cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of static incubation versus physiologic perfusion techniques for quantitation of luminal release of prostacyclin and thromboxane in canine arteries and veins

Abstract Intraluminal release of 6-keto-PGF 1α and TxB 2 in ex vivo canine arteries and veins was assessed during five consecutive 15-min periods using static incubation and physiologic perfusion techniques. Arterial segments were perfused with 90 ml/min pulsatile flow at 100 mm Hg and vein segments with 90 ml/min nonpulsatile flow at 7 mm Hg. During the final 15-min period vessels were stimulated with arachidonic acid (AAS). Perfusion of vein segments caused a higher release of 6-keto-PGF 1α during the first 30 min ( P P 1α for 45 min ( P P 2 release was higher during the entire observation period in perfused arteries and veins compared to incubated vessels ( P and 1α or TxB 2 released when comparing values obtained by one technique to values obtained by the other ( P > 0.1). These data suggest that flow related shear stress alters vascular prostanoid production, and that such should be accounted for when interpreting results of studies on prostacyclin and thromboxane release from intact vessels.
Effects of type of dietary fat on indices of immune status of rabbits.

We have compared the effects of dietary saturated and unsaturated fats of the n-6 and n-3 types on the immune status of male New Zealand white rabbits. Four groups of rabbits (n = 8) were fed purified diets containing one of the followingfats (7.6% w/w,23 kcal %) for 5 mo, hydrogenated soybean oil (HSO); safflower oil (SFO); linseed oil (LSO); or menhaden oil (MHO). In vitro proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) cul tured with T-cell mitogens was significantly higher in the LSO group than in the other three groups, and that in the HSO group was higher than in the MHO and SFO groups which were not different from each other. Proliferation of PBLin response to B-cell mitogens was significantly higher in the LSO group than in the SFO and MHO groups. In vitro proliferation of splenocytes (SPC) from the LSO group was higher than that from the other three groups onlywhen SPC were cultured with T-cell mitogens. Serum antibody levels against bovine serum albumin were significantlyhigher in the LSO group than in the SFO group after second and third immunizations. Spleen weights, number of SPC or PBL, and delayed-type hypersensitivity were not different among the four dietary groups. Our data show that linseed oil diet enhanced several indices of immune status in rab bits. J. Nutr. 118: 1376-1384, 1988.
A Comprehensive Segmentation, Registration, and Cancer Detection Scheme on 3 Tesla In Vivo Prostate DCE-MRI

Recently, high resolution 3 Tesla (T) Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) of the prostate has emerged as a promising modality for detecting prostate cancer (CaP). Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) schemes for DCE-MRI data have thus far been primarily developed for breast cancer and typically involve model fitting of dynamic intensity changes as a function of contrast agent uptake by the lesion. Comparatively there is relatively little work in developing CAD schemes for prostate DCE-MRI. In this paper, we present a novel unsupervised detection scheme for CaP from 3 T DCE-MRI which comprises 3 distinct steps. First, a multi-attribute active shape model is used to automatically segment the prostate boundary from 3 T in vivoMR imagery. A robust multimodal registration scheme is then used to non-linearly align corresponding whole mount histological and DCE-MRI sections from prostatectomy specimens to determine the spatial extent of CaP. Non-linear dimensionality reduction schemes such as locally linear embedding (LLE) have been previously shown to be useful in projecting such high dimensional biomedical data into a lower dimensional subspace while preserving the non-linear geometry of the data manifold. DCE-MRI data is embedded via LLE and then classified via unsupervised consensus clustering to identify distinct classes. Quantitative evaluation on 21 histology-MRI slice pairs against registered CaP ground truth estimates yielded a maximum CaP detection accuracy of 77.20% while the popular three time point (3TP) scheme yielded an accuracy of 67.37%.
Climate and tropical cyclone activity : A new model downscaling approach

Abstract While there is a pressing need to understand and predict the response of tropical cyclones to climate change, global climate models are at present too coarse to resolve tropical cyclones to the extent necessary to simulate their intensity, and their ability to simulate genesis is questionable. For these reasons, a “downscaling” approach to modeling the effect of climate change on tropical cyclones is desirable. Here a new approach to downscaling is introduced that consists of generating a large set of synthetic storm tracks whose statistics are consistent with the large-scale general circulation of the climate model, and then running a deterministic, coupled tropical cyclone model along each track, with atmospheric and upper-ocean thermodynamic conditions taken from the global climate model. As a first step in this direction, this paper explores the sensitivity of the intensity of a large sample of tropical cyclones to changes in potential intensity, shear, and ocean mixed layer depth, fixing oth...
Fuel Cell Based Battery-Less UPS System

In this paper, new battery-less UPS system configuration powered by fuel cell is discussed. The proposed topology utilizes a standard standby UPS module and the battery is replaced by a supercapacitor. The proposed system operation is such that the supercapacitor bank is sized to support startup and load transients and steady state power is supplied by the fuel cell. Further, the fuel cell runs continuously to supply 10% power in steady state. In case of power outage, it is shown that the startup time for fuel cell is reduced and the supercapacitor bank supplies power till the fuel cell ramps up from supplying 10% load to 100% load. A detailed design example is presented for a 200 W/350 VA 1-phase UPS system to meet the requirements of a critical load. The equivalent circuit and hence the terminal behavior of the fuel cell and the supercapacitor are considered in the analysis and design of the system for stable operation over a wide range. Experimental results along with stability analysis and performance verification of the entire system have been shown in this paper.
Base-Pair Substitutions in Avian Sarcoma Virus U5 and U3 Long Terminal Repeat Sequences Alter the Process of DNA Integration In Vitro

We have described a reconstituted avian sarcoma virus (ASV) concerted DNA integration system with specially designed mini-donor DNA containing a supF transcription unit, a supercoiled plasmid acceptor, purified bacterially expressed ASV integrase (IN), and human high-mobility-group protein I(Y). Integration in this system is dependent upon the mini-donor DNA having IN recognition sequences at both ends and upon both ends of the same donor integrating into the acceptor DNA. The integrated DNA product exhibits all of the features associated with integration of viral DNA in vivo (P. Hindmarsh et al., J. Virol., 73:2994-3003, 1999). Individual integrants are isolated from bacteria containing drug-resistant markers with amber mutations. This system was used to evaluate the importance of sequences in the terminal U5 and U3 long terminal repeats at positions 5 and/or 6, adjacent to the conserved CA dinucleotide. Base-pair substitutions introduced at these positions in U5 result in significant reductions in recovered integrants from bacteria, due to increases in one-ended insertion events. Among the recovered integrants from reactions with mutated U5 but not U3 IN recognition sequences were products that contain large deletions in the acceptor DNA. Base-pair substitutions at positions 5 and 6 in U3 mostly reduce the efficiency of integration of the modified donor. Together, these results indicate that sequences directly 5' to the conserved CA dinucleotide are very important for the process of concerted DNA integration. Furthermore, IN interacts with U3 and U5 termini differently, and aberrant end-processing events leading to nonconcerted DNA integration are more common in U5 than in U3.
Numerical simulation of semiconductor optical amplifiers based wavelength converters

A numerical model of wavelength converters based on cross-gain modulation in semiconductor optical amplifiers is developed. A more accurate gain coefficient model, spatial variations of carrier densities, and position-dependent differential gain and internal loss are included.
Scheduling real-time communication on dual-link networks

The authors develop a general model of reservation-based dual-link networks to support real-time communication. They examine the desirable properties of this network and the difficulties in achieving these properties. They then introduce the concept of coherence and develop a theory of coherent dual-link networks. It is shown that a coherent dual-link network can be analyzed as though it is a centralized system. It is also shown that a coherent dual-link network can be analyzed similarly to an equivalent centralized system in terms of its schedulability for periodic message traffic. >
Manipulation of the extrastriate frontal loop can resolve visual disability in blindsight patients

Patients with blindsight are not consciously aware of visual stimuli in the affected field of vision but retain nonconscious perception. This disability can be resolved if nonconsciously perceived information can be brought to their conscious awareness. It can be accomplished by manipulating neural network of visual awareness. To understand this network, we studied the pattern of cortical activity elicited during processing of visual stimuli with or without conscious awareness. The analysis indicated that a re-entrant signaling loop between the area V3A (located in the extrastriate cortex) and the frontal cortex is critical for processing conscious awareness. The loop is activated by visual signals relayed in the primary visual cortex, which is damaged in blindsight patients. Because of the damage, V3A-frontal loop is not activated and the signals are not processed for conscious awareness. These patients however continue to receive visual signals through the lateral geniculate nucleus. Since these signals do not activate the V3A-frontal loop, the stimuli are not consciously perceived. If visual input from the lateral geniculate nucleus is appropriately manipulated and made to activate the V3A-frontal loop, blindsight patients can regain conscious vision.
Aging augments renal vasoconstrictor response to orthostatic stress in humans

The ability of the human body to maintain arterial blood pressure (BP) during orthostatic stress is determined by several reflex neural mechanisms. Renal vasoconstriction progressively increases during graded elevations in lower body negative pressure (LBNP). This sympathetically mediated response redistributes blood flow to the systemic circulation to maintain BP. However, how healthy aging affects the renal vasoconstrictor response to LBNP is unknown. Therefore, 10 young (25 ± 1 yr; means ± SE) and 10 older (66 ± 2 yr) subjects underwent graded LBNP (-15 and -30 mmHg) while beat-to-beat renal blood flow velocity (RBFV; Doppler ultrasound), arterial BP (Finometer), and heart rate (HR; electrocardiogram) were recorded. Renal vascular resistance (RVR), an index of renal vasoconstriction, was calculated as mean BP/RBFV. All baseline cardiovascular variables were similar between groups, except diastolic BP was higher in older subjects (P < 0.05). Increases in RVR during LBNP were greater in the older group compared with the young group (older: -15 mmHg Δ10 ± 3%, -30 mmHg Δ20 ± 5%; young: -15 mmHg Δ2 ± 2%, -30 mmHg Δ6 ± 2%; P < 0.05). RBFV tended to decrease more (P = 0.10) and mean BP tended to decrease less (P = 0.09) during LBNP in the older group compared with the young group. Systolic and diastolic BP, pulse pressure, and HR responses to LBNP were similar between groups. These findings suggest that aging augments the renal vasoconstrictor response to orthostatic stress in humans.
Psychophysiological Stress Reactivity Relationships across the Menstrual Cycle

While evidence suggests that women exhibit psychophysiological differences in stress reactivity across the menstrual cycle, the relationships among psychological and physiological stress reactivity states are not well understood. Healthy, normally cycling women (N = 44) participated in two counterbalanced laboratory sessions during the follicular and luteal phases where heart rate and subjective stress were assessed in response to stressors. There were no differences in the magnitudes of psychophysiological stress responses across the cycle. Psychological and physiological states were largely unrelated in the follicular phase but interrelationships were found in the luteal phase and these relationships were influenced by autonomic perception and trait anxiety. For women with high trait anxiety, autonomic perception appeared to buffer psychological and physiological stress reactivity during the luteal phase, suggesting that autonomic perception may be a protective factor for more anxious women during times of acute stress.
Discovery of Selective Small Molecule Inhibitors of Monoacylglycerol Acyltransferase 3.

Inhibition of triacylglycerol (TAG) biosynthetic enzymes has been suggested as a promising strategy to treat insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hepatic steatosis. Monoacylglycerol acyltransferase 3 (MGAT3) is an integral membrane enzyme that catalyzes the acylation of both monoacylglycerol (MAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) to generate DAG and TAG, respectively. Herein, we report the discovery and characterization of the first selective small molecule inhibitors of MGAT3. Isoindoline-5-sulfonamide (6f, PF-06471553) selectively inhibits MGAT3 with high in vitro potency and cell efficacy. Because the gene encoding MGAT3 (MOGAT3) is found only in higher mammals and humans, but not in rodents, a transgenic mouse model expressing the complete human MOGAT3 was used to characterize the effects of 6f in vivo. In the presence of a combination of diacylglycerol acyltransferases 1 and 2 (DGAT1 and DGAT2) inhibitors, an oral administration of 6f exhibited inhibition of the incorporation of deuterium-labeled ...
Elk grazing and vegetation responses following a late season fire in Yellowstone National Park

We studied responses of aboveground production, grazing by elk and the availability of eight elements (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, N, Na, P, Zn) in a Yellowstone National Park sagebrush grassland following a fire in 1992. We compared four areas of differing fire history: (1) an area burned in 1992, (2) an area burned in 1992 and 1988, (3) an area burned in 1988 and (4) an area with no recent fire history. The year after burning, graminoids produced more aboveground biomass on burned areas compared with unburned areas. Forages growing on burned soils were highly concentrated with all nutrients, except Ca, when elk grazed the site. Despite nutrient-rich forage on burned areas, elk consumed little forage in these areas. We hypothesized that elk ate less than expected in burned areas because of a large bloom of lupine (Lupinus sericeus), which may be unpalatable to elk.
Equilibrium Extortion, Bargaining Power, and the Tradeoff between Informational and Corruption Rents

The paper considers a principal-supervisor-agent hierarchy where the supervisor is self-interested and able to manipulate information. The supervisor’s self interest may motivate him to accept a bribe in exchange for a report that is overly favorable to the agent or to extort the agent by demanding payment for a favorable report to which the agent is fairly entitled. When attempting to extort the agent, the supervisor may become irrationally attached to his bargaining position, including threats that if carried out would incur a loss ex post; realizing this, the agent may accede to extortion. In spite of this possibility for strictly positive extortion payments, incentives are improved – in that the information rent is lowered – by reducing the bargaining power of the agent, relative to that of the supervisor. However, the expected cost of these payments – the corruption rent collected by the supervisor – is passed on to the principal through the agent’s participation constraint, and this rent is lowered by increasing the agent’s relative bargaining power. Thus there is a tradeoff between informational and corruption rents: Increasing the agent’s relative bargaining power increases the information rent and decreases the corruption rent, and the overall effect on the value of the optimal contract tends to follow a simple rule: Strong supervisors are preferred when supervision is less effective, and strong agents are preferred when supervision is more effective.
Flow Control for Boundary Layer Ingestion in an S-duct Difuser

This paper studies the e ect of di erent con gurations of boundary layer fences and vortex generators on the performance of an S-duct di user, with speci c interest in total pressure loss and distortion coe cient at the exit plane. The duct used in the experiments was a scaled model of the inlet of the Silent Aircraft Initiative’s Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) design, which has a duct geometry that evolves from a semicircular to a circular crosssection with a small vertical o set of the centerline from inlet to exit. The ow control con gurations were tested experimentally in a wind tunnel and computationally in order to show ow development, static pressure evolution along the top and bottom walls, and the total pressure distributions at the inlet and exit. Three con gurations were tested: one with no ow control devices, one with boundary layer fences located on the upper half of the side walls, and another with the fences and tapered n vortex generators placed downstream of the rst bend of the duct. The boundary layer fences were able to reduce the distortion coe cient by 11% at the exit but with a 52% increase in pressure losses. The vortex generators, which were sized to the thickness of the ingested boundary layer, overcompensated for the duct curvature, creating strong counter rotating vortices that signi cantly increased both pressure losses and distortion at the exit plane.
Telling Capitalist World-Ecology in the History of Commodities

Post-Cartesian research in the social sciences, research which hopes to overcome the separation between “people” and “nature” in favor of world-ecological views of human existence, has greatly enha...
Seasonal Laurentide Ice Sheet melting during the “Mystery Interval” (17.5–14.5 ka)

The last deglaciation in the Northern Hemisphere was interrupted by two major stadials, the so-called “Mystery Interval” (17.5–14.5 ka) and the Younger Dryas (12.9–11.7 ka). During these events, the North Atlantic region was marked by cold surface conditions, yet simultaneous glacier and snowline retreat. Rerouting of Laurentide Ice Sheet meltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to an eastern or northern spillway may have reduced meridional overturning circulation at the onset of the Younger Dryas. However, this hypothesis has not been tested for the Mystery Interval. Paired Mg/Ca and δ 18 O measurements on foraminifera from laminated Orca Basin sediments in the Gulf of Mexico, constrained by 35 14 C dates, document the timing of meltwater input with subcentennial resolution. Isolating the δ 18 O of seawater (termed δ 18 O GOM ) reveals three major melting episodes from ca. 17.5 ka until 12.9 ka, followed by a rapid cessation, consistent with meltwater rerouting at the onset of the Younger Dryas. Conversely, inferred meltwater fl ow to the Gulf of Mexico during the Mystery Interval does not support a simple routing event, but is consistent with glacier and snowline retreat. We suggest that summer melting of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets during this stadial may have been an important mechanism for enhanced winter sea-ice formation, hypercold winter conditions, and enhanced seasonality in the North Atlantic region.
Diffusion of Point Defects in a Stressed Simple Cubic Lattice

A systematic theoretical and computational study is presented for the diffusion of point defects in a stressed cubic lattice. The study combines an atomistic description of point defect migration with a continuum model for point defect transport. Moment analysis of the macroscale transport equation gives expressions for the drift velocity and the diffusivity tensor of the point defects, which are calculated by a dynamic Monte Carlo simulation of the defect migration process. Results are presented for the case of diffusion under a constant force of interaction between the applied stress on the crystal and the defects. The continuum model gives the general constitutive model for stress-assisted point defect diffusion.
Study on the transverse modes in stable optical resonators

In order to develop laser modes in stable resonators, an analytical method was adopted to resolve the field distribution of the laser modes in stable optical resonators. The expressions for the laser modes were derived after seeking simple solutions to Maxwell' s equations. The plots of the field intensity distribution corresponding to some laser modes in plan-concave Nd:YAG laser were shown. The theory of laser modes in stable resonators was enhanced.
Further Further Notes and Sources

"Look down at the bottom of the text of the day, where footnotes will explain all." So advises the narrator of Gravity's Rainbow (V204, B238), who later mocks our inclination towards endless pedantic emendation of those same "footnotes." Never mind the mockery; numerous references in the novel show that Pynchon himself is a close reader of scholarly annotations. For other emendators, here then are some corrections/additions to David Seed's "Further Notes and Sources for Gravity's Rainbow" (PNotes, 16 [Spring 1985], 25-36), a quite useful addition to the textual study of the novel. Page references are to the Viking (1973) and Bantam (1974) editions.
Ocular Findings in Patients with Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome: An Update

Two hundred fifty-seven patients with biopsy-proven dysplastic nevus syndrome (DNS) were evaluated ophthalmologically and compared with 264 non-DNS patients, who acted as a control population. A statistically significant increase in the percentage of the DNS patients versus controls harboring conjunctival nevi (8.56% vs. 1.14%), iris nevi (24.90% vs. 9.47%), and choroidal nevi (14.40% vs. 5.30%) was encountered. The number of iris nevi found per patient was also greater statistically for the DNS group. Also encountered in the DNS group was presence of multiple nevus types in the same patient (iris and choroidal, iris and conjunctival, conjunctival and choroidal); 3 patients had all three nevus types present, and 4 patients had two choroidal nevi per eye. No patient in the control group had more than one nevus type present per eye.
Improving methods of chordal sparing mitral valve replacement. Part I: A new, non-distorting isovolumic balloon preparation for the left ventricle with intact mitral subvalvular apparatus

BACKGROUND AND AIMS OF THE STUDY The conventional isovolumic preparation with a single balloon, although employed for many years, distorts the chordae tendineae of the intact mitral apparatus. MATERIAL AND METHODS Anterior balloon (one balloon inserted via a slit in the anterior leaflet) and double balloon (two balloons through slits in both leaflets) methods were developed and compared to the conventional method and natural conditions (LV filled with saline, or 'gold standard') in six ex-vivo, non-beating porcine hearts. RESULTS LV volumes measured by the double balloon, anterior balloon, and conventional techniques all correlated highly with natural conditions, but the conventional method had a lower correlation coefficient (r = 0.99, 0.98, p < 0.0001 and < 0.001; and 0.92 p < 0.01, respectively at a left ventricular (LV) pressure of 50 mmHg, while r = 1.00, 1.00, both p < 0.0001; and 0.92, p < 0.01, respectively at 70 mmHg). Epicardial echocardiography revealed that the double balloon technique filled the space behind the chordae while maintaining normal chordal geometry, but the anterior balloon alone did not (p < 0.001). Similarly, the conventional method did not fill the LV outflow tract (p < 0.001) and had a mitral annular shift toward the left atrium (p < 0.001). Photography of both leaflets showed that only the double balloon method maintained normal geometry as assessed by leaflet length ratio; the other methods produced distorted geometry compared to natural filling conditions. CONCLUSIONS With an intact mitral valve, the double balloon method provides more precise LV pressure-volume measurements while preserving the normal geometry of the chordae tendineae and mitral annulus.
The Art of a Good Research Presentation

Like the chapters on grant and paper writing and revising, there is an entire literature on creating effective presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote, and my goal in this chapter is not to introduce you to the finer points of navigating those programs and making beautiful productions. Rather, I would like to instill a more general philosophy about presentation that I hope you will find useful. I should make it clear that I have never won any awards for my presentations per se, but having sat through innumerable grand rounds presentations and having presented at national and international meetings many times, I would like to share some basic rules of success.
Foundational Pasts: The Holocaust as Historical Understanding

Alon Confino seeks to rethink dominant interpretations of the Holocaust by examining it as a problem in cultural history. As the main research interests of Holocaust scholars are frequently covered terrain – the anti-Semitic ideological campaign, the machinery of killing, the brutal massacres during the war – Confino's research goes in a new direction. He analyzes the culture and sensibilities that made it possible for the Nazis and other Germans to imagine the making of a world without Jews. Confino seeks these insights from the ways historians interpreted another short, violent and foundational event in modern European history – the French Revolution. The comparison of the ways we understand the Holocaust with scholars' interpretations of the French Revolution allows Confino to question some of the basic assumptions of present-day historians concerning historical narration, explanation and understanding.
Cluster Photoexcitation and Evaporation: Two Regimes?

We discuss simulation studies of cluster evaporation dynamics for several systems which can be considered typical of two limiting regimes: a statistical regime and a mode-specific regime. At the statistical limit, we compare the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the evaporation of small neutral argon clusters with both approximate statistical theories and exact classical phase space theory. In the limit of mode-specific excitation we discuss the photoexcitation and caging of diatomic molecules and ions in rare-gas and molecular clusters. Special attention is given to the I2(CO2)1 system. We compare simulation results with existing experimental data and discuss the transition from non-statistical to statistical evaporation as a function of cluster size.
Validation of RELAP5/MOD3.3 for subcooled boiling, flashing and condensation in a vertical annulus

Abstract Continued development of system analysis codes has resulted in the recovery of conservatisms originally imposed on nuclear power reactors, allowing for an increase in the capacity of commercial nuclear reactors. These codes also play an instrumental role in the design and certification of new reactor systems. With the increased demand for passive natural circulation and gravity driven cooling options, these codes are met with the new challenge of simulating low pressure, low flow conditions. The objective of this work is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the widely used RELAP5/MOD3.3 code to simulate boiling, condensing and flashing flows under such conditions. Two-phase flow data in an internally heated vertical annulus with inner diameter of 19.1 mm and outer diameter of 38.1 mm is utilized for validation of the RELAP5/MOD3.3. The code calculation of pressure, temperature, void fraction, interfacial area concentration, and void weighted gas velocity along the 4.5 m test section is compared with data at five axial locations. In the 2.8 m heated section of the channel the code predictions compare favorably in general, although the error does increase at low system pressure. Beyond the heated length, code predictions of condensation and flashing show more noticeable disagreement along the 1.7 m unheated section. Condensation is consistently under-predicted. Flashing varies from relatively good agreement to complete failure, depending on the conditions at the exit of the heated section. User options related to boiling and condensation are also assessed, and shown to have marginal improvements in some conditions. In general the code consistently predicts the point of net vapor generation too soon along the heated length at low mass flux, over predicts the void fraction at the end of the heated length, and has large scatter in void fraction agreement at the end of the channel.
Contact and contagion: The Roanoke colony and influenza

A comparison of the writings of Thomas Hariot, leader of the ill-fated Roanoke colony, and John Smith, founder of the first successful British settlement in North America, reveals that the Roanoke colonists were the vectors of epidemic disease. The disease was probably influenza, and it was especially lethal to the American Indians whom the Roanoke colonists contacted. Thomas Hariot recorded direct observations of the progress of the epidemic, including symptoms, mode of transmission, and virulence. John Smith, upon his arrival in the Chesapeake Bay region, heard stories of a devastating epidemic that had ravaged the Accomac, one of the groups visited by the Roanoke colonists during the winter of 1585/86. This article critically assesses the historical evidence surrounding this epidemic and proposes influenza as the probable pathogen. Depopulation of American Indians in the vicinity of the Roanoke colony, specifically the Accomac, is placed within the wider context of European epidemic disease in the New World. One implication of this historical record is the identification of Virginia’s Eastern Shore as an area likely to contain archaeological resources relevant to the research problem of American Indian demographic change during the Contact period.
EPITAXIAL INTERFACES OF III-V HETEROSTRUCTURES: ATOMIC RESOLUTION, COMPOSITION FLUCTUATIONS AND DOPING

Epitaxially grown III-V semiconductor multilayers are studied by cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) on the (110) plane cleaved in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). The group III (empty state) or the group V (filled state) sublattice are selectively imaged by tunneling into the conduction states or out of the valence states. The heterojunctions can be clearly identified with atomic resolution in both sublattices and are defined with an accuracy of ±1 unit cell. Atomic resolution topographs of the group III (Al-Ga) sublattice in AlGaAs are shown and the charge density corrugations reflect the composition fluctuations on the atomic scale. The definition and “roughness” of the interface on the atomic scale in the AlGaAs-GaAs heterojunction are displayed. Tunneling spectroscopy across GaAs/AlGaAs junctions displays a transition in the valence band which occurs over a length scale of approximately 3.5 nm. The extent of this electronic transition is discussed and a quantitative interpretation of the I-V curves is made, including tip-induced bandbending in the semiconductor. The role of the local doping concentration is discussed in context with spectroscopy. In addition, the observation of the electronic signature of individual doping sites is reported
Effect of homogenizer performance on accuracy and repeatability of mid-infrared predicted values for major milk components

Our objective was to determine the effect of mid-infrared (MIR) homogenizer efficiency on accuracy and repeatability of Fourier transform MIR predicted fat, true protein, and anhydrous lactose determination given by traditional filter and partial least squares (PLS) prediction models. Five homogenizers with different homogenization performance based on laser light-scattering particle size analysis were used. Repeatability and accuracy were determined by conducting 17 sequential readings on milk homogenized externally to the instrument (i.e., control) and unhomogenized milk. Milk component predictions on externally homogenized milks were affected by variation in homogenizer performance, but the magnitude of effect were small (i.e., <0.025%) when milks were pumped through both efficient and inefficient homogenizers within a MIR milk analyzer. Variation in the in-line MIR homogenizer performance on unhomogenized milks had a much larger effect on accuracy of component testing than on repeatability. The increase of particle size distribution [d(0.9)] from 1.35 to 3.03μm (i.e., fat globule diameter above which 10% of the volume of fat is contained) due to poor homogenization affected fat tests the most; traditional filter based fat B (carbon hydrogen stretch; -0.165%), traditional filter-based fat A (carbonyl stretch; -0.074%), and fat PLS (-0.078%) at a d(0.9) of 3.03μm. Variation in homogenization efficiency also affected traditional filter-based true protein test (+0.012%), true protein PLS prediction (-0.107%), and traditional filter-based anhydrous lactose test (+0.027%) at a d(0.9) of 3.03μm. Effects of variation in homogenization on anhydrous lactose PLS predictions were small. The accuracy of both traditional filter models and PLS models were influenced by poor homogenization. The value of 1.7µm for a d(0.9) used by the USDA Federal Milk Market laboratories as a criterion to make the decision to replace the homogenizer in a MIR milk analyzer appears to be a reasonable limit, given the magnitude of effect on the accuracy of fat tests. In the future, as new PLS models are developed to measure other components in milk, the sensitivity of the accuracy of the predictions of these models to factors such as variation of homogenizer performance should be determined as part of the ruggedness testing during PLS model development.
Magnetoencephalographic Imaging of Auditory and Somatosensory Cortical Responses in Children with Autism and Sensory Processing Dysfunction

This study compared magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging-derived indices of auditory and somatosensory cortical processing in children aged 8-12 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; N = 18), those with sensory processing dysfunction (SPD; N = 13) who do not meet ASD criteria, and typically developing control (TDC; N = 19) participants. The magnitude of responses to both auditory and tactile stimulation was comparable across all three groups; however, the M200 latency response from the left auditory cortex was significantly delayed in the ASD group relative to both the TDC and SPD groups, whereas the somatosensory response of the ASD group was only delayed relative to TDC participants. The SPD group did not significantly differ from either group in terms of somatosensory latency, suggesting that participants with SPD may have an intermediate phenotype between ASD and TDC with regard to somatosensory processing. For the ASD group, correlation analyses indicated that the left M200 latency delay was significantly associated with performance on the WISC-IV Verbal Comprehension Index as well as the DSTP Acoustic-Linguistic index. Further, these cortical auditory response delays were not associated with somatosensory cortical response delays or cognitive processing speed in the ASD group, suggesting that auditory delays in ASD are domain specific rather than associated with generalized processing delays. The specificity of these auditory delays to the ASD group, in addition to their correlation with verbal abilities, suggests that auditory sensory dysfunction may be implicated in communication symptoms in ASD, motivating further research aimed at understanding the impact of sensory dysfunction on the developing brain.
Circadian Advantage in Major League Baseball

Sleep researcher Chris Winter, MD, had just finished compiling “jet lag” and game outcome data for 22,855 Major League Baseball games over a nine-year span. His interest was to see whether jet lag affected which team won/lost professional baseball games. Was the win percentage higher for the team that was less jet lagged? And if it was higher, was the difference significant enough to warrant publication?Students are given an Excel spreadsheet with 43,710 rows of data (each game appears twice, one from each team's point of view), and asked to use these data to answer the research questions. Excerpt UVA-QA-0780 Rev. Mar. 15, 2012 Circadian Advantage in Major League Baseball Chris Winter, MD, breathed a sigh of relief as he scrolled through the 43,710 rows of the recently completed Excel spreadsheet containing nine years of Major League Baseball (MLB) game data. The current director of Martha Jefferson Hospital's Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Virginia, Winter had been involved with sleep medicine and sleep research since 1992. In addition to treating patients, directing the center, competing in triathlons, raising three children with his wife Ames, and conducting traditional research, Winter devoted most of his “spare” time to studying how sleep affected athletic performance. The spreadsheet had taken more hours to compile than he cared to admit, but everything looked right. He was about to find out whether “jet lag” affected the outcomes of MLB games. Circadian Time and Circadian Advantage . . .
Flipping the Metabolic Switch: Understanding and Applying the Health Benefits of Fasting

Objective Objective: Intermittent fasting (IF) is a term used to describe a variety of eating patterns in which no or few calories are consumed for time periods that can range from 12 hours to several days, on a recurring basis. This review is focused on the physiological responses of major organ systems, including the musculoskeletal system, to the onset of the metabolic switch: the point of negative energy balance at which liver glycogen stores are depleted and fatty acids are mobilized (typically beyond 12 hours after cessation of food intake). Results and Conclusions Emerging findings suggest that the metabolic switch from glucose to fatty acid-derived ketones represents an evolutionarily conserved trigger point that shifts metabolism from lipid/cholesterol synthesis and fat storage to mobilization of fat through fatty acid oxidation and fatty acid-derived ketones, which serve to preserve muscle mass and function. Thus, IF regimens that induce the metabolic switch have the potential to improve body composition in overweight individuals. Moreover, IF regimens also induce the coordinated activation of signaling pathways that optimize physiological function, enhance performance, and slow aging and disease processes. Future randomized controlled IF trials should use biomarkers of the metabolic switch (e.g., plasma ketone levels) as a measure of compliance and of the magnitude of negative energy balance during the fasting period.
Stem and Flower Bud Hardiness of Deciduous Azaleas

Abstract Stem and flower bud hardiness of five deciduous azalea (Rhododendron sp.) clones were compared on six dates during the dormant period of 1992–1993. Visual evaluation and a specific conductance technique were compared on four dates as methods of evaluating freezing injury of stems. With a single exception, stems were always more hardy than the corresponding florets. Stems acclimated more rapidly in the fall and were from 3–15C (5–27F) more hardy than florets on two November sampling dates. Stems and florets of all clones achieved their maximum hardiness levels in January. With the exception of ‘Spicy Lights’, the maximum midwinter hardiness obtained by florets was 2–4C (4–7F) less than that of the corresponding stems. Midwinter stem hardiness was greatest in ‘White Lights’ and ‘Mandarin Lights’ [−40C (−40F)] while ‘Spicy Lights’ exhibited the greatest floret hardiness [−40C (−40F)]. Florets deacclimated substantially more than stems between January 25 and March 17. Rates of deacclimation in stems ...
Algorithmic approach to minimize the energy cost of commercial buildings in developing countries

Energy costs from Heating-Ventilation-Air-Conditioners (HVAC) systems form the third largest component of the overall operational costs of commercial buildings. Moreover, in developing countries such as India where grid connectivity in remote areas is inadequate, diesel generators (DGs) are used as a source of backup power. While DGs solve the problem of power outages, the cost of energy from diesel generators is very high, typically 3 to 5 times the grid price. Although using solar power in conjunction with battery storage can offset the high costs of diesel power, the overall energy management system of the building becomes complex. In this paper, we propose an algorithmic approach that reduces the energy cost associated with HVAC systems in the presence of outages and a mix of supply side resources including grid, DG, solar and battery storage. The algorithm schedules supply resources and the HVAC by leveraging weather forecasts and the passive thermal storage capacity of the building. The algorithm is computationally light-weight and can easily be integrated with existing building management systems. Additionally, we validate its performance against an optimization framework that yields optimal solutions. We show that both the algorithm and the optimization framework yield an average savings of 20% relative to business as usual in real world scenarios such as cell towers and office buildings.
Optimal data partitioning and forwarding in opportunistic mobile networks

In opportunistic mobile networks, existing schemes rely on the assumption that data can be entirely transmitted at each contact. However, in an opportunistic mobile network, the transmission probability exponentially decreases as the data size increases. That is, the contact duration in each contact might be insufficient to deliver large data. Therefore, it is reasonable to partition original data into small data chunks and each chunk is forwarded through an opportunistic path. The objective of this paper is to find an optimal data partition strategy where the data delivery ratio is maximized under a given deadline. There is a trade-off in data partitioning. Each small chunk in a path has a higher delivery probability than the original data, and consequently, a shorter delivery latency under the persistent transmission model with re-transmission. However, the destination needs to receive all chunks in multiple paths (a path is a sequence of contacts) to retrieve the data. A delay in any path will lead to a longer delivery latency. We formulate the data partitioning problem and propose solutions in blind flooding. In the blind flooding scenario, we find the optimal data partitioning size. Network coding technique is used to the proposed method to further improve the performance. Extensive experiments on realistic traces show that our scheme achieves a much better performance than those without partitioning.
BOUNDARY VALUE PROBLEMS FOR PAIRS OF ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL OPERATORS

This chapter focuses on boundary value problems for pairs of ordinary differential operators. It discusses two hermitian matrices K, H , where H is positive definite, H > 0. It considers the finite-dimensional Hubert space ζ H = C N with the inner product given by ( f , g ) = Hf · g = g * Hf . Here C is the set of one-column matrices f with components f 1 , … , f n , f j ∈ C . The chapter considers the situation when K is replaced by H by two ordinary differential operators L, M on an interval i of orders n , v , respectively, where M > 0 in some sense. Two problems immediately arise: (1) there are many choices for a self-adjoint H generated by M and thus many choices for ζ H , and (2) once a choice for H has been made there are many choices for the analog of A . The chapter describes the differential operator M and the Hilbert space.
Retinal degenerations: planning for the future.

Retinal degenerations are a leading cause of blindness in many parts of the world (Bunker et al., 1984; Grondahl, 1987; Berson, 1993; Klein et al., 1995; Attebo et al., 1996; Klaver et al., 1998; Novak-Laus et al., 2002). In the United States an estimated 6 million people have age-related macular degeneration with a decrease in central vision after age 60. About 100,000 people have retinitis pigmentosa or a related disease with loss of side and night vision in adolescence; they often develop tunnel vision by age 40 and lose central vision by age 60. Some 20% of patients with retinitis pigmentosa have associated hearing loss and this combination is called Usher syndrome. With increased life expectancy, the problem posed by these conditions is magnified, as affected individuals will have to endure more years of visual loss unless new treatments are found. This plenary lecture provides an overview of clinical findings and molecular genetic abnormalities in these diseases and reviews current treatments for these conditions. Selected studies of animal models of retinal degenerations will be summarized. Some proposed future therapies for human retinal degenerations will also be considered.
Online Transient Stability Assessment

With the advent of deregulation in the power industry and a lack of transmission investment, today’s power systems are operated much closer to their limits. Stressed system conditions mean that operators are faced with scenarios that never occurred in the past. Various critical decisions need to be taken in real time and this requires sophisticated software tools. One of the main issues that needs to be tackled deals with online dynamic security assessment and control. The objective of dynamic security assessment and control is to ensure that the system can withstand unforeseen contingencies and return to an acceptable steady state condition without transient instability or voltage instability problems. In this chapter, the application of a software tool that uses artificial intelligence (decision trees; DTs) is discussed. The approach is developed by training a set of trees based on simulations that are conducted offline. With advances in computer technology, it is now possible to create and store large databases that can be used to train agents. In this case, the agents are the DTs and the DT building procedure identifies critical attributes (CAs) and parameter thresholds. In order to evaluate stability limits in terms of critical interface flows and plant generation limits, the use of synchronized measurements from phasor measurement units (PMUs) has been proposed.