cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ion-molecule reactions in H2/rare-gas systems by ion cyclotron resonance I. Reactions with He and Ne

Abstract Ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) techniques have been applied in a detailed study of ion-molecule reactions in hydrogen/rare-gas systems. Absolute rate constants are reported for both the total rate of reaction as well as for each of the possible reaction channels for reaction of H2+ with X and X+ with H2, where X is either helium or neon. The average translational energy of the reactant ions is less than 0.1 eV, and thus these rate constants are indicative of reaction of ions whose translational energy may be considered as approximately thermal. The energy dependence of the total rate of reaction was measured using a new technique which is based on the ability to energize an ion in the source and observe ions of the same mass in the analyzer. Additionally, the rate constants for each reaction channel were measured using standard double-resonance methods. Isotope effects, as reflected in the product-ion ratio XH+/XD+ of reaction products from the reaction of HD+ with He and Ne, were also examined as a function of energy. The results are compared with theoretical predictions and with previous experimental studies.
The effect of alterations in thyroid function on the pituitary growth hormone content and acidophil cytology.

The pituitaries of female rats subjected to various alterations in thyroid function were examined for changes in hypophyseal growth hormone content and acidophil morphology. Thyroidectomy caused a significant decrease in the amount of growth hormone as well as a decrease in the acidophil granulation and population, whereas subsequent treatment with thyroxine allowed the pituitary structure and growth hormone content to return to normal. The pituitaries of unoperated rats fed a diet containing thyroid powder contained less growth hormone than those from normal controls, and the population and granulation of the pituitary acidophils were decreased. The pituitary growth hormone content of thyroidectomized rats fed a diet containing 2,4-dinitrophenol was increased above thyroidectomy levels, but neither the pituitary cytology nor the hormonal level was restored to normal. The same diet fed to unoperated rats did not significantly alter the pituitary growth hormone levels and structure.
Pathological and Evolutionary Implications of Retroviruses as Mobile Genetic Elements

Retroviruses, a form of mobile genetic elements, have important roles in disease and primate evolution. Exogenous retroviruses, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), have significant pathological implications that have created a massive public health challenge in recent years. Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), which are the primary focus of this review, can also be pathogenic, as well as being beneficial to a host in some cases. Furthermore, retroviruses may have played a key role in primate evolution that resulted in the incorporation of these elements into the human genome. Retroviruses are mobile genetic elements that have important roles in disease and primate evolution. We will further discuss the pathogenic potential of retroviruses, including their role in cancer biology, and will briefly summarize their evolutionary implications.
Design of a spherical focal surface using close-packed relay optics: erratum

A coding error was found in calculating the optimal packing distribution of our geodesic array. The error was corrected and the new optimization results in slightly improved packing density. The overall approach and algorithm remain unchanged.
THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC METHYLPHENIDATE TREATMENT ON STEREOTYPIC BEHAVIOR AND BASAL GANGLIA GENE EXPRESSION IN RATS. † 366

Methylphenidate (MPH) is frequently used in the treatment of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder, a common neurodevelopmental diagnosis in school-aged children. A concerning side effect is the induction of tics and other stereotypic behaviors. MPH is a dopamine re-uptake blocker with effects on mesocorticolimbic and mesostriatal dopamine (DA) systems. Mesocorticolimbic DA cell bodies are located in the ventral tegmental area(VTA) and project to the nucleus accumbens (NA) and frontal cortex. Mesostriatal DA cell bodies are located in the substantia nigra pars compacta(SNc) and project to the striatum (or caudate-putamen, STR). To identify neuronal subgroups involved in MPH effects, in situ hybridization histochemistry was performed after acute (at 7 wks) or chronic treatment(twice daily, 4-7 wks) with saline, low- (1.25 mg/kg) or high-dose (12.5 mg/kg) MPH in young rats. mRNA labelling for tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in DA synthesis, and DA2 receptors was quantified in the VTA and SNc, and glutamic acid decarboxylase 67, the rate-limiting enzyme in GABA synthesis, DA1 and DA2 receptors and preproenkephalin labelling was quantified in the NA and STR. Locomotor activity, stereotypy and rearing were measured on days 1, 7, 14 and 21. After acute treatment, all behaviors were increased in the high-dose group (p's < 0.005) and there were no changes in mRNA labelling. With chronic treatment, activity was highest in the high-dose group (p= 0.0005), and effects were largest on day 1 (p's < 0.004). Stereotypy showed dose-dependent increases(p < 0.00005) without time effects. Rearing was increased in the high-dose group (p= 0.0006), with marginal effects on day 21. Chronic treatment with either dose resulted in increased tyrosine hydroxylase labelling in the VTA and SNC (p's < 0.05). High-dose treatment resulted in increased labelling for preproenkephalin in the STR (p < 0.01). Mazindol binding was unchanged suggesting that this was not due to loss of DA terminals. Chronic MPH treatment alters gene expression in VTA and SNc DA neurons and STR efferent neurons which express preproenkephalin. Supported by Tourette Syndrome Association, HD28815 and HD26979.
Human prostatic carcinoma cell lines display altered regulation of polyamine transport in response to polyamine analogs and inhibitors.

BACKGROUND The possibility was investigated that complex homeostatic mechanisms which maintain polyamine pools in prostate-derived tumors may differ from those which are typically seen in other tissues and tumors. METHODS Growth sensitivity and various regulatory responses were investigated in three human prostate carcinoma cell lines (LNCaP, DU145, and PC-3) treated with the inhibitor of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase CGP-48664 or the polyamine analog N1,N11-diethylnorspermine (DENSPM), both of which are currently undergoing phase I clinical trial. RESULTS Prostate tumor cell lines were all similarly growth-inhibited by the inhibitor CGP-48664 (IC50 values, 1–5 μM at 72 hr), but varied considerably in their sensitivity to DENSPM. The rank-order for cell-line growth inhibition by the analog was DU145 > PC-3 > LNCaP, with IC50 values of 1, 30, and 1,000 μM, respectively. Both compounds depleted intracellular polyamine pools to levels which seemed sufficient to account for inhibition of cell growth. While polyamine enzyme regulatory responses to both CGP-48664 and DENSPM were typical of those seen in other cell types, regulation of polyamine transport differed distinctly. Based on Vmax determinations, LNCaP cells failed to upregulate transport in response to CGP-48664, while PC-3 and LNCaP cells failed to downregulate transport in response to DENSPM. CONCLUSIONS Relative to other cell lines, polyamine transport in prostate carcinoma cell lines was found to be uniquely insensitive to regulation by polyamines or analogs. Although this did not seem to correlate with growth sensitivity to polyamine analogs in vitro, it should be therapeutically exploitable in in vivo systems. Prostate 34:51–60, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Glucocorticoid-Treated Mice Have Localized Changes in Trabecular Bone Material Properties and Osteocyte Lacunar Size That Are Not Observed in Placebo-Treated or Estrogen-Deficient Mice†

This study compares changes in bone microstructure in 6-month-old male GC-treated and female ovariectomized mice to their respective controls. In addition to a reduction in trabecular bone volume, GC treatment reduced bone mineral and elastic modulus of bone adjacent to osteocytes that was not observed in control mice nor estrogen-deficient mice. These microstructural changes in combination with the macro-structural changes could amplify the bone fragility in this metabolic bone disease. Introduction Patients with glucocorticoid (GC)-induced secondary osteoporosis tend to fracture at higher bone mineral densities than patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis. This suggests that GCs may alter bone material properties in addition to BMD and bone macrostructure.
The relationship between periodic solutions and stability in a class of third-order relay control systems

The global asymptotic stability of third-order relay control systems with real, nonpositive eigenvalues is related to conditions necessary for the existence of periodic solutions of such systems. By application of Popov's theorem it is shown that conditions which guarantee that a system will have no symmetric periodic solutions are also sufficient to insure the absolute stability of the origin. This result allows a relay system to be designed by choosing the switching function subject to the constraint that the switching plane avoid a certain easily defined region of state space.
A Small Mobile Robot for Security and Inspection Operations

Abstract The omni-directional inspection system (ODIS) is a small, man-portable mobile robotic system that can be used for autonomous or semi-autonomous inspection under vehicles in a parking area. Customers for such a system include military police (MP) and other law enforcement and security entities. The robot features three “smart wheels” in which both the speed and direction of the wheel can be independently controlled and a vehicle electronic capability that includes multiple processors and a sensor array with a laser, sonar and IR sensors, and a video camera. ODIS employs a novel parameterized command language for intelligent behavior generation. A key feature of the ODIS control system is the use of an object recognition system that fits models to sensor data. These models are then used as input parameters to the motion and behavior control commands.
The locus of environmental attention

Abstract Brunswik (1944) suggested a method for exploring the allocation of visual attention in the natural world. The current study revives and revamps this method. Individual observers ( N = 16) walked along a predetermined outdoor route. Periodically, the experimenter sounded a clicking device. Upon hearing the sound, the observer stopped and reported as precisely as possible what he/she was looking at when the clicker sounded. The size, nature, and location of reported objects are analyzed. Two mathematical models are developed to account for these data. The first assumes that reported objects are sampled directly from the objective environment; the second assumes that reported objects are sampled from an individual's visual field. The current findings can not establish which of the two models is correct. A method is proposed which might discriminate between the models.
Management of Cholestasis in Infants With Very Low Birth Weight

Infants with very low birth weight (VLBW) are at increased risk of cholestasis when compared with older infants and children. Factors associated with this increased risk of cholestasis include immaturity of the biliary excretory system, a diminished immune response to sepsis, an increased incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and short bowel syndrome, as well as an increased exposure to parenteral nutrition (PN). The current literature on cholestasis in VLBW infants and the factors that mediate the initiation and progression of cholestatic liver damage is reviewed. A protocol for managing infants with cholestatic jaundice is presented, and a case report is included that shows use of the protocol to normalize the bilirubin in a VLBW infant with severe cholestatic jaundice.
Essential Myoclonus in a Kindred With Familial Malignant Melanoma

• We studied a kindred in which three members had essential myoclonus and seven members had malignant melanoma. Two of the persons with myoclonus had melanoma and the third carried the genetic predisposition for melanoma. The coex-istence of the two disorders in these patients could represent coincidence, linkage between the two dominant genes, or the pleiotropic expression of a single gene affecting neuroectodermal derivatives.
Spin-zero photoproduction parity experiments beyond the threshold region☆

Abstract It is suggested that parity determining experiments can often be greatly simplified if one can assume that only the few lowest angular momentum states are important. The assumptions made here are not as restrictive as those made for the conventional threshold experiments, and hence the applicability of the schemes is much wider. In particular, a parity experiment is suggested in the photoproduction of spin-zero bosons which does not require polarized photons at all, and which is well within present day experimental techniques. It involves two measurements at the same energy and angle, one measuring the recoil polarization of the fermion, and the other the differential cross section from a polarized target.
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Properties of Inhaled Ciclesonide

Inhaled corticosteroids are recommended first-line therapy for persistent asthma of all severities; however, oropharyngeal and systemic adverse events can be a concern. Inhaled corticosteroids exert their therapeutic and adverse effects by interacting with glucocorticoid receptors within and outside the lungs, respectively. Ciclesonide is a novel inhaled corticosteroid that possesses a unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile. Ciclesonide is inactive itself and converted to its pharmacologically active metabolite, desisobutyryl-ciclesonide, in the target organ, the lungs. Pulmonary activation combined with low oral deposition may minimize oropharyngeal adverse events, and low oral bioavailability, rapid clearance, and high protein binding may reduce systemic exposure. In addition, high pulmonary deposition due to the highly respirable particles, combined with the potential for prolonged lung retention via lipid conjugation, provides for effective therapeutic action.
Preparation and Evaluation of Particleboard with a Soy Flour-Polyethylenimine-Maleic Anhydride Adhesive

A soy-based formaldehyde-free adhesive consisting of soy flour (SF), polyethylenimine (PEI), maleic anhydride (MA) and NaOH was investigated for making three-layer particleboard. The weight ratio of SF/PEI/MA/NaOH was 7/1.0/0.32/0.1. Hot-press temperature, hot-press time, particleboard density and adhesive usage were optimized in terms of enhancing the modulus of rupture (MOR), modulus of elasticity (MOE) and internal bond strength (IB) of the resulting particleboard. The MOR, MOE and IB met the minimum industrial requirements of M-2 particleboard under the following variables: hot-press temperature of 170 °C, hot-press time of 270 s, the adhesive usage of surface particles at 10 wt%, the adhesive usage of the core particles at 8 wt%, and the targeted particleboard density of 0.80 g/cm3.
Temperature gradients within young maize plant stalks as influenced by aerial and root zone temperatures

Root zone temperatures were imposed to study their effect along with those of the air on temperatures of the shoot apices in stalks of maize plants (Zea mays L.). Plants were grown to the 6- to 8-leaf stages in sand culture. Internal stalk temperatures were measured in 21 plants using a Wheatstone bridge with a bead thermistor for two general cases — one with aerial temperatures (Ta) greater than root zone temperatures (Ts) and the other withTs greater thanTa.
Magnolia acuminata, M. macrophylla, and M. tripetala in oak-dominated forests on the North Shore of Long Island, New York1

Abstract Species ranges are expected to shift northward with climate warming. Southern Appalachian Magnolia species have never been recorded in oak-dominated forests on Long Island. This study presents data for the occurrence of Magnolia acuminata, M. macrophylla and M. tripetala, in a few stands at Tiffany Creek Preserve, Oyster Bay Cove, Nassau County, Long Island, New York. A tree core datum suggests that the largest Magnolia acuminata in our oak-dominated stands was established in the 1930's; the population has proliferated in the most recent two decades. The largest population of M. tripetala in our area occurs in a complex of swamp forests dominated by Acer rubrum. We compare the climate Normals of Asheville, NC, in the core area of Magnolia acuminata distribution, with those of Mineola, L. I., NY, near its northeastern limit. We find that the winters (average January temperatures) on Long Island have been colder, and with a longer freezing period than in the mountains and piedmont of North Carolina...
The Tribolium homologue of glass and the evolution of insect larval eyes

While non-arthropod orthologues have been found for many Drosophila eye developmental genes, this has not been the case for the glass (gl) gene, which encodes a zinc finger transcription factor required for photoreceptor cell specification, differentiation, and survival. This study reports sequence and expression analysis of the gl orthologue of the flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. A strongly conserved C-terminal zinc finger binding region and a moderately conserved N-terminal transcriptional activation domain characterize the putative Tribolium gl protein. Tribolium gl transcripts were detected in the developing photoreceptors of the larval and adult visual system, the corpora cardiaca, and subsets of cells in the developing brain. This suggests that the gl function of specifying predominantly neuronal cells is strongly conserved. Using gl as a marker for the onset of larval photoreceptor differentiation, we studied the embryonic development of the Tribolium visual system. We find that the Tribolium larval eyes originate at the posterior margin of the embryonic eye lobes as defined by eye-field-specific wingless expression domains. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the larval visual organs (stemmata) of holometabolous insects were derived from and are therefore homologous to the posterior-most ommatidia of the adult retina in primitive nonholometabolous insects.
Text-based search of TV news stories

Our goal is to enable viewers to access TV programs based on their content. Towards this end, we present a system that automatically captures and processes TV news programs into a database that can be searched over the internet. Users browse this database by submitting simple English queries. The results of the query is a hyperlinked list of matching news stories. Clicking on any item in the list immediately launches a video of the pertinent part of the news broadcast. We segment TV news broadcasts into distinct news stories. We then index each story as a separate entity. In reply to a query, videos for these news stories are displayed rather than the whole TV program. News program s ar usually accompanied by a transcript in closed caption text. The closed caption text contains markers for story boundaries. Due to the live nature of TV news programs, the closed caption lags the actual audio/video by varying amounts of time up to a few seconds. The closed caption text, thus, has to be shifted to be aligned in time to the video. We use video and audio events to do this synchronization. The closed caption for each story is entered into a database. In response to a query, the database retrieves and ranks the matching closed caption stores. An HTML document is returned to the user which lists: 1) the name and time of the news program that this story belongs to, 2) thumbnails providing a visual summary of the story, 3) closed caption text. To view a news story, the user simply clicks on an item form the list and the video for that story is streamed onto a media player at the user side. This system maintains the manner of presentation of the media, namely video for TV programs, while allowing the common search and selection techniques used on the web.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Phase I Trial of Iodine-131 Tositumomab With High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation for Relapsed Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Purpose To determine the maximum outpatient dose of iodine-131 tositumomab (up to 0.75 Gy) combined with high-dose carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan (BEAM) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for the treatment of chemotherapy-resistant relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Patients and Methods Twenty-three patients with chemotherapy-refractory or multiply-relapsed B-cell NHL were treated in a phase I trial combining iodine-131 tositumomab (ranging from 0.30 to 0.75 Gy total-body dose [TBD]) with high-dose BEAM followed by ASCT. Results The complete response rate after transplantation was 57%, and the overall response rate was 65%. Short-term and long-term toxicities were similar to historical control patients treated with BEAM alone. With a median follow-up of 38 months (range, 27 to 60 months), the overall survival (OS) rate was 55%, and the event-free survival (EFS) rate was 39%. Conclusion There were no significant added toxicities apparent with ...
Oxidized LDL Autoantibodies, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Transplant-Associated Arteriosclerosis

One of the major limitations of cardiac transplantation is the development of transplant coronary arteriopathy or transplant-associated arteriosclerosis that can be associated with progressive coronary artery occlusion.1 The condition is thought to be immune-mediated and may be related to the expression by the endothelium of the transplanted coronary artery of HLA-DR, which is recognized as foreign by CD4+ T-lymphocytes.2 The resulting interaction is associated with a chronic, localized inflammatory response. See page 2044 One manifestation of transplant-associated arteriosclerosis is reflected in abnormality of the vasodilator function of the endothelium (endothelial dysfunction).3 Endothelium-dependent vasodilation is mediated by several factors generated by endothelial cells, most prominently NO.4,5⇓ One of the important mechanisms by which endothelial vasodilator function becomes impaired is by the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and especially oxygen free radicals (O2−).4 At appropriate stoichiometry, O2− reacts with NO to degrade it, causing the loss of its dilator effect on vascular smooth muscle. This chemistry is particularly relevant to the article in this issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and …
Incidence of primary cancers and intracranial tumour recurrences in GH-treated and untreated adult hypopituitary patients: analyses from the Hypopituitary Control and Complications Study.

Speculation remains that growth hormone (GH) treatment is associated with increased neoplasia risk. Studies in GH-treated childhood cancer survivors suggested higher rates of second neoplasms, while cancer risk data for GH-treated and untreated hypopituitary adults have been variable. We present primary cancer risk data from the Hypopituitary Control and Complications Study (HypoCCS) with a focus on specific cancers, and assessment of recurrence rates for pituitary adenoma (PA) and craniopharyngioma (CP).
The fine structure of intercellular substances and rounded cells in the incisor pulp of the guinea pig

The fine structure of intercellular substances and rounded cells of the incisor dental pulp of guinea pigs is described. The extracellular fibrils are of two kinds; collagen with typical cross-striations, varying from 400–700 A in diameter, and fine fibrils of 100–120 A in diameter. In cross section the latter fibrils appeared to be composed of three or four smaller subunits of less than 50 A in diameter. The collagen fibril in the dental pulp appear singly or in small bundles of about a dozen or more fibrils. The fine fibrils are often aggregated along the cell surface. The ground substances are finely granular to fibrillar and show localized clumping which is related to fibrillar elements. The ground substances form an incomplete covering of 200 A or more in thickness surrounuding collagen fibrils. When the collagen fibrils make a bundle, the sheath of grouund substances around one fibril becomes fused with that of adjacent fibrils. Rounded cells including macrophages, lymphocytes and eosinophils are present in the pulp. The fine structure of these cells is similar to that found in the same types of cells previously observed in other organs.
Regulation of Fat Synthesis by Conjugated Linoleic Acid: Lactation and the Ruminant Model

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers effect an impressive range of biological processes including the ability to inhibit milk fatty acid synthesis. Although this has been demonstrated in several mammals, research has been most extensive with dairy cows. The first isomer shown to affect milk fat synthesis during lactation was trans-10, cis-12 CLA, and its effects have been well characterized including dose-response relationships. Recent studies have tentatively identified 2 additional CLA isomers that regulate milk fat synthesis. Regulation by CLA occurs naturally in dairy cows when specific CLA isomers produced as intermediates in rumen biohydrogenation act to inhibit milk fat synthesis; this physiological example of nutritional genomics is referred to as diet-induced milk fat depression. Molecular mechanisms for the reduction in mammary lipid synthesis involve a coordinated down-regulation of mRNA expression for key lipogenic enzymes associated with the complementary pathways of milk fat synthesis. Results provide strong evidence of a role for sterol response element-binding protein 1 and Spot 14 in this translational regulation. Effects of CLA on body fat accretion have also been investigated in nonlactating animals, but CLA effects on mammary fatty acid synthesis occur at an order-of-magnitude lower dose and appear to involve very different mechanisms than those proposed for the antiobesity effects of CLA. Overall, results demonstrate the unique value of cows as a model to investigate the role of CLA in the regulation of milk fat synthesis during lactation.
Adaptive Use of Bubble Wrap for Storing Liquid Samples and Performing Analytical Assays

This paper demonstrates that the gas-filled compartments in the packing material commonly called “bubble wrap” can be repurposed in resource-limited regions as containers to store liquid samples, and to perform bioanalyses. The bubbles of bubble wrap are easily filled by injecting the samples into them using a syringe with a needle or a pipet tip, and then sealing the hole with nail hardener. The bubbles are transparent in the visible range of the spectrum, and can be used as “cuvettes” for absorbance and fluorescence measurements. The interiors of these bubbles are sterile and allow storage of samples without the need for expensive sterilization equipment. The bubbles are also permeable to gases, and can be used to culture and store micro-organisms. By incorporating carbon electrodes, these bubbles can be used as electrochemical cells. This paper demonstrates the capabilities of the bubbles by culturing E. coli, growing C. elegans, measuring glucose and hemoglobin spectrophotometrically, and measuring fe...
Deans identify factors which inhibit and facilitate nursing research

The author argues that nursing researchers benefit from an institutional climate which is appreciative of research and rewards for it. Factors which discourage and inhibit research productivity are identified and methods to overcome these barriers are identified. The paper is based on an inquiry among 102 deans of schools of nursing in the USA.
High-Level Bit-Serial Datapath Synthesis for Multi-FPGA Systems

Field-programmable hardware exhibits a new trend towards computation-intensive applications. The basic idea is to completely customize the hardware architecture for the very given application in order to allocation the logic resources efficiently and effectively, improving the performance several orders of magnitude greater than general-purpose processor implementation. And at the same time, it still covers a wide variety of applications for their reconfigurability.
Electron paramagnetic resonance of a new Fe3+ center in SnO2

Abstract The EPR spectrum of single crystal, Ni doped; Stannic Oxide, SnO 2 , has been re-examined at 22·7 GHz. The signal which appeared after Ni doping appears to be due to a new Fe 3+ center. Since the grown samples contained approximately 30 ppm Fe and a strong Fe 3+ substitutional resonance was observed, a signal due to approximately 10 per cent of the Fe can easily be detected. A third Fe signal not previously characterized was also noted. Because of a strong analogy with recent work on the similar compound TiO 2 , the centers are identified as Fe 3+ ions on substitutional sites associated with a nearby defect. The charge compensation problem of a 3+ ion in the host is the reason for expecting the associated defect.
Earth remote sensing technologies in the twenty-first century

An Earth System Model of increasing capability and predictive power will depend on ever more sophisticated observing systems. These observing systems will require increased resolution in the spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal domains. There is a need for improvement of individual system capabilities and for the deployment of large numbers of sensors. Many new technologies will be required to accomplish this. Projecting decades into the future is difficult; however, because fundamental physical limits provide constraints on future progress, it is possible to outline the general form of the future remote sensing systems and the technologies they will rely on. Several trends are expected to continue far into the future: miniaturization and integration of electronics, increases in computational power, progress in large apertures, increases in transmitter power for active systems, miniaturization of optics, and increases in frequency tunability and flexibility. Ultimately, the size of an observing platform will be dictated solely by the physics of its parts. These technology challenges for future global Earth observation can best be met through the combined efforts of the international community.
So simple a thing as a star: the Eddington–Jeans debate over astrophysical phenomenology

Theoretical astrophysics emerged as a significant research programme with the construction of a series of stellar models by A. S. Eddington. This paper examines the controversies surrounding those models as a way of understanding the development and justification of new theoretical technologies. In particular, it examines the challenges raised against Eddington by James Jeans, and explores how the two astronomers championed different visions of what it meant to do science. Jeans argued for a scientific method based on certainty and completeness, whereas Eddington called for a method that valued exploration and further investigation, even at the sake of secure foundations. The first generation of stellar models depended on the validity of Eddington's approach - the physics and many of the basic facts of stars were poorly understood and he justified his models through their utility for future research and their robustness under challenging use. What would become theoretical astrophysics depended heavily on this phenomenological outlook, which Jeans dismissed as not even science. This was a dispute about the practice of theory, and it would be this methodological debate (rather than the emergence of new facts or the incorporation of new theory) that made theoretical astrophysics viable.
Template design for file processing applications

Even though the data processing domain is relatively well-defined, application-specific details vary too widely to conceive of totally automating programming and specification support. Conventional tools lack the semantic knowledge to constructively support software development. On the other hand, it is possible to design a prompting and guiding system that can elicit the application details. The limits of automated programming support possible for file and data processing applications were identified by means of a case study of COBOL and PL/I programs. The data gathered from this study facilitated the definition of seventeen widely applicable templates. The resulting template set has immediate value as a manual specification and documentation tool. The templates encourage programmers to make well-considered design decisions and enforce standardized documentation.
Full-spectrum cone sensitivity functions for X-chromosome-linked anomalous trichromats.

We derived the cone fundamentals for X-chromosome-linked anomalous trichromats for the wavelength range of 400–700 nm. Pigment templates were constructed from the cone fundamentals of normal trichromats after correction for ocular media absorption. The resultant retinal-level sensitivities had small irregularities in the short-wavelength region that were smoothed. The pigment templates, expressed as quantal sensitivities, were then shifted on a frequency abscissa to solve for the λmax of the pigments of anomalous trichromats needed to predict average anomaloscope matching data. We found that the protanomalous M- and L′-cone pigments are separated by 10 nm and the deuteranomalous M′- and L-cone pigments are separated by 6 nm (rounded to the nearest nanometer), where M and L indicate middle- and long-wavelength sensitive, respectively. The triads of peak wavelengths for the corneal energy-based sensitivities were as follows: normal: 440, 543, and 566 nm; protanomalous: 440, 543, and 553 nm; and deuteranomalous: 440, 560, and 566 nm.
Strong Positive Selection and Habitat-Specific Amino Acid Substitution Patterns in Mhc from an Estuarine Fish Under Intense Pollution Stress

Population-level studies using the major histocompatibility complex (Mhc) have linked specific alleles with specific diseases, but data requirements are high and the power to detect disease association is low. A novel use of Mhc population surveys involves mapping allelic substitutions onto the inferred structural molecular model to show functional differentiation related to local selective pressures. In the estuarine fish Fundulus heteroclitus, populations experiencing strong differences in antigenic challenges show significant differences in amino acid substitution patterns that are reflected as variation in the structural location of changes between populations. Fish from a population genetically adapted to severe chemical pollution also show novel patterns of DNA substitution at a highly variable Mhc class II B locus including strong signals of positive selection at inferred antigen-binding sites and population-specific signatures of amino acid substitution. Heavily parasitized fish from an extreme PCB-contaminated (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund) site show enhanced population-specific substitutions in the a-helix portion of the inferred antigen-binding region. In contrast, fish from an unpolluted site show a significantly different pattern focused on the first strand of the B-pleated sheet. Whether Mhc population profile differences represent the direct effects of chemical toxicants or indirect parasite-mediated selection, the result is a composite habitat-specific signature of strong selection and evolution affecting the genetic repertoire of the major histocompatibility complex.
Methylation of the DPYD Promoter: An Alternative Mechanism for Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Cancer Patients

Purpose: Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency, a known pharmacogenetic syndrome associated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) toxicity, has been detected in 3% to 5% of the population. Genotypic studies have identified >32 sequence variants in the DPYD gene; however, in a number of cases, sequence variants could not explain the molecular basis of DPD deficiency. Recent studies in cell lines indicate that hypermethylation of the DPYD promoter might down-egulate DPD expression. The current study investigates the role of methylation in cancer patients with an unexplained molecular basis of DPD deficiency. Experimental Design: DPD deficiency was identified phenotypically by both enzyme assay and uracil breath test, and genotypically by denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography. The methylation status was evaluated in PCR products (209 bp) of bisulfite-modified DPYD promoter, using a novel denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography method that distinguishes between methylated and unmethylated alleles. Clinical samples included five volunteers with normal DPD enzyme activity, five DPD-deficient volunteers, and five DPD-deficient cancer patients with a history of 5-FU toxicity. Results: No evidence of methylation was detected in samples from volunteers with normal DPD. Methylation was detected in five of five DPD-deficient volunteers and in three of five of the DPD-deficient cancer patient samples. Of note, one of the two samples from patients with DPD-deficient cancer with no evidence of methylation had the mutation DPYD *2A, whereas the other had DPYD *13. Discussion: Methylation of the DPYD promoter region is associated with down-regulation of DPD activity in clinical samples and should be considered as a potentially important regulatory mechanism of DPD activity and basis for 5-FU toxicity in cancer patients.
Effects of male age on semen quality and fertility: a review of the literature

Abstract Objective: To review the literature on the association between male age and semen quality (semen volume, concentration, motility, and morphology) and fertility status (pregnancy rate and time to pregnancy/subfecundity). Method(s): Review of English language–published research over the last 20 years from January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1999, using MEDLINE and Biosis databases. Studies with insufficient numbers of subjects, case reports, case series, or anecdotal data were excluded. Result(s): Among the methodologically stronger studies, decreases in semen volume of 3%–22%, decreases in sperm motility of 3%–37%, and decreases in percent normal sperm of 4%–18% were likely when comparing 30-year-old men to 50-year-old men. Most studies examining fertility status suggest a relationship between male age and fertility, but the results are most likely confounded by female partner age. Among studies that did control for female age, comparisons between men under 30 and men over 50 found relative decreases in pregnancy rates between 23% and 38%. A comparison of the various age categories showed that the increased risks for subfecundity ranged from 11% to 250%. Conclusion(s): The weight of the evidence suggests that increased male age is associated with a decline in semen volume, sperm motility, and sperm morphology but not with sperm concentration.
New square-root algorithms for Kalman filtering

Presents some new square-root algorithms that allow more reliable computation of the state estimates, using, as far as possible, quantities obtained via orthogonal operations. New algorithms are given for covariance quantities and information quantities, and a new combined algorithm is also presented. >
A Sociological Approach to Accident Research

With the successful conquest of childhood and contagious diseases, accidents have emerged as the leading cause of death among all persons up to the age of 36 and the fourth leading cause of death among persons of all ages. Despite the statistical importance of accidents in morbidity and mortality tables, sociologists have paid scant attention to them as a social phenomenon. No textbook on social problems contains a section devoted to accidents, although it can be fairly said that accidents take a far greater toll of human life and happiness than alcoholism, drug addiction or even crime. The purpose of the present paper is to develop the relevance of social research in the accident field on the following grounds: (1) accidents may be regarded conceptually as a sociological phenomenon; (2) the storehouse of sociological knowledge may profitably be drawn upon in accident research; and (3) the research experience of sociologists can help to improve the frequently deficient theory and methodology of current accident research. First, let us consider what is sociological about accidents. The word itself might suggest a purely chance phenomenon not subject to scientific prediction or control. Science, taken as a whole, however, knows no accidents. What from the point of view of one science may seem to be a chance intrusion can often be explained in the framework of some other science. On
Racial Disparities in Legal Outcomes: On Policing, Charging Decisions, and Criminal Trial Proceedings

Life-altering decisions are made every day in the legal world. Police officers make split-second judgments about whether an individual poses a threat. Prosecutors sort through conflicting accounts of an event in determining whether to charge a suspect. Juries try to reconcile complex evidence in criminal trials and render a unanimous verdict. These decisions often hinge on interpretations of subjective, ambiguous information. Besides being difficult, these decisions are also ripe with the potential for bias, despite their high-stakes nature. The present article focuses on one potential bias, racial disparity in legal outcomes. Here, "bias" refers not just to intentional discrimination or decisions based on overt prejudice (although, of course, as for everyone, some police officers, attorneys, judges, and jurors likely hold conscious prejudices and act on them). Rather, our review of the behavioral science research literature indicates that unconscious—or implicit—racial biases also taint legal decision making. Specifically, this review examines the influence of race on (a) policing, (b) charging decisions, and (c) criminal trial outcomes. Policy interventions include bias training, increasing institutional diversity, and empirically documenting the disparities' scope. Addressing these disparities also requires acknowledging that all of us, regardless of personal ideology or professional oath, are susceptible to such biases, even when making life-and-death decisions.
A capacitance method to determine channel lengths for conventional and LDD MOSFET's

A simple method for determining the channel length and in situ gate-oxide thickness of MOSFETs is described. The method is based on the linear relationship between the intrinsic gate capacitance and effective channel length. Measurements from two gate biases on devices of different channel lengths are sufficient to obtain a full characterization. In contrast to the channel-resistance method, the accuracy of the capacitance method is independent of the source-drain and contact series resistance. It can, therefore, be used for conventional as well as lightly-doped drain (LDD) devices. Channel length and gate-oxide thickness determined by this method are given for conventional and LDD MOSFET's. For conventional MOSFET's, the new method agrees with the traditional effective length measurements to better than 0.1 µm.
Viscous fluid buckling of plane and axisymmetric jets

Experimental results are presented concerning the spontaneous oscillations observed when a high-viscosity fluid jet flows vertically against a flat surface. The two jet shapes investigated were the axisymmetric jet and the plane jet. The minimum distance from the jet orifice to the flat surface for which these oscillations are observed, termed the ‘buckling height’, was determined experimentally. The frequency of the subsequent oscillations was also determined. Both were measured as functions of fluid and flow variables. It is found that surface tension effects are the dominant factors influencing the buckling height, while the rate of oscillation is affected by both surface tension effects and by viscous, gravity and inertia effects. The major results are presented in non-dimensional form. Photographs of the buckling phenomenon are provided for representative jet geometries. It is also established experimentally that there is an upper limit to the flow Reynolds number above which buckling does not occur.
The finite element solution of dissipative electromagnetic surface waveguides

A finite element method is developed for investigating the propagation of high frequency electromagnetic waves along closed or open (surface) waveguides containing dissipative materials and having a cross section of arbitrary shape. The complex propagation constants and associated complex electromagnetic fields are determined as a function of frequency for possible modes of propagation. The method is verified by applying it to structures of simple shape for which analytical results may be calculated for comparison. Waveguides considered include a waveguide filled with dissipative material, a dissipative dielectric rod, a dielectric coated wire and a conducting wire.
Peroxynitrite reversibly inhibits Ca2+-activated K+ channels in rat cerebral artery smooth muscle cells

Peroxynitrite (ONOO−) is a contractile agonist of rat middle cerebral arteries. To determine the mechanism responsible for this component of ONOO−bioactivity, the present study examined the effect ...
Field Tests of Suspended-Load Transport Theories Used in Numerical Models

Surfzone optical-backscatter measurements were conducted at a long, straight sandy beach near Colorado River, Texas, in order to test velocity-based theories for predicting suspended-load sediment transport. Statistical methods were applied that provided estimates of theory performances, independent of any calibration or tuning of the model coefficients. The models of Ackers and White, Bowen, and Roelvink and Stive showed trends opposite that of the data (increasing transport estimates as measured transport decreased). The Bailard model performed very well in the cross-shore, explaining both the trends in transport and most of the variance, as determined by correlation coefficients. Bailard's model did not explain most of the variance in the longshore data, but comparison of the model's performance with other datasets show good correlation in the longshore. When the original coefficients in the unidirectional-flow-based Ackers and White model are used, very low transport estimates are produced. This suggests that this empirical model that was calibrated for unidirectional flows should not be used in coastal areas without considerable recalibration of the coefficients using high-quality datasets.
BREATH IS NOT THE CARRIER OF SPEECH.

In general communication theory, where a signal is delivered over distances with a carrier, there are principles that may be useful to reshape our thinking about speech transmission. If a signal is...