cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Round-Robin Evaluation of ASTM Standard Test Method E2798 for Spray Drift Reduction Adjuvants

Drift Reduction Agent has been defined in ASTM Standard E1519 Terminology Relating to Agricultural Tank Mix Adjuvants as “a material used in liquid spray mixtures to reduce spray drift.” ASTM Standard E609 Terminology Relating to Pesticides defines drift as “the physical movement of an agrochemical through the air at the time of application or soon thereafter to any non- or off-target site. Drift shall not include movement to non- or off-target sites caused by erosion, migration, volatility or wind blown soil particles that occur after application unless specifically advertised on the label.” Because there are many commercial tank mix adjuvants designed to reduce spray drift, there is a need to establish an ASTM Standard Test Method to evaluate their effectiveness. ASTM Standard E2798 is the new test method developed for the Characterization of Performance of Pesticide Spray Drift Reduction Adjuvants for Ground Application. This paper presents the data generated from the round-robin testing of this method. The method provides guidelines for the measurement of parameters pertaining to the performance of drift reduction adjuvants under simulated field application conditions. The measurements can be made in a wind tunnel or a spray chamber. The method describes the preparation, composition, and test/application conditions for droplet size, spray pattern measurements, and fines reduction. The exact selection of application conditions such as nozzle type and tank mix partner may vary according to the intended use conditions.
Prolonged expiratory duration with elevated lung volume in newborn infants.

UNLABELLED End-expiratory lung volume increased 17.5 +/- 5.4 ml (mean +/- SD) in full term infants and 7.7 +/- 2.1 ml in premature infants when 5--7 cm H2O continuous negative pressure (CNEG) was applied around the thorax. In the full term infants, respiratory rate decreased from 52--43 min-1 (P less than 0.001), mean inspiratory duration (ti) was unchanged, and mean duration of expiration (te) increased from 0.62 +/- 0.14 (SE)-0.84 +/- 0.22 sec (P less than 0.001) after application of CNEG. Te of occluded efforts on CNEG was also prolonged (P less than 0.005), although less than te of spontaneous breaths on CNEG (P less than 0.005). Te increased in four of eight premature infants when CNEG was applied. We conclude that phasic vagal feedback regulates Ti and te is controlled by tonic vagal activity. SPECULATION Premature infants may have an optimum functional residual capacity (FRC) which can be achieved with continuous distending pressure, resulting in regularization of respiration.
Sleep-related laryngospasm caused by gastroesophageal reflux

Abstract Gastroesophageal reflux is a suspected cause of sleep-related laryngospasm [Thurnheer R, Henz A, Knoblauch A. Sleep-related laryngospasm. Eur Respir J 1997;10:2084–6], but the relationship has not been directly documented by polysomnography (PSG). We report the case of an eight-year-old girl with asthma who was referred for evaluation of awakenings with respiratory distress. The description of her events included stridorous breathing suggestive of laryngospasm. A PSG was performed with esophageal pH monitoring, and during the recording pH dropped below four on nine occasions. Following two of the pH drops, acute respiratory distress with stridor was documented in video and audio recording, supporting a causal relationship between sleep-related gastroesophageal reflux and laryngospasm.
HIV Infection and Antiphospholipid Antibody: Literature Review and Link to the Antiphospholipid Syndrome

There is a high incidence of antiphospholipid antibodies, detected by assays for anticardiolipin or lupus-like anticoagulant, in HIV disease. However, a link to the antiphospholipid syndrome, with clinical thrombosis, is tenuous. We report a case of a 25-year-old man with undetermined risk factors for HIV presenting with possible antiphospholipid syndrome manifesting as necrotic skin lesions as the initial clinical presentation for HIV. We also review the literature exploring the association between HIV and antiphospholipid syndrome.
Somatotopic organization of raccoon dorsal column nuclei.

Somatotopic organization was demonstrated by means of microelectrode mapping studies of three somatic sensory nuclear regions in the raccoon medulla. (1) Projections of peripheral receptive fields in the cuneate-gracile nuclear complex occur iteratively in rostro-caudal columns. These projections are organized into a detailed 3-dimensional pattern, in contrast to the more diffuse intermingling of such projections in the spinal dorsal roots and columns. This indicates that afferent fibers are re-sorted before synaptic termination. In the extensive representation of the volar hand, there are distinct subnuclei, delineated by intervening fiber laminae, each containing the projections from one of the forepaw digits. (2) Units in the external-cuneate nucleus responded only to stimulation of deeperlying tissues in anterior body regions. These projections were also somatotopically organized. Retrograde degeneration studies indicated that some cells, in that region where cuneate-gracile adjoins external-cuneate, may project through both the ipsilateral cerebellar peduncles and the contralateral midbrain. (3) The spinal trigeminal nucleus adjoining the cuneate-gracile complex displayed many characteristics similar to those of the latter. Neighboring, although anatomically distinct, regions contained projections from neighboring peripheral receptive fields.
The emergence of intentional communication

Children acquire intentional behavior long before they master intentional communication; intentional communication becomes possible when the infant develops a “theory of mind”.
Differential potentiation of in vitro lipopolysaccharide stimulation of B-lymphoid cells by lithium and ammonium ions

Abstract Stimulation of hamster splenocytes by lipopolysaccharide was found to be greatly enhanced when the culture medium was supplemented with LiCl (1–25 mM). Maximum enhancement (>300% of control) of [3H]thymidine incorporation occurred at 10 mM LiCl. Time of addition experiments revealed that LiCl enhanced stimulation only if added during the initial 24 hr of culture. Experiments carried out with similar concentrations of other monovalent cations revealed that NH4Cl also enhanced lipopolysaccharide stimulation but to a lesser extent than LiCl. The order of effectiveness was Li > NH4 ⪢ Rb > K = Na = control. Lithium chloride was also found to potentiate Zn2+ enhancement of lipopolysaccharide stimulation. In contrast to lipopolysaccharide stimulation, stimulation of splenocytes by DxS, another B-cell mitogen, was not enhanced by LiCl or NH4Cl. Activation of splenocytes by trypsin was modestly enhanced by the two ions. Therefore the effect of LiCl and NH4Cl on lipopolysaccharide stimulation appears to be unique to this B-lymphocyte mitogen.
Electro-Optical Processing of Phsased-Array Antenna Data

An on-line two-dimensional optical processor has been used to process simulated linear and planar phased-array radar data off-line but at real-time data rates. The input transducer is an electron-beam-addressed KD2 PO4 light valve.
HHMI: educating tomorrow's scientists.

Scientists and educators alike can benefit from a dynamic dialogue. To encourage and strengthen that sort of dialogue, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has awarded a grant to the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) to help develop the new electronic journal, Cell Biology Education, providing $95,000 annually for three years. Stephen A. Barkanic, director of the undergraduate science education program at HHMI, and Dennis W.C. Liu, director of the Institute’s public science education initiative, have agreed to serve on the Cell Biology Education Editorial Board. HHMI’s decision to provide partial funding for the new electronic journal was based largely on the ASCB’s commitment to integrating the worlds of science education and research. As discussed by Samuel Ward in his editorial accompanying this issue of the journal, the goals of CBE are threefold: create an outlet for publication of educationally focused, peer-reviewed articles; provide a dynamic forum for discussion of pedagogical issues; and recognize and reward educational scholarship. These goals reflect HHMI’s mission of strengthening science education at all levels, enabling the
Lymphocyte responsiveness to thymosin in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with lymphomatous transformation

Lymphocytes from a patient with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with lymphomatous degeneration were tested in vitro for thymosin responsiveness. The percentage of lymphocytes forming spontaneous (E) rosettes to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was 37 and 32% in the absence of thymosin on two separate occasions. Lymphocytes incubated with thymosin formed rosettes in 55 and 43% when incubated with 0.1 micrograms/ml and 66 and 63% when incubated with 100 micrograms/ml, respectively. The patient subsequently received thymosin while in a preterminal condition. No clinical response to thymosin was apparent and lymphocytes tested 8 days after starting thymosin treatment demonstrated reduced thymosin responsiveness (31% without thymosin vs 37% with 100 micrograms/ml). The failure to respond clinically to thymosin treatment may be related to the preterminal condition. The in vitro responsiveness to thymosin suggests that thymosin effect should be examined earlier in the course of this disease process.
Effects of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium nutrition on yield, rates of kernel growth and grain filling periods of two corn hybrids

Depression of corn grain yields from nutrient stress has been studied extensively, but effects of nutrient stress on rates of corn development and yield determinants are less well understood. Nutri...
ANALYSIS OF FLUID– STRUCTURE INTERACTIONS USING A TIME-MARCHING TECHNIQUE

Abstract Fluid–structure interaction problems arise in many different areas of engineering where the system considered or some of its components are directly in contact with a fluid. Examples are aircraft, jet engines, ships, pipelines, nuclear and chemical reactors, offshore structures, bridges, etc. In these cases, the fluid often plays an important role in determining the behavior of the structure of interest. For example, flutter could have disastrous consequences on aircraft, and resonances resulting from flow-induced vibrations could provoke structural failures in nuclear reactors, bridges and other structures subjected to a cross-flow. To prevent these potential dramatic and expensive accidents, it is necessary to seek a reliable technique for the determination of the characteristics, in particular natural frequencies, damping levels and fatigue life, of the structure in the presence of the fluid. This computation has often been accomplished in the past by relying on either a total or substantial decoupling of the fluid and structural problems, but the ever increasing emphasis on reliability, efficiency, and weight motivates the use of precise strategies for the determination of the fluid and structural behaviour. Recent efforts in this area indicate that a time-marching solution for the combined fluid and structure governing equations is computationally feasible and may provide the necessary accuracy. The present investigation essentially verifies this approach and makes available a time-marching technique that fully resolves the fluid–structure interactions. As an illustration, the single airfoil flutter problem is first analysed in detail. This is followed by an investigation of the nonlinearity in the response of the airfoil. New insights thus obtained are presented and discussed.
Reply: Huntington's disease and minocycline

The original letter to which this reply refers was published in Movement DisordersMov Disord (2005) 20 (4) 510–511.
A 6U CubeSat constellation concept for atmospheric temperature and humidity sounding

To accurately predict how the distribution of extreme events may change in the future we need to understand the mechanisms that influence such events in our current climate. This includes understanding how modes of natural climate variability, such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) impact the weather extremes. Our current observing system is not well-suited for observing extreme events globally due to the sparse sampling and in-homogeneity of ground-based in-situ observations and the infrequent revisit time of satellite observations. Observations of weather extremes, such as extreme precipitation events, temperature extremes, tropical and extra-tropical cyclones among others, with temporal resolution on the order of minutes and spatial resolution on the order of few kms (<10 kms), are required for improved forecasting of extreme weather events.
Motion to Form a Quorum

Bacterial gene expression is frequently regulated by small molecules secreted into the surrounding medium. These autoinducers build up with increasing cell number until a critical population density or “quorum” is achieved, at which point the cells produce a response such as virulence or biofilm
Matrix decomposition algorithms for separable elliptic boundary value problems in two space dimensions

Abstract Bialecki, B. and G. Fairweather, Matrix decomposition algorithms for separable elliptic boundary value problems in two space dimensions, Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics 46 (1993) 369–386. In recent years, several matrix decomposition algorithms have been developed for the efficient solution of the linear algebraic systems arising when finite-difference, finite-element Galerkin and spectral methods are applied to separable elliptic boundary value problems in a rectangle. The success of these methods depends on knowledge of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of matrices arising in corresponding two-point boundary value problems in one space dimension. The primary purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of matrix decomposition algorithms and show how they can be expressed in terms of a unifying framework. Particular emphasis is placed on algorithms formulated recently by the authors for solving the linear systems arising in orthogonal spline collocation, that is, spline collocation at Gauss points. All of the methods discussed in this paper are modular and possess a great deal of natural parallelism.
Employment discrimination: age discrimination and sexual harassment

Abstract This is the era of deregulation—and yet in U.S. labor markets, at least, the legal regulation of the employment relation has been expanding in recent decades. The laws have been stiffened and their enforcement, mainly through private lawsuits, has been beefed up. Currently the two most important areas, in terms of impact on employers, are age discrimination and sexual harassment, and these will be my focus.
Aprepitant versus ondansetron in preoperative triple-therapy treatment of nausea and vomiting in neurosurgery patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

The incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is 50% to 80% after neurosurgery. The common prophylactic treatment for postoperative nausea and vomiting is a triple therapy of droperidol, promethazine and dexamethasone. Newer, more effectives methods of prophylaxis are being investigated. We designed this prospective, double-blind, single-center study to compare the efficacy of ondansetron, a neurokinin-1 antagonist, and aprepitant, as a substitute for droperidol, in the prophylactic treatment of postoperative nausea and vomiting after neurosurgery. After obtaining institutional review board approval; 176 patients, 18 to 85 years of age with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classifications I to III, who did not receive antiemetics 24 h before surgery and were expected to undergo general anesthesia for neurosurgery lasting longer than 2 h were included in this study. After meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria and providing written informed consent, patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two treatment groups: aprepitant or ondansetron. The objective of this study was to conduct a randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group and single-center trial to compare and evaluate the efficacies of aprepitant versus ondansetron. Patients received oral aprepitant 40 mg OR oral dummy pill within 2 h prior to induction. At induction, a combination of intravenous dexamethasone 10 mg, promethazine 25 mg, and ondansetron 4 mg OR dummy injection was administered. Therefore, all patients received one dummy treatment and three active PONV prophylactic medications: dexamethasone 10 mg, promethazine 25 mg, and either aprepitant 40 mg OR ondansetron 4 mg infusion. The primary outcome measures were the episodes and severity of nausea and vomiting; administration of rescue antiemetic; and opioid consumption for 120 h postoperatively. Standard safety assessments included adverse event reports, physical and laboratory data, awakening time and duration of recovery from anesthesia. The results of this comparative study could potentially identify an improved treatment regimen that may decrease the incidence and severity of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing neurosurgery. Also, this will serve to enhance patient recovery and overall satisfaction of neurosurgical patients in the immediate postoperative period. Registered at The Ohio State University Biomedical Sciences Institutional Review Board: Protocol Number: 2007 H0053
Anthrax Lethal Toxin-induced gene expression changes in mouse lung

A major virulence factor of Bacillus anthracis is the anthrax Lethal Toxin (LeTx), a bipartite toxin composed of Protective Antigen and Lethal Factor. Systemic administration of LeTx to laboratory animals leads to death associated with vascular leakage and pulmonary edema. In this study, we investigated whether systemic exposure of mice to LeTx would induce gene expression changes associated with vascular/capillary leakage in lung tissue. We observed enhanced susceptibility of A/J mice to death by systemic LeTx administration compared to the C57BL/6 strain. LeTx-induced groups of both up- and down-regulated genes were observed in mouse lungs 6 h after systemic administration of wild type toxin compared to lungs of mice exposed to an inactive mutant form of the toxin. Lungs of the less susceptible C57BL/6 strain showed 80% fewer differentially expressed genes compared to lungs of the more sensitive A/J strain. Expression of genes known to regulate vascular permeability was modulated by LeTx in the lungs of the more susceptible A/J strain. Unexpectedly, the largest set of genes with altered expression was immune specific, characterized by the up-regulation of lymphoid genes and the down-regulation of myeloid genes. Transcripts encoding neutrophil chemoattractants, modulators of tumor regulation and angiogenesis were also differentially expressed in both mouse strains. These studies provide new directions for the investigation of vascular leakage and pulmonary edema induced by anthrax LeTx.
THE ROLE OF BRANCH LENGTH AND ANGLE IN BRANCHING PATTERN OF FOREST SHRUBS ALONG A SUCCESSIONAL GRADIENT

We investigated the branching structure of shrubs to quantify architectural changes along a successional gradient and to compare these findings with the behaviour of trees. Although shrubs did not differ in bifurcation ratio, it was discovered that branch length, interbranch distance and branching angle are all important display characters. Later successional shrubs had longer whole branches or interbranch lengths than early successional shrubs. In addition, there is a tradeoff between interbranch length versus whole branch length and angle size as part of the overall strategy for minimizing leaf overlap in the later successional shrubs. Early successional shrubs allocate less to long branches as a component of multilayer display of numerous, small leaves. We conclude the existence of great flexibility in the shrub form which utilizes horizontal areas rather cheaply and exploits different successional positions by manipulating the same small-scale branching features that differ within single tree crowns.
Identification, characterization, and nucleotide sequence of a region of Enterococcus faecalis pheromone-responsive plasmid pAD1 capable of autonomous replication.

Abstract A 5-kbp region of pAD1, previously shown to be capable of supporting replication, copy control, and stable inheritance of the plasmid, was cloned into a replicon probe vector and subjected to transposon insertional mutagenesis. Transposon inserts identifying essential replication, copy control, and stability functions were isolated. Deletion of stability functions not essential for replication resulted in delimitation of a basic replicon. The complete DNA sequence of this approximately 3-kbp region and the precise positions of several transposon inserts were determined, and the phenotypic effects of the transposon inserts were correlated with the physical locations of individual determinants. The following three genes, apparently involved in plasmid maintenance, were identified; repA, which encodes a protein required for replication; repB, which encodes a protein involved in copy control; and repC, which may be involved in stable inheritance. In addition, two clusters of repeats composed of a consensus sequence, TAGTARRR, were identified, one located between the divergently transcribed repA and repB genes and another located downstream of repC. The region between repA and repB contained 25 repeats divided into two subregions of 13 and 12 repeats separated by 78 bp. The region located downstream of repC contained only three repeats but may be essential for plasmid replication, since deletion of this determinant resulted in loss of ability to replicate in Enterococcus faecalis. We hypothesize that the repeat units represent protein-binding sites required for assembly of the replisome and control of plasmid copy number. Another region of unrelated repeat units that may also be involved in replication is located within the repA gene. Possible mechanisms of action of these determinants are discussed.
Patterns of sequence conservation at termini of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons and DNA transposons in the human genome: lessons from phage Mu.

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons and DNA transposons are transposable elements (TEs) that perform cleavage and transfer at precise DNA positions. Here, we present statistical analyses of sequences found at the termini of precise TEs in the human genome. The results show that the terminal di- and trinucleotides of these TEs are highly conserved. 5'TG...CA3' occurs most frequently at the termini of LTR retrotransposons, while 5'CAG...CTG3' occurs most frequently in DNA transposons. Interestingly, these sequences are the most flexible base pair steps in DNA. Both the sequence preference and the degree of conservation of each position within the human LTR dinucleotide termini are remarkably similar to those experimentally demonstrated in transposable phage Mu. We discuss the significance of these observations and their implication for the function of terminal residues in the transposition of precise TEs.
NIR imaging of prefrontal activation by anagram solutions

Summary form only given. Continued studies in cognitive function in problem solving of graded difficulty (1) has now proceeded through several thousand tests of high school students in a six weeks period last summer. The optical imager uses 9 sources and 23 detectors operated in time multiplex to give an image of the prefrontal region in several seconds. Thus, the image can be acquired in the state prior to activation, during and following activation. The images are acquired at two wavelengths, 750 and 850 nm, from which the changes of blood concentration (blood pooling) and relative oxygenation/deoxygenation state (metabolic activity) can be obtained and with suitable calibrations converted into micromolar changes of total Hb concentration and fractional changes of oxygenation, respectively. The imager has a flexible, wearable pad applied to the forehead and the electronics presents the running average of the two quantities mentioned above in the 16 voxels which cover the prefrontal region. The protocol involves a scanning through multi-letter anagrams of graded difficulty which include problems ellicitating maximal activation (>3 solutions in the 30 sec test interval) or are to easy, or too difficulty. Anagrams are presented in a sequence of three, four, five letter anagrams of to the maximal level of difficulty and back to the starting point. Each anagram is displayed for approximately one minute. Computer scanning of the results gives histograms of the several hundred tests per individual in the "training" interval (for three weeks) and in the post training interval (3 weeks). Usually two or three complete trials per day were achieved with the result that the group of 7 students produced over 2600 test results. The histogram displays were studied to determine (a) the most fruitful voxels, (b) the approximate of the total tests that appeared in those voxels and (c) the maximum signal level observed in the histogram display in units of micromolar hemoglobin. The product these two was taken as the Figure of Merit and their displays of the 16 voxels gave patterns for trained and untrained responses. The preliminary conclusions of this study were: (a) that the training effect was very large, pre-training exhibited a chaotic voxel distribution for all difficulty levels while trained students gave a higher output and activated only one or two of the 16 voxels. If the tests was too easy, too hard, i.e., an ability/difficulty mismatch, frustration or disattention gave similar chaotic patterns; (b) a match between difficulty and ability activated only one or two voxels in similar locations for the group. Since attention and success measure appear to be of interest in school room studies, a wearable imager with local LCD display is being supplied to the Senior class of the local high school for those individuals who have already had last Summer's training in anagrams. It is concluded that wearable NIR measurements of metabolic activation and blood flow may be a useful educational aid.
Robust signal selection for the matched filter

A matched filter's performance is strongly related to the signal being detected and can be shown to be optimal when the signal is an eigenvector of the noise correlation matrix corresponding to a minimum eigenvalue. When fewer correlations are known than would be necessary to specify such an eigenvector, it is natural to choose a signal which is robust to the implied uncertainty in the noise dependency structure. This is shown to be tantamount to finding a tight upper bound on the minimum eigenvalue over all correlation matrices within the uncertainty class. Such a bound is achieved by the reduced correlation matrix of order equal to the number of available correlations, and hence the robust signal is shown to have this length. No matter how reasonable, any assumption used to extend the correlation matrix can degrade performance; a system designer should not try to use information that is not available. >
Enhancing the stability and ecological safety of mass‐reared transgenic strains for field release by redundant conditional lethality systems

The genetic manipulation of agriculturally important insects now allows the development of genetic sexing and male sterility systems for more highly efficient biologically-based population control programs, most notably the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), for both plant and animal insect pests. Tetracycline-suppressible (Tet-off) conditional lethal systems may function together so that transgenic strains will be viable and fertile on a tetracycline-containing diet, but female-lethal and male sterile in tetracycline-free conditions. This would allow their most efficacious use in a unified system for sterile male-only production for SIT. A critical consideration for the field release of such transgenic insect strains, however, is a determination of the frequency and genetic basis of lethality revertant survival. This will provide knowledge essential to evaluating the genetic stability of the lethality system, its environmental safety, and provide the basis for modifications ensuring optimal efficacy. For Tet-off lethal survival determinations, development of large-scale screening protocols should also allow the testing of these modifications, and test the ability of other conditional lethal systems to fully suppress propagation of rare Tet-off survivors. If a dominant temperature sensitive (DTS) pupal lethality system proves efficient for secondary lethality in Drosophila, it may provide the safeguard needed to support the release of sexing/sterility strains, and potentially, the release of unisex lethality strains as a form of genetic male sterility. Should the DTS Prosβ2(1) mutation prove effective for redundant lethality, its high level of structural and functional conservation should allow host-specific cognates to be created for a wide range of insect species.
Absence of β7 integrin results in less graft-versus-host disease because of decreased homing of alloreactive T cells to intestine

The α4β7 integrin plays a central role in the homing of T cells to the gut. We hypothesized that absence of the β7 subunit would result in a reduction of intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and an improvement in overall GVHD morbidity and mortality in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Analysis of alloreactive β7-/- T cells showed intact activation, proliferation, cytokine production, and cytotoxicity. However, recipients of β7-/- donor T cells in murine HSCT models experienced less GVHD morbidity and mortality than recipients of wild-type (WT) T cells, associated with a decrease in donor T-cell infiltration of the liver and intestine and with an overall significant decrease in hepatic and intestinal GVHD. In graft-versus-tumor (GVT) experiments, we demonstrated intact or even enhanced GVT activity of β7-/- donor T cells. In conclusion, β7-/- donor T cells caused less GVHD morbidity and mortality than WT donor T cells because of selectively decreased T-cell infiltration of the liver and intestines. Our data suggest that strategies to target the β7 integrin have the clinical potential to alleviate or prevent GVHD while sparing or potentiating GVT activity.
Optimal design and finite element analysis of switched reluctance motor for electric vehicles

Low cost, high reliability, low weight and competitive efficiency combine to make the switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive a strong candidate for application in future electric vehicle (EV) propulsion systems. In this paper , a three-phase 6/4 structure switched reluctance motor used in small size EV is proposed. Start performance and output property are both improved through optimizing the stator structure. Static characteristic of the motor is analyzed and calculated by using the method of the finite element analysis. Flux linkage curves of SRM are obtained at different rotor position. Electromagnetic calculation is carried out. On the basis of this, the capabilities are compared before and after optimization. At last, the optimal design of the SRM is finished.
Explaining adult homelessness in the US by stratification or situation

In the US, the most widely accepted individual-level explanations of homelessness suggest that adults lose their dwellings when they cannot compete in the marketplace for the monetary resources needed to pay for housing, and cannot compete in a non-market struggle for compensatory resources. Such resource problems allegedly typically reflect myriad lifetime and current personal problems or deficits. However, the causal role of the problems and deficits is now known to be complex, and evidence about transitions in and out of homelessness suggests that key events occur somewhat independently of easily measured individual problems or deficits. This article, therefore, provides an alternative explanatory approach that directly focuses on aspects of the probabilistic situations that spur, or fail to reverse homelessness. The events and resource issues are posited to give rise to episodes of homelessness that vary in length, that are indirectly affected by many commonly mentioned individual traits, and that can be matched to targeted policies. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Energy Relations in Binary Alkali Borates

The heats of solution of glasses and devitrified alkali borates in the systems Li2O–B2O3, Na2O—B2O3, and K2O–B2O3 were measured in 2 N nitric acid with a simple vacuum-bottle calorimeter. The standard deviation was 0.35 cal. per gm. for approximately 130 determinations. From these data, together with available thermodynamic data, heats of formation were calculated for alkali borate glasses and devitrified alkali borates from two combinations of possible reactants. All the curves for the heats of solution of glasses showed minima at 20 mole % alkali oxide, but similar curves for devitrified alkali borates showed minima at 20 mole % for potassium and sodium borates only. The curve for devitrified lithium borates showed a minimum at 25 mole % alkali. The conclusion was drawn that there is probably no congruently melting Li2O.4B2O3 compound.
Gauss mixture model-based classification for sensor networks

Gauss mixture models (GMMs) provide an approach to the image classification problems, utilizing the robustness and the analytical tractability of the Gaussian distribution. Previous work on the GMM-based image classification algorithms has focused on either the single sensor schemes or schemes with no noise or rate constraints. In our work, we consider a GMM-based image classification problem for a network of sensors with each sensor having a different noisy version of a common image. The goal of each sensor is to classify the image based on its own noisy version and the help it receives from the other sensors under rate constraints. We formulate the image sensor network classification problem as a vector quantization problem and design Lloyd optimal quantizers, minimizing the classification error for the given rate constraints. We then extend our algorithm to include context dependence. Our cross-validated simulations, using a set of aerial images, indicate an improvement in the classification performance (for the given rate constraints) when compared with the network extensions of previously published GMM-based algorithms.
Javari: adding reference immutability to Java

This paper describes a type system that is capable of expressing and enforcing immutability constraints. The specific constraint expressed is that the abstract state of the object to which an immutable reference refers cannot be modified using that reference. The abstract state is (part of) the transitively reachable state: that is, the state of the object and all state reachable from it by following references. The type system permits explicitly excluding fields from the abstract state of an object. For a statically type-safe language, the type system guarantees reference immutability. If the language is extended with immutability downcasts, then run-time checks enforce the reference immutability constraints.This research builds upon previous research in language support for reference immutability. Improvements that are new in this paper include distinguishing the notions of assignability and mutability; integration with Java 5's generic types and with multi-dimensional arrays; a mutability polymorphism approach to avoiding code duplication; type-safe support for reflection and serialization; and formal type rules and type soundness proof for a core calculus. Furthermore, it retains the valuable features of the previous dialect, including usability by humans (as evidenced by experience with 160,000 lines of Javari code) and interoperability with Java and existing JVMs.
Research on Wearable, Immersive Augmented Reality (WIAR) Adoption in Maritime Navigation

Understanding the impact of technology introduction on users’ attitudes toward and behaviour with technology is increasingly important. This paper suggests several research questions that are important as Wearable, Immersive Augmented Reality (WIAR) systems are introduced in ship navigation: what contributions to navigation decision-making might be made by WIAR technology? And how do these influences relate to safety in marine transportation? This paper begins with an overview of information needs for shipboard navigation and piloting, and then describes the evolution of shipboard decision support systems for navigation, including the emergence of wearable, immersive augmented reality systems. An assessment of piloting and navigation information needs and the capabilities of WIAR are then presented, which suggests a conceptual model for studying the impact of WIAR systems on performance and safety in marine transportation. Conclusions and future work to explore the role and contribution of WIAR technology to the safety of navigation are then presented.
Degeneration and Regeneration of Neurosecretory Systems

Publisher Summary Degenerative and regenerative phenomena have substantially contributed to the knowledge of neurosecretory systems. The general structural organization, the degeneration, and regeneration of neurosecretory neurons, and the process of neurosecretion are identical throughout the animal kingdom. In the first phase after interruption of a neurosecretory axon, the proximal and distal stumps react identically with the development of a dense system of tubular formations and with an increase in other axoplasmic organelles conveyed to the stumps from more proximal or more distal portions of the axon. During the second phase growth, cones containing numerous tubular formations and vesicles start to sprout from the axon in the proximal stump as an initiation of regeneration. The third phase in the proximal stump leads to the progressive establishment of new axon terminals in contact with a newly developed vascular plexus; these terminals are identical to those observed in the normal neural lobe.
Using multicast communication to locate resources in LAN-based distributed system

The authors present a resource (e.g. file, process) location scheme which utilizes the multicast communication capability of local area networks (LANs). In the scheme, the universe of resource names is partitioned into a relatively small number of groups and each group is assigned a unique address. Nodes storing the locations of resources belonging to a particular group instruct their network interfaces to receive all location messages sent to the group address. To locate a resource, a node first determines the address of the group to which the resource belongs, and a multicast message is then sent to the address. The algorithm performance is studied by simulation, and approximate closed-form solutions are derived for systems operating at heavy and low loads. The scheme's performance is compared with that of broadcast, and it is shown that the proposed scheme performs much better than broadcast alone. >
Densities, length proportions, and other distributional features of repetitive sequences in the human genome estimated from 430 megabases of genomic sequence

The densities of repetitive elements in the human genome were calculated in each GC content class using non-overlapping windows of 50 kb. The density of Alu is two to three times higher in GC-rich regions than in AT-rich regions, while the opposite is true for LINE1. In contrast, LINE2 and other elements, such as DNA transposons, are more uniformly distributed in the genome. The number of Alus in the human genome was estimated to be 1.4 million, higher than previous estimates. About 40% of the autosomes and ~51% of the X and Y chromosomes are occupied by repetitive elements. In total, the human genome is estimated to contain more than 4 million repetitive elements. The GC contents (%) of repetitive elements and their flanking regions were also calculated. The GC contents of almost all kinds of repeats are positively correlated with the window GC contents, suggesting that a repetitive sequence is subject to the same mutation pressure as its surrounding regions, so it tends to have the same GC content as its surrounding regions. This observation supports the regional mutation hypothesis. The only two exceptions are AluYa and AluYb8, the two youngest Alu subfamilies. The GC content of AluYb8 is negatively correlated with that of its surrounding regions, while AluYa shows no correlation, suggesting diVerent insertion patterns for these two young Alu subfamilies. This suggestion was supported by the fact that the average genetic distance between members of AluYb8 in each GC window class is positively correlated with the GC content of the window, but no correlation was found for AluYa. AluYa is more frequent in Y chromosome than in other chromosomes; the same is true for LTR retroviruses. This pattern might be correlated with the evolutionary history of Y chromosome. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Moisture and temperature effects on the dielectric spectrum of transformer pressboard

The dielectrometry spectrum of pressboard is a function of its temperature and moisture content. In transformer pressboard, it has been shown that the dielectric spectrum does not vary in shape with temperature and moisture content, but that there is a shift in amplitude and frequency. Thus it is possible to create a master curve, with appropriate temperature correction factors, containing information about the moisture contents from transformer pressboard dielectrometry measurements. Extensive measurements of dielectric properties of oil-free transformer pressboard as a function of mine moisture levels (0-5.7%) and five temperature levels (30-70/spl deg/C) were conducted in order to quantify effects that will allow the prediction of moisture content of insulation by measuring its dielectric spectrum, thus allowing an on-line non-destructive moisture measurement method in pressboard. A dielectric model for biological tissue is adopted for the cellulose-structured pressboard. The master curve is found by fitting the data to the model. The paper presents measured curves that show similar trends as reported in the literature. In addition, new quantitative analysis is presented for oil-free pressboard.
The Politics of Institutional Change Electoral Reform in Latin America, 1978—2002

Building on the growing body of research on political institutions, this article explores the causes of electoral reform, with specific reference to Latin America. What factors account for the extensive array of electoral reforms adopted in the region since the return to democracy? How are shifting patterns of political representation related to institutional change? In addressing these questions, I develop an account of electoral reform that places shifting partisan political fortunes at the center of analysis and show that changes in the rules of the electoral game tend to reflect the political self-interest of dominant political parties as defined in relation to mounting electoral uncertainty. The evidence regarding the impact of electoral reforms on party system change is less consistent with the expectations derived from the comparative institutional literature. Over the past two decades, party system change in Latin America has generated institutional change more predictably than vice versa.
Cerebral metabolic interactions between thyroid state and imipramine in the rat.

Local rates of cerebral glucose metabolism were determined in four groups of adult rats 4 weeks after surgery: sham-operation + saline; thyro-parathyroidectomy (TX) + saline; sham-operation + imipramine; or TX + imipramine. Daily i.p. injections, imipramine at 10 mg/kg or saline at 1 ml/kg b.w., were given during the 2 weeks before the deoxyglucose experiment. TX reduced glucose utilization in the limbic, motor, endocrine and auditory systems. Imipramine reduced glucose metabolism in the median eminence, both habenular nuclei and several limbic regions including the amygdala, hippocampus and parietal cortex. Five structures showed significant interactions between TX and imipramine. In three of these regions, the supraoptic nucleus, central amygdala and lateral habenula; TX and/or imipramine individually reduced metabolism and the combined treatment raised it back to within the normal range. In the dorsal raphe, TX and imipramine tended to increase metabolism and the combined treatment resulted in a decrease to within normal range. The neurohypophysis, unaffected by TX alone, showed a significant increase in activity when TX was combined with imipramine. These data indicate, in part, that both hypothyroidism and imipramine treatment alone depress metabolism in limbic forebrain and the major limbic-brainstem relay nuclei. Combined treatment normalizes metabolism in many of these limbic pathways. Hypothetically, hypothyroidism may alter central catecholamine function in such a way that the metabolic response to imipramine is reversed or altered.
Child maltreatment and the use of social services.

A secondary analysis of 100 cases histories selected from social service records in a county department of social services (DSS) was conducted to examine the amount and kind of social services that persons identified as having maltreated a child received. Other objectives of the analysis were to observe the pattern of social service utilization over time and to discover what, if any, factors were associated with receiving social services. To accomplish these study objectives, two groups were selected for analysis: a target group of 50 families that had been reported to the county DSS for child maltreatment and a group of 50 families that had never been so reported. Both groups were composed mainly of young and socioeconomically deprived families that were characterized by poor incomes, little education, and low occupational levels. Analyses revealed significant differences in the amount and type of social services used by families in the target group and the comparison group. Although family structure was found to be related to the total amount of social service utilization, the degree of social disorganization within the family did not correlate with utilization. The study results indicate that the level of social services that protective service clients need and the level that they are actually getting should be re-examined. Language: en
Children's Understanding and Knowledge of Conception and Birth: A Developmental Approach

This study examined children's knowledge and understanding of conception and birth. The forty children interviewed were asked to verbally and pictorially answer two questions: “How are babies made?” and “How are babies born?” The children's responses were scored using two separate scales, the Origin of Babies Scale and the Children's Sexuality Awareness Scale. This study supports previous research which found that younger children received lower scores on the scales than older children. This research also found a relationship between parents providing their child with information about conception and birth and the child's score on the scales. The research supports previous findings that children's level of understanding about conception and birth appears to be developmentally based.