cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of the Mucus Layer in Bacterial Colonization of the Intestine

This chapter focuses on the mucus layer of the intestinal tract and its role in colonization of the intestine by enteric bacteria. The gel-like mucus layer of the intestine is dynamic in that it is continuously being renewed by secretion of stored or newly synthesized components, sloughed or eroded by mechanical forces, and degraded by the indigenous flora. In addition to the major gel-forming mucins present, the mucus layer contains a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and other components that originate from a number of sources. The presence of the intestinal mucus layer as a viscous physical barrier and the need for bacteria to reach and maintain themselves in an appropriate environmental niche has led many investigators to propose chemotaxis and motility as important aspects of colonization for the microorganisms that exhibit these properties. In the case of the normal flora of the large intestine, association with the mucosal surface appears to be a critical aspect of colonization and, depending on the organism, may or may not involve direct adhesion to epithelial cells. The lumen of the upper intestine may contain a number of microorganisms, but the rate of bacterial growth in the lumen in these regions does not does not appear to be high enough to compensate for the rapid flow of luminal contents. The types of experiments being used to elucidate the carbon nutrition for colonization of Escherichia coli can and should be extended to include other members of the intestinal microflora.
Functional Forms of Fit: Making the Case for an Asymmetric Perspective

In research disciplines such as organization science and information systems, fit, for example between environmental factors and organizational structure, and between organizational tasks and information systems, plays an important role to explain and predict variables such as organizational performance and user satisfaction. We build on the observation that while different types of fit have been identified, the characteristics that underlie the functional relationships of fit and the respective dependent variables have received less attention. We suggest that two characteristics in particular, (1) continuity versus dichotomy of fit and non-fit, and (2) symmetry of effects, require the attention of researchers who study complex organizational phenomena as part of organizational and information systems research. We suggest that researchers routinely consider asymmetric forms of fit that distinguish over-fit and under-fit and clearly justify their choices of continuous versus dichotomous fit-variables in their research designs. We discuss the implications for fit-related research studies.
Progress in immunology: Syndromes of diminished resistance to infection

In this review of progress in immunology, an attempt is made to synthesize some of the rapidly accumulating observations in clinical medicine and experimental biology into a workable scheme, which may help pediatricians in their approach to the study and management of patients suspected of abnormalities in their resistance to infection. Like all hypothetical schemes, based on incomplete knowledge and imperfect interpretation, it must be considered tentative and useful mainly in establishing hypotheses to be demolished by future investigation. However, it may clarify the bewildering torrent of case reports, experimental observations and speculations which are pouring out in the current immunological and clinical literature. The roles of the phagocytic system, the thymus, the lymphocytes, and the plasma cells with their secretory products, the immunoglobulins, in defense against infection, as well as the clinical manifestations arising from deficiencies of each of these elements in the immunological system of the body, are discussed.
The Plight of the Forgotten Ones: Civil War and Forced Migration

Adding value to existing aggregate cross-national analyses on forced migration, I use subnational-level data to investigate circumstances that affect people's decisions of whether or not to flee their homes during civilian conflicts. Building on existing literature, I argue that conflict by itself is not the sole factor affecting people's decisions to flee or stay. Apart from a direct physical impact, civil war can destroy economic infrastructure and expose people to economic hardships, which can contribute to displacement. In addition, flight may be impeded or facilitated by such factors as geographical features, physical infrastructure, and social conditions under which people live. Using count data from the Maoists “people's war” in Nepal, a subnational analysis of displacement is conducted to provide a more refined test of existing large- n studies on the causes of forced migration. The empirical results are consistent with the major hypotheses developed in the field. With more precise measures of conflict, economic and physical conditions, and presence of social networks, I demonstrate the importance of a rationalist framework in understanding the choice of flight.
Hibernating myocardium: a hypometabolic state for energy conservation

Moderately hypoperfused myocardium in animals initiates an active process that transiently reduces regional energy consumption below that required by the reduced flow. This eliminates most metabolic abnormalities of ischemia despite ongoing hypoperfusion. These interesting early metabolic adaptations help to confirm the concept of hibernating myocardium, a hypometabolic state for energy conservation. A similar metabolic response probably can occur in human myocardium. However, the complexities of coronary disease may make it difficult to demonstrate these metabolic adaptations in chronically hypofunctioning myocardium in humans.
Relationship of placental grade to gestational age.

tesis in a term infant. Lucy’ briefly mentioned injury to “fetal heart, brain, or lung” during intrauterine fetal blood transfusion for Rh disease, but no further details of brain injury were given. Creasman’ reported that injection of amniography dye into the brain of a 2% week fetus resulted in subdural hemorrhage and stillbirth. It seems likely that the relative infrequency of fetal brain trauma compared to trauma of the fetal chest, abdomen, extremity, and umbilical cord is due to both the protective effect of the cranial vault and the relative ease of manual identification of the head during amniocentesis. The present case represents an unusual picture for perinatal intracranial hemorrhage. Of the four major types of neonatal intracranial hemorrhage-periventricular, primary subarachnoid, subdural, and intracerebellar-the clinical presentation of this case most closely resembles a massive subdural hemorrhage. Predisposing factors include precipitate or prolonged delivery, severe cephalopelvic disproportion, irregular presentation, as in breech, face, or brow, and unusually rigid pelvic structures occurring in very young primiparous or elderly multiparous mothers. These factors were not present in this case since the infant was delivered via elective cesarean section with minimal trauma. Because no needle tract was found through the bone, it is possible that the needle did not directly lacerate the dura but distorted the cranial vault sufficiently to produce a hemorrhage. The unfortunate outcome of this case provides important lessons. Obtaining blood from an amniocentesis attempt and/or development of a fetal heart rate abnormality should alert the obstetrician to the possibility of fetal distress. Blood can be rapidly determined to be of fetal origin by the Kleihauer-Betke technique. Either fetal tachycardia or fetal blood obtained at amniocentesis in a term infant may justify immediate abdominal delivery. Even in a premature fetus likely to have immature lungs, the presence of both fetal blood obtained at amniocentesis and fetal heart rate abnormalities after amniocentesis would probably provide adequate evidence for emergency delivery and resuscitation.:’ Perhaps the most important issue concerns the routine use of amniocentesis to determine fetal pulmonary maturity prior to elective cesarean section. In this case, where ultrasonography confirmed dates at 23 weeks and the risk of iatrogenic prematurity with respiratory distress syndrome was extremely low, amniocentesis probably could have been safely avoided.*
Theoretical-Observational Comparisons and Details in the Evolution of Sakurai's Object

We create a grid of evolutionary models which include models thatexhibit born-again behavior; that is a very late helium pulse. Ourmodels include metalicities between Z = 0.001 and Z = 0.020. Massloss is varied beginning at the peak of the last thermal pulse onthe AGB. By doing this, we determine the range of helium mass atAGB departure that later produces a very late helium flash. Wepresent a direct comparison between our models, Sakurai's Object andFG Sge. Based on our comparisons, we make an observable predictionfor the future of Sakurai's Object: We expect it to increase intemperature and decrease slightly in luminosity within the next 20to 70 years and then to cool and brighten a second time with alonger time scale of roughly 200 to 500 years. It will become asFG Sge is now.
Memory chip BIST architecture

This paper describes a random access memory (RAM, sometimes also called an array) test scheme that has the following attributes: 1. Can be used in both built-in mode and off chip/module mode. 2. Can be used to test and diagnose naked arrays. 3. Fault diagnosis is simple and is "free" for some faults during test. 4. Is never subject to aliasing. 5. Depending upon the test length, it can detect many kinds of failures, like stuck-cells, decoder faults, shorts, pattern-sensitive, etc. 6. If used as a built-in feature, it does not slow down the normal operation of the array. 7. Does not require storage of correct responses. A single response bit always indicates whether a fault has been detected. Thus, the storage requirement for the implementation of the test scheme is zero. 8. If used as a built-in feature, the hardware overhead is very low.
Electrochemical study of the mechanism of lanthanide extraction with thenoyltrifluoroacetone.

Abstract Current-scan polarography at the ascending-water electrode (AWE) was used to examine the electrochemical behavior of HTTA and La3+, both in the absence and presence of neutral ligands, TOPO or MBDPO, and the light this sheds on the mechanism of extraction of lanthanides with HTTA, as well as the role played by mixed-ligand chelate formation.
Dynamic in vitro modeling of the blood–brain barrier: a novel tool for studies of drug delivery to the brain

Apart from in exceptional and rare circumstances when drugs may be inserted directly into the CNS, it is often difficult to achieve therapeutically relevant dosages in the brain. This is because oral or parenteral administration effectively results in the exclusion of most drugs by the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Therefore, it is important to develop systems that allow for rapid and inexpensive determination of the BBB-permeability properties of novel therapeutic drugs. Recent advances allow for the manipulation of brain transport of drugs by chemical facilitation with lipophylic compounds or viral vectors. Studies performed on viable in vitro models are set to accelerate the design of drugs that selectively and aggressively target the CNS.
Trade Liberalization and the Fiscal Squeeze: Implications for Public Investment

This article examines the impact of trade liberalization on the level and structure of government expenditures across countries, with particular emphasis on low income countries. It develops the argument that the policies employed during trade liberalization have resulted in a fiscal squeeze as a result of declining tax revenues and rising interest expenditures. To surmount this fiscal hurdle, expenditures on physical capital, which have negligible political ramifications, have been reduced. Other more politically sensitive expenditures, such as spending on social capital, have been financed by incurring additional debt. However, additional debt has exerted upward pressure on interest payments, further exacerbating the fiscal situation. The statistical analysis carried out to examine the evidence uses panel data for eighty developing and industrialized countries over the period 1970–98 and employs a fixed–effects regression framework to account for country–specific characteristics. The results indicate that trade liberalization has indeed resulted in declining revenues and higher interest expenditures and that these factors have contributed to the observed decline in infrastructure spending.
Characterization of hydrogen species on TiO2 by electron-stimulated desorption☆

Abstract The hydrogen species in TiO 2 have been characterized using the site specificity of Electron- Stimulated Desorption (ESD). Hydrogen is found to be bonded to surface Ti's in hydride-type bonds, to subsurface of bridgebonded O's in a hydroxyl-like bond, or be part of a surface hydroxyl. Hydrogen is found at high levels in the near-surface region as a contaminant and is intimately involved in the reaction of O 2 and H 2 O with the defective TiO 2 surface. It is suggested that this phenomenon may occur in a wide range of compounds.
Biological responses to weak 60-Hz electric and magnetic fields must vary as the square of the field strength

Abstract Under quite general conditions, the biological response j(G) to a very weak continuous 60-Hz electric or magnetic field G is shown to be proportional to the square of the field strength. This conclusion follows from the continuity of the function j(G) and the first three derivatives of j(G) with respect to G over the amplitude of G. That continuity is ensured in nominally discontinuous systems by the presence of thermal noise. I argue the validity of the conjecture that all plausible biological responses to weak 60-Hz fields vary with the square of the field strength. A specific model is used to illustrate characteristic dependencies of biological responses to exposure times.
A comparison of three insect-inspired locomotion controllers☆

Abstract This paper compares three insect inspired controllers which were implemented on an autonomous hexapod robot. There is a growing interest in using insect locomotion schemes to control walking robots. Researchers' interest in insect-based controllers ranges from understanding the biological basis of locomotion control in insects to building real-time walking machines which require relatively little computational power. Several models for insect locomotion exist, and robotics researchers tend to adopt one approach and experiment with it. In contrast, this paper offers a comparison of three insect inspired controllers — all of which were implemented and tested on the same autonomous hexapod robot. Some of the controllers used reflex-based mechanisms whereas others used pattern-based mechanisms. Reflexive controllers exploit sensory stimulus and response reactions to produce leg motion and gait coordination. In contrast, pattern-based controllers depend more upon pre-programmed patterns of behavior which may be influenced by external events. Typically, these pre-programmed patterns of behavior are implemented using central pattern generators (CPGs). In this work, we compare gait coordination performance of three controllers on flat terrain. We extend the comparison to include leg loading considerations, disabled leg compensation, and externally applied leg perturbations. We discuss the differences between controllers with respect to inconsistent leg retraction velocities, leg design issues, sensing requirements, and computational issues. The robot performed quite differently under varying experimental conditions depending upon which controller was used. We found that controller performance was the most sensitive to robot design parameters. For our case, we had the most success with pattern-based mechanisms given the leg design of our robot and its limitations in controlling the retraction velocity of its legs. The pattern-based mechanisms allowed the robot to remain stable over a variety of gaits while the robot was subjected to loading the legs, disabling a leg, and physically disturbing the legs. The reflexive mechanisms were less successful at maintaining stability when the robot's legs were increasingly disrupted.
Pulsed-laser ablation plume dynamics: characterization and modeling

High quality thin films (100nm to several 1000nm) of many complex material systems such as the high temperature superconductor YBCO, have been deposited using pulsed laser ablation. Long lengths of high quality YBCO on metallic conductors are needed to meet industrial and government requirements. Although, pulsed laser deposition (PLD) grows the best YBCO films on meter lengths of metallic conductors, it has not been proven to be a consistent manufacturing process. PLD is simple in concept but has quite complicated plume and growth dynamics which are not well understood. In this study we use in-situ time-resolved mesurements of collision-driven plume emissions to characterize critical deposition parameters and to develop a computational model which includes these dynamics in a reacting PLD plume.
Static-gap, single-spark erosion of Ag-CdO and pure metal electrodes

Abstract Two series of static-gap, single-spark erosion experiments were conducted using a pin cathode and a number of anode materials. In one series of experiments, Ag-CdO anodes were tested at various spark energies. In another series, various pure metal anodes, covering a wide range of melting temperatures, were tested with a 0.1 J spark. In both cases shallow erosion craters were produced on the anode surfaces, and the erosion mechanism was identified as melt-splashing. The crater volume was compared with several physical properties of the anode materials. It was found that the erosion volume correlates well with the melting temperature and the enthalpy of melting per unit volume, but not with thermal diffusivity. The erosion efficiencies were in the range 0.1%–8.6%. The static-gap, single-spark test is a simple, expeditious test for comparing the erosion behavior of electric contact materials.
Properties of MBE-Grown ZnBeSe: Study of Be Isoelectronic Traps and of Dopant Behavior

In this paper we present studies on undoped, Cl-doped, and N-doped ZnBeSe using photoluminescence (PL). We show that the dominant PL from undoped samples is effective mass type and suggest that it is of isoelectronic origin. We also show that the binding energy of both donor and acceptor impurities increases with Be concentration.
Acquiring Wisdom: A Metaphor for the Theory and Praxis of the End Stages of Life

This article explores the opportunity for “acquiring wisdom” from those “kairos moments,” experiences of the “numinous” that surface from persons who at the end stages of life often reveal an engagement with “something beyond themselves.” These moments provide an occasion for both the caregiver and the dying to employ “active reflective listening skills” in relation to the existential experience of the dying persons and their caregivers, which can be different from the belief system or worldview that they have formed before becoming active in the process of dying.
Interference with ritualized threat behaviour in Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum

Abstract According to ethological theory, ritualized threat behaviour functions to prevent overt aggression. This prediction was tested in twenty-three pairs of male Cichalasoma nigrofasciatum . Pairs prevented from giving frontal displays by surgically restrained gill covers showed significantly less mouth fighting than sham operates. Pairs prevented from giving frontals and impaired in delivering tail beats because of separated caudal-fin rays showed intermediate aggressive behaviour. Experimental animals in both groups fought and frequently became dominant when paired with sham operates. It was concluded that threat behaviour in C. nigrofasciatum increases subsequent aggressive behaviours both quantitatively and qualitatively. It is suggested that ethological theory has identified the effects of ritualized aggression as a complex behavioural sequence ending in submissive behaviour with that of its first phase alone.
Free ureteral replacement in rats: regeneration of ureteral wall components in the acellular matrix graft.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate ureteral replacement by a free homologous graft of acellular matrix in a rat model. Methods In 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats, a 0.3 to 0.8-cm midsegment of the left ureter was resected and replaced with an acellular matrix graft of equal length placed on a polyethylene stent. The animals were killed at varying intervals, and the grafted specimens were prepared for light and electron microscopy. Results In all animals, the acellular matrix graft remained in its original position without evidence of incrustation or infection, and histologic examination showed complete epithelialization and progressive infiltration by vessels. At 10 weeks, smooth muscle fibers were observed; at 12 weeks, nerve fibers were first detected; at 4 months, smooth muscle cells had assumed regular configuration. Conclusions The ureteral acellular matrix graft appears to promote the regeneration of all ureteral wall components.
State Constitutional Law in 1932–33.

Review of administrative authority and procedure has at times some strange and unfortunate results. Such was the case when the railroads protested the payment of taxes levied by the state tax commission of Washington. When the issue was brought to the courts, a special master was designated to secure evidence and to make preliminary findings of fact and conclusions of law. The master found no actual fraud, but concluded that there was constructive fraud in fixing base values and in allocating such values to the counties. He also found gross over-valuation and a grossly excessive ratio of assessed to actual value. With the master's report before it, the federal district court made the usual deferential statement to administrative officers in this field in asserting that great care must be taken not unduly to interfere with the discretion which is confided to the assessing and taxing agencies; within their jurisdiction, except in case of fraud or a clearly shown adoption of wrong principles, they are the ultimate guardians of certain rights. Then the court proceeded to condemn the methods of procedure followed by the tax commission in assessing railway property, and also to disapprove of some of the conclusions of the master. Among these conclusions, the master believed that reproduction cost could not be used as a criterion for tax purposes; but the court held that such cost may be considered a relevant factor in such cases. After a detailed analysis of the procedure followed by the commission in making its assessments, the court decided that the law would not tolerate the values fixed by the commission, and that certain assessments, " when measured by any standard which is at all permissible, are so grossly excessive as to give rise to the presumption of fraud in law." Finding the commission's assessments illegal, the court simplified matters a bit by deciding that the logical next step seemed to be for the court to place a valuation upon the properties of the companies respectively in order to determine the amount of the relief to be granted. "Happily in the discharge of this duty," said District Judge Webster, "I am in a somewhat broader field, in that I am not hampered by restrictions which the law places about me in reviewing the actions of assessing and taxing officials.
Discovery of a Potent, Selective, and Efficacious Class of Reversible α-Ketoheterocycle Inhibitors of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Effective as Analgesics

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) degrades neuromodulating fatty acid amides including anandamide (endogenous cannabinoid agonist) and oleamide (sleep-inducing lipid) at their sites of action and is intimately involved in their regulation. Herein we report the discovery of a potent, selective, and efficacious class of reversible FAAH inhibitors that produce analgesia in animal models validating a new therapeutic target for pain intervention. Key to the useful inhibitor discovery was the routine implementation of a proteomics-wide selectivity screen against the serine hydrolase superfamily ensuring selectivity for FAAH coupled with systematic in vivo examinations of candidate inhibitors.
Dissociation of heme-globin complexes by blackbody infrared radiative dissociation: Molecular specificity in the gas phase?

The temperature dependence of the unimolecular kinetics for dissociation of the heme group from holo-myoglobin (Mb) and holo-hemoglobin α-chain (Hb-α) was investigated with blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD). The rate constant for dissociation of the 9 + charge state of Mb formed by electrospray ionization from a “pseudo-native” solution is 60% lower than that of Hb-α at each of the temperatures investigated. In solutions of pH 5.5–8.0, the thermal dissociation rate for Mb is also lower than that of HB-α (Hargrove, M. S. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 1994, 269, 4207–4214). Thus, Mb is thermally more stable with respect to heme loss than Hb-α both in the gas phase and in solution. The Arrhenius activation parameters for both dissociation processes are indistinguishable within the current experimental error (activation energy 0.9 eV and pre-exponential factor of 108–10 s−1). The 9+ to 12+ charge states of Mb have similar Arrhenius parameters when these ions are formed from pseudo-native solutions. In contrast, the activation energies and pre-exponential factors decrease from 0.8 to 0.3 eV and 107 to 102 s−1, respectively, for the 9+ to 12+ charge states formed from acidified solutions in which at least 50% of the secondary structure is lost. These results demonstrate that gas-phase Mb ions retain clear memory of the composition of the solution from which they are formed and that these differences can be probed by BIRD.
ELM mitigation techniques

Abstract Large edge-localized mode (ELM) control techniques must be developed to help ensure the success of burning and ignited fusion plasma devices such as tokamaks and stellarators. In full performance ITER tokamak discharges, with QDT = 10, the energy released by a single ELM could reach ∼30 MJ which is expected to result in an energy density of 10–15 MJ/m2on the divertor targets. This will exceed the estimated divertor ablation limit by a factor of 20–30. A worldwide research program is underway to develop various types of ELM control techniques in preparation for ITER H-mode plasma operations. An overview of the ELM control techniques currently being developed is discussed along with the requirements for applying these techniques to plasmas in ITER. Particular emphasis is given to the primary approaches, pellet pacing and resonant magnetic perturbation fields, currently being considered for ITER.
Experimental studies on hatching behavior in the chick. II. Extirpation of the right wing

The right wing of chick embryos, stages 17–18, was extirpated with a view to study the effect of the absence of the right wing on prehatching motility and hatching behavior. Half of the embryos which survived, hatched normally. Detailed observations on these embryos showed that they followed the typical sequence of behaviorial events from day 17 until hatching. The types of behavior patterns were strikingly similar to embryos with both wings intact. A comparison of the qualitative aspects of prehatching behavior showed an increase of head movements in embryos without the right wing.
Cosmic D-strings as axionic D-term strings

In this work we derive nonsingular BPS string solutions from an action that captures the essential features of a D-brane-anti-D-brane system compactified to four dimensions. The model we consider is a supersymmetric Abelian Higgs model with a D-term potential coupled to an axion-dilaton multiplet. The strings in question are axionic D-term strings which we identify with the D-strings of type II string theory. In this picture the Higgs field represents the open string tachyon of the D-D pair and the axion is dual to a Ramond-Ramond form. The crucial term allowing the existence of nonsingular BPS strings is the Fayet-Iliopoulos term, which is related to the tensions of the D-string and of the parent branes. Despite the presence of the axion, the strings are BPS and carry finite energy, due to the fact that the space gets very slowly decompactified away from the core, screening the long range axion field (or equivalently the theory approaches an infinitely weak 4D coupling). Within our 4D effective action we also identify another class of BPS string solutions (s-strings) which have no ten-dimensional analog, and can only exist after compactification.
LMI-BASED SYNTHESIS OF ANTI-WINDUP FILTERS WITH POLE CONSTRAINTS

Abstract This paper presents a design method for a linear anti-windup filter with filter pole constraints. The anti-windup design problem can be cast as an LMI optimization problem. The anti-windup filter is optimized for L 2 performance while its poles are constrained in a predefined region. The constrained poles ensure the fast recovery of saturation free linear responses and practical implementation of the anti-windup filter in digital form. This design method guarantees global stability for asymptotically stable plants, and local stability for plants, which are not asymptotically stable. The effectiveness of the design method is demonstrated by a simulation example.
Obesity Modifies the Association of Race/Ethnicity with Medication Adherence in the CARDIA Study

Objective: To assess associations between race/ethnicity and medication adherence, and the potential modifying effects of weight category (normal, overweight, obese) in a community-based sample. Study design and setting: We studied 1355 participants from the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study who were taking prescription medications in 2000-1. Medication adherence, as rated on the four-item Morisky medication adherence scale (score of 4 = maximum adherence), was reported for all participants. Results: The mean age ± SD of participants was 40 ± 3.6 years; 45% were African American and 36% were male. Overall, Whites had a higher proportion of maximum adherence than African Americans (59 vs 41%, respectively; p = 0.001). However, this difference was statistically significant only for participants within the normal weight category, of whom 54% of Whites were maximally adherent versus 35% of African Americans (p < 0.05). After adjustment for possible confounding covariates, race/ethnicity was associated with adherence only in those of normal weight: the odds ratio for maximum adherence in Whites versus African Americans of normal weight was 1.98 (95% CI 1.13, 3.47). Within race/ethnicity subgroups, weight category was associated with adherence in Whites but not in African Americans. Conclusion: Weight category modifies the association of race/ethnicity with medication adherence. The high levels of non-adherence observed among African Americans and obese and overweight Whites bodes poorly for treatment of obesity-associated diseases such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus.
Design and fabrication of a full-scale actively controlled satellite appendage simulator unit

Modern satellites require the ability to slew and settle quickly in order to acquire or transmit data efficiently. Solar arrays and communication antennas cause low frequency disturbances to the satellite bus during these maneuvers causing undesirable induced vibration of the payload. The ability to develop and experimentally demonstrate attitude control laws which compensate for these flexible body disturbances is of prime importance to modern day satellite manufacturers. Honeywell has designed and fabricated an actively controlled Appendage Simulator Unit (ASU) which can physically induce the modal characteristics of satellite appendages on to a ground based satellite test bed installed on an air bearing. The ASU consists of two orthogonal fulcrum beams weighting over 800 pounds each utilizing two electrodynamic shakers to induce active torques onto the bus. The ASU is programmed with the state space characteristics of the desired appendage and responds in real time to the bus motion to generate realistic disturbances back onto the satellite. Two LVDT's are used on each fulcrum beam to close the loop and insure the system responds in real time the same way a real solar array would on-orbit. Each axis is independently programmable in order to simulate various orientations or modal contributions from an appendage. The design process for the ASU involved the optimization of sensors, actuators, control authority, weight, power and functionality. The smart structure system design process and experimental results are described in detail.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Predictors of Pathologic Progression on Biopsy Among Men on Active Surveillance for Localized Prostate Cancer: The Value of the Pattern of Surveillance Biopsies

Abstract Background A better understanding of the independent predictors of disease progression for prostate cancer (PCa) patients is needed to improve the selection of ideal candidates for active surveillance (AS) and refine the surveillance regimen. Objective To examine the association of clinical and pathologic characteristics, as well as patterns of surveillance biopsy results, with the risk of progression in men on AS. Design, setting, and participants The retrospective study consisted of men with PCa who were on AS in the prospectively maintained University of California, San Francisco, institutional database from 1996 to 2011. Strict criteria for AS were prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≤10 ng/ml, clinical stage T1 or T2, biopsy Gleason grade 6, Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Disease progression was defined as an increase in Gleason grade and/or biopsy volume beyond prespecified cut points. Serial biopsy patterns over the course of surveillance were stratified by confirmatory biopsy findings: negative, positive without progression, and positive with progression. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate predictors of progression during AS. Results and limitations A total of 465 men met inclusion criteria (median follow-up: 51 mo). Of these men, 23% had negative confirmatory biopsies. Only 3% of the men (1 of 30) progressed by the fourth surveillance biopsy following a biopsy pattern of negative confirmatory and negative third biopsy findings. Negative confirmatory biopsy and lower PSA density (both p Conclusions The patterns of surveillance biopsy results yield additional important information in AS. Negative confirmatory biopsy and PSA density are important independent predictors of progression on AS and may be used to better counsel men opting for AS.
Na + Xe collisions in the presence of two nonresonant lasers

Na+Xe collisions in the presence of two distinct laser fields (rhodamine 110 and Nd:glass) are investigated with reference to the response to nonresonant radiation of alkali metals collisionally perturbed by a buffer gas. It is found that the excited Na-asterisk (4s)+Xe state is produced with a measurable cross section due to two-photon absorption with field intensities as low as 10 MW/sq cm.
TU-FF-A2-06: The Use of MVCT Images for Dose Calculation in the Presence of Metallic Objects

Purpose: Metallic objects such as dental fillings and prostheses cause artifacts in kilovoltage CT (kVCT) studies. The problem with these artifacts is twofold. Firstly, they obscure soft tissue structures. Secondly, the artifacts create artificial CT numbers that compromise the accurate calculation of absorbed dose. Megavoltage CT (MVCT) imaging reduces these artifacts, and this study investigates the impact of such artifacts. Method and Materials: The MVCT to electron density curve for a Hi-ART II helical tomotherapy unit was extended to include high electron density materials using aluminum, titanium, and copper targets. MVCT images of a prostate patient with a hip prosthesis that is treated on a helical tomotherapy unit are then used to evaluate the impact of kVCT artifacts on the calculation of absorbed dose. At the time of treatment planning the kVCT image was used for planning. For actual patient treatment the artificial hip was generously contoured and no beam entrance though this region was allowed for treatment planning. Daily MVCT image of the patient were acquired for patient alignment. Retrospectively, a treatment plan was generated that allowed beam entrance through the hip prosthesis. This second plan was recalculated on the MVCT image to determine the dosimetric effect of the artifacts. Results: The recalculated dose in the MVCT image shows that the absorbed dose in the hip prostheses and immediately next to the prosthesis is lower in the MVCT image than in the kVCT image. This dose differential can be as large as 15%. Soft tissue areas that are affected by the kVCT image artifacts have higher absorbed dose in the MVCT based recalculation. Conclusion: In the presence of metallic artifacts, significant differences in the absorbed dose computation exist between dose calculations based KVCT images and that calculated in megavoltage images.
Gender Equality, Liberalism and Attitude Toward Prostitution: Variation in Cross-National Study

The current study tested the relationship between attitudes toward gender equality and attitudes toward prostitution by employing an international sample of 48,630 subjects in 54 countries from the fifth wave (2005–2007) of the World Values Survey. Unlike previous studies, the current mixed level logistic regression results found no fixed effect between an individual’s gender equality attitude and attitude toward prostitution. However, the findings on other variables suggested that liberals are more likely to have a somewhat more favorable attitude toward prostitution than conservatives. Those who hold a higher social status, who are less religious, and who do not have a strong belief in marriage are more likely to have a somewhat favorable attitude toward prostitution.
Short Telomeres, even in the Presence of Telomerase, Limit Tissue Renewal Capacity

Autosomal-dominant dyskeratosis congenita is associated with heterozygous mutations in telomerase. To examine the dosage effect of telomerase, we generated a line of mTR+/- mice on the CAST/EiJ background, which has short telomeres. Interbreeding of heterozygotes resulted in progressive telomere shortening, indicating that limiting telomerase compromises telomere maintenance. In later-generation heterozygotes, we observed a decrease in tissue renewal capacity in the bone marrow, intestines, and testes that resembled defects seen in dyskeratosis congenita patients. The progressive worsening of disease with decreasing telomere length suggests that short telomeres, not telomerase level, cause stem cell failure. Further, wild-type mice derived from the late-generation heterozygous parents, termed wt*, also had short telomeres and displayed a germ cell defect, indicating that telomere length determines these phenotypes. We propose that short telomeres in mice that have normal telomerase levels can cause an occult form of genetic disease.
Why are some states more generous in offering R&D tax credits than others? An empirical answer

This article examines political cost factors that affect a state's propensity to adopt a corporate income tax credit to encourage research and development (R&D) activities in the United States. Assuming state elected officials are vote-maximizers, this article hypothesizes that politicians' consideration of potential revenue losses and influence from organized interests are critical in a state's decision to provide a R&D tax credit. To test the hypothesis, two statistical models are specified. With a dichotomous dependent variable of whether or not a R&D tax credit is offered, a Logit regression model is utilized. For the interval level dependent variable of effective R&D credit rates, this article specifies a Tobit model. The results show that politicians' concerns about revenue losses loom much larger than private organized interests.
Demand effects for desensitization and two placebos in a dental fear context

Abstract Forty-five subjects sampled two sessions of a prototype desensitization treatment, two sessions of the Modified Avoidance Response Placebo or two sessions of Pseudotherapy. Each subject simulated the effects on dental fear of the experimental regimen to which he was exposed. Each subject also rated the credibility of the sampled regimen. Both the simulation data and the credibility ratings showed the Modified Avoidance Response Placebo to be the preferred control for “nonspecifics” in dental-fear desensitization experiments.
Vacuum Ultraviolet Resonance Absorption f-values for Ni II

We have used the High Sensitivity Absorption Spectroscopy experiment at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Stoughton, Wisconsin, to measure relative absorption oscillator strengths, or f-values, for six resonance transitions of Ni+ in the vacuum ultraviolet. This laboratory absorption work is an extension of recent laser induced fluorescence and emission work which established an accurate, absolute scale for Ni II resonance f-values. The relative absorption f-values are normalized using three absolute f-values for Ni II, previously determined by combining experimental radiative lifetimes and emission branching fractions, to produce an expanded set of seven absolute resonance f-values for Ni II. Accurate f-values for Ni II resonance lines are critical to the analysis of spectra on the diffuse interstellar medium and are used to determine various properties of the ISM. Resonance lines of Ni II are also observed in high redshift QSO absorption line systems.
Influence of Several Autonomic Drugs on Sodium Nitroprusside and Oxotremorine-Induced Hypothermia in Immature and Mature Mice

Abstract Sodium nitroprusside and oxotremorine each produced body temperature depression that was independent of age.Atropine inhibited oxotremorine hypothermia in both age groups, but was ineffective in modifying thermal responses to nitroprusside in both age categories.Pilocarpine administration did not alter oxotremorine activity at either age level, while nitroprusside hypothermia was enhanced and partially reversed, respectively, in immature and mature mice.Nicotine and tetraethylammonium chloride were unable to modify hypothermia produced by oxotremorine and nitroferricyanide in adult mice.Nicotine enhanced nitroprusside hypothermiain 10-day-old mice, while temperature depression due to oxotremorine was unaffected in the same age group.Administration of tetraethylammonium chloride to immature animals treated with oxotremorine and nitroprusside resulted in greater temperature depression.Chlorpromazine, which produced no change in oxotremorine or nitroprusside hypothermia in 10-day-old mice, partially blocked oxotremorine-induced hypothermia in mature animals; the weak parasympatholytic phenothiazine produced no significant difference in hypothermia when given prior to nitroprusside in the adult group.
Lessons from Teachers

This article argues that with changes in attitudes and actions in classrooms, teachers can alter what happens in urban schools and transform the lives of students. Ten precepts are offered to assist them in that role: teach more, not less, content to poor, urban children; ensure all children gain access to conventions/strategies essential to success in American society; whatever methodology/instructional program used, demand critical thinking; provide the emotional ego strength to challenge racist societal views of the competence and worthiness of children and their families; recognize and build on children’s strengths; use familiar metaphors, analogies, and experiences from the children’s world to connect what children already know to school knowledge; create a sense of family and caring in the service of academic achievement; monitor/assess children’s needs and address them with a wealth of diverse strategies; honor and respect children’s home culture; and foster a sense of children’s connection to comm...
Self-assembly of supermicro- and meso-porous silica and silica/gold nanoparticles using double-chained surfactants

Abstract Porous silica nanosized particles were prepared using tetramethylorthosilicate and two double carbon chained templates, n-didecyldimethylammonium bromide and n-didodecyldimethylammonium bromide. Samples were prepared using a simple modification of the Stober method for synthesis of colloidal silica for template to silica ratios of 0.2 and 0.1 under homogeneous cosolvent conditions. Silica/gold nanocomposites were prepared similarly except for the addition of a gold colloid suspension prior to self-assembly. All samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and liquid nitrogen adsorption. The diameters of the pores were measured using three methods: volumetric-XRD; Gurvitsch; and BJH. The diameters of the pores ranged from 1.9 to 2.5 nm using the Volumetric-XRD method with pore wall diameters from 0.64 to 1.1 nm. The presence of supermicro- and meso-pores were confirmed using comparison t-plots. Both the volumetric-XRD and Gurvitsch methods were consistent with the t-plot analysis, whereas the BJH method underestimated pore diameters significantly. Samples had pore volumes in excess of 0.37 cm g−1 at STP and surface areas greater than 700 m2 g−1. The symmetry of the silica pore structure was found to vary depending on both the template to silica ratio and the addition of a gold tag. The diameter of nanoparticles ranged from 58 to 590 nm and the position of the gold seed in each particle was consistent with a three-stage aggregative growth model.
Untangling the role of tau in Alzheimer’s disease: A unifying hypothesis

Recent investigations into the etiology and pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the past few years have expanded to include previously unexplored and/or disconnected aspects of AD and related conditions at both the cellular and systemic levels of organization. These include how AD-associated abnormalities affect the cell cycle and neuronal differentiation state and how they recruit signal transduction, membrane trafficking and protein transcytosis mechanisms to produce a neurotoxic syndrome capable of spreading itself throughout the brain. The recent expansion of AD research into intercellular and new aspects of cellular degenerative mechanisms is causing a systemic re-evaluation of AD pathogenesis, including the roles played by well-studied elements, such as the generation of Aβ and tau protein aggregates. It is also changing our view of neurodegenerative diseases as a whole. Here we propose a conceptual framework to account for some of the emerging aspects of the role of tau in AD pathogenesis.