cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compilation techniques for block-cyclic distributions

Compilers for data-parallel languages such as Fortran D and High-Performance Fortran use data alignment and distribution specifications as the basis for translating programs for execution on MIMD distributed-memory machines. This paper describes techniques for generating efficient code for programs that use block-cyclic distributions. These techniques can be applied to programs with symbolic loop bounds, symbolic array dimensions, and loops with non-unit strides. We present algorithms for computing the data elements that need to be communicated among processors both for loops with unit and non-unit strides, a linear-time algorithm for computing the memory access sequence for loops with non-unit strides, and experimental results for a hand-compiled test case using block-cyclic distributions
Theoretical and experimental study of cylindrical shock and heterogeneous detonation waves

A simplified theory of blast initiation of detonations in clouds of fuel in gaseous or droplet form is developed and agrees with the experiments described below. The flow is at first dominated by the strong blast wave but transition from blast to detonation behavior occurs near a critical radius r. where the blast energy and the heat of combustion contained in r r.. The development of a sectored shock tube to study cylindrical shock waves and two-phase detona- tions is described. Data are presented for shock waves as well as for blast initiated detonations of a monodisperse spray of 400/t kerosene droplets in air at standard conditions. Two regimes of propagation were established experimentally: (1) the subcritical energy regime, where decoupling of shock and reaction zone results in a strong blast wave type decay and, (2) the supercritical energy regime, where the initially overdriven cylindrical detonation decays, at some critical radius, to its Chapman-Jouguet state. Experimentally determined critical radii and steady-state detonation velocity agree very well with theoretical predictions. Detonation velocity was found to be constant at the plane C-J value for radius greater than the critical radius. THIS STUDY is directed to the initiation of detonation in two-phase (liquid-gas) mix- tures by blast waves. In such cases one would expect strong blast wave behavior to be observed near the origin of the blast. However, at sufficient distances away and provided detonation was actually achieved, one would expect a constant vel- ocity Chapman-Jouguet detonation. Accordingly, the theoretical portion of this paper considers strong blast wave theory for the cases of planar, cylindrical, and spherical geometry. Similarity solutions are discussed and some results presented. Further, the similarity solution for a detonation wave is discussed. Of course, there is a transition region between the two limiting solutions, which, for simplifi- cation, is assumed to occur discontinuously at a certain critical radius. Thus a much simplified model of the entire process is adopted. The second part of the study is devoted to the experimental achievement of blast initiated detonations and how these results compared with theoretical pre- dictions. For these studies only the cylindrical geometry case was considered. Ini- tial effort was directed at the production of cylindrical blast waves and a determination of the effective energy release driving these waves. In later studies the shock wave impacted a cloud of kerosene drops and air, wherein the cloud was formed by 77 needles, each disturbed at the Rayleigh frequency and produc- ing drops of the same size. Attention was given to those conditions under which
Conversation and community: the potential of electronic conferences for creating intellectual proximity in distributed learning environments

As distance-independent technologies increase the flexibility with which students may participate in higher education, they may decrease the opportunities for peer interactions. This report explores electronic conferences as a medium in which community can develop among students. It examines a conference that was set up by graduate professional school students for their own use. Questionnaire data were gathered 9 months and 27 months after the conference was initiated, and the conference content for two corresponding 9-month periods were analyzed using a coding dictionary derived from the literature of professional socialization. Research questions addressed student perceptions of the conference as a communication environment, the role of the conference in the professional school experience, and the differences between individuals who posted entries to the conference and the conference lurkers. The results indicate that students used the conference environment to extend their educational community, with stronger effect for posters than lurkers.
Selective harmonic elimination for multilevel inverters with unbalanced DC inputs

Selective harmonics elimination for the staircase voltage waveform generated by multilevel inverters has been widely studied in the last decade for medium and high voltage applications. Most published methods on this topic are used for balanced multilevel inverters with the same dc voltage magnitude. In the proposed method, equal area criteria and harmonics injection are used for totally unbalanced multilevel inverters. Regardless of how many voltage levels are involved, only four modified equations are proposed in the basic method. To eliminate the harmonic components in unbalanced conditions, the problems of the basic method are discussed for a wide range of modulation indices. Then, a full set of solutions is proposed based on the combination of optimal PWM and the four-equation based method for a wide range of modulation indices in unbalanced conditions.
The role of the Allee effect in species packing

Abstract The species-packing model of May and MacArthur is modified to include a commonly-expected influence of sexual reproduction, namely a systematic diminishing of the rate of increase in a population when it becomes rare (called the “Allee effect”). This effect causes discreteness, i.e., a finiteness to the density of species found along a resource axis. The species separate in a manner that relates to their intrinsic capacities to utilize the resources. Also discussed is the issue of species diversity gradients, and how the question of species discreteness might apply to it. The model with the Allee effect is in reasonable accord with island diversity patterns, but is minimally applicable to longitudinal gradients. Environmental stochasticity is modelled with noise terms governed by widely varying timescales. However, the resulting stochastic extinction is found neither to generate discrete distributions by itself, nor to have substantive effects on the discrete distributions generated by the Allee effect.
An intercomparison of the integrating plate and the laser transmission methods for determination of aerosol absorption coefficients

The absorption coefficients determined by the integrating plate method and the laser transmission method are found to be comparable and highly correlated. Furthermore, a high correlation is found between these absorption coefficients and the carbon content of the aerosol in urbanized regions.
CEO incentives and the cost of debt

Motivated by concerns that stock-based compensation might lead to excessive risk-taking, this paper’s main purpose is to examine the relations between CEO incentives and the cost of debt. Unlike prior research, this paper uses the sensitivities of CEO stock and option portfolios to stock price (delta) and stock return volatility (vega) to measure CEO incentives to invest in risky projects. Higher delta (vega) is predicted to be related to lower (higher) cost of debt. The results show that yield spreads on new debt issues are lower for firms with higher CEO delta and are unrelated to CEO vega. The results also show that yield spreads are higher for firms whose CEOs hold more shares and stock options. In sum, the results suggest that both percentage-ownership and option sensitivity variables are important in understanding relations between CEO incentives and the cost of debt.
Sodium, potassium-activated adenosine triphosphatase activity is impaired in the guinea pig pancreatic duct system in streptozotocin-induced diabetes

In patients with type I diabetes mellitus, clinical studies have demonstrated decreased secretion of pancreatic juice by the pancreatic excretory duct system. The cause of this decrease is unknown, but could involve changes in initial signal transduction pathways or one or more of the electrolyte transport components that subserve regulated fluid secretion. We have compared responsiveness to secretin in pancreatic ducts isolated from healthy and diabetic Hartley guinea pigs and also have compared the expression of CFTR and Na+, K(+)-ATPase in these two groups, as the activities of these two proteins are essential for secretion of pancreatic juice. The increases in cyclic AMP levels evoked by exposure to either 0.1 nM or 0.1 microM secretin were not significantly different in pancreatic ducts isolated from healthy and diabetic guinea pigs nor were levels of CFTR or Na+, K(+)-ATPase expression. By contrast, Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in pancreatic ducts isolated from diabetic guinea pigs was decreased by 70%, suggesting a change in the enzyme's catalytic properties in the diabetic tissues. The observed decrease would be expected to seriously compromise the production of pancreatic juice.
Pathological firesetting in adults.

The case of Kleim, summarized in the second volume of the American Journal ofInsanity, highlights America’s early struggles to understand the relationship between psychopathology and firesetting. In this case the psychiatric experts offered their opinions that Kleim suffered from “monomania” or “dementia” or both, and that his acts were the result of insanity. The jury, after only a few hours of deliberation, found Kleim “not guilty owing to insanity.” While 150 years later the language has changed-both psychiatric and legal terminology having evolved-the dilemma is little changed. What is pathological firesetting? How are we to understand the relationships between firesetting and medical, neurologic, or psychiatric disorders that may influence the behavior?
Model reduction in a class of multi-phase systems

It is shown how very general multi-phase models with a single, well-mixed reactive phase can be reduced to the simple model of a stirred tank.
Rab6 is phosphorylated in thrombin-activated platelets by a Protein kinase C-dependent mechanism : Effects on GTP/GDP binding and cellular distribution

In platelets and other secretory cells, protein kinase C (PKC) plays a role in exocytosis stimulated by physiological extracellular signals, although its linkage to the secretory machinery is poorly understood. We investigated whether Rab6, a GTP-binding protein that fractionates with platelet alpha-granules, may be involved in linking these processes. We found that Rab6 contains two PKC consensus phosphorylation sites that are evolutionarily conserved. In platelets metabolically labelled with [(32)P]P(i), Rab6 phosphorylation was induced by phorbol esters or by thrombin. This phosphorylation was blocked by a specific PKC inhibitor (Ro-31-8220), but not by a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitor (PD-169316). Physiological stimulation of platelets caused a PKC-dependent translocation of Rab6 from platelet particulate fractions, nearly doubling the fraction of Rab6 in the cytosol. A human Rab6 isoform (Rab6C) that is preferentially expressed in human platelet RNA was cloned and its phosphorylation by PKC was characterized. Rab6C incorporated up to 2 mol of [(32)P]P(i) per mol of active protein. Rab6C bound GDP and GTP with K(d) values of 113+/-12 and 119+/-27 nM respectively, and hydrolysed GTP at a rate of 100+/-15 micromol of GTP/mol of Rab6C per min. PKC phosphorylation of Rab6C increased the affinity for GTP by 3-fold, although it had lesser effects on GDP (1.6-fold). Phosphorylation did not alter the GTPase activity. In summary, thrombin activation of platelets leads to PKC-dependent phosphorylation of Rab6 and a translocation of Rab6 to the cytosol. We suggest that PKC phosphorylation may be an important mechanism through which Rab functional interactions in vesicle trafficking and secretion can be altered in response to an external stimulus.
Factors identifying high-frequency and low-frequency health service utilization among substance-using adults

Abstract Understanding why substance-using patients seek care at emergency departments (EDs) and who utilizes such service at high rates is important in tailoring and targeting interventions. We conducted a retrospective/prospective cohort study of 326 medically ill substance-using adults to identify factors associated with 12-month high-frequency utilization of ambulatory care, ED, and inpatient medical care. The majority were actively using heroin (74.6%), cocaine (62.4%), and alcohol (54.4%); 94.8% had a chronic medical condition; and 53.8% reported a chronic mental health condition. High-frequency use of ED (≥ 3 visits) was independently associated with being female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.88; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.12, 3.17), being African American (AOR = 2.36; 95% CI = 1.30, 4.29), being homeless (AOR = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.08, 3.96), a history of > 1 substance abuse treatment episode (AOR = 4.10; 95% CI = 3.28, 10.87), and ≥ 1 ambulatory care visit (AOR = 8.94; 95% CI = 3.28, 24.41). However, the combination of having certain chronic conditions (seizure disorder, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C) and accessing ambulatory care was protective against high-frequency use of ED. In contrast, high-frequency use of ambulatory care (≥ 3 visits) was independently associated with having insurance (Medicare/Medicaid: AOR = 2.39; 95% CI = 1.31, 4.69), having HIV/AIDS (AOR = 3.15; 95% CI = 1.70, 5.85), and receiving substance abuse treatment during the study period (AOR = 3.58; 95% CI = 1.61, 7.98) Efforts to redirect medical care to more subacute settings will likely require both capacity building and addressing a client's underlying needs, including homelessness, access to substance abuse treatment, and chronic disease management.
Studies on the crystalline lens. XXVII. Kinetic and bioelectric measurements of galactose cataracts in rats.

The pathogenesis of galactose cataract in rat lenses was investigated by measuring changes in bioelectric potential, hydration, ion distribution and kinetics of sodium and potassium movement in cataractous lenses. During initial and vacuolar stages of cataract formation, the potential decreased in parallel with the decrease in concentration of potassium. The latter results primarily from dilution consequent to an increase in hydration. Throughout these stages, concentrations of sodium and chloride in cataractous lenses increased gradually with time on the galactose ration up to the thirteenth day. The concentration of sodium and chloride rose abruptly by the fifteenth day at which time the concentration of potassium fell abruptly. These changes were parallel to the sudden appearance of nuclear cataract and were accompanied by almost total loss of potential reflecting the disappearance of the electrolyte gradient. The rate of efflux of 86Rb (as a substitute for 42K) in cultured lenses of rats maintained on a galactose ration for 3 days was found to increase while the rate of active transport appeared to decrease compared with that of normal lenses. These findings are incompatible with the constant level of potassium found in lenses in situ. That these results might not apply to lenses in vivo because of injury associated with their removal from the globe is discussed in light of experimental evidence showing that the bioelectric potential is reduced by half following excision of the lens from the globe. However, these observations do not preclude the possibility that the rate of active transport of potassium in cataractous lenses in situ had not, in fact, increased. Further studies involving saturation kinetics of potassium transport showed that in rabbit lenses the rate of active transport increases with increasing concentration of intracellular sodium. These observations may provide a rational basis for any possible increased activity in the cation pump in sodium-rich cataractous rat lenses.
Disorientation and vertebral fractures.

A 53-year-old man was admitted to hospital in July, 1998, with confusion and disorientation. His serum calcium was 3·7 mmol/L. After treatment with saline and intravenous pamidronate, his serum calcium returned to normal and his mental status improved. He had had previous hospital admissions for hypercalcaemia thought to be due to overmedication with calcitonin nasal spray and calcium and vitamin D supplements that he was taking for osteoporosis. 1 month before this hospital visit, these medications had been discontinued except for the calcitonin nasal spray. The cause of his osteoporosis, which had led to multiple vertebral fractures, had been investigated extensively in the past and eventually diagnosed as idiopathic. In April, 1998, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan had shown a bone mineral density of his L2-L4 spine of 0·805 g/cm (–2·82 SDs from controls of the same age). His calcium and phosphate were normal at that time. His alkaline phosphatase was 154 U/L, parathyroid hormone (PTH) 28 pg/mL (normal 11–54 pg/mL), and PTH-related peptide was undetectable. Thyrotropin, testosterone, and vitamin D concentrations were normal. His haemoglobin was 10·9 g/dL. His white-cell count and differential, platelets, and serum iron were normal. His creatinine was 106 mol/L. Two previous serum protein electrophoreses (SPEP) were normal. There was no monoclonal component M-spike. Urine protein electrophoresis (UPEP) was normal in May, 1998, but showed a minimal monoclonal free light chain in June, 1998.
Role of Kupffer Cells, Complement, and Specific Antibody in Bactericidal Activities of Perfused Livers

The relative roles of Kupffer cells, complement, and specific antibody in liver antimicrobial activities were investigated by using a rat liver perfusion model. Normal livers trapped an average of 60% of Salmonella typhimurium in a single pass and in the presence of plasma killed more than 60% of these organisms in 30 min. Livers depleted of Kupffer cell function by silica treatment had significantly less bactericidal ability (ca. 15%) in the presence of plasma, showing that viable Kupffer cells are required for optimal antimicrobial activity. To determine the importance of complement in Salmonella killing, plasma complement activity was inhibited by heating at 57 and 50°C, zymosan absorption, chelation with disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) and depletion of rat C3 by using specific immunoabsorbent. All treatments significantly reduced bactericidal activity in the perfused liver. Chelation of plasma with EDTA had no effect, suggesting that the alternate and not the classical pathway for complement activation was involved. Immune plasma alone was bactericidal. When immune plasma was heated, zymosan absorbed, or chelated with EDTA, bactericidal activity was inhibited in the perfused liver, but bacterial trapping increased. These results suggest that complement is required for bactericidal activity in perfused livers and that specific antibody only enhances bacterial trapping.
A method for measuring the kinetics of organically associated inorganic contaminant vaporization during coal combustion

A novel method is presented for the direct measurement of kinetic parameters under conditions that simulate the vaporization of inorganic material during coal combustion. This method will ultimately be used to generate key physical property data necessary to model and assess the vaporization behavior of trace elements (TEs) during coal combustion. The method uses a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (GFAAS) as the experimental platform for vaporization measurements for temperatures up to 2800 K. The method was used to model vaporization during coal pyrolysis for one of the three key contaminant domains: organically associated material. Significant testing was conducted for selected TEs under varied instrumental operational conditions that could affect activation energies, such as GFAAS ashing and atomization temperatures, TE concentration, and carrier gas flow rate. The vaporization activation energies determined were found to be independent of these operating conditions despite a significant difference in the degree of analyte vaporization observed at varied ashing temperatures.
Active Current Sharing and Source Management in Fuel Cell–Battery Hybrid Power System

Fuel cells (FCs) are being considered as a potential alternative in long term to replace diesel/gasoline combustion engines in vehicles and emergency power sources. However, high cost and slow dynamic response of FC still persist as the main hurdles for wider applications. To remedy this problem, an energy storage system with adequate power capacity has to be incorporated. This paper presents a novel control design for FC-battery hybrid power system which enables both active current sharing and power source management control in such hybrid systems. Different hybrid power system structures are investigated and evaluated; dual-converter structure and four modes of operation are defined to provide efficient and sustainable solution to such a hybrid power system. A novel integrated control system with inherent current sharing and generation mode swapping capability is proposed; based on system component status, the control system is able to regulate the output power from each source under different scenarios. The dedicated control system is implemented in a TMS320F2812 DSP, and experimental results for an FC-battery-based uninterruptible power supply are provided to demonstrate the static and dynamic performance of the control system.
Basic pharmacologic approach to immunosuppressive therapy for autoimmune blistering diseases

The pathophysiology of the most important bullous skin diseases, pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid, has been carefully defined by the use of experimental animal models of the diseases. This has shown that to successfully treat pemphigus, one must reduce autoantibody production, while in contrast, bullous pemphigoid can be treated by blocking any of several steps in an inflammatory cascade. This knowledge has led to rational therapeutic approaches to both disorders. This approach can be applied to other autoimmune bullous skin diseases, with an expected increase in efficacy of therapy and decreased morbidities from immunosuppressive drugs.
The effect of ant association on the population genetics of the Australian butterfly Jalmenus evagoras (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae)

Populations of the myrmecophilous lycaenid Jalmenus evagoras Donovan were assessed for genetic structure at three hierarchical spatial scales: sites, geographically-defined subpopulations, and subpopulations defined by species of mutualistic ant-associate. Estimates of Wright’s FST generated from multilocus electrophoretic data revealed low, though significant, amounts of genetic structure. Most structure was observed at the level of geographic subpopulations, suggesting that adult butterflies do not exhibit preferential mating and oviposition along the lines of ant associate. The genetic structure data, together with estimates of Nei’s genetic distance (D) for pairwise site and subpopulation comparisons, suggest that J. evagoras populations are spatially and temporally dynamic. These patterns are considered in the context of extinction and recolonization models. The extreme patchiness of J. evagoras populations stems from the stringent requirements of both host plant and host ant, contributing to an extinction/ recolonization process. We discuss the key parameters influencing genetic cohesion versus differentiation under an extinction/recolonization regime, including mode of butterfly dispersal, site turnover rate, and the effects of host dispersal and phenology. This system provides a model of population-level consequences of certain mutualistic interactions as well as of a class of patterns arising from an extinction/recolonization process.
Node-Based Distributed Optimal Control of Wireless Networks

We present a unified analytical framework within which power control, routing, and congestion control for wireless networks can be optimized on a node-by-node basis. We consider a multi-commodity flow model for interference-limited wireless networks, and develop distributed scaled gradient projection algorithms which iteratively adjust power control and routing schemes at individual nodes to minimize convex link costs. We provide locally computable scaling matrices which guarantee fast convergence of the algorithms to the global optimum from any initial condition. Furthermore, we show that congestion control can be seamlessly incorporated into our framework with the introduction of virtual overflow links.
Speckle Tracking–Derived Mitral Annular Velocities Predict Mortality in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome

Background: Myocardial ischemia can impair myocardial relaxation and result in increased left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressure. Noninvasive measurements of mitral annular velocities have been used to evaluate LV diastolic pressure. We sought to determine whether mitral annular velocities, derived from novel speckle tracking echocardiography (STE), could predict mortality in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: A total of 246 patients with ACS were retrospectively studied. STE was analyzed offline with the sample volume placed on septal, lateral, inferior, and anterior mitral annulus. Peak early (E′) and late (A′) diastolic velocities of the mitral annulus were measured and averaged from the four regions. Peak early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (E) was obtained using pulsed-wave Doppler. Results: Lower E′ (P = 0.03), lower A′ (P = 0.001), higher E′/A′ ratio (P = 0.007), and higher E/E′ ratio (P = 0.003) were independently associated with increased risk of death with adjustment for clinical and echocardiographic variables over the follow-up period of 21 months. The optimal cutoff value of E/E′ ratio derived from the receiver operating characteristic analysis for predicting death was 30 (area under the curve = 0.65). E/E′ ratio greater than 30 was predictive of death in univariate (HR, 2.40; CI, 1.42–4.06; P = 0.001) and multivariate (adjusted HR, 1.91; CI, 1.09–3.32; P = 0.02) models. Conclusion: The measurements of mitral annular velocities by STE are predictive of mortality in patients with ACS. (Echocardiography 2012;29:560-567)
SOME COMPUTATIONAL ASPECTS OF SITUATION SEMANTICS

Can a realist model theory of natural language be computationally plausible? Or, to put it another way, is the view of linguistic meaning as a relation between expressions of a natural language and things (objects, properties, etc.) in the world, as opposed to a relation between expressions and procedures in the head, consistent with a computational approach to understanding natural language? The model theorist must either claim that the answer is yes, or be willing to admit that humans transcend the computationally feasible in their use of language?Until recently the only model theory of natural language that was at all well developed was Montague Grammar. Unfortunately, it was based on the primitive notion of "possible world" and so was not a realist theory, unless you are prepared to grant that all possible worlds are real. Montague Grammar is also computationally intractable, for reasons to be discussed below.John Perry and I have developed a somewhat different approach to the model theory of natural language, a theory we call "Situation Semantics". Since one of my own motivations in the early days of this project was to use the insights of generalized recursion theory to find a computationally plausible alternative to Montague Grammar, it seems fitting to give a progress report here.
Formal and Interpersonal Discrimination: A Field Study of Bias Toward Homosexual Applicants

The current research studies discrimination from the perspective of people in stigmatized roles in actual employment settings. Confederates, who were portrayed as being homosexual or not, applied for jobs at local stores. Measures of formal bias (e.g., job offers), interpersonal behavior (e.g., length of interactions), and perceptions of bias (e.g., anticipated job offers by applicants) were assessed. Although confederates portrayed as homosexual were not discriminated against in formal ways relative to confederate applicants not presented as gay, they were responded to significantly more negatively in interpersonal ways. Moreover, there was a stronger relationship between interpersonal treatment and anticipated employment actions for confederates than there was between interpersonal responses and actual job offers by employers. These findings reveal the dynamics of the development of different impressions and expectations by stigmatizers and targets. Theoretical and practical implications are considered.
Summary health status measures in advanced heart failure: relationship to clinical variables and outcome.

Abstract Background Patient-centered health status measures are important because they capture the patient's perspective on their heart failure, but it is unclear which of these have independent prognostic significance. Methods and Results A total of 142 consecutive subjects from a specialty heart failure clinic were assessed at baseline with a broad array of clinical, laboratory, and self-report measures including four summary measures of health status. The relationships between these measures and their association with the combined end point of transplantation or death over a mean follow-up of 3 years were examined. In unadjusted analyses, the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) summary score had the strongest association with the combined end point (HR [for each unit score difference] = 0.98 [0.96–0.99], P = .002). In the adjusted Cox proportional hazards model including all 4 summary measures, the Seattle Heart Failure Score, V0 2, systolic blood pressure, and medical comorbidity, only the Standard Gamble utility remained significantly associated with time to the combined end point (HR [for each 0.01 utility score difference] = 0.98 [0.97–0.99], P = .007). Conclusions Our study suggests that summary health status measures are simple and significant indicators of prognosis in advanced heart failure patients. The KCCQ summary score summarizes a wide range of clinical variables from the patient's point of view, whereas the standard gamble utility contains important prognostic information not captured in usual clinical variables.
Universality, critical dynamics, and vortex diffusion in amorphous Mo3Si films and YBa2Cu3O7 single crystals.

Evidence of a vortex-glass transition in amorphous ${\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}$Si films on sapphire is manifested by the universal critical exponents (\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{\approxeq}2/3,z\ensuremath{\approxeq}3) obtained from dc electrical transport measurements. The exponents are consistent with those found in ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ single crystals with random point defects, indicating that the vortex-galss transition in both systems belongs to the same universality class. In contrast, ac transport measurements from 100 Hz to 3 MHz suggest that the dominant vortex dynamics in amorphous ${\mathrm{Mo}}_{3}$Si thin films is diffusion, and that in ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ single crystals it is the critical relaxation of thermally induced dislocations.
Botanical Criteria for Differentiating Eustatic and Relative Fluctuations in Sea Level

Coastal vegetation is zoned relative to the shore, with flora nearest the shore most tolerant to sea water. This geographic distribution of plants is also repeated temporally. Vegetation tolerant to sea water colonizes newly emerged coasts; as time passes, increasingly terrestrial vegetation replaces the pioneer species. The more inland, terrestrial flora thus marks the position of older shorelines. Coasts subsiding non uniformly are characterized by older shorelines lying closer to the coast in rapidly sinking areas. Applied to the Florida Peninsula, this reasoning suggests that the known, Holocene transgression of the state is not purely eustatic.
Modified CRLB on the modulation parameters of a PSK signal

PSK is a common modulation format in digital communications. The estimation of modulation parameters is necessary for emitter interception in support of numerous military applications. This paper develops the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the modulation parameters of a PSK signal. The modulation parameters considered are the carrier frequency, the symbol time and the signal amplitude. The results show that the CRLBs for the modulation parameters are the same for M-ary PSK signals when M>2. The CRLBs between BPSK and M-ary PSK with M>2 are very close, although they are not exactly identical. The effect of pulse shaping on the CRLB of modulation parameters are also investigated.
Sleep Facilitates Consolidation of Emotional Declarative Memory

Both sleep and emotion are known to modulate processes of memory consolidation, yet their interaction is poorly understood. We examined the influence of sleep on consolidation of emotionally arousing and neutral declarative memory. Subjects completed an initial study session involving arousing and neutral pictures, either in the evening or in the morning. Twelve hours later, after sleeping or staying awake, subjects performed a recognition test requiring them to discriminate between these original pictures and novel pictures by responding “remember,” “know” (familiar), or “new.” Selective sleep effects were observed for consolidation of emotional memory: Recognition accuracy for know judgments of arousing stimuli improved by 42% after sleep relative to wake, and recognition bias for remember judgments of these stimuli increased by 58% after sleep relative to wake (resulting in more conservative responding). These findings hold important implications for understanding of human memory processing, suggesting...
Fly Pupae as a Dietary Ingredient for Starting Chicks

Abstract Two feeding trials were conducted to evaluate fly pupae and catabolized manure residue as protein sources for broiler chicks. In the first trial, White Plymouth Rock chicks were fed a diet containing dried ground pupae as the only protein supplement from one day to seven weeks of age. No trace minerals or B vitamins were added to their ration. In comparison to control chicks receiving a fully balanced ration, no significant (P In the second trial, fish meal and meat and bone meal were replaced with fly pupae in a broiler ration. Catabolized manure was used from five to ten percent to replace milo in the ration. New Hampshire and Indian River broiler chicks were fed these rations from one day through four weeks of age. No significant differences (P
The Ethics of Human Freedom and Healthcare Policy A Nursing Theoretical Perspective

Global healthcare and healthcare policies are evolving with change at a swift pace. Inherent in the discussions of a person’s right to choose health is the notion of freedom. The author in this column compares and contrasts bioethical views of freedom and autonomy with alternative views and possibilities by examining an ethic of freedom grounded from a different paradigm, the humanbecoming nursing theoretical perspective.
Neurotrophins induce nitric oxide generation in human pulmonary artery endothelial cells

Aims Members of the growth factor family of neurotrophins [NTs; e.g. brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT3)] and their high-affinity receptors (tropomyosin-related kinase; Trk) and low-affinity receptors p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) have been localized to pulmonary artery (PA) in humans. However, their role is unclear. Based on previous findings of NTs and their receptors within the pulmonary endothelium, we tested the hypothesis that NTs induce nitric oxide (NO) production in pulmonary endothelial cells (ECs), thus contributing to vasodilation. Methods and results In human pulmonary artery ECs loaded with the NO-sensitive fluorescent dye diaminofluorescein-2, both BDNF and NT3 (100 pM, 1 nM, and 10 nM) acutely (<10 min) and substantially increased fluorescence levels in a concentration-dependent fashion (to levels comparable to that induced by 1 μM acetylcholine). NT-induced elevation of NO levels was blunted by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor K252a, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG–nitro–L–arginine methyl ester, the Ca2+ chelator 1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid, and the NO scavenger 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide. Suppression of TrkB or TrkC expression via siRNA as well as functional blockade of p75NTR prevented NT-induced NO elevation. Both BDNF and NT3 increased phosphorylation of Akt and endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). In endothelium-intact porcine PA rings, NTs increased cGMP and induced vasodilation in pre-contracted arteries. Conclusion These results indicate that NTs acutely modulate pulmonary endothelial NO production and contribute to relaxation of the pulmonary vasculature.
A Primer on Replacing the Corporate Income Tax with a Cash-Flow Tax

In this report, Edwards argues that the corporate income tax shares a substantial part of the blame for recent scandals at Enron and other large firms. At the same time, he says, there is growing concern about the uncompetitiveness and excessive complexity of the U.S. corporate tax. Proposals being considered in the Ways and Means Committee address some of these problems, but, Edwards concludes, full replacement of the current tax with a cash-flow tax would be a more fundamental solution to reducing tax sheltering and increasing business efficiency in today's competitive global economy.
Mechanism of alcoholic stimulation of gastric secretion.

Conclusion1) Dilute alcohol applied directly to the mucosa of the body and the fundus of the stomach does not usually stimulate secretion of acid gastric juice. 2) Dilute alcohol is a powerful stimulant of the “gastrin” mechanism of the pyloric antrum. It appears that in response to ingested alcohol, 2/3 of the gastric juice secreted results from this mechanism. 3) Alcohol is known to activate the intestinal phase of gastric secretion. This mechanism accounts for about 1/3 of the secretory response to ingested alcohol.
Detailed analysis of (-)-palmyrolide a and some synthetic derivatives as voltage-gated sodium channel antagonists.

A small library of synthetic (−)-palmyrolide A diastereomers, analogues, and acyclic precursors have been examined with respect to their interaction with voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs). Toward this goal, the ability of (−)-palmyrolide A and analogues to antagonize veratridine-stimulated Na+ influx in primary cultures of mouse cerebrocortical neurons was assessed. We found that synthetic (−)-palmyrolide A and its enantiomer functioned as VGSC antagonists to block veratridine-induced sodium influx. A detailed NMR and computational analysis of four diastereomers revealed that none had the same combination of shape and electrostatic potential as exhibited by natural (−)-palmyrolide A. These data indicate that the relative configuration about the tert-butyl and methyl substituents appears to be a prerequisite for biological function. Additional testing revealed that the enamide double bond was not necessary for blocking veratridine-induced sodium influx, whereas the acyclic analogues and other macrolide...
Call for Participation for Improving the Stroke Model Guidelines

Highly reproducible stroke models with excellent outcome consistency are instrumental for obtaining useful data from preclinical stroke trials. Many stroke models have been performed suboptimally. The infarct volume variation coefficient ranges from 5% to 200% which was concluded by reviewing articles published on JCBFM, Stroke, and other prestigious journals. Although it is known that factors like anesthetics, temperature, blood pressure are important, there are obviously many issues need to be discussed, or reemphasized, such as how long should the temperature be monitored and maintained after surgery, what should be the strategy for selecting anesthetics when neurotransmitter and neuroplasticity are being studied. There are also many issues that need to be discussed for the commonly used methods for outcome observation. Many factors play a significant role in causing outcome variation; however, they have not yet been defined in the Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) recommendations and the Good Laboratory Practice (GLP). The modeling procedure may also be optimized to achieve a dramatically improved success rate and consistency, which are important for a valid study. Without a consistent model, it would be hard to obtain useful data from a study. Similar to the situation with STAIR and GLP, although many research had been aware of these issues and had been practiced as they suggested, yet these points still need to be reemphasized and updated periodically. With the STAIR guidelines providing an excellent framework for the design of preclinical stroke trials, a detailed guidance for conducting individual experiments using stroke models will further improve the model consistency and inter-lab comparability. The perfection of Stroke Model Guidelines needs the active participation from stroke investigators. For this purpose SFES and JESTM welcome every one commenting on the first edition of Stroke Model Guidelines, sharing their insightful thoughts.
Special Stains and Immunohistochemical Stains in Hair Pathology.

Background:Patterns in scalp biopsies can overlap, and distinction may be difficult.Objective:To review the current knowledge about the usefulness of special stains and immunohistochemical stains (IHC) for the diagnosis of hair disorders.Methods:The authors used the search engines PubMED, MEDLINE, a
Analysis of therapeutic effect of 80 cases patients with pelvic inflammation disease treated with Kangfu anti-inflammatory suppository combined with antibiotics

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of treated pelvic inflammatory disease with Kangfu anti-inflammatory suppository and tinidazole. METHODS: 152 patients were diagnosed as pelvic inflammatory disease,who were divided into treated group(n=80)and control group(n=72).Treated group was treated with Kangfu anti-inflammatory suppository by rectal administration and oral tinidazole;Control group took tinidazole and amoxicillin orally or given an intravenous injection twice a day with ampicillin/sulbactam 3.0 g and metronidazole injection 100 mL.After three courses of treatment,the curative effect were compared between treated group and control group.RESULTS:The curative effect was good with Kangfu anti-inflammatory suppository combined with tinidazole treated pelvic inflammatory disease.The total effective rate were 97.5%,87.5%,respectively in treated group and control group.There was no statistical difference between the two groups.CONCLUSION: There is significant curative effect and less side effect on pelvic inflammatory disease treated with Kangfu anti-inflammatory suppository combined with tinidazole,which deserves the clinical expansion application.
The health care 'iron triangle'.

Readers comment on enterovirus D-68 (January 2015), eosinophilic esophagitis (February 2015), the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (February 2015), and alcoholic hepatitis (March 2015).
The pulsed dye laser for fragmenting urinary calculi.

AbstractThe properties of a laser which effect stone fragmentation have been studied. The pulsed dye laser emitting at 504nm. in one microsecond duration pulses appears to be the optimum out of a wide range of parameters tested. The laser is coupled to a 200 micron core fiber; this complete with its cladding has a total diameter of only 0.25mm. Most calculi are fragmented by a series of pulses of up to 30mJ. The system is used by firing bursts of pulses with the fiber actually in contact with the stone. The result is a very controlled fragmentation which is particularly suited to use in the confines of the ureter. This modality of treatment utilises less energy than ultrasound or electrohydraulic probes to fragment a stone and the very fine, flexible fiber represents a considerable miniaturisation.
Using recurrent neural network models for early detection of heart failure onset.

Objective We explored whether use of deep learning to model temporal relations among events in electronic health records (EHRs) would improve model performance in predicting initial diagnosis of heart failure (HF) compared to conventional methods that ignore temporality. Materials and Methods Data were from a health system’s EHR on 3884 incident HF cases and 28 903 controls, identified as primary care patients, between May 16, 2000, and May 23, 2013. Recurrent neural network (RNN) models using gated recurrent units (GRUs) were adapted to detect relations among time-stamped events (eg, disease diagnosis, medication orders, procedure orders, etc.) with a 12- to 18-month observation window of cases and controls. Model performance metrics were compared to regularized logistic regression, neural network, support vector machine, and K-nearest neighbor classifier approaches. Results Using a 12-month observation window, the area under the curve (AUC) for the RNN model was 0.777, compared to AUCs for logistic regression (0.747), multilayer perceptron (MLP) with 1 hidden layer (0.765), support vector machine (SVM) (0.743), and K-nearest neighbor (KNN) (0.730). When using an 18-month observation window, the AUC for the RNN model increased to 0.883 and was significantly higher than the 0.834 AUC for the best of the baseline methods (MLP). Conclusion Deep learning models adapted to leverage temporal relations appear to improve performance of models for detection of incident heart failure with a short observation window of 12–18 months.
Liquid Propellant Rocket Motors

Liquid rocket motors are introduced and the details of various types of nozzles, including conical, bell, plug, and extendable nozzles, are described. Nozzle thrust, velocity, and discharge coefficients are explained. The variation of specific impulse with nozzle expansion ratio and the effects of altitude and propellant density on performance are described. The general features of liquid propellant rocket motors are described and detailed performance analyses of LH 2 /LOX, RP-1/LOX, and LCH 4 /LOX propellant combinations are presented. The characteristics of various rocket propellants, including cryogenic, hypergolic, and monopropellant materials, are described. Liquid propellant rocket motor operational considerations such as combustion chambers, propellant injectors, nozzle heat transfer, combustion instability, condensation in nozzles, and thrust vector control are discussed. The layout and structural design of propellant tanks is illustrated and the different types of propellant feed systems are discussed.