cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of a linear ultrasonic transducer for the transvaginal aspiration and transfer of oocytes in the mare

Summary A 5 MHz linear ultrasonic transducer was used for the transvaginal aspiration and transfer of oocytes through the use of an ultrasonically-guided needle. Mares (n=18) with a follicle ≤30 mm were given human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG); follicular aspirations were attempted between 17 to 28 hours (mean of 24 hours) later. Oocytes were recovered from 14 of 18 aspirations (78% collection rate), and intrafollicular oocyte transfers were attempted in 7 recipients. Recipients were given an injection of hCG approximately 24 hours prior to transfer of an oocyte into the follicle. Two of the 7 oocyte transfers resulted in twin conceptuses. The techniques used in this preliminary study resulted in the recovery of equine follicular oocytes and in the successful intrafollicular transfer of oocytes.
Borate ester formation from alcohols adsorbed on boric acid surfaces in field-desorption/field-ionization experiments

Abstract A series of long-chain aliphatic alcohols and a representative cyclic alcohol ROH adsorbed onto metal field-desorption emitters yield ions corresponding to (RO) 3 B under FI/FD conditions (and to a small extent under EI conditions). The product is found whether the alcohol is admitted into the source as a gas or examined as an adsorbed layer on the emitter. Other types of functional groups, including diols, do not give ionic products. No intermediates are observed, and hence these must be involatile.
SU-D-105-07: Validation and Pitfalls of Strength-Based Medical Event Definition in Prostate Seed Brachytherapy: An Evidence-Based Critical Analysis

Purpose: Previous analysis of 94 prostate implants having good dosimetric quality was used to define the treatment site for strength based reporting of medical events. The current work is a validation of this definition applying the 80%–20% strength-based rule to 20 cases previously reported as failing a D90-based evaluation. Methods: Pre-and post-implants were analyzed for 20 cases. Structure contours and seed data were extracted from Variseed. Software was developed to identify seed distributions with 20% or greater of the implanted seeds residing in specified zones beyond the prostate ; to determine inter-distances between seeds; and to calculate centers of mass for prostate contours and seed distributions. Similarity between pre-and post-implant plans was evaluated by skewness and kurtosis of the inter-seed distance distributions. Results: Based on the 94 training case dataset, a treatment site structure created as a 5mm expansion beyond the outer prostate contour was used to assess the 80%–20% rule on the test case dataset. Fifteen test cases (75%) had more than 20% of the seeds implanted outside the treatment site. One metric that singled out dosimetrically poor implants was the shift between center of mass (CM) for the seed distribution and CM of the prostate contour. On preplans, both the training group and the test group had similar CM shifts: 1.93+/−1.02mm vs 2.51+/−1.32mm. On the post-implant plans, however, the CM shifts were very different: 3.28+/−1.41mm vs. 12.42+/−5.66mm. The group of 5 cases that were not flagged by the 80%−20% rule, had an average CM shift of 8.88+/−2.67. Conclusion: Analysis uncovered scenarios wherein implants with very poor dosimetry (D90 of 40–60%PD) would comply with the strength-based rule. Geometrical descriptors were derived and tested for improved discrimination of implant quality.
Issues in the interpretation of associations of PCBs and IQ

The literature concerning the relationship between polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure and Intelligence (IQ) is not entirely consistent. Two studies showed inverse associations between PCBs and IQ in cohorts of children whose mothers consumed Great Lakes fish contaminated with PCBs and other organochlorines (Jacobson & Jacobson 1996; Stewart et al. 2008). Another study from the general US population, where women were exposed to background levels of PCBs, showed no association between PCBs and IQ (Gray et al. 2005). The current report examines two potential sources of inconsistency across studies: 1) confounding with non-PCB organochlorines [Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and Mirex]; and 2) the presence of negative confounding (i.e., suppressor variables). The former could confound PCBs and lead to spurious associations (Type I errors), while the latter could suppress PCB associations and obscure true associations (Type II errors). These issues were explored through the analysis of associations between placental levels of organochlorines and IQ in children at 9 and 11 years of age in the Oswego study. Neither DDE nor mirex was related to lower IQ at either age; PCBs predicted lower IQ at both ages; and hexachlorobenzene (HCB) appeared as a significant predictor of IQ at the 11-year assessment. However, analysis of the IQ data set as a whole showed that both PCBs and HCB predicted lower IQ in a generally independent fashion. There was, however, overlap in the variance in some cases, and the pattern of findings between the two was remarkably similar. These results may provide some evidence for the potential involvement of non-PCB organochlorines in the Oswego study. To explore negative confounding, we analyzed the relationships between PCB exposure and demographic variables as well as the unadjusted and adjusted relationships between PCB and IQ. Results revealed that placental PCB levels were associated with older mothers who were more educated and came from higher socioeconomic strata. Due to this fact, unadjusted relationships between PCBs and IQ appeared null or slightly positive. After control for confounders, several significant negative associations between PCBs and IQ were revealed. These data might suggest that inadequate control for confounders in PCB studies, where negative confounding is present, may bias results toward the null (Type II error) rather than spurious associations (Type I error). This pattern of confounding with PCB exposure in the Oswego study also has implications for the assessment of risk. The most highly exposed children came from families with somewhat higher socioeconomic status, and tended to score in the average to above-average range, well above IQ scores that are considered "at risk." Further, such children were exposed prenatally to PCBs through maternal consumption of PCB-contaminated Great Lakes fish in the early 1990s, when PCB levels were higher than today.
Comparison of Cases Captured in the National Cancer Data Base with Those in Population-based Central Cancer Registries

Background The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) is a large, geographically diverse hospital-based cancer registry that has been used to study factors related to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival. The primary purpose of this study was to compare the case counts and characteristics of patients in NCDB with population-based registries reported in the United States Cancer Statistics (USCS).
Accuracy and reliability of self-reported weight and height in the Sister Study

Objective To assess the accuracy and reliability of self-reported weight and height and identify the factors associated with reporting accuracy. Design Analysis of self-reported and measured weight and height from participants in the Sister Study (2003-2009), a nationwide cohort of 50 884 women aged 35-74 years in the USA with a sister with breast cancer. Setting Weight and height were reported via computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) and self-administered questionnaires, and measured by examiners. Subjects Early enrolees in the Sister Study. There were 18 639 women available for the accuracy analyses and 13 316 for the reliability analyses. Results Using weighted kappa statistics, comparisons were made between CATI responses and examiner measures to assess accuracy and CATI and questionnaire responses to assess reliability. Polytomous logistic regression evaluated factors associated with over- or under-reporting. Compared with measured values, agreement was 96 % for reported height (±1 inch (±2·5 cm); weighted κ = 0·84) and 67 % for weight (±3 lb (±1·36 kg); weighted κ = 0·92). Obese women (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) were more likely than normal-weight women to under-report weight by ≥5 % and underweight women (BMI Conclusions US women in the Sister Study were reasonably reliable and accurate in reporting weight and height. Women with normal-range BMI reported most accurately. Overweight and obese women and those with weight fluctuations were less accurate, but even among obese women, few under-reported their weight by >10 %.
Optimization of the terrain following radar flight cues in special operations aircraft

Over the past 18 months the Army has been developing a terrain following capability in it's next generation special operations aircraft (SOA), the MH-60K and the MH-47E. As two experimental test pilots assigned to the Army's Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate of the US Army Aviation Technical Test Center, we would like to convey the role that human factors has played in the development of the MMR for terrain following operations in the SOA. In the MH-60K, the pilot remains the interface between the aircraft, via the flight controls and the processed radar data, and the flight director cues. The presentation of the processed radar data to the pilot significantly affects the overall system performance, and is directly driven by the way humans see, process, and react to stimuli. Our development has been centered around the optimization of this man-machine interface.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Intra-venous digital subtraction angiography: an alternative method to intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography for experimental aneurysm imaging.

Conventional intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography (IADSA), which necessitates surgical exposure and ligation of the femoral artery, is an invasive and expensive method of evaluation for experimental elastase-induced aneurysms in rabbits. The purpose of this study was to examine and validate intra-venous digital subtraction angiography (IVDSA) as an alternative to IADSA by comparing their diagnostic accuracies. We performed both IVDSA and IADSA for 24 elastase-induced saccular aneurysms in a rabbit model, 1 month following creation. Aneurysm sizes (neck, width and height) from both the IVDSA and IADSA procedures were evaluated and measured. Comparison of the aneurysm sizes between IVDSA and IADSA were performed with the Wilcoxon paired signed-rank test. All the aneurysms were seen clearly in both the IVDSA and IADSA techniques. Mean sizes of the IVDSA aneurysm neck, width and height were 3.41±0.80 mm, 3.61±0.93 mm and 8.07±2.11 mm, respectively. Mean sizes of the IADSA aneurysm neck, width and height were 3.43±0.80 mm, 3.66±0.92 mm and 8.16±2.25 mm, respectively. No significant difference was found in the sizes of the aneurysm neck, width and height between the two groups (P=0.311, P=0.086 and P=0.258, respectively). IVDSA appears to be an alternative method for evaluating elastase-induced aneurysms in rabbits.
Gene therapy for ischemic heart disease

Current pharmacologic therapy for ischemic heart disease suffers multiple limitations such as compliance issues and side effects of medications. Revascularization procedures often end with need for repeat procedures. Patients remain symptomatic despite maximal medical therapy. Gene therapy offers an attractive alternative to current pharmacologic therapies and may be beneficial in refractory disease. Gene therapy with isoforms of growth factors such as VEGF, FGF and HGF induces angiogenesis, decreases apoptosis and leads to protection in the ischemic heart. Stem cell therapy augmented with gene therapy used for myogenesis has proven to be beneficial in numerous animal models of myocardial ischemia. Gene therapy coding for antioxidants, eNOS, HSP, mitogen-activated protein kinase and numerous other anti apoptotic proteins have demonstrated significant cardioprotection in animal models. Clinical trials have demonstrated safety in humans apart from symptomatic and objective improvements in cardiac function. Current research efforts are aimed at refining various gene transfection techniques and regulation of gene expression in vivo in the heart and circulation to improve clinical outcomes in patients that suffer from ischemic heart disease. In this review article we will attempt to summarize the current state of both preclinical and clinical studies of gene therapy to combat myocardial ischemic disease. This article is part of a Special Section entitled "Special Section: Cardiovascular Gene Therapy".
The Centerline Position Measuring and Online Machining Compensation of the Rail Base for High-Speed MAGLEV

The precision machining of the rail base for high-speed Magnetically Levitated Trains (MAGLEV) is the precondition for laying the high-quality whole rail and accomplishing the integrative performance test of the train. A new method is advanced to improving the machining precision in this paper. The X and Y coordinates of the cross centers on the rail base for MAGLEV will be obtained through two raster displacement sensors which are perpendicular to each other. So the machining datum position of the rail will be determined. According to the spatial position relationship between the straight movement error of the guideway on the numerical control machine tools and the central line of the rail base for MAGLEV, error compensation will be made to improve the machining precision in the process of the numerical control machining. The mechanism design theory of the measuring system is presented in this paper. On basis of both the design theory and the software platform of LabWindows/CVI, the virtual measurement system for measuring straight movement error of the rail on the numerical control machine tool, which is used to machining the rail base for MAGLEV will be established.
Multielectron-Transfer Kinetics for cis-versus trans-Dioxorhenium(V) Species: Isoelectronic Modeling with Osmium(VI/V) and Control of Interfacial Reactivity by Rhenium(IV) Accessibility

Abstract : Steady-state microelectrode voltammetry experiments show that the electrochemical exchange kinetics for the two-electron, two-proton reduction of cis-(O)2(Rev(py)2(bpy)+ (py = pyridine, bpy = 2,2' bipyridine) at pH* = 6, exceed by more than a factor of 100 the kinetics for trans(0)2Rev(py)4+ reduction under identical conditions. Mechanistic studies indicate that both reactions proceed via rate-limiting Re(V yields IV) steps. Comparisons with isoelectronic (and nearly isostructural) osmium redox couples, reveal that the key intermediate state (Re(IV)) is far more accessible thermodynamically for the cis system than for the trans. Quantitative consideration of the thermodynamic accessibility difference shows that most or all of the two-electron reactivity difference (cis vs. trans) can be accounted for on this basis.
Drug users' willingness to encourage social, sexual, and drug network members to receive an HIV vaccine: a social network analysis

This study examined feasibility of peer-based promotion of HIV vaccination and dyadic correlates to vaccine encouragement in risk- and non-risk networks of drug users (n = 433) in the US. Data were collected on HIV vaccine attitudes, risk compensation intentions, likelihood of encouraging vaccination, and recent (past 6 months) risk (i.e. involving sex and/or injecting drugs) and non-risk (i.e. involving co-usage of noninjected drugs and/or social support) relationships. Willingness to encourage HIV vaccination was reported in 521 and 555 risk- and non-risk relationships, respectively. However, 37 % expressed hesitancy, typically due to fear of side effects or social concerns. Encouragement was often motivated by perceived HIV risk, though 9 % were motivated by risk compensation intentions. In non-risk partnerships, encouragement was associated with drug co-usage, and in risk relationships, with perceived vaccine acceptability and encouragement by the partner. Network-based HIV vaccine promotion may be a successful strategy, but risk compensation intentions should be explored.
Fulvestrant (‘Faslodex’)—a new hormonal treatment for advanced breast cancer

In patients with hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer (ABC), endocrine therapy is as effective as cytotoxic chemotherapy but is better tolerated. Most breast cancers are hormone responsive, but eventually develop resistance to individual endocrine agents. However, changing to a different type of endocrine therapy when resistance develops can circumvent this problem and delay the need for cytotoxic chemotherapy. Such chemotherapy can have a major impact on patient's quality of life, and for this reason is generally considered to be a last option for breast cancer patients. Fulvestrant ('Faslodex') is a new type of endocrine therapy with a different mode of action to existing treatments. It is at least as effective as the third-generation aromatase inhibitor (AI) anastrozole or letrozole in the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced, tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer. Fulvestrant also appears to be effective after treatment with non-steroidal AIs. Fulvestrant is well tolerated and provides a further option in the endocrine treatment of ABC.
91 INTERACTION OF OXYGEN TENSION AND CYSTEAMINE SUPPLEMENTATION DURING IN VITRO CULTURE OF BOVINE EMBRYOS

Reactive oxygen species damage early mammalian embryos, so culture of bovine in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos at 5% O2 is clearly superior to 20% O2. The thiol compound cysteamine is an antioxidant and improves in vitro blastocyst production when added to in vitro maturation (IVM) medium. The purpose of this study was to investigate supplementation of IVP embryo culture medium with cysteamine at different oxygen tensions. Bovine ovaries from feedlot heifers were collected from a local abattoir and cumulus–oocyte complexes (COC) were aspirated from 3- to 8-mm follicles. COC were matured in maturation medium with 100μM cysteamine (Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 18, 585) for 23 h in a humidified incubator at 38.5°C in 5% CO2 in air. COC at 23 h of maturation were co-incubated with sperm for 18 h. Cumulus cells were then removed and presumed zygotes were cultured in our chemically defined culture medium system (Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 18, 585) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement: with or without 50 μM cysteamine × atmospheres of either 5% O2, 5% CO2, 90% N2, or 5% CO2 in air. There were no treatment differences (P > 0.01) in percentages of oocytes cleaving or reaching the 8-cell stage (Table 1). However, blastocyst production rates were lower (P < 0.01) in the group cultured without cysteamine at 20% O2 compared with all the other groups. Adding cysteamine for embryo culture at 20% O2 resulted in blastocyst rates similar to those cultured at 5% O2 with or without cysteamine. Cysteamine was not beneficial at 5% O2. Table 1.Cysteamine supplementation during in vitro culture of bovine embryos
An Integrated Modeling Approach for Characterizing Multiphase Flow, Chemical Transport, and Heat Transfer in Fractured Reservoirs

Author(s): Wu, Yu-Shu; Lu, Gouping; Zhang, Keni; Bodvarsson, G.S. | Abstract: Even with the significant progress made in modeling flow and transport in fractured rock in the last few decades, characterizing fractured reservoirs remains a great challenge. This is because of the inherent complexity within actual fractured reservoirs, from multiphase flow and transport to the spatial variability of the fracture network. To investigate coupled processes of fluid and heat flow and chemical isotopic transport in the highly heterogeneous, unsaturated fractured tuff of Yucca Mountain (a proposed underground repository site for storing high-level radioactive waste of the U.S.), we present an integrated modeling methodology. The proposed modeling approach integrates a wide variety of moisture, pneumatic, thermal, and geochemical isotopic field data into a comprehensive three-dimensional numerical model for modeling analyses. The model is then used for the evaluation of unsaturated percolation fluxes and flow patterns, which is the most important goal of the site characterization. In particular, the results of this evaluation indicate that moisture data, such as water potential and liquid saturation in the rock matrix, are not sufficient to determine in situ percolation flux, whereas temperature and geochemical isotopic data provide better constraints to net infiltration rates and flow patterns. In addition, pneumatic data are found to be extremely valuable in estimating large-scale fracture permeability. The integration of hydrologic, pneumatic, temperature, and geochemical data into modeling analyses is thereby demonstrated to provide a practical modeling approach for characterizing flow and transport processes in complex fractured reservoirs.
The subspecialty fellowship training program director: essentials and expectations

Fellowship training programs should be an integral component of every successful academic subspecialty division of internal medicine. It is hoped that, by knowing the attributes of the program director and the expectations of the institution that are reasonable precursors to success, academic subspecialty divisions can review their fellowship programs and enhance the quality of these programs, and thereby enhance the quality of future subspecialists.
Hypothalamic paraventricular nuclear lesions delay corticotroph maturation in the fetal sheep anterior pituitary.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether normal morphological development occurs in pituitary corticotrophs deprived of products of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), e.g. corticotropin releasing hormone and arginine vasopressin (AVP), after PVN lesions. In addition, we have attempted to ascertain if the neurophysin/AVP-positive fibers innervating the fetal sheep anterior pituitary are affected by PVN lesions. The experimental groups consisted of fetal sheep in which 1) hypothalamic PVN lesions were placed at 118-122 days gestation (dGA) and the fetuses subsequently harvested while still in utero at 157 dGA or more (PVNX; n = 5); 2) sham PVN lesions were placed at 118-122 dGA and subsequently harvested as newborn lambs immediately after birth at 146.5 +/- 0.9 (mean +/- SEM) dGA combined with two uninstrumented fetuses harvested at 144 dGA or more but not in labor (perinatal; n = 6); and 3) no instrumentation was placed, and the fetuses were harvested at 120 dGA (control; n = 4). Two...
Estimation of the time-dependent accelerated failure time model in the presence of confounding factors

SUMMARY Cox & Oakes (1984, p. 66) introduced the 'strong version' of the accelerated failure time model with time-dependent exposures. We provide conditions under which this model could be used to estimate, from observational data, the causal effect of a time- varying exposure or treatment on time to an event of interest in the presence of time- dependent confounding variables. We propose a class of semiparametric tests and estimators for the model parameters. This class contains an estimator that is semipara- metric efficient in the sense of Begun et al. (1983). The purpose of this paper is first to provide conditions under which it would be possible to estimate, from observational data, the causal effect of a time-dependent treatment or exposure on time to an event of interest in the presence of time-dependent confounding covariates and, then, to construct estimators for the treatment effect under these condi- tions. Our approach will be based on the semiparametric estimation of the parameters of the 'strong version' of the accelerated failure time model with time-dependent exposures or treatments introduced by Cox & Oakes (1984, p. 66). The usual approach to the estimation of the effect of a time-varying treatment on survival is to model the hazard of failure at t as a function of past treatment history using a time-dependent proportional hazards model. We show that the usual approach may be biased, whether or not one further adjusts for past confounder history in the analysis, when (a) there exists a time-dependent risk factor for, or predictor of, the event of interest that also predicts subsequent treatment, and (b) past treatment history predicts subsequent risk factor level. The following four examples demonstrate conditions (a) and (b) will often be true in an observational study in which there is 'treatment by indication'. The drug zidovudine, formerly AZT, used in the treatment of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is a direct red-blood cell toxin that is contra-indicated in anaemic subjects, i.e. subjects with depressed red-cell counts, since the toxic effects of zidovudine can worsen the anaemia. Further, anaemic patients are at increased risk of death. Thus in an observational study of the effect of zidovudine on survival of patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, anaemia is both a risk factor for death
Ferredoxin biosynthesis in Euglena gracilis

Abstract Analysis of ferredoxin content in cultures of Euglena gracilis grown in the presence of selective antibiotic inhibitors of protein synthesis resulted in the following conclusions: 1. 1. Ferredoxin is synthesized from cytoplasmic (80s-type) ribosomes; cycloheximide, a potent inhibitor of 80s translation completely abolished the synthesis, while the inhibitors of 70s translation chloramphenicol and erythromycin were not effective. In addition, ferredoxin was detected in a streptomycin-bleached mutant that lacks the chloroplast structure and chloroplast DNA. 2. 2. Ferredoxin's transcript is presumably of nuclear origin; rifampicin, an inhibitor of chloroplast DNA-dependent RNA polymerase did not inhibit synthesis, while the streptomycin-bleached mutant continued to synthesize ferredoxin without chloroplast DNA.
Everglades restoration could decrease carbon sink potential

Starting more than a century ago and ramping up to a massive scale in the 1950s, canal building and drainage projects in the Florida Everglades steadily degraded the sprawling wetland ecosystem. In the coming years, a massive 30-year multibillion-dollar restoration program is set to naturalize the Florida Everglades, returning the drained land to a closer approximation of its original structure. Restoring the Everglades, however, will have consequent effects on wetland dynamics, as plants and soil processes adjust to the changing water levels. Using eddy covariance measurements of surface-atmosphere gas exchange, Jimenez et al. tracked the roles of two different types of Everglades wetlands in the regional carbon cycle. Based on their findings, the authors suggest that, contrary to previous research, restoring the Everglades will likely diminish the potential of the region to serve as a carbon sink.
Neustrukturierung des Sonderarbeitsmarkts für Menschen mit Behinderung durch die Reform des Reha-Rechts - Folgen für die Werkstatt für Behinderte

The legal basis for employment of people with disabilities in sheltered Workshops for the Disabled (Werkstatten fur Behinderte, WfB) had hitherto been shaped by the 1961 Federal Social Assistance Act, the 1969 Employment Promotion Act, the 1974 Severely Disabled Persons Act with the related Workshop Ordinances of 1980 and 1996. The Act on Combating Unemployment of Severely Disabled Persons, effective as of Oct. 1, 2000 has now created a new legal foundation, which also is aimed at enhancing Workshop employees' horizontal mobility into the general job market, inter alia providing for access to Supported Employment arrangements and for availability of selective placement and support services (Integrationsfachdienste, IFD) throughout Germany. These Services also are intended as points of contact in the counselling of severely disabled school leavers in relation to placement opportunities in competitive jobs and/or integration projects or firms. Discussed from a legal perspective are the differences in sociolegal respects between such projects for severely disabled persons and employment in Workshops for the Disabled, as well as implications for the Workshops' own economic activity, also making reference to the forthcoming Book 9 of the Social Code.
Philosophical reflections on a rational treatment plan

Diagnosis is widely regarded to be governed by logical rules, but constructing a rational treatment plan has received less philosophical attention. I examine such treatment plans under three senses of the term "rational": consensual, scientific, and ethical. My thesis is that treatment plans, even those based on medical indications alone, are inherently consensual and are governed by a logic of proportionality.
Ab initio explanation of the apparent violation of detailed balance for H2 adsorption/desorption from Si(100)

Abstract The experimentally observed apparent violation of detailed balance in the adsorption and desorption of H2 on Si(100)-2 × 1 is explained via a dihydride intermediate that can be accessed via two different transition states, as found by complete active space self-consistent field/multireference single and double excitation configuration interaction (CASSCF/MRSDCI) calculations. Our calculations explain the low sticking probability by predicting an early symmetric transition state to adsorption with a high barrier. We predict that desorption, on the other hand, occurs through an asymmetric transition state and find excellent agreement between our calculated barrier to desorption and experimental values. For the asymmetric transition state we calculate a small barrier to adsorption, however, we suggest that impinging H2 seldom sees this orientationally constrained late transition state to adsorption, explaining the apparent violation of detailed balance.
Realistic performance analysis of WSN protocols through trace based simulation

It is a difficult endeavor to realistically evaluate the performance of wireless sensor network (WSN) protocols. Generic network simulators are often used, but they tend to rely on synthetic models. Because WSN performance can be affected by many subtle features, these simulators lack a certain level of realism. The most realistic performance assessment is to implement the protocol in question and observe its performance in a real world deployment. This approach, however, is time consuming, costly, and makes the direct comparison of various protocols nearly impossible. We believe there exists a need to evaluate the real-world performance of WSN protocols in a controlled and repeatable fashion. To that end, we enable trace based WSN simulation by first enhancing an existing WSN profiler that automates the collection of connectivity traces and the generation of statistical link properties. We then present a trace based WSN simulator built on the discrete event simulator SimPy using the standard Python. The use of the high level language Python allows new WSN protocols to be rapidly prototyped and evaluated under the real-world conditions captured by the WSN profiler. To validate the premise that our simulation results closely model the real-world performance of the same protocol, we present a thorough performance analysis of the modern WSN collection tree protocol (CTP). Our approach enables the creation and use of a WSN trace database collected from various deployment environments. Such a database could be used to both fairly and more realistically benchmark existing WSN protocols and provide timely feedback on the real-world performance of protocols still in the development process.
Planktonic fish eggs and larvae of sandy hook estuary

Twenty species of planktonic fish eggs and larvae were identified from 75 surface plankton tows made at river, bay, and ocean locations in the Sandy Hook estuary. A gradual increase in the number of species through the spring to a peak in the summer was followed by a decline in the fall and winter. Seventeen species were collected at a location where the Navesink River joins with Sandy Hook Bay. Seven species: American eel, Atlantic herring, American sand lance, winter flounder, bay anchovy, northern pipefish, and Atlantic silverside made up 98$ of all larvae collected. Winter flounder were most ubiquitous and exhibited a marked diel variation in abundance. The most abundant eggs were those of searobin and Atlantic menhaden. Larvae of several species were collected whose adults are either summer or winter visitors to inshore waters.
Tocqueville's Tyranny of the Majority Reconsidered

Tocqueville's famous argument about "majority tyranny" in Democracy in America begins with an analysis of the "real advantages" of democratic government. The advantages include the effective use of certain authoritative beliefs to reconnect the individual to society in an era when these ties are weakening. But these beliefs tend to deepen a commitment to majority power as sovereign and even "absolute." With this tendency in mind, Tocqueville presents two somewhat differing views of majority tyranny. The argument for the first and rather traditional view, direct majoritarian dominance of government, is weak though not entirely implausible. The more interesting and influential argument concerns the effects of modern majoritarianism on thought. The effects, especially a "soft tyranny" over the mind, are not a defect of democracy but its direct implication, if what is taken to be authoritative in the governing sense, majority rule, is not constrained by both constitutional measures and by a critique showing h...
An evaluation paradigm for cumulative impact analysis

Cumulative impact analysis is examined from a conceptual decision-making perspective, focusing on its implicit and explicit purposes as suggested within the policy and procedures for environmental impact analysis of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and its implementing regulations. In this article it is also linked to different evaluation and decision-making conventions, contrasting a regulatory context with a comprehensive planning framework. The specific problems that make the application of cumulative impact analysis a virtually intractable evaluation requirement are discussed in connection with the federal regulation of wetlands uses. The relatively familiar US Army Corps of Engineers' (the Corps) permit program, in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) responsibilities in managing its share of the Section 404 regulatory program requirements, is used throughout as the realistic context for highlighting certain pragmatic evaluation aspects of cumulative impact assessment. To understand the purposes of cumulative impact analysis (CIA), a key distinction must be made between the implied comprehensive and multiobjective evaluation purposes of CIA, promoted through the principles and policies contained in NEPA, and the more commonly conducted and limited assessment of cumulative effects (ACE), which focuses largely on the ecological effects of human actions. Based on current evaluation practices within the Corps' and EPA's permit programs, it is shown that the commonly used screening approach to regulating wetlands uses is not compatible with the purposes of CIA, nor is the environmental impact statement (EIS) an appropriate vehicle for evaluating the variety of objectives and trade-offs needed as part of CIA. A heuristic model that incorporates the basic elements of CIA is developed, including the idea of trade-offs among social, economic, and environmental protection goals carried out within the context of environmental carrying capacity.
Applicability of the alkaline elution procedure as modified for the measurement of DNA damage and its repair in nonradioactively labeled cells.

Abstract We have critically evaluated various modifications of the alkaline elution methodology that were required to adapt the method for measuring DNA damage in cells from animal tissues treated in vivo. These modifications involved the use of a fluorometric assay for the eluted DNA using the dye Hoechst 33258, which in turn required the use of a different combination of filter and lysis conditions than those used in conventional assays. This protocol was compared with the conventional protocols by examining the DNA damage produced in cultured Chinese hamster ovary cells after treatment with three agents (γ-rays, cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum (DDP) and trans-DDP) that differ widely in the type and repairability of the DNA lesions that they induce. For both γ-rays and trans-DDP, the results obtained by the various protocols were equivalent with respect to the amount, type, and rate of repair of the DNA damage produced. On the other hand, for cis-DDP, where the repair time for DNA crosslinks was significantly long relative to the cell-cycle time, DNA replication appeared to be a potentially complicating factor in the measurement of crosslink repair. However, even after treatment of rapidly dividing cultured cells, where any discrepancy between the radioactivity and Hoechst assays due to DNA replication should be maximal, the resulting difference in the amount of repair measured using the two assays was relatively small. Finally, in experiments using cis-DDP and trans-DDP, the data suggested that when polycarbonate and polyvinyl chloride filters were compared using the same cell lysis conditions, their relative sensitivity to detect DNA-protein versus DNA-interstrand crosslinking were comparable. The modified alkaline elution protocol for the measurement of DNA damage in vivo therefore appears, in most cases, to produce results comparable with those obtained by the conventional protocols.
Electronic energy levels of substitutional defect pairs in Si

The major chemical trends are predicted for the deep-trap energies of 400 unrelaxed, nearest-neighbor, substitutional, $s{p}^{3}$-bonded defect pairs in Si. The theory predicts that (As,As) and (P,P) pairs form deep levels, but that (Sb,Sb) pairs do not. The energy of an isolated vacancy level in the band gap is found to be altered very little by pairing with a second point defect.
MicroRNA expression profiling: a molecular tool for defining the phenotype of hepatocellular tumors.

Two recent conceptual advances have led to an exciting renaissance in genetic regulation of biological processes involved in cell growth, development, and function. The first was the recognition that many portions of the human genome that do not encode conventional protein‐coding genes can encode biologically active RNA species. The second was the identification of mechanisms by which small RNA molecules could regulate gene and protein expression. Consequently, there has been an increasing recognition of the role of genetically encoded regulatory RNA molecules in biological processes. These advances have resulted in several new hypotheses on the mechanistic role of noncoding RNA in physiological processes, and their deregulation in disease. In turn, these hypotheses are beginning to provide new insights into disease classifications and pathogenesis.
Thermal studies on aquopentamminecobalt(III) hexacyanometallate(III) compounds

Abstract TGA and DSC studies have been carried out on compounds having the formula [Co(NH3)5H2O][M(CN)6] where M = Co, Fe or Cr. Only in the case where M = Co is dehydration separated from the loss of HCN. When M = Fe, dehydration is accompanied by the loss of three molecules of HCN and when M = Cr, dehydration is accompanied by loss of 3 2 HCN molecules. The mechanism of dehydration of the CoCo compound has been discussed in terms of crystal field energies. Thermodynamic data have been examined to determine the effect of the nature of M on the decomposition.
Using genetic algorithms to improve interpretation of satellite data

We investigated a problem involving the automatic classification of satellite pixels. Each image is a 512 by 512 matrix of pixels, each of which consists of 4 channel values. The classification of these pixels into one of five classes is ordinarily an arduous process. A variety of search algorithms have been created to solve optimization problems. One of these search algorithms, genetic algorithms, has been developed from the concepts of Darwinian evolution and natural selection. They have several advantages over other search methodologies which are of use to this problem. They do not need expert knowledge, they evaluate a large number of potential solutions quickly and nearly simultaneously, and they are able to identify near optimal solutions while searching for better answers. The method employed uses genetic algorithms to identify a good representative are chosen, classification category. Once the representatives are chosen, classification of pixels in similar images is easily automated. The results indicate that genetic algorithms can be used to classify pixels from satellite images quickly and with a good degree of reliability.
Traces of functions in Hardy and Besov spaces on Lipschitz domains with applications to compensated compactness and the theory of Hardy and Bergman type spaces

Abstract In this paper we study conditions guaranteeing that functions defined on a Lipschitz domain Ω have boundary traces in Hardy and Besov spaces on ∂ Ω . In turn these results are used to develop a new approach to the theory of compensated compactness and the theory of non-locally convex Hardy and Bergman type spaces.
Regulation of cyclin D1 and Wnt10b gene expression by cAMP-responsive element-binding protein during early adipogenesis involves differential promoter methylation.

Cyclin D1 expression is elevated and Wnt10b is repressed by cAMP during the first few hours of adipogenesis. cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) is a primary target for cAMP signaling, and we have shown that activation of CREB promotes adipogenesis and adipocyte survival. Here we tested the impact of CREB on expression of cyclin D1 and wingless-related mouse mammary tumor virus integration site 10b (Wnt10b) in 3T3-L1 cells. Forced depletion of CREB blocked Bt2cAMP-stimulated cyclin D1 expression and basal Wnt10b gene expression. Two CREB-binding sites were identified in the Wnt10b promoter region. Ablation of either site partially blocked promoter activity, while mutation of both sites completely suppressed promoter activity. These results suggest that CREB activates transcription from both the cyclin D1 and Wnt10b gene promoters. What accounts for the differential regulation of cyclin D1 and Wnt10b genes by cAMP? Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed CREB bound to the Wnt10b promoter in untreated preadipocytes but not following treatment with Bt2cAMP. CREB binding to the cyclin D1 promoter was detected in untreated cells and post-Bt2cAMP. Differences between CREB binding to the two genes correlated with increasing methylation of the Wnt10b promoter following Bt2cAMP treatment, whereas no methylation of the cyclin D1 promoter was observed. Treatment of cells with the methylase inhibitor 5-azacytidine restored CREB binding to the Wnt10b gene promoter and prevented the inhibition of Wnt10b RNA expression by Bt2cAMP. We conclude that cAMP stimulates phosphorylation and binding of CREB to the cyclin D1 gene promoter. Simultaneously, hypermethylation of the Wnt10b gene promoter suppresses binding of CREB, allowing adipogenesis to proceed.
Formation of thin Ni 2 Si and NiSi films using low temperature rapid thermal processing

The ultra-thin nickel silicide films were grown using both soak and spike anneals from temperatures from 160°C to 400°C in 10–20°C intervals as a means to characterize the low temperature annealing capabilities of our RTP system. The Rs transformation curves were generated and the resulting films were characterized by Rs and xTEM. A ~5nm Ni 2 Si film is formed at 160C from a starting material of 10nm Ni film capped with 10nm TiN layer on a silicon substrate. The film from a 200°C soak anneal on the same stack, followed by excess Ni strip and 400°C RTA2 yielded a <10nm NiSi film with an Rs of ~30 Ω/□. The RTP system used to form the ultra-thin nickel silicide films extends the low temperature processing down to at least 50°C on Si substrates. This enables spike and soak anneals at any processing temperatures starting from temperatures greater than 50°C without impacting the high temperature performance of the chamber. Due to the setup simplicity and uniform heating from multiple-point closed-loop temperature control, this speeds up recipe startup as well as shortens recipe execution time, thus improving the anneal throughput.
Immortalization of Neural Precursors When Telomerase Is Overexpressed in Embryonal Carcinomas and Stem Cells

The DNA repair enzyme telomerase maintains chromosome stability by ensuring that telomeres regenerate each time the cell divides, protecting chromosome ends. During onset of neuroectodermal differe...
Male gonadal dysgenesis in a female‐sterile mutant of Drosophila melanogaster

Various types of testicular abnormalities, encountered in deep orange (dor) Drosophila melanogaster males, have been described. These abnormalities range from complete failure of attachment and, therefore, of elongation and coiling of both testes, to attachment and partial elongation of one testis. The frequency of testicular dysgenesis among affected lines can be readily modified by varying the culture conditions or the genetic background. The occurrence of a relatively high incidence of abnormalities among males bearing an X-chromosome balancer (FM4) is reported.
Reinforcing behavioral variability: An analysis of dopamine-receptor subtypes and intermittent reinforcement

Abstract Variability is a functional and modifiable component of behavior that is necessary for learning or behavior change to occur. An appreciation of drug effects on reinforced variability could contribute to a fuller understanding of potential drug effects on behavior change. Dopamine agonists were examined under conditions that produced low and high levels of variability. In Experiment 1, d- amphetamine and dopamine-receptor-specific agonists (quinpirole and SKF 38393) were examined with rats that lever-pressed under a Multiple VARY 8:4 Fixed Ratio 4 (FR 4) schedule. In the VARY 8:4 condition, reinforcement followed every four-response sequence that differed from the previous eight sequences. Any four-response sequence was reinforced in the FR 4 component. Experiment 2 was an attempt to hold overall reinforcement rate constant by reinforcing criterion sequences under a Variable Interval 60″ schedule of reinforcement. In Experiment 1, d- amphetamine and quinpirole (D 2 agonist) increased variability in the FR 4 component while having no effect on variability in the VARY 8:4 component. SKF 38393 (D 1 agonist) had little effect on variability, even at doses that lowered total responding. In Experiment 2, intermittent reinforcement elevated variability in the FR 4 component and attenuated differential effects of d- amphetamine. Thus, d -amphetamine and quinpirole increased variability when it was low under the FR 4 component in Experiment 1. The high variability under the VARY 8:4 schedule was unaffected by d -amphetamine, except for modest effects at high doses. These observations suggest that dopamine and specifically D 2 -type receptors are involved in the production of behavioral variability, and that the drug effects depend upon the baseline level of variability.