cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Master-Oscillator Power-Amplifier Diode Lasers

The inability of edge-emitting gain-guided (Chap. 5) and most laser-array oscillators (Chap. 6), as well as surface-emitting laser arrays to operate single frequency, and at brightness and power level above single-element diode lasers, provided an impetus to researchers to investigate alternative structures. In recent years, the Master-Oscillator Power-Amplifier (MOPA) architecture, which was already well known in the fields of large high-power gas, dye, and solid-state laser systems [1.272, 2.32, 2.37, 2.38, 4.16][8.1]–[8.3], as well as optical telecommunications [8.4]–[8.7], has emerged as a preferred approach for obtaining high-power, single-frequency, beam-quality, diode-laser sources. The mode discrimination can be considerably simpler in a MOPA diode-laser array, as compared to a diode-laser array oscillator. In a MOPA architecture, the output of a low-power, single-frequency laser oscillator is injected unidirectionally into an optical amplifier of greater output-power capacity. Here, what is meant by unidirectional coupling is that a negligible light level from the amplifier is injected back into the oscillator. This is also referred to as nonreciprocal coupling. In principle, the unidirectional coupling means that the frequency characteristics and power output levels can be set independently of each other. Of course, the advantage here is that the spectral-and spatial-mode instability with drive current, which is pervasive in diode-laser array oscillators, can be avoided. A critical requirement for all MOPA designs is that the light levels injected back into the oscillator from the amplifier be sufficiently low that the frequency stability of the oscillator is maintained and self oscillation of the power amplifier is avoided.
Family Policy in Germany

In the period between 2000 and 2012, Germany made two major directional changes in its policies regarding family, labor market, and social assistance. The demographic and economic factors that drove these changes were (1) the low fertility rates of women in Germany; (2) the related demographic consequence of the aging of the population, together with real declines in the population; and (3) high levels of unemployment that were viewed as economically unsustainable. As a result of these trends, the primary goal pursued by Germany was to attempt to increase the percentage of persons within the middle of the age distribution who are economically active. One set of policies implemented to achieve this goal included expansions of parental leave and benefits, increases in the availability of childcare, and the implementation of long-term care insurance. A second set of policies resulted in retrenchments in the generosity of the level of unemployment benefits and social assistance. This chapter describes the details of these forces, the changes in the policies, and the families who gained and who lost.
Deep Learning for Cerebellar Ataxia Classification and Functional Score Regression

Cerebellar ataxia is a progressive neuro-degenerative disease that has multiple genetic versions, each with a characteristic pattern of anatomical degeneration that yields distinctive motor and cognitive problems. Studying this pattern of degeneration can help with the diagnosis of disease subtypes, evaluation of disease stage, and treatment planning. In this work, we propose a learning framework using MR image data for discriminating a set of cerebellar ataxia types and predicting a disease related functional score. We address the difficulty in analyzing high-dimensional image data with limited training subjects by: 1) training weak classifiers/regressors on a set of image subdomains separately, and combining the weak classifier/regressor outputs to make the decision; 2) perturbing the image subdomain to increase the training samples; 3) using a deep learning technique called the stacked auto-encoder to develop highly representative feature vectors of the input data. Experiments show that our approach can reliably classify between one of four categories (healthy control and three types of ataxia), and predict the functional staging score for ataxia.
LIVRO DIDÁTICO: ANÁLISES DE ABORDAGENS DIDÁTICAS DA LEITURA E AÇÃO DOCENTE

O artigo analisa o volume 2 de uma colecao de livros didaticos (LD) destinada ao Ensino Medio, de Cereja e Magalhaes (2013), integrante do Programa Nacional do Livro Didatico (PNLD) de 2015. Objetivou-se comparar estes resultados em relacao as abordagens da leitura em LD da decada de 70, realizadas por Kleiman (2004). E mais, se e possivel afirmar que o LD determina a acao docente e se isso desqualifica a competencia e a autonomia docente e discente. Considerou-se as abordagens teoricas de Kleiman sobre leitura (2004) e sobre letramentos (2014), os estudos de Rojo sobre o LD (2013) e recentes estudos sobre textos para o Enem, de Manso (2017). Como resultados, o LD atual privilegia recursos visuais e entende um aluno-leitor familiarizado com textos multimodais, sem que isso indique necessariamente uma abordagem qualitativa da leitura em relacao as praticas escolares mais tradicionais que desvinculam leitura e praticas sociais. Alem disso, o LD analisado direciona a leitura para o Enem e vestibulares, funcionando como um “manual” para o aluno e fazendo do professor um “explicador de manuais”. Por fim, o Enem, como politica publica avaliativa, desprestigia o carater dialogico da linguagem e a autoria dos sujeitos, e privilegia o ensino elitizado.
Lessons learned from six different structural health monitoring systems on highway bridges

Structural health monitoring has been utilized in numerous ways to investigate the performance and integrity of highway bridges. This paper highlights the use of six structural health monitoring sy...
A Geometric Model to Determine Patient-Specific Cup Anteversion Based on Pelvic Motion in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Introduction. Cup position is critical to stability in total hip arthroplasty and is affected by pelvis motion during positions of daily life. The purpose of this study was to explicitly define the relationship between sagittal pelvic motion and resultant cup functional anteversion and create a tool to guide the surgeon to a patient-specific intra-operative anteversion. Materials and Methods. 10,560 combinations of inclination, anteversion, and pelvic tilt were generated using a geometric model. Resultant functional anteversion was calculated for each iteration and variables were correlated. An electronic mobile tool was created that compares inputted patient-specific values to population-based averages to determine pelvic positions and dynamics that may lead to instability. Results. A third-degree polynomial equation was used to describe the relationship between variables. The freely downloadable mobile tool uses input from pre-operative plain radiographic measurements to provide the surgeon a quantitative correction to intra-operative cup anteversion based on differences in functional anteversion compared to population-based averages. Conclusion. This study provides a geometric relationship between planned cup position, pelvic position and motion, and the resultant functional anteversion. This mathematical model was applied to an electronic tool that seeks to determine an individualized intra-operative cup anteversion based on measured patient-specific pelvic dynamics.
Beyond Data Capture: A Single Institutional Experience with Establishing a Pelvic Floor Surgery Web Based Database

AbstractIntroduction:The American Urological Association has highlighted the need for complete and long-term data collection in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. We describe our in...
Chapter 10 – Special Groups

Publisher Summary There are many situations that call for a “special group”—a group designed for a specific situation or population. This chapter discusses the contributions of several authors on the various types of special groups. Their views of the group leader's role in working with such groups, and the pros and cons of forming these groups are explored. There are five applications of the group method: personal growth, training for professionals, resolving intragroup and intergroup tensions, community education, and using group as a research tool. However, because of different leadership styles, there are as many varieties of groups as there are group leaders. Each group leader has his/her notions about emotional learning, psychotherapy theory, and group training. The basic difference between a training group and a therapy group involves the function of the leader; the tasks of the participants; group composition; and most importantly, the goals and emphasis of the two groups. In the training situation, group formation, group roles, and group behavior are the significant parameters. The participant's manner of relating and his/her contribution to the group are of primary concern, not personal or emotional change.
Nationalist Ironies: The Legacy of the Federalist Party and the Construction of a Unified Republic

The Federalist Party, one of the nation’s two major political parties in the Republic’s first decades, disintegrated in 1823. Yet, decades after their demise Federalists remained active in American memory and treated as a living danger. The chapter looks at the Federalist Party’s legacy, beginning in its lifetime and culminating in the aftermath of the American Civil War. The chapter shows that the usage of the Federalist Party as an “other” reveals a special irony of nineteenth-century American nationalism: the party itself was regarded as outside the American Revolution’s republican legacy even as some of its core ideas came out victorious—though by a different name.
Comparative Tribology: Articulation-induced Rehydration of Cartilage Across Species

Abstract Articular cartilage is a robust tissue that facilitates load distribution and wear-free articulation in diarthrodial joints. These biomechanical capabilities are fundamentally tied to tissue hydration, whereby high interstitial fluid pressures and fluid load support facilitate maintenance of low tissue strains and frictions. Our recent ex vivo studies of cartilage sliding biomechanics using the convergent stationary contact area (cSCA) configuration, first introduced by Dowson and colleagues, unexpectedly demonstrated that sliding alone can promote interstitial pressure and lubrication recovery lost to static compression through a mechanism termed ‘tribological rehydration.’ Although exclusively examined in bovine stifle cartilage to date, we hypothesized that tribological rehydration, i.e., the ability to recover/modulate tissue strains and lubrication through sliding, is a universal articular cartilage behavior. This study aimed to establish if, and to what extent, sliding-induced tribological rehydration is conserved in articular cartilage across a number of preclinical animal species/models and diarthrodial joints. Using a comparative approach, we found that articular cartilage from equine, bovine, ovine, and caprine stifles, and porcine stifle, hip, and tarsal joints all exhibited remarkably consistent sliding speed-dependent compression/strain recovery and lubrication behaviors under matched contact stresses (0.25 MPa). All cartilage specimens tested supported robust tribological rehydration during high-speed sliding (>30 mm/s), which as a result of competitive recovery of interstitial lubrication, promoted remarkable decreases in kinetic friction during continuous sliding. The conservation of tribological rehydration across mammalian quadruped articular cartilage suggests that sliding-induced recovery of interstitial hydration represents an important tissue adaptation and largely understudied contributor to the biomechanics of cartilage and joints.
COVID-19 outcomes in patients with a history of breast cancer: A diverse multicenter Los Angeles cohort study

e12544Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 has affected over 100 million individuals during the current pandemic. Cancer is a reported risk factor for worse outcom...
"We've Had to Build the Plane as We Flew It.": Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on School-Based Weight Management Interventions.

Background: In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, elementary and secondary schools in the United States transitioned to remote learning to slow viral spread and protect students and school officials. This move interrupted academic education and school-based health interventions focused on physical activity (PA) and healthy eating behaviors to help combat childhood obesity. Little is known on how these interventions were affected by COVID-19. Methods: This concurrent multimethodological study incorporated two independent components: qualitative descriptive semistructured interviews with public school administrators and quantitative descriptive cross-sectional needs assessment survey of public school personnel. Results: Three themes were identified from interviews with school administrators (N = 28): changes in school-based interventions addressing PA and healthy eating behaviors, changes in academic delivery affecting PA and healthy eating behaviors, and needs of school administrators. From the survey (N = 1311), 635 (48.4%) participants indicated that schools' abilities to address PA and healthy eating behaviors were negatively impacted by COVID-19. The majority (n = 876, 66.8%) of participants strongly agreed or agreed that the pandemic would affect future school-based interventions related to PA and healthy eating behaviors. Conclusions: While schools are prime locations for delivering school-based weight management interventions related to childhood obesity, participants reported the pandemic had overall negative impacts on interventions addressing PA and healthy eating behaviors. Understanding these impacts is essential to adapting school-based interventions to changes from COVID-19 so students may receive health information and access health promotion interventions in remote learning environments and during social distancing.
Relationships between parent selection methods, looping constructs, and success rate in genetic programming

In genetic programming, parent selection methods are employed to select promising candidate individuals from the current generation that can be used as parents for the next generation. These algorithms can affect, sometimes indirectly, whether or not individuals containing certain programming constructs, such as loops, are selected and propagated in the population. This in turn can affect the chances that the population will produce a solution to the problem. In this paper, we present the results of the experiments using three different parent selection methods on four benchmark program synthesis problems. We analyze the relationships between the selection methods, the numbers of individuals in the population that make use of loops, and success rates. The results show that the support for the selection of specialists is associated both with the use of loops in evolving populations and with higher success rates.
Uncoupling differential water usage from drought resistance in a dwarf Arabidopsis mutant

Understanding the molecular and physiological mechanisms of how plants respond to drought is paramount to breeding more drought resistant crops. Certain mutations or allelic variations result in plants with altered water-use requirements. To correctly identify genetic differences which confer a drought phenotype, plants with different genotypes must therefore be subjected to equal levels of drought stress. Many reports of advantageous mutations conferring drought resistance do not control for soil water content variations across genotypes and may therefore need to be re-examined. Here, we reassessed the drought phenotype of the Arabidopsis thaliana dwarf mutant, chiquita1-1 (also called cost1), by growing mutant seedlings together with the wild type to ensure uniform soil water availability across genotypes. Our results demonstrate that the dwarf phenotype conferred by loss of CHIQ1 function results in constitutively lower water usage, but not increased drought resistance.
The anomalous stock market behavior of small firms in January

Abstract Small firms experience large returns in January and exceptionally large returns during the first few trading days of January. The empirical tests indicate that the abnormally high returns witnessed at the very beginning of January appear to be consistent with tax-loss selling. However, tax-loss selling cannot explain the entire January seasonal effect. The small firms least likely to be sold for tax reasons (prior year ‘winners’) also exhibit large average January returns, although not unusually large returns during the first few days of January.
STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIPS IN CHILDREN'S UTTERANCES: SYNTACTIC OR SEMANTIC?1

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the structural relationship between syntactic and semantic in children's utterances. According to the view of language acquisition, the linguistic knowledge that lies behind children's initial attempts at word combining may not and need not include information about the basic grammatical relations or the constituent structure they entail. There is, in any event, no compelling evidence as yet that it does. The characteristics of cross-linguistic data suggest the alternative view that children launch their syntactic careers by learning simple order rules for combining words, which, in their understanding, perform semantic functions such as agent, action, and object acted upon, or perhaps other even less abstract semantic functions. Through additional linguistic experience, children may begin to recognize similarities in the way different semantic concepts are formally dealt with and to gradually reorganize their knowledge according to the more abstract grammatical relationships, which are functional in the particular language they are learning.
Incremental learning of control strategies with genetic algorithms

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews an approach to using genetic algorithms and other competition-based heuristics to learn reactive control rules given a simulation model of the environment implemented in a system called SAMUEL. SAMUEL learns rules expressed in a high-level rule language. The use of a symbolic rule language is intended to facilitate the incorporation of more traditional learning methods into the system where appropriate. SAMUEL consists of three major components: (1) a problem-specific module consisting of a World Model and its interfaces, (2) a performance module, and (3) a learning module. The Performance Module consists of CPS, a competition based production system that interacts with the World Model through the Sensor, Control, and Critic interfaces. CPS performs Matching, Conflict Resolution and Credit Assignment. The Learning Module uses a genetic algorithm to develop high performance strategies or reactive plans, expressed as a set of condition-action rules. Each strategy is evaluated by testing its performance in controlling the World Model through CPS. Genetic operators, such as crossover and mutation, produce plausible new strategies from high-performance precursors.
Smoking prevention: behavioral prescriptions for the pediatrician.

Pediatricians are important instigators of behavior change for the promotion of nonsmoking. Smoking is harmful to infants, children, and adolescents, and evidence is reviewed that passive smoking can have potent deleterious effects. Interventions with young adolescents based on social-psychologic theory have shown promise in changing smoking behavior and reducing smoking onset rates. Interventions are described, based on epidemiologic and etiologic data, that are appropriate for infants, children, adolescents, and parents. Interventions for parents should encourage cessation and the creation of a smoke-free environment for children. Interventions for children should emphasize the negative health effects of smoking and help them build an armamentarium against factors that promote experimentation with smoking. Interventions for adolescents should encourage them to remain nonsmokers in an environment of social pressure to smoke. The rationale for these strategies and methods of implementation in the pediatrician9s office are described.
High Time Resolution Observations of Magnetospheric Disturbances During Auroral Activity

We present high time resolution plasma and magnetic field data from the near-Earth plasma sheet during times of active aurorae. The plasma sheet disturbance associated with the auroral activity is composed of Earthward traveling ions with large mean velocities ( = ∫ v f(v)d 3 v) and large amplitude, high frequency magnetic field fluctuations. The ion can change substantially (by up to 100%) on time scales comparable to the local proton gyroperiod. The magnetic fluctuations lead to large, rapidly varying induced electric fields. Power spectral analysis of the magnetic field data shows a significant amount of wave power present at frequencies up to and greater than the local proton cyclotron frequency. Examination of the three-dimensional ion distribution functions indicates that the distributions are complex and nongyrotropic, with large gradients and anisotropies, and dynamic, with considerable changes in the phase space features within one gyroperiod. These results illustrate that kinetic physics controls the plasma behavior during times of plasma sheet disturbances associated with auroral activity. This conclusion is in contrast to the usual interpretation that the large ion velocity moments observed during plasma sheet disturbances are convective in nature (i.e., bursty bulk flows). Additionally, we show that these kinetic effects are important in the near-Earth plasma sheet over a wide range of geomagnetic activity, from pseudobreakups to substorms. Therefore, we suggest that these kinetic processes operate during all types of geomagnetic disturbances and can occur throughout large regions of the magnetotail during substorms and storms.
Expectancy Violations Theory

Expectancy violations theory predicts and explains the effects of nonverbal behavior violations on interpersonal communication outcomes such as attraction, credibility, persuasion, and smooth interactions. Human interactions are strongly governed by expectations which, if violated, are arousing and trigger an appraisal process that may be moderated by the rewardingness of the violator. Violation interpretations and evaluations determine whether they are positive or negative violations. Positive violations are predicted to produce more favorable outcomes, and negative violations less favorable outcomes, than positive and negative confirmations respectively. Many of the theory's propositions have been supported empirically. Some contrary findings have led to revision of the theory. The theory has also been expanded to several kinds of nonverbal violations, including personal space, eye contact, posture, touch, involvement, and immediacy violations. The theory also spawned the investigation of the meanings associated with violations and the kinds of arousal that violations provoke. Keywords: communication theory; expectations; interpersonal communication; interpersonal theory; interviewing; nonverbal communication; relational communication; social norms; violations
Fraternity, Solidarity, and Unity

(2014). Fraternity, Solidarity, and Unity. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 421-429.
Adaptive Real-Time Resource Management Supporting Modular Composition of Digital Multimedia Services

This paper describes ongoing investigations at Microsoft Research into algorithms for adaptive real-time scheduling and resource management. We are implementing a system that will allow sets of independently authored real-time applications to be scheduled, providing both initial resource negotiation and dynamic feedback to applications about their resource consumption. Instead of relying on human beings to pre-compute scheduling and resource requirements, applications will be able to dynamically adapt their run-time behavior to the resources available. Under overload conditions, user preferences and policies will be applied in order to bring the total resource requirements within available resources. This will permit chosen applications to continue executing perfectly even while others execute with dynamically renegotiated resource grants or are gracefully shut down, as per user preferences. We believe that this approach will lead to real-time scheduling and resource management algorithms that are appropriate for workstation and home multimedia environments.
Use of Phosphatidylcholine in Brain Diseases: An Overview

Two biochemical effects of phosphatidylcholine (PC) account for its use in clinical trials treating brain diseases: PC as a precursor for acetylcholine (ACh) biosynthesis, and PC as an integral part of neuronal membranes. This chapter reviews the scientific basis for each postulated use, and describes the results of PC administration to patients with neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Nickel-Chromium Alloys: Engineered Microstructure via Spark Plasma Sintering

There is a need to enhance or develop high temperature capabilities of structural materials for advanced coal‐fired power plants. These materials require a combination of high temperature strength, creep resistance and corrosion resistance in the oxygen‐rich and hydrogen‐rich high pressure environments. In this study, atomized Ni‐20Cr (wt.%) powder was mechanically milled with Y2O3 nanopowder (30‐40 nm powder size) to produce an alloy with a chemical composition of Ni‐20Cr‐1.2Y2O3 (wt.%) alloy using high energy ball milling. To minimize agglomeration during milling, 1 wt.% stearic acid was added to the powder mixture prior to milling. Microstructural characteristics of the powder were primarily characterized by the X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystallite size and lattice strain were measured by XRD whereas powder morphology (powder size, shape) was studied by SEM. A milling time of 2 h was found to be optimal for the purpose that yttria particles are not dissolved yet uniformly distributed. Subsequently, the milled powder was consolidated into bulk specimens (12.5 mm in diameter) via spark plasma sintering (SPS) at 1100 °C for 30 minutes. Following SPS, the density and hardness of the specimens were measured. Microstructural characterization of the SPSed specimens was performed using SEM and TEM. The microstructural characteristics were correlated with the measured mechanical properties.
Achievable spatial resolution of time-resolved transillumination imaging systems which utilize multiply scattered light

We describe theoretically and measure experimentally the best achievable time-dependent point-spread-function of light in the presence of strong turbidity. We employ the rescaled isotropic-scattering solution to the time-dependent radiative transfer equation to examine three mathematically distinct limits of photonic transport: the ballistic, quasidiffuse, and diffuse limits. In all cases we follow the constraint that a minimum fractional number of launched photons must be received before the time-integrating detector is turned off. We show how the achievable ballistic resolution maps into the diffusion-limited achievable resolution, and verify this behavior experimentally by using a coherently amplified Raman polarization gate imaging system. We are able to quantitatively fit the measured best achievable resolution by empirically rescaling the scattering length in the model. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
The Mass Media and Adolescent Socialization A Prospective Study in the Context of Unhealthy Food Advertising

Despite the importance of the mass media to adolescent socialization, mass media effects on descriptive norms have, to a large degree, been neglected in the literature. Based on social comparison theory and with data from a national survey of U.S. adolescents (N = 1,436), this study examines how advertising exposure and attention predict descriptive norms specific to unhealthy food consumption. Advertising attention, as compared to exposure, had stronger positive associations with descriptive norms specific to three reference groups (i.e., family, close friends, and students at school). Advertising effects were stronger in two cases for older adolescents than for younger adolescents.
Initial Results In The Development Of A Synthetic Aperture Microwave Radiometer

A radiometer that measures the complex correlation of the voltage from pairs of antennas at many different baselines is being developed. Each baseline produces a sample point in the Fourier transform of the scene, and a map of the scene is obtained after all measurements have been made by inverting the transform. A substantial reduction in the antenna collecting area required compared to a conventional imaging radiometer can be obtained in this manner. An aircraft prototype being developed is a hybrid which uses real aperture antennas to obtain resolution along-track (stick antennas) and uses aperture synthesis to obtain resolution across-track. The prototype was flight-tested aboard the NASA P-3 in June 1988. During this flight a map was made of the Delmarva Peninsula south of NASA's Wallops Flight Facility. This initial map shows the major land/water features and compares very favorably with a Landsat image of the area, suggesting a bright outlook for the development of this technique in the future.
Effect of select menhaden fish meal in starter diets for pigs.

Two trials were conducted to evaluate a select menhaden fish meal (SMFM) as a protein source in starter diets for 390, 3-wk-old weaned pigs. Initial weights averaged 4.8 and 5.5 kg in Trials 1 and 2, and trials were conducted for 5 and 4 wk, respectively. Diets in Trial 1 were formulated by substituting levels of 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 or 20% SMFM for soybean meal plus corn on a protein basis. The 20% fish meal diet contained no soybean meal; all diets contained between 19.8 and 20.2% CP, between 1.34 and 1.40% lysine and 25% dried whey. Replacement of soy protein with fish meal elicited a quadratic improvement (P = .01) in cumulative ADG and average daily feed intake (ADFI) by the end of wk 5. The diet containing 8% SMFM resulted in the maximum observed ADG; however, the maximum ADFI occurred in pigs fed the diet containing 12% SMFM. Breakpoint analysis indicated that 4.5 and 9.3% SMFM maximized ADG and ADFI, respectively. Addition of SMFM did not affect efficiency of feed utilization (F/G). In Trial 2, a 2 X 3 factorial with two levels of dried whey (10 or 20%) and three levels of SMFM (0, 4 or 8%), a SMFM X dried whey interaction (P less than .05) was observed for cumulative ADG and F/G by the of wk 4 with greater benefit from SMFM with 10% than with 20% dried whey.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Management System in Routing and Switching Platforms

Routing and switching platforms are widely used in modern communication equipments, network management based on routing and switching platform has a significant meaning and a prospect of application. The article briefly describes the routing and switching platform ZebOS and the Simple Network Management Protocol SNMP, it explains the implementation method and workflow of SNMP network management used in routing and switching platform, and it realizes the configuration and management of routing exchange platform.
Sleep studies on a 90-minute day

Abstract After 2 adaptation and 2 baseline all-night sleep recordings, 5 normal young adult subjects (3 males) were placed on a schedule alternating 60 min of wakefulness and 30 min of sleep for 5 1 3 24-h periods. A 2-day recovery period followed. One male subject (MA15) was later placed on the identical protocol with the exception that he was allotted periods of 75 min of wakefulness and 15 min of sleep during the experimental period. One male narcolepsy-cataplexy patient was placed on the 60-30 schedule for 48 h. All subjects showed REM sleep during the schedule manipulation. REM sleep occurred within 10 min of sleep onset (SOREMP) on 79 of 110 REM sleep occasions in the 5 normals, on all 29 REM episodes in MA15, and on 16 of 17 REM periods in the narcoleptic. In the normals, REM sleep showed a tendency to recur on alternate 90-min cycles, while in the narcoleptic REM recurred on consecutive periods. Compared to baseline, REM sleep 24 h was decreased in the normals and increased in the narcoleptic. Time spent in slow wave sleep and stage 2 was also reduced in the normal subjects on the 90-min schedule, and stage 1 sleep time was increased. Peak sleep times for the 5 normals occurred between 09.00 and 12.30 and lowest sleep times from 21.00 to 02.00. During the first recovery night, sleep times ranged from 11.5 to 18.5 h, including significant increases of slow wave sleep and REM sleep. Except for SOREMPs, no signs of the narcolepsy-cataplexy syndrome were seen in any of the normal subjects.
Towards the continuum limit of the thermodynamics of lattice QCD with a realistic quark spectrum

Abstract Lattice QCD with a light isodoublet and a heavier strange quark is simulated on a 6 × 12 3 lattice. Metastability studies on the 6 × 12 3 lattice give considerably weaker evidence for a first order transition than on a 4 × 8 3 lattice. Comparison of chiral condensates and energy densities with similar measurements on 4 × 8 3 and 4 × 12 3 lattices also indicate that the quark-gluon plasma transition becomes less abrupt as the lattice size increases and could be just a crossover phenomenon at the quark masses simulated here. The light quark and strange quark energy densities are suppressed in the transition region and approach their high temperature limits from below.
Role of intracellular calcium in the transient outward current of calf Purkinje fibres

CALCIUM-activated currents are known in red blood cells1, invertebrate neurones2, vertebrate spinal motoneurones3 and skate electroreceptors4, and it has been suggested that intracellular calcium increases outward currents in cardiac muscle5–7. The possibility of calcium-activated currents in heart and other muscle8,9 is interesting because these cells have intracellular stores that release calcium. Some of the apparent complexity of membrane currents in muscle might be explained as a manifestation of excitation–contraction coupling. If internal calcium (Cai) enhanced a surface membrane conductance, one might expect a phasic current which reflected the increase and decrease in Cai during contraction. No such current has been identified in heart. We report evidence here that intracellular calcium controls the transient outward current which underlies the early repolarisation in cardiac Purkinje fibres10,11. Thus the transient outward current is inhibited by blockers of calcium current, varies directly with the external calcium concentration and correlates with twitch amplitude in conditions which vary the amount of calcium released.
The role of CS1 moiety of fibronectin in VLA4‐mediated haemopoietic progenitor trafficking

In vitro the integrin VLA4 mediates the adhesion of haemopoietic progenitors to bone marrow stroma through an interaction with its ligands VCAM-1 and the CS1 moiety of fibronectin. The VLA4/VCAM-1 pathway has been implicated in haemopoietic trafficking in vivo since antibodies to both VLA4 and VCAM-1 decrease the homing (lodgement) of transplanted progenitors and mobilize progenitors. However, the role of the CS1 domain of fibronectin in progenitor trafficking in vivo has not been explored. We studied the effect of competitive inhibition of the VLA4/CS1 pathway on progenitor homing and mobilization in mice. Pre-incubation of bone marrow cells with a CS1 inhibitor did not alter the number of CFU-C or CFU-S12 lodged to the bone marrow of lethally irradiated mice 3 h after transplantation. In addition, continuous administration of a CS1 inhibitor did not increase the number of CFU-C in the peripheral blood. In order to study the role of the VLA4/CS1 pathway in trafficking of more primitive progenitors we studied whether administration of a CS1 inhibitor mobilized radioprotective cells. In contrast to the effect of anti-VCAM-1 which mobilized cells capable of rescuing 100% of lethally irradiated mice, administration of a CS1 inhibitor did not increase the number of radioprotective cells in the peripheral blood. Haemopoietic progenitors also bind to the RGD motif of fibronectin through an interaction with VLA5 and we therefore also studied the effect of antibodies to VLA5 on progenitor homing and mobilization. Antibody to VLA5 did not alter bone marrow lodgement at 3 h or increase the number of circulating haemopoietic progenitors. These studies therefore imply that, in contrast to VCAM-1, the CS1 moiety of fibronectin is not a significant ligand in VLA4 mediated progenitor trafficking in vivo.
Parallel Modeling of Fish Interaction

This paper summarizes our work on a parallel algorithm for an interacting particle model, derived from the model by Czirok, Vicsek, et. al. [4, 5, 6, 15, 16]. Our model is particularly geared toward simulating the behavior of fish in large shoals. In this paper, the background and motivation for the problem are given, as well as an introduction to the mathematical model. A discussion of implementing this model in MATLAB and C++ follows. The parallel implementation is discussed with challenges particular to this mathematical model and how the authors addressed these challenges. Load balancing was performed and is discussed. Finally, a performance analysis follows, using a performance metric to compare the MATLAB , C+ + , and parallelized code.
Analyzing water soluble soil organics as trifluoroacetyl derivatives by liquid state proton nuclear magnetic resonance

Abstract In forested ecosystems, water soluble organics play an important role in soil processes including carbon and nutrient turnover, microbial activity and pedogenesis. The quantity and quality (i.e., chemistry) of these materials is sensitive to land management practices. Monitoring alterations in the chemistry of water soluble organics resulting from land management practices is difficult because of the complexity and low concentration of these compounds. A procedure is described in which the water soluble organics are quantitatively derivatized with trifluoroacetic anhydride and then analyzed by liquid state proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). The procedure was applied to sample amounts as low as 0.03 mg from the forest floor and root exudates. The root exudate samples were dominated by aliphatic compounds with relatively few O‐alkyl, olefinic and aromatic compounds. The chemistry of the samples originating from the forest floor differed dramatically with soil texture and treatment combinat...
Body mass scaling of frontal area in competitive cyclists not using aero-handlebars

This study was designed to evaluate the scaling relationship between body mass (m b) and projected frontal area (A P) in competitive male cyclists using traditional drop-style handlebars. A group of 21 male cyclists [mean (SD) m b 74.4 (7.2) kg, height 1.82 (0.06) m, age 23.6 (5.1) years] had A P determined from photographs taken while seated on their own racing bicycles in four body positions: (1) stem position; (2) brake hoods position; (3) drops position; (4) traditional aero-position. For each position, A P for the body of the cyclist (Body A P), as well as the cyclist and his bicycle (Total A P), were determined. Body A P was significantly smaller than Total A P in all four positions by a nearly constant bicycle A P of 0.117–0.124 m2. Using multiple log-linear regression analysis procedures, prediction equations were developed for both Body A P and Total A P (dependent variables) using a cluster of binary-coded variables to indicate body position and m b as independent variables (n=88 observations). The regression analysis revealed that Body A P scaled with m b to the +0.720 power [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.585–0.855], which did not differ significantly from the +0.762 exponent reported previously for Body A P whilst using aero-handlebars. In contrast, Total A P scaled with m b to the +0.594 power (95% CI: 0.468–0.720) which was significantly lower than +0.762 exponent reported previously. The lower exponent for Total A P is explained by the nearly constant contribution of the bicycle A P to Total A P (mean bicycle A P=0.122 m2). These data help to explain the determinants of A P and aerodynamic drag in competitive male cyclists who use the traditional body postures.
The Role of Microstructure in MEMS Deformation and Failure

MEMS technologies create complex devices with critical dimensions on the order of 1–100μm from alimited, but expanding materials base. Two standard MEMS technologies of interest to Sandia National Laboratories are surface micromachining (SMM) and LIGA-based high aspect ratio microfabrication. SMM techniques produce complex devices on the surface of a silicon wafer with critical dimensions of about 2μm using a patterned multilayer film deposition process. LIGA (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung) is a process in which structural material is electrodeposited into a polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) mold realized by deep x-ray photolithography. The resolution of the LIGA process can be as precise as 1μm, but typical component sizes range in the 100’s of microns. In both technologies, material microstructural features, e.g. grains and defects, scale with component sizes. Consequently, issues surrounding the mechanical response of components fabricated from these technologies are often caused by this microstructure-component size scale equivalence. The objective of this paper is to present an overview of select mechanical properties results and associated microstructure evaluations expected to be useful for developing damage mechanics models that accurately predict the lifetime of MEMS devices. A companion paper (IMECE2002-32393) discusses experimental results and observations from micromechanical evaluation studies of SMM-MEMS. This paper discusses experimental results and observations on LIGA fabricated materials and some complementary, straightforward polycrystal elastic deformation simulations of SMM polysilicon.© 2002 ASME
The Influence of Family Structure on Sexual Activity in a Randomized Effectiveness Trial for Minority Youth

This study examined the influence of family structure on the outcomes of a sex education program in Miami, Florida. Using an experimental design, data collection occurred at pretest, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up with a sample of teenagers from high schools with a large majority of minority youth, assigned into treatment (n = 549) and control (n = 424) groups. Results indicated family structure had no influence on predicting teen sexual activity at pretest or at 3- or 6-month follow-up. Additional research using experimental designs is needed to assess the influence of family structure on other areas of adolescent development.
Extent and implications of interspecies differences in the intestinal hydrolysis of certain glucuronide conjugates

1. Interspecies differences in the intestinal hydrolysis of glucuronide conjugates (phenolphthalein glucuronide, 4-methylumbelliferone glucuronide, morphine-3-glucuronide) were evaluated in mouse, rat and rabbit small intestine and caecum. 2. beta-Glucuronidase activity in the caecum was 50-200-fold higher than in the small intestine for all species and substrates studied. 3. There was evidence of a similarity between species in the capacity of the gut contents cultures from the proximal and distal small intestine to hydrolyse phenolphthalein glucuronide and 4-methylumbelliferone glucuronide. 4. Morphine was not liberated from morphine-3-glucuronide in detectable amounts in the proximal and distal small intestine. 5. Species- and substrate-specific differences were identified in the capacity of the caecal microbiota to hydrolyse the glucuronide conjugates studied. 6. The capacity of the rabbit caecal microbiota to hydrolyse all three glucuronides was significantly lower than those of both rat and mouse. 7. Morphine was metabolized to codeine in low, but detectable levels in all three species.
The impact of gun control and gun ownership levels on violence rates

What effects do gun control restrictions and gun prevalence have on rates of violence and crime? Data were gathered for all 170 U.S. cities with a 1980 population of at least 100,000. The cities were coded for the presence of 19 major categories of firearms restriction, including both state- and city-level restrictions. Multiple indirect indicators of gun prevalence levels were measured and models of city violence rates were estimated using two-stage least-squares methods. The models covered all major categories of intentional violence and crime which frequently involve guns: homicide, suicide, fatal gun accidents, robbery, and aggravated assaults, as well as rape. Findings indicate that (1) gun prevalence levels generally have no net positive effect on total violence rates, (2) homicide, gun assault, and rape rates increase gun prevalence, (3) gun control restrictions have no net effect on gun prevalence levels, and (4) most gun control restrictions generally have no net effect on violence rates. There were, however, some possible exceptions to this last conclusion—of 108 assessments of effects of different gun laws on different types of violence, 7 indicated good support, and another 11 partial support, for the hypothesis of gun control efficacy.
Forensic identification of explosive oxidizers by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

The mass spectrometry of a group of inorganic oxidizers was studied using the electrospray ionization technique. It was found that a series of cluster ions were predominant in both positive- and negative-ion mode, allowing for the characterization of the investigated oxidizers. The identity of the recorded cluster ions was further confirmed by using some isotopically labeled compounds and tandem mass spectrometry with collision-induced dissociation. The use of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for positive identification of major oxidizer components in explosive formulations was demonstrated by three samples of forensic interest. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antibiotics for the Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Heart Disease: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background Infections have been suspected in the pathogenesis of ischemic heart disease (IHD) for more than 100 years. Chlamydia pneumoniae has been identified in atherosclerotic specimens, and in some studies antibody titers to C pneumoniae have been related to the risk of myocardial infarction. The numerous clinical trials that have studied the use of antibiotics in the secondary prevention of IHD have had conflicting results. Methods This study is a meta-analysis of the published randomized controlled trials on the secondary prevention of IHD with antibiotics. Studies included in the analysis were limited to those studies that used antibiotics effective against C pneumoniae , enrolled patients with known IHD, and examined clinical outcomes related to IHD. Inclusion in the analysis was limited to well-designed randomized controlled trials that met inclusion criteria established by an expert panel. Results Nine published studies, with a total of 11 015 participants, were identified that met the criteria for this meta-analysis. Four of the studies reported a benefit from antibiotics, whereas 5 found no effect. A funnel plot of the published studies did not suggest the existence of other unpublished data. The combined effect found no benefit from antibiotics in the prevention of cardiovascular events in subjects with known IHD (relative risk, 0.94 [95% confidence interval, 0.86-1.03]) or mortality (relative risk, 0.94 [95% confidence interval, 0.79-1.12]). Conclusion In patients with known IHD, macrolide antibiotics for C pneumoniae did not result in a statistically significant reduction in recurrent cardiac events or mortality over 3 months to 3 years.