cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Event-related perturbations in an electrophysiological measure of auditory sensitivity: effects of probability, intensity and repeated sessions

It is often held that novel or salient stimuli are followed by a brief period of orienting or alerting during which sensory processes are facilitated. Evidence for such a period of facilitation was sought in a paradigm in which evoked responses to weak auditory probe stimuli were examined when given in the presence of salient foreground stimuli, which were varied in probability and intensity, and which were given in two replicate sessions. The background probe stimuli consisted of a continuous train of auditory pip stimuli delivered at a rate of 40 pips per second. Under such conditions of repetitive stimulation a steady-state rhythm (SSR), which is believed to reflect summated early and middle latency evoked responses, is established in the EEG at a corresponding frequency of 40 Hz. The 40 Hz SSR was extracted using a digital averaging and filtering technique and examined continuously for changes in amplitude and latency. The rhythm showed a brief episode during which the latencies of response were decreased. The reduction in latency was greatest at 186 ms after the foreground stimulus, at which time the latencies of individual peaks in the rhythm were reduced by about 3.5 ms. The magnitude of the latency reduction response was larger for intense and for rare stimuli, and showed long-term decrement during the second session. Event-related potential and heart rate responses to the foreground stimulus were also affected by probability, intensity and session, but not in the same pattern. It was hypothesized that the latency shift in the 40 Hz SSR reflects a brief period of sensitization during alerting or orienting responses.
Noradrenergic action in the developing rat cerebellum: Interaction between norepinephrine and synaptically-evoked responses of immature Purkinje cells

Abstract This study was designed to characterize the influence of norepinephrine (NE), a putative cerebellar neurotransmitter, on immature synaptic activity during early postnatal periods of the developing cerebellar cortex. Norepinephrine was applied by microiontophoresis to single, young Purkinje cells to assess its effects on spontaneous and synaptically-mediated activities. Data from these studies indicate that the catecholamine exerts a profound modulatory-type influence on Purkinje cell responsiveness to activation of newly-established inputs. NE augmented climbing fiber-elicited excitatory burst responses by postnatal day 5 and enhanced ‘off-beam’ inhibitory activity by postnatal day 9, as soon as basket and stellate interneurons became functional. The functional implications of this noradrenergic facilitating effect, which is present throughout the maturation of the cerebellar cortical network, are discussed in terms of its possible contribution to the wiring of a definitive neuronal circuit.
Applying information technology to the problem of acute myocardial infarction access to care, diagnosis, and evaluation: report of a symposium.

Abstract [Smith MS. Applying information technology to the problem of acute myocardial infarction access to care, diagnosis, and evaluation: Report of a symposium. Ann Emerg Med. September 2001;38:286-292.]
Monte Carlo simulation of the radiant field produced by a multiple-lamp quartz heating system

A method is developed for predicting the radiant heat flux distribution produced by a reflected bank of tungsten-filament tubular-quartz radiant heaters. The method is correlated with experimental results from two cases, one consisting of a single lamp and a flat reflector and the other consisting of a single lamp and a parabolic reflector. The simulation methodology, computer implementation, and experimental procedures are discussed. Analytical refinements necessary for comparison with experiment are discussed and applied to a multilamp, common reflector heating system.
Take a walk and cluster genes: a TSP-based approach to optimal rearrangement clustering

Cluster analysis is a fundamental problem and technique in many areas related to machine learning. In this paper, we consider rearrangement clustering, which is the problem of finding sets of objects that share common or similar features by arranging the rows (objects) of a matrix (specifying object features) in such a way that adjacent objects are similar to each other (based on a similarity measure of the features) so as to maximize the overall similarity. Based on formulating this problem as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), we develop a new TSP-based optimal clustering algorithm called TSPCluster. We overcome a flaw that is inherent in previous approaches by relaxing restrictions on dissimilarities between clusters. Our new algorithm has three important features: finding the optimal k clusters for a given k, automatically detecting cluster borders, and ascertaining a set of most viable clustering results that make good balances among maximizing the overall similarity within clusters and dissimilarity between clusters. We apply TSPCluster to cluster and display ~500 genes of flowering plant Arabidopsis which are regulated under various abiotic stress conditions. We compare TSPCluster to the bond energy algorithm and two existing clustering algorithms. Our TSPCluster code is available at (Climer & Zhang, 2004).
Some thermal consequences of environmental manipulations of water

Abstract Environmental manipulations can alter thermal regimes, upset the delicate adaptations of natural populations, and have adverse effects on the native biota. The resulting problems can be exacerbated by reducing 24-hourly oscillations, increasing potentiality for thermal shock, and causing reproduction to occur at adverse temperatures.
Modified Poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic Acid) Nanoparticles for Enhanced Cellular Uptake and Gene Editing in the Lung

Surface-modified poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/poly(β-aminoester)(PBAE)nanoparticles (NPs) have shown great promise in gene delivery. In this work, the pulmonary cellular uptake of these NPs is evaluated and surface-modified PLGA/PBAE NPs are shown to achieve higher cellular association and gene editing than traditional NPs composed of PLGA or PLGA/PBAE blends alone.
Neurotrophins: Potential Therapeutic Tools for the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury permanently disrupts neuroanatomical circuitry and can result in severe functional deficits. These functional deficits, however, are not immutable and spontaneous recovery occurs in some patients. It is highly likely that this recovery is dependent upon spared tissue and the endogenous plasticity of the central nervous system. Neurotrophic factors are mediators of neuronal plasticity throughout development and into adulthood, affecting proliferation of neuronal precursors, neuronal survival, axonal growth, dendritic arborization and synapse formation. Neurotrophic factors are therefore excellent candidates for enhancing axonal plasticity and regeneration after spinal cord injury. Understanding growth factor effects on axonal growth and utilizing them to alter the intrinsic limitations on regenerative growth will provide potent tools for the development of translational therapeutic interventions for spinal cord injury.
Evidence for a ‘coherence’ gap in Ce3Bi4Pt3

Abstract We present the results of electronic transport, magnetic susceptibility, and thermodynamic measurements on single crystals of the cubic compound Ce3Bi4Pt3. The susceptibility displays a broak peak centered at Tmax = 80K, which in Ce compounds is usually indicative of mixed valence and moderately heavy-electron behavior. Both the electronic transport properties and the low-temperature specific heat indicate that Ce3Bi4Pt4 is nonmetallic with a transport energy gap of roughly 35 K. We argue that this temperature is close to that scale over which coherence should develop in a periodic metallic system with Tmax = 80K. Resistivities typical of a Kondo-impurity system are realized when the compound is alloyed with moderate amounts of lanthanum. Further, lanthanum substitution increases the low-temperature specific heat to a value consistent with the single-ion energy scale determined from the magnetic susceptibility.
ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE OF THE RELATION BETWEEN SUBACUTE INCLUSION-BODY ENCEPHALITIS AND MEASLES VIRUS

Abstract The inclusion bodies of subacute inclusion-body encephalitis have been found to contain tubular structures similar in size and morphology to the nucleocapsids of the group-II myxoviruses (meastles, distemper group). Rising measles and elevated distemper virus antibody levels were found in the sera of two patients. Immunofluorescent techniques demonstrated measles-virus antigen within intranuclear and cytoplasmic foci resembling the intracerebral inclusions. No fluorescent staining couls be demonstrated with conjugated antibody to distemper virus. It is suggested that this disease is related to a chronic or latent measles-virus infection
Six-year survival after coronary thrombolysis and early revascularization for acute myocardial infarction

Six-year follow-up was conducted in a consecutive series of 192 patients receiving thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with ST-segment elevation. Cardiac catheterization was performed within a day, and patients with an open infarct artery routinely had early revascularization: 99 (67%) underwent coronary bypass surgery and 18 (12%) coronary angioplasty. With this treatment strategy, 6-year cardiac mortality was 14.5%, 6% (12 patients) in hospital and 9% (16 patients) for survivors of hospitalization. Multivariate analysis showed that predictors of cardiac death among survivors of hospitalization were a closed infarct artery at catheterization (p less than 0.01), diabetes (p less than 0.01) and anterior myocardial infarction (p = 0.01). A subset of 146 patients underwent radionuclide angiography before hospital discharge; for them, predictors of mortality were a closed infarct artery at catheterization (p less than 0.01), anterior wall AMI (p = 0.02), and Killip class III to IV on admission (p less than 0.06). Left ventricular ejection fraction was not a significant predictor of mortality for this subset of patients.
Microbiological Analysis of Poultry Anaphage

Abstract Nineteen poultry anaphage (dehydrated cage layer excreta) samples were collected from various locations within the United States, and different models of dehydration machines. These samples were analyzed microbiologically for their microbial population and classifications. The results showed that the average microbial population was 466,900 per gram of poultry anaphage. The most frequent isolates were Bacillus and Streptococcus. Two of the nineteen samples showed no microbial population (one was processed by microwave dryer and the other was dehydrated by a dryer equipped with a sterilization unit).
SiC Avalanche Photodiodes and Photomultipliers for Ultraviolet and Solar‐Blind Light Detection

Silicon carbide (SiC) is known for its large bandgap and suitability to make direct conversion ultraviolet photo-detectors. These devices show appreciable quantum efficiencies in the 240–350 nm wavelength range in combination with low dark currents. This paper presents recent study results of 4H-SiC avalanche photodiodes and solid-state photomultiplier arrays. The material quality is an issue that has to be addressed. It has been found that a large number of defects in the device structure could substantially affect the single-photon avalanche diodes yield, while regular photodiodes yield is more immune to the presence of defects. Some single-photon avalanche photodiodes have demonstrated low dark count rates in the range of several kHz and single photon detection efficiency of more than 10% at 266 nm in the solar-blind wavelengths range. A novel SiC-based 12-pixel photomultiplier array was demonstrated for the first time. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Symmetric functions and root-finding algorithms

We study a fundamental family of root-finding iteration functions in the context of symmetric functions. This family, which we refer to as the Basic Family, goes back to Schroder's 1870 paper, and admits numerous different representations. In one representation, it is known as Konig's family. A purely algebraic derivation by Kalantari et al. leads to the discovery of many minimality and uniqueness properties of this family. Our new perspective reveals a symmetric algebraic structure of the Basic Family, which gives rise to simple combinatorial proofs of many important properties of this family and two of its variants. The first variant maintains high order of convergence for multiple roots. The second variant, called the Truncated Basic Family, is an infinite family of mth order methods for every m>=3, using only the first m-1 derivatives. Our result extends Kalantari's analysis of Halley's family, the special case of the Truncated Basic Family where m=3. Finally, we give a recipe for constructing new high order root-finding algorithms, and use it to derive an interesting family of iteration functions that have higher orders of convergence for multiple roots than for simple roots.
A method for comparison of computational fluid dynamic simulation and planar laser induced fluorescence images for a supersonic flowfield

Non-intrusive diagnostics, such as planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) provide an excellent means to interrogate flowfields with minimal perturbation to the thermodynamic state of the gas. In the case of PLIF, the diagnostic can provide multidimensional information regarding the spread of a tracer, such as I2, providing an excellent means for quantifying mixing between multiple streams of gases. The images obtained using PLIF can in turn be used to compare directly to images generated by computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations for the experiment, providing an excellent mechanism to compare CFD to experiment. An issue that exists with interpreting PLIF images from compressible flows is that the local density and temperature of the I2 varies throughout the field of imaging, leading to variations in the rate of fluorescence and the rate of quenching of the excited state of I2. These variations lead to local changes in the number of photons generated during the course of the laser pulse that excites the I2, beyond the variation due to the varying density of I2. Thus, when comparing PLIF images for compressible flows with CFD simulation data, some effort should be made to ensure that the CFD image reflects the local variations in photon production that occur in compressible flows. A method is presented here where a CFD simulation data for a compressible PLIF experiment is used to predict the local photon production during the course of interrogating laser pulse. The experiment consists of a chemical oxygen-iodine laser mixing nozzle utilizing Mach 3 injection of a He/I2 mixture into a Mach 2.5 crossflow with a mixture of He and O2 and has strong compressibility. The method utilizes numerical solutions for the ordinary differential equations describing the state-to-state processes within the I2 fluorescence process where I2(X) is pumped to the I2(B), fluoresces and is quenched. These equations are solved locally within the flowfield predicted by the CFD simulation to predict the variations within the photon production, and compare directly with PLIF images from the experiment.© (2008) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Racetrack memory cell array with integrated magnetic tunnel junction readout

In this paper, we report the first demonstration of CMOS-integrated racetrack memory. The devices measured are complete memory cells integrated into the back end of line of IBM 90 nm CMOS. We show good integration yield across 200 mm wafers. With magnetic field-assist, we demonstrate current-driven read and write operations on cells within a 256-cell CMOS-integrated array.
Observer accuracy and observer agreement in the measurement of visual fixation with fixed-trial procedures

Abstract Forty-eight pairs of observers recorded fixations during three test sessions. In each session an adult subject executed a predetermined sequence of fixations for 15 20-s trials. Three factors were investigated: Viewing Condition (live vs. videotaped subject). Number of Stimulus Apertures (1, 2, 4) and Subject Eye Color (blue, brown). Results indicated that training procedures which focus on observer agreement generally lead to acceptable levels of accuracy. However, certain procedural variations affect observer accuracy and observer agreement in different ways. Likewise, certain experimental procedures are particularly demanding in terms of observer accuracy.
Laminoplasty versus Laminectomy and Fusion for Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Background Cervical spondylotic myelopathy is increasingly prevalent in the elderly and is the leading cause of spinal cord dysfunction in this population. Laminectomy with fusion and laminoplasty halt progression of myelopathy in these patients; however, both procedures have well-documented complications and associated morbidity and it is unclear which might be most advantageous.
Laser emission study of the pressure dependence of the energy gap in tellurium

Abstract The pressure dependence of the band gap of tellurium has been precisely measured to 8 kbar in a study of the laser emission of an optically-pumped sample at liquid nitrogen temperatures. A large negative pressure tuning coefficient is observed along with an anomalous nonlinearity in the tuning. These measurements are compared to previous studies using other optical and electrical techniques and are related to current theoretical models of the band structure of tellurium.
Adenovirus-mediated expression of cyclooxygenase-2 antisense reverse abnormal genetic profile of human adhesion fibroblasts.

Objective To determine the effects of blocking the translation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA on the mRNA levels of type I collagen, type III collagen, fibronectin, and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β1) in fibroblasts obtained from normal peritoneal and adhesion tissues. Design Prospective experimental study. Setting University medical center. Patient(s) Fibroblasts established from peritoneal and adhesion tissue of the same patients. Intervention(s) Adenovirus with COX-2 treatment of the primary cultured fibroblasts. Main Outcome Measure(s) Fibroblasts of normal peritoneal and adhesion tissues were isolated from the same patients. Adhesion and normal peritoneal fibroblasts were transfected with an adenovirus COX-2 mRNA in sense or antisense orientation. RNA was extracted from each treatment and subjected to real time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction to quantify change in mRNA levels of type I collagen, type III collagen, fibronectin, and TGF-β1. Result(s) Type I collagen, type III collagen, fibronectin, and TGF-β1 mRNAs were present in both normal peritoneal and adhesion fibroblasts with significantly higher levels in adhesion fibroblasts. Normal fibroblasts transfected with the COX-2 sense virus exhibited an elevated mRNA level in those molecules that reached the mRNA levels seen for adhesion fibroblasts. There were no effects seen on the mRNA levels in those molecules when adhesion fibroblasts were transfected with COX-2 sense virus. Normal fibroblasts transfected with COX-2 antisense virus exhibited no difference in mRNA levels in those molecules as compared with untransfected controls. In contrast, adhesion fibroblasts transfected with COX-2 antisense exhibited markedly reduced mRNA levels in those molecules to levels that were seen in normal peritoneal fibroblasts. Conclusion(s) Our data suggest that inhibition of COX-2 may reduce the development of postoperative adhesions by preventing the formation of the adhesion phenotype.
A model-based 3D phase unwrapping algorithm using Gegenbauer polynomials.

The application of a two-dimensional (2D) phase unwrapping algorithm to a three-dimensional (3D) phase map may result in an unwrapped phase map that is discontinuous in the direction normal to the unwrapped plane. This work investigates the problem of phase unwrapping for 3D phase maps. The phase map is modeled as a product of three one-dimensional Gegenbauer polynomials. The orthogonality of Gegenbauer polynomials and their derivatives on the interval [?1, 1] are exploited to calculate the expansion coefficients. The algorithm was implemented using two well-known Gegenbauer polynomials: Chebyshev polynomials of the first kind and Legendre polynomials. Both implementations of the phase unwrapping algorithm were tested on 3D datasets acquired from a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The first dataset was acquired from a homogeneous spherical phantom. The second dataset was acquired using the same spherical phantom but magnetic field inhomogeneities were introduced by an external coil placed adjacent to the phantom, which provided an additional burden to the phase unwrapping algorithm. Then Gaussian noise was added to generate a low signal-to-noise ratio dataset. The third dataset was acquired from the brain of a human volunteer. The results showed that Chebyshev implementation and the Legendre implementation of the phase unwrapping algorithm give similar results on the 3D datasets. Both implementations of the phase unwrapping algorithm compare well to PRELUDE 3D, 3D phase unwrapping software well recognized for functional MRI.
Reproductive impairments in the United States, 1965-1982.

The first national estimates of current fecundity status of women of all marital statuses indicate that, in 1982, about 5.1 million women were unable to have a future birth but would have liked to. About 2.7 million had difficulty bearing children, and the other 2.4 million were surgically sterile for noncontraceptive reasons. Since 1965, infertility was unchanged overall and in most age groups, but increased among wives aged 20–24. This paper explores a number of methodological and substantive questions related to reproductive impairments, such as the frequency of intercourse, the duration of infertility, and the possible causes of trends.
The p53QS transactivation-deficient mutant shows stress-specific apoptotic activity and induces embryonic lethality.

The role of transcriptional activation in p53 function is highly controversial. To define this role in vivo, we generated a Trp53 knock-in construct encoding a protein carrying mutations of two residues that are crucial for transactivation (L25Q,W26S). Here we show that these mutations have selective effects on the biological functions of p53. Although its ability to activate various p53 target genes is largely compromised, the p53QS protein retains the ability to transactivate the gene Bax. The ability of the p53QS mutant protein to elicit a DNA damage–induced G1 cell cycle–arrest response is also partially impaired. p53QS has selective defects in its ability to induce apoptosis: it is completely unable to activate apoptosis in response to DNA damage, is partially unable to do so when subjected to serum deprivation and retains substantial apoptotic activity upon exposure to hypoxia. These findings suggest that p53 acts through distinct, stimulus-specific pathways to induce apoptosis. The importance of the biological activity of p53QS in vivo is underscored by our finding that expression of p53QS, which cannot bind mdm2, induces embryonic lethality. Taken together, these results suggest that p53 has different mechanisms of action depending on specific contextual cues, which may help to clarify the function of p53 in preventing cancer.
Computed tomography as a diagnostic aid in diabetic and other problem feet

Determining whether osteomyelitis is present in patients with foot infections represents a significant diagnostic challenge. As bone uptake with nuclide scans can be affected by soft tissue infection, we performed computed tomography (CT) on seven patients to see if marrow or bone abnormalities could be seen and used to predict the presence or absence of osteomyelitis. The CT scans correctly predicted the presence or absence of osteomyelitis in all seven patients. Four patients had osteomyelitis and three patients did not. Nuclide bone scans had one false-positive and one false-negative result. In this small series, CT proved helpful in evaluating foot problems.
The rationale for thrombolytic therapy

Substantial progress has been made toward understanding the pathophysiological processes that lead to acute myocardial infarction. Research has shown that the mechanism of infarction is the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque with a subsequent thrombogenic response from exposed subendothelial tissue, leading to additional or complete obstruction of the vessel. Myocardial cell death then proceeds in a wavefront fashion from the subendo cardium to the epicardium. Time to myocardial reper fusion and the extent of collateral flow are the primary determinants of final infarct area. This knowledge led to the development of therapeutic strategies to achieve early and sustained reperfusion of the infarct-related vessel, the presumption being that this would result in increased myocardial salvage and better residual left ventricular function in addition to reductions in infarct expansion and electrical instability. The results of several large thrombolytic trials have supported this model, showing that patients who receive thrombolytic therapy derive a constant relative survival benefit when compared with control patients. The largest comparative thrombolytic trial to date has shown that therapies that result in early, more complete reperfusion are indeed associated with lower mortality; however, these therapies may be associated with higher rate of complications such as intracranial haemorrhage and reocclusion. Future evaluations must include assessment of the benefits relative to the risks of newer, more potent thrombolytic regimens.
Restoration of mitochondrial function reverses developmental neuronal death in vitro.

In a previous study characterizing morphological and functional features of cell death in trophically deprived chick ciliary ganglion neurons (Pena and Pilar [2000] J. Comp. Neurol. 424:377–396), we hypothesized that early cell death events might be targets for reversal, allowing for rescue of dying neurons. To test this hypothesis, ciliary ganglion (CG) neurons were cultured with or without trophic support (choroid, iris, and pigment epithelium soluble extract [CIPE]), or without trophic support for 11 or 18 hours and then exposed to trophic support. Prior to and at the onset of cell death commitment (11 hours) CIPE-deprived neurons exhibited increased membrane permeability, blebbing, cytoplasmic vacuolization, swollen mitochondria, low adenosine triphosphate levels, and release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. CIPE readdition at 11 hours reversed these changes. Between 11 and 18 hours, irreversible DNA fragmentation increased in CIPE-deprived neurons. Cyclosporin A and bongkrekic acid (inhibitors of mitochondrial transition permeability pores) prevented membrane permeability increases and delayed the progression to death in trophically deprived neurons by 12 hours; however, by 48 hours all neurons had died. BOC-Asp-CH2F (BAF), a pan-caspase inhibitor, did not prevent early events of cell death including increased membrane permeability and Cyto c release, but it inhibited DNA fragmentation and prolonged neuronal survival to 48 hours. We conclude that mitochondria changes occur early, prior to commitment and that the suppression of these changes can prevent all the downstream events of death, whereas caspase inhibitors have no effect on the early mitochondria/plasma membrane changes. Mitochondria thus play a critical role in the transition from reversible to irreversible commitment to developmental neuronal death. Furthermore, neuronal death is brought about by activation of one of two distinct pathways, one localized in mitochondria and the other dependent on activation of caspases. J. Comp. Neurol. 440:156–176, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cystic Adventitial Disease of the Common Femoral Vein

Cystic adventitial disease of blood vessels is a rare condition, more so when veins are involved. We report the case of a 36-year-old man who was referred to us after an intraoperative diagnosis of a left common femoral vein mass. This patient, who had a history of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, had presented to an outside facility with recurrent left lower extremity pain and swelling. At our hospital, he underwent excision of the vein mass with interposition vein grafting using the left internal jugular vein. In this report, we discuss the presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and pathology of this rare condition.
The relationship betweenVerticillium wilt and the pinkeye disease on potatoes

In both greenhouse and field experiments, a relationship was evident between the organismVerticillium albo- atrum and the pinkeye disease of potatoes. The fungicide, benomyl, was used to controlVerticillium after 2 and 4 weeks of contact with young potato seedlings. The mature tubers formed on these seedlings had varying amounts of pinkeye, depending on the potato line or variety tested. Seedlings that were first seed treated with benomyl and then inoculated withVerticillium did not develop pinkeye.Rhizoctonia also induced or stimulated pinkeye development.
Time-Resolved Fluorescence Line-Narrowing Studies in La F 3 : Pr 3 +

We report the direct observation of energy migration and spectral diffusion in the $^{3}P_{0}$ state of La${\mathrm{F}}_{3}$: ${\mathrm{Pr}}^{3+}$ using the technique of time-resolved fluorescence line narrowing on the resonant $^{3}P_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}^{3}H_{4}$ transition. The temperature dependence of the migration process has been measured and various possible transfer mechanisms are discussed. In addition a variation in the excited-state lifetime as a function of absorption frequency and a concentration broadening at zero delay in the nonresonant transition $^{3}P_{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{(^{3}H_{6})}_{1}$ (the lowest Stark level) are reported.
Combination of Lagrangian-relaxation and linear-programming approaches for fuel-constrained unit-commitment problems

The authors present a new method for determining the unit-commitment schedule of a power system which operates under fuel utilisation constraints. The proposed method employs the Lagrangian relaxation approach to determine a feasible suboptimal schedule. Then, linear programming is applied to improve the feasible solution, as well as seeking the optimal economic dispatch of the committed generators. The algorithm is implemented on a VAX11/780 machine to solve the unit-commitment problem of a system which consists of 26 thermal units and 6 fuel-constrained units. Numerical results presented in this paper describe the usefulness and practicality of the proposed method.
Frequency Drift Compensation in Mass-Sensitive Chemical Sensors based on Periodic Stiffness Modulation

The successful compensation of frequency drift in a mass-sensitive chemical microsensor is demonstrated. The proposed compensation method uses a periodic stiffness modulation, generated by a second feedback loop, to monitor the microresonator's quality factor (Q-factor). The Q-factor is solely obtained from frequency measurements and monitored along with the measurand-induced frequency shift during normal closed-loop sensor operation. This simultaneous measurement of Q-factor and frequency shift enables the compensation of frequency drift induced by environmental disturbances using the extracted Q-factor. The feasibility of drift compensation has been demonstrated by implementing the compensation scheme into a closed-loop chemical sensing system and performing gas-phase chemical measurements.
The general protein secretory pathway: phylogenetic analyses leading to evolutionary conclusions

Abstract We have identified all homologues in the current databases of the ubiquitous protein constituents of the general secretory (Sec) pathway. These prokaryotic/eukaryotic proteins include (1) SecY/Sec61α, (2) SecE/Sec61γ, (3) SecG/Sec61β, (4) Ffh/SRP54 and (5) FtsY/SRP receptor subunit-α. Phylogenetic and sequence analyses lead to major conclusions concerning (1) the ubiquity of these proteins in living organisms, (2) the topological uniformity of some but not other Sec constituents, (3) the orthologous nature of almost all of them, (4) a total lack of paralogues in almost all organisms for which complete genome sequences are available, (5) the occurrence of two or even three paralogues in a few bacteria, plants, and yeast, depending on the Sec constituent, and (6) a tremendous degree of sequence divergence in bacteria compared with that in archaea or eukaryotes. The phylogenetic analyses lead to the conclusion that with a few possible exceptions, the five families of Sec constituents analyzed generally underwent sequence divergence in parallel but at different characteristic rates. The results provide evolutionary insights as well as guides for future functional studies. Because every organism with a fully sequenced genome exhibits at least one orthologue of each of these Sec proteins, we conclude that all living organisms have relied on the Sec system as their primary protein secretory/membrane insertion system. Because most prokaryotes and many eukaryotes encode within their genomes only one of each constituent, we also conclude that strong evolutionary pressure has minimized gene duplication events leading to the establishment of Sec paralogues. Finally, the sequence diversity of bacterial proteins as compared with their archaeal and eukaryotic counterparts is in agreement with the suggestion that bacteria were the evolutionary predecessors of archaea and eukaryotes.
Toe amputation in the diabetic patient

Abstract Background. We considered whether it is more practical to amputate the toe of a diabetic patient with osteomyelitis and good circulation or to treat the patient with antibiotics for a prolonged period. Methods. We undertook a retrospective study of 141 diabetic patients who had undergone a toe-ray amputation for proven or documented osteomyelitis. Results. The mean ankle/brachial index of all patients was 0.81 (range, 0.68 to 1.14); the mean functional days lost on antibiotic therapy was 39 (range, 7 to 84 days). The cost of 6 to 8 weeks of preoperative antibiotic therapy was $900 to $2240 (mean, $1440). Conclusions. Diabetic patients with good circulation and osteomyelitis of the toe may benefit from prompt toe amputation.
Intracardiac Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Therapy in Cardiac Amyloidosis

Background— Primary amyloidosis has a poor prognosis as a result of frequent cardiac involvement. We recently reported a high prevalence of intracardiac thrombus in cardiac amyloid patients at autopsy. However, neither the prevalence nor the effect of anticoagulation on intracardiac thrombus has been evaluated antemortem. Methods and Results— We studied all transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms of cardiac amyloid patients at the Mayo Clinic. The prevalence of intracardiac thrombosis, clinical and transthoracic/transesophageal echocardiographic risks for intracardiac thrombosis, and effect of anticoagulation were investigated. We identified 156 patients with cardiac amyloidosis who underwent transesophageal echocardiograms. Amyloidosis was the primary type (AL) in 80; other types occurred in 76 patients, including 56 with the wild transthyretin type, 17 with the mutant transthyretin type, and 3 with the secondary type. Fifth-eight intracardiac thrombi were identified in 42 patients (27%). AL am...
Inter-chromosomal variation in the pattern of human population genetic structure

Emerging technologies now make it possible to genotype hundreds of thousands of genetic variations in individuals, across the genome. The study of loci at finer scales will facilitate the understanding of genetic variation at genomic and geographic levels. We examined global and chromosomal variations across HapMap populations using 3.7 million single nucleotide polymorphisms to search for the most stratified genomic regions of human populations and linked these regions to ontological annotation and functional network analysis. To achieve this, we used five complementary statistical and genetic network procedures: principal component (PC), cluster, discriminant, fixation index (FST) and network/pathway analyses. At the global level, the first two PC scores were sufficient to account for major population structure; however, chromosomal level analysis detected subtle forms of population structure within continental populations, and as many as 31 PCs were required to classify individuals into homogeneous groups. Using recommended population ancestry differentiation measures, a total of 126 regions of the genome were catalogued. Gene ontology and networks analyses revealed that these regions included the genes encoding oculocutaneous albinism II (OCA2), hect domain and RLD 2 (HERC2), ectodysplasin A receptor (EDAR) and solute carrier family 45, member 2 (SLC45A2). These genes are associated with melanin production, which is involved in the development of skin and hair colour, skin cancer and eye pigmentation. We also identified the genes encoding interferon-γ (IFNG) and death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1), which are associated with cell death, inflammatory and immunological diseases. An in-depth understanding of these genomic regions may help to explain variations in adaptation to different environments. Our approach offers a comprehensive strategy for analysing chromosome-based population structure and differentiation, and demonstrates the application of complementary statistical and functional network analysis in human genetic variation studies.
Temperance And Alcohol History In Special Collections And University Archives At The Rutgers University Libraries

Special Collections and University Archives (SC/UA) at the Rutgers University Libraries holds significant collections, both printed and manuscript, documenting the history of the temperance movement and prohibition in New Jersey and nationally. These range from children's chapbooks containing warnings to juveniles about the evils of liquor, to the proceedings of large organizations dedicated to ending liquor consumption altogether.
Finding the Planning in Financial Planning

• After four decades, the financial planning profession still lacks an overarching framework for organizing and testing the strategy-making (i.e. "planning") activities of its practitioners.• An integrating framework is proposed that consists of five modes of strategy-making: planner-driven, data-driven, policy-driven, relationship-driven, and client-driven.• Each of these five modes represent different relative roles for the planner and client in the planning process. The modes also fall along a parallel dimension of planning versus emergence.• The proposed model is tested against measures of client trust and relationship commitment and the policy-driven mode is found to be the most powerful predictor of both.• Client complexity is also analyzed as a predictor of client trust and commitment and it is found that trust and commitment are inversely related to the complexity of a client's circumstances.• Finally, a factor analysis of planner strategy-making activities shows that planners in independent firms tend to favor data- and policy-driven approaches and those practicing at large financial services firms tend to be more dominant in the planner-driven mode.
Moduli determination in polyimide film bilayer systems: Prospects for depth profiling using impulsive stimulated thermal scattering

A laser‐based ultrasonic technique, impulsive stimulated thermal scattering (ISTS), is used to characterize the acoustic waveguide behavior in a series of silicon‐supported and free‐standing polyimide bilayer structures. The experimental results demonstrate that multilayer structures are characterizable using ISTS measurements. In addition, simulations of acoustic waveguide behavior in coatings with very thin interfacial layers adjacent to the substrate and in films with continuously changing elastic properties are presented. The results indicate depth‐profiling possibilities using ISTS.
Cloud security metrics

Cloud security had not yet distinguished itself as a field separate from information assurance. Its security metrics are currently synonymous with what a security professional would refer to as a third-party or vendor security audit. Where cloud services are viewed in a systems-of-systems context, any comprehensive security validation approach should rely on the ability of a cloud service to meet customer security requirements; that is, to provide the basis by which customers may assess the efficacy of their own security controls which may be dependent on those in the cloud. This requires a systems-level approach to security validation that is extensible to systems-of-systems environments. This paper describes such an approach)
The Sustainability of Subsistence Hunting in the Neotropics

Hunting is an important component of native subsistence strategies in Amazonia. It is also a seri- ous threat to biodiversity in some areas. We present data on the faunal harvests of two native Neotropical subsistence hunting peoples, Machiguenga bow-hunters and Piro shotgun hunters of Peru. The rate of annual harvest per square kilometer of catchment is estimated and compared to rates of sustainable harvest calcu- lated by Robinson and Redford (1991). We used indicators of prey abundance to test for the depletion of spe- cies that hunters killed in numbers greater than what the model predicts to be sustainable. As predicted, we found the strongest evidence for local depletion of the large primates at the Piro site. The woolly monkey ( Lagothrix lagothricha ) harvest at the Machiguenga village and the deer ( Mazama americana ) and collared pec- cary ( Tayassu tajacu ) harvests at both sites were not predicted to be unsustainable and we found no evidence for depletion. Machiguenga bow hunters killed spider monkeys ( Ateles paniscus ) in quantities that were slightly above what the model predicted to be sustainable, yet we found no evidence for depletion. Differential species vulnerability, catchment size, and consumer population size could be important factors in determin- ing sustainability.
Pooled analysis of GI tolerability of 21 randomized controlled trials of celecoxib and nonselective NSAIDs

ABSTRACTObjective: To compare the gastrointestinal (GI) tolerability of celecoxib and nonselective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) at approved doses in patients with common musculoskeletal conditions.Research design and methods: This was a retrospective, pooled analysis of studies selected from the Pfizer Corporate Clinical Trials Registry. Study selection criteria were: (1) Data available as of October 31, 2004; (2) Randomized, parallel-group study design and planned treatment duration of ≥ 2 weeks; (3) At least one nonselective NSAID (naproxen, ibuprofen, or diclofenac) as a comparator; (4) At least one arm with 200 mg or 400 mg celecoxib per day; (5) Patients with osteoarthritis (OA), adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA), or ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Data were pooled by treatment and by subject from the safety analysis population of each included study. Joint primary end points were the combined incidence of tolerability-related GI adverse events (AEs) (abdominal pain, dyspepsia, nausea, dia...
Susceptibility of Candida albicans and Other Yeasts to Fluconazole: Relation Between in Vitro and in Vivo Studies

In vitro studies of fluconazole have demonstrated that test results can be influenced by several test conditions, including medium composition, pH, and size of the starting fungal inoculum. In studies with Candida albicans, a few isolates have been identified that are markedly more resistant than other strains of the same species; in several in vivo studies of experimental infections, the more resistant isolates have caused infections less susceptible to fluconazole treatment. These findings corroborate a relation between in vitro and in vivo results. With further work it should be possible to define standard methods for use by clinical laboratories in determining fungal susceptibility to fluconazole.
Anatomical localization, gene expression profiling and functional characterization of adult human neck brown fat

The imbalance between energy intake and expenditure is the underlying cause of the current obesity and diabetes pandemics. Central to these pathologies is the fat depot: white adipose tissue (WAT) stores excess calories, and brown adipose tissue (BAT) consumes fuel for thermogenesis using tissue-specific uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). BAT was once thought to have a functional role in rodents and human infants only, but it has been recently shown that in response to mild cold exposure, adult human BAT consumes more glucose per gram than any other tissue. In addition to this nonshivering thermogenesis, human BAT may also combat weight gain by becoming more active in the setting of increased whole-body energy intake. This phenomenon of BAT-mediated diet-induced thermogenesis has been observed in rodents and suggests that activation of human BAT could be used as a safe treatment for obesity and metabolic dysregulation. In this study, we isolated anatomically defined neck fat from adult human volunteers and compared its gene expression, differentiation capacity and basal oxygen consumption to different mouse adipose depots. Although the properties of human neck fat vary substantially between individuals, some human samples share many similarities with classical, also called constitutive, rodent BAT.
A 0.5-V 3.6/5.2 GHz CMOS multi-band LC VCO for ultra low-voltage wireless applications

In this paper, an ultra low-voltage multiband CMOS VCO based on tunable band-limited negative resistance approach is presented. The proposed technique eliminates the need for switching elements that are connected directly to the tank and limit the tuning range and phase noise performance. The oscillator draws a current of 6 mA from 0.5 V supply with a phase noise of -117 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from 3.6 GHz carrier. For the high frequency band, it draws 4 mA from the same supply with a phase noise of -117 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from 5.2 GHz.
Dedicated digital fuzzy hardware

Fuzzy systems based on dedicated digital hardware can deliver much higher performance than those based on general-purpose computing machines. The simplicity and versatility of some successful fuzzy inference algorithms, the advent of high-density, user-programmable logic devices, together with powerful EDA tools, make dedicated digital fuzzy hardware a feasible solution for implementing high-performance fuzzy systems. >
Reducing software mass through behavior control

Attention is given to the tradeoff between communication and computation as regards a planetary rover (both these subsystems are very power-intensive, and both can be the major driver of the rover's power subsystem, and therefore the minimum mass and size of the rover). Software techniques that can be used to reduce the requirements on both communciation and computation, allowing the overall robot mass to be greatly reduced, are discussed. Novel approaches to autonomous control, called behavior control, employ an entirely different approach, and for many tasks will yield a similar or superior level of autonomy to traditional control techniques, while greatly reducing the computational demand. Traditional systems have several expensive processes that operate serially, while behavior techniques employ robot capabilities that run in parallel. Traditional systems make extensive world models, while behavior control systems use minimal world models or none at all.