cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beyond-all-orders instability in the equatorial Kelvin wave

Abstract The equatorial Kelvin wave is destabilized by cross-equatorial shear in a rather bizarre fashion. There is no well-defined inviscid neutral curve. Instead, using as an exemplar the linear shear U ( y )= ϵy where U is the mean zonal flow and y is non-dimensional latitude, the Kelvin wave is unstable for all ϵ , however small. We show through multiple precision numerical calculations that the imaginary part of the phase speed is proportional to the square of the unperturbed eigenfunction at the critical latitude, that is, I (c)∝ exp (−1/ϵ 2 ) for small ϵ . Such exponential dependence on a small parameter implies that the result lies “beyond-all-orders” in a perturbation series in powers of ϵ . We connect our numerical work here with our previous study of a model problem through ‘beyond-all-orders’ perturbation theory to argue that the Kelvin instability is a critical latitude phenomenon.
The satellite assessment of impact of the 2012 great drought on corn growth in the U.S. Corn Belt

In this paper, the relationship between drought effects on corn crop and satellite remote sensing assessment will be tested and verified. Current assessment of drought impact on corn growth in the Corn Belt relies on field surveys, which suffer from time inefficiency, expensiveness, subjectivity, and lack of spacial resolution. Therefore, a timely and objective assessment of drought impact on corn growth in the Belt is extremely important to agricultural decision makers and commodity traders. This project experiments the use of satellite remote sensing to effectively assess drought impact on corn growth. Current vegetation greenness indices, derived from NASA MODIS instrument that senses the Belt daily at 250-meters resolution, are compared with the past 13-year records of the same indices to obtain the current vegetation condition map. The map is overlaid with the USDA Crop Land Data Layer to form the corn condition map. Statistics is performed on the corn map for each state and the entire Belt. Results show that at 2012 growing season peak, 53.6% of corn was in stressed or worse conditions and 29.8% of corn was in exceptionally stressed conditions, the worst in the past 13 years of MODIS data records. The result is comparable with USDA reports on the corn condition.
Content-based scene change detection and classification technique using background tracking

Scene is considered a good unit for indexing and retrieving data from large video databases. In this paper, we present a new content-based approach for detecting and classifying scene changes in video sequences. Our technique can detect and classify not only abrupt changes (i.e., hard cuts) but also gradual changes such as fades and dissolves. We compute background difference between frames, and use background tracking to handle various camera motions. Although our method processes significantly less data, it results in more semantically rich pieces (i.e., scenes). Our experiments on various types of videos indicate that the proposed technique is much less sensitive to the predefined threshold values, and is very effective in reducing the number of false hits. Our approach is particularly suitable for very large video databases because it is both space and time efficient.
Mixing and Entrainment in the Red Sea Outflow Plume. Part II: Turbulence Characteristics

Abstract South of the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, saline Red Sea Water flows downslope into the Gulf of Aden mainly along the narrow 130-km-long “Northern Channel” (NC) and the shorter and wider “Southern Channel” (SC). In the NC, the Red Sea plume simultaneously exhibited weak entrainment into a 35–120-m-thick, weakly stratified bottom layer while a 35–285-m-thick interfacial layer above showed signs of vigorous mixing, overturns up to 30 m thick, and extensive zones of gradient Richardson numbers below 1/4. Turbulent overturning scales, or Thorpe scales, are extracted from regular CTD profiles and equated to Ozmidov scales. On this basis, interfacial mixing is quantified in terms of estimated turbulent dissipation rates, vertical turbulent salt flux, and interfacial stress. Even though these estimates are subject to significant uncertainty, they demonstrate the intensity of mixing during strong winter outflow in terms of eddy diffusivities Kρ on the order of 10−2 m2 s−1. The large Kρ occur in strong strati...
Ohio appraises its reorganized state government

In 1921 Ohio adopted the principle of administrative consolidation by reducing the number of separate state agencies from sixty-three to thirty-two. Now she surveys it to know what changes, if any, should be made. On the whole consolidation seems to be working satisfactorily.
Electron microscope studies of the organisation of the filaments in striated muscle.

Abstract Striated muscle from rabbit (psoas) and frog (sartorius) has been examined in the electron microscope using a thin sectioning technique. Two different types of filaments were found to be present. The thicker filaments are present in the A-bands, while the thinner filaments are present in both A- and I-bands. The thicker filaments extend across the H-band; the thinner ones do not. The relation of these observations to the composition and function of muscle is discussed.
Adolescent pregnancy in the USA: Problems and prospects

Abstract Current statistics show that 88% of teenage clinic patients have had intercourse before requesting contraceptive services. The percent of females 15–19 years of age who have ever had intercourse has increased from 28% in 1971 to 41% in 1983 to 50% in 1987. Forty-seven percent of the unintended teenage pregnancies result in abortion. The government remains ambivalent with respect to policies and programs about adolescent pregnancy. Sexuality education is still approached inconsistently across the United States. However, there is an increasing impetus to eliminate sequestering of the pregnant teen from her schoolmates. On-site day care facilities as well as continued educational endeavors are available for the “girl-mother.” If three track high school programs were initiated beginning in the ninth grade to provide academic, technical/vocational, or business skill training they may decrease the overall adolescent pregnancy rate and educate the teen-ager.
Emotion knowledge and autobiographical memory across the preschool years: A cross-cultural longitudinal investigation.

Knowledge of emotion situations facilitates the interpretation, processing, and organization of significant personal event information and thus may be an important contributor to the development of autobiographical memory. This longitudinal study tested the hypothesis in a cross-cultural context. The participants were native Chinese children, Chinese children from first-generation Chinese immigrant families in the U.S., and European American children. Children's developing emotion knowledge and autobiographical memory were assessed three times at home, when children were 3, 3.5, and 4.5 years of age. Children's emotion knowledge uniquely predicted their autobiographical memory ability across groups and time points. Emotion knowledge further mediated culture effects on autobiographical memory. The findings provide important insight into early autobiographical memory development, and extend current theoretical understandings of the emotion-memory interplay. They further have implications for the phenomenon of infantile amnesia and cross-cultural differences in childhood recollections.
Response Effects Over Time: Two Experiments

Two split-ballot experiments on attitude questions—one on inclusion or exclusion of “don't know” options and one on agree/disagree versus forced-choice format—were included in the General Social Survey in 1974 and replicated in 1982. Response effects occurred in each experiment in 1974 and were generally replicated in 1982, but the effects do not interact with time. Despite the significant response effects, both forms for each experiment yield similar conclusions about change over time, as long as question wording is kept constant. However, a borderline interaction with education in the 1974 data for the agree/disagree versus forced-choice experiment replicates more clearly in 1982, indicating that the two forms yield different conclusions about the relation of the question content to education.
Sticky plans: Inhibition and binding during serial-task control

Recent evidence suggests substantial response-time costs associated with lag-2 repetitions of tasks within explicitly controlled task sequences [Koch, I., Philipp, A. M., Gade, M. (2006). Chunking in task sequences modulates task inhibition. Psychological Science, 17, 346-350; Schneider, D. W. (2007). Task-set inhibition in chunked task sequences. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 970-976], a result that has been interpreted as inhibition of no-longer relevant tasks. Experiments 1-3 confirm much larger lag-2 costs under serial-control than under externally cued conditions, but also show (a) that these costs occur only when sequences contain at least two distinct chunks and (b) that direct lag-2 repetitions are not a necessary condition for their occurrence. This pattern suggests the hypothesis that rather than task-set inhibition, the large lag-2 costs observed in complex sequences, reflect interference resulting from links between positions within a sequential plan and the individual tasks controlled by this plan. The remaining experiments successfully test this hypothesis (Experiment 4), rule out chaining accounts as a potential alternative explanation (Experiment 5), and demonstrate that interference results from information stored in long-term memory rather than working memory (Experiment 6). Implications of these results for an integration of models of serial-order control and serial memory are discussed.
Noise bias correction of power spectra from image amplitude detectors

Speckle interferometric imaging techniques using image power spectra to obtain calibrated image amplitudes are contaminated by noise biases inherent to the detectors themselves. This noise bias contribution is non-linear for detectors in a conventional image amplitude detection mode (used for bright objects--over 10^5 photons/sec--such as SN1987A, for example). This paper presents our successes in modelling this non-linear bias contribution with iterative minimization techniques.
4-Hydroxylated Piperidines and N-Methyleuphococcinine (1-Methyl-3-granatanone) from Picea (Spruce) Species. Identification and Synthesis

Three trace alkaloids from Colorado blue spruce, Picea pungens, were identified by synthesis and GC−MS comparisons as 4α-hydroxy-cis-2-methyl-6-(2-oxopropyl)piperidine (1), 4α-hydroxy-cis-2-methyl-...
Convergence and Stability of the Calderón Reproducing Formula in H 1 and BMO

We prove that a general form of the Calderon reproducing formula converges in H1(Rd) (the real Hardy space of Fefferman and Stein) as a natural limit of approximating integrals. We show that this convergence is H1-stable with respect to small errors in dilation and translation. Using duality, we show that the Calderon reproducing formula converges, in a stable fashion, weak-∗ in BMO. We give quantitative estimates of the formula’s stability and rate of convergence. These theorems generalize results of the author on the convergence and stability of the Calderon reproducing formula in Lp(w), where 1<p<∞ and w is a Muckenhoupt Ap weight.
Pharmacotherapy of High-Altitude Illness

High-altitude illness (HAI) encompasses an array of conditions that may occur in individuals who travel to high elevations, including acute mountain sickness, high-altitude cerebral edema, and high-altitude pulmonary edema. Individuals with a history of HAI are predisposed to developing HAI; however, other risk factors are not well defined. The primary method of preventing HAI is acclimatization through gradual ascent to high altitude. In addition, many studies have assessed the use of pharmacologic prophylaxis. The most studied and widely recommended prophylactic agent is acetazolamide; additional agents that have been considered include dexamethasone, Gingko biloba, antioxidant vitamins, nifedipine, aspirin, and salmeterol. The treatment of choice for all forms of HAI is descent to lower altitude. The use of additional treatments, including supplemental oxygen, varies depending on the severity of the clinical presentation. Acetazolamide and dexamethasone have been studied as adjunctive treatments for ac...
Minimizing a quadratic payoff with monotone controls

Many important problems in economic dynamics can be formulated as optimal control problems in which the controls must be monotone functions of time. In this paper we will completely solve a problem with quadratic payoff involving the control and the derivative of the control by constructing optimal monotone controls. Several generalizations and examples are also given.
Isolated plantar collagenoma not associated with Proteus syndrome

Isolated plantar cerebriform collagenomas are a relatively rare type of connective tissue nevus. They have been suggested to be pathognomonic of Proteus syndrome. However, their presence is now considered to be a major criterion of Proteus syndrome, but the diagnosis of Proteus syndrome also requires the presence of other minor criteria. We present an unusual case of an acquired plantar cerebriform collagenoma, which is not associated with Proteus syndrome. Collagenomas, or connective tissue nevi of the collagen type, represent a hamartomatous overgrowth of normal collagen. Isolated plantar collagenoma is rare, and most commonly presents in childhood. We report an interesting case of an isolated plantar cerebriform collagenoma in an adult.
Influence of the degree of methacrylation on hyaluronic acid hydrogels properties

The properties of hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels having a broad range of methacrylation are presented. Increasing solubility of glycidyl methacrylate (GM) in a co-solvent mixture during the methacrylation of HA with GM was shown to produce photopolymerizable HAGM conjugates with various degree of methacrylation (DM) ranging from 14% up to 90%. Aqueous solutions of HAGM macromonomers were photocross-linked to yield hydrogels with nearly full vinyl group conversions after 10 min exposure under ultraviolet light (UV). Hydrogels were characterized by uniaxial compression and volumetric swelling measurements. Keeping the DM constant, the shear modulus was varied from 16 kPa up to 73 kPa by varying the macromonomer concentration. However, at a given macromonomer concentration while varying the DM, similarly the shear modulus varied from 22 kPa up to 65 kPa. Preliminary in-vitro cell culture studies showed that GRGDS modified HAGM hydrogels promoted similarly cell interaction at both low and high DMs, 32% and 60%, respectively. Densely cross-linked hydrogels with a high DM have been shown to be more mechanically robust while maintaining cytocompability and cell adhesion.
Aerosol characterization for sulfur oxide health effects assessment

Abstract The mean concentrations of sulfur in six particle size fractions, from 4μm aerodynamic dia, have been determined in Florida during July–August and December, 1976 sampling seasons. A trend of decreasing concentration along the length of Florida, at ten sites from Pensacola to Miami, is found for sulfur in the fine particle mode, 2 μm coarse mode sulfur. The trend is most regular for 0.5–1 μm particles, and urban concentrations show no consistent departure from the nonurban trend in this size range. Smaller and larger particle concentrations are more locally variable. The trends are interpreted in terms of a flow of continental air, containing a pollution-derived fine particle sulfur component, into Florida during northerly wind regimes and of less polluted maritime air with southerly flow. The magnitude of the apparent decrease in average concentration from north to south is dependent on the mix of air flow regimes at various locations in the state during the sample collection periods. The qualitative finding of the decreasing trend, however, may be typical in Florida over much of the year and may be useful for designing epidemiological studies of the relation between fine particle sulfur and public health.
Emission spectra and phonon relaxation

Absorption and emission spectra are calculated for a model which has phonon coupling to a localized electronic state. The lifetimes of the electronic state, and of the phonons, are both included. Thus the emission spectrum is influenced by the amount of relaxation in the phonon system. If the emission is slow, the phonons relax around the excitation, and the emission has a Franck-Condon shift. If the emission is fast, the phonons do not have time to relax, and the shift is considerably reduced.
Relative Weight and Race Influence Average Age at Menarche: Results From Two Nationally Representative Surveys of US Girls Studied 25 Years Apart

Objectives. 1) To establish with nationally representative US data whether menarche occurred earlier in the 1990s than it had 25 years before. 2) To assess whether the occurrence of menarche in relation to weight status and race had changed over this time period. Methods. Relative weight, race, and menarcheal status of girls in the National Health Examination Survey cycles II and III (1963–1970) were compared with results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988–1994). Probit analysis was used to determine the average age at menarche during the 2 survey periods. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of relative weight to likelihood of having reached menarche. Results. The average age at menarche dropped from 12.75 to 12.54 years, and the percentage of girls between 10 and 15 years old who were above the 85th percentile for body mass index increased from 16% to 27% over the 25 years between the 2 surveys. Higher relative weight was strongly associated with increased likelihood of having reached menarche after controlling for age and race. Black girls had a lower average age at menarche than did white girls, which was independent of the effect of relative weight. Conclusions. These analyses from 2 nationally representative samples of US girls suggest a drop of about 2½ months in the average age of menarche during the time period between 1963–1970 and 1988–1994. This was paralleled by a concurrent shift in the population distribution of body mass index z-score toward higher relative weights.
Aspirin-like Molecules that Covalently Inactivate Cyclooxygenase-2

Many of aspirin's therapeutic effects arise from its acetylation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), whereas its antithrombotic and ulcerogenic effects result from its acetylation of COX-1. Here, aspirin-like molecules were designed that preferentially acetylate and irreversibly inactivate COX-2. The most potent of these compounds was o-(acetoxyphenyl)hept-2-ynyl sulfide (APHS). Relative to aspirin, APHS was 60 times as reactive against COX-2 and 100 times as selective for its inhibition; it also inhibited COX-2 in cultured macrophages and colon cancer cells and in the rat air pouch in vivo. Such compounds may lead to the development of aspirin-like drugs for the treatment or prevention of immunological and proliferative diseases without gastrointestinal or hematologic side effects.
Studies of 47Ca Metabolism in Acromegaly

Abstract Calcium and phosphorus metabolism was studied in 4 patients with acromegaly, 2 of whom had received pituitary irradiation. Calcium and phosphorus balance, exchangeable calcium (P′), calcium “accretion” rate (vo +) and “bone resorption” rate (vo −) were measured. In all patients there was a negative calcium balance; in 3 of them there was a negative phosphorus balance. Urinary calcium was moderately increased in the 2 untreated patients, and normal in the 2 treated patients. In all patients, vo + and vo − were abnormally increased. These results are comparable to those which have been produced in normal subjects with human growth hormone. These findings support the view that vo + and vo − are abnormally increased in acromegaly and that the increase results from growth hormone. The possible relationship of the results to osteoporosis is discussed.
Postprandial motor activity and its relationship to transit in the canine ileum

Abstract Background. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of reduced intestinal transit rate in the ileum as compared with the jejunum. Methods. Twenty-one dogs were each instrumented with 12 strain gauge transducers, 2 collection cannulas, and an infusion catheter defining a 100 cm study in the midjejunum (n = 11) and midileum (n = 10). Postprandial motor activity and intestinal transit were measured 1 hour after ingestion of a 650 kcal solid meal. Contractile activity was analyzed by means of computer programs that determine frequency, amplitude, and propagation behavior of circular smooth muscle contractions. Results. Postprandial ileal contractions occurred with greater frequency (13.7 ± 2.5 versus 11.5 ± 0.4; p = 0.04) and displayed a higher incidence of propagation (61% ± 2% versus 44% ± 3%; p = 0.0001) than jejunal contractions, but traveled at significantly slower rates (1.0 ± 0.7 cm/sec vs 3.7 ± 0.9 cm/sec; p = 0.0001). The net result was significantly slower transit in the ileum compared with the jejunum (4.7 ± 0.7 cm/min versus 13.1 ± 1.5 cmc/min; p = 0.0006). Within each region, transit correlated with parameters of propagating contractions. Stepwise regression of the combined data revealed that contraction velocity was the most important variable determining intestinal transit rate (r = 0.64; p Conclusions. Contrary to previous thinking, postprandial ileal contractions display a high degree of temporal and spatial organization. Slow ileal transit is mainly due to reduced propagation velocity, which is intrinsic to the circular smooth muscle.
Heisenberg’s Contracting Wave Packets

The discontinuous contraction of a wave packet preceded and followed by a continuous expansion controlled by Schrodinger's equation is a much discussed difficulty in the quantum theory of measurement. It is shown to rest on a mistaken interpretation of Schrodinger's equation as a “process equation” and on two different usages of the word “state,” first as a subjective expectation state of an observer, then as the physical state of the object, and finally as a subjective expectation state again, with a sudden change of word meaning which of course has no place in a physical theory.
Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Activity in Hypophysial Stalk Blood and Elevation by Dopamine

Pituitary halves incubated in pituitary stalk plasma release more luteinizing hormone than their opposite halves incubated in plasma from peripheral blood. Glands incubated in stalk plasma from dopamine-treated rats release more luteinizing hormone than glands incubated in stalk plasma from untreated controls. Luteinizing hormone-releasing activity in stalk plasma may be due to the luteinizing hormone-releasing factor, and the secretion of luteinizing hormone-releasing factor may be controlled by a dopaminergic mechanism.
The Contribution of Local Tissue Thyroxine Monodeiodination to the Nuclear 3,5,3′- Triiodothyronine in Pituitary, Liver, and Kidney of Euthyroid Rats

The contributions of local T4 monodeiodination and plasma T3 to the nuclear T3 of anterior pituitary, liver, and kidney were measured in euthyroid rats. After injection of [l25]T4, there was a gradual increase in the quantity of plasma [l25I]T3 in excess of injected contaminant, which peaked at approximately 12 h after injection and remained a constant fraction of plasma [125I]T4 (2.8 ×10-3) after that time. In the nuclei of anterior pituitary tissue, there was also a slow increase in locally produced [125I]T3(in excess of that which could be accounted for by plasma [125I]T3 which appeared to peak at about 16 h after [125I]T4 administration. The ratio of nuclear [125I]T3 generated intracellularly to plasma [125I]T4 was constant at 18 and 24 h after T4 injection and was 13 ± 2 ×10-3 in nuclei of pituitary, 2.0 ± 0.4 × 10-3 in liver, and 0.47 ± 0.1 × 10-3 in kidney (all values are mean ± SD). This locally generated T3 resulted in a markedly higher nuclear to plasma (N:P) ratio for [125I]T3 than for injected...
Synergistic effect between anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles in dye-sensitized solar cells

A synergistic effect between anatase and rutile TiO2 is known, in which the addition of rutile can remarkably enhance the photocatalytic activity of anatase in the degradation of organic contaminants. In this study, mixed-phase TiO2 nanocomposites consisting of anatase and rutile nanoparticles (NPs) were prepared for use as photoanodes in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and were characterized by using UV-vis spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The addition of 10–15% rutile significantly improved light harvesting and the overall solar conversion efficiency of anatase NPs in DSSCs. The underlying mechanism for the synergistic effect in DSSCs is now explored by using time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy. It is clearly demonstrated that photo-excited electrons injected into the rutile NPs can migrate to the conduction band of anatase NPs, enhancing the photocurrent and efficiency. Interfacial electron transfer from rutile to anatase, similar to that in heterogeneous photocatalysis, is proposed to account for the synergistic effect in DSSCs. Our results further suggest that the synergistic effect can be used to explain the beneficial effect of TiCl4 treatment on DSSC efficiency.
Influence of surface condition on the critical currents above Hc2 in a superconducting tantalum-niobium alloy

Abstract Surface currents above Hc2 fit empirical expressions Ic ∝ { Ho(θ) - H }n. Ho(θ) depends on temper ature and angle θ between H and surface. Improving surface polish lowers n from 5 or more to 2 (theory predicts 3 2 ). Temperature variation of Ic is in accordance with theory.
Immune responses of diabetic animals. Comparison of genetically obese and streptozotocin-diabetic mice.

The blastogenic responses of lymphocytes from chemically-induced (streptozotocin) and genetically-diabetic C57B1/6J (ob/ob) obese mice were assessed using mixed-lymphocyte cultures (MLC) and mitogens selective for thymus-derived (T cell) and bone marrow-derived (B cell) lymphocytes. Splenic lymphocytes from obese and normal C57B1/6 mice exhibited similar responses to the nonspecific T and B cell mitogens, Concanavalin A (Con A) and E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively. A small (25%) depression of the blastogenic response in MLC was observed for lymphocytes from obese mice. The generation of cytotoxic T cells in vitro in response to trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNP)-modified syngeneic spleen cells was the same for normal and obese mice. In contrast, splenic lymphocytes from 7–14 day streptozotocin-diabetic mice had lower (56–60%) proliferative responses in MLC. The generation of cytotoxic effector cells in vitro was lower for spleen cells from 22-day streptozotocin mice, although blastogenic responses in MLC were not depressed. The insulin-deficient streptozotocin mice appear to have a depression of some thymus-derived cell functions that may be associated with streptozotocin rather than the diabetic state. Direct immunosuppressive effects of streptozotocin are indicated by the marked decrease in the number of lymphocytes in the thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen.
Electroosmotic flow in template-prepared carbon nanotube membranes.

Carbon nanotube membranes (CNMs) were prepared by doing chemical vapor deposition of carbon within the pores of a microporous alumina template. Electroosmotic flow (EOF) was driven across the CNMs by allowing the membrane to separate two electrolyte solutions and using an electrode in each solution to pass a constant ionic current through the nanotubes. EOF was investigated by measuring the flux of a probe molecule (phenol) across the CNM. The as-synthesized CNMs have anionic surface charge, and EOF is in the direction of cation migration across the membrane. Measurements of the rate of EOF as a function of applied transmembrane current provided the ζ potential. The effect of pH on ζ provided the pKa for the surface acidic sites responsible for this anionic charge; the acidic-site density was also determined. An electrochemical derivatization method was used to attach carboxylate groups to the nanotube walls; this enhances the anionic surface charge density, resulting in a corresponding increase in the EO...
Identification and cardiotropic actions of sulfakinin peptides in the American lobster Homarus americanus.

SUMMARY In arthropods, a group of peptides possessing a– Y(SO3H)GHM/LRFamide carboxy-terminal motif have been collectively termed the sulfakinins. Sulfakinin isoforms have been identified from numerous insect species. In contrast, members of this peptide family have thus far been isolated from just two crustaceans, the penaeid shrimp Penaeus monodon and Litopenaeus vannamei. Here, we report the identification of a cDNA encoding prepro-sulfakinin from the American lobster Homarus americanus. Two sulfakinin-like sequences were identified within the open-reading frame of the cDNA. Based on modifications predicted by peptide modeling programs, and on homology to the known isoforms of sulfakinin, particularly those from shrimp, the mature H. americanus sulfakinins were hypothesized to be pEFDEY(SO3H)GHMRFamide (Hoa-SK I) and GGGEY(SO3H)DDY(SO3H)GHLRFamide (Hoa-SK II). Hoa-SK I is identical to one of the previously identified shrimp sulfakinins, while Hoa-SK II is a novel isoform. Exogenous application of either synthetic Hoa-SK I or Hoa-SK II to the isolated lobster heart increased both the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous heart contractions. In preparations in which spontaneous contractions were irregular, both peptides increased the regularity of the heartbeat. Our study provides the first molecular characterization of a sulfakinin-encoding cDNA from a crustacean, as well as the first demonstration of bioactivity for native sulfakinins in this group of arthropods.
Spaces of Dispersal

Two entanglements, to use James Clifford's term, complicate any discussion of diaspora. First, there is the entanglement of the historical formation of concepts with the experiences they describe. This is a subject that Clifford addresses at length, and as he so cogently demonstrates, this entanglement plays out differently in Jewish and African diasporas. Second, there is the problem of "practicing a form of discourse that [we] intend rather to analyze" (Handler 1988:18). Handler destabilizes the authority of nationalism by examining the interpenetration of nationalist ideology and social scientific theory. It is in the interest of his dismantling of nationalism to clearly avoid practicing the discourse he intends to analyze. The opposite approach informs Clifford's exposition of diaspora as an historical and theoretical formation. Here the critique is mounted affirmatively by transvaluing diaspora, which for most of its history has been taken as a mark of failure. The terms of that failure are linked to the normative ideal of national sovereignty in one form or another. The inclination with respect to diaspora transvalued is to practice the form of discourse that is the object of analysis. Diasporic discourse in this context is strong on displacement, detachment, uprooting, and dispersion-on disarticulation. It is appealing precisely because it so easily lends itself to a strategic disaggregation of territory, people, race, language, culture, religion, history, and sovereignty. Rearticulation-how the local is produced and what forms it takes in the space of dispersal-is trickier because of the risk of closure, essentialism, or premature pluralism. Were we to take this project of disaggregation all the way, we would dismantle the very structure of our academic institutions, built as they are around departments of national languages and literatures and supported in many cases by foreign governments-Italy, France, Germany, Greece-through national "houses." What the rearticulation might look like is another matter. If Handler dresses nationalism down, Gilroy, Mercer, and the Boyarins
The search for magma

Magma, or molten rock, is the ultimate heat source for geothermal fields. In conventional geothermal applications the energy from magma is tapped indirectly in natural geothermal fields usually associated with magma bodies. Many magma sources, however, lack an adequate geothermal field for exploitation. Enormous quantities of energy are stored in magma bodies in the Earth’s crust. The portion of this energy that can be tapped in conventional geothermal fields is a small fraction of the total energy available in crustal magma sources.
Assumptions versus standards: the validity of two relationship cognitions in heterosexual and homosexual couples

This study assessed the validity of distinguishing between 2 types of dysfunctional relationship cognitions in nonclinical samples of 264 married couples and 92 homosexual couples. Assumptions are unrealistic cognitions about how people and relationships are, whereas standards are unrealistic cognitions about how people and relationships should be.
Results from beam tests of MEGA's low-mass, high-rate cylindrical MWPCs

One of the leading experimental projects at LAMPF has been the MEGA experiment. This is an experiment to search for the rare decay μ → eγ with a sensitivity of 10-13. A prime component of this proj ...
Unperturbed dimensions of some aryloxy polyphosphazenes

Abstract Three aryloxyphosphazene copolymers, [P(OR)(OR′)-N-] with R = phenyl, and R′ = p -ethylphenyl, 2,4-dichlorophenyl or 2-naphthyl, were each separated into four fractions using fractional precipitations from tetrahydrofuran (THF) solutions, with n -pentane as non-solvent. Two fractions from each were characterized using osmometry and viscometry, in THF at 25°, thereby providing values of the number-average molecular weight, second virial coefficient, and intrinsic viscosity. This information was used to obtain values of the characteristic ratio r 2 > 0 / nl 2 of the unperturbed dimensions relative to the number of skeletal bonds and the square of their length. The values of this ratio show a remarkably large dependence on the nature of side-groups, in agreement with the results of two previous investigations. The observed large variations could be due to experimental difficulties associated with solution properties of this class of polymers. If real, however, the differences could be due to the fact that, when the two bond angles of the repeat unit of these chains are significantly different, then the most likely regular conformations of these chains correspond to extremely different spatial extensions. Markedly different values of the unperturbed dimensions could thus conceivably result from changes in conformational population arising from relatively small changes in intramolecular interactions, stereochemical composition, chemical composition, or chemical sequence distribution.
Groundwater resource sustainability in the Nabogo Basin of Ghana

Abstract In order to address groundwater resource sustainability, a conceptual groundwater flow model is developed for a hydrographic basin of northern Ghana. A three-dimensional steady-state model is applied to the Nabogo Basin, a sub-catchment of the White Volta River Basin. Mean annual data are used for input parameters. Parameters include rates of precipitation, recharge, surface water discharge, and groundwater extraction (pumpage). The model indicates that current well pumpage rates are significantly less than annual groundwater recharge to the basin. Model results for several scenarios tested (i.e., increased population, access to potable water for all citizens, and/or decreased rainfall) indicate that extraction rates will still be less than groundwater input to the basin.
Solving potential scattering equations without partial wave decomposition

Considering two-body integral equations we show how they can be dimensionally reduced by integrating exactly over the azimuthal angle of the intermediate momentum. Numerical solution of the resulting equation is feasible without employing a partial-wave expansion. We illustrate this procedure for the Bethe-Salpeter equation for pion-nucleon scattering and give explicit details for the one-nucleon-exchange term in the potential. Finally, we show how this method can be applied to pion photoproduction from the nucleon with pN rescattering being treated so as to maintain unitarity to first order in the electromagnetic coupling. The procedure for removing the azimuthal-angle dependence becomes increasingly complex as the spin of the particles involved increases.
Cardiopulmonary manifestations of Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is usually a mild condition involving the skin, gut, joints, and kidneys and has a good prognosis. We present a 63-year-old Hispanic man who had an unusually severe form of HSP with a fatal outcome attributable to vasculitis causing myocardial necrosis. There is only one citation in the literature of HSP-related myocardial vasculitis, which involved the right ventricle and was successfully treated with steroids. Our patient had severe HSP-related myocardial necrosis, tracheobronchitis, and nephritis. The bronchial lesions resolved, presumably because of steroid therapy. This probably is the first case of fatal myocardial necrosis related to HSP. We conclude that HSP can, in some cases, have an aggressive course. It becomes imperative to recognize the involvement of the other organ systems, such as the heart, so that appropriate therapy may be initiated. Immunosuppression may have a beneficial effect on extrarenal lesions. Controlled clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy of such treatment.
Psychological Well-Being: Its Relation to Work Personality, Vocational Identity, and Career Thoughts

The authors examined the impact of the 6 dimensions of psychological well-being on participants' career thoughts, vocational identity, and developmental work personality. Undergraduates (N = 91) completed 4 measures: (a) C. D. Ryff's (1989, 1995) Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB), (b) J. P. Sampson, G. W. Peterson, J. G. Lenz, R. C. Reardon, and D. E. Saunders's (1996) Career Thoughts Inventory (CTI), (c) the Vocational Identity (VI) subscale of J. L. Holland, D. C. Daiger, and G. Power's (1980) My Vocational Situation, and (d) D. R. Strauser and J. M. Keim's (2002) Developmental Work Personality Scale (DWPS). The authors then conducted multiple regression analyses to examine the relations between psychological well-being and the 3 career variables. Results indicated the following: (a) Psychological well-being accounted for a significant portion of the variance in all 3 career variables; (b) scores on the Purpose in Life subscale of the SPWB made a unique contribution to scores on the Commitment Anxiety subscale of the CTI (CTI-CA) and to VI; (c) scores on the Personal Growth subscale of the SPWB made a unique contribution to CTI-CA scores; and (d) scores on the Self-Acceptance and Environmental Mastery subscales of the SPWB each made a unique contribution to DWPS scores.
Short-term synchronized retroperfusion before reperfusion reduces infarct size after prolonged ischemia in dogs.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have demonstrated that synchronized coronary venous retroperfusion (SRP) can restore blood flow to the ischemic myocardium, resulting in infarct size reduction and improvement of the left ventricular function. Despite the nutritive blood flow achieved by SRP being relatively limited, SRP has been shown to improve washout of by-products from the ischemic myocardium. The aim of this study was to investigate whether short-term SRP immediately prior to reperfusion would attenuate the deteriorative phenomena following reperfusion. METHODS AND RESULTS Closed-chest anesthetized dogs underwent 3 hours of left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) occlusion. The dogs were then randomized into two groups: (1) control group (n = 9), in which the occlusion was immediately followed by 3-hour reperfusion; or (2) SRP group (n = 9), in which SRP was started 3 hours after occlusion and maintained for 30 minutes with sustained occlusion followed by 2.5-hour reperfusion with simultaneous discontinuation of SRP. There were no statistical differences between the groups in global hemodynamics and degree of ischemia measured by radiolabeled microspheres. Myocardial infarct size (triphenyltetrazolium method) expressed as percentage of risk area was significantly smaller in the SRP group (24 +/- 7%, mean +/- SEM) than in the control group (54 +/- 9%). The extent of myocardial hemorrhage expressed as percentage of infarct size was also significantly reduced in the SRP group (3 +/- 2%) compared with the control group (24 +/- 6%). The increase in end-diastolic wall thickness in the ischemic area after reperfusion assessed by two-dimensional echocardiography was significantly less in the SRP group. Blood flow measurements after reperfusion demonstrated the occurrence of no-reflow phenomenon only in the control group. Histological examination revealed extensive myocardial hemorrhages only in the control group, which extended into the nonnecrotic myocardium in four of nine hearts and extensive contraction band necrosis compared with the SRP group. CONCLUSIONS Short-term SRP prior to reperfusion can reduce infarct size, myocardial hemorrhage, wall swelling, and no-reflow phenomenon. The mechanism of this beneficial effect is not clear but might be due to gradual reperfusion and washout of by-products from the ischemic myocardium before fully oxygenated arterial blood reperfusion.
Homing Behavior: Decisions, Dominance and Democracy

When flying in pairs, pigeons with different preferred paths back to the loft often agree on a joint route, and in doing so get home faster than either would have done on its own.
Perception: A HyperCard stack for demonstrating visual perceptual phenomena

Perception is a HyperCard stack that allows users to explore visual illusions and other perceptual phenomena on the Apple Macintosh. The stack contains over 20 demonstrations of intersecting line illusions, size and shape illusions, subjective contours, color assimilation, and so forth. As a presentation tool for classroom or laboratory demonstrations, Perception offers three unique features for displaying visual phenomena: (1) the capability to “dissolve” the inducing elements of an illusion in order to show the objective state of affairs, (2) the ability to quickly reverse the inducing elements of an illusion and therefore the effects of the distortion, and (3) animation of the various components of an illusion to produce continuous distortions in-real time. These features are illustrated with use of the Orbison, Titchener, Hering, and Wundt illusions. Use of the stack reveals two interesting and unanticipated findings: (1) an apparent size distortion in the central square of the Orbison illusion as it moves back and forth across the background of concentric rings, and (2) perceptual aftereffects that arise when the inducing elements of the Titchener, Hering, or Wundt illusion is dissolved.
Imaging of oncologic patients: benefit of combined CT and FDG PET in the diagnosis of malignancy.

The purpose of this study was to assess the benefit of combined CT and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in diagnosing malignancy.The records of 26 patients with intraabdominal and intrathoracic neoplasms who underwent CT and FDG PET between January 1995 and September 1996 were retrospectively reviewed. Most of these patients had inconclusive findings on prior CT for the diagnosis of malignancy. Only sites of potential malignant disease were included in the data analysis. Presence or absence of malignancy was confirmed by histopathology or follow-up CT. Three observers experienced in abdominal imaging used CT findings alone to estimate level of suspicion (1 = definitely not malignant to 5 = definitely malignant) for primary or recurrent neoplasms (n = 21), distant metastases (n = 25), and neoplastic nodal involvement (n = 18). Six weeks later the three observers reviewed the same CT examinations supplemented with FDG PET and reestimated suspicion of malignancy. Receiver opera...
Some new errors for assessing Kalman filter performance

Abstract Some new errors pertaining to the operation of the Kalman filter are defined, and expressions for the ensemble variances of these errors are obtained. Then, some inequalities among these variances are given. While instantaneous state estimation errors are not available during an application of the Kalman filter, instantaneous values for these new errors are available. Thereby, it becomes possible to track instantaneous errors, the trends of which can be compared to trends of their ensemble statistics.
Allotypic dependency of the specificity and avidity of human monoclonal igm rheumatoid factors derived from rheumatoid synovial cells

Objective. To better understand the genetic derivation and pathogenicity of rheumatoid factor (RF) molecules in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we have focused our studies on rheumatoid synovial cells (RSC). Methods. Five monoclonal human IgM rheumatoid factor (mRF)—secreting hybridomas were produced from the RSC of an RA patient. Fine subclass specificities and avidities of these RSC mRFs were compared with several paraprotein monoclonal IgM RFs using direct binding (reactivity) and competitive inhibition (specificity and avidity) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Results. The following observations were made: 1) RSC mRF had greater avidity for IgG than did paraprotein mRF; 2) 4 of the 5 RSC RF were highly avid for IgG3; and, 3) the avidity of RSC RF binding for IgG3 was highest for IgG molecules expressing the G3m(5) allotype. Conclusion. We conclude that RSC RF have different specificities and avidities than do paraprotein RF. This may suggest an antigen-driven process in RA synovium, with the production of higher-avidity IgG3m(5)-specific RSC RF, which could have special pathogenetic importance.
Choice reaction time and behavioral hypotheses: The effects of learning sequential redundancies

Eleven Ss learned the sequential redundancies present in a choice reaction time (RT) task, as inferred from their ability to verbally anticipate the stimulus event to a designated criterion. These Ss showed a transition from choice to simple RT. Five Ss did not learn the redundancies to this criterion. Except for a first trial RT decrement, they behaved as did a control group of eight Ss in remaining at the choice RT level. The results suggested a technique useful in the study of cognitive determinants of RT.
Quantitative Tract-Specific Measures of Uncinate and Cingulum in Major Depression Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Previous findings suggested the role of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and cingulate gyrus in major depressive disorders (MDD), but the white matter microstructural abnormalities of the fibers connecting these brain structures are not known. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that white matter abnormalities are present in association fibers of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) and cingulum bundle (CB) among MDD subjects. A total of 21 MDD subjects aged between 30 and 65 years and 21 age-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All subjects were right-handed and without history of diabetes or other cardiac diseases. We extracted quantitative tract-specific measures based on diffusion tensor imaging tractography to examine both diffusivity and geometric properties of the UF and CB. Significantly decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased radial diffusivity of the right UF were observed in MDD patients compared with HC (p R) in both groups in the FA measure of the CB. Our study demonstrates novel findings of white matter microstructural abnormalities of the right UF in MDD. In the MDD group, the severity of depression is associated with reduced NNF in the right UF. These findings have implications for both clinical manifestations of depression as well as its pathophysiology.