cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wave of single-impulse-stimulated fast initial dip in single vessels of mouse brains imaged by high-speed functional photoacoustic microscopy.

Significance: The initial dip in hemoglobin-oxygenation response to stimulations is a spatially confined endogenous indicator that is faster than the blood flow response, making it a desired label-free contrast to map the neural activity. A fundamental question is whether a single-impulse stimulus, much shorter than the response delay, could produce an observable initial dip without repeated stimulation. Aim: To answer this question, we report high-speed functional photoacoustic (PA) microscopy to investigate the initial dip in mouse brains. Approach: We developed a Raman-laser-based dual-wavelength functional PA microscope that can image capillary-level blood oxygenation at a 1-MHz one-dimensional imaging rate. This technology was applied to monitor the hemodynamics of mouse cerebral vasculature after applying an impulse stimulus to the forepaw. Results: We observed a transient initial dip in cerebral microvessels starting as early as 0.13 s after the onset of the stimulus. The initial dip and the subsequent overshoot manifested a wave pattern propagating across different microvascular compartments. Conclusions: We quantified both spatially and temporally the single-impulse-stimulated microvascular hemodynamics in mouse brains at single-vessel resolution. Fast label-free imaging of single-impulse response holds promise for real-time brain–computer interfaces.
In Vitro and In Vivo Activity, Tolerability, and Mechanism of Action of BX795 as an Antiviral against Herpes Simplex Virus 2 Genital Infection.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) causes recurrent lesions in the anogenital area that may be transmitted through sexual encounters. Nucleoside analogs, such as acyclovir (ACV), are currently prescribed clinically to curb this infection. However, in some cases, reduced efficacy has been observed due to the emergence of resistance against these drugs. In our previous study, we reported the discovery of a novel anti-HSV-1 small molecule, BX795, which was originally used as an inhibitor of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1). In this study, we report the antiviral efficacy of BX795 on HSV-2 infection in vaginal epithelial cells in vitro at 10 μM and in vivo at 50 μM. Additionally, through biochemical assays in vitro and histopathology in vivo, we show the tolerability of BX795 in vaginal epithelial cells at concentrations as high as 80 μM. Our investigations also revealed that the mechanism of action of BX795 antiviral activity stems from the reduction of viral protein translation via inhibition of protein kinase B phosphorylation. Finally, using a murine model of vaginal infection, we show that topical therapy using 50 μM BX795 is well tolerated and efficacious in controlling HSV-2 replication.
Genetic variation in Charcot-Marie-Tooth genes contributes to sensitivity to paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Aim: This study explored whether inherited variants in genes causing the hereditary neuropathy condition Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease are associated with sensitivity to paclitaxel-induced peripheral neuropathy (PN). Patients & methods: Hereditary neuropathy genes previously associated with risk of paclitaxel-induced PN were sequenced in paclitaxel-treated patients. Eight putative genetic predictors in five hereditary neuropathy genes (ARHGEF10, SBF2, FGD4, FZD3 and NXN) were tested for association with PN sensitivity after accounting for systemic exposure and clinical variables. Results: FZD3 rs7833751, a proxy for rs7001034, decreased PN sensitivity (additive model, β = -0.41; 95% CI: -0.66 to -0.17; p = 0.0011). None of the other genetic predictors were associated with PN sensitivity. Conclusion: Our results support prior evidence that FZD3 rs7001034 is protective of PN and may be useful for individualizing paclitaxel treatment to prevent PN.
Key Arguments for Scientific Realism

In this chapter, I present in canonical (or standard) form and then evaluate key arguments for scientific realism (or against antirealism about science). The first argument is the most influential Positive Argument for scientific realism, most commonly known as the “no miracles” argument, which purports to show that scientific realism is the best explanation for the empirical success of science. The second argument, which can be found in Grover Maxwell’s seminal (1962) paper, purports to show that there is no principled distinction between observables and unobservables, and thus, if our belief in the existence of the former is justified, which it is, then our belief in the existence of the latter is justified as well. The third argument can also be found in Maxwell’s seminal (1962) paper and it purports to show that belief in the existence of the theoretical entities of our best scientific theories, even if they are unobservable, is justified because any theoretical entity can become observable in principle. The fourth argument builds on Ian Hacking’s (Representing and intervening: introductory topics in the philosophy of natural science. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1983, p. 23) famous slogan for Entity Realism, “if you can spray them, they are real,” and proceeds from corroborating the existence of theoretical entities through results obtained by distinct experimental means. The fifth argument is based on Ludwig Fahrbach’s (Synthese 180(2):139–155, 2011) observation that science is growing at an exponential rate. When weighted exponentially, the best scientific theories since the 1950s appear to have been stable, which in turn inspires an optimistic induction to the conclusion that our best scientific theories will remain stable.
Yaw stability control of articulated frame off-highway vehicles via displacement controlled steer-by-wire

Abstract Off-highway vehicles have not received the same level of scrutiny that their on-highway counterparts did relative to safety, comfort, fuel economy, and automation. Over the past few decades, various active chassis safety control systems, architectures, and schemes have been researched and developed to improve the stability and handling of on-highway vehicles, including articulated vehicles such as tractor–trailer applications. In this paper, the authors investigate a yaw stability control system for articulated frame steering off-highway vehicles via novel steer-by-wire technology that they have recently developed. A high-fidelity vehicle dynamics model is derived while keeping the yaw rate decoupled from the lateral acceleration, in order to separate the primary path-following task (driver) from the secondary disturbance–attenuation task (controller). The control algorithm is then designed such that the two tasks do not hamper one another, and that the automatic controller is quickly activated for a short period of time to counteract instabilities, and then smoothly relinquishes control back to the human operator. Simulation and experimental testing results are obtained to validate the vehicle dynamics model, the control algorithm design, and the new system's efficacy in counteracting yaw instabilities on low-friction surfaces using standard vehicle dynamic maneuvers.
The effects of cortisone on experimental coccidioidomycosis.

Since the introduction of cortisone and ACTH there has appeared a considerable amount of both clinical and investigative work indicating that these compounds have a profound effect on the host-parasite relationship in various infectious diseases. This relationship has been studied considerably in experimental tuberculosis and to a lesser extent in other infections. The majority of investigators feel that the drugs adversely affect the host response to the parasite. However, there is disagreement as to the mechanism by which this occurs.
Return to Culture: Oral Tradition and Society in the Southern Cook Islands

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Anna-Leena Siikala and Jukka Siikala Year: 2005 Pages: 327 Publisher: Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia ISBN: 951-41-0965-1 (hard cover). Prices: 34 Euros(hard cover).
Abstract T P89: Unilateral Cerebral Atrophy Secondary to Extracranial Carotid Stenosis

Background: Moderate to severe or bilateral carotid stenosis is associated with cerebral atrophy and cognitive decline. Prior studies have evaluated global atrophy and its correlation with the degree of stenosis. It is unclear whether carotid stenosis can lead to unilateral cerebral changes. Objective: To evaluate for unilateral cerebral atrophy in asymptomatic patients with moderated to severe extracranial unilateral carotid stenosis. Methods: Subjects were selected from patients who had undergone carotid vascular imaging and MRI of the brain, from January 2007 to January 2013 at our institution. Patients with history of TIA or ischemic stroke were excluded. Carotid stenosis (CS) group consisted of patients with unilateral moderate to severe carotid stenosis (n=9). Patients without any stenosis (n=5) were used as controls. T1-weighted brain images (FOV 256 x 256 x128, resolution 1.5 x 1.5 x 5 mm) were registered to Talairach space using FSL software. Non-brain tissue was removed using the BET module. Seg...
Field Theory of Depolarization of Radar Backscatter — With Application to a Distant, Slightly Rough Sphere

Vector field theory of time dependent backscatter from distant slightly rough sphere for pulsed and sinusoidally steady state sources
Training of robust neural controllers

Controllers based on neural networks and fuzzy logic are often said to be robust, i.e., to continue to exhibit satisfactory performance even in the face of changes in the system for which they have been trained or designed. Our own experience, largely but not entirely based on model-based simulation studies, suggests that this statement carries a considerable degree of truth. In particular, we have found that the performance of dynamic control structures in the form of recurrent neural networks tends to degrade gracefully as the system is altered from that used during training. We have observed, however, that the degree of robustness does not always correlate positively with the quality of control on the plant used in training. For example, two neural controllers of identical architecture and trained on the same plant to comparable error may, on an independent test, exhibit significantly different degrees of robustness. This has led us to devise a procedure, called multistream training, that makes robustness an explicit goal of training. In the preferred form of this procedure, we train a single controller simultaneously on several plants selected from the expected range, thereby countering the tendency of a serial training process to favor the plant upon which training has most recently been conducted. This paper describes the multistream method and illustrates its use and efficacy with an example. >
The orthopaedic clinician-scientist.

Most applicants for orthopaedic residencies and fellowships state that they wish to do some teaching and research when they finish their training. However, this initial interest in research is not sufficiently maintained to replenish the pool of clinician-scientists in orthopaedics. This problem is not unique to our field; clinician-scientists are an endangered species in many other specialties as well. From 1994 to 1997, the actual number of all first-time physician applicants for National Institutes of Health research grants plummeted 31%. If this progression were to continue linearly, there would be no first-time physician applicants by 20031. While support from the National Institutes of Health is not the only way to sustain a research career, it is a bellwether of clinician-scientists doing work at that recognized high level. James Wyngaarden, former director of the National Institutes of Health, called attention to this developing trend in 1979 in an article entitled "The Clinical Investigator as an Endangered Species."2 This progressive shift away from scientific investigation and toward large clinical series and case reports has been noted by others3. Francis Moore, in 1976, spoke of the unresolved conflict "between the operating room and the laboratory . . . between the clinical pressures of care of the sick and the pursuit of science."4 Many people in the research community believe that the small number of orthopaedic clinician-scientists capable of doing rigorous and meaningful research is the result of increasing conflict within the system5. Time and financial considerations are the major reasons for the diminishing numbers of clinician-applicants who are competing successfully for major federal funding. We all should recognize the need in our specialty for a cadre of orthopaedic clinician-scientists involved in basic, disease-oriented, patient-oriented, and prevention-oriented research. These unique individuals are necessary to create a …
HTLV-1 and leukemogenesis: virus-cell interactions in the development of adult T-cell leukemia

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) was originally discovered in the early 1980s. It is the first retrovirus to be unambiguously linked causally to a human cancer. HTLV-1 currently infects approximately 20 million people worldwide. In this chapter, we review progress made over the last 30 years in our understanding of HTLV-1 infection, replication, gene expression, and cellular transformation.
DCIM-accelerated SMFMA for capacitance extraction

Recent advances in very large scale integration (VLSI) technology heighten the need for fast and accurate calculations of the capacitance and inductance matrices of complex 3D multiconductor structures in the presence of a layered dielectric medium. A stratified medium fast multipole algorithm (SMFMA) was developed to speedup capacitance extractions for the large-number-of-unknowns case with O(N) cost (Pan, Y.C., "Development of the fast multipole method for stratified medium", Ph.D thesis, Univ. of Illinois, 2002). But in the multilayer medium, the translators and near field interactions have no closed form. Therefore, the numerical integral computation for the translator preparations makes the SMFMA setup stage very time consuming. We derive a set of identities based on extended spherical harmonic functions in the complex plane. Combined with the discrete complex image method (DCIM), the multipole translators can be represented by simple closed-form expressions. The technique can make the SMFMA setup stage one to two-orders faster compared to the old method. It provides excellent accuracy with little computation costs.
Interannual Variability of Cyanobacterial Blooms in Lake Erie

After a 20-year absence, severe cyanobacterial blooms have returned to Lake Erie in the last decade, in spite of negligible change in the annual load of total phosphorus (TP). Medium-spectral Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) imagery was used to quantify intensity of the cyanobacterial bloom for each year from 2002 to 2011. The blooms peaked in August or later, yet correlate to discharge (Q) and TP loads only for March through June. The influence of the spring TP load appears to have started in the late 1990 s, after Dreissenid mussels colonized the lake, as hindcasts prior to 1998 are inconsistent with the observed blooms. The total spring Q or TP load appears sufficient to predict bloom magnitude, permitting a seasonal forecast prior to the start of the bloom.
A note on the use of multiplicative decomposition for displacive phase transformations

A multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into elastic and transformation constituents has been employed in several continuum models of displacive phase transformation. The existence and precise nature of the intermediate configuration associated with such a decomposition has not been addressed to date. This work proposed a prescription for the intermediate configuration and also addresses the related matter of invariance under superposed rigid motion.
A high fructose diet does not affect amphetamine self-administration or spatial water maze learning and memory in female rats

Abstract High energy diets can have a detrimental effect on brain plasticity. For example, a high fructose diet impairs spatial memory in male rats. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a high fructose diet impairs another form of learning and memory: drug reinforcement learning. Female Sprague–Dawley rats were fed a high fructose diet (60%) from weaning at postnatal day (PND) 21, then allowed to acquire lever-pressing maintained by intravenous (i.v.) amphetamine at PND 68, 109, or 165. Acquisition was tested on a fixed ratio one (FR1) schedule of reinforcement (0.025 mg/kg/infusion, 1 h daily sessions, 10 sessions over 14 days), followed by testing for reinforcing efficacy on a progressive ratio (PR) schedule (0.025, 0.01, and 0.1 mg/kg/infusion), 14 days of abstinence, and within-session extinction and reinstatement tests. Subsequently, water maze acquisition and retention were tested in these subjects as well as a separate cohort tested in the water maze only. The diet had no effect on acquisition, reinforcing efficacy, extinction, or reinstatement of amphetamine seeking. Nor did the diet alter any measures of spatial memory. The high fructose diet did decrease body mass and increase relative liver and spleen mass, but did not affect plasma triglyceride concentrations consistently. Together with prior research on males, these results suggest that the metabolism of fructose and the effects of a high fructose diet on learning and memory may be sex-dependent.
Structure and expression of the TREX1 and TREX2 3' --> 5' exonuclease genes

The TREX1 and TREX2 genes encode mammalian 3′→5′ exonucleases. Expression of the TREX genes in human cells was investigated using a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction strategy. Our results show that TREX1 and TREX2 are expressed in all tissues tested, providing direct evidence for the expression of these genes in human cells. Potential transcription start sites are identified for the TREX genes using rapid amplification of cDNA ends to recover the 5′-flanking regions of the TREX transcripts. The 5′-flanking sequences indicate transcription initiation from consensus putative promoters identified −140 and −650 base pairs upstream of the TREX1 open reading frame (ORF) and −623 and −753 base pairs upstream of the TREX2 ORF. Novel TREX1 and TREX2 cDNAs are identified that contain protein-coding sequences generated from exons positioned in genomic DNA up to 18 kilobases 5′ to the TREX1 ORF and up to 25 kilobases 5′ to the TREX2 ORF. These novel cDNAs and sequences in the GenBank™ data base indicate that transcripts containing the TREX1 and TREX2 ORFs are produced using a variety of mechanisms that include alternate promoter usage, alternative splicing, and varied sites for 3′ cleavage and polyadenylation. These initial studies have revealed previously unrecognized complexities in the structure and expression of the TREX1 and TREX2 genes.
When door holding harms: gender and the consequences of non-normative help

This work explored the potential negative consequences of unexpected help. A behavioral observation and a survey study found that men are unlikely to have the door held open for them in a chivalrous manner, whereby they walk through the door before the person helping them does. In an experimental field study, passersby were randomly assigned to experience this type of door-holding help or not. Males who had the door held for them in this manner by a male confederate reported lower self-esteem and self-efficacy than males who did not have the door held for them. Females were unaffected by door-holding condition. These results demonstrate negative consequences of seemingly innocuous but unexpected helping behavior that violates gender norms.
Anisotropy and two-dimensional behaviour in the high-temperature superconductors

The electrodynamic behaviour of the high-temperature cuprate superconductors is strongly affected by the anisotropy of these layered materials. Their transport, magnetic and pinning properties are determined by the properties of vortices, which can be regarded as stacks of two-dimensional (2D) pancake vortices (with cores localized in the layers, bilayers or trilayers) connected by Josephson vortices (with cores localized in the nonsuperconducting charge-reservoir layers). When the Josephson coupling between the superconducting layers is strong, as in YBCO, the line energy associated with the Josephson vortices is large, the 2D pancake vortices in adjacent layers are strongly coupled and the magnetic anisotropy of the superconductor is relatively weak. When the Josephson coupling is weak, as in BSCCO, the line energy associated with the Josephson vortices is small, the 2D pancake vortices in adjacent layers are weakly coupled and the magnetic properties are highly anisotropic and nearly 2D. The transport properties for currents flowing parallel to the layers are dominated by 2D pancake vortex motion, while those for currents flowing perpendicular to the layers are dominated by Josephson vortex motion. In this paper, I review these effects and discuss a number of consequences for vortex-lattice melting, flux pinning, flux creep and the critical current density.
Tunability of an area-efficient microstrip patch antenna at 60GHz

A method for shrinking a tunable microstrip patch antenna footprint is investigated. A reduced-area antenna at 60GHz is designed by taking advantage of the capacitive range of an IMPATT diode, being careful to maintain Q over a 2GHz bandwidth. To determine the capability of this tunable antenna system, the inductive extreme of the impedance tuning range is also evaluated for impact to resonance frequency. Further, results from the transmission line model used for analysis and design are confirmed using Sonnet Software's professional EM solver.
Compact lowpass filter using stepped impedance hairpin resonator

A novel microwave lowpass filter using a microstrip stepped impedance hairpin resonator is proposed. This filter has the advantages of compact size, easy fabrication, and sharp cutoff frequency response. The filter is useful for many microwave system applications.
Calibration between student mastery and self‐efficacy

Content mastery and self‐efficacy were measured at the beginning and at the end of two classes in Research Methods in Psychology. A multiple‐choice test measured content mastery and a questionnaire measured self‐efficacy. Self‐efficacy reports improved significantly over the course of instruction, as did examination performance. The correlation between self‐efficacy and content mastery rose from .33 at pre‐test to .49 at post‐test, although the difference between the two correlations was not significant. The size of the correlation between self‐efficacy and content mastery indicates calibration, that is, the similarity in standing between a self‐description of skills and a normative evaluation of the same skills. The results are consistent with the idea that instruction facilitates content mastery, self‐efficacy and calibration. Students improve in actual knowledge and beliefs regarding competence in a domain, but also appear to gain a better understanding of their own standing relative to others in the d...
Laparoscopic temporary packing for hemostasis

Control of bleeding from the renal parenchyma remains one of the challenges of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy. If adjuvant measures fail, packing of the surgical bed may achieve hemostasis. We report a novel series of temporary laparoscopic packing of the surgical bed with minimally invasive kidney surgery. Technique and potential complications are also discussed.
A Study of Developmental Speech and Language Disorders in Twins

Fifty-seven same-sex twin sets (32 monozygotic and 25 dizygotic) were examined for concordance of speech and language disorders. Results showed monozygotic twins to have higher concordance than dizygotic twins. In addition, monozygotic twins were more similar in the types of disorders they presented than dizygotic twins. Positive family histories for speech, language, and learning disorders were reported in the nuclear families of the twins.
Lifestyle and routine activity theories of crime: Empirical studies of victimization, delinquency, and offender decision-making

The papers in this special issue of the Journal of Quantitative Criminology focus on lifestyle or routine activity theories of crime. Most examine victimization, although two authors apply the lifestyle perspective to offending. The general nature of this evolving body of theory will be familiar to most readers. But for the record, and for the benefit of those less familiar, this introductory essay briefly discusses the meaning of lifestyle and routine activity theories and sets the stage for the substantive contribu tions. Readers interested in an exhaustive and definitive exposition or in a detailed critique of various formulations and tests of lifestyle theories will have to look elsewhere [see Garofalo (1987) for an excellent summary]. What people do, how they behave, places them at more or less risk of criminal victimization. Stated so directly this seems like little more than common sense. In much the same way, routine behavior "explains" how people avoid or suffer many other misfortunes. Careful drivers are at less risk of auto accidents, careless smokers stand a greater chance of setting fire to the house, coal miners suffer disproportionately from pulmonary disease, and mariners are more likely to drown than, say, mountain climbers. The next section tries to impose some order on the various names and terms that have attached themselves to the lifestyle theory of personal victimization developed by Hindelang et al. (1978). Discussion then turns to certain themes that have emerged in previous empirical studies. The final section describes how the papers presented in this issue contribute to lifestyle theory and introduces James Lynch's concept of activity domains.
Agility counts in developing small-size software

A common question in practice is "what are the circumstances in which agile methodologies should be adopted for more effective software development?" For instance, is the agile method suited for the development of modern industrial automation software? Actually this is a hard problem to address, and the right answer can be determined only by the requirements and constraints of each individual project. The size of projects in the industrial automation arena varies from small-size software with limited specific functionality to large-scale software systems with comprehensive functionality and rigorous requirements. A number of agilists are seeking ways to expand the use of agile methodologies for efficient development of larger software-intensive projects and effective management of distributed development teams. However, for safety-critical industrial automation software development, caution should be exercised in employing agile methodologies, as the detailed analysis of each software elements is needed and the system may have intense interactions with other software and hardware systems.
Potentiating effect of thalidomide on methylcholanthrene oncogenesis in mice.

Durch Methylcholanthren-Bepinselung i.p. mit Thalidomid behandelter Mause entstanden mehr Hautpapillome als bei nicht mit Thalidamid behandelten Tieren. Der verantwortliche Mechanismus ist nicht bekannt. Ein analoges Phanomen wurde fruher mit Immundepressiva festgestellt; eine Immundepression konnte jedoch fur Thalidomid nicht nachgewiesen werden.
Liquidus projection for the Mo-rich portion of the Mo–Si–B ternary system

The solidification behavior in the Mo-rich portion of the Mo‐Si‐B ternary system has been examined based on the microstructures of arc-cast alloys. Several solidification characteristics in the Mo-rich portion of the system have been identified using XRD, SEM and TEM. The liquidus projection in the Mo-rich portion includes six primary solidification reactions; five reactions originating from the Mo‐Si and Mo‐B binary sections (Mo, Mo2B, bMoB, Mo3Si and Mo5Si3) and one from the ternary-based (Mo5SiB2 )T 2 phase. The liquidus surface in general descends from the high melting temperature Mo‐B binary side to the lower melting temperature Mo‐Si binary side. The solidification path of alloys with compositions in the T2 phase region is always preceded by the peritectic reaction of bMoB+L)T2. In addition, four Class II reactions (four-phase reactions) and one Class I reaction (invariant ternary eutectic reaction) have been identified. The extent of solidification segregation in alloys with compositions in the Mo(ss)+T2 two-phase field is discussed as it pertains to materials processing. # 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Dispersion of Functionalized Nanoclay Platelets in an Amine-Cured Epoxy Resin System

Nanocomposites are a relatively new class of materials obtained by dispersing montmorillonite clay in a polymer matrix. Evidences from literature suggest that clay platelet dispersion during nanocomposite preparation and clay-matrix adhesion are major technical issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve the desired property enhancements in polymer-clay hybrid nanocomposites. We have studied the interaction of the organically functionalized clay with the epoxy resin by including along the chain structure functional groups that will facilitate interaction with the resin. Through conventional routes, functional molecules have been synthesized and deposited on to the clay surface. Both the functionalized and nonfunctionalized clay has been analyzed using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The exfoliation of nanoclay platelets in amine cured epoxy system has been studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
A novel ARX-based multi-scale spatio-temporal solar power forecast model

In this paper an autoregressive with exogenous input (ARX) based spatio-temporal solar forecast model is proposed. Compared with conventional temporal-only autoregressive models, the proposed formulation takes into account both spatial and temporal solar power correlations. The overall root mean squared error (RMSE) percentage can be reduced by 12.72% using spatio-temporal solar forecast compared with persistence forecast model for hour ahead intervals.
Nonlinear dynamics of magnetic vortices in single-crystal and ion-damaged NbSe2.

Nonlinear dynamics of magnetic flux lines in superconducting Nb${\mathrm{Se}}_{2}$ are studied using the vibrating-reed technique and a resonance-line-shape analysis. A yield point for plastic deformation of the flux-line lattice is linked to the onset of a dissipation anomaly previously associated with a flux-line lattice melting transition. The resonance (10 kHz range) of radiation-damaged samples bifurcates into patterned sidebands at high drives, with additional nonlinear response emerging above 200 kHz, which may signal the onset of chaos.
Effect of Exogenous Somatotropin on Hematological Variables of Lactating Cows and Their Offspring

Abstract Eighty-two lactating Holstein cows in their first, second, or third lactation received either one, three, or five concurrent i.m. injections of a unit dose (0.6 g) of zinc methionyl bovine somatotropin (bST) or five doses of the vehicle. Injections were administered at 14-d intervals from 60 ± 3 d postpartum until the end of lactation or until necropsy. Thirty-eight cows were continued on the treatment for a 2nd yr. Blood samples were collected at wk −2, −1, 3, and 7 relative to the start of treatment and then every 8 wk (yr 1) or 4 wk (yr 2) thereafter. Untreated cows that were included in a survey of the resident herd were bled at wk 7 or 8, wk 10 or 11, and wk 13 or 14 of lactation and every 4 or 8 wk thereafter. Calves were bled within 72 h of birth and at approximately 5 wk of age. Most parameters associated with erythrocytes were decreased mildly in cows that were treated with bST. However, data remained within generally accepted reference ranges, and changes were not of clinical importance. Decreased hematocrit was not associated with increased hemolysis, hemodilution, or clinical anemia. No morphological lesions related to treatment were noted in the bone marrow or spleen; bST did not affect the incidence of immature cell types. Energy and protein balances did not significantly affect the hematological results of the cows. Calves generally were unaffected by bST treatment of the dam, but heavier calves had higher parameters associated with erythrocyte and lymphocyte counts than did calves with lower body weight. Exogenous bST treatment caused predictable changes in hematological parameters of dairy cows.
Data converter techniques

The papers in this session highlight innovative architectures and circuit techniques to improve performance and reduce power consumption of analog-to-digital converters (ADC's).
A hierarchical neural network involving nonlinear spectral processing

Summary form only given, as follows. A new neural network architecture called the hierarchical neural network (HNN) is introduced. The HNN involves a number of stages in which each stage can be a particular neural network (SNN). Between two SNNs there is a nonlinear transformation of those input vectors rejected by the first SNN. The HNN has many desirable properties such as optimized system complexity in the sense of minimized number of stages, high classification accuracy, minimized learning and recall times, and truly parallel architectures in which all SNNs are operating simultaneously without waiting for data from each other. The experiments performed in comparison to multilayered networks with backpropagation training indicated the superiority of the HNN. >
Role of vagal innervation in diurnal rhythm of intestinal peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1)

Background Protein is absorbed predominantly as di/tripeptides via H+/peptide cotransporter-1 (PEPT1). We demonstrated previously diurnal variations in expression and function of duodenal and jejunal but not ileal PEPT1; neural regulation of this pattern is unexplored.
Short-term androgen deprivation therapy for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer undergoing dose-escalated radiotherapy: the standard of care?

Summary What is the best way to manage patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer? One of the most controversial aspects of treatment is the role of short-term androgen deprivation therapy in combination with definitive radiotherapy. In two randomised trials of patients with mostly intermediate-risk prostate cancer, increased overall survival was reported when short-term androgen deprivation therapy was added to radiotherapy. However, radiation doses in these studies were far below the current standard of care. This limitation, in combination with the heterogeneous nature of the cancers classified as intermediate risk, has complicated the application of these trial results to modern clinical practice. In this Review, we discuss clinical evidence for and against use of short-term androgen deprivation therapy with dose-escalated radiotherapy for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer.
Control by uracil of carbamyl phosphate synthesis in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Uracil inhibits arginine synthesis to a slight extent in wild-type Escherichia coli W and K12. A mutant was selected in which uracil causes an absolute requirement for arginine. Evidence is presented that uracil represses formation of the enzyme(s) leading to carbamyl phosphate. Ammonium carbamate was found to counteract the inhibition of growth of the mutant by uracil. This result indicates either that carbamate formation is under enzymic mediation in E. coli or that the carbamyl phosphokinase in the mutant requires an increased concentration of this substance.
Nonlinear transmission line for picosecond pulse compression and broadband phase modulation

Simulations and scale-model experiments indicate that shock-wave formation on a GaAs integrated circuit nonlinear transmission line will generate electrical pulses with rise times less than 5 ps, and that velocity modulation on the line will permit broadband phase modulation from DC to 40 GHz.
Fuzzy Financial Pricing of Property-Liability Insurance

Abstract This paper uses fuzzy set theory (FST) to solve a problem in actuarial science, the financial pricing of property-liability insurance contracts. The fundamental concept of FST is the alternative formalization of membership in a set to include the degree or strength of membership. FST provides consistent mathematical rules for incorporating vague, subjective, or judgmental information into complex decision processes. It is potentially important in insurance pricing because much of the information about cash flows, future economic conditions, risk premiums, and other factors affecting the pricing decision is subjective and thus difficult to quantify by using conventional methods. To illustrate the use of FST, we “fuzzify” a well-known insurance financial pricing model, provide numerical examples of fuzzy pricing, and propose rules for project decision-making using FST. The results indicate that FST can lead to significantly different decisions than the conventional approach.
Therapeutic Effect of Dimethyl Sulfoxide on ICAM-1 Gene Expression and Activation of NF-κB and AP-1 in Septic Rats

Abstract Background. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a potent antioxidant which protects against endotoxemia and septic shock in animal models. We investigated the therapeutic effect of DMSO on intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) gene expression and activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and activating protein-1 (AP-1) in a rat model of peritonitis sepsis. This postchallenge model simulates the clinical treatment of ruptured viscus peritonitis. Materials and methods. Peritonitis was produced by subjecting rats to laparotomy, followed by a 1-cm cecal incision (CI) to produce fecal soilage of the peritoneum. Rats were subjected to laparotomy only for the sham-operated group. For the protection study, DMSO (6 ml/kg) was injected ip at 30, 60, or 90 min post-CI surgery. The levels of ICAM-1 mRNA expression and activation of NF-κB and AP-1 in livers were determined at 3 and 6 h post-CI. Results. At 3 h post-CI surgery (early sepsis), DMSO treatment at 30 and 60 min post-CI surgery significantly inhibited sepsis-induced ICAM-1 mRNA expression and activation of NF-κB and AP-1. DMSO has no effect on ICAM-1 gene expression and activation of NF-κB and AP-1 when administered at 90 min post-CI surgery. At 6 h post-CI surgery (late sepsis), DMSO administered at 30, 60, or 90 min post-CI surgery significantly inhibited ICAM-1 mRNA expression and NF-κB activation but not AP-1 activation. Conclusions. Therapeutic treatment of DMSO inhibited sepsis-induced activation of NF-κB and AP-1, resulting in the suppression of ICAM-1 gene expression in the livers of peritonitis septic rats. This finding suggests that reactive oxidants are involved in the signal transduction pathways for activation of NF-κB and AP-1. Thus, antioxidants which inhibit NF-κB and AP-1 activation may be beneficial in treating sepsis and septic shock.
Vadose Zone Modeling: Introduction and Importance

Many models of varying degree of complexity and dimensionality have been developed during the past several decades to quantify the basic physical and chemical processes affecting water flow and pollutant transport in the unsaturated zone. These models are now being used increasingly for a wide range
Nest‐site selection in the great golden digger wasp, Sphex ichneumoneus L. (Sphecidae)

. 1. Sphex ichneumoneus are solitary, ground-nesting wasps with apparently broad nesting requirements. 2. Nest-site selecting behaviour involves four levels of decisions. First, the wasps are not active unless temperatures are high and they are less active during cloudy weather. Second, at the beginning of a nesting sequence they generally fly to the site from which they emerged, but occasionally they fly to other flat, vegetation-free areas. Third, after landing, they engage in a predigging search of the area, walking around, looking into and briefly digging in the nests of other wasps. In this way they apparently compare and choose to begin digging in the warmest areas available which are not too close to other nests. Fourth, if the soil is too soft and collapses or if it is too hard-packed, the wasp resumes the predigging search. The preference for digging within a range of compactness means that they generally choose sandy loam. 3. Theory would suggest that the wasps may spend an optimal amount of time in the predigging search behaviour and that frequency-dependent selection may be an important factor in the choice of nesting sites. 4. By choosing nesting sites according to these rules, the wasps are ensuring that their offspring develop in the warmest and best-drained soils available.
[Comment to “The environmental context” by Thomas F. Malone] Human actions and the environment

I find it distressing that a man of the stature of Thomas F. Malone (The Environmental Context, July EOS) cites, without qualification, the following to be a result of conscious human actions: ‘The increasing particulate load in the atmosphere which has an effect on the climate that would appear to be opposite to the one produced by an increase in the carbon dioxide content.’ He is doing a disservice to himself, to humanity, and to science to blithely lend his reputation to the validity of a condition of such serious consequences and so poorly substantiated by the available data.
The Securitization of Fear in Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka

Fear is a potent political resource that is at once an expression of vulnerability to geopolitical threats and a rationale for security measures against them. It is produced through tropes of nationalism rooted in economic marginalization, loss of territory, and anxieties about invasions of home. Such anxieties give rise to the securitization of fear used to underwrite the allocation of resources to fortify borders and manage risk. The securitization of fear and its geopolitical uses and abuses in the context of disaster, conflict, and human displacement demand further attention. This article examines two expressions of fear that have significant implications for broader research agendas in political geography. First, in post-tsunami Sri Lanka, the implementation of “buffer zones,” or no-build setback areas along the affected coastlines after the tsunami vividly illustrates how efforts to enhance public safety can stir feelings of discrimination, tension, and fear. Humanitarian remedies that are not cautiously conflict-sensitive can unwittingly generate fear and mistrust. Second, the politics of fear intersect with the provision of international aid, which is increasingly premised on vulnerability “at home” in donor countries to make it politically relevant. Once created, such crises are offset by aid to locations that represent geopolitical threats. Unraveling the ways in which fear is produced and framed to justify violence, exclusion, and hatred is a pressing political and intellectual task within geography.
Naringenin protects HaCaT human keratinocytes against UVB-induced apoptosis and enhances the removal of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers from the genome.

Many naturally occurring agents are believed to protect against UV-induced skin damage. In this study, we have investigated the effects of naringenin (NG), a naturally occurring citrus flavonone, on the removal of UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) from the genome and apoptosis in immortalized p53-mutant human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. The colony-forming assay shows that treatment with NG significantly increases long-term cell survival after UVB irradiation. NG treatment also protects the cells from UVB-induced apoptosis, as indicated by the absence of the 180 base pair DNA ladders and the appearance of sub-G 1 peak using agarose gel electrophoresis and flow cytometric analysis, respectively. The UVB-induced poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) cleavage, caspase activation and Bax/Bcl2 ratio were modulated following NG treatment, indicating an antiapoptotic effect of NG in UVB-damaged cells that occurs at least in part via caspase cascade pathway. Moreover, treatment of UVB-irradiated HaCaT cells with NG enhances the removal of CPD from the genome, as observed by both direct quantitation of CPD in genomic DNA and immuno-localization of the damage within the nuclei. The study provides a molecular basis for the action of NG as a promising natural flavonoid in preventing skin aging and carcinogenesis.
Using SN 1987A light echoes to determine mass loss from the progenitor

The hypothesis that the blue progenitor of SN 1987A passed through a blue supergiant phase ending with the expulsion of the outer envelope is tested. The many light echoes seen near SN 1987A were used to search for a mass flow from the progenitor and for abrupt density changes at the limits of this smooth mass flow. The progenitor needed roughly a million yr to create these structures, assuming a constant mass loss at 15 km/s. The dust in the region is small-grained and isotropically scattering. Interaction between the progenitor blue supergiant and red supergiant winds is probably contained within a roughly spherical structure 1.5 pc in diameter.
On the Thermomechanical Effect in Adsorbed Layers of Helium II

An expression is derived for the thermomechanical effect in adsorbed films, using the methods of quasi-thermodynamics. The results are discussed in comparison with the fountain effect in bulk liquid helium II, and with the existing qualitative measurements on adsorbed helium II films.
Resonance behavior of a two-level quantum system in a two-frequency field

Based on the vanishing-damping continued-fraction method which I developed previously for the analysis of the resonance behavior of a two-level atom in a two-frequency field with equal intensities in the two field modes [W. M. Ruyten, Phys. Rev. A 40, 1447 (1989)], I analyze here the related problem in which the two field intensities are unequal. Several analytical results are derived, namely, expressions for the lowest-order Bloch-Siegert shifts of all resonances, and an expression for the positions of the resonances in the limit of one strong and one weak field. It is shown that, in this limit, the resonances exhibit level crossings of the field-atom system.
Control of Renal Bone Disease

Summary In this review I have briefly described the patho-physiology of renal osteodystrophy, the kinds of bone lesions which occur, and the current thoughts about management, pointing out that the major issue we need to solve is patient compliance. I have also discussed three areas of controversy: calcitriol dosing, the use of the bone biopsy, and the implications of the recently noted aplastic bone disorder.
Irreducible integrable theories from tensor products of conformal models

Abstract By using Toda field theories we show that there are perturbations of direct products of conformal theories that lead to irreducible integrable field theories. The same affine Toda theory can be truncated to different quantum integrable models for different choices of the charge at infinity and the coupling. The classification of integrable models that can be obtained in this fashion follows the classification of symmetric spaces of type G H with rank H=rank G.