cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
O+, O2+, O3+ and O4+ ions in ArO2 sputtering discharges: comments on “Oxidation mechanism in rf CO2 plasma”, Vacuum, 36, 85 (1986)

Abstract In this communication, we comment on a recent paper, ‘Oxidation mechanism in rf CO 2 plasma,’ by J Nakano and M Suzuki, Vacuum 36 , 85 (1986). Our comments concern (1) the occurrence of O + , O 2 + , O 3 + , and O 4 + species in 10 −10 torr, rf-excited, Ar/O 2 glow discharges and (2) ArO 2 interaction in Ar/O 2 glow discharges.
Thick myofilaments in contracted and relaxed mammalian smooth muscle cells.

Abstract Strips of Taenia coli from guinea pigs were incubated under physiological conditions in an organ bath. Contractile activity was monitored with an isometric force transducer and resting tension was adjusted with a micrometer drive. Strips in different functional states were fixed for subsequent examination in the electron microscope by the addition of glutaraldehyde to the organ bath. The density-distribution of thick myofilament profiles was obtained for relaxed and contracted strips. Thich myofilaments appear to be present in equal numbers in cells of spontaneously active, relaxed, and contracted strips.
SRCircumventing imatinib resistance

The ABL inhibitor imatinib is a highly effective therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Relapses after an initial response have been observed in some patients, and mutations of the BCR-ABL gene are the most common mechanism driving these relapses. Alternative ABL inhibitors have been identified that inhibit most of the common BCR-ABL mutations, and one has entered clinical trials. The structural basis for these results has yielded significant insights into the mechanism of action of these compounds, mechanisms of resistance, and their ability to inhibit the BCR-ABL mutants. These studies demonstrate the importance and impact of conducting scientific studies as part of clinical trials.
Qualification and validation of software and computer systems in laboratories

Software and computer systems are tested during all development phases. The user requirements and functional specifications documents are reviewed by programmers and typical anticipated users. The design specifications are reviewed by peers in one to two day sessions and the source code is inspected by peers, if necessary. Finally, the function and performance of the system is tested by typical anticipated users outside the development department in a real laboratory environment. All development phases including test activities and the final release follow a well-documented procedure.
Boundary effects in transverse spin dynamics of low temperature quantum gases

Abstract We report the effects of boundary scattering by rough non-magnetic walls and exchange with adsorbed particles on spin dynamics of spin-polarized quantum gases. We derived a boundary condition with parameters expressed via the microscopic characteristics of the walls.
Metabolic regulation of aldose reductase activity by nitric oxide donors

Regulation of aldose reductase (AR), a member of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily, by nitric oxide (NO) donors was examined. Incubation of human recombinant AR with S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) led to inactivation of the enzyme and the formation of an AR-glutathione adduct. In contrast, incubation with S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP) or N-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-SNAP (GlycoSNAP) led to an increase in enzyme activity which was accompanied by the direct nitrosation of the enzyme and the formation of a mixed disulfide with the NO-donor. To examine in vivo modification, red blood cells (RBC) and rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) were incubated with 1 mM GSNO or SNAP. Exposure of VSMC to SNAP and GSNO for 2 h at 37 degrees C led to approximately 71% decrease in the enzyme activity with DL-glyceraldehyde as the substrate. Similarly, exposure of RBC in 5 mM glucose to NO-donors for 30 min at room temperature, followed by increasing the glucose concentration to 40 mM, resulted in >75% decrease in the formation of sorbitol. These investigations indicate that NO and/or its bioactive metabolites can regulate cellular AR, leading to either activation (by nitrosation) or inactivation (by S-thiolation).
The Role of Mast Cells in Asthma

Mast cells store or generate a number of substances, such as histamine, leukotrienes, specific chemotactic factors, and proteases, which have potent inflammatory effects. Mast cells are present in mammalian lung in the bronchial wall, in the epithelium itself, and in airway lumens. Evidence implicating mast cells in the induction of airway muscle constriction and mucosal inflammation includes direct studies of mast cell secretion, measurement of histamine release, and inhibition of asthmatic reactions with antihistamines and with the inhibitor of mast cell degranulation, sodium cromoglycate. Definitive evaluation of the role of the mast cell in asthma remains elusive, in part because of the general hyperactivity of airway smooth muscle in asthmatics.
Changing roles of afghan refugee women in the United States

Refugee women face many challenges, such as traumatic flight, loss of family members and property, and dramatic cultural differences in the country of resettlement. We examined the adjustment issues and role changes of Afghan women refugees in northern California. Afghans comprise the largest refugee population in the world, and continuing political turmoil prevents most Afghans in the United States from returning home. Data are presented from interviews with 32 Afghan women. These interviews were conducted as part of a larger ethnographic study that included participant observation and interviews with 90 Afghans and the American health and social service providers who worked with them. Although similar issues were expressed by most Afghan women, generation influenced the experience of such issues. The elderly suffer from social isolation and lack of respect; the middle generation shoulders the triple burden of housewife, employee, and mediator between children and spouse; and young and single women face culture conflict and the lack of appropriate mates.
Solitary Pulmonary Nodules: CT-Bronchoscopic Correlation

The possible contribution of computed tomography (CT) in the management of patients with solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) or masses was reviewed retrospectively in 65 patients undergoing fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB). Nodules were evaluated by size, location, surface contour, and the presence in cross-section of a bronchus leading to or contained within the nodule or mass, a "positive bronchus sign." Thirty-five lesions were associated with a positive bronchus sign; 21 of 35 (60 percent) were diagnosed endoscopically, (p = .027); of 30 cases with a negative bronchus sign, only ten (30 percent) had a diagnosis made by FOB (p = .034). It is concluded that CT may be of use in the routine evaluation of pulmonary nodules, prior to bronchoscopy, especially in cases for which histologic evaluation is essential, especially to determine the presence or absence of a CT bronchus sign.
Coordinate systems and lunar observing station positions

Satellite geodesy has yielded the locations of more than fifty stations in a single coordinate system referred to the Earth's center of mass with accuracies in the five to ten meter range. The following different methods have been used at Goddard to accomplish this.
Boiling flow through a rod-bundle channel: steady states and dynamic instabilities

Abstract Steady state and dynamic instability experiments were performed at low mass velocities in a Refrigerant-113 boiling flow rig featuring a vertical electrically heated 16 rod-bundle channel. The important nondimensional parameters associated with a typical 64-rod boiling water nuclear reactor fuel assembly were matched with the exception of the Froude number. Measurements at steady states include the transverse distributions of vapor fraction and fluid temperature at two axial locations along the rod-bundle channel. The evolution of dynamic instability in the channel was studied by examining the energy spectrum of the inlet flow rate variation. The instabilities were found to be of the quasiperiodic oscillation kind. A limited parametric study of the highest energy oscillation state was carried out.
Direct effects of ethanol on bone resorption and formation in vitro

In vitro studies indicate that low concentrations of ethanol can have direct effects on bone formation and resorption. Bone resorption was increased when embryonic chick tibiae were exposed to ethanol at 0.03-0.3% (v/v), and bone formation was inhibited when tibiae were exposed to 0.2% ethanol in the presence of NaF or parathyroid hormone (P less than 0.01 for each). Ethanol also had direct effects on isolated bone cells in vitro, increasing both cAMP and PGE2 production (P less than 0.001 for each), and affecting cell proliferation in a biphasic, time- and dose-dependent manner. After 24 h of exposure, 0.03% ethanol increased bone cell proliferation (P less than 0.001), but 0.3% ethanol was inhibitory (P less than 0.01). Paradoxically, mitogenic doses of ethanol prevented the effects of two other mitogens, NaF and human skeletal growth factor, to increase bone cell proliferation (P less than 0.001). But how were these effects produced? Several observations suggest that these direct effects of ethanol on skeletal tissues in vitro were mediated by changes in bone cell membrane fluidity. (a) Dimethyl sulfoxide, ethylene glycol, and lecithin, which act, like ethanol, to increase membrane fluidity, mimicked the effects of ethanol on bone cell proliferation. Dimethyl sulfoxide also mimicked the effect of ethanol to increase cAMP (P less than 0.001). (b) Cholesterol, which decreases cell membrane fluidity, acted oppositely to ethanol and enhanced the mitogenic response to human skeletal growth factor (P less than 0.001). (c) Preincubation of calvarial cells with ethanol or with cholesterol altered the in situ reaction kinetics of the membrane-bound enzyme, alkaline phosphatase. Together, these data demonstrate that ethanol has direct effects on skeletal tissue in vitro, and suggest that those effects may be secondary to changes in bone cell membrane fluidity.
Satellite Remote Sensing Missions for Monitoring Water, Carbon, and Global Climate Change [Scanning the Issue]

This special issue covers recent and future Earth observing satellites including the purpose of each mission, technology of the measurements, modeling of the physics and data, image and signal processing.
Enhancement of the gluconeogenic flux of hepatic glycogen repletion by a phenacyl imidazolium compound in vivo.

The effect of a phenacyl imidazolium compound (LY177507 or Proglycosyn, Eli Lilly) on the direct (glucose→glucose-6-phosphate→glycogen) and indirect (three-carbon compounds→glucose-6-phosphate→glycogen) pathways of liver glycogen synthesis was studied in conscious rats. [1-13C]Glucose (99% enriched) was infused intraduodenally into chronically catheterized Proglycosyn-treated (n=7) and saline-treated (n=7) rats for 120 min. Net hepatic glycogen synthetic rates were increased twofold in drug-treated rats compared with saline-treated controls. The percentage of liver glycogen synthesized by the direct pathway was calculated by comparing the13C isotopic enrichment in the C1 and C6 positions of hepatic glycogen and plasma glucose using13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy techniques and was found to be 59±5% and 39±2% (P<0.05) in the saline treated and Proglycosyn-treated groups, respectively. Net flux rates for the direct and indirect pathways were calculated to be 0.24±0.04 and 0.17±0.03 μmol/g liver per min, respectively, in the saline-treated group and 0.30±0.04 (P=NS) and 0.46±0.06 (P<0.05) μmol/g liver per min, respectively, in the Proglycosyn-treated group. Thus, Proglycosyn increases net hepatic glycogen synthesis in vivo exclusively through augmentation of the indirect pathway.
Reconstruction of stenotic or occluded iliofemoral veins and inferior vena cava using intravascular stents: re-establishing access for future cardiac catheterization and cardiac surgery.

Abstract OBJECTIVES The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of stent reconstruction of stenotic/occluded iliofemoral veins (IFV) and inferior vena cava (IVC). BACKGROUND Patients with congenital heart defects and stenotic or occluded IFV/IVC may encounter femoral venous access problems during future cardiac surgeries or catheterizations. METHODS Twenty-four patients (median age 4.9 years) underwent implantation of 85 stents in 22 IFV and 6 IVC. Fifteen vessels were severely stenotic and 13 were completely occluded. Although guide wires were easily passed across the stenotic vessels, occluded vessels required puncture through the thrombosed sites using a stiff wire or transseptal needle. Once traversed, the occluded site was dilated serially prior to stent implantation. RESULTS Following stent placement, the mean vessel diameter increased from 0.9 ± 1.6 to 7.4 ± 2.6 mm (p CONCLUSIONS Stenotic/obstructed IFV and IVC may be reconstructed using stents to re-establish venous access to the heart for future cardiac catheterization and/or surgeries.
Surface cooling of scramjet engine inlets using heat pipe, transpiration, and film cooling

This article reports the results of applying a finite-difference-based computational technique to the problem of predicting the transient thermal behavior of a scramjet engine inlet exposed to a typical hypersonic flight aerodynamic surface heating environment, including type IV shock interference heating. The leading-edge cooling model utilized incorporates liquid metal heat pipe cooling with surface transpiration and film cooling. Results include transient structural temperature distributions, aerodynamic heat inputs, and surface coolant distributions. It seems that these cooling techniques may be used to hold maximum skin temperatures to near acceptable values during the severe aerodynamic and type IV shock interference heating effects expected on the leading edge of a hypersonic aerospace vehicle scramjet engine. 15 refs.
Pharmacologic intervention in cardiovascular nuclear medicine procedures

Relevant questions in ischemic heart disease are (1) What is the ischemic threat? (2) What is the extent of ventricular dysfunction? (3) Is the observed dysfunction reversible? Exercise testing can help to identify the ischemic threat. Catheterization studies have shown that resting ventricular dysfunction can be reversed in some patients through pharmacologic or surgical intervention. However, improved ventricular performance in ischemic heart disease may be achieved through a variety of mechanisms. Insight into all components of cardiac performance (regional and global contractility, preload, afterload, and heart rate) and myocardial perfusion may be required to adequately describe the influence of intervention. Exercise radionuclide ventriculographic studies have demonstrated that stress-induced ventricular dysfunction can be reversed through surgical and pharmacologic intervention. Studies at rest have demonstrated that radionuclide techniques can detect drug-induced changes in ventricular performance in groups of patients. The challenge to cardiovascular nuclear medicine is the prospective identification of patients who would benefit most from aggressive intervention aimed at preventing or reversing ischemic ventricular dysfunction.
Localization, molecular weight and immunoglobulin subclass response to Aspergillus fumigatus allergens in acute bronchopulmonary aspergillosis.

A specimen of Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from a patient with acute bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Cultures were allowed to propagate and were separated into spores a
Major Computer Science Challenges At Exascale

Exascale systems will provide an unprecedented opportunity for science, one that will make it possible to use computation not only as a critical tool along with theory and experiment in understanding the behavior of the fundamental components of nature, but also for critical advances for the nationâs energy needs and security. To create exascale systems and software that will enable the US Department of Energy (DOE) to meet the science goals critical to the nationâs energy, ecological sustainability, and global security, we must focus on major architecture, software, algorithm, and data challenges, and build on newly emerging programming environments. Only with this new infrastructure will applications be able to scale up to the required levels of parallelism and integrate technologies into complex coupled systems for real-world multidisciplinary modeling and simulation. Achieving this goal will likely involve a shift from current static approaches for application development and execution to a combination of new software tools, algorithms, and dynamically adaptive methods.
Methodologies used to analyze collision experience associated with speed limit changes on selected California highways

Three methodologies are used and compared to determine whether there has been a statistically significant change in traffic collisions (total, fatal, fatal plus injury, wet pavement, and nighttime) due to recent speed limit increases on California state highways. The three methods compared were simple regression, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and an observational before-after study developed by Ezra Hauer. Both collision counts and rates were studied for early 1996 speed limit increases from 55 to 65 mph, and from 65 to 70 mph. A comparison group of highways that remained at 55 mph was also studied. The simple regression methodology did not detect nearly as many statistically significant increases as did the ANOVA and Hauer observational before-after methodologies. The latter two methods revealed very similar results, especially for statistically significant increases in total and fatal collision rates and counts. These methodologies also revealed a significant increase in nighttime collisions for the 55-65 mph group. The difference was that the observational method detected only a marginally significant increase with total collisions for the 65-70 mph group. Also, the ANOVA indicated that the fatality collision rate increase for the 65-70 mph group was marginally significant.
Patterns of microbial diversity along a salinity gradient in the Guerrero Negro solar saltern, Baja CA Sur, Mexico.

The goal of this study was to use environmental sequencing of 16S rRNA and bop genes to compare the diversity of planktonic bacteria and archaea across ponds with increasing salinity in the Exportadora de Sal (ESSA) evaporative saltern in Guerrero Negro, Baja CA S., Mexico. We hypothesized that diverse communities of heterotrophic bacteria and archaea would be found in the ESSA ponds, but that bacterial diversity would decrease relative to archaea at the highest salinities. Archaeal 16S rRNA diversity was higher in Ponds 11 and 12 (370 & 380 g l-1 total salts respectively) compared to Pond 9 (180 g l-1 total salts). Both Pond 11 and 12 communities had high representation (47 and 45% of clones respectively) by Haloquadratum walsbyi-like (99% similarity) lineages. The archaeal community in Pond 9 was dominated (79%) by a single uncultured phylotype with 99% similarity to sequences recovered from the Sfax saltern in Tunisia. This pattern was mirrored in bop gene diversity with greater numbers of highly supported phylotypes including many Haloquadratum-like sequences from the two highest salinity ponds. In Pond 9, most bop sequences, were not closely related to sequences in databases. Bacterial 16S rRNA diversity was higher than archaeal in both Pond 9 and Pond 12 samples, but not Pond 11, where a non-Salinibacter lineage within the Bacteroidetes >98% similar to environmental clones recovered from Lake Tuz in Turkey and a saltern in Chula Vista, CA was most abundant (69% of community). This OTU was also the most abundant in Pond 12, but only represented 14% of clones in the more diverse pond. The most abundant OTU in Pond 9 (33% of community) was 99% similar to an uncultured gammaproteobacterial clone from the Salton Sea. Results suggest that the communities of saltern bacteria and archaea vary even in ponds with similar salinity and further investigation into the ecology of diverse, uncultured halophile communities is warranted.
The Rise and Fall of Arm's Length: A Study in the Evolution of U.S. International Taxation

A revised and updated version of the 1995 article (Va. Tax Review) on the evolution of US transfer pricing rules.
Maximum minimum reflectance of parallel-polarized light at interfaces between transparent and absorbing media

The pseudo-Brewster angle ϕpB, of minimum reflectance ℛpm for the parallel (p) polarization, of an interface between a transparent and an absorbing medium is determined by Im{(∊ − u)[1 − (1 + ∊−1)u]2} = 0, where ∊ is the complex ratio of dielectric constants of the media and u = sin2ϕpB. It is shown that, for a given value of the normal-incidence amplitude reflectance |r|, there is an associated normal-incidence phase shift, δ = δmm, that leads to maximum minimum parallel reflectance, ℛpmm. We determine δmm, ℛpmm, ϕpBmm as functions of |r|. We find that, as |r| increases from 0 to 1, δmm decreases from 90° to 0, ℛpmm/|r|2 increases from 0 to 1, and the associated ϕpBmm decreases from 45° to 0, all monotonically.
Bactericidal Activity of the Nitroimidazopyran PA-824 in a Murine Model of Tuberculosis

The nitroimidazopyran PA-824 has potent in vitro activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a narrow spectrum of activity limited primarily to the M. tuberculosis complex, and no demonstrable cross-resistance to a variety of antituberculosis drugs. In a series of experiments, we sequentially characterized the activity of PA-824 in an experimental murine model of tuberculosis. The minimal effective dose was 12.5 mg/kg of body weight/day. The minimal bactericidal dose (MBD) was 100 mg/kg/day. When PA-824 was used as monotherapy at the MBD, it exhibited promising bactericidal activity during the initial intensive phase of therapy that was similar to that of the equipotent dose of isoniazid in humans. In combination with isoniazid, PA-824 prevented the selection of isoniazid-resistant mutants. Perhaps more importantly, PA-824 also demonstrated potent activity during the continuation phase of therapy, during which it targeted bacilli that had persisted through an initial 2-month intensive phase of treatment with rifampin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide. Together, these data strongly support further evaluation of PA-824 in combination with first- or second-line antituberculosis drugs to determine its potential contribution to the treatment of drug-susceptible or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, respectively.
Product Line Design with Component Commonality and Cost-Reduction Effort

Market pressure for low prices paired with customer demand for high product variety presents a considerable dilemma for many manufacturers. Industry practice and research to date suggest that approaches based on component commonality can substantially lower the costs of proliferated product lines, but at the cost of reducing product differentiation and revenues. We analyze a stylized model of a manufacturer who designs a product line consisting of two products for sale to two market segments with different valuations of quality. The manufacturer determines the component quality levels, the amount of effort to reduce production costs, and whether to use common or different components for the two products. Explicitly considering potential interdependencies between cost-reduction effort and quality decisions, we characterize environments where the optimal product line involving component commonality features products of higher quality and yields higher revenues. Counter to earlier research we show that it can be preferable to make those components common that, relative to their production cost, are attributed a higher importance by customers. Disregarding the interactions between commonality, production cost, quality, and effort decisions can lead manufacturers to offer product lines with excessive differentiation and inefficiently low quality.
Analytic model of rotational wave packet excitation with arbitrary pump polarization in the impulsive limit

An analytic model for non-resonant rotational wave packet excitation in linear molecules by intense ultrafast elliptically polarized laser pulses in the impulsive limit is presented.
Potential remediation of 137Cs and 90Sr contaminated soil by accumulation in Alamo switchgrass

Cesium-137 (137Cs) and Strontium-90 (90Sr) are radionuclides characteristic of nuclear fallout from nuclear weapons testing and nuclear reactor accidents. Alamo switchgrass (Panicum virginatum L.) is a perennial C4 species native to central North America that produces exceptionally high biomass yields in short periods of time. In three separate experiments, Alamo switchgrass plants were tested for their ability to accumulate 137 Cs and90 Sr from a contaminated growth medium. Plants in experiment 1 were grown in 33 × 20 × 7 cm plastic pans containing 2.5 kg sand. Plants in experiments 2 and 3 were grown in 30 × 3 cm diameter test tubes containing 0.3 kg growth medium. After 3 months of plant growth, either 102 Bq 137Cs or 73 Bq90 Sr g−1 soil were added to the growth medium. Plants in all three experiments were grown within a greenhouse that was maintained at 22 ± 2 °C with a photosynthetic active radiation of 400–700 µmol m−2 s−1 and a 14–16 h photoperiod. Above-ground plant biomass did not differ between plants that were not exposed to these radionuclides (controls) and those that were exposed to growth medium containing 137Cs or90 Sr over the course of the experiment. Plants accumulated 44 and 36% of the total amount of 90Sr and137 Cs added to growth medium after the first 5 harvests. After the first two harvests, the concentration of 137Cs and90 Sr in plant tissue and the amount of 137Cs or90 Sr removed from growth medium declined with each successive harvest. Duration of exposure correlated curvilinearly with accumulation of both 90Sr and 137Cs by plants (r2 = 0.95 and 0.78, respectively). As concentration of both 137Cs and 90Sr in growth medium increased, plant accumulation of both radionuclides increased and correlated curvilinearly in seedlings (r2 = 0.83 and 0.89 respectively).
DAILY VARIATIONS OF MARROW AND SPLENIC ERYTHROPOIESIS, PINNA EPIDERMAL CELL MITOSIS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN C57Bl/6J MICE

Regular daily fluctuations in spontaneous physical activity and in the mitotic indices of marrow and splenic erythroid elements and pinna cells, were observed. Both male and female C57Bl/6J mice showed these rhythms. Of particular interest was the finding that the spleen and the marrow mitotic activity showed a reciprocal relationship. The role of several hormones and the biological clock in control of these rhythms are discussed.
Coupling of bacterial endosymbiont and host mitochondrial genomes in the hydrothermal vent clam Calyptogena magnifica.

Received 20 September 2002/Accepted 19 December 2002 The hydrothermal vent clam Calyptogena magnifica (Bivalvia: Vesicomyidae) depends for its nutrition on sulfur-oxidizing symbiotic bacteria housed in its gill tissues. This symbiont is transmitted vertically between generations via the clam’s eggs; however, it remains uncertain whether occasionally symbionts are horizontally transmitted or acquired from the environment. If symbionts are transmitted strictly vertically through the egg cytoplasm, inheritance of symbiont lineages should behave as if coupled to the host’s maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA. This coupling would be obscured, however, with low rates of horizontal or environmental transfers, the equivalent of recombination between host lineages. Population genetic analyses of C. magnifica clams and associated symbionts from eastern Pacific hydrothermal vents clearly supported the hypothesis of strictly maternal cotransmission. Host mitochondrial and symbiont DNA sequences were coupled in a clam population that was polymorphic for both genetic markers. These markers were not similarly coupled with sequence variation at a nuclear gene locus, as expected for a randomly mating sexual population. Phylogenetic analysis of the two cytoplasmic genes also revealed no evidence for recombination. The tight association between vesicomyid clams and their vertically transmitted bacterial endosymbionts is phylogenetically very young (<50 million years) and may serve as a model for the origin and evolution of eukaryotic organelles.
Seasonal changes of serum concentrations of estradiol and progesterone in Bolivian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus)

Serial measurements of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) were used to describe the ovarian cycle of the Bolivian squirrel monkey. Group-caged, sexually mature female squirrel monkeys, housed with males, were sampled daily between 0900 and 1100 hr. Sampling was carried out during the breeding and nonbreeding seasons, for periods of 19-20 days from September 1981 to May 1982. Seasonal differences in serum concentrations of E2 and P were found with low levels of E2 and P and an absence of preovulatory surges of E2 during the nonbreeding season. This pattern was also observed in some animals during the breeding season. An abrupt increase in serum P concentrations in December appeared to signal the onset of cycling. Cycling animals had well-defined peaks of E2 (450-9,500 pg/ml) followed by increasing levels of P, which were >200 ng/ml in some animals. After the breeding season, E2 and P levels returned to their initially low levels. Levels of both steroids in cycling animals were higher than those reported for other primates and for previous measurements made in squirrel monkeys. Cycle length based on time interval between consecutive E2 peaks varied from 6-12 days.
Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Context of Human Brain Evolution: A Role for Theory in DSM‐V?

The “hypervigilance, escape, struggle, tonic immobility” evolutionarily hardwired acute peritraumatic response sequence is important for clinicians to understand. Our commentary supplements the useful article on human tonic immobility (TI) by Marx, Forsyth, Gallup, Fuse and Lexington (2008). A hallmark sign of TI is peritraumatic tachycardia, which others have documented as a major risk factor for subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). TI is evolutionarily highly conserved (uniform across species) and underscores the need for DSM-V planners to consider the inclusion of evolution theory in the reconceptualization of anxiety and PTSD. We discuss the relevance of evolution theory to the DSM-V reconceptualization of acute dissociativeconversion symptoms and of epidemic sociogenic disorder(epidemic “hysteria”). Both are especially in need of attention in light of the increasing threat of terrorism against civilians. We provide other pertinent examples. Finally, evolution theory is not ideology driven (and makes testable predictions regarding etiology in “both directions”). For instance, it predicted the unexpected finding that some disorders conceptualized in DSM-IV-TR as innate phobias are conditioned responses and thus better conceptualized as mild forms of PTSD. Evolution theory may offer a conceptual framework in DSM-V both for treatment and for research on psychopathology.
Informatics, evidence-based care, and research; implications for national policy: a report of an American Medical Informatics Association health policy conference

There is an increased level of activity in the biomedical and health informatics world (e-prescribing, electronic health records, personal health records) that, in the near future, will yield a wealth of available data that we can exploit meaningfully to strengthen knowledge building and evidence creation, and ultimately improve clinical and preventive care. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2008 Health Policy Conference was convened to focus and propel discussions about informatics-enabled evidence-based care, clinical research, and knowledge management. Conference participants explored the potential of informatics tools and technologies to improve the evidence base on which providers and patients can draw to diagnose and treat health problems. The paper presents a model of an evidence continuum that is dynamic, collaborative, and powered by health informatics technologies. The conference's findings are described, and recommendations on terminology harmonization, facilitation of the evidence continuum in a “wired” world, development and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and other knowledge support strategies, and the role of diverse stakeholders in the generation and adoption of evidence are presented.
On Energy and Dose Effects During Ion-Assisted Epitaxial Growth of InAs on Si(100)

Epitaxial InAs films have been grown on Si(100) substrates using triode ion-assisted deposition (TRIAD). The ratio r of the impinging Ar ion flux J to the deposited InAs flux was varied from 2.5 to 8.5 for Ar ion energies E from 5 to 55 eV . The growth temperature T was 350°C while the growth rate R was fixed at O.6 µm/h. Two types of experiments were carried out. First, in order to investigate ion damage effects, X-ray diffraction rocking curve full-widths at half-maximum (FWHM) were measured as a function of E and r. In these experiments, the first 50 nm of InAs was always grown under the same conditions, r = 5 and E = 25 eV, in order to eliminate possible complicating effects caused by ion irradiation during InAs nucleation on Si, followed by 550 nm of growth at different E and r values. FWHM values increased with increasing E and r from 2800 arcsec, a value limited by defects arising from the 11% mismatch between InAs and Si, to 8900 arcsec as a result of ion damage. The FWHM value was found to be dependent on the total number of atomic displacements due to ion irradiation, estimated using a modified Kinchin-Pease expression. In the second set of experiments, E during the first 50 nm of growth was varied while ion irradiation damage in the remaining 5500 nm was minimized. Increasing E from 15 to 40 eV resulted in a decrease in the FWHM from 5500 to 2600 arcsec, followed by a gradual increase when E was increased above 40 eV. Ion irradiation at the onset of film growth thus reduced the propagation of defects from the InAs/Si interface into the film.
LGBT Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Wellness for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals and Communities

Although the federal government's prevention agenda for the Nation, Healthy People 2010 [1], lays out an action plan for improving the health of all people in the United States, it neglects specifi...
Animal Models of Osteoarthritis Comparisons and Key Considerations

Osteoarthritis (OA) is unquestionably one of the most important chronic health issues in humans, affecting millions of individuals and costing billions of dollars annually. Despite widespread awareness of this disease and its devastating impact, the pathogenesis of early OA is not completely understood, hampering the development of effective tools for early diagnosis and disease-modifying therapeutics. Most human tissue available for study is obtained at the time of joint replacement, when OA lesions are end stage and little can be concluded about the factors that played a role in disease development. To overcome this limitation, over the past 50 years, numerous induced and spontaneous animal models have been utilized to study disease onset and progression, as well as to test novel therapeutic interventions. Reflecting the heterogeneity of OA itself, no single "gold standard" animal model for OA exists; thus, a challenge for researchers lies in selecting the most appropriate model to answer a particular scientific question of interest. This review provides general considerations for model selection, as well as important features of species such as mouse, rat, guinea pig, sheep, goat, and horse, which researchers should be mindful of when choosing the "best" animal model for their intended purpose. Special consideration is given to key variations in pathology among species as well as recommended guidelines for reporting the histologic features of each model.
Hardware Implementation of FIR Neural Network for Applications in Time Series Data Prediction

Time series data prediction is used in several applications in the area of science and engineering. Time series prediction models have been implemented using statistical approaches, but recently, neural networks are being applied for times series prediction due to their inherent properties and capabilities. A variation of a standard neural network called as finite impulse response (FIR) neural network has proven to be highly successful in achieving higher degree of prediction accuracy when used over various time series prediction applications. These applications are time critical and involve huge amounts of computation that are slower when run on a general purpose processor and hence, a dedicated hardware is required. In this paper, authors present hardware implementation of an FIR neural network for applications in times series data prediction. The implementation is divided into (i) off-board, where the training algorithm and neural network configuration is implemented in Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) and simulated with various benchmark time series data set and (ii) on-board, where the entire system is modeled in a hardware description language (HDL). The simulation experiment, hardware building blocks, the implementation framework, and the hardware design flow are discussed in this paper. The hardware resource utilization and timing information are also reported in the paper. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v14i1.7272
Insights into acetate toxicity in Zymomonas mobilis 8b using different substrates

Background: Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising renewable feedstock for biofuel production. Acetate is one of the major inhibitors liberated from hemicelluloses during hydrolysis. An understanding of the toxic effects of acetate on the fermentation microorganism and the efficient utilization of mixed sugars of glucose and xylose in the presence of hydrolysate inhibitors is crucial for economic biofuel production. Results: A new microarray was designed including both coding sequences and intergenic regions to investigate the acetate stress responses of Zymomonas mobilis 8b when using single carbon sources of glucose or xylose, or mixed sugars of both glucose and xylose. With the supplementation of exogenous acetate, 8b can utilize all the glucose with a similar ethanol yield, although the growth, final biomass, and ethanol production rate were reduced. However, xylose utilization was inhibited in both media containing xylose or a mixed sugar of glucose and xylose, although the performance of 8b was better in mixed sugar than xylose-only media. The presence of acetate caused genes related to biosynthesis, the flagellar system, and glycolysis to be downregulated, and genes related to stress responses and energy metabolism to be upregulated. Unexpectedly, xylose seems to pose more stress on 8b, recruiting more genes for xylose utilization, than does acetate. Several gene candidates based on transcriptome results were selected for genetic manipulation, and a TonB-dependent receptor knockout mutant was confirmed to have a slight advantage regarding acetate tolerance. Conclusions: Our results indicate Z. mobilis utilized a different mechanism for xylose utilization, with an even more severe impact on Z. mobilis than that caused by acetate treatment. Our study also suggests redox imbalance caused by stressful conditions may trigger a metabolic reaction leading to the accumulation of toxic intermediates such as xylitol, but Z. mobilis manages its carbon and energy metabolism through the control of individual reactions to mitigate the stressful conditions. We have thus provided extensive transcriptomic datasets and gained insights into the molecular responses of Z. mobilis to the inhibitor acetate when grown in different sugar sources, which will facilitate future metabolic modeling studies and strain improvement efforts for better xylose utilization and acetate tolerance.
Effect of fetal hypercapnia on maternal and fetal cardiovascular and respiratory function

Abstract After direct infusion of a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor to the fetus the fetal PCO2 increased to 70–80 mm Hg. Under the conditions of our sheep preparation no changes were seen in uterine or umbilical blood flows.
The bimodal state of magnetization in annealed cylindrical permalloy films

The shapes of commonly observed nonideal Belson traces in cylindrical Permalloy films have been derived by considering a bimodal distribution of easy axes induced by annealing multidomain films in a hard-direction field. In the bimodal state the film behaves like a mixture of two differently skewed regions, each of which contributes additively to the Belson curve. In the simplest bimodal case, symmetrical traces are derived from which the intrinsic skew and dispersion angles can be determined. In general, complex asymmetrical Belson traces result when the effect of mode population and nonzero initial skew are considered. Bimodal traces can be avoided by setting the wire in a single domain state prior to hard field annealing. Erasure of a bimodal distribution requires the application of an easy direction field at a sufficiently high temperature for a sufficient period of time.
Interconnect-Aware Coherence Protocols for Chip Multiprocessors

Improvements in semiconductor technology have made it possible to include multiple processor cores on a single die. Chip Multi-Processors (CMP) are an attractive choice for future billion transistor architectures due to their low design complexity, high clock frequency, and high throughput. In a typical CMP architecture, the L2 cache is shared by multiple cores and data coherence is maintained among private L1s. Coherence operations entail frequent communication over global on-chip wires. In future technologies, communication between different L1s will have a significant impact on overall processor performance and power consumption. On-chip wires can be designed to have different latency, bandwidth, and energy properties. Likewise, coherence protocol messages have different latency and bandwidth needs. We propose an interconnect composed of wires with varying latency, bandwidth, and energy characteristics, and advocate intelligently mapping coherence operations to the appropriate wires. In this paper, we present a comprehensive list of techniques that allow coherence protocols to exploit a heterogeneous interconnect and evaluate a subset of these techniques to show their performance and power-efficiency potential. Most of the proposed techniques can be implemented with a minimum complexity overhead.
Response by sugar beet to various amounts and times of application of sodium chloride fertilizer in relation to soil type

Two-thirds of the sugar-beet crop in the U.K. receives sodium chloride as part of the fertilizer programme. It is well known that the crop responds profitably on sandy soils which contain relatively little sodium and potassium, and most of these fields now receive sodium chloride. Few crops on clays, silts and organic soils are treated because the value of sodium chloride has never been clearly defined. Thus 36 field experiments were made over the 5 years 1975–9 on contrasting soil types testing five amounts of sodium chloride, 0, 100, 200, 400 and 800 kg/ha, and at two times, either autumn or spring. All the fields chosen were in continuous arable rotations where potassium chloride was applied regularly and nearly all the soils contained more than 120 mg exchangeable K/l.Sodium chloride (400 kg/ha costing £12) increased sugar yield on average by about 0·2 t/ha (worth £40) on the mineral soils but no crop responded on organic soil. Exchangeable soil sodium concentration was not a good predictive test of which fields would respond but all the large increases in yield were on fields with less than 20 mg Na/1. A few crops responded on soils with 20–40 mg Na/1 but no crop responded on soil with more than 40 mg Na/1. A survey of sodium concentrations in 800 soils showed that most mineral soils contained less than 40 mg Na/1 so it is suggested that all mineral soils regardless of texture should receive 400 kg sodium chloride/ha. Crops on organic soils did not respond to sodium chloride because the soils already contained sufficient.Autumn and spring applications of sodium chloride on mineral soils gave similar increases in yield provided the fertilizer was not applied just before sowing, when in 2 years it decreased plant establishment. This effect was particularly damaging on clays and silts where it is frequently difficult for other reasons to obtain good seed beds and full establishment. It is concluded that sodium-containing fertilizers should always be applied well ahead of sowing to allow rainfall and cultivations to incorporate them into the soil. On clays and silts it is suggested that they should be applied before ploughing to avoid soil compaction but on sands there may be advantages in post-ploughing application.
Development and Validation of Models for Predicting the Seasonal Emergence of Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Beetles in Iowa

Effective management of adult northern and western corn rootworms, Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence and D. virgifera virgifera LeConte, respectively, requires knowledge of their emergence pattern so that scouting and adult insecticide applications can be accurately timed. The objective of this study was to develop and validate species- and sex-specific models that reliably predicted adult corn rootworm emergence in Iowa. Prediction began from a biofix defined as the date of first beetle emergence in a field. The models were fit with a 3-parameter Weibull function using emergence data collected in 57 Iowa cornfields over 5 yr. Models were validated with emergence data collected in 21 additional fields from a separate year. A single Pherocon CRW Trap per field was as effective as 13 emergence cages per field at detecting the biofix. Air temperature degree-days accumulated from the emergence cage biofix explained 85% of the variability in total corn rootworm emergence over 5 yr. This model explained 89% and 83% of the variability in total beetle emergence observed in the validation year from the emergence cage and Pherocon CRW Trap biofixes, respectively. These models do not eliminate scouting for adult corn rootworms but should improve the scouting efficiency by allowing growers to focus scouting to key periods, such as peak beetle emergence, when populations should be at their maximum abundance in the field.