cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantification of Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptors with [11C]NMPB and Positron Emission Tomography: Method Development and Differentiation of Tracer Delivery from Receptor Binding

Quantification of human brain muscarinic cholinergic receptors was investigated with the use of [11C]N-methyl-4-piperidyl benzylate (NMPB) and positron emission tomography (PET). Whole-brain uptake of NMPB at 90 to 110 minutes after intravenous injection was approximately 10% of the administered dose. The initial cerebral distribution of NMPB corresponded to the pattern of cerebral perfusion; however, at progressively longer postinjection intervals, regional distinctions consistent with muscarinic receptor binding were evident: activity at 90 to 110 minutes postinjection was highest in the striatum and cerebral cortex, intermediate in the thalamus and pons, and lowest in the cerebellum. After the development of a chromatographic system for isolation of authentic [11C]NMPB in plasma, tracer kinetic modeling was used to estimate receptor binding from the cerebral and arterial plasma tracer time-courses. Ligand transport rate and receptor-binding estimates were obtained with the use of compartmental models and analytical methods of varying complexity, including a two-parameter pixel-by-pixel-weighted integral approach and regional least-squares curve-fitting analyses employing both two- and three-compartment model configurations. In test-retest experiments, precision of the methods and their abilities to distinguish altered ligand delivery from binding in occipital cortex during an audiovisual presentation were evaluated. Visual stimulation increased the occipital blood-to-brain NMPB transport rate by 25% to 46% in estimates arising from the various approaches. Weighted integral analyses resulted in lowest apparent transport changes and in a concomitant trend toward apparent binding increases during visual activation. The regional least-squares procedures were superior to the pixel-by-pixel method in isolating the effects of altered tracer delivery from receptor-binding estimates, indicating larger transport effects and unaltered binding. Precision was best (less than 10% test-retest differences) for the weighted integral analyses and was somewhat lower in the least-squares analyses (10-25% differences). The authors conclude that pixel-by-pixel-weighted integral analyses of NMPB distribution introduce transport biases into receptor-binding estimates. Similar confounding effects also are predicted in noncompartmental analyses of delayed radiotracer distribution. The use of regional nonlinear least-squares fitting to two- and three-compartment models, although more labor intensive, provides accurate distinction of receptor-binding estimates from tracer delivery with acceptable precision in both intra- and intersubject comparisons.
Biexciton spectra of molecular crystals

Abstract A theory on the formation of biexcitons in the UV region of frequencies of molecular cyrstals is developed by considering exciton-exciton interactions. The spectral function for the biexciton spectrum is derived and conditions for the existence of bound biexciton states are established. The possibility of configuration mixing between biexciton and singlet exciton states is discussed.
miR-9 and TLX: chasing tails in neural stem cells.

Development and maintenance of an organism require the precise spatiotemporal orchestration of stem cell proliferation and differentiation. In neurogenesis, a microRNA and an orphan nuclear receptor comprise a negative feedback loop that regulates neural stem cell fate.
Relationships between psychoanalytic personality pattern, death anxiety, and self-actualization.

The present study explored relationships between psychoanalytic personaliry pattern, i.e., oral, obsessive, and hysterical personality, the personality dimension of self-actualization, and the construct of death anxiety. Subjects were 114 graduate srudents (44 males, 70 females) enrolled predominantly in education courses at several colleges in the Boston area. Subjects were all volunteers who were told to respond anonymously to a personality questionnaire. The Lazare-Klerman Trait Scales were used to measure the psychoanalytic personality variables of oral, obsessive, and hysterical personality ( 1 ). The Personal Orientation Inventory was used to measure self-actualizing values, attitudes, and behaviors ( 4 ) . The Death Anxiety Scale was used to measure the degree of conscious verbalized death anxiery ( 5 ) . With the permission of the test author the items comprising the Death Anxiety Scale were randomly embedded in the Lazare-Klerman Traic Scales. None of three psychoanalytic personaliry variables significantly related to death anxiety. The three psychoanalytic personality variables related negatively to seven of the 12 self-actualitation variables, i t . , Time Competence, Inner-directedness, Existentiality, Spontaneiry, Self-regard, Self-acceptance, and Capacity for Intimate Contact. Correlations ranged from .42 ( p 6 .001) to .16 ( p 6 .05). Death anxiety was significantly related to only one of the 12 self-actualization variables, i.e., Time Competence; however, the correlation of -.25 ( f i A .05) between death anxiety and Time Competence was of low magnitude. The results were interpreted as offering support for psychoanalytic theorizing that pregenital character types represent expressions of psychological irnmaturicy ( 2 ) . The results were, however, inconsistent with some previous research which has suggested that conscious verbalized death anxiety often reflects neurotic concerns and/or some degree of emotional immaturity (3). Finally the finding that only one of 12 self-actualization variables was significantly related to the death anxiety is specifically at d d s with the report of Wesch (6), who found several significant negative relationships between self-actualization variables as measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory and death anxiety as measured by the Death Anxiety Scale.
Influence of indole-3-acetic acid on adventitious root primordia of brittle willow.

Removal of the stem apex and certain leaves and axillary buds of brittle willows (Salix fragilis) was employed to limit the supply of endogenous auxin to adventitious root primordia during their formation, which occurs at predetermined sites. Limiting endogenous auxin by this surgical treatment resulted in reduced primordium initiation and, to a lesser degree, primordium growth in cell number. Root primordium cells in surgically treated plants differentiated into mature parenchyma after losing their meristematic character. Application of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to surgically treated plants partially overcame the effects of the surgical tretament, increasing root primordium initiation and growth by cell division. When IAA-2-14C was applied to surgically treated plants, label was detected in root primordium cells by means of autoradiography. Root primordium cells took up more label during the earliest stage of initiation than during a later stage of growth. The data indicate that the initiation of these primordia is more dependent on a supply of auxin than is their subsequent development. Further, the auxin apparently acts directly in the cells which initiate primordia.
PATHOGENICITY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY OF AN UNUSUALLY INTENSE INFECTION OF WHITE GRUBS (Posthodiplostomum m. minimum) IN THE FATHEAD MINNOW (Pimephales promelas)

A massive infection of metacercariae, particularly of the white grub (Posthodiplostomum m. minimum), was found in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) taken in November, 1979 from a commercial baitfish farm in Missouri. More than 2000 metacercariae were found in one fish 6 cm long. Low-grade mortality was occurring, and histologic sections showed that an intensive inflammatory response had resulted from the infection. The body cavity also contained a large volume of ascitic fluid with many blood cells, of which 92% were leucocytes. Moderate numbers of metacercariae caused a lesser inflammatory response.
The effect of three closures on critical conditions in two-phase flow with unequal phase velocities

Abstract The paper develops an analytic approach to assess the effect of three closure conditions on the critical-flow state in two-phase flow. The approach is based on the geometrical-topological analysis of dynamical systems. The details of the analysis are developed in relation to a “general slip” model which is completed by three closure conditions: homogeneous flow, Bankoff's hypothesis and the drift-flux model. For the sake of simplicity, the study is restricted to adiabatic flows and thermodynamic equilibrium. These make it possible to reduce the model to a single quasi-linear differential equation and to parametrize the problem with respect to the mass-flow rate m and the total stagnation enthalpy h. The phase space is thus reduced to the P, z diagram. Detailed results are given for the flow of water/steam through a convergent-divergent nozzle discharging from a stagnation reservoir. All three closures lead to the same topological structure of the “potrait” of solutions in the phase space which incorporates a saddle point. The numerical results are summarized in table 1. This shows that the location of the critical cross-section (saddle point) is essentially unaffected by the closure chosen for the model; it is situated very close to the throat and downstream from it. The most significant critical-flow characteristics, such as mass-flow rate, critical pressure, critical velocity, critical void fraction and critical slip velocity differ markedly from those predicted by the homogeneous-flow assumption when the effects of slip are included. The differences between the two closures with the slip are significant but much smaller than between either of them and the no-slip model. All models calculate a very large increase in the void fraction as the critical state near the throat is approached. This is interpreted to mean that none of the three closures should be used to analyze critical flows, because their validity has been tested only for much lower values of void fraction. The critical velocity is a sole function of the local thermodynamic state. The two slip closures lead to considerable differences in this relationship when compared with the sound velocity under homogeneous-flow conditions.
Altered expression of different tubulin electrophoretic variants during human cortex development

Two aL and two β tubulin subunits are synthesized in vitro by polyadenylated mRNAs isolated from fetal and adult human cortex. The relative levels of the mRNAs encoding the different subunits change dramatically during development. In the fetus, the mRNA for β1 tubulin is present at higher levels than that of the β2 electrophoretic variant. There are relatively high levels of the mRNAs encoding both a subunits. In the adult, the levels of the mRNAs encoding both the a subunits and the β1subunit are decreased relative to those of the mRNAs encoding the β2 subunit. These results suggest that fetal and adult cortical cells have very different requirements for the different tubulin electrophoretic variants.
The relationship between maternal skinfold thickness, smoking and birthweight in black and white women

Summary. A prospective study was conducted in a sample of 1491 multiparous women to ascertain whether the relationship between maternal tricep skinfold thickness and infant birthweight is modified by smoking status and whether the relationship is different in white and black infants. Maternal tricep skinfold thickness measured at midpregnancy was a significant predictor of infant birthweight in both white and black infants after adjusting for gestational age at birth, maternal height, maternal age, parity, alcohol consumption and sex of the infant. However, maternal tricep skinfold thickness was a better predictor of birthweight in smokers compared with nonsmokers. Both white and black women with tricep skinfold thickness below the sample mean had lower infant birthweight than women with tricep skinfold at or above the mean, after adjusting for gestational age at birth, but the difference was greater in smokers (198 g for white and 221 g for black infants) than in nonsmokers (124 g for white and 120 g for black infants). These results suggest that maternal subcutaneous fat measured by tricep skinfold thickness has a greater effect on infant birthweight in smokers compared with nonsmokers, with similar effects in white and black infants.
A chain-type wireless sensor network for monitoring long range infrastructures

We present in this paper an investigation on a special class of wireless sensor networks for monitoring critical infrastructures that may extend for hundreds of miles in distances. Such networks are fundamentally different from traditional sensor networks in that the sensor nodes in this class of networks are deployed along narrowly elongated geographical areas and form a chain-type topology. Based on careful analysis of existing sensor network architectures, we first demonstrate the needs to develop new architecture and networking protocols to match the unique topology of chain-type sensor networks. We then propose hierarchical network architecture that consists of clusters of sensor nodes to enable the chain-type sensor networks to be scalable to cover typically long range of infrastructure with tolerable delay in network-wide data collection. To maintain energy efficient operations and maximize the lifetime for such a chain-type sensor network, we devise a smart strategy for the deployment of cluster heads. Protocols for network initialization and seamless operations of the chain-type sensor networks are also developed to match the proposed hierarchical architecture and cluster head deployment strategy. Simulations have been carried out to verify the performance of the hierarchical architecture, the smart node deployment strategy, and the corresponding network initialization and operation protocols.
Methoprene does not affect food preferences and foraging performance in honey bee workers

The fundamental determinants of division of labor among honey bee workers are age, genotype, and environment. These determinants work through intermediate physiological channels to realize particular patterns of division of labor. The change of juvenile hormone (JH) titer in worker bees is one such channel. Previous studies concentrated on the impact of JH on timing of in-hive and foraging activity. Here we examined the effects of JH on task specialization and the collection of pollen or nectar by same-age bees and we tested the possible impact on JH titer on foraging performance. Methoprene treatments were conducted after workers began to forage inside a flight room. We found that methoprene, a JH analogue, had no effect on preferences for pollen or nectar and, also, did not influence nectar foraging rate, nectar load size, and foraging span.
Scalable three-dimensional sbhp algorithm with region of interest access and low-complexity

A low-complexity three-dimensional image compression algorithm based on wavelet transforms and set-partitioning strategy is presented. The Subband Block Hierarchial Partitioning (SBHP) algorithm is modified and extended to three dimensions, and applied to every code block independently. The resultant algorithm, 3D-SBHP, efficiently encodes 3D image data by the exploitation of the dependencies in all dimensions, while enabling progressive SNR and resolution decompression and Region-of-Interest (ROI) access from the same bit stream. The code-block selection method by which random access decoding can be achieved is outlined.The resolution scalable and random access performances are empirically investigated. The results show 3D-SBHP is a good candidate to compress 3D image data sets for multimedia applications.
Axonally synthesized ATF4 transmits a neurodegenerative signal across brain regions.

In Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain, exposure of axons to Aβ causes pathogenic changes that spread retrogradely by unknown mechanisms, affecting the entire neuron. We found that locally applied Aβ1-42 initiates axonal synthesis of a defined set of proteins including the transcription factor ATF4. Inhibition of local translation and retrograde transport or knockdown of axonal Atf4 mRNA abolished Aβ-induced ATF4 transcriptional activity and cell loss. Aβ1-42 injection into the dentate gyrus (DG) of mice caused loss of forebrain neurons whose axons project to the DG. Protein synthesis and Atf4 mRNA were upregulated in these axons, and coinjection of Atf4 siRNA into the DG reduced the effects of Aβ1-42 in the forebrain. ATF4 protein and transcripts were found with greater frequency in axons in the brain of AD patients. These results reveal an active role for intra-axonal translation in neurodegeneration and identify ATF4 as a mediator for the spread of AD pathology.
A Study of the Two-Color Soot Zone for Small Hydrocarbon Diffusion Flames

Abstract A small orange emission region, separated by a sharp boundary from a yellow one, is reported for hydrocarbon-air diffusion flames. The phenomenon, which has not been previously reported, occurs only in very small flames, only over a small range of fuel flow rates, and it has been demonstrated on a cylindrical as well as a slot burner. It has been shown to occur for the ten different aliphatic fuels tested and appears to be a general phenomenon. Thermocouple measurements showed that the gas temperature of the flame interior increases monotonically along the axis; the yellow color is in a lower temperature gas than the orange. Since color temperatures can be deceptive, temperatures in each zone were surveyed by a Kurlbaum method, as well as by a spectral measurement in the two regions. Both methods gave a higher soot particle temperature in the yellow zone than in the orange. Furthermore, measured composition profiles showed that the olefinic concentration approaches zero at the interface between t...
Formation of the Terrestrial Planets

Two growth mechanisms are identified for the development of the terrestrial planets: (1) gravitational instability leading to a collapse, and (2) gravitational accumulation caused by two-body collisions and coherence. The presence of a dynamically-significant gas phase would not affect either mechanism. Theoretical expressions are presented for the production of giant gaseous protoplanets by gravitational instability within a central dust layer. Gravitational accumulation is discussed with reference to the accumulation of planetesimals from a gas-free circumsolar swarm of bodies. Numerical simulations are given for the early stages of accumulation. The Safronov steady-state velocity is considered, noting that the competition between mutual collisional damping and gravitational acceleration by the members of a solar swarm yields a steady-state velocity distribution where the mean velocity is comparable to the escape velocity of the largest body. A time scale for accumulation is postulated on the basis of the radial distribution of a swarm of non-accreting bodies of equal size. The simultaneous gas-free accumulation of several terrestrial planets is noted. Attention is also given to growth mechanisms in gas-rich interplanetary media.
Extending the range of soft-switching in resonant-transition DC-DC converters

Resonant-transition converters are attractive for high-frequency power conversion because they feature zero-voltage switching (ZVS) and low conduction loss with constant frequency, pulse width modulated (PWM) control characteristics. In many practical applications, it is difficult for these converters to sustain both ZVS and low conduction losses over a wide operating range. The use of saturable magnetic elements as snubbers for the output rectifiers and as a means to extend the range of ZVS in a phase-shifted full bridge converter is explored. A technique is described that adjusts the reset of the saturable magnetics to achieve ZVS over an extended operating range without excessive conduction losses. >
Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

Please provide a short abstract of 100 to 250 words. The abstract should not contain any undefined abbreviations or unspecified references. Metric units and Celsius (Centrigrade) temperatures should be used for all measurements.
Pricing, competition, and routing in multi-hop networks

We study multi-hop relay networks where pricing is used to provide incentives for forwarding traffic. In these networks, nodes price their services strategically to maximize its profit from forwarding traffic, and allocate their received traffic to service providers to minimize the amount paid. In the resulting pricing game, we show that the socially optimal network routing can always be induced by an equilibrium. However, inefficient equilibria also exist. In particular, we show that inefficiencies stem from the intrinsic multi-hop network structure and can give rise to an infinite price of anarchy. This phenomenon is a fundamental issue for multi-hop networks, which persists even when the source has elastic demand.
Studies on pituitary lactogenic hormone. XIX. Countercurrent distribution.

Abstract 1. 1. Lactogenic hormone isolated from sheep pituitaries has been distributed in countercurrent experiments with a solvent system of sucrose-butyl cellosolve-water, (2:3:5), the lower phase of which had been adjusted to pH 3. The distribution patterns which were obtained were narrower than possible for ideally behaving solutes. 2. 2. The hormone was also distributed with a sucrose-butyl cellosolve-water (2:3:5) system, the lower phase of which had been adjusted to pH 7. Even after 900 transfers, no resolution of the hormone protein was achieved. 3. 3. The protein hormone, when isolated from solutions of pH 3.0, distributed essentially as a single band with a K value of 0.2 for 1500 transfers in the 2-butanol-0.35% dichloroacetic acid system. However, preparations of lactogenic hormone isolated from solutions of pH 8.0, when submitted to countercurrent distribution through 1059 transfers in the same system, are partially resolved into three components, each of which has crop sac-stimulating activity.
On the Application of Generalized Sampled Data Hold Functions to Adaptive Systems with Controller Pre-Scheduling

This paper presents an adaptive control scheme with controller pre-scheduling using generalized sampled-data hold functions.
Group Identities, Oil, and the Local Political Domain in Kirkuk A Historical Perspective

Using materials from British government and oil company archives, as well as magazine articles, newspaper articles, and other published sources in English and Arabic, this article addresses the gro...
Multiple alignment by aligning alignments

Motivation: Multiple sequence alignment is a fundamental task in bioinformatics. Current tools typically form an initial alignment by merging subalignments, and then polish this alignment by repeated splitting and merging of subalignments to obtain an improved final alignment. In general this form-and-polish strategy consists of several stages, and a profusion of methods have been tried at every stage. We carefully investigate: (1) how to utilize a new algorithm for aligning alignments that optimally solves the common subproblem of merging subalignments, and (2) what is the best choice of method for each stage to obtain the highest quality alignment. Results: We study six stages in the form-and-polish strategy for multiple alignment: parameter choice, distance estimation, merge-tree construction, sequence-pair weighting, alignment merging, and polishing. For each stage, we consider novel approaches as well as standard ones. Interestingly, the greatest gains in alignment quality come from (i) estimating distances by a new approach using normalized alignment costs, and (ii) polishing by a new approach using 3-cuts. Experiments with a parameter-value oracle suggest large gains in quality may be possible through an input-dependent choice of alignment parameters, and we present a promising approach for building such an oracle. Combining the best approaches to each stage yields a new tool we call Opal that on benchmark alignments matches the quality of the top tools, without employing alignment consistency or hydrophobic gap penalties. Availability:Opal, a multiple alignment tool that implements the best methods in our study, is freely available at http://opal.cs.arizona.edu Contact: [email protected]
Optimum Fusion Rules for Multimodal Biometric Systems

“Biometrics is the automated use of physiological or behavioral characteristics to determine or verify identity”. The first modern commercial biometric device was introduced over 25 years ago when a machine that measured finger length was installed for maintaining employee time records at Shearson Hamil on Wall Street. In the ensuing years, hundreds of these hand geometry devices have been installed for security purposes at facilities operated by Western Electric and Naval Intelligence. In the US today, biometric security systems may be found in the Oakland International Airport (face recognition), Chicago O'Hare International (fingerprint), and Navy Consolidated Building (Iris recognition) [1]. With the demand for better security technology increasing, a variety of pilot projects have been completed recently in the area of access control [2]. These projects highlight the need to improve biometric verification accuracy.
Molecular characterization of a B-ring unsaturated estrogen: implications for conjugated equine estrogen components of premarin.

Conjugated equine estrogens (CEEs) are routinely used for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), making it important to understand the activities of individual estrogenic components. Although 17β-estradiol (17β-E2), the most potent estrogen in CEE, has been extensively characterized, the actions of nine additional less potent estrogens are not well understood. Structural differences between CEEs and 17β-E2 result in altered interactions with the two estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) and different biological activities. To better understand these interactions, we have determined the crystal structure of the CEE analog, 17β-methyl-17α-dihydroequilenin (NCI 122), in complex with the ERα ligand-binding domain and a peptide from the glucocorticoid receptor-interacting protein 1 (GRIP1) coactivator. NCI 122 has chemical properties, including an unsaturated B-ring and 17α-hydroxyl group, which are shared with some of the estrogens found in CEEs. Structural analysis of the NCI 122-ERα LBD-GRIP1 complex, combined with biochemical and cell-based comparisons of CEE components, suggests that factors such as decreased ligand flexibility, decreased ligand hydrophobicity and loss of a hydrogen bond between the 17-hydroxyl group and His524, contribute significantly to the reduced potency of CEEs on ERα.
Combining multiple microarray studies using bootstrap meta-analysis

Microarray technology has enabled us to simultaneously measure the expression of thousands of genes. Using this high-throughput data collection, we can examine subtle genetic changes between biological samples and build predictive models for clinical applications. Although microarrays have dramatically increased the rate of data collection, sample size is still a major issue in feature selection. Previous methods show that microarray data combination is successful in improving selection when using z-scores and fold change. We propose a wrapper based gene selection technique that combines bootstrap estimated classification errors for individual genes across multiple datasets. The bootstrap is an unbiased estimator of classification error and has been shown to be effective for small sample data. Coupled with data combination across multiple data sets, we show that this meta-analytic approach improves gene selection.
The One School Roomhouse: An Information and Learning Approach to Curriculum Integration

The one school roomhouse, a transdisciplinary metaphor, brings together three senior level undergraduate courses-marketing, strategy, and management information systems (MIS)-to accomplish several general educational goals, namely reward and encourage students to discriminate and adapt, to take greater responsibility for their own learning, to learn teamwork, to communicate effectively, and to resolve ill-defined problems. The fundamental innovation of the course is the explicit development and use of a metalanguage of learning that is common to each of the three academic domains and is based on information and complexity. The authors describe the concept, organization, and effectiveness of the course.
Women's experiences of bulimia nervosa

Aim. This paper reports a study to interpret and understand bulimia nervosa as women experience it. Background. Research into bulimia nervosa has focused on prevalence rates, health complications, comorbidity, neurochemical dysregulation, and cultural influences. Despite a multitude of investigations, little published research appraised bulimic women's personal experiences and understanding of this disorder. Such an understanding would assist health care professionals in providing sensitive, empathetic care. Method. The principles of Heideggerian phenomenology guided the study. Participants were 13 actively bulimic women, aged 18–36 years, with lengths of illness from 1 to 23 years. Data were obtained through interviews, personal diaries, and demographic questionnaires. Findings. Participants’ narratives revealed four themes that characterized the experience of living with bulimia: isolating self, living in fear, being at war with the mind, and pacifying the brain. The practices bulimic women engage in are carried out in secret, and hence participants experienced isolation. Binge eating and self-induced vomiting are considered abnormal behaviours; therefore, participants believed that they were subjected to negative public perceptions, which led to the experience of living in fear. The women feared being judged if others knew about the disorder. Several feared living without bulimia because it had become a significant part of their identity. In addition, these women were terrified of gaining weight or becoming fat. They experienced an internal struggle with the mind. In order to pacify the inner voice, many fed the compulsion to eat, and this resulted in guilt. The women subsequently balanced the experience by getting rid of fullness and erasing guilt, which was primarily achieved through self-induced vomiting. Conclusions. Understanding the experience of bulimia for women who suffer from this disorder is important. Bulimia often presents as a chronic and potentially lifelong health issue. Awareness of bulimic women's perspectives could promote a comprehensive appreciation of bulimia, its aetiology, and directions for treatment alternatives.
Predictors of Hypopituitarism in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Hypopituitarism may often occur in association with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Identification of reliable predictors of pituitary dysfunction is of importance in order to establish a rational testing approach. We searched the records of patients with TBI, who underwent neuroendocrine evaluation in our institution between 2007 and 2013. One hundred sixty-six adults (70% men) with TBI (median age: 41.6 years; range: 18-76) were evaluated at a median interval of 40.4 months (0.2-430.4).Of these, 31% had ≥1 pituitary deficiency, including 29% of patients with mild TBI and 35% with moderate/severe TBI. Growth hormone deficiency was the most common deficiency (21%); when body mass index (BMI)-dependent cutpoints were used, this was reduced to 15%. Central hypoadrenalism occurred in10%, who were more likely to have suffered a motor vehicle accident (MVA, p = 0.04), experienced post-traumatic seizures (p = 0.04), demonstrated any intracranial hemorrhage (p = 0.05), petechial brain hemorrhages (p = 0.017), or focal cortical parenchymal contusions (p = 0.02). Central hypothyroidism occurred in 8% and central hypogonadism in 12%; the latter subgroup had higher BMI (p = 0.03), were less likely to be working after TBI (p = 0.002), and had lower Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores (p = 0.03). Central diabetes insipidus (DI) occurred in 6%, who were more likely to have experienced MVA (p < 0.001) or sustained moderate/severe TBI (p < 0.001). Patients with MVA and those with post-traumatic seizures, intracranial hemorrhage, petechial brain hemorrhages, and/or focal cortical contusions are at particular risk for serious pituitary dysfunction, including adrenal insufficiency and DI, and should be referred for neuroendocrine testing. However, a substantial proportion of patients without these risk factors also developed hypopituitarism.
The use of “new” pion optical potentials in the (p, π+) and (π+, p) reactions☆

Abstract Pion optical potentials that are obtained from pi-nucleon collision matrices with non-divergent off-shell behavior are used in DWBA calculations of meson absorption and production cross sections. Reasonable agreement with the experimental data is then obtained.
Stability Analysis and Full-Scale Test of Traffic Barrier–Moment Slab System

Traffic barriers that can resist vehicle impact without being tied to a structure are needed at the top of mechanically stabilized earth walls. These barriers are usually constructed in an L-shape so that the impact load on the vertical part of the L can be resisted by the inertia force necessary to uplift the horizontal part of the L. The design load for such barriers has changed from 44.5 kN (10 kips) to 240 kN (54 kips) over the past decade. This increase has created concern about which load should be used. This paper contributes to answering that question. It shows the results of analytical solutions to the problem as well as one static load test and two impact tests on the same full-scale barrier. The conclusions are that 44.5 kN (10 kips) is an equivalent static load and that the 240 kN (54 kips) is a peak-impact load. Analytical and experimental approaches are used to provide better understanding of the behavior of the barrier-moment slab system. Guidelines for the dimensions of the barrier-moment ...
Arcing and Spacing Requirements for High Voltage Printed Circuit Boards

The electronic hardware miniaturization trend continues unabated. The reduced feature spacing expose the high voltage power supply circuits to arcing. The power MOSFET gate to drain and the drain to source lead gaps are narrow enough for zinc whiskers emanating from under the raised floor zinc plated tiles to arc across the MOSFET leads. Arcing can also occur because of paper cellulose fibers and dust in high relative humidity environments. The physics of arcing will be presented. Paschen’s law of arcing will be described; it will be shown how the law led to a novel way of testing power supplies for propensity to arcing. Examples of application of the test, called the partial vacuum test, to power supplies will be described. Testing the integrity of conformal coating is one useful application of the partial vacuum test. A novel zinc whisker spray test, developed to determine the spacing required to avoid arcing between features at high electric potential between them, will be described and its results will be presented that verify the UL feature spacing guidelines.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Lyapunov Stability and Accuracy of Direct Integration Algorithms Applied to Nonlinear Dynamic Problems

AbstractIn structural dynamics, direct integration algorithms are commonly used to solve the temporally discretized differential equations of motion. Numerous research efforts focused on the stability and accuracy of different integration algorithms for linear elastic structures. However, investigations of those properties applied to nonlinear structures are limited. Systematic Lyapunov stability and accuracy analyses of several direct integration algorithms for nonlinear structural dynamics are presented. These integration algorithms include the implicit methods of the Newmark family of integration algorithm and the TRBDF2 algorithm, and the explicit methods of operator-splitting (OS) algorithms. Two versions of the OS algorithms, using initial and tangent stiffness formulations, are investigated. The latter one is shown to possess similar stability properties to the implicit Newmark integration. Some arguments of stability regarding these direct integration algorithms from past studies are found to be g...
Evaluating Headspace Component Vapor–Time Profiles by Solid-Phase Microextraction with External Sampling of an Internal Standard

The vapor–time profiles of explosive materials are of valuable interest to Homeland Security, providing critical information that can aid in the detection of explosive-containing devices. An approach is described that achieves reproducible characterization of volatile components as a function of time based on comparison of the sample response to an externally sampled internal standard (ESIS). Utilizing nonequilibrium solid-phase microextraction (SPME) measurements, this SPME-ESIS technique improves reproducibility (reported as percent relative standard deviation) of vapor–time profiles by approximately an order of magnitude and allows for an equitable comparison of the target compound between diverse materials. Two odorants associated with canine detection of explosives, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol and 2,4-dinitrotoluene, are used to optimize parameters for the SPME-ESIS technique.
Irregularities in the early development of the Drosophila Melanogaster egg

Polyspermy is normally present in the Drosophila egg. Extreme polyspermy may lead to disturbances which may prevent the egg from further development. Polar body formation may be disorganized by supernumerary sperms. Supernumerary sperms may form unipolar, bipolar and multipolar spindles. In rarer cases sperms will enter into normal spindles and form multipolar spindles. In some cases such interference seems to adjust itself to the original bipolar condition and division figures with the polyploid number of chromosomes will result. Either by the conjugation of two sperms, or by dimegaly, or by the doubling of chromosomes of a single sperm, supernumerary nuclei may develop. The origin of certain mosaics and gynandromorphs may be explained on this basis.
The politics of religious freedom: Liberalism and toleration in Muslim-majority states

The aim of this article is to consider the prospects of a liberal conception of religious freedom in some Muslim-majority states. Part I offers a brief sketch of three approaches to religious freed...
Different effects of hormonal peptides and cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate on colonic transport in vitro.

The effect of peptide hormones and other small intestinal secretory stimulants on ion and water transport by ascending and descending rat colon was investigated in vitro using a muscle-stripped everted open sac preparation. Net water flux was measured gravimetrically at 30min intervals for 150 min, each sac serving as its own control. Water flux rate was constant over the entire period and equal in ascending (15.6 ± 1.1) and descending (14.9 ± 1.1 μl hr-1 mg-1 of dry weight) colon. Both segments responded identically to all test substances. Neither glucagon 10-5 m nor pentagastrin 10-5 m, singly or in combination, had a significant effect on net water flux. In contrast, theophylline 10-2 M and dibutyryl cyclic AMP 10-3 M reduced net flux significantly by 23% (P
Epidural air injection assessed by transesophageal echocardiography.

Background and Objectives The object of this study, using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in anesthetized patients, was to investigate the occurrence of venous air embolism (VAE) when air is injected into the epidural space. Methods Six patients between the ages of 18 and 50 years (ASA I-II) undergoing general anesthesia in a supine position for nonthoracic surgical procedures were studied. Prior to general anesthesia, an epidural catheter was placed into the epidural space using a Tuohy needle and a standard saline loss-of-resistance technique. Following verification of proper catheter placement, general anesthesia was induced and the trachea intubated. Thereafter, a TEE probe was inserted into the esophagus. After a 10-minute control period, and during continuous TEE videotape recording, 5 mL of air was rapidly injected into the epidural space through the epidural catheter. This was followed 10 minutes later by the epidural injection of 5 mL of room-temperature preservative-free saline. Microbubble echo targets were quantified in a range from 0 to 4+. Results Venous air microbubble emboli appeared in the circulation within 15 seconds after injecting either air or saline into the epidural space. Conclusions No evidence of clinically significant VAE was seen in any patient. The results suggest that drugs injected into the epidural space may have unexpectedly easy access to the venous circulation with a potential to produce unwanted systemic effects. Clinicians should be alert to the possibility that local anesthetics, or any other drug placed epidurally, may rapidly enter the systemic circulation even without the intravenous placement of an epidural catheter.
Measurement of Structural Variations in Enamel Nanomechanical Properties using Quantitative Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy

Quantitative Atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM) was used to measure the nanomechanical properties in human dental enamel associated with microstructural locations. AFAM measurements were made on samples from human molars at locations near the occlusal surface and the dentine enamel junction (DEJ). Within these locations, single point AFAM testing was performed on individual prism and sheath regions within the enamel microsctructure. Orientation changes in the enamel properties were observed by measurements in the perpendicular and parallel directions to enamel prisms. From quantitative AFAM, elastic modulus of the sample surfaces is calculated based on the measured cantilever frequency and probe tip geometry. Mean elastic modulus of the prismatic enamel was 109 ± 1 GPa and the enamel sheath was 96 ± 2 GPa, measured at the occlusal surface. Elastic modulus was found to decrease by 49% when measured in the direction normal to the prism parallel axis, and decrease by ~6.5% between the locations at the occlusal surface and those near the DEJ. The property variation of the prism and sheath is associated to the differences in the mineral to organic content, with the orientation differences due to the apatite crystal directions within the enamel microstructure.
R. Ross (1910, 1911) and G. Macdonald (1952) on the persistence of malaria

This chapter is devoted to two related papers, both focused on the transmission dynamics of malaria, the mosquito-borne illness with the largest public health impact. The first part is devoted to passages from a book by Nobel prize laureate Sir Ronald Ross that was published in 1910. Ross's work represents one of the earliest attempts to use a differential equation model to capture transmission dynamics of an infectious disease, in this case malaria. He also implicitly develops the concept of the basic reproduction number, one of the key quantities in mathematical epidemiology of infectious diseases. Macdonald's paper, which was published almost 50 years later in 1957, directly refers to Ross's work. He focuses on the question of equilibrium and formally derives the “basic reproduction rate” of malaria. His formula is still used today. The reader is guided through all relevant derivations and calculations.
Reconfiguring East Asian Modernity

Around the turn of the twentieth century, Korean thinkers debated on the dilemma of how their country should deal with the challenge of modernity. Aiming to resist the westernisation of Korea, the physician Sŏk-kok took the unique approach of using the medical theories of Chinese antiquity to explain Korea’s propitious place in the world. In the context of Japan’s increasing influence leading to annexation in 1910, Sŏk-kok used the model of regional qi in China to explain variation of qi in the world. With China’s collapse, Korea had become the new centre of civilised learning, characterized by its increasing yang qi . Thus, identifying strengthening yang of the East as his solution, Sŏk-kok also challenged the traditional medical orthodoxy of nourishing yin qi by arguing for focusing more on strengthening people’s yang qi . To put theory into practice, the powerful toxic drug aconite became his metaphor to strengthen the yang of Korea as a civilisation through aconite-based drug therapies supporting the heart-minds of individuals.
An Initial Examination of Performance on Two Versions of the Iowa Gambling Task.

Objective To examine differences between two versions of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Method A total of 282 undergraduate students completed one of two versions of the IGT: the original version from 1994 (n = 132), or the 2007 version available through Psychological Assessment Resources (PAR) (n = 150). Results PAR (2007 version) IGT participants decided more advantageously (i.e., selected more from the small immediate reward but long-term positive/gain decks than the large immediate reward but long-term negative/loss decks) than original IGT participants during Trials 21-60. This difference was likely due to fewer Deck B selections by the PAR IGT participants during the early (Trials 1-40) and later (Trials 41-100) trials. Conclusions The PAR IGT may result in a greater ability to make future-oriented, advantageous decisions more quickly than on the original IGT. Implications for future assessment of decision-making impairments in clinical and research settings are discussed.
Impact of Psychoeducational Interventions on Distressed Family Caregivers

This study compared the effectiveness of two active interventions to a waiting-list control condition to reduce depression and burden and increase use of adaptive coping strategies in family caregivers (N = 161) of physically and/or cognitively impaired older adults. Chi-square analysis of change in depression status from pre- to postintervention showed a higher percentage of improvement among participants in the increasing life satisfaction psychoeducational condition compared to the improvement rate in either the problem-solving psychoeducational class or the wait-list condition. Change in coping strategies and subjective level of burden also differed by group, with participants in the class conditions reporting more frequent use of cognitive or behavioral coping strategies, and less subjective burden, from pre- to postintervention. There was no change in either avoidant coping or perceived stress over time. Results show that intervention programs targeted to improve specific coping skills and psychological symptoms can have a significant impact on caregivers' distress.
Delta-i=1/2 rule in nonleptonic weak interactions

We investigate whether the $\ensuremath{\Delta}I=\frac{1}{2}$ rule for weak nonleptonic interactions can be embedded into unified theories of the weak and electromagnetic interactions. In such theories weak interactions are mediated not only by (gauge) vector-boson exchange, as usually envisaged, but also through exchange of Higgs scalar bosons. Although the former contributions cannot (it seems) be arranged to have a pure $\ensuremath{\Delta}I=\frac{1}{2}$ structure, we discuss a model in which the latter can be so arranged. Owing to strong-interaction complexities the effective strengths of these two sources of weak interactions cannot easily be assessed. The discussion nevertheless emphasizes the possibility that Higgs-exchange effects may have a significant role for the $\ensuremath{\Delta}I=\frac{1}{2}$ question.
The Tortuous Path From Development to Qualification of Biomarkers

The chapters in this book share a link to two parallel experiences in the search for better tools for the development of new and better therapies. One is an outcome of the work summarized in these chapters: the current processes that lead from biomarker development to qualification for regulatory use. The other one is the path by which regulatory agencies in the US, Europe and Japan developed these processes, at once imperfect, but also essential. Both experiences have been complex and difficult.