cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on the Regulation of Granulopoiesis. I. The Response to Neutropenia

Mice were irradiated with one leg shielded in order to study the response of the protected marrow to neutropenia. The findings suggested that neutropenia increases the rate of release of segmented neutrophils from the marrow and also increases the rate of production of neutrophil precursors, possibly by increasing the rate of flux from a committed granulocytic stem cell compartment into the myeloblast-promyelocyte compartment. A humoral mechanism may be involved.
Evaluation of Gradient Descriptors and Dissimilarity Learning for Writer Retrieval

In order to take advantage from collections of digitized handwritten documents, effective indexing and retrieval techniques are required. This work focuses on automatic writer retrieval, which is the task of finding in a dataset, all documents written by the same person. Contrary to conventional writer retrieval techniques that are based on dissimilarity measures, we propose to use the SVM classifier to perform the retrieval task. First, local gradient features are used to generate handwritten features. Then, dissimilarities calculated between intra-writer and inter-writer documents are used to train a SVM to allow an automatic retrieval of all the writers documents. Experiments are conducted on CVL and ICDAR 2011 datasets. The performance evaluation of the proposed system is carried out comparatively to the cosine similarity. Results obtained evince a significant improvement offered by SVM, which gives comparable and sometimes better scores than the state of the art.
Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: what do parents of youth athletes know about it?

Introduction/Background: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease thought to be caused by repeated head impacts and associated with deficits in cognition. Despite resea...
AirPress: High-accuracy spectrum summarization using compressed scans

Spectrum summarization is the analysis of a wide-band spectrum scan to determine the number of transmitters, their time-frequency characteristics, approximate modulation and legitimacy of operation. Spectrum summarization has emerged as a critical functionality to enable next-generation dynamic spectrum access technologies and legislation. Typically, spectrum summarization is performed in a cloud-based manner, requiring full-scan transmission from the spectrum sensors to the cloud. As spectrum scans generate large volumes of data, full-scan transmission quickly incurs prohibitively-high cost in terms of bandwidth and storage requirements. To address this problem we design AirPress, a spectrum scan compression method that leverages wavelet decomposition for lossy compression of spectrum data and allows up to 64:1 compression ratio of power spectral density traces without adversely impacting the spectrum summarization accuracy. We demonstrate the utility of AirPress on real-world spectrum measurements and show that it enables high-accuracy spectrum summarization of real-world transmitters while reducing the corresponding trace by 94%.
Proceedings of the 4th International ACM SIGSPATIAL Workshop on Analytics for Big Geospatial Data

Big data is emerging as an important area of research for data researchers and scientists. This area has also seen significant interest from the industry and federal agencies alike, as evidenced by the recent White House initiative on "Big data research and development". Within the realm of big data, spatial and spatio-temporal data is one of fastest growing types of data With advances in remote sensors, sensor networks, and the proliferation of location sensing devices in daily life activities and common business practices, the generation of disparate, dynamic, and geographically distributed spatiotemporal data has exploded in recent years. In addition, significant progress in ground, air- and space-borne sensor technologies has led to an unprecedented access to earth science data for scientists from different disciplines, interested in studying the complementary nature of different parameters. Today, analyzing this data poses a massive challenge to researchers.
Applying wargames to real-world policies

In their Policy Forum “Next-generation wargames” (21 December 2018, p. [1362][1]), A. W. Reddie et al. explain that because the historical record does not include a large number of nuclear wars, scholars who wish to apply quantitative research methods to these events struggle with a dearth of data. To address this challenge, Reddie et al. constructed simplified games that can be repeated thousands of times. However, they seem to misunderstand the principal value of wargames in the policy field. Although observations of players who do not resemble actual decision-makers can produce statistically significant results, they are likely to be irrelevant to real-world policy decisions about escalation and nuclear use. ![Figure][2] Wargame experiments explore the effects of potential wartime decisions. PHOTO: KAI KEISUKE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Simplification is central to good wargame design. In addition to making games playable, it abstracts extraneous detail in order to focus on understanding why the players made their choices. This is where the value of wargaming as a research method truly resides. Counting precisely how often one side wins or escalates is less important; if the answer is not “always” or “never,” it will not help decision-makers facing questions such as “Could this action lead to a nuclear war?” Reddie et al. rightly emphasize the players' role in illuminating important human factors but fail to recognize the value of human adjudication in gaming. Games driven by rigid rule sets or computer code cannot readily handle ingenuity or unexpected strategies and invariably limit players' potential decision sets. Reducing possible interactions or decisions to fit traditional statistical methods neuters a key strength of wargaming as a method: fostering and examining human creativity. As we seek to generate more and better data from wargames, it is essential that capturing this observational richness does not take second place to collecting data that are easily countable but ultimately insubstantial. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/362/6421/1362 [2]: pending:yes
Radiation from a Non-conformal Antenna Array on an Electrically Large Conducting Convex Surface

Asymptotic solutions have been extensively used to predict radiation from conformal antennas and more recently conformal antenna arrays on convex conducting surfaces. However, their applications to non-conformal antenna arrays are not well developed. In this paper, the previous work is extended to predict the radiation from a non-conformal antenna array on an electrically large canonical structure. Numerical results for canonical shapes are presented in comparison with the results based on the multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM).
A Range-Only Acoustic Localization Technique for Marine Robotics Applications

We present a parametric technique for simultaneous outlier rejection and position estimation from a set of range measurements. This approach utilizes an adapted version of the Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm, which has found extensive use in image matching applications. Our implementation has been demonstrated to function in real time on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for the purposes of localizing a stationary acoustic beacon and aiding navigation.
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF OCCLUSIVE DRESSING AND OPEN WOUND TREATMENT IN PREVENTION OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are defined as infections of the tissues, organs, or spaces exposed by surgeons during performance of an invasive procedure. Motivation/Background: A lot of expense both with regards to nursing time and dressing material costs is invested in prevention of SSI using occlusive surgical incision site dressing. But to what extent is this beneficial over open wound treatment? In the present study, we have compared the incidence of SSIs in surgical wounds treated with occlusive dressings versus those treated with open wound treatment to find out the same. Method: The study was conducted on 860 patients of General Surgery wards. Patients were categorized under two groups of cases where (1) Dressing was opened after 24 hours and then only open wound treatment by cleaning with Betadine 12 hourly was done till stitch removal and (2) Dressing was opened after 48 hours and then again after every 2 days occlusive dressing was done until stitch removal. Result: A Chi-Square Test was performed to understand if Occlusive dressings have an added advantage over Open Wound Treatment in prevention of SSIs. Conclusion: Occlusive Dressings have no added advantage over Open Wound Treatment in the prevention of SSIs and hence Open wound treatment can be taken as an alternative for occlusive dressings.
Tissue Culture of Pinus Eldarica (Med.)

Afghan pine [Pinus eldarica (Med.)] was introduced to the United States in the mid-1960s from the Near East (Russia to Pakistan), and is of particular interest in the arid southwestern United States. This pine is very vigorous and tolerant of drought and alkaline soils. It is useful for Christmas tree production, ornamental landscaping, and windbreaks, with potential for fuelwood and pulpwood production. Exploitation is hindered by limited seed availability. Tissue culture techniques offer alternatives for rapid propagation of this important pine.
Un cosmoscape sous le Bouddha : le piédestal de l’icône principale de Yakushi-ji, soutien de l’empire des souverains

L’icone principale du temple japonais de Yakushi-ji est un Bouddha de la medecine (Yakushi) en bronze haut de 254,7 cm, assis les jambes croisees sur un piedestal a plusieurs niveaux de 152 cm, et flanque de deux bodhisattva. Visuellement aussi aboutis et historiquement aussi rares que cette triade colossale du debut du viiie siecle, ce sont les reliefs, singuliers et remarquables, sur les quatre cotes de son piedestal qui ont longtemps fascine les chercheurs. Ce piedestal, temoin visuel du discours des souverains du Yamato, commanditaires de l’icone, situe le bouddhisme et le gouvernement juste dans un empire imaginaire de type chinois en construction, vers 650-750. Les figures et les motifs du piedestal s’accordent avec les concepts enonces dans les œuvres litteraires classiques contemporaines. Cette premiere etude consacree au Yakushi-ji dans une langue autre que le japonais propose une nouvelle interpretation du piedestal comme cosmographie – la cosmologie d’un royaume imperial imagine par ses createurs – avec un Bouddha guerisseur/gouverneur juste, omnipresent, a son sommet.
Forward Surgical Teams as a Model for Humanitarian Orthopedic Surgical Care: A Review of Current Literature.

Introduction Orthopedic trauma is a significant portion of global burden of disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This has led the World Health Organization to advocate for increased surgical intervention in LMICs. The two largest barriers to orthopedic surgical care for LMICs are cost of procedure and geographic access to centers with appropriate surgical capabilities. There is no current consensus on how to structure surgical interventional teams. The overall objective of this study is to describe the composition of a forward surgical team (FST), including its abilities and limitations. It is hypothesized that an FST is an effective model for orthopedic surgical relief efforts in LMICs. Methods A narrative literature review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis standards published by the National Academies of Medicine. Studies were evaluated by structured review procedures to identify an FST's capacity for orthopedic surgery, as well as applicability for humanitarian care. Articles detailing FST logistics, types of orthopedic treatment provided, and instances of humanitarian care while deployed in austere environments were included for review. Results The FST is a military surgical unit operating with a small crew of surgeons and supporting staff who use tents or trailers that can be positioned near points of conflict, often in remote or austere environments. FSTs were designed to treat traumatic injuries, including orthopedic trauma from RTIs. If used as a sponsored humanitarian aid mission, FSTs can provide surgical care at free or greatly reduced costs. Because FSTs carry limited supplies and personnel, they are highly mobile surgical units that can be transported via truck. Conclusion FSTs are effective models for humanitarian orthopedic surgery in LMICs. FSTs were designed to treat orthopedic trauma, the largest burden of orthopedic care in LMICs. Efficient use of limited equipment allows FSTs to be cost effective for funding sources and highly mobile to reduce the geographic barrier to care. Further research is needed to determine the cost to operate an FST and ethical consideration for military intervention for foreign humanitarian aid.
Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica for Production of Fatty Alcohols with YaliBrick Vectors

Biosynthesis of fatty alcohol holds great promise as substitute to replace petroleum-derived fatty alcohols to mitigate environmental concerns and reduce earth's carbon footprint. In this protocol, we detail the procedures of how to use the YaliBrick gene assembly platform to achieve modular assembly of fatty alcohol pathway in Y. lipolytica. To limit fatty alcohol oxidation, we will also describe the hydroxyurea-based protocols for the efficient disruption of POX1 gene, encoding the fatty acyl coenzyme A in Y. lipolytica, with the homologous arm about 500 bp. We envision that this chapter would improve our ability to engineer microbial cell factories for oleochemical and fatty alcohol production in oleaginous yeast species.
A data-driven Bayesian network learning method for process fault diagnosis

Abstract This paper presents a data-driven methodology for fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) by integrating the principal component analysis (PCA) with the Bayesian network (BN). Though the integration of PCA-BN for FDD purposes has been studied in the past, the present work makes two contributions for process systems. First, the application of correlation dimension (CD) to select principal components (PCs) automatically. Second, the use of Kullback-Leibler divergence (KLD) and copula theory to develop a data-based BN learning technique. The proposed method uses a combination of vine copula and Bayes’ theorem (BT) to capture nonlinear dependence of high-dimensional process data which eliminates the need for discretization of continuous data. The data-driven integrated PCA-BN framework has been applied to two processing systems. Performance of the proposed methodology is compared with the independent component analysis (ICA), kernel principal component analysis (KPCA), kernel independent component analysis (KICA), and their integrated frameworks with the BN. The comparative study suggests that the proposed framework provides superior performance.
Home Learning Environments for Young Children in the U.S. During COVID-19

Research Findings: During COVID-19 many countries, including the U.S., implemented stay-at-home policies that closed most schools and childcare centers. This research focuses on the home learning e...
Association of serum prostate-specific antigen with Complete Blood Counts in patients with prostatic cancer

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and one of the most leading causes of death in men worldwide. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening method showed that there has been a slight decrease in prostate cancer mortality. Effective biomarkers in screening and diagnosis would be beneficial for avoiding unnecessary operations. The predictive and prognostic value of complete blood count (CBC) has been manifested by recent studies. We aimed to determine the association of serum PSA with Complete blood counts in patients with prostate cancer. Method: The present study included 100 subjects, 50 patients diagnosed with new prostate cancer and 50 patients with prostate cancer. All the was undertaken in the central diagnostic laboratory at VIMS and RC. Blood samples were collected from all the subjects after taken permission from the institutional ethics committee and consent form. The haemoglobin, RBCs, MCV, MCHC, RDW will be analysed by using laboratory standard methods (Beckman coulter LH-780) and The serum PSA levels are estimated by commercially available kits based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: In the present study found significantly elevated levels of a prostate specific antigen in both groups of prostatic cancer patients. The reduced levels of hemoglobin, red blood cells, platelets, neutrophils were observed in prostatic cancer patients when compared to newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients. The PSA levels were negatively correlated with total blood counts. Conclusion: This study suggests that the elevated levels of prostate specific antigen were useful for diagnosis and prognosis of prostatic cancers, along with the monitoring of complete blood count may be useful for the treatment of patients with prostatic cancers.
Use of Commercially Produced Medical Education Videos in a Cardiovascular Curriculum: Multiple Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Short instructional videos can make learning more efficient through the application of multimedia principles, and video animations can illustrate the complex concepts and dynamic processes that are common in health sciences education. Commercially produced videos are commonly used by medical students but are rarely integrated into curricula. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to examine student engagement with medical education videos incorporated into a preclinical Cardiovascular Systems course. METHODS: Students who took the first-year 8-week Cardiovascular Systems course in 2019 and 2020 were included in the study. Videos from Osmosis were recommended to be watched before live sessions throughout the course. Video use was monitored through dashboards, and course credit was given for watching videos. All students were emailed electronic surveys after the final exam asking about the course's blended learning experience and use of videos. Osmosis usage data for number of video views, multiple choice questions, and flashcards were extracted from Osmosis dashboards. RESULTS: Overall, 232/359 (64.6%) students completed surveys, with rates by class of 81/154 (52.6%) for MD Class of 2022, 39/50 (78%) for MD/MPH Class of 2022, and 112/155 (72.3%) for MD Class of 2023. Osmosis dashboard data were available for all 359 students. All students received the full credit offered for Osmosis engagement, and learning analytics demonstrated regular usage of videos and other digital platform features. Survey responses indicated that most students found Osmosis videos to be helpful for learning (204/232, 87.9%; P=.001) and preferred Osmosis videos to the traditional lecture format (134/232, 57.8%; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Commercial medical education videos may enhance curriculum with low faculty effort and improve students' learning experiences. Findings from our experience at one medical school can guide the effective use of supplemental digital resources for learning, and related evaluation and research.
Natural resources, women and corruption

Abstract Natural resources play an important role in the global policy debate among policymakers. This study shows how natural resource rent and share of women in parliament determine corruption level across countries using data of 141 countries from 1997 to 2018. The results indicate that natural resource rent will increase corruption level while the share of women in parliaments decreases corruption level across countries. Surprisingly, we find that countries with high natural resource rent can reduce their corruption level once they will increase the share of women in their parliaments. Our results are robust across countries using various subsamples and models and all models strongly support the hypotheses that raising women's share in parliaments reduces corruption level in natural resources. The results have important implications for policymakers to increase the share of women in their parliaments to improve the usage of natural resource rent in a proper way to reduce corruption.
Gamma oscillation underlies hyperthermia-induced epileptiform-like spikes in immature rat hippocampal slices.

Background Recently a hyperthermic rat hippocampal slice model system has been used to investigate febrile seizure pathophysiology. Our previous data indicates that heating immature rat hippocampal slices from 34 to 41°C in an interface chamber induced epileptiform-like population spikes accompanied by a spreading depression (SD). This may serve as an in vitro model of febrile seizures.
Fiscal Policies for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

The purpose of this chapter is to review country experiences with promoting health through fiscal policies and to examine the usefulness and success of these policies. The chapter considers both the role of fiscal policies in the production of health and the effect of these policies on the well-being of the economy—fiscal policy for health and healthy fiscal policy. Little exists in the literature linking fiscal policy and health promotion except in relation to tobacco. This work contributes to filling that gap.The chapter deals specifically with experiences at the country level with tax policies affecting some goods related to health, such as food, tobacco, alcohol, and condoms; subsidized provision of workplace promotion of healthy behavior and caregiving; and direct subsidies affecting food provision and fortification, cooking fuels, water purification and soap, condoms, bednets, vaccines, and medical research. The chapter only touches on health care provision and does not discuss its financing, either directly by governments or through insurance, because other chapters deal with those topics.
Responses of Two Potential Host Species (Formica gnava and Formica occulta) to Pupae of the Obligatory Slave-Making Ant, Polyergus breviceps (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Queens of the slave-making ant, Polyergus breviceps, take over nests of adult Formica workers when establishing new colonies. Although naive to slave-maker brood, the usurped Formica rear Polyergus offspring and nests containing both host and parasite species forms. Host worker acceptance of parasite brood has been attributed to the similarity of “brood tending signals” between these closely related taxa and/or the presence of an “attractive pheromone” in the slave-maker brood. By presenting single-species groups of Formica occulta and Formica gnava (two host species of P. breviceps) with a choice of Formica pupae of both species or with a choice of P. breviceps pupae from both types of mixed-species nests, it seems that neither close phylogenetic relatedness nor an attractive brood odor alone can account for the propensity of host workers to adopt slave-maker pupae. Significantly greater numbers of P. breviceps pupae were adopted by enslaved workers than by free-living workers, and within the enslaved groups and the free-living F. gnava group, greater numbers of P. breviceps pupae were adopted if they were from nests where the host species was conspecific to workers used in tests. When presented with F. gnava and F. occulta pupae, Formica workers adopted conspecific pupae almost exclusively and ignored or consumed pupae of the other host species. Taken together, these results imply that P. breviceps pupae have both a species-specific odor and a general brood-tending pheromone, upon which a host odor may be imposed. The disparate requirements of immatures at different stages of development for cue specificity or generality in maintaining nest exclusivity and maximizing inclusive fitness are discussed.
Uterine vascular bed: Initial conductance and maximal vasodilator response

Abstract A range of initial vascular conductances (C i ) from 0.024 to 1.09 c.c. per minute per millimeter of mercury were induced in the uterine vascular beds of unanesthetized, castrated ewes by the daily injection of estradiol benzoate in sesame oil. The maximal conductance (C m ) evoked by a maximal dose of nitroglycerine (Ng) was determined at 85 different C i levels in 15 ewes. Analysis of composite results and those in 12 individual ewes suggests a relationship between C m and C i described by the equation ln C m = k ln C i + α. This relationship indicates that the proportionate increase in conductance evoked by Ng with respect to the C i progressively decreases as the C i increases. The implications of these observations on uterine vascular research are discussed.
60GHz transceiver circuits in SiGe bipolar technology

A 60GHz LNA, direct-downconverter, PA, and 20GHz VCO are built in a 200GHz f/sub t/,/f/sub max/, 0.12/spl mu/m SiGe technology. The 10.8mW LNA has 15dB gain, 3.4-4.4dB noise figure and -8.5dBm IIP3. The down converter has 16dB gain, >50dB LO-RF isolation, and 13.4-14.8dB noise figure. The PA delivers 10dBm at 9dB gain.
Advanced microwave sounding unit cloud and precipitation algorithms

[1] Although the advanced microwave sounding unit (AMSU) on board the NOAA 15 and NOAA 16 satellites is primarily designed for profiling atmospheric temperature and moisture, the products associated with clouds and precipitation are also derived using its window channel measurements with a quality similar to those derived from microwave imagers such as the Special Sensor Microwave Imager. However, the AMSU asymmetry in radiance along the scan was found to be obvious at its window channels and could severely degrade the quality of cloud and precipitation products if not properly corrected. Thus a postlaunch calibration scheme is developed for these channels, and the causes of the asymmetry are analyzed from the AMSU instrument model. A preliminary study shows that the asymmetry may be caused by either the AMSU polarization misalignment or the antenna pointing angle error. A generic radiative transfer model is developed for a single-layered cloud using a two-stream approximation and can be utilized for the retrievals of cloud liquid water (L) and total precipitable water (V), cloud ice water path (IWP), and particle effective diameter (De). At the AMSU lower frequencies the scattering from cloud liquid is neglected, and therefore the retrieval of L and V is linearly derived using 23.8 and 31.4 GHz. However, for ice clouds the radiative transfer model is simplified by neglecting the thermal emission, and therefore the retrieval of IWP and De is analytically derived using the AMSU millimeter wavelength channels at 89 and 150 GHz. These cloud algorithms are tested for the AMSU on board the NOAA 15 and NOAA 16 satellites, and the results are rather promising. It is also found that the AMSU-derived cloud ice water path is highly correlated with the surface rain rates and is now directly used to monitor surface precipitation throughout the world.
Opiate Addiction and the Locus Coeruleus: The Clinical Utility of Clonidine, Naltrexone, Methadone, and Buprenorphine

Detoxification from opiate addiction has been a medical problem for as long as opiate drugs have been available. Treatment before the discovery of clonidine involved giving another opioid drug with less dangerous consequences of chronic use, such as the long-acting and orally administered once a day methadone, for another opioid mu agonist like heroin, which must be taken intravenously many times a day, thus making rehabilitation, work, and avoidance of hepatitis, HIV, and other illnesses difficult. Although methadone has proved to be very beneficial, it still has significant abuse potential. Naltrexone, because it blocks the effects of all opiates, has facilitated the transformation from addiction to a drug-free state for many recovering addicts. By alleviating withdrawal symptoms and by lessening the detoxification period, clonidine similarly has improved the prospect of recovery from opiate addiction. Relapse, whether withdrawal is treated with clonidine or other new agents or not, occurs with great regularity because repeated opiate use can induce a new acquired drive state--the drive for opiates. In addition, with powerful withdrawal symptoms during abstinence, opiate relapse is difficult to prevent without an adequate treatment program. The efficacy of clonidine and other medical magic bullets for withdrawal distress needs to be given as part of a long-term recovery program which not only allows the brain to re-establish normal homeostatic changes in the drug-free state but also provides sufficient motivation for new approaches to achieving and sustaining pleasurable existence.
Oil price fluctuations and employment in Kern County: A Vector Error Correction approach

Abstract Kern County is one of the country's largest oil producing regions, in which the oil industry employs a significant fraction of the labor force in the county. In this study, the short- and long-run effects of oil price fluctuations on employment in Kern County are investigated using a Vector Error Correction model (VECM). Empirical results over the period 1990:01 to 2015:03 suggest long-run causality running from both WTI and Brent oil prices to employment. No causality is detected in the short-run. Kern County should formulate appropriate policies, which take into account the fact that changes in oil prices have long-term effects on employment rather than short term.
Preoptic neuronal nitric oxide synthase induction by testosterone is consistent with a role in gating male copulatory behavior.

Copulatory behaviors are generally dependent on testicular androgens in male vertebrates, being eliminated by castration and re-instated by testosterone administration. It is postulated that a critical factor in this hormonal gating is up-regulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in the preoptic area, and consequent enhanced nitric oxide synthesis in response to stimuli associated with a receptive female. Previous studies have suggested that nNOS protein is more abundant in behaviorally relevant preoptic regions of testosterone-exposed animals than in hormone-deprived controls. This study sought to elucidate the molecular events underlying this apparent up-regulation by examining preoptic nNOS mRNA abundance at several time points following testosterone administration in a castration and replacement paradigm. Castrated male whiptails (Cnemidophorus inornatus) were implanted with testosterone, and at four time points over the subsequent 18 days their sexual behavior was tested. A rostral periventricular area previously implicated in hormonal gating of male-typical copulatory behavior was then excised by laser microdissection, and nNOS transcript abundance was assessed by quantitative PCR. As neither this technique nor nNOS mRNA measurements have previously been performed in this area of the brain, expression was concommitantly assayed on adjacent sections by in situ hybridization or NADPH diaphorase histochemistry. Results are consistent with transcriptional up-regulation of nNOS by testosterone and a central role for the enzyme in mediating hormonal gating of copulatory behavior.
A 10,000-gpm liquid hydrogen transfer system for the Saturn/Apollo program.

Cryogenic loading of the huge Saturn V booster begins eight hours before the scheduled lift-off. The first three hours of fueling is the cold hydrogen gas conditioning of the S-II stage fuel tank. Then in one hour and thirty minutes approximately 340,000 gal of liquid hydrogen is loaded into the S-II and S-IVB fuel tanks.
The Relationship between Techinical Efficiency and Firm Size Revisited

In this study, the efficiency levels of a sample of Missouri grain farms are measured through alternative frontier estimation procedures. Different estimation approaches are found to significantly alter both the average technical efficiency of the sample and the technical efficiency levels of individual firms. The relationship between farm size and techical efficiency is also found not to be robust to the choice of estimation technique. A latent variable model that reconciles conflicting efficiency series by accounting for measurement error is estimated in this study. Within this framework, a positive relationship between farm size and efficiency is supported. Dans la presente etude, le niveay d'efficancite d'un echantillon de fermes cerealiers du Missouri est mesure par diverses methoes d'estimation des frontieres. Differntes avenues d'estimation modifient signigicativement a la fois l'efficacite technique moyenne de l'echantillon et les niveaux d'efficacite technique de chaque exploitation. En outre, le rapport entre l'etendue de al ferme et l'efficacite technique fluctuatit selon la methode d'estimation utilisee. Les auteurs analysent un modele par variables latentes, qui permet de raccorder des se d'efficacite opposees en prenant en compte l'erreur de mesure. Le mode conforte l'hypothese d'une relation positive entre la taille de la ferme et son degre d'efficacite technique.
Histidine 103 in Fra2 Is an Iron-Sulfur Cluster Ligand in the [2Fe-2S] Fra2-Grx3 Complex and Is Required for in Vivo Iron Signaling in Yeast

The BolA homologue Fra2 and the cytosolic monothiol glutaredoxins Grx3 and Grx4 together play a key role in regulating iron homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetic studies indicate that Grx3/4 and Fra2 regulate activity of the iron-responsive transcription factors Aft1 and Aft2 in response to mitochondrial Fe-S cluster biosynthesis. We have previously shown that Fra2 and Grx3/4 form a [2Fe-2S]2+-bridged heterodimeric complex with iron ligands provided by the active site cysteine of Grx3/4, glutathione, and a histidine residue. To further characterize this unusual Fe-S-binding complex, site-directed mutagenesis was used to identify specific residues in Fra2 that influence Fe-S cluster binding and regulation of Aft1 activity in vivo. Here, we present spectroscopic evidence that His-103 in Fra2 is an Fe-S cluster ligand in the Fra2-Grx3 complex. Replacement of this residue does not abolish Fe-S cluster binding, but it does lead to a change in cluster coordination and destabilization of the [2Fe-2S] cluster. In vivo genetic studies further confirm that Fra2 His-103 is critical for control of Aft1 activity in response to the cellular iron status. Using CD spectroscopy, we find that ∼1 mol eq of apo-Fra2 binds tightly to the [2Fe-2S] Grx3 homodimer to form the [2Fe-2S] Fra2-Grx3 heterodimer, suggesting a mechanism for formation of the [2Fe-2S] Fra2-Grx3 heterodimer in vivo. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the histidine coordination and stability of the [2Fe-2S] cluster in the Fra2-Grx3 complex are essential for iron regulation in yeast.
Technological Literacy as Network Building

Following recent work to advocate a strongly social understanding of technological literacy, this article considers how networking technologies are reshaping our understanding of the social. In this context, technological literacy can be understood as a process of constructing the networks in which literate action is defined. I explore the role of technological literacy as a force of network building accomplished through a mechanism of translation. From the comments of experienced technical communicators, I make observations about how technical communicators are taught to be technologically literate.
Estimating Pole–Zero Errors in GSN‐IRIS/USGS Network Calibration Metadata

Abstract Mapping the digital record of a seismograph into true ground motion requires the correction of the data by some description of the instrument’s response. For the Global Seismographic Network (Butler et al. , 2004), as well as many other networks, this instrument response is represented as a Laplace domain pole–zero model and published in the Standard for the Exchange of Earthquake Data (SEED) format. This Laplace representation assumes that the seismometer behaves as a linear system, with any abrupt changes described adequately via multiple time‐invariant epochs. The SEED format allows for published instrument response errors as well, but these typically have not been estimated or provided to users. We present an iterative three‐step method to estimate the instrument response parameters (poles and zeros) and their associated errors using random calibration signals. First, we solve a coarse nonlinear inverse problem using a least‐squares grid search to yield a first approximation to the solution. This approach reduces the likelihood of poorly estimated parameters (a local‐minimum solution) caused by noise in the calibration records and enhances algorithm convergence. Second, we iteratively solve a nonlinear parameter estimation problem to obtain the least‐squares best‐fit Laplace pole–zero–gain model. Third, by applying the central limit theorem, we estimate the errors in this pole–zero model by solving the inverse problem at each frequency in a two‐thirds octave band centered at each best‐fit pole–zero frequency. This procedure yields error estimates of the 99% confidence interval. We demonstrate the method by applying it to a number of recent Incorporated Research Institutions in Seismology/United States Geological Survey (IRIS/USGS) network calibrations (network code IU). Online Material: MATLAB code for calibration analysis.
Carotid perfusion hypothermia for brain surgery using cardiac arrest without bypass

Abstract The technique of preferential cerebral hypothermia with elective cardiac arrest and balloon cardiac massage has been shown to be possible in the human patient. It involves the advantage of relative simplicity while avoiding some of the problems related to extracorporeal cardio-pulmonary bypass (such as anticoagulation). It can be adapted well to the requirements of neurosurgeons and neurosurgery. We believe that the utilization of a simple Ringer's-like solution rather than cooled blood affords a better method of perfusion cooling and eliminates the adverse effects of increased viscosity and microvascular clotting.
The Impact of Swirl Ratio and Injection Pressure on Fuel-Air Mixing in a Light-Duty Diesel Engine

Toluene fuel-tracer laser-induced fluorescence is employed to quantitatively measure the equivalence ratio distributions in the cylinder of a light-duty diesel engine operating in a low-temperature, high-EGR, and early-injection operating mode. Measurements are made in a non-combusting environment at crank angles capturing the mixture preparation period: from the start-of-injection through the onset of high-temperature heat release. Three horizontal planes are considered: within the clearance volume, the bowl rim region, and the lower bowl. Swirl ratio and injection pressure are varied independently, and the impact of these parameters on the mixture distribution is correlated to the heat release rate and the engine-out emissions.As the swirl ratio or injection pressure is increased, the amount of over-lean mixture in the upper central region of the combustion chamber, in the bowl rim region and above, also increases. Unexpectedly, increased injection pressure results in a greater quantity of over-rich mixture within the squish volume.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
In situ laboratory X-ray powder diffraction study of wollastonite carbonation using a high-pressure stage

Abstract A high-pressure gas stage, recently developed for in-situ X-ray powder diffraction studies of polymer crystallization under CO 2, has been used to observe the carbonation of wollastonite under various temperature/pressure conditions despite the fact that the stage was not designed for use with moisture-containing samples. The rate of carbonation of wollastonite at 60 °C was found to be pressure-independent. Additional experiments at 34.5 bar between 43 and 73 °C enabled an activation energy of 53 kJ mol −1 to be determined for the rate-limiting step. This value agrees very well with a published value for the leaching of Ca from wollastonite in acidic conditions and suggests that Ca leaching is the rate-limiting step in wollastonite carbonation at these temperatures.
Individual differences in the emotional reaction to shock determine whether hypoalgesia is observed.

Objectives. Our laboratory has shown that electrical shocks induce fear in human participants and subsequently inhibit pain on the hand receiving shocks. The present study examined whether pain modulation is bilateral, by testing pain on the hand contralateral to the one receiving shocks. We also evaluated whether individual differences in emotional response to the shocks influenced pain modulation. Design. Following baseline tests, 61 participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the shock group, participants received three surprising electrical shocks. In the control group, stimulating electrodes were removed from participants' fingers, and no shocks were presented. Both groups received two more pain threshold tests 2 and 8 minutes later. Outcome Measures. Similarly to the tail-flick test used in rodents, pain threshold was tested by measuring the latency of finger withdrawal to radiant heat. The following manipulation checks assessed the emotional state induced by shocks and the control procedure: Self-reported affect, skin conductance level (SCL), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP). Results. Surprisingly, self-reported affect data indicate that some participants reacted to the shocks with humor and fear, while others reacted primarily with fear. Therefore, these groups were analyzed separately. Participants reacting with fear only exhibited hypoalgesia; however, participants reacting with mixed fear and humor showed no change in pain. This divergent effect was not mediated by arousal, because SCL, HR, and BP were similar in both shocked groups (fear only, fear + humor). Conclusions. These data suggest that fear-induced hypoalgesia occurs bilaterally. However, humor experienced concurrent with fear appears to inhibit hypoalgesia. These findings may help explain individual differences in pain following traumatic events.
Media and Community Campaign Effects on Adult Tobacco Use in Texas

The present study reports on the effects on adult tobacco cessation of a comprehensive tobacco-use prevention and cessation program in the state of Texas. Differences in cessation rates across treatment conditions were measured by following a panel of 622 daily smokers, recruited from the original cross-sectional sample, from baseline to follow-up. The adult media campaign combined television, radio, newspaper and billboard advertisements featuring messages and outreach programs to help adults avoid or quit using tobacco products. The ads also promoted quitting assistance programs from the American Cancer Society Smokers' Quitline, a telephone counseling service. The cessation component of the intervention focused on increasing availability of and access to cessation counseling services and pharmacological therapy to reduce nicotine dependence. Both clinical and community-based cessation programs were offered. Treatment areas which combined cessation activities with high level media campaigns had a rate of smoking reduction that almost tripled rates in areas which received no services, and almost doubled rates in areas with media campaigns alone. Analyses of the dose of exposure to media messages about smoking cessation show greater exposure to television and radio messages in the areas where high level media was combined with community cessation activities than in the other areas. Results also show that exposure to media messages was related to processes of change in smoking cessation and that those processes were related to the quitting that was observed in the group receiving the most intensive campaigns.
Iodine concentrations in milk from iodophor teat dips.

Forty Holstein and Jersey cattle were assigned to four groups by milk production of Dairy Herd Improvement Association records. Cattle were on pasture and free-choice roughage supplemented with a concentrate and mineral mixture that was mixed without iodine supplementation. Teats of cows in each group were dipped for 27 days with chlorhexidine (controls) or iodophor teat dips with 1, .25, or .1% concentrations of iodine. Individual milk samples were taken on days 0, 20, and 27 for determination of iodine in milk. Mean iodine remained fairly constant, although there was a transitory increase for 1 and .25% dips at day 20. Mean iodine in milk (microgram/liter) for days 0, 20, and 27 were control: 31.3, 19.8, 14.7; 1.0%: 21.8, 51.5, 23.7; .25%: 34.5, 46.9, 36.7; .1%: 13.6, 14.5, 14.9. Iodophor teat dips did not add appreciable amounts of iodine to the bulk milk.
Forming of aluminum alloys at elevated temperatures ¿ Part 2: Numerical modeling and experimental verification

Abstract The temperature-dependent Barlat YLD96 anisotropic yield function developed previously [Forming of aluminum alloys at elevated temperatures – Part 1: Material characterization. Int. J. Plasticity, 2005a] was applied to the forming simulation of AA3003-H111 aluminum alloy sheets. The cutting-plane algorithm for the integration of a general class of elasto-plastic constitutive models was used to implement this yield function into the commercial FEM code LS-Dyna as a user material subroutine (UMAT). The temperature-dependent material model was used to simulate the coupled thermo-mechanical finite element analysis of the stamping of an aluminum sheet using a hemispherical punch under the pure stretch boundary condition. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the UMAT’s ability to predict both forming behavior and failure locations, simulation results were compared with experimental data performed at several elevated temperatures. Forming limit diagrams (FLDs) were developed for the AA3003-H111 at several elevated temperatures using the M-K model in order to predict the location of the failure in the numerical simulations. The favorable comparison found between the numerical and experimental data shows that a promising future exists for the development of more accurate temperature-dependent yield functions to apply to thermo-hydroforming process.
Surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection of chemical and biological agents using a portable Raman integrated tunable sensor

Abstract This paper describes a compact and rugged Raman integrated tunable sensor coupled with surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates for the screening of a wide variety of chemical and biological agents for homeland defense applications. The field-deployable instrument, consisting of an 830-nm diode laser for excitation and an avalanche photodiode (APD) for detection, is a fully integrated, tunable, “point-and-shoot” Raman device based on solid-state acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF) technology. It can provide direct identification of chemical and biological samples in a few seconds under field conditions. This paper illustrates some applications of this portable device for the detection of various compounds of particular interest for homeland defense applications. These include methyl parathion (a nerve agent simulant) and dipicolinic acid (a biomarker for bacillus endospore), and other chemical warfare simulants such as dimethyl methylphosphonate, pinacolyl methylphosphonate, diethyl phosphoramidate, and 2-chloroethyl ethylsulfide, which are simulants for sarin (GB), soman (GD), tabun (GA), and sulfur mustard (HD), respectively, and intact bacteria such as Bacillus globigii, Erwinia herbicola, and Bacillus thuringiensis, which are simulants for biological warfare agents.
Predicting the areas of crustal faulting in the San Francisco Bay region

We investigated the mechanism of the distinct deformation styles in fault-bounded crustal blocks in the San Francisco Bay region using a two-dimensional map-view model. The model features a nonlinear, elastoplastic (Coulomb) upper crust, and it includes all the major faults in the region. In addition to predicting accurately the long-term fault-slip rates and stress orientations in the region, the weak-fault model predicts areas of crustal faulting in close agreement with field observations. The most striking feature is the distinct spatial domains of the minimum horizontal principal stress (σ2), which are spatially associated with the distinct deformation styles in the region. Crustal faulting is most likely to occur in areas with the least σ2 value.