cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Probabilistic online risk assessment of non-cascading and cascading transmission outage contingencies

Power grids have traditionally been designed to withstand without resulting in cascading events transmission outage contingencies of the N-1 or N-2 kind. However, in actual operation, power grids are potentially vulnerable to cascading outages. Reliable operations therefore require a risk-based approach to monitoring and managing the probability and impact of potential cascading outages. This paper defines and quantifies a measure that relates to the vulnerability of the power grid to cascading outages. The approach is to simulate and identify potential cascading modes (PCM) and to compute the probability and impact of each stage of the cascade and display the risk of each potential cascade stage on the two-dimensional display of likelihood and consequences. In this display, the traditional N-1 or N-2 contingencies will also be plotted for comparison. This approach enables grid operators to be fully aware of not only the contingencies for which they are required to assess and mitigate but also the potential cascading modes. This places both types of potential adverse events on the same basis for comparison. When the risk level of a potential cascading mode approaches or exceeds the risk level of all the N-1 contingencies (or N-2, if it is the reliability standard), then the operators will be well advised to take corrective actions to manage the overall risk of blackouts. Computation examples of applying this method are illustrated in this paper. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
THE ROLE OF MORAL JUDGMENT IN PERSONALITY DISORDER DIAGNOSIS

It is clear from the articles in this Special Section that the diagnosis of personality disorder (PD) is extraordinarily complex, in part because it involves the essence of being a particular person in society. Consequently, difficulties with definitional boundaries (e.g., culturally deviant vs. normative)—which all would benefit from rigorous parsing—abound, but space limitations compel focus on a single issue: The role of moral judgment in PD diagnosis. Charland (this issue) argues that Cluster B PD may be moral rather than clinical, and Potter (this issue) calls for clarification of when manipulative behavior is dysfunctional versus morally wrong. In contrast, for Wakefield (this issue), disorder must be both dysfunctional and negative or harmful according to cultural (which I assume includes moral) values, and for Sadler and Fulford (this issue) normative includes culturally prescribed standards for both health ([dys]function) and morality. These diverse views deserve further analysis. Charland’s issue is the lack of evidence that certain “disorders are more than moral categories.” Regrettably, he does not clarify what is “sufficient to consider a disorder clinical.” Is he here obliquely referencing Wakefield’s “dysfunctional” requirement and thereby accepting criteria that represent moral behaviors if they also are clinical, or is he implying that if found to be clinical, then a behavior may no longer be considered in the moral sphere? This clarification is essential because the history of psychiatry is replete with examples of immorality-turned-disorder when etiology became understood. That is, if moral and clinical are mutually exclusive terms (in some sense other than Charland’s simplistic example of two unrelated conditions—one clinical, one moral—co-existing in an individual), then we must accept that, with scientific advance, there will be more clinical behaviors and fewer moral behaviors, whereas if conditions can be both moral and clinical, then the effect of increased knowledge may or may not be reclassification of a behavior from within to outside the realm of moral behaviors.
Design strategy and its interface with manufacturing and marketing: A conceptual framework

Abstract “Product design is a strategic activity, by intention or by default” (Whitney (1988)). An organization has to compete to ensure its survival and the dimensions of competition are cost, quality, reliability, flexibility, service, and speed of delivery. Major commitments to these dimensions are usually made during the design stage of the product. Unfortunately, we observe in most organizations a widening gap between design and other business functions (Meikle (1989)). This article attempts to bridge this gap by: (1) defining “design” as a strategic activity to facilitate its participation in the corporate debate, and; (2) presenting a conceptual framework which integrates design with manufacturing and marketing as equal partners to support the overall corporate mission. In this article we examine the strategic nature of design. We define “design” and “design strategy” in a language that is familiar to business and present a conceptual framework that can be used to plan, implement, and control design activities strategically. According to this framework all dimensions of competition can be expressed by two basic design variables, complexity and innovation. The design strategy formulation process consists of two stages. In stage one we position a design using complexity and innovation levels to identify threats and opportunities, to evaluate consistency of design strategies, and to obtain an aggregate measure of effort required to support a design strategy. In stage two we use the strategic insight gained in stage one to select an appropriate infrastructure to support our design objectives. The framework presented in this article extends the manufacturing strategy framework by Hill (1989) to provide an effective interface between design, manufacturing, and marketing functions. We have used the dimensions of competition as the integrating force. This article also provides a foundation on which future empirical and analytical research can be based. It emphasizes the need for strategic management of design activity instead of relegating design to a traditional reactive role. In this respect the framework is a significant step towards reducing the existing gap between design and the other business functions, and can help corporate strategists use design as a competitive weapon.
Terminal extinction performance of a running response following consistent and partial reinforcement and nonreinforcement

Rats were trained to traverse a straight runway under conditions of consistent reinforcement (CR), partial reinforcement (PR), or nonreinforcement (NR). Thereafter, all Ss received 2 extinction days of 40 nonreinforced trials each. The usual PRE was observed on Day 1 of extinction. During Day 2, PR and CR Ss ceased to respond differently and converged on the level of performance of the control (NR) group. Greater spontaneous recovery occurred for CR than PR Ss. These data suggest that the PRE disappears if the number of nonreinforced trials is sufficiently great to allow the extinction of incentive motivation.
Origin and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in surficial sediments from the savannah river.

Surface sediments collected from the Savannah River, located in the southeastern state of Georgia, USA, in June–July 1994 were analyzed for individual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Three subdivisions of the river were identified for the study: upstream from, adjacent to, and downstream from the city of Savannah. There was high spatial variability in the total PAH (ΣPAH) concentrations that ranged from 29 to 5,375 ng/g with an average concentration of 1,216 ± 1,161 (SD). Of the three subdivisions, the highest ΣPAH concentrations were in the middle segment, which was adjacent to urban and industrial areas. To elucidate sources, molecular indices based on indices among phenanthrene versus anthracene and fluoranthene versus pyrene were used to determine pyrogenic and petrogenic sources, respectively. These indices have been used by other authors to differentiate sources. In most cases, PAHs in sediments nearest the city of Savannah were of high temperature and pyrogenic origin. These pyrogenic PAHs were highly associated with toxicity to benthic organisms. The two-ringed naphthalene and substituted naphthalenes, which are petroleum-related PAHs, were significantly higher in the lower section of the river relative to the subdivisions. This river segment receives inputs primarily from shipping and boating traffic. Perylene, which is indicative of nonanthropogenic terrestrial inputs of carbon, had the highest concentration among the individual PAHs measured. High perylene concentrations were found at stations located upstream and adjacent to forested terrain and where salinity level was low. To discriminate pattern differences and similarities of individual PAHs among samples, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the more hydrophobic and persistent nonalkylated PAHs. These differences and similarities were used to infer perylene origin. PCA was performed on 14 nonalkylated PAHs that was normalized to the sum of nonalkylated PAHs, using a correlation matrix. Generally, the PAHs were separated into group patterns according to chemical and physical properties associated with log K OW, except perylene. Perylene, a five-ringed PAH, was distinctly separated from the other five-ringed PAHs. The sources for perylene are likely from biogenic, terrestrial precursors. The collected data show that pyrogenic PAHs were highly associated with biological effects on benthic organisms, based on bioassay results. Perylene, a nonanthropogenic PAH, was found throughout the river and constituted a large percentage of total PAHs in the upper river.
Microsatellite polymorphism (tttta)n at −528 base pairs of gene CYP11α influences hyperandrogenemia in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract Objective: To investigate the functional significance of CYP11α microsatellite polymorphism (tttta) n (−528 base pairs) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. Design: Follow-up study. Setting: Academic research center. Patient(s): Eighty patients and 90 controls. Intervention(s): Body mass indices and waist-to-hip ratios were determined. Blood samples were obtained for DNA analysis and hormone measurements. Main Outcome Measure(s): CYP11α marker (tttta) n genotyping and serum total testosterone levels. Result(s): All the women were assigned to one of two genotype groups: 216+ (for women who had at least one copy of high frequency allele 216 with four repeat units) or 216− (for women who did not have allele 216). Fifty-nine patients (73.75%) had genotype 216+; their mean (±SD) total testosterone level was 78.0 ± 19.8 ng/dL. Twenty-one patients (26.25%) had genotype 216−; their mean (±SD) total testosterone level was 100.0 ± 23.3 ng/dL. The difference in total testosterone levels was statistically significant. Seventy-eight controls (86.67%) had genotype 216+ and 12 controls (13.33%) had genotype 216−; the total testosterone levels of these two groups were similar (38.6 ± 15.5 vs. 40.3 ± 12.1 ng/dL). The difference in genotype distribution between the women with polycystic ovary syndrome and the controls (26.25% vs. 13.33% with genotype 216−) was statistically significant. Conclusion(s): CYP11α (tttta) n allelic variants were associated with both polycystic ovary syndrome and total testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, suggesting the existence of an epistasis phenomenon.
Verbal Fluency Deficits Co-Occur with Memory Deficits in Geriatric Patients at Risk for Dementia: Implications for the Concept of Mild Cognitive Impairment

We tested the notion that patients at high risk for progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD) display relatively isolated memory deficits by assessing the relationship between memory and fluency performances in a sample of 92 geriatric subjects with cognitive complaints and normal to mild clinical presentations. Patient groups were formed on the basis of memory test scores. Patients with normal memory scores also performed normally on fluency tests, and their fluency scores were significantly higher than those of patients with low memory performances. Patients falling between these two groups in memory abilities also displayed intermediate level fluency performances. Whereas the normal memory group performed at equivalent levels on semantic and phonemic fluency tasks, both the impaired memory group and the intermediate group displayed relatively greater weaknesses in semantic fluency. This pattern is similar to that seen in AD. Since the impaired memory patients meet criteria for Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, these findings suggest that memory deficits in "pre-clinical" AD are likely to be accompanied by fluency weaknesses, with semantic fluency weaknesses predominating.
An e.p.r. study of pore accessibility in high volatile bituminous coal: solvent dependence

Abstract Pore size and functional group distribution in high volatile bituminous coals were studied as a function of swelling and washing solvents using an e.p.r. spin-probe method. Spin probes with different shapes and sizes (I–IX) were selected. The influence of swelling solvents (such as toluene and pyridine) and washing solvents (such as ethanol and cyclohexane) on the pore structure of studied coals is discussed. Ethanol used as a washing solvent swells coal and makes the long shaped pores more accessible for cylindrical spin probes. On the other hand, the concentration of spherical and long chain spin probes as well as basic and acidic sites decreases one order of magnitude compared with the concentrations observed when the non-swelling cyclohexane solvent was used. Swelling properties of pyridine for Pittsburgh No. 8 coal obtained by e.p.r. spin-probe methods are in agreement with previously reported results obtained using other methods. A variable temperature study indicates that small spherical spin probes VI–IX trapped in the pores undergo librational motion (average Ea = 6.0 ± 1 kJ mol−1) completely masking the hydrogen bonding effects detected by bulky long chain spin probes IV and V (average Ea = 14.8 kJ mol−1).
Proteome of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium grown in a low Mg2+/pH medium

To determine the impact of a low Mg2+/pH defined growth medium (MgM) on the proteome of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium, we cultured S. Typhimurium cells in the medium under two different conditions termed MgM Shock and MgM Dilution and then comparatively analyzed the bacterial cells harvested from these conditions by a global proteomic approach. Proteomic results showed that MgM Shock and MgM Dilution differentially affected the S. Typhimurium proteome. MgM Shock induced a group of proteins whose induction usually occurred at low O2 level, while MgM Dilution induced those related to the type III secretion system (T3SS) of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI2) and those involved in thiamine or biotin biosynthesis. The metabolic state of the S. Typhimurium cells grown under MgM Shock condition also differed significantly from that under MgM Dilution condition. Western blot analysis not only confirmed the proteomic results, but also showed that the abundances of SPI2- T3SS proteins SsaQ and SseE and biotin biosynthesis proteins BioB and BioD increased after S. Typhimurium infection of RAW 264.7 macrophages. Deletion of the gene encoding BioB reduced the bacterial ability to replicate inside the macrophages, suggesting a biotin-limited environment encountered by S. Typhimurium within RAW 264.7 macrophages.
Hardware-based error compensation in 3D optical metrology systems

Laser Metrology as a tool for 3D measurements is seeing increased use in industrial applications. With advances in computer processing power, there have been many publications on new algorithms to correct distortions, speckle and other problems affecting the errors in such systems. But there have also been many advances in the hardware tools, including specialty lenses, light sources, and feedback systems that offer many initial corrections than can be employed before any computer analysis is even attempted. This paper will discuss the tradeoff of hardware and software corrections, the primary sources of hardware based errors, and new methods to realize these corrections in the hardware.
A specific role of integrin Mac-1 in accelerated macrophage efflux to the lymphatics

In response to injury, monocytes migrate to the site of inflammation, where they differentiate into macrophages and participate in various biologic processes. However, their fate during the resolution of acute inflammation is not fully understood. Here, we show that inflammatory macrophages do not die locally by apoptosis; rather, they migrate across the peritoneal mesothelium to the lymphatics, through which they further migrate to the lymph nodes and to the blood circulation. Macrophage efflux is enhanced considerably on cell activation, and such accelerated macrophage migration is dependent specifically on integrin Mac-1, and can be blocked by addition of its antagonist. Thus, genetic inactivation of Mac-1 in mice inhibits the accelerated macrophage efflux from the inflammatory site to the lymphatics, but it does not compromise the accumulation of blood monocytes into the inflammatory site. Together, our study demonstrates that Mac-1 is involved specifically in the efflux of activated macrophages to the lymphatics, suggesting that Mac-1 may play an important role in the removal of local inflammatory macrophages and in their subsequent migration to the lymph nodes, a process that is critical to the development of the adaptive immunity.
Optimization of a mid-wave tunable polarimetric optical scatter instrument

A tunable mid-wave infrared Mueller matrix scatterometer was recently developed. Initial design efforts were directed at using existing non-achromatic retarders and leveraging the flexibility of the measurement matrix method for dual rotating retarders. However, insufficient retardance existed among the non-achromatic retarders (~λ/5 at 4.35μm), resulting in high condition numbers and large errors in free-space Mueller matrix extractions. Condition number analysis and random error analysis was applied to the measurement matrix method and led to the selection of achromatic λ/3 retarders in the final design. This establishes a near-optimum configuration and the opportunity to develop and test measurement matrix method calibration techniques.
The C-terminal segment of the second extracellular loop of the thromboxane A2 receptor plays an important role in platelet aggregation.

Abstract There is considerable interest in discovering novel antiplatelet approaches with an enhanced safety profile. To this end, in our efforts to define new targets for antithrombotic activity, we investigated the utility of antibodies which recognize the ligand binding domains of the platelet thromboxane A 2 receptor (TPR). We hypothesized that an antibody (abbreviated as C-EL2Ab), which interacts with the C-terminus of the second extracellular loop (C-EL2; i.e., ligand binding domain) of TPR exhibits antagonistic activity. Our findings demonstrate that C-EL2Ab did indeed inhibit TPR-mediated platelet aggregation. However, it was devoid of any apparent effects on aggregation triggered by ADP or the thrombin receptor activating peptides 1 or 4. Furthermore, results from radiolabeled ligand binding studies indicate that C-EL2Ab competitively displaced the classical TPR antagonist [ 3 H]SQ29,548 from its binding sites. On the other hand, control experiments indicated that normal rabbit IgG and an antibody which targets a TPR domain separate from those involved in ligand recognition, failed to inhibit aggregation in response to TPR activation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that C-EL2 of TPR plays a critical role in platelet activation, and establish C-EL2Ab as a function blocking antibody. Furthermore, our data suggest a potential for the therapeutic application of C-EL2Ab, which may serve either as an alternative to, or a complement for current treatments. Finally, the identification of a functionally active TPR sequence should aid molecular modeling study predictions for organic derivatives which possess in vivo activity.
Downlink outage probability analysis in cellular systems with Weibull faded lognormal-shadowed links

The problem of determining the outage probability in cellular systems where each of the desired signal and the cochannel interferers are lognormal shadowed and Weibull faded is considered. An exact expression is first derived for the outage probability, which involves performing a multiple-fold integration numerically. The computation complexity increases with the number of cochannel interferers in the system, making it difficult to compute for a large number of interferers. Two alternative expressions are proposed, which are significantly simpler to compute: a lower bound which involves computing only a single integral and an approximate expression based on the use of the central limit theorem that involves computing a two-fold integral. The accuracies of each of the exact, the lower bound and the approximate expressions are verified by comparing them with results obtained by means of Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed lower bound and approximate expressions prove to be accurate and simple tools for estimating the outage probability without having to revert to either the complicated exact expression or time-consuming simulations.
Efficient optical waveguide coupler.

A new method for high-efficiency interconnection of two planar optical waveguides is described. This technique is based on mode-matched coupling and is particularly useful when the difference between the refractive indices of the individual guides is large. The method consists of etching a deep vertical step in the high-index waveguide followed by the deposition of low-index waveguide on the etched section so that the two guides remain connected end to end. A theoretical treatment for the design of the coupler and for determination of fabricational tolerences is given. Couplers were fabricted using high-index waveguides like GaAs and LiNbO3 and low-index waveguides made up of glass or solution-deposited (polyurethane or photoresist) films on SiO2 substrate. It is shown that by controlling the junction profile, efficiencies close to theoretical values can be obtained. Some applications of such a coupler are given.
Optimum placement of osseointegrated implants

A method was described that includes a stent provided by the restorative dentist indicating optimum implant location. The stent, with imbedded metal bearings, is worn by the patient during tomographic radiographic survey. The tomogram provides a more accurate image of the quantity and quality of the osseous structures. The same template may be used as a surgical stent to aid the surgeon in initial bur placement. Through careful planning and systematic control, the predictable placement of osseointegrated implants can be achieved. With cooperative efforts of restorative dentists and surgeons, more than 400 implants have been successfully placed at University of California, Los Angeles, School of Dentistry.
Laser excitation and emission spectroscopy of the methoxy radical in a supersonic jet

Abstract Laser-induced excitation and wavelength-resolved emission spectra of the methoxy (CH3O) radical have been obtained in a supersonic jet environment. Fluorescence in the near ultraviolet from several vibronic bands belonging to the A 2A1- X 2E electronic system of CH3O has been dispersed by a 0.6 m monochromator with a resolution of 0.3 nm. A complete set of vibrational frequencies with all assignments for the X 2E state of CH3O has been obtained. To the best of our knowledge, the dispersed spectra of CH3O for the 220 and 210310 bands are presented here for the first time. The vibrational constants determined by a least-squares fit for the ν3 mode are ω″e = 1071 cm−1 and ω″ex″e = 8.4 cm−1. For the Jahn-Teller active ν6 mode, the vibrational and anharmonic constants ω″e = 786 cm−1 and ω″ex″e = 55 cm−1, respectively, have been obtained for the first time.
The Effects of General Response Style on Measurement of Own Attitude and the Interpretation of Attitude‐Relevant Messages

A study was performed to determine whether characteristics of recording responses on rating scales generalize across stimulus domains and if this could account for the apparent tendency to displace interpretations of attitude-relevant communications either toward or away from one's own attitude. Two characteristics were investigated: the standard deviation of responses and their index of dispersion (an indication of the degree to which response categories are used with equal frequency). These characteristics were measured in three domains: judgements of general personality trait adjectives, own attitude toward Negroes, and the estimated favourableness of other persons' attitudes toward Negroes as inferred from statements attributed to them. Subjects whose ratings of trait adjectives had a low index of dispersion and a high standard deviation appeared to have more favourable attitudes toward Negroes, and also tended to interpret pro-Negro and anti-Negro statements as relatively more extreme. Further analyses supported the contention that the effects of own attitude on the interpretation of attitude relevant messages (cf. Manis, 1961) may be attributable to the generalization of response style characteristics across content domains and do not necessarily result from an attempt to reduce pressure to change one's own view by distorting the meaning of messages discrepant from this view.
Core exciton, valence exciton, and optical properties of yttrium aluminum garnet (Y 3 Al 5 O 12 )

The electronic transitions from deep core levels, semicore levels, and valence bands to the empty conduction bands in yttrium aluminum garnet $({\mathrm{Y}}_{3}{\mathrm{Al}}_{5}{\mathrm{O}}_{12})$ (YAG) are studied by first-principles calculations that explicitly take into account the excitonic effect. The electron energy-loss near edge structure and the valence-band optical properties thus obtained are in very good agreement with the measured optical data. The electron-hole interaction in YAG is found to be much weaker for valence-band optical transitions than for core transitions.
Women's roles and illness episodes: a prospective study.

As more women enter the labor force, their roles proliferate. The purpose of this study was to determine whether proliferation of roles would have a deleterious effect on the women's health. A group of 96 women completed a family health diary for 3 weeks which included an estimate of stress level typical of the family on each day, the measures taken by the family to maintain health, an estimate of how each family member felt, whether or not behavior restriction was necessary, and any symptoms or complaints. An illness episode was considered to be any continued sequence of days during which health complaints were recorded in the health diary. The mean number of illness episodes for the 3-week diary-keeping period was 3.23 (SD = 1.50). Role proliferation did not correlate with the number of illness episodes (Spearman's rho = -.115 p < .132). The variables that best explained the variance in the number of illness episodes were the number of children and role reinforcement, both of which had modest negative effects on number of illness episodes; together they explained 11.3% of the variance. It was concluded that the number of episodes of illness women experience is a function of the compatibility of a woman's other roles with being ill and with the support available to her performing her roles.
Mayfly production in a Colorado mountain stream: an assessment of methods for synchronous and non-synchronous species

Year-round collections of mayflies (Ephemeroptera) from a Colorado mountain stream allowed critical examination of several methods of calculating production for species with different life cycles. Five of the six numerically dominant species exhibited slow seasonal, univoltine life cycles. Baetis tricaudatus was bivoltine. Two species demonstrated well synchronized development, three species were poorly synchronized and a sixth was intermediate. Mean density and biomass data from each sampling date were used to ascertain the goodness-of-fit of each species to the Allen curve. It is proposed that such information can provide quantitative criteria for identifying species with well synchronized development and thereby determine when it is appropriate to directly apply cohort methods while avoiding time intensive body size (e.g. head width) measurements necessary for size-frequency analyses. In addition, these data demonstrate that species specific production varies with gross changes in elevation.
Use of adipose-derived stem cells to fabricate scaffoldless tissue-engineered neural conduits in vitro

Abstract Peripheral nerve injuries resulting from trauma or disease often necessitate surgical intervention. Although the gold standard for such repairs uses nerve autografts, alternatives that do not require invasive harvesting of autologous nerve tissues are currently being designed and evaluated. We previously established the use of scaffoldless engineered neural conduits (ENCs) fabricated from primary cells as one such alternative in sciatic nerve repair in rats [Baltich et al. (2010) In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Anim 46(5):438–444]. The present study establishes protocols for fabricating neural conduits from adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) differentiated to either a fibroblast or neural lineage and co-cultured into a three-dimensional (3-D) scaffoldless tissue-ENC. Addition of ascorbic acid-2-phosphate and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 to the medium induced and differentiated ASCs to a fibroblast lineage in more than 90% of the cell population, as confirmed by collagen I expression. ASC-differentiated fibroblasts formed monolayers, delaminated, and formed 3-D conduits. Neurospheres were formed by culturing ASCs on non-adherent surfaces in serum-free neurobasal medium with the addition of epidermal growth factor (EGF) and FGF-2. The addition of 10 ng EGF and 10 ng FGF-2 produced larger and more numerous neurospheres than treatments of lower EGF and FGF-2 concentrations. Subsequent differentiation to glial-like cells was confirmed by the expression of S100. ASC-derived fibroblast monolayers and neurospheres were co-cultured to fabricate a 3-D scaffoldless tissue-ENC. Their nerve-like structure and incorporation of glial-like cells, which would associate with regenerating axons, may make these novel, stem cell-derived neural conduits an efficacious technology for repairing critical gaps following peripheral nerve injury.
PATTERN REVERSAL EVOKED POTENTIAL AMPLITUDES: LIFE SPAN CHANGES

Abstract Pattern reversal evoked potentials (PREPs) were recorded from people whose ages ranged from 4 to 90 years. Dramatic reductions in PREP amplitudes occurred between childhood and adolescence. These changes were most evident in females. Following adolescence there were no significant changes in amplitudes, even to old age. Latencies, on the other hand, have been shown to change most dramatically between adulthood and old age. PREP amplitudes and latencies, therefore, appear to provide different and unique information regarding development and aging. One cannont ignore PREP amplitudes without sacrificing information regarding early development.
Numerical Simulation of Tire Sliding Events Involving Impacts with Holes and Bumps

Abstract This paper extends the finite element simulation scheme to handle the problem of tires undergoing sliding (skidding) impact into obstructions. Since the inertial characteristics are handled by the algorithm developed, the full range of operating environments can be accommodated. This includes the treatment of impacts with holes and bumps of arbitrary geometry.
Ostracodes as indicators of brackish water environments in the Catskill Magnafacies (Devonian) of New York State

Abstract Leperditiid and beyrichiid ostracodes in marine margin deposits of the Devonian Catskill magnafacies of New York State document brackish conditions in what were previously considered freshwater floodplain deposits. The very low diversity ostracode fauna (two species) includes an abundance of anomalously thin-shelled individuals that belong to the genera Leperditia ? and Welleria . This ostracode fauna is one of the oldest reported from brackish water in the stratigraphic record, and it documents the early ecological radiation of ostracodes into waters of reduced salinity. Associated fossils, including the bivalve Archanodon and the conchostracan Euestheria , have been considered to be freshwater forms, partly because of their occurrence in these rocks that were assumed to be fluvial in origin. Nearly everywhere, however, the ostracodes are associated with cosmine-bearing fish fragments, lingulid brachiopods, and the feeding trace Spirophyton , which have a marine or brackish-water affiliation. The presence of open carapaces on bedding planes as well as adults and several instar stages of each ostracode species indicate lack of postmortem transport. At least one ostracode-bearing mudstone contains the mineral amesite; associated calcareous mudrocks interbedded with these units contain symmetrical ripple marks, mudcracks, and locally intense manganese-oxide staining. Collectively, these features indicate extreme environmental conditions and suggest highly variable salinities in shallow pools or embayments along the paleoshoreline. The presence of brackish-water faunas, perhaps estuarine in origin, indicates an aspect of the diversity of Devonian paleoenvironments along this portion of the Catskill deltaic complex not previously recognized. The deposits are widespread, although not ubiquitous, within thick sequences of fine-grained flood-basin deposits. Because most previous paleoecological studies of fossils from these rocks assumed the sediments to be of freshwater origin, the new interpretation of brackish-water communities presented here could have important implications for understanding the evolution of early terrestrial organisms. For example, some animals may have evolved in brackish estuarine environments rather than in freshwater rivers as assumed in previous studies. Recognition of this brackish facies elsewhere in the Catskill succession will not only aid future identification of paleoshoreline position but may also help clarify whether early terrestrial organisms made the transition to land via brackish or freshwater environments.
Soil microbiostasis: effects of environmental and edaphic factors.

Abstract Environmental factors of desiccation, temperature and flooding, and edaphic factors of soil pH and depth affected bacteriostasis, actinostasis and fungistasis in soils differently. Among the three types of soil microbiostasis, fungistasis was the hardest to overcome by the environmental and edaphic factors tested. It was only overcome by desiccation of soil which also nullified bacteriostasis and actinostasis. Flooding and freezing of soil relieved bacteriostasis and actinostasis, but not fungistasis. Only bacteriostasis was relieved when soil pH was adjusted to 8.4. Adjusting the soil pH to 4.0 or heating soil at 38°C for 1 month did not affect microbiostasis. All three types of microbiostasis were present in subsoil at 90 cm and absent at 120 cm. Only fungistasis and actinostasis were absent in subsoils at 30 and 60 cm, respectively.
Effect of preoptic lesions on behavioral thermoregulation of green sunfish,Lepomis cyanellus, and of goldfish,Carassius auratus

Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) acclimated to 5°, 15° and 25 °C were placed individually in a horizontal temperature gradient from 2° to 30 °C where the fish could swim freely. They spent large proportions of time (70%) at temperatures near their acclimation temperature and avoided the extremes. By behavioral selection, internal body temperature was maintained relatively constant. After bilateral medial and lateral preoptic lesions, fish spent random amounts of time at all temperatures available in the gradient and did not maintain a stable body temperature.
Synthesis of cysteine-35S-sulfate

A short and very convenient method is described for the preparation of cysteine-35S-sulfate using unlabeled cysteine -S-sulfate and L-cysteine-35S. This method provides an 80% yield and can be used for microquantity synthesis.
Recombinant Milk Fat Globule–EGF Factor-8 Reduces Oxidative Stress via Integrin β3/Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2–Related Factor 2/Heme Oxygenase Pathway in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Rats

Background and Purpose—Milk fat globule–EGF factor-8 (MFGE8) has been reported to be neuroprotective in ischemic stroke. However, the effects of MFGE8 in early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) have not been investigated. We investigated the role of MFGE8 in early brain injury and the potential mechanisms in antioxidation after SAH. Methods—Two dosages (1 μg and 3.3 μg) of recombinant human MFGE8 were injected intracerebroventricularly at 1.5 hours after SAH. SAH grades, neurological scores, and brain water content were measured at 24 and 72 hours. For mechanistic study, MFGE8 siRNA, integrin β3 siRNA, and heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor SnPP IX were used for intervention. The oxidative stress and expression of MFGE8, integrin β3, HO-1, extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2 were measured by Western blots 24 hours after SAH. Results—The expression of MFGE8 and HO-1 increased and peaked 24 hours after SAH. Administration of recombinant human MFGE...
Language-Reduced Screening for Giftedness

Rebecca Gray has a M.Ed. in school counseling from Carson-Newman College and a Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of Tennessee. R. Steve McCallum, Ph.D., is (Professor and) Head of the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at the University of Tennessee. Sherry K. Bain, Ph.D., is a member of the school psychology graduate faculty in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling at the University of Tennessee.
Evaluation of the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate and Recombinant Factor C Assays for Assessment of Airborne Endotoxin

As a potent inflammatory agent, endotoxin is a key analyte of interest for studies of lung ailments in domestic environments and occupational settings with organic dust. A relatively unexplored advance in endotoxin exposure assessment is the use of recombinant factor C (rFC) from the Limulus pathway in a fluorometric assay. In this study, we compared airborne endotoxin concentrations in laboratory- and field-collected parallel air samples using the kinetic Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) assay and the rFC assay. Air sampling was performed using paired Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) samplers, Button samplers, closed-face cassettes, and cyclone samplers. Field sampling was performed in 10 livestock production facilities, including those housing swine, chicken, turkey, dairy cows, cattle, and horses. Laboratory sampling was performed in exposure chambers using resuspended airborne dust collected in five livestock facilities. Paired samples were extracted in pyrogen-free water with 0.05% Tween 20 and analyzed using LAL and rFC assays. In 402 field sample pairs there was excellent agreement between endotoxin concentrations determined by LAL and rFC (r = 0.93; P < 0.0001). In 510 laboratory sample pairs there was also excellent agreement between the two assays (r = 0.86; P < 0.0001). Correlations for subgroups of facility or dust type ranged from 0.65 to 0.96. Mixed-model analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the field studies showed significant interactions of facility-sampler and facility-assay. rFC/LAL ratios of the geometric means were 0.9 to 1.14 for the samplers (not significantly different from 1.0). The data from this study demonstrate that the LAL assay and the rFC assay return similar estimates of exposure in livestock facilities. Both methods provided suitable lower limits of detection such that all but 19 of 1,824 samples were quantifiable.
An intelligent forecasting support system in auditing: expert system and neural network approach

The authors introduce an intelligent forecasting support system to assist an auditor in assessing audit risks. In practice, auditors make judgments by using their expertise and experiences when performing this task. However, the lack of systematic and consistent criteria for risk assessment can prevent auditors from determining the risk factors in an effective and/or efficient manner. An artificial neural network is known for its ability to learn, generalize, and categorize data. An expert system can provide explanation of results. By applying these two technologies, this combined system can help auditors perform risk assessment tasks more systematically and consistently. >
Does Health Care Provider Screening for Domestic Violence Vary by Race and Income

Domestic violence (DV) affects approximately 25% of women in the United States with approximately 5.3 million incidents each year. DV advocates and national medical associations encourage health care providers (HCPs) to screen patients. To determine DV screening rates by race and income, patient race/ethnicity, income, and receipt of and receptiveness toward screening were measured. Patient preference for screening did not vary by race and varied little by income, but experience with screening did. Practices serving predominantly African American and lower income patients screened at higher rates. These findings seem driven by practice factors rather than differential treatment of individuals. Future research should focus on why certain types of practices screen more than others.
Vascular Space Occupancy Weighted Imaging With Control of Residual Blood Signal and Higher Contrast-to-Noise Ratio

It has been recently proposed that the local cerebral blood volume change during brain activation can be measured by a series of images whose contrast is dependent on vascular space occupancy (VASO). VASO takes advantage of the inversion recovery sequence to acquire images when the longitudinal magnetization (MZ) of blood is relaxing through zero. The degree of blood suppression, however, is not always well controlled as a consequence of spatial variations in inversion efficiency and blood T1. Furthermore, while blood is eliminated, the MZ of other tissues is also small, which makes the contrast-to-noise ratio inherently low in VASO. In this paper, diffusion gradients were applied to demonstrate residual intravascular signal in the original VASO. An alternative VASO-weighted imaging was then proposed using a longer inversion time at which the MZ difference between blood and gray matter was optimized. A global saturation immediately after image acquisition was employed to eliminate the MZ disparity between inflowing blood and the residual in-plane blood from previous acquisition. Feasibility was evaluated by numerical simulation and functional experiments. In human visual cortex, the fractional VASO signal and cerebral blood volume changes were found to be 0.6% and 44%, respectively (voxel size = 3.4 times 3.4 times 5.0 mm3). As compared to the original VASO, the presented method provided a largely comparable activation map and hemodynamic curve but was not confounded by the existence of blood. Results also demonstrated its advantages of 1.6-fold higher CNR and insensitivity to variant tissue/blood T1 as well as inversion efficiency.
The Genetic Basis for Constructing Selection Indexes

"The key is man9s power of accumulative selection: nature gives successive variations; man adds them up in certain directions useful to him."—Darwin, p. 35, sixth edition of The Origin of Species . 1920.
Roles of metal ions and hydrogen peroxide in modulating the interaction of the Bacillus subtilis PerR peroxide regulon repressor with operator DNA.

The inducible response to H2O2 stress in Bacillus subtilis is under the control of PerR, one of three Fur homologues in this organism. PerR was purified in both an inactive, metal-dependent form and an active, metal-containing form as determined using DNA-binding assays. Active PerR contains both zinc and iron and is designated PerR:Zn,Fe. Added manganous ion competes for binding to the iron site and can restore DNA-binding activity to the metal-dependent form of PerR, presumably generating PerR:Zn,Mn. The DNA-binding activity of PerR:Zn,Fe is eliminated by exposure to H2O2 whereas PerR:Zn,Mn is comparatively resistant. DNA-binding activity can be restored by a thiol-reducing agent, suggesting that redox-active cysteines are involved in peroxide sensing. Experiments using reporter fusions demonstrate that elevated levels of manganese repress PerR regulon genes and prevent their full induction by H2O2. In contrast, in cells grown with iron supplementation, a PerR-repressed gene is completely derepressed by H2O2. These results are consistent with the idea that the intracellular form of the PerR metalloprotein, and therefore its hydrogen peroxide sensitivity, can be altered by growth conditions.
Fetuin-A, Type 2 Diabetes, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults The Cardiovascular Health Study

OBJECTIVE Fetuin-A, a hepatic secretory protein that simultaneously inhibits arterial calcification and insulin action, is associated with type 2 diabetes, but its association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) is uncertain. Preliminary studies suggest that the association of fetuin-A with CVD might differ among individuals with or without type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Prospective study of 3,810 community-living individuals older than 65 years (511 with type 2 diabetes) and free of CVD in 1992 when fetuin-A levels were measured. Participants were followed-up for incident CVD through June 2008. RESULTS Mean age was 75 years and 61% were women; 1,456 participants had an incident CVD event (248 among individuals with type 2 diabetes). The association of fetuin-A with CVD was modified by type 2 diabetes ( P interaction = 0.02). Higher fetuin-A was associated with lower CVD risk among persons without type 2 diabetes [hazard ratio per SD 0.1 g/L higher fetuin-A, 0.93 (95% CI, 0.88–0.99)], whereas a trend in the opposite direction was observed among individuals with type 2 diabetes, although it was not statistically significant [1.07 (0.93–1.22)]. Among individuals without type 2 diabetes, similar effect modification was observed by obesity and insulin resistance. Consistently, higher fetuin-A was associated with lower CVD risk only in the subgroups without obesity or with HOMA-IR below the median [0.91 (0.85–0.97) and 0.87 (0.79–0.95), respectively]. CONCLUSIONS The association of fetuin-A with risk of CVD differs among elderly individuals with and without insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes.
Static analysis and compiler design for idempotent processing

Recovery functionality has many applications in computing systems, from speculation recovery in modern microprocessors to fault recovery in high-reliability systems. Modern systems commonly recover using checkpoints. However, checkpoints introduce overheads, add complexity, and often save more state than necessary.This paper develops a novel compiler technique to recover program state without the overheads of explicit checkpoints. The technique breaks programs into idempotent regions---regions that can be freely re-executed---which allows recovery without checkpointed state. Leveraging the property of idempotence, recovery can be obtained by simple re-execution. We develop static analysis techniques to construct these regions and demonstrate low overheads and large region sizes for an LLVM-based implementation. Across a set of diverse benchmark suites, we construct idempotent regions close in size to those that could be obtained with perfect runtime information. Although the resulting code runs more slowly, typical performance overheads are in the range of just 2-12%.The paradigm of executing entire programs as a series of idempotent regions we call idempotent processing, and it has many applications in computer systems. As a concrete example, we demonstrate it applied to the problem of compiler-automated hardware fault recovery. In comparison to two other state-of-the-art techniques, redundant execution and checkpoint-logging, our idempotent processing technique outperforms both by over 15%.