cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies of Reproduction in Ducks 1. The Duration of Fertility and Hatchability of White Pekin Duck Eggs

Abstract THE DURATION of fertility in domestic birds of the order Galliformes has been the subject of much experimentation, but relatively few studies are known for those of the order Anseriformes. Using the latter the maximum duration following artificial insemination was found to be 16 days in Pilgrim geese (Johnson, 1954) and 14 days in Embden geese (Kinney and Burger, 1960). A maximum duration of fertility of 13 days was recorded in the Philippines by Fronda et al. (1940) for native ducks and by Tolentino (1948) for Muscovies. Elder and Weller (1954) obtained fertile eggs from wild Mallards 17 days after isolation of females. Watanabe and Sugimori (1957), using artificial insemination, found a maximum duration of 12 days in the Japanese Ōsaka duck. Subsequently Watanabe (1959), again using artificial insemination, found the statistic to be 7 days for Ōsaka females receiving semen from either Ōsaka or Muscovy drakes. Landau and Vancikova …
Plasminogen activator induction facilitates recovery of respiratory function following spinal cord injury.

Abstract The possibility that plasminogen activator (PA) plays a role in synaptic plasticity was explored in the spinal cord during the crossed phrenic phenomenon (CPP), where respiratory functional plasticity develops following spinal cord injury. Synaptic remodeling on phrenic motorneurons occurs during the characteristic delay period following spinal cord injury before CPP recovery of respiratory function. The molecular mechanisms underlying this plasticity are not well-defined. During the critical 1–2 h delay period required for this synaptic plasticity following a C2 hemisection in mice, uPA and tPA mRNAs are rapidly induced in C4–5 ventral spinal cord neurons in the ipsilateral phrenic motor nucleus (PMN), as are uPA and tPA protein levels. A role for uPA in CPP spinal cord plasticity is confirmed by the impaired ability of uPA knockout mice to acquire a good CPP response by 6 h post-hemisection and their lack of structural remodeling of PMN synapses that underlies development of the CPP response.
FTIR investigation of RF plasma deposited indium-tin oxide films on glasses

Indium-tin oxide (ITO) thin films were coated on soda-lime silicate (SLS) and silica glasses by a newly developed an RF plasma mist deposition process. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy was used to investigate the ITO films and interfaces between the films and the glasses. The infrared results indicated that the network structure near the glass-film interface is significantly modified by the indium and/or tin oxide coatings. During film deposition, depositing materials diffused into the glass substrates and created non-bridging oxygens near the surface of the glasses, which breaks down the network structure of the glasses. The glass structure was affected more significantly with a higher indium concentration. The deposited materials had stronger effects on the tin-side of SLS glass than on the air-side, at higher indium concentration.
Characterising Modular Architectures

In this paper, we introduce the basic syntax and semantics for scrutinising DSMs in order to characterise the architecture of a complex system. Using this language, we then describe the process issues faced by clustering algorithms and use them to arrive at quantifiable signature measures for describing architectural types spanning the modular-integrated continuum. This language is demonstrated using a sequence of illustrative cartoons that are woven between the analysis of a more complex architecture of an industrial gas turbine.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Teaching Graudate Nutrition Courses on Line

Abstract When we decided to go on line with our graduate courses we had to select the presentation platform. Additional software was used to assemble the course components and plan for more than one mode of presentation in case technical difficulties eliminated use of one mode. The platform selected was SERF(TM) by the University of Delaware. This platform allows a course author to integrate all course components into one password-protected area. Students easily access through the SERF(TM) screen all aspects of the course: syllabus, objectives, content, quizzes, evaluation forms, email, discussion forums, and grades. Microsoft Office Power Point(TM) was used for the content, which included graphics from the text. The Power Point content was available both on line and on a CD-ROM for offline use. Real Presenter(TM) plug in for Power Point converted the narrated content to streaming media for on line presentation. QuizPlease(TM) was used to present both practice and regular quizzes. Hardware used was 64mgb Pentium PC with sound card, speakers, microphone, CD-ROM read/write drive, and direct connection to campus server. The first course, NUHM 6105 Human Nutrition in Physiology and Metabolism was completed by 24 students fall 1998. Their evaluation of the course modules and overall evaluation was positive. The second course, NUHM 6200 Research in Clinical Nutrition, is being delivered to 22 students during spring semester 1999. This mode of course delivery works well to provide educational opportunities to people who work full time and live a distance from the university. The presentation will cover the pros and cons of each presentation method. Results of both student and faculty evaluation of the course will be presented.
Validity of Postpartum Depression Screening Across Socioeconomic Groups: A Review of the Construct and Common Screening Tools

This integrative literature review evaluates the construct validity and potential for bias of commonly used postpartum depression screening tools in women with low socioeconomic status. Multiple search strategies were applied to identify literature addressing the validity of the Beck Depression Inventory, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and Postpartum Depression Screening Scale from January 1980 thru January 2010. Twenty articles were identified, eight of which explicitly included women with low-socioeconomic status. Only three of these articles directly evaluated construct validity. The screening tools reviewed lack the comprehensive psycho-metric evaluation needed to support their extensive use across socioeconomically diverse populations that may result in missed opportunities to identify postpartum depression. This issue stems from serious limitations in the understanding of postpartum depression itself. An alternate understanding of and approach to screening for depression across all women in their developmental and environmental context is recommended.
A passive mode-locked InAs/InP quantum dot laser with pulse duration of less than 300 fs

We have designed and fabricated a quantum dot (QD) gain medium which consists of InAs QDs in an InGaAsP matrix on an InP substrate. By using these InAs/InP QD layers, we have generated femtosecond (fs) pulses with pulse duration of 295 fs from a single-section monolithic Fabry-Perot (F-P) cavity at the repetition rate of 50 GHz around 1560 nm wavelength range without any external pulse compression. The average output power is 40.1 mW at the injection current of 200 mA. Optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of the proposed QD mode-locked laser (QD-MLL) is up to 50 dB. The lasing threshold current and the external differential quantum efficiency are 23 mA and 30 %, respectively. And the mode beating linewidth was measured to be less than 20 KHz. We have interpreted that several nonlinear optical effects related to interaction of QD excitons with intracavity laser fields could create nonlinear dispersion to compensate intracavity linear dispersion. So total dispersion is minimized and four-wave mixing (FWM) is dramatically enhanced within QD F-P cavity. If spectral bandwidth is broad enough, tens or hundreds of longitudinal modes would lase and their phases would be locked together through FWM process. Eventually a train of fs pulses with a repetition rate corresponding to cavity round-trip time is generated.
Quantitation of radiolabeled mucous glycoproteins secreted by tracheal explants.

Abstract An agarose gel column filtration method has been developed to quantitate labeled mucous glycoprotein secreted into culture medium by explants of tracheal epithelium. A multichannel pump is employed to simultaneously analyze 15 samples. Compared to other methods, such as dialysis and trichloroacetic acid/phosphotungstic acid precipitation methods, the column method not only quantitates high-molecular-weight mucous glycoprotein specifically but also offers the advantages of rapid processing of samples, low-background radioactivity, linearity and reproducibility even with small amounts of labeled mucous glycoproteins, and recovery of samples for chemical analysis. This method can be used to quantitate any substances that can be isolated by a one-step column chromatographic technique.
Mediators of Neighborhood Influences on Externalizing Behavior in Preadolescent Children

This study tested a mediation model of neighborhood influences on children’s externalizing behavior. In the proposed model, neighborhood disadvantage, ethnic heterogeneity, and low residential stability affect children’s behavior indirectly through their impact on neighborhood social processes, which in turn influence parenting and deviant peer affiliations. A community sample of 704 preadolescents (76% African American, 22% Caucasian) and their parents and teachers provided information for the study. Neighborhood concentrated poverty, derived from the 2000 U.S. Census, was positively associated with children’s externalizing behavior. This effect was fully mediated by neighborhood social processes and parenting quality, while deviant peer affiliations made independent contributions to problem behavior. The final mediation model explained children’s externalizing behavior equally well across gender and ethnicity, suggesting the presence of universal processes.
A partner-related risk behavior index to identify people at elevated risk for sexually transmitted infections.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a sexual-partner-related risk behavior index to identify high-risk individuals most likely to have a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Patients from five STI and adolescent medical clinics in three US cities were recruited (N = 928; M age = 29.2 years). Data were collected using audio—computer-assisted self-interviewing. Of seven sexual-partner-related variables, those that were significantly associated with the outcomes were combined into a partner-related risk behavior index. The dependent variables were laboratory-confirmed infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and/or Trichomonas vaginalis. Nearly one-fifth of the sample (169/928; 18.4 %) tested positive for an STI. Three of the seven items were significantly associated with having one or more STIs: sex with a newly released prisoner, sex with a person known or suspected of having an STI, and sexual concurrency. In combined form, this three-item index was significantly associated with STI prevalence (p < .001). In the presence of three covariates (gender, race, and age), those classified as being at-risk by the index were 1.8 times more likely than those not classified as such to test positive for an STI (p < .001). Among individuals at risk for STIs, a three-item index predicted testing positive for one or more of three STIs. This index could be used to prioritize and guide intensified clinic-based counseling for high-risk patients of STI and other clinics.
Characteristics of transformer exciting-current during geomagnetic disturbances

An efficient method allowing the transformer flux offset and exciting-current waveform to be determined for combined AC and geomagnetically induced current (GIC) excitation, without lengthy time-domain simulations, is described. This iterative approach solves for the equilibrium saturation condition using lumped-parameter nonlinear magnetic-circuit models. In addition to investigating single-phase transformer performance, the authors examine the performance of certain three-phase transformer types for which GIC results in phase imbalance. >
Protein losses during peritoneal dialysis

The losses of protein into dialysate have been considered a major limitation of maintenance peritoneal dialysis. We, therefore, undertook a comprehensive evaluation of protein losses in 30 patients undergoing maintenance intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD), 12 patients undergoing acute IPD, and 8 patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). The weekly loss of protein based upon the usual treatments per week was relatively similar with the three modes of dialysis. Protein losses during repeated dialyses were similar for a given patient, but there was repeated dialyses were similar for a given patient, but there was marked interpatient variation. During maintenance IPD, protein loss was 12.9 +/- (SD) 4.4 g per 10 hours of dialysis; albumin loss was 8.5 g, and IgG loss was 1.3 g. Approximately 50% of the protein loss was from the ascitic fluid accumulated during the interdialytic interval, and concentrations of most proteins in the ascitic fluid correlated with their serum levels. Serum protein concentrations were in the low, normal range and did not change during dialysis. The development of peritonitis markedly increased protein losses. During acute IPD, 23.3 +/- 16.5 g of protein were lost per 36 hours of dialysis, lower losses than those previously reported. With CAPD, 8.8 +/- 1.7 g of protein were removed per 24 hours; also immunoglobulin losses correlated with their serum concentrations. The results of these studies suggest that, in the absence of peritonitis, dialysate protein losses do not appear to limit the usefulness of peritoneal dialysis.
A Laboratory Study of Localized Boundary Mixing in a Rotating Stratified Fluid

Oceanic observations indicate that abyssal mixing tends to be localized to regions of rough topography. How localized mixing interacts with the ambient fluid in a stratified, rotating system is an open question. To gain insight into this complicated process laboratory experiments are used to explore the interaction of mechanically induced boundary mixing and an interior body of linearly stratified rotating fluid. Turbulence is generated by a single vertically oscillating horizontal bar of finite horizontal extent, located at mid-depth along the tank wall. The turbulence forms a region of mixed fluid which quickly reaches a steady-state height and collapses into the interior. The mixed-layer thickness, h m ∼γ(ω/N) 1/2 , is spatially uniform and independent of the Coriolis frequency f. N is the initial buoyancy frequency, ω is the bar oscillation frequency, and γ 1 cm is an empirical constant determined by the bar geometry. Surprisingly, the export of mixed fluid does not occur as a boundary current along the tank perimeter. Rather, mixed fluid intrudes directly into the interior as a radial front of uniform height, advancing with a speed comparable to a gravity current. The volume of mixed fluid grows linearly with time, V (N/f) 3/2 h 3 m ft, and is independent of the lateral extent of the mixing bar. Entrainment into the turbulent zone occurs principally through horizontal flows at the level of the mixing that appear to eliminate export by a geostrophic boundary flow. The circulation patterns suggest a model of unmixed fluid laterally entrained at velocity u e ∼ Nh m into the open sides of a turbulent zone with height h m and a length, perpendicular to the boundary, proportional to L f ≡ γ(ω/f) 1/2 . Here L f is an equilibrium length scale associated with rotational control of bar-generated turbulence. The model flux of exported mixed fluid Q ∼ h m L f u e is constant and in agreement with the experiments.
A hierarchical multi-level fast multipole method for wideband multiscale electromagnetic wave scattering from non-penetrable targets in R 3

For a variety of multiscale electromagnetic (EM) problems, mesh densities that are more than sufficient for the frequency of interest have to be adopted in order to maintain the integrity of multiscale geometrical features. The adoption of the overly fine mesh, or locally overly fine mesh, would render the multi-level fast multiple method (MLFMM) inefficient during the matrix-vector multiplication (MVP), both in terms of CPU time and memory consumption. Similar issue occurs also in wideband analyses. In this paper, we proposed a hierarchical multi-level fast multipole method (H-MLFMM) based on the skeletonalization technique to address effectively the EM scattering from targets with multiscale features. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of the H-MLFMM algorithm.
Effects of Biaxial Pre-Stretching on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of 2024 Aluminum Alloy Thin Plates

Biaxial pre-stretching is implemented by bulge forming model. After engraved circular grids on new quenching blank, the specimen is biaxially pre-stretching formed. We use JGX-2 Engineering Microscope to measure principal pre-stretching points with 1.5%-3.1% elongation, which are in plane strain state. Hardness is measured by GYZJ 934-1 type Barcol Hardness and microstructures are observed by JEM-200CX Transmission Electron Microscope. The result shows that the influence on tensile strength of biaxial pre-stretching for new quenching state specimen is not big; however, it is the principal pre-stretching quantity 1.75% that improves microstructure and hardness.
Stability of switched linear systems on cones: A generating function approach

This paper extends the recent study of the generating function approach to stability analysis of switched linear systems from the Euclidean space to a closed convex cone. Examples of the latter class of switched systems include switched positive systems that model various biologic and economic systems with positive states. Strong and weak stability notions are considered in this paper. In particular, it is shown that asymptotic and exponential stability are equivalent for both notions. Strong and weak generating functions on cones are introduced and their properties are established. Necessary and sufficient conditions for strong/weak exponential stability of switched linear systems on cones are obtained in terms of the radii of convergence of strong/weak generating functions.
An Interest-Based P2P File Sharing System

Efficient file query is important to the overall performance of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing systems. In this paper, we introduce an interest-based P2P file sharing system based on a structured P2P. It groups peers based on both interest and proximity. The proposed system is able to support sophisticated routing and clustering strategies based on the file attribute and topology used. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed system in comparison with another P2P file sharing system. It dramatically reduces the overhead and yields significant improvements in file query efficiency.
Otoacoustic Emission through Waves on Reissner's Membrane

The cochlea not only acts as a detector of sound but can also produce tones itself. These otoacoustic emissions are a striking manifestation of the mechanical active process that sensitizes the cochlea and sharpens its frequency discrimination. It remains uncertain how these mechanical signals propagate back to the middle ear, from which they are emitted as sound. Although reverse propagation might occur through waves on the basilar membrane, experiments suggest the existence of a second component in otoacoustic emissions. We have combined theoretical and experimental studies to show that mechanical signals can also be transmitted by waves on Reissner's membrane, a second elastic structure within the cochea. We have developed a theoretical description of wave propagation on the parallel Reissner's and basilar membranes and its role in the emission of distortion products. By scanning laser interferometry we have measured traveling waves on Reissner's membrane in the gerbil, guinea pig, and chinchilla. The results accord with the theory and thus support a role for Reissner's membrane in otoacoustic emission.
Fuzzy pulse qualifier

The evaluation of sensory data in biomedical applications is the key to decision-making in diagnosing diseases, device control, and signal processing algorithms. One such process is the pulse evaluation, where descriptive features of a pulse, such as shape, height, and width can be used for analysis. In this paper, we develop a pulse qualifier based on fuzzy concepts. This pulse qualifier is specifically designed to serve multifunctional properties for the oscillometry, where pulse identification, elimination and evaluation can be very important. Quality assessment may be critical in both real-time for instance for the execution of a device, control algorithm etc., and for offline algorithms, for example classification of systolic, mean and diastolic blood pressure profiles. A large real pulse database is used to develop and test the pulse qualifier.
Inhaled nitric oxide: a selective pulmonary vasodilator: current uses and therapeutic potential

Since the recognition of nitric oxide (NO) as a key endothelial-derived vasodilator molecule in 1987, the field of NO research has expanded to encompass many areas of biomedical research. It is now well established that NO is an important signaling molecule throughout the body. The therapeutic potential of inhaled NO as a selective pulmonary vasodilator was suggested in a lamb model of pulmonary hypertension and in patients with pulmonary hypertension in 1991.1,2 Because NO is scavenged by hemoglobin (Hb) on diffusing into the blood and is thereby rapidly inactivated, the vasodilatory effect of inhaled NO is limited largely to the lung. This is in contrast to intravenously infused vasodilators that can cause systemic vasodilation and severe systemic arterial hypotension. Recent data indicate that inhaled NO can be applied in various diseases. For example, studies suggest that inhaled NO is a safe and effective agent to determine the vasodilatory capacity of the pulmonary vascular bed. This article summarizes the pharmacology and physiology of inhaled NO and reviews the current uses of inhaled NO for the treatment, evaluation, and prevention of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. ### Chemistry of NO Gas NO is a colorless, odorless gas that is only slightly soluble in water.3 NO and its oxidative byproducts (eg, NO2 and N2O4) are produced by the partial oxidation of atmospheric nitrogen in internal combustion engines, in the burning cinder cones of cigarettes, and in lightning storms. Medical-grade NO gas is produced under carefully controlled conditions, diluted with pure nitrogen, and stored in the absence of oxygen. The recent article by Williams4 provides a review of the chemistry of NO. ### Therapeutic Versus Endogenous NO Concentrations in the Airway Although early studies of inhaled NO in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension used concentrations of 5 to 80 ppm, it has since been realized that concentrations >20 ppm provide little additional …
Probabilistic causality, selection bias, and the logic of the democratic peace

Rosato (2003) purports to demonstrate that the enormous literature on the democratic peace rests on dubious microfoundations. Reduced to its most basic, the claim is that none of the causal mechanisms advanced by the proponents of numerous different theories of the liberal peace hold up to empirical scrutiny. This is certainly an important finding if true. Unfortunately, the method employed in reaching these conclusions makes it impossible for us to know whether the author is right. Despite the title of the article, the author does not engage the logic of the theories. Rather, he seeks to evaluate the empirical plausibility of the mechanisms they specify. We identify several problems with this methodology, each of which places in doubt the validity of the author’s claims. Indeed, the study serves to catalogueresearchdesignflawsthatarenotuncommon in international relations research. First, Rosato (2003) ignores fundamental issues of hypothesis testing and inference from historical data. We detail two possible interpretations of theoretical statements and show that the author’s methodology does not allow him to draw the conclusions he does from either one. Second, the author ignores selection bias problems affecting observed behavior. This leads him to advance cases that actually support democratic peace theories instead of contradicting them. We do not catalog all such errors, due to space constraints. Instead, we use the signaling theory (what Rosato refers to as “the information mechanism,” 587) to illustrate most of our concerns.
Initial condition effect on free turbulent shear flows

Experimental studies of a plane jet and an axisymmetric free shear layer show their characteristic average measures to be noticeably dependent on the initial condition, thus suggesting that discrepancies between published results may be largely due to different initial conditions existing in the apparatuses used.
A dynamic conditional random field model for object segmentation in image sequences

This paper presents a dynamic conditional random field (DCRF) model to integrate contextual constraints for object segmentation in image sequences. Spatial and temporal dependencies within the segmentation process are unified by a dynamic probabilistic framework based on the conditional random field (CRF). An efficient approximate filtering algorithm is derived for the DCRF model to recursively estimate the segmentation field from the history of video frames. The segmentation method employs both intensity and motion cues, and it combines dynamic information and spatial interaction of the observed data. Experimental results show that the proposed approach effectively fuses contextual constraints in video sequences and improves the accuracy of object segmentation.
Ventricular conduction delay and arrhythmias during regional hyperkalemia in the dog. Electrical and myocardial ion alterations.

Coronary arterial potassium (K+) infusion induces RS-T elevation and ventricular arrhythmias. To explore electrical and metabolic events in this model, which simulates ischemia-induced injury currents and rhythm disturbances, isotonic KCl was infused at 0.5-2.0 ml/min into the left anterior descending or the left circumflex coronary artery of 37 intact anesthetized dogs. Conduction was monitored with His and left bundle branch recording catheters and with bipolar electrodes at endocardial and epicardial levels in the perfused zone. RS-T segments rose progressively in the perfused region despite normal coronary blood flow (85Kr) some dogs progressed rapidly to multifocal ventricular extrasystoles and ventricular fibrillation (group 1), but others continued for 20 minutes without developing fibrillation (group 2). His-Q and bundle branch conduction times were not altered by regional perfusion, but the QRS complex was locally prolonged. Ventricular extrasystoles were frequently coupled and left bundle branch...
Diffusion of Single B Cell Receptors in Resting and Stimulated B Lymphocytes using Super-Resolution Microscopy

The B cell antigen receptor (BCR) is an integral part of our immune systems that communicates binding of antigen in the extracellular environment through the plasma membrane to the cytoplasm. Antigen binding to the BCR results in phosphorylation of intracellular tyrosine activating motifs (ITAMs), which act as binding partners for SH2 domain containing adapters and Src family kinases. To examine the spatio-temporal dynamics of the BCR during stimulation, we utilize stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) in live CH27 cells. Using Alexa-647 labeled anti-IgM Fab fragments, we resolve the BCR down to tens of nanometers with acquisition rates of 40 frames per second. We then examine BCR diffusion by tracking the localized receptors and found that the BCRs in resting cells exhibit a lognormal distribution of diffusion constants centered at 10-1 μm2/s. Upon stimulation, this population is quickly shifted to one centered at 10-2 μm2/s. In separate experiments, we examined the calcium response of CH27 B cells and found that the buffers used for STORM experiments do not alter calcium responses after receptor crosslinking. We also perform an auto correlation analysis of the localized receptors, which shows an increase in BCR clustering on the same timescale as the reduction in diffusion. In addition, we are investigating the dynamics of other proteins involved in BCR signaling, namely the Src family kinase Lyn and Ezrin. We use two color simultaneous emission of a photoswitchable fluorescent protein mEos2 in conjunction with Alexa-647 in fixed and live cells to resolve the behavior of these interaction partners with respect to the BCR.
Monopole Catalysis: An Overview

A summary of the talks presented in the topical workshop on monopole catalysis at this conference is given. We place special emphasis on the conservation laws which determine the allowed monopole-fermion interactions and on catalysis as a probe of the structure of a grand unified theory.
Dapsone Inhibits IL-8 Secretion From Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Stimulated With Lipopolysaccharide and Resolves Airway Inflammation in the Ferret

Background IL-8 is an important activator and chemoattractant for neutrophils that is produced by normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 pathways. Dapsone, a synthetic sulfone, is widely used to treat chronic neutrophil dermatoses. We investigated the effects of dapsone on polarized IL-8 secretion from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated NHBE cells and further evaluated its ability to decrease LPS-induced inflammation in the ferret airway. Methods NHBE cells were grown at air-liquid interface (ALI) to ciliated differentiation. Baseline and endotoxin (LPS)-stimulated IL-8 secretion was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at air and basal sides with and without dapsone. Western blotting was used to determine signaling pathways. In vivo, ferrets were exposed to intratracheal LPS over a period of 5 days. Once inflammation was established, oral or nebulized dapsone was administered for 5 days. Intraepithelial neutrophil accumulation was analyzed histologically, and mucociliary transport was measured on the excised trachea. Results Dapsone, 1 μg/mL, did not influence unstimulated (basal) IL-8 secretion. Apical LPS stimulation induced both apical and basolateral IL-8, but basolateral LPS increased only basolateral IL-8. Dapsone inhibited polarized IL-8 secretion from ALI-conditioned cells. Dapsone also decreased LPS-induced IL-8 mRNA level. LPS led to phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, but not p38 MAPK or c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase. LPS also induced NF-κB p65 phosphorylation, an effect that was inhibited by dapsone. Both oral and aerosol dapsone decreased LPS-induced intraepithelial neutrophil accumulation, but only treatment with aerosol dapsone restored mucociliary transport to normal. Conclusions Dapsone, given either systemically or as an aerosol, may be useful in treating neutrophilic airway inflammation.
A Perspective on Nanowire Photodetectors: Current Status, Future Challenges, and Opportunities

One-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures (nanowires (NWs), nanotubes, nanopillars, nanorods, etc.) based photodetectors (PDs) have been gaining traction in the research community due to their ease of synthesis and unique optical, mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Specifically, the physics and technology of NW PDs offer numerous insights and opportunities for nanoscale optoelectronics, photovoltaics, plasmonics, and emerging negative index metamaterials devices. The successful integration of these NW PDs on CMOS-compatible substrates and various low-cost substrates via direct growth and transfer-printing techniques would further enhance and facilitate the adaptation of this technology module in the semiconductor foundries. In this paper, we review the unique advantages of NW-based PDs, current device integration schemes and practical strategies, recent device demonstrations in lateral and vertical process integration with methods to incorporate NWs in PDs via direct growth (nanoepitaxy) methods and transfer-printing methods, and discuss the numerous technical design challenges. In particular, we present an ultrafast surface-illuminated PD with 11.4-ps full-width at half-maximum (FWHM), edge-illuminated novel waveguide PDs, and some novel concepts of light trapping to provide a full-length discussion on the topics of: 1) low-resistance contact and interfaces for NW integration; 2) high-speed design and impedance matching; and 3) CMOS-compatible mass-manufacturable device fabrication. Finally, we offer a brief outlook into the future opportunities of NW PDs for consumer and military application.
The Mental Canvas: A Tool for Conceptual Architectural Design and Analysis

We describe a computer graphics system that supports conceptual architectural design and analysis. We use as a starting point the traditional sketchbook drawings that architects use to experiment with various views, sections, and details. Rather than interpret or infer 3D structure from drawings, our system is designed to allow the designer to organize concept drawings in 3D, and gradually fuse a series of possibly geometrically-inconsistent sketches into a set of 3D strokes. Our system uses strokes and planar "canvases" as basic primitives; the basic mode of input is traditional 2D drawing. We introduce methods for the user to control stroke visibility and transfer strokes between canvases. We also introduce methods for the user to position and orient the canvases that have infinite extent. We demonstrate the use of the system to analyze existing structures and conceive new designs.
The Pulmonary Anatomy of Alligator mississippiensis and Its Similarity to the Avian Respiratory System

Using gross dissections and computed tomography we studied the lungs of juvenile American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Our findings indicate that both the external and internal morphology of the lungs is strikingly similar to the embryonic avian respiratory system (lungs + air sacs). We identified bronchi that we propose are homologous to the avian ventrobronchi (entobronchi), laterobronchi, dorsobronchi (ectobronchi), as well as regions of the lung hypothesized to be homologous to the cervical, interclavicular, anterior thoracic, posterior thoracic, and abdominal air sacs. Furthermore, we suggest that many of the features that alligators and birds share are homologous and that some of these features are important to the aerodynamic valve mechanism and are likely plesiomorphic for Archosauria.
The effect of 5-fluorouracil at elevated temperatures on a spontaneous mouse tumour : Arrhenius analysis and tumour response

SummaryIn a series of studies to investigate activation energies and thermal enhancements of various chemotherapeutic agents the effect of 5-fluorouracil (5FU), an antimetabolite, on murine tumour cells was studied at elevated temperatures. Animal tumours were early generation isotransplants of a spontaneous fibrosarcoma, FSa-II tumours, and C3Hf/Sed mice were used throughout. Cell survival curves for 5FU were obtained as a function of treatment time by in vitro treatment—in vivo lung colony assay at temperatures between 37·0 and 43·5°C. The D0, or the treatment time to reduce surviving fraction from S to S/e in the exponential portion of the survival curve, decreased slightly from 37°C treatment to 41·5°C treatment. The D0 decreased substantially from 41·5°C to 43·5°C. Arrhenius-plot analysis indicated that the activation energies were 92·9 and 731 kJ/m at temperatures between 37 and 41·5°C, and between 41·5 and 43·5°C, respectively. The activation energy of 92·9 kJ/m for the temperature range from 37 to...
Is there content in empty heads

We describe a technique for automatically constructing a taxonomy of word senses from a machine readable dictionary. Previous taxonomies developed from dictionaries have two properties in common. First, they are based on a somewhat loosely defined notion of the IS-A relation. Second, they require human intervention to identify the sense of the genus term being used. We believe that for taxonomies of this type to serve a useful role in subsequent natural language processing tasks, the taxonomy must be based on a consistent use of the IS-A relation which allows inheritance and transitivity. We show that hierarchies of this type can be automatically constructed, by using the semantic category codes and the subject codes of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (LDOCE) to disambiguate the genus terms in noun definitions. In addition, we discuss how certain genus terms give rise to other semantic relations between definitions.
Neurosarcoidosis: case report and brief literature review.

A 31-year-old African-American man complained of a I-month history of a new-onset headache. His headache was constant, most intense behind his eyes, and 10 of 10 in severity. He noticed the headache upon awakening, and it persisted throughout the day. Mild photophobia and light­ headedness were associated with the headache. The patient denied visual changes, hearing changes, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, shortness of breath, chest pain, cough, fevers, or chills. His medical history was remarkable only for hypertension, and he was not taking any medica­ tions. He smoked 1 pack of cigarettes per day, used alcohol occasionally, and used no other drugs. The patient had lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Illinois, and had traveled to Mexico within the past 5 years. His work history included laboring on cargo boats, clipping chicken wings on a chicken farm, and most recently, installing fuel pumps at gas stations. Pertinent physical findings included a blood pressure of 160/105 mm Hg. His pupils were equal and reactive to light, he had full visual fields, and there was no evidence of papilledema or uveitis on an ophthalmologic examination. He also had bilateral strength reduction (4/5) in the proximal lower extremities, but had normal sensation in his lower extremities. Findings of the remainder of his physical examination were unremarkable. Because of the duration and severity of the head­ aches, a computed tomographic (CT) scan was or­ dered. The scan showed an enhancing soft-tissue mass in the posterior left temporal and occipital lobe (Figure 1). The patient was given dexametha­ sone and mannitol to reduce intracranial pressure. A cerebral angiogram, ordered to establish further the nature of the lesion, showed the lesion to be avascular. A brain biopsy determined that the lesion
103 Probing DNA shape and methylation state on a genomic scale with DNase I

DNA binding proteins find their cognate sequences within genomic DNA through recognition of specific chemical and structural features. Here, we demonstrate that high-resolution DNase I cleavage profiles can provide detailed information about the shape and chemical modification status of genomic DNA. Analyzing millions of DNA-backbone hydrolysis events on naked genomic DNA, we show that the intrinsic rate of cleavage by DNase I closely tracks the width of the minor groove. Integration of these DNase I cleavage data with bisulfite sequencing data for the same cell type genome reveals that the cleavage directly adjacent to CpG dinucleotides is enhanced at least eight-fold by cytosine methylation. This phenomenon we show is attributable to methylation-induced narrowing of the minor groove. Furthermore, we demonstrate that it enables simultaneous mapping of DNase I hypersensitivity and regional DNA methylation levels using dense in vivo cleavage data. Taken together, our results suggest a general mechanism thr...
Husbands' and Wives' Education and Divorce in the United States and Japan, 1946-2000:

How the relationship between status and divorce shifts over historical time among industrialized countries remains largely unknown. A socioeconomic growth hypothesis posits that a more recent marriage cohort (relative to a previous cohort) in an industrialized country exhibits (1) larger divorce-suppressive effects of husbands' and wives' higher level of education and (2) a shift from a pattern in which only husbands' education substantially influences the couples' likelihood of divorce to a pattern in which both spouses' education influences that likelihood. The author tests the need to modify this hypothesis to reflect the intervening influences of cultural-institutional arrangements using the United States and Japan. The author applies event history regressions to the U.S. Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Japanese General Social Survey. Results from both countries suggest the needs for modifications and imply that divorce is increasingly tied to socioeconomic inequality in both industrialized cou...
Effect of Synthetic Voice Intelligibility on Speech Comprehension

This research investigated the differential impact of synthetic voice quality and text difficulty on comprehension of extended prose. Sixty participants listened to five easy and five difficult passages in one of three speech modes: natural speech, VOTRAX (low intelligibility), or DECtalk (high intelligibility). Comprehension of DECtalk was equal to that of natural speech, whereas comprehension of VOTRAX was significantly poorer than with natural speech or DECtalk. Subjects were also asked to shadow passages of each speech type as a measure of resource processing demands. It was found that shadowing accuracy was significantly better for natural speech than for DECtalk and shadowing of DECtalk was markedly superior to that of VOTRAX. The results of this study suggest that resource-demand measures alone may not be appropriate to predict performance in practical applications. Specifically, overall comprehension may not suffer despite on-line losses in processing. These findings also point to a differential a...
Run-Time System for Scalable Network Services

Sophisticated middlebox services-such as network monitoring and intrusion detection, DDoS mitigation, worm scanning, XML parsing and protocol transformation-are becoming increasingly popular in today's Internet. To support high- throughput, these services are often deployed on distributed memory, multi-processor (DM-MP) hardware platforms such as a cluster of network processors. Scaling the throughput of such platforms, however, is challenging because of the difficulties and overheads of accessing persistent, shared state maintained by the services. In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of Oboe, a run-time system for DM-MP platforms that addresses the above challenge through two foundations: (1) category-specific management of shared state, and (2) adaptive flow- level load distribution for addressing persistent processor overload. Our simulations demonstrate that Oboe can achieve performance within 0-5% of an ideal adaptive system. Our prototype implementation of Oboe on a cluster of IXP2400 network processors, demonstrates the scalability achieved with increasing number of processors, number of flows and state size.
Adsorption of Alkyltrimethylammonium Bromides on Negatively Charged Alumina

A four-region model based on electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions adequately explains adsorption of anionic surfactants on positively charged solids such as alumina. In this study, cationic s...
PAS PROTEINS IN THE MAMMALIAN CIRCADIAN CLOCK

Many aspects of physiology are regulated in a temporal manner by an internal clock that anticipates the time of day and directs physiological processes accordingly (1). In mammals, cellular processes such as cholesterol and heme biosynthesis, temperature and hormonal rhythms, and the sleep wake cycle are all “timed” by the circadian clock to occur at appropriate time periods in the absence of environmental cues (2). Remarkably, in mammals these processes are controlled by a small nucleus in the hypothalamus, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which harbors the “master” oscillator, or core clock. This master oscillator, in turn, synchronizes peripheral clocks that regulate physiology in a tissue- and time-dependent manner. This timekeeping mechanism is composed of three essential elements: (i) a light input pathway that allows for resetting with a changing environment, (i) a core oscillator that keeps track of time, and (iii) the output of the clock that dictates circadian controlled physiology (Figure 1). The past thirty years of study has elucidated many components of the core circadian oscillator, including a basic model for clock mechanism in flies and mammals (3). In fact, the first clues to mammalian circadian mechanism began with “P” in PAS and the study of the fruit fly.
A Conceptual Approach to Early Mental Development

One of the major preoccupations of our discipline is the study of mental development. Our thinking has been focused on several broad issues, namely, (1) the relative contributions of heredity and environment, (2) individual differences and the species-general developmental stages of mental development, and (3) consistency and change.
SPINNING MORRIS TRUST: INTERPRETING 355(e) ACCORDING TO ITS PURPOSE?

This report describes and compares from a tax policy perspective two well-known spinoff-acquisition transactions: The innocent Morris Trust transaction and the abusive Viacom transaction. It examines alternatives to section 355(e) as enacted by Congress and closely examines the statutory language for vagueness that ought to be addressed in the Treasury regulations. The bulk of this paper is Part IV, which summarizes and critically evaluates both the sets of proposed regulations and the temporary regulations. Part V concludes that the temporary regulations are overbroad because instead of targeting abusive Viacom-like transactions specifically, they ensnare many perfectly innocent post-spin acquisitions.
Solution-State Structure and Affinities of Cyclodextrin:Fentanyl Complexes by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Simulation.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are investigated for their ability to form inclusion complexes with the analgesic fentanyl and three similar molecules: acetylfentanyl, thiofentanyl, and acetylthiofentanyl. Stoichiometry, binding strength, and complex structure are revealed through nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and discussed in terms of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. It was found that β-cyclodextrin is generally capable of forming the strongest complexes with the fentanyl panel. Two-dimensional NMR data and computational chemical calculations are used to derive solution-state structures of the complexes. Binding of the fentanyls to the CDs occurs at the amide phenyl ring, leaving the majority of the molecule solvated by water, an observation common to all four fentanyls. This finding suggests a universal binding behavior, as the vast majority of previously synthesized fentanyl analogues contain this structural moiety. This baseline study serves as the most complete work on CD:fentanyl complexes to ...