cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness and Safety of Inhaled Corticosteroids inControlling Acute Asthma Attacks in Children Who Were Treated in theEmergency Department: A Controlled Comparative Study With OralPrednisolone

1. Volovitz B, 2. Bentur L, 3. Finkelstein Y, 4. et al. (1998) J Allergy Clin Immunol. 102:605–609. [OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] #### Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study was to prospectively investigate the efficacy and safety of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling moderately severe acute asthma attacks in children. ##### Study Population The study population included children 6 to 16 years of age with diagnosed asthma who were treated in the emergency department with a moderately severe acute asthma attack, defined as a peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) of 35 to 75% of predictive values and a pulmonary index score of 8 to 13 with a maximum score of 15. ##### Methods Children … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJournal%2Bof%2BAllergy%2Band%2BClinical%2BImmunology%26rft.stitle%253DJournal%2Bof%2BAllergy%2Band%2BClinical%2BImmunology%26rft.aulast%253DVolovitz%26rft.auinit1%253DB.%26rft.volume%253D102%26rft.issue%253D4%2BPt%2B1%26rft.spage%253D605%26rft.epage%253D609%26rft.atitle%253DEffectiveness%2Band%2Bsafety%2Bof%2Binhaled%2Bcorticosteroids%2Bin%2Bcontrolling%2Bacute%2Basthma%2Battacks%2Bin%2Bchildren%2Bwho%2Bwere%2Btreated%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bemergency%2Bdepartment%253A%2Ba%2Bcontrolled%2Bcomparative%2Bstudy%2Bwith%2Boral%2Bprednisolone.%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1016%252FS0091-6749%252898%252970276-3%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F9802368%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1016/S0091-6749(98)70276-3&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=9802368&link_type=MED&atom=%2Fpediatrics%2F104%2FSupplement_2%2F387.2.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000076600400010&link_type=ISI
The Many Paths to Neutrality

This essay introduces a volume, First Amendment Stories, which the authors edited and to which a number of distinguished scholars contributed. The authors reflect on the tendency of First Amendment law to abstract away from specifics, and note that free-speech and religious-liberty law and doctrines generally aim for a certain kind of “neutrality”; in the interest of hitting that target, some considerations that are salient to ordinary common sense are deemed not to count. But, how is this neutrality possible? How does it ever happen that people embrace it? What specific contexts lead courts to abstract away from both specificity and context, to adopt positions that are neutral toward, say, theological truth and the viewpoint of speech? Is this move – this striving – toward neutrality justified, or justifiable? This question, the authors believe, runs through this volume and its chapters.It turns out that, like “equality,” neutrality has a conventional meaning, one that, in many ways, can obscure the term’s contested, complicated, and multiple meanings. When it is not used merely to suggest a kind of serene nonjudgmentalism, the invocation of neutrality in conversations about law and politics is typically a shorthand gesture toward the generally understood value of removing some issues from political consideration, together with the arguments in favor of this removal. Such linguistic conventions are useful. The vague term “neutrality” may either introduce substantive argument or serve as a meaningful slogan in the many contexts in which it is difficult to develop arguments in a careful, systematic way. “Neutrality,” though, is a fluid term, as this volume’s several stories illustrate. It must take its shape from its container, the specific arguments in favor of withdrawing this or that substantive issue from politics.
Finite-Volume Methods

As demonstrated in the preceding chapters, the errors in most numerical solutions increase dramatically as the physical scale of the simulated disturbance approaches the minimum scale resolvable on the numerical mesh. When solving equations for which smooth initial data guarantees a smooth solution at all later times, such as the barotropic vorticity equation (3.123), any difficulties associated with poor numerical resolution can be avoided by using a sufficiently fine computational mesh. But if the governing equations allow an initially smooth field to develop shocks or discontinuities, as is the case with Burgers’s equation (3.113), there is no hope of maintaining adequate numerical resolution throughout the simulation, and special numerical techniques must be used to control the development of overshoots and undershoots in the vicinity of the shock. Numerical approximations to equations with discontinuous solutions must also satisfy additional conditions beyond the stability and consistency requirements discussed in Chapter 2 to guarantee that the numerical solution converges to the correct solution as the spatial grid interval and the time step approach zero.
Transparent Touch – Interacting with a Multi-layered Touch-Sensitive Display System

Transparent Touch explores interaction with a display system with two spatially distinct layers. A transparent touch screen is overlaid in front of another information layer, which can be a 3-dimensional object or second screen. Both layers are optically aligned and offer the advantage to provide distinct semantic contexts while optically and cognitively integrating them. The system is explored in three use-case scenarios in which the transparent screen serves as an augmentation layer, as an annotation layer, and as a control layer. The concept is known from HUD displays in airplanes or cars and integrates features of augmented reality systems, mid-air interaction systems and touch screens. Our study collects an initial set of user responses.
Elements in Timed Arrays

Good approximation of an array pattern is the product of the element pattern of a real antenna times the array factor. Elements determine the array bandwidth and polarization and impact the array gain. This chapter introduces potential elements for timed array and their characteristics. An array of point sources is a simple model for estimating the array beamwidth, directivity, sidelobe level, and grating lobe formation. The array pattern approximately equals the product of the array factor and the element pattern that combines the characteristics of both the element positions and weightings with the characteristics of the element. The orientation of the time-varying electric field incident on a receive antenna determines the current flow induced in the antenna. Arrays are designed to be either linearly or circularly polarized. Wideband elements are emphasized, because a wideband array is often affiliated with a timed array.
Autonomic execution of computational workflows

This paper describes the application of an autonomic paradigm to manage the complexity of software systems such as computational workflows. To demonstrate our approach, the workflow and the services comprising it are treated as managed resources controlled by hierarchically organized autonomic managers. By applying service-oriented software engineering principles, in particular enterprise integration patterns, we have developed a scalable, agile, self-healing environment for execution of dynamic, data-driven workflows which are capable of assuring scientific fidelity despite unavoidable faults and without human intervention.
MAXIMIZATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL UPTIME USING AN INTERACTIVE GENETIC-FUZZY SCHEDULING AND SUPPORT SYSTEM

This paper addresses the problem of scheduling multipletime and priority sensitive tasks efficiently in an environmentwhere the number of resources is limited and the resourceshave varying capabilities and restricted capacities.We use a help desk environment as our working model,however, the methodologv could also be adapted to a varietyof job shop scheduling problems in general. We introducea metric called priority time usage as a measure oftask urgency and of schedule efficiency. We also introducea method of considering user satisfaction in scheduling byutilizing fuzzy monotonic reasoning. We propose a methodologyfor implementing a heuristic genetic algorithm(GA) to accomplish the scheduling task. We discuss howsuch a system can use ongoing data about historicalschedule performance to adapt and create progressivelymore accurate schedules in the future. We considermodifications to the scheduling approach which couldallow for task inter-dependencies. We present an initiativeuser interface which we developed to aid help deskadministrators in using the system. In addition to providinga front end to the SOGA system, the interface allows theuser of the system to perform "what ifA¢Â¬Â? analysis with actualschedules. Lastly, we present preliminary assessments ofthe utility of both the optimization engine and the userinterface.
Deletion of the huntingtin proline-rich region does not significantly affect normal huntingtin function in mice.

The N-terminus of Huntingtin, the protein encoded by the Huntington’s disease gene, contains a stretch of polyglutamine residues that is expanded in Huntington’s disease. The polyglutamine stretch is flanked by two conserved protein domains in vertebrates: an N1-17 domain, and a proline-rich region (PRR). The PRR can modulate the structure of the adjacent polyglutamine stretch, and is a binding site for several interacting proteins. To determine the role of the PRR in Huntingtin function, we have generated a knock-in allele of the mouse Huntington’s disease gene homolog that expresses full-length normal huntingtin lacking the PRR. Mice that are homozygous for the huntingtin PRR deletion are born at the normal Mendelian frequency, suggesting that the PRR is not required for essential huntingtin functions during embryonic development. Moreover, adult homozygous mutants did not exhibit any significant differences from wild-type controls in general motor function and motor learning. However, 18 month-old male, but not female, homozygous PRR deletion mutants exhibited deficits in the Morris water task, suggesting that age-dependent spatial learning and memory may be affected in a sex-specific fashion by the huntingtin PRR deletion.
Observation of Slow Velocities and Self-Steepening of Optical Pulses Described by Adiabatic Following

The observation and the theoretical explanation of phenomena which accompany near-resonant pulse propagation in atomic vapors are described. These phenomena bridge the gap between linear dispersion theory, which applies in the far wings of lines, and strictly resonant effects characteristic of self-induced transparency. The results indicate that very low propagation velocities and strong pulse reshaping are not unique to transparency situations.
Sensor-based error recovery for robotic task sequences using fuzzy Petri nets

The authors address the problem of representing and automatically invoking error recovery sequences in response to sensed error during execution. The approach is based on the use of a fuzzy Petri net model in which sensory verification operations determine fuzzy values of tokens in the net. The outcome of a sensory verification operation changes the fuzzy values of tokens and leads to an altered firing sequence and resulting error recovery. An algorithm is described for adding sensory verification transitions and associated fuzzy transition rules which implement error recovery through retry or alternative sequence mechanisms. >
Generalized Estimating Equations: Overview

Correlated datasets arise from repeated measures studies where multiple observations are collected from a specific sampling unit (a specific patient's status over time), or from grouped or clustered data where observations are grouped based on sharing some common characteristic (animals in a specific litter). When measurements are collected over time, the term longitudinal or panel data is preferred. Generalized estimating equations provide a framework for analyzing correlated data. This framework extends the generalized linear models methodology, which assumes independent data. We discuss the estimation of model parameters and associated variances via generalized estimating equation methodology. Keywords: estimating equation; generalized estimating equations; generalized linear models; independence working model; marginal models; population-averaged models; sandwich estimate of variance; subject-specific models; working correlation matrix
Why a Criminal Prohibition on Sex Selective Abortions Amounts to a Thought Crime

In a sex selective abortion, a woman aborts a fetus simply on account of the fetus’ sex. Her motivation or underlying reason for doing so may very well be sexist. She could be disposed to thinking that a female child is inferior to a male one. In a hate crime, an individual commits a crime on account of a victim’s sex, race, sexual orientation or the like. The individual may be sexist or racist in picking his victim. He or she could be disposed to thinking that one race or sex is inferior to another. I argue that while a prohibition on sex selective abortions is anomalous in a liberal, criminal legal framework, hate crime legislation may not be. The former but not the latter constitutes a thought crime. I define a thought crime as one where an agent’s motivation is not just relevant but sufficient to take an act from the domain of the non-punishable to the domain of the punishable. Ignoring a woman’s sexist motivation in procuring an abortion suddenly renders her act of abortion legal. On the other hand, discounting an agent’s bias in committing a hate motivated assault or murder does not transform the act from a punishable one to a non-punishable one. Assaulting or murdering is already a crime.
Phorbol diester enhances calcium ionophore A23187‐induced [3H]acetate incorporation into platelet‐activating factor in murine macrophages: Predominant incorporation into 1‐O‐acyl‐2‐acetyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphocholine

Pretreatment of macrophages with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) has been shown to enhance the release of arachidonic acid from cell phospholipids in response to agonist stimulation. This study describes the ability of TPA to also alter calcium ionophore A23187-induced incorporation of [3H]acetate into platelet activating factor (PAF). Cultured murine peritoneal macrophages were preincubated with [3H]acetate (25 μCi) and TPA (10 ng/ml) for 10 min, and subsequently incubated with 0.1 μM A23187 for 0.5–10 min. Buffer and cells were then extracted and PAF resolved by normal-phase HPLC. Sequential exposure to TPA and A23187 resulted in a greatly enhanced incorporation (11,861 dpm/106 cells) of [3H]acetate into PAF compared to TPA alone, which did not significantly influence [3H]acetate incorporation into PAF, and 0.1 μM A23187, which induced minimal incorporation (688 dpm/106 cells). Macrophage-produced [3H]PAF was resolved by HPLC, extracted, treated with phospholipase-C, and acetylated to facilitate quantitation of 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-GPC (PAF) from 1-O-acyl-2-acetyl-GPC (acylPAF). A23187 alone (1 μM) produced 72% 1-O-acyl-2-[3H]acetyl-GPC, and A23187 (0.1 μM) following TPA pretreatment produced 81% 1-O-acyl-2-[3H]acetyl-GPC. Less than 2% of the radioactivity of acylPAF was in the acyl moiety. These data support a role for protein kinase C in modulating agonist-induced PAF synthesis. The results also suggest that acetyltransferase of murine macrophages does not possess specificity for 1-O-alkyl-2-lyso-GPC, and that availability of specific species of lyso-phospholipid may determine the type of PAF produced.
Genetic heterogeneity and trans regulators of gene expression

Heterogeneity poses a challenge to linkage mapping. Here, we apply a latent class extension of Haseman-Elston regression to expression phenotypes with significant evidence of linkage to trans regulators in 14 large pedigrees. We test for linkage, accounting for heterogeneity, and classify individual families as "linked" and "unlinked" on the basis of their contribution to the overall evidence of linkage.
Availability of and Involvement with Pets by Children: Determinants and Correlates

AbstractDeterminants of pet ownership and involvement with pets by children from preschool age to preadolescence were assessed from reports of 707 parents. The relationship between pet ownership and involvement with pets and involvement in leisure and work activities by children was also examined. Child age and maternal employment were the most important predictors of both pet ownership and involvement with pets. As predicted, the availability of a pet was unrelated to children's work and leisure pursuits, but the extent of involvement with a pet was associated positively with other non-school activities, especially for second and fifth graders.
SU-FF-T-392: Alanine as a Small Field Dosimeter - First Tests in Gamma Knife Radiosurgery Fields

Introduction and purpose: An international working group on reference dosimetry of small and nonstandard fields has published a new formalism for the dosimetry of small and composite fields (Med. Phys. 35, 2008). Ionization chambers, which are the backbones of radiotherapydosimetry, are not always suitable for measurements in regions of high dose gradients or where non‐uniform beam distributions are encountered. It is important to identify and evaluate new dosimeters that are suitable for measurements of absolute dose in small and non‐standard fields. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether alanine can be used as an absolute dosimeter for small field dosimetry of the Leksell Gamma Knife (LGK). Methods and Materials: Alanine pellets (4.8 mm in diameter and 2.0 mm in height) were irradiated to 40, 100 and 150 Gy in the center of a LGK spherical polystyrene phantom (diameter 160 mm) using 16 mm collimator on the LGK Perfexion unit and 18 mm collimator on the LGK 4C unit. For each dose point three pellets were irradiated separately in three separate irradiations. The alanine dosimeters were measured with a Bruker ECS106 Electron Paramagnetic Resonancespectrometer using the protocol described in the NIST Division Quality System Manual. Results of alanine dosimetry were compared with ion chamber measurements performed with A16 Exradin ion chamber following AAPM TG21 protocol. Results and Conclusions: Very good agreement was observed between the results obtained by alanine dosimetry and ionization chamberdosimetry. Mean deviations between both dosimetric methods for the LGK Perfexion were found to be −0.6%, 1.2% and 1.7% for doses 40, 100 and 150 Gy, respectively. Similarly, mean observed deviations for the LGK 4C were −0.2%, 0.7% and 1.2% for doses 40, 100 and 150 Gy, respectively. Measurements for the 8 mm collimator and composite field dosimetry are in progress.
Black Religious Ethics and Higher Education: Rastafarian identity as a resource for inclusiveness

Rastafarian identity represents an ethical resource for broadening discussions about inclusiveness in university communities. Based on interviews with Rastas in Jamaica and interpretations of Rastafarian dub poetry and song lyrics, Rastafarian consciousness is described in terms of concepts of self (I-n-I), lifestyle (livity) and community (Ithiopia). Rasta self-concepts are then viewed as creative catalysts for illuminating globalization discussions, and Rasta lifestyles are seen as potential resources for social ethical criticism of international patterns of consumption.
Comparison of and discrepancies between TMY and TMY2S predictions for simple photovoltaic and wind energy simulations

A new typical meteorological year (TMY2s) data set has been derived from the 1961--1990 National Solar Radiation Data Base (NSRDB). This paper compares PB and wind energy system simulation results using new TMY2s data with results using the original TMY data set. PB and aerogenerator simulations are compared in seven different climatic regions of the United States. Results indicate that PV simulations using TMY2s data provide higher energy values for cloudy regions where the clearness index is low and lower energy values for sunnier climates. TMY2s wind simulations produce lower energy predictions in nearly all cases tested.
Phospholamban regulation of bladder contractility: evidence from gene‐altered mouse models

1. Phospholamban (PLB) is an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA). Its presence and/or functional significance in contractility of bladder, a smooth muscle tissue particularly dependent on SR function, is unknown. We investigated this by measuring the effects of carbachol (CCh) on force and [Ca2+]i in bladder from mice in which the PLB gene was ablated (PLB-KO mice). In the PLB-KO bladder, the maximum increases in [Ca2+]i and force were significantly decreased (41.5 and 47.4 % of WT), and the EC50 values increased. 2. Inhibition of SERCA with cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) abolished these differences between WT and PLB-KO bladder, localizing the effects to the SR. 3. To determine whether these effects were specific to PLB, we generated mice with smooth-muscle-specific expression of PLB (PLB-SMOE mice), using the SMP8 alpha-actin promoter. Western blot analysis of PLB-SMOE mice showed approximately an eightfold overexpression of PLB while SERCA was downregulated 12-fold. 4. In PLB-SMOE bladders, in contrast, the response of [Ca2+]i and force to CCh was significantly increased and the EC50 values were decreased. CPA had little affect on the CCh-induced increases in [Ca2+]i and force in PLB-SMOE bladder. 5. These results show that alteration of the PLB:SERCA ratio can significantly modulate smooth muscle [Ca2+]i. Importantly, our data show that PLB can play a major role in modulation of bladder contractility.
Genetic determinant of an internal peptide of bacteriophage T4

Abstract A chromatographic comparison of the acid-soluble internal peptides of the three T-even phages (T2H, T4D and T6) reveals that one of the peptides, peptide II, is different in each of the three strains. The variant forms of this peptide are designated II2, II4 and II6. The difference between peptide II in T2 and T4 was used as a genetic marker in crosses designed to locate the genetic determinant of this peptide on the T4 genetic map. The results show that the genetic determinant lies somewhere in the neighborhood of genes 20 and 21, possibly being identical to part of gene 21. A comparison of the amino acid composition of II2 and II4 indicates that the only apparent difference between the two peptides is that whereas II4 has three lysine residues II2 has only one lysine residue. The possibility is discussed that this difference in composition reflects a slight difference in the cleavage of the peptides from their respective precursor molecules.
Distinguishability of the video display terminal (VDT) as a source of magnetic field exposure.

Magnetic field strength or its surrogate has been used as the measurement of exposure in all studies involving field exposure. Video display terminals (VDTs) are considered a minor source on this scale because its field strengths lie in the low range of magnetic fields. Several experiments show, however, that field strength may not be the only relevant variable in determining exposure. This paper explores the use of a method based on “effects functions” to determine the extent to which the VDT can be distinguished from other sources. It is shown that VDT exposure may be of consequence if exposure depends on certain types of time variation of the field. Because of the incompleteness of science in this area, this is a demonstration of a method rather than an actual demonstration of VDT as a significant source of exposure. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Virtual manufacturing cells: exploiting layout design and intercell flows for the machine sharing problem

Existing approaches to cell formation concentrate on machine grouping and part family formation. Since their input data usually do not consider flow directions and volumes, they neglect layout and handling strategies that can simplify the machine sharing problem. Hence, these approaches fail to relate the intracell and intercell layout decisions to the machine grouping and sharing decisions. This paper introduces a new approach for cell formation which integrates machine grouping and layout design, neglecting part family formation. The concepts of a hybrid cellular layout and virtual manufacturing cells are related. It is shown that a combination of overlapping GT cells, functional layout and handling reduces the need for machine duplication among cells. This approach questions the traditional emphasis on machine duplication to create independent cells that is suggested by the standard machine-part matrix clustering methods. The steps in the method are demonstrated by using two illustrative examples obtai...
The LIGA traveler: the use of technical and social invariants in software design

It is not enough for software to support individual interactions well. Everyone involved in the programis use, maintenance, and management must experience it and its designers as behaving meaningfully and responsively across the life cycleoin short, as situated in their community. Achieving this requires that designers understand the communityis deeper invariant structure: inherently stable patterns of activity, technology, information, and communication.The LIGA Traveler is an information-management tool for a micro-mechanical systems-fabrication process. It serves a specialized R&D group at Sandia National Laboratories. Supporting this community required that we understand both the pressures for change within it, and the technical and social invariants that counter those pressures. This paper discusses the process of interpreting field data to discover these invariants, and their use as a foundation for the design of the system. It also presents a set of software components we have built specifically to support our design process.
Effects of the iron-oxide layer in Fe-FeO-MgO-Fe tunneling junctions

First-principles calculations of the electronic structure and tunneling magnetoconductance of Fe-FeO-MgO-Fe tunneling junctions are compared to those of Fe-MgO-Fe. We find that an atomic layer of iron-oxide at the interface between Fe substrate and the MgO layer greatly reduces the tunneling magnetoconductance, due to the bonding of Fe with O which reduces the conductance when the moments in the two electrodes are aligned but has little effect when the moments are antiparallel. The TMR ratio (defined as the ratio of the change in resistance to the parallel resistance) decreases monotonically and exponentially with the increasing O concentration in the FeO layer.
Factors affecting the stability of cottonseed oil. A study of the antioxygenic activity of alpha-tocopherol

The results indicate that the tocopherols function most effectively at lower levels of concentration and with decreasing efficiency at higher levels. The data suggest that the reactivity of α-tocopherol is predominantly towards the active peroxides and show that the rate and extent of peroxide accumulation during the induction period is dependent on the tocopherol content.
Structural Optimization of Elastic Articulation Rotor System for Dynamic Stability

Multilevel optimization methodology is implied on Elastic Articulation (EA) rotor system to find the global and local configuration to ensure the dynamic stability with Autorotation Index (AI) consideration. EA rotor is the rotor system of generic Georgia Tech Helicopter (GTH) and it is soft-in-plane with 10% effective flapping hinge offset and forward sweep angle. Also, EA rotor has the beneficial features such as flexure beams and torque tube that eliminate dampers and hinges that lead to the its simplicity, structural safety, and reduced weight. To ensure the dynamic stability of such superior system, the methodology utilizes the high-fidelity structural beam analysis tools, DYMORE and VABS that reduce the computation time by allowing a hierarchical decomposition of the problem that separates the local (cross-sectional) sub-problem from the global optimization. The procedure is implemented using MATLAB as the overall optimizer. The results showed that the system achieved optimum values through iteration, however, sensitivity analysis is needed.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Thermal Field and Flow Visualization Within the Stagnation Region of a Film-Cooled Turbine Vane

To develop quality computational codes for the film cooling of a turbine vane, a detailed understanding is needed of the physical mechanisms of the mainstream-coolant interactions. In this study flow visualization, thermal profiles, and laser Doppler velocimetry measurements were used to define the thermal and velocity fields of the film cooled showerhead region of a turbine vane. The showerhead consisted of six rows of spanwise oriented coolant holes, and blowing ratios ranged from 0.8 to 2.5. Performances with low and high mainstream turbulence levels were tested. Coolant jets from the showerhead were completely separated from the surface even at relatively low blowing ratios. However, the interaction of the coolant jets from laterally adjacent holes created a barrier to the mainstream flow, resulting in relatively high adiabatic effectiveness.Copyright © 2001 by ASME
A Hybrid Staggered/Semistaggered Finite-Difference Algorithm for Solving Time-Dependent Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations on Curvilinear Grids

An accurate and efficient finite-difference method for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on curvilinear grids is developed. This method combines the favorable features of the staggered grid and semistaggered grid approaches. All components of velocity are stored at the corner vertices, and pressure is stored at the grid cell centers. All components of the momentum equations are discretized at cell vertices, facilitating a consistent discretization of the diffusive and convective terms as the boundaries are approached. The Christoffel symbol does not appear in the transformed equations and the cost of computation is comparable to that of the staggered-grid approach. A projection method is used to effectively evolve the discrete system in time, while ensuring a divergence-free velocity field. The discrete divergence and gradient operators of the projection step are constructed on a staggered gird layout leading to exact satisfaction of the discrete continuity. The solution of the Poisson-Ne...
Emitted P potentials and temporal unvertainty

Abstract Characteristics of emitted P 300 potentials, which may be elicited by the non-occurrence of a stimulus at a particular point in time, were investigated. An experiment was conducted in which the subject made a prediction prior to each trial whether or not the stimulus would occur. The time of occurrence or non-occurrence of the stimulus, either 700 msec or 1500 msec after a warning stimulus, was varied from block to block. Prior to each prediction block, data were obtained on the subject's time estimation for that interval. Using Woody's procedure, latency corrected averages were computed. As previously found, for all subjects the amplitudes of the latency compensated average emitted P 300 s were lower than the latency compensated average evoked P 300 s. In general, the decrement from evoked to emitted P 300 was greater for the 1500 msec interval than for the 700 msec interval. The greater decrement in evoked to emitted P 300 amplitude at 1500 msec is attributed to the increased temporal uncertainty associated with the apprehension of stimulus non-occurrence at the longer interval, as evidenced by the greater variability of the time estimates at 1500 msec. A trial-by-trial analysis of the latencies of the emitted and evoked P 300 s supported previous findings of greater latency variability for emitted P 300 s than for evoked P 300 s. Variability of both emitted P 300 latencies and time estimates was greater for the 1500 msec interval than for the 700 msec interval. In general subjects whose time judgment variability increased most for the longer interval were also the subjects whose emitted P 300 latency variability increased most.
548 ISOLATION OF CYTOMEGALOVIRUS (CMV) FROM TOYS AND HANDS IN A DAY CARE CENTER (DCC)

CMV is transmitted readily among children in DCCs. Results of a previous study suggested that exchange of infected saliva by means of fomites may be important in the acquisition of CMV in DCCs. To explore the potential role of fomites in transmission of CMV in this environment we studied the oral excretion of CMV, oral behavior of toddlers, persistence of infectious virus on toys, and performed random environmental cultures in a single DCC in which over the past 3 years 70-80% of toddlers have had viruria. Oral behavior, recorded as the median number episodes/child/hour of hand or object to mouth contact, was 21 for children 12-36 months and 5 for those >36 months. Persistence of virus on toys was determined by culturing 9 toys which had been mouthed by known excreters of CMV immediately after removal from the mouth and at 10, 30, and 60 minutes. CMV was recovered from 8/9 (88%) immediately, 5/9 (56%) at 10, 2/9 (22%) at 30, and 0/9 at 60 minutes. We then cultured randomly selected toys in a toddler class as well as the hands and saliva of toddlers and the hands of 7 teachers. CMV was recovered from 1/7 toys, 10/30 (33%) saliva specimens, and the hands of 2 children and 1 teacher. Using restriction enzyme analysis, we examined the DNA extracted from the viruses isolated from the toy, the teacher's hand and saliva from one child. All were identical. These data, especially the recovery of virus with random survey cultures, suggest that contamination of objects may contribute to the high rate of CMV infection in this day care center.
Unveiling the roles of autophagy in innate and adaptive immunity

Cells digest portions of their interiors in a process known as autophagy to recycle nutrients, remodel and dispose of unwanted cytoplasmic constituents. This ancient pathway, conserved from yeast to humans, is now emerging as a central player in the immunological control of bacterial, parasitic and viral infections. The process of autophagy may degrade intracellular pathogens, deliver endogenous antigens to MHC-class-II-loading compartments, direct viral nucleic acids to Toll-like receptors and regulate T-cell homeostasis. This Review describes the mechanisms of autophagy and highlights recent advances relevant to the role of autophagy in innate and adaptive immunity.
The socioeconomic dimensions of brownfield cleanup in the Detroit region

Although the goal of brownfield development is to clean up and redevelop abandoned or underutilized properties in distressed urban neighborhoods, the racial and socioeconomic disparities of brownfield cleanups have not been adequately examined. This study combines the locations of brownfields with 1990 and 2000 US Census data in the Detroit region. Results reveal that brownfields located near socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods tend to be cleaned up first. Brownfields located far from major roads also tend to receive priority. However, results also suggest that the amount of land devoted to industrial and/or commercial uses adjacent to brownfield sites is not significantly associated with the probability of brownfield sites being cleaned up. These findings indicate that the initial step of brownfield development—cleaning up environmentally contaminated properties—is heading in the right direction.
Discussion: Leo Buss's The Evolution of Individuality

In his book The Evolution of Individuality, Leo Buss attacks a central dogma of the neo-Darwinian (or synthetic) theory of evolution, the idea that the individual is the sole unit of selection, by arguing that individuals themselves emerged as the result of selective forces that regulated the replication of cell lineages for the benefit of the whole organism. Buss also argues that metazoan developmental patterns and life cycles are the products of selection operating on different units of selection, and that there have been transitions between different units of selection during the history of life. Despite the revolutionary character of this book, The Evolution of Individuality in many ways reflects the adaptationist thinking often associated with the synthetic theory. Buss' framework could be improved by giving further consideration to chance factors in the evolution of development, and examining the details of the evolution of ontogeny in more depth.
On old and new routing problems

The objective of this paper is to commemorate Professor Ernest S. Kuh's contributions to EDA and to bring attention to his research group's many accomplishments in physical design area. The focus is on routing and our goal is to trace the effects that the ideas which originated in Kuh's group have had on researchers then and now.
Steroid hormone interrelationships with territorial aggression in an Arctic-breeding songbird, Gambel's white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii

The breeding season is very brief for arctic-breeding passerines, and any interruptions of parental care by aggressive interactions over territory may reduce reproductive success. We tested both the “testosterone insensitivity” and “corticosterone insensitivity” hypotheses in the arctic-breeding Gambel's white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii. Additionally, we tested whether simulated territorial intrusions (STIs), known to stimulate increases in luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone (T) in mid-latitude breeding Z. l. pugetensis, would also be effective in either the early or late phases of the brief breeding season of Z. l. gambelii. Plasma levels of T and LH were high early in the breeding season and declined as egg laying began. Exposure of free-living males to 10 min of STI significantly increased LH but not T secretion. Nonetheless, the pituitary–gonadal axis is sensitive as jugular injection of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone increased plasma T at 10 min relative to saline-challenged controls. T implants failed to increase territorial aggression following STI during incubation. These data are consistent with the T insensitivity hypothesis and contrast sharply with the response of the southerly breeding subspecies, Z. l. pugetensis, in which the territorial response to T administration is retained throughout its relatively long breeding season. However, corticosterone implants during the incubation period decreased territorial aggression during STI. This responsiveness to corticosterone is not consistent with the corticosterone insensitivity hypothesis of stress modulation. Z. l. gambelii retain sensitivity to corticosterone levels that may occur naturally in response to environmental perturbations resulting in suppression of territorial behavior.
Optical processing of speckle images with bacteriorhodopsin for pattern recognition

Logarithmic processing of images with multiplicative noise characteristics can be utilized to transform an image into one with an additive noise distribution. This simplifies subsequent image processing steps for applications such as image restoration or correlation for pattern recognition. One particularly common form of multiplicative noise is speckle, for which the logarithmic operation not only produces additive noise, but also makes it of constant variance (signal-independent). I examine the optical transmission properties of some bacteriorhodopsin films here and find them well suited to implement such a pointwise logarithmic transformation optically in a parallel fashion. I present experimental results of the optical conversion of speckle images into transformed images with additive, signal-independent noise statistics using the real-time photochromic properties of bacteriorhodopsin. I provide an example of improved correlation performance in terms of correlation peak signal-to-noise for such a transformed speckle image.
Rings whose multiplicative endomorphisms are power functions

Let R be a commutative ring. For any positive integer m, the power function f:R→R defined by f(x):=xm is easily seen to be an endomorphism of the multiplicative semigroup (R,⋅). In this note, we characterize the commutative rings R with identity for which every multiplicative endomorphism of (R,⋅) is equal to a power function. Specifically, we show that every endomorphism of (R,⋅) is a power function if and only if R is a finite field.
Challenges and Opportunities Facing Nonprofit Organizations

Books reviewed in this article: Lester M. Salamon (ed.), The State of Nonprofit America Peter Frumkin, On Being Nonprofit: A Conceptual and Policy Primer Paul C. Light, Pathways to Nonprofit Excellence
Tumor cell endocytosis imaging facilitates delineation of the glioma-brain interface

We describe a method for measuring tumor cell endocytosis in vivo and provide the anatomic correlate of this tumor cell function using a superparamagnetic and histologically detectable marker for cell uptake (MION). Rats (n = 22) were intrahemispherically implanted with a thymidine kinase (TK)-positive 9L gliosarcoma cell line, where TK served as the tumor marker. Twenty-four hours after intravenous injection of 10 mg Fe/kg of MION, rat brains were removed and underwent MR imaging ex vivo at near-microscopic resolution (isotropic voxel size of 86 microm, 9.4 T) prior to histologic processing. The imaging probe accumulated within tumor cells adjacent to the hyperpermeable tumor-brain interface including microscopic deposits and along finger-like invasions of the tumor into brain, facilitating the demarcation of the true histologic tumor border in three dimensions by MR microscopy. The method has potential research and clinical implications for delineating the tumor-brain interface prior to therapy and/or for providing a rational basis for imaging nanocolloid drug delivery to solid tumors.
Origin of tight binding of a near-perfect transition-state analogue by cytidine deaminase: implications for enzyme catalysis.

Cytidine deaminase (CDA) is a zinc metalloenzyme that catalyzes the hydrolytic deamination of cytidine to uridine. Zebularine (ZEB) binds to CDA, and the binding process leads to a near-perfect transition-state analogue (TSA) inhibitor at the active site with an estimated Ki value of 1.2 × 10-12 M. The interaction of CDA with the TSA inhibitor has become a paradigm for studying the tight TSA binding by enzymes. The formation of the TSA is catalyzed by CDA by a mechanism that is similar to the formation of the tetrahedral intermediate during the CDA-catalyzed reaction (i.e., through the nucleophilic attack of a Zn−hydroxide group on C4). It is believed that the TSA formed at the active site is zebularine 3,4-hydrate. In this paper, it is shown from QM/MM molecular dynamics and free energy simulations that zebularine 3,4-hydrate may in fact be unstable in the enzyme and that a proton transfer from the Zn−hydroxide group to Glu-104 during the nucleophilic attack could be responsible for the very high affinit...
Carrier phase multipath error characterization and reduction in single aircraft relative positioning

This paper describes GPS carrier phase (CP) multipath characterization and error reduction techniques and their application in single aircraft relative positioning. In particular, the single aircraft relative positioning scenario has applications for high-accuracy multi-sensor stabilization where CP multipath is a major error source that limits system performance. We will briefly review the requisite multipath theory and discuss models for quantifying the error characteristics. Field-test data will be used to validate the multipath models considering the underlying assumptions. A basic geometric reflection point theory will be presented to demonstrate the physical environmental sensitivity of CP multipath to parameters such as surface flatness and antenna height. Several different quantities will be described as multipath indicators for time-domain detection and will be compared with a frequency-domain technique. A new multipath detection approach will be introduced that is suitable to track multipath from time-varying reflection/diffraction points. Finally, the narrow-lane antenna baseline processing technique will be presented as a real-time approach to mitigate CP noise and multipath errors that is well suited for a very short baseline single aircraft high accuracy relative positioning system. Field-test results and analysis will be used to illustrate the key concepts in this paper and to help characterize the total navigation system performance.
Global vegetation monitoring: toward a sustainable technobiosphere

The concept of sustainable resource management can be applied at multiple scales. Monitoring is an essential component of sustainable natural resource management schemes, and as we begin to confront the need to manage natural resources at the global scale, the importance of monitoring at the global scale is also growing. The combination of satellite remote sensing, in situ measurements, and simulation modeling has the potential to deliver an annual assessment of status and trends for several measures of terrestrial biosphere structure and function relevant to sustainability. However, there is, as yet, no internationally coordinated effort in place to perform that analysis. Synthesis activity of that kind would support the development of global environmental governance institutions, including both non-governmental organizations and international bodies.
Perceived Family Structure as an Explanation of Jewish Intellectuality

This paper focuses on the perceived structure of parent-adolescent relations for its effect on intellectuality in young adulthood. In addition, position in the wider societal structure and integration into a supposed intellectually oriented subculture are considered for their effects on this personality characteristic. The data reported are based on a questionnaire survey of 181 Jewish men age 22-29 residing in metropolitan St. Paul. There is a clear association between the perception structure of parent-child relations and later intellectuality. On the other hand, integration into the Jewish subculture neither leads directly to intellectuality nor is associated with the relationship between perceived family structure, and intellectuality. Position in the wider social structure, however, is important in the development of intellectuality both directly and in terms of its effect on perceived family structure. This paper considers the effects of perceived family structure on a personality characteristic that has been at once venerated and vilified throughout the ages- intellectuality. Intellectuality is a central dimension in a number of the major roles of any complex society. As such, its social basis is a crucial question whether the population be sophists or scientists, or the members of a society at large. Further, the question merits attention since intellectuality is an explicitly desired characteristic by many parents and children, as well as educators. Sociologists traditionally have approached intellectuality in terms of the status and role of the intellectual. In doing so they have focused on the relationship of a particular social position or category to other segments of the society and to the society at large. The writings of Mannheim (1936, 1956) and Znaniecki (1940) are classical statements in this tradition. Among contemporary sociologists, Martindale (1962) and Coser (1965), among others, have addressed themselves to this general issue. However, there have also been important contributions regarding conceptualization and observation of the family structural determinants of cognitive style. In particular, three studies which bear most directly on the present investigation are noted here. Hess and Handel's (1959) conceptualization of the nuclear family is clearly based on the notion of family structure. They write: "There are tracks to which the interaction returns again and again. A family has discernible pattern and form" (p. 2). The primary purpose of their framework is to articulate the relationships between family structure and the personalities