cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
MIGRATION OF INDIRECT, FOOD ADDITIVES: A PHYSICAL CHEMICAL APPROACH

Active site binding of vinyl chloride monomer by polyvinyl chloride has been demonstrated in 2 of 3 unplasticized resins, by equilibrium partitioning studies. The magnitude of this effect was less than what was observed in previous studies. The potential for active site binding to be a limiting, factor for the migration of indirect food additives may thus depend upon chemical and morphological features of the particular resin used to manufacture the food contact article. Inverse phase gas-solid chromatographic studies have also shown active site binding in the unplasticized resin sample studied by this method. Simple dissolution was shown to be the predominant mode of monomer/polymer interaction, for the plasticized counterpart of this resin. These studies have shown the potential for obtaining reliable data for interaction of polymer resins with indirect food additive type molecules by this more quickly performed technique.
Selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist activity of the novel inotropic agent, ASL-7022: comparison with dobutamine.

ASL-7022 is a novel inotropic agent capable of increasing the force of myocardial contraction at doses which produce little effect on heart rate. The inotropic selectivity of ASL-7022, like that of dobutamine, has been proposed to result, in part, from agonist activity at alpha-adrenoceptors. Following beta-adrenoceptor blockade, ASL-7022 and dobutamine increase diastolic blood pressure in pithed rat, with both compounds being equal in potency. The pressor activity of ASL-7022 was selectively antagonized by yohimbine (1 mg/kg i.v.) and was unaffected by prazosin (0.1 mg/kg i.v.), whereas the converse was true for dobutamine. These results indicate that the pressor effects of ASL-7022 and dobutamine are mediated by different populations of postjunctional vascular alpha-adrenoceptors in pithed rat, with ASL-7022 selectively stimulating alpha 2-adrenoceptors and dobutamine selectively activating alpha 1-adrenoceptors.
Analyse des complications cardiovasculaires survenant lors des transferts inter-hospitaliers de patients ayant un syndrome coronarien sans élévation du segment ST non compliqué

Resume Introduction La prise en charge des patients souffrant d’un syndrome coronarien sans elevation du segment entre le point S et l’onde T sur l’electrocardiogramme (ST) (SCA non ST+) impose leur rapprochement d’un centre de cardiologie interventionnelle. Le transfert inter-hospitalier (TIH) de ces patients est gere par le Samu qui indique souvent une medicalisation de ces transports, en raison d’un risque de complication. Objectif Evaluer l’incidence des complications cardiovasculaires necessitant une intervention medicale survenant lors des TIH de patients ayant un SCA non ST+ non complique. Materiel et methode Nous avons mene une etude retrospective durant une annee (aout 2010–juillet 2011) au sein du Samu 85 du centre hospitalier departemental de La Roche-sur-Yon, en etudiant le logiciel de regulation Centaure ® . Tous les patients presentant un SCA non ST+ non complique, ayant beneficie d’un TIH depuis l’un des hopitaux peripheriques de Vendee ont ete inclus. Resultats Cent cinquante-neuf patients constituaient notre population d’etude. Aucune complication cardiovasculaire necessitant une intervention medicale n’est survenue durant ces transports. Dix-sept patients (10,7 %) ont presente une complication cardiovasculaire : trouble de la repolarisation (7), douleur thoracique (3), dyspnee (3), trouble du rythme (2), bradycardie (2). Ces complications n’ont pas entraine de geste ni d’intervention medicale. Conclusion La medicalisation systematique des TIH de patients porteurs SCA non ST+ non complique avant la demande de TIH est probablement discutable, car dans cette etude menee sur 159 patients, aucun evenement cardiovasculaire necessitant un geste medical n’est survenu pendant le transport.
Perturbation analysis of a condition number for convex inequality systems and global error bounds for analytic systems

In this paper several types of perturbations on a convex inequality system are considered, and conditions are obtained for the system to be well-conditioned under these types of perturbations, where the well-conditionedness of a convex inequality system is defined in terms of the uniform boundedness of condition numbers under a set of perturbations. It is shown that certain types of perturbations can be used to characterize the well-conditionedness of a convex inequality system, in which either the system has a bounded solution set and satisfies the Slater condition or an associated convex inequality system, which defines the recession cone of the solution set for the system, satisfies the Slater condition. Finally, sufficient conditions are given for the existence of a global error bound for an analytic system. It is shown that such a global error bound always holds for any inequality system defined by finitely many convex analytic functions when the zero vector is in the relative interior of the domain of an associated convex conjugate function.
Corrosion study on ceramics for conductance measurements of molten carbonates

Abstract In order to find corrosion-resistant materials applicable to a conductance cell used in a conductance measurement apparatus for molten carbonates, several ceramics were examined for durability in both hydrochloric acid solution and carbonate melt. It was found that beryllia-based ceramics and alumina ceramics of high purity exhibited high corrosion-resistance against those agents, and could be applied in conductance cells. This article gives valuable criteria for the application of potential ceramic materials in carbonate melts.
Formation of large-scale structure from cosmic-string loops and cold dark matter

Some results from a numerical simulation of the formation of large-scale structure from cosmic-string loops are presented. It is found that even though G x mu is required to be lower than 2 x 10 to the -6th (where mu is the mass per unit length of the string) to give a low enough autocorrelation amplitude, there is excessive power on smaller scales, so that galaxies would be more dense than observed. The large-scale structure does not include a filamentary or connected appearance and shares with more conventional models based on Gaussian perturbations the lack of cluster-cluster correlation at the mean cluster separation scale as well as excessively small bulk velocities at these scales.
Listening Characteristics of Children With Central Auditory Processing Disorders

The observed listening performances of 64 children with central auditory processing (CAP) disorders were obtained from teachers using the Children’s Auditory Processing Performance Scale. The data ...
Three-year experience of a seawater RO plant operating at a conversion greater than 50% in the Cayman Islands

Abstract A seawater RO Plant using Permasep R B-10T permeators has been in operation for three years (24,000 hours) in the Cayman Islands at a conversion greater than fifty percent. This plant produces 600 m 3 /day with a product quality of less than 305 mg/l. The RO skids were designed to operate at high pressure (maximum 1200 psig) using one to one brine staging of the permeators. The pretreatment consist only of 5 micron cartridge filtration, despite the presence of dissolved organics (20 mg/l and bacteria (1 X 10 3 ml). The first stage permeators have exceeded design productivity by 3.2%, while the second stage permeators have produced 1.5% less water than projected. The overall productivity has exceeded design projections by 2.7%. The B-10T hollow fiber membranes have never been cleaned in the three years of operation and have maintained their excellent performance in spite of the high fouling potential of organics and bacteria in the feed water.
Arterial and Tonometric Pressure Measurements in the Eye

AN accurate tonometer has been described for measuring the pressure within the human eye, and within various other body cavities1,2. It has an exact theory, can be used in any orientation, and is sufficiently fast and gentle so that it does not require anaesthesia for application to the human cornea. The probe of this unit is pressed against the eye and, in essence, if the cornea is momentarily flattened to slightly beyond a pressure sensitive spot on the tip of the flat end of the probe, then the only force sensed will be the intraocular pressure. However, satisfactory results were not obtained on application to sclera. This has now been demonstrated to depend in part on the adjustment of the degree of flatness of the probe end.
Patterns of temporal interaction in the detection of gratings

Abstract Threshold contrasts were determined for pairs of brief, temporally separated gratings of the same frequency, same or opposite phase, and various contrast ratios. For low spatial frequencies, a range of separations is found that results in facilitation between opposite-phased pairs and inhibition between same-phased pairs. For higher spatial frequencies, this range is absent or nearly absent. The relation between the contrasts of the two gratings in a threshold pair of fixed separation suggests either a detector operating on the squared, integrated output of a linear temporal filter, or probability summation over time of the noise-perturbed output of such a filter.
Time to Depression Treatment in Primary Care Among HIV-infected and Uninfected Veterans

BACKGROUND Multiple factors, including patient characteristics, competing demands, and clinic type, impact delivery of depression treatment in primary care.
Rheology of immiscible blends with particle-induced drop clusters

We consider the effects of 2.7-μm-diameter hydrophobic silica particles added to droplet–matrix blends of polyethylene oxide (PEO) and polyisobutylene (PIB). The particles adsorb on the surface of the PEO drops but protrude considerably into the PIB phase. Hence, it is possible for a single particle to adsorb onto two PEO drops simultaneously. Such particles are called “bridging” particles, and they the glue drops into noncoalescing clusters. Flow visualization studies show that shearing the sample promotes bridging-induced clustering of drops and that the structure of the clusters depends on the shear rate. Rheologically, the most significant consequence of bridging-induced drop clustering appears to be a plateau in G′ at low frequencies characteristic of gel-like behavior. The gel-like behavior develops fully after shearing the sample, and the kinetics of gel formation are faster with increasing shear stress or increasing drop volume fraction. The gel-like behavior suggests that the bridging-induced drop clusters form a weak network. Apart from particle bridging, optical microscopy also reveals that particles can organize into a hexagonal lattice on the drops’ surfaces, a phenomenon that has only been noted in aqueous systems previously. Finally, rheology and flow visualization both suggest that particles promote coalescence of drops. This is surprising in light of much past research that shows that particles that are preferentially wetted by the continuous phase generally hinder coalescence in droplet–matrix systems.
Hypercoagulability in Sickle Cell Disease and Beta-Thalassemia

Sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia (also referred to as beta-thalassemia) are common hereditary hemoglobinopathies with differing pathophysiologies and clinical courses. However, patients with both diseases exhibit increased platelet and coagulation activation, as well as decreased levels of natural anticoagulant proteins. In addition, they are characterized by thrombotic complications that may share a similar pathogenesis. The pathogenesis of hypercoagulability is likely multifactorial, with contributions from the abnormal red blood cell (RBC) phospholipid membrane asymmetry, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and chronic hemolysis with resultant nitric oxide depletion. More studies are needed to better define the contribution of hemostatic activation to the pathophysiology of SCD and beta-thalassemia. Furthermore, adequately controlled studies using anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents are warranted to define the role of hypercoagulability in specific complications of these diseases.
Bidirectional Relationships Between Employee Fit and Organizational Change

Although organizational change and person–environment fit are both well-studied topics, rarely is the interaction between the two researched. Using a longitudinal design and a major change for 800 nurses in a large hospital, this article provides empirical findings on the patterns of person–job (PJ) and person–organization (PO) fit across stages of change implementation, the influences of change readiness and general change self-efficacy (GCSE) on fit, and the influences of fit on change readiness. Results show that both fit facets decline early in change, with PO fit returning to pre-change levels, whereas PJ fit does not. Change readiness is found to relate with PO fitm, whereas GCSE relates more with PJ fit. Implications for practice and future research are provided.
Trends in Body Fat, Body Mass Index and Physical Fitness Among Male and Female College Students

There have been many publications in recent years reporting on the quantity of physical activity among college students using indirect indicators such as steps walked per day or time spent on physical activities. The purpose of this study was to describe the trends of physical fitness related to BMI and body fat among university students between 1996 and 2008. The results showed a significant decline in the average fitness levels measured as an estimation of VO2max for male and female students (p < 0.001 for both sexes). The linear trend for BMI by years was not significant for both sexes (p for males = 0.772, p for females = 0.253). On average, in the last 13 years, % body fat was increasing 0.513%/year for males and 0.654%/year for females. There is a significant indirect correlation between the student’s VO2max levels and % body fat, r = −0.489; p < 0.001 for males; and r = −0.416, p < 0.001 for females. Approximately 23.9% of the variance in the VO2max levels in males and 17.3% in females can be explained by the variance in % body fat. The results support recent findings that physical fitness among college students is declining and body fatness is increasing.
Increase Academic Success for Children With ADHD Using Sticky Notes and Highlighters

Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) represent about 3% to 5% of the school-age population and are most often educated in the general education classroom (Stormont, 2007; Zentall, 2006). Unfortunately, general educators may not be prepared to provide supports for children with ADHD or other types of diverse learning needs (McKinley, 2003; Raymond, 2004; Stormont, 2007; Zentall & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995). ADHD Characteristics
Assessing the susceptibility of semiarid rangelands to wildfires using Terra MODIS and Landsat Thematic Mapper data

In order to monitor wildfires at broad spatial scales and with frequent periodicity, satellite remote sensing techniques have been used in many studies. Rangeland susceptibility to wildfires closely relates to accumulated fuel load. The normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (fPAR) are key variables used by many ecological models to estimate biomass and vegetation productivity. Subsequently, both NDVI and fPAR data have become an indirect means of deriving fuel load information. For these reasons, NDVI and fPAR, derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on-board Terra and Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, were used to represent prefire vegetation changes in fuel load preceding the Millennial and Crystal Fires of 2000 and 2006 in the rangelands of south-east Idaho respectively. NDVI and fPAR change maps were calculated between active growth and late-summer senescence periods and compared with precipitation, temperature, forage biomass and percentage ground cover data. The results indicate that NDVI and fPAR value changes 2 years before the fire were greater than those 1 year before fire as an abundance of grasses existed 2 years before each wildfire based on field forage biomass sampling. NDVI and fPAR have direct implication for the assessment of prefire vegetation change. Therefore, rangeland susceptibility to wildfire may be estimated using NDVI and fPAR change analysis. Furthermore, fPAR change data may be included as an input source for early fire warning models, and may increase the accuracy and efficiency of fire and fuel load management in semiarid rangelands.
Quipazine, a new type of antidepressant agent.

Quipazine, (2-(1-piperazinyl)quinoline), is comparable to the tricyclic antidepressants in many of its pharmacological effects. Common properties include the ability to antagonize reserpine and tetrabenazine sedation in mice and rats, to reverse reserpine hypothermia in rats and to inhibit selectively the mouse-killing behavior of rats. In all these actions, quipazine is approximately equipotent with imipramine, desipramine and amitriptyline. Quipazine is far less effective than imipramine in potentiating the locomotor stimulation elicited by d-amphetamine. Quipazine differs from tricyclic antidepressants in that it does not enhance responses induced by exogenous or endogenous norepinephrine and does not block the effects of indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines. Furthermore, quipazine, unlike imipramine, counteracts tetrabenazine induced sedation in catecholamine depleted animals. These findings suggest that the pharmacological actions of quipazine do not involve adrenergic mechanisms.
Theoretical perspectives on ion-channel electrostatics: continuum and microscopic approaches

Peter Lauger introduced me (P.C.J.) to the field of ion-channel electrostatics while I was a sabbatical visitor at Konstanz in 1978–79. Lauger pointed out that the relative conductance of hydrophobic ions through phosphatidyl choline (PC) and glyceryl monooleate (GMO) membranes differed by a factor of about 100 (Hladky & Haydon, 1973), quite consistent with the difference in the water-membrane potential differences in the two systems (Pickar & Benz, 1978). However, cation conductance through gramicidin channels spanning these membranes only differs by a factor of 2–3 (Bamberg et al. 1976). Why? It is the pursuit of an answer to this question which led me into my researches in this field.
Genetic Evidence for a Defective Xylan Degradation Pathway in Lactococcus lactis

Genetic and biochemical evidence for a defective xylan degradation pathway was found linked to the xylose operon in three lactococcal strains, Lactococcus lactis 210, L. lactis IO-1, and L. lactis NRRL B-4449. Immediately downstream of the xylulose kinase gene (xylB) (K. A. Erlandson, J.-H. Park, W. El Khal, H.-H. Kao, P. Basaran, S. Brydges, and C. A. Batt, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66:3974-3980, 1999) are two open reading frames encoding a mutarotase (xylM) and a xyloside transporter (xynT) and a partial open reading frame encoding a beta-xylosidase (xynB). These are functions previously unreported for lactococci or lactobacilli. The mutarotase activity of the putative xylM gene product was confirmed by overexpression of the L. lactis enzyme in Escherichia coli and purification of recombinant XylM. We hypothesize that the mutarotase links xylan degradation to xylose metabolism due to the anomeric preference of xylose isomerase. In addition, Northern hybridization experiments suggested that the xylM and xynTB genes are cotranscribed with the xylRAB genes, responsible for xylose metabolism. Although none of the three strains appeared to metabolize xylan or xylobiose, they exhibited xylosidase activity, and L. lactis IO-1 and L. lactis NRRL B-4449 had functional mutarotases.
Processing - Property Relations in YBa2Cu3O6+x Superconductor

Processing of YBa2Cu3O6+x superconducting samples by employing different precursor powder preparation techniques such as ball milling, attrition milling and also narrow particle size distribution powder preparation through coprecipitation by spraying will be discussed. CuO coated with oxalates shows the lowest resistance above T up to room temperature. The extent of corrosion by water has been studied by employing magnetic susceptibility, XPS and X-ray diffraction. Superconducting samples are affected to a considerable extent when treated in water at 60° C and the severity of the attack increases with time.
PROPOSED TEST FOR THE RADIATION MECHANISM OF PULSARS.

GOLD1 has proposed an interesting model for pulsars, which goes a long way towards explaining some of their more baffling properties. His model, briefly, is that pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars, with an axially asymmetric magnetic field “frozen in” to the star, and thus rotating with it. A plasma surrounds the star and co-rotates with the magnetic field, out to, or nearly out to, the critical radius at which the tangential velocity would be the velocity of light. Relativistic effects in this rapidly spinning plasma are to account, in a general way, for the radiation emitted. The exact mechanism is not specified, although charges embedded in the plasma are mentioned.
A high-slew integrator for switched-capacitor circuits

A new method for improving the slew rate of a switched-capacitor integrator is introduced. A booster circuit is used to measure the integrator input voltage and then inject a proportionate amount of charge at the integrator output. The boosted integrator significantly reduces the settling time due to amplifier slewing. In addition, the booster has no adverse effect on the noise and stability performance of the integrator. The booster stage increases the total static integrator power by 36% and the total die area by 22%. >
Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells 2 Transactivation in Mast Cells A NOVEL ISOFORM-SPECIFIC TRANSACTIVATION DOMAIN CONFERS UNIQUE FcϵRI RESPONSIVENESS

Murine nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)2.alpha/beta differ by 42 and 28 unique amino-terminal amino acids and are differentially expressed. Both isoforms share conserved domains that regulate DNA-binding and subcellular localization. A genetic "one-hybrid" assay was used to define two distinct transactivation (TA) domains: in addition to a conserved TAD present in both isoforms, a second, novel TAD exists within the beta-specific amino terminus. Pharmacologic inhibitors Go6976 and rottlerin demonstrate that both conventional and novel protein kinase C (PKC) family members regulate endogenous mast cell NFAT activity, and NFAT2 TA. Overexpression of dominant active PKC (which has been implicated in immune receptor signaling) induces NFAT2.alpha/beta TA. Mutations within the smallest PKC-responsive transactivation domain demonstrate that the PKC effect is at least partially indirect. Significantly, the beta-specific domain confers greater ability to TA in response to treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate/ionomycin or lipopolysaccharide, and unique sensitivity to FcepsilonRI signaling. Accordingly, overexpression of NFAT2.beta results in significantly greater NFAT- and interleukin-4 reporter activity than NFAT2.alpha. These results suggest that whereas NFAT2 isoforms may share redundant DNA-binding preferences, there are specialized functional consequences of their isoform-specific domains.
Keeping the Public Purse: An Experiment in Windfalls, Taxes, and the Incentives to Restrain Government

It is widely believed that rents from windfall revenue undermine accountability. An enduring explanation is that windfalls free leaders from the need to tax, producing a quiescent population. Yet, there is little direct evidence of how windfalls and taxes affect citizen political action. I use novel revenue and information experiments to examine whether and why windfalls (compared to taxes) affect how citizens participate in politics. The experiments were embedded in a public awareness campaign conducted with 1,863 citizens in Indonesia. The results—from an original survey and postcard campaign—indicate that the tax treatment increased monitoring and anti-incumbent political action. Yet, when given spending information, citizens in the windfall treatment cared just as much about misused revenue as those in the tax treatment. The findings have important implications for understanding not only how revenue affects citizen political behavior but also how people acquire and process information on government spending.
Recent Results from D0

We discuss recent (B physics) results from D0. The results presented here correspond to an integrated luminosity of approx 115 inverse pico-barns of data collected at the Tevatron, between April 2002 and June 2003, at a center of mass energy of (p-pbar collisions) of 1.96 TeV.
Is There Evidence for Surgery Triggering the Onset of Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Objectives: This study explored evidence for surgery serving as a trigger for the onset of the fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS].Methods: Rheumatology patients with [N = 144] and without FMS [N = 45, controls] constructed a timeline of all surgeries and pain three and 14 days post-operatively. Dates of onset of FMS and other rheumatological conditions were indicated allowing for analysis of the relationship between the incidence of surgery and condition onset.Results: The mean number of lifetime surgeries was not significantly different between the groups [FMS: 5.7, non-FMS: 4.9], and there were no differences in types of surgery. To test our hypothesis that surgical trauma was a precipitant for onset of FMS, we examined incidence of surgery in the year preceding symptom onset and in the year of symptom onset. In both timeframes, only about 20 percent of patients in both groups reported having a surgery, and the rates were not different between groups. There were no differences in pain between the two groups fo...
Toward Automated Definition Acquisition From Operations Law

Definition acquisition is a necessary step in building an artificial cognitive assistant that helps military personnel to gain fast and precise understanding of the various terms and procedures defined in applicable legal documents. We approach the task of identifying definitional sentences from operations law documents by formalizing this task as a sentence-classification task and solving it by using machine-learning methods. This paper reports on a series of empirical experiments in that we evaluate and compare the performance of learning algorithms in terms of label-prediction accuracy. Using supervised techniques results in an F1 score of 95.93% and a 96.72% recall rate. However, for real-world applications, it would be too costly and unrealistic to ask personnel involved in military operations to label substantial amounts of data in order to build a new classifier for different types or genres of text data. Therefore, we propose and implement a semisupervised (SS) solution that trades off prediction accuracy to label efficiency. Our SS approach achieves a 90.47% F1 score and 93.44% recall rate by using only eight sentences labeled by a human expert.
Sherlock Holmes and the Educational Process

More interest and enthusiasm may be generated for basic psychological concepts if the teacher engages the famous detective as a consultant.
Relationship between air pollution and positivity of RA-related autoantibodies in individuals without established RA: a report on SERA

Introduction Studies suggest that respiratory exposures including smoking, proximity to traffic and air pollution might be associated with development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA-related autoantibodies are predictive of the development of RA. Objective We evaluated the relationship between RA-related autoantibodies and exposure to particulate matter (PM), a measure of air pollution of interest to health, in individuals without RA. Methods The Studies of the Etiology of Rheumatoid Arthritis (SERA) is a multicentre study following first-degree relatives (FDRs) of a proband with RA. FDRs are without the 1987 ACR (American College of Rheumatology) classifiable RA at enrolment and are followed for the development of RA-related autoimmunity. RA-related autoantibody outcomes as well as tender and swollen joint outcomes were assessed. Exposure to PM was assigned using ambient air pollution monitoring data and interpolated with inverse distance weighting spatial analyses using Geographic Information Systems. PM exposures were linked to FDR9s residential zip codes. Results RA-related autoantibodies as well as tender or swollen joints are not associated with ambient PM concentrations. Discussion While other respiratory exposures may be associated with increased risk of RA, our data suggest that ambient PM is not associated with autoantibodies and joint signs among individuals without RA, but at increased risk of developing RA.
Crystalline versus Amorphous Content of Lumaxis™ Analog XP280 Using X‐ray and Electron Diffraction Methods

Abstract In the course of the development of Lumaxis™ (roxifiban), the physical state of XP280 (the besylate salt of the active metabolites of roxifiban) and SC887 (the mesylate salt of the free base of roxifiban) were characterized. Powder X‐ray diffraction patterns of XP280 were ambiguous in that a high degree of background signal was present and potentially indicative of the existence of an amorphous phase. Herein the results of combined synchrotron X‐ray diffraction and electron microscopy (diffraction and imaging) studies on XP280 and SC887 are reported. The combination of these two techniques allowed an unambiguous assessment of the crystallinity, as well as determination of four of the unit cell parameters of XP280 and complete determination of the unit cell parameters for SC887. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmaceutical Association J Pharm Sci 89: 1237–1242, 2000
Coordination between distributed PDPs

For distributed applications, using a centralised policy decision point (PDP) with a common policy allows coordination between multiple resources that are being accessed. But the central PDP is a bottleneck to performance because every request needs to be diverted to it. Having a set of distributed PDPs co-located with resources can overcome the performance bottleneck, but any form of coordination is then lost. Furthermore, even a centralised PDP sometimes needs to coordinate its access control decision making over time. Therefore, coordination between decision making, for both centralised and distributed PDPs, is needed. This paper addresses issues of coordination between distributed or centralised decision making, by examining when coordination is needed, providing a conceptual model for coordination, defining policy elements that can control coordination, and rules for the refinement of coordination policies. The paper provides a detailed example of coordination policy refinement, and provides an outline of how we are implementing the model in our system.
Acnodes on landau curves for deuteron photodisintegration

An implicit expression is derived for the occurence of acnodes on the Landau curve of a certain reduced sixth order diagram. This expression is studied for a certain class of graphs for deuteron photodisintegration and in these cases is found to give no singularities on the physical sheet.
The humerus of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis: a primitive anthropoid.

Two complete humeri of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis have been recovered from Oligocene deposits in the Fayum Province of Egypt. These new specimens support previous interpretations of the locomotor adaptations of this species and indicate that A. zeuxis was a robust, slowly moving arboreal quadruped. While the previously described distal articular region of the humerus is virtually identical with the same region in many extant ceboids and the Miocene hominoid Pliopithecus vindobonensis, the more proximal parts of the humerus show many primitive “prosimianlike” features not found in the limbs of extant anthropoids. The primitive features include the absence of a distinct deltoid plane, a broad shallow bicipital groove, a large brachialis flange, and an entepicondylar foramen. In most features, the humerus of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis is more primitive than the hypothetical last common ancestor of extant cercopithecoids and hominoids based on neontological comparisons. This supports other lines of evidence indicating that the hominoids from the Egyptian Oligocene are morphologically ancestral to both Old World monkeys and apes.
Balloon-Assisted Flight of Radio-Controlled Insect Biobots

We report on radio-controlled insect biobots by directing the flight of Manduca sexta through neuromuscular activation. Early metamorphosis insertion technology was used to implant metal wire probes into the insect brain and thorax tissue. Inserted probes were adopted by the developing tissue as a result of the metamorphic growth. A mechanically and electrically reliable interface with the insect tissue was realized with respect to the insect's behavioral and anatomical adoption. Helium balloons were used to increase the payload capacity and flight duration of the insect biobots enabling a large number of applications. A super-regenerative receiver with a weight of 650 mg and 750 muW of power consumption was built to control the insect flight path through remotely transmitted electrical stimulation pulses. Initiation and cessation of flight, as well as yaw actuation, were obtained on freely flying balloon-assisted moths through joystick manipulation on a conventional model airplane remote controller.
VLSI implementation of locally connected neural network for solving partial differential equations

This brief presents a locally connected neural network for solving a class of partial differential equations. Each neural cell is designed using active and passive components. An architecture is described to control the weights between the neurons. The major benefit of the architecture is that it does not require additional space outside of the cell for routing the control lines no matter how many cells are used. The CMOS VLSI implementation of a sixteen cell network was fabricated and measured. The results of this network are compared to the numerical solution of the partial differential equations.
Capacity of mosquitoes to transmit malaria depends on larval environment

Adult traits of holometabolous insects such as reproduction and survival can be shaped by conditions experienced during larval development. These “carry-over” effects influence not only individual life history and fitness, but can also impact interactions between insect hosts and parasites. Despite this, the implications of larval conditions for the transmission of human, wildlife and plant diseases that are vectored by insects remain poorly understood. We used Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes and the rodent malaria, Plasmodium yoelii yoelii, to investigate whether quality of larval habitat influenced vectorial capacity of adult mosquitoes. Larvae were reared under two dietary conditions; one group received a diet commonly used for colony maintenance (0.3 mg/individual/day of Tetrafin fish food) while the other group received a reduced food diet (0.1 mg/individual/day). Upon emergence, adults were provided an infectious blood feed. We assessed the effects of diet on a range of larval and adult traits including larval development times and survival, number of emerging adults, adult body size and survival, gonotrophic cycle length, and mating success. We also estimated the effects of larval diet on parasite infection rates and growth kinetics within the adult mosquitoes. Larval dietary regime affected larval survival and development, as well as size, reproductive success and survival of adult mosquitoes. Larval diet also affected the intensity of initial Plasmodium infection (oocyst stage) and parasite replication, but without differences in overall infection prevalence at either the oocyst or sporozoite stage. Together, the combined effects led to a relative reduction in vectorial capacity (a measure of the transmission potential of a mosquito population) in the low food treatment of 70%. This study highlights the need to consider environmental variation at the larval stages to better understand transmission dynamics and control of vector-borne diseases.
Catheter Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice and can result in significant morbidity and mortality. Catheter ablation has become a feasible therapeutic option for the management of this complex and challenging arrhythmia. In this article, we have discussed the mechanism of atrial fibrillation, different imaging modalities used for atrial fibrillation ablation, different ablation strategies targeting non-pulmonary veins, complications associated with atrial fibrillation ablation and its management, alternative energy sources for ablation and new antiarrhythmic drugs.
Seasonal phenology of the walnut husk fly, Rhagoletis completa Cresson (Diptera: Tephritidae)

The seasonal phenology of the walnut husk fly (WHF), Rhagoletis completa Cresson, was studied in the Willamette Valley of Oregon during a 4-year period (1990–1993). Adult emergence observed in ground emergence cages varied greatly among years. Initial emergence ranged from 29 June to 17 July, and last emergence occurred as early as 17 August or as late as 11 September. The period of adult emergence was constant from year to year (mean 55, range 50–60 days) with the peak between the 3rd week of July and the 1st week of August. The period between first observed appearance of females in ground-level emergence cages and the first oviposition was consistent among the study years, ranging from 20 to 23 days. Peak oviposition occurred in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of August. Mean egg hatch and larval survival were 98 and 80%, respectively. Infestations reached over 95% in unsprayed trees by early to mid September. Mature larvae first exited from husks beginning the 4th week of August and continued through mid October. Larvae penetrated the soil and pupated at a depth of 2.5–7.6 cm with most within the top 2.5 cm of soil.
The Evolution of Infaunal Communities and Sedimentary Fabrics

Mobile infauna are prominent members of modern benthic communities inhabiting granular substrata. In settings below normal wavebase, the benthic fauna is dominated by infaunal deposit-feeders (McCall, 1977; Rhoads et al., 1978), and the substratum is characterized by bioturbated sedimentary fabrics (Moore and Scruton, 1957; Rhoads, 1974). Habitats subjected to wave reworking contain fewer deposit-feeders and retain physical sedimentary fabrics. The increase of biogenic sediment-reworking on an onshore-to-offshore gradient is widespread on modern marine shelves dominated by detrital clastics (Moore and Scruton, 1957; Reineck, 1967; Howard and Reineck, 1972, 1981) or carbonates (Ginsburg and James, 1974; James and Ginsburg, 1979) and has proven useful in reconstructing bathymetric gradients in ancient sedimentary basins (Byers, 1977; Byers and Larson, 1979).
Inelastic Cyclic Analysis of Pinned-Ended Tubes

An analytical study of the inelastic cyclic load-deflection behavior and load-shortening behavior of axially loaded steel tubular bracing members subject to cyclic loading is presented. Expressions are first derived for the moment and axial strain expressed explicitly in terms of curvature and thrust for tubular sections with geometric imperfections and residual stresses. For the case of reversed loading, several approximations of the moment-thrust-curvature curves and moment-thrust-axial strain curves are made. Using these relations, cyclic solutions of pin-ended columns subjected to one cycle of axial loading are obtained and compared with some available experimental tests. Good agreement is generally observed.
The role of vascular endothelial growth factor signaling in pediatric acute leukemia

C216 Despite modern intensive chemotherapy and risk stratification, approximately 25% of children with pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 50% of those with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) do poorly and have little chance for a cure. The development of novel therapeutic agents is critical for these patients. Published studies have shown increased angiogenesis in the bone marrow of patients with acute leukemia (Perez-Atayde et al. Am J Pathol. 1997.150:815-21; Hussong et al. Blood. 2000.95:309-313). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promotes angiogenesis and elevated levels of VEGF in leukemia patients are correlated with poor prognosis (Aguayo et al. Blood. 1999.94:3717-21; Avramis et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2006.12:6978-84). We are investigating the role of VEGF signaling in pediatric leukemias. Using a panel of established acute leukemia cell lines, we have demonstrated expression of both VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) and VEGF ligand in both ALL and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Moreover, stimulation with VEGF-C or a mutant form of VEGF-C that specifically stimulates VEGFR-3 resulted in increased proliferation and/or survival in the Molm-13 AML cell line. This effect was specific to VEGFR-3 signaling as stimulation of VEGFR-1 with VEGF-B did not affect proliferation or survival. In addition, stimulation of the Eol-1 AML line with VEGF or VEGF-C resulted in activation of p38 MAP kinase and Akt, respectively, suggesting mechanisms by which VEGF and VEGF-C stimulation may promote leukemia cell survival. Taken together, these data suggest that VEGFRs may be effective therapeutic targets in patients with acute leukemia. Consistent with this idea, vandetanib (ZACTIMA™; ZD6474), a small-molecule inhibitor of the VEGFR receptor tyrosine kinases, exhibits anti-tumor activity against four of eighteen acute leukemia cell lines representing different lineages and developmental stages. Sensitive cell lines exhibited clinically achievable IC50 values ranging from 85nM to 2.3µM. Treatment with vandetanib resulted in accumulation of cells in G1 phase and induction of apoptosis at high concentrations. Commercially available VEGFR inhibitors, KRN633 and ZM323881, also exhibited anti-leukemia activity against acute leukemia cell lines. Some cell lines were differentially sensitive to the various pharmacologic VEGFR inhibitors. In addition, vandetanib exhibited synergistic interaction toward a vandetanib-resistant B cell ALL cell line in combination with adriamycin, suggesting that abrogation of VEGFR signaling can enhance chemo-sensitivity. Taken together, our data demonstrate a role for VEGFR signaling in proliferation and/or survival of acute leukemia cells and suggest that therapies targeting VEGF receptors may be effective for the treatment of acute leukemias.
Thalidomide Teratogenesis in the Developing Chick Embryo and Its Relationship to Vitamin Metabolism

Abstract A WIDE variety of antimetabolites are known to block or alter synthetic metabolism and result in teratogenesis in the developing chick embryo. Early clinical reports on a suspected relationship of thalidomide to birth defects in humans suggested that this drug might act as an antimetabolite and thus alter the course of normal embryonic development. The present report deals with the effects of thalidomide on the chick embryo and potential relationships to vitamin metabolism. Sommers (1960) reported on the pharmacological properties of thalidomide and concluded that assays with male laboratory animals had shown the drug to be a non-toxic non-barbiturate sedative. The non-toxic properties of the drug were ascribed to its limited absorption by the animal. When McBride (1961) and Lenz (1962) reported on congenital abnormalities in babies from women given thalidomide during early pregnancy, many experiments were undertaken to study the effect of thalidomide on embryonic development. While many studies…
Inhibition of action rules.

Inhibition is often proposed as an important executive-control process, but its existence is difficult to establish empirically. Recently, Mayr and Keele (2000) reported that it takes longer to switch to a recently disengaged task set (i.e.,n−2 task-set repetitions) than to a less recently disengaged task set. Thissetalternation cost may indicate inhibition of the disengaged task set. The primary goal of the present study was to test the inhibition account of set-alternation costs against an important alternative account based on automatic episodic retrieval. The episodic retrieval account predicts reaction time facilitation instead of costs for the special case ofcomplete n−2 repetitions of both task sets and all stimulus— response aspects. A new task-switching paradigm, in which action rules varied on a trial-by-trial basis while the relevant stimulus dimension remained invariant, allowed the implementation of a high proportion of completen−2 repetitions. Consistent with the inhibition view, set-alternation costs were obtained even for these constellations.
Vit. D and citrate metabolism; inhibition of vit. D effect by cortisol.

SummaryCorrelation of the effect of Vit. D in augmenting concentrations of citrate in plasma and bone with its antirachitic action has been studied. Rats were made rachitic by feeding a Vit. D deficient diet which was also low in available phosphorus. Addition of Cortisol to the diet of such rats reduced concentration of citrate in serum and also blocked the effect of Vit. D in increasing serum and bone citrate levels. Antirachitic action of Vit. D as measured by rise of serum phosphorus concentrations and by histological evidences of calcification of rachitic cartilage and osteoid was not suppressed by Cortisol. The antirachitic action of Vit. D and its effect upon citrate metabolism can, therefore, be separated. The tibias of Vit. D deficient Cortisol fed rats show evidences of increased calcification in comparison with rachitic controls which might in part be due to inhibition of bone resorption as well as retardation of cartilage growth by Cortisol. This increased calcification in Cortisol fed rats is...
Serum Adiponectin Levels, Neuroimaging, and Cognition in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.

BACKGROUND Adiponectin, a protein involved in inflammatory pathways, may impact the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Adiponectin levels have been associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD; however, its association with Alzheimer-associated neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes is unknown.
A Kind of Digital Perimeter Intruder Detection System

The application of digital hardware control is introduced in a simple-alone perimeter intruder detection warning system.The application overcame much shortcoming of traditional perimeter intruder detection technology and system,such as "the system parameters have been fixed in hardware" and " the limitation of debugging and processing ".It made the system better in integration and smarter.The application of digital signal treatment overcame the shortcoming of single property early warning model that can't be set flexible according to the situation on site.
Role of active oxygen in paraquat and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) cytotoxicity.

The cyclic tertiary amine l-methyl-4-phenyl-l,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is a contaminant of the illicitly synthesized meperidine analog MPPP and is able to induce symptoms which closely resemble idiopathic Parkinsons disease (PD) in humans.1 This appears to be caused by a selective destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the zona compacta of the substantia nigra, as seen following the administration of MPTP to primates.2 Metabolic activation of the compound seems to be essential for its cytotoxic action.3 Mitochondrial monoamine oxidase type B converts MPTP to MPDP+, which is further oxidized to MPP+, the ultimate toxic metabolite.4
Autologous transplantation with peripheral blood stem cells: a review of clinical results.

Hematopoietic stem cells circulating in the peripheral blood of patient with malignancies have been collected by apheresis and cryopreserved. Following administration of marrow-lethal cancer therapy, the autologous cells were infused intravenously resulting in recovery of marrow hematopoietic function. Circulating stem cells have been collected in two clinical seetings: 1) while their numbers were expanded during accelerated hematopoiesis and 2) while no efforts to increase their circulating numbers were made