cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Exercise Training and Intermittent Hypoxia on Ventilatory Chemoreflex Sensitivity in Humans

Exercise training exerts profound beneficial effects on cardiovascular function, reduces cardiovascular risk and improves outcome in patients who suffered cardiovascular events. The underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood but altered autonomic neural regulation may be involved. We recently found that short-term intermittent hypoxia induced by 30 serial hypoxic breathholds raises sympathetic activity and blood pressure, and enhances chemoreflex sensitivity to hypoxia. Because chemoreflex activity is a marker of cardiovascular risk, here we tested the hypothesis that chemoreflex sensitization induced by intermittent hypoxia is attenuated by exercise conditioning. Eleven young healthy subjects (5M/6F, age 25±1 yrs, body-mass-index 24±1 kg/m2) were studied before and following 2 months of endurance training (peak VO2 pre vs. post: 36.4±1.4 vs. 40.1±1.7 ml/min/kg; P<0.05). Chemoreflex sensitivity was determined by the ventilatory responses to a series of 2-8 breaths of N2 inhalation before and after ...
Comparison of clinical characteristics of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma and other primary liver cancers.

Background and Aim Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) is a rare liver malignancy. In this study, we compared patient characteristics and outcomes for primary CHC, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Medical records of patients with tissue-proven CHC (65 cases) treated at the Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 1991 and 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. These records were compared to records of patients diagnosed with tissue-proven HCC (1985 cases) and ICC (127 cases) during the same period. Results Hepatitis B and C are major causes of CHC. CHC patients exhibited greater similarity to HCC than to ICC patients with respect to cirrhotic changes, age, and positive serology for hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-hepatitis C antibody. Survival was related to tumor characteristics and intervention therapies, but not to etiologies. Conclusions The clinical characteristics of CHC are similar to those of HCC, but overall survival is more similar to that of ICC; survival may be related to tumor biology rather than the cause. Multimodal treatment with an initial aggressive therapeutic approach can improve survival.
Las ciencias sociales en Estados Unidos desde la perspectiva de una historiadora

Analisis del desarrollo teorico historiografico norteamericano desde el siglo XVIII al XIX Destaca la permanencia del "excepcionalismo norteamericano" ante las influencias metodologicas y filosoficas europeas. Senala la asociacion del metodo cientifico con las ciencias sociales como determinante de la tendencia triunfalista estadunidense que sostiene y justifica la defensa de la utopia progresista y democratica de su cultura
A Comparative Analysis of Space Colonization Enterprises

It is shown that the energy requirements for interstellar colonization exceed that for intraplanetary colonization by a factor of ten million or perhaps much more. This is offered as an argument against extensive interstellar colonization as a means of dealing with population expansion, and as a possible explanation of the Fermi paradox.
In vitro susceptibility of Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from the oral cavity of swine

Antimicrobial susceptibility of 181 (107 ail-harboring isolates and 74 non-ail-harboring) Yersinia enterocolitica isolates obtained from the oral cavity of swine was determined against 24 antimicrobial agents. All Y. enterocolitica isolates were susceptible to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, enrofloxacin, aminoglycosides, and nitrofurantoin. Susceptibility to tetracycline appeared to vary by lot of origin. Isolates were resistant to sulfonamides (other than sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim), penicillin, ampicillin, ticarcillin, cephalothin, macrolides, and tiamulin.
Transcutaneous oxygen monitoring and retinopathy of prematurity.

This study was performed to determine whether the use of continuous tcPO2 monitoring could reduce the incidence of ROP in preterm infants receiving oxygen therapy. Two hundred and ninety-six infants with birth weights ≤ 1300 grams were randomly assigned to a continuous monitoring (CM) or a standard care (SC) group. CM infants had tcPO2 monitored continuously as long as they required supplemental oxygen while SC infants had tcPO2 monitored only during the more acute state of their illness. Management of both groups was otherwise identical. One hundred and one of 148 infants in the CM and 113 of 148 patients in the SC groups survived. Mean birth weights and gestational age were similar in both groups. Duration of mechanical ventilation and oxygen therapy was also similar. The overall incidence of ROP was 51% in the CM and 59% in the SC group. As birth weight for infants ≥ 1000 grams increased a higher risk for developing ROP was noted in the SC group. Four infants in the CM and 5 in the SC group developed cicatricial ROP. These results suggest that continuous tcPO2 monitoring may reduce the incidence of ROP in infants with birth weights > 1000 grams, but not in the smaller infants in whom this complication occurs more frequently and is more severe.
Semantic Web - Interoperability, Usability, Applicability

While this statement seems obvious, this has not been so a few years ago, when basic research funding seemed to be running out, and industrial uptake was hardly happening. In the meantime, we do not only see sustained funding for Semantic Web related research (in particular by the European Commission), but also significant investment by industry, including major IT and venture capital companies. The Semantic Web is here to stay – and to grow. The Semantic Web is multidisciplinary and heterogeneous. Many Semantic Web researchers maintain close ties to neighboring disciplines which provide methods or application areas for their work. However, the Semantic Web has now established itself as a research field in its own rights. Consequently, a growing number of researchers, in particular those of the second or third generation, seem to identify themselves with the Semantic Web as their primary field of work. The growing number of top quality events dedicated to Semantic Web topics is also a clear indication of this trend. Another indicator is the increasing interweavement of Semantic Web methods into related disciplines leading to research topics such as geospatialsemantics, the Semantic Sensor Web, semantic desktop, or work on cultural heritage. The Semantic Web journal is set up to be a forum for highest-quality research contributions on all aspects of the Semantic Web. Its scope encompasses work in neighboring disciplines which is motivated by the Semantic Web vision. Besides the publishing of research contributions, it is also an outlet for reports on tools, systems, applications, and ontologies which enable research, rather than being direct research contributions.1 The journal also publishes top-quality surveys which serve as introductions to core topics of Semantic Web research. The journal’s subtitle – Interoperability, Usability, Applicability – reflects the wide scope of the journal, by putting an emphasis on enabling new technologies and methods. Interoperability refers to aspects such as the seamless integration of data from heterogeneous sources, on-the-fly composition and interoperation of Web services, and next-generation search engines. Usability encompasses new information retrieval paradigms, user interfaces and interaction, and visualization techniques, which in turn require methods for dealing with context dependency, personalization, trust, and provenance, amongst others, while hiding the underlying computational issues from the user. Applicability refers to the rapidly growing application areas of Semantic Web technologies and methods, to the issue of bringing state-of-the-art research results to bear on real-world applications, and to the development of new methods and foundations driven by real application needs from various domains.
NASDARainfall algorithms for AMSR-E

Three related algorithms have been developed to retrieve rainfall from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System observations. First, land and ocean backgrounds must be treated separately. The highly reflective ocean background is ideal for observing atmospheric constituents including rainfall. The high and variable emissivity of the land background limits the usefulness of the signal from the liquid hydrometeors under most conditions. For an algorithm with global applicability, it is more reasonable to use the signal generated by scattering of microwaves from frozen hydrometeors. Unfortunately, this scattering is related to rainfall only indirectly. This dichotomy is reinforced by the differing availability of ground truth in the two environments. Thus, two distinct approaches must be used in generating the algorithms for the two cases. The oceanic algorithm is based on physical models, and the land algorithm is generated empirically. Functionally, the two algorithms are merged into a common structure for retrievals on a pixel-by-pixel (Level-2) basis, but the distinct philosophies remain. The third element is the monthly total product (Level-3) which could be generated by simply summing the Level-2 products. However, subtle biases, unimportant on a Level-2 basis, could introduce serious errors into the totals. Therefore, we have chosen to generate a separate product over the oceans consisting of monthly averaged rain rates over 5/spl deg/ /spl times/5/spl deg/ boxes. The Level-3 ocean algorithm assumes that the rainfall intensity is distributed log-normally and also absorbs small instrumental calibration errors and some modeling errors.
Head Proteins from T-Even Bacteriophages II. Physical and Chemical Characterization

Three classes of structural head proteins, having molecular weights of 43,000, 18,000, and 11,000 daltons, were isolated from the T-even bacteriophages and were characterized. Based on electrophoretic studies, the 43,000-dalton class contained one major protein and one (or two) minor components, the 18,000-dalton class contained two protein components, and the 11,000-dalton class contained one major component. The N-terminal residues for the 43,000- and the 11,000-dalton classes were alanine, and the N-terminal residues for the 18,000-dalton class were methionine and alanine. Of the three classes of proteins, the 18,000-dalton proteins were the most acidic, whereas the 11,000-dalton proteins were the most basic. The amino acid composition of the 11,000-dalton class revealed that methionine and cysteine were absent and lysine, histidine, and tryptophan content was higher in the 11,000-dalton class than in the other two classes of proteins. Estimates of the relative number of the three classes of structural proteins were made and indicated that there were between 1,600 and 2,000 subunits of the 43,000-dalton proteins, 100 to 200 of the 18,000-dalton proteins, and 1,000 to 1,500 of the 11,000-dalton proteins. Evidence was presented that the 43,000-dalton proteins and the 11,000-dalton proteins readily formed aggregates with themselves but not with each other. The significance of these interactions to the structure of the T-even phage head was discussed.
Organic-inorganic nanocomposite array for spectrum and yield enhancement

Summary form only given. In this work, we investigate organic-inorganic nanocomposite arrays for applications in future nano-photonics. We report on the drastic difference in absorption spectrum between the rhodamine-in-nanopore array and the more conventional rhodamine film-on-glass setting, and on the many-fold increase of the fluorescence yield in the former. The experimental findings not only highlight the great benefits in forming organic-inorganic nanocomposite arrays for high yield, broadly tunable light emission/detection and nonlinear optics but also offer insights into the self-assembling (aggregation) and energy transport mechanisms of molecules in highly confined, highly anisotropic nanoscale pores.
Activated Notch Inhibits Myogenic Activity of the MADS-Box Transcription Factor Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2C

Skeletal muscle gene expression is dependent on combinatorial associations between members of the MyoD family of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors and the myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) family of MADS-box transcription factors. The transmembrane receptor Notch interferes with the muscle-inducing activity of myogenic bHLH proteins, and it has been suggested that this inhibitory activity of Notch is directed at an essential cofactor that recognizes the DNA binding domains of the myogenic bHLH proteins. Given that MEF2 proteins interact with the DNA binding domains of myogenic bHLH factors to cooperatively regulate myogenesis, we investigated whether members of the MEF2 family might serve as targets for the inhibitory effects of Notch on myogenesis. We show that a constitutively activated form of Notch specifically blocks DNA binding by MEF2C, as well as its ability to cooperate with MyoD and myogenin to activate myogenesis. Responsiveness to Notch requires a 12-amino-acid region of MEF2C immediately adjacent to the DNA binding domain that is unique to this MEF2 isoform. Two-hybrid assays and coimmunoprecipitations show that this region of MEF2C interacts directly with the ankyrin repeat region of Notch. These findings reveal a novel mechanism for Notch-mediated inhibition of myogenesis and demonstrate that the Notch signaling pathway can discriminate between different members of the MEF2 family.
Correlation between Poynting flux and TEC at high latitudes during extreme geomagnetic storm events

The Halloween Storm on 29 – 31 October 2003 and the superstorm on 20 – 21 November 2003 were two of the most extreme geomagnetic storms in solar cycle 23. These events disturbed Geospace environment causing power outages in high latitudes such as Sweden and temporary disfunction of numerous spacecrafts such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite. We investigate the correlation between the Poynting flux measured by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites and GPS global ionosphere map (GIM) total electron content (TEC) simulated from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) during these events. The TEC value is an important quantity in determining radio wave delays and is strongly influenced by solar activities. The ionospheric TEC values are obtained from GPS and ground-based stations over the globe and constructed at the University of Bern. GIM TEC are sampled along DMSP satellite (F13, F15 and F16) orbits and compared to the Poynting flux measurements to demonstrate the electromagnetic energy impact from the solar wind on the ionospheric constituents at high latitudes. We also binned the TEC and Poynting flux using 2 degree magnetic latitude and 1 hour magnetic local time grids to illustrate their spatial correlation over the polar regions. The Poynting flux enhancement is found in both auroral oval and at higher latitudes and can extend below 50 degree magnetic latitude equatorward during these two superstorms. Corresponding TEC enhancement at high latitudes is noticed due to ionospheric heating.
Serotonergic reinnervation of the hamster suprachiasmatic nucleus and intergeniculate leaflet without functional circadian rhythm recovery.

Abstract Intraventricular injections of the neurotoxin, 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (DHT), were used to lesion hamster forebrain serotonin systems. The entrained circadian wheelrunning rhythm was studied for up to 20 weeks post-lesion as was the extent of reinnervation of nuclei regulating circadian rhythmicity. Reinnervation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and intergeniculate leaflet by serotonergic fibers gegins by 8 weeks and progresses to substantial, but not complete, levels by week 20. Four measures of the nocturnal activity phase of the circadian rhythm were rapidly modified by the lesions, but in contrast to the morphology, persisted unchanged during the entire 20 week test period. The circadian rhythm system of hamsters may be fundamentally different from other behavioral or neuroendocrine systems studied in rats with respect to its inability to recover from damage to its serotonergic innervation. Alternatively, the failure to demonstrate functional recovery may reflect a species difference or insufficient recovery time.
Assessment of Energy Loss due to Pulmonary Valve Insufficiency in Tetralogy of Fallot Physiology Using Patient Specific Geometry

Right ventricular (RV) enlargement and pulmonary valve insufficiency (PI) are well-known, unavoidable long term sequelae encountered by patients who undergo tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) surgery. Energy losses in the pulmonary artery (PA) of TOF and normal subjects was calculated using patient specific geometry and pressure and flow data to develop quantifiable clinical diagnostic parameters. The TOF subject shows 35% higher energy losses than our normal subject.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Clinical Image: Clubbed with a Reminder to Test for HIV

A previously healthy 34-year-old man was evaluated for two years of progressive digital clubbing. He denied fevers, night sweats, cardiopulmonary symptoms, travel, or unusual exposures. Physical examination demonstrated no pathologic lymphadenopathy, genital lesions or penile discharge. The patient had dramatic clubbing of all digits and erythematous nail beds (Figs. 1 and ​and22). Figure 1 Digital clubbing. Figure 2 Digital clubbing. There are many different diseases associated with clubbing. Pulmonary diseases are most commonly associated, but cardiac conditions, gastrointestinal diseases, and various infections are also found with clubbing. The patient’s evaluation included unremarkable labs for systemic diseases such as malignancy, liver disease, and inflammatory bowel disease. His cardiopulmonary evaluation included echocardiography, pulmonary function testing, polysomnography and chest computed tomography. These were also unrevealing. The patient’s PPD test and RPR were nonreactive. His HIV antibody test (with Western blot) returned positive. CD4+ lymphocyte count was 401/μL and viral load was 205,000 copies/mL.1 Digital clubbing is associated with HIV. Among one convenience sample of 76 HIV-infected patients, 28 (36 %) had objectively confirmed clubbing—thus, HIV testing is recommended as part of a diagnostic algorithm.1,2 While HIV screening is now recommended for all patients aged 15–65 years, this case highlights the need for HIV diagnostic testing in patients with digital clubbing.3
Endogenous Hindbrain Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Activation Contributes to the Control of Food Intake by Mediating Gastric Satiation Signaling

Exogenous activation of central nervous system glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors (GLP-1Rs) reduces food intake. Experiments addressed whether endogenous central GLP-1R activity is involved in the control of normal feeding and examined which gastrointestinal satiation signals contribute to this control. Given that nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) neurons are the source of central GLP-1, that caudal brainstem circuits mediate the intake suppression triggered by exogenous hindbrain GLP-1R activation, and that these neurons process gastrointestinal vagal signals, the role of endogenous hindbrain GLP-1R activation to intake control was the focus of the analysis. Food intake increased with GLP-1R antagonist [Exendin-(9-39) (Ex-9)] [10 μg, fourth intracerebroventricular (icv)] delivery to overnight food-deprived rats after ingestion of 9 ml Ensure diet. Direct medial NTS injection of a ventricle subthreshold dose (1.0 μg) of Ex-9 increased food intake and established the contribution of this GLP-1R population to the effect observed with ventricular administration. To determine whether satiation signals of gastric vs. intestinal origin drive the GLP-1R-mediated NTS effect on food intake, two experiments were performed in overnight-fasted rats. In one, Ensure was infused intraduodenally (0.4 ml/min for 20 min); in another, the stomach was distended (9 ml SILASTIC brand balloon) for 15 min before fourth icv Ex-9. The intake suppression by duodenal nutrient infusion was not affected by GLP-1R blockade, but the feeding suppression after gastric distension was significantly attenuated by fourth icv Ex-9. We conclude that endogenous NTS GLP-1R activation driven by gastric satiation signals contributes to the control of normal feeding.
A survey of cardinal invariants

This expository paper describes a number of theorems dealing with cardinal numbers associated with topoligical spaces. The weight, density character, and cellular number receive chief attention. A few of the theorems cited-e.g., the Hewitt-Pondionery-Marczewski theorem on the density character of a product space, and the Erdos-Tarski theorem asserting that the cellular number, unless uncountable and weakly inaccessible, is achieved — has been known for many years; proofs are included. Other equally exciting results of more recent vintage, such as Arhangel'skii's solution to the Alexandroff problem, the Hajnal-Jokise evaluation of the number of sets in a Hausdorff topology, and Nyiko's solution to the Engelking-Mrowka problem, have perhaps not yet achieved their optimal statement and/or proof, these results are stated here as carefully and completely as time and the present author's ability permit, but the proofs are only sketched, or omitted entirely. The following also are briefly mentioned: Smirnov's theorem w(sX) = C∗(X); the F.K. Schmidt A.H. Stone-Kruse theorem |C(X)|=|C(X)|ℵ0; the relation ml = m in Stonian spaces; the Noble-Ulmer cluster of theorems on preservation of certain cardinal properties under passage to products; and Mrowka's theorems on embedding the discrete space D(m) as a closed subspace of Nm.
Solubilization and characterization of the anthrax toxin pore in detergent micelles

Proteolytically activated Protective Antigen (PA) moiety of anthrax toxin self-associates to form a heptameric ring-shaped oligomer (the prepore). Acidic pH within the endosome converts the prepore to a pore that serves as a passageway for the toxin's enzymatic moieties to cross the endosomal membrane. Prepore is stable in solution under mildly basic conditions, and lowering the pH promotes a conformational transition to an insoluble pore-like state. N-tetradecylphosphocholine (FOS14) was the only detergent among 110 tested that prevented aggregation without dissociating the multimer into its constituent subunits. FOS14 maintained the heptamers as monodisperse, insertion-competent 440-kDa particles, which formed channels in planar phospholipid bilayers with the same unitary conductance and ability to translocate a model substrate protein as channels formed in the absence of detergent. Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis detected pore-like conformational changes within PA on solubilization with FOS14, and electron micrograph images of FOS14-solubilized pore showed an extended, mushroom-shaped structure. Circular dichroism measurements revealed an increase in α helix and a decrease in β structure in pore formation. Spectral changes caused by a deletion mutation support the hypothesis that the 2β2-2β3 loop transforms into the transmembrane segment of the β-barrel stem of the pore. Changes caused by selected point mutations indicate that the transition to α structure is dependent on residues of the luminal 2β11-2β12 loop that are known to affect pore formation. Stabilizing the PA pore in solution with FOS14 may facilitate further structural analysis and a more detailed understanding of the folding pathway by which the pore is formed.
Fast FTIR imaging: A new tool for the study of semicrystalline polymer morphology

The distribution of chemical species and the degree of orientation in semicrystalline polymer systems have been studied using fast Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging. A variety of poly(ethylene glycol) systems, including pure polymer, high and low molecular weight blends, and blends with amorphous polymers, were studied. It is shown that fast FTIR imaging can be used to determine the distribution of species with different molecular weights and can be used to determine the degree of segregation of different components in blends with amorphous polymers. Additionally, by employing an infrared polarizer, the degree of orientation was determined in these systems by the generation of spatially-resolved dichroic ratio images.
Consumer complaint behaviour in the children's wear market in the U.S.

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of consumer complaint behaviour in the children's wear market. Based upon an economic framework of complaint behaviour, the relationship between selected consumer and product characteristics and complaint behaviour for children's wear was examined by estimating separate logistic regression equations for private and public complaint actions. Variables found to be associated with complaint actions included the price of the item, income, level of dissatisfaction, garment type, family size and age of the youngest child. The results have specific implications for apparel marketers and provide an application of the complaint model to a product category that has not been investigated previously.
Superstores and the Politics of Retail Development

This article investigates retail development as a social problem, a political phenomenon, and an increasingly important form of urban development. I focus on mass retail, as exemplified by supersto...
An Analysis of Risk and Function Information in Early Stage Design

The concept of function offers a high potential for thinking and reasoning about designs as well as providing a common thread for relating together other design information. This paper focuses specifically on the relation between function and risk by examining how this information is addressed for a design team conducting early stage design for space missions. Risk information is decomposed into a set of key attributes which are then used to scrutinize the risk information using three approaches from the pragmatics sub-field of linguistics: i) Gricean, ii) Relevance Theory, and Functional Analysis. Results of this linguistics-based approach descriptively account for the context of designer communication with respect to function and risk, and offer prescriptive guidelines for improving designer communication.
Pathological changes induced in cerebrocortical neurons by phencyclidine and related drugs

Phencyclidine (PCP), a dissociative anesthetic and widely abused psychotomimetic drug, and MK-801, a potent PCP receptor ligand, have neuroprotective properties stemming from their ability to antagonize the excitotoxic actions of endogenous excitatory amino acids such as glutamate and aspartate. There is growing interest in the potential application of these compounds in the treatment of neurological disorders. However, there is an apparent neurotoxic effect of PCP and related agents (MK-801, tiletamine, and ketamine), which has heretofore been overlooked: these drugs induce acute pathomorphological changes in specific populations of brain neurons when administered subcutaneously to adult rats in relatively low doses. These findings raise new questions regarding the safety of these agents in the clinical management of neurodegenerative diseases and reinforce concerns about the potential risks associated with illicit use of PCP.
Infrared investigation of the oxygen chemisorption of wood char

It is generally believed that oxygen chemisorption on char is the first step leading to solid-phase combustion of char. Accordingly, many authors have studied the nature of active sites of chemisorption and the reaction between oxygen and solid chars. The authors have recently investigated in detail the relationships between oxygen chemisorption activity (CSA) and charring temperature (heat treatment temperature (HTT) and inorganic content of wood chars). The CSA was relatively insensitive to changes in inorganic content but showed a threefold increase between HTT 375 {degrees} and 500 {degrees} C followed by a 45% drop between HTT 500 {degrees} and 550 {degrees} C. The present study is aimed at an investigation of possible chemical affects involved in the CSA peak, using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, with chars prepared from ground cottonwood in nitrogen at temperatures between 375 {degrees} and 575 {degrees} C.
Equivalence of Donor and Acceptor Fits To Temperature-Dependent Hall Data: General Case

Recently, it was shown that the usual statistical‐mechanical formulation used to fit carrier concentration versus temperature data cannot distinguish between the donor or acceptor nature of one single‐charge‐state center. Here we generalize that result to include any number of donor and acceptor centers, of arbitrary charge multiplicity, and also show how that by fitting one particular case (e.g., every center assumed to be a donor), all of the other possible cases can be immediately solved by inspection.
Frequency Stabilization Of A Diode Laser To A Fabry-Perot Interferometer

A commercial GaAIAs diode laser is frequency locked to a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The temperature stabilization loop of this diode laser system maintains the relative frequency stability within 11 kHz. When the frequency control loop is closed, the relative frequency stability is improved to 450 Hz. A previously neglected frequency offset is also analyzed. This offset is a result of the injection current modulation technique commonly used to frequency lock diode lasers. The calculated frequency offset in our system is 150 kHz.
Effects of Temperature and Geometry on the Flow Field of the Melt Blowing Process

Converging plane jets are used commercially to produce polymeric fibers in the melt blowing process. The behavior of the air flow below the die face is critical for the production process. The die configuration can affect this flow field. Previous work has studied the effects of changing the angle of convergence of the two jets for blunt and sharp die faces, as well as the case of recess or excess (inset or outset) positioning of the sharp die nose for isothermal flow conditions. This study utilized a computational fluid dynamics approach that was validated through experimental data to investigate the effects of nonisothermal conditions on the air flow. The Reynolds stress model was used to simulate the turbulence, and the model parameters were calibrated with the experimental data. The behavior of alternative die designs was also correlated to the die configuration. It was found that, similarly to the isothermal case, the sharper the angle of convergence, the higher the mean air velocity under the die an...
Heterogeneous preferences for altruism: gender and personality, social status, giving and taking

Some of the earliest work on heterogeneity in social preferences focuses on gender differences in behavior. The source of these gender differences is the main interest of this paper. We report on dictator game experiments designed to identify heterogeneity of other-regarding preferences according to personality, gender, status, and whether the choice is framed as giving or taking. We find that the effect of gender on giving is more subtle than previously understood, and is explained collectively by various personality factors. We also find that women, high status treatment individuals, and individuals in the giving language treatment give less, and are also less sensitive to the price of giving.
Multiaxial fatigue life prediction method in the ground vehicle industry

Abstract The extensive progress which has been made in the multiaxial fatigue area over the past 5 to 10 years has allowed wider application of the multiaxial fatigue method in component durability design in the ground vehicle industry. The method adopts the long established local strain–life approach and includes several new features. (1) A three-dimensional cyclic stress–strain model, used to simulate the elastic–plastic material behavior under complicated loadings. (2) The critical plane approach, which requires the fatigue analysis to be performed on various potential failure planes before determining the lowest fatigue life. (3) A biaxial damage criterion, to better quantify fatigue damage under various loading conditions. (4) A multiaxial Neuber equivalencing technique, used to estimate, from the elastic finite element stress results, the multiaxial stress and strain history of plastically deformed notch areas. This paper examines the application of the above features to the fatigue analyses of three generic service/test histories: a constant amplitude (baseline) test history, a history directly recorded by strain gages mounted on the critical location of a structural component, and a loading history recorded in multichannels for a complex structure.
Quantitative determination of acronine, an antitumor alkaloid, by gas chromatography

Abstract A method for the direct quantitative determination of the alkaloid, acronine, by gas chromatography is described and evaluated.Results are presented which show that the method is reliable after separation of the acronine from various pharmaceutical excipients.Methodology concerning the use of fluorescence and UV spectroscopy is also presented.
SU‐FF‐T‐360: Correction for Angular Dependence of the MatriXXEvolution Ionization Chamber Array

Purpose: The MatriXXEvolution ionchamber array (IBA Dosimetry) is an attractive tool for plan verification of both conventional IMRT and rotational therapies (RapidArc, VMAT, TomoTherapy, etc). However, the response of this array has a significant angular dependence. We have quantified this dependence, and developed a correction method suitable for plan verification. Method and Materials: A MatriXX phantom (MatriXXEvolution ionchamber array + solid water) and a reference phantom (A12 ionchamber + solid water) were irradiated from different gantry angles (0°–360°, steps of 10°, with finer steps of 3° for lateral angles). Reference measurements were taken using a phantom of the equivalent dimensions. The calibration factor was calculated as the ratio of the MatriXX dose to the A12 dose for a given gantry angle. The water equivalent thickness of the MatriXXEvolution reported by the manufacturer was also examined in the TPS and by measuring 6MV attenuation due to MatriXXEvolution vs. solid water for variable total thickness of the phantom. Three patient‐specific IMRT and two VMAT cumulative plan verifications were delivered to the MatriXX phantom. Dose measurements collected by MatriXXEvolution were then corrected with in‐house software. Measurements were then repeated to the reference phantom. Corrected MatriXX, uncorrected MatriXX and A12 measurements were compared to the treatment planning system. Results: The angular response of the MatriXX array was found to vary as much as 11%, depending on the irradiation angle. The most variation was found to occur around 91–110° and 260–269°, and also close to 180°. The corrected MatriXX doses were found to agree within 1.0% of the A12 ion chamber dose, vs. 2.5% for uncorrected. Conclusion: The MatriXXEvolution ionchamber array has an angular dependent response which is clinically significant, and must be corrected. We have developed and tested the use of an angular‐dependent correction factor which corrects for these response variations.
DELAYED IRON SUPPLEMENTATION IN PRETERM INFANTS

Preterm infants, at risk for retinopathy of prematurity, need to be maintained Vitamin E sufficient (range: 0.8 to 1.2 U/ml) with appropriate Vitamin E supplements. Since iron is a potent pro-oxidant and free radical donor, it effectively increases the need for Vitamin E. Based on these considerations, iron supplementation has been delayed in our ICN until retinal vasculature matures. The iron status and need for supplementation was evaluated in 50 growing preterm infants (mean ± SD birthweight = 1019 ± 23.8 gm, range: 650-1370 gm). The only presumable source of iron was packed red blood transfusion administered during the ICN stay (total mean blood received ± SD: 374 ± 255 ml). Serum Iron (SI) and transferrin saturation (SAT) were determined at birth and biweekly until eyes were mature. Mean ± SD values at 8, 10, 12 wks postnatal age appear below: These data indicate that infants in the ICN remain iron sufficient and the use of iron containing formulas may be delayed, in the occasional infant who requires little or no blood and therefor does not add to his iron stores in the nursery, the delay in providing an iron supplement can be compensated for by prescribing Poly-visol with Iron. A dosage of I ml/day for one month provides about as much iron as a daily intake of 24 oz. of iron-enriched formula over a six week period.
Intraindividual Variability in Domain-Specific Cognition and Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Intraindividual variability among cognitive domains may predict dementia independently of interindividual differences in cognition. A multidomain cognitive battery was administered to 2305 older adult women (mean age 74 years) enrolled in an ancillary study of the Women's Health Initiative. Women were evaluated annually for probable dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) for an average of 5.3 years using a standardized protocol. Proportional hazards regression showed that lower baseline domain-specific cognitive scores significantly predicted MCI (N = 74), probable dementia (N = 45), and MCI or probable dementia combined (N = 101) and that verbal and figural memory predicted each outcome independently of all other cognitive domains. The baseline intraindividual standard deviation across test scores (IAV Cognitive Domains) significantly predicted probable dementia and this effect was attenuated by interindividual differences in verbal episodic memory. Slope increases in IAV Cognitive Domains across measurement occasions (IAV Time) explained additional risk for MCI and MCI or probable dementia, beyond that accounted for by interindividual differences in multiple cognitive measures, but risk for probable dementia was attenuated by mean decreases in verbal episodic memory slope. These findings demonstrate that within-person variability across cognitive domains both at baseline and longitudinally independently accounts for risk of cognitive impairment and dementia in support of the predictive utility of within-person variability.
AN INVESTIGATION OF AGE-RELATED CHANGES IN DRIVERS VISUAL SEARCH PATTERNS AND DRIVING PERFORMANCE AND THE RELATION TO TESTS OF BASIC FUNCTIONAL CAPACITIES

Thirteen aged (60's) and ten young (20's) subjects performed on-the-road driving tasks. Subjects also performed psychomotor lab tasks. The road tests were: a task in which drivers voluntarily close...
The Voyager spacecraft system design

The Voyager spacecraft represents the state-of-the-art in proven long-life planetary spacecraft. Like its predecessors, the Voyager system design reflects the influence of mission and science requirements, lifetime considerations, environmental factors, technology readiness, hardware availability, and hardware cost. This paper presents the Voyager hardware and software system designs within the context of these design drivers. Major departures from the 'baseline design' are discussed revealing the underlying factors that shaped the final design. Finally, with the benefit of 5 years of test and inflight operational experience, a critical assessment of the design and design methods is made and suggestions are offered to improve similar future efforts.
Development of a full-field planar Mie scattering technique for evaluating swirling mixers

A full-field planar optical diagnostic technique for studying mixing in swirling flows is described. Results were obtained using this technique to provide planar mixing information by seeding a simulated fuel stream with aluminum oxide particles, then inferring concentration from Mie scattering intensity distributions. This facility and measurement technique are unique for several reasons. First, they allow spatial variations in laser sheet energy to be corrected for on a shot-to-shot basis. Second, they allow experiments to be performed for swirlers with practical fuel and oxidizer flow rates, i.e. on the order of 150 g/s (0.33 lbm/s). Finally, they allow full size swirler models to be evaluated, with the entire exit plane imaged simultaneously. Representative results are presented as false color images of the planar mixing fields. These images allow rapid assessment of the mixing process and its changes with variations in operating conditions or swirler geometry.
Barkhausen noise and critical scaling in the demagnetization curve

The demagnetization curve, or initial magnetization curve, is studied by examining the embedded Barkhausen noise using the nonequilibrium, zero temperature random-field Ising model. The demagnetization curve is found to reflect the critical point seen as the system's disorder is changed. Critical scaling is found for avalanche sizes and the size and number of spanning avalanches. The critical exponents are derived from those related to subloops. Finally, the behavior in the presence of long range demagnetizing fields is discussed. Results are presented for simulations of up to one million spins.
Shear Strength and Moment-Shear Interaction in Transversely Stiffened Steel I-Girders

With the advent of HPS495W steel, hybrid I-girders have again become advantageous in bridge design. Unfortunately, the use of tension field action is not permitted in determining the shear resistance of hybrid girders in prior AISC and AASHTO specifications. This is a significant penalty on the strength of these member types. Also, the checking of moment–shear (M–V) strength interaction is a significant complicating factor in the design and capacity rating of I-girders that use tension field action. The requirements for the shear strength design and the equations for M–V strength interaction in the 1999 AISC and 1998 AASHTO specifications were developed originally without the benefit of a large body of experimental tests and refined finite-element simulations. This paper presents the results from the collection and analysis of data from a total of 186 high-shear low-moment, high-shear high-moment, and high-moment high-shear experimental I-girder tests. References to corroborating refined finite element st...
The Racial Factor in Urban Elections

N ' UMEROUS scholars have commented on the growing import of racial and ethnic divisions in contemporary urban politics (Harrigan 1981; Judd 1979). Historically, the primary instruments for assimilating the nation's ethnic and racial minorities have been the cities. With their large and growing underclasses, however, the cities appear to have been more successful in fulfilling this function for earlier immigrants than more recent arrivals (Glazer and Moynihan 1970). Today, urban politics is fraught with some of the most perplexing and intractable issues that confront a liberal democracy; namely, racial segregation, social exclusion, and political fragmentation. These issues now appear to challenge a key objective of the pluralist dream; i.e., the development of an integrated society cemented by the bonds of economic self-interest and material progress. For instead of emphasizing the economic and social problems that residents share in common, much urban politics revolves around the racial, ethnic, and cultural divisions that separate them (Elazar 1970). Thus, while national politics has generally been dominated by distributive economic issues, urban politics has been more preoccupied with the distribution of spatial turf, social access, and cultural life styles (Williams 1967). And to the extent issues are important in urban elections, they are generally the visceral "valence" issues of tribal membership rather than the rational "position" issues of the social welfare state (Orren 1979). In order to mute the social tensions and political conflicts that abound at the urban level, and to promote a unitary concept of the city, structural reformers have traditionally relied on a variety of electoral reforms. The primary vehicles of reform have been the introduction of at-large districts, nonpartisan ballots, off-year elections, and multimember races. Though these institutions have doubtlessly worked to reduce the influence of partisan differences, they have also served to reinforce the inherent racial, ethnic, and cultural fragmentation of urban politics. For in an electoral setting of low political information, a lack of media attention, and the absence or reduction of voting cues provided by partisan politics, what else is left to invoke political trust other than racial and ethnic identities and social group memberships? This political context implies a far different voting calculus than those which are normally assumed by partisan voting models at the national and state levels (Campbell, Converse, Miller, and Stokes 1960; Kovenock, Prothro, and Beardsley 1973; Miller, Miller, Raine, and Brown 1976;
The charge transfer band solvent-dependence of [Ru(bpy) 2 (CN x )Cl] + , CN x =2,6-dimethylphenylisocyanide: a polarizable continuum model/time-dependent density functional theory study

Abstract Linear dependence between the energy maxima of the charge transfer (CT) bands simulated from the singlet excited states, calculated using TD CPCM, and the energy maxima of the experimental CT bands from the absorption spectrum of [Ru(bpy) 2 (CN x )Cl] + in seven solvents of different polarity was used to produce calculated spectra that correlate very well with experiment.
Resolution of the O(αs2) shape variable controversy for e+e− annihilation

Abstract The differences among recent calculations of the O(αs2) QCD corrections to shape variable distributions for e+e− annihilation are shown to arise from different underlying definitions of jets and jet observables. In particular, the Caltech (large corrections) and DESY (small corrections) results are not obviously contradictory. We raise questions on the validity of all such calculations for the precise empirical determination of αs from data for e+e−→ hadrons.
Planar building facade segmentation and mapping using appearance and geometric constraints.

Segmentation and mapping of planar building facades (PBFs) can increase a robot’s ability of scene understanding and localization in urban environments which are often quasi-rectilinear and GPS-challenged. PBFs are basic components of the quasi-rectilinear environment. We propose a passive vision-based PBF segmentation and mapping algorithm by combining both appearance and geometric constraints. We propose a rectilinear index which allows us to segment out planar regions using appearance data. Then we combine geometric constraints such as reprojection errors, orientation constraints, and coplanarity constraints in an optimization process to improve the mapping of PBFs. We have implemented the algorithm and tested it in comparison with state-of-the-art. The results show that our method can reduce the angular error of scene structure by an average of 82.82%.