cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Himalayan P-Waves in a Patient With Tricuspid Atresia

An 8-month-old female infant was diagnosed with tricuspid atresia in utero by an ultrasound and the diagnosis was confirmed at birth. She underwent a modified Blalock-Tausig shunt at the age of 2 months to treat increasing cyanosis. She did well and is waiting to complete single ventricle palliation. On her recent follow-up, she was asymptomatic, with a …
The existence of scalar Lie fields

It is shown that the existence of nontrivial scalar Lie fields (i. e. fields whose commutator is linear in the field itself) is not precluded by algebraic consistency arguments. A partial characterization of the simplest algebraic Lie field structures is given. Several examples are presented, one of which may be represented by Hermitian operators in a Hilbert space having a unitary representation of the Poincare group.
Clinical and Epidemiological Predictors of Recurrent Cytomegalovirus Disease in Orthotopic Liver Transplant Recipients

Predictors of recurrent cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease after the first episode of successfully treated CMV disease in orthotopic liver transplant recipients were studied. Recurrent CMV disease was defined as disease diagnosed > 14 days after the end of a minimum 8-day course of ganciclovir therapy for the first episode and was classified as early or late if it occurred within or after 90 days, respectively, after completion of ganciclovir treatment. Eleven (27%) of 41 patients had recurrent CMV disease (nine early recurrences and two late recurrences). Death was more likely to occur in patients with recurrent CMV disease than in those without it (55% vs. 13%, respectively; P = .006). Initial episodes of multiorgan CMV disease (P = .001) and CMV pneumonia (P = .012) were associated with early recurrence. Multivariate analysis showed that multiorgan CMV disease was independently associated with early recurrence (P = .003; odds ratio, 13.5; 95% confidence interval, 2.4-76.8). Recognition of risk factors for recurrent CMV disease may help identify patients for whom a more intensive therapeutic or diagnostic approach is needed.
Molecular geometries and harmonic frequencies from the parametric two-electron reduced density matrix method with application to the HCN HNC isomerization.

Energies, geometries, and harmonic frequencies of the chemical species in the HCN HNC isomerization including the transition state are computed with the parametric variational two-electron reduced density matrix (2-RDM) method. The parametric 2-RDM method parametrizes the 2-RDM with single- and double-excitation coefficients to be both size-consistent and nearly N-representable [DePrince, A. E., III; Mazziotti, D. A. Phys. Rev. A 2007, 73, 042501.]. With the inclusion of the zero-point energies of both species, the energy of HNC relative to HCN in a polarized valence triple-zeta basis set is 14.2 kcal/mol, which agrees with the experimental value of 14.8 +/- 2 kcal/mol. The present calculations provide the first assessment of the method for computing harmonic frequencies from a molecular geometry optimization. Bond lengths, angles, and harmonic frequencies are also computed for HF, CO, and H2O.
Rabies and African Wild Dogs in Kenya

Three packs of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) ranging to the north of the Masai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya were monitored from 1988 to 1990. During a six week period (August 2-September 14, 1989), 21 of 23 members of one of these packs died. Histological examination of two brain samples revealed eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions (Negri bodies), supporting a diagnosis of rabies viral encephalitis. An additional brain sample tested positive for rabies with a fluorescent antibody test. Nucleotide sequence of the rabies viral N and G genes from isolates of four African wild dogs (including an individual from Tanzania) indicated that infection was with a viral variant common among domestic dogs in Kenya and Tanzania. A hypothesis linking African wild dog rabies deaths to researcher handling is evaluated and considered implausible.
Speaker variability and context in the identification of fragmented Mandarin tones by native and non-native listeners

Abstract This study investigated the individual and joint contribution of speaker variability, context, and type of acoustic input to the identification of Mandarin tones. Mandarin syllables produced by single vs. multiple speakers were digitally processed to generate intact, silent-center, center-only, and onset-only syllables to be presented in isolation or with a precursor carrier phrase. Forty native listeners and 55 non-native listeners were put under time pressure to identify the tones of the syllables. The results showed higher identification accuracy for single-speaker tones and tones presented in context. Tone identification accuracy also decreased as acoustic input was reduced. The speaker variability effect showed comparable magnitude for the native and non-native listeners. In contrast, non-native tone identification, compared to the native performance, was facilitated less by context and compromised more when acoustic input was minimal. Tone confusion analyses showed a Tone 2–Tone 3 confusion and a bias towards Tone 4 responses for both groups of listeners, but the patterns of confusion and bias are more variable in the non-native responses. The non-native listeners also showed inconsistent evidence of using F0 height for tone identification when acoustic input was minimal.
A high-legume low-glycemic index diet reduces fasting plasma leptin in middle-aged insulin-resistant and-sensitive men

Fasting leptin and ghrelin levels were measured in 36 insulin-sensitive (IS) and 28 insulin-resistant (IR) men who consumed a legume-enriched low-glycemic index (LG) diet or healthy American (HA) diet in a randomly ordered cross-over feeding study consisting of two 4-week periods. Weight remained stable over the entire study. Fasting plasma leptin was significantly reduced from pre-study levels by both the LG (18.8%, P<0.001) and HA (16.1%, P<0.001) diets, whereas fasting ghrelin did not change. By subgroup analysis according to prestudy insulin status, leptin was reduced in IR subjects after both the LG (17.1%, P<0.01) and the HA (33.3%, P<0.001) diets, whereas IS subjects responded only after the LG diet (23.1%, P<0.01). Thus, a legume-rich LG index diet may be a beneficial strategy for reducing circulating leptin concentrations, even under conditions of weight maintenance.
Microstructure, tensile properties and fracture behaviour of an Al-Cu-Mg alloy 2124

The microstructure, tensile properties and fracture behaviour of aluminium alloy 2124 were studied. Detailed optical and electron microscopical observations were made to analyse the as-received microstructure of the alloy. It is shown that microstructural characteristics have a profound influence on tensile properties and quasi-static fracture behaviour of the alloy. Tensile test results indicate that the alloy has uniform strength and ductility in the longitudinal and transverse orientations. The elongation and reduction in area are higher in the transverse direction of the extruded plate. No change in fracture mode was observed with direction of testing. Fracture, on a microscopic scale, was ductile, comprising of void nucleation, growth and coalescence. The fracture process is discussed in terms of competing influences of intrinsic microstructural features, deformation characteristics of the matrix and grain-boundary failure.
A Model for the Fading of Stabilized Images in a Visual System

A multiplicative gain control mechanism to account for the gradual fading of a stabilized image, the off-image, and the phenomenon of apparent contrast reversal is proposed. This phenomenon occurs when a uniform increment is added to a fading image. Fading and time-to-disappearance are examined as functions of contrast, spatial frequency, and average luminance. Contrast threshold for off-images is also derived. Predictions of the model are compared to data when available. It is shown that this multiplicative model predicts a recent observation that the difference between contrast "thresholds" under stabilized and unstabilized conditions is equal to the contrast of the off-image produced by a stimulus whose contrast equals the stabilized contrast "threshold." An additive model is also investigated and shown to be incapable of accounting for some of the phenomena.
Counterfactual thinking and false belief: The role of executive function

Abstract The purpose of the current study was to examine further the relationship between counterfactual thinking and false belief (FB) as examined by Guajardo and Turley-Ames (Cognitive Development, 19 (2004) 53–80). More specifically, the current research examined the importance of working memory and inhibitory control in understanding the relationship between counterfactual thinking and FB. Participants were 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds (N = 76). Counterfactual thinking statements generated accounted for significant variance in FB performance beyond age and language. Working memory and inhibitory control each partially mediated the relationship between counterfactual thinking and FB performance. The maturation of executive functioning skills is important in children’s developing understanding of counterfactual reasoning and FB.
Protein import and processing reconstituted with isolated rat liver mitochondria and recombinant mitochondrial processing peptidase

Most mitochondrial proteins are synthesized in the cytoplasm as larger precursors carrying N-terminal matrix-targeting presequences, and are subsequently transported to the mitochondria. The presequence mediates the interaction between the precursor polypeptide and components of the mitochondrial protein import machinery, a complex apparatus that is responsible for translocation of the precursor across the two mitochondrial membranes. Once the precursor has reached the mitochondrial matrix, the presequence is removed by the general mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP). Some precursors undergo additional processing steps carried out by specialized processing peptidases. For most mitochondrial proteins, however, cleavage by MPP is the step that precedes folding and assembly into the native form. We describe methods to isolate import-competent mitochondria from rat liver and to perform import reactions with precursor proteins synthesized in vitro by coupled transcription-translation. We also describe methods to perform in vitro processing reactions of mitochondrial precursors by recombinant MPP and to identify the cleavage sites used by this enzyme.
Don't optimize existing protocols, design optimizable protocols

As networks grow in size and complexity, network management has become an increasingly challenging task. Many protocols have tunable parameters, and optimization is the process of setting these parameters to optimize an objective. In recent years, optimization techniques have been widely applied to network management problems, albeit with mixed success. Realizing that optimization problems in network management are induced by assumptions adopted in protocol design, we argue that instead of optimizing existing protocols, protocols should be designed with optimization in mind from the beginning. Using examples from our past research on traffic management, we present principles that guide how changes to existing protocols and architectures can lead to optimizable protocols. We also discuss the trade-offs between making network optimization easier and the overhead these changes impose.
Systems with multiple servers under heavy-tailed workloads

The heavy-tailed nature of Internet flow sizes, web pages and computer files can cause non-preemptive scheduling policies to have a large average response time. Since there are numerous communication and distributed processing systems where preempting jobs can be quite expensive, reducing response times under this constraint is a pressing issue. One proposal for tackling non-preemption is through the use of multiple servers: classify jobs according to size and assign a server to each class. Unfortunately, in most systems of interest, job sizes are unknown. An alterative is to queue all jobs together in a central-queue and assign them in a FCFS fashion to the next available server. But, this has been believed to yield large response times. In this paper, we argue that this is not the case, so long as there are enough servers. The question then is: what is the right number of servers, and is this small enough to be practical? Despite the large amount of prior work in analyzing the behavior of a central-queue system, no existing models are accurate for the case of heavy-tailed size distributions. Our main contribution is a simple yet accurate model for a central-queue with multiple servers. This model accurately predicts the right number of servers, and the average and variance of the response time of the system. Hence, it can be used to improve the performance of some real systems, such as multi-server supercomputing centers and multi-channel communication systems.
Effect of Prior Information on String Length Estimates

Summary This article describes an activity through which students collect data and explore ways to display them through graphs and charts. It also motivates various summary measures for location, spread and shape. Finally, it gives an introduction to concepts of validity, reliability and unbiasedness.
The information explosion: fact or myth?

An examination is made of data collected to measure patterns of information growth during the last century in the US. Results show that it is information distribution and not information production that has experienced explosive growth during the time frame. >
Student-Directed Discovery of the Plant Microbiome and Its Products

Macroscopic organisms, even when healthy, harbor diverse microorganisms that influence their development, physiology, and fitness. This microbial diversity is accompanied by chemical diversity, which provides a platform for integrative research training spanning the biological and physical sciences. Our programs focus on the development of scientific inquiry skills through the lens of isolating microorganisms associated with plants and characterizing their bioactive natural products. Endophytes are microbes, such as fungi and bacteria, that inhabit healthy plant tissue without causing disease ( 1 ). As symbionts, they constitute part of a diverse and ecologically important plant microbiome. Endophyte communities differ in composition among biomes and host species ( 2 ). They exhibit a wide range of host specificity and often enhance plant health ( 2 , 3 ). The total number of estimated fungal species is in the millions, yet fewer than 100,000 have been characterized ( 4 ).
Nineteenth-Century Contributions to the Mechanical Recording of Postural Sway

In the first half of the 19th century, European physicians, including Marshall Hall, Bernardus Brach, and Moritz Romberg, described loss of postural control in darkness by patients with severely compromised proprioception. Late 19th-century neurologists developed instruments to measure and record postural sway in patients with neurologic disease. Principal American contributors were the neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell from Philadelphia, Pa, and his trainees Morris Lewis and Guy Hinsdale. The efforts of these neurologists anticipated later physiologic studies and ultimately the development of computerized dynamic platform posturography.
The energetic implications of curtailing versus storing solar- and wind-generated electricity

We present a theoretical framework to calculate how storage affects the energy return on energy investment (EROI) ratios of wind and solar resources. Our methods identify conditions under which it is more energetically favorable to store energy than it is to simply curtail electricity production. Electrochemically based storage technologies result in much smaller EROI ratios than large-scale geologically based storage technologies like compressed air energy storage (CAES) and pumped hydroelectric storage (PHS). All storage technologies paired with solar photovoltaic (PV) generation yield EROI ratios that are greater than curtailment. Due to their low energy stored on electrical energy invested (ESOIe) ratios, conventional battery technologies reduce the EROI ratios of wind generation below curtailment EROI ratios. To yield a greater net energy return than curtailment, battery storage technologies paired with wind generation need an ESOIe > 80. We identify improvements in cycle life as the most feasible way to increase battery ESOIe. Depending upon the battery's embodied energy requirement, an increase of cycle life to 10 000–18 000 (2–20 times present values) is required for pairing with wind (assuming liberal round-trip efficiency [90%] and liberal depth-of-discharge [80%] values). Reducing embodied energy costs, increasing efficiency and increasing depth of discharge will also further improve the energetic performance of batteries. While this paper focuses on only one benefit of energy storage, the value of not curtailing electricity generation during periods of excess production, similar analyses could be used to draw conclusions about other benefits as well.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme localized in the rat pituitary and adrenal glands by [3H]captopril autoradiography.

We have localized angiotensin-converting enzyme (EC 3.14.5.1) in the rat pituitary and adrenal glands by [3H]captopril autoradiography. The maximal numbers of [3H] captopril-binding sites are: posterior pituitary, 4500 fmol/mg protein; anterior pituitary, 1950 fmol/mg; intermediate pituitary, <100 fmol/mg; adrenal medulla, 480 fmol/mg; and adrenal cortex, <25 fmol/mg. The distribution within the posterior pituitary and adrenal medulla is homogeneous, whereas that in the anterior pituitary is patchy. Subcellular fractionation of the bovine adrenal medulla reveals enrichment of angiotension-converting enzyme in plasma membrane fractions, but not in chromaffin granules. [3H]Captopril autoradiography in the rat pituitary gland is unaltered by dehydration, adrenalectomy, or reserpine treatment and in Brattleboro rats. [3H]Captopril binding in the adrenal medulla is increased by 75% 3 weeks after hypophysectomy and is elevated by 80% after reserpine treatment. The change after hypophysectomy is not reversed by ...
Inverted Tandem Duplication of the Middle Segment of the Long Arm of Chromosome 14

In the article "Inverted Tandem Duplication of the Middle Segment of the Long Arm of Chromosome 14" by Strain et al ( Pediatrics 67:273-276, 1981) the following omission. As described in the report of the cytogenetic findings, the proband is partially trisomic for the medial portion of the long arm of chromosome 14 (q243→q130). In addition, the proband is partially monosomic for the terminal portion of chromosome 14 (q321→qter). Monosomy for the terminal portion of the long arm of chromosome 14 may, in part, account for the phenotypic variability of the reported cases when compared to previous reports of trisomy 14 without the presence of partial monosomy.
Analysis of supply and ground noise sensitivity in ring and LC oscillators

Supply and ground noise sensitivity of a wide variety of ring and LC oscillators has been analyzed based on the perturbation projection vector (PPV) technique. The resulting PPV provides an understanding of how specific frequency content of supply/ground noise is converted to oscillator phase noise. Based on this analysis oscillators that are tolerant of supply/ground noise can be identified and used for low noise oscillator design.
Pathophysiology of nerve injury

The response to nerve injury is a complex and often poorly understood mechanism. An in-depth and current command of the relevant neuroanatomy, classifications systems, and responses to injury and regeneration are critical to current clinical success. Continued progress must be made in our current understanding of these varied physiologic mechanisms of neuro-regeneration if any significant progress in clinical treatments or outcome is to be expected in the future. Reconstructive surgeons have in many ways maximized the technical aspects of peripheral nerve repair. However, advances in functional recovery may be seen with improvements in sensory and motor rehabilitation after peripheral nerve surgery and with a combined understanding of the neurobiology and neurophysiology of nerve injury and regeneration.
The effects of fracture and fracture repair on the vibrational characteristics of an excised rat femur

Mechanical properties of bone, such as density, structural characteristics, and elastic parameters, are related to its biological state. Such properties may be studied by the vibration method. In this method, a vibrating force is applied to the bone and the resulting response is recorded and used to evaluate bone properties. The vibration is often induced by mechanical means. Here, we present a vibration method based on the radiation force of ultrasound. Our proposed method is remote and noninvasive. We use this method to monitor changes in bone structure introduced by a partial fracture. The experiments demonstrate that the resonance frequency is indicative of bone fracture and healing, and the radiation force method can be used as a remote and noninvasive tool for monitoring bone fracture and healing.
Dynamic Unfolding and the Conventions of Procedure: Geometric Proportioning Strategies in Gothic Architectural Design

This essay explores the proportioning strategies used by Gothic architects. It argues that Gothic design practice involved conventions of procedure, governing the dynamic unfolding of successive geometrical steps. Because this procedure proves difficult to capture in words, and because it produces forms with a qualitatively different kind of architectural order than the more familiar conventions of classical design, which govern the proportions of the final building rather than the logic of the steps used in creating it, Gothic design practice has been widely misunderstood since the Renaissance. Although some authors in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries attempted to sympathetically explain Gothic geometry, much of this work has been dismissed as unreliable, especially in the influential work of Konrad Hecht. This essay seeks to put the study of Gothic proportion onto a new and firmer foundation, by using computer-aided design software to analyze the geometry of carefully measured buildings and original design drawings. Examples under consideration include the parish church towers of Ulm and Freiburg, and the cross sections of the cathedrals of Reims, Prague, and Clermont-Ferrand, and of the Cistercian church at Altenberg. The sequence of images being analysed can be viewed as supplementary material at: http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/ah.bq.s1
Dietary effects on beef composition: I. Quantitative and qualitative carcass traits *

Suppressed development of edible portion in carcasses from cattle fed hay during the early feeding period (216–340 kg live weight) was followed by compensatory growth during the intermediate (341–409 kg live weight) and final (410–454 kg live weight) periods. However, when silage in the early feeding period was followed by corn concentrate in the intermediate period, no increased ‘edible portion’ development was achieved beyond that produced by continuous silage. The final feeding period (corn concentrate) resulted in a decline in ‘edible portion’ percentage in cattle that previously received concentrate in the intermediate period whereas those that previously received silage remained at about the same percentage. Cattle fed hay during the early period had less ( P > 0·01) carcass weight, less ( P > 0·01) fat cover, and more ( P > 0·01) reticulo-rumen weight than those fed corn silage for the same period, regardless of slaughter weight. In the heavy (409 and 454 kg) slaughter groups, cattle fed silage in the early period had higher ( P > 0>05) marbling scores than those fed hay. Feeding silage in the intermediate period resulted in lower colour ( P > 0·01) and firmness ( P > 0·01) scores in the longissimus dorsi muscle than feeding concentrate at that time. The dietary regimes used in these studies resulted in widely varying growth rates among treatments with consequential differences in the average age of the animal groups at slaughter. Therefore, the treatment effects observed seem to be easily explicable on the basis of age differences.
Increasing returns, monopolistic competition, and international trade

Abstract This paper develops a simple, general equilibrium model of noncomparative advantage trade. Trade is driven by economies of scale, which are internal to firms. Because of the scale economies, markets are imperfectly competitive. Nonetheless, one can show that trade, and gains from trade, will occur, even between countries with identical tastes, technology, and factor endowments.
Silicon Photonic Crystal Directional Couplers for Power Splitting, Wavelength Filtering, and Optical Switching

All optical switching has been demonstrated using photonic crystal directional couplers illuminated with a 10 mW control signal. Power splitters and wavelength filters are also demonstrated with these 10times12 mum footprint devices.
Optimization of color conversion for face recognition

This paper concerns the conversion of color images to monochromatic form for the purpose of human face recognition. Many face recognition systems operate using monochromatic information alone even when color images are available. In such cases, simple color transformations are commonly used that are not optimal for the face recognition task. We present a framework for selecting the transformation from face imagery using one of three methods: Karhunen-Loeve analysis, linear regression of color distribution, and a genetic algorithm. Experimental results are presented for both the well-known eigenface method and for extraction of Gabor-based face features to demonstrate the potential for improved overall system performance. Using a database of 280 images, our experiments using these methods resulted in performance improvements of approximately 4% to 14%.
Effects of copper and ceruloplasmin on iron transport in the Caco 2 cell intestinal model.

Previous studies have implicated copper proteins, including ceruloplasmin, in intestinal iron transport. Polarized Caco2 cells with tight junctions were used to examine the possibilities that (a) ceruloplasmin promotes iron absorption by enhancing release at the basolateral cell surface and (b) copper deficiency reduces intestinal iron transport. Iron uptake and overall transport were followed for 90 min with 1 μM 59Fe(II) applied to the apical surface of Caco2 cell monolayers. Apotransferrin (38 μM) was in the basolateral chamber. Induction of iron deficiency with desferrioxamine (100 μM; 18 h) markedly increased uptake and overall transport of iron. Uptake increased from about 20% to about 65% of dose, and overall 59Fe transport from <1% to 60% of dose. On the basis of actual iron released into the basal chamber (measured with bathophenanthroline), transport increased 8-fold. Desferrioxamine pretreatment reduced cellular Fe by 55%. The addition of freshly isolated, enzymatically active human ceruloplasmin to the basolateral chamber during absorption had no effect on uptake or transport of iron by the cells. Unexpectedly, pretreatment with three different chelators of copper (18 h), which reduced cellular levels about 40%, more than doubled iron uptake and raised overall transport to 20%. This was so, whether or not cells were also made iron deficient with desferrioxamine. Acute addition of 1 μM Cu(II) to the apical chamber had no significant effect upon iron uptake, retention, or transport in iron deficient or normal cells, in the presence of absence of ascorbate. We conclude that intestinal absorption of Fe(II) is unlikely to depend upon plasma ceruloplasmin, and that cuproproteins involved in this form of iron transport must be binding copper tightly.
Combining Scientometric and Content Analysis Methods for Identifying Core Concepts and Action Principles of Information Systems Development

This study suggests refining and further developing the body of knowledge (BoK) framework for information systems development (ISD) proposed by Iivari et al. (2004) using a combination of scientometric and content analysis approaches. The paper synthesizes descriptive concepts and actionable principles that scholars in highly-cited ISD articles agree to be fundamental to ISD research and practice. The results of the study highlights the attention given by IS researchers to behavioral and contextual factors over and above methodological and technical factors.
Chemical nose sensors: an alternative strategy for cancer diagnosis.

Cancer diagnoses come in two forms: 1) Does the patient have cancer? 2) What kind of cancer (i.e. phenotype) is present? Both questions are important, however the answer to the second question is what dictates the course of therapy to be used. Conventional cancer detection methods rely on “lock and key” specific recognition of specific biomarkers to provide diagnostic information. This biomarker-based approach is complicated by the highly variable and plastic nature of tumors. For example, prostate-specific antigen is an important marker for prostate cancer; unfortunately, its concentration level is similar in both benign and malignant tumors [1]. Very often, one or two biomarkers are not adequate to detect different cancer types [2,3], making choice of therapy a hit-or-miss affair. Profiling the overall physico-chemical changes in tumor cells provides an alternative strategy to cancer diagnostics. One approach is to use “chemical nose” array sensors, where selective interactions between the sensors and analytes generate distinct patterns [4], analogous to our own sense of smell. Just like with our own noses, chemical nose sensors do not require a previous knowledge of the analytes and are instead “trained” to recognize analytes [5,6]. Array-based sensors have been used widely in detecting different chemicals ranging from volatile organic compounds, amino acids, proteins, and carbohydrates [7,8,9,10]. More recently, this approach has been extended to more complex systems, including bacterial [11] and mammalian cell surfaces [12,13,14,15]. We recently developed an unbiased gold nanoparticle-based array sensor to detect cancer cells as well as complex tumor tissues [16]. Until this year, however, this approach has not been applied to actual tumor diagnosis, a much more complicated system.
A Comparison of Human Semen from Healthy, Subfertile, and Post‐Vasectomy Donors by 31P NMR Spectroscopy

Preliminary characterizations of the phosphorylated compounds present in human semen were obtained using a JEOL FX90-Q Multinuclear NMR with a variable temperature accessory. Semen samples of 2.0 ml containing 12.5% D20 in a 10.0 mm sample tube were maintained at approximately 28.5 degrees Celsius. The spectra were recorded with a 250 msec pulse delay 1 sec acquisition time 0.95 sec acquisition delay and over the range of -16 ppm to 11 ppm. 3 distinguishable peaks were identified as glycerylphosphorycholine (GPC) at 0.00 ppm (this point was used as an internal standard) inorganic phosphate (Pi) at -2.45 ppm to -2.00 ppm and phosphorycholine (PC) at -3.4 ppm in accord with Arrata et al. A temporal study showed that in the hour immediately following ejaculation the original ratio of PC to total phosphate (P) decreased by 60% while the original ratio of GPC to total P did not change by a significant amount. These data contrast with those of arrata et al. who reported that PC hydrolyzed to Pi within 30 minutes and that GPC was stable. Data reported below were collected after a minimum of 60 minutes postejaculation following relative stabilization of GPC content. Semen specimens were evaluated either within 5 hours of collection (fresh) or quickly frozen without cryoprotectant and stored at -76 degrees Celsius (frozen). Ratios of GPC to total P differed with sample type. The authors observed the following ratios for GPC to total P: (0.17 0.15 0.16 0.19 0.099 0.16 0.15) N=7 with a mean of 0.15 +or- 0.028 for fresh healthy semen (0.085 0.070 0.086) N=3 with a mean of 0.080 +or- 0.008 for frozen health semen (0.074 0.074) N=2 with a mean of 0.074 for fresh subfertile semen (fig. 2) (0.11 0.040 0.060 0.00 0.060 0.00) N=6 with a mean of 0.045 +or- 0.042 for frozen subfertile semen and a ratio of (0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00) N=4 with a mean of 0.00 for postvasectomy specimens. While the data are generally consistent with those of Arrata et al. the authors detect a difference between fresh and frozen samples. This discrepancy may reflect partial biological hydrolysis of GPC and PC to Pi. The simple reliable quantification of GPC is important for further investigation of its biological significance. The authors suggest that 31P NMR analyses of human semen will play a valuable role in understanding detection and treatment of male infertility. (full text)
Prospective Study of Violence Risk Reduction by a Mental Health Court

Objective:Although many mental health courts (MHCs) have been established to reduce criminal justice involvement of persons with mental disorders, research has not kept pace with the widespread implementation of these courts. Whereas early MHCs were restricted to persons charged with nonviolent misdemeanors, many MHCs now accept persons with more serious charges for whom ameliorating risk of violence is a greater concern. This study evaluated the relationship between MHC participation and risk of violence by using a prospective design. It was hypothesized that MHC participation would decrease the risk of violence during a one year follow-up compared with a matched comparison group.Methods:The sample included 169 jail detainees with a mental disorder who either entered an MHC (N=88) or received treatment as usual (N=81). Seventy-two percent had been charged with felonies. Participants were interviewed at baseline and during a one-year follow up, and their arrest records were reviewed. Propensity-adjusted l...
A Trust System Architecture for SCADA Network Security

This paper discusses the use of a communications network security device, called a trust system, to enhance supervisory control and data-acquisition (SCADA) security. The major goal of the trust system is to increase security with minimal impact on existing utility communication systems. A previous paper focused on the technical operation of the trust system by augmenting routers to protect User Datagram Protocol (UDP)-based traffic. This paper concentrates on placing the trust system into a broader context, creates new trust system implementations to increase its flexibility, and demonstrates the trust system using TCP traffic. Specifically, the article expands on previous work in the following ways: 1) the article summarizes major threats against SCADA systems; 2) it discusses new trust system implementations, which allow the trust system to be used with a wider array of network-enabled equipment; 3) it discusses key SCADA security issues in the literature and shows how the trust system responds to such issues; 4) the paper shows the impact of the trust system when widely prevalent TCP/IP network communication is used; and 5) finally, the paper discusses a new hypothetical scenario to illustrate the protection that a trust system provides against insider threats.
Languages Are More Than Words: Spanish and American Sign Language in Early Childhood Settings

AbstractCapitalizing on preschoolers' inherent enthusiasm and capacity for learning, the authors developed and implemented a dual-language program to enable young children to experience diversity and multiculturalism by learning two new languages: Spanish and American Sign Language. Details of the curriculum, findings, and strategies are shared.
Dermatological Manifestations of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Are Common and Diverse

Background and PurposezzPostural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a syndrome of orthostatic intolerance in the setting of excessive tachycardia with orthostatic challenge, and these symptoms are relieved when recumbent. Apart from symptoms of orthostatic intolerance, there are many other comorbid conditions such as chronic headache, fibromyalgia, gas trointestinal disorders, and sleep disturbances. Dermatological manifestations of POTS are also common and range widely from livedo reticularis to Raynaud’s phenomenon. MethodszzQuestionnaires were distributed to 26 patients with POTS who presented to the neurology clinic. They were asked to report on various characteristics of dermatological symptoms, with their answers recorded on a Likert rating scale. Symptoms were considered positive if patients answered with “strongly agree” or “agree”, and negative if they answered with “neutral”, “strongly disagree”, or “disagree”. ResultszzThe most commonly reported symptom was rash (77%). Raynaud’s phenomenon was reported by over half of the patients, and about a quarter of patients reported livedo reticularis. The rash was most commonly found on the arms, legs, and trunk. Some patients re ported that the rash could spread, and was likely to be pruritic or painful. Very few reported worsening of symptoms on standing. ConclusionszzThe results suggest that dermatological manifestations in POTS vary but are highly prevalent, and are therefore of important diagnostic and therapeutic significance for physicians and patients alike to gain a better understanding thereof. Further research exploring the underlying pathophysiology, incidence, and treatment strategies is necessary. Key Wordszz postural tachycardia syndrome, Raynaud’s phenomenon, livedo reticularis, varicose veins, dermatological manifestations, dysautonomia.
The Objective Use of Pulse Oximetry to Predict Respiratory Support Transition in Preterm Infants: An Observational Pilot Study

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants often require some form of respiratory support with supplemental oxygen and are monitored by continuous pulse oximetry (SpO2). The study objective was to determine whether the histogram distribution of SpO2 over a 24-h period will predict readiness for weaning respiratory support in preterm infants. We hypothesize that infants with ≥15% of time spent with SpO2 <86% before transitioning from CPAP or high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) to low-flow nasal cannula, oxyhood, or room air are more likely to fail transitioning. METHODS: The SpO2 histograms were downloaded daily for 31 infants, 24–32 weeks gestational age, before transition from CPAP or HFNC to low-flow nasal cannula, oxyhood, or room air. The SpO2 histogram downloads were continued for each infant for 1 week after transition or when the infant reached 36 weeks postmenstrual age or when SpO2 monitoring was discontinued. Failure was defined as an increase in respiratory support within 72 h of transitioning. We compared the percentage of time for each SpO2 quintile for the 24-h periods before and immediately following CPAP/HFNC transitioning between groups. RESULTS: Twenty-four subjects transitioned successfully, but 7 subjects failed. Two of 7 subjects (28.6%) who failed transition experienced SpO2 95% compared with the failure group, both pre-wean (54.3 ± 36.1% vs 33 ± 27.7%, P = .16) and post-wean (52 ± 35.4% vs 27.4 ± 27.7%, P = .10). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that pulse oximetry histograms may be useful in assessing CPAP/HFNC support transition readiness.
LIQUID-METAL BOILING HEAT TRANSFER

The increasing number of investigations of boiling heat transfer with liquid metals reflects the current interest in and importance of this process. Its application to nuclear power systems is impo...
Gtpase deficient mutant of Gα13 regulates the expression of Egr-1 through the small GTPase Rho

GTPase deficient mutant of Gα 13 regulates the expression of Egr-1 through the small GTPase Rho
Neuronal nitric-oxide synthase deficiency impairs the long-term memory of olfactory fear learning and increases odor generalization

Experience-induced changes associated with odor learning are mediated by a number of signaling molecules, including nitric oxide (NO), which is predominantly synthesized by neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the brain. In the current study, we investigated the role of nNOS in the acquisition and retention of conditioned olfactory fear. Mice lacking nNOS received six training trials, each consisting of an odor-CS co-terminating with a foot shock-US. Mice showed reduced freezing responses to the trained odor 24 h and 7 d after training, compared to wild-type mice. Pretraining systemic injections of the NO donor, molsidomine, rescued fear retention in nNOS knockout mice. In wild-type mice, pretraining systemic injections of L-NAME, a nonspecific nNOS blocker, disrupted odor-CS fear retention in a dose-dependent manner. To evaluate whether NO signaling is involved in generalization of fear memories, nNOS knockout mice and wild-type mice receiving L-NAME were trained to one odor and tested with a series of similar odors. In both cases, we found increased generalization, as measured by increased freezing to similar, unpaired odors. Despite the impairment in fear memory retention and generalization, neither mice receiving injections of L-NAME nor nNOS knockout mice showed any deficits in either novel odor investigation time or odor habituation, suggesting intact olfactory perception and short-term memory olfactory learning. These results support a necessary role for neuronal NO signaling in the normal expression and generalization of olfactory conditioned fear.
Microstructural Characterization of Al-.5Cu AND Al-1Si ON 0.6nm TCA-SiO2/Si Following Heat Treatment at 400°C in N2 - Mechanisms Providing Stability and A High Break Down Voltage for The Al-.5Cu Mos Device

Al-.5Cu is used as an interconnect conductor in ultra large scale integration (ULSI) devices. The specific use investigated in this study is as a gate electrode deposited directly on extremely thin 6 nm TCA SiO 2 . Changes in microstructure and reactions between the AI-.5Cu and SiO 2 following heat treatment were characterized using analytical electron microscopy. When Al-iSi or AI-.5Cu are used as gate electrodes in a metal oxide Si field effect transistor (MOSFET) a conducting diffusion barrier layer of TiN or heavily doped poly-Si is usually deposited between the AI alloy and the SiO 2 . The addition of this relatively high resistivity barrier layer increases the power consumption of a MOSFET constructed with this gate electrode, increases the operating voltage necessary and decreases the frequency at which the MOSFET can be switched.1 An Al-.5Cu metal oxide silicon (MOS) device maintained a high break down voltage without a diffusion barrier following heat treatment by forming an Al-Cu intermetallic at the silica/metal interface.
An Abstract Theoretical Foundation of the Geometry of Digital Spaces

Two approaches to providing an abstract theoretical foundation to the geometry of digital spaces are presented and illustrated. They are critically compared and the possibility of combining them into a single theory is discussed. Such a theory allows us to state and prove results regarding geometrical concepts as they occur in a digital environment independently of the specifics of that environment. In particular, versions of the Jordan Curve Theorem are discussed in this general digital setting.
Two Track: Continuity, Change, and Consensus in the Politics of European Security

In many ways, the turbulent years of the 1980s were not really unique in the history of the NATO Alliance. As early as the 1950s, popular opposition to nuclear weapons had brought demonstrators to the streets of European cities. Even among governments, the dilemma of how to implement NATO’s policy of flexible response has been a persistent and seemingly insoluble source of anxiety and disagreement. The so-called “out-of-area” question and disputes over East-West trade are also longstanding. From an historical perspective, the quarrels of the recent past seem less than novel.
The Way of the New World

‘… one watches their “artistic” offerings, listens to their infantile rationalizations, is dismayed at their inability to dedicate themselves to what is noble and beautiful in a race of people and one, despairingly, recalls the lines from a Baraka poem, “Will the machine gunner please step forward?”’
Rendering non-energetic microporous coordination polymers explosive

Adsorption of oxidizing guest molecules into a non-energetic microporous coordination polymer produces explosives with desirable oxygen balance, high heat released upon decomposition, and suppressed vapor pressure of the guest. Here, this results in primary explosives, materials very sensitive to impact, that have the potential to be used as replacements for lead-based initiators.
The Problem of Conflicting Truth-Claims

The ‘conflicting truth-claims’ of the different religious traditions pose an obvious problem for the pluralistic hypothesis. For example, Hindus believe that temporal existence is beginningless and endless, vast aeons succeeding one another in an eternal cyclical process, whereas Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that the universe began through the creative fiat of God and will end in a climactic divine judgment. Hindus and Buddhists believe that we live many times on this earth, the linga śarīra or the karmic system entering again and again into the stream of human life to form new psycho-physical persons, whereas Jews, Christians and Muslims believe that we live only once and then face an eternal heaven or hell. Hindus of the school of advaita Vedanta believe that the deepest depth of our being is the eternal and immutable ātman, whereas Buddhists believe that there is no such eternal ātman and that the human ‘soul’ is a transient stream of psychic events. Jews believe that the children of Israel are God’s chosen people, whereas non-Jews either reject the idea of such a status or extend it to all peoples. Christians believe that Jesus was God incarnate, whereas non-Christians either deny this or extend the idea of incarnation in varying degrees to all instances of divine immanence in human life.