cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thyrotropin and Thyroidal Responses to Consecutive Doses of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone

Abstract To determine whether changes in serum triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) following a dose of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) modified the serum thyrotropin (TSH) response to a second dose of TRH, two iv doses of TRH were administered, 180 min apart, to 22 children. Following the first TRH dose, both in normal and in growth hormone-deficient children, the serum T3 levels rose to peaks in 120 min. The serum TSH responses to the second TRH dose, given 180 min after the first, were no less than to the first TRH dose. These studies demonstrate that the well-documented inhibition of serum TSH response to TRH by rises in serum T3 and T4 levels requires longer than 60 min to develop.
Gadolinium periconceptional exposure: pregnancy and neonatal outcome

Background. Gadolinium derivatives are ionic paramagnetic contrast agents used to enhance magnetic resonance images, labeled as a pregnancy category C by the Food and Drug Administration because of a lack of epidemiological studies concerning first-trimester exposure. Methods. Prospective cohort study to determine whether gadolinium derivatives exposure in periconceptional period is a risk factor for pregnancy or fetal development. Results. We report the outcome of 26 pregnant women exposed to gadolinium derivatives in the first trimester without adverse effect on pregnancy and neonatal outcome. Conclusions. Currently, this study represents the only prospective investigation of gadolinium derivatives in pregnancy, but more data are necessary to exclude a teratogenic risk.
Proteus: a topology malleable data center network

Full-bandwidth connectivity between all servers of a data center may be necessary for all-to-all traffic patterns, but such interconnects suffer from high cost, complexity, and energy consumption. Recent work has argued that if all-to-all traffic is uncommon, oversubscribed network architectures that can adapt the topology to meet traffic demands, are sufficient. In line with this work, we propose Proteus, an all-optical architecture targeting unprecedented topology-flexibility, lower complexity and higher energy efficiency.
Structure-Function Analysis of the Coiled-Coil and Leucine-Rich Repeat Domains of the RPS5 Disease Resistance Protein

The Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) RESISTANCE TO PSEUDOMONAS SYRINGAE5 (RPS5) disease resistance protein mediates recognition of the Pseudomonas syringae effector protein AvrPphB. RPS5 belongs to the coiled-coil-nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat (CC-NBS-LRR) family and is activated by AvrPphB-mediated cleavage of the protein kinase PBS1. Here, we present a structure-function analysis of the CC and LRR domains of RPS5 using transient expression assays in Nicotiana benthamiana. We found that substituting the CC domain of RPS2 for the RPS5 CC domain did not alter RPS5 specificity and only moderately reduced its ability to activate programmed cell death, suggesting that the CC domain does not play a direct role in the recognition of PBS1 cleavage. Analysis of an RPS5-super Yellow Fluorescent Protein fusion revealed that RPS5 localizes to the plasma membrane (PM). Alanine substitutions of predicted myristoylation (glycine-2) and palmitoylation (cysteine-4) residues affected RPS5 PM localization, protein stability, and function in an additive manner, indicating that PM localization is essential to RPS5 function. The first 20 amino acids of RPS5 were sufficient for directing super Yellow Fluorescent Protein to the PM. C-terminal truncations of RPS5 revealed that the first four LRR repeats are sufficient for inhibiting RPS5 autoactivation; however, the complete LRR domain was required for the recognition of PBS1 cleavage. Substitution of the RPS2 LRR domain resulted in the autoactivation of RPS5, indicating that the LRR domain must coevolve with the NBS domain. We conclude that the RPS5 LRR domain functions to suppress RPS5 activation in the absence of PBS1 cleavage and promotes RPS5 activation in its presence.
Fabrication of diffraction grating in polydimethylsiloxane using femtosecond-pulsed laser micromachining

This study investigates a new process for fabricating a diffraction grating in a flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sheet by using a high-intensity femtosecond-pulsed laser (FS-laser). Unlike soft-lithography with the bonding technique, FS-laser direct writing provides a unique micromachining method for fabricating an embedded diffraction grating (inside a PDMS substrate) with laser pulses of visible light. This approach is a nonlinear mask-less process for rapid prototyping. The wavelength of the FS-laser beam is frequency-doubled to 517nm. The repetition rate and pulse width of the FS-laser system are 100kHz and 350fs, respectively. An embedded PDMS diffraction grating is successfully demonstrated based on a calculated optical phase shift structure.
Exploiting jump-resonance hysteresis in silicon cochlea for formant trajectory encoding

Jump resonance is a phenomenon observed in nonlinear circuits where the output exhibits abrupt jumps when the frequency of the input signal is varied. In literature, several methods have been proposed for modeling and predicting of jump-resonance, which has led to circuit designs that are optimized to avoid this non-linear phenomenon. In this paper we propose exploiting jump-resonance based hystresis, observed in silicon cochlea, for encoding frequency and specifically formant trajectories in speech signal. Using experimental prototypes fabricated in a 0.5µm CMOS process, we show that the features extracted from a jump-resonance based silicon cochlea are more discriminative for speech based biometrics as compared to features extracted from a conventional silicon cochlea.
ONTOGENY OF BURSAL FUNCTION IN CHICKEN : III. IMMUNOCOMPETENT CELL FOR HUMORAL IMMUNITY

To study the occurrence of immunocompetent cells directly responsible for antibody production, cells from yolk sac, embryonic liver, bursa of Fabricius, bone marrow, spleen, or thymus were injected together with SRBC and Brucella abortus into 4-day old cyclophosphamide-treated chicks. A second stimulation was given 4 days later, and samples taken 4 days thereafter were used for antibody titrations. During ontogeny, immunocompetent cells appeared in significant numbers first in the spleen for anti-SRBC responses, but in the bursa for anti- Brucella responses. Later these cells were also found in thymus and bone marrow. In the bursa, cells immunocompetent for anti-SRBC response were not encountered in significant numbers. The slight response to SRBC by transferred bursa cells reflects the presence of stem cells and their immediate descendents in the bursa at different stages of development. These findings are compared with the development and maturation of the stem cell responsible for humoral immunity. In the bursa, development of the stem cell population precedes that of immunocompetent cells. The opposite relationship was found in bone marrow, spleen, and thymus where immunocompetent cells were always present some weeks before the appearance of cells capable of achieving a long-lasting reconstitution of bursa-dependent functions. These observations reveal that the bursa seeds out immunocompetent cells during its entire postembryonic development, but does not release the lymphoid stem cell population before this population has matured sufficiently and before the bursa itself, after fulfilling its function, starts to involute.
Pre-meal water consumption reduces meal energy intake in older but not younger subjects.

VAN WALLEGHEN, EMILY, JEB S. ORR, CHRIS L. GENTILE, AND BRENDA M. DAVY. Pre-meal water consumption reduces meal energy intake in older but not younger subjects. Obesity. 2007;15:93–99. Objective: To determine whether the consumption of water 30 minutes before an ad libitum meal reduces meal energy intake in young and older adults. Research Methods and Procedures: Healthy, non-obese young (n 29; age, 21 to 35 years) and older (n 21; age, 60 to 80 years) individuals were provided with an ad libitum lunch meal on two occasions. Thirty minutes before the lunch meals, subjects were given either a water preload (WP: 375 mL, women; 500 mL, men) or no preload (NP). Energy intake at the two lunch meals was measured. Visual analog scales were used to assess changes in hunger, fullness, and thirst during the meal studies. Results: There was no significant difference in meal energy intake between conditions in the young subjects (892 51 vs. 913 54 kcal for NP and WP, respectively; p 0.65). However, meal energy intake after the WP was significantly reduced relative to the NP condition in the older subjects (682 53 vs. 624 56 kcal for NP and WP, respectively; p 0.02). This effect was caused primarily by the reduction in meal energy intake after water consumption in older men. Hunger ratings were lower and fullness ratings were higher in older compared with younger adults (p 0.01). Fullness ratings were higher in the WP condition compared with the NP condition for all subjects (p 0.01). No age differences in thirst were detected during the test meals. Discussion: Under acute test meal conditions, pre-meal water consumption reduces meal energy intake in older but not younger adults. Because older adults are at increased risk for overweight and obesity, intervention studies are needed to determine whether pre-meal water consumption is an effective long-term weight management strategy for the aging population.
Ein zentraler Grenzwertsatz für Verzweigungsprozesse

Let Z t be a (one-type) Markov branching process in discrete or continuous time and with Z 0=1. Assume EZ 1=m≧1 and Var Z 1=σ2<∞. It is then shown that the finite dimensional distributions of the processes $$Y_s (t) = (Z_{t + s} - m^s Z_t )/(m^{s - 1} \sigma \sqrt {Zt} )$$ conditional on Z t≐0, converge, as t → ∞, to those of a process Y s with Y 0 = 0 and with independent normally distributed increments.
Fine-scale spatial structuring in cackling Canada geese related to reproductive performance and breeding philopatry

Cackling Canada geese, Branta canadensis minima, have a geographically structured pattern of relatedness at both local and large spatial scales. Here, I investigated the potential mechanisms that may be responsible for promotion and maintenance of genetic structuring; specifically, I examined the relationships between breeding philopatry, the proximity of relatives and nesting success. Using eight microsatellite loci, I genetically identified individual female cackling Canada geese nesting on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska between 1994 and 1997. I found that 50–70% of the nests in any one year were of females that had nested on the study area in a previous year. Successful females were 3.8 times more likely to return to within 150 m of a previous nest site (breeding philopatry) than unsuccessful females. Relatedness of the nearest neighbour also had a positive but small effect on breeding philopatry. Breeding philopatry and relatedness of the nearest neighbour, in turn, increased future nesting success of females. These results suggest that patterns of fine-scale genetic differentiation are associated with reproductive success and increases in success coupled with breeding philopatry may further promote fine-scale genetic structuring.
Moving iconic objects in scientific visualization

The visualization and interpretation of multidimensional data in space can be substantially enhanced by the introduction of independently moving visual objects. These bird-oid objects or "boids" [1], derive from: (1) "icons" which are geometric objects whose shape and appearance are related to the field variables, (2) 3-dimensional cursors by which a user interactively picks a point in space, (3) particle traces, which are numerically integrated trajectories in space, (4) moving frames of vectors along space curves, and (5) "actors" which are programming objects which can create and destroy instances of themselves, act according to internal logic, and communicate with each other and with a user. A software prototype in the C++ language has been developed which demonstrates some of the capabilities of these objects for the visualization of scalar, vector, and tensor fields defined over finite elements or finite volumes. Visualization using boids requires fewer rendered graphical primitives, allows a higher degree of interactivity, and permits automated "knowledge navigation" amid data which is organized spatially.
The effects of exercising self-control on creativity

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine whether exercising of self-control improves creativity. Previous studies have indicated that promotion focus increases creativity; therefore, in Experiment 1, it had to be verified that exercising self-control could improve individual's promotion focus. After confirming exercising self-control could improve promotion focus, it might indicate that exercising self-control could also improve creativity (Experiment 2 and 3 examine this hypothesis). The results of Experiment 1 showed that the participants’ promotion focus increased following exercising self-control. The participants’ insight problem-solving performances in Experiment 2 was improved following activities of exercising self-control. The results of Experiment 3 indicated that promotion focus mediates the relationship among exercising self-control, fluency and flexibility. However, the originality indicator did not demonstrate this mediating effect. In summary, the data indicated that exercising self-control could increase creativity, and promotion focus could mediate the relationship between creativity and exercising self-control.
Microwave versus Conductive Heating Their Effect on the Solvent–assisted Dyeing of Polyester Fibre with Anthraquinonoid Disperse Dyes

The rates of dyeing of polyester fibre with amino– and hydroxy–substituted anthraquinones in aqueous N, N–dimethylformamide (DMF) using microwave and conductive heating have been compared. Structural changes, commonly associated with interactions between DMF and polyester fibre, were limited and minimal shrinkage occurred due to the low DMF to water ratio and short dyeing times. Tensile properties reflected this minimal shrinkage through increased elongation at break, and differential scanning calorimetry also indicated that structural changes were minimal. Microwave radiation increased dye diffusion, shrinkage, and elongation at break compared to conductive heating. It is believed that molecular oscillation within the microwave–irradiated dyebath increases the rate of migration of dye to the fibre interface and enhances the plasticization of the polymer by DMF, thereby increasing the rate of dye diffusion within the fibre. Localization of energy associated with the use of microwave radiation is believed to be the predominant cause of increase in the rate of dyeing.
Mammals of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico

K. N. Geluso, K. Geluso 2004. Mammals of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum. Volume 17. University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, 180 pp. ISBN 0093-6812, price (paper), $28.00.. One need only peruse the pages of Mammalian Species to be convinced that much (if not most) of what we know about most mammals is derived from miscellaneous accumulations of museum specimen data and natural history anecdotes. In this modem era of relatively concise and high-impact scientific journal articles, there tends to be little room for the presentation of such detailed information. It is significant then, when a contribution is made that focuses on providing raw natural history detail, which may in tum become critical for subsequent syntheses and an ultimate understanding of species' biologies. Mammals of Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico is just such a contribution. As described by the Gelusos in the Preface and Methods and Materials , this book represents the culmination of 28 years of their study of mammals at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The work, begun in 1973 by Kenneth N. Geluso, initially focused on the famous bats of the park. In 1988 Kenneth's son Keith Geluso joined with …
Szegö and Bergman projections on non-smooth planar domains

We establish Lp regularity for the Szego and Bergman projections associated to a simply connected planar domain in any of the following classes: vanishing chord arc; Lipschitz; Ahlfors-regular; or local graph (for the Szego projection to be well defined, the local graph curve must be rectifiable). As applications, we obtain Lp regularity for the Riesz transforms, as well as Sobolev space regularity for the non-homogeneous Dirichlet problem associated to any of the domains above and, more generally, to an arbitrary proper simply connected domain in the plane.
Luque rod stabilization for metastatic disease of the spine

Instability of the spine caused by metastatic spread of primary tumors represents a serious risk for spinal cord or nerve root compression. In order to restore stability and relieve neural compression, a variety of surgical techniques originally used for reduction of nonpathologic spinal fractures have been applied to the problem of spinal metastases. Recently, we have utilized a technique developed primarily for correction of scoliosis to the treatment of metastatic spinal fractures. Six patients with spinal instability and neural compression secondary to metastatic tumors had segmental spinal stabilization with Luque rods, sublaminar wiring, and methyl methacrylate. Restoration of stability was successful in all cases with alleviation of preoperative pain and return to full activity. No evidence of instability occurred in this group of patients. As demonstrated by this experience and that of a few other small series, Luque rod stabilization provides a valuable addition to the techniques available for stabilization of metastatic fractures of the spine. Although the precise role of Luque rod segmental spinal stabilization in treatment of metastatic disease of the spine continues to be defined, thus far it has proved beneficial for cases of multiple vertebral body involvement or instability beyond one vertebral level.
Thermal rearrangements of cellobiose and trehalose

Abstract The thermal transformations and rearrangements of β-cellobiose and trehalose have been investigated by dynamic thermal analysis and parallel, isothermal, chemical methods. The reducing disaccharide showed concurrent melting and thermal anomerization, followed by condensation and ultimate decomposition. The non-reducing disaccharide showed dehydration, melting, polymerization, and decomposition. The polymeric materials formed on isothermal heating of cellobiose and trehalose were shown to be randomly linked glucans containing pyranoid and furanoid rings and unsaturated components.
DiscoverText: software training to unlock the power of text

This tutorial provides software training in "DiscoverText," which is a powerful, text analytic software developed by Professor Shulman. His work advances text mining and natural language processing research. The software training will link these worlds via straightforward and easy to understand explanations of software features that can be tailored for all experience levels and industries. This tutorial introduces new users to the powerful tools for archiving, searching and sorting web-based text from sources, including social media and public comments from a wide range of sources. DiscoverText eases the collection, archiving and sorting of text collected via Twitter and the Facebook Graph APIs, or generic RSS feeds or uploaded in spreadsheets, archives and XML format.
Persistence of Medullary Tissue in Homotransplanted Adrenals

SummarySeven out of 12 whole adrenal glands from newborn rabbits contained medullary tissue after being homoplastically transplanted into the anterior chambers of adult female hosts. Under the conditions herewith described, 68% of adrenal homotransplants into the kidney of the mouse contained medullary tissue for from 2 days to 4 months after transplantation. The observations are interpreted as indicating that the survival of the medullae in adrenal transplants is conditioned, in part, by opportunities for rapid vascularization or by the accessibility of nutritional body fluids. The functional capacity of the medullary tissue in our transplants has not been demonstrated.
FRENCH INTELLECTUALS AND THE POSTCOLONIAL

This essay outlines the ‘structuring absence’ of postcolonial theory in dominant French discourse until quite recently, despite France's position as a multiracial post-colonial society and despite the central role of French and francophone anticolonial thinkers in postcolonial and critical race thought. The essay outlines the absence of postcolonial thought, cultural studies, and critical race studies in French intellectual production through the 1990s, as well as the ironies of this absence, and also points to recent French writing that works to account for this absence and highlight the continuities between France's colonial past and postcolonial present. The late 1990s and first decade of the twenty-first century, we argue, saw a burgeoning of scholarship on the part of French intellectuals who were committed to postcolonial critique. Especially after the 2005 rebellions in France, there emerged a growing scholarship – in the form of conferences, special issues of journals, co-edited volumes, collected...
From Traumreich to Surréalité: Surrealism and Alfred Kubin's Die Andere Seite

(1976). From Traumreich to Surrealite: Surrealism and Alfred Kubin's Die Andere Seite. Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures: Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 213-235.
In Search of a Hoogsteen Base Paired DNA Duplex in Aqueous Solution

When the oligodeoxynucleotides d(A)6 and d(T)6 are mixed together in a 1:1 ratio (in 100 mM NaCl), the NH signals in the NMR spectrum gave a typical signature of Watson-Crick paired (WC) and Hoogsteen paired (H) AT base pairs. The observation indicates two schemes: Scheme I, WC and H duplexes in slow equilibrium, i.e., WC in equilibrium with H, Scheme II, the WC helix formed is unstable and that it disproportionates into a triple helix (TR) and free d(A)6. We show that (i) addition of extra d(A)6 does not change the helix composition, (ii) addition of a minor-groove specific drug Dst2 (a distamycin analogue) results in an exclusive WC helix-drug duplex, while it does not destabilize triple helix in a 1:2 mixture. In addition we have compared the melting profile, 31P NMR spectra, 1H NMR spectra and the salt dependence of the 1:1 mixture and that of a pure triple helix. All the data from the above experiments overwhelmingly favor Scheme I. However Scheme II cannot be categorically excluded. Based on 1D/2D NMR studies, we have characterized the structural properties of the Hoogsteen double helix in terms of nucleotide conformations. In addition, we computationally demonstrate that the relative stability of the WC over the H duplexes increases with increasing chain length.
An analysis of the monaural displacement of sound in space

Twelve listeners, rendered monaural, were tested on their ability to localize two spectrally different stimuli presented 10° apart in the left hemifield (pretraining session). Both sounds were perceived to be displaced from the midline. Next, listeners were trained to localize one of the sounds (training sessions) and then tested again on both (posttraining sessions). Training temporarily reduced the extent to which listeners displaced the sound from the midline. No transfer of training, however, was observed when listeners localized the other noise band, which differed in its spectral content. It is proposed that no “natural” spectral cues are available for localizing, monaurally, sound originating on or near the midline, but that cues for these positions can be acquired through training. Head-related transfer functions recorded from the pinna and generated by differently centered narrow bands of noise were obtained, along with additional localization data, in an attempt to support the concept of a natural cue for monaurally localizing sound in the horizontal plane. By and large, the results were consonant with this concept.
Perinatal factors increase breast cancer risk

Emerging evidence suggests that breast cancer may originate during early life. In particular, offspring of mothers who during pregnancy exhibited behaviors that are associated with increased incidence of breast cancer, may be at risk. These behaviors include intake of high fat diet or alcohol, or stressful life style. We have found that neonatal exposure to handling that leads to improved ability to cope with stress, reduces 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary tumors in rats. Further, our results indicate that maternal exposure to high fat diet increases the incidence of DMBA-induced mammary tumors in female offspring. High fat diet also increases serum 17 beta-estradiol (E2) levels in pregnant animals. These results support the hypothesis that in utero concentrations of estrogens play a critical role in the vulnerability to develop breast cancer. The mechanism of estrogen action might be related to its effect on the induction of epithelial hyperplasia and altered breast differentiation. These events then increase the rate of genetic/epigenetic changes that increase the possibility of neoplastic transformation. Increased pregnancy estrogens may also lead to behavioral alterations in the offspring. This could explain the proposed association between certain behavioral patterns and increased tumorigenity. Our results in transgenic mice overexpressing transforming growth factor alpha (TGF alpha) are in accordance with this interpretation. The male TGF alpha mice exhibit elevated serum E2 levels, impaired ability to cope with stress, increased voluntary alcohol intake and high incidence of spontaneous hepatocellular tumors. These findings indicate that animal models offer a unique opportunity to investigate the role of timing of risk behaviors on breast cancer. They are also useful in the attempts to understand the mechanism of early estrogen action on mammary tumorigenesis.
The Literary Marriage of Style and Substance

Literary journals are often nonconformists when it comes to design and presentation, and literary e-journals are no exception. This column reviews some prominent literary e-journals, to see what design elements they are employing. Other sites that contain unusual or creative design ideas also are reviewed. Serials Review 2003; 29:43–47.
Peripheral opioid receptor antagonists: Pain relief without side effects

ABSTRACTMethylnaltrexone (MNTX) (by Progenics Pharmaceuticals)* was developed to antagonise the peripheral adverse effects of opiates while preserving centrally mediated analgesia. MNTX is currently being evaluated to prevent or treat opiate-induced inhibition of GI motility in advanced illness (AI), chronic pain, and postoperatively (postoperative ileus (POI)). MNTX is the quaternary derivative of the opioid antagonist naltrexone.1In a preliminary randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in human volunteers, the administration of small doses of morphine (3–5 mg) slowed GI transit, as measured by oral-cecal transit time, by 50%. These changes were reversed with MNTX (0.4 mg/kg IV) without influencing morphine-induced analgesia. In a subsequent human volunteer study, single oral doses of MNTX (ranging from 0.64 to 19.2 mg/kg) acted quite similarly.Although the acute effects of opiates on GI motility proved to be completely reversible by MNTX, the efficacy of MNTX as a therapy in opiate-tolerant i...
Rural communities in South America: Recent studies

Ruggiero, Kristin Hoffman. And Here the World Ends: The Life of an Argentine Village. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1988. xvii + 226 pp. including notes, glossary, references, and index. $32.50 cloth. Weismantel, Mary J. Food, Gender, and Poverty in the Ecuadorian Andes. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988. xiii + 234 pp. including photographs, maps, appendix, references, and index. $33.95 cloth.
Anti-CD3 Monoclonal Antibody in New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Background Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic autoimmune disease caused by the pathogenic action of T lymphocytes on insulin-producing beta cells. Previous clinical studies have shown that continuous immune suppression temporarily slows the loss of insulin production. Preclinical studies suggested that a monoclonal antibody against CD3 could reverse hyperglycemia at presentation and induce tolerance to recurrent disease. Methods We studied the effects of a nonactivating humanized monoclonal antibody against CD3 — hOKT3γ1(Ala-Ala) — on the loss of insulin production in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Within 6 weeks after diagnosis, 24 patients were randomly assigned to receive either a single 14-day course of treatment with the monoclonal antibody or no antibody and were studied during the first year of disease. Results Treatment with the monoclonal antibody maintained or improved insulin production after one year in 9 of the 12 patients in the treatment group, whereas only 2 of the 12 controls ...
Some genetic aspects of dyslexia

This paper is a theoretical discussion of possible influence of inheritance upon specific dyslexia. A model for influence of inheritance is suggested in which dyslexia is taken to occur in people with incomplete lateral cortical dominance, as suggested by Orton. Lateral distribution of cortical control of some of the aspects of language, and lateral distribution of hand use and of some other functions, are taken to be largely continuous variables in popula tions. Specific dyslexia is seen not as a pathology but as part of a series in which alternate forms have particular advantages according to environmental circumstances.
Deposition of metallic nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes via a fast evaporation process

A new technique was developed for the deposition of colloidal metal nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes. It involves fast evaporation of a suspension containing sonochemically functionalized carbon nanotubes and colloidal nanoparticles. It was demonstrated that metallic nanoparticles with different sizes and concentrations can be deposited on the carbon nanotubes with only a few agglomerates. The technique does not seem to be limited by what the nanoparticles are, and therefore would be applicable to the deposition of other nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes. PtPd and CoPt3 alloy nanoparticles were used to demonstrate the deposition process. It was found that the surfactants used to disperse the nanoparticles can hinder the nanoparticle deposition. When the nanoparticles were washed with ethanol, they could be well deposited on the carbon nanotubes. The obtained carbon nanotube supported metal nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry.
Action Potential Collision in Heart Tissue-Computer Simulations and Tissue Expenrments

The electrical effects of action potential collision were studied using a computer simulation of one-dimensional action potential propagation and tissue experiments from isolated cardiac Purkinje strands and papillary muscles. The effects of collision, when compared to normal one-way propagation, included quantitative changes in all of the measured indexes of action potential upstroke and repolarization. These changes can be attributed to spatiotemporal changes in the net membrane current. Parameter sensitivity and analytic techniques identified five factors which determine the collision-induced decrease in action potential area: conduction velocity, action potential height, cable radius, specific intracellular resistivity, and the specific membrane resistance during action potential repolarization. The simulations demonstrated that collision effects were independent of inhomogeneity in action potential duration, the spatial extent of the collision effects was greater than the passive space constant, and certain simulated abnormal conditions (e. g., discontinuous propagation, ischemic tissue) increased the magnitude of the collision effects. The tissue experiments supported the simulations regarding the changes in action potential configuration directly at and on each side of the collision site. Elevated [K+]0 increased the changes in action potential duration in both tissue preparations. In papillary muscles, collision effects in the transverse direction were confined to a narrower region than collision effects in the longitudinal direction with no difference in the peak magnitude of the changes. Action potential collision is a common occurrence in the heart.
On variational inequalities with maximal monotone operators and multivalued perturbing terms in Sobolev spaces with variable exponents

Abstract We are concerned in this paper with variational inequalities of the form: { 〈 A ( u ) , v − u 〉 + 〈 F ( u ) , v − u 〉 ⩾ 〈 L , v − u 〉 , ∀ v ∈ K , u ∈ K , where A is a maximal monotone operator, F is an integral multivalued lower order term, and K is a closed, convex set in a Sobolev space of variable exponent. We study both coercive and noncoercive inequalities. In the noncoercive case, a sub-supersolution approach is followed to obtain the existence and some other qualitative properties of solutions between sub- and supersolutions.
Chromatographic study of surface diffusion

A new method, based upon chromatography, was used to measure surface diffusion coefficients for ethane, propane, and n-butane on silica gel. The diffusivities correspond to very low surface coverages (fraction of a monolayer of the order of 10−4) and hence should represent limiting values. A survey of available surface diffusion information, all at higher coverages, indicated that the results reported here are at the lower end of the range of diffusivities. The activation energy and heat of adsorption, for example, for n-butane, were 4.4 and −7.8 k cal./mole, respectively. Surface diffusion was a significant fraction of the total intraparticle mass transport, in part because in the small pores in silica gel gas phase diffusion was solely by the Knudsen mechanism. For propane, surface migration was 73% of the total transport at 50°C. and 61.5% at 125°C.
Lagrangian observations of surface circulation at the Emperor Seamount chain

In a Kuroshio tracking experiment initiated in February 1977, two satellite-reporting buoys, drogued to 100-m depth, were released southeast of Kuyshu Island, Japan. These drifters crossed the Shatskiy Rise in the Kuroshio extension during May and October and then traversed the Emperor Seamount Chain. Although they reached the chain 117 days apart, their movements near the seamounts display remarkably similar patterns, demonstrating upstream meanders in the surface flow; cyclonic eddy activity immediately west of the chain; passage through the same gap associated with the Jingu and Nintoku seamounts; and a wavelike pattern present over the Hess Rise east of the chain. One drifter exhibited cyclonic eddy motion east of the chain in the lee of the Kinmei Seamount.
Preliminary results of a raster scanning beam delivery system

A beam delivery system using a raster scanning technique has been developed to create large radiation fields with light ion beams for radiation treatment of cancer patients. Radiation fields up to 20 cm by 30 cm have been produced with a beam of Ne ions having a magnetic rigidity of 6.9 T-m. The radiation fields produced by this method appear to be less sensitive to beam position and beam shape than the wobbler dynamic beam delivery system, but require more stringent beam spill requirements to insure uniform radiation fields. >
Shunt-mounted harmonically-tuned power rectifier for distributed power converters

An RF power rectifier has been designed, constructed in surface-mount technology, and evaluated for use in distributed power converters for advanced electronic packaging applications. With commercially available components, a 40-W rectifier with a 100-MHz input from a 50- Omega source impedance provides 2.9-V output with 38% conversion efficiency. Detailed simulation and characterization indicates that 50-W and 10-W converters are capable of 70% and 80% conversion efficiency, respectively, with low-loss RF implementations. >
Identification of gene transcripts expressed by postsynaptic neurons during synapse formation encoding cell surface proteins with presumptive synaptogenic activity

Synapse formation is a well-programmed developmental process involving a variety of cell-cell interactions carried out by distinct groups of molecules. Various molecules that contribute to the assembly of synaptic contacts have been characterized; however, the repertoire of identified proteins expressed by postsynaptic neurons capable of inducing presynaptic differentiation is quite limited. To identify gene transcripts encoding cell surface proteins expressed by postsynaptic cells with molecular features suggestive of synaptogenic activity, this study carried out a genome-wide expression analysis in the chick ciliary ganglion during the different phases of synapse formation. It was found that from the 21,493 gene-probes detected throughout development, 302 protein-coding transcripts were up-regulated during the initiation of synapse formation. Analysis of this pool of transcripts showed that fifty one of them encoded cell surface proteins (27 membrane-bound and 24 secreted) with protein-protein interacting domains. This include, twelve cell adhesion molecules, six ligand-receptors, six proteins with ligand-like domains, three membrane bound enzymes, eight components of the extracellular matrix, three neuropeptides, three cytokines and growth factors, five extracellular modulators of cell signaling, and five unrelated secreted proteins. Furthermore, the role of synaptic transmission during the initiation of synapse formation was evaluated by assessing the effect of synaptic activity blockade with d-tubocurarine on the expression levels of the pool of fifty one transcripts encoding cell surface proteins. Treatment with d-tubocurarine reduced the expression levels of 22% of the selected genes, while the expression levels of 78% of the genes was not affected or was enhanced.
Reload in a main memory database system: MARS

The authors introduce two different algorithms to perform a complete reload of data from secondary storage (AM) into main memory (MM) when a system crash occurs: ordered reload with prioritization and smart reload. The first algorithm uses a cylinder as its reload granularity and does not take the access frequency into consideration. The second algorithm uses a block as its reload granularity and makes use of access frequency. Both algorithms allow the system to be brought online before the entire database is reloaded and implement the same priority reload scheme: the highest priority is given to data needed by executing transactions, the second highest priority to data needed by waiting transactions, and the last priority to the remaining data. Reload of data of lower priority is preempted by reload of data of higher priority to achieve faster system response time. >
Optomotor response of Anableps anableps depends on the field of view

Anableps anableps (Cyprinodontiformes) inhabits the niche at the water surface such that its cornea is bisected by the water surface. Consequently, its visual field encompasses simultaneous views into air and water by ventral and dorsal retina, respectively. The optomotor response (OPM) of Anableps was elicited by a moving stimulus pattern in either one or the other environment. Using four related visual displays, we found that this fish exhibits a classical OPM response when presented with suprathreshold flow-fields in its aerial visual field. It lacks an OPM response to the same flow-field when presented in its aquatic visual field, although it may respond by exhibiting optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) and non-OPM motor activity. We conclude that the neurological circuit for the teleost OPM in Anableps operates only for the aerial view and is probably connected to only the ventral retina.
Enthalpies of Formation of LaMO3 Perovskites (M = Cr, Fe, Co, and Ni)

Enthalpies of formation from constituent oxides and elements at 298 K were determined by high-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry for a group of technologically important perovskites LaMO3 (M = Cr, Fe, Co, and Ni). The enthalpies of formation of LaCrO3 and LaFeO3 from oxides (La2O3 and Cr2O3 or Fe2O3) are –70.06 ± 2.79 kJ/mol and –64.58 ± 2.32 kJ/mol, respectively. The enthalpies of formation of LaCoO3 and LaNiO3 from oxides (La2O3 and CoO or NiO) and O2 are −107.64 ± 1.77 kJ/mol and –57.31 ± 2.55 kJ/mol, respectively. All these data are evaluated and found to be consistent with literature values obtained using other methods. The relative stability among these four perovskites decreases in the order of Cr, Fe, Co, Ni.
The thermal equation of state of (Mg, Fe)SiO3 bridgmanite (perovskite) and implications for lower mantle structures

The high-pressure/high-temperature equation of state (EOS) of synthetic 13% Fe-bearing bridgmanite (Mg silicate perovskite) is measured using powder X-ray diffraction in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell with a quasi-hydrostatic neon pressure medium. We compare these results, which are consistent with previous 300 K sound speed and compression studies, with a reanalysis of Fe-free Mg end-member data from Tange et al. (2012) to determine the effect of iron on bridgmanite's thermoelastic properties. EOS parameters are incorporated into an ideal lattice mixing model to probe the behavior of bridgmanite at deep mantle conditions. With this model, a nearly pure bridgmanite mantle composition is shown to be inconsistent with density and compressibility profiles of the lower mantle. We also explore the buoyant stability of bridgmanite over a range of temperatures and compositions expected for Large Low-Shear Velocity Provinces, concluding that bridgmanite-dominated thermochemical piles are more likely to be passive dense layers externally supported by convection, rather than internally supported metastable domes. The metastable dome scenario is estimated to have a relative likelihood of only 4–7%, given the narrow range of compositions and temperatures consistent with seismic constraints. If buoyantly supported, such structures could not have remained stable with greater thermal contrast early in Earth's history, ruling out formation scenarios involving a large concentration of heat producing elements.
Knowledge-Based Adaptive Decision Tree State Tying for Conversational Speech Recognition

This paper presents a new method of constructing phonetic decision trees (PDTs) for acoustic model state tying based on implicitly induced prior knowledge. Our hypothesis is that knowledge on pronunciation variation in spontaneous, conversational speech contained in a relatively large corpus can be used for building domain-specific or speaker-dependent PDTs. In view of tree-structure adaptation, this method leads to transformation of tree topology in contrast to keeping fixed tree structure as in traditional methods of speaker adaptation. A Bayesian learning framework is proposed to incorporate prior knowledge on decision rules in a greedy search of new decision trees, where the prior is generated by a decision tree growing process on a large data set. Experimental results on the telemedicine automatic captioning task demonstrate that the proposed approach results in consistent improvement in model quality and recognition accuracy.
Production Functions with Constant Elasticities of Substitution

В статье рассматривается класс производственных функций с постоянной эластичностью замены безотносительно цен факторов, рассматривается случай, когда в процесс вовлекается больше чем два фактора.
Differences among Homeless Single Women, Women with Children, and Single Men

This article presents descriptive data for homeless single women and women with children, and contrasts it to parallel data for single homeless men. It explores demographic characteristics (race, age, marital status, household composition and education), length of current spells of homelessness and joblessness, income and income sources, history of personal problems (mental illness, chemical dependency, criminal justice involvement), patterns of utilization of soup kitchens and shelters, and diet adequacy. The data base for these comparisons is 1,704 in-person interviews from the first national study of homeless individuals that uses probability sampling, and therefore has the capacity to develop generalizations about a known universe of the homeless that transcends unique conditions in single cities. The study's population is homeless adults who use soup kitchens and shelters in U.S. cities of 100,000 or more. The results indicate that homeless single women, homeless women with children, and homeless men differ significantly on many variables, with implications for both the probable causes of their homelessness and preventive and ameliorative efforts.
A Fuzzy Logic Based Image Processing Method for Automated Fire and Smoke Detection

Forest fires, and the scale of damage and destruction they leave in their wake, are well known and documented. With limitations in manual methods for fire monitoring, there is a strong need for developing automated methods for the same. In recent years, there has been considerable development in vision-based systems for fire detection. Forest fire tracking using visual sensors require the ability to identify fire regions in imagery, and a model for fire and smoke identification using Fuzzy Logic based image processing is presented in this paper. The model is tested on a wide range of images containing fire and smoke regions and its effectiveness is demonstrated.. The proposed model facilitates the development of a comprehensive fire and smoke detection system and is very attractive for military and civilian applications.
Quantitative Anatomy of Medial Femoral Perforators of the Distal Thigh

The purpose of the study was to quantitatively examine the anatomical organization of medial femoral perforators. Mini-incision approaches to total knee arthroplasty are being used more often; however, no studies have examined the quantitative anatomy of perforating vessels into the distal intermuscular septum. Fourteen embalmed cadaveric knees were dissected to identify where vascular perforators pierced the medial intermuscular septum. Quantitative measurements were made from the perforators to the medial epicondyle of the femur. The mean measurements from the medial epicondyle to each of the vascular perforators were 7.1, 10.5, and 13.5 cm. The closest perforator to the medial epicondyle was found at a distance of 5.5 cm. During mini-incision approaches to the knee, vascular perforators are at potential risk of injury when dissection proceeds 5 cm proximal to the medial epicondyle.