cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Virtualization-based techniques for enabling multi-tenant management tools

As service providers strive to improve the quality and efficiency of their IT (information technology) management services, the need to adopt a standard set of tools and processes becomes increasingly important. Deploying multitenant capable tools is a key part of this standardization, since a single instance can be used to manage multiple customer environments, and multi-tenant tools have the potential to significantly reduce service-delivery costs. However, most tools are not designed for multi-tenancy, and providing this support requires extensive re-design and re-implementation. In this paper, we explore the use of virtualization technology to enable multi-tenancy for systems and network management tools with minimal, if any, changes to the tool software. We demonstrate our design techniques by creating a multi-tenant version of a widely-used open source network management system. We perform a number of detailed profiling experiments to measure the resource requirements in the virtual environments, and also compare the scalability of two multi-tenant realizations using different virtualization approaches. We show that our design can support roughly 20 customers with a single tool instance, and leads to a scalability increase of 60-90% over a traditional design in which each customer is assigned to a single virtual machine.
Study on polarization switching as a function of composition in PZT thin films

Polarization switching has been studied as a function of composition and processing conditions. In tetragonal region, remnant polarization and coercive field increased for higher annealing temperatures. A definite threshold field value where P/sub R/ and E/sub C/ saturated was observed This is presumed to be due to internal fields created by space charge layers. When studied as a function of composition dependence of P/sub R/ and E/sub C/ showed saturation in MPB region. Lowest threshold field value was observed for films with Zr=0.50. A maximum of P/sub R/=35 /spl mu/c/cm/sup 2/ for Zr=0.50 and a minimum of E/sub C/=43 kV/cm for Zr=0.55 was obtained.
Improved yield models for fault-tolerant random-access memory chips

Several improvements in the method of yield modeling for memory chips with redundancy are described. First, a direct method of translating defect-monitor data to memory-chip faults eliminates the need for yield-model formulas, making possible accurate modeling of the faults that can be fixed with redundant circuits or other fault-tolerance techniques. This results in loosely coupled distributions instead of the multivariate distributions used until now for such modeling. Furthermore, the yields of array islands with their own redundant word and bit lines are combined using a new yield formula. Examples of the use of this technique for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips are given. Finally, a simplified pragmatic approximation technique is discussed. >
La imagen pública de la masonería en Nueva España, 1761-1821

En este articulo, desde la perspectiva del analisis de los lenguajes politicos, se revisa la imagen publica de la masoneria que se desarrollo en Europa, durante el siglo xviii y los primeros anos del xix, y como llego a Nueva Espana. Se muestra que algunos elementos de esa imagen se fueron privilegiando sobre otros, en funcion de las circunstancias politicas europeas y novohispanas. Tambien se analiza como, mas tarde, estos planteamientos se relacionaron con la perdida del fundamento trascendental de legitimidad derivado de la crisis de la monarquia espanola, con la lucha por la independencia, con las resistencias contra esta y con los procesos gaditanos. La investigacion muestra que las interpretaciones sobre la masoneria que se plasmaron en los textos revisados, y la forma en que eran expresadas, fueron resultado del momento historico concreto que se estaba viviendo, por lo que solo pudieron ser dichas de esa manera en un contexto –historico y linguistico– determinado; de modo que son hechos historicos en si mismos, y forman parte de otros procesos mayores, en los que el debate publico comenzaba a consolidarse como uno de los principales fundamentos de legitimidad.
Navier-Stokes Solution of a Slender Body of Revolution at Incidence

The three-dimensional flowfield surrounding an ogive cylinder at angle of attack is solved through integration of the complete Navier-Stokes equations. The leeside vortex pattern is computed for a three caliber ogive cylinder at Mach number 1.98. Laterally-symmetric three-dimensional flowfields are obtained on a CRAY-1 computer in 40 min utilizing MacCormack's algorithm as vectorized by Shang. The computed results compare favorably with the experimental data in that all primary features are captured. d e E,F,G k L n p q r R RB
The Role of Emotions in Marketing

Emotions are mental states of readiness that arise from appraisals of events or one’s own thoughts. In this article, the authors discuss the differentiation of emotions from affect, moods, and attitudes, and outline an appraisal theory of emotions. Next, various measurement issues are considered. This is followed by an analysis of the role of arousal in emotions. Emotions as markers, mediators, and moderators of consumer responses are then analyzed. The authors turn next to the influence of emotions on cognitive processes, which is followed by a study of the implications of emotions for volitions, goal-directed behavior, and decisions to help. Emotions and customer satisfaction are briefly explored, too. The article closes with a number of questions for future research.
Adsorption and capillary condensation at the contact line in change of phase heat transfer

Abstract A model based on adsorption and capillary condensation which describes the wetting characteristics of the contact line in change of phase heat transfer is proposed. A relationship between the equilibrium shape of a thin film at the contact line, superheat, and interfacial forces is derived for both zero and finite contact angle systems on “smooth” surfaces. Contact line boundary conditions which are a function of temperature, superheat and interfacial forces are presented. Homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation at the minimum film boiling temperature is discussed.
Context for Creativity

A simplistic and seriously misleading myth about creative thinking is that creative processes are exclusive alternatives to systematic processes. In fact, breakthrough thinking is almost always preceded by extensive preparation, and the order in which issues are considered has much to do with how they are resolved. A better way to think about creativity and design is to think about how to place the different styles of lateral and vertical thinking together in a process that takes best advantage of both at appropriate times. A design process, structured planning, is examined in this paper for how it imbeds concepts of preparation and manipulation from the classic creativity model in its systematic scheme. Its action analysis phase exhaustively catalogues the functions necessary for a successful design while, at the time of identification, uncovering insights and capturing ideas for creative ways to perform the functions. Its structuring phase organizes the functions for systematic consideration, but does so in a way that supports invention by clustering functions in groups that are frequently counter-intuitive, but ought to be considered as groups because they have potential solutions of common interest. The result, an information structure specialized for inventive design, defies the natural tendency to a priori categorization.
Fluoxetine blocks expression but not development of sensitization to morphine-induced oral stereotypy in rats.

Rationale: Repeated high doses of morphine in the rat cause stereotypic gnawing behavior that can be re-expressed by a low dose of morphine weeks and even months after the initial treatment. The determination of the role of serotonin in this sensitized morphine-induced behavior has both empirical and theoretical relevance. Objectives: To determine whether the serotonin-reuptake blocker fluoxetine will block the development and/or the expression of this opiate-induced stereotypy. Methods: Rats were given four 10-mg/kg injections of morphine alone or with 5.0 mg/kg fluoxetine over a 36-h period. At weekly intervals for 6 weeks after the last of the sensitizing morphine doses, all rats were challenged with 4.0 mg/kg morphine. At week 2 and week 4, however, the morphine was co-administered with fluoxetine. Results: Fluoxetine completely blocked the expression of the morphine-induced stereotypy; however, when the morphine/fluoxetine-treated rats were challenged with morphine alone, they expressed similar degrees of stereotypy as the rats that initially only received morphine. Conclusions: The results indicate that increasing synaptic serotonin will block the expression but not the development of sensitization to the oral stereotypic effects of repeated high doses of morphine. Also, despite the complete blocking of the morphine effect by fluoxetine during the sensitization phase, the presence of significant biting by these rats during the challenge with morphine alone argues that conditioning factors are not a necessary component for the morphine sensitization to develop.
Polymeric microcapsules of cyanazine : Preparation and evaluation of efficacy

In two separate studies, the herbicide cyanazine was microencapsulated within the following polymers: cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB); ethyl cellulose of two different viscosities (EC22 and EC100...
Higher-order sub-Poissonian photon statistics in terms of factorial moments

We introduce the concept of higher-order super-Poissonian and sub-Poissonian statistics and show that higher-order sub-Poissonian statistics is a signature of a nonclassical field. Fields generated in intracavity second-harmonic generation and single-atom resonance fluorescence are shown to exhibit higher-order sub-Poissonian statistics.
Enumerating full-time programmers

Data from the 1970 Census and the Department of Labor's Area Wage Surveys are used to derive estimates of the number of full-time programmers employed during the years 1969 through 1973. The 1973 figure of 180,000 is considerably less than suggested in earlier reports. It is recommended that educational administrators consider whether the many courses aimed at training programmers are justified on a vocational basis.
NON-FERMI LIQUID EFFECTS IN THE LOW TEMPERATURE BEHAVIOUR OF A DISORDERED STRONGLY INTERACTING ELECTRON SYSTEM

Abstract We examine a version of the U =∞ Hubbard model for which a 1/ N expansion can be carried out ( N being the orbital degeneracy), in the presence of disorder. We calculate the 1/ N corrections to the partition function and single particle decay rate, treating the disorder by summing up those ladder diagrams in the impurity potential that are known to yield the diffusion pole in conventional disorder theories. We find, away from the critical metal-insulator filling, agreement with earlier weak interaction theories with a single parameter characterising the effective interaction, while close to the critical filling we find novel power law corrections whose origin may be traced to the strong momentum dependence of the diffusion pole in the density correlation function.
Recursive inverse kinematics for robot arms via Kalman filtering and Bryson-Frazier smoothing

This paper applies linear filtering and smoothing theory to solve recursively the inverse kinematics problem for serial multilink manipulators. This problem is to find a set of joint angles that achieve a prescribed tip position and/or orientation. A widely applicable numerical search solution is presented. The approach finds the minimum of a generalized distance between the desired and the actual manipulator tip position and/or orientation. Both a first-order steepest-descent gradient search and a second-order Newton-Raphson search are developed. The optimal relaxation factor required for the steepest descent method is computed recursively using an outward/inward procedure similar to those used typically for recursive inverse dynamics calculations. The second-order search requires evaluation of a gradient and an approximate Hessian. A Gauss-Markov approach is used to approximate the Hessian matrix in terms of products of first-order derivatives. This matrix is inverted recursively using a two-stage process of inward Kalman filtering followed by outward smoothing. This two-stage process is analogous to that recently developed by the author to solve by means of spatial filtering and smoothing the forward dynamics problem for serial manipulators.
AcycloPrime: a novel method for SNP analysis using fluorescence polarization

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common type of genetic variation between individuals of a species and are therefore thought to be responsible for a large part of individual phenotypic variation. It has been estimated that a SNP may occur every 100-300 bases in the human genome. Research on human SNPs is expected to facilitate genetic mapping studies that may lead to a better understanding of the genetic basis for complex diseases and individual variation in drug metabolism. We have developed a novel assay for the identification of known SNPs using primer extension with the novel AcycloTerminators and a new thermostable polymerase, AcycloPol, in a homogeneous fluorescence polarization (FP) format. All assay steps can be performed in the same well of either a 384- or 96-well PCR-compatible microplate. FP provides several advantages, including simplicity and low reagent cost. The homogeneous assay format eliminates any need for separation or washing steps and is amenable to automation.
Invited Paper-Even the Rich Can Make Themselves Poor: A Critical Examination of IV Methods in Marketing Applications

Marketing is a field that is rich in data. Our data is of high quality, often at a highly disaggregate level, and there is considerable variation in the key variables for which estimates of effects on outcomes such as sales and profits are desired. The recognition that, in some general sense, marketing variables are set by firms on the basis of information not always observable by the researcher has led to concerns regarding endogeneity and widespread pressure to implement instrumental variables methods in marketing problems. The instruments used in our empirical literature are rarely valid and the IV methods used can have poor sampling properties, including substantial finite sample bias and large sampling errors. Given the problems with IV methods, a convincing argument must be made that there is a first order endogeneity problem and that we have strong and valid instruments before these methods should be used. If strong and valid instruments are not available, then researchers need to look toward supplementing the information available to them. For example, if there are concerns about unobservable advertising or promotional variables, then the researcher is much better off measuring these variables rather than using instruments such as lagged marketing variables that are clearly invalid. Ultimately, only randomized variation in marketing variables with proper implementation and large samples can be argued to be a valid instrument without further assumptions.
Quality of language intervention provided to primary-grade students with language impairment.

Abstract This study had two aims: (a) to describe the quality of language intervention provided by school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to children with language impairment in the primary grades with respect to the quality of emotional support, instructional support, and proactive management during SLP–child interactions, and (b) to determine if key characteristics of the SLPs are predictors of variance in intervention quality. Participants were 174 children nested within 40 SLPs’ caseloads from various districts in two Midwestern states involved in a larger study of speech-language therapy practices in the public schools. A total of 208 videotaped language intervention sessions were coded for emotional support, instructional support, and proactive management using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008 ). The quality of language intervention varied widely and was generally mid-range to high with respect to emotional support and proactive management, and low to mid-range in terms of instructional support. The quality of interactions varied and a large percentage of the observed variance in quality was attributed to SLPs. Time pressure was a strong predictor of the quality of emotional support, instructional support, and proactive management, and job satisfaction was a significant predictor of instructional support and proactive management. This descriptive information about school-based language intervention highlights the impact of the individual SLP in terms of the quality of the interactions taking place and the potential need to ease job pressures and promote job satisfaction. Learning outcomes : Readers will be able to: (1) identify and define three aspects of SLP–child interaction quality during intervention as framed in this study using the CLASS observation tool ( Pianta, La Paro, et al., 2008 ); (2) discuss the relevance of those three aspects of quality to children with LI; and (3) identify SLP-level factors that significantly predict SLP–student interaction quality during intervention for children with LI.
Life-threatening neck hematoma complicating thyroid and parathyroid surgery

Abstract Background Observation following thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy has been progressively shortened. The challenge has been to reduce the duration of postoperative observation without jeopardizing patient safety. Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent thyroidectomy and/or parathyroidectomy between July 1990 and March 2007 was completed to determine the frequency of life-threatening hematoma and hospital readmission and their impact on postoperative observation. Results Of 1,050 patients, life-threatening hematoma developed in 6 (.6%) patients, 5 following bilateral and 1 following unilateral thyroidectomy. Hematoma developed 10 minutes to 7 days postoperatively, four within 4 hours, one at 21 hours, and one at 7 days. Twelve patients were readmitted an average of 5 days postoperatively for hypocalcemia, hematoma, infection, or respiratory distress. Conclusion Without factors contributing to bleeding, unilateral thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy can be performed as an ambulatory procedure. To maximize safety, we recommend 4-hour and 23-hour observation following unilateral and bilateral thyroidectomy, respectively.
Physical-layer air interface solutions for broadband high-speed wireless cellular systems

We propose the physical-layer (PHY) air interface solutions for downlink and uplink transmissions in broadband high-speed wireless cellular systems. A system based on low-density parity-check (LDPC) coded multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) time-division multiple-accessing (TDMA) (with scheduling) is proposed for downlink transmission; and a system based on orthogonal space-time block coded (STBC) multi-carrier code-division multiple-accessing (MC-CDMA) is proposed for uplink transmission. The proposed scheme can support ∼100 Mbps peak rate over 25 MHz bandwidth downlink channels and ∼30 Mbps sum rate of multiple users over 25 MHz uplink channels. Moreover, the proposed solutions provide excellent performance and reasonable complexity for mobile station and for base station.
Abstract 1964: Masitinib antagonizes ATP-binding cassette subfamily c member 10-mediated paclitaxel resistance: a preclinical study

Paclitaxel displays clinical activity against a wide variety of solid tumors. However, resistance to paclitaxel significantly attenuates the response to chemotherapy. The ABC transporter subfamily C member 10 (ABCC10), also known as multi-drug resistance protein 7 (MRP7) efflux transporter, is a major mediator of paclitaxel resistance. In this study, we show that masitinib, a small molecule stem-cell growth factor receptor (c-Kit) tyrosine kinase inhibitor, at non-toxic concentrations, significantly attenuates paclitaxel resistance in HEK293 cells transfected with ABCC10. Our in vitro studies indicated that masitinib (2.5 μM) enhanced the intracellular accumulation and decreased the efflux of paclitaxel by inhibiting the ABCC10 transport activity without altering the expression level of ABCC10 protein. Furthermore, masitinib, in combination with paclitaxel, significantly inhibited the growth of ABCC10-expressing tumors in nude athymic mice in vivo. Masitinib administration also resulted in a significant increase in the levels of paclitaxel in the plasma, tumors and lungs compared to paclitaxel alone. In conclusion, the combination of paclitaxel and masitinib could serve as a novel and useful therapeutic strategy to reverse paclitaxel resistance mediated by ABCC10. Citation Format: Rishil Kathawala, Kamlesh Sodani, Kang Chen, Atish Patel, Alaa Abuznait, Nagaraju Anreddy, Yue-Li Sun, Amal Kaddoumi, Charles R. Ashby, Zhe-Sheng Chen. Masitinib antagonizes ATP-binding cassette subfamily c member 10-mediated paclitaxel resistance: a preclinical study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1964. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1964
Studies on the metabolic fate of the14C-labeled methyl group of a methylhydrazine derivative in P815 mouse leukemia

Neben der bereits beschriebenen teilweisen Oxydation der endstandigen N-Methylgruppe von 1-Methyl-14C-2-p-(isopropylcarbamoyl)benzylhydrazin-Hydrochlorid (MBH) (NSC 77213) in vivo5 lassen die hier aufgefuhrten Resultate auch auf eine Transmethylierung dieser Methylgruppe schliessen.
Tube Feeding in Patients With Dementia: Where Are We?

Dementia is a common diagnosis and accounts for significant morbidity and mortality. In the United States, the practice of medicine commonly dictated that dementia patients with dysphagia should receive a feeding tube. A review of the evidence in 1999 was completed to understand the validity of the premise of an improvement in a dementia patient's survival, quality of life, malnutrition, and comorbid diseases with tube feeding. The available literature reviewed was sparse. The retrospective and prospective observational studies noted no improvement in the above-mentioned outcomes in dementia patients with the use of tube feeding. Interestingly, a recent retrospective review denoted that dementia patients had no worse survival than patients with other diseases receiving a feeding tube and tube feedings. A prospective study comparing tube feeding to hand feeding in the dementia population is sorely needed.
Effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists on central nervous system inflammation

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) plays a critical role in glucose and lipid metabolism. More recently, PPAR-gamma ligands have been reported to inhibit the expression of proinflammatory molecules by monocytes/macrophages. Of relevance to CNS disease is that PPAR-gamma agonists have been demonstrated to have similar effects on microglia. PPAR-gamma agonists also ameliorate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. This Mini-Review summarizes the effects of PPAR-gamma agonists in mediating immune responses and the potential of these agonists in the treatment of inflammatory disorders of the CNS.
Improving Elution and Displacement Ion-Exchange Chromatography by Adjusting Eluent and Displacer Affinities

Abstract Multicomponent interference in ion-exchange chromatography is examined in this paper. A multicomponent chromatography theory is used to analyze the effect of eluent affinity in elution chromatography, and displacer and presaturant affinity in displacement chromatography. The eluent should have an affinity between those of the feed components and near the strongest affinity species. In displacement chromatography, the displacer and presaturant affinities should bracket those of the desired products as closely as possible. Displacement chromatography produces pure product peaks, although the feed throughput is larger for elution chromatography. These conclusions are also valid for adsorption chromatography.
Tobacco Smoke-induced Lung Cell Proliferation Mediated by Tumor Necrosis Factor α-converting Enzyme and Amphiregulin *

Cells dividing at the time of carcinogen exposure are at particular risk for neoplasia. Tobacco smoke contains numerous carcinogens, and we find that smoke, in the absence of exogenous growth factors, is capable of stimulating cell proliferation. The smoke-triggered mechanism includes the generation of oxygen radicals, which in turn stimulate tumor necrosis factor α-converting enzyme (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) 17) to cleave transmembrane amphiregulin, a ligand for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The binding of amphiregulin to EGFR then stimulates proliferation of lung epithelial cells. These results shed light on the pathogenesis of lung cancer, suggest novel drug targets for the reduction of cancer risk in smokers, and provide insight into how EGFR integrates responses to diverse noxious stimuli.
Larvae of Nearctic Rhyacophila part I: acropedes group

The larvae of Rhyaeophila grandis and R. neograndis are described and figured. Members of the grandis subgroup are unique in having two pairs of multibranched gills on segments II through VII and one pair on VIII; whereas members of the acropedes subgroup have three pairs of multibranched gills on II through VII and two pairs on VIII. Distributional notes are presented for nearctic species in the acropedes group.
The self-concepts of children entering day psychiatric treatment.

Self-concepts of 68 school-aged children beginning day treatment were described and compared with groups of normal and clinic referred children studied by others. The expectation that day treatment children would have significantly lower self-concept scores than normal and clinic referred children was not met. In fact, a trend in the opposite direction emerged. 75 percent of children beginning day treatment expressed primarily positive views about how they valued themselves. Those with psychoneurotic disorders had significantly higher self-concept scores than did those with personality disorders and a modest but significant inverse relationship was found between self-concept and severity of disturbance. Social class was significantly related to ratings of self-worth and accounted for 42 percent of the variance. Sex, race and IQ did not influence self-concept ratings. Treatment implications, measurement issues and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Experimental and Numerical Study of the Effect of Plastic Ball Grid Array Package Placement on PWB Warpage During Convective Solder Reflow

Warpage has long been known to cause thermomechanical reliability problems in electronic packaging. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between different materials in an electronic assembly such as solder, copper, FR-4, encapsulation molding, and silicon is known to be one of the leading causes of manufacturing defects and fatigue failures. The CTE mismatch between packaging materials induces thermomechanical stresses at interfaces between the materials. Warpage is a global effect of interfacial stress and displacement. The warpage problem in electronic packaging can be further aggravated by thermal processes such as reflow and temperature cycling. In a printed wiring board assembly (PWBA), warpage of the PWB or chip packages may result in chip package misregistration, solder joint failure, die cracking and delamination of the solder bumps between chip packages and the PWB. In this paper, the warpage of a printed wiring board assembly (PWBA) is studied using projection moire experimental measurements and a finite element model. The effects of plastic ball grid array (PBGA) chip package placement on PWB warpage during convective reflow will be evaluated. The projection moire experimental warpage results will show that the number of PBGA chip packages as well as their location has an effect on the warpage of the PWB. In addition to the experimental results, the finite element warpage results will be used to make recommendations on the optimal PBGA package placement locations on the PWB to minimize PWB warpage during reflow processes.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Al,Si order in albite and its effect on albite dissolution processes: A Monte Carlo study

The role of (Al,Si) disorder in the kinetics of albite dissolution is explored through parameterized Monte Carlo methods. Two dissolution mechanisms—multilayer leaching and single-layer retreat—were tested on 48 albite test configurations. In simulations involving multilayer leaching, dissolution rates increased with decreasing long-range order (LRO). We observed a fivefold maximum increase in dissolution rate tied to (Al,Si) disordering, roughly equivalent to that accompanying a decrease of 1.4 pH units at pH 1–5. This increase in rate due to disordering in albite is similar to that observed from compositional variation in plagioclase feldspars (An47 vs. An) at low pH. In contrast, (Al,Si) disordering had no discernible effect during the simulations involving the single-layer retreat mechanism. These results suggest that the effect of (Al,Si) disorder on albite dissolution rate is mechanism-dependent.
Modal and scalability analysis of a zigzag array structure for passive coherent beam combining

A zigzag array structure is proposed for passive coherent beam combining. Modal analysis was conducted via a transfer matrix method to demonstrate the support of a single supermode in this structure with a large modal discrimination. The performance of the proposed structure against the phase variation is also investigated by calculating the modal loss with different strengths of phase variation. The scalability of this structure is estimated from the perspective of brightness in two situations: the fully correlated one and the adjacent-correlated one. A brightness saturation behavior is observed for the latter with a sufficiency of available emitters in an array.
Lead accumulation in woodchucks (Marmota monax) at small arms and skeet ranges

Increasing concern regarding the stewardship of US Army lands requires a proactive program to evaluate sites of potential risk. Small arms and upland skeet ranges are a potentially significant source of lead exposure for burrowing mammals. Woodchucks (Marmota monax) were evaluated for lead exposure in a previously used upland skeet range and a small arms range, respective to animals collected at two nearby reference locations. Soil lead concentrations collected at burrow entrances on the firing ranges were compared with blood, bone, kidney, liver, and fecal concentrations of woodchucks collected from the reference areas. No statistical differences were found in the lead concentrations in tissue between woodchucks in reference and firing ranges; concentrations of lead in liver and kidney were below detection limits. Levels in bone, blood, and feces suggest the bioavailability of lead at these various sites, although other factors (e.g., differences in foraging areas, age structure, habitat preferences, and environmental conditions) were also likely to influence exposure. Blood levels were below that which suggests toxicity. Further analysis of other ranges with higher lead concentrations and of small mammal species with smaller home ranges is recommended to further elucidate trends that could be extrapolated to other sites.
Mandarin recognition over the telephone

Mandarin Chinese is the official language in China and Taiwan, it is the native language of a quarter of the world population. As the services enabled by speech recognition technology (e.g. telephone voice dialing, information query) become more popular in English, we would like to extend this capability to other languages. Mandarin is one of the major languages under research in our laboratory. This paper describes how we extend our work in English speech recognition into Mandarin. We will described the corpus: Voice Across Taiwan, the training of a complete set of Mandarin syllable models, preliminary performance results and error analysis. A fast prototyping system was built, where a user can write any context free grammar with no restriction of vocabulary, then the grammar can be compiled into recognition models. It enables user to quickly test the performance of a new vocabulary.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thrombocytopenia associated with second-line carboplatin-based chemotherapy for ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cavity cancers.

There are limited data available in the oncology literature regarding the risk of thrombocytopenia associated with carboplatin-based second-line treatment of ovarian cancer, outside the setting of patients participating in clinical trials. To examine this clinically-relevant issue, we conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of women with ovarian cancer treated in the Gynecologic Cancer Program of the Cleveland Clinic from 1994 through November 2003, who received >2 second-line carboplatin-based regimens. A total of 176 second-line carboplatin-based programs were delivered to the 152 patients (median age 61 years; range 39–87 years) identified through this review. A total of ten (7%) patients experienced >grade 2 thrombocytopenia, with only four (3%) patients developing platelet count nadirs <50.0×109/l. No patient required discontinuation of platinum-based therapy due to the development of thrombocytopenia. Second-line carboplatin-based chemotherapy of ovarian cancer is associated with a low incidence of serious thrombocytopenia, if a strategy of selecting modest initial dose levels, and instituting rapid reductions in dose with the development of significant bone marrow suppression, is employed.
The Association of a Clubbed Down Condition with Black Down-Color in the Turkey

Abstract INTRODUCTION FOUR down anomalies have been reported in the turkey poult: the shortened down condition associated with faded Bronze plumage (Keeler et al., 1949), hairy (Smyth, 1954), naked (Poole and Marsden, 1961), and late feathering (Asmundson and Abbott, 1961). In the spring of 1959 a new abnormal down condition was observed in both hatched and late-dead (25–28 days incubation) Black turkey poults from the Experiment Station Flock. The condition was characterized as a general shortening of the down plus a buckling of individual plumules within the sheath forming a club-like bulge. Juvenile and adult feathers were not affected. Because of the similarity to a condition in chickens known as “clubbed down” (Lepkovsky et al., 1938) the same descriptive term has been applied to the turkey poult. Kabystina and Petrov (1935) reported that a shortened down condition in chickens was always associated with black down-color. Hutt (1951), found a similar …
Evidence for strain-specific differences in benzene toxicity as a function of host target cell susceptibility

It has long been recognized that benzene exposure produces disparate toxic responses among different species or even among different strains within the same species. There is ample evidence that species- or strain-dependent differences in metabolic activity correlate with the disparate responses to benzene. However, bone marrow cells (the putative targets of benzene toxicity) may also exhibit species- or strain-dependent differences in susceptibility to the toxic effects of benzene. To investigate this hypothesis, two sets of companion experiments were performed. First, two strains of mice, Swiss Webster (SW) and C57B1/6J (C57), were exposed to 300 ppm benzene via inhalation and the effects of the exposures were determined on bone marrow cellularity and the development of bone marrow CFU-e (Colony Forming Unit-erythroid, an early red cell progenitor). Second, bone marrow cells from the same strains were exposed in vitro to five known benzene metabolites (1,4 benzoquinone, catechol, hydroquinone, muconic acid, and phenol) individually and in binary combinations. Benzene exposure, in vivo, reduced bone marrow cellularity and the development of CFU-e in both strains; however, reductions in both these endpoints were more severe in the SW strain. When bone marrow cells from the two strains were exposed in vitro to the five benzene metabolites individually, benzoquinone, hydroquinone, and catechol reduced the numbers of CFU-e in both strains in dose-dependent responses, phenol weakly reduced the numbers of the C57 CFU-e only and in a non-dose-dependent manner, and muconic acid was without effect on cells from either strain. Only benzoquinone and hydroquinone exhibited differential responses to CFU-e from the two strains and both of these metabolites were more toxic to SW cells than to C57 cells. Six of the ten possible binary mixtures of metabolites were differentially toxic to the CFU-e from the two strains and five of these mixtures were more toxic to SW cells than to C57 cells. Thus, SW mice were more susceptible to the toxic effects of inhaled benzene and their bone marrow cells were more severely affected by in vitro exposure to benzene metabolites. The binary combinations containing phenol produced little or no enhancement of the toxic effects of the non-phenol metabolites. The weak toxic response induced by phenol, whether delivered alone or in binary mixtures, suggests that little metabolism occurred during the 48 h of the in vitro exposures since benzoquinone and hydroquinone, which were clearly toxic when added to the CFU-e culture system, are formed by further metabolic oxidation of phenol. Thus, strain-dependent differential metabolism appeared to play a minimal role in the disparate toxicity observed in the in vitro studies, implying that the diverse responses were due to inherent differences in the susceptibilities of the CFU-e to the toxic action of the benzene metabolites.
A multi-path network with cross links

Abstract A fault-tolerant multistage interconnection network, called the H-network, and a fault-tolerant control algorithm for this network are introduced. The novel feature of this network lies in its design, which has connections not only between switching elements of successive stages but also between switching elements of the same stage. The control algorithm is a simple modification of the destination tag algorithm, but it provides for fault tolerance and is dynamic in nature. It is shown that this design technique is effective in reducing hardware, improving fault tolerance, and giving better performance than other fault-tolerant networks with comparable hardware cost.
The bHLH Factors Xath5 and XNeuroD Can Upregulate the Expression of XBrn3d, a POU-Homeodomain Transcription Factor

Abstract The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) factor Xath5 promotes retinal ganglion cell differentiation when overexpressed and may do so by regulating the expression of factors involved in the differentiation of these cells. Potential candidates include the Brn3 POU-homeodomain transcription factors, which have been implicated in retinal ganglion cell development. Here we have identified a new member of the Brn3 gene subfamily in Xenopus, XBrn3d. In situ hybridization analysis shows XBrn3d expression in developing sensory neurons and developing ganglion cells of the retina. Using a hormone-inducible Xath5 fusion protein, we have shown that in animal caps Xath5 can directly regulate the expression of XBrn3d. Since XBrn3d is also expressed in sensory populations where Xath5 is not expressed, we examined the regulation of XBrn3d expression by the bHLH factor XNeuroD. A XNeuroD–hGR fusion protein is similarly able to directly induce the expression of XBrn3d in animal caps. In addition, overexpression of XBrn3d by RNA injection promotes the expression of ectopic sensory neuronal markers in the lateral ectoderm, suggesting a role in regulating neuronal development. Therefore, Xath5 and XNeuroD can directly regulate the expression of a neuronal subtype-specific factor, providing a link between neuronal differentiation and cell fate specification.
354 Surface Electrogastrography in Growing Preterm Neonates

Background: The ability to provide enteral nutrition to preterm infants is limited by immaturity of GI motor function. Manometry and electrogastrography(EGG) have been used to study gastric dysrhythmias and GI motor disorders in adults. EGG has been shown to be a reliable non-invasive alternative technique to gastric manometry in preterm infants. The information on pattern and maturation of EGG is limited in preterm infants. Objective: To investigate the effect of gestational and postnatal age on the pattern of gastric myoelectrical activity in preterm infants without feeding intolerance and those with gastroesophageal reflux(GER). Methods: EGG signals were recorded at 10Hz and bandpass filtered between 1.2 and 18 cycles/min(cpm), 30 minutes before and 2 hours after feeds. Signals were analyzed by FFT spectral analysis. The percentage of regular 2–4 cpm normal slow wave activity (NSW) and tachygastria(4–10cpm)was determined from a running power spectrum analysis generated at 10 minute intervals. Results: 70 EGGs were obtained in 31 infants; BW 1550±758SD g, range 618 to 3494, GA 30.7±4.5 SD wks, range 25 to 40, study age 38±24SD days, range 2–112. Preterm infants at term PCA had lower pre feeds NSW than those born at term(30.1±5.9% vs 41.7±14.8%). After feeds NSW increased in both groups ( 37.9±3.8% vs 52.1±10.8%). GER babies had 35% lower NSW than controls before feeds. NSW increased 53% after feeds in GER babies vs 13% in controls. tachygastria activity was 1.4 vs 7.8% (p=0.03) pre feeds, and 6.1 vs 6.8% post feeds in GER group as compared to controls. Conclusions: Preterm infants have less normal slow wave activity as compared to term infants which persisted up to term PCA. The response to feeds was less but similar to babies born at term. Maturation of Gastric myoelectrical activity of preterm infants with GER appears to lag behind that of infants without feeding intolerance.
REDUCED N-ACETYL-ASPARTATE LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WITH A YOUNGER ONSET AGE: A SINGLE-VOXEL 1H SPECTROSCOPY STUDY.

Abstract Schizophrenia is widely considered a neurodevelopmental disorder. The timing of psychosis onset may determine the degree of functional and biological deficits. In this study, the association between age of onset of psychosis and in vivo biochemical levels was assessed in first-episode, antipsychotic-naive (FEAN) schizophrenia subjects. We hypothesized greater biochemical deficits in the younger-onset FEAN subjects. In vivo, 1H spectroscopy measurements of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were conducted on FEAN subjects (15 schizophrenia and 3 schizoaffective subjects) and healthy comparison subjects of comparable age and gender distribution (N = 61). N-acetyl-aspartate was significantly lower in the left DLPFC of FEAN subjects as compared to healthy comparison subjects. However, there was a significant subject group-by-age interaction for N-acetyl-aspartate. Early-onset FEAN subjects showed lower N-acetyl-aspartate levels compared to the younger healthy comparison subjects, while adult-onset FEAN and older healthy comparison subjects did not differ. The lower N-acetyl-aspartate levels in the DLPFC of early-onset subjects suggest a reduction in functioning neurons or specifically a reduction in the proliferation of dendrites and synaptic connections, which is not apparent in the adult-onset schizophrenia subjects.
Vehicle Level Evaluation of Loop Detectors and the Remote Traffic Microwave Sensor

Traffic detectors support most traffic management applications, so it is important that a detector performs as expected. This study evaluates the performance of four loop sensor models and the remote traffic microwave sensor (RTMS), adding to the body of sensor performance knowledge through the use of new analytical techniques. The study collected contact closure data from all five of the detectors and concurrent video data. Each loop sensor was deployed following Caltrans guidelines for at least 24 h across dual loop detectors in each lane of I-80, north of Oakland, Calif. The research examined various distributions of the individual vehicle actuations from each of the detectors. This exercise found some of the loop sensors locked up and did not provide any data to the controller although they appeared fully functional from the front panel. The sensitivity appears to vary between the RTMS and the loop sensors, as well as from one loop sensor model to the next, which means the occupancy measurements will ...
Laser Glazing of Plasma Sprayed Ni-Cr-Al-Y Alloy

Abstract Laser surface melting provides a unique opportunity to increase the density of the relatively porous microstructure found in plasma sprayed (PS) coatings. In the current investigation a plasma sprayed Ni-Cr-Al-Y alloy was surface melted using a CO2 laser. Melted track width was found to be strongly influenced by laser power and weakly influenced by traverse speed over the range investigated. The microstructure of the laser glazed area was examined by various techniques including optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), and energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDAX). Refined microstructure was observed in the laser glazed region, and under high laser power (800 W) mixing of the coating with the substrate created metallurgical bonding.
Anterior acromioplasty: Effect of litigation and workers' compensation

Seventy-five consecutive anterior acromioplasties were performed in 74 patients with chronic inflammation of the supraspinatus tendon caused by the impingement syndrome. Thirty-six patients (49%) had filed workers' compensation claims (group 1), 21 patients (28%) were involved in accident litigation (group 2), and 17 patients (23%) had no financial gain associated with their shoulder pain (group 3). The patients were followed up for a minimum of 12 months after surgery (range 12 to 48 months). Sixty-one patients (82%) had excellent results, 11 patients (15%) had good results, and 2 patients (3%) failed to improve from surgery. Ninety-one percent of employed patients were able to return to full employment. Although group 1 patients required a significantly longer time to return to work (average 14.2 weeks vs. 4.7 weeks in group 2 and 2.5 weeks in group 3), these patients were all involved in heavy labor demanding a more complete return of shoulder endurance. Satisfactory pain relief and return to preinjury work activities can be achieved by acromioplasty in patients who have the potential for secondary gain.