cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dose-related effects of the sex hormones and cortisol on the growth of the bursa of fabricius in chick embryos

Abstract The administration of a single dose of either testosterone propionate progesterone, estradiol, or cortisol in vivo to developing chick embryos on the fifth day of incubation significantly alters the size of the bursa of Fabricius measured on day 19. Depending on dose, testosterone propionate or progesterone can have either stimulatory or inhibitory effects on bursal growth. When low doses were administered (0.02–2.0 μg), comparable to what the chick embryo might be exposed to during development, both hormones were stimulatory; at higher levels (20–2000 μg), both either partially or entirely inhibited bursal growth. In contrast, estradiol and cortisol were found to have no stimulatory effects at low levels, but markedly inhibited bursal growth at higher concentrations (20–2000 μg/egg). The results of this study suggest that the steroid hormones play an important role in the growth of the bursa of Fabricius in developing chick embryos. This phenomenon may have bearing on subsequent immunelogical responsiveness.
Pure rhenium metal

Discusses various properties of the metal rhenium. The properties include: malleability, high-temperature strength, resistance to carburizing and high electrical resistivity across a wide temperature range. This makes rhenium a great candidate for applications where high-temperature strength, wear resistance and erosion resistance is needed.
415 DRUG DEPENDENCE IN PREGNANCY: INTRAPARTUM COURSE AND MANAGEMENT

It is known that drug dependent women (DDW) have an increased incidence of medical and obstetrical complications, but little information exists on the intrapartum course and management of these patients. Within the context of Family Center, a clinical and research program providing comprehensive pre- and postnatal services for DDW and their infants, a study was undertaken to determine if the DDW had normal patterns of labor and if standard intrapartum management is appropriate. The study population included 336 women who delivered between January 1982 and July 1984, of which 112 were EDW (72% receiving methadone maintenance). The comparison group of 224 non-drug dependent women was matched for gravity, parity and socioeconotnic background. The incidence of premature delivery, abruptio placentae, breech presentation and intrauterine growth retardation were significantly greater in the DDW. The average duration of the first, second and third stages of labor compared well with the normal course of labor and matched the results of the comparison group. Labor abnormalities and cesarean sections were of no greater incidence, but there were more than twice as many forceps deliveries which coincides with the 40% increased use of epidural anesthesia. Analgesia and anesthesia were in excess of that which is given to the average patient. There were three stillborns, one neonatal death, and one maternal death. Apgar scores and the incidence of fetal distress and meconium staining were identical in both groups. Postpartum complications were more common in the DDW, but most were secondary to the use of subclavian intravenous lines inserted due to the presence of sclerotic veins. These data suggest that high risk prenatal management and careful monitoring in the intra- and postpartum periods utilizing epidural anesthesia identifies and usually prevents untoward complications in DDW.
High resolution imaging beyond the acoustic diffraction limit in deep tissue via ultrasound-switchable NIR fluorescence

Fluorescence imaging in deep tissue with high spatial resolution is highly desirable because it can provide details about tissue's structural, functional, and molecular information. Unfortunately, current fluorescence imaging techniques are limited either in penetration depth (microscopy) or spatial resolution (diffuse light based imaging) as a result of strong light scattering in deep tissue. To overcome this limitation, we developed an ultrasound-switchable fluorescence (USF) imaging technique whereby ultrasound was used to switch on/off the emission of near infrared (NIR) fluorophores. We synthesized and characterized unique NIR USF contrast agents. The excellent switching properties of these agents, combined with the sensitive USF imaging system developed in this study, enabled us to image fluorescent targets in deep tissue with spatial resolution beyond the acoustic diffraction limit.
Yield-point ring load of filled circular cylindrical shells

Abstract The yield-point load is obtained for circular cylindrical shells which are filled with an incompressible fluid and loaded by a ring of pressure at the center. Three kinds of end supports have been considered and the yield load is determined for all lengths of the cylinder. The results obtained are compared with solutions for unfilled shells.
Defect propagation at a circular interface

In this paper a nonlinear, nonuniform cohesive zone is employed to study the detailed features of quasi-static defect evolution in a simple, planar elastic system consisting of a circular inclusion embedded in an unbounded matrix subject to different remote loading configurations. The inclusion–matrix interface is assumed to be described by Needleman-type force-separation relations characterized by an interface strength, a characteristic force length and a shear stiffness parameter. Interface defects are modeled by an interface strength which varies with interface coordinate. Infinitesimal strain equilibrium solutions, which allow for rigid body inclusion displacement, are sought by eigenfunction approximation of the solution of the governing interfacial integral equations. For equibiaxial tension, quasi-static defect initiation and propagation occur under increasing remote load. For decreasing characteristic force length, a transition occurs from more or less uniform decohesion along the bond line to propagation of a crack-like defect. In the later case a critical failure load is well defined and interface failure is shown to be defect dominated (brittle decohesion). For interfaces with large characteristic force length, the matrix “lifts off” the inclusion accompanied by a delay in defect propagation (ductile decohesion). The decohesion modes ultimately give rise to a cavity with the inclusion situated within it on the side opposite to the original defect. Results for small characteristic force length show consistency with England’s results for the sharp arc crack on a circular interface (England AH (1966) ASME J Appl Mech 33:637–640) Stress oscillation and contact at the tip of the defect are observed primarily for small characteristic force lengths under extremely small loading. Results for remote tension, compression and pure shear loading are discussed as well. In the final section of the paper the results obtained in the first part are utilized to estimate the plane effective bulk response of a composite containing a dilute distribution of inclusions with randomly oriented interface defects.
Gene expression signatures of radiation response are specific, durable and accurate in mice and humans.

Background Previous work has demonstrated the potential for peripheral blood (PB) gene expression profiling for the detection of disease or environmental exposures. Methods and Findings We have sought to determine the impact of several variables on the PB gene expression profile of an environmental exposure, ionizing radiation, and to determine the specificity of the PB signature of radiation versus other genotoxic stresses. Neither genotype differences nor the time of PB sampling caused any lessening of the accuracy of PB signatures to predict radiation exposure, but sex difference did influence the accuracy of the prediction of radiation exposure at the lowest level (50 cGy). A PB signature of sepsis was also generated and both the PB signature of radiation and the PB signature of sepsis were found to be 100% specific at distinguishing irradiated from septic animals. We also identified human PB signatures of radiation exposure and chemotherapy treatment which distinguished irradiated patients and chemotherapy-treated individuals within a heterogeneous population with accuracies of 90% and 81%, respectively. Conclusions We conclude that PB gene expression profiles can be identified in mice and humans that are accurate in predicting medical conditions, are specific to each condition and remain highly accurate over time.
Effect of Lipid Bilayer Composition on the Membrane-Binding Ability and Depth of Insertion of Antimicrobial Piscidin 1: A Solid-State Deuterium NMR Study

Piscidins constitute a family of amphipathic, cationic, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found in the skin, gills and gastrointestinal tracts of hybrid striped bass. Unstructured in water, they become alpha-helical in the presence of phospholipids. It is believed that their ability to disrupt phospholipid bilayers is related to their antimicrobial effects on yeasts and bacteria. Interestingly, the minimum inhibitory concentrations of piscidin tend to be higher for yeasts than most bacteria. Here, we used Circular Dichroism (CD) and deuterium solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (ssNMR) to investigate the membrane-binding ability and depth of insertion of piscidin 1 in different membrane mimetic systems. Aligned lipid bilayer preparations were made using 3:1 POPC/POPG-d31 (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine/palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol-d31) and 3:1 POPC/POPS-d31 (1-palmitoyl 2-oleoyl phosphatidylserine-d31) to mimic bacterial and yeast cell membranes, respectively. To test the effects of ergosterol, a sterol found in yeasts, we added 20% ergosterol (molar ratio) to the lipid mixtures. We hypothesized that both PS and ergosterol would reduce the ability of piscidin to bind and disrupt bilayers.Deuterium quadrupolar splittings, which were obtained for deuterons in the methylene and terminal methyl groups of the phospholipid acyl chains, were used to assess the disordering effect of piscidin on the acyl chains. Our results suggest that the type of anionic lipid component (e.g., PG versus PS) does not affect acyl chain disordering by piscidin while ergosterol appears to decrease its disordering effect. The data also give evidence that membrane-bound piscidin is located close to the phospholipid headgroups. Overall, these studies help us gain some insight into specific physicochemical features of lipid membranes that affect piscidin-lipid interactions. The implications in terms of piscidin's mode of action will be discussed.
Preschoolers' use of superordinate relations in classification and language

Preschoolers' difficulty in accessing superordinate relations in classification contrasts sharply with their facility in accessing superordinate relations in language use. We consider two hypotheses regarding this discrepancy. First, certain aspects of classification tasks may obscure superordinate relations. In free classification tasks, the open-ended instructions leave the choice among possible organization schemes unconstrained, allowing for virtually any grouping (e.g., thematic, idiosyncratic), not necessarily a taxonomic grouping. Second, children's facility with superordinate relations in language may be due to a language-specific constraint in development: Children may interpret novel labels as referring to taxonomic (as opposed to thematic or idiosyncratic) relations. In Experiment I, we used ‘clues’ to focus preschoolers' attention on superordinate relations. Clues were (1) superordinate category labels (Label condition); (2) sets of typical category instances (Instance condition); or (3) typical instances with instructions to consider the instances as a group (Group condition). Four-year-olds classified successfully in all conditions. Three-year-olds classified well with labels, but not with instances; their performance in the Group condition was intermediate. In Experiment II, we focus on the role of labels in superordinate classification. If labels highlight taxonomic relations, then a set of category instances paired with a novel label should serve as an especially effective taxonomic clue. With the introduction of a novel word, 3-year-olds classified as successfully as children provided with known English labels. The powerful relation between language and classification is discussed.
Steering Control of the Autonomous Vehicle: CajunBot

This paper describes the steering controller of the CajunBot II, an autonomous vehicle designed for the DARPA Urban Challenge. The autonomous vehicle is a modified Jeep Wrangler Rubicon equipped with INS/GPS for localization, three sets of sensors and three single board computers. The control objective is to make the lateral error at a certain point ahead of the vehicle zero. The distance of this point from the vehicle is called the look-ahead distance. A proportional Integral controller augmented with a moving average filter to dump the yaw internal dynamics is proposed to achieve this objective. The steering controller was tested under full-scale conditions and its dynamic performances are discussed here.
Joint analysis of case-parents trio and unrelated case-control designs in large scale association studies

We present a new method for testing association when data from both case-parents trios and unrelated controls are available. Our method combines test statistics for case-parents trio and unrelated case-control studies by adjusting for the correlation that arises when the same set of cases is used for both tests. We further consider several analytical approaches for two-stage studies on a large number of markers, including methods based on the joint analysis. The performance of the proposed approaches is examined by analyzing the simulated data provided by the Genetic Analysis Workshop 15.
The Effect of "Blue Laws" on Consumer Expenditures at Retail

The retailing system is regulated in various fashions by governments at all levels. One instance of such regulation in the United States is "blue laws. " Blue laws are legally imposed restrictions ...
Quantitative Comparison of Eight Vectorcardiographic Lead Systems

The large number of different, but presumably equivalent, vectorcardiographic lead systems in current use makes it imperative that their degree of interchangeability be investigated, and that standardization on some compromise system be achieved if possible. The situation is reminiscent of the controversy over the CF, CL, CR, and V leads in the early 'forties. Large and erratic variations of spatial loop configuration, orientation, and magnitude among eight different, presumably orthogonal, vectorcardiographic lead systems were found, so that direct interchangeability is questionable. The discrepancies were far greater than those between the different types of chest leads. Standardization on a universally acceptable compromise vectorcardiographic lead system would be desirable, to avoid confusion in the rapidly accumulating body of vectorcardiographic material, even though the compromise falls short of a theoretic ideal.
Accumulation, Whole-Body Depletion, and Debromination of Decabromodiphenyl Ether in Male Sprague−Dawley Rats Following Dietary Exposure

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) is the major component in the flame-retardant formulation DecaBDE which is incorporated into numerous consumer goods ranging from upholsteries to electronics. Because of the high volume of DecaBDE produced, its presence in consumer products and the environment, and the finding of BDE-209 in the blood of exposed workers, the extent of bioavailability, persistence, and potential debromination are important issues. To measure the bioconcentration, distribution, reductive debromination, and whole-body half-lives of BDE-209 after multiple low doses in an animal model, we dosed rats with a commercial DecaBDE (0.3 μg/g of diet) for 21 days and measured tissue polybrominated diphenyl ether levels during a 21 day withdrawal period. BDE-209, three nona-BDEs, and four octa-BDEs accumulated in the rats and distributed proportionately throughout the body. Only 5% of the total BDE-209 dose was present as parent compound in the rats after 21 days of dosing and <4% in the feces, suggesti...
Culturally competent care.

Objectives : To define key concepts and summarize available guidelines that are important resources to assist nurses to provide culturally competent care. Data Sources : Medline, anthropologic and epidemiologic literature, and National Institutes of Health documents. Conclusions : Controversy remains about the most appropriate language to use to describe features of diverse populations. Implications for Nursing Practice : Becoming culturally competent begins by understanding terms and concepts that are essential in developing cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills. Sensitivity to language and the history of the development of some labels are important.
Minimum upper bound on the number of tests for detecting faults in an unaugmented programmable logic array

Programmable logic arrays (PLAs) are extensively used to realize efficient combinational logic circuits. Reducing the number of tests for PLAs is an important issue. It is shown that the required tests for detecting a single fault in an unaugmented PLA is (m + 1) ∗ q, thus establishing a new minimum upper bound on required tests. This method can also be extended to detect multiple faults as well as to determine the locations of the faults.
Validated observation and reporting of microscopic performance using Pentium II counter facilities

Microprocessors typically have software readable counters for events such as instruction executions, cycles, instruction stalls, and cache misses. Besides their usefulness to report overall performance metrics, these counters reveal details about dynamic process behavior and hardware affects of compiler optimizations. Our research develops and evaluates, in case studies, methodologies to determine just how accurate measurements from counters can be. We might then compensate for, reduce and/or estimate errors caused by the instrumentation or by system activity unrelated to the phenomena under study. We validate our flow-graph based perturbation model on small cases using static instruction counting, basic cache theory, and interrupt vs. cycle frequencies. We validate on larger cases using the existing Linux system calls, shells and user mode hardware counter access instructions. Our studies indicate so far that these performance factors, as related to specific machine code and data organization, can be directly observed in a practical/working system (Linux) with reasonable accuracy and that they can be quantitatively related to measurements of overall performance. Our current focus is on microscopic observations and phenomena because we seek to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of software accessible hardware self-reporting features of recent (Pentium II) technology.
Starting the cell cycle: what's the point?

Abstract Early work on regulation of the budding yeast cell cycle defined a critical regulatory step called ‘Start’, considered to represent cell cycle commitment. Recent work has defined the probable molecular basis of Start to be activation of Cln-Cdc28 protein kinase complexes. Cln-Cdc28 kinases may directly regulate many cell cycle processes, including some classically considered to be ‘post-Start’. Specialization of function among the three genetically redundant CLN genes is becoming apparent.
Reduction in the initial wear of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene after compressive creep deformation

Although the wear of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) total joint implant components has received much attention, the creep of this polymer has been inadequately studied. The objectives of this study were to determine whether creep affects the wear of UHMWPE and, if so, to measure the magnitude of this effect. Cylindrical specimens were machined from GUR 4l50HP extruded unirradiated UHMWPE rod stock, compressed at three different pressures (0, 4 and 8 MPa) for 10 000 min to simulate creep, and then unloaded for 10 000 min. Wear tests were conducted by unidirectionally sliding the ends of these UHMWPE cylinders at a speed of 125 mm s -1 on a highly polished stainless steel disc with a contact pressure of 4 MPa in bovine serum. Wear of the compressed specimens was only 38% as great as that of the noncompressed specimens (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the amount of wear of specimens compressed at pressures of 4 MPa vs. 8 MPa. It is presently unclear whether this reduction in wear is due to a creep-induced reduction in asperity height, or to a creep-induced increase in UHMWPE's wear resistance.
Design and testing of a new high-accuracy ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer.

A new high-accuracy spectrophotometer has been developed at the National Research Council of Canada to measure regular transmittance factors over the spectral range from 200 to 2500 nm. The most significant feature of this automated single-beam instrument is a highly collimated normal-incidence beam geometry, which eliminates the need for polarization corrections or for an averaging sphere for the calibration of regular-transmittance reference materials. The instrument also possesses a large uniform measurement beam that minimizes errors caused by sample nonuniformity. We describe the instrument’s design and the testing, optimization, and verification procedures that have been carried out for measurements in the visible and near-infrared regions. Systematic errors that have been determined and corrected for include wavelength shifts, stray light, system drift, and nonlinearity. In the visible and near-infrared regions, the overall photometric accuracy is estimated to be 2.5 and 4.0 parts in 104, respectively. The wavelength scale is accurate to within ±0.1 nm with a reproducibility of ±0.03 nm over its entire design range from 200 to 2500 nm.
Metals and microbes in toxicity testing

The use of microorganisms can be a valuable and powerful tool in assessing the toxicity of metals, but a number of factors must be considered if meaningful results are to be obtained. In many instances natural assemblages of microorganisms are preferred to pure cultures as test systems. Similarly, effects on microbial processes such as primary production, respiration, or nitrogen fixation can provide better evaluations of toxicity than are provided by measurements of viability on pure cultures. When possible, more than one measure of activity or viability should be used. In a large number of cases, the toxicity of a metal is influenced by the chemical species of the metal. The chemical species and the availability of a metal can be influenced markedly by physical and chemical conditions, which include conditions in the field and conditions of the assay itself. Thus, those using microorganisms to assay the toxicity of metals should take care to specify the assay conditions in detail, and they should be sure that the assay conditions are as close as possible to in situ conditions. Moreover, caution should be used when extrapolating from laboratory to field situations, or from one field situation to another.
A phenomenological classification of the electrical conductivity of dispersed solid electrolyte systems

Abstract On the basis of an analysis of an idealized theoretical model, it is proposed that the electrical conductivity of materials containing a dispersed insulating phase should display one of three types of behaviour as a function of dispersoid fraction. Type I behaviour conforms to essentially simple dilution of the conducting phase. Here the measured conductivity decreases monotonically with volume fraction and is described by the classical theory of Maxwell. Type II behaviour encompasses a (qualitatively) parabolic dependence, wherein an initial linear enhancement in the conductivity for dilute systems is followed by the attainment of a smooth maximum and a subsequent conductivity decrease as the volume fraction increases. This arises from a dispersoid-induced change in the bulk conductivity of the continous phase. Lastly, type III behaviour is used to designate a conductivity enhancement possessing a sharply peaked (rather than flat) maximum. It is shown to originate in the presence of a high conductivity layer around each dispersoid, the initial abrupt rise to the maximum being associated with the establishment of percolation paths through the entire specimen. Systems displaying one or other of the three types of behaviour are tentatively identified. The treatment presented here incorporates and extends various ideas that have been proposed by earlier workers. These are clearly defined and their interrelationship, where appropriate, are established.
Rats show only a weak preference for the artificial sweetener aspartame.

The preference of adult female rats for aspartame (L-asparty L-phenylalamine methyl ester) was measured using 24 hr/day and 30 min/day two bottle preference tests. At aspartame concentrations that humans find sweet (0.0125% to 0.05%) the rats failed to prefer aspartame to water. At higher concentrations (0.1% to 1.0%) half (n = 11) of the rats tested displayed mild (64%) to moderate (83%) aspartame preferences. The other half of the rats were indifferent or avoided the aspartame. Even at the most preferred concentration (1.0%) the rats' aspartame preference was much less than their preference for saccharin or sucrose, and they showed little increase in total fluid intake when given the aspartame solution. The results indicate that aspartame is not very palatable to rats, and suggest that it has little or no sweet, i.e., sucrose-like, taste to rats as it does to humans.
Systems Theory and Management

Ludwig von Bertalanffy, in 1951, and Kenneth Boulding, in 1956, wrote articles which have provided a modern foundation for general systems theory [Bertalanffy, L. von. 1951. General system theory: A new approach to unity of science. Human Biol. December 303--361; Boulding, K. 1956. General systems theory: The skeleton of science. Management Sci. April 197--208.]. We build on that foundation in applying general systems theory to management. The general theory is reviewed for the reader. Next, it is applied as a theory for business, and an illustrative model of the systems concept is developed to show the business application. Finally, the systems concept is related to the traditional functions of a business, i.e., planning, organizing, control, and communications.
Detecting associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the X chromosome in case control genome-wide association studies

In the past decade, hundreds of genome-wide association studies have been conducted to detect the significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms that are associated with certain diseases. However, most of the data from the X chromosome were not analyzed and only a few significant associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms from the X chromosome have been identified from genome-wide association studies. This is mainly due to the lack of powerful statistical tests. In this paper, we propose a novel statistical approach that combines the information of single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the X chromosome from both males and females in an efficient way. The proposed approach avoids the need of making strong assumptions about the underlying genetic models. Our proposed statistical test is a robust method that only makes the assumption that the risk allele is the same for both females and males if the single-nucleotide polymorphism is associated with the disease for both genders. Through simulation study and a real data application, we show that the proposed procedure is robust and have excellent performance compared to existing methods. We expect that many more associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms on the X chromosome will be identified if the proposed approach is applied to current available genome-wide association studies data.
Generation of solar type III bursts at the second harmonic

Using the data from our experiments on the IMP-6 (Explorer 43) satellite, we have examined over 200 type III bursts at kilometric wavelengths, including 16 bursts which were accompanied by >18 keV electron events with sharp onsets, in a search for the electrostatic waves which, according to theory, should be the primary source of type III bursts. No electrostatic waves of sufficient intensity to generate the type III bursts by any of the wave-wave scattering theories which produce the second harmonic of the plasma frequency, have been found.
Maternal bereavement in the perinatal substance abuser

Maternal bereavement has been reported in involuntary perinatal loss and voluntary custody relinquishment. Since child custody loss is common among childbearing chemically dependent women, maternal bereavement was investigated in a small pilot sample of obstetric substance abusers. Findings suggest that grief in anticipation of possible postnatal custody loss is common. Unresolved grief from previous custody loss was also common. Clinical features, treatment considerations, and public health concerns are discussed.
Comparative effects of some variations of covert modelling

Abstract In covert modeling, subjects imagine a model rather than observe a live or film model. In a 2 × 2 design, multiplicity of models (imagining one vs three different models) and variation of fear stimuli (imagining the model perform with one vs two different snakes) were combined. A no-model control group was included in the design to control for fear-related imagery in the absence of a model. Subjects who imagined multiple models, as opposed to a single model, showed greater avoidance reduction on behavioral and self-report measures at posttreatment and at a 3-week follow-up assessment. Subjects who imagined a single snake and those who imagined different snakes were not different in avoidance. In general, the results supported the efficacy of covert modeling over no-model controls.
Neuropsychologic abnormalities in children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome

We hypothesized that intellectual, neurodevelopmental, and visual-motor tests would be able to characterize the scope and nature of central nervous system involvement in children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. Age-appropriate intellectual (Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment, Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence—Revised and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised), neurodevelopmental (Halsted-Reitan neuropsychologic battery), and visual-motor (Beery visual-motor integration test) tests were given to 17 children with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (age 0.1 to 14.3 years). We found a broad range in IQ and developmental quotient, from greater than the 85th percentile to less than the 5th percentile, with discrepancies noted between verbal and performance measures. Multiple asymmetries and deficiencies of motor performance, not consistently related to handedness, were also found. Significant eye-hand coordination deficits were uncommon, but general performance was well below average. Full, verbal, and performance IQs and developmental quotients ≥70 and
Some results from the use of a control augmentation system to study the developed spin of a light plane

A control augmentation system consisting of hydrogen peroxide rockets mounted on the wing tips of a light airplane has been developed and used to study spin recovery characteristics. Recovery from spins that were unrecoverable with aerodynamic controls was accomplished in less than one turn at maximum thrust in about three turns at minimum thrust. The rocket system at maximum thrust produced spin recovery characteristics similar to those obtained using a parachute. An advantage of using the control augmentation system on any airplane being used in a spin test program is its capability to demonstrate configuration effects on stall/spin characteristics at very high angles of attack and clearly determine the existence of all possible spin modes.
Effects of the AT1 Receptor Antagonist L-158,809 on Microglia and Neurogenesis after Fractionated Whole-Brain Irradiation

Abstract Cognitive dysfunction develops in approximately 50% of patients who receive fractionated whole-brain irradiation and survive 6 months or more. The mechanisms underlying these deficits are unknown. A recent study demonstrated that treatment with the angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist (AT1RA) L-158,809 before, during and after fractionated whole-brain irradiation prevents or ameliorates radiation-induced cognitive deficits in adult rats. Given that (1) AT1RAs may function as anti-inflammatory drugs, (2) inflammation is thought to contribute to radiation injury, and (3) radiation-induced inflammation alters progenitor cell populations, we tested whether the cognitive benefits of L-158,809 treatment were associated with amelioration of the sustained neuroinflammation and changes in neurogenesis that are induced by fractionated whole-brain irradiation. In rats examined 28 and 54 weeks after irradiation, L-158,809 treatment did not alter the effects of radiation on the number and activation of m...
Light transmission measurements in solid fuel ramjet combustors

An experimental investigation of the combustion behavior in solid fuel ramjets was conducted using polymethylmethacrylate fuel grains. Multiple wavelength light transmission measurements were made at the fuel grain exit and nozzle entrance to study the effects of bypass ratio on the combustion efficiency and the percentage and size of unburned carbon. Utility and limitations of the optical method are presented. Combustion efficiency did not correlate with the percentage of unburned carbon. Unburned hydrocarbons were the apparent cause of combustion inefficiency. Fuel regression rate and combustion efficiency were also found to be sensitive to small variations in fuel manufacturing methods. Nomenclature A IF = air-fuel ratio on mass basis Cm = mass concentration of particles, kg particulates/m3 gas D32 = volume to surface mean diameter, m G = air mass flux, kg/m2-s L = length of path through aerosol, m rh - flow rate, kg/s P = pressure, N/m2 Q = average extinction coefficient f = fuel regression rate, m/s T = fraction of light transmitted 7 = turbidity 7jAr = temperature rise combustion efficiency p =particulate density, kg/m3 o = standard deviation
The affected sib method. II. The intermediate model

Summary An iteration procedure is outlined which uses HLA haplotype sharing data from sib pairs in which both sibs have the disease of interest. The procedure allows estimation of the degree of dominance of the HLA linked ‘disease’ allele, and its frequency in the population, for intermediate models where it is assumed that individuals who do not have at least one copy of the ‘disease’ allele do not contract the disease. Parameter estimates from sib-pair data on multiple sclerosis, insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, haemochromatosis, coeliac disease juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and Graves' and Hasimoto's diseases are given.
DNA replication times the cell cycle and contributes to the mid-blastula transition in Drosophila embryos

We examined the contribution of S phase in timing cell cycle progression during Drosophila embryogenesis using an approach that deletes S phase rather than arresting its progress. Injection of Drosophila Geminin, an inhibitor of replication licensing, prevented subsequent replication so that the following mitosis occurred with uninemic chromosomes, which failed to align. The effect of S phase deletion on interphase length changed with development. During the maternally regulated syncytial blastoderm cycles, deleting S phase shortened interphase, and deletion of the last of blastoderm S phase (cycle 14) induced an extra synchronous division and temporarily deferred mid-blastula transition (MBT) events. In contrast, deleting S phase after the MBT in cycle 15 did not dramatically affect mitotic timing, which appears to retain its dependence on developmentally programmed zygotic transcription. We conclude that normal S phase and replication checkpoint activities are important timers of the undisturbed cell cycle before, but not after, the MBT.
Transplantation: Sharing of donated livers is not equal

The allocation and distribution of deceased donor livers for transplant remains intensely scrutinized because demand far exceeds supply. In the USA, distribution of organs is organized according to a local, regional and national sharing plan. Ongoing assessment of the characteristics and success of these arrangements is necessary to ensure the system is as equitable as possible.
The effects of drought on the Solidago altissima-Eurosta solidaginis-natural enemy complex: population dynamics, local extirpations, and measures of selection intensity on gall size.

Environmental catastrophes, such as severe drought, can reduce host-plant quality and/or abundance, which in turn decrease levels of herbivore populations. Such changes in herbivore populations affect populations of their natural enemies. As part of a long-term field experiment (1983–1991), galls of Eurosta solidaginis from 16 fields in central Pennsylvania were systematically collected from goldenrod ramets. Galls were dissected to compare the occurrence of E. solidaginis mortality caused by its natural enemies in 2 drought years (1988, 1991) with 5 pre-drought years (1983–1987) and 2 post-drought years (1989–1990). Gall diameters were significantly smaller in both drought years and early larval death significantly decreased E. solidaginis survivorship in the first drought year. Of the natural enemies, the parasitoid wasp Eurytoma gigantea caused significant selection for larger gall size in all pre-drought years, the 1991 drought, and both post-drought years, due to its differential attack of smaller galls. In spite of drought-induced small gall size in 1988, there was negligible selection on gall size by natural enemies. However, populations of E. solidaginis did suffer local extirpations at nine of the 16 fields during the first drought year and population recoveries of the gall inducer and natural enemies varied among fields in the post-drought years. As a consequence of reduced herbivore abundance in drought and post-drought years, some natural-enemy populations were absent. Drought therefore drastically reduced the abundance of E. solidaginis and natural enemies resulting in slow recoveries to pre-drought numbers.
Marching in Near Lock-Step

Over the past ∼100,000 years, intervals of gradual climate cooling have repeatedly been followed by abrupt warming events. Collectively known as Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) cycles ( 1 ), these ∼1500-year-long cycles are recorded in the oxygen isotope record of Greenland ice cores and in layers of iceberg-rafted sediments in the North Atlantic Ocean known as Heinrich layers ( 2 ) that record collapses of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets. On page 570 of this issue, Kanner et al. ( 3 ) report a stunning new archive of the oxygen isotopic composition of tropical precipitation recorded in the deposits of Pacupahuain Cave (see the figure, panel A), located high on the eastern side of the Peruvian Andes, that matches the North Atlantic/Greenland records in striking detail. The results help to elucidate how climate change—both past and future—in one region of the globe may drive climate changes in far-flung regions.
Notes on crossed symmetry solutions of the two-point boundary value problems on time scales

Dedicated to Allan Peterson on the occasion of his 60th birthday. In this paper, we explore crossed symmetry properties of the solutions of second-order nonlinear boundary value problems on time scales (BVPTS). Dynamic equations under delta and nabla differentiations are considered. It is proven that, by introducing a proper companion problem, the solution of a dynamic equation and its associated Green's functions are crossed symmetric in connection with those of the companion problem, respectively. Proper jump functions on time scales are utilized. Computational examples are given to further illustrate our conclusions.
New tools for prevention of restenosis could decrease the "oculo-stento" reflex.

See article by Yasuda et al. [8] (pages 481–486) in this issue. Restenosis remains the major challenge to percutaneous coronary intervention procedures, despite substantial improvements. Standard balloon angioplasty results in restenosis in 30–50% of patients within several months after successful revascularization [1], requiring repeat target vessel revascularization. Placement of stents effectively reduces early restenosis due to elastic recoil of the artery, but there is increased late restenosis due to excessive intimal hyperplasia, yielding an overall restenosis rate of about 20–30% [2]. Although this restenosis rate is higher than desired, stenting has become the main interventional procedure for treatment of flow-limiting atherosclerotic lesions. In our clinic and numerous others almost 60–70% of critical lesions are stented. This dominant procedure has prompted the colloquial coining of the ‘oculo-stento reflex’—an interventionalist sees a lesion and reflexively stents it. Rapamycin-coated stents have virtually eliminated restenosis in early trials [3–5]. After 8 months of follow-up there have been no adverse events [3], thus if rapamycin-coated stents have long-term efficacy beyond these initial trials … * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-573-882-2640 or 573-882-3787; fax: +1-573-884-4276 sturekm{at}missouri.edu
Adaptive Set-Oriented Computation of Topological Horseshoe Factors in Area and Volume Preserving Maps

We describe an automatic chaos verification scheme, based on set-oriented numerical methods, which is especially well suited to the study of area- and volume preserving diffeomorphisms. The novel feature of the scheme is an iterative algorithm for approximating connecting orbits between collections of hyperbolic fixed and periodic points with greater and greater accuracy. The algorithm is geometric rather than graph theoretic in nature and, in contrast to existing methods, does not require the computation of chain recurrent sets. We provide several example computations in dimensions two and three.
Content accessibility of special education organisations’ Web sites

Professional organisations play a central role in efforts to make public and private facilities and resources accessible. Hundreds of organisations have formed to support the development and maintenance of services to individuals with disabilities. The World Wide Web (WWW) has become a valuable resource for individuals with disabilities, but on-line barriers create significant limitations in content accessibility. This study evaluated the content accessibility of professional organisation home pages. One hundred and eighty-seven home pages were evaluated for content accessibility. The results indicated that 72% of them had significant accessibility problems that severely affect their usability by people with disabilities. The types of accessibility problems are presented, as well as methods for validating and areas for improving Web sites.
Hemodynamics and evaluation for surgery of patients with complete transposition of the great arteries and ventricular septal defect.

In complete transposition of the great arteries, the systemic and pulmonary circuits are parallel. Although the total flow in each circuit may be large, the volume of blood exchanged between the 2 circuits is relatively small and varies within narrow limits. However, this socalled effective flow alone is active in oxygen uptake from the lungs and delivery to tissues. The recirculated blood in each circuit does not enhance oxygen uptake and delivery in the pulmonary and systemic capillaries yet has a key role in determining pulmonary arterial and systemic arterial oxygen saturation. Flow and resistance levels in the 2 circuits may vary independently. Therefore, the flow and resistance ratios between the 2 circuits are often misleading. To assess accurately the status of the pulmonary vascular bed, the pulmonary circuit alone must be considered. The difference between the levels of pulmonary venous and pulmonary arterial oxygen content is a measure of pulmonary flow and resistance in the patient with complete transposition and a large ventricular septal defect and without significant pulmonary stenosis. At present, we consider the patient with an oxygen difference of 2.3 vol percent or less to be a suitable candidate for complete surgical repair. This patient will have a pulmonary arteriolar resistance of 10.0 units m2 or less. Precise, accurate studies are mandatory in the evaluation of operability for the patient with complete transposition.
Studies of interfacial layers between 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) and graphene

Abstract The region between epitaxial graphene and the SiC substrate has been investigated. 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) samples were annealed in a high temperature molecular beam epitaxy system at temperatures between 1100 and 1700 °C. The interfacial layers between the pristine SiC and the graphene layers were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Graphene was found to grow on the SiC surface at temperatures above 1200 °C. Below this temperature, however, sp3 bonded carbon layers were formed with a constant atomic Si concentration. C1s and Si2p core level spectra of the graphene samples suggest that the interface layer we observe has a high carbon concentration and its thickness increases during the graphitization process. A significant concentration of Si atoms is trapped in the interface layer and their concentration also increases during graphitization.
The newly characterized Pl-jun is specifically expressed in skeletogenic cells of the Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryo.

Growing evidence suggests that the transcription factors belonging to the Jun family are involved in many important cellular events, such as the control of bone development in mammalians. We have characterized, for the first time, a member of the Jun family from embryos of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. The Pl-jun protein sequence includes all the functional domains characteristic of members of the Jun family (i.e. the basic leucine zipper, the basic DNA-binding and the c-Jun N-terminal kinase docking-like domains), which are evolutionarily conserved. Moreover, all the key serine and threonine residues, which are phosphorylation targets for different kinases necessary for jun activation, appear to be well preserved. A model of the monomeric protein provides a simulation of the three-dimensional structure and shows the potential sites for dimerization and DNA binding. Pl-jun mRNA is expressed in the unfertilized egg and throughout sea urchin embryo development. As the development proceeds, Pl-jun mRNA becomes exclusively expressed in the skeletogenic cells. Intriguingly, these cells contain significant amounts of the phosphorylated active protein entirely localized into their nuclei. These findings strengthen our hypothesis that suggests an active role for Pl-jun in skeletogenic cells, thus indicating that this transcription factor is a novel component of the gene regulatory networks controlling skeletogenesis. Database Nucleotide sequence data have been deposited in the EMBL databases under the accession number: HE817756.
Understanding flourishing: Evolutionary baselines and morality

In recent years “flourishing” has been a topic of interest to multiple fields, particularly economics (e.g. measuring well-being; Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development, 2013), philoso...