cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Performance analysis of Robust WDM fast circuit‐switched networks with token passing in control channel

WDM networks depend on predetermined, fixed wavelength channels, requiring highly stable lasers and tunable filters. Robust WDM networks, based on dynamically selected wavelengths, relax manufacturing and operating wavelength tolerance requirements leading to low-cost implementations. A node dynamically selects a currently unused wavelength for communication, and uses it for a limited period of time for communication with a destination, thus allowing the network to tolerate wavelength variation with time. A performance model is presented for Robust WDM networks in which the right to establish WDM connections is arbitrated periodically by a control channel based on token passing. Comparison with simulation results indicates the model's ability to predict the network performance accurately. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analytic listening by the goldfish

A stimulus generalization paradigm was used with classical respiratory conditioning to study analytic listening in the goldfish. Animals were first conditioned to suppress respiration upon the presentation of a long-duration complex sound comprised of two sinusoidal components, 166 and 724 Hz. Conditioned animals were then presented with a set of eight novel test tones with frequencies between 95 and 1514 Hz, and including 166 and 724 Hz. Response magnitudes were greatest at the frequencies of the components making up the complex to which the animals were initially conditioned. This is a demonstration that the goldfish had acquired independent information about the frequencies of the individual sinusoidal components making up a complex sound, and thus had listened to the complex analytically. To my knowledge, this is the first demonstration of simultaneous frequency analysis and analytic listening by a nonhuman animal, and suggests that this fundamental aspect of human hearing may be a primitive character shared with the fishes and perhaps with all living vertebrates.
Acid-catalyzed plasmenylcholine hydrolysis and its effect on bilayer permeability: a quantitative study

Abstract This laboratory has previously shown (Anderson, V.C. and Thompson, D.H. (1992) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1109, 33–42; Thompson, D.H., Gerasimov, O.V., Wheeler, J.J., Rui, Y. and Anderson, V.C. (1996) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1279, 25–34), that plasmenylcholine (1-alk-1′-enyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; PlsPamCho) liposomes release hydrophilic contents upon photooxidation or acid-catalyzed hydrolysis. We now report the kinetics and chemical mechanism of the acid-catalyzed reaction and its effect on calcein leakage rates. Hydrolysis of the plasmenylcholine vinyl ether linkage generates fatty aldehydes and 1-hydroxy-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (lysolipid); HPLC and 1H-NMR experiments establish that the former is readily air-oxidized to fatty acids, while the latter undergoes rapid acid-catalyzed rearrangement to 1-palmitoyl-2-hydroxy-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine. Lysolipid formation obeys first order kinetics, yielding observed pseudo-first order rate constants that are pH-dependent. Bimolecular hydrolysis rate constants, kbi, have also been determined. Calcein release rates from plasmenylcholine liposomes are strongly dependent on both the dihydrocholesterol (DHC) content and the extent of PlsPamCho hydrolysis within the bilayer. DHC-free plasmenylcholine liposomes (38°C, pH 2.5) require 50% calcein release within 10 min. The presence of ≥25 mol% DHC, however, greatly reduces the observed calcein release rate; nearly 30% PlsPamCho hydrolysis is required to effect 50% calcein release over a 70-min period in 6:4 PlsPamCho/DHC liposomes. Bacteriochlorophyll a-sensitized photooxidation of plasmenylcholine liposomes also produces fatty aldehyde and another intermediate, tentatively described as 1-formyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, that hydrolyzes to form the 1-hydroxy lysolipid. These results have important implications for the quantitative description of lysolipid effects on membrane permeability and on the design of triggerable liposomes for drug delivery.
A Remark on Determining the Number of States of a Sequential Machine

Results in the literature on sequential machines prove that it is not possible to determine the minimal form of a machine by external measurements. By changing the concept of external measurement, an ``effective solution'' to this identification problem is given. The solution utilizes an important result in the theory of sequential relations.
Computer-based search for steroid and DNA binding sites on estrogen and glucocorticoid receptors.

The primary amino acid sequences of proteins that are receptors for estrogen, glucocorticoids, and ouabain were compared with each other using computer programs designed to detect and quantify similarities between proteins. Three regions of similarity between the estrogen receptor (ER) and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) were identified. On the ER, residues 173-250, 323-395, and 426-458 are similar to residues 409-486, 540-612, and 644-676, respectively, on the GR. The ALIGN computer analysis of these segments on the ER and the GR gave comparison scores that were 16.8, 13.7, and 6.8 standard deviations higher, respectively, than that obtained with a comparison of randomized sequences of these proteins. The probability of getting these scores by chance is less than 10(-60), 10(-40), and 10(-11), respectively. Others have proposed that the segment on the ER and GR that is nearest their amino terminus (e.g. residues 173-250 of the ER) is part of their DNA binding domain and that the other two similar segments on each receptor, which are closer to their carboxy terminus, are part of their steroid binding domain. Here, we present evidence to support both of these hypotheses. First, an Align computer analysis indicates that residues 323-395 of the ER and residues 570-612 of the GR contain a region that is similar to a part of the alpha-subunit of the (Na+ + K+)ATPase that is hypothesized to bind the steroid ouabain. This similarity provides additional support for the proposed location of the steroid binding site on the ER, GR, and (Na+ + K+)ATPase. Second, a computer search of the protein sequence database revealed that protamine, a DNA binding protein, has some similarity to residues 255-281 of the ER, which are thought to be part of the DNA binding domain in the ER. Further, we find that residues 276-281 of the ER contain a structure that has been found at the nucleotide binding domain of some protein kinases. If this region on the ER binds ATP, then it may be involved in phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the ER, which is thought to be important in its mechanism of action.
GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER AND ANOREXIA NERVOSA: EVIDENCE OF SHARED GENETIC VARIATION

Background: Previous studies have indicated a high prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in women with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, the shared genetic and environmental components of these disorders have not been explored. This study seeks to elucidate the shared genetic and environmental components between GAD and AN. Method: Using 2,083 women from the Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders, structural equation modeling was used to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the environmental genetic, shared and unique environmental components in 496 women with GAD, 47 women with AN, 43 women with GAD + AN, and 1,497 women without GAD or AN. Results: Results show that the heritability of GAD was 0.32 and AN was 0.31, and the genetic correlation between the two disorders was 0.20, indicating a modest genetic contribution to their comorbidity. Unique environment estimate was 0.68 for GAD and 0.69 for AN, with a unique environmental correlation of 0.18. All common environmental parameters were estimated at zero. Conclusions: The modest shared genetic and unique environmental liability to both disorders may help explain the high prevalence of GAD in women with AN. This knowledge could help in the treatment and prevention of comorbid disorders. Depression and Anxiety, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Dimers on two- and three-dimensional lattices: Shift operator matrix solution

Abstract We use the shift operator matrix (SOM) method developed by McQuistan and Hock to obtain the dimer occupational degeneracies for a three-dimensional L × M × N lattice. The solution is given in terms of the shift operator, R , which reduces size N of the lattice by one unit, and the annihilation operators, U , V and W , of dimers parallel to the L -, M -, and N -axes, respectivel y. We show that the factorization observed by McQuistan and Hock for monomers distributed on the planar lattice is possible for dimers, and the degeneracy is obtained as a solution of an eigenvalue problem. In particular, it is interesting to note that, as in the monomer case, R −1 plays the role of an eigenvalue operator of a matrix which is the Hadamard product of two matrices, one depending on W , and the other on U and V . The matrix depending on W it itself the Kronecker product of order LM of a 2×2 matrix. The matrix depending on U and V has an interesting fractal-like structure, which may be used to reduce the complexity of the problem. Our previous work done with dimers having orientational dependent activities on planar lattices, 1× M × N , was possible by considering only one lattice size at a time, M =2,3,4 or 5. The major advantage of the SOM method is to provide a general expression valid for any M and L .
A monetary policy ineffectiveness result in a model with a predetermined price level

Abstract This paper demonstrates that the rational expectations ‘neutrality’ proposition may hold in a macroeconomic model in which the price level is fully predetermined - i.e., entirely insensitive to current-period market conditions.
Quantum study of slow electron collisions with Rydberg atoms

Slow collisions of electrons with Rydberg sodium atoms have been quantum mechanically investigated by using the time-dependent close-coupling (TDCC) method. To make such large-scale calculations possible, it is essential to implement the TDCC method with the powerful finite-element discrete variable representation (FEDVR). Besides visualizing the slow collision dynamics, our quantum calculations show interesting features in the slow electron impact ionization of Rydberg atoms. The energy sharing between two continuum electrons changes dramatically as the incoming electron energy decreases. Predominant equal-energy sharing is observed in such a cold (e,2e) process, even though the impact electron energy is still twice the binding energy of the Rydberg electron.
Inability of Clinical History to Distinguish Primary Snoring From Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in Children

Study objective To determine whether primary snoring (PS) could be distinguished from childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) by clinical history. Design Retrospective study of clinical history of 83 children with snoring and/or sleep disordered breathing who were referred for polysomnography. Setting Tertiary referral center; pediatric pulmonary sleep apnea clinic. Measurements We evaluated the ability of a clinical obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) score and other questions about sleep, breathing, and daytime symptoms to distinguish PS from OSAS in children. Parents were asked about the child's snoring, difficulty breathing, observed apnea, cyanosis, struggling to breathe, shaking the child to "make him or her breathe," watching the child sleep, afraid of apnea, the frequency and loudness of snoring, and daytime symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Results Based on polysomnography results, 48 patients were classified as PS and 35 as OSAS. Peak end-tidal CO 2 (49 ± 3.2 vs 55 ± 8.2 [SD] mm Hg); lowest arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oximetry (95 ± 1.9 vs 82 ± 14%); and apnea/hypopnea index (0.27 ± .3 vs 8.4 ± 6 events/h) indicated that the diagnostic criteria for PS versus OSA were reasonable. There were no differences between PS and OSA patients with respect to age, sex, race, failure to thrive, obesity, history of EDS, snoring history, history of cyanosis during sleep, or daytime symptoms except for mouth breathing. There were no significant differences in sleep variables between PS patients and those with any severity of OSAS. The OSA score misclassified about one of four patients. Comparing PS and OSA patients, significant findings were daytime mouth breathing (61 vs 85%; p=0.024); observed apnea (46 vs 74%; p=0.013); shaking the child (31 vs. 60%; p=0.01); struggling to breathe (58 vs 89%; p=0.003); and afraid of apnea (71 vs 91%; p=0.028). However, none of these were sufficiently discriminatory to predict OSAS. Conclusion We conclude that PS in children cannot be reliably distinguished from OSAS by clinical history alone.
Development of oxygen scavenging system containing a natural free radical scavenger and a transition metal

Abstract A natural free radical scavenger, α-tocopherol, and a transition metal in an oxygen scavenging system were evaluated as a possible oxygen scavenger. The effects of α-tocopherol, transition metal, moisture, and thermal processing on oxygen scavenging capability were investigated. An initial, cup headspace oxygen content (%) of 20.9% was decreased to 18.0% after thermal processing and 60 days of storage at room temperature when the oxygen scavenging system containing α-tocopherol (500 mg) and transition metal (100 mg) was utilised. α-Tocopherol and a transition metal were required for optimum oxygen scavenging capability, otherwise the oxygen scavenging capability decreased. The oxygen content (%) decreased further to 17.1% when the amount of transition metal increased from 100 to 150 mg. In this research, α-tocopherol (500 mg) and transition metal (150 mg) had an oxygen scavenging capacity of 6.72 ml O2/g and an oxygen scavenging rate of 0.11 ml O2/g•day. Results indicated that α-tocopherol and transition metal in oxygen scavenging system coupled with thermal processing can be used as an effective oxygen scavenger.
The gender model revisited: differences in the management styles of men and women

Qualitative data from 22 women and 18 men managers and their secretaries were analyzed to provide insights into gender differences in managerial styles. Traditional management style topologies, based largely on studies of men's behaviors, were called into question. Using an approach that allowed other topologies to emerge from the data, the respondents perceived that women were both task and people oriented, while men appeared image engrossed and autonomy invested. Respondents reported a strong preference for their gender-appropriate model and misunderstanding, even exasperation, with those using the alternative approach. The existence of such different models, especially if unrecognized, would place women at a disadvantage, since their success as managers is usually assessed by men who are likely to have a strong preference for the male-typed approach. The findings also suggest possible modifications to existing measures of managerial styles, particularly a consideration of image-engrossed approaches. Future research is suggested to further explore and confirm these findings.
A phase II clinical trial of vinorelbine in dogs with cutaneous mast cell tumors.

Background: Few effective drugs are available to treat dogs with locally aggressive or metastatic mast cell disease. Hypothesis: Vinorelbine, a semisynthetic derivative of vinblastine, is an effective drug for the treatment of canine mast cell tumors (MCT). Animals: Twenty-four dogs with cutaneous MCT. Methods: Dogs with at least 1 measurable, cytologically confirmed, and previously untreated cutaneous MCT received a single treatment with vinorelbine at the previously established dosage of 15 mg/m2 IV. Tumor measurements and CBC were evaluated before and 7 days after treatment. Adverse events were graded according to Veterinary Cooperative Oncology Group (VCOG) guidelines. Statistics: Data were accrued in accordance with a Simon's 2-stage design with a noninteresting response rate of .05, a target response of .25, and α and β values of .10. Results: Three of 24 dogs (13%) had a response to treatment, including 1 measurable complete response and 1 measurable partial response. The 3rd dog had microscopic complete response to treatment with stable measurable disease. Twenty other dogs (83%) had stable disease and 1 dog (4%) had progressive disease. Neutropenia occurred in 13 dogs (54%) (grade 1, n = 4; grade 3, n = 6; grade 4, n = 3). Gastrointestinal toxicity occurred in 11 dogs (46%) (anorexia: grade 1, n = 3; grade 2, n = 1; grade 3, n = 1; diarrhea: grade 1, n = 2; grade 3, n = 1; vomiting: grade 1, n = 5; grade 3, n = 1). Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Vinorelbine was associated with an overall response rate of 13% and a high prevalence of neutropenia. Additional studies are indicated to determine if repeated dosing of vinorelbine or combination of vinorelbine with other drugs increases the observed biologic activity against canine MCT.
The Effects of Per Capita Tribal Payments on the Fertility, Education, and Labor Force Participation of Tribal Members

The purpose of this research is to provide a preliminary examination of the effects of per capita tribal payments on the decision making of tribal members. Standard microeconomic theory suggests that unearned income changes the labor-leisure tradeoff in utility maximization models. While the results of per capita payments on hours of work can be easily anticipated, the effects of these payments on human capital accumulation and family size are more ambiguous. Using Census data from 1990 and 2000 we shed some light on the impact of these per capita tribal payments on the lives of the recipients. We concentrate on three tribes in the state of Michigan: the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe, the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians of Michigan. The results lend support to the basic labor theory conclusion that an increase in nonlabor income causes individuals to decrease their work efforts. There is also weak evidence that the payment of per capita payments from casino profits is increasing the fertility rate of Saginaw Chippewa tribal families.
Sialendoscopy Strategies for Difficult Cases

Salivary gland preservation during treatment for obstructive duct and gland problems is a goal worth pursuing. Difficult cases may seem to be candidates for sialadenectomy. However, progress in endoscopic and open-surgical procedures can help the physician to find solutions that overcome difficult problems without removing the gland. Broader application of these sialendoscopic and open preservation procedures may be especially useful for physicians without access to extracorporeal lithotriptors.
miRNA expression profiling of lung adenocarcinomas: correlation with mutational status

MicroRNA (miRNA) expression is deregulated in lung cancer, and some miRNAs are associated with poor prognosis and survival. In this study, we investigated the miRNA expression in lung adenocarcinomas with different oncogenic mutations, including EGFR-positive, KRAS-positive and EGFR/KRAS-negative tumors. The expression of 319 miRNAs was evaluated by Exiqon/Luminex microarray, and expression of individual miRNAs was validated by individual RT-PCR assays (Applied Biosystems). Overall, miRNA expression was similar among three mutationally different groups with most upregulated miRNAs being miR-20a, miR-328, miR-34c and miR-18b and most downregulated miRNAs being miR-32, miR-137 and miR-342. Four miRNAs (miR-155, miR-25, miR-495 and miR-7g) were expressed differently among these tumors. miR-155 was upregulated only in EGFR/KRAS-negative group, miR-25 was upregulated only in EGFR-positive group and miR-495 was upregulated only in KRAS-positive adenocarcinomas. In opposite, let-7g was downregulated in all three groups, with more significant downregulation in EGFR/KRAS-negative adenocarcinomas. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant correlation between miRNA expression patterns and somatic mutations. In this study, we demonstrated that despite the similarity in miRNA expression among lung adenocarcinomas with different somatic mutations, some miRNAs showed unique expression patterns, which were in strong correlation with the mutation type, suggesting different carcinogenic pathway for these tumors. These miRNAs can be further explored for their diagnostic and prognostic use.
Effects of bone graft and electrical stimulation on the strength of healing bony defects in dogs

Autogenous cancellous bone graft alone or in combination with electrical stimulation is commonly employed yet there exists no conclusive data that the strength of the healing defect is actually modified. The authors examined three groups of paired canine femurs that were torsion tested to failure. Group I (in vitro): an intact femur was compared to a standard defect; Group II (in vivo): a defect alone was compared to a defect plus graft killed at eight weeks; Group III (in vivo): a defect plus graft was compared to a defect graft plus Osteostim (BGS Medical Corp., Milwaukee, Wisconsin) implantable stimulator killed at eight weeks. In Group I the defect decreased the average strength 45% (p = 0.005); in Group II the grafted defect decreased the strength 20% (p = 0.121); in Group III the defect graft plus electrical stimulation increased strength 4% (p = 0.669). At eight weeks, bone grafting, alone or with electrical stimulation did not statistically increase the torsional strength of the healing bony defect.
Time Dependent Line EHD Lubrication Using the Multigrid/Multilevel Technique

A numerical solution of time dependent compressible elastohydrodynamic lubrication of line contacts has been obtained. The results show the effects of various operating parameters on the transient response behavior of a lubricated contact. The analysis models a startup situation where the surfaces are initially at rest and in contact. Then, with the contacts operating at a given load and speed, the analysis is run until the pressure and film thickness reach a steady-state condition. A multigrid/multilevel technique is used to simultaneously solve the time dependent Reynolds and elasticity equations. The effects of various loads and speeds have been investigated. Results are presented for nondimensional loads ranging from W = 2.0 × 10−5 to W = 2.3 × 10−4 and nondimensional speeds ranging from U = 1.0 × 10−12 to U = 1.0 × 10−10 .
Framing effects in judgment tasks with varying amounts of information

Abstract Subjects were asked to make evaluations in each of three tasks—a gambling task, a consumer judgment task, and a student evaluation task. Each task involved two important attributes, but information about one attribute was missing on some trials. Half of the subjects received a version of the task in which a key attribute was presented in positive terms (e.g., probability of winning a gamble) and half received a version in which that same attribute was presented in negative terms (e.g., probability of losing a gamble). Even though the information was objectively equivalent in the two versions of each task, there were two significant framing effects. (1) In all tasks, responses to two-attribute stimuli were more favorable in the positive condition than in the negative condition. (2) When the key attribute was missing, evaluations of one-attribute stimuli relative to evaluations of two-attribute stimuli were lower in the positive condition than in the negative condition. Results were discussed in terms of the constructs of prospect theory and information integration theory.
A note on the estimator of the alpha coefficient for standardized variables under normality

The asymptotic standard deviation (SD) of the alpha coefficient with standardized variables is derived under normality. The research shows that the SD of the standardized alpha coefficient becomes smaller as the number of examinees and/or items increase. Furthermore, this research shows that the degree of the dependence of the SD on the number of items is a function of the average correlation coefficients. When the average correlation approaches 1, the SD of the alpha coefficient decreases rapidly as the number of items increase, with the order of p. On the other hand, when the items are only weakly correlated, increasing the number of items decreases the SD of the alpha coefficient at a much slower rate.
Cooperation between helper T cells and cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors

We have investigated the requirement for the presence of L3T4-positive T cells in the in vivo priming of Lyt-2-positive cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursors. The antigens used were the male-specific antigen H-Y and autosomal minor histocompatibility antigens. In some experiments, responder mice were depleted of L3T4-positive cells by repeated intraperitoneal injections of the anti-L3T4 antibody, GK1.5. In other experiments, lymphoid cells from normal mice were fractionated in vitro by antibody-plus-complement treatment and the populations primed in irradiated adoptive hosts. In these antigen systems, depletion of L3T4-positive helper cells decreases the level of priming of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. With regeneration of the L3T4-positive subpopulation, the CTL response to antigen increases. To some extent, the reliance on L3T4-positive cells can be overcome by increasing the antigen dose. We conclude that in most physiological responses, L3T4-positive T cells enhance the cytotoxic T-cell response.
Rapidly Deployable Distributed Video Surveillance System for Resource Constrained Applications

We report on a the design of a video surveillance system designed for rapid deployment on devices with limited computation and communication capability. The system employs a new video encoding algorithm specifically designed for surveillance of moving objects in a slowly changing environment. The prototype system is deployed on a mixed Linux network, with video streams originating from desktop, laptop, and Intel PXA25S-based embedded devices. Low computational demand and high compression rates are achieved by segmenting foreground objects from the background and streaming only meta-information and compressed imagery representing the foreground. Rapid deployment and seamless monitoring are provided through a web-based interface that manages multiple geographic regions and the cameras they contain, camera addresses, motion detection alerts, and video streams.
Predictive Factors for Blood Stream Infections in Children with Cancer

Blood Stream Infections (BSI) are among the most serious infections in children with cancer and are potentially life threatening. A retrospective study of blood cultures obtained from all newly diagnosed patients--from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2009--with malignancy was conducted. In this study, our aim was to identify clinical and laboratory variables associated with a BSI in a child with malignancy. Among 1004 separate infection episodes detected in 261 patients, 198 were classified as true BSI (19.7%). Univariate analysis showed that factors such as younger age, race, temperature ≥40°C, presence of chills and hypotension, time interval from the last chemotherapy, treatment for recurrent disease or a history of Stem Cell Transplantation, low hemoglobin, low-Platelets count, and Absolute Neutrophils count less than 4 × 10(9)/L were predictive for a BSI. Patients with a catheter in place and especially if this catheter was tunneled and/or multiple lumen were more likely to have a BSI. Being on antibiotics, the history of a BSI during the previous month and having received a red cell or platelet transfusion during the prior 15 days also increased the likelihood for a BSI. According to a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the factors that remained significant were the younger age, the African American race, the presence of chills or hypotension, the use of tunneled or multiple lumen catheters, the administration of antibiotics during the previous 15 days and a low-PLT count.
Fine structure of the spermatic granuloma of the rat vas deferens following vasectomy

Light and electron microscopic studies of the spermatic granuloma of the rat vas deferens which arises post-vasectomy were undertaken to determine if such granulomata exhibit the morphological features typical of granulomata described in other systems. Vasectomy was performed utilizing a technique of division and fulguration, and tissues for study were fixed in situ by means of vascular perfusion at 2, 4, or 12 weeks post-operatively. Invariably, a spermatic granuloma formed at the testicular end of the sectioned vas by 2 weeks post-vasectomy. At the time periods studied, the granulomata exhibited a cellular wall of variable thickness and complexity surrounding a central mass of sperm. This wall consistently was divisible into (1) a loosely arranged interface region populated by neutrophils and other spermiophagic cells, and (2) a more peripheral, compactly arranged region populated primarily by macrophages and epithelioid cells. Multinucleate giant cells were especially prominent in the later stages studied. Peripheral to the wall, but without an intervening basal lamina, lay a loosely organized, highly vascular connective tissue region containing only sparse collagen and few fibrocytes. Here, too, macrophages, epithelioid cells, lymphocytes, and plasma cells were noted in abundance. A well-developed capsule composed of fibrocytes, collagenous bundles, and smooth muscle cells surrounded the granuloma. Such features conform to those descriptions in the literature of chronic granulomatous inflammation.
Reliability-Based Optimization of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite Bridge Deck Panels

A reliability-based optimization procedure is developed and applied to minimize the weight of eight fiber-reinforced polymer composite bridge deck panel configurations. The method utilizes interlinked finite element, optimization, and reliability analysis procedures to solve the weight minimization problem with a deterministic strength constraint and two probabilistic deflection constraints. Panels are composed of an upper face plate, lower face plate, and a grid of interior stiffeners. Different panel depths and stiffener layouts are considered. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to identify significant design and random variables. Optimization design variables are panel component ply thicknesses, while random variables include load and material resistance parameters. It was found that panels were deflection governed, with the optimization algorithm yielding little improvement for shallow panels, but significant weight savings for deeper panels. The best design resulted in deep panels with close stiffener spacing to minimize local upper face plate deformations under the imposed traffic (wheel) loads.
Association Between Serum 25(OH) Vitamin D and the Risk of Cognitive Decline in Older Women

The prevalence of 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) deficiency is high among the elderly participants (1,2). A growing body of literature supports the role of vitamin D in brain function (3,4); however, studies examining the association between vitamin D and cognitive function have reported conflicting results (5). Although some cross-sectional studies report an association between lower levels of 25(OH)D and worse performance on cognitive testing (6–13,16), other studies found no association between vitamin D levels and cognitive performance (14) or reported worse cognitive performance by the elderly participants in the highest 25(OH)D quintile (15). Results of prospective studies examining the association between 25(OH)D levels and cognitive decline have also been inconsistent. Our group found an association between lower 25(OH) vitamin D level and greater risk of incident cognitive decline in a cohort of community-dwelling older men, but the association was no longer statistically significant after adjustment for confounders (14). Llewellyn and coworkers (16) reported a higher risk of cognitive decline in a cohort of Italian men and women with 25(OH)D levels 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L). We aimed to test the hypothesis that lower 25(OH)D levels are associated with a greater likelihood of cognitive impairment and increased risk of cognitive decline in older women. To achieve the aim, we measured 25(OH)D and assessed cognitive function using modified Mini-Mental State Examination (mMMSE) and Trail Making Test Part B (Trails B) in a cohort of Caucasian community-dwelling women aged ≥65 years who were enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures and followed them prospectively for changes in cognitive function.
Toward a universal h-p adaptive finite element strategy, part 2. A posteriori error estimation

Abstract In this second paper of the series on h-p adaptive finite element methods, we present five different techniques for a posteriori error estimation of h-p methods for linear elliptic boundary value problems. The techniques are referred to as the residual estimation method, the duality method, the subdomain-residual method, a method based on interpolation theory, and a post-processing method. The present study examines the theory and behavior of such techniques applied specifically to h-p adaptive finite element methods. Several numerical examples illustrate the efficiency of the methods.
Disparate results between proliferation rates of surgically excised prostate tumors and an in vitro bioassay using sera from a positive randomized controlled trial

In vitro bioassay has been used extensively to test the effects of culturing cancer cells in sera from humans participating in dietary interventions, i.e, studies of modified intake of nutrients for the purpose of reducing cancer risk or progression. It has been hypothesized that cell proliferation rates determined by the in vitro bioassay indicate whether modification of dietary intake could decrease cancer cell growth in vivo. It has been suggested, however, that the in vitro bioassay may not correlate with tumor cell proliferation rates in prostate cancer. We investigated the concordance of cell proliferation rates from surgically excised prostate tumor tissue with the in vitro bioassay using sera from matched patients. We used samples from an earlier randomized clinical trial that showed that supplementation with flaxseed significantly inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation rates in vivo as indicated by Ki67 staining in tumor specimens. Proliferation rates of LNCaP, DU145 and PC3 cell lines cultured in 10% human sera from participants in the flaxseed trial were determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficients (ρ) indicated no association between Ki67 staining in prostate tumors and the in vitro bioassay for the three cell lines. These disparate findings suggest that the in vitro bioassay may not provide an accurate assessment of the environment in vivo.
IPM program development for an invasive pest: coordination, outreach and evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, was found along the west coast of the United States, beginning in 2008 and 2009, infesting a wide variety of small and stone fruit crops. This pest is a serious economic threat, as noted in its native range (Asia), because it lays eggs within ripening fruit before harvest, leading to crop loss. The aim of this paper is to describe the process in order to create collaboration, communication routes and evaluation methods in response to a new invasive pest. RESULTS: Funding was secured and a program (SWD*IPM) was quickly developed to address social, economic and biological components. Communication routes were outlined, and a stakeholder advisory panel was established to guide program objectives. A central website was created to host up-to-date information. An online monitoring and mapping program for D. suzukii in Oregon fruit-growing regions illustrated the range, distribution and seasonal abundance of the pest. In addition, a program for backyard fruit growers was initiated to examine citizen scientists' roles in managing D. suzukii infestations in the urban setting. A monitoring kit, laminated educational cards, dry fly mounts and quick-time videos were some of the tools used to educate growers. First-year challenges for dealing with a new pest are discussed. CONCLUSION: The discovery and subsequent response to an exotic pest is information intensive and requires a well-planned, coordinated Extension and evaluation effort. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry
Coalitions in congressional voting

Scholars of Congress generally agree on four points concerning roll-call votes. First, roll-call votes are important to members of Congress who care about reelection, public policies or both. Second, members have neither sufficient resources nor incentives to acquire, process and interpret information about the content and consequences of hundreds of roll-call votes considered on the floor each year.1 Third, insufficient resources and incentives induce members to apply simple decision rules on most votes. Fourth, a voting model should conform to the choices members make under uncertainty. 2 The scholars, however, differ in their specification of the simple rules members adopt. Familiar specifications include voting decisions rooted in two- or three-party alignments; one or more policy dimensions; self-interest or ideology; and cue taking) To varying degrees, most command an intuitive appeal and empirical support. Clearly, it is important to evaluate each model based on its (a) refutable implications, or (b) performance relative to the competing models. To test a unidimensional voting model, in which members vote based on an imprecise perception of the issues involved, 4 this paper adopts the first approach: it seeks to refute a pair of comparative static implications of the model. Two reasons account for the adoption of approach (a) and not (b). First, to the extent feasible, a comparison of the unidimensional model with the competing voting models appears in Poole and Rosenthal (1985a, 1985b). Second, the likelihood-ration test, considered to be statistically unambiguous, requires that competing models generate a nested set of hypotheses (see Amemiya, 1981). Unfortunately, models of roll-call voting, with substantially different origins, 5 seldom meet this requirement.
Underspecification, the feature hierarchy and Tiv vowels

The major issue with regard to underspecification theory is whether all types of redundant information should be excluded from underlying representations, or if not, then what the principles are that determine the inclusion or exclusion of particular types of information. The vowel system of Tiv, a Niger-Congo language of Nigeria, is particularly interesting in this regard since the representation of individual vowels in verbal roots requires a type of radical underspecification: no features are actually assigned to vowels underlyingly; surface forms result from the interaction of morpheme-level specifications with rules of spreading and redundancy.
Pennsylvanian paleodepositional evolution of the greater Permian Basin, Texas and New Mexico: Depositional systems and hydrocarbon reservoir analysis

The Permian Basin of west Texas and New Mexico is the largest petroleum-producing basin in the United States. In this area, multiple episodes of Paleozoic faulting, uplift, and erosion occurred, including those events related to the Marathon-Ouachita orogeny (Hercynian orogenic cycle 350–250 Ma). Within Paleozoic rocks in the Permian Basin, the Pennsylvanian succession is the second most oil-productive system, next to the Permian. This succession has been viewed historically as sedimentologically and stratigraphically complex because of the interplay of deposition, coinciding with icehouse climatic conditions during a second-order global transgression, and presumed active tectonism.New paleodepositional systems maps for the Morrowan, Atokan, Desmoinesian, Missourian, and Virgilian stages of the greater Permian Basin are presented. This study integrates varied data, including outcrop, drill core, geophysical (seismic and gravity), wireline log, biostratigraphic, and reservoir quality. Systems maps depict the spatial and temporal distribution of sediment source areas, shallow-water to basinal carbonates, alluvial to open-marine siliciclastics, shales, and areas of uplift.A Pennsylvanian reservoir architecture and facies evolution diagram combines data on key reservoir facies and targets, including their dimensions; the relative location of the facies tracts within each depositional system; the overall system architecture; and each stage's potential for diagenetic modification. A unified depositional system model provides continuity between the paleodepositional systems maps and summarizes the entire Pennsylvanian facies proportion evolution within eight provinces of the Permian Basin. The depositional systems information is referenced to second- to fourth-order eustasy curves and tectonic input. The reservoir evolution diagram and paleodepositional maps used in conjunction with the unified systems model provide the reader with the most current and extensive integration of data on the Pennsylvanian geologic history in the greater Permian Basin from a sedimentologic and petroleum reservoir systems perspective. Insights into facies distribution, the overall development of the basin and its subbasins, tectonic episodes, identification of potential new play types and exploration targets, and new depositional and sequence-stratigraphic architectural models are presented in this article.
Sparse Matrix-Vector Multiplication Design on FPGAs

Creating a high throughput sparse matrix vector multiplication (SpMxV) implementation depends on a balanced system design. In this paper, we introduce the innovative SpMxV solver designed for FPGAs (SSF). Besides high computational throughput, system performance is optimized by reducing initialization time and overheads, minimizing and overlapping I/O operations, and increasing scalability. SSF accepts any matrix size and can be easily adapted to different data formats. SSF minimizes the control logic by taking advantage of the data flow via an innovative accumulation circuit which uses pipelined floating point adders. Compared to optimized software codes on a Pentium 4 microprocessor, our design achieves up to 20x speedup.
Drug Treatment of Depression

The major advantage of the new generation of antidepressants lies in their enhanced ability to avoid unwanted side effects, such as anticholinergic or cardiovascular toxicities, and in many cases, to reduce fatalities after overdose. Second-generation antidepressants are as effective as the first generation agents, but are more selective, enabling precise targeting of symptoms. Caution in recommending the newer antidepressants must be applied, however, because these agents possess differing side effects, and unforeseen toxicities may not appear until after several years of use. Conventional tricyclics should not be overlooked in managing the depressed patient. This article discusses the symptoms of major depression, followed by the latest information on second-generation antidepressants. It concludes by providing the pharmacist with guidelines for when to select a newer over an older agent.
Quality of life in persons with voice disorders: A review of patient-reported outcome measures

This article provides concise reviews of widely-used quality of life (QOL) instruments for use with persons with voice disorders. Designed primarily for English-speaking persons, the reviewed instruments are delineated by title and population served, i.e. adult or paediatric. Each review reports the purpose of the QOL instrument as well as its psychometric soundness. Future voice-related QOL instruments are briefly considered. Finally, the appendices include tables with currently-available translations and known readability information. This article will serve as a reference for physicians and speech-language pathologists seeking to assess the voice-related QOL of their patients.
The influence of parent education and family income on child achievement: the indirect role of parental expectations and the home environment.

This study examined the process of how socioeconomic status, specifically parents’ education and income, indirectly relates to children’s academic achievement through parents’ beliefs and behaviors. Data from a national, cross-sectional study of children were used for this study. The subjects were 868 8‐12-year-olds, divided approximately equally across gender (436 females, 433 males). This sample was 49% non-Hispanic European American and 47% African American. Using structural equation modeling techniques, the author found that the socioeconomic factors were related indirectly to children’s academic achievement through parents’ beliefs and behaviors but that the process of these relations was different by racial group. Parents’ years of schooling also was found to be an important socioeconomic factor to take into consideration in both policy and research when looking at school-age children.
Calcium and magnesium fluxes across the plasma membrane of the toad rod outer segment.

1. Membrane current was recorded from an isolated, dark-adapted toad rod by sucking either its inner segment or outer segment into a tight-fitting glass pipette containing Ringer solution. The remainder of the cell was exposed to bath solution which could be changed rapidly. 2. In normal Ringer solution the current response of a cell to a saturating flash or step of light showed a small secondary rise at its initial peak. The profile of this secondary rise (i.e. amplitude and time course) was independent of both the intensity and the duration of illumination once the light response had reached a plateau level. 3. This secondary rise disappeared when external Na+ around the outer segment was replaced by Li+ or guanidinium, suggesting that it represented an electrogenic Na+-dependent Ca2+ efflux which was declining after the onset of light. 4. This Na+-Ca2+ exchange activity showed a roughly exponential decline, with a time constant of about 0.5 s. Exponential extrapolation of the exchange current to the time at half-height of the light response gave an initial amplitude of about 2 pA. Using La3+ as a blocker, we did not detect any steady exchange current after the initial exponential decline. 5. An intense flash superposed on a just-saturating steady background light failed to produce any incremental exchange current transient. 6. Our interpretation of the above results is that in darkness there are counterbalancing levels of Ca2+ influx (through the light-sensitive conductance) and efflux (through the Na+-Ca2+ exchange) across the plasma membrane of the rod outer segment. The exchange current transient at the onset of light merely represents the unidirectional Ca2+ efflux which becomes revealed as a result of the stoppage of the Ca2+ influx, rather than a de novo Ca2+ efflux triggered by light. 7. Consistent with this interpretation, a test light delivered soon after a saturating, conditioning light elicited little exchange current, which then gradually recovered to control value with a time course parallel to the restoration of the dark current. Conversely, when the dark current was increased above its physiological level by IBMX (isobutylmethylxanthine) the exchange current transient became larger than control.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Theory of polarization evolution in interferometric fiber-optic depolarized gyros

Single-mode (SM) fiber which is used in the sensing coil of depolarized interferometric fiber-optic gyroscopes (IFOG's) does not maintain the polarization state of light. As a consequence, the state of polarization evolves freely over the length of the sensing coil and over environment. The polarization evolution is induced by birefringence within the SM coil. Variations of this birefringence may lead to nonreciprocal errors whose treatment is presented in this paper together with signal fading and the mean wavelength stability. Thus, this treatment provides a relatively comprehensive analysis of polarization evolution in depolarized gyroscopes. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the depolarized gyro architecture with two depolarizers on the opposite sides of the gyro loop must be used to obtain low-drift behaviour.