cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endogenous opioids modulate neuronal survival in the developing avian ciliary ganglion

Most studies on the trophic regulation of the normal neuronal competition for survival have focused on interactions between neurons and their target environment. However, it is also likely that trophic modulators are released from premotor inputs onto motoneurons. We have examined the developmental distribution of endogenous enkephalin-like immunoreactivity and the role that these endogenous opioid peptides play in normal neuronal degeneration. During the early portion of the normal cell death period, enkephalin-like immunoreactivity is highest within preganglionic cell bodies in the midbrain and their nerve terminals in the ciliary ganglion. Exogenous daily morphine administration to the chick embryo has previously been shown to delay most of the normal neuronal death in the ciliary ganglion (see Meriney et al., 1985). We hypothesized that opiate receptor activation increases the probability that ciliary ganglion neurons will survive their developmental competition and, further, that the endogenous opioid peptides in the ciliary ganglion normally modulate this competition. However, in our previous report (Meriney et al., 1985), we noted that daily administration of the antagonist naloxone to the chorioallantoic membrane did not significantly alter neuronal survival, as would have been expected if endogenous opioids were involved in regulating cell death. In contrast, in this report we show that three times daily application of naltrexone (a long-lasting opiate antagonist) significantly decreased neuronal survival among the ciliary ganglion cells, and that the surviving cells were not ultrastructurally different than neurons from controls of the same developmental stage. To control for toxic effects of naltrexone, we performed cell counts following naltrexone, we performed cell counts following naltrexone treatment in another population of cholinergic motoneurons (lumbar spinal motoneurons). In this population of cells, the total number of motoneurons remains unchanged following naltrexone treatment. To test for a specific toxic effect on the neurons of the ciliary ganglion, we generated a dose-response curve for toxicity in vitro and determined that naltrexone was not toxic over concentration ranges that are likely to exist in vivo. It appears, therefore, that a multiple daily antagonist application protocol blocks opiate receptors sufficiently in the ciliary ganglion to decrease an endogenous opiate influence significantly. We tested the possibility that endogenous opioids exert their effect by modifying transmission at peripheral and ganglionic synapses. In the generally accepted hypothesis, paralysis at the peripheral nerve-striated muscle synapse would rescue cells, while paralysis of ganglionic synapses would decrease survival. Iris neuromuscular junctions onto striated muscle cells were not blocked by opioids, but neuromuscular transmission in the smooth muscle of the choroid coat was blocked.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Are you satisfied? citizen feedback and delivery of urban services

Citizen feedback is considered an effective means for improving the performance of public utilities. But how well does such information reflect the actual quality of service delivery? Do so-called scorecards or report cards measure public service delivery accurately, or do personal and community characteristics have a significant impact on residents' assessment of service quality? Deichmann and Lall investigate these questions using newly available household survey data on access to and satisfaction with selected public services in two Indian cities-Bangalore and Jaipur. They develop a framework where actual levels of services received, as well as expectations about service performance, influence a household's satisfaction with service delivery. The authors find that satisfaction increases with improvements in the household's own service status, a finding that supports the use of scorecard initiatives. But the results also suggest that a household's satisfaction is influenced by how service quality compares with that of its neighbors or peers and by household level characteristics such as welfare and tenure status. This implies that responses in satisfaction surveys are at least in part determined by factors that are unrelated to the service performance experienced by the household.
Coma and Brain Death

Arousal impairment, as manifested by coma, encephalopathy, and brain death, is a common final pathway for a broad range of diseases, which share the common thread of pathophysiological derangement of the pons, midbrain, thalamus, or simultaneous damage to bilateral thalamocortical projections or bilateral cortices. Coma is a state of complete unresponsiveness to external and internal stimuli, which is typified by the complete failure of normal arousal. Encephalopathy is an impairment of normal arousal in which the level of arousal fluctuates. These manifestations of arousal failure are among the most common derangements in hospitalized patients and patients in the ICU and the etiologies of arousal failure are manifold. In this chapter, the anatomical and physiological bases of arousal failure are discussed. The anatomical and physiological foundations of arousal failure are then used as framework to describe the neurological assessment of comatose or encephalopathic patients and how the neurological assessment leads to neuroanatomical localization of the brain injury leading to arousal failure. The approach to etiological diagnosis and management of patients with coma and encephalopathy are then described based on the principles of neurological localization.
Antinociception produced by mu opioid receptor activation in the amygdala is partly dependent on activation of mu opioid and neurotensin receptors in the ventral periaqueductal gray.

Abstract Exposure to stressful or fear-inducing environmental stimuli activates descending antinociceptive systems resulting in a decreased pain response to peripheral noxious stimuli. Stimulating mu opioid receptors in the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA) in anesthetized rats produces antinociception that is similar to environmentally induced antinociception in awake rats. Recent evidence suggests that both forms of antinociception are mediated via projections from the amygdala to the ventral periaqueductal gray (PAG). In the present study, we examined the types of neurochemicals released in the ventral PAG that may be important in the expression of antinociception produced by amygdala stimulation in anesthetized rats. Microinjection of a mu opioid receptor agonist into the BLA resulted in a time dependent increase in tail flick latency that was attenuated by preadministration of a mu opioid receptor or a neurotensin receptor antagonist into the ventral PAG. Microinjection of a delta 2 opioid receptor antagonist or an NMDA receptor antagonist into the ventral PAG was ineffective. These findings suggest that amygdala stimulation produces antinociception that is mediated in part by opioid and neurotensin release within the ventral PAG.
The linearised Hamiltonian as comprehensive NDP

For guidance in determining which items should be included in comprehensive NDP (net domestic product) and how they should be included, reference is often made to the linearised Hamiltonian from an optimal growth problem. The paper gives a rigorous interpretation of this procedure in terms of a money-metric utility function linked to familiar elements of standard welfare theory. A key insight is that the Hamiltonian itself is a quasilinear utility function, so imposing the money-metric normalisation is simply equivalent to using Marshallian consumer surplus as the appropriate measure of welfare when there are no income effects. The twin concepts of the ‘sustainability-equivalence principle’ and the ‘dynamic welfare-comparison principle’ are explained, and it is indicated why these two principles are important for the theory of national income accounting.
Ribosome metabolism during the vitellogenic cycle of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

Ribosome accumulation and synthesis in the fat body of the mosquito Aedes aegypti increased by approx. 4-fold during 18 h after blood meal, consistent with the pattern of total RNA accumulation during the synthetic phase of the vitellogenic cycle. By 24–30 h after the blood meal, the accumulated ribosomes began to be degraded, and the total RNA content in the fat body eventually returned to previtellogenic levels. A method has been developed for isolation of ribosomal subunits from fat body, and the ribosomal proteins have been shown to have properties similar to those from cultured Aedes albopictus cells by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Proteins S1, S10, and A from the small ribosomal subunit are phosphorylated when a fat body is incubated in Aedes saline in the presence of [32P]orthophosphate.
The Right Patients for the Drug: Managing the Placebo Effect in Antidepressant Trials

This article concerns the challenges faced by pharmaceutical researchers seeking to develop novel antidepressants. Based on ethnographic and documentary research into the drug development process, it shows how researchers try to manage the problem of the placebo response in antidepressant trials. The high rate of placebo response in these trials makes it difficult to demonstrate efficacy and often leads to trial failure. According to researchers, a major reason for high placebo response rates is the inability of standardized rating scales to define a coherent group of ‘drug responders’. They have developed alternative means of classifying patients in order to circumvent this problem and thereby improve the chances of trial success. In their search for ‘the right patients for the drug’, pharmaceutical researchers also provide an incisive critique of the epistemological assumptions underlying the clinical trial process.
Autonomous self-organizing resource manager for multiple networked platforms

A fuzzy logic based expert system for resource management has been developed that automatically allocates electronic attack (EA) resources in real-time over many dissimilar autonomous naval platforms defending their group against attackers. The platforms can be very general, e.g., ships, planes, robots, land based facilities, etc. Potential foes the platforms deal with can also be general. This paper provides an overview of the resource manager including the four fuzzy decision trees that make up the resource manager; the fuzzy EA model; genetic algorithm based optimization; co-evolutionary data mining through gaming; and mathematical, computational and hardware based validation. Methods of automatically designing new multi-platform EA techniques are considered. The expert system runs on each defending platform rendering it an autonomous system requiring no human intervention. There is no commanding platform. Instead the platforms work cooperatively as a function of battlespace geometry; sensor data such as range, bearing, ID, uncertainty measures for sensor output; intelligence reports; etc. Computational experiments will show the defending networked platform's ability to self- organize. The platforms' ability to self-organize is illustrated through the output of the scenario generator, a software package that automates the underlying data mining problem and creates a computer movie of the platforms' interaction for evaluation.
Breast lesions, pathology and cancer risk.

: Although the relationship of various breast lesions and cancer risk is complex, and is compounded by the uniqueness of each patient, numerous clinical investigations have validated the implications of specific lesions and future risk. While variations in lesion cytology, histology, and molecular biology present a challenge to the clinician in determining disease risk and formulating a management strategy for individual patients, research has yielded several guidelines. These include patient variables, such as age and menopausal status, as well as information concerning the lesion itself. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has emerged as the central lesion against which others must be compared. Accurate diagnosis of DCIS is integral in determining the risk of local or regional future malignancy.
Magnetoelectrics: making metallic memories.

A phase transition at the surface of a thin film of iron can be exploited to create a metallic non-volatile memory.
Molecular evidence for single Wolbachia infections among geographic strains of the flour beetle Tribolium confusum

Infections with the rickettsial microorganism Wolbachia are cytoplasmically inherited and occur in a wide range of insect species and several other arthropods. Wolbachia infection often results in unidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI): crosses between infected males and uninfected females are incompatible and show a reduction of progeny or complete inviability. Unidirectional CI can also occur when males harbouring two incompatible Wolbachia strains are crossed with females infected with only one of the two strains. In the flour beetle Tribolium confusum, Wolbachia infections are of particular interest because of the severity of incompatibility. Typically, no progeny results from the incompatible cross, whereas only partial incompatibility is observed in most other hosts. Werren et al. (1995a) reported that Wolbachia infections in T. confusum consist of two bacterial strains belonging to distinct phylogenic groups, based on PCR amplification and sequence analysis of the bacterial cell division gene ftsZ. However, Fialho & Stevens (1996) showed that eight strains of T. confusum were infected with a single and common incompatibility type. Here we report analysis of the ftsZ gene by specific PCR amplification. Diagnostic restriction enzyme assays revealed no evidence of double infections in 11 geographic strains of T. confusum, including the strain examined by Werren et al. (1995a). Further, sequence analysis of the Wolbachia ftsZ gene and an internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region in two of these strains displayed no nucleotide variation or evidence of polymorphisms. Results suggest that T. confusum is infected with B-group Wolbachia only.
Image Registration Algorithm For A PC-Based System

Image registration algorithms are essential for subtractive analysis of sequential images. Discrepancies in lighting, image orientation, and scale must be minimized before effective subtraction of two images can occur. We have successfully implemented computationally intensive algorithms for registration, which include illuminance normalization and magnification correction, in a PC-based image processing system. A homomorphic filter in the spatial domain is used to reduce the illumination variations in the images. A modified sequential similarity detection technique is used to derive the minimum error factor associated with each combination of translation, magnification, and rotation variations. Each variation of the test image is masked with one of three masks, and the squares of the pixel intensity differences are summed for every test image. An adaptive threshold is used to decrease the time required for a misfit by aborting the test image under consideration when its summation exceeds the value of the previous best fit summation. After the best fit parameters are obtained, they are used to register the images so that the images can be subtracted. The difference image is subjected to further image enhancement operations. The execution time of the image registration algorithm has been reduced through use of a hybrid program written in C and Assembly languages. Applications of the registration algorithms in analysis of fundus images will be presented.
Electron detachment from negative ions - The effects of isotopic substitution

Absolute total electron-detachment cross sections and relative elastic-scattering cross sections are presented for collisions of H(-) or D(-) with He, Ne, Ar, and N2 for collision energies ranging from about 2 eV up to 100 eV. Special emphasis has been given to the effect of isotopic substitution. It was found that, with the exception of the helium target, the results cannot be in accord with a model using a localized complex potential. On the other hand, the results for H(-) or D(-) with He are in excellent agreement with predictions based on previous (local complex potential) analysis of differential elastic-scattering measurements.
Impact of prophylactic versus preemptive valganciclovir on long-term renal allograft outcomes.

Background. Both prophylactic and preemptive oral valganciclovir therapy are effective for the management of cytomegalovirus (CMV) postrenal transplantation in the short term. The long-term effect of either strategy is less well defined. Methods. We analyzed the data on 115 adult recipients previously enrolled in a prospective randomized controlled trial of prophylaxis versus preemptive therapy for CMV. The primary outcome was a composite of freedom from acute rejection, graft loss, or death. Secondary outcomes included individual primary outcomes, posttransplant cardiovascular events, new-onset diabetes mellitus after transplantation, achievement of goal blood pressure, change in body mass index, interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy, and change in renal function. The analysis period was a minimum of 48-month posttransplant or a date of death or graft loss, whichever was earlier. Results. The primary outcome was similar between groups (83% prophylactic vs. 81% preemptive, P=0.754). The secondary outcomes showed similarities between the prophylactic and preemptive groups. Four patients in the prophylactic group (8%) compared with none in the preemptive group (0%) died with a functioning graft, P=0.043. Conclusions. Within the limitations of sample size, our data suggest that either strategy for the management of CMV immediately after transplantation seems effective for patient and graft survival in the long term. CMV management is one of the many therapeutic strategies incorporated into a renal transplantation protocol, which often differs among institutions, and the decision as to which approach to use remains center- and resource-specific. The increased incidence of death in the prophylactic group requires further investigation.
Localized solutions of non-linear Klein-gordon equations

Abstract Non-dissipative, stationary solutions for a class of non-linear Klein-Gordon equations for a scalar field have been found explicitly. Since the field is different from zero only inside a sphere of definite radius, the solutions are called quantum droplets.
Canonical Relationships between Prestige and Interpersonal Attraction

Canonical correlation was employed to test the relationship between prestige and interpersonal attraction in a public speaking situation. The hypothesis was that, when responding to a public speech, subjects would make judgments about the prestige of the speaker that would serve as an inferential base regarding conclusions about the interpersonal attraction of that individual. Results indicated that males (ns = 78, 48) made judgments of interpersonal attraction dominated by task attraction, while females (ns 90, 69) made multiple judgments about interpersonal attraction encompassing social, task, and physical attraction. Different results were obtained for a male and a female speaker.
Effects of Fe(III) chemical speciation on dissimilatory Fe(III) reduction by Shewanella putrefaciens.

Shewanella putrefaciens, a heterotrophic member of the γ-proteobacteria is capable of respiring anaerobically on Fe(III) as the sole terminal electron acceptor (TEA). Recent genetic and biochemical...
Prior Online Course Experience and G.P.A. as Predictors of Subsequent Online STEM Course Outcomes

This study found that G.P.A. and prior online experience both predicted online STEM course outcomes. While students with higher G.P.A.s were also more likely to have successfully completed prior online courses, prior online course experience added significant information about likely future STEM online outcomes, even when controlling for G.P.A. Students who had successfully completed all prior online courses had significantly higher rates of successful online STEM course completion at all G.P.A. levels than students who had failed to complete even one prior online course successfully. Students who had dropped or earned a D or F grade in even one prior online course had significantly lower rates of successful online STEM course completion than students with no prior online experience, even when controlling for G.P.A. This suggests that prior online course outcomes should be combined with G.P.A. when attempting to identify community college students at highest risk in online STEM courses.
Evo-devo beyond morphology: from genes to resource use

How does genetic innovation translate into ecological innovation? Although evo-devo has successfully linked genes to morphology, the next stage is elucidating how genes predict resource use. This can be attained by broadening the focus of evo-devo from [genes→morphology], to [genes→morphology→functional ecology]. We suggest that the fields of evo-devo, functional morphology, and evolutionary ecology should be united under a common framework based on three predictions. The first is that morphological disparity should scale positively with functional complexity among different radiations. The second is that functional complexity should correlate negatively with the predictability of evolutionary divergence within lineages, and the third is that functional complexity should define the genetic architecture of adaptive radiations. These predictions could enable a broader understanding of how genetic variation is translated into variation in resource use.
Effects of genotype and cryopreservation of avian semen on fertility and number of perivitelline spermatozoa

Abstract 1. The fertility of freshly diluted and cryopreserved samples of semen obtained from a population of chickens selected for duration of fertility of cryopreserved spermatozoa (FS line) and its unselected control (FC line) were compared over a range of spermatozoa concentrations (10, 40, 80, and 160 × 106 sperm/50 μ1 insemination). 2. The spermatozoa of the FS line had greater fertility than spermatozoa of the FC line, whether freshly diluted or cryopreserved. Cryopreservation resulted in a reduction in fertility, regardless of line. There were no significant line by genotype interactions. 3. There were fewer spermatozoa from the FG line than the FS line found in the perivitelline membrane (perivitelline spermatozoa). The increase in number of perivitelline spermatozoa with increasing sperm concentration was greater in the FS than FC line. However, the slope of the increase in sperm number in the perivitelline membrane with increasing concentrations of cryopreserved spermatozoa was zero. 4. A minim...
Marijuana Craving During a Public Speaking Challenge: Understanding Marijuana Use Vulnerability among Women and those with Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with risk for developing marijuana dependence, yet it remains unclear whether urge to use marijuana increases in anticipation of social anxiety-provoking situation, during the situation, or afterwards (to avoid post-event processing). The present study examined the timing of marijuana craving in response to a social anxiety task among 60 (50% female; 33% with SAD) marijuana users randomly assigned to either a speech or reading task. Participants completed ratings of marijuana craving at baseline (prior to being informed of task assignment), before, during, and after task. Among women and participants with SAD, the speech task was associated with greater craving than the reading task. This effect was particularly pronounced during the social anxiety induction task. This effect was not observed for men or participants without SAD. Identification of timing of urge to use marijuana has important implications for treatment and relapse prevention of marijuana problems among women and people with SAD (a group at particular risk for marijuana-related problems).
English Class at the Improv: Using Improvisation to Teach Middle School Students Confidence, Community, and Content

In this article, the author describes a personal teaching experience that led her to incorporate improvisational drama into her English classroom. The author describes justifications for implementing drama into the classroom as well as the possible benefits gained by teachers and students. Also included are several improvisational dramatic activities and instructions for incorporating them into the English curriculum. Using drama helped to develop confidence, community, and content knowledge in the middle school classroom.
Adaptive regulation of high-order lower-triangular systems : an adding a power integrator technique

Abstract In this paper, a new adaptive control technique called adding a power integrator is proposed, for a class of linearly parametrized high-order nonlinear systems that are of a lower-triangular structure, but neither feedback linearizable nor affine in the control input. Using the adaptive adding a power integrator technique as a basic design tool, we show how to explicitly construct, in a recursive manner, a smooth adaptive controller that solves the problem of adaptive regulation with global stability. The development of the adding a power integrator technique leads to a significant relaxation on the system nonlinearities such as feedback linearizability and affineness, which are known to be two standard hypotheses made in the existing nonlinear adaptive control schemes.
Modeling plug‐assist thermoforming

Plugs are sometimes used to prestretch thermoplastic sheet prior to drawdown into thermoform mold cavities. The amount of force required to stretch the sheet depends upon the material constants in the stress-strain equation, the sheet thickness, the extent of stretching, and the geometry of the plug. Two decades ago, Williams proposed simplifying the general thin membrane large strain theory to obtain a tractable force-deflection model. In this paper, it is shown that for plug forming, the general theory reduces to a relatively simple, transcendental relationship. Experimental force-deflection data obtained on two thicknesses of natural rubber sheet agree reasonably well with the general theory but not at all with the Williams large strain model.
Religious participation as a predictor of mental health status and treatment outcomes in older persons.

SUMMARYObjectivesThis study focuses on examining the relations of religious participation and affiliation to mental health status among older primary care patients, and to the use and clinical outcomes of mental health services.MethodsA sample of older adults participating in a clinical study (PRISM
Which tyrosine-kinase inhibitor to use first in chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia?

Introduction: Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder distinctly characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome, which results from a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 [t(9;22)]. The resulting translocation leads to the development of the BCR-ABL1 oncogene, a constitutively active fusion protein, which leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis and has a clear association with driving the malignant activity of CML cells.Areas covered: Given that the BCR-ABL1 oncogene is a known key cause of CML, it has led to the development of numerous small molecule tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which target the specific oncogene mutation in CML. Presently, there are three FDA-approved TKI agents, imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib, for the treatment of frontline CML. Herein, we review the frontline options for the management of patients with CML and how to best choose these agents.Expert opinion: Imatinib, dasatinib and nilotin...
A DISTRIBUTED, NEAR-OPTIMAL CALL SET-UP PROTOCOL FOR ALL-OPTICAL WAVELENGTH ROUTING NETWORKS

A simple distributed "no look-ahead" connection rule with little set-up delay and little control overhead is proposed for interconnection networks representative of all-optical wavelength-routing networks. This connection rule, or call set-up protocol, is designed for networks with installed wavelength changers and supports both dynamic fixed route and dynamic alternative route call set-up. The proposed protocol has near-optimal call set-up probability under the conditions of an elementary route resource model. The protocol also admits explicit analytical expressions for key protocol performance measures, such as call set-up probability and average number of changers used to set up a call.
Experimental astrophysics with high power lasers and Z pinches

With the advent of high-energy-density (HED) experimental facilities, such as high-energy lasers and fast Z-pinch, pulsed-power facilities, millimeter-scale quantities of matter can be placed in extreme states of density, temperature, and/or velocity. This has enabled the emergence of a new class of experimental science, HED laboratory astrophysics, wherein the properties of matter and the processes that occur under extreme astrophysical conditions can be examined in the laboratory. Areas particularly suitable to this class of experimental astrophysics include the study of opacities relevant to stellar interiors, equations of state relevant to planetary interiors, strong shock-driven nonlinear hydrodynamics and radiative dynamics relevant to supernova explosions and subsequent evolution, protostellar jets and high Mach number flows, radiatively driven molecular clouds and nonlinear photoevaporation front dynamics, and photoionized plasmas relevant to accretion disks around compact objects such as black holes and neutron stars.
Electro-thermal simulation and design of a 60 A, 4.5 kV half-bridge Si IGBT/SiC JBS hybrid power module

This paper presents the results from a parametric simulation study that was conducted to optimize the design of a high-current 4.5 kV half-bridge Si-IGBT/SiC-JBS hybrid module for medium voltage hard-switched power conversion as well as to compare the performance of the hybrid module to the all-Si configuration. The simulations are performed for a circuit that emulates hard-switched conditions similar to a full wave inverter and utilizes validated electro-thermal models for the 4.5 kV Si IGBT, Si PiN diode, and SiC JBS diode and a validated thermal model for the module package. Simulations for various circuit and module parameters including the size and number of SiC JBS diode chips, gate resistances and switching frequencies are used to design the module to be used for demonstration in a Naval power converter application.
Tracking service failures and employee recovery efforts

Demonstrates a method for examining service failures and recovery strategies in service industries and provides a typology of service failures and recoveries in the restaurant industry. Based on 373 critical incidents collected from restaurant customers, uses the critical incident technique (CIT) to identify 11 unique failure types and eight different recovery strategies. Additional data regarding the magnitude of the service failure, the service recovery rating, the lapsed time since the failure/recovery incident, and customer retention rates were also collected. Presents this information along with managerial and research implications.
Effective program debugging based on execution slices and inter-block data dependency

Localizing a fault in program debugging is a complex and time-consuming process. In this paper we present a novel approach using execution slices and inter-block data dependency to effectively identify the locations of program faults. An execution slice with respect to a given test case is the set of code executed by this test, and two blocks are data dependent if one block contains a definition that is used by another block or vice versa. Not only can our approach reduce the search domain for program debugging, but also prioritize suspicious locations in the reduced domain based on their likelihood of containing faults. More specifically, we use multiple execution slices to prioritize the likelihood of a piece of code containing a specific fault. In addition, the likelihood also depends on whether this piece of code is data dependent on other suspicious code. A debugging tool, DESiD, was developed to support our method. A case study that shows the effectiveness of our method in locating faults on an application developed for the European Space Agency is also reported.
Platinum-catalyzed hydrogenation of graphite: Mechanism studied by the rates of monolayer channeling

Monolayer channeling on the basal plane of graphite was studied for the Pt-catalyzed C-H/sub 2/ reaction using gold decoration transmission electron microscopy, at temperatures below 1050/sup 0/C, H/sub 2/ pressures below 1 atm, and Pt particle sizes below 5000 A. The particle movement is driven by the adhesion forces between Pt and the (1011) zigzag edge plane of graphite. Larger particles channel faster but the gasification rate per Pt surface area is the same for all sizes. The rate is independent of H/sub 2/ partial pressure. The kinetic data suggest that the rate-limiting step is the reaction on the Pt surface between surface carbon and chemisorbed hydrogen at their equilibrium amounts. A comparison of the monolayer channeling data and those on multilayer channeling and bulk measurement indicates that there exists a similarity between the mechanisms. A further comparison of the kinetic data for the catalyzed C-H/sub 2/ reaction and for the methanation reaction (from CO + H/sub 2/) suggests the likelihood of a common rate-limiting step.
Mercury concentrations in red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, from estuarine and offshore waters of Florida.

Abstract Dorsal muscle tissue from 712 red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, from Florida waters were analyzed for total mercury content. Mercury levels detected in these red drum varied but in most study areas were usually lower than regulatory threshold guidelines. Total mercury levels in individual fish from all study areas ranged from 0.020 to 3.6 ppm (wet weight). Total mercury levels detected in red drum from the Florida Keys-Florida Bay area were often higher than those in fish from all other estuarine study areas. Positive relationships between total mercury levels and fish size (length and weight) and fish age were observed in most Florida study areas, indicating that mercury levels tend to increase over time as red drum grow. The majority of large, mature red drum examined contained mercury levels greater than the 0.5-ppm threshold level set by the Florida Department of Health (DOH). Approximately 94% of all adult red drum from offshore waters adjacent to Tampa Bay contained mercury levels greater than or equal to the 0.5-ppm threshold level, and 64% contained levels greater than or equal to the DOH 1.5-ppm “no consumption” level. All fish from this area with mercury levels greater than 1.5 ppm were large individuals (⩾670 mm SL). Eight percent of legal-size red drum from Florida waters contained total mercury levels greater than or equal to the 0.5-ppm threshold level. The majority (52%) of these legal-size fish greater than or equal to 0.5 ppm were from the Florida Keys-Florida Bay area. In the Florida recreational fishery, the current maximum size limit for this species is an effective filter that prevents humans from consuming those red drum with the greatest likelihood of containing high mercury levels.
Interaction between Light Waves and Spin Waves

The coupling of photons and magnons can be treated by the same methods developed for the coupling between photons and phonons. The coupled wave equations are derived directly from the Hamiltonian density for the quantized fields with the density-matrix formalism. The similarity between the spin Raman effect and the vibrational Raman effect is emphasized and it is shown that the spin Raman effect will usually be one or two orders of magnitude smaller than the vibrational effect in Raman liquids. The possibility of exiciting spin-wave modes by light in ferro-, ferri-, and antiferromagnetic materials is discussed. The combined coupling of magnetic, vibrational, and light waves is also analyzed and a magnon excitation may be induced by the stimulated Brillouin effect on a magnetoelastic mode.
Proportioning of body regions in the planarian Dugesia tigrina as a function of the length: Width ratio of the regenerating fragment

Regeneration was examined in different regions of planaria (Dugesia tigrina) in order to determine the effect that the shape of a section exerts on proportion regulation during regeneration. Length: width ratios were used as an index of section shape and experiments utilized sections at which this ratio was below 1.0 Proportion regulation was evaluated by determining relative area of major body regions for normal and abnormal regenerates. Proportional area of body regions anterior to the pharynx increased with proportional decreases in the length: width ratio for all regenerates, but this increase was greater for regenerates that originated from segments anterior to the pharynx. Changes in proportional area of one anterior body region were closely correlated to changes in porportional area of other anterior body regions. The exact nature of these correlations varied as a function of originating segment. A hierarchy also exists in proportional head tissue between normal and abnormal regenerates as total relative head area of twoheaded regenerates was around three times that of normal planarians while regenerates with one large head and without a pharynx had a proportional head size that was less than that of two-headed animals but more than twice that of normal planarians.
Thermodynamics of alkali alkanoates IX. Heat capacity and thermodynamic functions of lithium 2-methylpropanoate at temperatures from 7 K to 535 K

Abstract The heat capacity of lithium 2-methylpropanoate was measured by equilibrium adiabatic calorimetry at temperatures, T from 7 K up to 350 K and by d.s.c. from 330 K through melting to 535 K. A small diffuse hump was observed in the range T = 125 K to 250 K. A solid-to-solid (intercrystalline) transition was observed at T = 445 K, and melting to the isotropic liquid occurred at 510 K. The enthalpies Δ trs H o m and entropies Δ trs S o m of transition were calculated to be 903 R ·K and 2.03 R for the solid-to-solid transformation (assumed to be first order) and 1045 R ·K and 2.05 R for melting.
Some experiments on simple and choice reaction time.

Abstract : The report concerns four problems on simple and choice reaction time (RT). First, in Experiments 1 and 2, the suthors examine the role of time estimation in the manipulation of responses in simple reaction time experiments by means of payoffs and information feedback. Second, in Experiment 3, they ask whether the changes in the shape and location of choice RT distributions as compared with simple ones are due primarily to the increase in the number of signals, in the number of responses, or in some more basic difference between the two tasks. Third, in Experiment 4, they investigate the relation between RT and signal presentation probability in choice situations. And, finally, using all of the empirical distributions obtained in Experiments 2, 3, and 4, an attempt is made to see if any of several theoretical distributions appear to give a satisfactory description of the data. (Author)
Working Memory Capacity and Suppression

Abstract Two experiments examined whether a relationship exists between an individual's working memory capacity and their ability to suppress intrusive thoughts and behaviors. In both experiments, participants learned three lists in a modified paired-associates task where the interference condition followed an AB–AC–AB design and the noninterference condition an EF–DC–AB design. Experiment 1 stressed speed, and individuals who scored high on a measure of working memory capacity (high spans) produced fewer first-list intrusions during second-list learning than did low spans. Experiment 2 stressed accuracy, and high spans in the interference condition were slower than their control to retrieve first-list responses on List 3, suggesting that they had suppressed them during second-list learning. In contrast, the low spans in the interference condition were faster than their control. The findings suggested that a relationship exists between an individual's working memory capacity and their ability to suppress intrusive thoughts and behaviors.
The strongest L = 6 transitions observed in the (α, d) reaction on odd-mass A = 33-41 target nuclei

Abstract Angular distributions of the (α, d) reaction on 33S, 35,37Cl and 39,41K have been measured at Eα = 40 MeV. Excited states of the residual nuclei with the [( target ) J= 3 2 ⊗ (1 f 7 2 ) 2 J=7 ] 17 2 + configuration are suggested to correspond to the strongest observed L = 6 transition in each nucleus.
Evaluation of Initiators and Fillers in Diallyl Phthalate Resins by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Abstract Seven organic peroxide initiators for the polymerization of diallyl-o-phthalate prepolymers were studied using differential scanning calorimetry. Included were t-butyl perbenzoate, dicumyl peroxide, α,α′-bis(t-butyl peroxy) diisopropyl-benzene, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(t-butyl peroxy) hexane, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(t-butyl peroxy)hexyne-3, di-t-butyl peroxide, and t-butyl hydroperoxide. Heats of reaction and reaction rate constants are presented for each initiator at 1, 2, 3, and 4 phr of diallyl-o-phthalate prepolymers. The differences in reaction temperature and rate are discussed. Effects of four types of commonly used fillers (asbestos floats, ground quartz, calcium silicate, and clay) on the heats of reaction of diallyl-o-phthalate prepolymers using t-butyl perbenzoate and dicumyl peroxide initiators show the large inhibiting effect of untreated kaolinite clays on this polymerization.
Collaborative data processing in developing predictive models of complex reaction systems

The subject of this report is a methodology for the transformation of (experimental) data into predictive models. We use a concrete example, drawn from the field of combustion chemistry, and examine the data in terms of precisely defined modes of scientific collaboration. The numerical methodology that we employ is founded on a combination of response surface technique and robust control theory. The numerical results show that an essential element of scientific collaboration is collaborative processing of data, demonstrating that combining the entire collection of data into a joint analysis extracts substantially more of the information content of the data. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 57–66, 2004
Adaptive Increase in Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Kinase 4 during Starvation Is Mediated by Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor α

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoform 4 (PDK4) is upregulated by starvation in many tissues of the body during starvation. This causes inactivation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex which blocks pyruvate oxidation and conserves lactate and alanine for gluconeogenesis. Enhanced PDK4 expression may be caused by the increase in free fatty acids that occurs during starvation. Free fatty acids can activate peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), and activation of PPARα can promote PDK4 expression. This model is supported by the findings reported here that WY-14,643, a synthetic PPARα activator, increases PDK4 expression in wild-type mice but not in PPARα-null mice. Starvation likewise increases the expression of PDK4 in tissues of wild-type mice but not in tissues of PPARα-null mice. These findings document the functional importance of PPARα for PDK4 expression during starvation and suggest an important role for elevated free fatty acids in the induction.
Pigmented Adenoma of the Optic Nerve Head Simulating a Melanocytoma

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to describe a clinicopathologic correlation of an unusual pigmented tumor of the optic nerve head, to point out that such a lesion can simulate clinically a melanocytoma of the optic disc, and to discuss the differential diagnosis of pigmented epipapillary lesions. Findings: Histopathologic studies of the affected eye showed a peculiar pigmented tumor of the optic disc that was compatible with an adenoma arising from the juxtapapillary retinal pigment epithelium. Conclusions: Adenoma of the retinal pigment epithelium can closely simulate a melanocytoma of the optic disc. There are some clinical features that may serve to differentiate the two lesions.
Presynaptic depolarization of trigeminal cutaneous afferent fibers induced by ethanol

Abstract The effect of ethyl alcohol (ethanol) on the level of polarization of trigeminal cutaneous afferents was studied in cats. A modification of Wall's technique was utilized to determine excitability changes of trigeminal cutaneous neurons at two different structural levels: at the central terminals located in the spinal trigeminal nucleus; and at the level of the cell bodies contained within the trigeminal ganglion. The excitability of these neuronal structures was expressed in the form of stimulus-response curves. In addition, the effect of ethanol on cerebral cortically conditioned stimulus-response curves and on time courses of cortically induced excitability changes was determined. Intravenous ethanol injections (0.08 g/kg/min) consistently produced primary afferent depolarization (PAD) of central terminals of trigeminal fibers, whereas ganglion cells and fiber processes, contained in the trigeminal ganglion, were not significantly altered in their level of polarization. Ethanol-induced changes in PAD were greater in cortically conditioned than in nonconditioned states. In preparations with complete precollicular transection, ethanol failed to induce consistent and significant PAD. The observed changes in PAD of presynaptic (central) terminals were discussed with respect to the concept of presynaptic inhibition. It was concluded that at least part of the depressant action of ethanol on the trigeminal somesthetic system is due to an enhancement of presynaptic depolarization. It appears that descending cerebral-cortical influences play an important role in this inhibitory mechanism.
Biochemical and Physicochemical Presentations of Patients With Brushite Stones

ABSTRACTPurpose: We determined whether the biochemical and physicochemical backgrounds of patients with brushite stones differ from those with hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate stones.Materials and Methods: From a computer data base of patients completing ambulatory evaluation 19 with brushite stones, 24 with hydroxyapatite stones and 762 with calcium oxalate stones were identified with the specified composition in greater than 70% of stones.Results: Absorptive hypercalciuria type I was present in 63% of patients with brushite, 17% with hydroxyapatite and 30% with calcium oxalate stones. Distal renal tubular acidosis was noted in 32% of patients with brushite, 42% with hydroxyapatite and 3% with calcium oxalate stones. Mean urinary calcium in the brushite group was significantly higher than in the hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate groups (265 ± 125 vs 186 ± 103 and 187 ± 95 mg daily, respectively). Urinary pH in the brushite group was slightly but significantly higher than in the calcium oxalate group (...
Changing diastolic closure rates (E to F slopes) in a patient with mitral stenosis: a case report.

A patient with mitral stenosis and atrial flutter was found to have a normal diastolic closure rate (E to F slope). Fol lowing cardioversion, the typical echo cardiographic features of mitral stenosis were found. After various interventions that increased heart rate, however, the diastolic closure rate increased. This re port demonstrates, therefore, that the E to F slope is not always a fixed value in mitral stenosis and that under certain conditions it may even appear to be nor mal.
The Sixty-Third William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition

The following results of the fifty-third William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, held on December 5, 1992, have been determined in accordance with the governing regulations. This annual contest is supported by the William Lowell Putnam Prize Fund for the Promotion of Scholarship, left by Mrs. Putnam in memory of her husband, and is held under the auspices of the Mathematical Association of America.