cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Intra- and Inter-Day Variability in Plasma Bicarbonate Concentration in Sedentary Horses

Introduction Alkalinizing agents have been given to horses before exercise to provide exogenous buffering effects. The objective of this experiment was to determine the intra- and inter-day variability of resting plasma tCO2. The hypothesis was that tCO2 would vary measurably during a multi-day quarantine. Methods Eight acclimated sedentary horses had jugular venous samples collected into 10-ml heparinized evacuated glass tubes 3 times daily (7 AM, 11 AM, and 3 PM) for 5 consecutive days. Horses ate 5.3 kg alfalfa hay at both 7 AM and 3 PM after blood sampling. Plasma tCO2 was determined within 1–3 hours of sampling using an automated chemistry analyzer. Mean tCO2 for all 8 horses was calculated for each of the 15 sampling intervals. Results were compared by Repeated Measures ANOVA. When there was no apparent day-to-day effect, data for all horses were pooled by time-of-day (n = 40 samples for each of 3 times-of-day) and compared by the Student's t test to determine time-of-day effect. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results Mean tCO2 over the 15 sampling intervals ranged from 28.9-to-31.6 mmol/L and was lower at 11 AM (Day 1) and 3 PM (Days 1, 3, and 4) compared to 7 AM on Day 1 (P<0.05). Individual plasma tCO2 ranged over 4-to-7 units (low 26, high 34, widest range 26–32, narrowest 28–31). Mean pooled tCO2 differed by time-of-day, with 11 AM (30.1 ± 0.2, P = 0.011) and 3 PM (29.8 ± 0.2, P<0.001) values lower than 7 AM values (31.0 ± 0.2). Conclusions Plasma tCO2 differed significantly by time-of-day with considerable intra- and inter-individual variability. Ethical Animal Research The study was approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Sources of funding: Federation Equestre Internationale and Maria Caleel Fund for Equine Sports Medicine Research. Support for Dr. Bergstrom was provided by the Merial Veterinary Scholars Program. Competing interests: none.
Autotransfusion by cell saver technique in surgery of lumbar and thoracic spinal fusion with instrumentation

Object. The authors used a modern cell saver technique to perform autotransfusion in patients undergoing instrument-assisted lumbar and/or thoracic spinal fusion, in whom significant blood loss was anticipated. The safety and benefits of this procedure as well as its cost effectiveness were analyzed. Methods. The authors studied 50 patients who underwent lumbar and/or thoracic spinal fusion in which instrumentation was placed between January 1998 and June 2000 and in whom an estimated blood loss of 500 ml or more was expected. All surgeries were conducted by a single neurosurgeon (D.R.S.). During surgery, the Brat 2 cell saver system was used to salvage the autologous blood. The anesthesiologist and surgeon jointly decided, on the basis of hematocrit and clinical stability, whether transfusion was necessary in each patient. Various parameters (hematocrit, plasma and urine hemoglobin, platelet counts, coagulation profile, and serum bilirubin) were measured pre-, intra-, and postoperatively. Thirty-three pa...
Stress-induced tradeoffs in a free-living lizard across a variable landscape: consequences for individuals and populations.

Current life history theory suggests that the allocation of energetic resources between competing physiological needs should be dictated by an individual’s longevity and pace of life. One key physiological pathway likely to contribute to the partitioning of resources is the vertebrate stress response. By increasing circulating glucocorticoids the stress response can exert a suite of physiological effects, such as altering immune function. We investigated the effects of stress physiology on individual immunity, reproduction and oxidative stress, across an urban landscape. We sampled populations in and around St. George, Utah, examining corticosterone in response to restraint stress, two innate immune measures, reproductive output, and the presence of both reactive oxygen metabolites and antioxidant binding capacity, in populations of common side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) experiencing variable levels of environmental stress. Additionally, using capture-mark-recapture techniques, we examined the relationships between these physiological parameters and population-level differences. Our results reveal elevated physiological stress corresponds with suppressed immunity and increased oxidative stress. Interestingly, urban populations experiencing the most physiological stress also exhibited greater reproductive output and decreased survival relative to rural populations experiencing less physiological stress, demonstrating a tradeoff between reproduction and life maintenance processes. Our results suggest that environmental stress may augment life history strategy in this fast-paced species, and that shifts in life history strategy can in turn affect the population at large. Finally, the urban environment poses definite challenges for organisms, and while it appears that side-blotched lizards are adjusting physiologically, it is unknown what fitness costs these physiological adjustments accrue.
The curious case of the soluble protein

How neurons tackle the challenge of soluble protein delivery to the distal axon has long puzzled neuroscientists. Reporting in Neuron, Scott et al. (2011) show that this axonal transport occurs through motor-dependent formation of dynamic heterogeneous protein complexes that pause upon complex disassembly and regain motility upon reassembly.
Fludarabine and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The study was designed to determine whether administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) following fludarabine would reduce the incidences of myelosuppression and infections. Twenty-five previously treated patients with Rai stage III–IV chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) received fludarabine 30 mg/m2 daily for 5 days each month. G-CSF was given at 5 μg/kg subcutaneously starting 1 day after chemotherapy (day 6) and continued until the next course unless the granulocyte count was ⩾10 000/μl. The incidences of myelosuppression and infection were compared with those seen in an historical control population of 145 previously treated patients with Rai stage III–IV CLL who were given the same schedule of fludarabine without growth factor. There was a significant decrease in myelosuppression; patients receiving G-CSF developed neutropenia at a neutrophil count 35 days per course, vs 50% of historical controls (P = 0.005). The incidence of pneumonia was 8% with G-CSF and 37% without in historical controls. Other infection rates (sepsis, fever of undetermined origin, minor infections) were similar. This decrease in pneumonia was noted even in high-risk groups such as patients older than 60 years and patients with hypogammaglobulinemia. The use of G-CSF following fludarabine in high-risk patients with CLL resulted in a significant decrease in myelosuppression and pneumonia. Larger trials to verify these results and to compare costs are indicated.
Complexity problems in real time computation

The study of computational complexity is continued under the additional requirement that the Turing machines operate in real time. The work reported here is motivated by that of Rabin [R] which asks implicitly about the computational power of n tape vs n+1 tape real time Turing machines and that of Hartmanis [H] who attempts a complexity measure for Turing machines in terms of reversals. The first result concerns itself with n tape real time Turing machines operating in a reversal bounded mode. A doubly infinite hierarchy (tapes-reversals) of classes of real time computable functions is shown to exist. The second result deals with n deterministic real time pushdown automata operating independently in parallel. It is shown that an increase in the number of pushdown automata operating in this manner always yields an increase in the computational power of the configuration.
Laser treatment of premalignant and malignant squamous cell lesions of the penis.

Thirty men with biopsy-proven premalignant or malignant squamous cell lesions of the penis were treated. All had subclinical aceto-white lesions with histologic evidence for human papilloma virus infection. Nineteen patients had penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN I and II) and 11 had squamous cell carcinoma. Of these 11 patients, 6 had noninvasive penile intraepithelial neoplasia—carcinoma in situ (PIN III/Tis)—and 5 had invasive squamous cell carcinoma (4 stage T2 and 1 T3). All were treated with laser: CO2 was used for low-stage lesions, Nd:YAG was used alone or in combination with CO2 laser for more histologically advanced lesions, and KTP/532 was used in one patient with squamous cell carcinoma (Tis). Follow-up in 23 patients for up to 2 years showed that all but 1 (stage T3) remained free from penile malignancy. Appropriate laser therapy for all but deeply invasive (T3) tumors controls local disease, producing results that are clinically equal and cosmetically and functionally far superior to partial penectomy. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The effects of the Cox maze procedure on atrial function

Objective The effects of the Cox maze procedure on atrial function remain poorly defined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a modified Cox maze procedure on left and right atrial function in a porcine model. Methods After cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, 6 pigs underwent pericardiotomy (sham group), and 6 pigs underwent a modified Cox maze procedure (maze group) with bipolar radiofrequency ablation. The maze group had preablation and immediate postablation left and right atrial pressure–volume relations measured with conductance catheters. All pigs survived for 30 days. Magnetic resonance imaging was then repeated for both groups, and conductance catheter measurements were repeated for the right atrium in the maze group. Results Both groups had significantly higher left atrial volumes postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging–derived reservoir and booster pump functional parameters were reduced postoperatively for both groups, but there was no difference in these parameters between the groups. The maze group had significantly higher reduction in the medial and lateral left atrial wall contraction postoperatively. There was no change in immediate left atrial elastance or in the early and 30-day right atrial elastance after the Cox maze procedure. Although the initial left atrial stiffness increased after ablation, right atrial diastolic stiffness did not change initially or at 30 days. Conclusions Performing a pericardiotomy alone had a significant effect on atrial function that can be quantified by means of magnetic resonance imaging. The effects of the Cox maze procedure on left atrial function could only be detected by analyzing segmental wall motion. Understanding the precise physiologic effects of the Cox maze procedure on atrial function will help in developing less-damaging lesion sets for the surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation.
Ultraviolet absorbing dyes as histochemical reagents

Three biochemical methods depending on measurement of absorption in the ultraviolet range were successfuly adapted to histochemical techniques to be used in conjunction with ultraviolet microscopy. They included cetyl pyridinium chloride (max. = ca. 260 nm) as a stain for acid mucopolysaccharides; picryl sulfonic acid (max. = ca. 340 nm) as a stain for proteins, particularly amino groups; and fluorescein mercuric acetate (max. = 293 nm) as a stain for protein bound sulfhydryl and disulfide groups. The general possibilities of this approach was discussed.
Adsorption of urea on the Pt(100) electrode: experiments and lattice-gas modeling

Abstract We report a complete experimental and theoretical description of urea adsorption on the Pt(100) electrode. We have used voltammetry, radiochemistry, LEED and quantitative Auger electron spectroscopy, as well as Monte Carlo simulations of a lattice-gas model developed for this study. We demonstrate that the simulation results agree well with those of our experiments. These include an ordered c(2 × 4) adsorbed urea phase and sharply peaked voltammograms. We interpret our observations as associated with a phase transition between the urea phase for potentials on the positive side of the voltammetric peak and a (1 × 1) monolayer of hydrogen phase on the negative side. The main products of this research are the lattice-gas model that describes the microscopic adsorption geometry and the effective lateral interaction energies of the urea surface species involved in the phase transition behavior.
Private Prisons in Perspective: Some Conceptual Isues

This article deals with several conceptual issues concerning the privatisation of prisons. The focus is on the private operation rather than the financing and the construction of facilities. Typically, the issue of correctional privatisation is debated on utilitarian grounds, the main supporting argument centring on cost effectiveness, while such issues as ethics, symbolism, motivation, and accountability are neglected. The article highlights problems of separation between the determination and administration of punishment, the adoption of the free market model to the provision of human services, the symbolic messages of private prisons, corporate ethics, and organisational accountability.
A mesh-decoupled height function method for computing interface curvature

In this paper, a mesh-decoupled height function method is proposed and tested. The method is based on computing height functions within columns that are not aligned with the underlying mesh and have variable dimensions. Because they are decoupled from the computational mesh, the columns can be aligned with the interface normal vector, which is found to improve the curvature calculation for under-resolved interfaces where the standard height function method often fails. A computational geometry toolbox is used to compute the heights in the complex geometry that is formed at the intersection of the computational mesh and the columns. The toolbox reduces the complexity of the problem to a series of straightforward geometric operations using simplices. The proposed scheme is shown to compute more accurate curvatures than the standard height function method on coarse meshes. A combined method that uses the standard height function where it is well defined and the proposed scheme in under-resolved regions is tested. This approach achieves accurate and robust curvatures for under-resolved interface features and second-order converging curvatures for well-resolved interfaces.
Coronagraph mask tolerances for exo-Earth detection

We present the results of analysis of random errors and simulate the effects of systematic errors using specific mask designs.
Endogenous plasma testosterone levels and commission errors in women: A preliminary report

A correlation between elevated testosterone and aggressive behavior has been demonstrated in animals and to a lesser degree in humans, primarily in the context of dominance. Some aggression, namely non-premeditated aggression, is characterized by impaired impulse control. Real-world aggressive histories and self-reported impulsivity have correlated with commission errors (failures to withhold responses to nontarget stimuli) in versions of the continuous performance test (CPT). To begin exploring whether testosterone may play a role in aggression due more to a direct relationship with impaired impulse control, we related plasma total testosterone concentrations of 27 psychiatrically healthy women to commission errors in two variants of the CPT - with and without interstimulus distracters. Controlling for age and IQ, testosterone did not relate to rates of correct detections in either task, but correlated positively with commission errors in the distracter CPT variant. In light of the fact previous studies find commission errors on the CPT are associated with impulsivity, the results of this study support a positive relationship between testosterone and impulsivity.
ANALYSIS OF FIXED-RATIO BEHAVIOR MAINTAINED BY DRUG REINFORCERS

Behavior maintained by intravenously delivered alfentanil, cocaine, or ketamine was assessed using a fixed-ratio schedule of reinforcement. As the dose of each drug was increased, rate of responding also increased up to a maximum. Further increases in dose resulted in decreased response rates (inverted U-shaped curve). An analysis of postreinforcement-pause-time and run-time measures for the ascending limb of the inverted U-shaped functions revealed that behavior was characterized by systematic decreases in both pause time and run time as dose and rate increased. An examination of the descending limb of the dose-response functions revealed that lowered response rates for cocaine and ketamine were correlated with increases in run time and small and inconsistent effects on postreinforcement pause time. Behavior maintained by rate-reducing doses of alfentanil was characterized by lengthened postreinforcement pauses with small increases in run time. These data suggest that at larger doses, drug reinforcers may have unconditioned or direct effects on the behavior that the drug is maintaining, and more important, that the nature of these unconditioned effects depends on the drug that is maintaining behavior.
Communicating design representations: the role of interpretation

The development of integrated computer systems in the fields of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) requires a viable scheme for data exchange between professional groups. Data exchange capability has two essential components: representation standards and feature extraction. A representation standard is an agreement among AEC professions about a common problem description language. Feature extraction is a process by which a particular professional entity derives a domain specific representation, i.e. an interpretation, from a common representation. The roles of standards and feature extraction can be understood in terms of their relation to the overall problem-solving structure. This article presents a communication architecture for integrating AEC design data, based on the principle of local interpretation of a low-level graphic exchange language. A prototype implementation is described.
2-(6-Phenyl-1H-indazol-3-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazoles: Design and synthesis of a potent and isoform selective PKC-zeta inhibitor

Abstract The inhibition of PKC-ζ has been proposed to be a potential drug target for immune and inflammatory diseases. A series of 2-(6-phenyl-1H indazol-3-yl)-1H-benzo[d]imidazoles with initial high crossover to CDK-2 has been optimized to afford potent and selective inhibitors of protein kinase c-zeta (PKC-ζ). The determination of the crystal structures of key inhibitor:CDK-2 complexes informed the design and analysis of the series. The most selective and potent analog was identified by variation of the aryl substituent at the 6-position of the indazole template to give a 4-NH2 derivative. The analog displays good selectivity over other PKC isoforms (α, βII, γ, δ, e, μ, θ, η and ι/λ) and CDK-2, however it displays marginal selectivity against a panel of other kinases (37 profiled).
Serotonin catabolism in the central and enteric nervous systems of rats upon induction of serotonin syndrome

Serotonin, a well-known neurotransmitter in mammals, has been linked to a number of neurological and gastrointestinal disorders. One of these disorders, serotonin syndrome, is a potentially deadly condition caused by increased levels of serotonin in the extracellular space. Information on the neurochemical effects of serotonin syndrome on serotonin catabolism is lacking, particularly in relation to the enteric system of the gastrointestinal tract. Here the catabolism of serotonin is monitored in rats with pharmacologically induced serotonin syndrome, with the catabolites characterized using a specialized capillary electrophoresis system with laser-induced native fluorescence detection. Animals induced with serotonin syndrome demonstrate striking increases in the levels of serotonin and its metabolites. In the brain, levels of serotonin increased 2- to 3-fold in animals induced with serotonin syndrome. A major serotonin metabolite, 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid, increased 10- to 100-fold in experimental animals. Similar results were observed in the gastrointestinal tissues; in the small intestines, serotonin levels increased 4- to 5-fold. Concentrations of 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid increased 32- to 100-fold in the intestinal tissues of experimental animals. Serotonin sulfate showed surprisingly large increases, marking what may be the first time the compound has been reported in rat intestinal tissues.
Prospective evaluation of the morbidity of complete lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer

Fanning S, Firestein S. Prospective evaluation of the morbidity of complete lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer. Int J Gynecol Cancer 1998; 8: 270–273. The purpose of this study is to prospectively evaluate the morbidity of complete lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer. Eighty consecutive eligible patients with endometrial cancer underwent surgical staging consisting of total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, peritoneal cytology, complete bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy, and aortic lymphadenectomy. We prospectively evaluated operative time, blood loss, and morbidity of lymphadenectomy. The median number of pelvic lymph nodes resected was 21 and aortic lymph nodes was 7. Median time of lymphadenectomy was 24 min. Median blood loss from lymphadenectomy was < 25 cc. There was one complication from lymphadenectomy. We conclude that, in this prospective study, complete pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy in the surgical staging of endometrial cancer was performed quickly, with minimal blood loss and morbidity. In endometrial carcinoma surgical staging, the majority of operative time, blood loss, and morbidity is secondary to hysterectomy/oophorectomy rather than lymphadenectomy.
Parents, children, and trauma: Parent role perceptions and behaviors related to the 9/11 tragedy

The trauma associated with 9/11 affected and continues to influence children, families, and other groups of people. While research is cataloging the various coping difficulties experienced, few studies specifically address issues related to parenting perceptions and related activities or behaviors. We examined individuals employed in close proximity to Ground Zero and considered these individuals’ perspectives regarding their parenting perceptions and behaviors. In addition to capturing parenting subsequent to 9/11, the researchers also asked participants about their parenting beliefs and behaviors prior to and immediately after 9/11. Additional variables, such as directly viewing 9/11 and participating in the evacuation, parent age and gender, child age and gender, and ethnicity, were considered in light of parenting beliefs and practices. The retrospective questions, while not ideal methodologically, reveal that some parent characteristics and behaviors changed immediately following 9/11 and subsequently returned to pre-9/11 levels, others changed and remain altered, while others stayed relatively stable over time. Implications of this research for further study as well as mental health practice related to children and families are presented.
Adrenal crisis in a patient with acute myeloid leukaemia

Adrenal crisis is a group of clinical manifestation predominantly with hypotensive shock, electrolyte imbalance in a patient with adrenal insufficiency or in a patient who was abruptly withdrawn from glucocorticoid treatment acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is one of the most common acute leukaemia in adults. Though the above diseases are commonly seen in individual patients, the coexistence of both conditions in the same patient is rare. We reported a 64-year-old African-American man with a history of bilateral deep vein thrombosis, who presented initially with fatigue, neutropenia and macrocytic anaemia. The patient developed a small bowel obstruction during his first hospital course, which resolved spontaneously with conservative management after an exploratory laparotomy. While waiting for his bone marrow biopsy, the patient developed hypotension, hyponatraemia and hyperkalaemia for which adrenal crisis was suspected. Later on, laboratory studies confirmed the diagnosis of primary adrenal insufficiency and the bone marrow was conclusive for AML.
Workplace homicides among U.S. women: the role of intimate partner violence.

PURPOSE: Intimatepartnerviolence(IPV)isanimportantpublichealthissuewithseriousconsequences for the workplace. Workplace homicides occurring to U.S. women over a 6-year period, including those perpetrated by an intimate partner, are described. METHODS: Workplace homicides among U.S. women from 2003 to 2008 were categorized into type I (criminal intent), type II (customer/client), type III (co-worker), or type IV (personal relations) events using the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Fatality rates were calculated and compared among workplace violence (WPV) types, occupations, and characteristics including location of homicide, type of workplace, time of day, and weapon used. RESULTS: Between 2003 and 2008, 648 women were feloniously killed on the job. The leading cause of workplace homicide for U.S. women was criminal intent, such as robbing a store (n Z 212; 39%), followed by homicides perpetrated by a personal relation (n Z 181; 33%). The majority of these personal relations were intimate partners (nZ142; 78%). Over half of workplace homicides perpetrated by intimate partners occurred in parking lots and public buildings (n Z 91; 51%). CONCLUSIONS: A large percentage of homicides occurring to women at work are perpetrated by intimate partners. WPV prevention programs should incorporate strategies to prevent and respond to IPV. Ann Epidemiol 2012;22:277–284. Published by Elsevier Inc.
The determination of ethanol in blood and urine by mass fragmentography

A mass fragmentographic technique for a rapid, specific and sensitive determination of ethanol in blood and urine is described. A Varian gas chromatograph coupled through an all-glass membrane separator to a Finnigan quadripole mass spectrometer and interfaced to a computer system is used for ethanol determination in blood and urine samples. A procedure for plotting calibration curves for ethanol quantitation is also described. Quantitation is achieved by plotting the peak area ratios of undeuterated-to-deuterated ethanol fragment ions against the amount of ethanol added. Representative results obtained by this technique are included.
Special issue: Group treatment after child and adolescent sexual abuse: Introduction

This introduction traces the increasing awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse over the last 20 years, examines the nature and consequences of such abuse and summarizes current information on the use of group treatment and its evaluation with sexually abused children and adolescents and their parents. Four examples of group treatment with different populations of abused children are described in this issue.
Atractyloside-induced myocardial cell injury.

Infusion of atractyloside, a relatively specific inhibitor of mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocase, directly into the left anterior descending coronary artery of open-chest anesthetized dogs produced physiological and biochemical changes which resemble those caused by coronary artery ligation. In spite of increased blood flow, atractyloside caused an immediate drop in adenine nucleotide translocase activity, ST segment elevation, and decreased tissue ATP and creatine phosphate. Serum lactate increased. These results support the hypothesis that adenine nucleotide translocase inhibition may be a key disturbance during the onset of ischemia.
Aggregation of misfolded proteins can be a selective process dependent upon peptide composition

Intracellular aggregation of misfolded proteins is observed in a number of human diseases, in particular, neurologic disorders in which expanded tracts of polyglutamine residues play a central role. A variety of other proteins are prone to aggregation when mutated, indicating that this process is a common pathologic mechanism for inherited disorders. However, little is known about the relationship between the sequence of aggregating peptides and the specificity of intracellular accumulation. Here we demonstrate that substitution of two residues eliminates aggregation of a 111-amino acid peptide derived from the C-terminal portion of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). We also show that fusion to a reporter protein considerably alters the subcellular distribution of aggregating peptide. When fused to green fluorescent protein, the peptide containing amino acids 1370-1480 of CFTR accumulates in large perinuclear or nuclear aggregates. The same CFTR fragment devoid of green fluorescent protein localizes predominantly to discrete accumulations associated with mitochondria. Importantly, both types of accumulation are dependent on the presence of the same two amino acids within the CFTR sequence. Co-expression studies show that both CFTR-derived proteins can co-localize in large cytoplasmic/nuclear aggregates. However, neither CFTR construct accumulates in intracellular inclusions formed by N-terminal fragment of huntingtin. In addition to unique accumulation patterns, each aggregating peptide shows differences in association with chaperone proteins. Thus, our results indicate that the process of intracellular aggregation can be a selective process determined by the composition of the aggregating peptides.
Seismic anisotropy in the mantle transition zone beneath Fiji-Tonga

[1] We demonstrate a rare, unequivocal case of anisotropy in the transition zone (TZ), evident from many horizontal-polarized shear-waves (SH) that arrive up to 3 s earlier than vertical-polarized shear-waves (SV). The anisotropic region correlates with deep earthquakes away from the active subduction zone and known boundaries of lateral heterogeneities in compression- and shear-wave speeds. We interpret the anisotropy as strong fabric associated with a large petrologic anomaly in the core of remnant lithosphere which is buoyant and stagnates in the TZ. Fast subduction of cold slab actually favors such a configuration, so slab penetration into the lower mantle does not uniformly occur.
Algorithmic-level Specification and Characterization of Embedded Multimedia Applications with Design Trotter

Designing embedded systems is a challenging task during which wrong choices can lead to extremely costly re-design loops, especially when these wrong choices are made during the algorithm specification and the mapping over the selected architecture. In this paper we propose a high-level approach for design space exploration, using a usual standard language as input. More precisely we present the two first steps of the Design Trotter framework: (i) the specification step and its underlying internal model (HCDFG: Hierarchical and Control Data Flow Graph) and (ii) the characterization step which takes place very early in the design flow. Indeed, once transformed into our internal representation, the specification is rapidly and automatically characterized and explored at the algorithmic level. The framework provides the designer with metrics so that he can evaluate, very early in the design process, the impact of algorithmic choices on resource requirements in terms of processing, control, memory bandwidth and potential parallelism at different levels of granularity. The overall aim of our approach is to improve the algorithm/architecture matching that sorely influences the implementation efficiency in terms of silicon area, performances and energy consumption. We give examples which illustrate how designers can refer to the outcomes of the Design Trotter framework in order to select or build suitable architectures for specific applications.
Why Giants Change Their Minds

Both Matsushita and Sony were based in Japan, both manufacture consumer electronics, and both were similar to each other in size and brand reputation. Both of them were also facing the same problem: escalating manufacturing costs in Japan were eroding Japan's traditional advantages in manufacturing, especially when its neighbor China was emerging as the "workshop of the world" with low cost advantage. These two players, however, selected totally different manufacturing strategies. While Matsushita aggressively moved its manufacturing business to China, Sony suddenly shifted some of its production back to Japan. Matsushita's and Sony's supply-chain rebuilding strategies were diametric opposites with the same objectives — to improve their competitiveness by optimizing their critical success factors across their supply chains. Today's competition is not really company versus company, but supply chain versus supply chain. Managers and executives should realize that what they had done before for single firms is now being examined from the perspective of a chain of firms. The contemporary issues in Matsushita and Sony provide an extremely interesting lesson about how to establish competitive advantage by using effective supply chain management and how an advantage can be eroded by using incorrect supply chain management.
Hyperspectral Feature Selection and Fusion for Detection of Chicken Skin Tumors

We consider a feature selection method to detect skin tumors on chicken carcasses using hyperspectral reflectance data. This allows for faster data collection than does fluorescence data. A chicken skin tumor is an ulcerous lesion region surrounded by a region of thickened-skin. Detection of chicken tumors is a difficult detection problem because the tumors vary in size and shape; some tumors appear on the side of the chicken. In addition, different areas of normal chicken skin have a variety of hyperspectral response variations, some of which are very similar to the spectral responses of tumors. Similarly, different tumors and different parts of a tumor have different spectral responses. Thus, proper classifier training is needed and many false alarms are expected. Since the spectral responses of the lesion and the thickened-skin regions of tumors are considerably different, we train our feature selection algorithm to detect lesion regions and to detect thickened-skin regions separately; we then process the resultant images and we fuse the two HS detection results to reduce false alarms. Our new forward selection and modified branch and bound algorithm is used to select a small number of λ spectral features that are useful for discrimination. Initial results show that our method offers promise for a good tumor detection rate and a low false alarm rate.
Dissolved and Total Thallium in Great Lakes Waters

While being a highly toxic element, thallium (Tl) has been studied to a much lesser degree than other toxic elements such as lead, cadmium or mercury. This is mainly because Tl is often undetected by classical analytical methods which tend to have poorer sensitivity for Tl than for other elements. This is clearly evidenced by our findings that Tl is more concentrated than Cd in Great Lakes waters, yet there have been no published Tl data compared to a good amount of published Cd data for this ecosystem. Recently, we have developed an ultrasensitive Laser-Excited Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometric (LEAFS) method which made possible the direct determination of thallium in lake waters. This paper reports for the first time the concentration and the distribution of dissolved and total Tl in the waters of three Great Lakes and some point sources. The median dissolved concentration of Tl are 1.2, 5.7, 9.4, and 25.7 ng/L (6, 27, 45, and 124 × 10−12 M) in Lakes Superior, Ontario, Erie, and Hamilton Harbor, respectively. A range of sub-ng/L to 50 ng/L of Tl was found. The overall average ratio of dissolved over total Tl is 87% with a standard deviation of 8%. To our knowledge these Tl data are the first ones ever reported for this important ecosystem.
What determines health: a causal analysis using county level data

This article revisits the long-standing issue of the determinants of health outcomes. We make two contributions to the literature. First, we use a large and comprehensive US county level health data set that has only recently become available. This data set includes five measures of health outcomes and 24 health risk factors in the categories of health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment. Second, to distinguish causality from correlation, we implement an emerging data-driven method to study the causal factors of health outcomes. Among all included potential health risk factors, we identify adult smoking, obesity, motor vehicle crash death rate, the percent of children in poverty, and violent crime rate to be major causal factors of premature mortality. Adult smoking, preventable hospital stays, college or higher education, employment, children in poverty, and adequacy of social support determine health-related quality of life. Finally, the Chlamydia rate, community safety, and liquor store density are three important factors causally related to low birth weight. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Amphiphilic Hydrogels Constructed by Poly(ethylene glycol) and Shape-Persistent Dendritic Fragments1

This paper describes the synthesis of amphiphilic hydrogels with highly shape persistent cross-link junctions using linear blocks, such as poly(ethylene glycol), PEG, and perfectly branched (dendritic) macromolecules. The synthetic strategy is based on the reaction of PEG with isocyanate or epoxy end groups as the hydrophilic component and hydrophobic dendritic poly(benzyl ethers) with amino groups at the periphery. It is found that the efficiency of the cross-linking reaction depends on the nature of chemical reaction used and the stoichiometric ratio of the two building blocks. The swelling of the gels formed is affected by the relative PEG content and by the polarity of the medium and the temperature, and it varies between 1.2 and 16.7 (by weight). The influence of various factors on the degree of crystallinity and phase segregation is also discussed.
Structure of the InP/SiO2 interface

InP/SiO2 interfaces have been studied by high resolution electron microscopy in cross section, by ellipsometry, and by x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The roughness of the interface is shown to vary from 10 to 100 A peak to peak depending on the InP surface treatment prior to SiO2 desposition, and some evidence is found for a small amount of native oxide and P segregation at the interface. Thermal oxide grown on InP at 350 °C is shown to consist of two separate layers, an inner one of 30–70 A thickness and probably composition InPO4, and an outer one of 60‐A thickness and probably composition In2O3.
Induction of DNA polymerase in mouse L cells.

Abstract Two molecular species of DNA polymerase are found in mouse L cells. This study is concerned with the variation of these two species of enzyme with the rate of cell growth and DNA synthesis. The 3.4 S DNA polymerase, found in both nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of mouse L cells, remains relatively constant during different stages of the growth curve. The heterogeneous 6 to 8 S DNA polymerase, found only in the cytoplasmic fractions, varies about 5 to 12-fold in correlation with DNA synthesis, as measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation.
Nocturnal growth hormone secretion studies in adolescents with or without major depression re-examined: integration of adult clinical follow-up data.

Abstract Background: Early sleep is associated with an increased secretion of human growth hormone (GH) through muscarinic inhibition of somatostatin, a GH suppressant. A clinical follow-up was performed approximately 1 decade after depressed and psychiatrically “normal” control adolescents, who were now young adults, had undergone baseline serial GH measurements over a 24-hour period on the third night of sleep polysomnography studies. Methods: The study population consisted of 77 young adults who had received a diagnosis of adolescent major depressive disorder and had participated in the adolescent sleep and neuroendocrine studies. Alternatively, the young adult subjects were assessed as normal adolescent control subjects free of any psychiatric diagnosis. Blood samples had been collected for GH every 20 min during the 24-hour period coinciding with the third consecutive night of sleep electroencephalography. Subjects, now in young adulthood, were relocated and blindly reinterviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (lifetime version). The original adolescent nocturnal GH data were analyzed in light of the information obtained regarding clinical course into adulthood. Results: A substantial proportion of the nominally normal control group developed at least one episode of major depression or dysthymia during the follow-up period. “Latent” depressive subjects differed from depression-free control subjects by having exhibited a significantly more rapid increase of adolescent nocturnal GH secretion following sleep onset. Of the subjects who had experienced at least one lifetime major depressive episode during the follow-up, the subgroup who would go on to make suicide attempts secreted significantly greater amounts of GH during the first 4 hours of sleep. Adults with lifetime depression exhibited significantly reduced levels of GH in the 100 min preceding sleep onset during adolescence. Conclusions: Assignment of subjects based on longitudinal clinical follow-up into adulthood revealed that the sleep-related GH secretion paradigm has predictive value for future depressive episodes and future suicide attempts. Dysfunction of complex sleep-onset mechanisms may be a premorbid marker of depression and suicidal behavior.
Current status of nuclear power in the United States and around the world.

Nuclear energy's share of the world electricity market has been growing over the past 35 years. In 1989, eight generating units entered commercial operation abroad and three new units were licensed in the U.S. In early 1990, Mexico became the 26th country to produce electricity from nuclear power. Currently the 426 operating reactors supply one sixth of the world's total electrical capacity. Fourteen countries have now operated nuclear plants for 20 or more years. Since 1980, France has been the leader in the use of nuclear power and currently generates three quarters of its electricity from 54 nuclear plants. The U.S. has 112 nuclear plants, the largest number of any country in the world. These plants satisfy almost 20 percent of U.S. electrical energy requirements. Last year Three Mile Island, the would-be icon for everything that is wrong with the nuclear industry was rated as the most efficient nuclear plant in the world. The worldwide trend toward acceptance of nuclear is improving slightly, but many political and societal issues need to be resolved. Whereas recent polls indicate that a majority of the people realize nuclear must be a major contributor to the energy mix of the future, many are reluctant to support the technology until the issue of waste disposal has been resolved. Fears of another Chernobyl, lack of capital, and a new anti-nuclear campaign by Greenpeace will keep the nuclear debate alive in many countries. Additional stumbling blocks in the U.S. include the need to develop a new generation of improved reactor designs which emphasize passive safety features, standardized designs and a stream-lined federal licensing process. Nuclear power is really not dead. Even environmentalists are starting to give it another look. A nuclear renaissance will occur in the U.S. How soon or under what conditions remain to be seen. The next crisis in the U.S. will not be a shortage of energy, rather a shortage of electricity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Digital filter design for strain-flow imaging

This paper introduces strain-flow imaging as a new technique for investigating vascular dynamics and tumor biology. The deformation of tissues surrounding pulsatile vessels and the velocity of fluid in the vessel are estimated from the same data set. The success of the approach depends on the performance of a digital filter that must separate echo signal components caused by flow from tissue motion components that vary spatially and temporally. Eigenfilters, which are an important tool for naturally separating signal components adaptively throughout the image, perform very well for this task. The method is examined using two tissue-mimicking flow phantoms that provide stationary and moving clutter associated with pulsatile flow.
Theory of electron-molecule scattering: comments on the adiabatic-nuclei approximation

The adiabatic-nuclei theory of electron-molecule scattering is extended to account for electronic excitation of the target. The approximate expressions for the wave function and the scattering amplitude are derived from a formally exact expansion in terms of the fixed-nuclei, electronic-scattering solutions. The formalism treats molecular-bound and continuum states on an equal footing. We also propose a modified expression for the adiabatic-scattering amplitude which is expected to have an increased range of validity near excitation thresholds. (AIP)
THE NEONATAL PHENOTYPE OF GALACTOSEMIA

Galactosemia (GAL), due to Gal-1-PO4 uridyltransferase deficiency, is an inborn error of galactose metabolism causing neonatal morbidity and mortality. The general features of GAL are not specific, and the particular characteristics that may better define GAL in the neonate have not been systematically studied. We have analyzed the clinical and biochemical findings prior to treatment in all 23 neonates with GAL identified by routine screening during the past 21 years. At the time of newborn screening identification, only one infant had been diagnosed clinically as having GAL, although 18 were symptomatic; 3/5 asymptomatic infants were biochemically variant. Among all affected neonates 6 (26%) had bacterial infections, 5 with bacteremia and 1 with urinary tract infection; 5/6 infections were due to E. coli. Hyperbilirubinemia during the first week of life was almost exclusively unconjugated, while the conjugated fraction tended to rise only during the second week. Serum transaminase elevations were associated with conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Coagulopathy was the most distinguishing feature of liver dysfunction, and was disproportionate to the severity of other biochemical indications of liver disease. Of 11 infants studied by slit-lamp ophthalmologic examination, 7 (64%) had “water-droplet cataracts”. GAL produces severe physiologic disturbances which are often unsuspected from a deceptively milder clinical presentation. These disturbances may be related to the long-term sequelae now recognized in early-treated galactosemics.
Theoretical study of the thioformyl ion.

The equilibrium structure of the thioformyl ion has been determined from an ab initio matrix Hartree-Fock calculation, and an estimated rotation constant has been derived. A rotation constant of 21.7 GHz is obtained for HCS(+); the corresponding constant for DCS(+) is 18.3 GHz. If the vibration-rotation interaction constants for HCS(+) are assumed to be the same as those for HCP, then the rotation constant is 21.6 GHz, while the vibration-rotation constants of DCP give a rotation constant of 18.3 GHz for DCS(+).
Proximity Effect in a Seven-Strand Cable

THE calculation of the alternating current resistance ratio due to skin effect or proximity effect has been worked out for many shapes and combinations of conductors but often without recourse to experimental results. It is, accordingly, the purpose of this work to check calculations with tests for the type of calculation recently developed, covering the losses in several round wires connected in parallel, of which the arrangement is such that unequal currents flow in the different wires. The experimental results with which the calculated results are to be compared are those presented by A. E. Kennelly and H. A. Affel 2 in 1916 for seven-strand cables. Their work covered radio frequencies up to 100,000 cycles in rather small conductors. The derivations as presented here are applicable to all frequencies and sizes of conductors.