cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of methyl iodide and synergy with chloropicrin for control of fungi.

Efficacy of soil fumigation with methyl bromide and methyl iodide against Botrytis cinerea, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, Fusarium oxysporum, Gliocladium virens, Phytophthora citricola, Phytophthora citrophthora, Pythium ultimum, Rhizoctonia solani and Verticillium dahliae was determined in laboratory experiments in closed fumigation chambers. Pythium ultimum was the most sensitive fungal species with EC 50 values for methyl bromide and methyl iodide of 15.5 and 8.6 μM, respectively. R solani was the least sensitive with EC 50 values of 253.4 and 161.4 μM for methyl bromide and methyl iodide, respectively. Relative potency ([methyl bromide]/[methyl iodide]) values ranged from 5.2 for P citricola to 1.5 for F oxysporum. Methyl iodide was 2.7 more efficacious than methyl bromide averaged over all fungal species. Methyl bromide/chloropicrin and methyl iodidelchloropicrin applied jointly were 2.2 and 2.8 times more efficacious, respectively, against F oxysporum than when the compounds were applied singly. Combining methyl bromide and methyl iodide with chloropicrin resulted in a significant synergistic increase in activity against F oxysporum.
An experimental determination of the surface energies of ice

Abstract Abstract A direct experimental method has been used to determine the magnitudes of the ice-water vapour, ice-water, and ice-ice (grain boundary) surface free energies. The magnitudes were found to be 109, 33 and 65 erg/cm2, respectively, at 0°C. The experimental results indicate that the grain boundary surface free energy varies slightly with the mismatch between the grains but that variations with crystal orientation of the ice-water vapour and the ice-water surface free energies are small.
SEASONAL DISTRIBUTION OF STELLER'S SEA LIONS AT ROOKERIES AND HAUL‐OUT SITES IN ALASKA

The Steller's sea lion population has declined by 60%-70% over much of Alaska since the late 1970s. Overlap in species composition and sizes of fishes consumed by sea lions and harvested by commercial fisheries, particularly during winter, has led to examination of potential interaction between commercial fisheries and Steller's sea lions. Abundance and distribution data for Steller's sea lions in Alaska were derived from aerial surveys conducted during the breeding season, mid-June to early July 1992, 1994, and 1996. To study winter distribution of sea lions, we conducted aerial surveys during March 1993, November-December 1994, and March 1999. We counted about one-half as many sea lions during winter surveys compared to the breeding-season surveys. Numbers of sea lions at rookery sites dropped off considerably during winter, whereas numbers at haul-out sites did not. We found little evidence of large-scale, seasonal movement, at least for the western stock of sea lions. Rather, differences between summer and winter distribution were primarily a function of sea lions dispersing to local haul-out sites during the winter. Terrestrial sites, both rookeries and haul-outs, clearly are important to Steller's sea lions during the entire year. Individual sites may be occupied year-round or only during particular times of year.
The False-Positive in Universal Newborn Hearing Screening

Objectives. Concern has been raised about the frequency and subsequent emotional effect of a false-positive result during universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS). This study describes: 1) the results of 1 UNHS program and a potential method to significantly reduce the false-positive rate, and 2) the effect a false-positive result has on lasting maternal anxiety toward their children as well as their views toward UNHS in general. Methods. A retrospective analysis was conducted using data from 5010 infants screened with an automated auditory brainstem response (ABR) at the Women9s Hospital of Greensboro (WHOG) from July 6, 1998 to June 30, 1999. In addition, a structured telephone survey was given to mothers of infants who had failed the initial hearing screen (stage 1) and who had completed an outpatient rescreen (stage 2). Results. Confirmed hearing loss occurred in non-neonatal intensive care unit infants at a rate of 1.8/1000. A false-positive rate of 1.9% occurred during stage 1 of UNHS (screening before newborn discharge). We attribute this relatively low rate to rescreening of 51% of those newborns who failed the initial screen before hospital discharge. Eighty percent of these rescreened infants passed, thus needing no additional follow-up. If we had rescreened all infants before discharge, the false-positive rate would have approached .5%. Results of the survey were reassuring with regard to lasting emotional effects of false-positive tests. Only 9% of mothers said they “treated their child differently” before outpatient rescreening, and only 14% reported any lasting anxiety after their child passed the outpatient repeat screen. Although none reached statistical significance, potential risk factors for lasting anxiety include more educated mothers, lack of understanding of UNHS, and a false-positive result in both stage 1 and stage 2. Over 90% of all mothers believed that UNHS was a good idea. Conclusions. By rescreening all infants before hospital discharge, the false-positive rate of UNHS performed using automated ABR can be reduced to
Chronic Renal Failure in Horses

Chronic renal failure is a syndrome of progressive loss of renal function that results in loss of urinary concentrating ability, retention of nitrogenous and other metabolic end products, alterations in electrolyte and acid-base status, and dysfunction of several hormone systems. This article describes the prevalence, causes, clinical signs, diagnostic evaluation, and management of horses afflicted with chronic renal failure. It is hoped that this article illustrates that chronic renal failure, when detected in the earlier stages of disease, can be managed successfully in the short-term allowing owners to enjoy a period of time of ongoing productivity, performance, or companionship until loss of condition reaches the point that euthanasia becomes warranted.
Role of lanthanide elements on the catalytic behavior of supported Pd catalysts in the reduction of NO with methane

Abstract In this study, the role of lanthanide elements (Ce, Gd, La, and Yb) on Pd/TiO2 catalysts in the catalytic reduction of NO with methane was investigated. Steady-state reaction experiments in the presence of oxygen showed that the addition of lanthanide elements increases the oxygen resistance of the catalyst. The post-reaction XPS characterization results revealed that majority of the Pd sites remained in the zero oxidation state in the presence of Ce or Gd. The effect of SO2 (145 ppm) and H2O (0–6.6%) in NO–CH4–O2 reaction over supported Pd and Gd–Pd catalysts was also investigated. Over the Gd–Pd catalyst with the presence of SO2, more than 70% NO conversion was obtained for over 6 h while the Pd only catalyst showed a sharper drop in NO conversion. Over the Gd–Pd catalyst, the presence of H2O showed no effect on NO conversion activity (>99% conversion) during the 18 h the catalyst was kept on stream. Among the lanthanide elements tested, Gd is the most effective, allowing the use of above stoichiometric oxygen concentration.
Plasma-sprayed coatings for titanium alloy oxidation protection

Abstract The behavior of several different types of plasma-sprayed coatings applied to typical α + β titanium alloys was studied in air at elevated temperatures. Ductile coatings of MCr and MCrAlY type were found to confer protection against oxidation and embrittlement for hundreds of hours during rapid thermal cycling in flowing air to at least 850 °C. Measurements of the extent of interdiffusion of elements across the coating-alloy interface as functions of time and temperature were made. Typically, cobalt and iron from a coating may penetrate to depths of a few tens of micrometers into the alloy substrate after 1000 h exposure at 850 °C.
Sub-wavelength terahertz imaging system using a vector network analyzer

We develop a new terahertz (THz) imaging approach with 90 μm image resolution at 750 GHz using an inverse-microscope quasi-optical setup with an extended hemispherical high-resistivity silicon lens and a vector network analyzer frequency extender with horn-antenna output port. Owing to the large refractive index of silicon lens (n∼3.5), the achieved resolution is less than λ 0 /3, where λ 0 is the free-space wavelength. The test sample is placed on the focal plane of the silicon lens, making direct contact with the flat focal surface of the back side of the extended hemispherical lens and a raster-scan image is obtained using computer-controlled x-y translation stages. Reflected THz signal is digitized and recorded on a vector network analyzer, providing wideband reflection spectra of the sample as a function of position. Using the proposed imaging system, 2-dimensional THz images of planarized samples, including integrated circuits, chemical substances and biological tissue samples can be readily collected. This cost-effective quasi-optical approach can also easily be adapted to other signal acquisition systems, such as THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) and/or continuous wave (THz-CW) systems to improve image resolution and expand their imaging capabilities. However, unlike existing THz-TDS and THz-CW systems where the source and receiver ports are disparate, the proposed VNA-based system uses the same port for the reflection (S 11 ) measurements. As such, it allows a direct measurement of normal reflection from the sample, resulting in more straightforward analysis of the sample properties. We will present the details of the setup and its performance using several samples that exhibit distinct morphological and spectroscopic behavior in the THz band.
Vortex motion for device applications

Abstract We show experimentally and theoretically (numerical simulations) that the flux-flow branch of a long Josephson junction can be modulated by a control current. This phenomenon is exploited in making an inverting, non-latching switching device capable of analog as well as digital signal amplification. It is shown that current gain of the order of 4 can be achieved in a 2.5 μm technology, for small resistive loads of the order of 0.5 Ω.
Twelve-step program use among Oxford house residents: Spirituality or social support in sobriety? ☆

Abstract Oxford House is a self-help, self-governed, democratic communal-living environment for recovering alcoholics and polysubstance abusers. In this study, 134 male residents (M age = 34 years old) were personally interviewed on their recovery process and, in particular, on their experiences with 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Most residents (76%) reported they attended weekly AA meetings to assist in their recovery, mainly to acquire effective techniques to maintain sobriety (72%). Many AA attendees (43%) claimed no sense of spirituality prior to joining AA, and for most of these men (71%), attendance at weekly meetings was not motivated by “spirituality” aspects of the program. In contrast, the majority of residents (53%) attending weekly AA meetings claimed that a sense of fellowship with similar recovering others was their reason for program involvement. It appears that among men living in a communal setting with other recovering addicts, the need for social support for sobriety from similar others continues beyond the confines of their residence.
High-capacity adenovirus/ retrotransposon hybrid vectors for efficient and stable gene transfer

To improve the efficiency of stable gene transfer in vivo, we have recently developed a novel hybrid vector system, consisting of human L1 retrotransposons with associated transgene cassettes delivered by a high-capacity helper-dependent adenovirus vector (A/RT vector). This hybrid system transduces cells through a two-stage mechanism: in the first (adenovirus) stage, the helper-dependent adenovirus serves as a carrier for efficient delivery and transient expression of its encoded L1/transgene cassette, and in the second (retrotransposon) stage, the L1 retroelement and associated transgene then permanently integrate into the genome of the adenovirus-transduced cells. Proof-of-principle for this novel vector system was demonstrated previously (Hum Gene Ther 12: 1417–28, 2001). We have now developed second-generation A/RT hybrid vectors containing a newly isolated L1 element, L1RP, which exhibits the highest retrotransposition frequency observed to date.
Technical report: Literature survey on driving simulator validation studies

The use of real-time driving simulators for research and training of vehicle operators has increased significantly in recent years. There is a wide range of complexity among simulators currently being used around the world. An important issue to consider when implementing any simulator is validity. This paper presents different interpretations of validity in the context of simulators and vehicle simulation models found in the literature. Examples of different approaches to validating simulators and vehicle simulation models from studies found in the literature are presented.
Evidence of precursors of defective measles virus.

Cytoplasmic extracts of Vero cells infected with wild strain Edmonston measles virus were found to contain at least two distinct nucleocapsid species. The two most prominent species of nucleocapsids sedimented at 200S and 110S and contained RNA of molecular weight 6.0×106 and 0.6×106 daltons respectively. Both species of nucleocapsids had a density of 1.31 g/cm3 in CsCl. A third species sedimenting at 170S was not present in all experiments and was not characterized in detail. Infection of cells with undiluted-passage virus usually resulted in production of mostly 110S nucleocapsids while both 110S and 200S species were found when diluted-passage virus was used. These results suggest that measles virus may produce distinct classes of defective virus which contain segments of RNA representing as little as 10% of the complete viral genome.
Off-duty preparation for overnight work in rotor wing air medical programs.

Introduction Air medical teams provide around-the-clock critical care, risking performance-altering fatigue from circadian disruption and sleep deprivation. Although safety is an essential issue in the air medical industry, there is little understanding of off-duty preparation for overnight shifts. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed to pilots and medical team members at participating programs with variable program, staffing, and shift models. Eighty responses from crewmembers working 12-hour night shifts (12N) were analyzed with appropriate t -tests and nonparametric tests. Results 12N crewmembers sleep significantly less in off-duty periods than before night shifts: 7.3 ± 1.2 hours versus 4.8 ± 1.9 hours ( P The minimum preshift sleep reported by 12N crewmembers before any shift in the past month averaged 2.4 ± 2.3 hours, with 36.3% having worked overnight in the past month with no sleep before their shift On-duty rest permission was not a significant factor. Fifty-five percent of 12N crewmembers report outside employment (OE) in addition to their flight position. 12N crewmembers with OE averaged significantly less preshift sleep than those without OE: 4.4 ± 2.1 hours versus 5.3 ± 1.6 hours ( P P Conclusion Air medical team members report for 12N shifts with a significant sleep debt that does not differ between crewmembers permitted on-duty rest and those with on-duty rest prohibitions. More than half of flight team members surveyed have OE and many report for flight duty within 8 hours of leaving their other job. 12N shift crewmembers are at a particularly high risk for the consequences of fatigue. This is an important consideration as the industry develops on-duty rest guidelines to optimize safe operations.
A new lac insect from Colombia, with revised keys to lac insect genera and to species of Austrotachardiella Chamberlin (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Kerriidae)

A new lac insect pest, Austrotachardiella colombiana sp. n. (Kerriidae), is described and illustrated based on the adult female. This species was reported causing dieback on the twigs and branches of two cultivars of Psidium guajava L. (Myrtaceae) in Santander de Quilichao, Cauca, Colombia. A revised taxonomic key to the genera of the family Kerriidae and an updated key to separate the species of Austrotachardiella Chamberlin is provided. No previous records of lac insects from Colombia were found.
Personality Factors in Marital Compatibility

Resume On a fait subir l'Inventaire de Personnalite Bernreuter et le Test de l'Interet Professionnel Strong a 345 couples d'epoux et a 116 couples divorces. Les couples d'epoux ont fourni des donnees anonymes qui ont cede des evaluations du bonheur marital. On a mis les deux tests en echelle pour treize variables, y compris sept types caracteristiques de l'interet professionnel, et “la maturite de l'interet,” “la masculinite-femininite,” “la tendance a la nevrose,” “la suffisance,” “l'introversion,” et “la dominance.” On a fait une etude comparative des 100 couples d'epoux les plus heureux, des 100 couples d'epoux les moins heureux, et de 100 couples divorces a l'egard des resultats moyens des treize variables, du degre de ressemblance entre le mari et la femme dans les variables, et de la direction des differences entre le mari et la femme. Toute ces comparaisons basees sur les resultats totaux ont montre des correlations peu elevees ou negligeables avec le bonheur marital. Cependant, le traitement stati...
Bioelectric Control of Regeneration in Tubularia

synopsis. The theory of differentiation during regeneration by polarized specific repression in the bioelectric field as worked out in Tubularia is reviewed and brought up to date. Similarities between the studies with Tubularia and those on a variety of other organisms are discussed. The major question being asked is, "How does a cell learn from contacts with its neighbors which of its special genes it should use?" It is generally agreed that all of the cells of an organism possess all of the genes. Differentiation occurs as each cell comes to use just a few of its special genes. The major part of the work being re? ported was done on the hydroid, Tubu? laria, at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. If a piece of stem of Tubularia 5 mm or longer from any level of the stem is iso? lated, the anterior part of it will transform to a hydranth in 1 to 2 days. When shorter pieces, too short to produce a whole hy? dranth, are isolated, they may transform to part of a hydranth. When only a part of a hydranth regenerates, it is always the an? terior part. In thousands of cases never have pieces too short to produce whole hy? dranths produced anything other than anterior portions of hydranths. These ob? servations tell us that the genetic informa? tion and the means to transcribe and
Objective assessment of videoconferenced lectures in a surgical clerkship.

Abstract Background A challenge to the practice of third-year clerkship rotations at remote locations is the maintenance of equivalent didactic lectures, especially in subspecialty components. There has been little objective assessment of the results of videoconference lectures on medical student clerkship education. Methods Third-year surgical clerkship students, randomly assigned to a 4-week rotation 75 miles from the medical school, received subspecialty lectures by interactive teleconference via an ISDN line at 128 kb/s. Weekly quiz results (% correct) of students who received videoconference lectures were compared with students receiving conventional lectures, and were analyzed by 2-tailed t tests for equality of means. Results A mean of 12 students were tested per quiz (range, 5–21 students) after videoconference lectures, and 98 students were tested after conventional lectures (range, 41–146 students). The mean quiz score of students receiving video lectures was 70.5% (range, 65.4% to 73.6%); and after conventional lectures the mean quiz score was 71.4% (range, 69.5% to 76.8%). There were no significant differences in the mean scores of the individual quizzes ( P = .16–.92) or between the totals ( P = .65). Conclusions Telemedicine, using interactive videoconferencing, is an effective method for didactic lectures in a surgical clerkship. This technology allows students to receive interactive lectures at distant clinical sites and limit their travel.
Particle motion in a mixed dynamic alloy: Binary system in one dimension.

The long-time dynamics of labeled particle motion in a mixed, random dynamic binary alloy composed of a minimally interacting lattice gas are investigated by the use of precision Monte Carlo simulations. For the mean-square displacement, the results corroborate the theoretical predictions of Tahir-Kheli. With the use of scaling arguments, the theoretical expressions given by Levitt for a single-component system are generalized to a multicomponent format. The predictions of such a scaling procedure for the long-time limit of the space- and time-dependent distribution function are tested in detail against the corresponding Monte Carlo results. Again, very good overall agreement is found between the two sets of results.
Extending the applicability of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for total soil carbon measurement

Soils are the major pool of terrestrial C globally. Estimating inventories and detecting changes in the soil C pool have remained elusive, largely because the spatial distribution of soil C varies considerably. New approaches are needed that enable more rapid, cost-effective, and sensitive measurements of soil C and that reduce uncertainty in estimates of C pools and changes in those pools. In this note we extend the application of a new method of total soil C measurement: laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Carbon analysis using LIBS provides data in seconds from soils with little preparation, whereas conventional methods such as dry combustion require lengthy sample preparation and longer analysis times. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instruments, unlike conventional instruments, can be used while in the field. This promising new method, however, has potential drawbacks, namely interference with Fe at approximately 248 nm. Here we report results of using a different C line at 193 nm to solve the interference problem. We also use a two-element standardization factor to demonstrate that the 193-nm line is nearly as sensitive to C concentration as the C line at 247.8 nm, and that calibration curves can be readily replicated. Overall these results indicate that LIBS is a very promising method to estimate soil C pools and dynamics.
Vertically Self-Organized Gold Nanoparticles in Amorphous Alumina Matrices

In this study, self-organized growth of gold nanoparticles dispersed in amorphous alumina matrices was investigated. Au/Al 2 O 3 multilayered structures were grown on silicon (001) substrates using pulsed laser deposition. Vertical ordering of particles was examined with cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and image Fourier transformation. Self-organization of gold nanoparticles along the vertical direction was observed in the samples grown at room temperature and 320 °C. This process occurred through two-different growth modes, known as top-on-top growth and top-on-middle growth. The driving force for the vertical ordering was attributed to long-range elastic interactions among nanoparticles during the film deposition process.
Keeping science in environmental regulations: The role of the animal scientist

Environmental issues continue to be one of the biggest challenges faced by livestock producers. Whereas issues of the past have focused on manure nutrient impacts on water quality with some regulatory activity addressing odors, emerging issues are more diverse. To address emerging air quality issues, such as ammonia emissions, antibiotic transfer, human health impacts of emissions from animal agriculture, and estrogens in the environment, scientists with expertise in physiology, genetics, animal management, and nutrition will need to be enlisted. The objectives of this review are to highlight some of the prominent environmental regulatory activity that has occurred nationally in the past few years, to outline some of the emerging environmental issues, and to move members of the animal science profession toward thinking about what they can contribute toward addressing these issues. Animal scientists are uniquely qualified to engage in environmental research, education, and policymaking because of our comprehensive understanding of the complexity of whole-farm management and the interactions between animal management and manure management. Animal science departments have the opportunity to train students to be leaders in addressing environmental issues related to animal production, provided departments incorporate environmental education into curricula. Animal scientists can contribute greatly to the many areas of research that address emerging and current environmental issues, helping to ensure that policy is science-based and mitigation strategies are feasible.
Volume-Unit Graphs: Their Production and Applicability in Studies of Infants' Cries

(1961). Volume-Unit Graphs: Their Production and Applicability in Studies of Infants' Cries. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 52, No. 2, pp. 423-427.
Paleomagnetism of some mafic intrusions in the South Carolina Piedmont. I. Magnetic systems with single characteristic directions

Abstract Four mafic and two dioritic igneous bodies intruding along the flanks of the Charlotte belt, within the King's Mountain belt and near the Slate-Kiokee-Charlotte belt boundaries in the South Carolina Piedmont, were studied paleomagnetically. The results suggest that these mafic rocks with a single characteristic magnetization are broadly contemporaneous. A mean paleomagnetic pole position of 38.9°N 120.8°E has been calculated for the six bodies. This pole position falls near the 300 Ma old point of Irving's apparent polar wander path (APWP) for North America. The α95 circle of confidence (10.2°) includes points on the APWP between 250–360 Ma. Anomalously old KAr apparent ages, greater than one billion years, are suggestive of excess 40 Ar contamination for the mafic Buffalo pluton, whereas apparent ages in the range of 360–395 Ma old are interpreted as a maximum age for the other bodies, due to the possibility of small amounts of excess 40 Ar being present. A 10° westerly tilt correction suggested by Dooley and Smith for early Mesozoic diabase brings the mafic pole position of this study to more nearly coincide with the 350 Ma virtual geomagnetic position of Irving's curve, but the test is inconclusive, awaiting better definition of radiometric ages. The simplest interpretation of the data is that the mafic pole position reflects the direction of the geomagnetic field in late Devonian Carboniferous times. The similarity of this pole position with the points on the APWP for North America provides little evidence for displaced terrains and, with the precision of this pole position, horizontal displacements on the order of that suggested by the Consortium for Continental Reflection Profile (COCORP) results, or by subsequent studies, are not detectable. This and other pole positions from granitic rocks in the southern Appalachian orogen suggest that if displaced terrains exist, the evidence must be found in older rocks, or in other geologic belts.
Numerical analysis of gracefully degrading fault-tolerant computer systems: semi-Markov and Laguerre transform approach

Abstract A gracefully degrading fault-tolerant computer system is considered where the system performance deteriorates through several stages depending on its configuration. The usual exponentiality assumption is totally eliminated and the model is based on a semi-Markov approach. By exploring the underlying linear structure of the model, efficient numerical procedures are developed for computation of variety of performability measures via the Laguerre transform. A tradeoff regarding when to repair the whole system is also discussed. A numerical example captures the almost periodic nature of the system, thereby demonstrating the importance of the dynamic analysis. Also, the impact of the common exponentiality assumption on performance measures is investigated through the example.
Electric dipole moment of the top quark in Higgs-boson-exchange models of CP nonconservation.

The leading contribution to the electric and the chromoelectric dipole moments of the top quark is calculated in Higgs-boson-exchange models of CP nonconservation. The dipole moments are typically of the order of ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}20}$ e cm and ${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}20}$ g cm, respectively and arise at one-loop order through neutral-Higgs-boson exchange. Several two-loop contributions are estimated to be smaller by about 2 orders of magnitude for the electric case and about 1 order of magnitude smaller for the chromoelectric case. The ${\mathit{q}}^{2}$ dependence of the dipole moment form factor is given for possible application to experimental searches.
Capture, ionization, and pair-production processes in relativistic heavy-ion collisions in the 1-GeV/nucleon energy range

The cross sections for capture, ionization, capture from pair production, and free pair production were measured for 0.96-GeV/nucleon U{sup 92+} and 0.405-, 0.96-, and 1.3-GeV/nucleon La{sup 57+} ions incident on Au, Ag, and Cu targets. The cross sections for capture from pair production, free pair production, ionization, and total capture (the sum of capture from pair production, radiative electron capture, and nonradiative capture) are analyzed as a function of collision energy, projectile, and target atomic numbers. We find that, when the collision energy is increased from 0.405 GeV/nucleon to 1.3 GeV/nucleon, the capture from pair production and the free pair production cross sections increase by almost a factor of 6, while the capture cross section decreases by two orders of magnitude. The ionization cross section is found to vary very weakly with the collision energy in the 1-GeV/nucleon energy range. We found a dependence of free pair production cross sections on the target and projectile atomic number to be close to Z{sup 2}, characteristic of an ionizationlike process. We also found a dependence of the capture from pair production cross sections on the target atomic number to be usually steeper than Z{sub t}{sup 2}, and on the projectile atomic number,more » somewhat steeper than the Z{sub p}{sup 5}, characteristic of a capturelike process. Theory and experiment are in some disagreement for capture from pair production, and free pair production, cross sections, but are in general agreement for the other capture processes and for ionization. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
Platelet aggregation in Hyperapobetalipoproteinemia

Hyperapobetalipoproteinemia (HyperapoB) is a lipid disorder characterized by premature coronary disease, although the mechanisms have not been elucidated. Because abnormalities in platelet function may represent an enhanced susceptibility to coronary thrombosis, the aggregability of platelets was examined in hyperapoB subjects. Compared to controls, there were no significant differences in either platelet lipid composition or in aggregation to epinephrine, ADP, or collagen. In contrast to other dyslipidemias, platelet function does not appear to be abnormal in this well defined lipid disorder.
Effectiveness of motorist information systems in reducing traffic congestion

The authors propose a methodology for assessing the systems' effectiveness in both reducing traffic congestion and examining the interactions among important parameters of the problem, such as the level and amount of information provided, percentage of users with access to information, and congestion levels. The methodology is based on the assumption that provision of information affects the users' perception on link travel times of a network, and therefore improves their route choice. Preliminary results from an application using a small suburban network show that motorists experience modest reduction in travel times. The gains, however, are proportionally smaller than the ones estimated by other studies. It is suggested that these differences are attributable to the fact that previous studies have ignored interactions among users of the system. >
The pattern of ocular dominance columns in macaque visual cortex revealed by a reduced silver stain.

A pattern of alternative dark and pale bands was observed in the straite cortex of the macaque monkey. The bands, which ran parallel to the surface, were seen in tangential sections stained with a reduced silver method for normal fibers and were most clear in layer 4C α, immediately deep to the line of Gennari. The dark bands were about 300 μ wide and showed blind endings and bifurcations. The light bands were about 50 μ wide and did not branch or terminate within area 17. Because the dark bands were similar in width to the bands of terminal degeneration which have been shown to result from single-layer lesions of the lateral geniculate body, it seemed possible that they corresponded to ocular dominance columns. To test this idea, the boundaries of ocular dominance columns were marked in a physiological experiment: tangential electrode penetrations were made in an anesthetized monkey and, as the electrode was advanced horizontally in the fourth layer, the eye preference of single units and of the background activity was monitored. Small electrolytic lesions were placed at the points where a change in eye preference occurred. The brain was subsequently fixed, sectioned tangentially and stained with the silver method. All the lesions — a total of 12 — fell directly on the pale bands. Moreover, the electrode had not passed over any pale bands without a lesion being placed. It was concluded that the dark bands do correspond to single ocular dominance columns and the pale bands to the boundaries between columns. The banding appearance is due to a greater density of tangential fibers within columns than at the borders of columns. These tangential fibers are in part the preterminal arborizations of geniculocortical axons, since some of them have been shown to degenerate after geniculate lesion. The ocular dominance columns were mapped for most of the striate cortex, using serial tengential sections stained with the silver method. The overall pattern was similar in several monkeys, though the details of the branching arrangements vaired from animal to animal. The columns met the 17–18 border at rigtht angles. On the outer surface of the hemisphere the columns converged from the 17–18 border, turned medially with repeated fusions of columns, and streamed over the lip of the calcarine fissure. In the roof of the fissure they met a second system of columns oriented parasagittally. In terms of the visual field, the columns ran roughly horizontally for the central 10° of the field, and circumferentially beyond that. The columns were not mapped in the stem of the fissure, the area corresponding to the far periphery of the field. The constancy of column width across the cortex probably allows a functional matching between ocular-dominance and orientation columns.
High-voltage, high-impedance ion beam production

A high-power, high-impedance ion beam diode has been fielded on the Mercury inductive voltage adder at typical parameters of 4 MV, 360 kA, and 70–90-kA ion current. These results are consistent with theory and with LSP calculations. This beam is focused onto a CF 2 target to produce characteristic gammas via the 19F(p,αγ)16O reaction. Diagnostics characterize the ion emission from the anode, the beam distribution on the target, and the gamma yield. Shaping the anode surface improves beam focusing on the target. Our experimental arrangement allows us to resolve the gamma signal in the presence of the diode bremsstrahlung, and to minimize spurious neutron production. The calculated gamma yield exceeds 1011 gammas/sr.
The Salted Food Addiction Hypothesis may explain overeating and the obesity epidemic

Summary One plausible explanation for the controversy that surrounds the causes and clinical management of obesity is the notion that overeating and obesity may only be a couple of "symptoms" associated with a yet to be discovered medical disorder. Objectives To introduce the Salted Food Addition Hypothesis. This theory proposes that salted food acts in the brain like an opiate agonist, producing a hedonic reward which has been perceived as being only peripherally "flavorful", "tasty" or "delicious". The Salted Food Addition Hypothesis also proposes that opiate receptor withdrawal has been perceived as "preference," "urges," "craving" or "hunger" for salted food. Methods The Salted Food Addiction Hypothesis is made manifest by individually presenting a basic review of its primary coexisting components; the Neurological Component and the Psychosocial Component. We also designed a prospective study in order to test our hypothesis that opiate dependent subjects increase their consumption of salted food during opiate withdrawal. Results The neuropsychiatric evidence integrated here suggests that salted food acts like an, albeit mild, opiate agonist which drives overeating and weight gain. The opiate dependent group studied ( N =27) developed a 6.6% increase in weight during opiate withdrawal. Conclusions Salted Food may be an addictive substance that stimulates opiate and dopamine receptors in the brain's reward and pleasure center more than it is "tasty", while salted food preference, urge, craving and hunger may be manifestations of opiate withdrawal. Salted food and opiate withdrawal stimulate appetite, increases calorie consumption, augments the incidence of overeating, overweight, obesity and related illnesses. Obesity and related illnesses may be symptoms of Salted Food Addiction.
Expression of a dominant negative form of cpSRP54 inhibits chloroplast biogenesis in Arabidopsis.

Summary The chloroplast homolog of the 54 kDa subunit of signal recognition particle is required for the in vitro targeting of chlorophyll a/b binding proteins (LHCP) to the thylakoid membrane. To explore the function of cpSRP54 in vivo, plants that are mutated in cpSRP54 function were generated. Dominant negative forms of cpSRP54 altered in single amino acids within the conserved guanine nucleotide binding domain were expressed in Arabidopsis. Transformed plants contained less than 30% of the wild-type level of cpSRP54 protein. As a consequence of the reduced cpSRP54 protein content, the first emerging leaves were yellow and contained immature chloroplasts. Although the chlorophyll (chl) content of the leaves was reduced by 75%, the chl a/b ratio was unaffected, indicating a role of cpSRP54 in the biogenesis of proteins besides LHCP. Many chloroplast proteins were less abundant in the first emerging leaves, including non-pigmented proteins, thylakoid proteins known to be targeted by alternative pathways, and soluble proteins. These observations indicate that the cpSRP54 mutation also has a pleiotropic effect on chloroplast biogenesis. Whereas the level of cpSRP54 remained low as the plants aged, leaves emerging subsequently had a wild-type appearance, suggesting that the adult plants compensated for the reduction in cpSRP54 protein.
Designing Energy-Efficient Low-Diameter On-Chip Networks with Equalized Interconnects

In a power and area constrained multicore system, the on-chip communication network needs to be carefully designed to maximize the system performance and programmer productivity while minimizing energy and area. In this paper, we explore the design of energy-efficient low-diameter networks (flattened butterfly and Clos) using equalized on-chip interconnects. These low-diameter networks are attractive as they can potentially provide uniformly high throughput and low latency across various traffic patterns, but require efficient global communication channels. In our case study, for a 64-tile system, the use of equalization for the wire channels in low-diameter networks provides 2x reduction in power with no loss in system performance compared to repeater-inserted wire channels. The use of virtual channels in routers further reduces the power of the network by 25-50% and wire area by 2x.
Sleep disordered breathing and post-discharge mortality in patients with acute heart failure

Background Hospitalizations for heart failure are associated with a high post-discharge risk for mortality. Identification of modifiable predictors of post-discharge mortality during hospitalization may improve outcome. Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is the most common co-morbidity in heart failure patients. Design, setting, and participants Prospective cohort study of patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) in a single academic heart hospital. Between January 2007 and December 2010, all patients hospitalized with AHF who have left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 45% and were not already diagnosed with SDB were the target population. Main outcomes and measures Patients underwent in-hospital attended polygraphy testing for SDB and were followed for a median of 3 years post-discharge. Mortality was recorded using national and state vital statistics databases. Results During the study period, 1117 hospitalized AHF patients underwent successful sleep testing. Three hundred and forty-four patients (31%) had central sleep apnoea (CSA), 525(47%) patients had obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and 248 had no or minimal SDB (nmSDB). Of those, 1096 patients survived to discharge and were included in the mortality analysis. Central sleep apnoea was independently associated with mortality. The multivariable hazard ratio (HR) for time to death for CSA vs. nmSDB was 1.61 (95% CI: 1.1, 2.4, P = 0.02). Obstructive sleep apnoea was also independently associated with mortality with a multivariable HR vs. nmSDB of 1.53 (CI: 1.1, 2.2, P = 0.02). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for the following covariates: LVEF, age, BMI, sex, race, creatinine, diabetes, type of cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, discharge systolic blood pressure <110, hypertension, discharge medications, initial length of stay, admission sodium, haemoglobin, and BUN. Conclusions This is the largest study to date to evaluate the effect of SDB on post-discharge mortality in patients with AHF. Newly diagnosed CSA and OSA during AHF hospitalization are independently associated with post-discharge mortality.
Inflammatory expression profiles in monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and relationship with atherosclerosis

Introduction: Our objectives were to examine mononuclear cell gene expression profiles in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and healthy controls and to compare subsets with and without atherosclerosis to determine which genes’ expression is related to atherosclerosis in SLE. Methods: Monocytes were obtained from 20 patients with SLE and 16 healthy controls and were in vitro-differentiated into macrophages. Subjects also underwent laboratory and imaging studies to evaluate for subclinical atherosclerosis. Whole-genome RNA expression microarray was performed, and gene expression was examined. Results: Gene expression profiling was used to identify gene signatures that differentiated patients from controls and individuals with and without atherosclerosis. In monocytes, 9 out of 20 patients with SLE had an interferon-inducible signature compared with 2 out of 16 controls. By looking at gene expression during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation, we identified pathways which were differentially regulated between SLE and controls and identified signatures based on relevant intracellular signaling molecules which could differentiate SLE patients with atherosclerosis from controls. Among patients with SLE, we used a previously defined 344-gene atherosclerosis signature in monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation to identify patient subgroups with and without atherosclerosis. Interestingly, this signature further classified patients on the basis of the presence of SLE disease activity and cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions: Many genes were differentially regulated during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation in SLE patients compared with controls. The expression of these genes in mononuclear cells is important in the pathogenesis of SLE, and molecular profiling using gene expression can help stratify SLE patients who may be at risk for development of atherosclerosis.
Output regulation of non-minimum phase nonlinear systems using an extended high-gain observer

In this paper, we present an output feedback regulator for nonlinear systems that could potentially include unstable zero dynamics. The regulation scheme adopted herein incorporates continuously-implemented sliding mode control and an extended high gain observer to estimate the derivatives of the output and one of the unknown functions. The result is illustrated using a simulation.
A Rational and Empirical Analysis of Existential Psychotherapy

Existential psychotherapy is a diffuse and declining approach plagued by a lack of consistency, coherency, and scrutiny. This article offers a personal representation of existential psychotherapy based on rational and empirical analyses. I performed an informal content analysis on over 80 publications pertaining to the topic. Eight themes emerged consistently: ontology, intentionality, freedom, choice/responsibility, phenomenology, individuality, authenticity, and potentiality. The philosophical presuppositions and clinical implications of each theme are briefly reviewed. The therapy practices of 33 existentially oriented psychologists are then examined to determine differences and similarities within (existential-analytic versus existential-humanistic) and between (existential, behavioral, psychodynamic) theoretical camps. As expected, the empirical results support the rational existential themes that, in a reciprocal manner, relate to therapy behavior. Consideration of these issues is intended to provid...
Computational Assessment of Text Legibility in Lecture Halls

Text presented in lecture halls often simultaneously appears on multiple visual displays (e.g., blackboards, projection screens, video monitors), which should be legible to the entire audience seated in an ideal viewing area. Existing guidelines identify this area as fan- shaped, but the origin of those guidelines and the data on which they are based are not specified. To supple- ment the guidelines, this paper describes the develop- ment of a computer program (available online) to compute locations in which all displays are legible to the audience, which considers the height, width, loca- tion and orientation of each display, text geometries (height, height-to-stroke width ratio) and its lighting conditions (background luminance, luminance contrast percent), as well as the observer's visual acuity. This program was validated in a small experiment involving 21 subjects looking at text in a lecture hall, and further examined for two other test cases.