cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adaptive PI gain control to realize sinusoidal ripple current charging

This paper presents the adaptive PI gain control to regulate sinusoidal ripple current, which is for battery charging applications. Typically, sinusoidal ripple current charging (SRC) is an outstanding charging algorithm due to its high charging efficiency. In order to perform SRC, the frequency sweep function and regulation of high frequency ripple current are required. The typically designed charger would not be able to satisfy the aforementioned requirements because the control bandwidth of a PI controller is designed for constant current profile. Therefore, the fixed PI gain control is limited to regulate the wide range frequency of ripple current. This paper proposes the adaptive PI gain control based on Model Reference Adaptive Control so that it can regulate variable frequency of charging ripple current. The proposed approach is realized for an existing charger without any change of switching devices. As a result, there is no attenuation and phase delay under variable ripple frequency condition. The performance of current control is compared with conventional fixed PI gain and the proposed adaptive variable gain. The proposed method is verified by simulation and experimental results.
Dynamic composition of workflows for customized eGovernment service delivery

Today, many government agencies provide tremendous amount of information and services via the Web, often overwhelming the citizens. Personalization and customization in delivering information and government services remains as a major challenge. In this paper, we present a novel approach for dynamically composing workflows to delivering customized government services to citizens. Such a system is especially important in a government service delivery due to the fact that many autonomous government agencies are involved in providing parts of this service. As a consequence, citizens are often required to first identify these components of the desired service and contact the agencies independently to obtain the needed services. Our proposed system dynamically composes the inter-agency service as well as the related information, tailored to needs of a citizen, by identifying, integrating and coordinating individual components that constitute this service. Our system achieves customized generation of workflows by specifying governmental regulations as a Condition-Action Rule Base to identify the component services. The rule base is a collection of statements about regulatory, functional, geographical and temporal regulations that an inter-agency service needs to adhere to. Our prototype system which also includes visualization of the regulations along with the customization, has been submitted as System Demo paper to this workshop.
Assessing medical interpreters: The language and interpreting testing project

AbstractThe end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st witnessed important changes that have affected healthcare delivery to patients with limited proficiency in English in the United States, resulting in an increasing need for professional interpreters. This need cannot be met by the limited number of available professional medical interpreters, and bilingual individuals volunteering to help or receiving on-the-job training consequently have to be assessed on both language and interpreting abilities. This paper reports on the design of an instrument of assessment used to measure the skills of medical interpreters. Authentic medical exchanges with Spanish, Cantonese and Hmong-speaking patients were collected and analyzed to identify the basic linguistic and interpreting skills commonly used in interpreter-mediated encounters within healthcare settings. These communicative events were used as the basis for creating scripts that form the core of a set of tests for an interpreter training programm...
Further studies on ultrasonic contrast blood flowmetry

It was demonstrated in a previous work (see IEEE Ultras. Sym. Proc., vol.2, pp.907-910, 1989) that change in ultrasonic attenuation of a flowing fluid as a function of time following a bolus injection of a gaseous ultrasonic contrast agent can be used to derive mean flow rate based upon the indicator dilution principle and that flow profile can be estimated using a real-time B-scanner from images of the agent. Here, results are presented to show that ultrasonic contrast agents may also be useful for time domain blood flow estimation via cross-correlation or a dual-probe approach. Two different approaches of time domain contrast ultrasonic flowmetry were studied using a mock flow loop: (1) velocity estimation using an optical correlator from recorded video ultrasonic images, and (2) velocity estimation using a two-probe arrangement from cross correlation of RF signals. Both methods use bolus injection of a contrast agent upstream from the monitoring site. >
Political ideology and news selection in local versus foreign press coverage of a domestic political event

This study measures and discusses the comparative coverage of a domestic political event by selected local and foreign newspapers. The conjoint influences of political ideology, state-state, and st...
Major Anion Effects on the Kinetics and Reactivity of Granular Iron in Glass-Encased Magnet Batch Reactor Experiments

The relative effects of sulfate (SO42-), chloride (Cl-), nitrate (NO3-), and bicarbonate (HCO3-) (8 mM ionic strength solutions, adjusted to pH 10) on the reactivity of Master Builders iron was investigated using a low-abrasion batch reactor with a glass-encased magnet (GEM). Reactivity of the granular iron surface was assessed by measuring the reduction rate of 4-chloronitrobenzene (4ClNB) as a function of initial 4ClNB concentration and anion type. Relative to a similarly prepared perchlorate (ClO4-) solution, in which perchlorate was assumed not to interact with the iron surface, nitrate and bicarbonate inhibited the reduction of the probe compound (4ClNB). Chloride and sulfate enhanced reactivity. Thus, the anions were ranked SO42- > Cl- ≥ ClO4- > NO3- > HCO3- (from most enhanced to most inhibited) in their influence on granular iron reactivity toward 4ClNB. Kinetic studies of 4ClNB were conducted under conditions that caused the iron surface to saturate with the reacting compound (saturation kinetic ...
SERUM LIPIDS VS SERUM APOLIPOPROTEINS IN CORD BLOOD

In studies on the lipoprotein system of cord serum, we have determined the lipid and apolipoprotein (apo-LP) levels in various perinatal conditions. Infants of normal gestation and weight (>2500g) were characterized by the following lipid levels (mg/dl): TG=43.5 ± 18.3; TC=71.3 ± 20.9; FC=16.8 ± 6.2; PL=125.2 ± 36.7 (n=257). There were no distinct differences in the lipid levels between prematurity, postmaturity, caesarean section and miscellaneous abnormalities. Apolipoprotein concentrations in random cord sera were as follows: A-I=86.7; A-II=57.5; ApoB= 26.9; C-I=5.9; C-II=3.1; C-III=6.6; ApoD=4.7; and ApoE=7.7 (mg/dl). All apo-LP concentrations were lower than those found in adult sera with ApoB levels representing the lowest one (25% of adult sera). The apo-LP levels of abnormal groups were similar to those of normals with the exception of reduced levels of A-I and A-II in prematures. Results of this study show that the lipid and apo-LP levels of cord sera are lower than those of adult sera and that perinatal problems have little effect on the cord serum lipoproteins. The availability of specific apoliprotein assays will provide additional data necessary for evaluating dietary and other factors affecting the development of the lipid transport system in humans.
Sex Pheromones of Noctuid Moths. Xix. Effect of Environmental and Seasonal Factors on Captures of Males of Trichoplusia ni in Pheromone-Baited Traps

Various environmental factors were evaluated for their influence on numbers of males of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (HA¼bner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), captured in traps baited with living females or with T. ni synthetic sex pheromone, cis -7-dodecenyl acetate. More males were captured in traps at an elevation of 2 in above the soil surface in a broccoli planting than in those at higher (3- or 4-m) or lower (0-, 0.3-, or 1-m) elevations. Captures in traps placed on trunks of citrus or eucalyptus trees tended to remain steady or increase through an elevation of 4 m. Captures in traps situated up to 3200 m from the nearest planting of a cole crop were about as high as captures at the plantings. Seasonal highs and lows of numbers of males captured during 2 years occurred around September and January, respectively. However, a large variation in seasonal trends occurred during the 2 years. No correlations could be obtained relating daily variations in captures with daily (or nightly) variations in temperature and relative humidity. Periods of full moonlight did not influence numbers of males captured. The time of the median capture occurred around midnight in July and occurred progressively earlier through August and September to around 8 PM in October.
Order and chaos in fixed-interval schedules of reinforcement.

Fixed-interval schedule performance is characterized by high levels of variability. Responding is absent at the onset of the interval and gradually increases in frequency until reinforcer delivery. Measures of behavior also vary drastically and unpredictably between successive intervals. Recent advances in the study of nonlinear dynamics have allowed researchers to study irregular and unpredictable behavior in a number of fields. This paper reviews several concepts and techniques from nonlinear dynamics and examines their utility in predicting the behavior of pigeons responding to a fixed-interval schedule of reinforcement. The analysis provided fairly accurate a priori accounts of response rates, accounting for 92.8% of the variance when predicting response rate 1 second in the future and 64% of the variance when predicting response rates for each second over the entire next interreinforcer interval. The nonlinear dynamics account suggests that even the “noisiest” behavior might be the product of purely deterministic mechanisms.
Pointing Performance Analysis Of A Prototype Secondary Mirror Assembly For The Space Infrared Telescope Facility

The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), a NASA "Great Observatory" to be launched in the late 1990s, is a superfluid helium-cooled one meter class IR telescope with a sophisticated chopping facility provided by a dynamic two-axis tilt control capability of the secondary mirror. This paper describes the pointing performance analysis of the Prototype Secondary Mirror Assembly (PSMA) design. The two-axis PSMA tilt control system employs four linear actuators and four pairs of position eddy current sensors, and a reaction mass system to isolate the servo loops from the structural modes. The actuators and sensors operate in the 4 K environment of the secondary mirror assembly, while the control electronics reside in the "warm" electronics box outside the dewar. The PSMA design meets stringent pointing performance requirements over a range of discrete chop amplitudes and frequencies, for three different dynamic chop modes. The analysis of the pointing performance utilizes a detailed dynamic model of the PSMA in time and frequency domains, including the discretization and quantization effects in the servo-controllers, the sensor noise, and the structural modes. The servo stability issues are also addressed.
The Markov chain Monte Carlo revolution

The use of simulation for high dimensional intractable computations has revolutionized applied mathematics. Designing, improving and understanding the new tools leads to (and leans on) fascinating mathematics, from representation theory through micro-local analysis.
Comparison of aerosol sulfur and crustal element concentrations in particle size fractions from continental U.S. locations

A comparison of element concentrations in aerosols is made for S, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Fe, and Zn as a function of particle size during April 1976 in nonurban New Mexico, Colorado, and New Hampshire and urban and nearby rural St Louis, Missouri. In the submicrometer diameter range at all sites, S greatly exceeds Si, K, Ca, Ti, and Fe, which occur predominantly in the coarse particle (>1 μm) fraction. Particle size distributions of each of these elements are similar among the five sites, but prominent concentration anomalies and secondary size distribution differences are measureable and suggest differences in aerosol production processes and relative pollution source strengths. The results are potentially useful in evaluating causes of atmospheric visibility differences between the western and eastern U.S.A.
Measurement of irrigated acreage in Western Kansas from LANDSAT images

In the past four decades, irrigated acreage in western Kansas has increased rapidly. Optimum utilization of vital groundwater supplies requires implementation of long-term water-management programs. One important variable in such programs is up-to-date information on acreage under irrigation.
An Occupational Study of Job Satisfaction and Need Satisfaction

(1964). An Occupational Study of Job Satisfaction and Need Satisfaction. The Journal of Experimental Education: Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 383-388.
Letter to the Editor-Comments on Reliability Considerations for a Two Element Redundant System with Generalized Repair Times

It is shown that the reliability improvement factor has an asymptotic behaviour that can be inferred directly, rather than by computational example; a shorter derivation is also presented. Dominant asymptotic terms for an N-element redundant system are derived.
Accelerated in vitro fibril formation by a mutant alpha-synuclein linked to early-onset Parkinson disease.

Accelerated in vitro fibril formation by a mutant α-synuclein linked to early-onset Parkinson disease
Role of Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography in Pulmonary Neoplasms

Positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) has become a routine imaging modality in body oncology and is particularly well suited for the management of patients with lung cancer. Current clinical applications of PET-CT in patients with lung cancer include evaluation of indeterminate pulmonary nodules, initial staging of lung cancer, restaging of lung cancer following treatment, and radiation therapy planning. Contemporary PET-CT scanners allow comprehensive diagnostic PET and CT imaging in a single imaging session. Interpretation and reporting of PET-CT examinations of patients with lung cancer require a thorough and integrated approach taking advantage of the anatomic and metabolic information.
Reliability-Aware Design Flow for Silicon Photonics On-Chip Interconnect

Intercore communication in many-core processors presently faces scalability issues similar to those that plagued intracity telecommunications in the 1960s. Optical communication promises to address these challenges now, as then, by providing low latency, high bandwidth, and low power communication. Silicon photonic devices presently are vulnerable to fabrication and temperature-induced variability. Our fabrication and measurement results indicate that such variations degrade interconnection performance and, in extreme cases, the interconnection may fail to function at all. In this paper, we propose a reliability-aware design flow to address variation-induced reliability issues. To mitigate effects of variations, limits of device design techniques are analyzed and requirements from architecture-level design are revealed. Based on this flow, a multilevel reliability management solution is proposed, which includes athermal coating at fabrication-level, voltage tuning at device-level, as well as channel hopping at architecture-level. Simulation results indicate that our solution can fully compensate variations thereby sustaining reliable on-chip optical communication with power efficiency.
The Brugada ECG and schizophrenia.

The type 1 coved ST-segment Brugada ECG pattern is said to be unusual in a general population, perhaps occurring in 0.1% of European descent populations,1 and possibly more often, ≤0.2%, in East Asians.2,3 Therefore, it is surprising that in this issue of Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology , Blom et al4 report identifying a Brugada ECG pattern in 11.6% (32/275) of patients with schizophrenia. The finding is unexpected and may carry interesting implications both for mechanisms and for patient care. Article see p 384 Only 1 subject had the definitive type 1 ECG pattern, and the other 31 had the less specific type 2 to 3 pattern, whose frequency in the general population has not been well established. The authors did examine the prevalence of the Brugada ECG pattern in 2 control groups. In a small group of young healthy population controls, the type 2 to 3 pattern was seen in 2/179 (1.1%) subjects, whereas in a group of older population controls, the prevalence was 28/1168 (2.4%). In the present study, 23 of the 31 patients with the type 2 to 3 pattern consented to provocative testing with ajmaline and 10/23 then displayed the type 1 pattern. Although there was no family or personal history of syncope of cardiac arrest, this finding adds weight to the conclusion that the high prevalence of the pattern seems to be a real finding. There was no type 1 ECG in either control group, and for study design reasons the controls were not accessible for …
Controlled gas environments in industrial fermentations

Abstract The gas environment is of major importance in controlling aerobic fermentation processes for the manufacture of microbial products. Oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in gas-liquid equilibria affect productivity and energy consumption in such processes and appear to be implicated in the regulation of microbial metabolism. Gas-liquid transfer has been intensively studied by many investigators for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, primarily in terms of oxygen-limitation in biomass and product formation. More recentreports show that microbial growth and product formation are affected by levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the gas environment, suggesting that microbial metabolism may be directed towards specific products by the control of such environments. High product concentrations may also be obtained by solid substrate fermentations with mycelial organisms cultured on semi-solid agricultural products at low moisture contents. Such methods are commonly used in the Orient for the manufacture of enzymes and traditional fermented foods and could probably be extended to other microbial products. This review covers fundamental aspects of engineering research in microbial processes that suggest applications for controlled gas environments in submerged culture and solid substrate fermentations of potential industrial interest.
Efficiency and Equity in Natural Resource and Environmental Policy

mental resources has many objectives and wide impact. Taken as a whole, this policy can be neither simply characterized nor appraised. Yet there is fundamental rationale for policy in this area and, in turn, some generalizations can be made regarding the effectiveness of collective action. This discussion represents an effort to discern the order within the full sweep of policy measures in the natural resources and environmental areas and to characterize, from an economic point of view, the impact of these policies. In the first section of the paper, it will be argued that the economic characteristics of natural resource stocks provide the basic rationale for collective action to forestall exploitation of them or to secure economic gains which would otherwise be unrealized. The nature of marketfailure in the use of natural resources will be
Semisimple unified gauge theories of strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions

Unified theories of strong, weak, and electromagnetic interactions, which are based on simple groups, require large unification energies on the order of 10/sup 9/ to 10/sup 1/7 GeV. This paper describes a new type of semisimple model in which the unification occurs at energies as low as 10/sup 3/ GeV. Most gauge models for a group C x F have two coupling constants which cannot be related without destroying renormalizability. In this work a computer is used to look at millions of different models for various C x F and fermion representations. The machine picks out those models which are compatible with the existence of any renormalizable coupling-constant relation at the two-loop level. A small number of such theories is found. In every case the coupling-constant relation is linear and fixes the strengths of the C and F interactions so that they are inversely proportional to the size of the respective groups. Therefore, a semisimple model, which is constructed from a small C group and a large F group, will have a natural hierarchy of interaction strengths. If we embed color SU(3) in C and SU(2) x U(1) in F, this group-theoretical effect can account for much of the observedmore » difference between strong and weak interactions. Because the remaining difference can be explained by a relatively small renormalization effect, the unification energy can be small. We exhibit an SU(3) x O(11) model of this sort, in which the unification energy is 10/sup 3/ or 10/sup 4/ GeV. The theory is in agreement with the usual low-energy phenomenology and particle spectra. As the energy approaches the unification energy from below, many new leptons and O(11) gauge bosons will be produced suddenly. In this model the great strength of the strong interactions can be attributed to the fact that color SU(3) is one of the smallest Lie groups.« less
A comprehensive empirical evaluation of missing value imputation in noisy software measurement data

The handling of missing values is a topic of growing interest in the software quality modeling domain. Data values may be absent from a dataset for numerous reasons, for example, the inability to measure certain attributes. As software engineering datasets are sometimes small in size, discarding observations (or program modules) with incomplete data is usually not desirable. Deleting data from a dataset can result in a significant loss of potentially valuable information. This is especially true when the missing data is located in an attribute that measures the quality of the program module, such as the number of faults observed in the program module during testing and after release. We present a comprehensive experimental analysis of five commonly used imputation techniques. This work also considers three different mechanisms governing the distribution of missing values in a dataset, and examines the impact of noise on the imputation process. To our knowledge, this is the first study to thoroughly evaluate the relationship between data quality and imputation. Further, our work is unique in that it employs a software engineering expert to oversee the evaluation of all of the procedures and to ensure that the results are not inadvertently influenced by poor quality data. Based on a comprehensive set of carefully controlled experiments, we conclude that Bayesian multiple imputation and regression imputation are the most effective techniques, while mean imputation performs extremely poorly. Although a preliminary evaluation has been conducted using Bayesian multiple imputation in the empirical software engineering domain, this is the first work to provide a thorough and detailed analysis of this technique. Our studies also demonstrate conclusively that the presence of noisy data has a dramatic impact on the effectiveness of imputation techniques.
Diagnosis and management of non‐anti‐D red cell antibodies in pregnancy

• Anti-D prophylaxis has reduced the incidence of haemolytic disease of the newborn. • A variety of non-anti-D red cell antibodies can cause a degree of neonatal haemolysis. • The frequency of antibody testing should be individualised. • Management of non-anti-D alloimmunisation should be aimed at minimising perinatal morbidity. Learning objectives: • To understand the causes and risk factors for maternal non-anti-D antibodies. • To learn when to initiate invasive testing in the antenatal period. • To know when to deliver the baby to maximise perinatal outcome. • To learn about which antibodies can cause fetal hydrops and intrauterine haemolysis. Ethical issues: • When is it necessary to perform paternal blood tests to determine red cell antibody status? • When should the mother be delivered in cases where the red cell antibody detected has a weak association with neonatal haemolysis? Please cite this article as: Gajjar K, Spencer C. Diagnosis and management of non-anti-D red cell antibodies in pregnancy. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2009;11:89–95.
Alteration of bronchoalveolar lavage cell populations following bleomycin treatment in mice.

Clinical use of the antitumor antibiotic bleomycin (BLM) is associated with the development of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis. Shortly after acute lung damage caused by intratracheal (it) administration of BLM to experimental animals there is an influx of inflammatory cells which are believed to modulate the process of fibrosis. This study was undertaken to determine that subpopulations of lymphocytes were in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cell population of C57BL/6J mice at various times after a single it dose of BLM and to determine whether BAL T-lymphocytes were activated after BLM treatment. The BAL lymphocyte population was analyzed by differential cell analysis and flow cytometry utilizing monoclonal antibodies specific for lymphocyte subpopulations. The majority of lymphocytes in the BAL of control and BLM-treated mice were T-lymphocytes, with less than 10% being B-cells. During the first 7 days after BLM the number of Lyt-2+ T-cells exceeded L3T4+ T-cells while in control mice the reverse was observed. The percentage of BAL lymphocytes expressing the IL-2 receptor did not change significantly at 3 and 7 days after BLM treatment, but was significantly decreased at Day 14. In contrast, the total number of lymphocytes expressing the IL-2 receptor was increased at all time points investigated. These results demonstrated that the majority of lymphocytes in the BAL were T-cells and that while the percentage of activated lymphocytes did not increase following BLM treatment, the absolute number did and this increased number of activated lymphocytes may be important in the disease process.
The association between self-esteem and anxiety

IN RECENT years, the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and sociology have all experienced an upsurge of interest in the nature of the self-image. The fact that these three fields, differing as they do in their subject matter, research methods, perspectives, and foci of interest, should come to share an interest in this aspect of personality bespeaks, perhaps, the power of this concept to intrude itself upon established ways of thought and procedure. Though each field bears with it the inertia of its distinctive tradition, all have found that the idea of the self-image is, if not central to their concerns, at least relevant to them. The self-image is, of course, a complex concept. In this paper, we will consider one aspect of this concept, viz., the individual’s self-esteem, the degree to which he holds attitudes of acceptance or rejection toward himself. It is one of the peculiarities of the self, as MEAD(~) has noted, that the self is reflexive, that the self is both subject and object, that the judge and the object to be judged are encased within the same skin. Every individual has attitudes towards a multitude of objects in the world, and one of these objects probably the most important is himself. It is this favorable or unfavorable attitude toward oneself that we designate by the term self-esteem. There is ample clinical and theoretical warrant for expecting the individual’s level of selfacceptance to have certain emotional consequences. Some clinicians go so far as to characterize low self-esteem as one of the basic elements of neurosis. HORNEY@) and FROMM@) stress that an underlying feeling of worthlessness is characteristic of the sick personality. A psychotherapist, ANGY,IL@) states: “In the neurotic development there are always a number of unfortunate circumstances which instill in the child a self-derogatory feeling. This involves on the one hand a feeling of weakness which discourages him from the free expression of his wish for mastery, and on the other a feeling that there is something fundamentally wrong with him and that, therefore, he cannot be loved. The whole complicated structure of neurosis appears to be founded on this secret feeling of worthlessness, that is, on the belief that one is inadequate to master the situations that confront him and that he is undeserving of love . . .“. One reason that low self-esteem may be related to certain symptoms of emotional disturbance is that, in MURPHY’S(~) view, the self-image is central to the individual’s value system. “Whatever the self is,” he says, “it becomes a center, an anchorage point, a standard of comparison, an ultimate real. Inevitably, it takes its place as a supreme value . . . . To most
Management of non-giant cell arteritis disease of the superficial temporal artery

Non-giant cell arteritis disease of the superficial temporal artery (STA) is rare, appearing only as case reports in the literature. There were nine patients with STA pathology. STA aneurysm (n = 1), pseudoaneurysm (n = 4), thrombosis (n = 1), and arteriovenous malformation (n = 3). Four patients had ligation and excision, three had percutaneous interventions and one had a combination of both. All patients had immediate technical success and eight of the nine total patients had follow-up. We present a variety of ways to approach these unusual pathologies with percutaneous and open techniques demonstrating very good early outcome.
Teacher and Classroom Characteristics Associated With Teachers' Ratings of Prekindergartners' Relationships and Behaviors.

Teachers’ ratings of children’s competencies may in part reflect characteristics and perspectives of teachers who assigned the ratings, which compromises their validity as a measure of child attributes. The purposes of this study were to use multilevel modeling to (a) estimate between-rater variance in teachers’ ratings of children’s social behaviors and relationships with teachers and (b) examine characteristics of teachers and classrooms associated with teachers’ perceptions of these social competencies. Ratings of 711 children completed by 210 prekindergarten teachers indicated that between 15% and 33% of the total variance in teachers’ ratings was attributed to mean differences between raters. After controlling for characteristics of children and their families, teachers’ ratings of positive relationships and behaviors were associated with fewer years of experience, higher self-efficacy, non-White race/ethnicity, shorter length programs, better child-teacher ratios, and programs located within school ...
Satellite cells express distinct patterns of myogenic proteins in immature skeletal muscle

Satellite cells are the myogenic cells lying between the myofiber sarcolemma and basal lamina. The objective of this study was to determine the expression patterns of MyoD, myogenin, and Pax7 within the satellite cell population in the growing rat soleus and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles. Secondly, the expression of the myogenic markers was also studied within the interstitial cell compartment and myonuclei. It was discovered that the soleus contained a higher number of Pax7, MyoD, or myogenin-positive nuclei compared with the EDL. Similarly, myogenin was expressed at a lower level in the myonuclei of the soleus compared with the EDL, and myogenin was expressed at a higher level in the interstitial compartment of the soleus compared with the EDL. When interstitial nuclei, myonuclei, and double-labeled nuclei were used in the estimate of the satellite cell population, it was discovered that approximately of 13% of the myofibers in a transverse section of the soleus muscle and 4.1% of EDL myofibers exhibit a labeled satellite cell nucleus. Overall, results from this study suggest that expression patterns of these markers vary predictably among muscles with different growth dynamics and phenotypic characteristics.
Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) Approach to Design of Novel Microstructures for Ti-Alloys

In this overview, we present integrated CAPHAD and phase-field modeling with critical experiments to explore a newly discovered, nonconventional, solid–solid phase transformation pathway based on the so-called pseudo-spinodal mechanism. We show that this new transformation pathway offers a new design strategy for Ti alloys with extremely fine and uniform α + β microstructures that could potentially have highly attractive balances of mechanical properties. To broaden the processing window for such a mechanism to operate, we also explore a different nonconventional transformation pathway that involves precursory phase separation. In addition, the variant selection process during the β → α transformation leading to macrozones is investigated and the results could shed light on how to control processing conditions to avoid or reduce microtexture at both the individual β grain level and the overall polycrystalline sample level.
Solitary Play and Convergent and Divergent Thinking Skills in Preschool Children.

This study examined the relationship between multiple forms of solitary play (solitary-active, solitary-passive, reticence) and convergent and divergent thinking. Seventy-two children (42 boys, 30 girls, M age=4.5 years) were observed and social and cognitive play, types and use of materials were recorded. All children were administered the Thinking Creatively in Action and Movement Test (TCAM) (Torrance, 1981) to assess divergent thinking and the PPVT test and the Picture Completion subtest (WISC-R) to measure convergent thinking. Reticent behavior was more strongly negatively associated with convergent and divergent thinking than either solitary-active or solitary-passive play, whereas solitary-active play was more strongly positively related to divergent thinking. Associations between types of materials (open-, closed-ended) and use (intended, nonintended ways) and (a) types of solitary players and (b) thinking skills were investigated. Findings are discussed in terms of recent theoretical advances in understanding types of solitary activity and links with thinking skills. Practical recommendations are advanced for supporting solitary play in the early childhood classroom.
EFFECT OF HIGH MELANOPHORE HORMONE FRACTIONS ON TYROSINE AND DOPA OXIDATION1,2,3

THE INFORMATION concerning the role of the melanophore hormone of the pituitary body in higher animals is meager. Most of the studies with this hormone have been performed with lower animals in which the interest has centered around the action of the hormone on the melanophore and related cells of the dermis (1). The purpose of the present studies was an attempt to correlate melanc phore hormone activity with melanin formation, and through these studies it was hoped to gain some insight into the possible role of this hormone in higher animals. Teague (2) has given a concise review of this hormone, and further information may be obtained from other sources (3). Hence, references will be made only to the literature appertaining to the present investigation. One of the best known processes of melanin formation is from tyrosine through the action of tyrosinase.
Aldehyde Functionalized Cellulose Support for Hydrogels

Activated cellulose carrying aldehyde (CHO) and acylchloride (COCl) reactive sites was created by reacting cellulose with dialdehydes, i.e., polyethylene glycol (PEG) diacylchloride and glutaraldehyde (GA), to yield Cell-PEG-COCl and Cell-CHO, respectively. Cellu- lose fibers and microcrystalline cellulose were readily esterified by PEG diacylchloride to form Cell-PEG-COCl to reach as high as 0.24 to 0.37 mmol aceylchloride per gram cellulose, respectively. The generation of free COOH from PEG diacylchloride reactions was optimized at the lower COCl/OH ratio, where the tendency to half- ester formation was more prevalent than to diesters. Reactions with 8 and 16% GA, generated 0.83 to 1.26 lmol free aldehyde per gram of cellulose, respectively. The reactivity of the aldehyde groups toward poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydroxyl was robust, generating cellulose fiber supported PVA hydrogels that could swell up to 62 times. These reactions have shown to be highly effective to create aldehyde functionalized cellulose and demon- strated a simple, yet viable way to support PVA hydro- gels for superior swelling and improved mechanical stability. V C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 118: 2489-2495, 2010
Needle-free interstitial fluid acquisition using a lorentz-force actuated jet injector

The feasibility of a new method of quickly acquiring interstitial fluid (ISF) samples using a Lorentz-force actuated needle-free jet injector is demonstrated on ex vivo porcine tissue. The jet injector is used to first inject a small volume of physiological saline to breach the skin, and the back-drivability of the actuator is utilized to create a vacuum in the ampoule and collect ISF. Injection and extraction parameters are tested and optimized for minimal acquired sample dilution and extracted volume consistency. Using this method, we are able to collect a sample that contains up to 3.5% ISF in 3.1 s.
Limitations on power-transfer efficiency in three-guide optical couplers

The eigenvalue equations for a slab three-guide coupler were solved and the power-transfer efficiency was calculated when the coupler is used as 1) a power divider and 2) to transfer power from one outside guide to another. In the first case, two modes take part in the power transfer, and unless the guides are very tightly coupled, periodic beats with high power transfer are obtained at multiples of the coupling length as in a two-guide coupler. In the second case, three modes take part in the power transfer, and periodic beats and high power-transfer efficiency can only be obtained if the propagation velocities of the three modes are related to each other in a simple way. This condition will occur only if the guides of a three-guide coupler made up of identical guides are much more loosely coupled than guides generally used in a two-guide coupler.
Prospects for expanding health insurance coverage.

It should be a no-brainer. Every citizen of the most prosperous nation in the world should have basic health insurance. Yet lack of health insurance remains one of the most glaring examples of how the United States differs from other countries.1,2 Despite a robust economy, the number of uninsured nonelderly persons increased steadily in the 1990s, reaching 43.9 million in 1998 before dropping slightly in 1999, to 42.1 million (Figure 1).3 This welcome decline in the number of uninsured persons, however, offers no guarantee that the overall trend has changed. Health care costs and insurance premiums are once again . . .
Mutationen in Mitochondrien verkürzen das Leben

Ein Phanomen des Alterns ist die Zunahme an Mutationen in der zellularen DNA, insbesondere der DNA in den Mitochondrien. Bisher war unklar, ob diese phanotypische Beobachtung Ursache oder Wirkung ist. Aktuelle Forschungsergebnisse zeigen, dass eine erhohte Mutationsrate in den Mitochondrien die vielen verschiedenen Merkmale des Alterungsprozesses zumindest bei Mausen auslosen kann.
A Rapid Method for Evaluating the Necessity for Both a Behavioral Intervention and Methylphenidate.

We examined the effects of a behavioral intervention and methylphenidate (MPH) on inappropriate behavior and sleep disturbance displayed by a 6-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results showed that the behavioral intervention was effective in reducing inappropriate behaviors to near-zero levels regardless of the presence or absence of MPH.
Aberrant expression of B-lymphocyte stimulator by B chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells: a mechanism for survival.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is defined by the accumulation of CD5+ B cells in the periphery and bone marrow. This disease is not characterized by highly proliferative cells but rather by the presence of leukemic cells with significant resistance to apoptosis and, therefore, prolonged survival. B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) is a newly identified tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family member shown to be critical for maintenance of normal B-cell development and homeostasis and it shares significant homology with another TNF superfamily member, APRIL. The striking effects of BLyS on normal B-cell maintenance and survival raises the possibility that it may be involved in pathogenesis and maintenance of hematologic malignancies, including B-CLL. In this study, we investigated the status of APRIL and BLyS expression, as well as their receptors, in this disease. All B-CLL patient cells studied expressed one or more of 3 known receptors for BLyS; however, the pattern of expression was variable. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time that B-CLL cells from a subset of patients aberrantly express BLyS and APRIL mRNA, whereas these molecules were not detectable in normal B cells. Furthermore, we provide in vitro evidence that BLyS protects B-CLL cells from apoptosis and enhances cell survival. Because these molecules are key regulators of B-cell homeostasis and tumor progression, leukemic cell autocrine expression of BLyS and APRIL may be playing an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Mitigated Scepticism and the Absurd

L'A. presente le scepticisme de Hume tel qu'il emerge de son epistemologie dans « Treatise of Human Nature » et le compare a la conception de l'absurde de Camus
Endoscopic fluorescence mapping of the left atrium: a novel experimental approach for high resolution endocardial mapping in the intact heart.

Background Despite the availability of several mapping technologies for investigating the electrophysiologic mechanisms of atrial fibrillation (AF), an experimental tool enabling high-resolution mapping of electrical impulses on the endocardial surface of the intact left atrium is lacking. Objective The purpose of this report is to present a new optical mapping approach implementing a steerable cardio-endoscope in isolated hearts. Methods The system consists of a direct or side-view endoscope coupled to a 532-nm excitation laser for illumination and a CCD camera for imaging of potentiometric dye fluorescence (di-4-ANEPPS, 80 × 80 pixels, 200–800 frames/s). The cardio-endoscope was aimed successively at diverse posterior left atrial locations to obtain high-resolution movies of electrical wave propagation and detailed endocardial anatomic features in the presence and absence of atrial stretch. Results We present several examples of high-resolution endoscopic posterior left atrial recordings of wave propagation patterns during both sinus rhythm and AF with signal-to-noise ratio similar to conventional optical mapping systems. We demonstrate the endoscope's ability to visualize highly organized AF sources (rotors) at specific locations on the posterior left atrium and posterior left atrium–pulmonary vein junctions. We present video images of waves emanating from such sources as they propagate into pectinate muscles in the left atrial appendage. In particular, we demonstrate this approach is ideally suited for studying the effects of atrial stretch on AF dynamics. Conclusion In isolated hearts, cardio-endoscopic optical mapping of electrical activity should enable comprehensive evaluation of AF activity in the posterior left atrium, the role of local anatomy on AF dynamics, and the efficacy of pharmacologic and ablative interventions.
Modelling Strengthening Mechanisms in Solids Using Dislocation Dynamics

The mechanical properties of crystalline solids are inherently a function of their microstructure which in turn is governed by processing of the material. Although advances in understanding the structure-property relationships have been achieved, more basic research to expand the knowledge base is certainly needed. Recent work on exploring the strengthening effect of particles and grain-boundaries in a crystalline solid, using the fundamental approach of dislocation dynamics, is presented. Whenever appropriate, comparisons to experimental findings or theoretical models are made. The work demonstrates the power and limitations of such simulation methodology. In particular some basic physics of the interaction between dislocations and these microstructural features are revealed.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Simple raman instrument for in vivo detection of macular pigments

Raman spectroscopy holds promise as a novel noninvasive technology for the quantification of the macular pigments (MP) lutein and zeaxanthin. These compounds, which are members of the carotenoid family, are thought to prevent or delay the onset of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly. It is highly likely that they achieve this protection through their function as optical filters and/or antioxidants. Using resonant excitation in the visible region, we measure and quantify the Raman signals that originate from the carbon double bond (C=C) stretch vibrations of the π-conjugated molecule backbone. In this manuscript we describe the construction and performance of a novel compact MP Raman instrument utilizing dielectric angle-tuned band-pass filters for wavelength selection and a single-channel photo-multiplier for the detection of MP Raman responses. MP concentration measurements are fast and accurate, as seen in our experiments with model eyes and living human eyes. The ease and rapidity of Raman MP measurements, the simplicity of the instrumentation, the high accuracy of the measurements, and the lack of significant systematic errors should make this technology attractive for widespread clinical research.
Hypospadias repair in children: Review of 250 cases

Experience with 250 cases of hypospadias over the 6-year period 1986–1992 at the Athen's Childrens Hospital Aghia Sophia is presented. A successful outcome was seen in 87%, 13% developed complications, most of which were urethral fistulae. The operative techniques and methods of treating the fistulae are described. Patients received treatment in the preschool age group in one or two stages, depending on the method used and the presence or absence of chordee. The goals of the urethroplastic operation, penile straightening and the formation of a new urethra to permit normal urination with a wide range, were accomplished in the majority of cases.
A Direct Synthesis of Vinylic Phosphonates from Vinylic Halides

Abstract Approaches to the formation of vinylic phosphonates through direct replacement of a vinylic halide by phosphorus have received considerable attention. With the exception of α,β-unsaturated systems1,2 attempts involving simple Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction conditions (heating, trivalent phosphorus ester) have failed.3–5 Other efforts involving transition metal salts as catalysts have found greater, but still quite limited success.6–8
Scenario-Building for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

In May 2010, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) established a Strategic Sciences Working Group (SSWG) to assess how the Deepwater Horizon (DH) oil spill may impact the ecology, economy, and people of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). It included scientists from diverse disciplines and federal, academic, and nongovernmental organizations. The SSWG was not to conduct a scientific investigation, but to provide rapid scientific assessment of potential consequences of the spill that could provide usable knowledge to decision-makers.