cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) concentrations in patients with gastrointestinal disorders

Because of the possibility that immunoglobulin E (IgE) is important in the pathophysiology of the human gut, we measured IgE (by radial radioimmunodiffusion) in sera of patients with various gastrointestinal diseases. IgE concentrations were normal in 71 patients with giardiasis, amebiasis, chronic ulcerative colitis, regional enteritis, chronic liver diseases, or nontropical sprue; concentrations were above the normal range in 2 of 7 patients infested with intestinal roundworms. IgE was undetectable in 2 patients with an associated deficiency of IgA and gluten-sensitive enteropathy and in 3 patients with generalized hypogammaglobulinemia, giardiasis, and malabsorption. This study of IgE in serum provides no evidence of activation of the IgE immunologic system in the disorders studied, other than in roundworm infestations. The findings contribute evidence, however, that IgE deficiency is common in immunodeficiency-related gut disorders, although the pathogenetic significance of the IgE deficit remains uncertain.
Lack of Gender Disparities in Emergency Department Triage of Acute Stroke Patients

Introduction: Previous literature has shown gender disparities in the care of acute ischemic stroke. Compared to men, women wait longer for brain imaging and are less likely to receive intravenous (IV) tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Emergency department (ED) triage is an important step in the rapid assessment of stroke patients and is a possible contributor to disparities. It is unknown whether gender differences exist in ED triage of acute stroke patients. Our primary objective was to determine whether gender disparities exist in the triage of acute stroke patients as defined by Emergency Severity Index (ESI) levels and use of ED critical care beds. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients age ≥18 years presenting to a large, urban, academic ED within six hours of symptom onset between January 2010, and December 2012. Primary outcomes were triage to a non-critical ED bed and Emergency Severity Index (ESI) level. Primary outcome data were extracted from electronic medical records by a blinded data manager; secondary outcome data and covariates were abstracted by trained research assistants. We performed bivariate and multivariate analyses. Logistic regression was performed using age, race, insurance status, mode of and time to arrival, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and presence of atypical symptoms as covariates. Results: There were 537 patients included in this study. Women were older (75.6 vs. 69.5, p<0.001), and more women had a history of atrial fibrillation (39.8% vs. 25.3%, p<0.001). Compared to 9.5% of men, 10.3% of women were triaged to a non-critical care ED bed (p=0.77); 92.1% of women were triaged as ESI 1 or 2 vs. 93.6% of men (p=0.53). After adjustment, gender was not associated with triage location or ESI level, though atypical symptoms were associated with higher odds of being triaged to a non-critical care bed (aOR 1.98, 95%CI [1.03 – 3.81]) and 3.04 times higher odds of being triaged as ESI 3 vs. ESI 1 or 2 (95% CI [1.36 – 6.82]). Conclusion: In a large, urban, academic ED at a primary stroke center, there were no gender differences in triage to critical care beds or ESI levels among acute stroke patients arriving within six hours of symptom onset. These findings suggest that ED triage protocols for stroke patients may be effective in minimizing gender disparities in care. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(1):–0.]
Postnatal blockade of cortical activity by tetrodotoxin does not disrupt the formation of vibrissa-related patterns in the rat's somatosensory cortex.

Abstract Neuronal activity has been shown to influence pattern formation in the visual system. In the present study, we determined whether or not this was also true in the somatosensory system by silencing the primary somatosensory cortex of rats with tetrodotoxin (TTX) for the first 7–11 days of life. Application of TTX during this period did not prevent the formation of the normal vibrissa-related pattern in S-I as visualized by either staining cortical sections for cytochrome oxidase, demonstration of the pattern with an antibody directed against serotonin, or labelling of thalamocortical axons with the carbocyanine dye, Di-I. These results indicate that neither peripherally evoked nor spontaneous activity are required for qualitatively normal pattern formation in the rat's primary somatosensory cortex.
Using hierarchical modeling to measure ICU quality

To determine whether hierarchical modeling agrees with conventional logistic regression modeling on the identity of ICU quality outliers within a large multi-institutional database. Retrospective database analysis. Subset of the Project IMPACT database consisting of 40,435 adult patients admitted to surgical, medical, and mixed surgical-medical ICUs (n =55) between 1997 and 1999 who met inclusion criteria for SAPS II. The SAPS II score was customized to this database using conventional logistic regression and using a hierarchical (random coefficients) model. Both models exhibited excellent discrimination (C statistic) and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic). The hierarchical and nonhierarchical models hadC statistics of .870 and .865, and HL statistics of 3.71 (p>.88, df=8) and 8.94 (p>.35, df=8), respectively. Since the random effects component of the hierarchical model accounts for between-hospital variability, only the fixed-effects coefficients were used to calculate the expected mortality rate based on the hierarchical model. The ratio and 95% confidence intervals of the observed to expected mortality rate were calculated using both models for each ICU. ICUs whose observed/expected ratio was either less than 1 or greater than 1, and whose 95% confidence interval did not include 1 were labeled as either high-performance or low-performance outliers, respectively. Analysis using κ statistic revealed almost perfect agreement between the two models (nonhierarchical vs. hierarchical) on the identity of ICU quality outliers. Models obtained by customizing SAPS II using a nonhierarchical and a hierarchical approach exhibit excellent agreement on the identity of ICU quality outliers.
Anaerobic reductive dechlorination of 1-chloro-1-fluoroethene to track the transformation of vinyl chloride.

1-Chloro-1-fluoroethene (1,1-CFE) was studied as a reactive tracer to quantify the anaerobic transformation of vinyl chloride (VC). Batch kinetic studies of 1,1-CFE and VC transformation were performed with an enrichment culture obtained from the Evanite site in Corvallis, OR. The culture is capable of completely transforming trichloroethene (TCE) through cis-dichloroethene (c-DCE) and VC to ethene. The culture also transforms fluorinated analogues, such as trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE), to fluoroethene (FE) as a final product. The transformation sequence of the fluorinated analogue was correlated with that achieved for the chlorinated ethene with the same degree of chloride substitution. For example, the production of 1,1-CFE, the major CFE isomer formed from TCFE transformation, was correlated with the production of VC from TCE transformation. Since the 1,1-CFE and its product, FE, have a distinct analytical signature, 1,1-CFE may be used as a reactive in situ tracer to evaluate the VC transformation pot...
Dynamical measures of density in exotic cosmologies

Abstract I examine the evolution of density fluctuations and compute the global density inferred by standard dynamical methods in various exotic cosmological models, where a significant portion of the present mass density is not fairly sampled by galaxies. In such models, these standard measures give incorrect results. The naive expectation, that the apparent fraction of critical density Ω is equal to the fraction of mass in galaxies, Ω = α , is a slightly modified in the full calculation. The presence of an exotic component relieves some cosmological problems and aggravates others, and can be detected observationally by comparing quantities dependent on expansion rate with quantities dependent on curvature.
31: Stability of Attitudes About Microbicides in Young Women

Purpose: To assess attitudes toward vaginal microbicides for sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and stability of those attitudes over a 3-month period among female adolescents.
The first water soluble metal-enediyne complexes: structural characterization of trans-[Os(en)2(η2-L)Br]+Br− (en = ethylenediamine, L = cis-1,6-bistrimethylsilyl-3-ene-1,5-diyne)

Abstract The first water soluble metal-enediyne complexes have been prepared by displacement of the dihydrogen ligand of [Os(II)(en)2(η2-H2)(H2O)](OTf)2 (en = ethylenediamine, OTf = CF3SO3−), 1, with an enediyne molecule, cis-1,6-bistrimethylsilyl-3-ene-1,5-diyne, 2. Different σ donor ligands can be introduced to the trans position of the enediyne ligand to prepare different metal-enediyne complexes. The single crystal X-ray analysis of trans-[Os(en)2(η2-L)Br]+Br− (L = cis-1,6-bistrimethylsilyl-3-ene-1,5-diyne), 4, shows that the osmium(II)(en)2 moiety binds specifically to the double bond of the enediyne molecule. This structure represents a new mode of metal-enediyne coordination. 4 crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2 1 /a, with Z = 4, a = 13.150(2) A , b = 11.38(4) A , c = 18.413(9) A , and β = 100.74(2)° . The structure was solved by direct methods and refined to conventional agreement indices R = 0.054 and Rw = 0.048 with 2880 unique reflections for which 1 > 3 σ(1).
Reliability and interpretation of single leg stance and maximum voluntary isometric contraction methods of electromyography normalization

Normalization of electromyographic (EMG) amplitudes is necessary in the study of human motion. However, there is a lack of agreement on the most reliable and appropriate normalization method. This study evaluated the reliability of single leg stance (SLS) and maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) normalization methods and the relationship between these measures for the gluteus maximus (GMax), gluteus medius (GMed), rectus femoris (RF), vastus lateralis (VL), hip adductor group (ADD), and biceps femoris (BF). Surface EMG was recorded in 20 subjects during three 5s trials of SLS and MVIC. SLS and MVIC methods both demonstrated good-to-excellent reliability in all muscles (ICCs>0.80). Intrasubject coefficients of variation were lower for the MVIC method (9-36%) than for the SLS method (20-59%). EMG amplitudes during MVIC and SLS were significantly correlated for all muscles (Pearson r's=0.604-0.905, p<0.005) except GMax (r=0.250, p=0.288). Use of SLS normalization for the RF, VL, and BF is not recommended due to a lack of measurement precision. However, this method is justified in the GMax, GMed, and ADD and may provide a better representation of coordinated muscle function during a functional task.
AN EFFICIENT MULTIPLE-STAGE PROCEDURE FOR PHASE II CLINICAL TRIALS THAT HAVE HIGH RESPONSE RATE OBJECTIVES

Abstract Gehan's two-stage procedure is commonly used in phase II clinical trials to enable one to stop a trial early if the observed response rate in the first stage does not warrant further study and to obtain an adequate estimate of response rate if the trial passes the first stage. However, when the response rate of interest is relatively high (0.3 or more), Gehan's procedure can be inefficient since the trial may hardly be halted even though the actual response rate is low. In this paper, we extend Gehan's two-stage procedure to a more efficient multiple-stage procedure, which allows early termination of a phase II trial at multiple stages and provides precise estimate of the response rate if the trial reaches the final stage. The proposed multiple-sstage procedure is suitable for phase II clinical trials that have high response rate objectives.
Transcription products synthesized by purified calf thymus DNA-dependent RNA polymerase on Shope papilloma virus DNA.

Ausgehend von der DNS eines onkogenen Virus wird der Versuch gemacht, in einem in vitro System mit Warmbluter-RNS-Polymerase verschiedene RNS-Molekule zu synthetisieren.
Thermodynamics of the Yang-Mills gas

The contribution of nonlinear fluctuations (instantons) to the thermodynamics of the Yang-Mills gas at high temperature is estimated.
Where are the parasites in the PHA response

In their recent paper in TREE on the use of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) response to measure immunocompetence [1], Kennedy and Nager make the point that the complex nature of the vertebrate immune system should caution researchers against using the technique to interpret detailed immune function. This underscores the weak connection between PHA data and parasite resistance. Studies of immunocompetence assume that parasites engage the immune response. Yet, an important unknown remains: how does immunocompetence relate to actual host–parasite interactions [2]?
Tracheal extubation of deeply anesthetized pediatric patients: a comparison of desflurane and sevoflurane.

We studied the emergence characteristics of unpremedicated children tracheally extubated while deeply anesthetized (“deep extubation”) with isoflurane or sevoflurane. Forty children were assigned to one of two groups, Group I or Group S. At the end of the operation, Group I patients were extubated while breathing 1.5 times the minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) of isoflurane. Group S patients were tracheally extubated while breathing 1.5 times the MAC of sevoflurane. Recovery characteristics and complications were noted. Group S patients were arousable sooner than Group I patients (10.1 1 6.5 vs 16.3 1 9.9 min). Later arousal scores and times to discharge were the same. There were no serious complications in either group. Breath-holding was more common in Group I. We conclude that the overall incidence of airway problems and desaturation episodes was similar between groups. Emergency delirium was common in both groups (32% overall: 40% for Group I, 25% for Group S). Implications: Deep extubation of children can be safely performed with either isoflurane or sevoflurane. After deep tracheal extubation, airway problems occur but are easily managed. Return to an arousable state occurred more quickly with sevoflurane, although time to meeting discharge criteria was not different between the two groups. Emergence delirium occurs frequently with either technique. (Anesth Analg 1999;88:742‐5)
Seeding the cloud in a secured way: Cloud adoption and security compliance assessment methodologies

Regardless of the potential gains from cloud computing, organizations are apprehensive and sluggish in accepting it because of security issues and challenges associated with it. Subsequent to the strategic decision to go on cloud, every organization need to identify the potential security threats and controls that are required to keep the cloud secured. It is important that the organizations need to put considerable effort in ensuring adequate measures are identified and implemented during adoption of cloud solutions. This paper introduces the methodologies for cloud adoption and cloud security assessment to explore potential security and compliance implications in cloud environment. This paper discusses in detail on how an organization may proceed for security and compliance assessment during the cloud computation. The approach and concepts detailed in this paper would be useful for organizations that are involved in the cloud adoption process.
Developing Beginning Teachers through: An Interactive Induction and Internship Program

Abstract The Interactive Induction and Internship Program (HIP) emphasized collaborative development among 4 first-year teachers, 8 interns, and 2 university supervisors. During fall semester, the new teachers were invited to supervise 2 students each during their 2-day a week internships (13 weeks). The teachers were interviewed formally at the beginning and end and informally throughout (on site or by phone). Also, throughout the program, the university supervisors conducted on-site observations with written logs. Weekly intern self-reports also were collected. Results indicated that the 3 groups worked cooperatively and enthusiastically with each other creating a learning community environment where each received support for professional growth. The first-year teachers felt empowered by their roles as developers and university partners, enjoyed their eminent status in public schools, and appreciated being able to serve as mentors to interns. Both the new teachers and interns reflected increasing levels...
Fetal ear malformations induced by maternal ingestion of thalidomide in the bonnet Monkey (Macaca radiata)

Gross malformations of the external, middle, and internal ear were seen in fetal monkeys following maternal ingestion of thalidomide. Twenty-five pregnant bonnet monkeys (Macaca radiata) were each given a single oral dose of 10 mg/kg of thalidomide on day 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, or 29, or 30 mg/kg on day 25 or 28 of gestation. (Day of mating is assumed to be day zero of pregnancy). The skeletons, processed and stained with Alizarin Red S, were examined for changes in configuration and/or ossification of the ossicles and temporal bones. Bilateral temporal bones of one case, treated on day 24, were sectioned at 10 microns and examined histologically. Twelve fetuses collected at 70 +/- 3 days of gestation showed no gross ear defects, while 10 out of 13 fetuses collected at 100 +/- 3 days of gestation had structural anomalies similar to those observed in humans. All malformations were severe in fetuses treated on day 24 of gestation and lessened in degree of severity with treatments on days 25-28. Fetuses treated on day 29 were normal. External ear anomalies included microtia with meatal atresia or stenosis, and varying degrees of auricular hypoplasia. Defects of the middle ear were predominantly hypoplasia of malleus, incus, and tympanic ring. Fused ossicles and cochlear and vestibular window abnormalities were only seen in animals treated on day 24. The internal ear exhibited petrosal hypoplasia and delayed ossification of the lateral aspect of the lateral and posterior semicircular canals. Cochlear, vestibular, semicircular, and transcapsular canal defects were confirmed histologically in one case.
The Production of X-Rays by Swiftly Moving Mercury Ions

A study has been made of the production of soft x-rays (4 to 9A) by mercury ions having energies up to 2.38 million electron volts. The ions were accelerated by the method of Sloan and Lawrence. It has been shown conclusively that the x-rays are actually produced by the ions and not by electrons. Through absorption measurements in aluminum and in air the wave-length of the radiation has been determined for the following targets: aluminum, sulfur, bromine, molybdenum, silver, tin and lead. No radiation could be detected from lithium, boron, carbon, oxygen, sodium, nickel or copper. The wave-lengths were characteristic of the target in the case of aluminum, sulfur, bromine, lead and probably molybdenum. The radiations from tin and silver were not characteristic either of the target or of mercury. The variation in x-ray intensity as a function of the energy of the ions has been studied for targets of lead, bromine, molybdenum, silver and aluminum. The x-ray intensity is found to increase very rapidly with the energy of the ions. No radiation could be detected from bromine, molybdenum, or aluminum when the ions had energies less than 700 kv, nor from lead or silver when the ions had energies less than 400 kv. It is found that at least one in every 2000 mercury ions produces an x-ray quantum when silver is bombarded. The ions in this case had 2.38 million electron volts and produced 2600 volt quanta. A theory is proposed to explain the excitation of x-rays by positive ions, wherein it is assumed that the ion and the target atom temporarily form a quasi-molecule. Loss of some of the inner electrons by one of the atoms as the molecule breaks up necessitates refilling of the empty levels and consequent radiation. Support for this theory is afforded by the agreement between the calculated and the experimental values for the minimum energy necessary for excitation.
A Multicompartment Geometric Model of the Liver in Relation to Regional Induction of Cytochrome P450s

Abstract A geometric, multicompartment model of the liver was developed to examine regional protein induction and to provide model output suitable for predicting the degree of induction in both the whole liver and in specific regions. The model was based on functional hexagonal arrays within the liver. A geometric representation was used to divide these functional units into five zones: a concentric periportal zone, a fenestrated periportal region that interconnects among multiple functional units, and three concentric centrilobular areas, referred to, respectively, as zones 1 through 5. The surface areas (and volumes for hexagonal cylinders) of these five zones were, respectively, 13.5, 25.2, 33.9, 20.3, and 6.8% of the total liver. The pharmacokinetic model for induction had dissociation constants (Kd) and Hill constants (n) for interactions of transcriptional activator–ligand complexes with response elements on DNA. Estimates of regional induction were converted to color intensities to “paint” the two-dimensional liver for a visual comparison with immunohistochemical observations. To obtain sharp moving boundaries of induced areas with increasing dose (as noted in various experiments),nvalues in each subcompartment must be large. To create realistic total induction curves that are relatively smooth, the differences inKdvalues between adjacent subcompartments must be less than fivefold. Because of the highnvalues, the low-dose induction characteristics predicted with the multicompartment liver model differ significantly from those predicted with a model that considers the liver as a single homogeneous compartment.
Evaluation of Impermeable Protective Garments using Heat Transfer Models

The heat exchanges between impermeable protective garments and the environment are critical for workers in hot environments such as nuclear power plant workers, chemical workers, metal workers and ...
Spatial Gradients in the Flow Over an Estuarine Channel

Acoustic Doppler current profiles were measured for a twelve-hour period on February 21, 1997 across Thimble Shoal channel, lower Chesapeake Bay, for the purpose of determining bathymetrically-induced spatial gradients in the flow and their implications for the lateral momentum balance in estuaries. A least-squares fit to semidiurnal and quarter-diurnal harmonics was used to separate the tidal and subtidal contributions to the observed flow. The period of observation was characterized by onshore winds and subtidal inflow everywhere along the transect sampled but strongest in the channel. Spatial gradients in both the tidal and subtidal horizontal flows showed that the greatest lateral shears and convergences were found where the bathymetric changes were sharpest, i.e., on the shoulders of the channel. The ratio of the quarter-diurnal to the semidiurnal tidal amplitudes was greatest over the channel shoulders, for both the along- and across-estuary flow components, and indicated the importance of non-linear effects there. The nonlinear term caused by across-estuary divergence was larger than the Coriolis term over the channel shoulders. The nonlinear contribution was comparable to the Coriolis acceleration in the subtidal and tidal lateral momentum balances. For the tidal balance, the local accelerations were also as important as the Coriolis accelerations. Equivalent results in the momentum balances were obtained with another data set of October 1993. Contrary to the customary assumption, the across-estuary momentum balance in this area was ageostrophic.
Toward single pilot operations: the impact of the loss of non-verbal communication on the flight deck

Since the 1950s, the crew required to fly transport category aircraft has been reduced from five to two. NASA is currently exploring the feasibility of a further reduction to one pilot. In this study we examine the effects of separating the pilots on crew interaction. The results are consistent with earlier research on decision-making between remote groups. Pilots strongly prefer face-to-face interactions; however, we could find no impact of separation on their ultimate decisions. There were a number of areas in which separation negatively affected communications. We discuss possible mitigations for these areas.
Colorful displays signal male quality in a tropical anole lizard

Parasites influence colorful ornaments and their behavioral display in many animal hosts. Because coloration and display behavior are often critical components of communication, variation in these traits may have important implications for individual fitness, yet it remains unclear whether such traits are signals of quality in many taxa. We investigated the association between ectoparasitic mite load and the color and behavioral use of the throat fan (dewlap) by male Anolis brevirostris lizards. We found that heavily parasitized lizards exhibited lower body condition, duller dewlaps, and less frequent dewlap displays than less parasitized individuals. Our results thus suggest that highly parasitized individuals invest less in both ornamental color and behavioral display of that color. Because the two components of the signal simultaneously provide information on male quality, this study provides novel support for the long-standing hypothesis that colorful traits may function as social or sexual signals in reptiles.
Fault comprehension for concurrent programs

Concurrency bugs are difficult to find because they occur with specific memory-access orderings between threads. Traditional bug-finding techniques for concurrent programs have focused on detecting raw-memory accesses representing the bugs, and they do not identify memory accesses that are responsible for the same bug. To address these limitations, we present an approach that uses memory-access patterns and their suspicious-ness scores, which indicate how likely they are to be buggy, and clusters the patterns responsible for the same bug. The evaluation on our prototype shows that our approach is effective in handling multiple concurrency bugs and in clustering patterns for the same bugs, which improves understanding of the bugs.
Modeling epoxy foams exposed to fire-like heat fluxes

Abstract A decomposition chemistry and heat transfer model to predict the response of removable epoxy foam (REF) exposed to fire-like heat fluxes is described. The epoxy foam was created using a perfluorohexane blowing agent with a surfactant. The model includes desorption of the blowing agent and surfactant, thermal degradation of the epoxy polymer, polymer fragment transport, and vapor–liquid equilibrium. An effective thermal conductivity model describes changes in thermal conductivity with reaction extent. Pressurization is modeled assuming: (1) no strain in the condensed-phase, (2) no resistance to gas-phase transport, (3) spatially uniform stress fields, and (4) no mass loss from the system due to venting. The model has been used to predict mass loss, pressure rise, and decomposition front locations for various small-scale and large-scale experiments performed by others. The framework of the model is suitable for polymeric foams with absorbed gases.
Technology and technical change in the MIT EPPA model

Potential technology change has a strong influence on projections of greenhouse gas emissions and costs of control, and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models are a common device for studying these phenomena. Using the MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model as an example, two ways of representing technology in these models are discussed: the sector-level description of production possibilities founded on social accounting matrices and elasticity estimates, and sub-models of specific supply or end-use devices based on engineering-process data. A distinction is made between exogenous and endogenous technical change, and it is shown how, because of model structure and the origin of key parameters, such models naturally include shifts in production process that reflect some degree of endogenous technical change. As a result, the introduction of explicit endogenous relations should be approached with caution, to avoid double counting.
Successive gas-solid reactions in a porous pellet: Application to the reaction of metal sulfides in the presence of lime

Abstract A general model is presented for the description of successive gas-solid reactions occurring in a porous pellet. Such reaction systems have begun attra The model has been formulated in quite general terms such that specific details can easily be incorporated when it is applied to an actual system. The model enables us to predict the rate of conversion and the extent of fixation of the intermediate gas (sulfur-containing gas) in the solid (lime).
The New Buffalo Hunt: Chasing the Service Sector

Expanding the service sector in rural and urban areas has become the new focus for strategies designed to promote local economic development. This study examines two issues related to this new Buffalo Hunt: (1) it critically assesses the quality of the service sector jobs available to rural workers, and (2) it compares the quality of these jobs with those found in the traditional manufacturing sector. Findings indicate that investments of capital and other resources by local communities to attract service sector jobs is appropriate, but first consideration should be given to the appropriate level of investment relative to the quality of jobs to be created. In addition, officials in small and rural localities need to understand that the development of jobs in the producer service sector has risks similar to those associated with those in manufacturing. Development of local businesses is one approach for reducing these risks.
Modeling of the Transient Characteristics of Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor Lasers

A charge control model for the transient analysis of the bipolar transistor laser in forward active mode is developed to describe the dynamics of electron, photon and charge densities. From three coupled-rate equations, analytical expressions are obtained for the threshold base current density, the steady-state electron and photon densities, and small-signal frequency response. We find that the threshold current density decreases with increasing spontaneous emission lifetime of electrons in the quantum well as well as a linear dependence of the photon density on the base current. By optimizing the model parameters in their physical range, we show that a -3-dB bandwidth of 55 nGHz can be achieved for small-signal modulation of the laser. By numerically solving the rate equations, we investigate the -3-dB bandwidth under large-signal modulation to show that it remains nearly unchanged from the small-signal case. We further perform analysis of laser switching and find that the turn-on time is reduced by increasing the base current or decreasing the spontaneous emission lifetime of electrons in the quantum well.
A CONVERGENCE ANALYSIS OF SOURCE ITERATION FOR THE SOLUTION OF COUPLED TRANSPORT EQUATIONS ON A STOCHASTIC MEDIA*1

ABSTRACT An analysis of the stability and convergence properties of the Source Iteration method is applied to a general class of coupled transport equations. This class of equations is motivated by formulations of the problem of radiation transport through random media as proposed by Pomraning, Su, and others. It is shown that, for slab geometries, these methods are unconditionally stable for real physical parameters. *This work was performed under the auspices of the United States Department of Energy by University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Contract W-7405-Eng-48.
Imaging lateral groundwater flow in the shallow subsurface using stochastic temperature fields

Although temperature has often been used as an indication of vertical groundwater movement, its usefulness for identifying horizontal fluid flow has been limited by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient data to draw defensible conclusions. Here we use stochastic simulation to develop a high-resolution image of fluid temperatures in the shallow subsurface at Borax Lake, Oregon. The temperature field inferred from the geostatistical simulations clearly shows geothermal fluids discharging from a group of fault-controlled hydrothermal springs, moving laterally through the subsurface, and mixing with shallow subsurface flow originating from nearby Borax Lake. This interpretation of the data is supported by independent geochemical and isotopic evidence, which show a simple mixing trend between Borax Lake water and discharge from the thermal springs. It is generally agreed that stochastic simulation can be a useful tool for extracting information from complex and/or noisy data and, although not appropriate in all situations, geostatistical analysis may provide good definition of flow paths in the shallow subsurface. Although stochastic imaging techniques are well known in problems involving transport of species, e.g. delineation of contaminant plumes from soil gas survey data, we are unaware of previous applications to the transport of thermal energy for the purpose of inferring shallow groundwater flow.
SLOPE RENORMALIZATION OF THE ONE LOOP PLANAR STRING DIAGRAM

It has been previously shown that, for the number of dimensions d < 25, the one-loop planar string diagram is simply a multiplicative (coupling constant) renormalization of the Born term. It is shown here that for d = 25 or 26 the extra divergent term gives, in addition to a further multiplicative renormalization, a renormalization of the slope of the Regge trajectories. (AIP)
Modifications in gonadotropin control and reproductive behavior in the female rat by hypothalamic and preoptic lesions

Abstract Effects of small hypothalamic and preoptic area lesions on vaginal cyclicity, ovulation and ovarian weights of female rats were examined. Animals were then gonadectomized and tested for lordosis behavior following injections of estrogen alone and estrogen plus progesterone. Male sex behavior was also measured during daily treatment with testosterone. Relative to sham operated rats, lesions in the dorsal preoptic area produced a significant increase in lordosis behavior, virtual elimination of male sex behavior, and only marginal effects on ovarian function. Animals with lesions in the ventral preoptic area showed constant vaginal cornification, lack of ovulation and significantly smaller ovaries than the other groups. These rats also tended to show more female sex behavior and less male sex behavior than sham operated rats. Animals with lesions in the anterior hypothalamus and dorsomedial hypothalamus showed normal ovarian function and levels of female and male sex behavior comparable to the ventral preoptic lesioned rats. Animals with lesions in the ventromedial hypothalamus tended to show lower levels of lordosis behavior than sham animals, but displayed a dramatic and significant increase in male copulatory behavior relative to the other groups. These data indicate a clear dissociation between the neural control of cyclic gonadotropin activity and sex specific reproductive behavior.
The heats of formation of tert-butyl isocyanide and other alkyl isocyanides by photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy

Threshold photoelectron photoion coincidence (TPEPICO) spectroscopy has been used to investigate the dissociation energy of tert-butyl isocyanide (t-C 4 H 9 NC + ) ion. The 0 K dissociation limit of CN_ + C 4 H 9 + (10.943′0.010 eV) is determined from the breakdown diagram. The ionization energy of tert-butyl isocyanide is measured by threshold photoelectron spectra (TPES) and is 10.757 ′ 0.005 eV. These values are used to obtain the 298 K heat of formation of tert-butyl isocyanide molecule (88.1 ′ 3.7 kJ/mol). The 298 K heats of formation of CH 3 CH 2 NC and (CH 3 ) 2 CHNC are 144.8 ′ 8 kJ/mol and 116.5 ′ 8 kJ/mol, respectively, determined by a linear interpolation between the heats of formation of CH 3 NC and t-C 4 H 9 NC. These results are in excellent agreement with density functional and ab initio theoretical values obtained from isomerization energies between the alkyl cyanides and the isocyanide heats of formation. Aside from CH 3 NC, these are the first experimental heats of formation for the alkyl isocyanide molecules.
The Use of Propofol for Sedation in the Emergency Department

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of propofol and fentanyl when used by emergency physicians (EPs) for systemic sedation and analgesia in the ED. Methods: Over an eight-month period, a convenience sample of consenting patients at an urban teaching hospital ED who required sedation for painful procedures were enrolled in a descriptive study of therapeutic propofol sedation. After receiving 2μ-g/kg of fentanyl IV, the patients received a continuous infusion of propofol at 0. 21 mg/kg/min IV to the desired level of sedation. A maintenance infusion of 3–6 mg/kg/hr was administered during the remainder of the procedure. Sedation time, total procedure time, and recovery time were recorded and the presence of side effects was noted. The patients and the physicians rated their satisfaction with the technique on a 100–mm visual analog scale. The patients were contacted at 24 hours for follow-up information. Results: Twenty patients (aged 19–62 years) received propofol infusion for procedures that included ten abscess incision and drainages, eight orthopedic reductions, one chest tube placement, and one wound exploration. The mean (±SD) total dose of propofol was 200 ± 160 mg. The mean time to onset of sedation was 6. 6 ± 3. 2 min, the mean procedure interval was 9. 6± 6. 3 min, and the mean interval until recovery was 6. 1 ± 4. 1 min. The median patient satisfaction score was 97 mm (range 40–100 mm); the median rating by physicians was 88 mm (range 4–100 mm). Side effects were noted in six patients: three had pain on injection, one had pain on injection and brief (<1 min) hypotension (systolic blood pressure = 80 mm Hg), and two had apnea (<30 sec). Seven patients had some recall of the procedure immediately afterwards, but only five had any recall at 24 hours. All 20 patients stated they would be willing to receive the same sedation again for a future procedure. Conclusion: Propofol appears to be an effective agent to provide systemic sedation and analgesia when used in conjunction with fentanyl for procedures in the ED. Given its rapidity of onset and elimination, it may become a useful agent to EPs for IV sedation in the ED.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of the AgCl/Electrolyte Interfacial Capacity

Molecular dynamics simulation of the AgCl(100)/KCl(aq) interfacial electrostatic capacity is presented. The simulations are motivated by the need to reduce ambiguities in electrical double layer model parametrization, which here we attempt by reducing the computed interfacial molecular structure to hypothetical planes of charge separation consistent with a treatment of the interface in terms of parallel plate capacitors. The calculated interfacial capacity (cint = 8.43 μF/cm2) is in excellent agreement with measurements for the closely related AgI/electrolyte interface, and the dependence on electrolyte concentration and temperature are qualitatively similar to experimental observations. Molecular dynamics based capacity profiles show a similar overall decay to the classical Helmholtz model, validating its use for approximating the interfacial capacity at relatively high electrolyte concentration. However, fine structure is present and the interfacial electrostatic properties oscillate with distance from ...
Neonatal hemochromatosis: Genetic counseling based on retrospective pathologic diagnosis

We report a case of neonatal hemochromatosis in which the genetic counseling was initiated by, and based on, retrospective pathologic diagnosis. Perinatal or neonatal hemochromatosis is beginning to be recognized as a distinct clinical entity and one of the most common causes of perinatal cirrhosis. The exact mechanism of liver damage and the relationship to adult type hemochromatosis have not been fully clarified. The pattern of fibrosis in the liver plus the abundant iron deposition in the liver and other organs separate this entity pathologically from other causes of neonatal liver failure. We report on a case of neonatal hemochromatosis that was diagnosed on retrospective autopsy review of an infant with supposed hereditary tyrosinemia, when the family presented for genetic counseling. This case emphasizes to the genetic counselor and pathologist the need to consider the diagnosis prenatally, after birth, or at death, as failure to do so would result in the inability to identify families at genetic risk for neonatal hemochromatosis or in mislabeling a family with another inborn error.
EntityTagger: automatically tagging entities with descriptive phrases

We consider the problem of entity tagging: given one or more named entities from a specific domain, the goal is to automatically associate descriptive phrases, referred to as etags (entity tags), to each entity. Consider a product catalog containing product names and possibly short descriptions. For a product in the catalog, say Ricoh G600 Digital Camera, we want to associate etags such as "water resistant", "rugged" and "outdoor" to it, even though its name or description does not mention those phrases. Entity tagging can enable more effective search over entities. We propose to leverage signals in web documents to perform such tagging. We develop techniques to perform such tagging in a domain independent manner while ensuring high precision and high recall.
Closed-loop feedback systems using reduced-order models

Theorems are given to demonstrate that the tracking properties of reduced-order models obtained by Pade-type approximation methods are unchanged under constant (and dynamic) state or output feedback. Hence it follows that an optimal feedback law for the reduced-order model may be used for suboptimal control of the high-order system, with similar tracking of the output as for the open-loop case.
Guanine nucleotide binding proteins mediate the chemotactic signal of transforming growth factor-β1 in rat IL-2 activated natural killer cells

Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 induced rat IL-2-activated natural killer (IANK) cell chemotaxis. Various doses of cholera toxin (CT) or pertussis toxin (PT) inhibited the activity of TGF-beta 1 suggesting a role for guanine nucleotide binding (G) proteins. ADP-ribosylation assay showed that rat IANK cell membranes possess a 39 kDa PT substrate and two, 41 and 42 kDa, CT substrates. ADP-ribosylation also showed that incubating IANK cell membranes with TGF-beta 1 in the presence of guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) resulted in the disappearance of the PT substrate. Immunoblot analysis showed that rat IANK cell membranes possess one Gi (39 kDa), one G0 (39 kDa) and three Gs (40, 41, and 42 kDa) proteins. Pretreatment of IANK cell membranes with TGF-beta 1 in the presence of guanosine-5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) reduced the intensity of the 39 kDa G(0) and the 40 kDa Gs but not the 39 kDa Gi or the 41 kDa or 42 kDa Gs. Furthermore, TGF-beta 1 stimulated GTP binding and increased GTPase activity in IANK cell membranes. Both activities were inhibited by PT or CT. This inhibition was associated with the modification of G proteins by the toxins suggesting that bacterial toxin substrates are linked to TGF-beta 1 receptors. Our results suggest that G0 and Gs are involved in mediating the chemotactic signal of TGF-beta 1 in rat IANK cells.
An evaluation of methylphenidate as a potential establishing operation for some common classroom reinforcers.

We conducted reinforcer assessments for 3 boys with a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who alternately received either placebo or previously prescribed methylphenidate. Our purpose was to evaluate whether methylphenidate altered the relative reinforcing effectiveness of various stimuli that are often used in classroom-based behavioral treatment programs (e.g., activities, tangible items). Results showed clear differences for some stimuli between reinforcer assessments conducted when participants had received methylphenidate compared to placebo. Results suggest that methylphenidate might act as an establishing operation for some common classroom reinforcers. Implications for the development and evaluation of behavioral treatments are discussed.
Nutrition in Children Posttransplantation

Nutrition support is a vitally important issue in the pretransplantation period. Once a child has been assessed and placed on a list for transplantation the child must see a dietitian to optimise the child’s nutritional status as this is vital to improve the outcome at surgery. Children with chronic liver disease who are candidates for transplantation have a better posttransplant outcome and growth potential if their nutrition is optimised pretransplantation. Well monitored nutritional support posttransplantation improves the long-term quality of life by minimising the complications associated with transplantation. An interdisciplinary approach to nutritional care of a transplant recipient involving the expertise of paediatricians, surgeons, dietitians and nursing staff is essential to optimise the outcome of these patients.
Equity of elite cow status across states.

Cows with superior genetic merit, based on an economic index for milk, fat, and yields (milk-fat-protein dollars), have been designated as elite by USDA. Because of the concern that adjustment for heterogeneous variance may have resulted in inequitable state representation for elite cows, the percentages of US cows with elite status were compared by state using evaluations of registered Holstein cows from 1990, 1991, and 1997. The numbers and percentages of eligible cows and the proportions of those cows that were designated as elite were determined by state from May 1997 evaluations of 772,302 registered and 1,499,729 grade Holstein cows; means and standard deviations for milk-fat-protein dollars were computed. Correlations were computed among the number of cows that were eligible for elite status, the number of cows that were designated as elite, the percentage of eligible cows that were designated as elite, and the mean and the standard deviation for milk-fat-protein dollars. Models were examined to for ability to predict the percentage of elite cows by state from mean and standard deviation for milk-fat-protein dollars. The number of elite cows for a state was highly correlated to the number of cows that were eligible for elite status. States with >1.0% of eligible cows designated as elite had mean milk-fat-protein dollars that were higher than the US mean of $44, but standard deviations were equal to or slightly lower than the US standard deviation of $71. The mean value for milk-fat-protein dollars was associated with the state percentage of elite cows, but variation of the index was not related. However, the standard deviation for milk-fat-protein dollars was important in explaining the percentage of elite cows if the model also contained the mean value. Differences in the variation of lactation records across states or adjustments for those differences did not appear to cause inequity in designating elite status. Corresponding results for grade cows supported findings for registered cows.