20 mm Hg for an average of 3 hours despite the optimization of the aforementioned parameters. Results After lumbar drain placement, ICP was reduced from a mean of 28.2 ± 6.5 mm Hg to 10.1 ± 7.1 mm Hg ( P P Conclusions This study shows the beneficial role of lumbar cerebrospinal fluid drainage as an effective and safe treatment modality for elevated ICP.
Prenatal diagnosis of partial trisomy 1q using fluorescent in situ hybridization.

We report the use of fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) with a DNA library of chromosome 1-specific probes to confirm the karyotype, 46,XY,15, + der15,t(1;15)(q32.1; q26.3), obtained by prenatal periumbilical blood sampling from a fetus who exhibited multiple abnormalities by ultrasound examination. GTG-banding of chromosomes obtained from the mother showed a normal karyotype, while the father was unavailable for study. The propositus was born at 37 weeks gestation and survived for several weeks. Cytogenetic analysis performed after the birth of the male infant with multiple anomalies verified partial trisomy 1q. This patient is compared with other partial trisomy 1q patients reported in the literature. The usefulness of FISH is demonstrated in situations where fetal abnormalities are present with de novo chromosomal rearrangements where paternal chromosomes are unavailable for study. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A fast and parallel stroud-based stochastic collocation method for statistical EMI/EMC analysis

A fast and parallel Stroud-based stochastic collocation method for statistically characterizing electromagnetic interference and compatibility (EMI/EMC) phenomena on loaded multiscale platforms with uncertain system configurations and subject to variable electromagnetic excitations is described. The proposed method uses a previously developed hybrid time domain integral equation based field-cable-circuit to carry out deterministic EMI/EMC simulations permitting the statistical characterization of pertinent observables. The number of simulations required by the proposed method is far fewer than those needed by Monte-Carlo methods. The proposed method is used to characterize cable-induced coupling onto PC cards located in shielding enclosures. Both the hybrid simulator and the stochastic collocation code execute with near-full efficiency on distributed memory clusters.
A 71-year-old male with 4 decades of symptoms referable to both central and peripheral nervous system.

May 2005. Combined demyelination of the central and peripheral nervous system is an uncommon disorder and has been referred to by many appellations. We present the case of a 71-year-old man with a progressive nervous system disorder beginning in his 30s. The diagnosis in life was unclear, but had over the years been variously considered to be Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), Friedreich ataxia, or multiple sclerosis (MS). At autopsy old CNS demyelination consistent with MS was found as well as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) with onion bulb formation in hypertrophic nerves. Microscopic examination showed some onion bulb formation in the CNS as well as in peripheral nerves. The nosology of these disorders is discussed and relevant animal models briefly reviewed.
The effect of increasing gravel cover on forest roads for reduced sediment delivery to stream crossings

Direct sediment inputs from forest roads at stream crossings are a major concern for water quality and aquatic habitat. Legacy road–stream crossing approaches, or the section of road leading to the stream, may have poor water and grade control upon reopening, thus increasing the potential for negative impacts to water quality. Rainfall simulation experiments were conducted on the entire running surface area associated with six reopened stream crossing approaches in the south-western Virginia Piedmont physiographic region, USA. Event-based surface run-off and associated total suspended solid (TSS) concentrations were compared among a succession of gravel surfacing treatments that represented increasing intensities of best management practice (BMP) implementation. The three treatments were no gravel (10–19% cover), low gravel (34–60% cover), and high gravel (50–99% cover). Increased field hydraulic conductivity was associated with maximized surface cover and ranged from 7.2 to 41.6, 11.9 to 46.3, and 16.0 to 58.6 mm h−1 respectively for the no gravel, low gravel, and high gravel treatments. Median TSS concentration of surface run-off for the no gravel treatment (2.84 g l−1) was greater than low gravel (1.10 g l−1) and high gravel (0.82 g l−1) by factors of 2.6 and 3.5 respectively. Stream crossing approaches with 90–99% surface cover had TSS concentrations below 1 g l−1. Reducing the length of road segments that drain directly to the stream can reduce the costs associated with gravel surfacing. This research demonstrates that judicious and low-cost BMPs can ameliorate poor water control and soil erosion associated with reopening legacy roads. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self-administration of misoprostol prior to intrauterine device insertion among nulliparous women: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background Barriers to intrauterine device (IUD) use in nulliparous women include fear of pain with insertion and provider perception of difficulty with insertion. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether misoprostol prior to IUD insertion in nulliparous women eased insertion and decreased pain. Study Design This was a double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. Nulliparous women requesting an IUD were randomized to buccal placement of 400-mcg misoprostol or placebo. Provider ease of insertion and patient-reported pain were measured using a 100-mm visual analogue scale. Results Seventy-three subjects completed the study. Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. Provider perception of ease of insertion was not different between study and control groups (28.97 mm, 22.33 mm, p=.18). Pain immediately prior to IUD insertion (10.84 vs. 2.11; p=.003) and after IUD insertion (46.50 vs. 35.14; p=.040) was higher for those in the study group compared to the control group. Conclusion This study demonstrates that it is not helpful to provide misoprostol for cervical ripening prior to insertion of IUDs as it does not improve ease of insertion for provider or decrease reported pain for the woman, and it may increase women's pain experience with insertion. Implication Statement Our study demonstrates that providers do not perceive nulliparous IUD insertion as difficult; women do experience pain with insertion but find the experience acceptable. The addition of misoprostol for cervical ripening prior to insertion does not ease insertion for providers and increases the pain level experienced by women.
LOCALIZED MUTAGENESIS FOR THE ISOLATION OF TEMPERATURE-SENSITIVE MUTANTS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AFFECTED IN PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

Two variations of the method of localized mutagenesis were used to introduce mutations into the 72 min region of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Twenty temperature-sensitive mutants, with linkage to markers in this region, have been examined. Each strain showed an inhibition of growth in liquid medium at 44 degrees, and 19 of the mutants lost viability upon prolonged incubation at this temperature. A reduction in the rate of in vivo RNA and protein synthesis was observed for each mutant at 44 degrees, relative to a control strain. Eleven of the mutants were altered in growth sensitivity or resistance to one or more of three ribosomal antibiotics. The incomplete assembly of ribosomal subunits was detected in nine strains grown at 44 degrees. The characteristics of these mutants suggest that many of them are altered in genes for translational or transcriptional components, consistent with the clustering of these genes at this chromosomal locus.
Structural changes in microsomal suspensions. II. Studies with brain microsomes.

Abstract Suspensions of brain microsomes, incubated in hypotonic media, exhibited spontaneous decreases in turbidity that were accompanied by an uptake of water (swelling). Such changes could be abolished or reversed by respective incubation in isotonic or hypertonic sucrose media. The presence of monovalent cations variously altered the rate of turbidity changes and the water content of the particles. The observations were consistent with the hypothesis that the microsomal membrane acts as a semipermeable barrier to diffusion into the vesicles, and permitted estimates of relative permeability across the membrane. The magnitude of the swelling could be correlated with an increase in reactive sulfhydryl groups. The addition of p -CMB induced further decreases in turbidity which could be explained, in part, by a nonspecific increase in membrane permeability. During incubation, losses in protein, RNA, and phospholipid were minimal.
Effect of Alcohol on the Proestrous Surge of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and the Activation of LH-Releasing Hormone (LHRH) Neurons in the Female Rat

Reproduction is adversely affected by alcohol abuse in humans and laboratory animals. In rats, alcohol exposure suppresses both luteinizing hormone (LH) and sex steroid secretion, although consensus is lacking as to which level of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is primarily affected. We tested the hypothesis that acute alcohol treatment inhibits the HPG axis by blunting release of LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) in female rats, by examining the effect of this drug on the central reproductive endocrine event; i.e., the proestrous surge of gonadotropins, which triggers ovulation. In a first series of experiments, we injected alcohol at 8 A.M. and 12 P.M. on proestrus and measured plasma levels of LH, estradiol (E2), and progesterone during the afternoons of proestrus and estrus. Alcohol administration blocked the proestrous surge of LH and ovulation. In subsequent experiments, alcohol inhibited the surge of LHRH (measured by push-pull cannulation) and LHRH neuronal activation (measured by Fos labeling in LHRH neurons). Because alcohol also decreased E2 levels, we reasoned that it might have prevented positive feedback; however, alcohol retained its ability to inhibit the LH surge evoked by E2 implantation in ovariectomized females, disproving this hypothesis. Additionally, alcohol does not act via increased corticosteroid secretion, because alcohol also blocked the proestrous surge in adrenalectomized females. Last, exogenous administration of LHRH to alcohol-blocked animals evoked LH secretion and ovulation, indicating that pituitary and/or ovarian function could be restored by mimicking the hypothalamic signal. Collectively, these data indicate that in female rats, alcohol inhibits the gonadotropin surge primarily by decreasing LHRH secretion.
Plato, Carneades, and Cicero's Philus (Cicero, Rep . 3.8–31)

Analyse du discours de Philus contre la justice qui apparait au centre de la «Republique» de Ciceron et qui, au-dela d'une allusion au dialogue homonyme de Platon, fait reference au discours pour et contre la justice declame par le philosophie Carneade a Rome en 155 av JC. Examinant l'argument de Philus, l'A. met en evidence la dette ironique qu'il a envers Platon, d'une part, et propose une nouvelle interpretation du passage qui redefinit sa relation a Carneade comme a l'ensemble de la tradition sceptique concernant l'altruisme de la justice naturelle, d'autre part
Covalent and noncovalent interactions in acute lethal cell injury caused by chemicals

Several chemicals, including some drugs, cause cell injury by mechanisms that are poorly characterized. Although a few drugs are toxins that act directly, most require metabolic activation to form the ultimate toxic species. The concept of metabolic activation was first described by the Millers ( 1) in a review of their pioneering work on aminoazo dyes and 2-acetylaminofluorene as procarcinogens. Brodie et al (2) expanded on this concept to include a role for metabolic activation in acute cell injury. Since that time several reviews (3-12) and books ( 13-15) have discussed the role of metabolic activation in the pathogenesis of a variety of toxicities. Although a substantial body of information is available on the metabolic reactions that produce toxic metabolites and on the chemical nature of these metabolites, considerably less is known about how ultimate toxic species interact with cellular constituents and how the interactions cause cell injury. Reactions of toxic metabolites may result in covalent bond formation between the metabolite and a target molecule, or they may alter (usually by oxidation or reduction) the target molecule without formation of a covalent bond. Some of the more likely targets of these interactions are listed in Table 1.
The Relevance of Animal Models in Osteoarthritis

Studies of osteoarthritis (OA) in humans are restricted by the slow rate at which the disease progresses, and the limited opportunity for study of the tissue changes over time. A range of animal models of OA have been developed which demonstrate histopathological and gross features typical of OA in humans. Animal models can be used to study OA, and to investigate the effects of a variety of agents, including so-called chondroprotective agents, on the progression of the disease.
Reweighting QCD simulations with dynamical overlap fermions

I apply a recently developed algorithm for reweighting simulations of lattice QCD from one quark mass to another to simulations performed with overlap fermions in the epsilon regime. I test it by computing the condensate from distributions of the low-lying eigenvalues of the Dirac operator. Results seem favorable, when the difference of squared masses is small.
Cyclooxygenase-2 participates in tubular flow-dependent afferent arteriolar tone: interaction with neuronal NOS.

To delineate the microvascular role of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) in modulating tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) signals and to determine its relationship to neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), aff...
A Sketch Recognition System for Recognizing Free-Hand Course of Action Diagrams

Military course-of-action (COA) diagrams are used to depict battle scenarios and include thousands of unique symbols, complete with additional textual and designator modifiers. We have created a real-time sketch recognition interface that recognizes 485 freely-drawn military course-of-action symbols. When the variations (not allowable by other systems) are factored in, our system is several orders of magnitude larger than the next biggest system. On 5,900 hand-drawn symbols, the system achieves an accuracy of 90% when considering the top 3 interpretations and requiring every aspect of the shape (variations, text, symbol, location, orientation) to be correct.
The Tax Lien and Entireties Interests: Evaluating the IRS's Implementation of Craft

The applicability of the federal tax lien to tenancy-by-the-entireties ('T by E') interests and property has been one of the most protracted controversies in federal tax collection. In April 2002, the United States Supreme Court decided United States v. Craft. Rejecting a long line of lower court cases, the Court held that the lien can attach to such interests and property even in the states which most zealously protect them against creditors.
Physical Optics Modeling of a Stripe Pumped Laser

We developed a physical optics model that predicts the performance of a stripe-pumped laser. A corrective phase plate for removing the pump induced aberrations has been designed and characterized.
Library and Information Blog Ontology Construction and Implementation of Semantic Search System

With the rapid development of Web,Blog sharp increase in number of pages,and Ontology has been widely used in semantic search.How to build,design and implement a blog search system based on semantic to meet the needs of people use blog resources to retrieve the contents of blog become an important research.Based on this reality,the article chooses the library and information blogs as study objects,builds a library and information blog domain ontology,and achieves the semantic description of the blog and information retrieval.
Synthesis and performance evaluation of polyaspartic acid as a green scale inhibitor

polyaspartic acid was prepared by the polymerization of maleic anhydride and ammonia solution,and its scale inhibiting performance was evaluated with static scale inhibition method.The results showed that: the yield rate of polyaspartic acid reached more than 90%,the scale inhibiting efficiency of the water sample which the mass concentration of Ca2+,HCO3-were both 300 mg/L(calculated by CaCO3) reached above 90%,and a good critical value effect was also shown.
Clinical Triggers or Rapid Response Teams: Does the Emperor Need “New” Clothes?

Essential to any rapid response system is certainty regarding its ability to provide an immediate and appropriate response to calls for help.