cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Symmetries and Conservation Laws in Gauge Theories

The relationship between conservation laws and symmetries of space-time is familiar. Here it is shown that in a symmetric background gauge field these conservation laws persist, but in modified form. A further contribution to the conserved quantity occurs. It is determined by the gauge transformation which, when acting together with some coordinate transformation, leaves the symmetric background gauge-potential invariant. The addition to the constant of motion can also be interpreted as arising from the dynamical interaction of the gauge field with the system. A calssical example is the angular momentum conservation law for a charged particle moving in the field of a magnetic monopole. Generalizations of this are here derived.
Physiology of seawater acclimation in the striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum).

Several experiments were performed to investigate the physiology of seawater acclimation in the striped bass, Morone saxatilis. Transfer of fish from fresh water (FW) to seawater (SW; 31–32 ppt) induced only a minimal disturbance of osmotic homeostasis. Ambient salinity did not affect plasma thyroxine, but plasma cortisol remained elevated for 24h after SW transfer. Gill and opercular membrane chloride cell density and Na+,K+-ATPase activity were relatively high and unaffected by salinity. Average chloride cell size, however, was slightly increased (16%) in SW-acclimated fish. Gill succinate dehydrogenase activity was higher in SW-acclimated fish than in FW fish. Kidney Na+, K+-ATPase activity was slightly lower (16%) in SW fish than in FW fish. Posterior intestinal Na+,K+-ATPase activity and water transport capacity (Jv) did not change upon SW transfer, whereas middle intestinal Na+,K+-ATPase activity increased 35% after transfer and was correlated with an increase in Jv (110%). As salinity induced only minor changes in the osmoregulatory organs examined, it is proposed that the intrinsic euryhalinity of the striped bass may be related to a high degree of “preparedness” for hypoosmoregulation that is uncommon among teleosts studied to data.
Vaginal Bleeding in Pediatric Patients

Background The purpose of this study is to evaluate the underlying cause of vaginal bleeding in all pediatric patients and to specifically evaluate the underlying cause of menorrhagia. Methods This retrospective chart review examined 134 patients with the coded diagnosis of vaginal bleeding seen at a tertiary children's medical center either emergency or outpatient setting from January, 1993 to April, 1996. Results One hundred thirty-four charts were reviewed with 79 (59.0%) seen initially in emergency department and 55 (41.0%) seen in an outpatient setting. There were 3 admissions (2.2%). The age range was 4 days to 20 years: 9 years = 97 (72.4%). The most common diagnoses were breakthrough bleeding with a birth control method (31 or 23.1%), dysfunctional uterine bleeding (24 or 17.9%), abnormal uterine bleeding (20 or 14.9%), neonatal withdrawal (12 or 9.0%), trauma including sexual abuse (9 or 6.7%), spontaneous abortion (8 or 6.0%), vulvovaginitis (8 or 6.0%), and miscel1aneous other diagnosis (menses, vaginal polyp, vaginal yolk sac tumor, foreign body, and central precocious puberty). The common causes of vaginal bleeding were age-related. In the neonates, 92.3% (12/13) of vaginal bleeding was due to neonatal estrogen withdrawal. In the 2 to 9 year old children, 42.9% (6/14) of vaginal bleeding was caused by trauma with half due to sexual abuse; 42.9% (6/14) was due to vulvovaginitis. In the adolescents (>9 years old), 32.0% (31/97) of vaginal bleeding was due to birth control method including depo provera, Norplant and oral contraceptives in order of frequency. The coded diagnoses of dysfunctional uterine bleeding and abnormal uterine bleeding accounted for 25.8% (25/97) and 16.5% (16/97) of adolescent vaginal bleeding, respectively. Eight percent (8/97) of adolescents had spontaneous abortions. For the purpose of analysis, menorrhagia was defined as heavy vaginal bleeding (>1 pad per hour) or prolonged bleeding (>7 days) with clinical evidence of bleeding such as blood on pelvic exam or anemia (hemoglobin Conclusions The most common causes of vaginal bleeding in pediatric patients are age-related. In children and neonates, neonatal withdrawal, vulvovaginitis and trauma including sexual abuse are most common. In adolescents, bleeding from a birth control method and dysfunctional uterine bleeding are most common. Menorrhagia was seen in 21% of our adolescents, and this study reflects prior data with 19% of adolescents with menorrhagia having an underlying coagulopathy.
Modeling and experimental validation of carbon dioxide sorption on hollow fibers loaded with silica-supported poly(ethylenimine)

Abstract A mathematical model is developed for carbon dioxide adsorption on hollow fiber post infused with physically impregnated poly(ethylenimine) silica sorbent. The model includes detailed mass transfer mechanisms and is rigorously validated under different operating conditions of flue gas flow rate, number of fibers within the module, fiber length and particle size. A fundamental model formulation for the sorbent polymer diffusivity including the temperature and the sorbent concentration dependency is proposed. The proposed model formulation is based on free volume theory model of polymer diffusion and effectively predicts the experimental observations. The model is able to predict the breakthrough curves at many different operating conditions and module designs such as conditions with varied flue gas flow rate, fiber length, fiber packing fraction and support silica particle size. The concave trend in the temperature dependency of breakthrough capacity that shows a maximum around 45–60 °C is analyzed using the developed model.
Development of a short-term river flood forecasting method for snowmelt driven floods based on wavelet and cross-wavelet analysis

Summary In this study, a new method of stand-alone short-term spring snowmelt river flood forecasting was developed based on wavelet and cross-wavelet analysis. Wavelet and cross-wavelet analysis were used to decompose flow and meteorological time series data and to develop wavelet based constituent components which were then used to forecast floods 1, 2, and 6 days ahead. The newly developed wavelet forecasting method (WT) was compared to multiple linear regression analysis (MLR), autoregressive integrated moving average analysis (ARIMA), and artificial neural network analysis (ANN) for forecasting daily stream flows with lead-times equal to 1, 2, and 6 days. This comparison was done using data from the Rideau River watershed in Ontario, Canada. Numerical analysis was performed on daily maximum stream flow data from the Rideau River station and on meteorological data (rainfall, snowfall, and snow on ground) from the Ottawa Airport weather station. Data from 1970 to 1997 were used to train the models while data from 1998 to 2001 were used to test the models. The most significant finding of this research was that it was demonstrated that the proposed wavelet based forecasting method can be used with great accuracy as a stand-alone forecasting method for 1 and 2 days lead-time river flood forecasting, assuming that there are no significant trends in the amplitude for the same Julian day year-to-year, and that there is a relatively stable phase shift between the flow and meteorological time series. The best forecasting model for 1 day lead-time was a wavelet analysis model. In testing, it had the lowest RMSE value (13.8229), the highest R 2 value (0.9753), and the highest EI value (0.9744). The best forecasting model for 2 days lead-time was also a wavelet analysis model. In testing, it had the lowest RMSE value (31.7985), the highest R 2 value (0.8461), and the second highest EI value (0.8410). It was also shown that the proposed wavelet based forecasting method is not particularly accurate for longer lead-time forecasting such as 6 days, with the ANN method providing more accurate results. The best forecasting model for 6 days lead-time was an ANN model, with the wavelet model not performing as well. In testing, the wavelet model had an RMSE of 57.6917, an R 2 of 0.4835, and an EI of 0.4366.
Summertime cyclones over the Great Lakes Storm Track from 1860–2100: variability, trends, and association with ozone pollution

Abstract. Prior work indicates that the frequency of summertime mid-latitude cyclones tracking across the Great Lakes Storm Track (GLST, bounded by: 70° W, 90° W, 40° N, and 50° N) are strongly anticorrelated with ozone (O3) pollution episodes over the Northeastern United States (US). We apply the MAP Climatology of Mid-latitude Storminess (MCMS) algorithm to 6-hourly sea level pressure fields from over 2500 yr of simulations with the GFDL CM3 global coupled chemistry-climate model. These simulations include (1) 875 yr with constant 1860 emissions and forcings (Pre-industrial Control), (2) five ensemble members for 1860–2005 emissions and forcings (Historical), and (3) future (2006–2100) scenarios following the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) and a sensitivity simulation to isolate the role of climate warming from changes in O3 precursor emissions (RCP 4.5*). The GFDL CM3 Historical simulations capture the mean and variability of summertime cyclones traversing the GLST within the range determined from four reanalysis datasets. Over the 21st century (2006–2100), the frequency of summertime mid-latitude cyclones in the GLST decreases under the RCP 8.5 scenario and in the RCP 4.5 ensemble mean. These trends are significant when assessed relative to the variability in the Pre-industrial Control simulation. In addition, the RCP 4.5* scenario enables us to determine the relationship between summertime GLST cyclones and high-O3 events (> 95th percentile) in the absence of emission changes. The summertime GLST cyclone frequency explains less than 10% of the variability in high-O3 events over the Northeastern US in the model, implying that other factors play an equally important role in determining high-O3 events.
The effects of incomplete annealing on the temperature dependence of sheet resistance and gage factor in aluminum and phosphorus implanted silicon on sapphire

Partial annealing of damage to the crystal lattice during ion implantation reduces the temperature coefficient of resistivity of ion-implanted silicon, while facilitating controlled doping. Reliance on this method for temperature compensation of the resistivity and strain-gage factor is discussed. Implantation conditions and annealing conditions are detailed. The gage factor and its temperature variation are not drastically affected by crystal damage for some crystal orientations. A model is proposed to account for the effects of electron damage on the temperature dependence of resistivity and on silicon piezoresistance. The results are applicable to the design of silicon-on-sapphire strain gages with high gage factors.
The topical anti-inflammatory effects of piroxicam in rodents

Piroxicam is a structurally novel, long-acting anti-inflammatory drug with potent activity following oral administration in animal models of inflammation and in human inflammatory diseases. The present studies, performed in rats, demonstrate that topically applied piroxicam is a potent inhibitor of inflammation induced by either carrageenin or complete Freund's adjuvant. Comparable potencies (ED50 approximately 1–5 mg/kg) were obtained for topically and orally administered piroxicam in these models of inflammation. The potency of topical piroxicam exceeds that of topically applied bufexamac or phenylbutazone in the rat adjuvant arthritis model.
Finding Common Ground: Birds, Biodiversity, and the Implications for Collaboration with Traditional Landowners in New Guinea

It has been proposed that indigenous societies can be models for the conservation of biodiversity. However, attempts at implementing conservation-based development plans are being judged failures. In this article, I argue that these failures can be addressed by translating indigenous knowledge into context that is mutually intelligible to both indigenous people and conservation biologists. Drawing on sixteen months of ethnobiological fieldwork, this article uses indigenous knowledge to describe the relationship of traditional life to biodiversity for the Hewa of Papua New Guinea’s Central Range. The island of New Guinea is one of the planet’s last bastions of cultural and biological diversity. Using birds as an indicator of diversity, I argue that more productive conservation policies will emerge when indigenous activities are viewed not as vehicles for establishing equilibrium with the environment, but as a source of ecological disturbance. Although Hewa traditions currently play a significant role in shaping this biologically diverse environment, their lifestyle is not necessarily a template for sustainability in the future.
Material considerations in the microfabrication of grating microstructures for use in a laser-powered linear accelerator

Collaborative work between Brookhaven and Los Alamos National Laboratories is developing a new type of linear accelerator that uses a high-power, picosecond pulse CO/sub 2/ laser to irradiate a specialized form of grating with a pitch of 10.6 microns. The electromagnetic field that results can be used to accelerate electrons at field gradients of several GeV/m with potential efficiencies much better than current accelerators. The grating must be conductive to minimize resistive losses, be able to withstand high fields without damage, and requires dimensional tolerances in the sub-micron range. These requirements focus attention on grating material selection, microfabrication methods, and metrological methods used for quality control. At present, several types of gratings have been manufactured by reactive ion etching of fused silica in CHF/sub 3//Ar or etching silicon with KOH/H/sub 2/O or ethylenediamine-pyrocatechol solutions. Metrological analysis of the gratings has begun with a Tracor Northern 5700 digital image analyzer.
Pathogenesis of Degenerative Joint Disease in the Human Temporomandibular Joint

The wide range of disease prevalences reported in epidemiological studies of temporomandibular degenerative joint disease reflects the fact that diagnoses are frequently guided by the presence or absence of non-specific signs and symptoms. Treatment is aimed at alleviating the disease symptoms rather than being guided by an understanding of the underlying disease processes. Much of our current understanding of disease processes in the temporomandibular joint is based on the study of other articular joints. Although it is likely that the molecular basis of pathogenesis is similar to that of other joints, additional study of the temporomandibular joint is required due to its unique structure and function. This review summarizes the unique structural and molecular features of the temporomandibular joint and the epidemiology of degenerative temporomandibular joint disease. As is discussed in this review, recent research has provided a better understanding of the molecular basis of degenerative joint disease processes, including insights into: the regulation of cytokine expression and activation, arachidonic acid metabolism, neural contributions to inflammation, mechanisms of extracellular matrix degradation, modulation of cell adhesion in inflammatory states, and the roles of free radicals and heat shock proteins in degenerative joint disease. Finally, the multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in disease initiation and progression, along with factors that may modify the adaptive capacity of the joint, are presented as the basis for the rational design of new and more effective therapy.
Intrasubject Variability of Radial Artery Flow-Mediated Dilatation in Healthy Subjects and Implications for Use in Prospective Clinical Trials

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in the brachial artery is a widely used end point in clinical trials despite large within-subject variability and a small dynamic range. Recent studies suggest that the radial artery may be more advantageous for investigating FMD because of an enhanced vasodilator response. This study therefore assessed the validity and repeatability of radial artery FMD (FMD-R) to evaluate its suitability for the noninvasive evaluation of endothelial function. Thirty-three healthy subjects were recruited over a period of 11 months. Intra- and inter-reader reproducibilities were measured with high-resolution ultrasound at 4 time points: twice 1 morning (1 to 3 hours apart) and twice again within 7 days (range 4 to 9 days between visits). Conduit endothelial-dependent and -independent vasomotion were assessed by responses to reactive hyperemia and nitroglycerin, respectively. FMD-R measurements demonstrated significant intra- and interday variabilities (intraclass correlation coefficients [ICCs] 0.38 and 0.23, p = 0.04 and 0.12, respectively). Bland-Altman plots confirmed the test-retest variation in FMD-R. In contrast, radial artery diameter measurements (intra- and inter-reader) demonstrated a high degree of repeatability (interstudy ICC >0.8, p <0.0001). The number of subjects needed to detect a treatment difference of 2% in FMD-R with a p value of 0.05 and a power of 0.80 would be 118 in a crossover design and 234 in a parallel design for assessing group changes. In conclusion, these findings show that FMD-R is highly variable within subjects, even in a healthy population, after adjusting for multiple technical factors and implies biologic variation in radial artery tone.
Increased levels of carboxyhemoglobin and serum iron as an indicator of increased red cell turnover in preeclampsia

Abstract Patients with severe preeclampsia are reported to have microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. This study demonstrates that increased red cell turnover with heme catabolism is also common in mild preeclampsia. Heme catabolism results in equimolar production of carboxyhemoglobin, iron, and bilirubin. A concomitant rise in these constituents of venous blood would support this hypothesis. Patients with antepartum preeclampsia had mean carboxyhemoglobin concentrations (2.72% total hemoglobin) greater than those of control patients (0.65%) (p
Characteristics of the MMPI-2 F(p) scale as a function of diagnosis in an inpatient sample of veterans

Recently, a new infrequent response indicator, Frequency psychopathology, F(p), was developed for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (P. Arbisi & Y Ben-Porath, 1995). F(p) has potential to provide users with a better understanding of elevations on Frequency (F) and F-back (FB) in settings where such elevations are commonly observed because it is less influenced by the confounding effects of distress and psychopathology. The study reports F, F B , and F(p) scale characteristics from 308 male psychiatric inpatients by Diagnostic and Sratisrical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.) diagnosis. The mean F(p) scale score uniformly fell considerably below scores on F and F B and was independent of diagnosis. These findings provide further support for the use of F(p) as a sensitive index of profile invalidity in psychiatric populations.
Two-dimensional double-quantum spectra reveal collective resonances in an atomic vapor.

We report the observation of double-quantum coherence signals in a gas of potassium atoms at twice the frequency of the one-quantum coherences. Since a single atom does not have a state at the corresponding energy, this observation must be attributed to a collective resonance involving multiple atoms. These resonances are induced by weak interatomic dipole-dipole interactions, which means that the atoms cannot be treated in isolation, even at a low density of ${10}^{12}\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$.
Cyclic deformation of tungsten monofilament-reinforced multicrystalline copper composites

Abstract In an attempt to understand the cyclic deformation behavior of continuous fiber reinforced metal matrix composites, plastic strain controlled tests have been performed on tungsten monofilament-reinforced, multicrystalline, copper composites. The cyclic hardening response of the composites greatly depends on the fatigue dislocation structures corresponding to the strain amplitude. For example, at high strain amplitude, i.e. 1×10 −3 , secondary slip stimulated by the self-stresses of the primary dislocations becomes more active, and secondary hardening even occurs during saturation. At low strains, loop patches form and are associated with fine slip. At intermediate strains, persistent slip bands occur, but their distribution is altered by the presence of the fiber. The paper introduces a simple model to link the cyclic stress–strain response of the multicrystalline composites to those of monolithic single crystals and fibers. This model not only represents the fiber reinforcement by the rule of mixtures, but also adopts the Sachs model for the single crystal–polycrystal conversion factor. The results calculated by the model show very good agreement with the experimental data in all strain amplitudes at which the composites were fatigued. This encouraging outcome suggests that the new model could be applied to high-cycle fatigue of commercial continuous-fiber-reinforced polycrystalline metal matrix composites.
Californium isotopes proposed for intracavity and interstitial radiation therapy with neutrons.

RADIATION therapy with neutrons is receiving increased attention as a result of new information on its effectiveness in destroying the anoxic or oxygen-deficient cells of tumours1–3. Therapy with collimated beams of neutrons generated in cyclotrons or nuclear reactors, however, has the disadvantages of great expense, very limited availability, and accompanying damage to intervening healthy tissue in the collimated beam. These disadvantages may be eliminated and neutron therapy made more flexible, in some cases, with intracavity or interstitial implantation of encapsulated sources of 252Cf or 254Cf, which generate neutrons by spontaneous fission. Practical quantities of 252Cf will soon be available4. Large quantities of 252Cf could be produced economically, if intracavity or interstitial neutron therapy became a widely used technique.
A chemical model for generating the sources of mare basalts: Combined equilibrium and fractional crystallization of the lunar magmasphere

A chemical model for simulating the sources of the lunar mare basalts was developed by considering a modified mafic cumulate source formed during the combined equilibrium and fractional crystallization of a lunar magma ocean (LMO). The parameters which influence the initial LMO and its subsequent crystallization are examined, and both trace and major elements are modeled. It is shown that major elements tightly constrain the composition of mare basalt sources and the pathways to their creation. The ability of this LMO model to generate viable mare basalt source regions was tested through a case study involving the high-Ti basalts.
Differentiation of the actions of tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin.

Abstract While tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin are very similar in their actions, they can be differentiated biologically by the observation that newts of the genus Taricha are resistant to tetrodotoxin but not to saxitoxin. The resistance of these newts is due to a remarkable insensitivity of the somatic motor nerves to tetrodotoxin. The isolated desheathed sciatic nerve of Taricha torosa is at least 30,000 times more resistant than frog nerve. As seen in electronmicroscopic sections, there is no special enveloping structure around taricha nerves that can be considered as a particularly effective diffusion barrier. The isolated, desheathed brachial nerve of the Atlantic puffer fish, Spheroides maculatus , is about 1000 times more resistant to tetrodotoxin than frog nerve. Both taricha and tetrodon nerves are readily blocked by saxitoxin. Both nerves require external sodium ions for activity since replacement of Na + with choline, tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane or dimethyl-diethanol ammonium ion reduced the spike amplitudes. The resistance of these nerves to tetrodotoxin is interpreted as being a result of peculiarities in membrane structures that prevent an effective association with tetrodotoxin.
Abnormal distribution of α-L-fucosidase in cystic fibrosis: Increased activity in skin fibroblasts

Abstract α-L-Fucosidase activity is elevated in skin fibroblasts from cystic fibrosis patients when compared to controls. The activities of nine other acid hydrolases including neuraminidase are similar in cystic fibrosis and control fibroblasts. The relationship of these results to the recent finding of a decreased activity of α-L-fucosidase in the serum of cystic fibrosis patients is discussed. It is proposed that an abnormal distribution of α-L-fucosidase is involved in the pathogenesis of this disease.
Vector-autoregressive inference for equally spaced, time-averaged, multiple queue length processes

This paper investigates the performance of the vector-autoregressive method of analyzing multivariate output data (numbers in subsystem) from queueing network models vis-a-vis three other methods of multivariate analysis-Bonferroni batch means, multivariate batch means, and spectral analysis. Differences in performance for all methods are found when time averages of numbers in subsystem are used rather than discretized observations taken at equally spaced points in simulated time. Further investigation is made into the effect of varying the spacing of averaging times for the methods. The results show that the analysis of time averages rather than discretized observations leads to slightly improved performance for all methods considered but that there is little difference in the relative performance of the methods considered.
Prognostic Impact of PHIP Copy Number in Melanoma: Linkage to Ulceration

Ulceration is an important prognostic factor in melanoma whose biologic basis is poorly understood. Here we assessed the prognostic impact of pleckstrin homology domain-interacting protein (PHIP) copy number and its relationship to ulceration. PHIP copy number was determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in a tissue microarray cohort of 238 melanomas. Elevated PHIP copy number was associated with significantly reduced distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS; P=0.01) and disease-specific survival (DSS; P=0.009) by Kaplan-Meier analyses. PHIP FISH scores were independently predictive of DMFS (P=0.03) and DSS (P=0.03). Increased PHIP copy number was an independent predictor of ulceration status (P=0.04). The combined impact of increased PHIP copy number and tumor vascularity on ulceration status was highly significant (P<0.0001). Stable suppression of PHIP in human melanoma cells resulted in significantly reduced glycolytic activity in vitro, with lower expression of lactate dehydrogenase 5, hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha subunit, and vascular endothelial growth factor, and was accompanied by reduced microvessel density in vivo. These results provide further support for PHIP as a molecular prognostic marker of melanoma, and reveal a significant linkage between PHIP levels and ulceration. Moreover, they suggest that ulceration may be driven by increased glycolysis and angiogenesis.
A comparative study of stromal swelling in sea lamprey spectacle and brook trout cornea

Brook trout corneal stroma immersed in water increased to 350 % of its original wet weight; whereas, the stroma of sea lamprey spectacle which contains sutural fibers increased to only 150 %. The normal arrangement and spacing of collagen fibrils was preserved in the stroma of the sea lamprey spectacle. In contrast, in the osmotically swollen brook trout corneas, large interlamellar spaces were present which contained fragments of lysed keratocytes. Control stromal tissues from both sea lamprey spectacle and trout cornea placed in 0.5 % saline showed small changes in wet weight and maintenance of normal collagen alignment. The sutural fibers present in the sea lamprey spectacle appear to prevent stromal hydration by opposing the osmotic swelling of the stromal cells, thereby limiting the development of interlamellar spaces and preventing the loss of transparency.
A light-activated beta-turn scaffold within a somatostatin analog: NMR structure and biological activity.

Somatostatin owes its biological activity to the presence of a well-defined β-turn centered around the tetrapeptide Phe-Trp-Lys-Thr. We have developed a light-activated β-turn scaffold, 1, with the ability to template a β-turn conformation within the somatostatin tetrapeptide only upon photolysis. The three-dimensional structure of the trans cyclic peptide I obtained by NMR revealed no β-turn conformation; however, when isomerized to the cis form II with light, the solution structure of the resulting cyclic peptide was found to contain a type II′β-turn within the Phe-Trp-Lys-Thr sequence. Binding assays with the SRIF receptor demonstrated that the cis peptide displayed enhanced affinity for the receptor over the trans form.
Excited heavy-light systems and hadronic transitions

A detailed study of orbital and radial excited states in ${D,D}_{s},B,$ and ${B}_{s}$ systems is performed. The chiral quark model provides the framework for the calculation of pseudoscalar meson $(\ensuremath{\pi},K,\dots{})$ hadronic transitions among heavy-light excited and ground states. To calculate the excited states masses and wave functions, we must resort to a relativistic quark model. Our model includes the leading order corrections in ${1/m}_{(c,b)}$ (e.g., mixing). Numerical results for masses and light hadronic transition rates are compared to existing experimental data. The effective coupling of the chiral quark model can be determined by comparing with independent results from lattice simulations ${(g}_{A}^{8}=0.53\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.11)$ or fitting to known widths ${(g}_{A}^{8}=0.82\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.09).$
Enhanced Isolation Practices To Improve Patient Safety: Preventing Nosocomial Transmission in a Hospital

ISSUE: Healthcare associated infections (HAI) are transmitted by predictable routes. Reservoirs and susceptible hosts contribute significantly. Transmission occurs via the indirect spread of pathogens from these identified reservoirs to susceptible hosts. In 2006, the Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals propose reducing HAI. PROJECT: Isolation precautions (IP) at the Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH, 1026 bed capacity) are designed to prevent transmission of microorganisms. In an effort to provide quicker and more efficient use of our infection control resources, we developed a new computer program with TheraDoc ® that generated a log that provides real-time data on patients with 11 epidemiologically significant microorganisms/drug resistance patterns. These logs were transmitted to the units listing patients that required isolation. Patients having more than one organism requiring isolation were triaged "hierarchally" to facilitate appropriate isolation. RESULTS: The isolation rate throughout JHH was compared on January 11, 2005 and 2006. A search of the old database revealed 148 patients (14.4%) were isolated for drug-resistant microorganisms (MRSA or methicillin-resistant S. aureus, VRE or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, and extended spectrum beta-lactamases or ESBLs). Using the new expanded database, a query of all 11 microorganisms/tests reported (MRSA-also differentiating respiratory source or non-respiratory source), VRE, ESBL, multiply-drug resistant Acinetobacter or MDRAC, multiply-drug resistant Gram-negative rods or MDRGNR, Varicella zoster, Influenza, respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, Clostridium difficile, and acid-fast bacilli), 199 patients (19.4%) were isolated within 1 day of admission. The new system provided isolation precaution requirements an average of 72 hours sooner. LESSONS LEARNED: Automated computer systems that provide fundamental functions and distribute information house-wide automatically reduce the time an infection control epidemiologist spends doing surveillance. Tools such as this new isolation system allows the ICE to truly prevent and control the spread of infection within their facility.
Characterization of water-soluble glucuronide and sulphate conjugates of aflatoxin B1. 2. Studies in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.

Abstract Aflatoxin B 1 and some of its metabolites were released from water-soluble aflatoxin conjugates isolated from rat primary hepatocyte cultures and hydrolysed by enzymes (β-glucuronidase and sulphatase), by acid or by a combination of both treatments. The presence of AFB 1 in the hydrolysates was detected on TLC plates, or indicated indirectly by the Ames mutagenicity assay. The aflatoxin conjugates were not mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium strain TA98 in the presence of rat-liver S-9 mix. However, following enzymatic hydrolysis, the chloroform extract of the hydrolysate was highly mutagenic to the bacteria, indicating the presence of mutagenic AFB 1 . The conjugates AFB 1 -glucuronide and AFB 1 -sulphate are therefore produced from AFB 1 in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes.
Dominant inheritance of retinal ganglion cell resistance to optic nerve crush in mice

Several neurodegenerative diseases are influenced by complex genetics that affect an individual's susceptibility, disease severity, and rate of progression. One such disease is glaucoma, a chronic neurodegenerative condition of the eye that targets and stimulates apoptosis of CNS neurons called retinal ganglion cells. Since ganglion cell death is intrinsic, it is reasonable that the genes that control this process may contribute to the complex genetics that affect ganglion cell susceptibility to disease. To determine if genetic background influences susceptibility to optic nerve damage, leading to ganglion cell death, we performed optic nerve crush on 15 different inbred lines of mice and measured ganglion cell loss. Resistant and susceptible strains were used in a reciprocal breeding strategy to examine the inheritance pattern of the resistance phenotype. Because earlier studies had implicated Bax as a susceptibility allele for ganglion cell death in the chronic neurodegenerative disease glaucoma, we conducted allelic segregation analysis and mRNA quantification to assess this gene as a candidate for the cell death phenotype. Inbred lines showed varying levels of susceptibility to optic nerve crush. DBA/2J mice were most resistant and BALB/cByJ mice were most susceptible. F1 mice from these lines inherited the DBA/2J phenotype, while N2 backcross mice exhibited the BALB/cByJ phenotype. F2 mice exhibited an intermediate phenotype. A Wright Formula calculation suggested as few as 2 dominant loci were linked to the resistance phenotype, which was corroborated by a Punnett Square analysis of the distribution of the mean phenotype in each cross. The levels of latent Bax mRNA were the same in both lines, and Bax alleles did not segregate with phenotype in N2 and F2 mice. Inbred mice show different levels of resistance to optic nerve crush. The resistance phenotype is heritable in a dominant fashion involving relatively few loci. Bax was excluded as a candidate gene for this phenotype.
Applications of Electron Beam Induced Deposition in nanofabrication

This paper presents applications in which electron beam induced deposition (EBID) is used to characterize, analyze, and fabricate, nanostructures and devices. High aspect ratio cylindrical ultra sharp (CUS) atomic force microscope (AFM) probe tips are grown on discarded AFM tips using EBID. AFM is done using these CUS probe tips and compared to standard commercially available AFM probes as a baseline. The use of EBID to deposit platinum nanodots on thin foils for use as a hard mask in the fabrication of quantum cellular automata cell structures is also reported. Successful EDS analysis was performed on these nanodots in a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a high spatial resolution normally found only in the scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). These EDS results demonstrate the ability to capture pertinent material properties of nanostructures in a more manageable SEM, and therefore, forgo the necessary complexities associated with a standard STEM.
Case and Tense in the ‘fossilized’ steady state

This article reviews recent SLA studies which have methodologically assumed a direct relation between the acquisition of inflectional morphology and the development of functional phrase structure in the syntax. Results from naturalistic production data collected over eight years apart are reported, establishing the ‘fossilization’ of English L2 tense morphology for an adult native Chinese speaker at a consistently very low rate of suppliance (approximately 34%) in obligatory contexts. Nevertheless, in addition to robust evidence for CP in the grammar, the data also show perfect distribution of pronominal case (100%) in all contexts, suggesting the presence of a TP bearing a fully specified [± finite] feature. Viewed in light of the steady state (in other words, where grammatical development has ‘ended up’), these results indicate that the courses of syntactic and morphological development are independent and that the mapping between them is much less direct than previously supposed. I conclude that it is ...
NMDA receptors in preBötzinger complex neurons can drive respiratory rhythm independent of AMPA receptors

The role of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) in generation and propagation of respiratory rhythm is well documented both in vivo and in vitro, whereas the functional significance of NMDA receptors (NMDARs) in preBotzinger complex (preBotC) neurons has not been explored. Here we examined the interactions between AMPARs and NMDARs during spontaneous respiratory rhythm generation in slices from neonatal rats in vitro. We tested the hypothesis that activation of NMDARs can drive respiratory rhythm in the absence of other excitatory drives. Blockade of NMDARs with dizocilpine hydrogen maleate (MK-801, 20 microM) had a negligible effect on respiratory rhythm and pattern under standard conditions in vitro, whereas blockade of AMPARs with NBQX (0.5 microM) completely abolished respiratory activity. Removal of extracellular Mg2+ to relieve the voltage-dependent block of NMDARs maintained respiratory rhythm without a significant effect on period, even in the presence of high NBQX concentrations (<or= 100 microM). Removal of Mg2+ increased inspiratory-modulated inward current peak (I(I)) and charge (Q(I)) in preBotC neurons voltage-clamped at -60 mV by 245% and 309%, respectively, with respect to basal values. We conclude that the normal AMPAR-mediated postsynaptic current underlying respiratory drive can be replaced by NMDAR-mediated postsynaptic current when the voltage-dependent Mg2+ block is removed. Under this condition, respiratory-related frequency is unaffected by changes in I(I), suggesting that the two can be independently regulated.
Efficient resource allocation and higher speed for image decoders

A novel scheme is presented to eliminate the redundant hardware as well as the redundant transformed data in the image compression. It is shown that by removing a major portion of the transformed matrix the quality of the reconstructed image is not significantly altered while a considerable saving in the hardware (chip area), reduction in the transmitted or stored data, and a higher speed in the processing operation is achieved.
Impaired Preparturitional Rise of Plasma Estradiol in Aging C57BL/6J Mice

The prepartunitional rise of plasma estradiol (E2) was delayed and reduced in aging (11-12 month-old) C57BL/6J mice. In young mice (3-7-month-old), plasma E3 increased up to 3-fold after Day 17 of pregnancy, whereas in older mice the E2 increase was delayed by 1 day or more and never reached the E2 levels of young mice. During Days 1-17, no age differences in E2 were detected. Previously, we showed that the normal prepartunitional decrease of plasma progesterone (P) was slowed in the same older mice studied here. The impaired regulation of E2 and P may be factors in the 2 day (mean) prolongation of pregnancy observed in these older mice (Holinka et al., 1978).
Unconditionally Gradient Stable Time Marching the Cahn-Hilliard Equation

Numerical methods for time stepping the Cahn-Hilliard equation are given and discussed. The methods are unconditionally gradient stable, and are uniquely solvable for all time steps. The schemes require the solution of ill-conditioned linear equations, and numerical methods to accurately solve these equations are also discussed.
Moral conundrums in the courtroom: reflections on a decade in the culture of pain.

Charles Dickens began one of his many great works of literature with this seemingly paradoxical, self-contradictory statement. Reflecting on a jury verdict in Northern California in June of 2001, in the context of what has transpired during the decade of the 1990s with regard to the care of dying patients, observations in the genre of Dickens come readily to mind. In 1991, two of the most compelling books on the subject of pain, medicine, and society were published: Eric Cassell's The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine and David Morris's The Culture of Pain . Both works unflinchingly recognized and explored the implications of the vast clinical literature documenting the failure of modern medicine to respond compassionately and effectively to what had by then become an epidemic of undertreated pain.
US maglev: status and opportunities

Recognizing the development of magnetic levitation (maglev) systems in Germany and Japan, and the growing congestion, air pollution, and energy consumption resulting from the current transportation system, the US, in 1990, embarked on a program to evaluate the potential usefulness of these systems in the US. The utility of maglev systems in alleviating some of these problems, progress in the current program, and opportunities for participation by the superconductivity and cryogenic communities are discussed. >
Optimization of a radar in its environment by GEESE techniques

One of the most complex problems in optimization of ground radars is the evaluation of the ground clutter and how it influences the operation of the radar. A fundamental limitation of ground radars is that the radar is unable to distinguish stationary targets in the presence of large amounts of random scatterers. The capability of a phase comparison radar to pick the stationary targets out of random scatterers has been evaluated on GEESE under a contract for Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia, Pa. A model of Frankford Arsenal's radar was built on the GEESE analog computer facility and tested in single and multiple target situations in an environment consisting of random scatterers (clutter). This was accomplished by simulating mathematical characteristics of ground clutter and applying this as an input to the simulated model. This report deals with the GEESE application, an optimization of a general radar block diagram. The optimization is carried out under an arbitrary set of boundary conditions for the overall system.
Characteristics of humus produced from the anaerobic composting of the biodegradable organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Abstract The physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of humus produced from the biodegradable organic fraction of municipal solid waste, using an anaerobic composting process, have been evaluated. Based on the results obtained to date, the anaerobic composting process represents an effective alternative technology to aerobic composting, with the added advantage of the recovery of energy in the form of methane.
The event of color

When objects are illuminated, the light they reflect does not simply bounce off their surface. Rather, that light is entirely reabsorbed and then reemitted, as the result of a complex microphysical event near the surface of the object. If we are to be physicalists regarding color, then we should analyze colors in terms of that event, just as we analyze heat in terms of molecular motion, and sound in terms of vibrations. On this account, colors are not standing properties of objects, but events, or (more cautiously) properties associated with events. Accordingly, objects in the dark are no more colored than a turned-off stove is hot. Such an account requires rejecting some of what folk ordinarily say about color, but this is the most coherent version of color physicalism.
Factors Affecting A Municipalitys Bond Rating: An Empirical Study

Creditworthiness, as reflected in bond ratings, is of great interest to municipalities since it directly affects the cost and ability to borrow money. Municipalities experiencing a decline in their economic health will be especially concerned about how these developments will impact their future bond ratings. It is well known that municipal analysts closely monitor a community’s economic health since this has an important impact on creditworthiness. What is less well known however, are the economic variables that influence bond ratings. The purpose of this paper is to identify these economic variables and estimate to what extent they influence the probability of a municipality’s default. We do so by developing an econometric model of the rating process. The model will allow municipal governments to gauge the impact of economic developments on their credit ratings.
Estimation of planar curves, surfaces, and nonplanar space curves defined by implicit equations with applications to edge and range image segmentation

The author addresses the problem of parametric representation and estimation of complex planar curves in 2-D surfaces in 3-D, and nonplanar space curves in 3-D. Curves and surfaces can be defined either parametrically or implicitly, with the latter representation used here. A planar curve is the set of zeros of a smooth function of two variables x-y, a surface is the set of zeros of a smooth function of three variables x-y-z, and a space curve is the intersection of two surfaces, which are the set of zeros of two linearly independent smooth functions of three variables x-y-z For example, the surface of a complex object in 3-D can be represented as a subset of a single implicit surface, with similar results for planar and space curves. It is shown how this unified representation can be used for object recognition, object position estimation, and segmentation of objects into meaningful subobjects, that is, the detection of 'interest regions' that are more complex than high curvature regions and, hence, more useful as features for object recognition. >