cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
H-2 control of the magnitude and heterogeneity of the immune response.

The antibody responses to the random linear terpolymer poly(LLyu54, LLys36, LAla10), and its 2,4 dinitrophenyl conjugate, DNP-GLA, were analyzed. Dominant immune response genes (Ir genes) mapping to the I region of the murine major histocompatibility complex control the magnitude of the anti-GLA and DNP-GLA antibody responses. Mice of the H-2f haplotype were found to be high responders. These animals produce significantly higher titers of anti-GLA antibody to GLA than intermediate H-2-congenic responder mice of the H-2b,a,d,k,s,u,v or z haplotypes. In contrast, animals with H-2 haplotypes j,n,p,q or r were found to be nonresponders to GLA. The relative magnitude of each strain's response to GLA was also reflected in the relative magnitude of its anti-DNP antibody response to DNP-GLA. High, intermediate and nonresponder mice could be further distinguished by the number of antigen-specific plaque-forming cells generated in the response to GLA, and in the relative amounts of IgM, IgG1 and IgG2 anti-GLA antibodies produced in both primary and secondary anti-GLA responses. Both intermediate and nonresponder strains of mice, however, could respond to GLA that was chemically coupled with an immunogenic carrier, chicken gamma globulin, to generate antigen-specific plaque-forming responses that were similar in magnitude to that produced by high responder strains to GLA. Isoelectric focusing studies revealed that GLA intermediate responder mice generated anti-DNP antibody responses to DNP-GLA of very restricted heterogeneity. H-2-congenic high responder animals, however, produced anti-DNP antibody responses upon DNP-GLA immunization that were significantly more heterogeneous than these restricted anti-DNP-GLA responses of intermediate responder animals. Thus, genes located within the major histocompatibility complex can influence the degree of heterogeneity of the anti-DNP antibody response to DNP-GLA. The potential mechanisms responsible for the Ir gene-controlled differences in the magnitude or heterogeneity of the immune response to GLA or to its DNP conjugate, DNP-GLA, are discussed.
Human polarimetric micro-doppler

Modern radars can pick up target motions other than just the principle target Doppler; they pick out the small micro-Doppler variations as well. These can be used to visually identify both the target type as well as the target activity. We model and measure some of the micro-Doppler motions that are amenable to polarimetric measurement. Understanding the capabilities and limitations of radar systems that utilize micro-Doppler to measure human characteristics is important for improving the effectiveness of these systems at securing areas. In security applications one would like to observe humans unobtrusively and without privacy issues, which make radar an effective approach. In this paper we focus on the characteristics of radar systems designed for the estimation of human motion for the determination of whether someone is loaded. Radar can be used to measure the direction, distance, and radial velocity of a walking person as a function of time. Detailed radar processing can reveal more characteristics of the walking human. The parts of the human body do not move with constant radial velocity; the small micro-Doppler signatures are timevarying and therefore analysis techniques can be used to obtain more characteristics. Looking for modulations of the radar return from arms, legs, and even body sway are being assessed by researchers. We analyze these techniques and focus on the improved performance that fully polarimetric radar techniques can add. We perform simulations and fully polarimetric measurements of the varying micro-Doppler signatures of humans as a function of elevation angle and azimuthal angle in order to try to optimize this type of system for the detection of arm motion, especially for the determination of whether someone is carrying something in their arms. The arm is often bent at the elbow, providing a surface similar to a dihedral. This is distinct from the more planar surfaces of the body and allows us to separate the signals from the arm (and knee) motion from the rest of the body. The double-bounce can be measured in polarimetric radar data by measuring the phase difference between HH and VV. Additionally, the cross-pol and co-pol Doppler signatures are analyzed, showing that the HH polarization may perform better on dismounts in open grass.
Accelerated chondrogenesis of the rabbit cranial base growth plate by oscillatory mechanical stimuli.

How mechanical stimuli modulate chondral growth is not well understood. To test a hypothesis that chondral growth is accelerated by oscillatory mechanical stimuli rather than the peak magnitude of mechanical force, we delivered 2-N tensile forces with static (frequency = 0 Hz) and cyclic (f = 1 Hz) profiles noninvasively to the maxillae of growing New Zealand white rabbits for 20 minutes/day over 12 days. Computerized histomorphometry revealed significantly greater maximum height of the cranial base growth plate (GP) treated with cyclic forces (870 ± 130 μm) than static forces (654 ± 29 μm) and sham controls (566 ± 47 μm). In addition, the average total GP area treated with cyclic forces (2.63 ± 0.17 mm2) was significantly greater than static forces (2.12 ± 0.99 mm2) and sham controls (1.65 ± 0.13 mm2). The proliferating zone of GPs treated with cyclic forces (158 ± 38.5 μm) was significantly longer than the corresponding zones of static forces (117 ± 8.6 μm) and sham controls (54 ± 14.9 μm). The average number of chondrocytes in the proliferating zone treated with cyclic forces (1045 ± 127) was significantly greater than static forces (632 ± 85) and sham controls (632 ± 60) in standardized grids. Like natural GPs, the cartilage matrix treated with cyclic and static tensile forces consisted of abundant aggrecan-like proteoglycans. These findings indicate that oscillatory components of mechanical force rather than its peak magnitude are potent anabolic stimulus for chondral growth. A cascade of oscillatory mechanical stimuli is likely capable of engineering chondral growth beyond naturally occurring chondrogenesis.
Positioning in ad hoc sensor networks

Position and orientation of individual nodes in ad hoc sensor networks are useful for both service and application implementation. Services that can be enabled by availability of position include routing and querying. At application level, position is required in order to label the reported data in a sensor network, whereas position and orientation enable tracking. Nodes may have local capabilities such as the possibility of measuring ranges to neighbors, angle of arrival, or global capabilities, such as GPS and digital compasses. This article surveys methods used to infer locations in a multihop fashion in networks with or without the mentioned capabilities.
Learning science through computer games and simulations

edited by Margaret A. Honey and Margaret Hilton, Committee on Science Learning: Computer Games, Simulations, and Education, Washington, DC, National Research Council, 2011, 174 pp., US$39.00 (paper...
Primary care needs a new model of office practice.

Fewer in-person visits, more patient contacts P rimary care medical practice is well known for a brief office visit model of practice. However, this model no longer meets the needs and expectations of patients. Tools and methods are now available to revolutionize how primary care is delivered. New care models have the promise to be of higher quality, more efficient, and more satisfying for both patients and physicians. Now is the time to radically change how primary care is delivered throughout the world. Until the last three decades, people generally went to their primary physicians only when they got sick. Respiratory infections, gastrointestinal maladies, and other common health problems were efficiently diagnosed and treated. Productivity in primary care has been defined by how many patients can be seen each day, and how many patients in a community the primary care physician can manage. While many primary care physicians do an amazing job seeing lots of patients every day, poor overall quality of care has been the dirty secret that has recently come to light.1–3 Today, primary care physicians are expected to provide comprehensive and continuing care to patients and families, including modern preventive care and chronic illness management. They must adhere to the latest clinical …
YAG: A Template-Based Generator for Real-Time Systems

YAG (Yet Another Generator) is a real-time, general-purpose, template-based generation system that will enable interactive applications to adapt natural language output to the interactive context without requiring developers to write all possible output strings ahead of time or to embed extensive knowledge of the grammar of the target language in the application. Currently, designers of interactive systems who might wish to include dynamically generated text face a number of barriers; for example designers must decide (1) How hard will it be to link the application to the generator? (2) Will the generator be fast enough? (3) How much linguistic information will the application need to provide in order to get reasonable quality output? (5) How much effort will be required to write a generation grammar that covers all the potential outputs of the application? The design and implementation of YAG is intended to address each of these concerns. In particular, YAG offers the following benefits to applications and application designers:Support for Underspecified Inputs YAG supports knowledge-based systems by accepting two types of inputs: applications can either provide a feature structure (a set of featurevalue pairs) or provide a syntactically underspecified semantic structure that YAG will map onto a feature-based representation for realization. YAG also provides an opportunity for an application to add syntactic constraints, such as whether to express a proposition as a question rather than a statement, as a noun-phrase rather than as a sentence, or as a pronoun rather than a full noun phrase.
Plant location with minimum inventory

We present an integer programming model for plant location with inventory costs. The linear programming relaxation has been solved by Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition. In this case the subproblems reduce to the minimum cut problem. We have used subgradient optimization to accelerate the convergence of the D-W algorithm. We present our experience with problems arising in the design of a distribution network for computer spare parts. In most cases, from a fractional solution we were able to derive integer solutions within 4% of optimality.
SU-FF-E-01: A Streamlined Syllabus for Training of Radiation Therapy Professionals On Linac Operations

Purpose: To define a syllabus for the education and periodic re‐training of radiation therapists and other professionals operating a linear accelerator(linac) on issues related to safety, routine operations, and emergency procedures. Method and Materials: An extensive review of manufacturer recommendations and published literature regarding linacsafety and operational issues has enabled the compilation of a streamlined syllabus. The course material is geared toward rapid and effective training of radiation therapists and other individuals charged with operating a linear accelerator either during treatmentdelivery or while performing commissioning or periodic quality assurance measurements. The training material is meant to be delivered on a rotating schedule such that re‐training of personnel is accomplished. The course material itself is designed to be delivered by a Chief Therapist, LinacEngineer, and/or Medical Physics staff. Results: A syllabus including course material to be delivered monthly, semi‐annually, and annually has been developed. The target audience includes radiation therapists, service engineers, and physicists/dosimetrists involved in the operation of a linac. The course material includes separate components catered to the interest and knowledge requirement for different trainees. For example, concise protocols to be followed for morning warm‐up are presented semi‐annually to the therapists in charge of opening the department. All treating therapists are exposed to pertinent safety procedures during monthly inservices developed such that a complete cadre of safety related issues is covered twice per year. More extensive annual refresher courses are also defined, along with measurable indicators that can be used to document understanding of the procedures. Conclusion:Quality assurance requirements mandated by most jurisdictions dictate frequent training of appropriate personnel pertaining to linacsafety including coverage of routine operations and emergency procedures. This work standardizes a syllabus that can be used to satisfy these training requirements. Monthly, semi‐annual, and annual training programs are included.
Photobiological uncertainties in the Archaean and post-Archaean world

The notion that ultraviolet (UV) fluxes, and thus biologically weighted irradiances, were higher on Archaean Earth than on present-day Earth has been a pervasive influence on thinking concerning the nature of early Earth. It directly influences calculations concerning protection strategies that may or may not have been required by early life. Our knowledge of the Earth's changing UV radiation climate over time depends upon our knowledge of a diversity of factors, the magnitudes of which are uncertain. Here these uncertainties are explored. During the Archaean Era, calculations of the surface photobiological environment span a three order of magnitude difference in DNA-damage weighted irradiances with consequences for our assumptions concerning the environment for exposed surface life and the role of UV radiation as a mutagen. These differences are primarily caused by uncertainties in the concentrations of trace gases and the partial pressures of carbon dioxide and nitrogen that affect scattering in the atmosphere. To a lesser extent, the luminosity of the Sun in the UV region is also a factor. During the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic, when we know that an ozone column existed, these uncertainties drop to two orders of magnitude and are primarily caused by poor knowledge about the frequency and atmospheric effects of potentially ozone-depleting agents such as volcanism, impact events and supernovae explosions as well as the effects of global temperatures on ozone concentrations and thus surface UV irradiance. Changes in other atmospheric constituents during this time have less of an effect on photobiological consequences, which include a Palaeozoic oxygen pulse. Understanding the cause of photobiological uncertainties and their consequences constitutes a current challenge for atmospheric chemists and photobiologists.
GPU acceleration of Volumetric Lattice Boltzmann Method for patient-specific computational hemodynamics

Abstract Volumetric Lattice Boltzmann Method (VLBM) has been recently developed for solving complex flow with arbitrary curved boundaries. The VLBM regards fluid particles are uniformly distributed in cells and distinguishes fluid, solid, and boundary cells by introducing a volumetric parameter P ( x , t ) defining the percentage of solid volume in each cell. The advantages of VLBM stem from the self-regulation of P ( x , t ) in the volumetric lattice Boltzmann equation (VLBE) for particle collision and streaming with no spatial interpolation when dealing with an arbitrarily curved boundary with or without motion. First, the VLBE satisfies mass conservation strictly. Second, the implementation of VLBM is rather simple after the solid volume percentages are determined in boundary cells. And third, no-slip boundary condition is integrated in the streaming formulation thus significantly enhances the capability of parallelization. In this paper, we perform GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) parallelization for VLBM using a uniform computing scheme for both fluid and boundary cells. In contrast to the traditional LBM acceleration, the boundary conditions have to be imposed over boundary nodes, where branching operations are required to identify boundary nodes from others, the VLBM implementation does not need to distinguish fluid and boundary cells in the computation so that branching is minimized and the GPU kernel execution is accelerated. Furthermore, the algorithmic steps are optimized to improve coalesced access of GPU memory and avoid race condition. An application study is on a pulsatile blood flow in a patient-specific carotid artery segmented from an anonymous clinical CT image and more than 30 times speedup over the serial counterpart. Simulations of fluid dynamics and wall shear stress (WSS) are presented and known velocity skewness and WSS distributions are captured. The GPU accelerated VLBM is promising to perform patient-specific computational hemodynamics within clinical accepted time frame and is expected to reveal quantitative real-time blood flow in living human arteries to aid clinical assessment of cardiovascular diseases.
Disfigurement: Personal, psychosocial and ethical aspects

The author discusses the physical, social and psychological dimensions of personhood as they are affected by disfigurement. She draws on two case studies to discuss varying reactions to disfigurement and explores ways the physician can respond to requests for surgical correction of deformity.
Optimization of laminate stacking sequence for buckling load maximization by genetic algorithm

The use of a genetic algorithm to optimize the stacking sequence of a composite laminate for buckling load maximization is studied. Various genetic parameters including the population size, the probability of mutation, and the probability of crossover are optimized by numerical experiments. A new genetic operator - permutation - is proposed and shown to be effective in reducing the cost of the genetic search. Results are obtained for a graphite-epoxy plate, first when only the buckling load is considered, and then when constraints on ply contiguity and strain failure are added. The influence on the genetic search of the penalty parameter enforcing the contiguity constraint is studied. The advantage of the genetic algorithm in producing several near-optimal designs is discussed.
Quantitative software security risk assessment model

Risk analysis is a process for considering possible risks and determining which are the most significant for any particular effort. Determining which risks to address and the optimum strategy for mitigating said risks is often an intuitive and qualitative process. An objective view of the risks inherent in a development effort requires a quantitative risk model. Quantitative risk models used in determining which risk factors to focus on, tend to use a traditional approach of annualized loss expectancy (ALE). This research uses empirical data that reflects the security posture of each vulnerability to calculate Loss Expectancy; a risk impact estimator. Data from open source vulnerability databases and results of predicted threat models are used as input to the risk model. Security factors that take into account the innate characteristics of each vulnerability are incorporated into the calculation of the risk model; resulting in an empirical assessment of the potential threats to a development effort based on the risk metric calculation.
Lagrange multipliers for regular and singular problems in the calculus of variations

A Lagrange multiplier rule is presented for a variational problem of Bolza type under hypotheses that allow certain components of the coefficient matrices involved in the functional being minimized to fail to be integrable near an endpoint of the interval on which the relevant functions are defined. The problem is also addressed when all coefficients are of classL 2, but not necessarily bounded. Applications are made to ascertain properties of functions providing equality to certain singular and regular integral inequalities appearing in the literature.
Perioperative Assessment of Fetal Heart Rate and Uterine Activity

Improvements in surgical techniques and anesthesia allow women the option to schedule needed surgery during pregnancy. However, perioperative monitoring of the fetus and uterine activity remains a matter of controversy. Monitoring may allow rapid improvement of the fetal status or uterine activity when early compromise or contractions are detected. The reassurance and decreased medicolegal risks provided by perioperative monitoring may offset the cost of a perinatal nurse and use of monitoring equipment even though the drug and anesthetic effect on the fetal heart limit the benefits of monitoring. Simply providing adequate maternal respiratory support during surgery may improve the fetal pattern but will not eliminate external surgical effects. The need for additional research is described, and the role of the perinatal nurse is detailed in a suggested protocol. JOGNN, 29, 331–336; 2000.
The Role of Social Interaction in Bird Song Learning

Bird song learning has become a powerful model system for studying learning because of its parallels with human speech learning, recent advances in understanding of its neurobiological basis, and the strong tradition of studying song learning in both the laboratory and the field. Most of the findings and concepts in the field derive from the tape-tutor experimental paradigm, in which the young bird is tutored by tape-recorded song delivered by a loudspeaker in an isolation chamber. This paradigm provides rigorous experimental control of auditory parameters, but strips song learning of any social context, and has slowed the realization that social factors might be critical to the process. In recent years, field research and lab studies using live birds as tutors have revealed that social factors play a preeminent role in song learning. In this article, we propose a new experimental paradigm—the virtual-tutor design, which permits precise manipulation of singing interactions between simulated tutors that th...
Antibody-mediated regulation of cellular immunity and the inflammatory response

Abstract For many pathogens the role of antibody-mediated immunity (AMI) is poorly understood, in part because of the limited tools available to establish antibody efficacy. AMI is classically associated with opsonization, toxin and viral neutralization, complement fixation and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. However, recent studies indicate new functions for AMI ranging from direct antimicrobial action to modulation of the inflammatory response. The efficacy of AMI against some pathogens is dependent on cell-mediated immunity. A new interpretation of the role of AMI is proposed whereby it is in proinflammatory the early stages of infection and anti-inflammatory at later stages of the host–microbe interaction and in the setting of established immunity and/or in an immune individual.
Posterior vaginal wall prolapse does not correlate with fecal symptoms or objective measures of anorectal function.

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship among the degree of posterior vaginal wall prolapse, anorectal symptoms, and physiology. Study design This was a prospective study that included patients with fecal dysfunction and prolapse/urinary symptoms. A validated instrument for fecal incontinence and the ROME II criteria were used. Anal physiologic testing was performed selectively on the basis of bowel symptoms. Patients were divided into 2 groups by pelvic organ prolapse quantification score clinical examination: group I: Ap/Bp Results One hundred thirty-two patients with a mean age of 63 years (range, 24-90 years) were evaluated. There were 62 patients (47%) in group I and 70 patients (53%) in group II. Overall, 40.9% of the patients had constipation/obstructed defecation, and 25% of the patients had fecal incontinence. Ninety-seven patients underwent physiologic testing. At manometry, both resting and squeeze pressures were significantly higher in patients in group II. Overall, patients with a higher resting pressure ( P = .001) and increased rectal capacity ( P = .008) were more likely to be continent, and patients with a lower squeeze pressure were more likely to be incontinent ( P = .001). Ultrasonography demonstrated anterior sphincter defect in 21.9% of the patients and a perineal body of P = .04). There was no association between electromyography and pudendal nerve terminal latencies and the degree of prolapse. Patients with prolonged pudendal nerve terminal latencies were more likely to be incontinent ( P = .033). On defecography, 28% of the patients had concomitant enterocele, and 21.3% of the patients had intussusception, which was not detected by physical examination. Conclusion Anorectal symptoms do not correlate with the degree of posterior vaginal wall prolapse, nor does the presence of prolapse equate to abnormal physiologic test results. Bowel symptoms may result from primary anorectal abnormalities, which are demonstrated by physiologic studies.
Interaction of radiation, dihydroxyanthraquinone, and adriamycin on the induction of acute lethality in mice

Abstract The acute lethality induced by combinations of radiation, Dihydroxyanthraquinone (DHAQ), and Adriamycin (ADR) was investigated in mice. Whole-body irradiation produced acute lethality, with an LD- 50 30 of approximately 6.5 Gy. ADR and DHAQ produced LD- 50 30 's of 14 and 4 mg/kg, respectively. When 10 mg/kg doses were fractionated into 5 × 2 mg/kg daily doses, both drugs were equally or more efficient at producing mortality, 90% by day 30. When 4 Gy radiation was combined with 5 mg/kg ADR or 5 mg/kg DHAQ, a response no greater than that produced by drug alone was obtained. However, when 5 mg/kg ADR was administered concomitantly with 5 mg/kg DHAQ, there was a less-than-additive induction of lethality, resulting in only 21% mortality by day 30. Since this response is similar to that seen after ADR only, it would appear that the DHAQ-induced toxicity was protected against. Less-than-additive effects were also observed for combinations of 5 mg/kg ADR with either 2.5 or 10 mg/kg DHAQ; and combinations of 10 mg/kg ADR with either 2.5 or 5 mg/kg DHAQ. If ADR and DHAQ (at doses of 5 mg/kg) were combined but with a 1 day interval between drugs, the protective effect was lost and animals died earlier than after either agent alone. At present, no definite explanation is available for this unusual protective effect of ADR against acute lethality induced by DHAQ.
Revisiting early postinjury mortality: are they bleeding because they are dying or dying because they are bleeding?

Background Intense debate continues in the search of the optimal ratio of blood components to deliver preemptively in the critically injured patient anticipated to require a massive transfusion. A major challenge is distinguishing patients with refractory coagulopathy versus those with overwhelming injuries who will perish irrespective of blood component administration. The hypothesis of this clinical study is that a predominant number of early deaths from hemorrhage are irretrievable despite an aggressive transfusion policy.
An equation for the dose response of radiation-induced apoptosis: possible incorporation with the LQ model.

Abstract Based on in vitro and in vivo data, we proposed an equation to describe the dose response of radiation-induced apoptosis. This equation can be incorporated into the LQ model to account for the contribution of apoptosis-mediated cell death in clonogenic survival curve. The modified LQ equation is a composite of the dose responses of two subpopulations, one susceptible and the other resistant to apoptotic cell death. For the apoptosis-resistant fraction, the size of which varies for different biological systems, the conventional LQ relation applies. For the susceptible subpopulation, the LQ equation is modified by e −ζD , a functional form consistent with the observed dose-rate independence of this mode of cell death.
Use of conivaptan to allow aggressive hydration to prevent tumor lysis syndrome in a pediatric patient with large-cell lymphoma and SIADH

The available treatment options for hyponatremia secondary to SIADH are limited and not completely effective. Conivaptan is a vasopressin 1a and 2 receptor antagonist recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia in adult patients. However, data on efficacy and safety of conivaptan in pediatrics are limited. We report a case of a 13-year-old boy with extensively metastasized anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. He also developed hyponatremia due to syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) prior to chemotherapy initiation. SIADH management in this case was complicated when fluid restriction was not safely attainable. Conivaptan played a significant role in this situation by allowing provision of a large amount of intravenous fluid prior to and during induction chemotherapy. It proved to be an important component in preventing uric acid nephropathy/tumor lysis syndrome. Conivaptan induced free-water clearance as indicated by increased urine output and decreased urine osmolality. The patient responded to conivaptan without any adverse effects.
Chaotic behavior and halo development in the transverse dynamics of heavy-ion beams

Abstract This paper reviews results obtained from recent analytical and numerical investigations of chaotic behavior and halo development induced by charge density inhomogeneities in the transverse dynamics of heavy-ion beams. In particular, a test-particle model is used to investigate the charged-particle dynamics in an intense matched heavy-ion beam with non-uniform density profile propagating through an alternating-gradient quadrupole magnetic field in the space-charge-dominated regime. It is shown that self-field non-linearities due to transvere non-uniformities in the beam density not only can result in chaotic ion motion but also can cause halo formation. For heavy-ion fusion applications, these results indicate that accurate density profile control is critical in preventing heavy-ion beams from developing halos.
FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSTARD MUCILAGE

Mucilage found in hulls of yellow mustard seed was investigated. The isolated mucilage was a cold water-swellable hydrocolloid of low to medium viscosity and exhibited thixotropic properties. Viscosity increased with addition of alkali or acid. Mucilage produced synergistic increases in viscosity when combined with guar, locust bean, or carboxymethylcellulose. Solutions were opaque, bland tasting and slightly acidic. Solutions showed stability to acidity down to pH 3.5 and also to cooking and cooling cycles. The mucilage lowered the surface tension of water and the interfacial tensions of oil and water emulsions. Emulsification was achieved in model salad dressing formulations. The mucilage exhibited excellent suspending properties.
Effect of Season on the Growth and Feed Consumption of Turkeys

Abstract IT IS common experience that chickens and other domesticated birds grow better if hatched at certain seasons than they do if hatched at other seasons of the year. Thus Goodale (1926) found that chicks hatched in the early part of the season grew more rapidly, to 30 days of age, than did those hatched later. Upp and Thompson (1927) likewise observed that there were differences in the rate of growth of chicks hatched at different seasons of the year. They conclude that weather has an influence on the growth of chickens. Somewhat similar results are reported in this paper for turkeys hatched only a few weeks apart. There is also a distinct indication of compensatory growth of the later hatched, initially slower growing birds. The same phenomenon has been demonstrated in the growth of razor clams by McMillin and Weymouth (1935). MATERIALS AND METHODS The data presented in this paper . . .
Waking the Dying: Must We Always Attempt To Involve Critically Ill Patients in End-of-Life Decisions?

Many critically ill persons are unable to participate in medical decision making, due, at least in part, to medications administered to provide sedation and analgesia. Such patients may retain the ability to participate to some degree in medical decisions if these medications can be reduced or eliminated. Decisions regarding the withdrawal of support, in particular, highlight the ethical complexities surrounding the participation of the critically ill patient. An appeal to the principle of autonomy would seem to demand that in all such cases attempts must be made to involve the patient; however, under certain circumstances arousing a dying patient to inform them of their imminent demise runs counter to the principle of beneficence in health care. A casuistic approach to this apparent dilemma identifies the ethically relevant aspects of such cases and allows for the development of specific criteria for judging the appropriateness of attempting to involve a critically ill patient directly in decision making. Patient comfort, prognosis, and prior preferences carry significant ethical weight. In cases in which a sedated, critically ill person cannot be aroused without causing significant pain and suffering, has a very poor prognosis, and in which prior unambiguous directives or current family/surrogate consensus exists that withdrawal of support would be preferred by the patient, the author argues that no ethical obligation to attempt to involve the patient in medical decisions exists.
Field dependence of the current-voltage characteristics of thin-film YBaCuO at low magnetic fields

Abstract Current-voltage isotherms for YBa2Cu3O6+x thin-film superconductors for several magnetic fields in the low-field regime have been obtained. A crossover from ohmic behavior at low currents to exponentially decreasing behavior occurs for all fields down to ambient. The relation between the crossover temperature and field is predicted by the vortex glass theory. The isotherms within about 1 K of the crossover can be collapsed onto two curves for each field, according to the prescription of the vortex glass theory; however some parameters are field dependent. In particular, the parameter z increases with decreasing field, and shows a correlation with the number of vortices in the film.
Submarine botryoidal aragonite in Holocene reef limestones, Belize

Botryoidal aragonite commonly rims and fills voids in Holocene reef-wall limestone of the seaward-facing margins of Belize (British Honduras) barrier and atoll reefs. The cavernous, well-cemented reef-wall limestone that occurs between 65 and 120 m on the barrier reef consists of reef corals encased in algal-plate ( Halimeda ) packstone-wackestone; the botryoidal aragonite occurs in cylindrical bivalve borings, in polygonal shelter cavities, and in laminar to amoeboid voids of unknown origin. Mamelons of the fibrous aragonite as much as 5 cm thick often rim void ceilings, occasionally grow from void floors, and frequently fill voids completely. In other cavities the mamelons overlie floors of cemented internal sediment, and in still others they have laminations of internal sediment. The aragonite is clearly marine: (1) it occurs within an unaltered reef limestone less than 13,000 yr old; (2) benthic fora-minifera occur locally within mamelons, and in others there are laminations of marine sediment; and (3) the aragonite has an average Sr 2+ content of 8,300 ppm, an 0 18 average of +1.0 0/00 , and a C 13 average of +4.2 00/0 , all characteristic of marine precipitation. The mamelons of botryoidal aragonite are similar in shape, texture, and fabric to some of the common cavity-filling cements in Paleozoic reef limestones.
Automated computation of the fundamental matrix for vision based construction site applications

Estimating the fundamental matrix (F), to determine the epipolar geometry between a pair of images or video frames, is a basic step for a wide variety of vision-based functions used in construction operations, such as camera-pair calibration, automatic progress monitoring, and 3D reconstruction. Currently, robust methods (e.g., SIFT+normalized eight-point algorithm+RANSAC) are widely used in the construction community for this purpose. Although they can provide acceptable accuracy, the significant amount of required computational time impedes their adoption in real-time applications, especially video data analysis with many frames per second. Aiming to overcome this limitation, this paper presents and evaluates the accuracy of a solution to find F by combining the use of two speedy and consistent methods: SURF for the selection of a robust set of point correspondences and the normalized eight-point algorithm. This solution is tested extensively on construction site image pairs including changes in viewpoint, scale, illumination, rotation, and moving objects. The results demonstrate that this method can be used for real-time applications (5 image pairs per second with the resolution of 640x480) involving scenes of the built environment.
EXPERIMENTAL GLOMERULONEPHRITIS : II. IMMUNOLOGIC EVENTS IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF NEPHROTOXIC SERUM NEPHRITIS IN THE RAT

The primary phase of nephrotoxic serum nephritis produced by rabbit nephrotoxic serum appears to be dependent to a great extent, but not completely, upon the participation of serum complement. On the other hand, duck nephrotoxic serum produces its primary renal injury without detectable utilization of or dependence upon serum complement. The secondary phase of nephrotoxic serum nephritis appears to be largely or entirely dependent upon the host's antibody response to the heterologous gamma globulin fixed in the glomeruli. No evidence could be obtained for the existence of an autoimmune antikidney response by the host in this experimental model.
Observations of Stratified Turbulent Mixing in an Estuary: Neap-to-spring Variations During High River Flow

Abstract Observations of turbulent mixing, stratification and currents were made with a free-falling microstructure profiler and a 600-kHz ADCP in the Hudson River off Manhattan in May 1994. The ship was anchored in a relatively straight and uniform channel about 15 m deep. Over 4 days of intense observations from 19 to 24 May 1994, the progression from neap tides to spring tides caused a severe reduction in stratification from an initial top-to-bottom salinity difference of 18 to 3–6. While low gradient Richardson numbers, Ri , occurred only in the weakly stratified bottom layer on flood during neap tides, low Ri spanned the water column on the second half of ebb during spring tides. Turbulent dissipation rates varied roughly inversely to Ri . During neap conditions, turbulent mixing was intense only in the bottom layer on flood, where eddy diffusivities, K ρ , reached more than 10 −2 m 2 s −1 , while mixing was weak in the centre of the halocline near 5 m. During spring tides, strong mixing occurred throughout the water column during the latter part of ebb with typical K ρ ≈5×10 −3 m 2 s −1 and typical vertical salt flux of 0·0015 kg m −2 s −1 . If it existed in isolation, this flux would eliminate the haline stratification on a time scale of 4 h. Ebb-time bands of low Ri and intense mixing showed increasing phase lag with increasing distance from the bottom. The spring-tide, ebb-time internal turbulent stress was relatively uniform with depth with a typical magnitude of 0·4 Pa (4 dyne cm −2 ). Turbulent overturning (Thorpe) scales ranged from below 1 cm in the neap-tide halocline to a few metres in the weakly stratified bottom layer on flood. The strong spring-tide, ebb-time mixing had Thorpe scales of typically 0·5 m throughout the water column. Ozmidov scales tracked Thorpe scales except in the weakly stratified layer above the bottom.
Exiles and the Marketing of U.S. Policy toward Cuba and Iraq

This paper analyses the role of Cuban Americans and Iraqi Americans as allies of like-minded public officials in the marketing of contested foreign policies to the United States public. Each of these ethnic exile communities played a traditional lobbying role as would be expected of interest groups, but the argument here is that the interactive relationship between the ethnic interest groups and government officials in advocating policy is the more interesting development in these cases. While there are differences in the two cases, the similarities between marketing an embargo and an invasion suggest that foreign-policy analysts may want to pay closer attention to the interactive relationship between exile communities and government officials in policy advocacy. I suggest in conclusion that we need to be wary of according defectors and exiles privileged positions in future foreign-policy debates.
Conformational Studies on Activation of the E. coli uvrB Cryptic ATPase

Expression of a DNA-dependent ATPase activity by the uvrB protein is essential for early steps (preceding incision) in nucleotide excision repair (NER) in E. coli. Yet, in isolation, uvrB lacks any known catalytic ability. Its cryptic ATPase is elicited in NER by association with uvrA, but it can also be turned on by a specific, omp T-mediated proteolytic elimination of the C-terminal 43 amino acids. The truncated protein uvrB{sup *} may serve as a model for the activated structure induced by complex formation with uvrA. To probe the mechanism of activation, which may be expected to require a series of conformational changes, we have introduced the intrinsic fluorophore tryptophan (Trp) into the ATP binding site of uvrB via site-specific mutagenesis.
Experiential avoidance in the parenting of anxious youth: Theory, research, and future directions

Empirical findings support the notion that overprotective and intrusive parenting practices may contribute to the maintenance of anxiety in youth (e.g., Ginsburg & Schlossberg, 2002). It appears that parents of anxious youth are more likely to intervene during anxiety-provoking situations for their child when he/she displays negative emotion or distress (e.g., Hudson, Comer, & Kendall, 2008). It remains unclear, however, why anxious children's displays of negative emotion are difficult for parents to tolerate. One possible explanation is that parents of anxious youth are more likely to engage in experiential avoidance, the inability or unwillingness to tolerate one's own internal distress, which manifests as intrusive behaviour designed to reduce the child's distress, and thereby the parent's own internal distress. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of experiential avoidance, describes its potential role in the parenting of anxious children, and discusses implications for tre...
UNDERSTANDING SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION INSIDE PRISONS: FACTORS THAT PREDICT RISK*

Research Summary: Broad consensus exists across the country and political spectrum that sexual victimization occurs inside prisons and that it should be prevented in accordance with basic human rights, especially inside institutions that are funded and operated by government. The challenging task is to confirm the speculation by measuring reliably the extent to which sexual victimization occurs inside prison and then to understand its causal structure in an effort to prevent it. This article addresses this challenge first by summarizing what is known about the prevalence of sexual victimization in the prisons of America and then by exploring attributes of the inmate or facility that elevate the likelihood of being sexually victimized while inside prison. This descriptive evidence provides the roadmap for more contextual research that is needed to explore the causal mechanism underlying sexual victimization. The predictive part of this article uses a data set on the self-reported victimization experiences of approximately 8,000 inmates residing in twelve male adult prisons, one sex offender treatment prison for males, and one female adult prison, all located in a single state. Policy Implications: If the goal is to reduce sexual victimization inside prisons (as suggested by the Prison Rape Elimination Act), action is required by prison officials and researchers to identify those at elevated risk, to develop effective placement strategies that minimize the proximity of inmates who have predatory tendencies to those at risk of victimization, to accurately and reliably measure the prevalence of sexual victimization, and to train officers and inmates on the meaning and practice of “zero tolerance.” Custodial power should be targeted to ensure zero tolerance because sexual victimization inside prison is not just a crime, but it is also a crime that takes place in a facility that is created, funded, and operated by the state and where the state bears the full responsibility for keeping the people under its aegis from harm that is predictable and preventable.
Syncope in Athletes

Syncope is a brief sudden loss of consciousness and muscle tone secondary to cerebral ischaemia, inadequate oxygen or glucose delivery to the brain. The causes of syncope may be benign and require very little in the way of evaluation or treatment. However, syncope may be the harbinger of sudden death, and extensive evaluation, monitoring and detailed recommendations regarding advisability of participating in sports should be reviewed with the patient. The history is the most important clue when attempting to identify which patient with syncope is at risk for sudden death. A careful cardiac and neurological examination should be performed in any patient presenting with syncope. Selective use of laboratory testing and cardiac monitoring may assist the practitioner in making the diagnosis. Most often patients with syncope will have a benign cause such as vaso-vagal events, hyperventilation or orthostatic hypotension. Patients with a cardiac condition causing their syncope are at increased risk for sudden death. The ominous, cardiac-related causes of syncope in the younger population include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, aberrant coronary arteries and aortic dissection secondary to Marfan's syndrome. In the older athletic population, coronary atherosclerosis may present with syncope. Dysrhythmias may be the cause of syncope in both populations.
THE PERFECT POWER SEMICONDUCTOR SWITCH FOR 21st CENTURY GLOBAL ENERGY ECONOMY

A critical evaluation of high-power electronics switching in semiconductor materials is made from the standpoint of performance, reliability, and commercial viability. This study takes into account recent experimental results obtained from the field-reliability study of silicon power MOSFETs in high-density power supplies where residual material defects present in the space charge region of the device were found to generate local micro plasma that eventually caused power MOSFETs to fail. Based on these results and commercial progress made to date in wide bandgap semiconductor technologies, it is suggested that silicon carbide (SiC) promises to be the preferred material for high-power electronics switching from cost, performance and reliability considerations — this assessment is further strengthened by the near-term potential for developing large-area, low-cost, and defect-free SiC bulk substrates and epitaxial layers. This conclusion is also supported by the feasibility and the need for vertical, MOS-controlled, bipolar power switches in compact and efficient megaWatt-level power converters in order to make transformational changes in the 21st century electrical transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Commentary: Assessing Personality Disorder in Adolescents From the Perspective of DSM‐5

This commentary reviews three articles in the special section on the assessment of personality pathology in adolescents from the perspective of the recently published DSM-5. The articles address general clinical guidelines for assessment, a study on the reliability and validity of an assessment instrument, and a study of informant discrepancies and their clinical relevance. Certain aspects of DSM-5 may facilitate assessment of personality pathology in adolescents, while others may make it more challenging. Because personality pathology has considerable significance with respect to ongoing mental health problems and adverse psychosocial outcomes across areas of future functioning, assessing personality pathology in adolescence should be no less of an imperative than it is in adulthood.