cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Climatology of winter transition days for the contiguous USA, 1951–2007

In middle and high latitudes, climate change could impact the frequency and characteristics of frontal passages. Although transitions between air masses are significant features of the general circulation that influence human activities and other surface processes, they are much more difficult to objectively identify than single variables like temperature or even extreme events like fires, droughts, and floods. The recently developed Spatial Synoptic Classification (SSC) provides a fairly objective means of identifying frontal passages. In this research, we determine the specific meteorological patterns represented by the SSC’s Transition category, a “catch-all” group that attempts to identify those days that cannot be characterized as a single, homogeneous air mass type. The result is a detailed transition climatology for the continental USA. We identify four subtypes of the Transition category based on intra-day sea level pressure change and dew point temperature change. Across the contiguous USA, most transition days are identified as cold fronts and warm fronts during the winter season. Among the two less common subtypes, transition days in which the dew point temperature and pressure both rise are more frequently observed across the western states, and days in which both variables fall are more frequently observed in coastal regions. The relative frequencies of wintertime warm and cold fronts have changed over the period 1951–2007. Relative cold front frequency has significantly increased in the Northeast and Midwest regions, and warm front frequencies have declined in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain, and Pacific Northwest regions. The overall shift toward cold fronts and away from warm fronts across the northern USA arises from a combination of an enhanced ridge over western North America and a northward shift of storm tracks throughout the mid-latitudes. These results are consistent with projections of climate change associated with elevated greenhouse gas concentrations.
Cocaine does not alter cardiac glycogen content at rest or during exercise.

Abstract Cocaine is a potent sympathomimetic drug, and has been implicated as a causative factor in cardiac seizures. However, little is known about the effect of the drug on myocardial substrate utilization. In the present study, rats were injected intravenously with saline solution or one of three doses of cocaine-HCl (1.25, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg) and subsequently rested or exercised (22 m/min at 15% grade) for 20 minutes. Hearts were removed and frozen within 30 seconds after the injection of anesthetic and within 10 seconds after opening the thoracic cavity. The mean values for resting glycogen content ranged from 24.9 to 27.0 μmol/g, and for glucose-6-phosphate, from 0.27 to 0.30 μmol/g across groups. These values were unaffected by cocaine or exercise. We conclude, based on the conditions of this study, that cocaine has no direct or indirect effect on glycogen storage of the myocardium at rest or during exercise.
Logistric growth rate functions.

Assuming an S-shaped population or organism size versus time curve and a growth rate law of the form dPdt = constant XPa (P∞−P)b where P is the population or size at any time, t, and P∞ is the limiting population at infinite time, several methods are available for evaluating the exponential pair (a, b). At the inflexion a simple relation exists between PP∞ and the pair. In addition the rate equation can be converted to an integral function from which, in turn, the best pair to describe the growth rate can be obtained graphically. The integral function for (a, b) = (1, 1), (2, 1), (2, 2), (12 1), (32, 1) and (23, 1) are given. Identity relations permit easy calculation of the functions for the conjugate pairs (b, a).
1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Up-Regulates Bcl-2 Expression and Protects Normal Human Thyrocytes from Programmed Cell Death

Apoptosis is thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid disease. 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) has been shown to suppress several autoimmune diseases. However, the mechanism by which VD3 has these effects is not known. We evaluated the alterations in apoptosis, induced by VD3. Thyrocytes were treated with VD3, and the expression of the Bcl-2 family molecules was studied at both the messenger RNA and protein levels. It was found that VD3 significantly induced the expression of Bcl-2 messenger RNA and protein in thyrocytes but had no effect on the expression of Bcl-xl and Bax. The increase in Bcl-2 expression, mediated by VD3, correlated with protection of thyrocytes against the induction of apoptosis by either staurosporine or UV irradiation. VD3-induced increases in the expression of Bcl-2 could be mimicked by VD3 analogs with high nuclear receptor affinity, but not by analogs only with nongenomic actions. These data indicate a role for Bcl-2 in the regulation of apoptos...
A 13b 315fs rms 2mW 500MS/s 1MHz bandwidth highly digital time-to-digital converter using switched ring oscillators

Time-to-digital converters (TDCs) were historically used in laser range-finding, automatic test equipment, and timing jitter measurements, but recent developments in the design of high-resolution TDCs have paved the way for mostly digital implementation of PLLs and ADCs. Among the state-of-the-art TDCs, a flash TDC is the simplest, but its resolution is technology-limited by the minimum gate delay [1]. A pipelined TDC overcomes the technology limitation, but the characteristics of the inter-stage time-residue amplifier are inherently nonlinear and are therefore difficult to control in a robust manner [2]. A MASH TDC can improve the resolution by leveraging oversampling and noise shaping, but extracting the quantization error in the time domain poses many challenges [3]. A single-loop phase-domain continuous-time (CT) ΔΣ in [4] is susceptible to analog circuit imperfections. Furthermore, sampling frequency, F S , in all previous TDCs must be equal to the input carrier frequency, F C , which limits the over-sampling ratio (OSR) to be at most F C /(2×Bandwidth). To overcome these drawbacks, we present a highly digital switched ring oscillator based TDC (SRO-TDC) that achieves noise shaping and is capable of operating at high OSRs. The prototype SRO-TDC achieves an integrated noise of 315fs rms in a 1MHz signal bandwidth at an input carrier and sampling frequencies of 80MHz and 500MHz, respectively while consuming less than 2mW from a 1V supply. It is also capable of operating over a wide range of input carrier frequencies (0.6 to 750MHz) and sampling rates (50 to 750MS/s).
FRAGMENTATION OF NEOCORTICAL NEURITES IN PEDIATRIC HIV-1-ASSOCIATED CNS DISEASE: AN IMMUNOPEROXIDASE STUDY OF TUBULIN EPITOPES IN POST-MORTEM BRAINS. 2234

FRAGMENTATION OF NEOCORTICAL NEURITES IN PEDIATRIC HIV-1-ASSOCIATED CNS DISEASE: AN IMMUNOPEROXIDASE STUDY OF TUBULIN EPITOPES IN POST-MORTEM BRAINS. 2234
Forebrain influences on brainstem and spinal mechanisms of copulatory behavior: A current perspective on Frank Beach's contribution

In a 1967 Physiological Reviews paper, Frank Beach put forth four propositions regarding forebrain and hormonal control of brainstem-spinal mechanisms of copulatory behavior. Simply stated, he proposed that: 1) the forebrain exerted an inhibitory control over species-typical copulatory reflexes through descending effects on brainstem-spinal mechanisms and 2) gonadal hormones influence these reflexes largely by actions on forebrain control processes rather than by direct effects on the brainstem or spinal cord. This theoretical scheme was of great heuristic significance during the subsequent two decades of research, which has largely supported and delineated in greater mechanistic detail the processes Beach hypothesized to exist. This subsequent research has also shown the central nervous system actions of gonadal hormones to be more widespread and complex than Beach proposed. Some of these recent research findings are presented, with emphasis on neurophysiological studies which have identified hormone-induced functional changes in forebrain and brainstem neurons. It is proposed that these functional changes may represent a mechanism for the behavior-controlling actions of hormones that were hypothesized by Beach.
School refusal in young adolescent girls with nonclinical panic attacks

The purpose of this study was to determine whether adolescent girls with panic attacks not selected on the basis of seeking treatment, have the associated symptomatology that characterizes patients with panic symptoms from clinical samples. The sample consisted of 713 sixth- and seventh-grade girls who were administered a structured interview and questionnaire to assess panic symptoms, agoraphobic avoidance, school refusal, depression, and substance use. The 40 subjects reporting panic attacks were matched for age, pubertal status, and ethnicity with 120 comparison subjects. School refusal and depressive symptoms were more common among those having experienced a panic attack compared with those in the matched comparison group. Agoraphobic avoidance and substance use were not associated with panic. If replicated, panic attacks should be considered in the differential diagnosis for young adolescent girls presenting with school refusal, particularly since adolescents rarely volunteer symptoms of panic.
A serine/threonine phosphatase, PP2A, controls autoimmunity

Although tyrosine phosphatases have been well documented to be involved in the control of the immune system, serine/threonine phosphatases have not been assigned a similar role. Studies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), however, revealed that the protein, mRNA and catalytic activity of a serine/threonine phosphatase A (PP2A) are increased in T cells. More importantly, PP2A has a master role in the aberrant biochemistry of SLE T cells because it: dephosphorylates pCREB and deprives an enhancer from various genes; dephosphorylates Elf1 and accounts for decreased expression of CD3ς and increased expression of FcRγ; activates (dephosphorylates) SP1 and promotes the expression of SP1-dependent genes such as CREM; and suppresses the activity of DNMT1 and promotes gene demethylation. Gene function studies have revealed that promoter and intronic SNPs, along with epigenetic modifications of the promoter region, account for the expression of increased amounts of PP2A in SLE patients. A mouse overexpressing PP2Ac in T cells does not develop autoimmunity but it displays increased amounts of IL-17 in the blood and develops florid glomerulonephritis when challenged with an anti-GBM antibody. Lastly, PP2A is involved in the epigenetic control of expression of IL-17. Besides the increased expression of the catalytic subunit of PP2A, several regulatory (B) subunits appear to be abnormally expressed in SLE patients. Specifically, Bb' is decreased in one-half of SLE patients and accounts for defective IL-2 deprivation T-cell death, thus prolonging the survival of autoreactive T cells. In conclusion, the catalytic and regulatory subunits of PP2A are abnormally expressed in SLE and contribute to aberrant T-cell function and organ damage. The fact that PP2Ac controls several downstream events urges its therapeutic targeting. The findings that PP2A B subunits control distinct T-cell function will enable corrective actions without the fear of collateral damage.
5000 year sedimentary record of hurricane strikes on the central coast of Belize

Abstract The central coast of Belize has been subject to hurricane strikes throughout recorded history with immense human and material cost to the Belizean people. What remains unknown is the long-term frequency of hurricane strikes and the effects such storms may have had on the ancient Maya civilization. Our sedimentary study of major hurricane strikes over the past 5000 years provides preliminary insights. We calculate that over the past 500 years major hurricanes have struck the Belize coast on average once every decade. One giant hurricane with probably particularly catastrophic consequences struck Belize sometime before AD 1500. A temporal clustering of hurricanes suggests two periods of hyperactivity between ∼4500 and 2500 14 C yr BP, which supports a regional model of latitudinal migration of hurricane strike zones. Our preliminary hurricane data, including the extreme apparent size of the giant event, suggest that prehistoric hurricanes were capable of having exerted significant environmental stress in Maya antiquity.
Antidepressant Effects of Fibroblast Growth Factor-2 in Behavioral and Cellular Models of Depression

Background Basic and clinical studies report that the expression of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) is decreased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of depressed subjects or rodents exposed to stress and increased following antidepressant treatment. Here, we aim to determine if 1) FGF-2/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling is sufficient and required for mediating an antidepressant response behaviorally and cellularly; and 2) if the antidepressant actions of FGF-2 are mediated specifically by the PFC. Methods The role of FGF-2 signaling in behavioral models of depression and anxiety was tested using chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)/sucrose consumption test (SCT), forced swim test (FST), and novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT). We also assessed the number of bromodeoxyuridine labeled dividing glial cells in the PFC as a cellular index relevant to depression (i.e., decreased by stress and increased by antidepressant treatment). Results Chronic FGF-2 infusions (intracerebroventricular) blocked the deficit in SCT caused by CUS. Moreover, the response to antidepressant treatment in the CUS/SCT and FST was abolished upon administration of an inhibitor of FGFR activity, SU5402. These results are consistent with the regulation of proliferating cells in the PFC, a portion of which are of oligodendrocyte lineage. Lastly, subchronic infusions of FGF-2 into the PFC but not into the dorsal striatum produced antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects on FST and NSFT respectively. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that FGF-2/FGFR signaling is sufficient and necessary for the behavioral, as well as gliogenic, actions of antidepressants and highlight the PFC as a brain region sensitive to the antidepressant actions of FGF-2.
Controlling the Functional Testing of an Operating System

Functional testing of operating systems is in transition from a predominantly imprecise art to an increasingly precise science. The process that controls this testing is maturing correspondingly. The laissez-faire approach is giving way to a disciplined approach characterized by rigorous definition of the test plan, systematic control of the test effort, and objective quantitative measurement of the test coverage. This paper describes just such a disciplined test control process, which is composed of five steps: 1) the survey, which establishes the intended extent of testing; 2) the identification, which creates a list of functional variations eligible for testing; 3) the appraisal, which ranks and subsets the eligible variations so that test resources can be directed at those with the higher payoff; 4) the review, which calculates the test coverage of the test case library; and 5) the monitor, which verifies attainment of the planned test coverage. Throughout the test process, specification testing is distinguished from program testing.
Large-eddy simulations of the vortex-pair breakup in aircraft wakes

We have utilized large-eddy simulations to simulate the transition from an aircraft wake dominated by the interaction of vortex-pair dynamics and engine plume huoyancy to one dominated by atmospheric dispersion. Our investigation concentrates on the period from a few seconds to several minutes after the wake is generated, during which the essentially two-dimensional vortex-pair is broken up into a variety of three-dimensional eddies. Our initial conditions are taken from near-wake simulations for three aircraft : the B-737, the B-747, and the ER-2. Comparisons of our simulations, for conditions representative of the atmosphere in the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere, with wake photographs taken from the ground show very similar features. In the absence of wind shear, the vortex pair go through a linking instability that is affected both by engine buoyancy and ambient turbulence. The resultant series of vortex rings continue to descend, leaving the wake with the appearance of a series of suspended puffs. When the mean atmospheric shear is sufficiently large, the ambient vorticity can erode one memher of the vortex pair, leading to a breakup mode with a much shorter wavelength.
Regulation of insulin-like growth factor–dependent myoblast differentiation by Foxo forkhead transcription factors

Insulin-like growth factors promote myoblast differentiation through phosphoinositol 3-kinase and Akt signaling. Akt substrates required for myogenic differentiation are unknown. Forkhead transcription factors of the forkhead box gene, group O (Foxo) subfamily are phosphorylated in an insulin-responsive manner by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–dependent kinases. Phosphorylation leads to nuclear exclusion and inactivation. We show that a constitutively active Foxo1 mutant inhibits differentiation of C2C12 cells and prevents myotube differentiation induced by constitutively active Akt. In contrast, a transcriptionally inactive mutant Foxo1 partially rescues inhibition of C2C12 differentiation mediated by wortmannin, but not by rapamycin, and is able to induce aggregation-independent myogenic conversion of teratocarcinoma cells. Inhibition of Foxo expression by siRNA resulted in more efficient differentiation, associated with increased myosin expression. These observations indicate that Foxo proteins are key effectors of Akt-dependent myogenesis.
Theological Education with Hispanic Persons: Teaching Distinctiveness

The article explores the distinctiveness of Hispanic or Latino/a persons and implications for teaching practice in theological education. It reports on findings from a workshop for non-Hispanic faculty that was conducted at the Hispanic Summer Program in 1901. The content is broadly defined, and the context and persons of theological education are considered in addressing the particular learning characteristics that can typify Hispanic persons. The work draws upon the pioneering work of Dr. Eldin Villafane (The Liberating Spirit) who identifies cultural distinctiveness among Hispanic persons in the United States. Suggestions related to each of those characteristics are proposed for teaching practice with the expectation that transformation in practice can foster greater inclusion of Hispanic persons in theological education.
Origin of Coulomb blockade oscillations in single-electron transistors fabricated with granulated Cr/Cr2O3 resistive microstrips

The purpose of our work is to evaluate single-electron devices fabricated using resistive microstrips and to investigate its applicability for single-electron logic. In this article, we present our work on the fabrication and characterization of SETs with gold islands and CrOx resistive microstrips. The electron transport mechanism of CrOx resistors is also discussed and hypothesis of two types of possible junctions are given as the explanation for the experimental results. q 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A hierarchical architecture to integrate GSM and mobile IPv6

Integrating the two successful domains, viz, cellular networks and the Internet, to have anytime, anywhere access is one of the objectives of third generation (3G) cellular networks. In this paper a hierarchical architecture for the integration of cellular network (GSM) and mobile IPv6 as mobility management is proposed. GSM is the most widely used cellular network and mobile IP allows transparent routing of IP datagrams in the Internet to the mobile node irrespective of its physical location. Mobile IP provides an elegant solution for inter-domain, or macro-mobility management, but does not perform well for micro-mobility or intra-domain management. The transition of IPv4 to IPv6 is studied and its improvements are incorporated in the proposed architecture. The proposed hierarchical architecture improves the performance of mobile IP in GSM networks in terms of fast intra-domain hand-offs and reduced latency.
Obesity Augments Calcium-Induced Increases in Skeletal Calcium Retention in Adolescents

Context: Overweight adolescents have low bone mineral content for weight and are at increased risk for fractures. Objective: The aim was to determine whether overweight and obesity influence the positive relationship between dietary calcium intake and skeletal calcium retention in adolescents. Design: Analysis of pooled data from calcium balance studies in adolescents. Setting: Participants each underwent a 3-wk calcium balance study in a controlled environment. Participants: Participants included 280 White, Black, and Asian boys (n = 73) and girls (n = 207) ages 10–16 yr. Main Outcome Measure: The relationship among body mass index (BMI), calcium intake, and calcium retention was modeled using linear regression. Results: Calcium intake, BMI, sex, race, and age explained 27.9% of the variation in calcium retention. At low calcium intakes, there was no effect of BMI on skeletal calcium retention, but at higher calcium intakes, BMI increased skeletal calcium retention. Conclusions: Greater gains in calcium ...
Modeling Urban Heat Islands and Their Relationship With Impervious Surface and Vegetation Abundance by Using ASTER Images

An important issue in urban thermal remote sensing is how to use pixel-based measurements of land surface temperature (LST) to characterize and quantify the urban heat island (UHI) observed at the mesoscale and macroscale. Characterization and modeling of UHIs must consider the inherent spatial nonstationarity within land surface variables. This study extended a kernel convolution modeling method for 2-D LST imagery to characterize and model the UHI in Indianapolis, IN, as a Gaussian process. To understand the UHI pattern over space and time, four Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer images of different seasons/years were acquired and analyzed. Furthermore, we employed linear spectral mixture analysis to extract subpixel urban biophysical variables [i.e., green vegetation (GV) and impervious surface (IS)] and developed new indexes of greenness and imperviousness based on the convoluted images of GV and IS fractions. These indexes were proposed to show the contrast in the urban-rural biophysical environmental conditions. Results indicate that the UHI intensity possessed a stronger correlation with both greenness and imperviousness indexes than with GV and IS abundance. Because this study utilized a smoothing kernel to characterize the local variability of urban biophysical parameters, including LST, characterized UHIs can therefore be examined as a scale-dependent process. To this end, we categorized the smoothing parameters into three groups, corresponding to the three scales that are suitable to studying the urban thermal landscape at the microscale, mesoscale, and regional scale, respectively. The identified scales can then be matched with various applications in urban planning and environmental management.
Analysis of power law models for the creep of nucleus pulposus tissue

Tissue engineering approaches are now being investigated for altering the course of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Because the disease changes the mechanical properties of the load bearing tissues of the disc, viscoelastic tissue behavior is a key measure for comparing the efficacy of treatments. To investigate the basic viscoelastic behavior of nucleus pulposus tissue, tissue from the rabbit disc was tested in torsional creep. Both the Andrade and Nutting creep models had a good fit to the data, however, the Andrade creep model gave a much better prediction of the longer term creep. This is the first application of Andrade creep to biological tissue and results indicate that this model may be particularly well suited for characterizing the viscoelastic behavior of very soft biological tissues.
The Simplest Chronoscope IV: Lateral Differences in Choice Reaction Time Responses Obtained by Meterstick versus Machine

Abstract This study compared right-hand and left-hand two-choice CRT responses of college students to both the simplest chronoscope (a falling meterstick) and to a digital-readout multi-choice reaction timer (machine). Tests of ipsilateral differences showed significant differences in CRT between the meterstick and the machine methods for both right and left hands. There were no significant contralateral differences in CRT with either the meterstick or machine methods. Combined total scores showed that there were significant differences in CRT responses obtained by meterstick versus machine, whereas there were no differences in CRT responses for all right-hand responses versus all left-hand responses. Results suggest that perhaps the workings of two different reaction time systems may account for the robustness of differences between CRT's obtained by meterstick versus machine.
Short communication: Bacterial ecology of high-temperature, short-time pasteurized milk processed in the United States

To determine the microbial ecology of pasteurized milk within the United States, 2% fat pasteurized fluid milk samples were obtained from 18 dairy plants from 5 geographical areas representing the Northeast, Southeast, South, Midwest, and West. Of the 589 bacterial isolates identified using DNA sequence-based subtyping methods, 346 belonged to genera characterized as gram-positive endospore-forming bacteria (i.e., Bacillus and Paenibacillus). Of the 346 gram-positive endospore-forming bacteria isolated in the present study, 240 were classified into 45 allelic types identical to those previously identified from samples obtained in New York State, indicating the widespread presence of these microbes in fluid milk production and processing systems in the United States. More than 84% of the gram-positive spore-forming isolates characterized at d 1, 7, and 10 were of the genus Bacillus, whereas more than 92% of isolates characterized at d 17 of shelf life were of the genus Paenibacillus, indicating that the predominant gram-positive spoilage genera shifts from Bacillus spp. to Paenibacillus spp. during refrigerated storage.
Influence of Plant Functional Group Removal on Inorganic Soil Nitrogen Concentrations in Native Grasslands

High plant functional group diversity has been hypothesized to reduce resource concentrations based on the assumption that species from one functional group acquire resources similarly to one another, while species from other functional groups acquire resources dissimilarly. To determine if functional groups use soil nutrients different from one another, we investigated the impact of removing individual functional groups on soil inorganic nitrogen (NO { and NH z ) concentrations in the Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis Elmer)/bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Love) habitat type in Montana. Treatments were imposed by removing 1) all plant species (total plant removal), 2) shallow-rooted (, 15 cm) forbs, 3) deep- rooted (. 15 cm) forbs, 4) all forbs (total forb removal), 5) grasses, and 6) spikemoss, compared to intact control plots. Inorganic nitrogen was measured at 2 soil depths (0-15 cm and 16-40 cm) in the spring, summer, and fall 1 year after treatment imposition. The removal of individual functional groups generally increased soil NO { and NH z concentrations. Total plant removal increased NO { concentrations more than removing individual functional groups. Grass removal generally increased soil NO { concentrations in the 0-15-cm depth more than other functional groups removal. Whether the grass or total forb removal treatment resulted in greater soil NH z concentrations in the 0-15-cm depth depended on season. These results suggest that functional groups vary in their soil nutrient acquisition patterns and that increased functional diversity decreases soil nutrient concentrations. Therefore, maintaining or improving functional diversity may be a method to more fully utilize soil nutrients because functional groups can differ in their spatial and temporal acquisition of resources.
Time lag in the 1972 monthly catalog of United States government publications

Abstract A random sample of 588 entries from the 1972 Monthly Catalog was examined to determine time lag between publication date and appearance in the index. The mean time lag was 4.7 months with a range of 1 to 27 months. Publications issued by independent agencies had a time lag of 4.0 months while those from the legislative and executive were 4.2 and 5.2 months. Publications received on deposit had a time lag of 4.1 months while non-depository items had a time lag of 5.8 months. For office use only publications had a time lag of 8.0 months. It was hypothesized that time lag was a function of issuing agency, depository status, whether the item was intended for official use only and whether the item was sold by the Superintendent of Documents. Significant but low relationships were found between time lag and issuing agency, for sale by SuDocs, and depository status. A significant and moderate relationship was found between time lag and official use status.
Properties of a detrital remanence carried by haematite from study of modern river deposits and laboratory redeposition experiments

Summary. Although detrital haematite is often observed in red sedimentary rocks, its contribution to the magnetization is usually a matter of debate. Part of the problem is that the properties of magnetic remanence carried by detrital haematite are not well known. Studies on both naturally and experimentally deposited modern river sediments whose remanence is carried by detrital haematite lead to the following observations: (1) The declinations of river-laid sediments deposited under known field conditions average to that of the Earth's field. (2) A substantial inclination error is observed in both river-laid and experimentally deposited sediments which varies as: tan (Io) =f. tan (If) where Io and If are the remanent and applied inclinations respectively and f is about 0.55 in these experiments. (3) The intensity of remanence is a function of both the magnitude and the orientation of the applied magnetic field, increasing with field strength and decreasing with field inclination. This observation is consistent with models involving contributions to the remanence by plates (constrained to lie nearly horizontally) and spheres (aligned with the applied field). (4) Sediments deposited in zero field and then subjected to an applied field acquired a p-DRM by grain rotation. The intensity of p-DRM increased with time according to a power law, P-DRM is acquired parallel to the applied field but, unless the sediment is disturbed, has an intensity an order of magnitude lower than the DRM acquired in the same field. (5) If generally valid, the inclination error for a haematite DRM presents the paradox that while both the age and the polarity of the DRM may be determined, the direction of the DRM magnetization will tend to underestimate palaeolatitude and give palaeopole positions that are far-sided.
Patient-controlled analgesia for cancer pain: a long-term study of inpatient and outpatient use.

The safety and efficacy of patient-controlled analgesia for the long-term control of cancer pain was tested prospectively. Respiratory rates, mental status, and pain relief were recorded at baseline and compared with those during the study period. Patients had a lower analgesic demand (i.e., self-administered less morphine during the nighttime); specifically, dosing declined 48% from the daytime level. Respiratory rates did not change appreciably during the study and no cases of significant respiratory depression were encountered. Patients self-administered sufficient morphine to produce adequate but not complete pain relief in almost all trials. Pain relief was safely achieved by both intravenous and subcutaneous routes of administration in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Mean 24-h morphine use stayed relatively constant even for patients receiving more than 2 weeks of treatment. In conclusion, patient-controlled analgesia is effective and safe therapy for the long-term control of severe cancer pain.
Endocytosed Cation-Independent Mannose 6-Phosphate Receptor Traffics via the Endocytic Recycling Compartment en Route to the trans-Golgi Network and a Subpopulation of Late Endosomes

Although the distribution of the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (CI-MPR) has been well studied, its intracellular itinerary and trafficking kinetics remain uncertain. In this report, we describe the endocytic trafficking and steady-state localization of a chimeric form of the CI-MPR containing the ecto-domain of the bovine CI-MPR and the murine transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains expressed in a CHO cell line. Detailed confocal microscopy analysis revealed that internalized chimeric CI-MPR overlaps almost completely with the endogenous CI-MPR but only partially with individual markers for the trans-Golgi network or other endosomal compartments. After endocytosis, the chimeric receptor first enters sorting endosomes, and it then accumulates in the endocytic recycling compartment. A large fraction of the receptors return to the plasma membrane, but some are delivered to the trans-Golgi network and/or late endosomes. Over the course of an hour, the endocytosed receptors achieve their steady-state distribution. Importantly, the receptor does not start to colocalize with late endosomal markers until after it has passed through the endocytic recycling compartment. In CHO cells, only a small fraction of the receptor is ever detected in endosomes bearing substrates destined for lysosomes (kinetically defined late endosomes). These data demonstrate that CI-MPR takes a complex route that involves multiple sorting steps in both early and late endosomes.
Informed Consent and Other Ethical Issues in Human Population Genetics

▪ Abstract Human population genetics has entered a new era of public interest, of controversy, and of ethical problems. Population genetics raises novel ethical problems because both the individuals and the populations being studied are, in effect, “subjects” of the research. Those populations are collectively subject to possible benefits and harms from the research and have interests, somewhat different from those of the individuals, that must be considered from both ethical and practical standpoints. The chapter first describes the new setting for research in human population genetics. It then examines the most controversial ethical issue in population genetics—whether researchers must obtain the informed consent of both the individual subjects and the group as a collectivity. Other vexing issues, including special problems caused by researchers' commercial interests, confidentiality, control over research uses and materials, and return of information to the population are also considered.
A P element-homologous sequence in the house fly, Musca domestica

Sequences homologous to the P transposable element have been identified in Musca domestica. Sequence analysis of a genomic clone (Md-P1) indicates that, although the house fly P element has lost its coding capacity, the basic general structure of drosophilid P elements is present. The house fly P element sequence shares a number of structural features with that from the blow fly, Lucilia cuprina, including a large intron separating exons 1 and 2, two additional introns interrupting exon 2 and the apparent absence of inverted repeat termini. Within a relatively well-conserved central region, the house fly sequence shows 59% similarity to the D. melanogaster P element, but distal regions are more diverged. Southern blot analysis of several strains indicated the presence of at least four P element copies.
Creativity and Team Environment: An Exercise Illustrating How Much One Member Can Matter

This experiential exercise is designed to explore the effects of positive and negative group environments on creativity. It asks students to undertake a creative activity (i.e., draw a picture) in groups with a member predesignated to offer either positive or negative comments. Students in the two different types of group environment produced dramatically different drawings. The exercise can be used to discuss the role of positive and negative work environments on teams and how students can use their skills to effectively handle negative environments.
Drug Use Prevention Efforts at Colleges and Universities in the United States

This study examined the extent to which program comprehensiveness, programmatic outcomes, program integration, and environmental factors are being addressed by 336 urban and rural United States college and university drug use prevention programs. College-based prevention programs employed a range of programmatic goals, prevention communication channels, and prevention strategies within a centralized department for drug use prevention. Most program coordinators reported no perceived change in alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, alcohol/drug-related problems, faculty/staff drug use, and alcohol and drug-related crime resulting from prevention efforts on campus. The level of prevention activity differed across institutional type.
Illustration of a broadcast architecture for flight information services

This paper illustrates the use of a broadcast data link architecture to disseminate information such as text or graphical weather data; the status of airports, airspace, and facilities; and other operational information to aircraft in flight. Provision of this type of information to the cockpit is called flight information services (FIS), and many studies conclude that having better access to such information helps the pilot to make better in-flight decisions. Building upon this premise, this paper illustrates how a broadcast data link architecture could be used by different segments of the user community to service their in-flight FIS needs, and also shows how ground-based entities (e.g., airline dispatch offices, air traffic control briefing desks, etc.) could benefit. Data link architecture, by virtue of its simplicity, performance, and operational suitability offers an economically attractive approach to supporting FIS and is recommended as a cornerstone of the future National Airspace System.
Dual-frequency MEMS based Oscillator using a single ZnO-on-SOI Resonator

In this paper, an oscillator technology with high-Q MEMS resonator as its tank circuit is presented to validate its key functionality as a stable frequency reference across a wide spectrum of frequencies. Particularly, a piezoelectrically-transduced contour-mode MEMS resonator is strategically designed to operate at two distinct layout-defined mechanical modal frequencies (259.5MHz and 436.7MHz). These devices were characterized and modeled by an extracted equivalent LCR circuit to facilitate the design of the oscillator using a standard circuit simulator. For this preliminary study, the MEMS resonators have been integrated with the sustaining amplifier circuit at PCB level using wire-bonding technique and coaxial connectors. As shown by the time-domain measurements, these oscillators are capable of selectively locking into the resonance frequency of the constituent MEMS resonator to generate a stable sinusoidal waveform with peak-to-peak amplitude of 4.6V at 259.5 MHz and 2.3V at 436.7 MHz, respectively....
Shared common ground influences information density in microblog texts

If speakers use language rationally, they should structure their messages to achieve approximately uniform information density (UID), in order to optimize transmission via a noisy channel. Previous work identified a consistent increase in linguistic information across sentences in text as a signature of the UID hypothesis. This increase was derived from a predicted increase in context, but the context itself was not quantified. We use microblog texts from Twitter, tied to a single shared event (the baseball World Series), to quantify both linguistic and non-linguistic context. By tracking changes in contextual information, we predict and identify gradual and rapid changes in information content in response to in-game events. These findings lend further support to the UID hypothesis and highlights the importance of nonlinguistic common ground for language production and processing.
Retirement and Activity Restrictions Following Concussion

Sport-related concussion is prevalent at all levels of play. Increased attention from sports media and scientific and medical communities has prompted players and physicians to explore the long-term effects of concussion and ask the questions of when and how players should begin to mitigate their concussion risk. The authors evaluate their risks from the perspective of epidemiology, symptomatology, neuropsychological performance, and biomechanics. The authors propose that there is not a set number of concussions that necessitates retirement in athletes and, aside from a few absolute contraindications to return to collision sport, return to play should be an individualized process.
The “Free” and “Buried' Tryptophan and Tyrosine Residues of Human Plasma α1-Acid Glycoprotein.∗

SummaryChlorothiazide added directly to the incubating medium decreases the in vitro rate of utilization of glucose by rats' adipose tissue. The degree of reduction in glucose utilization is greater as the amount of chlorothiazide present in the medium is increased. It can be demonstrated even with the reagents mentioned.
Kinetic Product Analysis of Aspartyl Proteinases Utilizing New Synthetic Substrates and Reversed Phase HPLC

Kinetic characterization of the Aspartyl Proteinase family of enzymes has been hampered by the lack of convenient substrates. The enzymatic preference for cleavage between two hydrophobic residues causes most small synthetic substrates to be very insoluble in aqueous buffers. Since these enzymes do not cleave terminal residues readily, p-nitroanilides or p-nitrophenyl esters are not useful as chromophoric substrates and most previous assays required measurement of newly generated amino termini with ninhydrin or fluorescamine.
Metabolism, Bioavailability, Biochemical Effects of Curcumin in Visceral Organs and the Brain

It is well known that curcumin produces antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, and antiarthritic properties. The poor bioavailability of curcumin is the major hurdle for its more widespread use in animals and humans. However, complexation and encapsulation of curcumin into liposomes, cyclodextrin, curcumin conjugate with PLGA, complexation with phospholipids, and synthesis of curcumin analogs have made it easy to bypass this problem. New ways of delivering curcumin have resulted in increased absorption and delivery of curcumin to various body tissues including brain. The underlying mechanisms of these effects are diverse and appear to involve the regulation of various molecular targets, including transcription factors (NF-κB and HIF-1), growth factors (vascular endothelial cell growth factor), inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL1, and IL-6), and enzymes (protein kinases (MAPK, Akt, COX-2, and 5-LOX).
Interlaboratory analytical comparison of fatty acid concentrations in serum or plasma.

Abstract Background There are a large number of clinical studies focusing on the measurement of individual fatty acids in serum or plasma; however, few studies have focused on the interlaboratory comparisons of these measurements. The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH-ODS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has initiated a quality assurance program for assessing and improving the comparability of individual fatty acid measurements in serum and plasma. Methods This is a performance-based study so participants are encouraged to use their laboratory's methods for the quantification of the individual fatty acids that they typically measure in the unknown serum or plasma samples along with a control material. The control materials used to date are SRM 1950 Metabolites in Human Plasma and SRM 2378 Fatty Acids in Frozen Human Serum. Results To date, two studies of the Fatty Acid Quality Assurance Program (FAQAP) have been completed with 11 and 14 participants, respectively. The agreement among the laboratories for individual fatty acids was within 20% for 70% of the data submitted. Laboratories were also requested to run triplicate analyses for each unknown sample. The precision of the individual laboratory data was generally good, with relative standard deviations Conclusions The results from the first two exercises indicate the need for additional assessment of the comparability among laboratories doing these measurements. Future studies will be conducted with the goals of increasing the number of participating laboratories, increasing awareness of the need to use control materials, and improving the comparability among laboratories.
Setting goals, not just roles: Improving teamwork through goal-focused debriefing ☆

Abstract Introduction The role of goal setting within post-simulation debriefing is not well known. This study sought to examine how inclusion of group-level goals, individual-level goals, or no goals in the debriefing process impacts teamwork. Methods Students participated in two high-fidelity team training scenarios. Between scenarios, teams were assigned to one of three debriefing groups: jointly creating five teamwork goals for the group to achieve (group-level goals); independently creating five teamwork goals for each individual to attain (individual-level goals); or no goals. Paired-samples t tests and one-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey tests were used to examine performance improvements and differences between groups. Results 86 MS3s participated in the training program across 22 groups. Percentage of items achieved on the teamwork tool from first to second scenario were 61.7±20.4 to 60.2±8.8 (no goals; ns), 59.8±14.0 to 76.8±7.0 (individual goals; p Conclusions Debriefing facilitators should encourage learners to focus on creating and achieving personal goals contributing to teamwork.
Changes in homeland security activities since 9/11: an examination of state and local law enforcement agencies’ practices

AbstractThis study investigated differences in state and local law enforcement agencies participation in homeland security activities within the year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and 13 years later. Further, this investigation assessed whether there were regional differences for these practices during these same time periods. Activities assessed were based on a homeland security initiatives index. Data suggest that, in the year after the attacks, agencies’ participation in all of Stewart and Morris’ homeland security activities was not high and statistically significant differences existed across several regions for some of these practices. However, since then, the number of agencies participating in all of Stewart and Morris’ homeland security activities increased and statistically significant differences between regions decreased. The increase in participation may be attributed to incentives provided by the federal government. Nevertheless, data suggest that support may be waning within law enforcem...