cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
I123‐iofetamine (IMP) spect brain imaging in depressed patients: Normalization of temporal lobe asymmetry during clinical recovery

Temporal lobe dysfunction may be involved in mediating some of the symptoms associated with depression. The purpose of this study was to compare temporal lobe activity during depression with activity during clinical improvement in the same patient using SPECT brain imaging with [I123]-labeled iofetamine (IMP). Five patients with major depression who had pretreatment IMP SPECT scans were re-imaged during clinical recovery. Regions of interest were drawn around the temporal poles on the coronal sections of SPECT images, as well as around the whole brain on the sagittal sections. The count rates of IMP activity were then compared before and during clinical recovery. In all cases, we observed a normalization in the degree of right temporal lobe IMP accumulation (i.e., temporal lobe asymmetry) during successful antidepressant therapy. Depression 3:213-211 (1995/1996). © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Effect of hepatoma on host liver, heart and lung lipids as tumor growth progresses.

A large group of rats was transplanted with hepatoma 7288CTC and 4 animals were sacrificed at 3-day intervals for four weeks. Lipid class concentrations, fatty acid class compositions, and the distribution ofcis octadecenoate positional isomers in the major lipid classes were determined for heart, liver and lung at each time period. The hearts of host animals decreased in dry weight as hepatoma growth progressed. At day 30, heart weights were less than two-thirds of initial weights. Lipid class concentrations changed in all three tissues: cholesterol and free fatty acids increased in liver; triglycerides and cholesterol decreased and then increased in heart; and cholesterol, triglycerides and PC decreased in lung as tumor growth progressed. Hexadecenoate percentages exhibited a progressive decrease in all the lipid classes of heart and liver. Although total octadecenoate percentages showed only minor changes, oleate concentrations generally increased and vaccenate levels decreased in heart and liver lipids as tumor growth progressed. Palmitoleate, precursor of vaccenate, exhibited decreased concentrations early that resulted in decreased vaccenate levels. Decreased palmitoleate concentrations suggest inhibition of the Δ9 desaturase system, but normal oleate concentrations complicate this interpretation. Most of the changes in the lipids were detectable 3–6 days after transplantation, indicating the hepatoma affects the lipid metabolism of the host animal early and well in advance of nutritional stresses.
The Fairy-Tale Facade: Cinderella's Anti-grotesque Dream

L'A. tente de montrer que les valeurs et les desirs transmis par les contes merveilleux sont moins un reflet des secrets de notre inconscient, qu'un modele pour nos aspirations sociales et intimes. Il propose une analyse comparative des versions classiques du conte de Cendrillon (Charles Perrault, Jacob et Wilhelm Grimm, Walt Disney) et une mise en perspective de son histoire avec des versions plus contemporaines (populaires ou litteraires) qui detournent ce recit ideal, en jouant sur les figures et motifs du grotesque, afin de reveler certaines des implications socioculturelles du personnage de Cendrillon : la question du corps desincarne de Cendrillon et du modele feminin ; l'occultation de la position sociale (de classe) du personnage.
Anisotropic stress–strain response and microstructure evolution of textured α-uranium

Abstract The deformation behavior of wrought α-uranium is studied using electron backscattered diffraction and crystal plasticity modeling. We report stress–strain response and texture evolution for 12 different cases corresponding to tension and compression tests performed on three different initial textures: straight-rolled, clock-rolled and swaged α-uranium. It is seen that the response of α-uranium is highly anisotropic owing to its low-symmetry orthorhombic crystal structure and limited number of slip/twin systems. For modeling this complex system, we adapt a multiscale dislocation-based hardening law developed earlier for hexagonal metals and implement it within a viscoplastic self-consistent homogenization scheme. This hardening law performs well in capturing the anisotropic strain hardening and the texture evolution in all studied samples. Comparisons of simulations and experiments allow us to infer basic information concerning the various slip and twin mechanisms, their interactions, and their role on strain hardening and texture evolution in α-uranium.
Heterogenized polymetallic catalysts: Part III. Catalytic air oxidation of alcohols by Pd(II) complexed to a polyphenylene polymer containing β-di- and tri-ketone surface ligands

Abstract This paper describes further studies on mono- and bi-metallic catalysts attached to a polymer support by β-di- and tri-ketone surface ligands. The previous two papers described the oxidation of catechol by the heterogeneous catalysts using Cu(II), Fe(III) and Pd(II) as the metal species. The present study expands these studies to a series of mono- and polyfunctional alcohols using Pd(II) as the metal species. The final catalytic surfaces were prepared by treatment of the modified polymer with a very reactive form of Pd(II), [Pd(CH3CN)4]2+. The simple alcohols gave increases in rates of up to 5-fold for the bimetallic systems. As might be expected glycols and α- d -glucose gave even higher increases in rate in going from the mono- to the bi-metallic catalyst. For ethylene glycol the factor was 30. Unsaturated alcohols gave the most dramatic results. With the monometallic catalyst, the products from allyl alcohol consisted of 25% acrolein resulting from direct alcohol oxidation and 75% 3-hydroxypropanal resulting from Wacker-type oxidation of the double bond. With the bimetallic catalyst the overall rate increased by a factor of 10 and the products consisted of 80% acrolein and 20% 3-hydroxypropanal. The actual rate increase for the direct alcohol oxidation is calculated to be a factor of 32. 4-Penten-2-ol and 4-penten-1-ol gave rates that were lower than the monofunctional alcohols. This is attributed to inhibition by olefin π-complex formation with the Pd(II).
In vitro human phase I metabolism of xenobiotics I: pesticides and related chemicals used in agriculture and public health, September 2001.

Human phase I enzymes and their isoforms that metabolize pesticides are listed in a database that will be updated periodically. This initial version includes enzymes and isoforms that metabolize organophosphorus insecticides, chloroacetamide herbicides and triazine herbicides. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 15:296–299, 2001
Root growth as influenced by aggregate size

This study examined the effects of aggregate size on root impedance and developed an equation to describe the root pressure necessary to avoid deflection around an aggregate. This critical root pressure was predicted to increase with increasing aggregate size, decreasing root diameter, and decreasing deflection angle. In growth chamber experiments, maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings were grown in A horizon material of Groseclose silt loam (Clayey, mixed, mesic, Typic Hapludult). The soil had been moist sieved into different aggregate sizes (0–1, 1–2, 2–3, and 3–6 mm diameter). The larger aggregates did constitute a slight root impedance as roots were deflected around them. Diameters of roots grown in 3–6 mm aggregates increased significantly, whereas root lengths were not always signficantly decreased. The smaller aggregates did not impede root growth and were readily displaced by roots. Large aggregates were more of an impedance to lateral roots than to main axes.
Characterization of microbial fuel cells at microbially and electrochemically meaningful time scales.

The variable biocatalyst density in a microbial fuel cell (MFC) anode biofilm is a unique feature of MFCs relative to other electrochemical systems, yet performance characterizations of MFCs typically involve analyses at electrochemically relevant time scales that are insufficient to account for these variable biocatalyst effects. This study investigated the electrochemical performance and the development of anode biofilm architecture under different external loadings, with duplicate acetate-fed single- chamber MFCs stabilized at each resistance for microbially relevant time scales. Power density curves from these steady-state reactors generally showed comparable profiles despite the fact that anode biofilm architectures and communities varied considerably, showing that steady-state biofilm differences had little influence on electrochemical performance until the steady-state external loadingwasmuchlargerthanthereactorinternalresistance. Filamentousbacteriaweredominantontheanodesunderhighexternal resistances (1000 and 5000 Ω), while more diverse rod-shaped cells formed dense biofilms under lower resistances (10, 50, and 265 Ω). Anode charge transfer resistance decreased with decreasing fixed external resistances, but was consistently 2 orders of magnitude higher than the resistance at the cathode. Cell counting showed an inverse exponential correlation between cell numbers and externalresistances.ThisdirectlinkofMFCanodebiofilmevolutionwithexternalresistanceandelectricityproductionoffersseveral operational strategies for system optimization.
OUTCOMES IN BLACK PATIENTS WITH EARLY BREAST CANCER TREATED WITH BREAST CONSERVATION THERAPY

Background The race-specific impact of prognostic variables for early breast cancer is unknown for black patients undergoing breast conservation. Methods and Materials This was a retrospective study of 1,231 consecutive patients ≥40 years of age with Stage I–II invasive breast cancer treated with lumpectomy and radiation therapy at the University of Chicago Hospitals and affiliates between 1986 and 2004. Patients were classified as either black or nonblack. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the effects of known prognostic factors and interactions with race. Results Median follow-up for surviving patients was 82 months. Thirty-four percent of patients were black, and 66% were nonblack (Caucasian, Hispanic, and Asian). Black patients had a poorer 10-year overall survival (64.6% vs. 80.8%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.59; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23–2.06) and 10-year disease-free survival (58.1% vs. 75.4%; HR 1.49; 95% CI, 1.18–1.89) compared with nonblack patients. Tumor sizes were similar between nonblack and black patients with mammographically detected tumors (1.29 cm vs. 1.20 cm, p = 0.20, respectively). Tumor size was significantly associated with overall survival (HR 1.48; 95% CI, 1.12–1.96) in black patients with mammographically detected tumors but not in nonblack patients (HR 1.09; 95% CI, 0.78–1.53), suggesting that survival in black patients depends more strongly on tumor size in this subgroup. Tests for race-size method of detection interactions were statistically significant for overall survival ( p = 0.049), locoregional control ( p = 0.036), and distant control ( p = 0.032) and borderline significant for disease-free survival ( p = 0.067). Conclusion Despite detection at comparable sizes, the prognostic effect of tumor size in patients with mammographically detected tumors is greater for black than in nonblack patients.
Nonhomogeneous Poisson model for volcanic eruptions

A simple Poisson process is more specifically known as a homogeneous Poisson process since the rateλ was assumed independent of time t. The homogeneous Poisson model generally gives a good fit to many volcanoes for forecasting volcanic eruptions. If eruptions occur according to a homogeneous Poisson process, the repose times between consecutive eruptions are independent exponential variables with meanθ=1/λ. The exponential distribution is applicable when the eruptions occur “at random” and are not due to aging, etc. It is interesting to note that a general population of volcanoes can be related to a nonhomogeneous Poisson process with intensity factorλ(t). In this paper, specifically, we consider a more general Weibull distribution, WEI (θ, β), for volcanism. A Weibull process is appropriate for three types of volcanoes: increasing-eruption-rate (β>1), decreasing-eruption-rate (β<1), and constant-eruption-rate (β=1). Statistical methods (parameter estimation, hypothesis testing, and prediction intervals) are provided to analyze the following five volcanoes: Also, Etna, Kilauea, St. Helens, and Yake-Dake. We conclude that the generalized model can be considered a goodness-of-fit test for a simple exponential model (a homogeneous Poisson model), and is preferable for practical use for some nonhomogeneous Poisson volcanoes with monotonic eruptive rates.
Models for spaces of duration-limited signals

Abstract This paper is a study of models of spaces of duration-limited signals considered as set functions. Models for the space of bounded signals, signals of bounded area and signals of finite energy are considered. It is shown that by using set function models and a Stieltjes integral for set functions one can derive integral representations for all bounded linear operators on each of these spaces. It is also shown that impulse functions can be treated rigorously as signals of bounded area in these models without introducing singularities, or requiring impulses to be considered as functionals on a signal space rather than as signals. Finally, analogues to differentiation and indefinite integration are introduced. The applications of these models to physical problems are illustrated by reformulating lumped parameter electrical network theory in a set function formalism, and approximate solutions to the resulting equations are shown.
Squishy circuits as a tangible interface

Squishy Circuits is an approach to exploring and learning electronics. This method uses homemade sculpting dough recipes - one that is conductive, and another that is insulating - to replace wires and insulators. Squishy Circuits can be used to model basic circuits, but can also be used as an interface for more advanced microcontroller projects.
Development of an ELISA using a universal method of enzyme-labelling drug-specific antibodies. Part I: Detection of dexamethasone in equine urine.

Abstract The development, validation, and application of an ELISA for dexamethasone in equine urine is described. The drug-protein conjugate was immobilised in microtitre plate wells and antiserum raised against the same drug-protein conjugate was allowed to compete with sample or standard drug and the immobilised drug-protein conjugate. The proportion of antiserum binding to the immobilised drug-protein conjugate was detected using a biotinylated protein G/extravidin-alkaline phosphatase complex in situ and measurement of the substrate product. The method was used to detect the presence of drug-derived material in unextracted diluted urine after the administration of a single i.m. dose of dexamethasone at approximately 0.04 mg/kg to a thoroughbred horse. Validation of the method was carried out against a radioimmunoassay and GC MS analysis.
Domain-specific entity and relationship extraction from query logs

Extracting domain-specific entity-relationships is useful in a wide variety of applications. For example, knowledge of camera companies and their product hierarchies can help photography-related search engines greatly in improving search interfaces. In this paper we describe an unsupervised approach for extracting prominent domain specific entity-relationships from query logs. Our approach is complementary to other entity extraction methods. It first constructs a weighted directed graph with query keywords as nodes and then prunes out edges not likely to represent useful relations. Experiments with multiple domains show promising results with over 80% precision.
Predicting Students' Epistemological Orientation from Demographic, Ability, and Learning Style Variables.

Although college students' epistemological orientation largely determines how they approach, interpret, and learn in higher educational contexts, little is known about the student characteristics which reliably predict the orientation. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the relative potency of different student characteristics potentially salient to differentiating epistemological view. The student variables evaluated were demographic (major and sex), verbal ability, and learning style (four scales from the Inventory of Learning Processes). Results of correlational and multiple regression analyses reveal that only students verbal skill accounted for a significant percent of the variance in epistemological orientation. The results are discussed in terms of the meaning of the orientation, its relevance to practitioners, and implications for further investigation.
Achievable channel rate with perfect and compressed information

This paper explores the effect of compressive sensing on channel rate in a massive-MIMO environment. We are interested to know to what extend a channel state information could be compressed and what factors are needed to be considered. For this purpose we assume a base-station with N antennas operating in downlink with K single-antenna users. The sum of rate is calculated and simulated with both original and compressed channel response information. Simulation results show that the total channel rate decreases as the the compression ratio increases. According to simulation results for SNR = 10dB and compression ratio = 0.3, the rate loss is about 5 bps.
History from the Inside Out: Prison Life in Nineteenth-Century Massachusetts

It cannot be denied, that [penitentiaries] have been Seminaries established and sustained at the public expense, for educating, in the most effectual and thorough manner, hundreds and thousands of villians [sic] to depredate and prey upon the very communities which have thus encouraged and fostered them. This is no fiction, and our astonishment could hardly be greater, had legislators, with the numerous other encouragements afforded, authorized the constituted authorities of these Institutions to confer Diplomas and Doctorates upon those who had most highly distinguished themselves for their improvement in the science and manifold mysteries of iniquity.
Computing with self-excitatory cliques: a model and an application to hyperacuity-scale computation in visual cortex

We present a model of visual computation based on tightly inter-connected cliques of pyramidal cells. It leads to a formal theory of cell assemblies, a specific relationship between correlated firing patterns and abstract functionality, and a direct calculation relating estimates of cortical cell counts to orientation hyperacuity. Our network architecture is unique in that (1) it supports a mode of computation that is both reliable and efficent; (2) the current-spike relations are modeled as an analog dynamical system in which the requisite computations can take place on the time scale required for an early stage of visual processing; and (3) the dynamics are triggered by the spatiotemporal response of cortical cells. This final point could explain why moving stimuli improve vernier sensitivity.
Presence of steroid hormones and antibiotics in surface water of agricultural, suburban and mixed-use areas

The occurrence of pharmaceutically active chemicals (PACs) in the natural aquatic environment is recognized as an emerging issue due to the potential adverse effects these compounds pose to aquatic life and humans. This study presents the monitoring of two major categories of PACs in surface water: steroid hormones and antibiotics. Surface water samples were collected in the fall season from 21 locations in suburban (4), agricultural (5) and mixed (12) use suburban and agricultural areas. The water samples collected were analyzed using GC/MS for aqueous concentration of eleven steroid hormones: six natural (17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, estrone, estriol, 17α-dihydroequilin, progesterone) and five synthetic (gestodene, norgestrel, levonorgestrel, medrogestone, trimegestone). In addition, 12 antibiotics (oxytetracycline, chlorotetracycline, tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, sulfamethazine, trimethoprim, lincomycin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, roxithromycin, erythromycin, tylosin tartrate) were analyzed using LC/MS. Steroid hormones detected in surface water were: 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol, 17α-dihydroequilin, estriol, estrone, progesterone and trimegestone. Estrone had the highest detection frequency of >90% with concentrations ranging from 0.6 to 2.6 ng/l. The second most frequently detected estrogen was estriol (>80%) with concentrations ranging from 0.8 to 19 ng/l. The detection frequency varied at different sampling locations. No antibiotics were detected in the 21 streams sampled. This study aims to give a better understanding on the presence, fate and transport of PACs derived from humans and animals.
A simple, rapid, and sensitive method for measuring protein concentration in subcellular membrane fractions prepared by sucrose density ultracentrifugation

Abstract The Multiskan spectrophotometric system and Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 protein-dye binding method have been used together to measure NaOH-solubilized protein in subcellular membrane fractions prepared from isolated rat adipose cells. Forty-eight samples can be read in duplicate within 1 min. Sucrose in concentrations up to 0.7 m interfere only moderately with the assay. A rapid and convenient method is, therefore, now available for multiple protein determinations following sucellular fractionation on sucrose gradients.
Automatic image segmentation using fuzzy probability

Abstract A method of grey-level histogram threshold selection using fuzzy probability is reported. An image is treated as a set composed of two fuzzy subsets: ‘object’ and ‘background’. The grades of membership of grey levels in the ‘object’ subset are found with an experimentally determined membership function. The fuzzy probability that the ‘object’ points appear in an image is calculated from the membership function, and the frequency of occurrence of each grey level. This probability is equal to the area fraction of the objects in the image. Once the area fraction has been determined, the appropriate threshold can be selected. This method mimics the human process of locating boundaries of objects, and is especially useful for quantitative image analysis. It produces consistent thresholding with different users even when an image's histogram contains a broad. flat valley between its peaks.
Increased expression of keratinocyte growth factor represents a stereotypic response to tracheal lumenal insult independent of injury mechanism.

Hypothesis: The author hypothesized that keratinocyte growth factor may play a role in mucosal epithelial repair in large conducting airway, and that the nature of the injury, denudation with disruption of the basement membrane by either mechanical or chemical means, versus exfoliation (loss of suprabasal cells only), would be reflected in the growth factor response. Study Design: This study evaluated the interdependent relationship between respiratory epithelial cells and the surrounding extracellular matrix in response to injury. In human cutaneous models, both keratinocyte growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor are important in repair process. Method: A sterile tracheal explant culture system was developed that allows for controlled wounding of the epithelial surface using either 1) NaOH, 2) mechanical debridement, or 3) suprabasal exfoliation. Control and injured bovine tracheas were studied by immunohistochemistry up to 24 hours after injury. Results: Keratinocyte growth factor expression was strongly upregulated in epithelium and submucosa of denuded, but not exfoliation cultures, irrespective of means of injury. Disruption of the basement membrane by any means triggers a stereotypic growth factor response paradigm. This growth factor response has a consistent spatial, but variable, temporal relationship that is influenced by the type of injury-mechanical versus chemical. Conclusion: This work demonstrates that the type of injury (denudation vs. exfoliation) affects the expression patterns of growth factors that may be important for airways repair.
Infrared CO emission and disks around young stars

High-resolution near-infrared spectroscopy of CO overtone emission bands has provided some of the best kinematic evidence for the existence of circumstellar disks around young stars. The CO emission flux and the detailed shape of the overtone bands are well matched by simple Keplerian disk models. A brief overview of the use of infrared CO emission as a diagnostic of the kinematics and conditions of gas in the inner disks of young stars is presented.
On the Hurwitz matrix

Wenn die Nullstellen eines gegebenen Polynoms mit reellen Koeffizienten negativen Realteil haben, dann hat die zugehorige Hurwitz-Matrix nur positive Eigenwerte. Diese sind entweder samtlich verschieden, oder es existiert einer der Vielfachheit zwei. Im Falle eines Doppeleigenwertes ist die Hurwitz-Matrix nicht derogatorisch, die Menge ihrer Eigenvektoren ist nicht vollstandig, d. h. ihre Jordansche Normalform ist nicht diagonal.
A molecular orbital study of the conformation of formycin

Abstract Semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations, using the iterative extended Huckel theory, are carried out for the evaluation of conformational energies, dipole moment and net atomic charges as a function of the rotation about the glycosidic bond. Torsion about the C(4′)-C(5′) bond has also been considered. The energy diagrams for either the gg or gt rotamers of formycin predict that neither the first or the second energy minimum fall in the classical anti or syn regions. The predicted energy difference between the two most preferred conformations is rather large (3 kcal/mole). In contrast adenosine is predicted to favor the anti conformation by less than 1 kcal/mole. Barriers to internal counter-clockwise rotation about the glycosidic bond are higher for adenosine.
Graphics Processing Unit acceleration of the Random Phase Approximation in the projector augmented wave method

Abstract The Random Phase Approximation (RPA) for correlation energy in the grid-based projector augmented wave ( gpaw ) code is accelerated by porting to the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) architecture. The acceleration is achieved by grouping independent vectors/matrices and transforming the implementation from being memory bound to being computation/latency bound. With this approach, both the CPU and GPU implementations have been enhanced. We tested the GPU implementation on a few representative systems: molecules (O 2 ), bulk solids (Li 2 O and MoO 3 ) and molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces (N 2 /Ru(0001) and CO/Ni(111)). Improvements from 10 × to 40 × have been achieved (8-GPUs versus 8-CPUs). A realistic RPA calculation for CO/Ni(111) surface can be finished in 5.5 h using 8 GPUs. It is thus promising to employ the non-self-consistent RPA for routine surface chemistry simulations.
Structures of Acylated Anthocyan Pigments in Vitis vinifera Variety Tinta Pinheira. Identification of Anthocyanidin, Sugar, and Acid Moieties

SUMMARY Investigation of the anthocyan skin pigments in hands 1, 2, and 3 isolated from Vitis vinifera var. Tinta Pinheira grapes showed that the pigments from hand 2 consisted of the 3-mono-glucosides of malvidin, peonidin, delphinidin, and petunidin, each acylated with p-coumaric acid. The pigments from hand 3 consisted of the same four anthocyanins, each acylated with caffeic acid. Evidence is presented to show that the pigments in hand 1 were an artifact obtained under certain experimental conditions, and a tentative explanation for their formation is proposed.
An impedance spectroscopy investigation of polycrystalline diamond from dc to 1 GHz

Abstract Impedance spectroscopy methods were used to study electrical conduction in diamond over a frequency range from dc to 1 GHz. Both thick-film, free-standing samples (400 μm thickness) and thin-film (3–6 μm thickness) samples on silicon were investigated. Experimental results fit well to an electrical model, which includes both a hopping conduction path, and a parallel path, which includes the capacitive nature of potential barriers at grain boundaries. For finer-grain, thin film samples, the data indicate that hopping plays the larger role. However, this was not the case for the larger-grain, thick film samples for which the grain boundary path dominated the frequency-dependent admittance between 1 and 100 MHz. The contact resistances, although small, play a non-trivial role in the impedance model at high frequencies, in the order of several hundred megaHertz.
Refractive index of HF from 2.5 μm to 2.9 μm

The index of refraction of hydrogen fluoride has been measured from 2.5 to 2.9 μm with a wavelength resolution of 40 A. Fringe shifts were measured using an incandescent light, a Mach Zehnder interferometer, and a quarter-meter monochromator. The hydrogen fluoride pressure varied from 20 to 120 T. Higher pressures would not be tolerated because of the presence of HF dimers. From 2.5 to 2.7 μm, the dispersion curve is dominated by the resonant dispersion of the P-branch absorption lines. From 2.8 to 2.9 μm, n − 1 is nearly constant at a value of (1.27 ± 0.05) × 10−4 for standard temperature and pressure. Theoretical modeling of the dispersion curve has produced the following values for HF A coefficients: P(1) = 168 ± 20 sec−1, P(2) = 120 ± 20 sec−1, P(3) = 100 ± 20 sec−1.
Demonstration of the evolution of spectral resolving power as a superposition of higher order delayed beams

Introductory textbooks on basic optics introduce gratings and Fabry- Perot spectrometers separately with the logic that they are based on (i) diffraction and interference or (ii) division of wavefront and division of amplitude. Since in modern classrooms, most of the experiments can be carried out with highly coherent and collimated laser beams, we propose to introduce that gratings and Fabry-Perots are equivalent to each other by using a 'pencil' He-Ne beam illuminating a plane-parallel Fabry-Perot at an angle. It produces a set of distinct and parallel pencil of beams by multiple reflection resembling a multiple slit illumination. When these beams are superposed by a focusing lens, a multiple slit diffraction grating like pattern is observed. One can use an appropriately spaced etalon and reflectivity to demonstrate the evolution of resolving power by allowing step-by-step an increasing number of beams to interfere at the focus and slowly resolve the longitudinal modes (or frequencies) of the He-Ne laser.
Auditory temporal resolution: Gap detection as a function of interpulse frequency disparity

Gap detection thresholds, defined by the minimum temporal disparity between the offset of one pulse and the onset of a second, were used to describe auditory temporal resolution. Temporal resolution, as defined by the gap threshold, was observed to decrease as the frequency disparity between the successive pulses increased. These results cannot be accounted for in terms of a simple temporal masking hypothesis. normal auditory function. APPARATUS Sinusoids were led from two audio oscillators (General Radio, Models 1302A and 1304B) through separate electronic switches (Grason-Stadler, Model 1229). The output of each switch was led to aprecIsIon attenuator (Hewlett-Packard, Model 350D), then to a mixer, amplifier, and impedance matching network, and finally to an earphone (TDH-49) which was located in an audiometric test chamber (Industrial Acoustic Co., Model 1200) where S Iistened. Programming was provided with a six-channel Teletype tape fed through a modified tape reader (Frieden, APT), which in turn set a logic control unit (BRS/Foringer, 200 series). The logic control unit operated the audio switches and
The Ultimate Form of Mandatory Auditor Rotation: The Case of Former Arthur Andersen Clients

The collapse of Arthur Andersen provides a unique quasi-experimental setting to study the implications of mandatory auditor rotation for public firms. Consistent with the extant literature on mandatory auditor rotation, we hypothesize the selection of a new auditor is a function of agency and switching costs. Using a unique dataset identifying whether or not former Andersen clients followed their audit team to a new auditor, we are able to find support for both hypotheses. Further, we find firms with greater performance adjusted discretionary accruals were more likely to follow their Andersen audit team to a new auditor, consistent with these firms trying to mitigate the costs of switching auditors. However, tests of accruals in the subsequent year reveal the most aggressive firms who followed Andersen staff were no longer aggressive in the following year relative to the group who chose new non-Andersen auditors. This is inconsistent with mandatory auditor rotation directly improving financial reporting since we expect the non followers to exhibit the greatest degree of accrual correction. However, our results must be interpreted with caution since the rotation described in the paper is quite atypical. Further, whether the benefits outweigh the costs is still difficult to determine since we cannot empirically quantify these aspects.
An integrated cross-layer study of wireless CDMA sensor networks

In this paper, we characterize analytically the multiaccess interference in wireless code-division multiple-access sensor networks with uniformly random distributed nodes and study the tradeoff between interference and connectivity. To provide a guideline for improving system behavior, three competitive deterministic topologies are evaluated along with the random topology in terms of link-level and network-level (routing) performance. The impact of signature code length and receiver design on the network performance for different topologies is also studied.
A Three-year Study of Lecture Multimedia Utilization in the Medical Curriculum: Associations with Performances in the Basic Sciences

This study assesses the frequency with which medical students access video and audio files of lectures in the basic sciences and attempts to determine if the use of such multimedia is associated with examination performance. Data from nine separate courses were analyzed over a three-year period. Students were required to log into the server, which recorded the date and time that specific multimedia files were accessed. The server logs were entered into an Excel spreadsheet, sorted according to student identification numbers and the frequencies of downloads and viewings tabulated by course and lecture. The scores received in each course by individual students were entered before deleting the identification number to preserve anonymity. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation for the sample and one-way analysis of variance. Students viewed lecture videos more frequently than they downloaded the audio files, with the overall ratio of video viewings to audio downloads being 2.5:1. The majority of students (64–78%) accessed relatively few video and audio files of lectures (<10%), trends that were consistently seen in all courses. There were significant correlations for the frequency with which individual students viewed videos of lectures regardless of the course. The patterns for distribution of lecture videos viewed were similar from year-to-year and were unaffected by the elimination of course handouts. Finally, there was an inverse trend between the frequency with which students viewed videos of lectures and their performance in the courses as reflected in their final grades. We found that a small percentage (<10%) of all students regularly use lecture multimedia (audio and video), and results suggest that those students who perform less well on assessments use these multimedia resources to a greater extent.
Using Public Relations to Promote Health: A Framing Analysis of Public Relations Strategies Among Health Associations

This study explored health organizations' public relations efforts to frame health issues through their press releases. Content analysis of 316 press releases from three health organizations—the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association—revealed that they used the medical research frame most frequently and emphasized societal responsibility for health issues. There were differences, however, among the organizations regarding the main frames and health issues: the American Diabetes Association was more likely to focus on the issues related to social support and education, while the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society were more likely to address medical research and scientific news. To demonstrate their initiatives for public health, all the organizations employed the social support/educational frame most frequently. Researchers and medical doctors frequently were quoted as trusted sources in the releases.
Carrier diffusion degradation of modulation transfer function in charge coupled imagers

Expressions for the modulation transfer function due to minority carrier diffusion in charge coupled imagers are calculated, following the approach used by Crowell and Labuda. Both front and rear optical illumination of the charge coupled imager are considered; for the rear illumination case interference effects are included. The modulation transfer function for high energy electron excitation is also considered. In all cases, the expressions for the modulation transfer function have been evaluated using typical charge coupled imager parameters. The quantum efficiency predicted by the minority carrier diffusion model is also briefly discussed.
Motion safety properties of relative velocity-based reciprocal collision avoidance methods

This paper is concerned with the development of motion safety criteria and associated proofs of safe operation for the class of reciprocal collision avoidance methods based on the relative velocity paradigm; including Velocity Obstacles (VO), Reciprocal Velocity Obstacles (ORCA), and Continuous Control Obstacles (CCO) - thus covering both holonomic and non-holonomic configurations. In the first part of this paper various notions of safety are reviewed and formalized, beginning with the most stringent of definitions which are then gradually relaxed while retaining practical applicability. In the second part of the paper, the developed safety notions are applied to the specified class of relative velocity-based reciprocal collision avoidance methods for which no guarantees for safe operation were known before. We develop a set of partial results, which, when together incorporated into the individual collision avoidance routines, provably lead to safe and collision-free overall operation.
Leg design in hexapedal runners

Many-legged animals, such as crabs and cockroaches, utilize whole-body mechanics similar to that observed for running bipeds and trotting quadrupedal mammals. Despite the diversity in morphology, two legs in a quadrupedal mammal, three legs in an insect and four legs in a crab can function in the same way as one leg of a biped during ground contact. To explain how diverse leg designs can result in common whole-body dynamics, we used a miniature force platform to measure the ground reaction forces produced by individual legs of the cockroach Blaberus discoidalis. Hexapedal runners were not like quadrupeds with an additional set of legs. In trotting quadrupedal mammals each leg develops a similar ground reaction force pattern that sums to produce the whole-body pattern. At a constant average velocity, each leg pair of the cockroach was characterized by a unique ground reaction force pattern. The first leg decelerated the center of mass in the horizontal direction, whereas the third leg was used to accelerate the body. The second leg did both, much like legs in bipedal runners and quadrupedal trotters. Vertical force peaks for each leg were equal in magnitude. In general, peak ground reaction force vectors minimized joint moments and muscle forces by being oriented towards the coxal joints, which articulate with the body. Locomotion with a sprawled posture does not necessarily result in large moments around joints. Calculations on B. discoidalis showed that deviations from the minimum moments may be explained by considering the minimization of the summed muscle forces in more than one leg. Production of horizontal forces that account for most of the mechanical energy generated during locomotion can actually reduce total muscle force by directing the ground reaction forces through the leg joints. Whole-body dynamics common to two-, four-, six- and eight-legged runners is produced in six-legged runners by three pairs of legs that differ in orientation with respect to the body, generate unique ground reaction force patterns, but combine to function in the same way as one leg of a biped.
Implications of genomic signatures in the differential vulnerability to fetal alcohol exposure in C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice.

Maternal alcohol consumption inflicts a multitude of phenotypic consequences that range from undetectable changes to severe dysmorphology. Using tightly controlled murine studies that deliver precise amounts of alcohol at discrete developmental stages, our group and other labs demonstrated in prior studies that the C57BL/6 and DBA/2 inbred mouse strains display differential susceptibility to the teratogenic effects of alcohol. Since the phenotypic diversity extends beyond the amount, dosage and timing of alcohol exposure, it is likely that an individual’s genetic background contributes to the phenotypic spectrum. To identify the genomic signatures associated with these observed differences in alcohol-induced dysmorphology, we conducted a microarray-based transcriptome study that also interrogated the genomic signatures between these two lines based on genetic background and alcohol exposure. This approach is called a gene x environment (GxE) analysis; one example of a GxE interaction would be a gene whose expression level increases in C57BL/6 animals, but decreases in DBA/2 embryos, following alcohol exposure. We identified 35 candidate genes exhibiting GxE interactions. To identify cis-acting factors that mediated these interactions, we interrogated the proximal promoters of these 35 candidates and found 241 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in 16 promoters. Further investigation indicated that 186 SNVs (15 promoters) are predicted to alter transcription factor binding. In addition, 62 SNVs created, removed or altered the placement of a CpG dinucleotide in 13 of the proximal promoters; 53 of which overlapped putative transcription factor binding sites. These 53 SNVs are our top candidates for future studies aimed at examining the effects of alcohol on epigenetic gene regulation.
Granzyme B–Mediated Damage of CD8+ T Cells Impairs Graft-versus-Tumor Effect

Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation is an established treatment for hematologic and other malignancies. Donor-derived immune cells can identify and attack host tumor cells, producing a graft-versus-tumor (GVT) effect that is crucial to the treatment. Using multiple tumor models and diverse donor-host combinations, we have studied the role of granzyme B (GzmB) in GVT effect. We first confirmed previous findings that GzmB deficiency diminished the ability of a high dose of CD8(+) T cells to cause lethal graft-versus-host disease. However, when GVT studies were performed using a moderate cell dose that the hosts could tolerate, GzmB(-/-) CD8(+) T cells demonstrated a significantly enhanced GVT effect. GzmB-mediated, activation-induced cell death in wild-type CD8(+) T cells was found responsible for their reduced GVT activity. Conversely, GzmB(-/-) CD8(+) T cells exhibited enhanced expansion, skewed toward an effector or effector memory phenotype, and produced higher amounts of IFN-γ and Fas ligand that might contribute to GzmB-independent tumor control. These findings demonstrate for the first time, to our knowledge, that GzmB-mediated damage of CD8(+) T cells impairs the desired GVT effect. This study suggests that inhibiting donor-derived GzmB function may represent a promising strategy to improve GVT effect without exacerbating graft-versus-host disease.
Relationships among turtles of the genus Clemmys (Reptilia, Testudines, Emydidae) as suggested by plastron scute morphology

The Conservative morphology of hardshelled turtles has fostered the use of size relationships between epidermal scutes (scales) on the shell to differentiate between species and subspecies of many taxa. The size relationship of the six major pairs of plastral scutes were used to compare the four currently recognized species of the genus Clemmys with each other. as well as with the distantly related Graptemys barbouri using Jaccard Coefficients. Shannon-Weiner diversity indices, and multivariate analysis. Results were concordant among the three techniques used and confirm our prediction that plastral morphology varies little among closely related species and widely among distantly related taxa. Clemmys muhlenbergii appears to he more different from Clemmys guttata than previously suggested. Analysis of plastral morphology shows promise as a taxonomic tool for turtle systematists.
Diffusivities of Dialkyl Phthalates in Plasticized Poly(vinyl butyral): Impact on Binder Thermolysis

Hot-stage/Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR-M) was used to determine the diffusivities of a series of dialkyl phthalates in poly(viny1 butyral) (PVB) spin-coated films. The diffusivities ranged from lo-'' to lo-'' cmz/s for the isotherms investigated (60" to 150°C). In their respective temperature regimes, dimethyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate exhibited nonlinear diffusion behavior, while dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and dioctyl phthalate (DOP) exhibited Fickian behavior in PVB. The activation energies for DBP and DOP diffusion in the PVB-based films were calculated to be 76.3 and 114.7 kJ/mol, respectively. The diffusivity of DBP was used to compare the relative importance of diffusion and capillary migration in the thermolysis of PVB-DBP binders from ceramic greenware. Comparison of the calculated DBP loss due to diffusion alone could not account for the observed removal rates. A characteristic diffusion length is calculated from the experimental observations. [Key words: diffusivity, binders, plasticizers, polymers, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).]
Newton's Description of the Reflecting Telescope

In an earlier issue of Notes and Records , A. A. Mills and P.J. Turvey published a general account of the reflecting telescopes associated with Isaac Newton. There is another document concerning the reflecting telescope that has not until now been incorporated into the Newtonian literature: a schematic drawing of a reflecting telescope, accompanied by a description of the instrument written out by Newton in his own hand (see figure 1). The drawing was certainly made by Newton himself. At the bottom of the page, there is a note in another hand, of which the first part reads, ‘Ex dono celeberr. Dn. Newgtoni Profess. Math. Cantabrig.’ (the gift of the famous Mr Newton, Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge), and the remainder, in English, reads ‘of Cajus Colledg.’ This is, of course, an error, since Newton’s college was Trinity and not Caius; Newton’s name is also misspelled.
An Extension of Green's Inquiry into Surprise as a Factor in the Von Restorff Effect

In a recent study, Green ( 1 ) challenged the von Restorff effect, suggesting that it was not isolation in a temporal series that produced better recall but the "surprise" resulting from an unexpected presentation of a verbal item following a series of numerical items or vice versa. His argument was that the first item of a new type of material in a series has more surprise value than later equally isolated items. The present experiment repeats Green's study, using the same 4 lists of syllables and digits, the only difference being that the isolated items were reproduced in red color (Table 1 ) . All other items presented in the 4 lists were