cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optoelectronic Displacement Measurement Method for Rotating Disks

Radial displacements on an axial surface of a rotating disk can be measured with optoelectronic sensing devices consisting of infrared emitters and phototransistors. The aim of this investigation is to improve the stability and robustness of a previously described optoelectronic measurement system. Stability is improved by a computerized algorithm for the control of the emitter intensity based on feedback from a compensation portion of an optical pattern placed on the disk. Robustness is improved by using a laser emitter that allows for a larger standoff distance in comparison with the previously used light emitting diode. Radial displacements obtained with automatic intensity control of the laser emitter agreed with theoretical values in a glass/urethane composite disk to within ±1 μm at rotational speeds up to 3300 rpm. With further development, the proposed displacement method has application in the noncontact measurement of radial and hoop strains through the radial thickness of high-speed axisymmetric rotating machinery such as energy storage flywheels.
Point-of-care influenza testing does not significantly shorten time to disposition among patients with an influenza-like illness

Abstract Introduction Availability of anti-viral agents and need to isolate infected patients increases the need to confirm the diagnosis of influenza before determining patient disposition. Objectives We sought to determine if time-to-disposition (TTD) was shorter among patients tested for influenza using an Emergency Department (ED) Point-of-care (POC) test compared to core laboratory (lab) test and to determine difference in antibiotic use between groups. Methods We prospectively enrolled a convenience sample of ED patients for whom influenza testing was ordered during influenza season 2017. Participants were randomized to POC or lab. Data collected included demographics, chief complaint, influenza test results, turnaround time (TAT), whether antibiotics were given, and TTD. Descriptive statistics were calculated and group comparisons conducted using chi squared and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests. Results Study population included 100 in the POC group and 97 in the lab group. Demographics were similar between POC and lab participants. More flu positive results were reported in the POC group compared to the lab group (51.0% vs. 33.0% p = 0.01). The median TTD was 146.5 min (IQR 98.5) for POC group and 165.5 min (IQR 127) for lab group (p = 0.26). The median TAT was 30.5 min (IQR 7.5) for POC group and 106.0 min (IQR 55) for core lab group (p = 0.001). Antibiotics were given to 14.0% of POC participants and 14.4% of lab participants (p = 0.93). Conclusions Although use of a POC influenza test provided more rapid TAT than use of a core lab test, there was no significant difference in TTD or antibiotic use between groups.
Tefillin use induces remote ischemic preconditioning pathways in healthy men.

We hypothesized that tefillin use among Orthodox Jewish men (who practice a nonocclusive leather banding of their nondominant arm) will induce a remote ischemic preconditioning phenotype. Chronic u...
Planning security architecture for health survey data storage and access

Sensitive data from health research surveys need to be protected from loss, damage or unwanted release, especially when data include personally identifying information, protected health information or other private material. Researchers and practitioners must ensure privacy and confidentiality in the architecture of data systems and in access to the data. Internal and external risks may be deliberate or accidental, involving unintended loss, modification or exposure. To prevent risk while allowing access requires balancing concerns against providing an environment that does not impede work. The authors' purpose in this paper is to draw attention to basic data security needs for health survey data from the perspective of both the health researcher/practitioner and infrastructure/programming staff to ensure that data are securely and adequately protected. We describe risk classifications and how they affect system architecture, drawing on recent experience with systems for storage of and access to electronic health survey data.
Iterative machine learning (IterML) for effective parameter pruning and tuning in accelerators

With the rise of accelerators (e.g., GPUs, FPGAs, and APUs) in computing systems, the parallel computing community needs better tools and mechanisms with which to productively extract performance. While modern compilers provide flags to activate different optimizations to improve performance, the effectiveness of such automated optimization depends on the algorithm and its mapping to the underlying accelerator architecture. Currently, however, extracting the best performance from an algorithm on an accelerator requires significant expertise and manual effort to exploit both spatial and temporal sharing of computing resources in order to improve overall performance. In particular, maximizing the performance on an algorithm on an accelerator requires extensive hyperparameter (e.g., thread-block size) selection and tuning. Given the myriad of hyperparameter dimensions to optimize across, the search space of optimizations is generally extremely large, making it infeasible to exhaustively evaluate each optimization configuration. This paper proposes an approach that uses statistical analysis with iterative machine learning (IterML) to prune and tune hyper-parameters to achieve better performance. During each iteration, we leverage machine-learning (ML) models to provide pruning and tuning guidance for the subsequent iterations. We evaluate our IterML approach on the selection of the GPU thread-block size across many benchmarks running on an NVIDIA P100 or V100 GPU. The experimental results show that our IterML approach can significantly reduce (i.e., improve) the search effort by 40% to 80%.
Physicians' perspectives on medication adherence and health promotion among cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND Cancer survivors face an increased risk of cardiovascular events compared with the general population. Adopting a healthy lifestyle may reduce these risks, and guidelines encourage health-promotion counseling for cancer survivors, but the extent of physician adherence is unclear. METHODS This mixed-method study surveyed 91 physicians, including 30 primary care physicians (PCPs), 30 oncologists, and 31 specialists (urologists, dermatologists, and gynecologists). Interviews also were conducted with 12 oncologists. RESULTS Most PCPs (90%) reported recommending health promotion (eg, weight loss, smoking cessation) to at least some cancer survivors, whereas few oncologists (26.7%) and specialists (9.7%) said they ever did so (P < .001). Although most physicians believed that at least 50% of cancer survivors would be adherent to medication regimens to prevent cancer recurrence, they also believed that, if patients were trying to lose weight, they would not remain medication-adherent. In interviews, oncologists expressed fear that providing health-promotion advice would distress or overwhelm patients. Additional health-promotion barriers identified by thematic analysis included: identifying cancer as oncologists' focal concern, time pressure, insufficient behavior change training, and care coordination challenges. Facilitators included perceiving a patient benefit and having health-promotion resources integrated into the cancer care system. CONCLUSIONS Physicians often do not have the time, expertise, or resources to address health promotion with cancer survivors. Research is needed to evaluate whether health-promotion efforts compromise medical regimen adherence, as physicians' responses suggest.
Direct observation of spin accumulation in Cu induced by spin pumping

This paper shows how X-ray transmission microscopy can provide spatial mapping of spin accumulations in a thin layer of copper, which are generated without any directly applied charge currents through spin pumping from ferromagnetic magnetization dynamics in adjacent permalloy.
Rapid divergence of the copulation proteins in the Drosophila dunni group is associated with hybrid post-mating-prezygotic incompatibilities

Proteins involved in post-copulatory interactions between males and females are among the fastest evolving genes in many species and this has been attributed to reproductive conflict. Likely as a result, these proteins are frequently involved in cases of post-mating-prezygotic isolation between species. The Drosophila dunni subgroup consists of a dozen recently diverged species found across the Caribbean islands with varying levels of hybrid incompatibility. We sought to examine how post-mating-prezygotic factors are involved in isolation among members of this species group. We performed experimental crosses between species in the dunni group and find evidence of hybrid inviability. We also find an insemination reaction-like response preventing egg laying and leading to reduced female survival post-mating. To identify that genes may be involved in these incompatibilities, we sequenced and assembled the genomes of four species in the dunni subgroup and looked for signals of rapid evolution between species. Despite low levels of divergence, we found evidence of rapid evolution and divergence of some reproductive proteins, specifically the seminal fluid proteins. This suggests post-mating-prezygotic isolation as a barrier for gene flow between even the most closely related species in this group and seminal fluid proteins as a possible culprit.
Proterrence & Rule Illegitimacy in an Age of Creeping Social Control: The Ban on Tobacco Smoke in Amsterdam’s Coffeeshops

This paper examines the concept of proterrence: scaring people into doing something to stop others from doing something bad. This contrasts to deterrence, which involves threatening persons to not do something bad. The tobacco ban in Amsterdam coffeeshops and, more specifically, coffeeshop personnel’s reaction to it is used as the empirical vessel to examine proterrence. Proterrence permits examination of the interface between order maintenance and social control against a backdrop of perceived sanction illegitimacy. It also permits exploration of the process by which formal sanctions thread through informal mechanisms—where that threading is enforcement rather than consequence-based and where rule implementers face the brunt of the sanction that a third party violates. Data are based on in-depth fieldwork in Amsterdam coffeeshops. The wider applicability of proterrence is discussed.
RESTORING CONNEXIN-36 FUNCTION IN DIABETOGENIC ENVIRONMENTS PRECLUDES MOUSE AND HUMAN ISLET DYSFUNCTION

Type2 diabetes results from failure of the {beta}-cell to compensate for insulin resistance, such as in obesity. Insulin secretion is governed by a series of metabolic and electrical events which can fail during the progression of diabetes. {beta}-cells are electrically coupled via Cx36 gap junction channels, thereby coordinating the pulsatile dynamics of electrical activity, Ca2+ and insulin release across the islet, enhancing insulin action. Pulsatile insulin release is disrupted in human type2 diabetes, although whether this disruption results from diminished gap junction coupling is unclear. Factors such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids disrupt gap junction coupling under invitro conditions. Here we test whether gap junction coupling and coordinated Ca2+ dynamics are disrupted in type2 diabetes, and whether recovery of gap junction coupling can recover islet function. We examine islets from healthy donors and those with type2 diabetes, as well as islets from db/db mice and islets treated with a cocktail of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-, IL-1{beta}, IFN-{gamma}) or free fatty acids (palmitate). We modulate gap junction coupling using Cx36 over-expression or pharmacological activation via modafinil. We also develop a peptide mimetic (S293) of the c-terminal regulatory tail of Cx36 designed to compete against its phosphorylation and downregulation. Cx36 gap junction permeability and coordinated Ca2+ dynamics were disrupted in islets from human donors with type2 diabetes, as well as in islets from db/db mice or treated with proinflammatory cytokines or palmitate. Cx36 over-expression, modafinil treatment and S293 peptide all enhanced Cx36 gap junction coupling and protected against declines in coordinated Ca2+ dynamics. Cx36 over-expression and S293 peptide also reduced apoptosis induced by proinflammatory cytokines. Critically S293 peptide rescued gap junction coupling and Ca2+ dynamics in islets from both db/db mice and a sub-set of T2D donors. Thus, recovering or enhancing Cx36 gap junction coupling can improve islet function in diabetes.
Redox-responsive sorbents and mediators for electrochemically based CO2 capture

Global warming and climate change caused by an ever-increasing accumulation of atmospheric CO2 are reaching alarming levels. In order to address this issue, significant research effort has been dedicated to the development of carbon capture processes for sequestration or utilization of CO2. Current technologies rely on energy-intensive temperature- or pressure-swing of CO2 sorbents, limiting the economic feasibility of the process. Herein, we review recent advances in electrochemically mediated CO2 capture and release. Specifically, redox-active sorbents and mediators provide new opportunities in separation of CO2 by significantly reducing the energy requirements and widening the scope for system modifications. In particular, strategies for electrochemically mediated regeneration of sorbents in conventional processes, direct capture and release of CO2 by exploitation of redox-active complexes, and the outlook for electrochemically based carbon capture are covered.
Photoelectrochemical Properties of Porphyrin-Functionalized Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) show promising electrochemical properties for the ultrathin and flexible light-harvesting devices due to their absorption in the visible range and high conversion efficiencies. In this work, we demonstrate a strong enhancement in photoelectrochemical conversion using porphyrin-functionalization on TMDCs and elucidate related light-harvesting mechanisms. We prepared large-area samples from Zn-centered protoporphyrins (ZnPPs) functionalized on films of liquid-exfoliated MoS2, WS2, MoSe2, and WSe2 flakes. WS2 and MoS2 demonstrate an order of magnitude greater anodic photocurrents with ZnPP functionalization, where ZnPP is working as photoactive layers. In contrast, MoSe2 and WSe2 serve as charge transfer media, demonstrating strong cathodic photocurrents with the porphyrins. Two distinct mechanisms were identified for observed photocurrent behaviors, which largely depend on the differences in the energy levels of TMDCs against the HOMO/LUMO of ZnPP. Our findings should be useful for designing high-performance TMDC-based photoelectrochemical devices.
Centered logic: the role of entity centered sentence representation in natural language inferencing

We will briefly describe the role of entity centered structure (ECS) of sentences in natural language inferencing. The basic structure of sentences in discourse, generally singles out an entity, to be called center, among all those which are the arguments of the main predicate. ECS makes n-ary predicates look like monadic by temporarily masking their structure, thereby affecting the relative ease with which certain inferences are made and information is retrieved. This short paper deals with a preliminary formulation of a system designed to capture these ideas and contains several examples of how some natural language inferences can be represented in the system. Formal properties of the system are under investigation.
Extension, Bending, and Torsion

Some classical problems that may be solved within the assumptions of the strength-of-materials are examined by applying the theory of elasticity. It is anticipated that the elementary solutions are approximately correct, but deficient or incomplete in some way. In each case the isotropic material law is assumed to be applicable. The problems considered are a prismatic bar under axial load, an end-loaded cantilever beam, and torsion of circular shafts. Then a generalized theory of torsion applicable to members with noncircular prismatic cross-sections is developed.
Problems and Methods in the Study of Politics: The illusion of learning from observational research

Theory-testing occupies a central place within social science, but what kinds of evidence count toward a meaningful test of a causal proposition? We offer two analytic results that have important implications for the relative merits of observational and experimental inquiry. The first result addresses the optimal weight that should be assigned to unbiased experimental research and potentially biased observational research. We find that unless researchers have prior information about the biases associated with observational research, observational findings are accorded zero weight regardless of sample size, and researchers learn about causality exclusively through experimental results. The second result describes the optimal allocation of future resources to observational and experimental research, given different marginal costs for each type of data collection and a budget constraint. Under certain conditions (e.g., severe budget constraints and prohibitive costs of experimental data), it is optimal to allocate one’s entire budget to observational data. However, so long as one harbors some uncertainty about the biases of observational research, even an infinite supply of observational data cannot provide exact estimates of causal parameters. In the absence of theoretical or methodological breakthroughs, the only possibility for further learning comes from experiments, particularly experiments with strong external validity.
A NF-KAPPA B/C-MYC-DEPENDENT SURVIVAL PATHWAY IS TARGETED BY CORTICOSTEROIDS IN IMMATURE THYMOCYTES

Glucocorticoid hormones modulate T cell maturation in vivo. While low levels of hormones are required for appropriate T cell development, high levels of glucocorticoid hormones target immature developing thymocytes for cell death during systemic stress. In this report, we propose a molecular mechanism for the induction of apoptosis in CD4+CD8+ double-positive thymocytes by dexamethasone in vivo. Dexamethasone injection induced the expression of IkappaBalpha and IkappaBbeta in thymocytes and down-regulated NF-kappaB DNA binding activated by intrathymic signals. Down-regulation of NF-kappaB DNA binding preceded cell death, suggesting that NF-kappaB may be important for the survival of immature thymocytes. In addition, ex vivo treatment of thymocyte single-cell suspension with dexamethasone accelerated p65/RelA down-regulation and cell death. Conversely, NF-kappaB induction diminished dexamethasone-induced death. Expression of the c-myc proto-oncogene, a NF-kappaB target, was also reduced in thymocytes of dexamethasone-treated animals, and ectopic transgenic expression of c-myc in mice provided partial rescue of double-positive thymocytes from dexamethasone mediated cell death. These observations suggest that viability of CD4+CD8+ thymocytes may be maintained by an NF-kappaB/c-myc-dependent pathway in vivo.
Military Mobilization in Modern Western Societies

All modern societies mobilize people to serve in the military. The question is how to do so. There are many possible institutional arrangements from which to choose, ranging from voluntary, local militia service to universal compulsory national service. Once made, the choice is consequential along at least three dimensions. It affects the prospects for winning war because the mobilization plan determines the size and affects the quality of the military force. It also affects formation of foreign policy because the mobilization plan presupposes a force structure and force structure determines the viability and variety of military options available for use in the conduct of foreign affairs. And it affects the way the military is integrated with-to influence and be influenced by-the society it is formed to protect, depending on who is drawn into military service and who is left behind. In this brief survey of military mobilization, it is shown that modern societies consider all three of these dimensions, war, geopolitics, and domestic political culture, when establishing institutional arrangements to raise a military for war. But they give these dimensions different weight at different times for reasons we have to explore.
PDGF upregulates CLEC-2 to induce T regulatory cells

The effect of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) on immune cells is not elucidated. Here, we demonstrate PDGF inhibited the maturation of human DCs and induced IL-10 secretion. Culture of PDGF-DCs with T cells induced the polarization of T cells towards FoxP3 expressing T regulatory cells that secreted IL-10. Gene expression studies revealed that PDGF induced the expression of C-type lectin like receptor member 2, (CLEC-2) receptor on DCs. Furthermore, DCs transfected with CLEC-2 induced T regulatory cells in DC-T cell co-culture. CLEC-2 is naturally expressed on platelets. Therefore, to confirm whether CLEC-2 is responsible for inducing the T regulatory cells, T cells were cultured with either CLEC-2 expressing platelets or soluble CLEC-2. Both conditions resulted in the induction of regulatory T cells. The generation of T regulatory cells was probably due to the binding of CLEC-2 with its ligand podoplanin on T cells, since crosslinking of podoplanin on the T cells also resulted in the induction of T regulatory cells. These data demonstrate that PDGF upregulates the expression of CLEC-2 on cells to induce T regulatory cells.
Effects of ion beam hydrogenation on silicon solar cell structures

Abstract A Kaufman ion source was used to hydrogenate polycrystalline silicon structures at energies from 250 to 5000 eV. This results in improvements in photovoltaic properties and in shorter hydrogenation times than have been reported by other groups using arc or plasma discharges. Single-crystal silicon samples exposed to similar hydrogenation conditions were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, IR spectroscopy, reflectometry and ellipsometry. The thickness and other characteristics of this modified surface region vary as a function of the ion energy and the dose rate. The properties of this surface region may influence the choice of subsequent antireflective coatings that are used to provide optimum performance of these devices.
Green's function description of momentum-orientation relaxationof photoexcited electron plasmas in semiconductors

We present numerical results for the momentum-orientation relaxation of optically excited electron plasmas in bulk semiconductors. Our results are based on the full two-time Green's function approach for carrier-carrier scattering and are compared to the results obtained within the conventional quantum Boltzmann equation. Defining ``memory effects'' by this comparison, we find memory effects mainly to be differences in the time-scale of the relaxation process rather than distinct qualitative features. Within the limitations of our isotropic static screening model, we find that, in both approaches, an initial anisotropic and nonmonotonic distribution function relaxes in a three-stage process in which the distribution becomes monotonic before it loses its anisotropy.
Evolution of enzyme superfamilies

Enzyme evolution is often constrained by aspects of catalysis. Sets of homologous proteins that catalyze different overall reactions but share an aspect of catalysis, such as a common partial reaction, are called mechanistically diverse superfamilies. The common mechanistic steps and structural characteristics of several of these superfamilies, including the enolase, Nudix, amidohydrolase, and haloacid dehalogenase superfamilies have been characterized. In addition, studies of mechanistically diverse superfamilies are helping to elucidate mechanisms of functional diversification, such as catalytic promiscuity. Understanding how enzyme superfamilies evolve is vital for accurate genome annotation, predicting protein functions, and protein engineering.
Evaluation of the Mixed Linear Model with Orthogonalized and Studentized Residuals

Abstract Residuals have been widely used to compare the fit of a model to the observations and to evaluate model assumptions. This paper develops orthogonalized and studentized residuals that adjust for the fit of the covariance structure in the mixed linear model. The resulting residuals are suitable for checking the model assumptions associated with the marginal, conditional, or random effect distributions. These residuals are also compared to Cholesky residuals and variance studentized residuals. An example is presented involving an experimental design with fixed and random effects.
Transverse Shear Stiffness of Composite Honeycomb Core with General Configuration

Based on the zeroth-order approximation of a two-scale asymptotic expansion, equivalent elastic shear coefficients of periodic structures can be evaluated via the solution of a local function τklij(y), and the homogenization process reduces to solving the local function τklij(y) by invoking local periodic boundary conditions. Then, effective transverse shear stiffness properties can be analytically predicted by reducing a local problem of a given unit cell into a 2D problem. In this paper, an analytical approach with a two-scale asymptotic homogenization technique is developed for evaluation of effective transverse shear stiffness of thin-walled honeycomb core structures with general configurations, and the governing 3D partial differential equations are solved with the assumptions of free warping constraints and constant variables through the core wall thickness. The explicit formulas for the effective transverse shear stiffness are presented for a general configuration of honeycomb core. A detailed stud...
Analysis of Chordal Ring Network

A family of regular graphs of degree 3, called Chordal Rings, is presented as a possible candidate for the implementation of a local network of message-connected (micro) computers. For a properly constructed graph in this family having n nodes the diameter, or maximum length message path, is shown to be of 0(n 1/2). The symmetry of the graphs makes it possible to determine message routing by using a simple distributed algorithm. The given algorithm is also potentially useful for the determination of alternate paths in the event of node or link failure.
Normal pancreatic and intestinal enzymes in hypophagic growth-retarded rats that received dorsomedial hypothalamic lesions shortly after weaning

Abstract Male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats received bilateral electrolytic lesions in the dorsomedial hypothalamic nuclei (DMNL rats). Sham-operated rats served as controls. After being fed lab chow for two postoperative weeks, the animals were divided into four groups. One group of DMNL rats and controls received a high-caloric diet (high-fat diet, chocolate chip cookies, 32% sucrose solution, potato chips and marshmallows), whereas another group of DMNL rats and controls continued to receive lab chow. The experiment was terminated on the 185th postoperative day. In accordance with previous findings, DMNL rats, irrespective of diet, were lighter and shorter than controls. In addition, DMNL rats fed junk food were lighter than DMNL rats fed lab chow, and junk-fed controls weighed as much as chow-fed controls. Both DMNL rats and controls fed junk food were also shorter and showed higher carcass fat than their chow-fed counterparts. Also, DMNL rats fed junk food had less carcass fat than junk-fed sham-operated controls, whereas in accordance with previous findings, there was no difference between chow-fed DMNL rats and chow-fed sham-operated controls. Irrespective of diet, DMNL rats ate less calories than their respective sham-operated controls. Both absolute and percent pancreas weight and protein pancreas weight and protein/pancreas were unaffected in DMNL rate but were reduced in both junk-fed groups in comparison with their chow-fed counterparts. Both concentrations and contents of pancreatic trypsinogen, amylase and lipase were unaffected in DMNL rats but total activities of all three enzymes were dramatically reduced in the junk-fed compared with the chow-fed DMNL rats. Total activities of trypsinogen and amylase but not lipase were also reduced. Duodenal mucosal weight, total protein and specific activities of enterokinase, leucine amino peptidase and maltase were uninfluenced by lesions and diet alike. In the jejunum, specific activity of enterokinase was dramatically reduced in junk-fed versus chow-fed DMNL rats; the same obtained for junk-fed vs. chow-fed sham-operated control groups. Jejunal lactase, sucrose and maltase were not affected by DMN lesions but both DMNL rats and sham-operated controls fed junk foods showed lower specific activities than their chow-fed counterparts. The data indicate that production of DMN lesions in weanling rats, although followed by dramatic alterations in ponderal and linear growth and food intake, causes little, if any, changes in a number of pancreatic and small intestinal parameters, including enzymes. The only significant changes are those related to diet effects. These findings suggest that the DMNL rat responds to dietary factors like its sham-operated control and suggest that changes in digestive function cannot be invoked as possible causes of growth retardation and food intake in the weanling DMNL rat.
The bionic retina: a small molecule with big potential for visual restoration.

In this issue of Neuron, Polosukhina et al. (2012) intravitreally deliver the light-activatable molecule acrylamide-azobenzene-quaternary ammonium (AAQ) to the eyes of mice with end-stage retinal degeneration. Results show that, with the appropriate illumination, AAQ restores light sensitivity and visual behavior.
An Initial Evaluation of Revenue-Sharing Arrangements in the New South African Fiscal Federalism

The new Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 1996 has restructured South Africa as a nonracialfederal polity comprised of a national government, nine provincial authorities, and about 700 municipalities. The Constitution specifically created a Financial and Fiscal Commission to organize and manage a new system of intergovernmental grants designed to ameliorate vertical fiscal imbalance and deliver horizontal equity to governments at all levels. This examination of the characteristics and mechanics of South African federalism seeks to classify these new institutional arrangements in terms of the typology developed by Roy Bahl and Johannes Linn and interpret their policy implications.
Lack of effect of hyperprolactinemia on serotonin turnover in ovariectomized and ovariectomized estrogen-treated rats.

Abstract Hyperprolactinemia suppresses luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin (PRL) secretion under a variety of experimental conditions. The secretion of both of these hormones is regulated at the hypothalamic level by several neurotransmitters, including serotonin (5-HT). Therefore, we examined the effect of hyperprolactinemia on 5-HT neuronal activity in key hypothalamic areas that are rich in 5-HT terminals and which are known to regulate the release of LH and PRL. Young cycling virgin rats were ovariectomized (day 0). From days 11–16, animals were injected with ovine prolactin (oPRL, 4mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle every 8 h. On day 14, one-half of the oPRL- and vehicle-treated rats were implanted with 20-mm long Silastic capsules containing estradiol (180 μg/ml). On day 16, animals were killed at 08.00, 12.00 or 18.00 h or treated with pargyline (75 mg/kg) and killed 10 min later. Trunk blood was collected and serum was radioimmunoassayed for LH and endogenous rat PRL (rPRL). Brains were removed, frozen, sectioned and the medial preoptic, suprachiasmatic, and arcuate nuclei, median eminence and globus pallidus were microdissected. Serotonin was measured using high pressure liquid chromatographic methodology. We were unable to detect any feedback effect of hyperprolactinemia on 5-HT turnover in any brain area of ovariectomized or ovariectomized estradiol-treated rats at any time of day that we examined. Several potential reasons for the absence of an effect of hyperprolactinemia on serotonergic function are discussed.
Identification of a thermophilic plasmid origin and its cloning within a new Thermus-E. coli shuttle vector

Abstract A pUC19-based vector has been generated for selecting functional thermophilic origins (oris) of Thermus ssp. Once combined with thermophilic DNA, the vector can be amplified in ampicillin resistant (ApR) E. coli, prior to transformation and kanamycin (Km) selection in Thermus thermophilus. The KmR Thermus transformants replicate any newly-formed shuttle vectors via introduced thermophilic oris. Using this "ori-selecting" vector, three novel thermophilic oris were cloned from randomly digested Thermus cryptic plasmid DNA. These shuttle vectors are useful for genetic analyses, as well as protein engineering within thermophiles. The smallest ori-containing sequence of 4.2 kb has been subcloned, sequenced, and further refined to 2.3 kb. A significant ORF of 341 amino acids (aa), with a Thermus promoter and RBS, is found within the thermophilic ori. Deleting part of this ORF abolishes the shuttle vector's ability to replicate in T. thermophilus. Therefore, we postulate that this ORF encodes a replication protein (Rep) necessary for thermophilic plasmid replication. The thermophilic ori also contains two sequences which resemble DnaA boxes.
Early versus delayed initiation of continuous negative pressure in infants with hyaline membrane disease.

Twenty-three infants with HMD of similar severity, who were less than 24 hours of age and who were breathing spontaneously, were divided by random numbers into early and delayed, CNP groups. The infants who were treated with CNP before their Pa O 2 was less than 50 mm Hg while breathing 70% oxygen experienced a significantly greater increase in Pa O 2 in response to the initiation of CNP, required less time with O 2 therapy, required no mechanical ventilation, and had fewer complications. Based on these results, it is suggested that CNP be initiated in infants with HMD, who are less than 24 hours of age and are breathing spontaneously, before the Pa O 2 becomes less than 50 mm Hg on 70% O 2 .
The role of nonlinear critical layers in boundary layer transition

Asymptotic methods are used to describe the nonlinear self-interaction between pairs of oblique instability modes that eventually develops when initially linear spatially growing instability waves evolve downstream in nominally two-dimensional laminar boundary layers. The first nonlinear reaction takes place locally within a so-called 'critical layer', with the flow outside this layer consisting of a locally parallel mean flow plus a pair of oblique instability waves - which may or may not be accompanied by an associated plane wave. The amplitudes of these waves, which are completely determined by nonlinear effects within the critical layer, satisfy either a single integro-differential equation or a pair of integro-differential equations with quadratic to quartic-type nonlinearities. The physical implications of these equations are discussed.
Radiologic and Sonography Professionals’ Ergonomics: An Occupational Therapy Intervention for Preventing Work Injuries

There is a prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs) associated with the work of radiologic professionals, especially those doing sonographic examinations. This may be due to the fact that their daily work tasks expose them to the physical risk factors associated with WRMSDs. The purpose of this study was to examine whether radiologic professionals’ knowledge and work practices changed after receiving an educational multimedia tutorial on ergonomics. After multimedia training on ergonomics and safe body mechanics designed by occupational therapy providers, participants reported that their awareness and their work practices improved.
Attendance, Schooling Quality, and the Demand for Education of Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Non-Hispanic Whites.

Abstract This study examines the influence of the opportunity costs of school attendance, educational quality attributes, and household socioeconomic status on the educational demand of Mexican Americans, African Americans, and non-Hispanic whites using the 1988–1990 surveys of the National Education Longitudinal Study. Implementing a utility-maximizing framework, educational demand assumes the form of schools' average daily attendance rates and student dropout decisions between the 8th and 10th grades. The basic results suggest that a school's attendance rate is sensitive to educational quality and student characteristics. Moreover, the demand for education measured by student attrition inversely relates to unexplained school attendance, and is positively affected by household socioeconomic status. Some policy recommendations based on the results are discussed.
Dynamics of development of late blight [Phytophthora infestans] in potato, and comparative resistance of cultivars in the highland tropics

Host resistance is an important component for the management of late blight [Phytophthora infestans] on potato, in the highland tropics, where effective fungicide use is limited because of the cost of application. Potato cultivars with major resistance genes to late blight (population A) and minor or quantitative resistance genes to the disease (population B) were evaluated in field studies at two locations in Kenya during 2000, 2001, and 2002 cropping seasons. Disease severity, area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), infection rates, tuber blight, and tuber yields were assessed to determine the effectiveness of cultivar resistance to potato late blight. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in AUDPC were detected among cultivars. Progress of late blight on potato cultivars was best described by the nonlinear form of the logistic model. Infection rates ranged from 0.0047 to 0.3105 logits per day and were generally higher on susceptible than resistant cultivars. Rates of disease progress were highest on th...
Acceleration of sulfhydryl oxidations by selenocystine

Abstract Oxidations of cysteine, glutathione, and homocysteine by hydrogen peroxide, organic peroxides, and molecular oxygen are accelerated by selenocystine but not by cystine. Effects on reaction rates of pH, concentration of reactants, and of temperature have been studied. Alcohol dehydrogenase and creatine kinase, both sulfhydryl enzymes, are partially protected from oxidative inactivation in the presence of selenocystine.
A simplified method for approximating multiple regression coefficients.

A method of exhaustion has been described for calculating regression coefficients. This method dispenses with the solution of simultaneous equations but utilizes a process of successive extraction in obtainingβ's, where each successiveβ is maximized. This procedure permits the worker to discard as he goes along those weights which are deemed unsatisfactory for purposes of prediction. Theβ coefficients and theR in a problem involving a criterion and six independent variables were calculated in sixty minutes. TheR's obtained by this method are smaller than those yielded by the Doolittle technique, but in problems which have been considered this discrepancy has not exceeded .05.
Positive Urgency Predicts Illegal Drug Use and Risky Sexual Behavior

There are several different personality traits that dispose individuals to engage in rash action. One such trait is positive urgency: the tendency to act rashly when experiencing extremely positive affect. This trait may be relevant for college student risky behavior, because it appears that a great deal of college student risky behavior is undertaken during periods of intensely positive mood states. To test this possibility, the authors conducted a longitudinal study designed to predict increases in risky sexual behavior and illegal drug use over the course of the first year of college (n = 407). In a well-fitting structural model, positive urgency predicted increases in illegal drug use and risky sexual behavior, even after controlling for time 1 (T1) involvement in both risky behaviors, biological sex, and T1 scores on four other personality dispositions to rash action. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this finding.
Estimation of fetal gestational age from ultrasound images

ABSTRACTEstimation of fetal gestational age, weight, and determination of fetal growth from the measurements of certain parameters of fetal head, abdomen, and femur have been well established in prenatal sonography. The measurements are made from the two dimensional, B-mode, ultrasound images of the fetus. The most common parametersmeasured are, biparietal diameter (BPD), occipital frontal diameter (OFD), head circumference (HC), femurdiaphysis length (FDL), and abdominal circumference (AC). Since the fetal head has an elliptical shape and thefemur has a linear shape, fitting the ellipse on the image of the fetal head, a line on the image of the femur are the tasks of image processing which will be discussed in this paper. 1. INTRODUCTIONAccurate prediction of fetal gestational age, weight, fetal development, and correlation with clinical stage by . . 2568 . . . . . . . quantitation of fetal parameters can be very important in decision making dunng pregnancy, terminating apregnancy, or selectively terminating one or more fetuses in a multiple pregnancy. Since the fetal head, and femur
Analysis of coronary outflow dilution curves for the estimation of cellular uptake rates in the presence of heterogeneous regional flows.

It is important to take into account the heterogeneity of flows when estimating PSm when the cell uptake rate is above 1 mlg−1 min−1. At lower PSm's the need is not so great when PSc is about 1 mlg−1 min−1 because of counteropposing influences of the various parameters on the shapes of the counteropposing influences of the various parameters on the shapes of the curves. It is not known whether this generally applies when PSc is much higher or much lower than 1 mlg−1 min−1.
Layout techniques for minimizing on-chip interconnect self inductance

Because magnetic effects have a much longer spatial range than electrostatic effects, an interconnect line with large inductance will be sensitive to distant variations in interconnect topology. This long range sensitivity makes it difficult to balance delays in nets like clock trees, so for such nets inductance must be minimized. In this paper we use two- and three-dimensional electromagnetic field solvers to compare dedicated ground planes to a less area-consuming approach, interdigitating the signal line with ground lines. The surprising conclusion is that with very little area penalty, interdigitated ground lines are more effective at minimizing self-inductance than ground planes.
Hydrogen bonding in [(1R*,7aS*)-hexahydro-5-oxo-1H-pyrrolizinyl-1-yl]acetic acid.

The title acid, [(1R*,7aS*)-2,3,5,6,7,7a-hexahydro-5-oxo-1H-pyrrolizinyl-1-yl]acetic acid (C 9 H 13 NO 3 ), crystallized in the centrosymmetric space group P1, with one molecule in the asymmetric unit. The single hydrogen bond, which involves the carboxyl group and the keto-O atom, has an ordered carboxyl-H atom and an O D …O A distance of 2.640 (1) A. The structure comprises two sets of hydrogen-bonded chains cross-linked by C-H…O interactions.
Superconducting Circuits for Quantum Computing

Superconducting circuits provide one of the numerous current candidate routes for the realization of quantum computing (QC) technology. In this paper I review the basic physics behind this candidature and outline some superconducting QC proposals currently on the table, demonstrating their common origins. More detailed discussion of the proposals follows, assessing how they measure up to the “DiVincenzo checklist” for QC realizations and the current status of experiments.
Closed reduction of bilateral locked facets of the cervical spine under general anaesthesia.

Background. Bilateral facet interlocking of the cervical spine is a relatively uncommon type of cervical spinal injury. It is frequently associated with devastating neurological symptoms and signs. Early reduction of the locked facets is thought to be critical in preventing progressive secondary spinal cord injury. Whereas skull tong traction remains our primary option for closed reduction of bilateral locked facets of the cervical spine, it is not always successful, even with heavy traction weights. Other more aggressive measures may occasionally be required. The authors report their experience in reducing bilateral locked facets of the cervical spine by manual closed reduction.
Energy loss corrections for MeV ions in tandem accelerator stripping

Abstract Ion energy losses occur during passage of an ion through the stripping gas or foil in the terminal of a tandem accelerator. The energy loss is frequently ignored. For accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) [J.M. Anthony et al., Nucl. Instr. and Meth. B50 (1990) 262], the energy loss, if not properly accounted for, may result in significant reductions in ion transmission. We have obtained an approximate expression for the energy loss of 1–4 MeV ions in nitrogen gas and carbon foils for all ions. By using the scaling theory of Lindhard, Scharff, and Schiott (LSS) [K. Dan Vidensk. Selsk. Mat. Fys. Medd. 33 (1963) no. 14] a semi-empirical formula is found for the energy loss as a function of the reduced energy e. Calculated energy losses of all ions as a function of atomic mass are plotted for each energy, and the result is compared to experimental data measured in an AMS system. Other effects such as kinematic energy loss during electron stripping and relativistic corrections to the energy are also evaluated and discussed.
A self-adjusting simple hyperstable adaptive recursive algorithm

Adaptive infinite impulse response (IIR), or recursive, filters are less attractive mainly because of the stability and the difficulties associated with their adaptive algorithms. Hyperstability theory when simplified and adapted for digital signal processing offers a new class of IIR filters, simple hyperstable adaptive recursive filters (SHARFs), which is directly related to strictly positive real (SPR) transfer functions. One of the most important drawbacks of the SHARF algorithm is the presence of the unknown denominator in the transfer function that must be SPR in order to ensure convergence. In this paper, SHARF is investigated with SPR transfer functions designed without any priori knowledge of the filter parameters by the pole--zero placement on the unit circle method and made self-adjusting. To demonstrate self-adjustment of the algorithm, SHARF algorithm using constraint least-mean square (LMS) method is applied to a pure four-pole autoregressive process.
Solubility of oxygen in vanadium

Abstract Three techniques have been employed to establish the temperature dependence of the terminal solubility of oxygen in vanadium in the range 200 °–750 °C. Internal friction measurements, which indicate the amount of oxygen in solution in a body-centered cubic metal, were used to determine the phase boundary to 400 °C. Saturation concentrations at the higher temperatures were determined from oxygen distribution experiments in the VONa system. The low oxygen partial pressures, e.g., 10−34-10−47 atm, required for vanadium-vanadium oxide phase equilibrium were obtained by controlling the oxygen concentration in liquid sodium at levels of 0.03 to 20 ppm. The oxygen partial pressures at the three-phase sodium-vanadium-vanadium oxide equilibrium were calculated from measured oxygen concentrations in sodium and from available thermodynamic data for the binary sodium-oxygen system. Gaseous oxidation experiments conducted in a Sieverts' apparatus confirmed that sodium interactions or complex oxidation formation did not affect the previous results. The oxygen concentration of α-vanadium, which is in equilibrium with an oxide designated V9O, is adequately expressed by the equation log C 0 o ( wt. %) = 0.705 − 515( 1 T )(° K −1 ) for the temperature range investigated.