cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Are Audit-related Ethical Decisions Dependent upon Mood?

This study explores the impact of mood on individuals’ ethical decision-making processes through the Graham [Graham, J. W.: 1986, Research in Organizational Behavior8, 1–52] model of Principled Organizational Dissent. In particular, the research addresses how an individual’s mood influences his or her willingness to report the unethical actions of a colleague. Participants’ experienced an affectively charged, unrelated event and were then asked to make a decision regarding whistle-blowing intentions in a public accounting context. As expected, negative mood was associated with lower intentions to report the unethical actions of others to a superior within the organization. The Graham model, which proposes that reporting intentions are impacted by the three determinants of seriousness, personal responsibility and cost, was employed to more clearly understand the nature of the affect–reporting intention relationship. The role of affect was explained by demonstrating that two determinants mediate the relationship between mood and whistle-blowing intentions. Specifically, as seriousness and responsibility have a positive impact on reporting intentions, the reduction of these perceptions by negative mood reduces the intent to report. The negative impact of personal cost on reporting intentions was significant, although not as a mediator of mood.
Analysis of Feed, Eggs and Several Poultry Tissues Following Feeding of N-Hydroxynaphthalimide Diethyl Phosphate to Laying Hens,

Abstract IN REVIEWING the literature on Capillaria in poultry, Platt and Schwabe (1958) reported that hens infested with the worms had lower egg production and higher mortality than hens which were not infested. A number of chemicals have been used in an attempt to free birds of Capillaria worms. Rietz (1927) found Kamala, Kamala plus soda, turpentine plus linseed oil, areca and areca plus soda to be of little value, while carbon tetrachloride was effective. On the other hand, Levine (1938) stated that carbon tetrachloride as well as tetrachloroethylene and tobacco dust were ineffective. Frazier (1959) reported in one field trial that hygromycin was effective against Capillaria obsignata (columbae) and Ascaridia galli. In another trial he reported that hygromycin gave partial control of C. obsignata and complete control of Heterakis gallinae. More recently Strout (1965) has stated that N-hydroxynaphthalimide diethyl phosphate had a significant effect on Capillaria worm control in poultry… .
Keep venous thromboembolism at bay.

Learn about prevention, recognition, and treatment strategies to minimize the risk of this all-too-common and potentially fatal disorder.
On the bonding and structure of ethylene-BrCl adducts

Abstract Geometric structures, limited sections of the potential surface and dipole moments of the ethylene-BrCl complex have been computed using the MP2 method and a double zeta+polarization basis set. The theoretical results confirm the experimental observation of a π adduct of neutral monomers. The complex is bound by 0.23 eV with respect to dissociation to ethylene+BrCl and 5.75 eV with respect to dissociation to ethylene-Br + + Cl − . The evolution of the outer, π complex of neutral ethylene and BrCl into the inner, ionic one is rationalized in terms of interactions of the covalent and ionic potential surfaces.
Modelling of carbon and hydrocarbon transport in a plasma boundary layer

Abstract A theory of carbon transport in a plasma boundary layer is important for understanding the impurity penetration, and carbon and hydrogen recycling, in tokamaks using carbon compounds as limiters and as wall coatings. The plasma reactions with carbon and hydrocarbons are important for such modelling. Combining the reaction schemes and kinetics in the DEGAS code makes it possible to treat the carbon neutral transport at the plasma boundary layer. We present preliminary results of such modelling of the atomic carbon and methane distribution at the edge for comparison with recent carbon probe experiments performed on DITE. A numerical experiment was used to estimate the effect of releasing carbon and methane into TFTR; the initial results presented here are qualitatively similar to those for the DITE model.
Compton Suppression Using Pulse-Shape Discrimination and Anticoincidence Techniques

The suppression of the background continuum in solid-state detectors by anticoincidence and/or pulse-shape discrimination aids in the interpretation of spectra and enhances the peak to Compton ratio. Studies were performed with both 137Cs and 59Fe sources. For the 59Fe source, an average reduction of 85% in the continuum resulted using a planar diode 110 mm2 by 2.4 mm deep in an anticoincidence annulus of NaI(Tl). Both the distribution and number of events rejected varies with the amplifier shaping time constants. Results are compared with those obtained by other investigators.
Denver's visibility history

Abstract The National Weather Service's historical visibility record for Denver is found not to apply to downtown Denver, but to the surrounding metropolitan area. The meteorology and topography are largely responsible for the discrepancy between the prevailing visibilities recorded by the National Weather Service and air quality measured within the city. Historically, the visibility for metropolitan Denver declined 10–20% over the 1948–1978 period. The summer quarter consistently experienced the worst visibility and the greatest decline over the period. In the fall and winter quarters when the ‘brown cloud’ occurs most prominently, trends in the 60th and 90th percentile visibility do not show a persistent deterioration.
Bilinear separation of two sets in n -space

The NP-complete problem of determining whether two disjoint point sets in then-dimensional real spaceRn can be separated by two planes is cast as a bilinear program, that is minimizing the scalar product of two linear functions on a polyhedral set. The bilinear program, which has a vertex solution, is processed by an iterative linear programming algorithm that terminates in a finite number of steps a point satisfying a necessary optimality condition or at a global minimum. Encouraging computational experience on a number of test problems is reported.
Concomitant cardiac and pulmonary operation: The role of cardiopulmonary bypass

To assess the safety and efficacy of concomitant pulmonary resection and cardiac operation requiring cardiopulmonary bypass, the records of 19 patients were reviewed. Eighteen patients (94.7%) presented with cardiac symptoms and were found to have pulmonary pathology of indeterminate etiology. Pulmonary resections were performed through a median sternotomy in all but 1 patient, who underwent posterolateral thoracotomy and right middle lobectomy after repositioning because dense adhesions prevented adequate dissection through the initial incision. A total of 24 resections were performed. Sixteen (66.7%) were performed on cardiopulmonary bypass. Six wedge resections (25.0%) were performed before bypass. Two lobectomies (8.3%) were performed after infusion of protamine sulfate. Nine patients (47.4%) had benign pathology, 7 (36.8%) had primary carcinoma, and 3 (15.8%) had metastatic disease. Bleeding complications occurred in 15.8% of patients (3/19). There was 1 perioperative death (5.3%), which was due to adult respiratory distress syndrome after intraoperative hemorrhage followed lobectomy for bullous disease. Another patient required lateral extension of the sternotomy during an episode of exsanguinating intraparenchymal pulmonary hemorrhage, which resulted in lobectomy, as well as costochondral and sternal osteomyelitis. A third patient required exploration for bleeding at the staple line. Postoperative complications occurred in 7 patients (36.8%) and were predominantly respiratory (5/7, 71.4%) (p = 0.006). The median postoperative hospitalization was 15 days. Although comparison of patients who underwent pulmonary resection during bypass with those who had resection either before heparinization or after protamine infusion showed no significant difference with respect to age, incidence of malignancy, operation performed, complications, postoperative hospitalization, or survival, this was probably due to the small number of patients in the study.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
TUP1 disruption in Cryptococcus neoformans uncovers a peptide‐mediated density‐dependent growth phenomenon that mimics quorum sensing

Cryptococcus neoformans is a pathogenic yeast that causes life-threatening meningoencephalitis and grows well on mycological media regardless of inoculum size. Interestingly, a deletion of the global repressor TUP1 in C. neoformans uncovered a density-dependent growth phenotype reminiscent of the quorum-sensing phenomenon. An inoculum size of lower than 10(3) cells of the tup1Delta strain failed to form colonies on agar media while inocula of 10(5)-10(6) cells per plate formed a lawn. This phenotype, expressed as the inability to grow at low cell densities, was rescued by the culture filtrate from a high cell density tup1Delta culture and the active molecule in this culture filtrate was identified to be an oligopeptide composed of 11 amino acids. Activity assays, using a synthetic version of the peptide with strains harbouring a deletion of the corresponding gene, proved that the oligopeptide functioned as an autoregulatory molecule responsible for the density-dependent phenotype. Although a density-dependent growth phenotype has been reported in several species of Ascomycetes, no peptide has been reported to function as an autoregulator in the Kingdom Fungi. The identification of an 11-mer peptide as an autoregulatory molecule in C. neoformans suggests that a diverse mechanism of cell-to-cell communication exists in the Kingdom Fungi.
Home Bias Makes Sense for U.S. Pension Plans

A home bias of investment means international securities are less represented in a portfolio than domestic securities. In an asset-liability framework, pension portfolio weights are chosen not just by an asset9s return and variance, but also by its correlation with the pension liabilities. This results in higher weights on the assets that are highly correlated with pension liabilities. When managers try to maximize the portfolio surplus, allocations to international equities are lower than would be predicted by typical mean-variance models. Thus there is really no home bias in pension plan investment.
Can the mammalian embryo be killed by x-irradiation?

In CF1 mice, 1181 pregnancies and 11,825 implantations were used to determine the dose of x rays that would kill 50% of their embryos studied from the 1st to 17th days of gestation. The extrapolated LD50 values varied from 100 r at fertilization to 800 r on the 18th day. Embryos x irradiated from 0.0 to 9.0 days were found to be relatively more sensitive than those x irradiated during the second half of pregnancy. The greatest radiosensitivity occurred at 0.0, vulnerable. Embryos at 6 days were relatively resistant. The periods of maximum radiosensitivity occurred during syngamy, the morula stage, and neurogenesis. The embryonic period of greatest resistance was at implantation and gastrulation. The implantation number was not appreciably affected by x rays except at 0.5 days when the litter number average dropped from the control level of 9.86 to 7.89 after an exposure of 250 r. This probably indicated high mortality in the very early stages of cleavage, leaving no implantation residue. The data on survival, therefore, relate to implantation numbers so that the extrapolated LD50 for the early (0.5-day) embryo is probably much too high. Irradiated early embryos rarely survive to die as fetuses, but die quickly tomore » leave a resorption mass that persists. Embryos rarely die as fetuses except when x irradiated after day 7.0. Congenital anomalies resulted from exposure at almost every gestation age. The most consistent and frequent result of embryonic or fetal x irradiation was stunting. Except during the period of 10 to 13 days, when there were many accompanying anomalies, there appeared to be little alteration in the topography of the stunted fetuses. It was concluded that no value can be ascribed to theLD50 for the embryo because there is no such static entity. (TCO)« less
A study of the physical stability of wet media-milled fenofibrate suspensions using dynamic equilibrium curves

Abstract Physical stability of wet media-milled fenofibrate (FNB, drug) suspensions containing stabilizers hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) is investigated. Traditionally, optimal stabilizer concentration is determined by assessing the particle size after milling and during storage in a multitude of experiments. Here, in a novel approach, similar physical stability information is generated via stepwise addition of a stabilizer at the end of milling in a single experiment and it is represented by a dynamic equilibrium curve. Such curves were generated for HPMC, SDS, and HPMC–SDS after milling and after 7-day storage. A unique optimal SDS concentration was found irrespective of the HPMC concentration (above a minimum), which was governed by agglomeration at low SDS concentration and by Ostwald ripening at high SDS concentration. Additional milling experiments with initial stabilizer addition instead of stepwise addition validated the new method, i.e. dynamic equilibrium curves via stepwise addition , which also revealed guiding principles for a stable FNB suspension. Unlike initial addition of SDS in multiple experiments, stepwise addition at the end of milling yielded the dynamic equilibrium curve in a single experiment for the 0.5–5% SDS concentration (wrt FNB), which resulted in 75% time saving and 83% drug saving.
ITRI: Bridging Innovative Biomedical Engineering R&D to Bioeconomy

This article shortly explains about bridging innovative biomedical engineering R&D to bioeconomy in Taiwan.
Evaluating the semantic categories hypothesis: The case of the count/mass distinction

Abstract It is often claimed that grammatical categories are initially acquired via their semantic properties. In the case of the count/mass distinction, semantic correlations should predispose the child to acquire the count/mass subcategories as a distinction between names for objects vs. substances. This proposal is tested in three experiments. The first two experiments with 3- to 5-year-olds employ a word-learning paradigm in which semantic and syntactic cues are either in conflict, in accord or in isolation. Results demonstrate that syntactic cues are clearly the most effective and predominate over semantic cues as a basis for subcategorization. The third experiment with 2- to 5-year-olds demonstrates that children do not miscategorize nouns whose semantic properties are either inappropriate or indeterminate. Thus, for example, they do not tend to miscategorize a term such as “furniture” which is a mass noun yet denotes a class of objects. These results suggest that the count/mass distinction is not acquired via an object/substance distinction although semantic properties of quantification are probably important for the acquisition process.
Magneto-optical properties of cerium substituted yttrium iron garnet films with reduced thermal budget for monolithic photonic integrated circuits

Thin films of polycrystalline cerium substituted yttrium iron garnet (CeYIG) were grown on an yttrium iron garnet (YIG) seed layer on Si and Si-on-insulator substrates by pulsed laser deposition, and their optical and magneto-optical properties in the near-IR region were measured. A YIG seed layer of ~30 nm thick processed by rapid thermal anneal at 800°C provided a virtual substrate to promote crystallization of the CeYIG. The effect of the thermal budget of the YIG/CeYIG growth process on the film structure, magnetic and magnetooptical properties was determined.
Oxidation of single-walled carbon nanotubes in dilute aqueous solutions by ozone as affected by ultrasound

Abstract A clean and simple wet chemical process using dilute aqueous ozone (O3) solution with or without ultrasound (US) was used to functionalize single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Both O3 and O3/US treatments greatly increased the stability of SWCNTs in water. Results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the surface oxygen to carbon atomic ratio increased by more than 600% after 72 h of O3 treatment. Moreover, the effective particle size of SWCNTs was reduced from the initial 4400 to ∼300 and ∼150 nm, after 24 h of O3 and O3/US treatment, respectively. The zeta potential of treated SWCNTs decreased from 3.0 to −35.0 mV (at pH 4) after 2 h of treatment with both O3 and O3/US. Based on the XPS results, the oxidation pathway was proposed: at the onset of the oxidation reaction, the C C double bond was first converted to C OH which was then oxidized to C O and O C OH concurrently. Oxidation reactions could be described well with first order expressions. Treatment time controlled the extent of surface oxidation and subsequently the stability and dispersion of SWCNTs in water.
Hydrologic impacts of future climate change on Southeast US watersheds

The hydrological impact of climate change is assessed for 28 watersheds located within the Southeast United States using output from global climate models (GCMs) from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) and phase 5 (CMIP5) run. Subsequently, the impact of projected change in seasonal streamflow is derived by propagating projected scenarios, generated using changes derived from GCMs and weather generators, through a suite of conceptual hydrological models. Analysis shows that the spread in the magnitude of change in temperature and rainfall for CMIP3 is wider than that for CMIP5. The reduction in the spread among many factors may be attributed to improved physics, model number and resolution, and emission scenarios. The spread in projected change in temperature (precipitation) increases (decreases) from southernmost to northernmost latitude. Hydrological projection with CMIP3 output for the 2070s shows that streamflow decreases for most of the watersheds in spring and summer and increased in fall. In contrast, CMIP5 results show an increase in flow for all seasons except with the high-end scenarios in spring. However, the uncertainty in projections in streamflow is high with model uncertainty dominating emission scenario. The variability in prediction uncertainty among watersheds is partly explained by the variability in wetness index. The probability distribution function for projected seasonal flow for each scenario is markedly wide and therefore reflects that the uncertainty associated with using multiple GCMs from both CMIP3 and CMIP5 experiment is high which makes design and implementation of adaption measure a difficult task.
Visibility model for minimum resolvable temperature difference prediction

We present a new model for predicting the minimum resolvable temperature difference (MRTD) curve of thermal imaging systems. The analysis for the new model concentrates on contrast reduction due to spatial frequency limiting factors of subsystem components. Curves have been generated for this model for a system with typical component values. These results are compared with curves generated from the NVL's static performance model. The proposed visibility model leads to a relatively simpler development for a MRTD predictor which can readily account for artifacts due to a nonzero system phase transfer function. In addition the visibility model makes no assumptions regarding the recognition process and therefore is adaptable to the goal of modeling an objective MRTD measurement. The visibility model agrees with the static performance model except at very low and very high spatial frequencies where the proposed model appears to be in better agreement with observed trends in measured MRTDs.
Workplane illuminance prediction method for daylighting control systems

A new prediction method with an interior light sensor for the workplane illuminance in daylighting control systems is introduced. Based on radiosity theory, the spatial distributions of daylight and electric light in the space are discussed and the prediction method is developed. An experimental verification of the technique is performed in an outdoor test-room for a double-glazed window system with a motorized venetian blind integrated between the two glazings. Electric light and daylight predictions were performed in accordance with the proposed method. The results showed that the electric light workplane illuminance can be predicted with high accuracy (±5 lux error with a linear correlation) and that the daylight workplane illuminance can be predicted within ±20 lux (with a linear correlation) for any sky conditions (overcast, clear sky, or variable) with the window system controlled to prevent direct daylight transmission. This method is useful for integrated control of motorized daylighting devices and dimmable electric lights.
Selective Halodemethylation Reactions of Metallocene Dimethyls with Triphenylmethyl Chloride and Benzyl Bromide

NMR-scale reactions of several group 4 metallocene dimethyls with either trityl chloride or benzyl bromide gave the corresponding L2M(Me)X complexes selectively. Five reactions, including syntheses...
Use of transcriptional signatures induced in lymphoid and myeloid cell lines as an inflammatory biomarker in Type 1 diabetes.

Inflammation is common to many disorders and responsible for tissue and organ damage. In many disorders, the associated peripheral cytokine milieu is dilute and difficult to measure, necessitating ...
Shock Loading and Release Behavior of X-Cut Quartz

Results of release-adiabat measurements are reported for shock-loaded x-cut quartz over the stress range of 15 GPa to 110 GPa. Release paths determined from a shock stress of 15 GPa indicate a return to the original density, while measurements of release adiabats from shock stresses over 50 GPa, suggest release to be occurring primarily from and in the high density phase. Significant hysteretic effects are observed upon release and a retransformation to a low density phase is observed at lower stresses. Measurements of wave speeds in shocked quartz at stresses over 50 GPa indicate a decrease in wave speeds over the stress regime 71 to 108 GPa.
Remote Sounding of Atmospheres

One of the first applications proposed for earth-orbiting satellites was the observation of the atmosphere. A glance at any television weather report shows how far things have come. Pictures taken from geostationary orbit show cloud distributions over a large part of the globe, and credible forecasts utilizing satellite temperature soundings extend several days into the future. These data have had a profound influence on research as well. A recent article (“Breaking planetary waves in the stratosphere,” by M. E. Mclntyre and T. N. Palmer, Nature, vol. 303, pp. 593–600, 1983.) stated that “Satellite-borne IR radiometers are turning the Earth's stratosphere into one of the best available outdoor laboratories for observing the large scale dynamics of a rotating heterogeneous fluid under gravity.” Remote sounding data have revolutionized our understanding of the atmospheres of this and other planets.
Identification of small world topologies in neural functional connections quantified by phase synchrony measures

The brain is a complex biological system with dynamic interactions between its sub-systems. One particular challenge in the study of this complex system is the identification of dynamic functional networks underlying observed neural activity. Current imaging approaches index local neural activity very well, but there is an increasing need for methods that quantify the interaction between regional activations. In this paper, we focus on inferring the functional connectivity of the brain based on electroencephalography (EEG) data. The interactions between the different neuronal populations are quantified through a recently proposed dynamic measure of phase synchrony. Small world measures, which include clustering coefficient, path length, global efficiency, and local efficiency, are computed on graphs obtained through the phase synchrony measure to study the underlying functional networks. The proposed measures are applied to an EEG study containing the error-related negativity (ERN), a brain potential response that indexes endogenous action monitoring, to determine the organization of the brain during a decision making task and determine the differences between Error and Correct responses.
A novel and low-cost multi-stage approach for the fabrication of silicon nano-structures

Abstract A new multi-stage technique for the fabrication of arrays of silicon nano-structures is introduced; the growth mechanism of the developed nano-structures is investigated. In this technique, surface of silicon wafers were textured using anisotropic etching method to generate pyramid structures. The textured surfaces were then etched by electrochemical anodic etching. During anodic electrochemical etching in HF solution, the etching initiated at the edge of the pyramids and progressed inward through the faces. The four 1 1 1 faces of the pyramids etched forming a pore at each face. To develop the nano-structures, at the final fabrication stage, the interconnected walls have been etched using NaOH. Results show that the tip of pyramids corresponds to the tip of nano-structures. A good correlation between the number of pyramids per unit surface area and that of the nano-structures was observed. It was also observed that the nano-structure formed only for high pyramid surface coverage. The effect of anodic electrochemical parameters such as current density and etching time on the fabrication of the silicon nano-structure was investigated. Longer electrochemical etching resulted in thinner interconnect walls, needing shorter NaOH etching time to form and reveal the nano-structure array.
Relative effectiveness of worker safety and health training methods.

Objectives. We sought to determine the relative effectiveness of different methods of worker safety and health training aimed at improving safety knowledge and performance and reducing negative outcomes (accidents, illnesses, and injuries).Methods. Ninety-five quasi-experimental studies (n=20991) were included in the analysis. Three types of intervention methods were distinguished on the basis of learners’ participation in the training process: least engaging (lecture, pamphlets, videos), moderately engaging (programmed instruction, feedback interventions), and most engaging (training in behavioral modeling, hands-on training).Results. As training methods became more engaging (i.e., requiring trainees’ active participation), workers demonstrated greater knowledge acquisition, and reductions were seen in accidents, illnesses, and injuries. All methods of training produced meaningful behavioral performance improvements.Conclusions. Training involving behavioral modeling, a substantial amount of practice, an...
Periodic Functions and Periodic Distributions

Suppose u is a complex-valued function defined on the real line ℝ. The function u is said to be periodic with period a ≠ 0 if $$ u\left( {x + a} \right) = u\left( x \right) $$ for each x ∊ ℝ.
The Formulation of the Declaration of Rights

After a period of comparative neglect, historians are re-examining the English Revolution of 1688 with revived interest and revised interpretation. In the past few decades numerous works have carefully re-investigated and often reinterpreted the roles played by such disparate groups as the Whigs, die nobility, the common people, and die urban mob, as well as by such leading individuals as die Earl of Sunderland, James II, and William of Orange. They have broadened our perspective of the Revolution by placing it in die wider context of European affairs and have persuasively demonstrated that die replacement of James II by William and Mary was justified most frequently and effectively not by John Locke's Two Treatises of Government, which was indeed composed prior to 1688, but by mat old relic from James I's reign, divine right of kings.
Substrate-induced down-regulation of human type 2 deiodinase (hD2) is mediated through proteasomal degradation and requires interaction with the enzyme's active center.

Type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) catalyzes the first step in thyroid hormone action, the deiodination of T4 to T3 . Endogenous D2 activity is posttranslationally regulated by substrate that accelerates its degradation through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. To understand how D2 activity correlates with D2 protein during its normal decay and rT3-induced down-regulation, HEK-293 cells, transiently expressing human D2, were labeled with Na75SeO3 and then treated with 100μ m cycloheximide (CX), 30 nm rT3, and/or 10 μm MG132, a specific proteasome inhibitor, for 2–4 h. D2 protein and enzyme activity changed in parallel, disappearing with a half-life of 2 h in the presence of CX, or 1 h when CX + rT3 were combined. Treatment with MG132 blocked these effects. We created selenocysteine (Sec) 133 to cysteine (Cys) or alanine (Ala) D2 mutants, without changing Sec 266. The CysD2 activity and protein levels were also parallel, with a similar half-life of approximately 2 h, whereas the rT3-induced D2 down-regul...
The Impact of Urethral Risk Factors on Transcorporeal Artificial Urinary Sphincter Erosion Rates and Device Survival

Purpose: We report the impact of urethral risk factors on erosion rates and device survival outcomes after transcorporeal artificial urinary sphincter placement.Materials and Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all transcorporeal artificial urinary sphincters placed at a single institution between January 2000 and May 2014. We assessed patient demographic, comorbid diseases and surgical characteristics for risk factors considered poor for device survival. Risk factors were compared to postoperative complications requiring explantation, including cuff erosion, infection and device revision.Results: A total of 37 transcorporeal artificial urinary sphincters were placed in 35 men. Placement was performed as a primary procedure in 21 of 37 cases (56.8%) and as salvage in the remainder. In this transcorporeal population there were 7 explantations (18.9%) due to erosion in 4 cases, cuff downsizing in 2 and infection in 1. Median followup from implantation to last followup was 8.5 months (range 0.9...
A new energy transfer chemical laser at 1.315 μm

Abstract CW laser action has been demonstrated on the electronic I ∗ ( 2 P 1/2 ) → I( 2 P 3/2 ) transition of atomic iodine at 1.315 μm from the NCl (a 1 Δ )+I( 2 P 3/2 ) energy transfer reaction. The stimulated emission was generated in a transverse subsonic flow device when hydrogen azide, HN 3 , was injected into a flow of iodine and chlorine atoms. The measured laser output power was 180 mW.
Popliteal-to-Distal Bypass: Identifying Risk Factors Associated with Limb Loss and Graft Failure

Modern therapy, including endoluminal procedures and improved medical management, still yield less than desired results for tibial vessel occlusive disease. Despite the recent focus on these newer ...
Poloxamer 407 as a general lipase inhibitor: its implications in lipid metabolism and atheroma formation in C57BL/6 mice

Objectives The aims of this investigation were to determine if the activity of endothelial lipase was inhibited in vitro by the polymeric surfactant, poloxamer 407 (P-407), and to review the action of P-407 on the biological activity of several other critical lipases involved in lipid metabolism. The overall goal was to suggest a possible explanation for the observed dyslipidaemia and formation of aortic atherosclerotic lesions when present and previous findings, along with key findings proposed by others, were combined and reviewed in the context of the P-407-induced mouse model of atherogenesis. Key findings Endothelial lipase was expressed using a recombinant adenovirus; subconfluent COS cells were exposed to recombinant adenoviruses and triglyceride lipase activity was determined using standard assay methods. It was demonstrated that P-407 inactivates endothelial lipase in vitro. Endothelial lipase was inhibited in vitro by P-407, with an IC50 of approximately 11.3 µm. It is suggested that one possible explanation for the eventual formation of aortic atherosclerotic lesions in the P-407-induced mouse model of atherogenesis may be related to the capacity of P-407 to inhibit the activity of several critical lipases involved in lipid metabolism. Conclusions The following physiological and biochemical processes are all observed in the P-407-induced mouse model of dyslipidaemia and atherosclerosis: inactivation of endo-thelial lipase (both in vitro and in vivo), hepatic lipase and lipoprotein lipase by P-407; reduced plasma levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; no activation of either human or mouse peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ) in vitro or in vivo; increased plasma concentrations of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and soluble E-selectin; and aortic atherosclerotic lesion formation following 12–16 weeks of P-407 administration (0.5 g/kg administered every 3 days by intraperitoneal injection). This biochemical-based pathway, or series of events, may contribute, in part, to the dyslipidaemia and eventual formation of aortic atherosclerotic lesions observed in the P-407-induced mouse model of atherogenesis.
A Comparison of the Neuropsychological Profiles of the DSM-IV Subtypes of ADHD

Recent research on the DSM-IV subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has demonstrated that the subtypes differ in demographic characteristics, types of functional impairment, and profiles of comorbidity with other childhood disorders. However, little research has tested whether the subtypes differ in underlying neuropsychological deficits. This study compared the neuropsychological profiles of children without ADHD (n = 82) and children who met symptom criteria for DSM-IV Predominantly Inattentive subtype (ADHD-IA; n = 67), Predominantly Hyperactive Impulsive subtype (ADHD-HI; n = 14), and Combined subtype (ADHD-C; n = 33) in the areas of processing speed, vigilance, and inhibition. We hypothesized that children with elevations of inattention symptoms (ADHD-IA and ADHD-C) would be impaired on measures of vigilance and processing speed, whereas children with significant hyperactivity/impulsivity (ADHD-HI and ADHD-C) would be impaired on measures of inhibition. Contrary to prediction, symptoms of inattention best predicted performance on all dependent measures, and ADHD-IA and ADHD-C children had similar profiles of impairment. In contrast, children with ADHD-HI were not significantly impaired on any dependent measures once subclinical symptoms of inattention were controlled. Our results do not support distinct neuropsychological deficits in ADHD-IA and ADHD-C children, and suggest that symptoms of inattention, rather than symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity, are associated with neuropsychological impairment.
AN ALGORITHM FOR DETERMINING USE OF TRAUMA-FOCUSED COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY

The shift toward dissemination of evidence-based practices has led to many questions about who is appropriate for a particular treatment model, particularly with complex clients, in diverse community settings, and when multiple evidence-based models have overlapping target populations. Few research-based tools exist to facilitate these clinical decisions. The research on trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), an evidence-based treatment for children suffering from posttraumatic stress reactions, is reviewed to inform development of an algorithm to assist clinicians in determining whether a particular client is appropriate for TF-CBT. Recommendations are made for future research that will facilitate matching TF-CBT and other evidence-based practices to particular child clients.
Efficient Complex Query Support for Multiversion XML Documents

Managing multiple versions of XML documents represents a critical requirement for many applications. Also, there has been much recent interest in supporting complex queries on XML data (e.g., regular path expressions, structural projections, DIFF queries). In this paper, we examine the problem of supporting efficiently complex queries on multiversioned XML documents. Our approach relies on a scheme based on durable node numbers (DNNs) that preserve the order among the XML tree nodes and are invariant with respect to updates. Using the document's DNNs various complex queries are reduced to combinations of partial version retrieval queries. We examine three indexing schemes to efficiently evaluate partial version retrieval queries in this environment. A thorough performance analysis is then presented to reveal the advantages of each scheme.
Ubiquity of Infectious Bursal Disease in East Texas Backyard Flocks

Abstract Sera from 25 “backyard” flocks were screened by agar-gel precipitin (AGP) and virus-neutralization (VN) tests for antibodies to infectious bursal disease virus. Although titers varied from flock to flock, 100% of the birds screened had virus-neutralizing antibodies. In general, birds with high VN titers had positive AGP reaction.
Disk scheduling policies with lookahead

Advances in magnetic recording technology have resulted in a rapid increase in disk capacities, but improvements in the mechanical characteristics of disks have been quite modest. For example the access time to random disk blocks has decreased by a mere factor of two, while disk capacities have increased by several orders of magnitude. High performance OLTP applications subject disks to a very demanding workload, since they require high access rates to randomly distributed disk blocks and gain limited benef£t from caching and prefetching. We address this problem by re-evaluating the performance of some well known disk scheduling methods, before proposing and evaluating extensions to them. A variation to CSCAN takes into account rotational latency, so that the service time of further requests is reduced. A variation to SATF considers the sum of service times of several successive requests in scheduling the next request, so that the arm is moved to a (temporal) neighborhood with many requests. The service time of further requests is discounted, since their immediate processing is not guaranteed. A variation to the SATF policy prioritizes reads with respect to writes and processes winner write requests conditionally, i.e., when the ratio of their service time to that of the winner read request is smaller than a certain threshold. We review previous work to put our work into the proper perspective and discuss plans for future work.
Bisphosphonate inhibition of the exopolyphosphatase activity of the Trypanosoma brucei soluble vacuolar pyrophosphatase.

Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis, contains a soluble, vacuolar pyrophosphatase, TbVSP1, not present in humans, which is essential for the growth of bloodstream forms in their mammalian host. Here, we report the inhibition of a recombinant TbVSP1 expressed in Escherichia coli by a panel of 81 bisphosphonates. The IC50 values were found to vary from ∼2 to 850 μM. We then used 3D QSAR (comparative molecular field and comparative molecular similarity index; CoMFA and CoMSIA) methods to analyze the enzyme inhibition results. The R2 values for the experimental versus the QSAR-predicted activities were 0.78 or 0.61 for CoMFA and 0.79 or 0.68 for CoMSIA, for two different alignments. The root-mean-square (rms) pIC50 error for the best CoMFA model was 0.41 for five test sets of five activity predictions, which translates to a factor of ∼2.6 error in IC50 prediction. For CoMSIA, the rms pIC50 error and error factors were 0.35 and 2.2, respectively. In general, the most active compo...
Effect of Second-Phase Duration on the Strength-Duration Relation for Human Transvenous Defibrillation

Background—The mechanism by which biphasic waveforms improve defibrillation efficacy is unclear. In addition, the optimal shape of the biphasic waveforms remains controversial. Animal experiments suggest that prolonging the duration of the second phase longer than the first worsens defibrillation thresholds (DFT). The purpose of this study was to determine the strength-duration relation for the second phase of a biphasic defibrillation waveform in humans. Methods and Results—This was a prospective, randomized study of biphasic DFT in 36 patients; a uniform dual-coil transvenous lead system was used. In each patient, 3 DFTs were determined with the pulse duration for the second phase of the defibrillation waveform varying between 1 and 18 ms. The duration of the first phase was fixed at 6 ms and the capacitance was 150 μF. There was a significant increase in the leading edge voltage at DFT only when the second-phase pulse duration was decreased to 1 ms. There was no increase in DFT voltage even when the se...
Poisson models and mean-squared error for correlator estimator of time delay

A method for modeling large errors in correlation-based time-delay estimation is developed in terms of level-crossing probabilities. The level-crossing interpretation for peak ambiguity leads directly to an exact expression for the probability of large error involving the hazard function associated with the level-crossing process. Two models for the distribution of the error over the level-crossing time yield approximations to the mean-square error (MSE) that involve the low-order ( >
Partial characterization of a new myelin protein component.

A new protein component has been demonstrated in myelin isolated from rat whole brain and from white matter dissected from bovine, dog and rabbit brain. It is also present in rabbit optic nerve. It does not appear to be present in other subcellular fractions of rat brain. It has a molecular weight of 20,540 ± 490(S.D.), as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate. A rapid procedure for the isolation of myelin is also described.
Surface roughness characterizations of sea ice and ice sheets: case studies with MISR data

This work is an examination of potential uses of multiangular remote sensing imagery for mapping and characterizing sea ice and ice sheet surfaces based on surface roughness properties. We use data from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) to demonstrate that ice sheet and sea ice surfaces have characteristic angular signatures and that these angular signatures may be used in much the same way as spectral signatures are used in multispectral classification. Three case studies are examined: sea ice in the Beaufort Sea off the north coast of Alaska, the Jakobshavn Glacier on the western edge of the Greenland ice sheet, and a region in Antarctica south of McMurdo station containing glaciers and blue-ice areas. The MISR sea ice image appears to delineate different first-year ice types and, to some extent, the transition from first-year to multiyear ice. The MISR image shows good agreement with sea ice types that are evident in concurrent synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery and ice analysis charts from the National Ice Center. Over the Jakobshavn Glacier, surface roughness data from airborne laser altimeter transects correlate well with MISR-derived estimates of surface roughness. In Antarctica, ablation-related blue-ice areas, which are difficult to distinguish from bare ice exposed by crevasses, are easily detected using multiangular data.
Role of circulation in maintaining Na+ and K+ concentration in pelvic patch in Rana catesbeiana.

Skin samples from the pelvic, pectoral, and back areas of frogs were taken from control (C) animals and from dehydrated animals under three conditions: dehydrated and not exposed to a bathing medium (D), dehydrated live and ventral surface exposed to a bathing medium (DL), and dehydrated with heart stopped and ventral surface exposed to a bathing medium (DHS). The skin concentration of Na+ and K+ of the pelvic patch in the absence of circulation was significantly reduced [DHS 286 +/- 22 microM/mg dry wt (n = 6)] compared with control [C 392 +/- 21 microM/mg dry wt (n = 8)]. However, the pelvic skin concentration was maintained in a frog with an intact circulation [DL 381 +/- 26 microM/mg dry wt (n = 7)] even in the presence of a high pelvic water flow [684 +/- 105 cm3.cm-2.s-1.10(-7) (n = 13)]. The water uptake in the pectoral region [231 +/- 54 cm3.cm-2.s-1.10(-7) (n = 13)] was not high enough to predict a dilution, and none was found. The concentrations were 354 +/- 21 (n = 8), 359 +/- 22 (n = 7), 353 +/- 26 (n = 7), and 373 +/- 45 microM/mg dry wt (n = 6) for C, D, DL, and DHS, respectively. Examination of the Na+ and K+ concentrations separately in the pelvic skin shows that the lower salt content in DHS frogs is mainly due to a loss of Na+.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Investigation of the effects of fuel composition on heavy-duty diesel engine emissions

Models for transient composite emissions were obtained using multiple linear regression techniques, and changes to regulated emissions for selected changes in fuel properties were estimated from the models. Decreasing fuel aromatic content, sulfur, and volatility (increasing 90 percent boiling point temperature) were generally associated with reductions to regulated emissions
Senescence of canine biotinylated erythrocytes: increased autologous immunoglobulin binding occurs on erythrocytes aged in vivo for 104 to 110 days

We have evaluated senescence related changes in canine red blood cells (RBCs) using the biotinylation system, where RBCs are labeled in vivo with biotin at the beginning of their life span, and retrieved from circulation on immobilized avidin at the end of their life span. This approach avoids the controversial use of density gradient centrifugation to collect presumably old RBCs. Furthermore, the dog is an appropriate model for human RBC senescence because it has a low degree of random RBC loss and a similarly long RBC life span (approximately 110 days). Two dogs had 97% to 100% of their circulating RBCs biotinylated by infusion of N-hydroxysuccinimido biotin (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA; Calbiochem, La Jolla, CA) dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide. At postbiotinylation days 104 and 107 for one dog and day 110 for the other dog, biotinylated RBCs were isolated by magnetic cell sorting and analyzed for the presence of autologous IgG using 125I- labeled sheep-antidog IgG (SAD IgG). On all 3 days, there were at least three times more SAD IgG molecules per RBC on senescent biotinylated RBCs than on control (unfractionated) RBCs (day 104: 11,677 v 3,399; day 107: 6,710 v 2,115; day 110: 6,042 v 1,838 molecules of SAD IgG per senescent v control RBC). Furthermore, it is unlikely that an immune response to the conjugated biotin had been elicited, because fresh in vitro biotinylated RBCs that were incubated in autologous plasma (taken after exposure to circulating biotinylated RBCs for 113 days) and then exposed to the SAD IgG showed no increase in antibody binding over control (non-biotinylated) RBCs (1,431 v 1,378 cpm/10(8) biotinylated v control RBCs; P > .20). These results suggest that senescence of canine biotinylated RBCs is characterized by binding of autologous IgG and that antibiotin antibodies do not contribute to this process.
From Episodic Memory to Narrative in a Cognitive Architecture

Human experiences are stored in episodic memory and are the basis for developing semantic narrative structures and many of the narratives we continually compose. Episodic memory has only recently been recognized as a necessary module in general cognitive architectures and little work has been done to examine how the data stored by these modules may be formulated as narrative structures. This paper regards episodic memory as fundamental to narrative intelligence and considers the gap between simple episodic memory representations and narrative structures, and proposes an approach to generating basic narratives from episodic sequences. An approach is outlined considering the Soar general cognitive architecture and Zacks’ Event Segmentation Theory.