cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurotransmitter mediation of morphine hypothermia in rats.

Abstract Subcutaneous (sc) injections of morphine (10 mg/kg) caused transient falls in body temperature of rats. The hypothermic responses to morphine were inhibited by the prior intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of methysergide or phentolamine. Methysergide treatment also prevented hypothermic responses to icv 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), but not responses to icv norepinephrine or dopamine. Phentolamine inhibited responses to icv norepinephrine and dopamine, but not to 5-HT. Haloperidol, which inhibited responses to icv dopamine, did not alter the hypothermia induced by sc or icv morphine. The results indicate that both 5-HT and norepinephrine participate as central mediators of morphine-induced hypothermia.
Robustness to time- and state-dependent delay perturbations in networked nonlinear control systems

We consider nonlinear control systems with long, unknown input delays that depend on either time or the plant state, and study robustness of nominal constant-delay predictor feedbacks. We show that when the delay perturbation and its rate have sufficiently small magnitude, the local asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system, under the nominal predictor-based design, is preserved. For the special case of linear systems, and under only time-varying delay perturbations, we prove robustness of global exponential stability of the predictor feedback when the delay perturbation and its rate are small in any one of four different metrics. We present two examples, one that is concerned with the control of a DC motor through a network and one of a bilateral teleoperation between two robotic systems.
Proposed classification of leukocyte- associated cytolytic molecules.

The continuous discovery of leukocyte- associated cytolytic factors and the lack of a nomenclature system to accommodate them prompted the nomendlature committee of the Reticuloendothelial Society (RES) to sponsor a recent dry workshop on the topic, which was attended by about 100, mainly American, scientist.
NRCIM integrated opto-mechanical analysis toolset for the Thirty Meter Telescope

The National Research Council Canada Integrated Modeling (NRCIM) toolset is based in the MATLAB numerical computing environment. It links ANSYS finite element structural models with ZEMAX optical models to provide a powerful integrated opto-mechanical engineering tool. This toolset is utilized by the Thirty Meter Telescope Project to assess the telescope active optics system performance for gravity and thermal loads, as well as the opto-mechanical performance of the NFIRAOS first light adaptive optics system and the laser guide star beam transfer optics path. This paper describes the NRCIM toolset, including the interfaces to ANSYS, ZEMAX, the method of calculation of the results, and the internal data structures used.
The good death, virtue, and physician-assisted death: an examination of the hospice way of death.

The problem of physician-assisted death (PAD), assisted suicide and active euthanasia, has been debated predominantly in the ethically familiar vocabulary of rights, duties, and consequences. Patient autonomy and the right to die with dignity vie with the duty of physicians to heal, but not to kill, and the specter of “the slippery slope” from voluntary euthanasia as a last resort for patients suffering from terminal illness to PAD on demand and mercy killing of “hopeless” incompetent patients. Another dimension of the debate over PAD concerns the evaluative question of what constitutes a good death. At stake are Issues of character and virtue in the face of death and dying and their Implications for legitimizing the practice of PAD. Critics of PAD argue that “natural” death in the context of comfort care, as provided by hospice programs, is the good death. In contrast, PAD amounts to an easy way out, an evasion of the ultimate human challenge and task of dying. Because hospice care is clearly preferable to PAD, the former should be encouraged and the latter remain prohibited.
The Kryptonite of Evidence-Based I–O Psychology

discipline?’’ Evidence-based practice is well established in other fields, particularly in medicine. Medicine has long investigated how publication bias influences systematic reviews and limits evidence-based practice. We believe that Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP), scientists, and practitioners, through collaboration, hold the key to overcoming publication bias. The following commentary concisely explains recommendations for preventing and evaluating publication bias to promote improved systematic reviews and evidence-based practice.
Improving Prediction of Outcomes in African Americans With Normal Stress Echocardiograms Using a Risk Scoring System

Cardiovascular mortality is high in African Americans, and those with normal results on stress echocardiography remain at increased risk. The aim of this study was to develop a risk scoring system to improve the prediction of cardiovascular events in African Americans with normal results on stress echocardiography. Clinical data and rest echocardiographic measurements were obtained in 548 consecutive African Americans with normal results on rest and stress echocardiography and ejection fractions ≥50%. Patients were followed for myocardial infarction and death for 3 years. Predictors of cardiovascular events were determined with Cox regression, and hazard ratios were used to determine the number of points in the risk score attributed to each independent predictor. During follow-up of 3 years, 47 patients (8.6%) had events. Five variables—age (≥45 years in men, ≥55 years in women), history of coronary disease, history of smoking, left ventricular hypertrophy, and exercise intolerance (
A new result on passivity preserving model reduction

Abstract The problem of model reduction with preservation of passivity is investigated. The approach is based on positive real interpolation, and is inspired by the similarity between Lowner and Pick matrices. The former are important in problems of general rational interpolation while the latter in problems of interpolation by positive real functions. It follows that interpolation of the original set of data together with an appropriately defined mirror-image set of data yields automatically positive real interpolants. Subsequently, we show how this result can be implemented using a Krylov projection procedure. The ensuing model reduction method preserves stability and passivity and can be implemented efficiently for the large-scale systems.
Systemic alterations in ornithine decarboxylase activity caused by colon cancer in mice

Abstract Tumors are known to cause profound changes in host biology, but the mechanisms responsible for these changes remain unclear. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a ratelimiting enzyme that catalyzes the biosynthesis of polyamines. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of MC-26 tumor burden on ODC activity in the gastrointestinal tract, kidney and liver of mice. Forty-four Balb/c mice were randomly divided into 2 groups and the test group was pair-fed (to control). Group 1 was the tumor-free control. Group 2 was inoculated subcutaneously with 5 × 10 5 MC-26 cells. The ODC activity in the kidney and liver of tumor-bearing mice was significantly lower compared to tumor-free controls at sacrifice. ODC activity in the colon increased almost 4-fold. These results suggest that the presence of MC-26 tumor causes systemic effects that alter ODC activity. The tumor may elaborate a substance that suppresses ODC activity in some normal tissues while stimulating ODC activity in the tissue from which the tumor was derived.
SU‐E‐T‐495: Neutron Induced Electronics Failure Rate Analysis for a Single Room Proton Accelerator

Purpose: To determine the failure rate as a function of neutron dose of the range modulator's servo motor controller system (SMCS) while shielded with Borated Polyethylene (BPE) and unshielded in a single room proton accelerator. Methods: Two experimental setups were constructed using two servo motor controllers and two motors. Each SMCS was then placed 30 cm from the end of the plugged proton accelerator applicator. The motor was then turned on and observed from outside of the vault while being irradiated to known neutron doses determined from bubble detector measurements. Anytime the motor deviated from the programmed motion a failure was recorded along with the delivered dose. The experiment was repeated using 9 cm of BPE shielding surrounding the SMCS. Results: Ten SMCS failures were recorded in each experiment. The dose per monitor unit for the unshielded SMCS was 0.0211 mSv/MU and 0.0144 mSv/MU for the shielded SMCS. The mean dose to produce a failure for the unshielded SMCS was 63.5 ± 58.3 mSv versus 17.0 ±12.2 mSv for the shielded. The mean number of MUs between failures were 2297 ± 1891 MU for the unshielded SMCS and 2122 ± 1523 MU for the shielded. A Wilcoxon Signed Ranked test showed the dose between failures were significantly different (P value = 0.044) while the number of MUs between failures were not (P value = 1.000). Statistical analysis determined a SMCS neutron dose of 5.3 mSv produces a 5% chance of failure. Depending on the workload and location of the SMCS, this failure rate could impede clinical workflow. Conclusion: BPE shielding was shown to not reduce the average failure of the SMCS and relocation of the system outside of the accelerator vault was required to lower the failure rate enough to avoid impeding clinical work flow.
EPISTEMOLOGICAL IDENTITY THEORY: RECONCEPTUALIZING COMMITMENT AS SELF-KNOWLEDGE

This article presents Epistemological Identity Theory (EIT) that explains how individuals enhance their knowledge of self and the world by creating and maintaining identities. Using cognitive and affective processes previously ignored by identity theorists, this theory reconceptualizes commitment to an identity as the degree to which that identity organizes and clarifies one's experience of the world and him/herself. The theory is derived from two previously developed theories by Demerath based on epistemological principles. First, Knowledge-Based Affect Theory describes our affective response to gains and losses in meaning, and identifies the determinants of meaningfulness as frequency, stability, and impact. Second, Epistemological Culture Theory extends those principles, arguing individuals actively increase meaningfulness by creating culture as they collaboratively articulate, typify, and orient their experiences to create shared meaning. Extending these principles to commitment, EIT asserts that indi...
Compound lasers with lens-like media and varying stripe widths: theory and simulation

The stripe area of a semiconductor laser with a diverging lenslike medium and a rectangular current-injection stripe is limited by efficiency considerations and by design constraints required to provide a coherent output beam. A larger stripe area is practical in a compound resonator with a lenslike medium in one portion and free expansion of the mode in the other portion. The stripe edges along the direction of propagation should match light rays of the mode on the output pass, at least approximately. Equations for the geometric properties of such a laser are derived, and a numerical simulation indicates that output power in excess of 4 W should be practical impulsed operation. The code did not include thermal effects, so CW operation is not simulated.
Influence of membrane cholesterol and substrate elasticity on endothelial cell spreading behavior

Interactions between implanted materials and the surrounding host cells critically affect the fate of bioengineered materials. In this study, the biomechanical response of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) with different membrane cholesterol levels to polyacrylamide (PA) gels was investigated by measuring cell adhesion and spreading behaviors at varying PA elasticity. The elasticity of gel substrates was manipulated by cross-linker content. Type I collagen (COL1) was coated on PA gel to provide a biologically functional environment for cell spreading. Precise quantitative characterization of changes in cell area and perimeter of cells across two treatments and three bioengineered substrates were determined using a customized software developed for computational image analysis. We found that the initial response of endothelial cells to changes in substrate elasticity was determined by membrane cholesterol levels, and that the extent of endothelial cell spreading increases with membrane cholesterol content. All of the BAECs with different cholesterol levels showed little growth on substrates with elasticity below 20 kPa, but increased spreading at higher substrate elasticity. Cholesterol-depleted cells were consistently smaller than control and cholesterol-enriched cells regardless of substrate elasticity. These observations indicate that membrane cholesterol plays an important role in cell spreading on soft biomimetic materials constructed with appropriate elasticity.
The Impact of Form on Substance: Court Reform and the Work of the Maryland Court of Appeals

In this article, the impact of structural changes on the work of one state high court is examined. In finding that changes in form affect changes in substance, as measured by the number and type of cases heard, affirmation, reversal and dissent rates, and the “style” of written opinions, the author then assesses whether court reform “compels” or “merely facilitates” judicial creativity. The fact that structural and jurisdictional changes did not compel state court activism in Maryland suggests that other factors, such as legal norms and political culture, are involved.
A delayed lesion effect following sensorimotor cortex ablation in adult rats

Abstract Adult male rats were enucleated and trained on a ridge-smooth discrimination, after which they received one-stage bilateral lesions of the sensorimotor cortex or control operations. When tested 1 week after surgery, the rats with lesions were able to relearn the original problem or to learn a reversal of that problem as rapidly as control animals. Furthermore, lesion effects did not appear on a second postoperative discrimination in which the positive and negative stimuli of the first postoperative discrimination were reversed. If postoperative testing were initiated 1 month after surgery, however, severe deficits emerged on the first postoperative discrimination (relearning or reversal learning), and these deficits did not diminish on the second postoperative task. These data show that the effects of brain damage are not always most severe immediately after insult. Furthermore, the performance patterns of the rats tested 1 month after operation can be taken to suggest that sensorimotor cortical lesions might result in more than just sensory and/or motor losses, although the precise nature of the deficits that emerge under challenging conditions can only be conjectured.
Tutoring in Cyberspace: Student Impact and College/University Collaboration.

Abstract The Writing Center Consultation Project is a collaboration between the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and the Oak Ridge campus of Roane State Community College (RSCC) in Tennessee. Undergraduate RSCC students e-mail drafts of their essays to graduate students at UALR who then return the drafts through e-mail along with comments. The RSCC and UALR students then meet for a synchronous writing conference at a Cyberspace writing center. This study looks at the impact the pilot project has had on both the community college students and on the graduate students. Both groups of students said the experience was helpful. The community college students responded by engaging in more revision of their writing. The university students focused on the pedagogical potential and the contrast between traditional writing center and Cyberspace writing center conferencing. Specific student responses are cited. The benefit of collaboration between 2-and 4-year campuses is also discussed.
Refereed papers: Dealing with contextual vulnerabilities in code: distinguishing between solutions and pseudosolutions

Vulnerabilities in objects in various operating systems or add-ons continue to surface at a rapid rate, posing a unique security problem, one with which vendors appear to be struggling. Patching a vulnerability discovered in a default system binary, such as the highly publicized sendmail debug vulnerability (this vulnerability has been discussed extensively in the literature and was even exploited in the infamous Internet Worm [1]), is relatively easy. The vendor often simply issues a new version of the binary to replace the vulnerable one. The interface for all applications that invoke this binary remains the same. However, with componentized code, such as in modern object-oriented systems, things do not work quite as smoothly. For example, how should vulnerabilities be patched if an object is vulnerable to attack only if it is used in a certain context, or if only one function out of many is vulnerable? Patching the vulnerability is simple if a function can be replaced. If the vulnerability is contextual and the function has legitimate uses in other areas, however, replacing the function altogether may be inappropriate. What kinds of alternative remedies are appropriate? This paper presents several different approaches to dealing with this difficult problem, and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of each. Of all the solutions considered, removing code altogether and adding warnings at run time are the least viable. Allowing code to run only if the execution context is correct, permitting only certain callers to execute code, barring certain callers from executing code, and using access control lists to govern access to objects and methods are more reasonable approaches, although each also has limitations.
Performance and Operation of the Southern Nevada Water Authority High Concentration Photovoltaic Plant for the Last 800 Days

The Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) obtained six of the Amonix, Inc. multi-junction Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) systems in 2009. A description of the CPV systems, plant layout, and operating description is given. Data showing the power and that the systems have generated over 1,200 MWh of grid energy during the last 33 months are presented in the paper. An estimate is given of the net annual energy generated based upon the last 33 months of daily energy performance. Data is also presented showing the daily peak power divided by peak DNI and the energy performance during this period. The effect of shading is discussed and data are presented showing its effects on the annual field performance. Data are also given on the operating reliability and the long-term performance of the plant. A discussion and pictures are given of how the terrain is returning to its natural state and how the habitat has accepted the CPV systems.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Synthesis of substrate analogs of methyltransferases in the vitamin B12 biosynthetic pathway and characterization of their enzymatic products

The specificity toward substrate analogs of the first two methyltransferases in the vitamin B(12) biosynthetic pathway was probed with 15 synthetic porphyrinogens. Several novel methylated chlorins and isobacteriochlorins were isolated and characterized, suggesting the same methylation sequence C-2>C-7>C-20 as for the natural substrate, uro'gen III. The results allow us to narrow down possible structural requirements concerning substrate recognition by the methyltransferase enzymes.
Poorer sleep quality is associated with lower emotion-regulation ability in a laboratory paradigm

Theoretical models suggest a positive relationship between sleep quality and individuals' ability to regulate emotion. However, few studies have empirically tested this hypothesised link using standardised laboratory measures of emotion-regulation ability. The present research examined the relationship between sleep quality and the ability to implement a type of emotion regulation that has particularly important implications for psychological health: cognitive reappraisal (cognitively reframing an emotional event so as to dampen its impact). To do so, 156 participants (86 male) reported on their past week's sleep quality. Their ability to implement cognitive reappraisal (CRA) was then measured with a standardised laboratory challenge. Participants with poorer self-reported sleep quality exhibited lower CRA, even after controlling for fourteen potential key confounds (e.g., age, negative affect, mood disorder symptoms, stress). This finding is consistent with the idea that poorer sleep quality impairs individuals' ability to engage in the crucial task of regulating negative emotions.
Biological activities of glycosylated and nonglycosylated porcine prolactin

Nonglycosylated and glycosylated porcine prolactin (PRL) were separated using concanavalin A-Sepharose CL-6B column chromatography and tested for mitogenic and lactogenic activities, as well as immunoaffinity and receptor binding characteristics compared to total (nonseparated) porcine PRL. Mitogenic activity, using Nb2 lymphoma cells, was 4- and 50-fold greater (P less than 0.01) for total PRL than nonglycosylated and glycosylated PRL, respectively. Glycosylated PRL had 64% higher (P less than 0.05) lactogenic activity than nonglycosylated or total PRL. In a homologous radioimmunoassay (RIA), displacement was greatest for total, followed by the nonglycosylated and glycosylated forms of PRL. Competitive inhibition of porcine [125I]-(total) PRL by radioinert total, nonglycosylated and glycosylated PRL in a homologous radioreceptor assay (RRA) indicated similar Ka values for total and nonglycosylated PRL, but different receptor numbers, while radioinert glycosylated PRL had a higher Ka, but bound fewer receptors. Therefore, glycosylated porcine PRL has greater lactogenic activity and higher binding affinity despite decreased mitogenicity, while nonglycosylated PRL had characteristics similar to total PRL. Results from the homologous RRA and the Nb2 assay suggest that both forms of PRL are necessary to achieve biological effects similar to those for total PRL. The two forms of PRL may have individual and collective effects, while changes in the ratio between these forms may influence physiologically diverse effects of PRL on target tissues.
Yielding Sovereignty to International Institutions: Bringing System Structure Back In1

In this paper, we identify authority as an important dimension of variance among international institutions. Essentially, the greater the authority of international institutions, the more sovereignty states have yielded to them. Highly authoritative institutions can make decisions that legally bind domestic governments on specified issues even without those governments’ consent. Over the past 20 years, scholars have viewed the evolution of international institutions largely through the lens of state motives. We argue that it is time to think more systematically about the role of the structure of the international system. Two factors that impact international structure—previously existing institutions and the presence of systemic shocks—can complement theories of actor motives to better account for the level of sovereignty yielded to authoritative international institutions. We illustrate the potential importance of including structural variables by applying the argument to sets of cases in currency cooperation and human rights. We find that structural factors increase the probability of states yielding sovereignty to international institutions, though structural factors are only a permissive cause of institution formation.
Creating and probing electronic wave packets using half-cycle pulses.

Ultrashort, nearly unipolar electric field pulses are used to produce novel dynamic states in Rydberg atoms. A single 500 fsec field pulse redistributes essentially all of the population from a single stationary Rydberg state to hundreds of different final states. The dynamic evolution of the nonstationary wave packet is monitored using a second, time-delayed pulse. The time-dependent momentum-space probability distribution of the wave packet can be retrieved experimentally using a classical impulse approximation. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
The contour meter: An apparatus for comparison of mucosal surface contour of impressions, models, and dentures

Abstract The contour meter is described, and problems in connection with the positioning procedure and the correction factors for recording of points on inclined surfaces are discussed. Experimental errors affecting the reproducibility of recordings have been studied, and limits of accuracy for the contour meter are given.
Effect of IGF-I in the chondrogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in the presence or absence of TGF-β signaling

A novel role for IGF-I in MSC chondrogenesis was determined. IGF-I effects were evaluated in the presence or absence of TGF-β signaling by conditionally inactivating the TGF-β type II receptor. We found that IGF-I had potent chondroinductive actions on MSCs. IGF-I effects were independent from and additive to TGF-β. Introduction: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from adult bone marrow (BM), expanded, and differentiated into several cell types, including chondrocytes. The role of IGF-I in the chondrogenic potential of MSCs is poorly understood. TGF-β induces MSC chondrogenic differentiation, although its actions are not well defined. The aim of our study was to define the biological role of IGF-I on proliferation, chondrogenic condensation, apoptosis, and differentiation of MSCs into chondrocytes, alone or in combination with TGF-β and in the presence or absence of TGF-β signaling. Materials and Methods: Mononuclear adherent stem cells were isolated from mouse BM. Chondrogenic differentiation was induced by culturing high-density MSC pellets in serum- and insulin-free defined medium up to 7 days, with or without IGF-I and/or TGF-β. We measured thymidine incorporation and stained 2-day-old pellets with TUNEL, cleaved caspase-3, peanut-agglutinin, and N-cadherin. Seven-day-old pellets were measured in size, stained for proteoglycan synthesis, and analyzed for the expression of collagen II and Sox-9 by quantitative real time PCR. We obtained MSCs from mice in which green fluorescent protein (GFP) was under the Collagen2 promoter and determined GFP expression by confocal microscopy. We conditionally inactivated the TGF-β type II receptor (TβRII) in MSCs using a cre-lox system, generating TβRII knockout MSCs (RIIKO-MSCs). Results and Conclusions: IGF-I modulated MSC chondrogenesis by stimulating proliferation, regulating cell apoptosis, and inducing expression of chondrocyte markers. IGF-I chondroinductive actions were equally potent to TGF-β1, and the two growth factors had additive effects. Using RIIKO-MSCs, we showed that IGF-I chondrogenic actions are independent from the TGF-β signaling. We found that the extracellular signal-related kinase 1/2 mitogen-activated protein kinase (Erk1/2 MAPK) pathway mediated the TGF-β1 mitogenic response and in part the IGF-I proliferative action. Our data, by showing the role of IGF-I and TGF-β1 in the critical steps of MSC chondrogenesis, provide critical information to optimize the therapeutic use of MSCs in cartilage disorders.
Degradation of juvenile hormone III in vitro by non-parasitized and parasitized Spodoptera exigua (Noctuidae) and by the endoparasitoid Chelonus inanitus (Braconidae)

Abstract Parasitism of Spodoptera exigua by the solitary egg-larval parasitoid Chelonus inanitus induces precocious onset of metamorphosis, i.e. parasitized larvae construct a pupal cell and become prepupae in the fifth larval instar while non-parasitized larvae do so in the sixth larval instar. The parasitoid larva emerges as a freshly molted third instar larva from the precocious prepupa. A comparison of the metabolism of racemic 3H-JH III by homogenates of non-parasitized and parasitized larvae at the stage of pupal cell formation revealed that very similar amounts of juvenile hormone III diol, juvenile hormone III acid and juvenile hormone III acid-diol were formed. This shows that the changes in juvenile hormone degradation associated with metamorphosis, which occur in the sixth stadium in non-parasitized larvae, are precociously induced in parasitized larvae in the fifth stadium. In homogenates of parasitoid larvae, juvenile hormone III metabolizing activity was very low during the internal phase of development (first to second instar larvae) and almost excusively juvenile hormone III diol was formed. After emergence from the host, i.e. in third instar larvae, juvenile hormone III metabolic activity increased and esterases became active. In comparison to the host, specific juvenile hormone III degrading activities were always much lower in homogenates of parasitoid larvae than of host larvae. With homogenates of S. exigua eggs at a stage 2 3 of embryonic development and shortly before hatching, the pattern of juvenile hormone III metabolism was almost identical whether parasitized or not, and the major metabolite being formed was juvenile hormone III diol. This shows that parasitism by C. inanitus does not influence juvenile hormone metabolic activities at these stages.
Quantum Dynamics Simulation of Electrons in Materials on High-Performance Computers

Advancement in high-performance computing allows us to calculate properties of increasingly complex materials with unprecedented accuracy. At the same time, to take full advantage of modern leadership-class supercomputers, the calculations need to scale well on hundreds of thousands of processing cores. We demonstrate such high scalability of our recently developed implementation of Ehrenfest non-adiabatic electron-ion dynamics up to 1 million floating-point processing units on two different leadership-class computing architectures. As a representative example of material properties that derive from quantum dynamics of electrons, we demonstrate the accurate calculation of electronic stopping power, which characterizes the rate of energy transfer from a high-energy particle to electrons in materials. We discuss the specific case of crystalline gold with a hydrogen atom as the high-energy particle, and we illustrate detailed scientific insights that can be obtained from the quantum dynamics simulation at the electronic structure level. Please note that two animation videos of the time evolution for Figure 3 are available as Web extras at http://youtu.be/WxiMZ2DVBbM and http://youtu.be/bAcaxF9ARzM.
Long-term results of dorsal stabilization in the rheumatoid wrist.

Dorsal stabilization was performed on 85 rheumatoid wrists in 62 patients for an average follow-up of 6.8 years. Of these, 37 wrists were followed an average of 10 years. The chief component was pain in 79 of the wrists. Pain, on a scale of 0 to 100, showed a preoperative score of 32 and postoperative ratings of 89 for the total group and 96 for the long-term group. Range of motion decreased in virtually all patients. Spontaneous ankylosis occurred in eight wrists. Because of the presence of associated deformities, usually subluxated metacarpophalangeal joints, evaluation of functional improvement of the wrist was difficult. Those hands in which metacarpophalangeal subluxations were corrected or prevented showed maximum functional improvements. The procedure is beneficial for long-term relief of pain and maintenance of a range of motion which arthrodesis would eliminate.
A Multicohort Stock Production Model

Abstract An age-structured production model of multicohort fish population dynamics based on the mean metabolic state of individuals and the average abundance of year-classes is proposed. The model allows variations in life stage basal metabolic rates by parameterizing their effects on total population abundance through a mortality function which itself depends upon an individual's status relative to an optimal metabolic state. The metabolic equations are derived in terms of age-specific individual weight. The interaction of individual status and intraspecific competition is allowed by coupling the metabolic equations for growth to those for population abundance. This coupling yields a second-order nonlinear equation in abundance or biomass. In model simulations, (1) increased numbers of cohorts decreased the stability of population biomass, (2) numerically “strong” year-classes damped and sometimes caused collapse of proximal age-classes, (3) exploitation reduced competitive interactions and increased mo...
Occupational degeneracy of dimers with nearest neighbors on square lattices

Abstract The shift operator matrix (SOM) method of McQuistan and Hock continues to be useful in the study of dimers distributed on square lattices. A careful choice of base diagrams and their ordering make it possible to analyze the occupational degeneracy of dimers with given numbers of dimer-dimer and vacancy-vacancy nearest neighbors. The SOM is divided into block matrices, which are constructed recursively in a very straightforward manner. In the process, we discover that two matrix operations, row sum and column sum, are appropriate to the formulation of the problem.
Multichannel image-rejection coherent detection system

An analysis is made of and data is presented from a prototype of an image channel rejection systems for the coherent detection of densely packed wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) channels. The system can simultaneously process a number of channels with a single-local laser diode and can extract the feedback control signals required to adjust critical system parameters. Although the system operates most simply for frequency shift keying (FSK) and phase-shift keying (PSK), it also operates for all the usual modulation schemes with minor adjustments. The control system aspects of the system are not affected by laser-diode phase noise. >
Abnormal cardiac function in diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy in the absence of ischemic heart disease.

To determine if cardiac autonomic neuropathy CAN) contributes to diabetic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular function was assessed by resting and exercise radionuclide ventriculography (RVG) in 30 patients with long-standing insulindependent diabetes mellitus who had no clinical, electrocardiographic, or tomographic thallium scan evidence of heart disease. In 11 of 30 patients (37%), RVG revealed abnormal left ventricularperformance* CAN was found in 91% of these patients. RVG was abnormal in 59% of patients with CAN and in only 8% of patients without CAN (P <0.005). There were significant reductions in mean (±SE) ejection fractions (EF) in patients with CAN at rest (62.8 ± 2.2% vs. 75.2 ± 2.5%; P <0.001) and with maximal exercise (65.8 ± 2.6% vs. 80.9 ± 2.3%; P <0.001) compared to patients without CAN. There was an inverse correlation between the autonomic function score and both resting EF (r = -0.53; P <0.002) and exercise EF (r = -0.55; P <0.002). Systolic function did not correlate with age, sex, durat...
Soviet elites and European integration: from Stalin to Gorbachev

This article argues that, like the liberalising “Great Reforms” of Russia in the mid-19th century, Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika of the late 20th century was propelled as much by reformist intellectuals' Europe-inspired visions of a more humane society as it was by military-economic crisis. Over the post-Stalin decades, a new policy-academic elite – economists, philosophers, scientists and writers – viewed in the apparent success of East European reforms a model of “socialism with a human face” for their country's eventual reintegration into a “common European home.” Yet their understanding of European integration was too superficial, and their appreciation of communist hard-liners' resistance too belated, to carry their reforms to successful completion. This article also holds that Russian reformers' naivete was compounded by Western leaders' selfishness and short-sightedness. The latter clung to Cold War beliefs that the Soviet system could not produce a genuine reformist movement. When Gorbachev came...
X-Ray Transform, the Legendre Transform, and Envelopes

Abstract We consider the X-ray transform, defined as an integral over affine subspaces, of piecewise-smooth functions, and describe the behaviour of the X-ray transform in a neighbourhood of its singular locus. We consider the problem of reconstruction of the singular locus of the original function given the singular locus of the X-ray transform. The latter problem is studied also under the condition that only part of the data is known, the so called X-ray transform with sources on a curve. The technical tools are different generalizations of the Legendre transform. The results provide new procedures for constructing envelopes for families of affine subspaces of R n .
SEX-ROLE PREFERENCE IN BLACK PRESCHOOL CHILDREN USING A MODIFICATION OF THE IT SCALE FOR CHILDREN

Summary.-In the present study, the facial features of the "IT" figure in the IT Scale for Children were used as a less biased modification lor measuring sex-role preference of preschool black children (46 boys, 47 girls). Data showed that the majority of rhe children identified "IT as their own sex. Also, significant differences were obtained between the present sample of black boys and those black boys in a comparison sample. No differences existed, however, between the present sample and the original normative white sample of boys. Black girls in the present sample were as feminine as both the black and white comparison samples. The results indicate that the facial features version is appropriate when using the IT Scale. Black children seemed to manifest sex-role preference similar to their white peers although girls' scores were more variable. Previous assumptions regarding the socialization of sex-role behavior of black children are challengeable and must be reconsidered.
Multi-image registration for an enhanced vision system

An Enhanced Vision System (EVS) utilizing multi-sensor image fusion is currently under development at the NASA Langley Research Center. The EVS will provide enhanced images of the flight environment to assist pilots in poor visibility conditions. Multi-spectral images obtained from a short wave infrared (SWIR), a long wave infrared (LWIR), and a color visible band CCD camera, are enhanced and fused using the Retinex algorithm. The images from the different sensors do not have a uniform data structure: the three sensors not only operate at different wavelengths, but they also have different spatial resolutions, optical fields of view (FOV), and bore-sighting inaccuracies. Thus, in order to perform image fusion, the images must first be co-registered. Image registration is the task of aligning images taken at different times, from different sensors, or from different viewpoints, so that all corresponding points in the images match. In this paper, we present two methods for registering multiple multi-spectral images. The first method performs registration using sensor specifications to match the FOVs and resolutions directly through image resampling. In the second method, registration is obtained through geometric correction based on a spatial transformation defined by user selected control points and regression analysis.
A Patient’s Guide to Living With Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation1 (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance in the United States, affecting over 2 million individuals. Over 150 000 new cases of AF are diagnosed each year. It is estimated that approximately 4% of the population over 65 years of age are affected. The incidence of AF increases with age, so that approximately 11% of individuals over 80 years of age are affected. AF is typically characterized by chaotic, disorganized electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart. When AF occurs, the upper chambers of the heart (atria) quiver rapidly and irregularly (fibrillate). This chaotic beating can cause a range of symptoms. Although this heart rhythm disturbance is not life-threatening, there is an increased risk of stroke or heart failure for some patients who have AF. A healthcare professional can identify an irregular heartbeat by checking your pulse or listening to your heart with a stethoscope, but an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) is the most reliable method to detect and confirm the presence of AF. If the AF comes and goes intermittently (commonly called paroxysmal AF), it may be necessary for you to wear a Holter monitor (a portable ECG monitor) or an event recorder to detect it. AF can cause a range of symptoms. Some people are unaware that their hearts are fibrillating, whereas others are immediately aware of the change in their heart’s rhythm. Symptoms can range from mild fatigue to difficultly breathing, shortness of breath, and palpitations. It is unclear why some people experience symptoms while in AF and others do not. In many patients, the symptoms are related to a rapid heart rate. If medications effectively slow the rate, the symptoms disappear. Other patients continue to have symptoms, even if the heart rate is not fast. Occasionally, symptoms are due to …
Ku-band receiver and transmitter for breadboard DSP scatterometer

The design and test results for the Radio Frequency (RF) portion of a breadboard polarimetric scatterometer operating at 13.402 GHz are presented. An integrated breadboard has been developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to evaluate the feasibility of a programmable Digital Signal Processing (DSP) approach for a follow-on scatterometer similar to SeaWinds (scheduled for launch in winter 2002). Early breadboards of an integrated system have been identified as valuable assets in developing effective subsystem requirements for the eventual flight instrument. Many compatibility and partitioning issues between the RF and DSP hardware are addressed with empirical results derived from the aforementioned breadboard. The RF portion of the breadboard consists of a dual channel receiver, heterodyning the received signal of 13.402 GHz down to an IF of 37 MHz prior to the analog to digital conversion, and a single channel transmitter, that converts the I/Q baseband transmit waveform up to Ku band. The breadboard makes provision for emulating capabilities such as programmable attenuators, loop-back calibration, and saturation effects in an actual instrument's power amplifier. It also provides control interfaces to allow early verification of software control algorithms.
Counteractive evaluation: Asymmetric shifts in the implicit value of conflicting motivations

Four studies investigate asymmetric shifts in the implicit value of goal and temptation that pose a selfcontrol dilemma. We find that accessible goals reduce the implicit positive valence of tempting alternatives, whereas accessible temptations increase the implicit positive valence of goal alternatives. We observe these asymmetric shifts across two self-regulatory domains: healthful food consumption (vs. indulgence) and the pursuit of academic excellence (vs. leisure). These findings suggest that two conflicting motivations can exert opposite influence on each other’s implicit evaluation.
The CMUnited-97 Simulator Team

The Soccer Server system provides a rich and challenging multiagent, real-time domain. Agents must accurately perceive and act despite a quickly changing, largely hidden, noisy world. They must also act at several levels, ranging from individual skills to full-team collaborative and adversarial behaviors. This article presents the CMUnited-97 approaches to the above challenges which helped the team to the semi-finals of the 29-team RoboCup-97 tournament.
Transmenopausal changes in the trabecular bone structure.

Abstract Introduction Post-menopausal osteoporosis is a disorder of excess skeletal fragility, due partly to changes in bone microstructure. Menopause is known to result in bone loss and reduction in bone mechanical strength. However, the mechanism and nature of microstructural changes at menopause need more detailed description and analyses. The overall hypothesis for this analysis is that the variables describing trabecular bone micro-architecture will be affected by changes in the hormonal status of women just prior to, and early after, last menses, and that volumetric bone density, and trabecular structure will decline significantly. The study was designed to capture true longitudinal transmenopausal changes in three-dimensional (3-D) trabecular bone architecture. Currently, minimal data exist regarding these features. Materials and methods Transilial biopsies specimens were obtained from healthy pre-menopausal women (age > 46), and repeated at 12 months after the last menstrual period. Bone architecture was quantified in 38 paired specimens using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT-40, Scanco) techniques. Bone biopsies were embedded for histomorphomteric analyses and parts of the analyses have been published elsewhere. Embedded bone biopsies were scanned at 30-μm resolution such that the region of interest was similar to that in the two-dimensional (2-D) histomorphometric analyses. Paired t-tests were used to compare the pre- and post-menopausal bone structural data from each technique. Results There was good correlation between standard histomorphometric (2-D) and micro-CT (3-D) measurements. Most of the variables characterizing bone structure in post-menopausal women (from micro-CT) significantly decreased (BV/TV, trabecular number, apparent and tissue density). In addition, both trabecular spacing (Tb.S) and the structure model index (SMI) increased in the post-menopausal women suggesting transformation of trabecular bone from plate- to rod-like structure. The 3-D trabecular connectivity density (Conn.D) was negatively correlated with activation frequency (Ac.f). Conclusions These data suggest that 3-D micro-CT measurements (longitudinal) are comparable to those of standard histomorphometry, and that most of the bone structural measurements are sensitive to changes in women's hormonal status across menopause.
Hospitalizations and mortality in systemic sclerosis: results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample

OBJECTIVE To study the causes of hospitalizations and predictors of subsequent adverse outcomes for contemporary cohorts of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) in the USA. METHODS The data source was the 2002 and 2003 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project-Nationwide Inpatient Sample (HCUP-NIS) databases. We identified all discharges with an International Classification of Diseases-Clinical Modification (ICD9-CM) code of 710.1 (limited and diffuse SSc), then excluded those with concomitant diagnoses for lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. We calculated hospitalization rates, in-hospital mortality rates and mean length of stay (LOS). Multivariate logistic and linear regression models for in-hospital death and LOS were performed adjusting for sociodemographic and comorbidity covariates. RESULTS The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 6.3% and the mean LOS was 6.6 days. Hospitalization rates were 4.5 times higher in women than in men, but in-hospital mortality was approximately 25% lower (P = 0.005). SSc was the most common principal diagnosis for all SSc hospitalizations, with the most common secondary diagnosis (24%) being pulmonary fibrosis. After SSc, respiratory failure was the second most common principal diagnosis in patients who died. Pulmonary fibrosis increased the odds of in-hospital death by 2.63 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.98-3.49] fold and increased LOS by 7.25% (95% CI 0.90-13.60). CONCLUSIONS Women with SSc had higher rates of hospitalization but lower in-hospital mortality than men. Pulmonary fibrosis was the major predictor of poor hospitalization outcomes in SSc patients in recent years, emphasizing the importance of continuing to develop more effective therapies for this fatal complication of the disease.