cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spin textures in slowly rotating Bose-Einstein condensates

Slowly rotating spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensates are studied through a variational approach based upon lowest Landau level calculus. The author finds that in a gas with ferromagnetic interactions, such as $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$, angular momentum is predominantly carried by clusters of two different types of skyrmion textures in the spin-vector order parameter. Conversely, in a gas with antiferromagnetic interactions, such as $^{23}\mathrm{Na}$, angular momentum is carried by $\ensuremath{\pi}$ disclinations in the nematic order parameter which arises from spin fluctuations. For experimentally relevant parameters, the cores of these $\ensuremath{\pi}$ disclinations are ferromagnetic, and can be imaged with polarized light.
Chemistry and Pharmacology of Homologs of 6-Acetyl- and 3,6-Diacetylmorphine

3,6-Diformyl- and 3,6-dipropanoylmorphine and 6-formyl- and 6-propanoylmorphine were prepared to obtain longer acting, heroin-like compounds. The 6-acylated compounds were more potent than heroin subcutaneously and were orally effective, and their duration of action was at least two to three times greater than that of heroin in monkey species.
A method for measuring acid mucopolysaccharides in serum-containing tissue culture media

Abstract The details of a simple, relatively rapid method for measuring uronic acid-containing acid mucopolysaccharides in protein-rich tissue culture media are presented. The procedure would appear to be most useful in those situations where hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate are the primary mucopolysaccharides present.
Rapid Prototyping of Wireless Physical Layer Modules Using Flexible Software/Hardware Design Flow

This paper describes a step by step approach in designing wireless physical layer modules starting from a software implementation in MATLAB to a hardware implementation using Xilinx SysGen and ModelSim. The described design flow promotes baseband physical layer research by providing high flexibility and speed to the process of module creation verification and deployment. The novelty introduced into our system lies within the flexible components created using this design flow, which enables on-the-fly modification of multiple parameters to suit various wireless protocols.
Endogenous viral complexes with long RNA cosediment with the agent of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

A class of viruslike agents that induces Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and scrapie remains undefined at the molecular level. Several investigators believe this infectious agent is constituted by a single host protein or 'prion', and have emphasized data that would seem to exclude the presence of any viral nucleic acids. However, more rigorous evaluations in scrapie have shown reasonably abundant nucleic acids. Additionally, in highly purified 120S CJD preparations that have been treated with nucleases, RNAs as long as 6,000 bases have been detected. Few nucleic acids have been characterized in either scrapie or CJD, but previous cloning experiments delineated relatively short LTR regions of the endogenous IAP retrovirus in 120S CJD preparations. We therefore used specific primers encompassing the entire IAP genome to test for the presence of long viral RNAs, and here show approximately 5,000 contiguous bases of the IAP RNA genome can be recovered from reasonable amounts of starting brain. The 3' env region of IAP is comparably truncated in CJD and normal preparations, and we find no evidence for IAP transduction of CJD-specific sequences. Because IAP cores can coencapsidate unrelated sequences, and are unusually resistant to physical and chemical treatments, it was relevant to find if cosedimenting cognate proteins of the IAP core, such as gag, could be detected. The predicted approximately 65 kd acidic gag protein, showing appropriate antigenic and nucleic acid binding features, was apparent in both one and 2-D Western blots. This data strongly indicates specific viral complexes cofractionate with the CJD agent. Interestingly, these nuclease resistant IAPs do not appear to be in morphologically recognizable 'R' particles. This cosedimenting viral assembly therefore provides a paradigm for non-particulate CJD complexes in infectious preparations. In developing strategies to identify a CJD specific sequence, cosedimenting IAPs can be used to assess the quality, length and recovery of RNAs extracted from highly resistant viral complexes.
TorsinA in PC12 cells: localization in the endoplasmic reticulum and response to stress.

Most cases of early-onset torsion dystonia are caused by deletion of GAG in the coding region of the DYT1 gene encoding torsinA. This autosomal dominant neurologic disorder is characterized by abnormal movements, believed to originate from neuronal dysfunction in the basal ganglia of the human brain. The torsins (torsinA and torsinB) are members of the "ATPases associated with a variety of cellular activities" (AAA(+)) superfamily of proteins that mediate chaperone and other functions involved in conformational modeling of proteins, protection from stress, and targeting of proteins to cellular organelles. In this study, the intracellular localization and levels of endogenous torsin were evaluated in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells following differentiation and stress. TorsinA, apparent MW 37 kDa, cofractionates with markers for the microsomal/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) compartment and appears to reside primarily within the ER lumen based on protease resistance. TorsinA immunoreactivity colocalizes with the lumenal ER protein protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and extends throughout neurites. Levels of torsinA did not increase notably in response to nerve growth factor-induced differentiation. None of the stress conditions tested, including heat shock and the unfolded protein response, affected torsinA, except for oxidative stress, which resulted in an increase in the apparent MW of torsinA and redistribution to protrusions from the cell surface. These findings are consistent with a relatively rapid covalent modification of torsinA in response to oxidative stress causing a change in state. Mutant torsinA may interfere with and/or compromise ER functions, especially in dopaminergic neurons, which have high levels of torsinA and are intrinsically vulnerable to oxidative stress.
Viruslike particles associated with lesions in larval pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas)

Abstract A recent report (Leibovitz et al., 1979) described a serious disease of hatchery-reared larval Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas. Subsequent electron microscope analysis of the diseased oyster larvae demonstrated hexagonal viruslike particles associated with the previously reported prominent velar lesions. The particles were found only in the velar epithelium and measured 228 ± 7 nm SD in diameter. Serial sections showed that particle-containing cells were vacuolated, poorly defined, and contained intracytoplasmic inclusions observable at the light microscope level. Electron microscopy showed both complete and incomplete particles. Complete particles were usually associated with electron-lucent vacuoles while incomplete particles were associated with masses of coarse granular material. The indications of viral replication and association of particles with lesions prompt further studies to define the role of a viral agent in the etiology of this disease.
Insights Into Wildfire Mitigation Decisions Among Wildland-Urban Interface Residents

In-depth interviews conducted with homeowners in five Colorado wildland–urban interface communities reveal that the homeowners face difficult decisions regarding the reduction of wildfire risk. Rather than seeing risk reduction as straightforward, homeowners appear to be involved in a complex decision-making process with social considerations. The interviews shed light on the social context in which homeowners make wildfire mitigation decisions, participants' perceptions of how the biophysical landscape near their residences affects mitigation, and participants' perceptions of wildfire mitigation options.
Picture recognition of food by macaques (Macaca silenus)

Pictorial representations of three-dimensional objects are often used to investigate animal cognitive abilities; however, investigators rarely evaluate whether the animals conceptualize the two-dimensional image as the object it is intended to represent. We tested for picture recognition in lion-tailed macaques by presenting five monkeys with digitized images of familiar foods on a touch screen. Monkeys viewed images of two different foods and learned that they would receive a piece of the one they touched first. After demonstrating that they would reliably select images of their preferred foods on one set of foods, animals were transferred to images of a second set of familiar foods. We assumed that if the monkeys recognized the images, they would spontaneously select images of their preferred foods on the second set of foods. Three monkeys selected images of their preferred foods significantly more often than chance on their first transfer session. In an additional test of the monkeys’ picture recognition abilities, animals were presented with pairs of food images containing a medium-preference food paired with either a high-preference food or a low-preference food. The same three monkeys selected the medium-preference foods significantly more often when they were paired with low-preference foods and significantly less often when those same foods were paired with high-preference foods. Our novel design provided convincing evidence that macaques recognized the content of two-dimensional images on a touch screen. Results also suggested that the animals understood the connection between the two-dimensional images and the three-dimensional objects they represented.
Characterization of histamine H-1 receptors on human peripheral lung.

Histamine H-1 receptors in human peripheral lung were characterized by radioligand and biochemical assays employing binding of the H-1 receptor antagonist [3H]pyrilamine to plasma membrane preparations. Simultaneous computerized analyses of the data from fourteen separate equilibrium-binding assays indicated the presence of three distinct classes of binding sites with Kd values of 81 ± 35 pM, 7 ± 3 μM, and 320 ± 167 μM and binding capacities of 23 ± 3 pmoles, 10 ± 5 nmoles, and 297 ± 119 nmoles/mg protein respectively. Dissociation kinetics of [3H]pyrilamine binding also supported the presence of three binding sites or states. Further, competition binding curves for histamine receptor agonists and antagonists also indicated the presence of multiple binding sites for the H-1 receptor. The effect of exogenous stimulation of histamine H-1 receptors on human cyclic nucleotides was also examined. Both histamine and the H-1 agonist 2-methyl histamine caused dose-related increases in the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) content of human lung. The effects of 2-methyl histamine were selective for cyclic GMP. The histamine-induced increase in cyclic GMP peaked within 1.0 min and was effectively prevented by the H-1 antagonist pyrilamine. Thus, human lung possesses a large number of H-1 receptors which exhibit three binding states and produce cyclic GMP, but not cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP), when stimulated.
Nonparametric estimation of autocorrelation and spectra using cumulants and polyspectra

Autocorrelation and specira of linear random processes can be expressed in terms of cumulants and polyspectra respectively. The insensitivity of the latter to additive Gaussian noise of unknown covariance is exploited in this paper to develop spectral estimators of deterministic and linear non-Gaussian signals using polyspectra. In the time-domain windowed projections of third-order cumulants are shown to yield consistent estimators of the autocorrelation sequence. Both batch and recursive algorithms are derived. In the frequency-domain a Fourier-slice solution and a least-squares approach are described for performing spectral analysis through windowed bi-periodograms. Asymptotic variance expressions of the time- and frequencydomain estimators are also presented. Two-dimensional extensions are indicated and potential applications are discussed. Simulations are provided to illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithms and compare them with conventional approaches. I.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Role of the differential bombardment of atrial inputs to the atrioventricular node as a factor influencing ventricular rate during high atrial rate.

Objectives: The role of the atrial inputs for the conduction through the atrioventricular node (AVN) at slow rates and during reentrant tachycardia is well acknowledged, although still controversial. However, the relationship between the sequence and rate of atrial engagement of the AVN inputs and the resulting ventricular rate during high atrial rate remains unclear. This study provides quantitative description of complex AVN input—output correlations determining the ventricular rate during random high atrial rate. Methods and results: 12 rabbit heart preparations were used to evaluate the ventricular rate during programmed regular high atrial rate pacing or random pacing from eight atrial sites. Electrograms were recorded at the posterior (P) and anterior (A) AVN inputs, and at the bundle of His along with nodal cellular action potentials. Lorenz-plots and input—output-rate correlations were used to quantify the ventricular rate under different pacing protocols. Small alternations in the sequence of activation of P and A resulted in substantial changes of the organization of the intranodal cellular responses and the ventricular rate. The ventricular rate was shown to be significantly dependent on the site of high rate pacing ( P <0.01) and on the resulting mean rate of inputs activation. Furthermore, the asymmetry between P- and A-bombardment was an important determinant, so that high ventricular rate was associated with large difference between the inputs’ rates and vice versa ( P <0.05). Conclusions: The prevailing ventricular rate during high atrial rate is a complex dynamic parameter that depends not only on the global mean atrial rate but, in a major part, on the differential bombardment of the AVN inputs and on the site of initiation of the atrial wave fronts.
CD1d serves as a surface receptor for oxidized cholesterol induction of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ

Abstract Objective The cluster of differentiation-1d (CD1d) recognizes and presents the lipid antigens to NK-T lymphocytes. Atherosclerotic lesions contain atherogenic lipids, mainly cholesterol and its oxides. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) is also known to exist in atherosclerotic lesions, participating in regulation of lipid metabolism. The current study tested whether CD1d acts as a surface receptor that mediates induction and activation of PPARγ by oxysterols commonly found in atherosclerotic lesions. Methods and results CD1d overexpression in HEK 293 cells transfected with CD1d cDNA was confirmed by fluorescence, flow cytometry, Western blotting and mRNA expression. Tritiated ( 3 H) 7-ketocholesterol (7K) was used for lipid binding assays. Radioactive assessment demonstrated an increased 7K-binding activity HEK 293 cells with CD1d overexpression. The 7K binding could be blocked by another oxysterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, but not by native free cholesterol. Addition of CD1d:IgG dimer protein or an anti-CD1d antibody, but not control IgG, significantly diminished 7K binding to CD1d-expressing HEK 293 cells. CD1d deficiency markedly diminished the 7K-binding in macrophages and smooth muscle cells. Western blot and gel shift assays demonstrated that CD1d-mediated 7K binding induced expression and activation of PPARγ. The PPARγ agonist PGJ2 enhances the 7K stimulatory effect on PPARγ expression and activity but the antagonist GW9662 inhibits the 7K effect on the CD1d-expressing cells. Conclusions CD1d acts as a cell surface receptor that recognizes and binds oxysterols and initializes a pathway connecting oxysterol binding to PPARγ activation.
A Diagnostic Study of Two Intense Oceanic Cyclones

Abstract A diagnostic study of two intense oceanic cyclones (16–18 November 1972 and 9–11 January 1982) along the east coast of North America is presented. Both cyclones formed along a strong low-level baroclinic zone and deepened in response to an approaching tropospheric short-wave trough aloft. The 16–18 November 1972 storm developed along a Carolina coastal front in a region of enhanced low-level convergence and cyclonic vorticity generation favorable for incipient cyclogenesis. Significant oceanic heat and moisture fluxes northeast of the cyclone helped to enhance the low-level baroclinicity and to destabilize the warm, moist air mass along the cyclones’ path. Explosive deepening [35 mb(12 h)−1] commenced when a rather ordinary midtropospheric trough was about 300 km upstream of the surface low. A noteworthy aspect of the storm was the existence of deep convection near the center throughout the deepening phase and the exceptionally tight inner pressure gradient, suggestive of the role of diabatic pro...
Hardening by spinodal decomposition

Abstract The effect of the internal stresses produced by spinodal decomposition on dislocation behavior is investigated for several slip systems in cubic materials.
Influence of Racial Identity Attitudes on African American College Students' Vocational Identity and Hope

Abstract Although there have been numerous appeals for such research in the professional literature, this study was the first to empirically investigate individual difference variables influencing vocational identity and hope in setting and achieving goals in African American college students. One-hundred twenty-two African American college students attending a predominantly White university completed measures assessing students' racial identity attitudes, vocational identity, and sense of hope to achieve goals. Results from a series of multiple linear regressions indicated that both racial identity attitudes and demographic variables significantly accounted for variability in one's sense of hope. Specifically, internalization of one's racial identity, academic classification, and highest level of parental educational attainment significantly related to hope. Similarly, internalization of one's racial identity accounted for a significant amount of vocational identity variance for women. Conversely, for men, racial identity attitudes did not account for a significant amount of variance in vocational identity scores; however, demographic variables collectively accounted for a significant amount of vocational identity scores for men, but not for women. Findings suggest that racial identity attitudes accounted for additional variance in hope over and above demographic variables for both men and women and in vocational identity for women only. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Effect of Adult Cohort Density on Age-Specific Mortality in Drosophila melanogaster

Mortality rates decelerate at older ages in experimental populations of Drosophila. It is unclear whether this reflects a real slow-down in the aging process, or an artifact of declining density. Mortality was studied in age-synchronized cohorts of four inbred lines at three initial densities that varied 10-fold. A total of 70,000 flies of both sexes were studied. There were large line x density, line, and sex effects, but no systematic relationship between density and life span was detected. Mortality curves level off at older ages in 23 out of 24 sex-genotype combinations, irrespective of initial cohort density. Density has only second-order effects on the pattern of oldest-old mortality over the range of densities studied here. The dramatic departure from Gompertz-type mortality dynamics at older ages is not an artifact of declining density in Drosophila.
Heart rate regulation by G proteins acting on the cardiac pacemaker channel

Heart rate is determined by pacemaker currents, of which the most important is the hyperpolarization-activated current I(f). Heart rate and I(f) are increased by beta-adrenergic agonists and decreased by muscarinic agonists released from cardiac sympathetic and vagal nerves, respectively. The hypothesis that the receptors for each agonist are directly coupled to I(f) channels by G proteins was tested. Under substrate-free conditions, preactivated G protein Gs stimulated and preactivated G protein G(o) inhibited I(f) channels of sinoatrial node pacemaker cells. These effects were mimicked by the corresponding preactivated alpha subunits of the G proteins. Unexpectedly, the two G proteins acted simultaneously, with G(o) being the more potent. This result may explain in molecular terms the classical observation in cardiac physiology, that vagal inhibition of heart rate is much greater on a background of sympathetic stimulation.
Efficient mapping of applications on cache based multiprocessors

Abstract Cache coherent multiprocessors have become popular in recent times because they reduce the memory latency. It is important to accurately estimate the intertask communication time in order to efficiently map the program tasks onto the processors. Computing the communication requirements from program characteristics in the presence of cache coherence protocols is difficult. In this paper we present a technique to compute the communication times of programs on cache coherent distributed shared memory systems. Simulated annealing is used to obtain near optimal mappings of program tasks onto processors. The techniques are demonstrated using a Sequent Balance multiprocessor and the Jacobi iteration problem. The estimated communication costs agree with the measured values within 15%. It is also shown that taking the effects of cache coherence into account results in more efficient mapping of applications.
Comparison of protein patterns in cockroach muscles innervated by fast or slow neurons

Abstract The protein composition of six of the coxal depressor muscles of the leg of the cockroach, Periplaneta americana , was analyzed by one and two dimensional SDS—polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in conjunction with a sensitive silver stain. The proteins in each muscle were fractionated according to their solubilities in either low salt buffer, 1%NP-40, or 2%SDS. The gel patterns resulting from the electrophoresis of each of the fractions from “fast”, “slow”, and “mixed” type muscle were compared with reference to the innervation of the muscle by a particular motor neuron. More than 50 proteins were detected which were not common to all three types of muscle. These proteins were found to be distributed fairly equally amongst each of the three fractions. The large number of differentially expressed proteins observed, are not likely to be involved in specific neuromuscular recognition, but instead are probably correlated with the physiological state of the muscle.
Internal validation of procedure codes on Medicare claims for digital mammograms and computer-aided detection

Background: Billing data, such as Medicare claims, are a potential data source for evaluative studies of new digital mammography technologies, such as digital mammography and computer-aided detection (CAD). Objective: To assess the internal validity of procedure codes on Medicare claims for screening mammography interpreted with either digital mammography or CAD. Study Design: We assessed agreement of procedure coding for digital versus film mammography and CAD use versus nonuse for mammograms with claims appearing in two independent Medicare claims files (the Carrier Claims and Outpatient files). Subjects and Setting: Women enrolled in fee-for-service Medicare who received screening mammography in 2001 to 2003 within Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results regions, representing 25% of the U.S. population ( n = 35,642 women who received 57,632 total mammograms). Measures: Coding agreement beyond chance (κ), overall, and by year. Results: Overall coding agreement was excellent for both digital versus film mammography [κ = 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-0.83)] and for CAD use versus nonuse [κ = 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.83)]. However, in 2001, agreement was only moderate (κ = 0.51 for digital versus film and κ = 0.50 for CAD use versus nonuse) but increased to higher levels in 2002 and 2003 (κ > 0.80 for both technologies). Conclusions: High internal agreement in procedure codes for digital mammography technologies is consistent with accurate coding on Medicare claims after 2001, although external validation remains desirable. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(8):2186–9)
Giant magnetoresistive in soft ferromagnetic multilayers.

We show that the in-plane magnetoresistance of sandwiches of uncoupled ferromagnetic (${\mathrm{Ni}}_{81}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{19}$,${\mathrm{Ni}}_{80}$${\mathrm{Co}}_{20}$,Ni) layers separated by ultrathin nonmagnetic metallic (Cu,Ag,Au) layers is strongly increased when the magnetizations of the two ferromagnetic layers are aligned antiparallel. Using NiFe layers, we report a relative change of resistance of 5.0% in 10 Oe at room temperature. The comparison between different ferromagnetic materials (alloys or pure elements) leads us to emphasize the role of bulk rather than interfacial spin-dependent scattering in these structures, in contrast to Fe/Cr multilayers.
Effect of Galactose and Other Monosaccharides on IAA Movement in Bean Hypocotyl Segments

Galactose enhances the production of ethylene gas, and ethylene gas inhibits the movement of IAA in plant tissues. If galactose enhances ethylene production and ethylene inhibits auxin movement, then galactose should inhibit auxin movement. The above hypothesis was examined by observing the effects of d-galactose, d-inannose, d-arabinose, d-glucose, and d xylose on the uptake, presumed decarboxylation, efflux, velocity and metabolism of labeled indole-3-aectic acid in hypocotyl segments of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Pinto. Galactose inhibited, arabinose and glucose enhanced, and mannose and xylose had no effect on partitioning of auxin between tissue and receptor. The reduction of auxin efflux by galactose was related to an increased presumed decarboxylation, reduced uptake and slower velocity of applied auxin. The relationship between galactose-induced growth effects, ethylene production, and auxin migration are discussed.
Optimal Length for Summary Knowledge of Results: The Influence of Task-Related Experience and Complexity

Abstract Because manipulations of knowledge of results (KR) are critical to motor learning, researchers have attempted to establish an optimal length for summary KR. Experiment 1 of the present study investigated the option that optimal summary length may be dependent on a subject's task-related experience. Participants in a summary 1, 5, or 15 condition practiced a simple striking task for one session on three consecutive days with each day followed by a 24-hour no KR retention test. The retention test results indicated that optimal summary length is dependent on task-related experience. Experiment 2 investigated the nature of the relationship between task-related experience and complexity and optimal summary length (summary 1, 5, or 15). Again, striking tasks (simple and complex) were used. There was one practice session with either a simple or complex striking task for either novice or experienced performers, followed by a 24-hour no KR retention test. Data from the two experiments suggest that task co...
Ion-nitriding behavior of several tool steels

Abstract The ion-nitriding behavior of several tool steels, H13 hot-worked tool steel, D2 and D3 cold-worked steels and M2 high speed tool steel, has been examined under varying process conditions with microhardness-depth correlations, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction techniques, transmission electron microscopy and wavelength-dispersive X-ray analyses. The process variables studied include time (2–12 h), temperature (673–793 K) and nitrogen partial pressure (5%–25% nitrogen volume fraction). The highest nitrided hardness was observed in the M2 and H13 steels. The lowest surface hardnesses and lowest case depths were observed in D2 and D3 steels. In general, the behavior of D2 and D3 steels were similar. All four steels showed increasing case depths and decreasing surface hardnesses with increasing ion-nitriding temperatures and times. Both properties were found to be independent of nitrogen partial pressure in the gas mixture for all steels except the M2 steel. The nitriding depth was found to be parabolic with ion-nitriding time. The activation energies for nitriding were calculated for H13 and D3 steels as 19.5 kcal mol −1 and 28.5 kcal mol −1 respectively, corresponding to the slower reaction rates observed for high carbon steels. Optical microscopy showed that only slight differences arise in the bulk structure during ion nitriding. X-ray diffraction analyses showed extensive line broadening of the major martensite peaks and FeCr carbides were seen to convert to chromium nitrides, whereas FeW carbides were stable in the nitrided case. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the existence of modulated structure in the nitrided case of all steels. Decomposition of the martensitic structure and subsequent carbide growth were observed in the core regions. Wavelength-dispersive X-ray analysis revealed that FeCr carbides were converted to chromium nitrides in the regions close to surface, whereas conversion was not complete at larger depths (greater than 80 μm).
Sublimation of Mg onto CdS/CdTe films fabricated by advanced deposition system

One way to improve the efficiency of CdS/CdTe solar cells is to incorporate complex CdTe alloys into the device architecture. While formation of wider bandgap Cd 1−x Mg x Te has been demonstrated with sputtering and co-evaporation, use of sublimation techniques for large areas is yet to be investigated. Using a sublimation technique suitable for large area processing, we deposited Mg thin films onto TEC10 and TEC10/CdS/CdTe structures. XPS depth profiling and ellipsometry show that the Mg and the underlying CdTe layer intermixed substantially, formed an alloyed film, and incorporated oxides into the film. For non-CdCl 2 treated CdS/CdTe devices coated with Mg, a 120 mV gain in V oc was realized by utilizing a Br 2 /methanol etching process prior to metallization. Nonetheless, additional measures are needed to effectively implement this complex alloy into a high efficiency device structure. Use of statistical process optimization and high vacuum systems are suggested to improve the film quality.
Mid-term results following ulna shortening osteotomy.

Background Successful short-term results of diaphyseal ulna shortening osteotomy are documented in both idiopathic and post-traumatic ulnar impaction.
ANTIOXIDANTS, OXIDATIVE STRESS, AND DEGENERATIVE NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS

Recently, clinical trials of several neurodegenerative diseases have increasingly targeted the evaluation of the effectiveness of various antioxidants. The results so far are encouraging but variable and thus confusing. Rationale for the possible clinical effectiveness of antioxidants in several degenerative conditions has arisen out of the many years of basic science generally showing that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oxidative damage are important factors in the processes involved. Aging is one of the most significant risk factors for degenerative neurological disorders. Basic science efforts in our laboratory have centered on exploring the role of ROS and oxidative stress in neurodegenerative processes. The present review brings together some of the basic concepts we have learned by following this approach for the last 20 years and specifically the results we have obtained by following up on our serendipitous findings that a nitrone-based free radical trap, alpha-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (PBN), has neuroprotective activity in several experimental neurodegenerative models. The mechanistic basis of the neuroprotective activity of PBN does not appear to rely on its general free radical trapping or antioxidant activity per se, but its activity in mediating the suppression of genes induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines and other mediators associated with enhanced neuroinflammatory processes. Neuroinflammatory processes, induced in part by pro-inflammatory cytokines, yield enhanced ROS and reactive nitric oxide species (RNS) as well as other unknown components that have neurotoxic properties. Neurotoxic amounts of RNS are formed by the activity of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The demonstration of enhanced 3-nitro-tyrosine formation in affected regions of the Alzheimer's brain, in comparison to age-matched controls, reinforces the importance of neuroinflammatory processes. iNOS induction involves activation by phosphorylation of the MAP kinase p38 and can be induced in cultured astrocytes by IL-1beta or H2O2. The action of PBN and N-acetyl cysteine to suppress the activation of p38 was demonstrated in cultured astrocytes. The demonstration of activated p38 in neurons surrounding amyloid plaques in affected regions of the Alzheimer's brain attest to enhanced signal transduction processes in this neurodegenerative condition. The major themes of ROS and RNS formation associated with neuroinflammation processes and the suppression of these processes by antioxidants and PBN continue to yield promising leads for new therapies. Outcomes of clinical trials on antioxidants will become less confusing as more knowledge is amassed on the basic processes involved.
Nanostructure-directed chemical sensing: The IHSAB principle and the dynamics of acid/base-interface interaction

Nanostructure-decorated n-type semiconductor interfaces are studied in order to develop chemical sensing with nanostructured materials. We couple the tenets of acid/base chemistry with the majority charge carriers of an extrinsic semiconductor. Nanostructured islands are deposited in a process that does not require self-assembly in order to direct a dominant electron-transduction process that forms the basis for reversible chemical sensing in the absence of chemical-bond formation. Gaseous analyte interactions on a metal-oxide-decorated n-type porous silicon interface show a dynamic electron transduction to and from the interface depending upon the relative strength of the gas and metal oxides. The dynamic interaction of NO with TiO(2), SnO(2), NiO, Cu(x)O, and Au(x)O (x >> 1), in order of decreasing acidity, demonstrates this effect. Interactions with the metal-oxide-decorated interface can be modified by the in situ nitridation of the oxide nanoparticles, enhancing the basicity of the decorated interface. This process changes the interaction of the interface with the analyte. The observed change to the more basic oxinitrides does not represent a simple increase in surface basicity but appears to involve a change in molecular electronic structure, which is well explained by using the recently developed IHSAB model. The optical pumping of a TiO(2) and TiO(2-) (x)N(x) decorated interface demonstrates a significant enhancement in the ability to sense NH(3) and NO(2). Comparisons to traditional metal-oxide sensors are also discussed.
Left ventricular outflow tract obstruction: the role of the modified Konno procedure.

Abstract The progressive nature of obstruction in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) is hypothesized to be related to the complex relationship between anatomic substrate, genetic predisposition, local shear stress, and the response to injury. Consequently, recurrent obstruction after resection of subaortic membranes as well as more complex forms of LVOT obstruction (eg, tunnel-like stenosis) require aggressive resection to provide unobstructed egress of blood from the left ventricle. The modified Konno procedure is well suited to provide maximal enlargement of the entire LVOT with preservation of aortic valve function. Extension of the procedure to patients with simple forms of LVOT obstruction is, at present, not warranted because of the inability to identify patients destined to develop recurrent obstruction. As predictive models improve, however, the modified Konno procedure should be evaluated in the setting of simple LVOT obstruction at high risk for recurrent obstruction. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Effects of somatostatin (SRIF) infusion on glucose homeostasis in newborn lambs: evidence for a significant role of glucagon.

Summary: In order to investigate the significance and relative contribution of glucagon (IRG) and insulin (IRI) to neonatal glucose homeostasis, studies were conducted utilizing somatostatin (SRIF) in newborn fasting lambs aged 1–3 days. A priming dose followed by constant infusion of SRIF was maintained for 2 hr. During the first hour, SRIF alone was infused (period A); during the second hour, glucagon or insulin were additionally infused (period B); recovery was assessed 30 min after cessation of infusions (period C). During period A, a rapid and sustained suppression in the plasma concentrations of IRG and IRI occurred (P < 0.01), accompanied by a fall in plasma glucose significant at 60 min. Reinfusion of glucagon (5 ng/kg/min) during period B raised IRG by 342 ± 92 pg/ml (mean ± SEM, P < 0.01). Despite ongoing SRIF, plasma IRI also rose by 19.7 ± 7 μU/ml (P < 0.05) and was not accountable by contamination of the infused glucagon with insulin. Plasma glucose rose modestly, perhaps as a result of the antagonistic effects of glucagon and insulin. After cessation of SRIF and glucagon infusions (period C) plasma IRG fell, plasma IRI rose, and plasma glucose fell significantly (16.5 ± 4 mg/dl, P < 0.01). When insulin (0.1 units/kg/hr) was infused in period B, plasma IRI rose to approximately 70 μU/ml, plasma IRG remained suppressed and plasma glucose fell profoundly, recovering during period C as plasma IRI fell and plasma IRG rose. When, during period B, glucagon was infused at 10 times the original dose, plasma glucose concentration doubled despite a plasma IRI concentration of 100 μU/ml. These results demonstrate that: (1) SRIF effectively inhibits IRI and IRG secretion in newborn lambs; (2) glucose falls when both hormones are acutely suppressed, suggesting that glucagon is a major hormone for maintaining blood glucose concentration during short term fasting; a rise in glucose, as occurs in insulin-deficient diabetes, would be expected if insulin were the dominant hormone; (3) both insulin and glucagon and acute changes in the effective ratio of these hormones modulate glucose homeostasis; and (4) at physiologic concentrations glucagon can overcome the suppressive effects of SRIF on insulin secretion in newborn lambs. Speculation: In the lamb, insulin and glucagon are both important for neonatal glucose homeostasis. Acute changes in the ratio of these two hormones can effectively modulate plasma glucose concentration presumably through governing hepatic glucose output and/or peripheral glucose utilization. Extrapolation, made with due caution to human newborns, would suggest that the observed changes in glucagon and insulin in the immediate postnatal period have physiological significance in glucouse homeostasis.
The limitations of extracting typologies from trait measures of personality

Abstract Vollrath and Torgerson (2000) recently recommended a typology based on the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness personality dimensions as a means to study individuals’ reactions to distressing conditions. Although there may be potential advantages to using personality types, there are also conceptual and statistical limitations to dichotomizing continuously scaled personality scales. To demonstrate these limitations, I repeated a portion of Vollrath and Torgerson’s study. A sample of 313 college students completed a common measure of the Big Five personality dimensions and a measure of coping strategy. The current data replicate Vollrath and Torgerson’s findings, but suggest that converting the scaled scores to dichotomous categories produces a considerable loss of information. Moreover, the data indicate that ignoring the contribution of Agreeableness and Openness to Experience personality dimensions as predictor of coping strategy is premature.
Preterm Contractions in Community Settings: II. Predicting Preterm Birth in Women With Preterm Contractions☆

Abstract Objective: To examine risk factors for preterm delivery in women who present to nontertiary care hospitals with preterm contractions. Methods: Women who presented to a network of community hospitals in Wisconsin with preterm contractions were followed until delivery. The main outcomes were preterm delivery before completion of 36 weeks of gestation and delivery within 1 week of initial presentation. Results: Of the 266 women presenting with contractions over the 2-year study period, 90% ( n = 239) consented to participate. Multiple factors were associated with premature delivery, but when examined with a multivariate model, only four (ruptured membranes, multiple gestation, cervical effacement at least 80%, and nonwhite race) were associated with prematurity, whereas five (ruptured membranes, multiple gestation, cervical effacement at least 80%, dilation exceeding 1 cm, and being a nonsmoker) predicted delivery within 1 week. A decision model that combined the presence of ruptured membranes and effacement at least 80% could predict delivery at 34 weeks or less within 7 days of presentation with a sensitivity of 71% and a specificity of 98%. Conclusion: Only two clinical cues (ruptured membranes and effacement of the cervix of 80% or more) can predict premature delivery within 7 days. If these results are confirmed prospectively, women with either of these signs could be targeted for administration of steroids, antibiotics, or transfer to tertiary care facilities.
Cholinergic modulation of responses to single tones produces tone-specific receptive field alterations in cat auditory cortex.

Acetylcholine (ACh), acting via muscarinic receptors, is known to modu- late neuronal responsiveness in primary sensory neocortex. The administration of ACh to cortical neurons facilitates or suppresses responses to sensory stimuli, and these effects can endure well beyond the period of ACh application. In the present study, we sought to determine whether ACh produces a general change in sensory information processing, or whether it can specifically alter the processing of sensory stimuli with which it was "paired." To answer this question, we restricted acoustic stimulation in the presence of ACh to a single frequency, and determined single neuron frequency receptive fields in primary auditory cortex before and after this pairing. During its administration, ACh produced mostly facilitatory effects on spontaneous activity and on responses to the single frequency tone. Examination of frequency receptive fields after ACh administration revealed receptive field modifications in 56% of the cells. In half of these cases, the receptive field alterations were highly specific to the frequency of the tone previously paired with ACh. Thus ACh can produce stimulus-specific modulation of auditory information processing. An additional and unexpected finding was that the type of modulation during ACh administration did not predict the type of receptive field modulation observed after ACh administration; this may be related to the physiological "context" of the same stimulus in two different conditions. The implications of these findings for learning-induced plasticity in the auditory cortex is discussed.
Maximum Likelihood Failure Detection Techniques Applied to the Shuttle RCS Jets

A software technique for onboard detection and identification of hard failures and leaks of the shuttle orbiter reaction control subsystem jets during the orbital flight phase is presented. The method uses only the gimbal angle and linear velocity measurements available from the orbiter inertia! measurement unit. The system produces rotational state estimates required by the attitude autopilot in addition to performing failure identification. Uncoupled steady-state constant covariance extended Kalman filters with residual traps are employed for rotational and translational state estimation, and generalized likelihood ratio tests are made for failure identification. Rigid body simulation results indicate station-level identification times of less than 2 sec for primary jet hard failures and less than 70 sec for vernier jet hard failures and primary jet leaks.
Cultural competence: Reflections on patient autonomy and patient good

Terms such as 'cultural competence' and 'transcultural nursing' have comfortably taken their place in the lexicon of health care. Their high profile is a reflection of the diversity of western societies and health care's commitment to provide care that is responsive to the values and beliefs of all who require treatment. However, the relationship between cultural competence and familiar ethical concepts such as patient autonomy has been an uneasy one. This article explores the moral foundations of cultural competence, ultimately locating them in patient autonomy and patient good. The discussion of patient good raises questions about the moral relevance of a value's rootedness in a particular culture. I argue that the moral justification for honoring cultural values has more to do with the fact that patients are strongly committed to them than it does with their cultural rootedness. Finally, I suggest an organizational approach to cultural competence that emphasizes overall organizational preparedness.
Phase-Sensitive Detection. Part I: Phase, Gates, Phase-Sensitive Detectors, Mixers, and the Rotating Frame

The fundamental principles of phase, semiconductor materials, and transformers are presented. The use of diodes and transformers in the construction and operation of product detectors is then described. It is shown that the output of a phase-sensitive detector “PSD” is a direct-current “d-c” voltage when the two inputs have the same frequency, and that the polarity of this voltage depends on the phase difference between the inputs. It is also shown that when the two input frequencies are different, the same device can act as a non-linear mixer, because its output consists of the difference and the sum of the input frequencies. In an NMR spectrometer, a PSD acts as the heart of the receiver. One of its inputs is the NMR signal from the probe, and the other is a reference frequency obtained from the transmitter. The filtered PSD output is the difference between the two input frequencies, and is referred to as the free induction decay, or FID. It is shown that the reference to the PSD is conceptually analogous to the “rotating frame”. Finally, it is explained that the basic limitation of a single PSD is its inability to determine whether an NMR signal is of a higher or lower frequency than the reference.
Post-Layout Gate Sizing for Interconnect Delay and Crosstalk Noise Optimization

In this paper, we develop a new post-layout gate sizing algorithm for simultaneous optimization of interconnect delay and crosstalk noise. We have modeled the problem of gate sizing as a normal form game and solved using the Nash equilibrium. The noise induced on a net depends on the size of the gates driving the coupled nets and itself. Increasing the gate size of the driver increases the noise induced by the net on its coupled nets, where as, increasing the size of the driver of coupled nets increases the noise induced on the net itself, resulting in a conflicting situation. The problem of post-layout gate size optimization is difficult to solve due to its conflicting nature (M. R. Becer, 2003). Game theory provides a natural framework for handling such conflicting situations and allows multi-metric optimization. We have exploited this property of game theory to solve the cyclic dependency of crosstalk noise on its gate sizes, while modeling the problem of gate sizing for simultaneous optimization of interconnect delay and crosstalk noise, which again are conflicting in nature. Experimental results on several medium and large opencore designs indicate average improvements of 13.33% and 16.61% for interconnect delay and crosstalk noise, without any area overhead or need for re-routing.